WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO TO DUBAI?

WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO TO DUBAI?

Is Dubai the prototype for cities of the future or a global example of excess and fantasy? Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates known for luxury shopping, ultramodern architecture and a lively nightlife scene. Burj Khalifa, an 830m-tall tower and still the tallest building in the world, dominates the skyscraper-filled skyline. At its foot lies Dubai Fountain, with jets and lights choreographed to music. On artificial man made islands just offshore is The Palm, a resort with water and marine-animal parks. If you get tired of the outdoors, you can go skiing on an indoor ski hill that is located in a mall! And I have just read about two new additions to add to the magic of Dubai.

Dubai has just introduced the world's first "sail-thru supermarket" -- a floating retail emporium ready to cater to anyone unwilling to leave the comfort of their yacht when picking up the groceries. The purpose-built ship, anchored out at sea, offers customers the choice of more than 300 items from the vessel, which is a franchise of French retail giant Carrefour. Anyone passing by on a yacht or Jet Ski, can order and collect at the boat's window counter -- or order via app or phone call. Customers in larger vessels will have their purchases delivered to them. Oceangoing transport isn't mandatory. Beachgoers can also use the app and have orders delivered to their towel.

Emirates Airlines has been faced with the problem of importing all of the food it serves on its top ranking airline. It's estimated the UAE imports as much as 85% of its food needs and only a small percentage of land is considered arable. Emirates Airline in a joint venture has built a 130,000-square foot, $40 million facility - the world's largest vertical hydroponic farm. It will grow indoors the produce that will be used to provide 225,000 meals every day from its base at Dubai International Airport. Emirates Airline says the facility will use 99% less water than outdoor fields and aims to harvest 6,000 pounds of leafy greens daily, which will find their way into both in-flight meals and airport lounges.

My visit to Dubai in 2005 did not include all of the architectural features that it does today. The most intriguing building at the time was the Burj Al Arab, the sail shaped hotel on the beach. It’s most significant feature to me was the fact that if you just wanted to go inside to look about, admission was $100 US. 

Dubai does appear to model the “Can do” attitude that a lot of other cities and countries do not possess. Of course, having billions of petrodollars to spend certainly helps when it comes to turning dreams into realities. Regardless, Dubai is certainly a one-of-a-kind city which would fascinate anyone.

DO YOU NEED A “WHAT’S IMPORTANT” REMINDER?

DO YOU NEED A “WHAT’S IMPORTANT” REMINDER?

I know for a fact that I am in need of more and more reminders as my mind continues to often travel down a different road than my body. Our current stay in Mexico reminded me of an important lesson that is too often forgotten by many. Both of my readers have probably read this little story before, but I know that they will still enjoy re-reading it. It certainly contains a thought provoking message!

“An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied, “Only a little while.” The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The Mexican said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.” 

The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “15 – 20 years.”

“But what then?” Asked the Mexican.

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part.  When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!”

“Millions – then what?”

The American said, “Then you would retire and move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

WILL YOU INVEST IN MY NEW TELEVISION SERIES?

WILL YOU INVEST IN MY NEW TELEVISION SERIES?

I don’t watch a lot of popular television. I find it uninteresting, predictable and uncreative. If one crime show becomes a hit, we are flooded with what seems like dozens of copycat versions soon after. The world of television is desperately searching for a new kind of program that will appeal to the undiscerning masses whose appetite needs to be fed. I think I have found the answer. I would like to develop the recent El Chapo trial of drug cartel boss, Joaquin Guzmán, into a new television series that combines the best elements of reality TV, criminal justice programs, and gratuitous scenes of violence, brutality and sadism. How could it fail?

