I don't take kindly to threats

To: Colleen
Patient Accounts, St. Bonifice Hospital

Hello Colleen,

Here is the documentation you requested. I would like for you to understand that I am doing my best to get you this information and that any delays are not due to malice or unwillingness to resolve this issue. The fact is that I have very little experience in handling the financial affairs of others and have been, until last February, completely estranged from my father for almost a decade (and therefore entirely ignorant of his circumstances). Please consider these points next time you feel it necessary to threaten me with collection agents. Intimidation, however veiled, is not required and if anything will erode my cooperative mood. I am handling these affairs out of the goodness of my heart, and I hope to accomplish them with honour. I am not holding out on you or lying to you in any way. I understand that a person in your position feels it necessary to suspend trust and to play hardball with tough cases from time to time, but in our dealings acting in this way is unnecessary and counterproductive. As frustrated as you may be in closing this account consider how frustrating it is for me to have to take on this burden with very little in the way of guidance or support and absolutely no gratitude or compensation. In our future dealings I would request that you view me as someone who is equally interested in completing this business to everyone’s satisfaction, not as some delinquent debtor in need of a shove.

Thank you and Happy Holidays,

Ryan Kinrade

Chris Buors is a windbag

This is a letter written to the Winnipeg Free Press in response to local libertarian windbag Chris Buors' letter published on December 10, 2008 (his is copied first, followed by mine).

Stop demonizing cocaine
Re: Cocaine dealer not entitled to sympathy, Dec. 7.
Robert Marshall tells us Kevin Hiebert is not entitled to sympathy because "Cocaine means fast money that destroys families (Hiebert's has disintegrated since his capture) and neighbourhoods. It is a major contributing factor to global social disorder characterized by kidnappings, beatings, amputations and murders." Marshall mistakes the consequences of cocaine with the consequences of drug prohibition. None of those evils go on in Peru where the coca plant is part of the cultural fabric rather than a demon to be destroyed at all costs. The proof is in the pudding in that cocaine used to be in a lot of consumer products such as Coca-Cola without any evidence of the mayhem Marshall writes about.
The fact of the matter is that drug prohibition, not drug use, has destroyed millions of lives all over planet Earth in a misguided attempt to control the natural right of man to self-medicate. The consequences of cocaine use are akin to the consequences of caffeine use absent the prohibition law as evidenced in Bolivia and Peru and everywhere else the plant is native. There are no kidnappings, beatings, amputation and murders attributed to coffee distribution since coffee is no longer outlawed as it once was. No one is tempted to smuggle coffee anymore, either.
Evo Morales, president of Bolivia and former union representative of the Coca Growers Association, has been trying to bring respectability back to the coca plant and showed up at the United Nations with one coca leaf to make his point. The biased reporting of prohibitionists unable to separate the effect of drugs and the effects of the law are proving to be the greatest challenge to ending worldwide drug prohibition as supported by Christian-based countries.
The government has no more right to control the substance people choose to use than the government has right to control ideas.

Chris Buors

Chris Buors’ extreme fervor for the decriminalization of drugs is well documented, and it seems that he is never one to let facts get in the way of a good argument. His recent letter (Stop Demonizing Cocaine, Dec. 10) attempts to demonstrate that cocaine prohibition is a greater problem than use of the drug by pointing out that the countries where coca is legal do not experience the problems of the Western nations where it is banned.

A fundamental problem with this letter is that it obscures the fact that those who use coca in its native regions do not ingest it in the highly refined form we in the West do. Munching on coca or making it into tea produces a distinctly different effect than snorting lines of coke. Whereas cocaine is a highly addictive psychotic that can have devastating repercussions to one’s mental and physical wellbeing, coca in its natural form is a mild stimulant that does not come close to being the demon many of us know cocaine to be.

Buors also makes an unforgivable mischaracterization of the coca policies of Evo Morales. A quick internet search reveals that Mr. Morales’ policy is based on the use of coca in traditional forms and it’s very name "Coca Si, Cocaina No." (Coca Yes, Cocaine No) aught to give a very clear indication that Buors has misrepresented its intent.

