the jimmymac attack!

Tax cuts good? or bad?

2006-12-06T23:45:00.000-05:00

Like so many things the American Republicans have wrong it seems tax cuts do more harm than good. At least more harm for the country as a whole. Maybe that is not something they actually care about.
A study by The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has shown that high tax Nordic countries perform better than low tax Anglo American countries in social performance. http://www.policyalternatives.ca/

Some of their findings include:

Nordic countries have significantly lower
rates of poverty across almost all social
groups;

Poverty is widespread(in the US). A greater
percentage of Americans, and in particular
children and the elderly, live in poverty
in the United States than in any other
industrialized country in the world.

In Nordic countries; as an indicator of how well a country
protects the vulnerable, the elderly have
significantly higher pension income
replacement rates in Nordic countries
and the income received by those with
disabilities relative to the population is
much higher;
• income is distributed significantly more
equally in Nordic countries;
• on every measure we examine there is
significantly more gender equality in
Nordic countries;
• Nordic workers have significantly more
economic security;
• in terms of health outcomes, infant
mortality rates are significantly lower
and life expectancy is longer in Nordic
countries;
• in terms of educational outcomes, a greater
percentage of the population completed
secondary school and university in Nordic
countries and 15-year old students score
higher on math tests;

In the USA:
• Living conditions are shockingly unequal.
By any measure, income is distributed
more unequally in the United States than
in every other industrialized country. In
2004, America’s richest 1% held more of the
nation’s wealth than the bottom 90% (34.7%
versus 29.9%).
• Ordinary workers in the United States have
less economic security than workers in any
other industrialized country (as shown by a
comprehensive index of economic security
developed by the International Labour
Organization).
• As an indication of gender inequality,
women in the United States still hold a
relatively small percentage of positions
in the professions, legislative bodies, and
senior civil service.

There are many other disparities including lower homicide rates in the high tax Nordic countries. It really makes one wonder why a country would favour tax cuts over improved social programs. It also makes it abundantly clear why and how the debacle of the Hurricane Katrina 'rescue' happened. And why the worlds richest country has so many citizens living in poverty.
For the complete report go to http://www.policyalternatives.ca/documents/National_Office_Pubs/2006/Benefits_and_Costs_of_Taxation.pdf

Less poverty found in high-tax countries

2006-12-06T11:44:00.000-05:00

Less poverty found in high-tax countries

Nordic states are thriving, report says
OTTAWA -- The high-tax Nordic countries score better both socially and economically than low-tax Anglo-American countries, especially the United States, according to a Canadian social and economic policy think-tank.

Low taxes are not necessarily a good thing

That was fun!

2006-11-20T11:42:00.000-05:00

That was fun! This is what a CNN anchor person said today after interviewing two 'experts' on Iraq. I guess the Iraq war is reality TV for America. It's not fun for the Iraqi people or the young Americans being killed and blown to pieces. But the people running things in the US do not have to face the reality. For them its just a TV show.

Ancient wisdom

2006-11-19T22:28:00.000-05:00

During the Ming dynasty in China there was an emperor who ruled for less than one year. It's unfortunate Zhu Gaozhi died at the young age of forty-six in 1425. He was a revolutionary thinker when it comes to social planning. He had the unusual idea that ordinary people should be taken care of. Some bureaucrats balked at his ideas and he responded by saying, "Relieving people's poverty ought to be handled as though one were rescuing them from fire or saving them from drowning. One cannot hesitate." It's a beautiful idea.
There use to be a city on the Persian Gulf called Hormuz. Now the city is gone but the Strait of Hormuz remains today. In 1414 the Chinese Admiral Zheng He sailed to the Persian Gulf city. He found a very wealthy prosperous society. He reported that there were no poor people in Hormuz because "if a family meets with misfortune resulting in poverty, everyone gives them clothes and food and capital, and relieves their distress." It was a rich and prosperous city and they took care of every citizen. Ever notice how like attracts like? Poverty and need usually exist where it is accepted and tolerated. If it's not accepted and a society takes action against it then it does not exist.

* these facts come from "When China Ruled the Seas" by Louise Levathes

Economics of poverty

2006-11-15T12:03:00.000-05:00

Many people do not think money and resources should be spent on helping people living in poverty. They will say that they do not want their tax dollars used to help lazy people who wont work. In Vancouver my very unscientific assessment estimates that about 50% of the population would like to help poor people. The other 50% would like to hire more police and put the homeless in jail. The difference lies in a very fundamental belief about human nature. However no matter what your beliefs about human nature I would argue that the hardline approach is not economically sound. Hiring more police is very expensive and ultimately it also is not effective.
Here are other ways in which the present approach is not only not working but it is also expensive and a waste of tax dollars. The policy of letting poor and homeless and addicts fend for themselves just creates more problems and expense for everybody.
The cost of poverty for us all:
1. Health: People living in poverty have more health problems and cost the health system more. They will use hospital and emergency services much more than other people. For example I am a healthy person and have never been taken to hospital by ambulance. An ambulance call costs the health system at least $1000 a trip. Some people living in poverty will call an ambulance once a month or once a week when they're sick. I'm sure there are many calls every day in a big city like Vancouver. Healthy people use the medical services less and cost taxpayers less. Physical health is directly related to economic health.
2. Crime: In Vancouver the amount of property crime is 3 times higher than in Toronto. Why? Because the drug problem is so much worse. Drug addicts will do anything to get the money for drugs. Cars and houses are broken into every day. Stores and offices and people are robbed every day. This costs people and businesses. It also costs taxpayers because the police must respond to the crime. It costs people and business because bars and security must be put on doors and windows. Private security services are one industry that is doing well in this environment.
3. Housing: You would think having people sleeping on sidewalks would not cost taxpayers anything. It's free accommodation isn't it? This situation leads to the existence of homeless shelters. Shelters are not cheap. To have one person in a shelter for one night costs the government $80. So to house a person this way for one month costs $2400. A person could rent a very nice apartment for that price. Three or four people could be housed in modest apartments for what it costs to keep one person in a shelter.

People or Fish - what's more important?

2006-11-14T15:09:00.000-05:00

Housing homeless people or sea creatures which would rather live in the wild. Which should be the priority for Vancouver? It seems housing the sea creatures gets the priority. The Vancouver Aquarium is about to receive $80 million to expand. At the same time people living in poverty and homeless are struggling to try to get a few million dollars to create some more badly needed housing. It's really unbelievable this is happening. Are the people in poverty not worthy of some help? Are the animals more important? I know what I think but actions speak louder than words. What will the city do? Will the people living in poverty ever get the help they need?

Priority # 1

2006-11-10T01:05:00.000-05:00

Many people will not agree with me but I think our number one priority should be people. What I mean is that our society should make people the highest priority. All of the people. Every single one.
As it is now many citizens are treated like garbage. Dogs and cats are treated better than a lot of people. If a dog or cat were lying sick on the sidewalk someone would come and pick them up and take care of them. In Vancouver there are many sick people lying on the sidewalks.
Every single citizen of our rich country should be taken care of with housing and food. Many people would say they are lazy and should get a job. But sick people sometimes are not able to work. If they are given some help and care many could eventually find work. But it's not an easy thing to do. Most homeless and drug addicts need counseling and medical care as well as homes and food and clothing. It's a big job which cannot be solved quickly or easily. But if we decided to make it the highest priority maybe we could do it. Make it our goal to end homelessness. Make it our goal to end poverty. I think it's possible but it requires a shift in thinking. 150 years ago many Americans thought the end of slavery would be an economic disaster. In fact it was good for people and the economy.
Likewise the end of homelessness and poverty would be good for people and the economy.

Why we hate the US

2006-11-09T18:55:00.000-05:00

George W Bush has been fond of talking about why the terrorists hate the US. He always says it's because of the freedom and democracy that exist in America. I find this thinking of his so bizarre every time he says it. Does he really believe it or is it something his handlers dreamed up? If the terrorists hate America because of their freedom and democracy then why aren't the terrorists attacking Canada, Sweden and Ireland? Why? Because it's not freedom and democracy they hate. It's the American arrogance and imperialism they hate. George W epitomizes the ugly American. Before becoming president he seldom traveled anywhere in the world. He had not even been as far as Canada. He had a very limited, uneducated view of the world. Despite this he is one of those who would readily tell anyone that America is the best country in the world. About 40% of Americans have no health care. Lack of health care is the leading cause of bankruptcy in the US. The gap between rich and poor is widening and not shrinking. You would think if it's the best country the life style of the poor would be improving and not getting worse. Anyone who has traveled in American cities has seen the poverty in the world's richest country. If it were the best country the Hurricane Katrina victims would have been quickly rescued and taken care of. They weren't. Every country has problems. That is to be expected. But when the richest country in the world tries to impose their will on others and they cannot even take care of their own it leads to a lot of resentment.
On the other hand I must say I love the US sometimes. Many Americans are good people and they don't agree with George W either. The good news is he will be gone in two years. The nightmare we've endured for the last six years will be over.

My pee glows in the dark

2006-11-04T00:49:00.000-05:00

In a homeless shelter in Vancouver the light in the restroom is a black light. This kind of light bulb emits a blue glow. They're not very good for actually seeing what you're doing. That is why they are used there. The idea is drug addicts cannot see their veins and so cannot shoot up drugs in the restroom. Some night clubs use them also because of the special effects they create. So when I went in to use the facilities I found out something new. While peeing in the urinal I found out that my urine glows in the dark too. Some things done to deal with the drug addicts and homeless problem are funny they are so strange. Another example of this in Vancouver is the garbage. In most buildings downtown the garbage is locked up. A lot of money is spent on trying to cope with the drug and homeless problem rather than trying to actually help the people suffering.

The USA at War

2006-09-29T22:28:00.000-04:00

The American leadership say they are at war to protect America. As we learn more about their deception of the world and the American people it seems this is not the reason. In fact it is abundantly clear that the war in Iraq is making the USA less safe. It is creating more and more terrorists who will bide their time and attack America eventually. That is how they executed 9/11. When America wasn't expecting it.
I think the war in Iraq is really about the American military industry needing a customer for their products. If there is no war the military industry cannot sell their products. So they looked around and grabbed the opportunity and the suitable place for this war. They are driving it all. And they really don't care who suffers or gets killed as long as they make money.
I think even George Bush does not see it. He is totally sold on the 'war on terrorism' propaganda that is driven by the warmongers. They are manipulating and controlling him. And so many people are suffering now. And so many people will suffer in years to come because the evil, immoral mercenary warmongers are driving US policy.

