We lost a great person on the weekend. Geraldine Ferraro was felled after her twelve year battle with cancer. She is best remembered for being the Democratic Vice-Presidential nominee in the 1984 US election. Being the first woman to be placed on the presidential ticket was not easy. Her private life and finances were dissected mercilessly. She was dismissed for being female. One Catholic Bishop in the States was talking about the candidates at a news conference. He referred to the Repulican VP candidate as “Mr. Bush” ( George H. – Dubbya’s pappy ). He referred to the Democratic candidate as “Geraldine”. Nice.

Her husband’s sometimes questionable business dealings did not help. However, the way she was treated by the Democratic Party was the worst. Rather than defending her, Mondale and the rest cut and ran. They suggested that it was her that cost them the election. Anyone who remembers Walter Mondale knows that he is an intelligent person, a policy wonk and a great debator. He is NOT personality plus. Having Geraldine with him was the only thing that made him seem likeable. The other fact was that the Democrats were not going to beat Ronald Reagan anyway, so to blame it on Geraldine was shameful.

Most importantly, Geraldine Ferraro was diagnosed with a rare form of blood cancer in 1998. Unbeknownst to most, she tirelessly lobbied the US Government to allow the use of Thalidomide as a cancer treatment. The fears of Thalidomide’s return were rampant, but Mrs. Ferraro was relentless. It was her that brought the drug back and provided relief and hope for those who had none. More importantly it opened the doors for drug companies to begin research in Thalidomide and its anti-cancer properties. That reserch has led to even more potent drugs in use today.

Cancer patients all over the world owe Geraldine thanks and they wonder who the next person will be to stand up and keep cancer treatments moving. Lord knows it won’t be the Cancer Societies.

Until then, I remain,

A Sour Kraut

The Japanese governement released some sobering statistics today.

This time they were releasing the number of deaths that are resulting from people in shelters not being able to receive medical care. The number is at 47 and rising. The big problem is survivors that may have been on medications for ailments, lost those medications, along with all of their possessions and homes, in the disaster. Medical care has been scarce since the facilites were wiped out; some personnel are among the dead and missing, and help from the rest of the world is staying away due to fear over the nuclear plant.

They also released the deaths as a result of the plant accident – 0. Zero.

Great. Hundreds of thousands of people in need and the “thinking” people that can help are afraid of a media campaing of hype and fear. As the experts predicted the situation at the nuclear plant is slowly coming under control. It was not projected to be quick and it was not porposed as being rosy and perfect. There were going to be leaks of radiation, intentional and through equipement failure, and these have happened. However, most of the radioactivity that has been released comes from elements that have very short lifespans and dissipate quickly in the environment. If there is any long term radioactivity resulting from this accident, it will only effect the area directly around the plant. Even if the whole thing goes south and melts down, it will still be a localized event.

MELTDOWN – the word is innoccuous and self explanatory. In a worst case scenario everything melts into a mess at the bottom of the reactor containment vessel. That’s it. Chernobyl exploded due to incompetence and was operating at full capacity at the time. The design did not have the containment systems that Western reactors have and as a result it literally blew the lid off. Spewing radioactive debris all over the place. This will never happen at Fukushima.

Tha problem is the media. Telling people that everything is under control doesn’t drive ratings like selectively reporting rumour, heresay and other snippets. That makes for better headlines. Shock and Awe. One upping the competition. Providing fodder for the water cooler. That’s show business not journalism. Unfortunately, the poor people who survived this catastrophe, may not survive the wait for help.

Shame.

Until then I remain,

A Sour Kraut

As we Canadians approach yet another election, we are already being told what the “fighting” points are going to be. One of them will be the current government’s committment to pruchase 65 new F-35 joint strike fighters.

The opposition is already screaming foul that the government has been hiding the true cost of the planes and that they are not showing the purchase in the recently tabled budget. Okay, but I don’t think that the planes would show up as a line item, rather it would just be included as part of the Defense Department’s spending. I digress.