Although I am frequently entertained by Mr. Buors’ rants I believe that the Free Press should be a bit more cautious in publishing them. As his brazen dishonesty in this instance reveals he cannot be trusted to present facts fairly in pursuit of his point.

prorogueys & sour cream

The Prime Minister's speech was not what I had hoped for. I felt he should have taken the occasion to be a bit more conciliatory, but instead he carried on with the trademark arrogance that led to this crisis of confidence in the first place. It was a very short speech that attacked the other parties and attempted to paint them as anti-democratic for pursuing an option that is well within the legal framework of our parliamentary system. His rhetoric about the Liberals uniting with separatists was just hollow fear-mongering and his statement that he hoped to work with the opposition parties was pure baloney. I'm guessing that there a lot of conservatives out there who are starting to see Harper's killer instincts and inflexibility as a liability, and if anything he is less appealing to Canadians of all stripes tonight than he was a week ago.

That said, I hope that the Governor General will allow him to prorogue parliament and give the Conservatives the opportunity to produce a real budget that is free from the incendiary proposals that poisoned the "economic update" the government delivered last week. Despite the Free Press's stated thirst for another election this would be the worst possible result. Both major parties need time to consider the future of their leaders since one has been totally rejected at the polls, while the other has proven through his actions as Prime Minister to be a total reject. Let the Conservatives get to work on something constructive with the knowledge that anything as radical and mean-spirited as what they have presented so far will result in the formation of a coalition that will rule in their stead.

Waiting for Appointments

Recently as I sat waiting for a medical appointment that began more than 45 minutes after it was scheduled I was reminded of an editorial I had read in the Free Press a couple of months back. The piece was written by a person in automotive sales who complained that the practise of medicine was in desperate need of some of the customer service skills so essential to his business. His concern was primarily service in public hospitals, but having been so poorly attended to by my doctor on this day I am sad to report that this intolerable level of service extends into the realm of family medicine.

As someone with an inflexible work schedule that is based on hourly pay I do my best to schedule appointments so as to miss as little time as possible. However my doctor does not seem to appreciate that her way of doing business causes inconvenience for working people. This is demonstrated in the way that her office made me book two appointments in the same week in order to arrange a thirty minute physical exam. When I was ushered into my first appointment, after more than half an hour of waiting, I was told that this was strictly a “meet and greet” session where the doctor wanted to get to know about me and my health concerns. At no point did she think to apologize for keeping me waiting for thirty minutes or give any indication that she recognized my time as being as valuable.

After an interview that lasted less than half an hour I was told to return to her assistant’s desk to arrange a physical. I started to wonder just what the doctor was charging me for this inane song and dance, realizing that I have no power to control the services she decides to offer or what she can charge for them. My bill goes directly to the government, and any objections I might raise to her display of arrogance would be counter-productive. My only other choice was to roll the dice on another family doctor and risk more of my valuable time for someone who may or may not be more respectful. Reluctantly I booked another “appointment.”

On the occasion of my second visit my wait time was extended to 45 minutes. When I finally was ushered into her examining room she offered no apology and seemed a bit taken aback when I confronted her with the issue. She excused her tardiness by explaining a fire had blocked traffic on her route to work. I did see her arriving to the office at around 9 a.m. and did hear news reports of the fire she spoke of on my way to the appointment. However it was my view that her first priority on arriving late should be to get me into her examining room as quickly and apologetically as possible rather than having me sit for another fifteen minutes without any sort of communication. Instead she left me seething in the crowded waiting room forced to listen to a loud soft-rock radio station that cut out intermittently while her busy minions did their best to avoid eye contact.

Sadly, the lack of choice when it comes to medical services gives little incentive for medical practitioners to go that extra mile for their patients. I would gladly pay an additional appointment fee to reward a doctor who showed respect for my time as well as my health. But our system does not allow for this, nor do I have much chance of finding such a doctor except through trial and error. I do not believe my doctor is consciously tardy, but that’s just the point. She does not seem to understand or care that I have a life outside her waiting room, and I do not have any power to prevent her from continuing to waste my precious time.