To begin with, the eventual result of the trial on the TV series with be a forgone conclusion. Guzman had already been convicted two other times for the same offences, only to miraculously escape from prison twice, so his guilt on my show is a given. However, the latest trial lasted three months and took the jury 34 hours to arrive at a guilty verdict. Think of all the episodes containing flashbacks into his previous escapes, including one caught on closed circuit prison monitors, showing Guzman fleeing through a tunnel from his jail cell in Mexico! Think of the tense and colourful courtroom scenes complete with sketchy witnesses and gruesome testimony!

Imagine all of the episodes that could be extracted from the more than 300,000 pages and 117,000 audio recordings of testimony that was presented at his trial. The show could last for decades. While I personally don’t know what could possibly be included in that amount of detail, it would be a TV script writer’s dream.

Some episodes could highlight his business empire that involved running the world’s largest drug cartel, smuggling more than 155 tonnes of cocaine into the United States, reaping profits of $14 billion and ordering murders to protect the business. His rise to power revealed stunning testimony about corruption at nearly every echelon of Mexico's government, from police and military commanders to local and state officials to former presidents of the country. What is more appealing to today’s television viewer than scandal, bribery, coercion and murder, especially when it involves political and military leaders?

A positive aspect of my TV proposal is that it would cost a lot less than the $50 million that it cost to stage the actual trial. I think that we could probably shoot the entire series in Drumheller, using the local court house and the badland areas in the valley, which could easily pass for the Mexican outback. If we really need some tough looking hombres as supporting actors, we could simply second some of the inmates at the Drumheller penitentiary, for minimum wage. 

Most DEA agencies believe that El Chapo’s conviction will have little impact on the operations of the world's largest drug trafficking organization or the tons of narcotics it smuggles into the United States. Experts say the one certainty of Guzmán's downfall is more drug violence. "There's going to be more bloodshed. Every time there are these transitions ... there is a period of adjustment. It's often quite bloody.” Is there any better guarantee that my TV show will be successful and continue well into the next decade? Bloodshed, violence and mayhem - the backbone of prime time television. 

Unlike the jurors for Guzman’s trial, my investors will not be provided with a cloak of anonymity or full time secret service protection. You will instead be able to add the qualification of movie producer to your resume and then just sit back and watch the dollars roll in! An opportunity like this only comes along once in a lifetime. I will accept your investment money on a first come-first served basis!

HOW HAS YOUR BIRTH MONTH AFFECTED YOU?

HOW HAS YOUR BIRTH MONTH AFFECTED YOU?

None of us can choose our month of birth. Your parent’s post television viewing tendencies somehow determine the ultimate month you arrive in the world. With some of the current research on “birth months”, we are learning that in some areas of life, the month you are born might make a difference. 

In US states where children must turn 5 by September 1 in order to start kindergarten that year, children born in August, just before the cutoff, are more likely to be diagnosed with and treated for ADHD, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.The study looked at 407,846 US children born between 2007 and 2009 to see how many diagnoses of ADHD occurred in relation to the child's month of birth.

Researchers found that there were more diagnoses for children born in August and then found it was true only in states that have a September 1 cutoff date to start kindergarten. That means the August-born children would be among the youngest in their classrooms, sometimes nearly a year younger than other classmates. The relative immaturity of young children's brains can make those that are merely younger at school entry demonstrate behaviours consistent with ADHD such as trouble paying attention, being overly active and trouble controlling impulsive behaviours. While there is no cause or effect suggested, I thought the finding was quite interesting. 

Another study of the effects of birth month was chronicled in Malcolm Gladwell’s book, “Outliers”. He studied the roster of a Memorial Cup winning junior hockey team and believed they were so successful because the majority of the players were born in the first two months (January and February) of the eligibility year. 

Gladwell explains what academics call the relative-age effect, by which an initial advantage attributable to age gets turned into a more profound advantage over time. Because Canada’s eligibility cutoff for junior hockey is January 1, Gladwell writes, “a boy who turns 10 on January 2, then, could be playing alongside someone who doesn’t turn 10 until the end of the year.” You can guess at that age, when the differences in physical maturity are so great, which one of those kids is going to make the league all-star team. Once on that all-star team, the January 2 kid starts practicing more, getting better coaching, and playing against tougher competition—so much so that by the time he’s, say, 14, he’s not just older than the kid with the December 30 birthday, he’s better.