Minimum wage/working poor/the rich

2006-08-06T03:56:00.000-04:00

In the past 10 years the minimum wage in the USA has not been increased - it is $5.15 per hour. Members of Congress have increased their salaries in the same time by $29,000 per year.

Homeless shelters

2006-06-04T02:10:00.000-04:00

What is the answer to homelessness? The answer is homes. If everyone had a home there'd be no homeless. The problem is some do not conform to the rules required to maintain a home. The next best thing to homes are shelters for them to use. If there were more than enough shelters perhaps we'd have less homeless.
There are more than enough hotels and restaurants and cars. Why not more than enough shelters? What if the government and private sector and charities could provide more than enough shelter beds? With places to shower and eat and feel safe? Perhaps people would not choose to sleep on the street. And perhaps some would graduate to better places and real homes. Don't worry that people would take advantage of the free shelter. No one who has a choice would stay in a shelter unless they had nothing better.
The solution to homelessness is to empower the homeless and help them to move up to something better.

The definition of insanity

2006-05-04T18:17:00.000-04:00

People who have worked with addicts or have had any experience with addiction have usually heard that 'the definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing over and over and expect different results'. This is what addicts do. They will continue to compulsively repeat the same behavior even when they are suffering from it. They suffer from their addiction and yet they continue to engage in it.
So the powers that be in our society continue to do the same thing although the results are far from desirable. Especially in America the government continues its war on drugs although it is not solving the drug problem. They continue to spend enormous amounts of money on trying to eliminate drugs, drug pushers and addiction. And it is all quite ineffective. Do they consider trying something else? No. It's insanity. And when Canada or Mexico suggest trying something different such as harm reduction the USA cries and goes crazy over the notion that a different approach be offered. America behaves like an addict. America is addicted to oil as George Bush said. America is also addicted to the war on drugs. America is addicted to war. America is addicted to unhealthy food. America is an addict.

Employment

2006-04-19T17:52:00.000-04:00

Part of the reason for homelessness, drug addiction and crime is the chronic state of unemployment in our society. When people do not have work and cannot find work they will resort to other ways to survive and use the time on their hands. I think we need to re-evaluate our priorities and values and ask what is important for our society? It would be nice if the answer was, "people are important. The health and well being of everybody in our society is important." The fact is in the present status quo people are not as important as profit, making money and so-called 'efficiency'. Most all companies believe less people to do more work is the preferred way to go.
How do we increase employment and make all people useful and productive in positive work? I suggest creating programs to help employ the 'unemployable'. We have way too many homeless people. We have a lot of people on welfare. We also have a lot of garbage and litter on the streets. Why not employ homeless people to pick up the litter and keep the streets clean. Funded by public and private money teams of five with a team leader could be assigned to take care of a given block of streets. In return they could be given an additional extra amount on their monthly welfare cheque. This would give them incentive to do it. The team leader could monitor them and keep them accountable. They would be free to work on their own schedule. Bins and wagons they use could have ads to help offset the cost of the operation. It's a win/win/win. Homeless get more money and honest work. We all get cleaner streets. Maybe and hopefully we have less crime and homelessness if people can work their way into more healthy, productive lives.
The staus quo is not good. New ideas must be considered.

Massachusetts health care

2006-04-19T16:18:00.000-04:00

Although I live in Canada the American media is ever present here. I watch CNN and other American news daily. The last few weeks the big story taking up hours of air time daily is an alleged rape at Duke University.
Then about two weeks ago I caught two minutes of coverage about an amazing new policy proposal in Massachusetts. The contrast between these two stories is totally typical of America. Sensational micro stories are more important than major improvements to ordinary citizens.
The Massachusetts proposal is to make health care available and mandatory for every citizen. It's about time! Most Americans have health care through their employers. The new idea is like the system used for drivers. Every driver must have insurance to prevent huge uninsured claims from traffic accidents. Similarly the state would require every individual to have health insurance. For those who are not covered by an employer the state would offer an affordable alternative policy. In the end it would cost taxpayers less because uninsured people end up at emergency rooms or neglecting their health until it becomes a serious problem.
The hope is this fantastic idea will work and be adopted by other states also. I'd love to see more news coverage about good, innovative ideas such as this and less coverage of sensational stories that really only affect a small number of people.

blogging

2006-03-15T21:13:00.000-05:00

hello there. I have not posted here for a while. I do not treat this blog like a diary. I only write when I am inspired to do so and when I have time. Unfortunately I have not been inspired and have not had time lately. But more posts will be made.... one day.

cheers

Make panhandling illegal

2005-12-30T16:36:00.000-05:00

Changes have impact in many ways. 100% employment might help make our streets cleaner. It might create more clean public restrooms. These would be really good things. It might help eliminate homelessness. And it might eliminate panhandling. In fact in communities where 100% employment policies are introduced I would make panhandling illegal. I usually do not give money to panhandlers. Too often they use the money to go buy alcohol or drugs. Therefore giving them money is not helping them, it is only allowing them to continue to fund their addictions. If everyone able to work was working they would not need to panhandle. And if someone is unable to work they should be helped with welfare or disability payments. Then there is no need to beg money on the street and it should be illegal. Buskers are another issue and they can be licensed to perform music or magic or whatever on the streets to entertain people.

100% employment

2005-12-30T16:30:00.000-05:00

Everybody who is able to work and wants to work has a job. You are guaranteed a job. Of course some of the jobs might not be too great. Some people would pick up litter and clean public toilets. But these things must be done also and some people are not able to do much more than that. And it would be marvelous to have clean streets and clean public toilets. Also some people can only work a few hours a day or week. But that is better than being unemployed. And people want to do better and have more challenge so even if they started at the bottom people would try to work up to better jobs.

Zero unemployment

2005-12-29T18:59:00.000-05:00

I wonder if it is possible to have no unemployment. Everyone who wants to work and is able to work has a job. It would help reduce poverty, crime, homelessness and despair. Is it possible? I think it is possible but it would require a shift in priorities. Now business is focused on profit and return on investment. There is nothing wrong with profit but people must also be made a priority.

The owner of the Four Seasons hotel chain is a Canadian with a social conscience. He works hard to help find a cure for cancer. It's a very noble cause. I imagine most wealthy business people are basically good people and many help worthwhile charities. But wouldn't it be marvelous if we had no need for charities? Instead of giving money for homeless people how about trying to eliminate homelessness?

If very rich business people started taking action to help employ everybody perhaps poverty and even a lot of disease would be reduced or eliminated. After all disease is aggravated by stress and poor diet and even monetary problems.

Imagine if large corporations developed programs to employ more people. One example could be crews to help make our cities and towns cleaner. Unemployed people could work in teams to clean the streets and be sponsored by the Four Seasons or GM. It would be great public relations and improve our communities in so many ways. That is just one example. Creative thinkers could come up with many different ideas. And as people became employed they could move up to better jobs through training and education. But having 5 or 6% or even 2 or 3% of our population chronically unemployed just leads to the endless problems of crime, poverty and homelessness. And those situations are not good for anybody. In the short run it might cost big companies but in the long run it would be a fantastic benefit for everybody. This idea would require a shift in thinking by some people but if it caught on it could have a profound effect on our world. Such shifts in thinking have happened before. Maybe it can happen again and the welfare of people will take priority over profit.

Prohibition

2005-12-21T15:24:00.000-05:00

In the 1920’s the USA tried to reduce and control alcohol consumption by outlawing it. Instead of reducing or stopping the use of alcohol the result was the out of control use and distribution of alcohol. The buying and selling of alcohol was in the hands of criminals. The police and government had little or no power over the control of alcohol use and abuse. Finally in 1933 the government ended the failed experiment.
Now in the twenty first century governments try to control the use of drugs by the prohibition of drugs. The result is out of control use and abuse of illegal drugs. The buying and selling of drugs is in the hands of the criminals. Like prohibition in the 1920’s the police try to stem the flow of illegal substances going from person to person but their efforts are futile. Faster than they can act the users and sellers are always ahead of the law. The whole process is doomed to fail and the users continue to get and use the illegal drugs. The users and drug addicts suffer and die from their addictions. The drug dealers sell and push their products onto the addicts without thought or conscience.
Illegal drugs need to be decriminalized and taken out of the hands of the drug dealers and put in the control of the government. Alcohol, tobacco and prescription drugs are handled this way. Why not all drugs? This would also enable the funds put into futile law enforcement into the regulation of the drugs and treatment for the drug addicts. Drug use and abuse is a health care issue and not a criminal issue.

1,000 murders

2005-11-28T17:20:00.000-05:00

In the USA there have been over one thousand people executed by the government since 1977. If the government kills people is it murder? I think it is murder and the state should operate on a higher level and to a higher standard than this. It is a peculiar policy for a country that is supposedly run by Christian people. A key tenant of Christianity is, 'thou shall not kill'. I am opposed to the death penalty and Canada does not have the death penalty. It seems to me that the death penalty implicitly suggests that it is ok to kill 'sometimes'. By using this logic then how does someone decide when it is ok to kill? I'm sure that in the mind of most murderers they have some twisted reason it is ok to kill their victim. Maybe they think, 'this guy is really bad or stupid' or whatever. Supposedly the state is doing the same thing but they think it is justified. Similarly murder is justified in the mind of many murderers. I came across an interesting poem about this subject. I asked the writer what inspired him and here is the answer and the poem.

"On June 10, 2001 Timothy McVeigh was put to death in Indiana. He was responsible for the bomb in Oklahoma City which killed 168 people. I guess many people thought he deserved the death penalty. However on that day I thought the American people were just perpetuating the cycle of violence. It's a society where there is murder, death, revenge... murder, death, revenge... and it goes on and on and on without end. I thought what if something broke the cycle?
All changes in the world by mankind begin with some thought or idea. It can take many years for an idea to take hold and become reality. So I wrote this poem with that in mind. I wrote it from the perspective of someone living in the future who is looking back on changes in the world. So imagine if someone living in 2105 or 2205 is looking back and wrote this poem. Imagine if the world was different than it is today."