Political Rant

Stephen Harper continues to play the politics of provocation, even though he has just been re-elected to a minority government. This week’s economic update quite pointlessly included a poison pill whose sole aim was to goad the opposition. It intentionally stirred up ill-will by introducing a minimal cut to government spending that happens to be the lifeblood of the other parties.

With this admittedly brilliant tactical stunt Mr. Harper managed to embarrass the other parties, but he did not do much to flatter himself in the process. It serves to highlight his weakness for bullying, a trait that many Canadians find unappealing. It seems to be in Mr. Harper’s nature to be callous and to constantly in search of an advantage. As virtuous as cunning may be to certain ways of life, including politics, it doesn’t inspire much admiration, and in being so forthright about his evil ways Mr. Harper continues to evade the popularity he needs in order to form a majority government.

A letter submitted

The Free Press argues that motorists’ support for the photo radar system will be eroded if it is seen to be a cash-grab rather than a tool used in pursuit of public safety, but I am one driver who disagrees strongly with that conclusion. In my mind disrespect for the rules of traffic has nothing to do with how fines are collected and spent, and everything to do with how disconnected a person becomes to the world around them when behind the wheel.

Traffic cameras have proven to be pretty ineffective in addressing the lack of consideration bad drivers show for their fellow man. Nonetheless I am happy to have speeders, red-light runners and other offenders pay heavily and often for their disregard of the law, no matter what the government’s motives. In fact I wouldn’t mind if the worst motorists were tagged with such horrendous fines that they could never afford to drive again.

Digital Painting

I got out my digital paint box this weekend and did this little abstract using a photo I'd taken as the inspiration/underlying image.

Another Leftist Screed

This is an article I wrote and sent to the Free Press for consideration. I don't consider it to be a perfect argument by any stretch so your comments and criticisms are most certainly appreciated.

Prime Minister Harper’s promise to crackdown on young offenders, which includes a provision to allow judges the option to sentence fourteen year-olds to life in prison, is a prime indication that he has little interest in respecting the rights of Canada’s underrepresented and underprivileged. Just last week I received a pamphlet from my local Conservative candidate lauding the government for raising the age of consent from 14 to 16 in the last session of Parliament. The Conservatives acknowledge that a 14 year-old is child when it comes to deciding whether or not to engage in sexual intercourse yet in the case of violent crime, according to Mr. Harper, that same child should be considered an adult under the law.

Although Mr. Harper admits that deep troubles in the home and community may contribute to criminal behaviour among young people he does not allow that this should be a consideration in prosecution of serious crimes. Defending his proposal in Ottawa he said: "in the end, while I can feel terrible sympathy for those kinds of situations, once a person goes down the route of murder, rape, beatings, killings – none of that becomes an excuse for that behaviour." In fact Mr. Harper’s prescription for youth crime is a very clear sign that he has no sympathy for children who react to the poverty, violence and abuse they suffer by paying it back. His solution is to blame the child who misbehaves for the neglect and disenfranchisement he or she was born into and to penalize accordingly.

Mr. Harper believes that the possibility of Draconian punishment will steer potential young offenders straight. In his words: "You cannot rehabilitate someone who does not get a message from the system about the serious consequences of what they are doing.” But many studies have shown that this belief is quite different from the reality of what motivates the most serious youth crime, and what, if anything, will cure it.

Mr. Harper’s proposal presumes that leniency is at the root of high youth crime rates, ignoring the reality that hopelessness, ignorance, apathy and mental disorders are often greater motivators for many young offenders than the ability to evade hard time. He displays an inability to empathize, preferring to believe that every child grows up with the same capacity to respect the strict morals that he and his ilk were raised on. But the truth for so many of our disadvantaged adolescents is as distant from Mr. Harper's views as Winnipeg’s North End is from Sussex Drive.

Directionless youth do not need jail time to straighten out, they don’t need to be told they are worthless by their government because many of them already feel worthless. Punishing them only reinforces their belief that the world is out to get them, and strengthening the sentences does nothing to correct their world view. Turning a child of fourteen, who cannot vote, who cannot claim to be in possession of his own destiny into an adult criminal is the mark of a callous and unjust society.

