Tarnished American Image

Black Eye for Biden

Afghanistan is in the news - again. Which area of the world will America disturb next?

This current affair is tragic for so many people. Bottom line for me is that the U.S. should have learned from the Soviet Union's invasion of the same country in 1979. They were big and powerful but lost to rag tag militants in a type of war they did not know how to fight. They got out relatively quickly and cleanly. What on earth made America think they would do any better? They might argue that this is different but is it really? Tell that to the thousands who will be slaughtered by the Taliban.

I am still a Biden fan compared to Trump. Hell I'd support Donald Duck for President over Donald Trump. But Joe slipped up on this one. Yes Trump signed the deal with the Taliban but did not bring troupes home. He had campaigned on ending the war. Biden followed through on this but is left holding the bag. Was that clever of Trump's people or just another broken Trump promise?

The fact still remains Biden could have done a far better job of providing for safe passage for the thousands of people who helped America. It will be a big stain on his legacy which is a shame. The Trump camp must be overjoyed.

This is only part of a much bigger picture. Trump did a lot to ruin the reputation of America abroad with broken agreements and his total lack of Presidential qualities. Nations actually laughed at him. America however, has a long history of invading and sticking their nose in the business of other places where they don't belong. It is one thing to respond to a world need such as World Wars I and II. Viet Nam, Cuba, Iraq, and Afghanistan to name just a few were not undertaken to save the free world in alliance with others.

America always has an ulterior motive beyond saving the locals and spreading its own version of a so-called democracy. Not everyone wants the American version. Again as I have said before, read "Teahouse of the August Moon" a 1951 novel by Vern Sneider. I was in high school but the mockery of America and its ways did not escape me even in the 1960s.

If America wants to be great again it should do more of true humanitarian work in disaster areas. To be fare, so should many other rich nations. They could have quickly ended slaughters in Africa - for example Ruanda's genocide. Areas of complete famine could be assisted with housing and clean water and agriculture.

In these circumstances America will argue that it can't invade a foreign nation. The truth is that if there are no diamonds, oilfields, or strategic military positions to be gained by America, it turns a blind eye. Invasions and conflict are also good for its own munitions business and for strengthening the military. Charitable efforts are not.

If America wants to re-gain the high ground, it should be pressuring its allies and its foes to do more in the way of charity for the have not nations and peoples.

It won't happen. Greedy American billionaires behind the politicians and who really wield the true power will never allow it.

#thebrewsterblock

On Being North of 50

Where is that reset / reboot button for life?

I am writing this not to bore you with the details of my life although I am sure I will but hopefully to stimulate similar thoughts for you. You should not live in the past but a little reminiscing is just fine.

Which birthday did you revere or resent the most - or any other birthday? My 10th was apparently a non-event. I recall nothing about it.

For most kids I suspect - certainly for me - one was my 13th. Becoming a teenager was a big one. Teenagers were always the "older" kids. It meant that in the summer I could attend teenage dances at our cottage. The problem was that most kids in my class were 1-2 years older than me. So when my time came, it was a "been there - done that" for any friends.

At 16 I could drive and I did. At 18 I could enter a pool hall and go to the USA to drink (from Canada), and for me it was my introduction to sex. Perhaps that alone makes it one of the biggest. It is also the age of majority in Ontario, but I did not feel like an adult yet. I should note thankfully that I was not conscripted and sent off to war either.

20th just meant in one more year I would be 21. In my case I also graduated from university at 21 and drank 21+1 draft beers without losing my cookies! Back then they were much bigger glasses, and cost a wopping 25 cents. It was a contest and I passed it. My best friend failed 9 months earlier.

My biggie was becoming 21. Then I could legally drink and buy alcohol. I had already become an adult but somehow this one meant I was not a kid anymore - no excuses.

Thirty seemed like a big one - it always does. Before that however, from 21 to 30 I led the life of an overactive but often lonely bachelor. It happened to be the year I met my partner and we have been together ever since. Mostly I recall attending her brother in law's 50th birthday and thinking: "Wow - he is old. Some day I will get there!" So he was twenty years my senior. Now my 50th was over twenty-five years ago - scary.

Forty was another biggie but somehow not as big as thirty. People often buy you a forty ouncer of booze. We had already moved into a house and that has occupied most of my spare time since.

