Donald Trump and Ann Coulter

Ann Who?

Ok I actually have heard of Ann Coulter. No loss if I had not but she makes enough noise every now and then that I have.

Normally I would not venture into the following but hey, when you are talking about Donald and Ann there are no rules. Protocol gets as shut down as the federal government. If you are in the arena with two vipers you had better have at least a vile of venom and a squirt gun on your person. So just to annoy her and her followers and regrettably probably a lot of other women, if she put on a few more pounds she could be an attractive woman. It's just that mouth! I would have respected her more if she wore bunny ears and a tail and hung out at Heff's mansion. There! I am sure she will love that.

I am as anti-Trump as most people but I at least commend him in a twisted sort of way for re-opening the government so all of those innocent workers can be paid. It is probably the most humble thing he has ever done but at least it was a good decision - finally. America deserves at least one from him. (You are after all POTUS!)

The last person on earth he should listen to however is this Ann Coulter. At least the Donald ran and won The Presidency no less. What has she ever accomplished? She mouths off, tries to flog her books, and tweets. That should make her a Tweep but I can only grant 80% - a Twit. I guess that's a failed Tweep. She is more of a Howard Stern wanna be than anything else. And that ain't much.

Stick a brick in it Ann - preferably one from The Wall.

The Brewster

Animal Consumption

Plants are living too - Really?

On Thursday in a local paper was a letter about animal consumption. The author suggested we should not eat plants either because they are also living. Really? Is that what the sixth commandment was about? The author did not propose an alternative. I assume fish are out. Do we consume each other? Where does this end?

I offer this tongue in cheek but the farmers need some form of basic sustenance to raise either the forbidden animals or the plants. Butchering animals can be very cruel. As yet I have not heard plants crying or seen them panicking once they realized they were doomed. Seriously, what does the author eat?

What next - the ASPCP?


The Brewster

Racism and Gun Violence

Are you a racist?

These terms are heard almost daily - "racism" and "racist." Sometimes I wonder if those making accusations involving the terms really understand them. Do I myself?

To begin with there are many attempts to define races and many of the lists and sub-lists are long. Common to many are: Caucasoid (also Caucasian); Negroid; Mongoloid; and Australoid. Some combine Negroid and Australoid. Some include seven. There are many more. So let us ignore the list and start with this: there are several "races" of people. Contrary to a few bigots, I will add that they are all human beings.

Dictionaries almost always include in their definitions of these terms a belief that one race is superior than another or that race determines one's human traits or characteristics beyond mere appearance. The term ethnicity is also introduced. That however includes not just race but culture, beliefs, and practices including religion.

For me the differentiation is as follows: Consider my being born with a twin brother. If my parents break up with one taking me to England and the other taking my brother to India, we would still be of the same race. Years later however our two distinct ethnicities would be obvious.

As a basis for discussion in the last few years of my working life, I was a visible minority at work. I am Caucasian, born and raised in Toronto. My ancestors were also Caucasian - English and Irish. No matter. I worked primarily with Chinese colleagues. Many were also from India. Several were European, especially Russian. This was the quintessential Canadian multiculturalism in practice!

Generally we all got along and conversed but often had coffee with ""our own." This was not policy but mere convenience since many of the others spoke a different language. Even some from Quebec sat together to speak French. Did that make any of us racists? Were we practicing racism? I hope the answer is no. If however I did not want to sit with others because of their race or them with me because I just didn't belong, then that would be racism in my opinion.

Let's press this a little further. It so happened that one or two individuals because of their ethnicity never wore deodorant and by afternoon on a hot day it was difficult for me and others to be near them. Is that racism or just fact? I will also point out that some might have dressed slightly differently for reasons of religion, but that was not a problem. Not racism.

Moving right along, when most of us went home we probably lived in areas populated first and foremost by people - our neighbours - of the same ethnicity and maybe even race. Is that racism or personal preference? In fact most huge cities have a Chinatown; Little Italy; Little Germany, Poland, Pakistan, Greece etc. Racism again? I don't think so, just multiculturalism. People who speak the same language; eat the same food; practice the same religion; shared the same upbringing, like being neighbours. So what?

