Monday 28 February 2022

The Threat of Nuclear Holocaust

Wake up and Smell the Radioactivity





The problem with the above sub-title is that if H-bombs start dropping, tens of millions of people won’t BE waking up. The rest won’t smell coffee or what is killing them but they will suffer horrific burns and God knows what else inside their own bodies.

Less and less of us were alive when Hiroshima and Nagasaki were obliterated in Japan. Most of us have seen the astonishing film footage of the victims and the total destruction. It can never be allowed to happen again – or can it?

Large Atomic (fission) bombs can be the equivalent of 500 kilotons (thousand tons) of TNT. This is difficult to imagine in itself. A large Hydrogen bomb (fission AND fusion) can go as high as 50 MEGAtons of TNT (that’s million tons!). In numbers that is 500,000 compared to 50,000,000. A single ton of TNT exploding is scary enough for me. Just think 100 times worse than those World War II films.

The problems created by all of this for Putin AND the rest of the world have increased over time. The previous paragraph depicts scale of power. Back then only America had developed and dropped The Bomb. A program spurred by Stalin gave Russia theirs a few years later. Now several countries have nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them.

This is why the prospect of mutual destruction – make that annihilation – worked for so many years to deter their use. The much of world would become uninhabitable. Pictures of bombing campaigns in Germany and England would pale by comparison.

After the world’s first glimpse of this only a madman would contemplate their use again. THAT has become the question of the hour.

Is Putin super angry or mad? Does it matter?

#thebrewsterblock

Saturday 26 February 2022

United States Invades other States at Will

American Hypocrisy 

Most of the world has rightly condemned #Putin's Russia for invading Ukraine.  Innocent people are dying horrible deaths and seeing their worldly belongings destroyed. Infrastructure will be crippled for years.

Why? It would seem that Putin has several idols whom he is trying to emulate. Rumors flourish about their identity. A personal guess is Xi Jinping of China. If you ever saw the special on the Chinese leader's life history and rise to power you will know why.

As I recall in brief he was working the fields as a young man and later tried to join the party he used to dislike but was rejected. After future tries he was finally accepted. He then spent years towing the party line and rising through the ranks while managing to stay alive which is a feat unto itself. After he landed the top job he visited the USA where he was charming and well liked - even expressing admiration for America.

Over the years managed to maintain his leadership role while gradually introducing change to the party's Socialist ideals - without being overthrown. The country prospered immensely. Finally he consolidated his own hold by getting their Congress to allow his reign indefinitely. Good luck to anyone who voted against him!

China has been attacked and beaten down for centuries. It is now a great superpower and many people are happy with what their leader accomplished. They have a deep-rooted pride and feeling that their country has been underrated and unappreciated for all time. China should be at the top of all nations.

Russia has a similarly proud history. Many of its former leaders were renowned for their greatness. The Russian people are still very proud and want to be seen at least on an equal footing in the world with America. The memory of Khrushchev backing down to Kennedy is still a sore point.

This is also Putin's dream. He wants to be seen as the world's most powerful man and wants the same status for Russia. Perhaps above all he wants to destroy democracies or see them fail. If he can help to make that happen all the better. Ukraine has a huge number of natural resources that Putin wants for himself, or at least to control them.

The claim is two fold. Ukraine wants his help - to fight against internal rebels and to maintain the independence of Luhansk and Donetsk. Secondly Ukraine will eventually join NATO and be a real threat to Russia. In the West we are calling this propaganda and an excuse to invade.

What is the real difference between this and America's many invasions like Iraq; Afghanistan; Viet Nam? Take the last one - Viet Nam. Two Presidents reaped total havoc there for years. Untold thousands of innocents were massacred. Who will ever forget that poor nude girl with napalm burning on her bare skin? America wanted to stop the spread of Communism - Russia wants to stop the spread of Democracy. 

Apparently when America invades it is somehow justified. When Russia does it, not so. America once dropped the "bomb" to end a war. Let's hope it does not come to that again because this time she could be on the receiving end.

#thebrewsterblock






Tuesday 22 February 2022

Is Putin Copying Hitler?


Is
Ukraine a Prelude to World War III?

Fortunately neither I nor most of you lived through World Wars I or II - the lead up; the horror itself; and the aftermath. I hope we never see the likes of them again. My hope is becoming more faint.

