Idle Thoughts II
by
Gord
Idle Thoughts: The Death Penalty
This is Canada. Here we don't take the life of murderers, rapists or child molesters. We haven't had the death penalty on the books since 1962. Over half a century. No, this is Canada. Lethel injections are not available for even the most dangerous offenders. They are now legally available for our old and sick however. . . . .
Idle Thoughts: Any Hope for the Young Generation?
You Decide;
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Idle Thoughts: Squirrels
Donna and I have noticed that the squirrels in Brockville are different from the squirrels in Prevost. We notice the difference in their behaviour when we're driving. It has to do with how they cross a road.
In Prevost, it was rare to see a squirrel on the road at all, but if we approached a squirrel that was crossing the road, the thing would change directions at the last minute, sometimes running back after almost making it across the road. I remember hearing somewhere that they were trying to confuse you by this sort of behavior, 'you' being perceived as a predator.
In Brockville, we see many squirrels and they are often crossing the road. However, we have never seen any try to dart back. They simply cross the street.
We are not experts, but we think they may have taken an evolutionary step here. Maybe because of the many generations of squirrels that matured in the 'street' environment, the genes of those that tended to dart back and forth haven't survived. Of course, this may not be unique to Brockville. Maybe all cities have 'one-way' squirrels and maybe all rural areas have 'dart-back' squirrels. Anyway. . . it's a curious thing.
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Idle Thoughts:
Migrant Workers in Canada
I learned on the internet that, in Ontario, there are about 20,000 workers hired under the SAWP (Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program). About the same number are hired through another nonseasonal program. Those workers could be employed at a wide range of agriculture and agri-food operations, including mushroom farms, as chicken catchers or as greenhouse and fruit farm workers.
Ontario employs about 60 per cent of international migrants in Canada on temporary visas working in agriculture, followed by Quebec at 14 per cent and B.C. at 13 per cent.
This seems to me to be a win-win arrangement whereby unskilled citizens of less fortunate countries can earn a decent wage and Canadian farmers benefit from solid and steady workers, especially at harvest time. There are migrants who have been in the program for 40 years.
The program, as you might imagine, is not without some issues. It's impossible not to feel for the hard working individuals striving for a better life for themselves and their families. Inadequate housing, insufficient safety training, isolation and lax government oversight are some of the current concerns. However, I think the good far outweighs the bad and I hope the program continues to improve and that the lives of the workers and their families continue to improve.
If I could, I would give the workers a message. Just a simple message from one Canadian. . . . Please remove the stems from the blueberries. Thanks.
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Idle Thoughts: Performance Cars
There should be special rules of the road for performance cars and their drivers. Authorities have recognized large trucks as requiring special rules (speed limiters, weigh scales) and rightly so. It just makes sense.
When I'm driving along, let's face it, I'm not young anymore, and neither is my car. We're both past our prime and our reaction time, cornering ability, braking distance are not what they could be. And we're not the worst. When I see a little old lady driving along in her decade-old Toyota Echo, it pains me to think of the young dude in his new Ferrari subject to the same rules and speed limits. It's not right.
Here's how it should be;
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Performance cars could have a special licence plate if the driver chooses to pay the extra fee - say $1000.00.
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'Performance car' would be defined by the state - maybe based on power-to-weight ratio and handling characteristics.
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'Performance Drivers' could have a special driver permit, pass a special written and road test, pass a physical test similar to the police test and pay a special fee.
Performance drivers in performance cars would be allowed an extra 10km/h on the speed limits on '400' highways in Ontario and autoroutes in Quebec. Police practice would follow suit, something like this.
Passenger cars and light trucks:
Speed Limit 100 km/hr - Ticketed at 115km/hr
Large Trucks
Speed Limit 100 km/hr - Ticketed at 106Km/hr (because they are obliged to have speed limiters set to 105km/hr)
Performance cars (with performance drivers)
Speed Limit 110 Km/hr - Ticketed at 125 Km/hr
Then. . . . ideally. . . . on a three-lane highway we would have trucks in the right lane - regular cars in the middle and performance cars in the left lane.
Let my people GO!
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Idle Thoughts: Connectedness
Sometimes the clearest things are hardest to see. I suppose it could be that the simplicity of a matter keeps us from examining it closely. But that's another thought.
I always knew about evolution, but only considered it occasionally, like when, as a child, I wondered about the similarity between the face of a dog and the face of a seal, and the similar sound they make, or the fact that most animals have 2 eyes, 2 ears, one nose and one mouth.
There are two simple facts about evolution that boggle the mind.
(1) We are all related. Not only to each other, but to every living thing. Sounds simple, but think about that for a minute. The scorpion is actually a (very) distant cousin and so is the bumble bee and the rose.
(2) Each of us, by the simple fact that we exist today, has direct ancestry that goes all the way back to the fist living thing. You have direct ancestors who survived through the second world war, the first world war, the war of 1812, the 100 years war, the famines, the plagues, the Viking invasions, the Roman emporors, the Egyptian Pharohs, the stone age, and further still. You have direct ancestors that were mamals burrowing in the ground while dinosaurs roamed the planet. One of the first creatures to move from water to land is your direct ancestor.
Not something we consider every day, but it makes it real easy to understand why a student would want to become a paleoanthopologist.