I am not saying that I fully support the YCJA in its current form, however imposing harsh prison terms on youth is a palliative cure that will not significantly impact the rates of youth crime. Mr. Harper’s proposal is a disciplinarian’s salve for a serious social problem that proves he is out of his depth when it comes to addressing the needs of Canada’s most vulnerable citizens.

Election '08 Photo of the Day

Obama gives McCain a longing look while he holds his knob.

Letter of the Day

A misguided crusade

Coun. Harvey Smith's crusade to have bottled water banned from City of Winnipeg facilities is misguided.

The message he hopes to send with his proposal is that tap water is just as good as the bottled version, but in reality his ban promotes the consumption of unhealthier beverages like pop and sugar-based fruit drinks by excluding bottled water from the available options.

Smith claims that the other intent of the ban is to promote a cleaner environment. But if we remove bottled water while allowing vending machines to offer other beverages sold in plastic, we are still doing the environment a grave disservice. A more meaningful proposal would be to insist that all drinks be sold in cans -- which are easier to transport and recycle.

What Else? Another "Letter to the Editor"

This is the "Letter of the Day" in today's Winnipeg Free Press.

The media's proper role

Luba Gallinger questions why Winnipeg police deserve more scrutiny than other public employees (It's no fun being recorded, Aug. 26).

The answer is quite simple. Unlike any other civil servants, police have been given the power to arrest and/or apply physical force against citizens who in their estimation pose a threat. For this reason the judgment and actions of police must always be held in question and -- when it is warranted -- in the unnerving eye of media attention.

In light of some startling recent abuses, the media and public are naturally more inclined to suspend belief in our peace officers, and therefore examine their conduct more closely. The media's job is not to act as a cheerleader for a disgraced police force -- that would amount to a dereliction of duty. It is the responsibility of the police to re-establish their credibility and public trust when members of their fraternity choose to dodge responsibility for their actions, cover up the crimes of their brethren and use intimidation tactics in situations where they are seemingly uncalled for.

Another "Letter of the Day"

Seems like all I ever post here on the Disclaimer anymore is letters to the editor, but that seems to be the only kind of writing I am doing. I do have an interesting story that I hope will develop into a full article, but the final chapter hasn't been written yet, so for now you're stuck with another "letter of the day," as published in today's Winnipeg Free Press.

iPhones a status symbol

Re: Petition blasts iPhone plans, July 2.

I'm a bit perplexed by the whining that has accompanied Rogers Communications' rate-plans for the soon-to-be-introduced iPhone. First of all, as far as I can tell, the entire point of owning an iPhone is to prove that you are hipper and more affluent than the next guy -- kind of like driving a Porsche when a Hyundai would suffice. Therefore, Rogers is actually doing potential iPhone users a favour by limiting the numbers who will be able to afford the service.

Second, the article fails to note the obvious counter-point to the story -- namely that all this anger is directed at something that is essentially insignificant. No one needs an iPhone. There are plenty of other causes in the world that could use the public outrage and media coverage being showered on this powerful, but ultimately meaningless, little gadget.

RYAN KINRADE

Winnipeg

Response to an Idiotic Letter to the Editor

Here is an absolutely indefensible opinion offered by some local yahoo in today's Winnipeg Free Press, and my response.

Apology unnecessary

Re: It was wrong, June 12.

Canada is the only country in the world that compensates its former students who have been given an education at the expense of the state and then apologizes for having done so.

I don't believe that most Canadian taxpayers realize the cost of this. The average "compensation" payout per former student is approximately $25,000 to as much as $275,000. For 80,000 former students who attended 130 schools, it adds up to $2 billion.

In fiscal year 2008, INAC will pay out $10.2 billion to aboriginal programs, not including land-claim settlements. This continues to increase every year.

It's time that these state-funded citizens put that free education to good use and start to contribute to the society that has fostered them for all these years.

The government has no mandate for this gesture. I, for one, do not apologize.

DANNY COLE

Winnipeg

I was thoroughly offended by Danny Cole’s callous and ignorant opinion regarding the apology offered by our government to residential school victims (Apology unnecessary, June 13). Is Mr. Cole aware that the state sponsored “education” he endorses was responsible for forcibly removing aboriginal children from their homes in order to compel them—often using such tactics as shame, neglect, and physical violence—to reject their heritage and beliefs? Would he be so cavalier if his own children were taken from his home, forbidden to see their family for ten months of the year and cleansed of their native language and traditions because an arrogant and racist administration thought it best?