As already mentioned, the big "50" for someone else was the one when I recalled thinking: "Wow - he is old. Some day I will get there!" My partner arranged a secret surprise birthday and had gone through many of my files (not good) to find names of people she really didn't know. I was astonished when I had parked the car and walked into this banquet hall - she really pulled it off well. She had me thinking it was to be just family. I was astonished. In the pictures, to me I still didn't "look" 50 but maybe my view is somewhat slanted!

And that brings me to 60 and 70. Somehow these were two more non-events - just indications that indeed time marches on at an amazing pace. My next 10th will be 80 and yes, that one is a biggie. For most men their horizon after that is questionable. Supposedly they don't live as long as women but I always said that was voluntary on our part!

My mom lived to be 100 and my dad almost 83. I hope I have her life genes.

Now in retirement I look back. That is what this post is all about. There are so many things I wished I had done differently. Perhaps one sign of a successful life is that  you would not have changed anything. That does not say much about mine.

Just had a silly thought: I always joked that I wish there were a reset / reboot button for life. One accepted symbol is now the circle with a vertical stroke from its centre to 12:00 (see below). Kind of resembles a navel - a useless part of the body after birth.

There you go. Perhaps the navel was supposed to have been our reset button - only to be used once. This was way before Steve Jobs. He never would have had a button - even a belly button. OK. How many of you are looking at yours? Don't bother. It doesn't work!

#thebrewsterblock

Did You Keep Score When You Were Young?

3 Lies you can count on: Age; Golf score; Number of Partners

Of the 3 lies in the title, the 3rd is the topic of this post.

Do you know how many partners you had (the "got lucky" ones) before you were married - or after - or still if you never tied the knot? 

This post was triggered by some reading about the great Wilt the Stilt Chamberlain (basketball) who claimed he slept with 20,000 women during his career. That is a different woman every day for 55 years. Credible? I don't think so. Many attribute over 3,000 to Julio Iglesias. That is every night for eight years. Perhaps that was possible over his entire career. Elvis probably was way up there as well.

Long ago for the very religious it was supposed to be none. I'm not very religious! For bachelors it is the opposite of a golf score. The dishonest add to their score unlike golf where they shave numbers from their score. Do women? I'm not sure. Maybe they discuss their past lovers with friends but the double standard has always applied - if they brag about too many partners they are called nasty names.

I was the worst of all combinations - a late starter and then a long time bachelor who tried to make up for lost time. I'm pretty certain of the number but will keep that to myself. I seldom went all the way just to carve another notch in the bedpost. Things just happened but I have to admit I spent a lot of time looking for the opportunity.  For me, "No" always meant no long before it became a catch phrase.

The tragic thing back then was that this cost me the one young woman who was probably my perfect match. Details have to remain secret. I will never forget her and wonder if she forgot me. In hindsight, marriage would have been a better option for me long ago in my early twenties but I stupidly let her get away. On the bright side I never would have met my current partner had I asked the one who seemed perfect for me back then, but I spent a lot of years feeling sorry for myself before meeting my lady.

I don't recall a female celebrity boasting about any specific number at all. That says a lot about the differences between men and women. There are those who went through many marriages but the press made bragging unnecessary.

I still remember my first partner - what a disaster - for her anyway - front seat of a '63 Pontiac. I highly recommend the back seat as a better choice. A lot of time passed before the second. I seem to have been attracted to more virtuous girls or women. Just like Clinton - "never had sexual relations with that woman" - the build-up and surrounding activities but not the real deal.

It was only after university that I realized what I had been missing. I blame what friends I had - most of them got married! I would re-visit old mates to go for a drink but their wives were never happy about it.

So can you remember your history - in sequence? What about names and how you met? How you broke up? Are you really honest with yourselves about who gave the elbow and who received it?

Do you even think about this topic? I bet you do.

#thebrewsterblock

Best Vaccination: Laugh at Yourself!

 

Where did all the girls go?

After turning twenty one,

I bought a brand new car.

A sports job with a five speed box,

And glances from afar.

No Triumph, Sprite, or MGB

Too commonplace you see.

I found the Fiat 1-2-4

Sport Spyder was for me!

At every light some one would say

"I really like your car!"

Positano Yellow you could 

Spot it from afar.

For girls it was a magnet.

How could I ask for more?

On sunny days with soft top down

It even would seat four.

Although those days were long ago.

They seem like yesterday.

I wonder if I had one now

Would I still feel that way?

My other half still harbors the

Convertible allure.

With modern folding hard tops they're

Much better that's for sure.

She loved the new Miata so

I bought one as a gift.

With automatic I still miss

My rapid five speed shift.

