Vacation Rentals
One of my favourite topics (beside THE NIGHTMARE CONDO). Renting a let’s say small casita with kitchen for one person, but for let’s say at least one month, preferably two months or more. I have chosen Mexico. Prices are mostly per night. Why not per month ? The casita, or casa is mostly for more than one person. If it is rented for large groups, no wonder that the entire world (of vacation rentals) is complaining more and more about bed bug infestations. Naturally, if you have a large group of people living together, and who knows arriving from all sorts of different locations. And for that pleasure of living with bugs, one must pay a fortune. And no sleep with the added pleasure of living next to large groups of party-goers, up all night.
In the past I have found something – small casita for one – for US$500 a month. That is doable. But try to find something fitting via Google, always end up “Florida” (or some other questionable location) instead of Mexico. And Heck, I have done this all my life, specializing in information retrieval systems since the 60’s. Developing them. I know that my search algorithms are solid. We refer to this as ‘stereotyping’: Meaning, sleeps 12, and you need to go to Florida!
Transatlantic Cruise
Cruising or not, that is the question if you want to get to a specific location. Such as crossing the Atlantic. Some interesting site I discovered is actually discussing the advantages of cruising over airline travel. [ http://cruise-compare.com/cruiseSearch.php?destination=Transatlantic&gclid=CP7pnrLE8L8CFbRzMgodJSsA2g ] . A laugh really when you think that all transatlantic cruises (or for that matter most cruises) take off from a port which is “too far to walk to”. In other words, still needs a lengthy air flight to get to the port of embarkation. Plus one or two nights extra overnight hotel for the start and the end of a cruise. Mostly add several more nights. Might as well fly directly from let’s say North America/Canada over the Atlantic to Europe. Is much faster that way.
Secondly, planning a Trans Atlantic cruise means mostly a one-way air ticket, because the return travel is via different route. Which – when you must fly via any American port – means that you get stopped at the US arrival airport (which is also where the cruise embarkation port is) by immigration because you do not have a return ticket (or something else has gone wrong with their entrance/exit visa system). In the meantime you have spent the tremendous expense of having already purchased the fare for the cruise. The cruise line itself will not be responsible for any incoming flight documents required. On cruises I made in the past (a few only) I found most passengers came from a location close to the embarkation ports. Yet, here in Canada (Pacific Coast) they are selling cruises whose embarkation port is in Florida like hot cakes. End of story.
Google, Word Press, Apache, and others
Thank you Google for letting us have and use so many applications, all of them useful and free. I take back all the complaints about “Google is spying on us” because it probably has a purpose in the overall smooth functioning of the Internet, making everybody who uses the NET more or less comply with a certain standard of ethical behaviour. It does not bother me if certain robot programs are going through my e-mail, I have nothing to hide. So, keep up the good work and continue letting us have freebies by all those hard working talented systems professionals. Not only Google, but also many other very useful application systems, which are free. I myself have spent since the 1960s developing information systems and big databases – that was then – and am tired now to continue doing so at my age. So, thanks again.
Police State
Yesterday listening to several CBC interviews concerning the Edward Snowdon affair [ http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/technology/story/1.2612746 ]. Edward Snowdon [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Snowden ], whistle blower on US spying into ordinary citizens’ private lives.
Spying, must be fun ! Although in fact few care about this any more. We all know that more spying is going on by large Internet conglomerates who control social media and mail service systems. With each e-mail I sent I am expecting that robot programs are going through and extracting certain key data from my mail. In fact, I am testing this theory sometimes. See, what is happening.
My earliest encounter with ‘Police State’ mentality has been during WWII, when the Gestapo was persecuting citizens who were against the regime. We had those buggers also in our home, threatening my mother, who consequently attempted to commit suicide. [Should be noted that during those times the Gestapo made short business with people, their heads got chopped off = guillotine.]
Therefore, this entire affair of spying on citizens, or former CIA/NSA personnel leaking documents to the public, all of which disclosing how the United States has been spying on the ordinary ‘man in the street’, leaves me cold. It strikes me like a comic show. Not so comic was my first run in at Syracuse University with the Police State bureaucracy there: When you return from an evening class and walk in the street on Campus they will stop you and ask what you do and where you go. [Welcome back, Mr. Hitler should I say – not http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welcome_Back,_Kotter ] .
After all, those who are spied upon are taxpaying citizens and pay for those who make up the (Police State) government.
Football – the beautiful game
Watching most FIFA world cup games – be it 2002 in Montreal, 2006 in Victoria, 2010 in Berlin or 2014 again Victoria, BC, Canada – always exciting, makes me want to pack my suit case and be there with all the other fans, in the stadium. I sure remember 1954 [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1954_FIFA_World_Cup ] and how we celebrated that win.
Football’s mantra is what gets me: Say NO to Racism. What a beautiful thought. How does that fit in with all the hooting, booing, and whistling inside the Brazilian stadiums when certain European teams play against South American or (what was it? Algerian) teams ? Or, listen to the TV broadcasters’ pre- and post game show ? For example: France against Germany, Brazil against Germany, but Netherlands “takes on” Argentina. The connotation being, all teams are playing against Germany, but Germany does not play against any teams. If I am “against racism” or in that case against discrimination, then why not do it consistently. Other than that: Enjoy the rest of it, hopefully with less fouls and injuries.
