Life Coaching, Observations, Reflections, Things that make you go hmmmmm
This morning as I’m going in to my coffee spot I encountered signs, two of them to be precise. Those two s
signs were an easy jump in to something else I’m working on.
In the moment and I’ve been saying it for a couple decades, Orwell missed by 50 years. Part of my reasoning that Orwell missed by 50 years you can see in my “Jacked In” piece.
It only took Microsoft a shade over 20 years to learn they erred, grievously.
The first one, a sign for the good service elves who take good care of the patrons. All of the patrons and not just the regulars they come to know.
When I first saw the sign I thought to myself , hey their concerns have reached across the 49th parallel. I understand this is more in their dealings with each other than with the customers.
There are only 2 places you meet people and 2 places only. At work and in your activities. That’s it.
Sexual Harassment without question is a problem and it is wrong. Telling people whom they can and can’t express an interest is also without question blatantly wrong. I feel for people who have encountered someone and harbour a genuine interest
The way I see it, if you have a genuine interest you have two options and two options only. You can move and persue a relationship or you can suppress.
The other sign was the tour bus of Ontario’s PC Leader. Not the first time I’ve seen that bus. I haven’t seen the Leaders of the sitting Liberals or of the NDP at all.
Again a government has displayed it’s totalitarian disdain for the people and the people have been cast in to having to vote strategically to remove the blight. Having to vote strategically because of what these fools have brought upon themselves.
All of the parties want the acquiescence of the people. They are all the same.
The best person for my riding may be the Liberal. Sorry Charlie, no vote for you!
This is how I see it going tomorrow.
The PC’s will be given a mandate by the voters. Whether it will be a majority or minority I’m just not certain. If I have to pick one, I say majority.
G.R. Hambley ©
June 06, 2019
All images are my own.
My news feed told me that Ontario’s Provincial Liberals are promising 800 Million dollars in health care spending on hospitals to acquire staff and reduce wait times.
The header probably should have also said “and among other things, be relevant“.
We know what tap that new gush in spending is coming from don’t we.
Recently and personally, since February 14 I’ve had a couple MRI’s and a couple x-rays. Something I saw when I was having those procedures really pissed me off.
Going back a number of years under Dalton McGuinty we had the eHealth scandal. Kathleen Wynne was a player in that debacle. That little liberal misadventure cost Ontarians 1 Billion dollars. Ontarians are paying about 1 Billion a month to service the Province’s current debt.
The dust settled and Doug Ford is the leader of the Ontario PC’s and is a blustery and well-known commodity, municipally. The Wicked Witch Wynne is in full blown pander mode, but when isn’t she. The Naturally Delusional Party’s Naturally Delusional Poobah showed her true colours when the ALLEGATION against Patrick Brown broke, invoked Ghomeshi to a Toronto Star Reporter, there by displaying her inner FemiNazi.
There is the cast of Leaders for the Ontario Election on or before June 7th, 2018.
Sorry Green Party of Ontario, I appreciate your tenacity but you’re a nonfactor.
Again, we find ourselves tilting hard to strategic voting.
This is a missive for whom ever forms Government.
As far as fiscal responsibility goes, who knows what either the Politically Cantankerous or the Naturally Delusional will do until they are empowered by the electorate to be doing it. Will both hold true to previous people empowered times when they formed the Government?
There is so much to drill Wynne and her contemptible cronies for over the course of their ruinous run on the empowered by the people track. The people empower all the parties to govern, so when you get right down to it, that “who’s the real fool” axiom is playing on a loop in my head.
I like many have a stake in the horse race that is the Ontario General Election.
It isn’t a simple matter of analyzing and predicting whom you think will be the Government when the polls close when you are invested in the result. It is difficult to be detached when you have a stake.
In fact, I have several stakes, just like all other Ontarians. Where health care is concerned, the stakes are high for all of us.
I spoke previously in my Practical Indignation piece about records and there being nothing attached to me. There isn’t anything really attached to you either and had a Billion dollars not been wasted, we would have had a real good start to easier access of the records that belong to us.
The records belong to you. Like a mechanics report on your car, your health mechanic doesn’t own the reports. You don’t leave the mechanics report on your vehicle behind when you leave the shop.
You should be able to leave with a report after you’ve had your own body in the shop. Sometimes the report is a prescription and you can keep record of that before giving it to your pharmacist.
That 1 Billion that belonged to you Ontario, it was supposed to be part of people being more involved and better able to manage their own health care. Easy access to information.