The Killing Stopped

The nation believed in punishment,
Those who committed murder were executed.
And this went on for years and years,
And the murders went on and on.

Then some began to say,
"This is a contradiction.
We say, 'do not kill',
but we are killing"

So someone presented a new approach,
"Sentence them to life in prison.
They will have to reflect on their deeds,
for years and years. This is a just punishment,
what could be more tortuous?"

Executions were ended.
Years went by, but slowly, the murders decreased.
Murder was no longer acceptable, or condoned by anyone,
and one day, the killing stopped.

this poem and other writings are at www.geocities.com/jllade

More poverty among so much wealth

2005-11-25T18:58:00.000-05:00

It is exactly one week since the politicians tried to sneak through a big raise for themselves and also grab a gold plated pension plan. Funny thing that last week before that happened the front page news was 700 children had died in British Columbia and no investigations had been done. The files were filed away without any inspection. It was an outrage. So instead of working on that the politicians voted themselves a 15% raise.
Today in the news is the story about how British Columbia has the highest percentage of children in poverty in Canada. There's about 23% of the children in B.C. living in poverty! It is an astounding figure. In the country so proud of being in the G8. One of the richest countries in the world. What is going on? Basically I think it is the horribly unfair way the wealth is distributed. Rich people keep getting richer. Poor people get poorer. Focus is put on maximizing profits and efficiencies. Shareholders must get good return on their investments. So what if people suffer?
The only way things will change is if there is a shift in values. I think focus should be put on good jobs for everyone. Business should be there for profit but also to benefit the employees and owners and customers. Everyone should have the opportunity to work and thrive and have a home. Of course profit is good but it is not the ultimate thing to focus on. What good is money if peoples' lives are horrible? I think its the ethically right thing to do. It might also benefit the 'Haves' too. With less poverty there would be less crime and social unrest. It would be a better country.

Work in Canada

2005-11-24T17:40:00.000-05:00

Life in Canada can be very good or very bad. I suppose its like that everywhere. I think Canada is divided into 'haves' and 'have-nots'. Then there are many people somewhere in between but leaning more to one side or the other. Apparently 49% of new immigrant children live in poverty. Some disillusioned immigrants made a web site called www.notcanada.com
Life here was so bad they could not find jobs or just shitty jobs. Many come with high hopes and leave again. Many Canadians are left out too. Just ask the native people. Systemic racial prejudice has thrived in Canada for 150 years. Many Canadians like to say its not true but it most certainly is true. The world is evolving and I hope life will get better for everyone. In the meantime our society is obsessed with money. People are not a priority.

political reversal

2005-11-24T17:28:00.000-05:00

The politicians in the capital Victoria reversed the pay increase. Like criminals who get caught they were very sorry. Very sorry they got caught. Most of them still want the raise but 99.9% of the population think they are scum and so they reversed their decision. They had also given themselves a new pension better than anybody else and they did it all in secrecy trying to sneak it in. No wonder people are so cynical about politicians. We can only hope and dream things will get better. Hopefully people will vote and remember the good and the bad. These guys must be watched like children and held accountable.

Vancouver

2005-11-24T17:12:00.000-05:00

Almost one month in Vancouver. It is good. It does rain here a lot but not every day. Sometimes the sun comes out. Other times its cloudy and there's been some foggy days lately. There are a lot of homeless people here and drug addicts. It is a very sad reality here. However it seems to be a systemic on-going problem that will not go away soon. For example there are about 1,000 young people living on the streets. Many of these young people will probably become the homeless and addicts of the future. And the old ones die off or end up in slums or whatever. And so the beat goes on and on. The problem is often sighted by politicians and citizens as a high priority. But there doesn't seem to be any solution in sight. I have a friend who went back to college for two years to become an addiction counsellor. He knows a lot about the subject and would make a great counsellor. He cannot get a job in that field. Why? No jobs. There are thousands of homeless and addicts and no jobs for people who want to work to help them.
Our society is obsessed with money and making money and acquiring more material things. People are not important. Let them live on the street and go through garbage to try to survive. Who cares? I think that drugs should be made legal or decriminalized. They should be regulated and taxed. Then the millions of dollars spent and made from drugs would not go to the criminals. The tax money could be used to fund treatment for the addicts and education so young people do not get hooked.

Politicians

2005-11-20T18:20:00.000-05:00

There's an old Woody Allen movie called "Bananas". In it Woody is the nerdy New Yorker who becomes the President of a tiny Central American country. When this happens he goes from a liberal, caring person to a dictatorial, arbitrary ruler over night. One of his new laws for the country is to have everyone wear their underwear on their heads.
So sometimes fiction is not far from the truth. What is it about politicians that makes them go wacko? Maybe it is the flunkies around them. Maybe it is the high pay and perks. Maybe it is the flexible hours where they can work or not work when they want.
This week in British Columbia the politicians made another unbelievable move. They gave themselves a 15% pay raise. And they try to sneak it in as if no one would notice! Inflation is at about 3%. They also just recently ruled striking teachers back to work and gave them a 0% pay raise. The teachers got zero, zero, zero. No raise, no nothing. Other workers have even had pay decreases! So how do the politicians get 15% ? That is the big question here now. Most people in B.C. are really upset. There's been many letters in the papers about it and I have not seen one on the politicians side. What were they thinking? Like in the Woody Allen movie they must lose their minds in those stuffy offices they occupy at taxpayers expense.
I think the only answer is to vote out all incumbents except those few who really show good leadership. Also they should not be allowed to vote for raises for themselves and raises should be no more than the rate of inflation. Then teachers and nurses and other workers should get the same raise the politicians get. Sounds fair to me.

Toronto to Vancouver

2005-11-18T17:38:00.000-05:00

November 1 I came to Vancouver. It's often rated by international agencies as the number one city in the world to live. It is a beautiful city with mountains and ocean on all sides. I really like it and it's in my own country! So why not live here? I'll give it a shot.
There's a bit of culture shock coming here from Canada's biggest, most hated and unfriendly city. The big adjustment for me will be the friendliness. To me Vancouver is like a city with a small town personality. The other day a bus driver said "good morning". Wow! In Toronto the bus drivers are not only unfriendly they are often rude. I've often thought the Toronto bus drivers should be given lessons in public relations. In fact it seems like they are trained to be grumpy and unhelpful. They often drive away with riders running after them. Do they care?
So in Vancouver when bus drivers are actually friendly and helpful it is a shock to me. Being a life long Torontonian I have developed the gruff, unfriendly exterior to an art. It will take a while to let the shield fall. Maybe I can become a friendly person too? Miracles could happen.

Hello Toronto, good-bye

2005-10-20T09:01:00.000-04:00

I've spent the past two months in Toronto. I was born in Toronto and have lived most of my life here. In fact I've spent too much time here and I now find it very boring. I'm familiar with every nook and cranny and its just not very interesting anymore.
Toronto would be a great city if they ever finished it. Even in the downtown area there are vacant lots and parking lots. There are always buildings in various stages of construction. They seem to take forever to build like they are in no hurry. In fact they are not in a hurry. One building was started and then stopped and only the foundation sits there right in the middle of the business district. Another site at the corner of Yonge and Dundas has had construction hoardings around it for about five years. They finally started construction just last year.
Then there are acres and acres of empty property on the outskirts of downtown. There are plans to build on it but it will be twenty years before its done. Maybe in fifty years Toronto will blossom, hopefully. Not that I wish to see more and more buildings but the land could also become parks or housing.
Which brings me to the next most striking thing about Toronto. Homelessness. Why does Canada's largest, richest city have people lying on the sidewalks and sleeping on the streets. You'll see someone at the corner of King & Bay lying on the sidewalk covered by a sleeping bag in the winter. At the same corner where many millionaires and billionaires have their offices. And everyone walks by like it is ok. The people and government do not care. Actions speak louder than words. If they cared they would house everybody. But year after year nothing changes. Street people die or move on but others replace them. They are not housed or counselled or helped in any significant way. The same old story continues.
So good bye Toronto. I cannot change you so I will change what I can - my place to live. Good luck! I'm sure we'll meet again... don't know when.

Why, why, why?

2005-10-07T13:01:00.000-04:00

In the news in Canada is another story about a very well paid senior bureaucrat who went overboard with their expense account. This happens all the time and every couple of months another story hits the papers. What I want to know is why very well paid people do not have to pay for their own meals and cars and dry cleaning? It seems it's not enough that David Dingwall got paid over $200,000 per year at the Royal Canadian Mint. He charged on his expense account a golf club membership, his BMW car payments and even $1.29 for a pack of gum. Now you or I or most people must pay for their own car and gum. If I make $40,000 a year and I have to pay for my own car and gum and meals why does he get them all paid for? Why why why? Where did his pay check go? He wasn't paying for anything it seems. His pay must have gone straight to a Swiss bank account. Also in the news is a story about welfare people wanting $250 a month for food and the minister in charge says she is going to plug that 'loop hole'. Hey we don't want poor people wasting money on food! The government needs the money for the rich bureaucrats. In fact the minister has an expense account that must be protected too. So the rich get paid very well and get freebies left and right. The executives sometimes spend more than $250 of taxpayers money on ONE meal in a luxury restaurant. I guess this is more important than food for the poor. Who is the bigger free-loader? I think it is the executives. Pay your own bills you slobs! Why why why? Why do the rich get the freebies and the poor get the shaft? When will this ever stop? Or will this injustice ever stop? You know it is going on right now - we only hear about the odd dumby that goes a little too far. For every one that gets caught there must be another 100 still charging their cars to the expense account.