For sure this Mazda goes Zoom Zoom, 

But I don't feel as free..

It's bumpy, noisy, small and so

I always bang my knee.

Getting in is difficult

But with the sun o'er head,

I think about the beach and of 

The care free life I led.

If I Zoomed by you today

You might have heard me shout.

"Please call 9-1-1 for me -

You see I can't get out!"

#thebrewsterblock

Problems for the World to Solve

Let's Get Together

Remember the song "Let's get together, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!" (Haley Mills; Robert and Richard Sherman)? It is one the world should be singing, translated into many languages with the same refrain but new lyrics.

Some of the world's greatest problems - COVID for example - would be better addressed by international cooperation. The International Space Station is a great example. The problem is that much of the needed funds are now going towards the goal of self preservation or being ready to destroy the other guy. This must make God or our alien creators and masters proud.

Here are some suggestions from which we would all be beneficiaries, including other living things like plants, fish, and animals. There would have to be an agreement that any new invention or technology which resulted from the combined effort could not be patented. That way any country would be free to allow private industry to help without any monopolies locking up the creation out of financial greed.

Let's hear some of your thoughts. Comment below.

CARS: Thankfully this is being addressed albeit slowly. Petroleum powered cars must go. This alone will help to purify the air and slow down global warming. Petroleum will always be needed for commerce, construction, and travel but there are hundreds of millions of cars, most being extremely inefficient.

PLASTICS: I doubt they will disappear but some like shopping bags and drink / water bottles could go. Replacement products are needed. There is hope with the commercials I am seeing involving three major soda companies and their new bottles.

DRINKING WATER: More high volume low cost desalination technology is needed. Israel is advanced in this area. The whole world should have access to clean, safe, drinking water.

FOOD: I have read that there is enough food to feed the world but not everybody has access. Large scale food greenhouses already exist. You can't always spread crops laterally but you can go vertically, just like residential buildings. Sharing such technology would allow current countries who can't grow crops to do so.

ENERGY: Solar, wind, and harnessing the tides are all possibilities here with minimal progress in each. Another known technology is the use of the sun's rays to superheat a liquid using huge parabolic lenses. This is ultimately used to boil water for a steam engine, which then drives a generator. Combined knowledge here could be shared and large plants built in the hottest areas of the world. Electrical power could then be transported in conventional towers and cables.

SHELTER: Many of the poorest have never had a home. I saw a video once about someone who was building stacked homes out of large concrete sewer pipes. Sounds crude but these were liveable. What about spent shipping containers and tractor trailers once they are off the road. Now they end up in some farmer's field. Quonset huts would also be like a palace to those with no home of their own.

CLOTHING: Right up there with food and shelter. Used clothing is already collected - for a profit. Governments could do it, on a non profit basis (cover costs only) for the needy both here and abroad.

There are lots of possibilities where combined genius can be used for common good. Surely re-directing government money from charitable handouts to jobs for the betterment of the human race is desirable.

It easy to talk about taxing the super rich and certain corporations so that they pay more to fund common benefits, many of whom pay none. These are good causes to which the extra cash could be directed, rather than to executive salaries and bonuses, and politicians' pensions.

What are your ideas?

#thebrewsterblock

Anti-Vaxxers Without Borders

Not "Only in America"

I am sure there are people throughout the roughly 200 countries with a COVID problem who will fight being vaccinated. Most of us will never understand this and we are advised that we can not embarrass or shame them into taking a different stance. Fortunately some of them who caught the virus and possible gave it to family members are now trying to convince their peers that vaccination is good. They regret their past resistance.

In the past I have not minced my words on this topic. I have certainly cast anti-vaxxers in a negative light and I am not going to stop now. OK, so I won't convince any hard liners and some may dig in their heels even deeper. This is like a flat earth society. Members are still out there so I am told. If they have ever travelled "around" the world they have to know they are flogging a dead horse. If they have a TV at home - same thing. So all I can do is keep making the case and hope that maybe others closer to them will sway a few. 