I happened to commute through an area of North Toronto that has become heavily and predominantly populated by Chinese people. Most of the commercial signs and drivers are Chinese. Entire housing developments and communities are Chinese. It was a joke but also true even amongst my Chinese colleagues that it was a very bad place to drive a car. The drivers were TERRIBLE. Did they pay off the examiners? Was it upbringing in crowded markets where fend for yourself was the rule? I don't know but it was a fact. Is this racism? It might be if I believe that if you are Chinese you are by assumption a bad driver. I am close on this one.

For many decades the Irish and English fought horrible and often extremely violent battles. Are they not the same race? Likewise there were confrontations and in one case a murder involving differences between French and English peoples in Canada. Race? No, ethnicity in both cases.

I am still a little puzzled why my use of the term Negroid might be upsetting to others when mentioning Caucasian, Mongoloid, and Australoid is not. Please note that I am not using any derogatory slang words here.

If there is a lot of reported gang activity in an area - Vietnamese gangs; Haitian gangs; Canadian gangs, I am going to be frightened if multiples of any one of these groups start to follow me home. If they hurt me, the media should report the race involved if that will help other people avoid injury. If I am then more cautious of any such gathering of people too bad. I have a right to be. The same could be said for predominantly white biker gang activity.

If there are a lot of violent incidents involving any groups of visibly different individuals - minority or otherwise, the press has to report this. If ultra right white supremacist groups are attacking other non whites, the press has to report it. I want them to. Likewise with any other group minority or not.

When a local bear wanders into a town and attacks people, I am going to be very frightened and hide if I see one. I can't tell if it is a nice bear and don't care if most them are nice. I will hide. I also won't entertain a debate over whether bears attack any more of us than say mountain lions.

Sorry if you are offended by the bear analogy. I don't mean to offend black bears, white bears, brown bears, mountain lions, or people. However more and more violence is happening in our cities. The teeth and claws are guns. If white people are pulling the trigger - tell me that. Likewise black, yellow, red, purple - I don't care.

What the hell can we do about it? If it were bears we would keep them in cages, shoot them if they were repeat offenders, or take them back to where they belong. We would argue about what colour they were or if mountain lions were a bigger threat later.

In short I am very colour blind when it comes to stopping gun violence regardless of who is carrying. Give authorities whatever tools they need.

The Brewster

Welcome to Democracy, Western Style

Don't You Just Love It - What a System!

It happens every time. CEOs of major corporations receive huge compensations when the company does well. When the bottom line is slipping, who takes the pay cut or is told they have to accept a zero increase - those same executives or the employees? HINT: it isn't the first group.

In politics it is the same - from local mayors to premiers, governors, prime ministers, and presidents. When things go well they vote themselves increases in salaries, benefits, and pensions. When things are not going so well, then what? 

Isn't it still true that we the electors put these people where they are and our taxes pay them salaries, benefits and pensions to work for US, the electorate? If workers of a failing company take the hit does it not follow that politicians who work for the voters should also take the hit when, for example, a government shuts down? What did its employees or its electorate do to be so-punished?

What am I missing here? Let them eat cake or at least humble pie.


The Brewster

Carding and Random Searches

OK to Check for Alcohol But Not for Guns?

This is a sensitive one but here goes anyway. Perhaps that is my point - why so sensitive?

Here in Toronto we had a very bad year for homicides in 2018, a lot of them gun related. This is generating the usual debate about whether police should stop and search people or not. Some groups say that this practice results in discrimination against members of minority groups. Others - especially police officers both active and retired, say some of those groups are the ones shooting each other.

The really sensitive issue is actually the practice of "carding" when those stopped have to produce personal ID and must "justify" their presence. The police then record data about this person. I totally understand the indignation this causes even though it has not happened to me. Yet.