Homelessness

2005-09-27T13:24:00.000-04:00

It is amazing that in a rich country such as Canada there are people living on the streets and ravines. On the streets and parks of the county's richest, largest city poor people sleep and live day in and day out. And little or nothing is done about it. Society just accepts it as being normal. Martin Luther King Jr had a dream for the black people of America. I think we should have a new dream for the poor people of America. A dream to have no more homelessness. It is amazing to see the number of poor people. European tourists find it so amazing they sometimes take pictures. And as bad as it is in Canada I think it is worse in the USA. The richest country in the world has an appalling amount of poverty. How is it possible? Only because it is not a priority for the society and the government.
I think homelessness and poverty should be made a health care issue and given highest priority. Good health involves physical, mental and emotional well being. It also requires a physical, financial aspect. By definition no one could enjoy good health if they do not have a home and safe, secure place to live. Can you imagine being a healthy, well adjusted person if you were sleeping in a city park? It's impossible. Therefore homelessness should be made a health care issue and all people in poverty should be given the help and support necessary to have secure, stable living conditions. Education is mandatory for all children. Homes should also be a requirement for all people. Poverty hurts everyone because it also leads to more sickness, disease and crime. I hope we can adopt this dream and make poverty and homelessness history.

The Haves and have-nots

2005-09-18T21:05:00.000-04:00

It was nice to see people such as Oprah and John Travolta and George W fly into New Orleans to help the poor people suffering from Hurricane Katrina. John flew in on his own private jet. Oprah is the first black, woman billionaire in America. And if anyone deserves to be a billionaire it is Oprah. She has done a lot for a lot of people. However I wonder if these super rich people realize that they are part of the problem? Less than 10% of the people have most of the wealth in America and the world. This means 90% of the people must share all the rest. While a few people have a lot, many people have little or nothing. About 20 to 30 % of the population must live on very, very little. This huge disparity in wealth is the reason so many people in New Orleans went from barely hanging on to homeless and destitute in a day. The wealthy and middle class just jumped in their cars and airplanes and left town. The poor people were literally left behind.
The hurricane drove the whole problem onto the front pages but every day in communities all over America the same huge disparity in wealth exists. Being the rich and powerful the Haves must take action to fix this problem. Oprah, John, Bono and George must work on the long term, permanent solutions to this. There are people suffering in Africa and Asia of course but there are also people in poverty in the USA and Canada. To benefit the poor and our societies as a whole everyone must be given hope and opportunity to do better. I hope the Haves will understand this will benefit everybody and they take some real positive action to change the inequity.

Social Services & Welfare

2005-09-15T14:55:00.000-04:00

CEO's who lose their jobs for poor performance get $20 million in payouts. Executive salaries and bonuses go up every year. The minimum wage and welfare benefits stay the same despite inflation. People on welfare are called lazy and 'welfare bums'. But executives getting overpaid are 'worth it'. An inquiry in Toronto just declared several Toronto bureaucrats and politicians to be on the take - one guy who ran for mayor took a bribe of $25,000 cash. That is only what they know for sure. He was there for many years and who knows what he really got. He will not spend one day in jail. He will not be asked to return the money or give it to the city. The poorest people on welfare are regularly harassed and told they will be cut off and they've been overpaid. The welfare office has bullet proof glass and security guards. A single person in Toronto on welfare gets about $7,000 per year to live on. To pay for rent, clothing, food, transportation etc. If they work their benefits will be reduced or cut off. If anyone else in society makes extra money on the side they are called inventive and industrious. Poor people are called cheats and scammers. The corrupt bureaucrats and politicians are getting paid through the same tax base that the welfare people are but they do not get cut off.

Social Services and welfare exist for these reasons:
1. To give the poor just enough crumbs so they will not revolt, go postal and start attacking or killing people.
2. To give a lot of government employees and bureaucrats good, well paying jobs with security and benefits.
3. To serve (very poorly) the people who need help. They are given barely enough to try to survive on. They are also given a lot of harassment, shame and assaults on any self esteem they might possess.

Murder in Toronto

2005-09-03T18:26:00.000-04:00

Big news in Toronto this summer is the record number of murders by hand guns. Most of them are young black men shooting other young black men. Other common factors include gangs, drugs and low income families. More social problems festering into major social tragedy. Today the news reported another murder on the streets of Toronto. This one was different. A fifty-nine year old homeless man was killed on a downtown street corner. Not by a gun. He was beaten and kicked to death. Not by black gang members. He was brutally killed by three young men who are part of the Canadian militia. How could something so violent and senseless happen? Only because it is a common view that poor, homeless people are less than worthy human beings. They are useless, despicable scum that don't deserve to live. I suppose these young men must have thought something like this when they beat and kicked the man to death. And what is the bottom line? One man living in poverty is gone. I hope he is in a better place in heaven. And the promising lives of three young men are ruined. Three lives and their families are forever negatively affected. Because poor, homeless people don't deserve the respect that normal human beings deserve. Our community and society are less because of the systemic disregard for the poor. When will things change? How many lives must be lost or ruined before we decide to do something about it?

Canada

2005-09-03T12:28:00.000-04:00

Traveling is wonderful for so many reasons. It is great to see new places. It's great to experience new cultures and people and language. And another plus is coming home again. Going to another country always makes you look at your own country a little differently. In the 1990's the UN voted Canada the best place to live in the world for about eight years. Our Prime Minister was very proud of this and liked to boast about it. I'm sure Canada is probably one of the best countries to live in if you are not one of the unfortunate Canadians living in poverty. In Toronto there are so many homeless and poor people that tourists take pictures of them to show friends back in Europe and other places. Canada could be the best place in the world if some priorities were changed. The biggest news these days is the price of gas. Gas, cars, material things are far more important to average Canadians than the plight of the poor. It is a common view of average Canadians that poor people are lazy, stupid, dishonest and deserve their fate. I wish there could be a sea change shift in this view. I don't think anyone deserves to be homeless or live in poverty. It's true many of them do drugs and alcohol. This is one way they try to cope with the desperation and it's part of the vicious circle. Drugs and alcohol lead to more problems of course. Others suffer from mental health problems. Others have emotional or physical problems. Imagine if Canada put the health and well being of EVERY person ahead of every other prioity. No more new $20 million Opera Houses. No more Aquariums costing millions of $. No more additions to the Royal Ontario Museum. No more renovations to the Art Gallery of Ontario. No more extra, unessential frills until every Canadian has a home and some useful work or program to help them become healthier, happier Canadians. It would be good for everyone. Imagine all those people helping to contribute to Canada instead of being a drain on the economy. It would be better economically in the long run. And of course it would make Canada a more humane, healthier place in so many ways.

Blogging and posting and drafts

2005-08-24T16:52:00.000-04:00

Blogs come in many shapes and sizes. Some people post daily like a diary. I choose to write about things I find interesting or amusing. Sometimes I start something but do not finish. Then I save it in my 'drafts' and it does not appear here until I 'post' it. But it is dated when I start it. So if you have been here before please go back to May, June and July because you may find some posts that were not there last time you looked. I hope you find something new and worth the trip. cheers!

Driving in Taipei

2005-08-01T14:58:00.001-04:00

I imagine that driving styles and habits are a bit different in various parts of the world. Many things can contribute to driving habits. Obviously the number of vehicles on the road will be a factor. The condition of the roads is a big factor. The weather plays an important role. I think that culture and language and even philosophy of life also play a part in the driving habits in a city. It has been quite interesting to observe the drivers in Taiwan as opposed to North America. In both places there is a lot of traffic but I've noticed some real differences. In North America road rage has become a serious problem in the last fifteen years. People have begun to just crack from the excesses of stress and pressure caused by driving in cities. People sometimes literally get out of their cars and attack each other or chase other drivers in their vehicles. I'm sure there are some stressed and aggravated drivers in Taiwan also but it seems road rage is not as big a problem. There seems to be a much more tolerant and fluid approach to driving. In America you are right or wrong. You have the green light or you don't. People with a green light think it is their god given right to go forward and blast their horns if anyone is in the way. In Taiwan the driving is more like an ebb and flow of cars going forward, then giving way to another and so on. In America the main goal is to get from A to B as fast as you can, by the shortest route. And often the shortest route is grid-locked because everyone has the same idea. In Taiwan I think the highest priority of drivers is not A to B. The highest priority is to not hit anyone or get hit. Not because of fear of accidents but because it would be inconvenient to be in an accident. So I also get the impression that there are surprisingly few accidents considering the multitude of vehicles. Throughout the day in Taipei there are thousands of little encounters where drivers play a subtle game of chicken. Who will give? Who will push through? For example drivers do not change lanes. If you want to go over a lane or two you just start to drift into it. Another driver will slow or speed up or drift over also. Or maybe the other driver will not give and you will have to retreat. This constant give and take goes on all day. Drivers do not make left turns. Again you enter the intersection and drift toward your intended direction. In North America a driver is supposed to wait for a gap in traffic and make a left turn with cars following each other. If this approach were taken in Taiwan drivers would always have to wait for the light to change. So instead the drivers creep more and more through the turn until they have a chance to go when they judge the oncoming traffic will not hit them. It's not a gap but rather just a slower oncoming vehicle or someone slowing to turn also. Or just a slower, less aggressive driver who will then have to give way to the vehicle turning. And there is no horn honking, or there seldom is. And drivers do not turn in orderly single file. If the first driver is too slow a second or third vehicle will turn around him or cut in on the inside. The whole effect is a kind of weaving of traffic with cars going here and there and in and out. And through it all are the inumerable scooters and motorcycles which also drift and sway and go up, down, in and out. But the motorcycles go in every direction. They do not just drive down the street. First they drive down the sidewalk to the street, then they drive across the street and the wrong way down a one way street. Then they go down an alley... and drive into the living room of their apartment if they live on the ground floor. No kidding.