As a former teacher, Gladwell’s explanation makes some sense to me. Often junior high students who had repeated a grade in elementary school were a year older than their peers. Especially in the field of athletics, these older students were bigger, stronger and more coordinated, and usually could outplay their younger classmates. One year more of development in the teen years can make a lot of difference.

Did you experience any advantages or disadvantages that you feel might have been attributed somewhat to your month of birth?

CAN I CALL THIS ADVENTURE, A LIFE CHANGING EVENT?

CAN I CALL THIS ADVENTURE, A LIFE CHANGING EVENT?

Although it didn’t capture the same media attention as the plight of the Thailand boys’ soccer team that had been trapped in a dark cave, I was recently involved in a similarly frightening event. We were in Mexico with friends and we experienced a local power failure. In my pioneer days as a child, having the lights and power go off unexpectedly was a fairly regular occurrence. I must admit, however, that this time it was quite a different experience. 

We had just returned home from dinner about 6 pm and found that the power was off in our condo and in the surrounding neighbourhood. Since it was still twilight, we were able to locate a couple of candles and also two flashlights, so we were not completely in the dark. Then the real challenge began. What were we going to do?

As the darkness descended, we realized that without access to electricity we also had no access to the Internet or television and without lights could not just sit patiently and read a book. We could not use our collective computers, iPads, iPhones or any Internet compatible technology. It seemed as if we might be actually faced with the prospect of just basking in the glow of candle light and actually conversing with one another. What a novel concept!. We chatted for a half an hour and then our acquired addictions and our inability to use our varied technologies caused us all to begin to perspire and tremble from withdrawal. 

Fortunately, one of our group had wisely downloaded a number of word games that we could access and play in the dark. She had also made sure that her iPad had been completely charged and thus we were spared the uncomfortable task of having to work at meaningful conversation. We played a game similar to Jeopardy and all participated in the candlelight activity. Once during the game the lights flickered for a split second to give us a cause for optimism, but they quickly went out and we were again bathed in darkness.

We played our downloaded game for over an hour and then the power suddenly returned to our quiet modern condo and we were liberated from the chains that had been imposed upon our behaviour by the electrical failure. Within seconds, all four of us knew what to do. Al grabbed his iPhone to return messages, Gail grabbed her iPad and accessed her on online e-Book, Dar turned on her computer and began working on a puzzle, and I, of course, raced to my computer to blog about our exciting power failure adventure. 

We had successfully navigated our way through this potentially dangerous time. We had survived the outage, spent over two hours without listening to music, reading, watching television, or playing on any of our computer based technology. We maintained our sanity and I do believe that in the end, we emerged just as the twelve boys trapped in the cave in Thailand did, as better and more resilient people. I am so proud of our achievement! I just pray that it doesn’t spawn a lengthy period of nightmares and flashbacks! I understand that dangerous life changing events can do that.

CAN KILLERS OFFER MESSAGES OF HOPE?

CAN KILLERS OFFER MESSAGES OF HOPE?

My day started off pretty well until I read the following news item. “A man convicted of strangling a woman to death in Vancouver in 2007 has been dropped as a presenter at an upcoming teachers’ convention in Calgary. Andrew Evans was found guilty in 2009 of beating and strangling a young woman in an apartment after he flew into a “blind rage” over his inability to get an erection. He was sentenced to life without parole for 10 years, but he won day parole three years early, in 2014. Today, he works as a quality assurance co-ordinator at the Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre.” Then I went berserk with a boatload of questions!