My question is: Has anyone told us why we need them? We are currently supporting the UN’s grudge match against Col. Gadhaffi, and our old CF-18′s are doing a fine job, right along side every other countries old F-18′s. (We are such an insecure people that we need to put the “C” designation on our planes. Either that or it makes them easier to find in the parking lot.) It is nice to have all the latest toys, but I think providing ground support in the Balkans, Afghanistan and now Libya, which is all we seem to do anymore, may be too simple a task for the Cadillac of the skies – F-35. It’s not as though we are going to be getting into any big air wars with someone where we will be needing the latest technology. That is unless we piss off the states and guess what? – They have the same planes. Just lots more of them. That ‘s the neat thing about the next major conflict. If it ever happens it is going to be a “come as you are party”. The winner is not going to be the country that can out produce the other in terms of armaments. That was sooooo Viet Nam. The modern airplanes, tanks, ships etc., are so complex and take so long to construct, that the battles will be over before the replacements arrive. The winner will be the one who can keep less of their stuff from getting blown up. No offense people, but Canada might still be involved by the time the national anthem finishes.

So, if we are just going to support our ground troops in third world countries, or bomb the heck out of a 1970′s era air force, maybe we could get by with a cheaper option or with the old CF-18′s and a little duct tape. Red Green could make it work. It would be a lot less expensive.

Until then, I remain,

A Sour Kraut

Well, my “renovation” is ongoing. I have learned a lot. I have learned that the base of the foundation is pretty strong. Sure, I question those basic values all the time, but in the end I think I am on a pretty solid footing. We all need a solid footing. You have to believe in something or you believe in nothing. From there you can make your day-to-day choices.

I have learned that children are not a “gift”. They are not material things. Children are the ultimate challenge for you to be the best person that you can be. Children don’t ask to be born into a specific family. They appear, in all their innocence, expecting to be supported and loved; expecting to become the great human beings they are capable of. We have the uneviable task of not screwing up. It is only after the fact that you find out how much of a “gift” you were to your children.

I have learned that no matter what you do, there are people that will always have the predisposition to target you and try to destroy you for their own purposes. Stay strong and true. You will triumph in the end. You may be suprised by the number of people that support you, however silently.

I have learned that anti-depressants don’t solve any problems. They just make you numb to the issues. You still have to face things and deal with them. I need to reinvent myself and start anew. That much I know. Its the how and when that is taking more time. And let me tell you, for those people that HAVE to take anti-depressants or any of the other anti-psychotic drugs, my heart goes out to them. I have had to deal with a lot of different medications and their resulting side effects. Anti-depressants are no picnic. Oh yeah, and you can’t drink.

I have learned that I have been blessed with more gifts than I deserve. I have not always accepted them with grace or even understood their value, but I am learning. Never, ever, undervalue a chocolate chip cookie or a strawberry pie with whipped cream on top.

I have leaned that the little silver bullets that I have been taking for the last five years are more than advertised. Not only have they been keeping me alive, but the latest research points toward them being a possible “longevity” drug. A new study is being launched to try and determine whether low daily doses will allow people to push past the centenary mark while still leading healthy and full lives.

Yes people, I am going to be around for a long time. And looking good all the way.

Until then, I remain,

A Sour Kraut

Things are getting stranger by the minute.

We have the world in a tizzzy due to the ongoing troubles at the Fukishima nuclear power plant. I really could care less about it. Even if everything “goes south” any radiation is going to be limited to about a 30km radius from the plant. It will not explode and any nuclear material will stay on site. I still think nuclear power is a good thing. It provides the only real option for greenhouse gas free energy. When properly managed it is completely safe. Nobody died from Three Mile Island. Nobody will die from this. Yet all over the West we have stupid comments and media coverage. This should be looked at as an engineering success. The Japanese plant was designed to withstand an 8.2 earthquake. It actually survived a monster quake of 9.0. WOW! In fact the plant did everything it was supposed to do. It shut down automatically and the back up generators kicked in. The massive tsunami took out the back up generators, but the battery back ups kicked in. The problem was that these only last eight hours. Supposedly enough time to get external power reconnected. Unfortunately, the devestation was such that it took a week. Too much time when you are dealing with the residual heat of a nuclear plant. The Japanese engineers have been performing heroically and I hope when this is all over they get the recognition they deserve.

