Véhicules utilitaires sport ont pas leur place dans la ville

Je ne l'ai jamais été un fan personnel des véhicules du sport. Je ne ressens pas le besoin de posséder un. Ils sont parfaits pour ceux qui vivent dans le pays, et pour usage institutionnel et militaire bien. Je me suis toujours sorte de douce sur les citadins qui possèdent SUV aussi. Je l'ai souvent pensé qu'ils avaient besoin parce qu'ils doivent l'espace pour les enfants ou la tête hors de la ville le week-end à un chalet ou camp. Ma douceur a changé cet après-midi.

Les parcs de stationnement peuvent être des endroits à risque, non seulement pour les gens, mais pour les voitures aussi. Un incident dans un stationnement cet après-midi a alimenté le sentiment contre les véhicules du sport en moi. Je me suis garé ma voiture à un centre commercial local pour aller dans une pharmacie. Je avais besoin de vitamines et plus important encore, le chocolat de Pâques. Je suis retourné à l'extérieur et un homme manqué d'une autre entreprise de la place et m'a dit qu'il avait frappé ma voiture avec la porte de son. Son gros véhicule du sport noir était stationné trop près de ma voiture ordinaire à quatre portes de sorte qu'il ne devrait pas avoir été surpris que cela soit arrivé. Le véhicule du sport était presque trop grand pour l'espace de stationnement de toute façon. Je remerciai l'homme pour avoir la courtoisie de rester autour et de me dire ce qui était arrivé et de me donner ses coordonnées, puis allé à la maison. La réclamation d'assurance et de processus de réparation a depuis commencé.

Je ne pense pas que les véhicules du sport ont beaucoup de place dans des zones résidentielles urbaines. Je ne se soucie pas si vous avez des enfants et sont souvent occupés à les conduire aux sports et aux clubs. Il est tout aussi facile à installer six sacs d'épicerie dans une petite voiture. Et si vous régulièrement achetez le bois ou d'autres gros articles à partir d'un magasin de rénovation domiciliaire le plus d'entre eux livrer gratuitement ou d'offrir un van clients peuvent emprunter pour prendre leurs gros achats à domicile. Utilisez ces options à la place. Arrêtez les véhicules mieux adaptés pour un week-end de chasse, de pêche, ou camping-ou pour une utilisation par la police et les militaires d'entraînement et être pratique. La plupart des parcs de stationnement de la ville et les espaces en eux ces jours-ci ne sont pas faits pour les gros véhicules du sport. J'ai grandi dans une petite ville qui avait d'énormes espaces de stationnement. Vous pouvez monter un Chrysler Newport 1974 en eux. Ils ont été faits pour les personnes âgées avec de grosses voitures et les agriculteurs avec des camions de ramassage. Dans la ville, des places de stationnement sont faits pour Honda Civic et Hyundai Elantra. Et, si vous les citadins avec véhicules du sport sentent vraiment la nécessité d'avoir une voiture de la taille de l'USS Nimitz, s'il vous plaît regarder où vous allez dans les parcs de stationnement et lorsque vous ouvrez les portes, ne pas agir comme votre véhicule est là pour tout conquérir plus petit qui l'entoure.

Sport Utility Vehicles have no place in the city

I’ve never been a personal fan of SUV’s.  I don’t feel the need to own one.  They’re great for those who live in the country, and for institutional and military use though.  I’ve always been kind of soft on urbanites who own SUV’s too.  I’ve usually figured they needed them because they required the space for children or head out of town on the weekends to a cottage or camp.  My softness changed this afternoon.

Parking lots can be risky places, not just for people, but for cars too.  An incident in a parking lot this afternoon has fueled anti-SUV sentiment within me.  I parked my car at a local shopping plaza to go into a pharmacy.  I needed vitamins and even more importantly, Easter chocolate.  I returned outside and a man ran out of another business in the plaza and told me he had hit my car with the door of his.  His large black SUV was parked far too close to my ordinary four-door car so it should not have been any surprise that it happened.  The SUV was almost too big for the parking space anyway.  I thanked the man for having the courtesy of staying around and telling me what had happened and giving me his contact information and then went home.  The insurance claim and repair process has since commenced.