The Taipei MRT

2005-08-01T14:58:00.000-04:00

In Taipei the subway system is known in English as the MRT. It is fairly new, only about five years old. While cities such as New York, London, Toronto have had subways for a long time many other cities are just building them. Last year Bangkok opened a subway. One advantage the late comers have is access to new, modern technology and planning that is better than the old styles. The Taipei MRT is marvelous. It is very clean, efficient and reliable. It was built with the help of the German company Siemens. Everything in the system is bilingual. All maps, signs, annoucements and tickets are done in Chinese and English. The whole system is also automated. I used the system for one or two months before I ever spoke to an employee. In fact as an English speaking person I can be served in English by the Taipei MRT better than by the subway system in the English speaking city Toronto, Canada. There are many, many ways the MRT is better than the Toronto system known as the TTC. Of course the TTC subway is 50 years old and feeling its age but they could learn a lot from Taipei's MRT. Automation really helps improve everything. I believe Toronto's TTC could not handle the volume the MRT handles due to automation. I also think a big reason the TTC does not have automation is the employees' union fears it would cost jobs. I don't think it cost any jobs in Taipei. Automation just makes everything better and more efficient. In Toronto you must go to a man in a booth to buy tickets just like fifty years ago. It is so outdated and inefficient it is unbelievable. Many Toronto riders would agree with me that buying tickets from the guy in the booth is a pain. In Taipei you go to a machine. I bought an "easy card" from a machine and use it regularly. To add value I just go to the machine and add money to my card. I use the card to swipe my way into the subway and also on buses. I only get charged for what I use. Hong Kong has a similar system they call the Octopus card. And the MRT machines are totally bilingual. They even talk to you in Chinese or English. So I can be served in English much easier in Taipei than in Toronto. In Toronto I must line up to be served by a grumpy guy in a booth who cannot hear what I say which leads to a lot of aggravation for the customer and the employee. So does Taipei have any employees besides drivers? They sure do. They still have booths but they are large, modern centers used to serve special needs. If you are lost or need some special assistance they are there to help. They also have men and women on the platforms to make sure everyone gets on and off the trains safely. And they have wonderful washrooms. Toronto has about 6 restrooms in their whole system. And they are the dirtiest, ugliest restrooms you ever saw. They do not have mirrors for example. There is a piece of metal on the wall which I guess is supposed to be a mirror. Taipei has beautiful and clean restrooms in every single station. They even have pictures on the walls and plants on the floor! And there is an army of ladies working every day in every station to make sure they are clean and properly stocked with supplies. What a difference from Toronto! I think a problem in Toronto is undesirable people loitering in the washrooms. So what do they do? No washrooms! Just put a bunch of ladies cleaning the washrooms and stations all the time and they will chase away the undesirables. There's a lady in the men's' room! It's ok, she is cleaning it. And we all know cleaning people get minimum wage. Cannot afford it? Just lay off a few executives. That will cover the cleaning staff's salaries.

Even annoucements on the public address system are better in English in Taipei than in Toronto. Why are English annoucements better in Chinese speaking Taiwan than in English speaking Toronto? Good question! In Taipei they recorded every station annoucement with a very well spoken annoucer and a good PA system. Every station is announced as you approach it in English and Chinese. It is easy to hear and understand. In Toronto again they are operating like the speakers and microphone were constructed by Thomas Edison. Each station is annouced 'live' by the conductor if he feels like doing it. It seems they often don't feel like it and there is no annoucement. No worries. When they do announce stations the PA system is so bad you often cannot understand what they are saying anyway. What a way to run a railroad! The MRT is wonderful. Toronto you could learn a lot. But please don't send politicians over to look at taxpayers' expense. Just ask Siemens and other companies to show you how automation could improve the TTC. And think about putting in some washrooms and hiring some ladies to keep them clean. And maybe the TTC ridership will increase. Maybe serving people decently would pay off and pay for itself with increased ridership and revenues.

Baby on Board

2005-07-26T08:28:00.000-04:00

Here in Banciao, Taiwan they put a whole new perspective on the old bumper sticker, Baby on Board. I don't know why someone created that phrase but it's been a popular bumper sticker in America for about 20 years. Well in Taiwan they love to drive motorcycles and scooters. They are used by individuals, couples and delivery people. Some men have carriers so they can deliver propane tanks with their scooters. In Banchiao they also like to drive without helmets. I believe by law they are supposed to wear helmets but Banqiao is the wild west of Taipei. Many people drive around without helmets. Also many people use scooters as the family vehicle. It's not unusual for example to see a whole family of mother, father and two kids on one little scooter. I don't know if this is legal either but in Banchiao who cares? Last night I saw the baby on board which spurred me to write this. Two adults were riding with helmets on. Then there was a little toddler of about 1 year old standing on the seat between them. The baby did not have a helmet. It's like the opposite of America once again. At home you will see kids on bicycles wearing helmets while the adults go without helmets. But then those are bicycles. I'm not sure what these people are thinking here but there you go. Seems like madness but it's the Taiwanese way. Maybe all the helmetless riders in Banchiao explains why the place is so crazy. Too many people have fallen off bikes and suffered brain damage. But they obviously lived to ride another day! Like the guy going down the street with a cigarette hanging from his mouth and talking on his cell phone. The fact that he is multi tasking his bad habits on the street is not unusual. But it got my attention because he was also driving about 30 mph on his motor scooter with just one hand and no helmet. He needed the other hand to hold the cell phone and the cigarette was dangling from his mouth because he had no more hands for it. I guess he had to go helmetless to show everyone what a man he is. Not everyone is nuts here of course, just some of them.

Cell phones

2005-07-23T12:02:00.000-04:00

There are organizations that keep track of all kinds of things in the world. So someone somewhere calculates how many cell phones there are in countries around the world. In America there are about 50 cell phones per 100 people. That is quite a lot when you consider that little kids and old people would not have them. But it is nothing compared to Asia. In Taiwan there are about 107 cell phones per 100 people. How is it possible? Again of course five year olds and eighty year olds do not have cell phones in Asia either. So how can there be more cell phone users than there are people? The fact is it is not unusual to see a woman or man with two cell phones. I've seen several young woman with three cell phones. And there's probably some people with four or five or more - who knows. Why? Maybe because one is personal and one is business or often people have phones with two or three different telephone companies. If you call a friend using the same company your charges are much less. So it all seems like madness but it's the way it is. Another factor is that North America has the oldest most widely wired home network in the world. Most everyone has a home phone and many people don't need or want a cell phone. In Asia the home phone system is not as well established and some people don't have home phones and just use cell. I had just a cell phone here for months. In fact I did not get a home phone until I got internet access at home and the company gave me a phone number with the internet service. So if you find people on cell phones are annoying come to Asia for some fun. Out shopping and on the subway I bet 80 to 90% of the people have a cell phone or two or three.
Which reminds me the cell phones work in the subway here too. The world is a changing.

Animal lovers

2005-07-22T14:23:00.000-04:00

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Sometimes it is just as strange as fiction. In the movie Hitch (good movie) the character played by Will Smith uses a little dog to arrange a meeting between a guy and a beautiful lady. A similar thing happened to me last night for real. However I don't think it was contrived at all. It was just the reversed situation to the movie. The little dog ran into the elevator in exactly the split second before the doors closed and I was alone in the elevator with the dog. I hit the open button but it was too late. Little dogs are fast. So I'm in the elevator with this little mutt and going to the 5th floor. On five of course he races out when the doors open. So now I'm trying to get him back so I can try to take him back to the first floor. He would not come back. So it took so long to try to lure him back that finally his owner came up to 5 on another elevator and got him. Unlike the movie there was no romantic ending. His owner was a lady but not very beautiful and she did not speak English. No romantic encounter for me.
Little dogs are very popular in Taiwan. They seem more like peoples' toys than pets. People carry them around all the time. People love little puppies and little dogs. I don't think they like them so much if they grow up and get bigger. There are also many, many stray dogs on the streets. Maybe if the little puppies get big people kick them out.
In January I took a short trip to Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China. Now I was only in China for about four days but I did not see any stray dogs wandering the streets like in Taiwan. But I did see dog on the menu in restaurants. What is worse? Dog on the menu or living as beggars unwanted on the streets? Yes, I am not a great animal lover but maybe its better they are on the menu and they are enjoyed and appreciated instead of unwanted and abandoned on the street.

I like the Cesspool (sometimes)

2005-07-22T12:22:00.000-04:00

I just came back from the Banchiao night market aka 'the cesspool'. It's friday night so it was wall to wall people - with motorcycles driving through the crowd like they are entitled to do. I do not think they should be entitled to drive through a pedestrian mall but its the Taiwan way. They drive on the sidewalks, roads, markets, you name it. The motorcycles only do not go places where physical barriers have been put up to stop them. Even then they will find a way around the barriers.
Sometimes the market is fun. Maybe because I have not been there every day for the past two weeks it was fun today. I buy a mango shake there regularly. I do not have to order because when they see me they know what I want. I am also some comic relief for them. At the fruit stand they do not speak english so we communicate in simple chinese. I say, 'I want 1 mango drink' in my stilted chinese. There is a lady there that everyone decided long ago I have a crush on. I like her but she is no raving beauty. So then I say, 'Achi is beautiful' again in chinese. Everybody laughs. Then I say 'Achi is my girlfriend'. My whole vocabulary consists of about 5 sentences. I will say, 'the weather is beautiful' even if its 95 degrees farhenheit. Then they say, the weather is terrible! Only Achi is allowed to make my mango shake and she gives it to me and I ask in chinese, 'how much?'. I always do this although I've had about 250 mango shakes. Achi is very high spirited and starts a rant in chinese about how stupid I am to ask how much? every time. I do not understand what she says but can tell she is telling me I'm a blithering idiot. It's all good fun and we laugh and laugh. I'm good for something. Comic relief. A little mirth and merriment at the old cesspool. Comic relief.