The beautiful game – FOOTBALL – FIFA 2014
In the entire world this game is Football, futbol, Fussball, voodbal, or anything very similar. Only because the Americans – the United States – have invented some silly game where players fall over each other and wear silly card board boxes on their body and kick or use their HANDS to throw a ball (which is not round), the rest of the world is supposed to call this beautiful game of FOOTBALL – soccer. Whatever that means. We grew up playing this game. We do not allow for anybody to force us to use a different name for it [not even with the threat of drones].
I am passionate about it and watch all FIFA tournaments and most games. I love it because of its mantra: 
SAY NO TO RACISM. But, do not change its name.
Belo Horizonte Brasilia – le fut/footbal
FIFA Worldcup 2014 – from today no more time but watching “the beautiful game”.
Le mondial en chiffres: 32 nombres de nations participants. Plus de 3 millions nombres de places disponibles pour des matchs.
Mantra de Futbal – SAY NO TO RACISM.
Sexual Crimes in the Armed Forces (Canada)
Just reading an article in l’Actualité “Crimes Sexuels dans l’Armée Canadienne”,
published May 2014. Serious problem in the Army among the enlisted – not only in Canada – but this article provides detail statistics on the large number of cases of sexual harassment and even more serious criminal behaviour among the Forces, from low to high ranks, especially against female soldiers who suffer from those attacks more than men. It is stated that in the Canadian Forces every day five persons are sexually harassed to the point of {in certain circumstances} can be described as rape. This investigation results in a very detailed description of how the Military operates, the various echelons responsible and keeping tight-lipped, and how Superiors, the Military Police, Judge Advocate General and other legal entities respond to any reported incidences.
Basic training for the Canadian Armed Forces: [ http://forces.ca/en/page/training-90 ] and women in the Forces: [ http://forces.ca/en/page/women-92 ] does not really disclose WHAT TYPES OF WEAPONS ARE ISSUED TO WOMEN SOLDIERS. Another site lists weapons used by Canadian Armed Forces: [ http://www.army-armee.forces.gc.ca/en/weapons/index.page ]. I assume that women in the Forces are also issued weapons, although it is not specifically stated anywhere.
(Coming back to sexual assault within the Forces): Besides the very obvious fact of how human society acts where men and women are closely collaborating and living together – any more tightly than the Armed Forces is barely imaginable (testosterone and lack of outside contact comes to mind) – there is one notion I simply cannot understand: A woman soldier who is sexually harassed, subdued, even raped against her will, does not fight back. Instead – she whines, suffers silently, eventually reports it to a superior officer, eventually it gets to the Military Police, eventually it gets to a Military Court.
This cannot be true ! A woman soldier who at the minimum has a dangerous army knife with serrated edge, cannot fight back. [After all, she is trained for fighting in a war.] It only takes a quick strong stab in the hand that touches her. Nothing bad will happen to her: she will not loose her position, be kicked out, this will not be reported to anyone, and she will not suffer the same from the same person again. In fact, the perpetrator will bandage up and keep his mouth shut. Should he have gone any further, such as beating her into submission, then she would have an even better case to report it, being bruised up.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT. [ http://carryingthegun.com/ ] [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_modern_Canadian_Army_equipment ]
Morality of War
This is about the reasons for citations and hero-worshipping of those who safely return from a war in a distant country, enjoying life-long benefits and honours bestowed upon themselves and their families. Of course, only they know what transpired in a battle. Once they have returned to their respective home countries, nobody else knows what they did “over there”. Soldiers among themselves keep tight-lipped about what they did, when and where and how. Only eye witnesses and surviving victims of war know. And who are the ‘surviving victims of war ? Young children mostly, subjected to heavy bombings for years. Their home countries obliterated, nowhere to go. Refugees ? not necessarily.
For all intents and purposes, a war strategy which included/includes the extermination of a civilian population – often referred to as ‘by-product of the destruction of industrial sites or collateral damage’ – must be considered immoral. Who cares about the Geneva Convention and their additional Protocols [ http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/publication/p0173.htm ] – when in the heat of battle unarmed civilians and children are killed.
They only came at night (WWII). Bombers who fly at night do not see where their bombs land. Nor do they care. Vietnam Wars = worse bombings than ever onto the civilian peasant population. Iraq: How many civilian deaths and cultural artifacts destroyed.
When talking about morality, there is one thing I strongly question:”Why is it, that today and who knows for the next 500 or more years to come, those who flew those bombers over the unarmed civilians are still being honoured in their own home lands and in those allied to their home lands; while the enemy nation whose home land was destroyed is still being subjected to the most evil mass media propaganda ? War Hero, or War Criminal ? Where to draw the line ? Every time I see someone drive by in a car with a special license plate WAR VETERAN, I ask myself : “where have you been and what did you do in that war ?”
[from the mouth of a victim of war, and an eye-witness]
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