Here we are worried that nuclear power plants may be ticking time bombs. What? The final death toll from this natural disaster is going to be in the tens of thousands! The death toll from the nuclear plant. Nothing so far. Yet we are worried about nuclear plants and not about living next to the coast. Strange. Which one do you think the Japanese are worried about?

I watch a proud and dignified people deal with a natural disaster beyond comprehension. I am amazed at their determination to rebuild and their calmness in dealing with loss and sacrifice. They are a shining example of the best of humanity. We are an example of hysteria and stupidity.

While all this is going on, we have the US waffling over a no-flyzone over Libya. A quick response by the US and the UN would have saved a lot of Libyan lives. The delay of weeks seems only to have come to an end when the US administration didn’t like the news stories coming back from Libya showing Ghaddafi winning. No wonder the rebels were pleading for help. You know things are strange when it is the French who are spearheading a military intervention. Not the norm, but hey, good on them. The world will need more and new leaders to prod the internation community to act.

In Canada the government has implemented its own “Don’t Ask – Don’t Tell” Policy. Instead of sexual preference the Conservatives use this policy when parsing out information. If the opposition dosen’t ask then the government doesn’t tell. While this may be a great way to control the flow of information around Parliament Hill, it doesn’t enthuse the opposition parties. As a result the Government is having to go through hearings to determine whether they are in contempt of Parliament. A vote of non confidence and election could result. Come on children – grow up. Give the information and stop acting like you are going to take your ball and go home.

Finally, we have my favourite. Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly. The man who collects bullets on his daily walks and then forgets about them until he is going through airport security, is now a little foggy on whether he was involved with the fronting of more than two million dollars to a concert promoter. Now, to be fair this was money from a non-city fund. The funds came from the accounts of Metro Center Limited. But, those guys want their money back and the promoter has gone belly up. Mr. Kelly is now on the hook for the money. Since, only Kelly and the CAO were in on the dealings the members of City Council are rightly distraught. Local businesses are kinda confused too. Who knew that you could go to the city and get working capital to run your operation? Neat city. Businesses will be flocking to it. Maybe not. Seems like taxes maybe going up to cover unforseen shortfalls. The Mayor however is standing tall. He didn’t know anything about it. Well, maybe he did know, but he didn’t know how much money was sent out. Okay, he knew how much money was given, but he didn’t know that it didn’t follow policy. Gee, you think he wants to institute a “Don’t ask – Don’t tell” policy. Maybe his version would be – “If you ask – I might tell, or not”.

Oh my. Just when I thought we had some hope, we have a stretch like this. There is always next week.

Until then, I remain,

A Sour Kraut

The Finance Minister of Nova Scotia, Graham Steele, is quite adamant that Nova Scotia taxpayers should bail out a public sector pension fund. Moreove, there is another one that needs help too.

Last year the provincial government plowed more than $500 million into a public sector fund that was not “healthy”. This, to shore it up and allow it to meet its obligations. At the same time most Nova Scotians don’t have or are unable to contibute to some form of pension plan for themselves. The public serivce employees and government are basically saying to the rest of the province, “screw YOU, we are entitled to our entitlements and no matter how bad things get for YOU, YOU are going to keep us in the livestyle to which we have become accustomed”.

Why does the average Nova Scotian, the working stiff, have to pay for a badly managed pension fund for the civil service? We didn’t sign the contract or administer the fund. The teachers union, nurses union and the government were in charge of the plan. Why do we have to pay for their mistakes? Go back to your union heads and fund administrators and tell them to cough up the money that was lost due to bad decisions or investments. Not the poor taxpayer who doesn’t have any money to fund their own retirement.

If this was a private sector issue, do you think that the taxpayers would be asked to fork over more than $1000 each to shore it up? No way. The company and employees would be told to suck it up and top up the fund so that it is viable. I don’t hear anyone saying to the teachers and their union that they need to take more out of their pockets to fix the situtation.

Let the costs lie with the blame. Joe and Jane Bluenoser had no idea what was going on, but they are asked to pick up the tab, because Mr. Steele says, it is out debt. Bull crap! It is not our debt, yet we are the ones that are going to suffer, while the civil service widens the gap between them and the working poor -ie. everyone else.

What a country!