What the hell was the teachers’ convention speaker selection committee thinking? They had billed the killer as, someone who is familiar with the struggles of addiction, and “his message is one of hope,” having “the lived experience of active addiction and active recovery.” Someone who really believes that a convicted drug addicted killer can deliver a meaningful and appropriate message of hope to a roomful of teachers needs to have their head examined. In my opinion, (as biased and prejudiced as it may be) I do not really accept that convicted killers can deliver hopeful messages! “Killers deliver messages of hope” is not a bumper sticker I would ever support. Not to mention, that all speakers receive a monetary stipend for their presentations!

Then my mathematical analytics began to further examine the article. A person convicted to life in prison in 2009, without parole for 10 years, but can have day parole in 2014 (five years later) is now employed by a government agency. I can only assume he is out of prison, and all is forgiven by the bureaucracy and a life sentence really means about ten years. The family and friends of the victim have to just accept this reality and hope that the killers does not go into another “blind rage” in the future. I am assuming that in ten years of confinement Mr. Evans has mended his ways, become a model prisoner and earned his very early release from a life time sentence in order to pay back his debt to society. Prison life seems to have resulted in an almost religious conversion. This is just another example of our incomprehensible justice system, where murder convictions and life sentences are totally meaningless. 

If convicted addict killers can be employed to work with adolescents during drug rehabilitation, should we parole rapists to work with counselling victims, or child molesters to work in day cares because they “understand” the issues and suffering? Should financial institutes be recruiting convicted fraudsters and Ponzi artists as financial planners and consultants? Could police departments be utilizing imprisoned burglars and thieves as paid consultants to assist with current break and enter methodologies? People convicted of crime are criminals, not entrepreneurs who can profit from their crimes by becoming public speakers or “experts in their fields” when they are released. 

If the Calgary Teacher’s Convention speaker selection committee wants a really interesting individual to speak on “What is wrong with education today” I would be happy to speak and even waive my fee! 

COULD YOU MAKE A LIVING BREAK DANCING?

COULD YOU MAKE A LIVING BREAK DANCING?

Whenever I visit a new country I often observe a number of jobs that I know that I definitely don’t want. Mexico has made me aware of several more jobs that I find most unappealing.

A new condo is under construction right next door to the apartment where we are staying. Every day about 7:30 a.m. the noises of construction complement our morning coffee and continue through the day to about 5:30 p.m. The three story building is being constructed entirely by hand (60 hands actually) out of locally made mud bricks, cement, rebar and styrofoam insulation. 

Yesterday, a flatbed truck arrived with about 4000 clay bricks to be used to build the walls. There was no hoist or crane or lift to raise the bricks to the top of the second floor, in order to start building the third floor walls. A brigade of six to eight workers, threw two bricks at a time to the person ahead of them and ultimately they all arrived on the roof about 20 feet above ground. This hand to hand tossing of bricks took about two hours and there was little break in the action and little complaining among the workers. They may have been glad to not have had to cut rebar all day or hoist buckets of heavy cement with a pulley up 20 feet to the cement workers. I surmise that none of these very fit men stopped at the gym before of after work to get in shape.

Another thankless and painful job, is that of a beach salesman. From morning to sunset, an army of men and women parade up and down the miles of beach pitching their wares to the tourists on the beach. Walking miles and miles in soft sand, with a heavy backpack or sack of hats, shirts, ponchos, sand pails, jewellery, sunglasses, figurines, carvings, fruit cups, oysters or dresses, in the heat of the Mazatlan sun, is not for the faint of heart. Their sales are few and their rejections many. A very difficult way to try to make a living.

In the evening, most restaurants are “blessed” or “bothered” by the inevitable group of mariachi musicians, playing a tune or two to the visiting diners hoping to squeeze a few pesos contribution from the trapped audiences. Between wandering musical groups, the rose or flower sellers try to sell their wares to the tourists, or a small child with pleading eyes holds out his packs of chiclets hoping for a sympathetic donation. 

During the day you often encounter someone who gets on a bus, plays a guitars or sings a tear jerking Mexican ballad and passes his hat before jumping off and hopping on the next bus. At traffic stops you may encounter a juggler, break dancer, or baton twirling artist trying to seduce a peso from the drivers of stopped vehicles. 