Great concept for something that we absolutely need in health care with piss poor implementation and oversight.
I had MRI’s and x-rays done recently and the MRI’s were in one place and the x-rays in another place. Different service providers if you like.
In the change rooms of both places there was the sign I’m showing you here.
The signs were pretty much identical except for the entity that is managing the access. Access for a fee.
That is your trickle down Liberal Health Care in a province that is spending 1 Billion a month to service debt. There is no central database for you and your doctors to draw on. No easier access to your personal history, Increased repetition of procedures which I speak to in my “Practical Indignancy” piece.
It falls to us across all generations to prod and probe those we elect to put the measures in place that have already been paid for.
It is up to we the electorate to make the changes when those we empowered fail.
Here in Ontario we must make change. We have no other option because the “No Wynne” Liberals have made it so that the electorate have no other reasonable choice but to remove their power.
Wynne’s promise of 800 million for hospitals to reduce wait times and add staff? I’m thinking with performance as the measuring stick, we’re gonna get Liberally stuck again.
When the time comes to cast your vote, please “Be Relevant“.
G.R. Hambley ©
April 10, 2018
The time is March 04, 2018 and in in one of those favoured coffee spots I had a brief conversation with a couple of young women who are students in higher education. They were studying and doing schoolwork. They are articulate, concerned and conduct themselves well. Nice kids.
Yes, some of them kids are alright and other kids are perfect shits. This is about a couple of alright ones. Nothing different in that analysis as compared to my generation at that age.
Everybody was minding their own business and one of the girls lamented a lack of money. Having been a student and knowing what it’s like to be a financially depressed student, I can appreciate their laments.
We talked for a few minutes about school, getting the higher education and getting a job after graduation. These two women are cognizant of the fact that you don’t get big money when you start out. We talked about starting out and the current state of business and what you could well encounter in today’s business climate.
I was interested in hearing what they had to say. We can call that observational writing and professional development with me being both a writer and a teacher.
I did reveal to these 2 young ones of peoplekind* that I am a teacher and when asked by one of them, I copped to my field being English.
One of the young ladies emphatically stated I look like an English Teacher** and the other quickly agreed. As a point of information and I didn’t share it with the young ladies, my official title is, “Curmudgeonly Philosopher Poet”.
I thanked them and noted it must be my pony tail; we laughed.
I did not get in to the rest of my skill set, mostly. Starting out in a trade was spoken of but the Life Coach and Writer were left in the wings.
We talked about what they’re encountering with education. I did not go in to the higher education indoctrination as it wasn’t the place for it. One of the young ladies did state with some frustration and tone of resignation in her expression about the shoving of there being “one way and one way only” at them.
Yeah, I wanted to drop the indoctrination piece on them and didn’t do it. These two are already cognizant and aware.
I did show them the poster for an event promoted by George Brown College where they take the position of anti-trump and do not support him.
These two kids agreed that George Brown had no business interjecting their beliefs on a foreign election.
I would like to say that the frustration is from something other than higher education’s social sciences but I believe I would be wrong to say that and, well unlike the seats of higher learning, I’m never wrong.
We talked about what their generation is facing in the job quest as compared to what my generation encountered when starting out on the after school adult life. The two young women figured my generation had it tougher than theirs does starting out.
I believe their generation has a more difficult time than mine did and we talked about why from both our perspectives.
This would be a good time to identify the conversationalists. We have me, a Caucasian male who’ll be 60 in a few weeks. One young woman, whom if you were going to categorize based on her features and complexion, you would probably say Middle Eastern. The 2nd young woman, based on features, East Indian.
All of us with an above average vocabulary and the ability to convey our thoughts.
Whether they are first gen Canadian or not is irrelevant. What is relevant are the concerns and values.
Everyone the age of these women, male and female alike consider themselves to be so grown up. These 2 from my brief experience are on the right path but they are still kids. No, no I didn’t use the “Well you’re a kid and….” approach. That condescending and dismissive behaviour pissed me off when I was their age so why would I lay that trip on them?
At their age I was an apprentice and the 3 of us talked about the trades. Both of them related the “Stigma” of the trades. Both spoke on how (paraphrasing) the trades are manual labour and seen as being beneath so many other jobs.
I told them it was a trade I started in and yes, the trades are demanding and dirty. We touched a little on the fact that you can’t be stupid and be a good tradesman.
I can move my mouth, my hands and my mind on different things all at the same time.