Mr. Cole the state-funded assimilationist policies you defend were unquestionably wrong, if not downright evil. The human beings who suffered them deserve our respect, our humblest apology and, in many cases, copious amounts of cash as a means of redressing the pain they have suffered. When people are treated with the gross injustice that so many residential school children endured, publicly admitting our mistake to the entire world and making an attempt to compensate those whose lives were forever tarnished by our cruelty is the very least we can do.

Confucius says

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Cheap Houses Rule

This letter is in response to an opinion piece published in yesterday's Free Press. Here's a link to the original.

It is short-sighted of Dave Angus (Build it, and they may stay, Apr. 22) to state that the generation of teens he is currently consulting has a value set is so much different than the generations who came before. The adolescent idealism of previous eras has shown as much of an interest in ecology, social justice, novel forms of entertainment and the chance to earn more money in a thrilling career as the current one.

In the case of making Winnipeg a more attractive destination given these youthful desires let’s be clear. We are nowhere near being a world city on the level of Shanghai, Toronto or Vancouver. Career options, exciting as some may be in Winnipeg, will never be what they are in these places, and the night-life will always compare poorly. So how can we be the city that inspires our youth to stay and/or return? Precisely by encouraging them to see Winnipeg in the way that Mr. Angus seems dismissive of.

Our often stubborn frugality is seen by many as a terrible failing. A world that prompts us at every turn to consume, consume, consume is unlikely to celebrate an achievement so grand as constructing a city that gears itself towards measured sustainability. And yet if we want to build a dream that is fit for our children, something that will give them good reason to stay here, nothing could be more inspiring than to promote and practice a life that is founded on thriftiness and respecting the planet and it’s future. As a city that loves a deal I think Winnipeg has a natural advantage in this respect.

This is a letter published in today's Winnipeg Free Press and a response I submitted:

Baffled by article

In regards to the April 8 article, Teens' arrests mean youth can sleep again, I am absolutely baffled why this article was even written, let alone given so much coverage. According to the article, the 10-year-old kid covered in the article never had anything actually done to him and it never states that he even knew anyone who had anything done to him -- he just happens to live in a neighbourhood where something happened.

And let's talk about his "posh" neighbourhood for a minute. Those houses in Charleswood are big, alarmed and expensive, yet the mother says that she now has a connection with the city and its problems with crimes. Come on! Is she saying that she feels the same way that someone on Furby Street feels? She "knows" what it feels like to have to sleep with one eye open for fear of a drive-by? Or living on social assistance, deciding whether or not to turn up the heat or eat a meal?

Alena Gower

Baffled by bafflement

In response to Alena Gower’s caustic letter regarding the 10-year-old child who will sleep better with the teens who fired paint-ball guns in his “posh” neighborhood arrested I must remind her that all of our responses are relative to our circumstances. The fact that this young man and his parents live on a street with big houses does not in any way diminish their experience.

To a family in war-torn Africa the social assistance and extremely remote possibility of a drive-by shooting that “someone on Furby Street” experiences would seem like a boon. Should we then say that the person on Furby has it too good to know what it feels like to really worry? One does not need to be a direct victim of crime to feel increased anxiety because of it. The fact that the family from Charleswood can feel empathy for others because of their experience speaks highly of them. On the other hand, Ms Glower’s unkind response indicates that she restricts her compassion based on a person’s particular neighborhood and income.

Dreaming on a Leap Day

I had some strange dreams last night. I dreamt that Damon and I had gone to a Def Leppard concert (even though we despised them at the height of their popularity, and for the most part still do). We had seats off to the side of the stage. But the band wasn't playing any of their annoying hits, in fact the only song I remember them playing was a cover of a Led Zeppelin song from "In Through the Out Door," it might have been "In the Evening" but I'm not sure. After the show Damon and I went to the Times, but the bar was moved so it was up against the north wall, and it resembled the kitchen area of The Nook, which likely explains why I was back there working.