What I don't get is this:

Every year around Christmas and New Years the police step up their RIDE program (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) and randomly pull over cars. The drivers have to roll down their windows and speak to an officer who is checking for the symptoms of drinking - primarily the smell of alcohol on the driver's breath. Most people are in favour of this, unless of course it is YOU and you have indeed been drinking! It is still thought by most to be in the best interests of everyone using our roadways.

The practice is "random" because it is often at night. The officers can not see the driver or whether they are or are not a member of a visible minority. In addition they often stop all cars on a given street, whether the driver has shown erratic driving patterns or not.

In a similar fashion, we accept the necessity of scanning everyone before boarding an aircraft. It is in the best interests of all of the passengers. EVERYONE is scanned.

My suggestion is to supply police with the same types of hand-held scanning devices used in airports. Make it legal for police set up a mini "RIDE" type program for pedestrians and cars.

Those stopped will quickly be scanned. If nothing shows up they go on your way - no ID is needed and no data is recorded. This will only take seconds. I would even support the pulling over of cars at random just like the Christmas RIDE program. In this case all occupants AND the car could be legally and briefly searched.

On the other hand if someone is carrying illegally, they are arrested on the spot.

This might be inconvenient but how could any one group complain if all parties are scanned? Surely it would go a long way towards reducing the shootings that we are witnessing in broad daylight .

Before reacting remember - it is normal at airports and at Christmas for alcohol and it is generally accepted. Alcohol is not used deliberately to kill other people. Not so for guns.


The Brewster

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth Ten Pounds of Ass Pain!

Do It NOW. Later is Too Late

Everyone must have experienced one of those "If I had only …" and suffered great regret when you didn't. Here are some examples:

If I had only :

• sold (or bought) that stock
• asked that girl (or guy) to go out or marry you
• not had that extra drink
• bought that house years ago
• saved those playing cards or comic books
  

Here is my recent and really agonizing experience. I lost my wallet and most of my ID. What a pain. There is a lot you have to do to minimize risk and loss. You probably know the obvious ones - they all involve calling various parties to report the loss and get replacement cards and ID.

My big regret was that I did not strip my wallet some time ago of all unnecessary items. I once did this. It needed purging again. You really only have to carry ONE credit card and possibly one debit card for financial purposes. Do NOT carry more.

Years ago I did put the following into practice and it helped me when I finally lost my wallet:

• Carry my cash in my pocket, not my wallet. This time I slipped up and lost $50 which was in the wallet
• Keep a valid debit card in my pocket with the cash so that I can still obtain cash from a bank machine after the wallet is lost. This I did have.
• Keep any other credit cards safely at home
• Do not carry my social insurance card, birth certificate, or health card in my wallet. I had lapsed into carrying my health card and all of my credit cards.
• Display personal contact information in the wallet. In this case it has not yet helped.

The good news is that there appears to be no fraudulent use or attempts to use my cards. That probably means somebody took the money and trashed the wallet or that it is still not found.

Here is the really, really bad part - the part that can benefit YOU if you act now, not later. This has happened before - 3 times and I always found it. Once it was in my house and twice honest people turned it in. 

So I advise:

• Put the above practices in place
• Keep a list and photocopy of everything that you DO carry with you.
• List the contact numbers of all companies and authorities you will have to call to report the loss. DON'T KEEP THIS IN YOUR WALLET!
• The big Kahuna: Buy a good tracking device and use it. This is what I failed to do. They can help you find it and even alert you when it gets too far away from you. The better ones will not only track your wallet, keys, purse etc. but in reverse, since most of them run one component on your phone, you can use that wallet or purse gadget to find your lost phone!
• Finally as a guy - but women could also do this - I no longer carry a wallet. I bought 2 very inexpensive leather card holders just larger that a credit card. They are like a mini wallet or billfold. In one I keep my driver info - licence, insurance, and ownership. It goes deep into one pocket. In the other will go one credit card and one debit card. It will be inserted into a separate packet. These are quite flat and not bulky. I will continue keep my cash separate.

In closing let me say DO IT!    DO IT!    DO IT!    NOW!   NOW!   NOW!

The Brewster

Lose Weight on Zero Dollars

Discipline is the Best Diet

We are almost at that time of the year when so many people make resolutions and don't keep them. Many of these will be about weight loss.