History is not my strong point but I seem to recall that:

A very clever, selfish, and ruthless Hitler worked his way into a leadership position in Germany between the two Great Wars. He pandered to and fired up the spirit and fervor of the German population. Ditto Putin and the Russian people.

He reminded them of their former glory and inspired extreme nationalism predicting such glory again in the future. The people were suffering economically. They still felt resentment from their defeat in World War I. They believed in and backed this leader. Those who opposed him suffered. Ditto Putin and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

He sought allies such as Italy. He sweet talked, lied to, and called the bluff of would be enemies. He then started his attacks, one at a time. Russia has a strong ally – China. Putin says anything Britain/America want to hear. He is attacking Ukraine.

Other countries huffed and puffed but did not want to pay the price of arming themselves up front so as to be able to ultimately defeat Hitler if it became necessary. Ditto America and its allies today. America even said it would not do battle with Putin over the Ukraine. Sound familiar? Germany signed a Non-Aggression Pact with Russia and then attacked Poland. Ultimately Hitler betrayed Russia and invaded her also.

It took years of talks between Britain and America and an attack by a rogue nation - Japan - before America realized she had to help defeat Hitler before she herself was attacked, after most of Europe was defeated. Japan once again was driven by national pride and felt it was her time to rise to her rightful place over other nations. Will a rogue nation - Korea? China? - attack America today for the same reasons? In the end Russia gained more territory through the spoils of World War II. Will that happen again with Putin?

Of course there are some huge differences between then and now. More countries have an immense military. Some of the biggest differences ironically resulted from World War II. Rocket power resulted in missiles, and satellites provide guidance and surveillance. Lasers are used to precisely guide bombs and those missiles. Nuclear powered vessels can stay at sea and under the sea longer.

The biggest of all has to be the former atomic and now nuclear bomb. The major players all have them. Their destructive power eclipses that of other weapons. The entire world could be destroyed or made uninhabitable for years.

In the time of Kennedy, fear of mutual destruction was a dual deterrent when only the USA and Russia were the main players. The league has expanded since. I doubt that America has the military power or the will to defeat Russia conventionally anymore. Her track record since World War II - Viet Nam in particular - has not been impressive. Is Putin still counting on America’s unwillingness to press the button?

How ironic since America is the only power to have dropped the bomb offensively, wreaking immense horror on Japan. Today’s H-bombs could destroy a country and every building and form of life in it.

We can only hope - some of you should pray - that hitting Putin and his cronies in the pocketbook will work. Doing so will hit our pocketbooks as well.

Are we willing to pay?

#thebrewsterblock


Friday 18 February 2022

Violent behavior on Aircraft

The New Five Mile High Club. Lock 'em Up!

Once again another wild (probably drunk) passenger had to be bodily subdued on an airplane. These assholes threaten hundreds of lives.

Such people should be arrested upon arrival. If it is in a foreign land they should be immediately returned to their homeland and arrested again. Forget the luggage. Maybe it arrives some day, maybe not. They also pay for the return trip.

This is totally unacceptable behavior.

Punishment at home should be severe. Since they disrupted the peaceful travel of others, they should lose their right to drive for a long period. If they don't drive they pay a big financial burden.

I feel for the airline staff but not the airline. My guess is that many of these passengers have been into the booze. Airlines could reduce a lot of this by simply not selling booze on board and forbidding the consumption of any personal alcohol.

It would be a shame since most people including me enjoy relaxing with a drink on a long flight but this is too dangerous to allow it to continue. Another approach is rationing drinks to one or two per passenger. How this is enforced is their problem. Solve it.

Finally the no fly status of such a person should be automatic, international, and it should be long in duration.

Welcome to the new Five Mile "High" club!

#thebrewsterblock


Tuesday 8 February 2022

Et Tu Supreme Court?

America's Last Straw.

In the last five years or more the cracks in the world's Liberty Bell - America - have been getting noticeably larger.

1. Firstly few could believe that America actually voted in large numbers for Trump in 2016. Despite what he and his followers who wear Trump blinders think, it was a horrible four years for America and the world.

2. When Trump knew he was going to lose and started setting the stage for the Republicans to falsify the election and then spread the Big Lie about The Donald's loss, we knew they were speeding towards a very big cliff.

3. The large majority of Republicans in both houses sold their souls, integrity, and respect down the drain to support the Big Lie. They cared more about their jobs and pensions than the good of the country.

