Who invented "formal" and "business" attire, anyway?
Why is a male in a nicely cut suit considered "well dressed"?
Who controls the definition of "well dressed"?
Is there some kind of "fashion cartel" that defines what "business attire" consists of?
Who empowered this cartel?
I think that a jacket and tie is an archaism (like the appendix), but we still blindly 'follow suit' ..
I go to meetings where important people join us in our board room, all of us wearing variations of the same "business" uniform - jacket (often with matching pants), shirt and tie.
Concerning the tie: Why is it necessary to wear something around the neck, which then hangs downwards (below the chin) for a foot or so? Why are we doing this? What about those of us who breathe and think better without our necks constricted? Why can't I just wear a colourful flower pinned to my shirt pocket? Or a loose scarf around my neck? Or whatever else I think looks interesting?
Who makes the rules anyway? Why do so many things go unchallenged?
I don't want to wear a tie anymore. And sandals are way more comfortable than shoes.
Who makes the rules?
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
$9,000,000,000 on beer
I heard on the radio yesterday that Canadians spend an astonishing 9 BILLION dollars on beer every year.
Did I hear that right? .. because that would be $300 for every man, woman and child in the country ..
Can that possibly be right? .. 9 billion dollars is a huge amount of money ..
Yup .. it's apparently right .. and there's another 9 BILLION dollars that gets spent on other alcoholic beverages ..
Fascinating ..
Funny how alcohol is at the root of so many societal problems, and yet the government continues to hypocritically make a killing off of buried alcohol taxes ..
Anyway ..
If just $100 of this $600 (for every man, woman and child) was redirected to, say, global warming or education or poverty, that would create a windfall of 3 BILLION dollars .. and that's just in Canada!
Add to that $100 'redirected' throughout all of the Western wealthy nations, and you'd easily have 50 BILLION dollars (or so) to spend on more meaningful things ..
I'm sure there are a lot of children in Africa and India who could be fed and educated for 50 BILLION dollars ..
Did I hear that right? .. because that would be $300 for every man, woman and child in the country ..
Can that possibly be right? .. 9 billion dollars is a huge amount of money ..
Yup .. it's apparently right .. and there's another 9 BILLION dollars that gets spent on other alcoholic beverages ..
Fascinating ..
Funny how alcohol is at the root of so many societal problems, and yet the government continues to hypocritically make a killing off of buried alcohol taxes ..
Anyway ..
If just $100 of this $600 (for every man, woman and child) was redirected to, say, global warming or education or poverty, that would create a windfall of 3 BILLION dollars .. and that's just in Canada!
Add to that $100 'redirected' throughout all of the Western wealthy nations, and you'd easily have 50 BILLION dollars (or so) to spend on more meaningful things ..
I'm sure there are a lot of children in Africa and India who could be fed and educated for 50 BILLION dollars ..
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Classic Canadian Incompetence
Two very recent news items have left me shaking my head in disbelief .. (as so often before) ..
Firstly, the massive jail breakout in Kandahar (Afghanistan), in which 1,000 inmates were set free by the Taliban.
We're told that our troops are doing a great job in Kandahar province. We're told that we have the upper hand, in spite of never-ending hostilities. We're told that we're "winning the war on terror!"
Then, right under the noses of the Canadian armed forces (stationed at Kandahar Airport), the Taliban orchestrate a huge prison break, leaving 1,000 criminals and terrorists free to wander the streets of Kandahar city. I heard one news report quoting someone as saying that the situation was now "under control" .. what's "under control" when there are 1,000 criminals and terrorists free and in hiding throughout Kandahar city? .. maybe the someone being quoted meant to say: "out of control" ..
The second news item is going on right here in the Toronto area.
Remember the "Mississauga 19"? .. the home-grown terrorist cell that the Canadian CIA triumphantly unearthed a year or two ago?
Well, half of them have already been freed (no case, I think). And the paid informant who was so crucial to the case is now making a fool of himself on the witness stand .. he's supposed to be a witness FOR the prosecution, but today the prosecution was actually accusing HIM of lying!
What a gong show.
Only in Canada.
My point on both of these instances of incompetence:
Don't open your mouth until you know what you're talking about.