Next I dreamed of my old house in Charleswood, and Steve Simm showed up on my front step wanting to play Scrabble. For some reason I was in the backyard and I didn't want to come to the front, but I did want to play Scrabble. So I came and got some tiles from him before going back (I think I was BBQing something). One tile had three "i's" on it and was worth ten points. Cool, I thought, this is some kind of modified game, until I realized that there is no word in the English language that has three i's in a row. Then Lee and Devon showed up in a Pirus taxi (with Devon driving) to whisk Steve away. They invited me to their show tonight, but I told them I had plans to see Twilight Hotel (which is true) and that I'd come tomorrow (I don't even know if Crumbs has a show this weekend, but I'm guessing that if they did Devon would not be in it.)

My Back Yard is a Crime Scene

I came home this morning to find a reporter from the Free Press knocking on my neighbors door. When she got no response she asked if I lived on the block and if I'd heard anything last night. I was house-sitting so I didn't come home last night, but if I would have I might have witnessed a young man bleeding to death from a gunshot in my back yard. Last I heard the boy was still alive. When I left my place at about 2:30 there were still some forensics types mucking about in my back yard, and two media trucks (CBC and Global) had just pulled up. I might even watch the local news tonight to see what they're saying about my neighborhood.

Here's a link to the story the Free Press reporter filed earlier today.

An engrossing synopsys of my research project so far

The maritime emirates were "feudal" Turkic states in the 13th and 14th centuries. They bordered the Aegean Sea on the western edge of Anatolia, having seized this prime land from the fading Byzantine Empire. The arrival of the Turks was necessitated by the Mongol invasions to the East, and upon reaching the coast they came into contact with the Latins and Greeks whose record of alliances and betrayals read like the plot of a particularly nasty soap-opera. These Turkomen were a raiding people by habit, and when they arrived at the sea they took to pirating and marine invasions like they were born for it. The Western powers--when they were not too busy fighting amongst themselves-- tried to organize crusades to flush out the ghazi (the Turk warriors who fought for the glory of Islam and heaps of fine booty.) But it was too late to put any kind of cork in the Turkic advance. The willingness of the Anatolian Greeks to accept Turkish domination and to teach them the ways of the sea was of vital importance to the eventual establishment of the Ottoman Empire, which had virtually no navy to start, but in the end controlled the entire Black Sea and had a vast and prosperous merchant navy.

My disappointing new deodorant

You know it's minus 40 out when you start writing stuff like this to amuse yourself:

For the last ten years or so I have been faithful to the same deodorant. At various times it has been available as a generic brand or through Mennen under the moniker “Northern Ice.” Recently they stopped making this scent, I guess it just wasn’t profitable enough anymore.

That left me in a bit of a bind. I always felt fairly comfortable and confident in that particular shade of deodorant (it was blue-gray). It wasn’t overpowering and it wasn’t too fresh smelling (you know, like a bar of Irish Spring when you hold it right up to your nose and take a huge whif.) No, it had just a hint of spice and it worked with my natural chemistry in just the right way (or so I thought.)

I’ve never been into anti-perspirants because sweating is a natural thing, and I’m not a grotesque dripper or anything. When I was younger I used them but they gave me rashes sometimes, and they left odd stains to my shirts. But the funny thing is that since I’ve been using this new scent of deodorant I’ve been noticing perspiration. Is it possible that this particular formulation is making me sweat? Is it some kind of conspiracy by Mennen to sell more anti-perspirant? Also, I don’t like the smell of it too much, it smells so... fake.

Problem is I bought a stick that had 30% more, and being my grandpa’s grandson I am loathe to waste a perfectly good stick of deodorant no matter how cheap it may be to replace. My grandpa used to make me sop up the last bit of chili with a slice of bread; he had this special piece of plastic that went on the bottom of the toothpaste tube to roll it up so you’d get maximum value, and woe was you if you ever dared squeeze from the middle. I used to despise my grandpa’s tight-ass ways, but now I see what an influence his depression-era economies have had on me. I have “waste not, want not” tattooed to my brain.