4. On January 6, 2021 a violent insurrection took place. Everyone else saw it. Trump and his cronies claim they did not. Wild citizens almost hung the Vice President. Now the bell would no longer even ring.

5. States throughout the land began to change their laws to weaken the non-white vote or at least make it much more difficult for visible minorities to cast their ballads. They also made it far easier at the state level to simply ignore and overturn a result they did not like if the first tactic failed.

6. Now the coup de gras. The Supreme Court - that final rampart for the people's democracy - is leaning towards supporting the tactics in number 4. They are after all stacked in favour of Republicans.

These high judges are supposed to be beyond personal bias. Apparently they are not.

If Trump wins in 2024, the Bald Eagle might as well be replaced by a big yellow banana. In this case the banana represents the single new foundation of the country - lies.

#thebrewsterblock 


Wednesday 2 February 2022

COVID and Plastic Waste

Where Is All That Plastic Going?

Recently a relative was sent to hospital for non-COVID related issues but while there, he was tested for COVID and the test was positive. This is very common.

What I found more interesting were his observations on just what is happening inside our hospitals today. I am fortunate not to have stayed overnight in hospital for my own care since I had my tonsils out as a child. However while visiting and supporting others I have stayed overnight. Besides how difficult that was for me (nowhere to recline; too many noises; no food etc.) I was able to observe all the activity.

At the best of times before COVID, staff were overworked. It made me realize that I could never be a nurse. I also appreciated our free medical program in Ontario, Canada. Even in normal (without COVID) times there is a tremendous amount of waste produced in hospitals. Much of it is filthy and/or contaminated. Safe disposal is a problem.

Now the problem must have increased exponentially. Every time a nurse had to attend to this person, even to change an IV or remove a bed pan, they had to totally "suit up" with new PPE (personal protective equipment). This can include gloves, masks, goggles, gown, face shields for starters. Most of this is plastic or rubber.
We already have an immense problem disposing of plastic. Much of it still goes into the ocean.

So where is all of this additional material going? Considering all hospitals across the modern world the problem is immense. This is just the disposal problem. Imagine the cost!

If anyone out there knows the answer please reply. Hopefully land fill or the ocean is not the answer.

#thebrewsterblock

Monday 31 January 2022

The No Government Society

No Government? Think About I!

We have all heard protestors yelling "Down with Government"; "You can't trust government" etc. Really?

Let's depict what might be a typical day in the life of Joe/Suzy Citizen. The bracketed numbers represent services provided by taxes. Taxes are collected and spent by whatever level of government. Who or what will take their place?

Here is the list of services we encounter:

1. Electricity                               13. Education Standards
2. Water                                     14. Court System
3. Sewage                                 15. Justice System
4. Gas                                        16. Traffic Laws
5. Oil                                          17. Issuing of various Licenses
6. Roads                                    18. Local, State, Federal Laws 
7. Airports                                  19. Police and Law Enforcement
8. Ports                                      20. Parks and Recreation
9. Infrastructure Maintenance   21. Social Benefits
10. WEB, Broadband, Internet  22. Rights of citizens  
11. Education                            23. The Military
12. Teachers College

The alarm goes off (1). You reach out to flip on the lights (1). Then you plod off down the hall or into the ensuite to turn on more lights (1). You use the toilet (2) and then flush it (2,3). Moving over to the sink, you wash your hands (2,3). The house is too cold/hot so you crank up the heat or air (1,4,5). You use these services several more times while cooking before you head out the door. What did you eat? Every item came from a store or market, including the stove and fridge. How? (6,7,8). This only happened after all of these were cleared of ice and snow (9). You get dressed into clothes. Where did they come from? Stores (6,7,8,9). Ah but you bought these online (10).

Now you are out the door. You drive the kids to school (6,11) in your purchased/leased vehicle (6,7,8). There, they are taught by teachers, who were educated at colleges often assisted or provided by government (12) to attain qualifications that are set by regulators (13).

During that brief commute, you are hit by an unlicensed driver and vehicle. You are properly licensed (17) and have to take them to court (14,15) to be tried by a judge and jury (14,15). You are both represented by lawyers who must be properly educated and licensed (13,15,17) so as to be able to enforce the law and your rights (18).

When you return home (and we haven't even covered your typical day at work) you find your house has been burglarized, so you call the police (19). Now you have to go to pick up the kids at soccer (20) and day care which you could only afford because of child benefits (21). Finally you sit down to read a newspaper and watch a ball game on TV which you can enjoy because of free speech (22). Most of it is about war and conflict (23).