I must say up front that my genes - most likely my father's - keep me reasonably slim naturally. So yes, the following is easy for me to say. I maintain however that an extra 5 - 10 pounds on me shows more than the same 5 - 10 pounds on a much larger person. It is all relative.

Perhaps I have a second advantage. In the early 1970's I worked in London England and at that time they were experiencing a severe sugar shortage. I had to do without. I did and now I don't miss it. I learned to like coffee and cereal with zero sugar - even oatmeal. You get to TASTE the ingredients. OK I confess to real maple syrup on my oatmeal. They also went through a "bog roll" or toilet paper shortage. I might have lost a few pounds searching for it. I definitely do not miss that. 

Having stated the above, I am proud that I work very hard to maintain my weight and fitness even if I don't have a "weight" problem. I am not a fitness expert but I believe what I explain below is common sense and applies to anyone.

So here is my simple approach. One thing is assumed throughout - you have the discipline to follow these recommendations:

1. You do not need to pay a fitness instructor for classes or lessons. Many people do so anyway and they are happy with the results. Good for them. I do this on my own. 
2. You do not need to spend money on special food or to join a points club. Many people do this also and they are happy with the results. I don't.
3. Exercise alone is not the solution. You also have to control what you eat. This goes for any eating or exercise routine. You need both.
4. Learn this measurement and USE IT: 4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon of sugar. (It is actually 4.2 grams but make things easy on yourself.) 

That's it. The big one for me on the food side is number 4. Just look at the INGREDIENTS list on packages. In Canada we have laws that mandate this information. Search for sugar and divide that number of grams by 4. You get teaspoons of sugar.

Take a look at some of these common items for starters and be prepared for a shock:

• Any non-diet pop (soda)
• Fruit juice
• Muffins
• desserts
• milk - that's right, milk.
• sweetened cereals
• ketchup

I used to drink a lot of fruit juice and thought it was healthy. In moderation I am sure it is. Then I started applying the formula. YIKES. Now I try to stick to Tomato Juice or V8 types of fruit cocktail. They are lower in sugar.

Here are the things that I think help me most. I : 

•  rarely drink pop - maybe in a mixed drink
•  never put extra sugar (except for that maple syrup) on anything
•  always read those sugar labels and avoid the heavy hitters
•  rarely eat dessert anymore - that's not NEVER but it is not a regular part of a meal
•  seldom eat fast food
•  drink lots of water 

Now for the exercise part. I go to a gym 4 times a week - early morning works best for me. As a side benefit most of the people with whom I now socialize I met at there. Yes I do pay a membership fee but I don't feel the need to hire personal trainers. If you are not a gym person find something else you like - walking; riding; jogging; squash; tennis; swimming; sex. Anything to burn calories and keep your body - especially the abdomen and intestines -moving and contracting. A side benefit here is rare constipation.

Once you get to the point that the above is routine and habitual it will be much easier. I have for may years been the same weight as I was in university. I receive compliments - "for my age". It is very rewarding and that is an incentive in itself.

In closing I refer again to the heading. It takes discipline - lots of it - not money. If you are paying someone for an easy solution they are stealing from you.

Live Long an Perspire!

The Brewster

Happy and Very Merry Holiday

Live Long and Prosper Perhaps?

Here it is December and already I have seen several articles against using the greeting "Merry Christmas" or even the use of Christmas colours and symbols in public. Some of you will have noticed by my spelling of "colours" that I am not American. I happen to be Canadian but more on that later.

This debate is complex and you could add new angles to it from many directions. Here is my contribution.

The good news is that it probably happens in any multi-cultural society. Many feel that the existence of such societies alone is admirable. I believe that there is a more basic problem here. Our annual debate occurs in multi-religion societies and the religious element of culture tends to surface at this time of year. Other elements - language; diet; dress; music; traditions; other religious festivities - continue throughout the rest of the year. Sometimes they also cause problems. I have not resided in one, but I suspect that countries that enjoy only one culture including religion have no such debates.