I don’t think SUV’s have much of a place in urban, residential areas.  I don’t care if you have children and are often busy driving them to sports and clubs.  It’s just as easy to fit six bags of groceries into a small car.  And if you routinely are buying lumber or other large items from a home improvement store—most of them deliver for free or offer a van customers can borrow to take their large purchases home in.  Use those options instead.  Stop driving vehicles better suited for a weekend of hunting, fishing, or camping—or for use by the police and military and be practical.  Most city parking lots and the spaces in them these days are not made for large SUV’s.  I grew up in a small town that had huge parking spaces.  You could fit a 1974 Chrysler Newport in them.  They were made for senior citizens with big cars and farmers with pickup trucks.  In the city, parking spaces are made for Honda Civics and Hyundai Elantras.  And, if you urbanites with SUV’s really feel the need to have a car the size of the USS Nimitz, please watch where you are going in parking lots and when you open the doors, don’t act like your vehicle is there to conquer everything smaller surrounding it.

Le dîner d'État Trudeau-Obama me donne l'indigestion.

Les médias d'entreprise est juste un peu hors de contrôle en ce moment. Ils agissent comme aucun premier ministre n'a jamais visité un président américain ou la Maison Blanche avant. Oui, il est vrai, nous avons maintenant un premier ministre ici qui aime réellement parler aux gens et semble être en mesure d'afficher l'émotion humaine, peut-être même de manière excessive à la fois, mais il est encore beaucoup mieux que le bloc de béton que nous avions en cours d'exécution des choses avant.

La flagornerie au sujet du premier ministre Justin Trudeau et le président Obama est juste un peu trop. Les premiers ministres canadiens ont été amis avec les présidents américains avant. Jean Chrétien et Bill Clinton étaient proches amis. Brian Mulroney et l'amitié de Ronald Reagan était emblématique. Pierre Trudeau se entendait bien avec Jimmy Carter et Gerald Ford, mais là encore, qui ne pouvait pas avoir obtenu avec des personnalités de facile à vivre comme les deux? Pierre Trudeau et Richard Nixon ne sont pas amis, mais compte tenu de leur personnalité et leurs méthodes, qui ne sont pas surprenants.

Lester Pearson et Lyndon Johnson étaient loin d'être sympathique, mais il était surtout LBJ de faire. Le brut souvent Johnson aurait saisi le diminutif, Pearson par le col et dit "vous pissé sur mon tapis," après que le premier ministre a prononcé un discours de guerre anti-Vietnam. Poursuivant sur le thème urinaire, LBJ est également répandu pour avoir commencé une session de pipi en plein air à la vue de Pearson alors qu'ils étaient la randonnée autour du ranch au Texas du président parle du Pacte de l'automobile en 1965, aussi bien au choc du premier ministre. Son éducation en tant que fils d'un ministre et de carrière plus tôt en tant que diplomate n’est pas probablement trop tolérant ou encourageant de pipi public.

John Diefenbaker et seul lien commun de John F. Kennedy était qu'ils avaient le même prénom. Mis à part cela, ils ne pouvaient pas se supporter. Ils étaient tous deux individus vains, mais Kennedy a fait vanité avec fanfaron, Dief a fait avec fanfaronnades. L'une était une élite sociale, l'autre populiste de la prairie. Diefenbaker n'a pas pris la crise des missiles de Cuba au sérieux et Kennedy n'a pas été impressionné. L'Amérique était prête pour WWIII. Il était juste un autre jour pour le Canada.

Pendant trois jours, les médias canadiens a été de donner une couverture non-stop de Trudeau II et Obama. Leur «relation spéciale» a été renvoyée à plusieurs reprises. Qu'est-ce que cela signifie exactement? On dirait qu'ils laissent leurs femmes pour l'autre et ne fonctionne pas sur des questions d'importance pour les Canadiens et les Américains.