I could carry on but you get the picture. Who provides any of this without government? If you say other non-democratic countries have similar things you are wrong at least in scope. But in those societies, good luck changing or increasing such facilities. Do you think private enterprise and entrepreneurs will fill the void? They might fill their pockets, but not the void. Who will manage and enforce all the private contracts with your best interests in mind? To whom will you complain when something is wrong?

Too much government might be bad but none is just a pipe dream. in another society if you smoke the wrong thing in that pipe you might be shot.

#thebrewsterblock

Monday 24 January 2022

The New CNN and Who Replaces Cuomo

Will CNN Become the FOX of the left?


There has been much debate about who will replace Chris Cuomo on CNN at a time when the network is about to have new owners again. Discovery - owned primarily by media mogul John Malone, is taking over from AT&T. The new company will be headed by CEO David Zaslav another career media savvy entrepreneur. I know little about these men but they face many challenges

Chris was one of the top guys at the network and will be hard to replace. He was brash - some might say aggressively so, opinionated and well spoken. This is ideal for his type of show. I am enjoying the current strategy of slating a variety of talented guest spokespeople in the cherished 9:00 pm slot. I have been impressed by Michael Smerconish; Laura Coates; and Brianna Keilar to date.

Articles I read pointed out that morning audiences are a lot different than evening ones. Perhaps their states of mind change throughout the day - lighter stuff in the morning. Brianna for example was not doing well in the morning slot but she has been refreshing as a stand-in for Cuomo. CNN has a large cast of talented personalities who could do the job including their regular guest speakers and analysts.

Apparently the decision will be on hold until the new owners weigh in. This makes good sense. Some big picture decisions remain.

Should they give the nod to a woman? Almost any of the existing prominent CNN females could do a great job. Should there be another person of colour in the slot or both - like Laura Coates. So far the indications are that the new owners want to preserve the CNN image of high integrity news - not the entertaining but often blatantly false and fake diatribes posing as news on FOX among others.

I watch CNN a lot throughout the day and evening and have criticized some of the following areas in the past. How about changing:

- Cutting guests off for giving views that are too right and not what the CNN bosses or sponsors want to hear. Most CNN people are guilty of this - Chris was notorious for it. If you invited them let them finish their point.
- Repetition of the same old stuff over and over. Different viewers won't be able to watch until later in the day but knock off the continual "Breaking News". It might be breaking when it is first broadcast but after that it is just today's news. Things happen 24/7 so there are lots of opportunities for each time slot to "break" some news.
- Not giving credit to the Republicans and other networks if they are correct about something. Keep your leftist views but report rightist views as well without making out anyone who supports them to be crazy. Your own viewers know where you stand overall. Give them credit for having the grey matter we know some FOX fans lack!
- Don't choose Don Lemon to replace Cuomo. He is better where he is - then we can choose to retire or listen to his often maudlin melodrama. Personally I am tired of it.  Lemon is in my opinion over-rated and very predictable. His show has become a soap opera.

All networks face the same big problem as politicians the world over. The majority of TV viewers don't want to have to think - they just want entertainment. For example this is what drives the huge advertising dollars for sport. When they vote - same thing. They vote on last minute emotion and a candidate's charisma and appearance. It is sad but true.

So CNN and other legitimate media companies can still serve a useful purpose. For a democracy to work, the truth must be available to the people who actually think before they vote. There will always be liar networks and liar leaders. People who don't want to think or are incapable of it will occasionally elect liars and cheaters from both sides of the aisle. My hope is that when a thinking electorate gets the facts and elects a thinking leader, the chances of them making good decisions which benefit everyone are better than the alternative. In the long run the average person will experience these benefits.

In summary to Donald and co.: "You can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time."

If I'm wrong, America is toast.

#thebrewsterblock
 


Thursday 20 January 2022

Ukraine and Russia

Could the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict Start World War III?

I can't answer this question - it is well beyond my grasp of history and peoples' patriotism. Try to Google the history of the Ukraine even since the start of World War II and your brain will feel like it is watching a Wimbledon final. What I read was full of back and forth, separation, unification, corruption, conflicts, death etc.