The women agreed there just aren’t many who are working and or looking to be employed in the “White Collar Sector” can do what I and other tradesmen learned how to do.
I’m not going to have the pronoun gender debate either. If you make it you’re a mechanic or journeyman or as in my case, a Smithy.
Does the expression, “Less chatter more clatter” mean anything to anyone reading this tale? If yes, were you on the receiving or delivery end?
I asked the young ladies what they figured a union mechanic in my trade makes an hour. They missed it on the low side by about 50%.
Lets use the person who cuts, styles, blows your hair. This is a trade and if you’ve never thought about it, that person is most probably talking to you about something that isn’t hair related while they work on you. If their hands aren’t moving and their mouth is, that person needs to stop talking and just do the work. I chose a hair care because of the interaction that usually takes place between the parties in that industry.
We talked about starting out and the different dynamics for them now and for me then.
When I started out there was still quite a bit of “Find that one secure company”, get a job and put in your 40 years. A couple people I went to High school with went on to work for “Bell Canada”, the phone company.
The one company until you’re done days are long gone and I don’t see them coming back. These days if you spend more than about 10 years with any company your personal motivation is questioned.
Me and the kids talked about some of the factors that affect how business gets done these days and the conversation went to outsourcing which led in to taking care of your own first.
We agreed that there is far too much outsourcing.
For these kids, and they know it, working in the industry where their degree is may not happen. When I came out of my last session of trade school, those that went on to colleges and universities were finishing up their studies and looking to join the work force.
I’m certain some Free Range Globalist will object to what I relate now because it smacks of “POPULISM”. GASP!
Canadian values have been in and out of the social media spotlight.
Me and the women talked about values and they feel like I feel. You take care of your own first and then if you have extra, you can help others.
We have issues and infrastructures that must take precedent. Canadians without clean water and adequate housing take precedent over others in other countries.
People like to say charity starts at home. Taking care of our issues and matters is not charity and it is the correct thing to do.
Most Canadians feel this way. The number is probably right around 66%.
Them kids and me, we also agreed that the people must be more diligent with removing the old bad politicians for new good ones.
Canadian values are fine and being relayed to the kids. I was lucky enough to encounter a couple of good ones.
G.R. Hambley ©
March 20, 2018
*PEOPLEKIND
This is what we call a joke. Should someone care to pass it along to Canada’s Prime Minister, “Gerald Butts” and the Clown Prince, “Justin Trudeau”, please do.
** “Ray Barnes of the purple granny glasses, my grade 9 English Teacher would be so proud.
Jumping at the making of allegations by nameless and faceless entities must stop.
When allegations are made and there is no spine attached to the allegation, you can’t give it credence.
Strange days indeed and that aint no allegation. I wonder if John Lennon would find the days today stranger than or less than what his days were. I also wonder if Vlad Lenin is looking in from where ever he is, stroking his goatee and thinking, “Da Komrads”.
Fractured Factions punching out their truths without fear of repercussion. Have we not all learned that you don’t need to be accountable here in the age of knee jerk reactions to slander or libel. The current star of the knee jerk reaction, if a woman names a man, the man is guilty with out question and the poor hard done by sainted woman doesn’t even have to reveal her name or face. Pretty sweet card to have at your disposal f you’re a game player or maybe just want a woman in a job that a man has.
On the political front the Leaders I’m most aware of are our PM and the POTUS. This is about where their dedicated opposition doesn’t snipe on a comment made. Both of those entities have stated allegations are wrong. No one from anywhere got on the leaders for the statement because all of us, each and everyone of us knows, making allegations without a formal declaration or charge is wrong.
It is too easy in today’s social justice climate to throw an allegation at your mark and have it stick with some faction that demands an immediate hanging out to dry of the person that the allegation names. This is wrong!
Ontario’s PC Leadership race is now over and I wonder how much 2 of the hopefuls were damaged by taking the FemiNazi position of, “if a woman says it and a man is involved, he’s guilty”.
I did see that there were both males and females who were outraged that the “Autoguilt Switch” was installed in Christine Elliot and Caroline Mulroney.
Had the conversation with a few people about what led up to the event, or as I like to say, “The trigger/driver for the event. Elliot and Mulroney did something that appears to be fine for Liberals and the NDP but not for conservatives.
Anyone who doesn’t take a conservative approach to nameless and faceless allegations; not throwing colleagues and friends under a bus to support the Social Justice Warrior position.
Both Mulroney and Elliot had the chance to do the correct thing, the proper thing and make a societal statement and didn’t. They sold out and championed for the FemiNazi ass saving position. Look where it got them both.