I wonder if my grandpa has any advice on a suitable replacement brand of deodorant.

Funny Editorial Cartoon

I don't typically laugh aloud for editorial cartoons, but I found this one pretty funny. For those of you who don't live in Winnipeg, a School Board trustee recently remarked that not only should the school division collect data on the weight of kids (to measure the effectiveness of PE programs) but that a child's weight aught to be included on his/her report card. Needless to say this was not a popular proposal. (This cartoon is from today's Winnipeg Free Press.

Xmas Card '07

This year's card was a bit behind schedule, which is why it took so long to post. I might have completely forgotten to upload it if it weren't for an old college buddy who reminded me (thanks Jon).To get the full sized version please be sure to click on the image.

I don’t quite get how people can be so prudish about sex jokes, a lot of which children simply don’t get, but be completely okay with violent and scary films. Is violence okay because it is only fake, while sex is something that is somehow more possible, and therefore dangerous? To me I would rather my kid ask me about some crude sex jokes, to which my answer might be “When you’re old enough to understand what they are talking about I’ll be happy to discuss it with you.” Far worse to have them enjoying sociopathic slaughter in the name of shock value I’d say. Think about it, while the implication of the one is love and passion (even if it’s a bit crudely rendered), the implication of the other is hate and cold-blood (beautifully cinematic in how it splatters across the screen).

So what makes one so “inappropriate” and the other okay. It comes down to one’s particular bias. Last night my Uncle and I were watching “Blades of Glory” with his soon to be seven-year-old daughter. There was definitely some sex jokes there, but she wasn’t getting most of them, and I couldn’t see the harm. Her mom lets her watch horror movies and Family Guy (a show that makes some of the raunchiest references around), so I thought she’d be cool about it. But the sexual references made her very uncomfortable and she ended up insisting we turn the movie off and watching Zack & Cody, and Hannah Montana instead. Such is life.

Response To Air Canada's Response

I received a response from a guy at Air Canada named Guy to the letter I sent earlier this week (see previous post.) Unfortunately I am forbidden by law to reproduce his response, but here is my response to his response. Hopefully you can get the drift of what he said from my rebuttal.

Dear Guy,

Thanks for your quick response. It appears as though your new headsets are an improvement over the old variety. However, I would like to suggest that you take even more aggressive steps to implement a more environmentally friendly approach than the ones you have outlined.

My idea is that Air Canada would no longer offer any headsets to passengers free of charge. Instead Air Canada would offer to sell them a one-to-two-prong converter (which I believe is what you are referring to when you mention retractable plugs) for the ear-buds/headsets they likely already own for use in MP3 players and other entertainment devices (until such time as airplane manufacturers smarten up and build in standard 1/8" jacks). The cost would be reasonable, and yet it would encourage frequent travelers to keep this converter for future flights (say $5 or so). For those rare souls who don't own a set of headphones or ear-buds AC could offer to sell them headsets for a bit more (say $10-$15) either on the flight or when they purchase their ticket (to be distributed when they check-in or during the flight). Would this cause a bit more work for your flight attendants? Initially yes, but in the long run it will likely save time.

Nice as it is that you have reduced land-fill and CO2 emissions by using smaller sets and encouraging people to keep them, offering them as complementary does not encourage passengers to take any responsibility for themselves. In a past age when personal electronic devices where not quite so ubiquitous offering headsets was pardonable, today it seems extremely wasteful. Furthermore, a program to recycle the sets you currently offer (as your current Heathrow experiment suggests) is a PR exercise that is ultimately wasting resources when you have a much simpler solution at hand. For those who do not own headsets and have no intention of ever purchasing them there is always the in-flight magazine.

I hope you will consider my proposal seriously, I consider it extremely reasonable.

Sincerely,
Ryan Kinrade

Did I witness the wanton disposal of many, barely-used, headsets?

Dear Air Canada,

On arrival from Calgary last night I noticed that the flight attendant collected all the in-flight headsets that people did not want to keep for future flights in a trash bag, along with the rest of the garbage. Is it common practice for you to freely distribute these headsets only to send them to the dump after a single use? If so can you please explain this wasteful policy to me in further detail.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.