Let us assume that even the most ardent have reasonable intelligence, no mental disabilities and that they do not belong to some anti-vaxxer cult. Adding to the list of assumptions, I assume that:

1. They are not constantly receiving fines for seatbelt and helmet violations

2. They have never tried to open a plane door for fresh air during a flight

3. They have never been in prison for sexually assaulting or kidnapping someone to satisfy a sudden sexual urge

4. They don't attempt to walk around society totally nude.

5. They don't attempt to rob a bank when they are short of cash.

6. They don't just steal a car, groceries, (or any other object) whenever they need one.

7. That if they have been employed for an extended period they obey their employers' rules.

8. That they don't turn into peeping Toms whenever they are horny.

9. That they practice good personal hygiene to some degree.

10. That many attended school longer than any mandatory period.

OK so what? All of these things are dictated by rules and laws of governments or other authorities. Somebody told them they "have to" or they "can't." However to my knowledge no government, especially Federal, has told them that they MUST wear a mask, unless they are working in a Federal building.

So what is all of this crap about freedom and "you can't make me?" It is political. Many are just crying for attention. 

I can't help myself. Grow up. Get a  life. Stop messing up ours.

#thebrewsterblock

 

January 6. Sticks and Stones

Remember this? "But Names Can Never Hurt Me?"

Years ago parents sometimes tried to teach their kids who were being bullied to say "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names will never hurt me."

Not so today. The attack on the Capital Building on January 6, 2021 - and that's exactly what was - personified that old teaching. The problem is that yes - the sticks and stones (aka .WEAPONS) did indeed break bones and the racial epithets actually did hurt the officers.

Despite parental efforts the name calling always hurt the kids and most could not ignore it. I wish I could say that anyone using the "N" word against those brave officers protecting politicians must have been similarly affected in their youths. I doubt it. This was real hatred of red necked and red capped adults towards other adults.

What a pathetic example to set for kids, and the rest of the world. Washington has now become the world's biggest schoolyard.

There are leaders besides Trump (leader status in question) who were behind this. They are running scared. They have to be identified and seriously punished. Soon. The Donald should be included.

#thebrewsterblock

Blue Origin Space Shot

Oh Yeah? Well Mine went Higher!

A week ago I wrote about the Branson space shot (see "Virgin Galactic Space Ride, July11). Branson said that this was not a race, still puffing after rushing to re-schedule and beat Bezos with a launch! If you believe that, book a ride with me and my time machine. I will take you back to pet a dinosaur and then, after discovering fire, we will return safely with the first twig ever deliberately set alight by man.

The previous launch got me thinking and so did this one. As far as the race is concerned, Branson's ship looked more cool but let's face it, to make a name in space, height and (and distance ) is what counts and Blue Origin wins on that front. If size mattered (ladies can smile now) maybe Branson would have won. In this case it doesn't. In fact smaller is probably better.

As far as marketing goes, you might expect an Amazon founder to do well there also. He did. How cool was it to take up a piece of canvas from the Wright brothers' plane - the first flight ever! Then he topped that with goggles worn by Amelia Earhart. He also gets an Oscar there. Even on names he chose well. Most people know what an "Origin" is but come on Richard, what the hell is a "Virgin?" Just kidding - but I guess he can only fly with that name once! Now he has to change it.

What I did not mention in the last post was that Elon Musk has beaten them both. His rockets have propelled many people into real space, even to the International Space Station. He has also brought rockets back to earth and to ships. Let's not forget he invented one of the most advanced electric vehicles, powered by flashlight batteries!

So what is the big deal with two guys who barely escaped our atmosphere for a few minutes? It seems to me that the most relevant thing is that now three private citizens are using their own money to make the space race competitive. Competition breeds innovation and private companies don't drown in bureaucracy and inefficient the way governments do as they waste  our funds.

I think all this is a good thing and probably the only way the USA will beat or at least keep up to China and possibly India in the future. Yes the Chinese effort is a government one but their form of government - bad as it is - is more efficient.

I doubt if I will ever be able to afford such a thrill. Perhaps that is where governments could  contribute. They could run lotteries for the rest of us with the grand prize a space shot. They keep a small admin fee and the rest goes to private space companies.

What do you think?

#thebrewsterblock

Does God Exist?

Will I be taking the Stairway to Heaven or the Highway to Hell?

Are you a devout follower of a religion; an agnostic (humans have no way of knowing); an atheist (do not believe in any God); or something else? I am the latter.

Regardless of the label however, here are some things to think about if you dare. I dare all the time. I even dare to say if God exists, perhaps she is a woman. Today people would say that if not a man, what about OTHER gender choices? I'm not even going to go there!

The idea of a male supreme deity I have addressed before. Essentially that is only because thousands of years ago man's superior strength made males rule the earth. Women were second class only because men were able to force the issue. Men created, and through war men destroyed.