Obviously, there was dissension in the party, so we just might want to consider whom had the most to gain by what took place. Elliot ran for the lead previously and lost and she has now lost again.
Conspiracy theorists of which I am not one but when you do the math on this one, someone got the knee jerk reaction they wanted but with Ford winning, I’m reasonably certain they didn’t get the result they expected by thinking the selection process had been set to auto-female.
We cannot give nameless and faceless allegations immediate credence because it is flat out wrong.
G.R. Hambley ©
March 15, 2018
Tomorrow is the day we see an end to the race for POTUS. Well we hope the end cuz who knows what the Electoral College will do. The winner as chosen by the people doesn’t necessarily win right Mr. Gore?
Yank refers to pulling the lever in the voting booth. I figured it would be a darn good idea to declare what I meant early. My family and friends in the U.S. of A. don’t mind me referring to them as, “Doodles” because when I say it, it is both a tease and a term of affection.
What a pair of Dandies y’all got to choose from!
The people are polarized like never before. There is good reason for that polarization too. The world is hard place, a tougher place than it was 33 years ago. You can watch the clip from one of my favourite films and decide for yourself how much validity is in my statement.
So much disinformation with the only real read coming off Social Media. That would be the reading of what people say and giving credence to what the people say. Reading also means giving consideration to the spin from Media and who signs the paycheque.
I think the real question as America goes to the polls tomorrow is just how fed up with the status quo are the people. I see from what Americans say, correlation with BREXIT. My stance on BREXIT was that the UK got their own version of the Boston Tea Party. In our age it’s, taxation without representation under globalization. America didn’t stand for it before and I don’t see America standing for it again.
I don’t like either of the flavours being offered up for POTUS.
You can argue it doesn’t matter what I think as I do not have a vote and that’s fair. Not having a vote doesn’t change I’m informed and thoughtful.
From what I’ve seen and read from multiple sources the people are plenty fed up. If I have to pick who I think will win, it’s Trump.
From my perspective this race to POTUS has been something to see! I’m not exactly certain what that something is but whatever the result, it’ll definitely be a dandy or maybe a doozy!
G.R. Hambley © all rights reserved
November 07, 2016
The world is a tougher place than it was 33 years ago. Would anyone who has lived it care to refute?
The Ranked Ballot System
I’ve yapped about what I’ve seen that I don’t like with the current flavour sticks on Canada’s political scene. I’ve made points on what I see as flat out wrong and wrote them up in to a place anyone can see. When I see something I like, I say that too.
A multitude of others have yapped off as well. Most of the yapping has been by the RITE oriented ranting for their way while proclaiming all others to be village idiots. It is fun getting the righteous going and it doesn’t take a whole hell of a lot to send them up in flames.
I haven’t said what I would like to see happen should “First Past The Post” be scrapped. There is a special parliamentary committee on electoral reform. The Liberals say there will be a free vote in the House when it comes time to vote on a change. Any of y’all really believing that?
You gotta believe the current crop of Liberals are pretty much shrinking violets. If they had spine they’d of dealt in party with Trudeau telling caucus to consider it as if it were he the exalted one speaking should Gerald Butts or Katie Telford speak to caucus. Instead some did some tearful leaking of the decree of his Royal High and Mightiness to the press.
My research tells me Canadians can submit questions to the Committee. I’m thinking my question will be, “Why not just do it my way”.
I’m going to be proactive and helpful here with something I think will work just fine for a Ranked Ballot system. I can see validity in a ranked system.
Whether or not our current flavour carries on with their campaign platform to change the FPTP system probably depends on how they think they’ll outcome at the next election if the electoral system isn’t changed.
Y’all didn’t think the current flavour hadn’t thought of that scenario do you?
Bottom line is that there is room to look at possible improvement in the electing of MP’s. That would be called looking to progress conservatively. Unfortunately in this country if you put “Progressive” and “Conservative” side by side it makes a great many of the RITE bat shit crazy.
In another political piece of mine I talk about the “Rite Right” and their never ever unchanging minds. Not a way of being I’m enamored with.
Electoral change and how to go about it the right way, my way. Sure you could jump to the conclusion that I’m jumping to a “Right Rite” but it is an ill advised jump.
I wrote a piece called, “Be Relevant” where I take on making yourself relevant and telling the irrelevant no! I talk on “First Past The Post” with examples in that piece of what constitutes to my mind, what the politically irrelevant are in a Proportional Representation system.