For many years now Canada, its politicians and its citizens have placed me and my fellows on some kind of international pedestal as a model of multi-culturalism. That is partly true compared to other countries but there are still ill feelings just below the surface. I have written about this before and it is a topic unto itself. Talk to any tenant who lives with cuisines other than their own that result in pungent, pervasive, and to some, offensive odours in their building. You will hear a lot of words that do not support the notion of the Canadian Oasis.

It can be said that anyone who emigrates to Canada and becomes a citizen has to expect such differences and that nth generation citizens should not have to change our traditions and laws to accommodate them. The opposite is also true. If we are going to encourage multi-culturalism then we should support it fully. All of us in this country originate from immigrants with the sole exception of true indigenous peoples.

It wouldn't hurt any of us who happen to be Christians to learn several greetings beyond "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Hanukkah". On this point, Christians and Jews have long co-existed in Canada and tolerated our religious differences. It also would not hurt non-Christians and those who are more secular to be more tolerant of long-held Canadian Christmas traditions and greetings.

If any one religion is so passionately against another that its followers feel violence and hatred for others then I suggest such people chill out. I would even say they don't belong.

The solution has always been right there within reach for almost any problem on this globe: The Golden Rule. For those who don't know it you must look it up. I just read that most religions include some similar tenet. Now if all of us would just follow it ...

I was not a Trekkie but perhaps Spock nailed it. We should just say "Live Long and Prosper" at this time of the year.

Beam me off Scottie


The Brewster

Capital Punishment is Sometimes Justified

Throw Them into the (Hungry) Lions' Den

We Slaughter four legged animals by the millions every day, birds and fish in higher numbers. Recently here in Canada two vial, despicable, slugs who once crawled out from under a rock are back in the news.

In 2008 Terri-Lynne McClintic and Michael Thomas Christopher Stephen Rafferty abducted, raped and killed with a hammer a sweet, innocent, and trusting eight year old girl, Victoria Elizabeth Marie "Tori" Stafford. The youth trusted McClintic who led Tori away from school.

Found guilty and imprisoned, our wonderful justice system has recently seen fit to move both of these creatures to more comfortable surroundings. The female and murderer - McClintic - to an indigenous "healing" lodge, and the male and rapist - Rafferty - from a maximum to a medium security facility.

They both deserved to be removed from this planet - permanently. The lions' den comment was a facetious one but both of them would have had a better chance of escape and survival than poor Tori.

Some will say that taking a life as punishment reduces us to animal status. I offer an animalistic reply - BULLS__T! If they knew they would pay the supreme penalty lowly cowards like this would not have committed the crime. A seasoned criminal might have and that person should also have been removed from the globe.

Some crimes deserve it and we who remain would all be better off. Wrongful conviction was not an issue here. Nor was it for Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka. That's another story but VERY similar in nature. 

They waste valuable global resources with every breath they take and every drink they consume. I know that is not politically correct. Neither were their callous crimes. We can only hope that prison justice will prevail.

The Brewster

Fake News and I Fell for it!

This Gets Under My Skin!

OK - I got suckered in and I admit it.

I don't usually click on anything that looks phony or will involve having to scroll through endless pictures or snippets of some topic or issue. These are designed to keep your attention and smother you with advertising.

Three times now - yes THREE, I was a sucker.

The first one indicated that Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton) was taking some time away from her royal duties to pursue her own career - a line of skin care products that had proved to be very lucrative. It was causing problems with the Queen!

The second on another occasion shortly after the first involved the real reason that Megyn Kelly lost her job as an anchor and talk show host on FOX. Guess what - she left to pursue her personally developed line of skin care products! Go figure. At that point I realized I was taken.

These were last month. Then, just today, I read that a much more local media person, Lisa LaFlamme - most famous here in Canada as an anchor on CTV news was leaving the network!. That's what got me. I like her. When I clicked on the story - guess why! To spend time with her "family" but also … yada, yada, yada. Different name but probably the same skin care product line!

Is there no way we can shut down this garbage? Will I ever live this down?


The Brewster