Les références répétées au dîner d'Etat étant tenu ce soir à la Maison Blanche ne sont pas seulement la saccharine et excessive, ils sont collants et insultant. Le luxe, menu, et l'art derrière elle est complètement injustifiée compte tenu des problèmes économiques auxquels sont confrontés les deux pays en ce moment. Certains modestie serait un bien meilleur point de servir. Il y a des gens sans emploi. Il y a des gens avec une dette élevée. Je ne dis pas le dîner doit être hot-dogs et Kraft macaroni et fromage, mais un peu de réalisme et de compréhension des gens ordinaires serait un geste respectable. La couverture du dîner a jusqu'à présent dégagé un message «Qu'ils mangent de la brioche».

Combien des réalisations de cette visite colleront? Trudeau est au début de son mandat. Son gouvernement n'a même pas encore mis en place un budget. Obama, est quant à lui sur le dos neuf trous de sa présidence. Celui qui le remplace, en dehors d’Hillary Clinton, va avoir des approches très différentes et des priorités. Donald Trump pourrait facilement faire Justin Trudeau pleuré, je pense. Ted Cruz serait tout simplement lui dire repent de ses péchés. Bernie Sanders est beaucoup plus progressiste sur les questions économiques que Trudeau. Il est également assez vieux pour être son père.

Vraiment, je ne me soucie pas de ce qui a été servi lors d'un dîner d'État. Je ne me soucie pas de savoir qui était assis où et qui a parlé de quoi. Je ne me soucie pas de ce que Mme Obama ou Mme Trudeau portaient. Les dirigeants du monde se rencontrent tout le temps. Je veux juste qu'ils fassent modestement et d'obtenir l'entreprise pris en charge dans les meilleurs intérêts des citoyens de leurs pays respectifs.

The Trudeau-Obama state dinner is giving me indigestion.

The corporate media is just a bit out of control right now.  They’re acting like no Prime Minister has ever visited an American President or the White House before.  Yes, it’s true, we now have a Prime Minister here who actually likes talking to people and appears to be able to display human emotion, maybe even excessively so at times, but it’s still a lot better than the block of concrete we had running things before.

The gushy fawning about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Obama is just a bit much.  Canadian Prime Ministers have been friends with US Presidents before.  Jean Chretien and Bill Clinton were close buddies.  Brian Mulroney and Ronald Reagan’s friendship was iconic.  Pierre Trudeau got along well with Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, but then again, who could not have got along with easy going personalities like those two?  Pierre Trudeau and Richard Nixon weren’t friends, but given their personalities and methods, that isn’t surprising. 

Lester Pearson and Lyndon Johnson were far from friendly, although it was mostly LBJ’s doing.  The often crude Johnson reportedly grabbed the diminutive, bow-tied Pearson by the collar and said “you pissed on my rug,” after the Prime Minister gave an anti-Vietnam war speech.  Continuing on the urinary theme, LBJ also is rumored to have begun an outdoor peeing session in full view of Pearson while they were hiking around the President’s Texas ranch talking about the Auto Pact in 1965, also much to the shock of the Prime Minister.  His upbringing as a minister’s son and earlier career as a diplomat were not likely too tolerant or encouraging of public peeing.

John Diefenbaker and John F. Kennedy’s only common bond was that they had the same first name.  Aside from that, they couldn’t stand each other.  They were both vain individuals, but Kennedy did vanity with swagger, Dief the Chief did it with bluster.  One was a social elite, the other a prairie populist.  Diefenbaker didn’t take the Cuban Missile Crisis seriously and Kennedy wasn’t impressed.  America was ready for WWIII.  It was just another day for Canada.

For three days, the Canadian media has been giving non-stop coverage of Trudeau II and Obama.  Their “special relationship” has been referred to over and over.  What exactly does this mean?  It sounds like they’re leaving their wives for each other and not working on issues of importance to both Canadians and Americans.