In our Federal elections, excluding Quebec and the BQ of course, it is for the most part choosing one from the big 3 of the Conservatives, Liberals and NDP. I intentionally went alphabetical in my listing.
I was asked recently which one I was, Liberal, Conservative, NDP and the puzzled look on the individuals face when I said none of them was a thing of beauty! After short conversation on what I call the 7% solution and me talking about being relevant, there was one impressed more thoughtful young 20’s something. I have a very good idea why that 20 something used “Liberal” as the first option when asking what flavour I am.
I’ve seen it suggested that the ranking system be 1st choice, 2nd choice and 3rd choice. I disagree with paying the top 3 places rational. I believe the process is best served by only selecting and giving merit to 2 choices.
My scenario is a 5/2 reward ratio. The 1st choice receives 5 points and the 2nd choice receives 2 points. The rest of the field get nothing.
I’ve bounced my rational off people and those I’ve spoken to like and agree with what I’ve said about a “Ranked Ballot” system. We agree that people are either going to cast for the big 3 without much consideration for other candidates or cast for their #1 and anything but the other big players to protect their choice.
The front end should carry a weight of greater than 2 to 1. I think the 2 ½ to 1 is fair. We don’t know what the parameters are yet on such a system but I have to believe the candidate with the most points gets the seat.
Doing the math (which I dislike) tells you that it takes 5 second place votes to equal 2 first place votes. That ratio in this scenario feels fair. Yes I said, “Feels fair”. I thought about different ratios and this is the one that outcomes to feeling right.
Choosing only 2 on the ballot gives the voter a much easier way to say no to any one party. Having the way to say no is important. Saying no tells the other candidates and their party, if any, that you just don’t cut it with me. I cover saying no and why in, “Be Relevant”.
This where the 5 to 2 ratio gets real interesting and ultimately beneficial to the greater good of the people. This is where the flavour sticks in the running will have to give serious consideration to their own constituents. Not a bad thing and we’re not used to seeing much consideration from politicians.
The how and why the voters pick their 2 point second choice should be mattering to the runners and their handlers.
That 2 spot on the ranked ballot is highly relevant. I’ll just keep the scenario simple. Bringing the “Green Party” in to the scenario is only fair as they did run a candidate in every riding last election. We have 4 RITE voters and each one selects a different candidate with their 5 point vote. We have a tie in points.
It is possible that after the second choice points a candidate receives are tallied up there will still be a tie but probability says no. Keep in mind that the 2nd choice pick is now from 3 candidates and not 4. The maximum points any candidate can receive under this system of mine is 11 with 5 points from the first and 6 more points from 2nd selections. Seriously folks, what are the chances any of the runners are going to see a max return of 11 points? I’m thinking if Slim isn’t out of town, he is on his horse.
There are a number of reasons why a voter would select the 2nd choice they do. Maybe it’s for whom they think is legitimately 2nd best. Maybe it’s because they want to cut another party out. Maybe it’s because they deem no one from the other 3 parties as legitimate and throw the vote at someone they think has no chance to matter in the equation. Maybe it’s an Independent the voter really likes but didn’t think was deserving of the 5 point vote.
I go back to living in what was Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff’s riding when he was defeated and lost his seat. I look at the votes garnered by the 4 parties and ponder how it might have looked under the Ranked Ballot system I’ve described here. You can go ponder for yourself if you’re so inclined.
The possibilities of what the voters will do with that second choice are indeed interesting. The possibilities are also scary and the ones scared should be the politicians!
It is possible that the 2nd choice pick is well enough thought of by the constituents of their riding that all those 2nd choices will add up to a win. Well enough to add up to enough points to send that someone running second or third in the first place votes to Ottawa.
In my reading I read that electoral reform referendum would be polarizing and doesn’t have to be. I disagree with that. I happen to think this matter should be polarizing as we’re talking about how Canada is going to elect Members of Parliament. There is going to be and should be conflict. A little conflict isn’t bad because it means people are sticking up for what they think is best.
What doesn’t have to happen is for people to be carrying on like braying jackasses!
My concept is sound and so is my reasoning. My idea would also require fine tuning. I think you could safely say without causing angst that what I’ve presented here is Liberal, Conservative and is a very nice New Democratic.
A system that encourages both the politicians and the electorate to “Be Relevant” and takes away from the “Rite Right”, I like it a lot!
G.R. Hambley © – all rights reserved
August 01, 2016
You are welcome to visit me over at SPASM as well.
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