Motorcycles in Taipei

2005-07-20T01:45:00.000-04:00

There are about 1 million motorcycles in Taipei. I am not kidding or exaggerating. There are over 500 motorcycles per 1000 people. That is how people who keep track of these things count. There are more motorcycles per person in Taiwan than in any other country in the world. By motorcycles I mean what we would call scooters in America or Europe. Ask a Taiwanese person and they will tell you, 'its very convenient'. Yes, it is very convenient if you are a motorcycle rider. If you are a pedestrian it is another story completely. I would not use the word convenient to describe the motorcycles. I might be inclined to say they are a pain in the bloody ass. You see the motorcycles do not just stay on the roads as you would expect of a motorized vehicle. It seems the motorcycle drivers think they should be able to use the roads and the sidewalks also. Silly me, from where I'm from the sidewalks are usually built for pedestrians. In fact the motorcycles not only drive on the sidewalks but often the sidewalks are the parking lots for motorcycles. Where I live in Banchiao sometimes you can barely walk on the sidewalk because there are so many motorcycles. And again I am not kidding or exaggerating. But the motorcycle riders will tell you, 'its very convenient!'. Yea, in a pigs eye I say. Sometimes to walk on the sidewalk I must turn sideways to slip between a wall and motorcycle. Again no exaggeration and I am not a fat person at all. Forget about pushing a baby carriage or wheel chair on some sidewalks or even walking beside a friend. Ladies with babies and old people in wheel chairs go on the road! You would think the motorcycles should be on the road and the baby on the sidewalk! In Taiwan things are reversed from what makes sense. Sometimes I go for a mango drink in the night market. At my favorite fruit stand there is a normal space of about four feet to walk in. Occasionally a motorbike driver will park their bike right across the entrance. To get in you have to turn sideways and slip through the small space left between the counter and the motorbike. I find it unbelieveably rude, inconsiderate, maddening and frustrating. But what is more unbelieveable is it seems I'm the only one who objects or cares about this intrusion. Everyone just slips around the bike. No one pushes it aside or swears or kicks it. It is all very, very amazing to me. Motorcycles/scooters, they are so convenient!

Dining in Taipei

2005-07-20T01:23:00.000-04:00

Dining out in Taipei - bring your own napkins. Yes I am making a huge generalization here again but many, many eating establishments here do not provide napkins. I am comparing to Canada and the US again but there seems to be some unwritten rule in America that restaurants provide napkins. Even donut shops and greasy spoons and take out places provide napkins. In Taiwan many places do not. Yes some do and I apologize to them for making this sweeping statement. But so many do not it is quite 'normal' to bring your own. I'm not kidding. I carry napkins in my pocket and bag. In fact some very smart enterprising people advertise by handing out little packets of tissues with advertising on them. It's brilliant! I've been in many places with a friend and we both pull out our little packet of napkins. I guess it is all ok when you get used to it but coming from another place it's hard to get used to it. Then there are the places that have napkins but they are about 2 inches square. They look like little toy napkins. So at least they provide something but it's almost a joke. A friend recently asked me what is my favorite food in Taiwan? I had to think a minute and then said I really do not like most of the food in Taiwan. I'm sorry but I've been deeply disappointed in the food here. I know it is a matter of taste but a lot of the food here is not to my liking. I came with some expectations I know. I love Chinese food but at home the Chinese food is from Hong Kong and mainland China. I love the food in Hong Kong! But Taiwan is a whole different story. Half the time here I do not know what I'm eating and no one can tell me. And then half the time it seems like they have sucked all the flavor out of the food and they don't even put some soy sauce on the table to help. Coming here made me think... Have I ever seen a Taiwanese restaurant anywhere else in the world? No. I think there is a reason for this. 3 guesses why. I'm not the only one who feels this way about Taiwanese food. The really funny thing is Taiwanese people will always say the food is delicious! And they mean it. They love the food. What else about dining in Taiwan. If you asked what I don't like about it I would have to say, let me count the ways... There are so many things I don't like. In Hong Kong I sat down and was given a cup of tea without asking. I could have dropped to my knees to thank god. In Taiwan it seems I cannot get hot Chinese tea for love or money. They will charge me $150 NT ($6 cdn) for what you get in Hong Kong or Canada for free. After all Chinese tea is just boiling water poured over some tea leaves. But I love it. The other day I got 'Chinese tea' in a restaurant in Taipei for about $5 cdn. It was not what I call Chinese tea but fruit tea and it had a tag on it 'Ceylon tea'. I did not know Ceylon was now part of China. Actually Taiwan has a lot of good tea but for some reason you must go to special tea shops and pay a fortune. I think it's strange that in Canada they give it away free with every meal in every Chinese restaurant. Then along with the mini napkins or no napkins are the mini forks. I am comfortable with using chopsticks and don't mind using them. But nobody uses chopsticks to eat cake. We use forks and so do Taiwanese. But the forks they give you are not really forks. They are more like toy forks or toothpicks with two prongs. They are so small it is ridiculous. To use them you must balance the food on them so they make eating a difficult task. Eating cake should be a pleasure not an ordeal. If I was staying here a long time I would start to bring my own fork because I love to eat cake. Dining in Taiwan, never boring, but not always a pleasure.

Quite

2005-07-18T13:16:00.000-04:00

I quite like that word,
It is used quite a lot,
Although it is often unnecessary.
Why?
I think it is because many people also
like its sound quite a bit.

Language Exchange

2005-06-29T12:41:00.000-04:00

In the world of teaching and learning language there is what is known as 'language exchange'. So many people want to learn English here that some will go to great lengths to learn. Being an English teacher means there are a lot of people wishing to and willing to talk to you. Not necessarily because you are a charming, witty person but because you speak English. And it works both ways. I love to talk to Taiwanese people to learn about their culture and sometimes learn a little Chinese too. For several months I've done language exchange with 3 or 4 students. There is usually four of us at a 'Chinese class'. We meet in a restaurant and have dinner and talk for about 2 hours. Basically it's just hanging out to me but the focus is on language. These marvelous people have become my friends and helped me to go from 'hello' to 'may I have a steak please'. It is a huge leap for me. And I have helped them to learn useful words like 'escalator, sniffles, tea pot, and pepper'. It's been fun and interesting. Thank you my language exchange friends!

hot and sunny, 35 degrees, bring a jacket

2005-06-29T10:50:00.000-04:00

It's going to be hot and sunny today with a high of 35 degrees, that is 95 degrees Fahrenheit. It is hot. It is sunny. Bring a jacket and umbrella. In some buildings, stores and restaurants the air conditioning is so cold you need a jacket. And every day there is the possibility of rain. Also some of the ladies like to use an umbrella to protect them from the blazing sun. It's not a bad idea.

Earthquakes & Typhoons

2005-06-28T10:51:00.000-04:00

I had never experienced an earthquake until I came to Taiwan. I'm from Toronto, Canada and we do not have earthquakes. There was one in the 1980's but it was so small I did not know about it until the news reported it. In Taiwan I've experienced several earthquakes and about 3 typhoons. The typhoons have not been too bad. We get a lot of warning that they are coming. If it's bad we have a typhoon holiday and everyone is told to stay home. It's hardly any inconvenience in Taipei because stores like 7-Eleven and McDonald's stay open. The worst thing about the typhoons in Taipei is you might die of boredom. But earthquakes are another story. People tell me they get used to them and they don't bother them. I do not like them. You do not know when one will strike and you do not know how big it will be. To me it is not good for a twenty-five story solid brick building to shake and sway. You do not know when an earthquake will strike and you do not know how big it will be. I've been woken up at 3:00 am by my building shaking. It is not good. In 1999 Taiwan was hit by a large quake and 3,000 people died. It could happen again. Even if it happens only once in 20 years that is too much for me. No wonder few people lived here until the 20th century. Give me a cold, landlocked place over this shaking, windy tropical hot spot any day.

haircut

2005-06-19T09:58:00.000-04:00

I went for a haircut tonight. I get one every month or two. This afternoon I went to a place I've gone to the last couple of times. The ladies were good. The place was empty. Totally vacant. Every fixture in the place has been removed. I don't know if they moved or went out of business. So I had to find another place.
I finally found one that looked good. Down an alley and around a corner. Very clean and only one customer in a chair. Three ladies talking. Only $250 NT. So I sit in the chair and the lady puts the apron around me. She puts it on so tight around my neck I have to try to loosen it. She fixes it. She does not speak any English and my fundamental Chinese is no help. She is going on and on talking to me anyway and making motions like she is going shave my head. I make motions with my fingers like scissors. Finally I decide to pull out my cell phone dictionary. My cell phone has a marvelous extra function. It has an electronic dictionary which translates English into Chinese and vice versa. In a pinch I can look up a word and show people the Chinese word. I punch in 'haircut'. It seems highly, highly unnecessary to me to do this when I'm sitting in a barber chair in a barber shop but I don't want my head shaved. The lady's assistant looks at my phone and reads it. There is a lot of laughter from the 3 ladies and the other customer. They probably also think it's ridiculous I should have to ask for a haircut under these circumstances. So I think this settles the matter. I guess the lady did not think so. I heard the customer mention the Chinese word for interpreter. I thought he was just talking. No. A man is suddenly standing beside me asking if I want my hair cut shorter. His English is not very good but he speaks much more than anyone else. I think he and his question are ridiculous and unnecessary. I tell him I do not want my hair to be longer. He tells the others and there is an eruption of laughter. I hope they got the joke. In the end I received a good haircut and all is well. It was a good experience and I guess I was some unexpected entertainment for them. Sometimes life is good...

pork spare ribs are delicious

2005-06-19T03:22:00.000-04:00

Pork spare ribs are delicious when they are cooked right. They must be cooked a long time to make them tender and then lathered with barbecue or honey sauce. In America and Canada many people and restaurants know how to make good ribs. I have not had spare ribs for over one year. They are not popular in Taiwan. At least not cooked the American way. A couple of months ago I thought I was going to have them. I ordered them off the menu in what looked like a half decent restaurant. Instead of pork spare ribs I got beef short ribs. They were not very good but I ate it because I am used to not getting what I order in Taiwan and trying to fix it or argue is just too much trouble.
Last night I had an unhappy culinary experience involving spare ribs. I should know better but I fell for a beautiful picture. In a coffee shop - many coffee shops serve food - which means they heat prepared food in a microwave. I should know better but the picture looked so good! I ordered the pork spare ribs. When I got them they did look like the picture and they were pork. But as soon as I tried to cut into them I knew I'd made a mistake again. It was like trying to cut into a shoe. They were not cooked properly. I could not eat or tolerate this. I was not going to pay a lot to struggle with and eat something that was terrible. I decided to return it for something else. Well this is when I got another surprise. It seems in Taiwan people do not send food back. Not unless there is a cockroach in it. Wow! In Canada and America people routinely send food back if it's not cooked right or unsatisfactory. The Taiwanese way is to literally 'eat it' even if you are not happy with it. This explained a lot. People just accept bullshit and inferior service and products. That's life I guess they say. Wow. What an attitude. Live and learn. I will try to be careful but I'm sure I will be disappointed again and probably fall for another beautiful picture. And I can look forward to having some good ribs in America some day...