Don't play your hand until you know what you're doing.
Firstly, the massive jail breakout in Kandahar (Afghanistan), in which 1,000 inmates were set free by the Taliban.
We're told that our troops are doing a great job in Kandahar province. We're told that we have the upper hand, in spite of never-ending hostilities. We're told that we're "winning the war on terror!"
Then, right under the noses of the Canadian armed forces (stationed at Kandahar Airport), the Taliban orchestrate a huge prison break, leaving 1,000 criminals and terrorists free to wander the streets of Kandahar city. I heard one news report quoting someone as saying that the situation was now "under control" .. what's "under control" when there are 1,000 criminals and terrorists free and in hiding throughout Kandahar city? .. maybe the someone being quoted meant to say: "out of control" ..
The second news item is going on right here in the Toronto area.
Remember the "Mississauga 19"? .. the home-grown terrorist cell that the Canadian CIA triumphantly unearthed a year or two ago?
Well, half of them have already been freed (no case, I think). And the paid informant who was so crucial to the case is now making a fool of himself on the witness stand .. he's supposed to be a witness FOR the prosecution, but today the prosecution was actually accusing HIM of lying!
What a gong show.
Only in Canada.
My point on both of these instances of incompetence:
Don't open your mouth until you know what you're talking about.
Don't play your hand until you know what you're doing.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Killing Animals
We've got to stop killing animals.
I'd really like to say that the time for the human species to completely re-evaluate its relationship with the (rest of the) animal kingdom "has arrived" .. but, in fact, it's (sadly) long overdue.
How is it that we can put humans on the moon, build microchips that can perform billions of calculations per second, and develop devices that can be controlled by thought alone .. yet we are somehow blind to the fact that we share this tiny, fragile, finite planet with the (rest of the) animal kingdom.
Most of us believe that humans are not expendable. Neither are animals. Every single animal species is almost certainly totally unique in the entire universe, and, once extinct, may never be seen or known again.
Furthermore .. animals think .. they know pain .. some of them feel emotions .. they protect their young, as we do ..
We kill animals mainly for food. In Western countries, most animals destined to become food for humans are factory-processed in appalling conditions. (I suppose there's a certain kind of logic to this, as they are destined to be "killed anyway" .. but I feel obliged to point out that it was this very same train of logic that allowed for the brutality of the Jewish Holocaust) ..
Fortunately, though, for most of us living in the West, there will soon be meat alternatives that will eliminate the need to warehouse and process living sentient creatures. This may not be the case, however, in certain under-developed parts of the world, where hunting animals for food may still be necessary (although the very fact that there still *are* under-developed parts of the world is a mark of shame on the wealthier nations, where billions of dollars are spent building bombs and caring for pets).
Unhappily, then, hunting animals for food may continue to be necessary in certain parts of the world, and for a limited period of time.
But .. hunting animals for sport has got to stop. Immediately. Sorry guys, but where's the glory in killing a beast when you're the only one with a gun?
There's more to be said about all of this. Perhaps you might wish to add your thoughts.
I'd really like to say that the time for the human species to completely re-evaluate its relationship with the (rest of the) animal kingdom "has arrived" .. but, in fact, it's (sadly) long overdue.
How is it that we can put humans on the moon, build microchips that can perform billions of calculations per second, and develop devices that can be controlled by thought alone .. yet we are somehow blind to the fact that we share this tiny, fragile, finite planet with the (rest of the) animal kingdom.
Most of us believe that humans are not expendable. Neither are animals. Every single animal species is almost certainly totally unique in the entire universe, and, once extinct, may never be seen or known again.
Furthermore .. animals think .. they know pain .. some of them feel emotions .. they protect their young, as we do ..
We kill animals mainly for food. In Western countries, most animals destined to become food for humans are factory-processed in appalling conditions. (I suppose there's a certain kind of logic to this, as they are destined to be "killed anyway" .. but I feel obliged to point out that it was this very same train of logic that allowed for the brutality of the Jewish Holocaust) ..