What it does make clear to me is that we in North America are mere babes in arms, barely weaned from mother Britain. Almost any European country has a history as long as your arm which only historians could detail. So understanding the emotions involved in the potential invasion of the Ukraine by Russia is difficult.

If Great Britain attacked either Canada or America with a view to taking them back under her reign, you would have a small taste of what citizens over the pond have experienced for centuries.

Here is my attempt to place this in perspective:

Let us assume - and this is not entirely unrealistic - that Texas declared its independence from America. I don't know if that is possible legally but if they wanted it badly enough the law would not matter. Let us also assume that they succeeded without war erupting between Texas and the other 49 states. Soon Texas might want to join NATO as a full member, expecting support if America crossed its northern border.

It is likely that America would try to get Texas to re-join the union. Now let us say that Russia, or China, or North Korea for example then sent massive forces to the northern border of Mexico in support of Texas, even though there was no Texan / American state of war.

America would have a 100% butt out attitude. This seems to be what Russia is saying. There are those in the Ukraine who want to re-join Russia and those who do not.

Not long ago America would have sent massive military forces to take on Russian troupes. Would that happen today? I doubt it. There would be economic sanctions but Russia would never give back territory it overtook. Also many European countries need Russian oil and other resources.

In this one area Trump had it right. Most Americans no longer want thousands of their sons and daughters losing their lives on behalf of yet another country. America would finance most of it. As usual many other nations would fail to contribute their share. 

Although there have been Ukrainian referendums before on whether to join Russia or not, perhaps another under international control is needed. Then whatever action others took to support Ukraine, it would be tougher for Putin to justify his actions.

He will likely be happy to follow the old policy of taking one small territory at a time calculating that none of the small actions is worth total war. Eventually he or his heirs will succeed

There again Biden could promise help on condition that Zelensky give up some dirt on Trump!

#thebrewsterblock


Saturday 15 January 2022

Is Population Control Inevitable?

Against Vaccination? What about Sterilization?

I have touched on this topic before. I do so again because it is one of those looming problems which nobody will address - no democratic leaders at least - until it is too late. This makes it just like the stop sign that never arrives until "enough" people are killed or some kind of gun control until...well let's not go there again.

This is right up there with climate control. It will not cause the imminent demise of all humans in our lifetime, so it is not our problem. Careers and reputations would be on the line for anyone who brings this to the table, so don't! Bury your head(s) in the sand. Who knows - much of the world might soon be covered by it.

The world population as of this writing for 2022 is 7.9 billion. In 2024 it is projected to be 8.1 billion (world population january 2022 - Google Search). We have all seen images of the most populated cities on the globe, especially in the poorest countries - deplorable.

As well we have all seen images of the melting ice caps and glaciers; rising ocean water levels; forests and other arable land being destroyed by fire, drought, volcanic eruptions, and mankind. The latter is always to make a buck - often at the expense of others.

All of this means fewer places to live and grow food or raise livestock. One way to both reduce this loss and reduce the need for the food and accommodation is to control the population.

China has tried it. It was not popular. People couple up to reproduce for the most part! So do animals and the only reason I have not included them in this post is because mankind controls them. It is usually for food or sport but animal population control is why this is not part of our overcrowding problem. In fact some animals no longer exist.

How can that be applied to Homo Erectus? Simple - no more erectus! There is another big problem. Should the man be sterilized or the woman? We all know what men's choice would be. I can't see it being voluntary. The rich will go berserk at the thought of being told that they can not have more kids. Many religions will echo their cry. "Why should I suffer because others have too many kids and can't afford them?" Sterilize the poor but leave us alone! What do you do with the over-the-limit children? Unlike fish you can't throw them back! I guess they would have to be adapted by couples who can't have kids - up to the limit naturally!

If sterilization were to be mandatory it would have to apply to everyone, world wide,  to be effective. Good luck with that. Too bad because it would likely work.

As for the stars, I can't see it. Some day there might be a small colony on perhaps Mars. It would be totally dependent upon Mother Earth however and what happens when she is destroyed? I could see it working far beyond in another solar system where a planet very like Earth existed and I have not doubt they do.

The 1st problem is - how do you get there? The second is what kind of reception will there be by whomever or whatever has evolved on that planet? If they are indeed like us they will hopefully want to know how we got there.

On the other hand of they are some kind of weapon lovers they will probably shoot us first. We will be their Roswell and if there is anyone left here we will never find out their destiny.

Happy New Year

#thebrewsterblock