When reading and education came along, only men were permitted to take advantage. The naturally clever ones did and became holy leaders. You believed or you died. When they created the notion of a God and a theory of creation, it all began - naturally - with a man. Woman was created, but as a very evil partner whose only job was to bear children and pleasure man. So much for that.

That is not today's topic. Before I begin let us dispose of the biggest copout of them all, "God works in mysterious ways." Indeed they/he/she/it does. This is the standard reply when there really is no other. So the lead in for today is:

If there IS a God, then why...

Why is it not a perfect world with no injustice and plenty for all? Are we just characters in some live game? To hell with virtual when you can create the real thing. If so, against whom is God playing? Lucifer/Satan? Finally of course, who is winning? The way the world is today, I'd bet on Satan.

Why, if there were to be a superior sex, would it not be the one who bears and looks after future generations - woman?

Why, when there are so many heavenly bodies in the universe we can not even fathom the number, would there only be life, even identical life, on only one of them?

Why are some of the most evil beings on this planet rewarded and some of the most giving and noble punished - often in horrible fashion?

Why were we given the intelligence - of all of the species - to question this as I am? Is it part of the game?

Why, if there is other "life" out there, have the game makers not introduced them to spice up the play? Stay tuned. Maybe they will. Perhaps all astronauts and #Branson the other day were just more steps in that direction. Surely this would be a supreme high for any creator - to allow the peons (us) to think we actually discovered each other.

Why did the dinosaurs and other species suddenly disappear? Was it because we were the next invention and they just had to go? If so, what is waiting in the wings or in Beta test to replace us? Will it happen soon? How will we all perish. There are many signs that an apocalypse is near.

Why don't we know more about heaven from God and not some anointed clergy person. Will it be just like the politics in a country or corporation? If you are no good at politics here will you have a hard time in heaven? Do you have to be a "Survivor" winner?

Why don't we actually see ghosts if they exist, or angels? What better way is there to make us all believers? Churches teach us that we must simply be faithful. The truth is that they - all of them - simply want us to be faithful to them, coughing up some coin along the way.

Why was God always associated with fire and fury and as coming from above? The only reason I can come up with is that indeed there was fire from above and visitors once upon a time.

That might be a good place to end - "Once upon a time" - a famous beginning often associated with the Brothers Grimm. We know what they wrote. Need I say more?

#thebrewsterblock

Virgin Galactic Space Ride

JFK vs Richard Branson

It was in 1961 - 60 years ago - that JFK committed America to a moon landing. Today I just witnessed Richard Branson and his Virgin Galactic making its first space shot with himself and others onboard.

While watching, many were saying "What's the big deal?" The shuttle did this for decades. Astronauts have done it longer. He barely touched the edge of space.

The big deal has two elements.

Firstly they took off aboard a conventional albeit unique aircraft using a runway and wings to become airborne. It also carried ordinary citizens. It landed by conventional means as well, as did the shuttle. Most space shots for the moon and beyond use huge rockets to lift off which in itself is a very dangerous undertaking. This launching technique is safer and cheaper. The moment of release from the mother ship then becomes the critical moment. The risk here is also minimized to the craft itself and those inside.

Secondly the money and resources were primarily from private sources, not government taxation which everyday citizens fund. This is the biggest benefit in my opinion. The cost of any non-human loss or failure is not born by the taxpayers.

So what would JFK have said if he were still with us? He surely would have spoken when such private dreams were first revealed. I suspect he would have preferred the government approach. It generated far more jobs and general research and development in many areas. It also put the country and its administration on the map, not a person and their company. One fear might have been that a private company or citizen could pack up and leave, taking their big boy toys and technology with them.

There is also the question of whether this immensely expensive undertaking is only available to the super rich. Rich/poor disparities are hardly a new debate. Kennedy and his family were  super rich but hardly in the multi billionaire category so I think he would not have seen any problem in that regard.

The entire subject of obscene wealth existing in our society is another topic for another day. It has always existed and is getting worse. However surely it is better that these people use their wealth to further technology - something we might all need one day. It is better than purchasing another yacht or opening another account with idle funds just making them richer which is what normally happens with the super wealthy.

The real question now is - and those of us alive today will not witness the answer - whether only those super rich will be the only ones able to escape a calamity or apocalypse on earth if it is needed. This is like the Titanic. I suspect the answer will be that most of our descendants will be locked below deck awaiting our fate.

In closing the best approach in my opinion is to put that wealth to use saving the damn planet we all share. Bill Gates is taking that course.

#thebrewsterblock