Fortunately, though, for most of us living in the West, there will soon be meat alternatives that will eliminate the need to warehouse and process living sentient creatures. This may not be the case, however, in certain under-developed parts of the world, where hunting animals for food may still be necessary (although the very fact that there still *are* under-developed parts of the world is a mark of shame on the wealthier nations, where billions of dollars are spent building bombs and caring for pets).
Unhappily, then, hunting animals for food may continue to be necessary in certain parts of the world, and for a limited period of time.
But .. hunting animals for sport has got to stop. Immediately. Sorry guys, but where's the glory in killing a beast when you're the only one with a gun?
There's more to be said about all of this. Perhaps you might wish to add your thoughts.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Obama
I'm starting to get nervous about Obama, after his hard-core pro-Israel statements a few days ago.
Now, I've always considered myself a very strong supporter of Israel, but in recent years I've been confronted with the deaths of too many Palestinian and Lebanese children at the hands of Israeli armed forces.
I now believe that Israel's standard response to threats is way too heavy-handed and indiscriminate. I don't get the impression that Israel cares very much about Palestinian and Lebanese children.
So, I am disappointed to hear that Obama will not be adopting "change" when it comes to Israel and Palestine. I think the time is long overdue for the USA to seek a more balanced approach to the Israel-Palestine question.
Now, I've always considered myself a very strong supporter of Israel, but in recent years I've been confronted with the deaths of too many Palestinian and Lebanese children at the hands of Israeli armed forces.
I now believe that Israel's standard response to threats is way too heavy-handed and indiscriminate. I don't get the impression that Israel cares very much about Palestinian and Lebanese children.
So, I am disappointed to hear that Obama will not be adopting "change" when it comes to Israel and Palestine. I think the time is long overdue for the USA to seek a more balanced approach to the Israel-Palestine question.
Iran and nuclear weapons
All this fuss about Iran and nuclear weapons frustrates me. I think that the USA would have a far stronger case if it got rid of its own weapons (of mass destruction) first. Does anyone think this will happen anytime soon?
If Iran were to actually develop nuclear weapons, it would only be able to use them in utterly covert circumstances, as any obvious trace-able use would likely ensure its own destruction (presumably by the French).
The question then becomes: how likely is it that nuclear weapons could be moved around (and across multiple borders) and eventually positioned at a US or Israeli target? I confess that I don't really know the answer to this question, but I strongly suspect that it would involve some kind of logistical magic.
So, until the existing "nuclear club" members rid themselves of their own nuclear arsenals, I will not accept that any of these members should be making unilateral demands that another sovereign nation remain nuclear-weapons-free.
If Iran were to actually develop nuclear weapons, it would only be able to use them in utterly covert circumstances, as any obvious trace-able use would likely ensure its own destruction (presumably by the French).
The question then becomes: how likely is it that nuclear weapons could be moved around (and across multiple borders) and eventually positioned at a US or Israeli target? I confess that I don't really know the answer to this question, but I strongly suspect that it would involve some kind of logistical magic.
So, until the existing "nuclear club" members rid themselves of their own nuclear arsenals, I will not accept that any of these members should be making unilateral demands that another sovereign nation remain nuclear-weapons-free.
Here it is.
Here it is.
"phlog" .. being: Philip's Log .. as well as what I sometimes do to people ..
And I don't think it's really going to work out, because when I spam close relatives with an e-mail, they get "hit" and may actually decide to open that particular e-mail .. whereas, with a phlog, I am now depending on people to "visit" me .. and we all know that people are busy, and self-absorbed and all that ..
Yeah .. I don't think it's going to work out .. I think I'll end up spending massive amounts of time talking to myself .. which, of course, won't be all that unusual .. but I like it better when I'm not the only one paying attention to me ..
"phlog" .. being: Philip's Log .. as well as what I sometimes do to people ..
And I don't think it's really going to work out, because when I spam close relatives with an e-mail, they get "hit" and may actually decide to open that particular e-mail .. whereas, with a phlog, I am now depending on people to "visit" me .. and we all know that people are busy, and self-absorbed and all that ..
Yeah .. I don't think it's going to work out .. I think I'll end up spending massive amounts of time talking to myself .. which, of course, won't be all that unusual .. but I like it better when I'm not the only one paying attention to me ..
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