Until then, I remain,

A Sour Kraut

Okay listen up. I am going to give you one of the most important things that you can do to “spice” up your marriage. CHOCOLATE! Don’t get exicited this is not going where you think.

Before I start, let me be honest and say that I am not the most conventional eater. By that, I mean I do manage to get most foods in my mouth without making a mess, but I have no set ideal of what should be eaten when and with what. I love mayonnaise on spaghetti and I love pie for breakfast. Any pie! Apple, cherry, strawberry, blueberry, coconut cream, it does not matter. The way I look at it, pie has everything you need for breakfast – eggs, flour, vegetable oil (butter pastry is soooo much better), fruit, fibre and if you put a dollop of whipped cream on top you also cover dairy and vanilla. Vanilla is a food group isn’t it? Me eating pie for breakfast drives my wife crazy. Foaming at the mouth crazy. I am setting a bad example for the children. What about Belgian Waffles I protest. Eggs, dairy, fruit, flour – ITS PIE, just in a different form. Not the same, I am told, and the children aren’t eating those either.

Today I am munching on my breakfast of champions – the Chocolate Muffin. I looooooove chocolate muffins for breakfast. I don’t get them often, since they get the same reaction as pie. If she gets wind of me making them, everyone is told that they can have them for dessert after a meal, NOT FOR BREAKFAST. I even put a strawberry in the middle of these. Didin’t change a thing, but boy are they goooood! Warm them and put dollop of whipped cream on top and I almost pass out.

Everyone in the house likes chocolate and it disappears into thin air. Me? Not so much. I rarely get to see any of the treats I may get for Christmas or Easter. They disappear too fast and when I do get that rare craving to rub it all over my body, ( just kidding – it is not a pretty sight ) my queries of “Where did that Toblerone bar go?” are met with blank stares and replies of “We didn’t think you wanted it.”

So this weekend I think I am going to make a chocolate pie and gues what? I am going to have it for breakfast. That will spice things up.

Until then, I remain,

A Sour Kraut

PS. My wife would really appreciate any and all support. So reply soon and often.

Here we go again! We have a crazed despot mowing down his people in the streets and the international community is dithering about what to do and how to do it. Granted the ruler of Libya has always been somewhat of a loose cannon and even with his recent gestures if reform, no one in the west would be sad to see him go, but he is a certifiable nut. Anyone who will say that his “people love him” and then go shoot them as they leave Friday prayers is a few camels short of a herd. As a world community, you would like to be able to go to the aid of these people who want a free and fair government. To bad.

The gut reaction is just ot go in and take Gaddafi out. That raises a whole lot of international law issues and claims of meddling in foreign governments. So the diplomats back peddle and use language that lets the Libyan regime know that the world is getting serious and if he doesn’t straighten up and fly right they might “do” something. I am sure that he is shaking. The most popular thing to “do” is institute a “No Fly Zone” over Libya. This has already be done in the Balkans and Iraq. Essentially an internation fleet of war planes would monitor the Libyan air space and shoot down any Libyan aircraft that ventured from the runways. Okay, that is pretty safe. The likelihood of a Libyan plane downing one of “ours” is analagous to Newfoundland launching an attack on Cape Breton. The international community can stand back and pat themselves on the back, while Libyans on the street are getting shot.

The crazy part is the UN. You wold think that after almost three-quarters of a century, someone at the UN would have put together a comprehensive response strategy to a whole bunch of “what ifs”. NOPE. The no fly zone strategy is a reasonable one, but as one diplomat said yesterday, “This is going to take a while. The UN has to meet to discuss conditions, responses and rules of engagement. This is not going to happen overnight.” WHY NOT? Why doesn’t the UN have a policy on the shalf that deals with this exact situation. It could be titled – “WHAT TO DO WHEN A WHACK JOB STARTS SLAUGHTERING HIS PEOPLE”. The UN could pull it off the shelf, open it up and phone the countries involved to tell them to get moving.

After seventy plus years they have had the opportunity to sit down with every member country and work these out. It is not like they have to reinvent the wheel every time something bad happens in the world. I always thought that one of the ideals of the UN was to be the world’s security force. The people of Libya are probably hoping the same thing.

Until then, I remain,

A Sour Kraut