Ritual

2005-06-13T11:17:00.000-04:00

Tonight I was in a big department store at closing time around 10:00 pm. By chance I was going down ten floors on the escalator at closing time. Some music started playing and I was greeted at the bottom of the escalator at each floor by store clerks standing, bowing and greeting me. It seemed like a bizarre ritual. I don't know what the music was. Probably a Chinese 'good night my darling' or maybe the national anthem of Taiwan. I'm sure they probably do this every night. I doubt it was just for my benefit.
There was a famous department store in Canada that was in business for over 100 years. They also had many customs and rituals that were passed on through generations. In the 1970's and 1980's they began to cut back on the old ways. They cut back on staff and other things. Staff were laid off and they complained bitterly at the treatment they received after many years of service. Some of the fourth generation of the family running the store preferred to spend time at the race track. Customers began complaining there were no clerks to serve them. In the 1990's the store went out of business after over 100 years. The owners blamed competition.
Last week Toyota announced they are going to raise prices on their cars sold in America. Why? They are killing the competition Ford and GM. Toyota hybrid vehicles are selling second hand for more than they cost new. Just last year Ford finally decided to build a hybrid car. Last year Toyota overtook Ford as the number two auto maker in the world. But Toyota and the Japanese know it's better to try to appease the Americans. Even after raising prices they will probably still sell very well and maybe have more profit.
There are department stores in Taipei that have uniformed girls operating the elevators. The old store in Canada used to have the same. They cut back to save money. The old store in Canada has gone out of business while the stores in Taipei are doing booming business. What does it tell you?

Chinglish

2005-06-12T10:11:00.000-04:00

In Asia you will find a lot of mangled English obviously written by people who are not fluent in English. It is everywhere. It always makes me wonder why they did not give an English speaking person a few dollars and get it done right. I'm not talking about whole books or newspaper articles. They are usually ok because they are written by professionals. I mean short lines on signs. It might be only three or four words but they manage to get it wrong. In the past two days in book stores I saw some good ones. In one store every section is labeled in Chinese and English although they do not have English books and probably one customer in 10,000 speaks English. So while looking for a book on travel I came across the 'Musick' section. I guess it is books on music to make you ill.
Tonight in another book store I saw a book with the large English title, "you must reading this book". Why I must reading this book I have no idea. The only English in the book was the title. The book is totally in Chinese. Now these are book publishers. People who should care about words. And if they are publishing books don't they have access to someone who speaks English so they get the book title correct? One of my theories is people who speak poor English are fooling people who speak no English. And the ones who speak no English don't know the difference.
I should not complain but I will anyway. If history had been different they could be using mangled Portuguese or German or French. But English is the most desired second language here and for people like me it is fantastic. Another practice that drives me crazy is their habit of putting English on the covers of books and magazines. Why do they do that? There is almost no English inside. So why put English on the cover? What purpose does it possibly serve? The only answer I can think of is they think English is cool and it helps to sell magazines and t shirts. Chalk up another one for us anglos.

7-Eleven

2005-06-09T01:35:00.000-04:00

There are about a million 7-Eleven stores in Taipei. Well, I exaggerate but there are a lot. I know one spot near the Taipei train station where you can stand and see four 7-Elevens. And then there are more 7-Elevens in the station that you cannot see from the street. I think there are 4 in the station. And 7-Eleven is great! I have been to one every day for the past year. Why are they great? Because they scan everything you buy with a wand scanner. I never have to talk to anyone. They scan your item with the wand and the price is shown on the cash register. It is so fast and easy. And the staff is trained to serve you as quickly as possible so purchases often take just seconds. To me this is brilliant. No small talk. No fawning over you to pretend they care about you. No awkward shifting and stuttering to try to speak English or stuttering and stammering by me trying to speak Chinese. Just a simple transaction! I want to buy, they want to sell - it is as simple as that. And everybody is happy! 7-Eleven is brilliant!

Way gwammy

2005-06-09T01:31:00.000-04:00

Way gwammy! way gwammy! If you are in Taipei for one day or more and go shopping or into stores like 7-Eleven you will be greeted by the shop workers yelling, 'way gwammy!'. Actually it is not way gwammy, it is more like way gwanley (I think). Many people have told me I say it wrong but it still sounds like 'way gwammy' to me. It is quite fascinating and unique to Taiwan as far as I know. I've made short trips to Hong Kong and China and never heard any 'way gwammy' from anyone. Anyway it is fairly harmless and sort of entertaining. I'll probably miss it when I leave. They also have another one that sounds like 'chez gwammy'. The way gwammy means welcome and chez gwammy is thank you for coming. I think we foreigners should start something. When they say chez gwammy when we leave we could say, 'catch you on the flip side'. It is ridiculous but to me its no more ridiculous than 'way gwammy'.
The really ridiculous part is they sometimes seem to put a lot more time and energy into shouting way gwammy than in serving the customers. I have seen 2 or 3 clerks standing around shouting way gwammy while 1 sad employee is manning the cash register. So everyone is getting greetings coming and going but then we have to stand and wait in line because there is only one cashier. I guess the brilliant bosses think its important to be greeted.

Bus Driver

2005-06-07T13:46:00.000-04:00

The bus driver is mad. There is no doubt about that. I would say it is a little known fact except it is really an unknown fact. However I have figured it out. I believe what happens is something like this. The bus driver has a cousin who is a resident of a hospital for the criminally insane. Somehow the cousin I will call Whacko Wang slips out of the insane asylum a couple of days a week. Then he meets his cousin the bus driver. They change clothes and Whacko then takes his cousin's place and drives the bus for the afternoon. It's a win/win for them. The bus driver gets the afternoon off to spend with his girlfriend and Whacko gets to drive through the streets of Taipei like the deranged lunatic that he is. I do not wish to slander deranged lunatics. I'm sure they are very nice people in their own way. But although it is win/win for Whacko and the bus driver it is a big LOSE for me and anyone else who unfortunately gets on bus 245 from Banqiao to Taipei in the afternoon. Whacko loves to drive fast and weave in and out of traffic. It does not help that the bus is old and rattling and falling apart as we fly through the streets. One of his tricks that is really infuriating for me is when he floors it to speed down the street when he only has 1/2 a block to go. Anyone could see that traffic is stopped at the red light ahead. But Whacko is not anyone. He floors it as I try to find a seat. Then as we approach 50 mph in 5 seconds he starts to hit the brakes. Now I am being hurled in the other direction. If he has 10 feet of day light to the next car he is hitting the gas again. So this is how we proceed through the streets of Banciao on the way to Taipei. The seats are rattling, the windows are shaking. One day I was splashed with what I thought was a big cup of water or soda. Looking around my seatmates and I realized it was a load of water from the air conditioner above. The seats were drenched. So although the bus was full a couple of seats sat empty and soaking wet when we ran for dry space. Life on the 245 is never boring. The rattling, shaky bus and Whacko Wang take care of that.

The most disgusting things

2005-06-07T12:22:00.000-04:00

It is a real contest to decide what is the most disgusting thing in Taiwan. The cockroaches? The rats? The men whose teeth are falling out from chewing betel nuts? The stinky tofu? The cesspool they call Banqiao night market? They are all surpassed by one thing I discovered my first week here. They ask you everywhere to put your toilet paper in the garbage can - and not in the toilet. Why? Good question. If the toilet is not for excrement and toilet paper then I don't know what it is for. I imagine they had some instances where toilets got clogged up. So in their usual over reaction they decided no one should put toilet paper in the toilets. I find it is really disgusting to put toilet paper, which is of course fouled by smelly, dirty human excrement, in the garbage can. This must be very unhygenic! However they have not thought of that or don't care. Taiwan is planning on buying billions of dollars of more military weaponry from the USA. That is ok for the Taiwanese but to fix the toilets seems to be beyond their ability.
Now this whole thing is very very disgusting and it gets worse. Do you want to know how they dispose of this feces covered paper? Wrap the bags up, double bag them and throw it in a garbage bin? No. They leave the bags in the container and pick the paper out with long tongs that are often used in restaurants. This has got to be unhygenic. Wont the filth get on the tongs sometimes? Of course it must. If you're not completely grossed out now imagine this. Somewhere in Taipei there is a place where they wash the tongs and sometimes they mix up the tongs from the kitchen and the toilet... You see? Those tongs serving your food were previously used to pick up the feces covered toilet paper. aaahhhhhhh!!!!!!!

Noise

2005-06-07T12:18:00.000-04:00

The other day, Monday June 6 I started a class at 1:30. Five minutes later the sound of a jack hammer coming through the wall erupted ten or fifteen feet away. Not one of my three students even blinked an eye. No one made a comment about it. At times I could not hear them speak. However this is just normal in Taiwan. There have been days I hear this noise at home at my apartment and then I hear it at work when I'm there. Many buildings here are built of poured concrete. This makes them very strong and able to withstand earthquakes. That is good because if you've felt an earthquake you know it's important to have a solid building. But why don't they also install some pipes or other conduits to allow future installation of plumbing and wiring. When they need to install wiring or plumbing they are always pulling out the jack hammers and blasting away for what seems like hours.
Noise is everywhere in Taipei. The other day I was walking in the popular shopping district Ximen with a friend. When speaking right into my ear while walking along I could not hear what she was saying.
Another day I had lunch in a little Taiwanese restaurant. It seems they do not like peace and quiet. Although I was the only customer and the place was fairly quiet the staff took care of that anomaly. They were talking to each other which is very normal. But talking is not the correct word. They were screaming at each other. I don't think they were fighting. It is just their way to scream at each other when they could have had something like a civilized conversation. There was no regard for me - I'm just a customer. If I don't like it there are hundreds of other customers who will find their behaviour normal. Noise. Noise pollution. What a place.

I love the Taiwanese people!