I don’t wish to demean these jobs or the people who work at them, but rather just illustrate that making ends meet is very difficult for many locals. I won’t even dwell on the dozens of men and women who spend the entire day at the city dump scavenging for any articles of value that are constantly being deposited by a steady flow of garbage trucks.

Whenever I travel I am reminded how blessed my life has been. I am always grateful for the opportunities that receiving an education has provided me. Thank you, thank you, and thank you! I know that I would never have been able to make a living break dancing in a crosswalk or singing on a bus!

IS THIS A CREATIVE RETIREMENT PLAN, OR WHAT?

IS THIS A CREATIVE RETIREMENT PLAN, OR WHAT?

The Japanese have always been a very adaptable and resilient society. From the ashes of the second World War they rose to develop one of the most affluent economies in the world. Their ingenuity continues today, only in a more non traditional fashion. The Japanese have been resorting to a new method to deal with poverty and personal isolation and loneliness. Senior citizens have taken up petty crime in order to be sentenced to prison time, where there basic needs for food, shelter, and clothing are being provided by the state.

Petty crimes for Japanese over 65 years of age have risen from about 2% to 20% over the past twenty-five years. A regular occurrence is for a pensioner to steal some food item usually under $20 and ultimately be sentenced to one or two years in prison. Prison life involves receiving three meals a day, a regular change of clothes and the opportunity to participate in numerous activities with other seniors. While in jail they still continue to collect their pension, so that when they are released they have accumulated a savings account without really trying. 

One interviewed pensioner indicated that he purposely stole a bike off the street and rode it to the police station and turned himself in. He was sentenced to a year in prison with all of its basic benefits. Upon his release, he quickly returned home, threatened a couple of women by showing them a knife, and subsequently served another four years of an eight year sentence. The culprit claimed he had no intention of using the knife in any way, but just wanted to return to prison for a longer time. 

This creative approach to senior citizen care, paid for by the state, seems to be catching on in a big way. More and more elderly are committing minor offences in order to be incarcerated. This creative new endeavour is causing the government more problems than they were prepared for. The cost of jailing one offender in Japan is over $50,000 for a year - a very costly venture for some minor thefts under $20.

But again, the Japanese are beginning to think more creatively than most countries to try to remedy both problems - the high cost of incarceration and the poverty of many. The government has actually costed a model to build an industrial complex retirement village where people would forfeit half their pension but get free food, free board and healthcare and so on, and get to play karaoke or gate-ball with the other residents and have a relative amount of freedom. It would cost far less than what the government is spending at the moment on jailing the poor and lonely.

It will take time for the new program to be implemented, but it does continue to show that the Japanese are very inventive in dealing with some serious problems.

IS THE GREY CUP (SUPER BOWL) HEADED FOR EXTINCTION?

IS THE GREY CUP (SUPER BOWL) HEADED FOR EXTINCTION?

I am fearlessly predicting that the Grey Cup in Canada and the Super Bowl in the USA are headed for extinction. The reason is fairly simple: there will be no players willing to participate in a few years. Why you ask? Parents will no longer allow their children to begin playing football at an early age and consequently the pool of talent will become non existent. Let me explain!

A neuropathologist has examined the brains of 111 deceased N.F.L. players — and 110 were found to have C.T.E.. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in people with a history of repetitive brain trauma, often athletes in sports such as football, hockey, boxing, wrestling, and rugby. These sports lend themselves to repeated blows to the head, which is not really a healthy practice, no matter the context. 

The brain floats on its stem in fluid inside your skull. When the skull stops suddenly, twists violently, or takes a blow, the floating brain can smack or rub against the rough inside of the skull. At this point researchers believe that the brain tissue can become damaged and a protein called tau can become present. As time goes on this tau protein spreads and begins to interfere with the proper functioning of the brain. This is the nightmare known as CTE.