The repeated references to the state dinner being held this evening at the White House are not only saccharine and excessive, they are tacky and insulting.  The luxury, menu, and artistry behind it is completely unwarranted given the economic problems facing both countries right now.  Some modesty would be a much better item to serve.  There are people without jobs.  There are people with high debt.  I’m not saying the dinner should be hot dogs and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, but a bit of realism and understanding of the ordinary people would be a respectable gesture.  The coverage of the dinner has so far given off a “Let them eat cake” message.

How much of the accomplishments of this visit will stick?  Trudeau is early in his mandate.  His government hasn’t even introduced a budget yet.  Obama, meanwhile is on the back nine holes of his Presidency.  Whoever replaces him, aside from Hillary Clinton, is going to have very different approaches and priorities.  Donald Trump could easily make Justin Trudeau cry I think.  Ted Cruz would just tell him repent of his sins.  Bernie Sanders is far more progressive on economic issues than Trudeau.  He’s also old enough to be his father.

I really don’t care about what was served at a state dinner.  I don’t care about who sat where and who talked about what.  I don’t care about what Mrs. Obama or Mrs. Trudeau wore.  World leaders meet each other all the time.  I just want them to do it modestly and get the business taken care of in the best interests of the citizens of their respective countries.

My hometown corporatized kiddieland.

I was really disappointed the other day when I read that my hometown had sold out to corporate sponsorship.  Town council accepted a $100,000 “donation” from Spinrite, the major yarn and craft textile manufacturer that has its factory and head office there, to the new municipal day care centre.  In return, council agreed to include Spinrite in the name of the new facility.

There’s nothing wrong with sponsorship and corporate donations.  In fact, more corporations should be doing this.  Spinrite probably could have donated more than $100,000 if it really wanted to.  What I don’t like is this shameless selling of the names of public facilities to whoever comes along with the biggest cheque.  Stingy is the best word I can find to describe the budgetary and decision making habits of the council in my hometown.  Its members have always seemed to give the impression that ones highest calling in life is to live as cheaply as possible.  $100,000 is a pretty cheap carrot for a company to dangle before the eyes of the perpetually frugal.

It’s true, Spinrite is one of the biggest employers in town.  Many of the employees likely make use of the public day care centre.  However, in a world where the lives of children are commercialized from the moment they’re born, whether it be through the manufacturers of disposable diapers and baby bottles to every mass market toy baring the evidence of Disney, do we really need the logo of a company on a place that should be set aside for children to be cared for, for them to play, and for their creativity to be encouraged?

There’s a labour component to my complaint too.  It’s mostly rooted in history.  Spinrite was for years owned and operated by one of the wealthiest families in town.  This really created an “us and them” social structure.  A structure like this is much more tolerable in a large city, but in a small town in the prairie-like farm country, it’s a lot more noticeable.  Although the company is now a publicly-traded one, it still looks to me like the paternalistic old-money class throwing crumbs at those less privileged.  The factory was also known for its hot and dangerous working conditions and an extreme dislike for even the slightest talk about union organization.  Having a corporate name on a public facility reminds me too much of the old days of company towns where workers were stuck living in a place owned by their employer.

The local press really dropped the ball on this story.  Nobody asked the hard questions about corporate sponsorship, selling the name of a public facility to whoever showed up with a fat cheque, and is it socially responsible to have a place for the community’s children under the influence of corporate branding?

The coldest weekend

The bitter cold this weekend has been a cruel shock during an otherwise warm winter.  I was positive that steel would become brittle and we’d see vehicle axles split and highway sign posts snap like toothpicks.

My parents are visiting.  Yesterday, we were out doing some shopping and it seemed as though the other customers did not want to leave the warmth of the store.  People were taking extra time looking at what kinds of cookies or cereal to buy.  Car tires have felt square for the first mile or so after heading down the road. 

