On the U.S. / Canada border

On October 16, 2020 By Rick McIn economics, ethics, GOP USALeave a comment

I’m with the vast majority of Canadians who want to keep the border closed as of October 2020.

The USA has had about 663 deaths / million so far. And is getting worse.

Canada about 263 deaths / million. And getting worse at this moment in time. Not good, but a LOT better than the States.

I don’t want to get the virus. I want to be one of the 20-40% who never get it once herd immunity is reached.

Though Trump totally bungled the U.S. response, almost 43% of Americans still support him.

They are the same ones who told me COVID-19 is less deadly than the common flu. They believed FOX and Trump.

They are the same ones who told me hydroxychloroquine was a ‘cure’. Not even Trump took it when he got sick.

I don’t want that 43% of Americans anywhere near me or my family.

I’m willing to suffer the economic and personal consequences.

Some families are now separated by the border. Canadians can still fly to the States, so it’s possible for them to get together — but that doesn’t work for those who can’t fly.

I might reconsider under a Biden Presidency. But it’s unlikely. Covid denying Americans will be even more agitated.

This morning I spoke with a Canadian who somehow just drove back from California. There are exceptions to the border crossing rule.

Here’s the sign she had to put on her window.

Is the USA still a democracy?

On October 16, 2020July 2, 2022 By Rick McIn ethics, GOP USA, government, things getting worse1 Comment

For me a authoritarian regime (dictatorship) is a place where the leader can order opponents murdered, without consequences. Russia and Saudi Arabia in 2020, for example.

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) scores countries on five categories: electoral process and pluralism; civil liberties; the functioning of government; political participation; and political culture.

Nations are then classified under four types of governments: full democracy, flawed democracy, hybrid regime and authoritarian regime.

Under Trump the USA became a flawed democracy.

Obviously, the main goal of the GOP under this egocentric toddler is to make the rich richer. Which they’ve done.

Nations still ranking high as democracies include Norway, Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand and Denmark. Canada and Ireland are up there, as well.

Recently a Republican Senator claimed that “democracy isn’t the objective” any longer. Knowing that his Party was likely to lose the 2020 election, it’s part of the GOP plan to contest the results.

That Senator was bored, at home, COVID-19 positive at the time. #loser

I want people to be able to easily un-elect bad leaders. To have more influence in governance, even when they get it wrong. When wrong, they should be able to later easily change again.

Curious Minds by Janet Evanovich

On October 15, 2020October 9, 2020 By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

Knight and Moon ~ Sherlock and Watson

A short lightweight read, but quite entertaining.

Emerson Knight is introverted, eccentric, and has little-to-no sense of social etiquette.

Good thing he’s also brilliant, rich and (some people might say) handsome or he’d probably be homeless.

Riley Moon has just graduated from Harvard Law and Harvard Business.

Her aggressive Texas spitfire attitude has helped her land her dream job as a junior analyst at Blane-Grunwald. At least Riley Moon thought it was her dream job until she is given her first assignment, babysitting Emerson Knight.

Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett

On October 13, 2020October 14, 2020 By Rick McIn books1 Comment

I loved Follett‘s Kingsbridge series:

The Pillars of the Earth (1989) set in the 12th century
- World Without End (2007) set 157 years later
  - A Column of Fire (2017) starting 1558

Sad to see it end.

Happily Follett released a prequel in 2020 starting 997 AD.

Another long book. Very engaging.

I love reading about the technology of the day.

Follett, too, writes love stories as well as anyone.

… the end of the Dark Ages, and England faces attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east. Life is hard, and those with power wield it harshly, bending justice according to their will – often in conflict with the king. With his grip on the country fragile and with no clear rule of law, chaos and bloodshed reign.

Three Lives Intertwined
Into this uncertain world three people come to the fore: a young boatbuilder, who dreams of a better future when a devastating Viking raid shatters the life that he and the woman he loves hoped for; a Norman noblewoman, who follows her beloved husband across the sea to a new land only to find her life there shockingly different; and a capable monk at Shiring Abbey, who dreams of transforming his humble abbey into a centre of learning admired throughout Europe.

Bikepacking the Colorado Trail

On October 12, 2020October 9, 2020 By Rick McIn best bike rides, cycling, travelLeave a comment

I’m adding this to my #BucketList.

I’ve hiked big sections of the Colorado Trail in the past. It’s TOUGH !

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

(via Adventure Blog)

Squeeze Me by Carl Hiaasen

On October 11, 2020October 14, 2020 By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

Squeeze Me is a novel by Carl Hiaasen released on August 25, 2020.

Quite good.

And very topical right now.

A prominent high-society matron — who happens to be a fierce supporter of the President (Trump) —and co-founder of the Potus Pussies — disappears at a Palm Beach Gala.

Who or what killed her?

Trump (secret service name Mastodon) and Melania (secret service name Mockingbird) are both characters in the novel. Both with other lovers.

Carl Hiaasen takes the madness that is every day Florida, and turns it into hilarious, irreverent books.

If you need a laugh in 2020, I recommend it.

Review: ‘Squeeze Me’ — with a python, a president and Palm Beach — is vintage Hiaasen

Photo quality on this site

On October 10, 2020October 10, 2020 By Rick McIn blogs, photosLeave a comment

When you upload photos to the internet, sites often reduce quality to make the page load faster.

Here I’ll upload the same original photo in three resolutions to see if the FINAL displayed image improves.

I can see a big difference between the original being 5472 as opposed to 640 pixels wide.

But the 1280 pixel version is pretty close to the 5472. When I checked, WordPress display default had reduced both the top two: 885 pixels wide.

IF I link to the original photos, however, someone keen enough to click could get a copy of the highest resolution available.

Some recommend I upload at about 1280 pixels. 80Kb-100Kb file size, at most.

If and when I switch to a theme that allows full-width images, WordPress recommends those be uploaded as originals with at least 2000 x 1200 pixels.

I’ll keep experimenting.

David Attenborough’s A Life On Our Planet

On October 10, 2020October 6, 2020 By Rick McIn government, things getting worse, TVLeave a comment

David Attenborough is now age-94.

His newest work is a “witness statement” — his reflection on his career as a naturalist and the devastating changes he has seen.

A love letter to Earth from the beloved broadcaster.

The first half is very depressing. Humanity doomed.

But in the second half Attenborough explains how mankind MIGHT possibly survive the next 80 years.

As it seems nations can’t organize to do even the most trivial collective good, I’m not optimistic.

In the USA, the Trump regime has been doing the exact opposite as recommended. In Alberta, the Kenney regime is making the future worse, as well.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

American Kingpin by Nick Bilton

On October 9, 2020October 5, 2020 By Rick McIn books, government, internet, moviesLeave a comment

Nick Bilton is a British-American journalist and author. He is currently a special correspondent at Vanity Fair. …

His reporting is credited with helping to lead the United States Federal Aviation Administration to overturn their longtime ban on using cell phones, Kindles and iPads on airplanes. …

Bilton’s most recent book, American Kingpin, tells the story of the Silk Road marketplace, its founder Ross Ulbricht (who went by “Dread Pirate Roberts“), and how U.S. law enforcement arrested him.

… In June 2017, The Hollywood Reporter reported that the Coen brothers and Steven Zaillian were adapting the book into a movie.