Symptoms of CTE, which occur in four stages, generally appear eight to ten years after an athlete experiences repetitive mild traumatic brain injuries. First-stage symptoms include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as well as confusion, disorientation, dizziness, and headaches. (Not to be confused with symptoms of Old Age)

Second-stage symptoms include memory loss, social instability, impulsive behaviour, and poor judgment. Third and fourth stages include progressive dementia, movement disorders, speech impediments, sensory processing disorder, tremors, vertigo, deafness, depression and suicidal tendencies. In days of yore, when former boxers exhibited some of these symptoms, they were said to be punch-drunk.

The only way to lessen your risk of CTE is by reducing the number of times you take a hit to the head. This obvious conclusion will result in every parent in Canada and US preventing their child from playing football: ergo no more CFL, NFL, Grey Cup or Super Bowl. This persuasive evidence should be enough to convince any parent.

In reality however, a total of 1.23 million youth ages 6 - 12 played tackle football in 2015, up from 1.216 million the year before. This data confirms that there are almost 2.5 million stupid parents currently breathing without assistance. How can any parent who reads and understands the risks of brain trauma continue to support a contact sport that might permanently affect and ultimately damage their child?

How can people not understand that repeated blows to the head, whether minor or very forceful, is a bad practise and can cause severe brain damage? Are they the victims of CTE themselves? I just shake my head! (gently, of course!)

PS After completing this blog, I read where Donald Trump did not think that he would let his son Barron participate in football for the reasons I have outlined. I am currently spinning my mental wheels trying to decide if Trump's support of my caution is good news or not. Even more troubling is the notion that Donald Trump and I BOTH agree on something. That is very scary!

DO SCHOOLS NEED RULES OF CONDUCT POSTED?

DO SCHOOLS NEED RULES OF CONDUCT POSTED? 

One of the joys in my life today is the opportunity to watch my granddaughter, Helen, play soccer. She is eleven and has been playing for about five years. We attend all of her games and enjoy them, win or lose. 

Upon entering the soccer facilities where she plays, there is a large sign that you pass as you enter. When I first read it I was most impressed and was pleased to see it posted. The sign reads:

PLEASE 

 REMEMBER 

                                                                     1. THESE ARE KIDS

                                                                 2. THIS IS A GAME

                                                                 3. THE COACHES VOLUNTEER

                                                                 4. THE REFEREES ARE HUMAN

                                                                 5. RESPECT IS NOT AN OPTION

As much as I loved the message of the sign, it disturbed me that it even needed to be posted. It is sad that it is aimed at parents (and grandparents) and they need to be told that verbal abuse and angry outcries and rudeness have no place in the fields, parks and arenas where our children and grandchildren are playing a game with their peers. It is a game, not a mortal competition. It is supposed to be fun and enjoyable for all. It is expected that the children will not only learn the game, but they will also learn good sportsmanship. They should go hand in hand. I loved the sign. I was just saddened that we needed one.

Then my mind began to start vibrating. If a sign at a soccer stadium to spell out acceptable behaviour was a good idea, perhaps we should develop a sign for some other gathering places. How about a school? What kind of rules might guide the behaviour of children and teachers in a school? For your consideration, I would offer the following sign for all schools:

MAKE OUR SCHOOL BETTER BY:

GREETING EVERYONE WITH A SMILE

REGULARLY USING THE WORDS PLEASE AND THANKS

MAKING POLITENESS AND COURTESY THE NORM

COOPERATING AND WORKING TOGETHER

SHARING WITH OTHERS AS NEEDED

RESPECTING THE DIFFERENCES OF OTHERS

I am sure the list could go on and on, but the above six suggestions if practised by all, could make a very visible difference. It definitely seems to work in the soccer stadium! I would love to see the above creed for behaviour practised in all school! Are you with me? Or, am I just sailing further out onto the sea of senility?