This morning at church, almost everyone kept their coats on, even while indoors.  I’ve never witnessed this before in a city church.  It was a pretty common occurrence though where I grew up.  Well-dressed people would stay covered in a layer of wool or some kind of stuffed fabric after they reached their pews.  It’s an old church in the country and it gets draughty around the windows.  At the cavernous place in the city where I worship, the air was crisp this morning, even though I’m positive that the furnace in the basement was probably doing its best to keep up with the temperature.  It even got colder by the end of the service and some people had put their coats on.  Fortunately there were no baptisms today.  I’ve never seen a baptism before where ice had to be broken in the font.

We went over to the farmer’s market after church.  The parking garage was the warmest place there.  The old Aberdeen Pavilion was almost just like the outdoors, except without wind.  Every vendor was wearing a coat and a hat.  About a third of them didn’t even show up.  A lot of them drive over an hour to be there.  Cars won’t start, doing farm chores on a freezing morning is more challenging too.  Returning to bed, sitting by the woodstove, or laying on a couch under blankets is a better alternative on days like that.  There was no risk of the pork chops I bought thawing out on the way home.

We’ve stayed inside ever since.  Mom made a great roast beef for dinner.  We’ve done a few household tasks.  She and Dad are watching TV.  I’m writing this post.  We’re waiting for a heat wave.

The Super Bowl.

I’m not a fan of North American football at all.  Aside from an initial kickoff, I can’t understand why it’s even called football anyway, especially when the players seem to just run around holding the ball or throwing it to each other with their hands.  I have serious issues with the National Football League too.  The biggest is the fact they don’t pay any federal taxes in the United States because back in 1966, they were able to persuade some friendly Congressmen to have them designated a charitable organization.  Of course, football is pretty much a secular religion in the United States, and churches don’t pay taxes either!  I also have really big issues with professional sports players who make millions of dollars a year for playing a game that really should just be for fun, not a job.  Meanwhile, there are full-time workers who are still not earning enough to be able to afford a place to live, food to eat, and health care.

                I’ve only ever watched a Super Bowl game in its entirety once.  A few years ago, a friend decided to have a few guys over to watch it.  He and his wife were recently married.  We arrived at their house and she left for work.  Now they have two children and another on the way.  I don’t live near them anymore and the other guys who were at the party are married now.  I’m going to guess that there’s no Super Bowl party happening at any of their houses.  The invitation to the party was funny enough.  The subject line in the email said “Super Bowel Party.”  I figured this was a spelling mistake, at least I hoped it was.  However, one can never tell since the average Super Bowl party menu consists of spicy chicken wings, chili, and beer.

                 Once the game started, we increasingly found ourselves not paying much actual attention to what was happening in it.  There were instead a lot of jokes about what the players, coaching staff, and fans were possibly really thinking.  It does seem rather odd that in such a conservative sport like football, men spend a lot of time patting each other on the rear end.

                And then there’s the half-time show.  These have become memorable over the years.  I believe it was the Black Eyed Peas who performed during the game I watched.  I don’t particularly like their music anyway.  To me, a football half time show still has to be good old fashioned marching bands or a drum and bugle corps.  Those who remember Super Bowls of the 1970’s and early 1980’s will of course remember the recurring appearances of Up With People doing their massive song and dance performances.  Up With People are just way too happy and out of character for a tough guy sport like football.  I always got the impression that their fans were young Nixon supporters whose parents listened to Percy Faith and whose grandparents were groupies of Lawrence Welk.

                Even non-fans like me can find the cultural ritual of Super Bowl fandom amusing to observe.  It’s become a part of North American culture.  On Sunday afternoon, living rooms, basement rec rooms, bars, and even some churches will attract crowds of people wanting to watch the game.  There will be occasional waves of cheering or booing from the assembled.  Television viewers will be unsure if they should watch the always one of a kind commercials or rush to the bathroom and become participants in the collective flushing of toilets and resulting peak usage of sewer systems everywhere.