2005-06-05T14:10:00.000-04:00

I love the Taiwanese people. Well that is a little strong I guess. But I do like them. I like a lot of them. Everywhere in the world I think most people are good. That includes Taiwan of course. Certainly there are some bad ones but I think for the most part the Taiwanese are hard working, honest people. They wish to do better, help their families and live happy lives. Why not? It's just what most people around the world want. Bless them. Some of the nicest, kindest people I've ever met have been here in Taiwan. The good ones will do almost anything for you. Sometimes I feel like I traded a big, modern English speaking city for a big, modern Chinese speaking city. Many things are the same or very similar. When coming over I brought a certain toilet supply I thought might be hard to find. I got here and not only found the product but actually found the identical brand in the same packaging. The only difference is the package has Chinese writing. People are people. They go to work, commute, shop, spend time with their kids. The teenagers hang out, listen to music on their MP3 players and horse around on the buses and subway. That is life in the 21st century. The world is shrinking. We English speaking people here are so spoiled. Hollywood movies come out here when they are released in America. And they are shown exactly like home except they have Chinese subtitles. So here in Taiwan I get to watch the movie and listen while everybody else in the audience must read the subtitles. Taiwan is great! I love it.

Taiwan tourism

2005-06-02T01:50:00.000-04:00

I recently had a day off and went on a day trip with a friend. I have spent almost all of my time in Taiwan in Taipei so I havn't seen much of the country. We took a train to Taoyuan which is actually quite close. It only took 40 minutes on the train but there's some nice places there and we were going to see some flowers and ride in kayaks and just have a relaxing day. When we arrived apparently there was no bus going to our destination. There were however about 30 taxi drivers willing to take us for a price. My friend is Taiwanese and I was letting her make all decisions since I could not communicate with anyone except her anyway. We got back on the train and went to another stop. This time we went into the tourist information office in the train station. There were 2 or 3 people in the office. My friend ended up talking at length to one guy. It turned out he was a taxi driver. Well again I let her make the decisions which was a mistake. The taxi driver was very persistent and my friend is easily swayed. It ended up in a haggle over the fair. He wanted 500 NT and she wanted to pay 400. I finally chose to go look for another taxi - there were 20 more outside. Well then the driver 'caved' and said ok, 400. My friend smiled and said, 'we win'. Like in the USA everyone is either a winner or loser in Taiwan. Yes, we won alright. When we got to the place and the taxi driver took off it turned out he left us at the bottom of the huge resevoir. To get to the resevoir and the kayaks and park would have been about a forty-five minute walk in the blazing sun and 32 degree temperature. We were in the middle of an ugly nowhere. No more taxis, no buses, no nothing. It was sad and depressing. Maybe the taxi driver thought he 'won'. He only got 400 but he did not have to drive the extra distance to where we wanted to go. Some people go the extra mile and some don't. Whatever happened we actually lost and I think really Taiwan and Taiwan tourism loses. If this is how tourists are treated no wonder Taiwan is not a hot tourism destination. In the end we just quit and took a bus back home again. It was all too much trouble to try to see something nice in Taiwan. And our special day off was a little disappointing. :-(

Jackie Chan

2005-05-29T12:18:00.000-04:00

I like Jackie Chan movies such as Rush Hour. He is a funny and talented guy. But my opinion of him took a jump in admiration recently. He said he would not visit Taiwan for four years because his presence would probably cause a disturbance at the airport. I'm sure it would. Some time back he said the last Taiwanese election was a joke. Now recently there's been calls in Taiwan to boycott his movies. In Taiwan if you're not for them you are against them. So they do not like Jackie now. This is despite the fact that he's done a lot of things for Taiwan and in Taiwan. He even married a Taiwanese woman! But here it is always, "what have you done for me lately". The day this news was in the paper there was another item on the same page. Some Taiwanese politicians were in Geneva to attend World Health organization meetings. Politicians would always rather fly to far off places than work in their offices. Two female Taiwanese politicians had a fight in Geneva and one slapped the other! Wow! Now why wouldn't WHO take Taiwan seriously and make them an official member? While at the Health organization meeting one bitch slaps the other over some perceived insult. So they returned to Taiwan and one is suing the other. That is Taiwan. Jackie is right. Better stay away for a few years. Maybe they'll get their frustration and aggression out and grow up.

The Cesspool aka The Banciao Night Market

2005-05-29T09:26:00.000-04:00

I go to eat at the Banqiao night market often. Not because it is a great place to go but because it is only ten minutes walk from my apartment. If it was a pond or stream it would be a cesspool. It is a dirty, smelly, ugly place. Taipei has many night markets. It's very odd that in Taipei they call them, 'Tourist Night Markets'. 99.9% of the customers are local people. They are wonderful, interesting places to visit and shop and eat. They are mostly pedestrian shopping areas where cars and the ubiquitous motorcycles are not even allowed. However in Pan-chiao the market is plagued by the motorcycles. Imagine a shopping mall crowded with people where motor scooters are allowed to drive through. That is what it is like. In a very busy crowded place one must always step aside so the lazy, selfish motorcycle riders can drive through. They even drive right up to stalls to buy something without even getting off the bikes. And of course they are noisy and spouting fumes as well. It is madness.
Also at the Panciao night market garbage cans are few and far between. Litter is often just thrown on the ground. I do not like to litter but I sometimes just drop garbage on the ground while I am sitting in an 'outdoor restaurant'. Why? Because if I put it on the table the wind will soon blow it on to the ground anyway. And the staff don't seem to care about coming to pick it up. I stopped going to my favorite place in the Banqiao night market because it just got too disgusting. The 'restaurants' are mostly just folding tables with little cheap plastic stools to sit on. My favorite place had food that actually tasted good but when they hired a kid with very dirty hands to serve the food I could not take it any more. It was bad enough when someone would serve with a cigarette in their mouth. But you cannot say Banchiao has no character! and characters!
ps, I have deliberately spelled Banqiao in different ways. When in Rome do as the Romans do. In Taiwan they spell it many ways so I'm doing the same to show you. It's not four or five different places - its one place with five different ways to spell it. Even on a map you might see it spelled two different ways on the same map! What a place! New York, New York is so nice they named it twice. Banqiao, Banchiao, Banciao, Pan-chiao, Panciao is so mad they had to name it five times.

Taipei police cars, buses and garbage trucks

2005-05-29T05:31:00.000-04:00

Everywhere things are done differently. It makes the world interesting and exciting. What is normal in one place is not normal somewhere else. I come from Toronto, Canada and things are done differently there from Taipei, Taiwan. For example in Toronto the police will put on their sirens and flashing red lights when they are chasing someone or stop a vehicle on the side of the road. So for me this is normal. In Taipei the police drive around all the time with their flashing red lights on. I do not know why. It does not make sense. It is very much like the boy crying wolf. What do they do when there is a real emergency? What do they do? One day I saw a car go by obviously speeding on a city street. Behind it was a police car which was obviously chasing the speeder. And the police car had his flashing red lights off. So this is normal in Taipei. The complete opposite of Toronto. I do not know why or understand it. Is it madness?

Then there are the garbage trucks. Big dirty, smelly trucks like in most places. What is the difference? In Taipei they play music. The trucks go around playing music like a good humor ice cream truck in America. In America kids would be running out for ice cream. In Taipei it is the signal to bring out your garbage. They play tunes like edelweiss as they make their way along the street. In a way it is brilliant. People bring out their garbage and throw it in the back of the trucks. It's brilliant.

And finally the buses. I ride the buses often. They run very frequently and are a good way to get around. On the other hand many are past their prime. Yesterday I sat down and the seat almost tipped over. It was missing a vital bolt required to hold it down. There's always something shaking and rattling on the buses. And the drivers are often very wild. Some will drive not just like a car but even like a motorcycle driver. It's not unusual for a bus driver to weave in and out of traffic. Within one block they will go from the curb lane to the passing lane and cross three lanes to go back to the curb lane. It's madness.

Learning Language

2005-05-29T05:10:00.000-04:00

In Taiwan I've been slowly learning mandarin Chinese. It is very interesting and challenging. I can say some basic things after one year. Progress is slow and painful but I think this is normal. I also teach English so I know how slow and difficult the learning process can be. Sometimes I look at and think about children and how they learn. I would love to be able to speak Chinese as well as an average five to ten year old. It seems one problem adult learners have is unreal expectations. They seem to think that in one or two years they should be fluent in English. And this is doing only a few hours of study a week. Children spend hours and hours every day for years repeating and repeating. Adults do not want to spend the time. And they skip steps. Before learning the basics they want to learn advanced grammar. I've seen so many students agonize over the present perfect tense when they cannot even use present simple properly.

Taipei I say

2005-05-26T14:40:00.000-04:00

I've been in Taipei, Taiwan for one year. It has been an amazing experience. Many Taiwanese people ask me how I like it. My standard answer now is 'the people are nice and the food is delicious'. Most people do not want to hear my comments about their politics or other criticism so it's best to just say nice things. If they care I will go on. One of the first things a foreigner learns here is the different ways they have to convert Chinese to English. There are not just 2 or 3 ways to do this. They actually have about 4 or 5 ways to do it. China with 1.3 billion people has settled on the pinyin system as the one and only way to translate Chinese into English. Taiwan with 23 million people cannot simplify things. But that is typical of Taiwan. If some people want something 1/2 the population will disagree just out of spite. So I live in Banqiao or Banchiao or Ban-Chiao... and I really don't care if there are other ways to spell it. I choose to use the pinyin system. It's a sensible system and if over 1 billion people are using it I'll go with the majority. Thank goodness some people here are also using it. Significantly the City of Taipei and their MRT (subway) system are using pinyin. There is hope they will get organised one day. However the post office officially uses another system. This is no small thing when you consider the mail is one of the major forms of communication that relies on accurate written instructions. My first 6 months and several attempts to send and receive mail were very frustrating. Some mail I anxiously expected never arrived. Now I have given up on the post office here and seldom send any mail at all. Telephone and e mail are dependable and I don't really need to send anything.

Judgmental

2005-05-22T11:16:00.000-04:00

I can be rather critical and judgmental. I am saying this from the beginning because comments I make could offend some people. I apologize in advance. However there are certain pluses to being critical. If everyone accepted all things without question there would never be any change or improvements. The world is far from perfect and sometimes it's necessary to point out where things are wrong or could be improved. I came by this trait from my mother I believe. She was also critical and judgmental. It is a deep rooted habit and an integral part of my personality. I'd like readers to be aware of it and please don't be too upset if I criticize your country or company or favorite whatever...