Stand for the CBC

I have been a listener and viewer of CBC since 1971. Many things can be said about CBC's contribution to Canada, Canadian society and the rest of the world. What I think is its most important contribution, however, is that it is brings Canada together as a nation. I don't feel it is hyperbole to say that it is the modern equivalent of the building of the Canadian Pacific.

Many of CBC's program, especially Radio One, are family affairs, that bring not only prominent Canadians and international persons into closer dialog with "ordinary" Canadians, but also provide a forum and kitchen table for all those not-so-ordinary Canadians to have a family chat, a debate, or celebration.

As the current government actually conserves nothing, they are, of course, seeking to destroy the CBC. This agenda has in plain sight for decades, and now with a Conservative government that has kicked its progressive sensibilities to the septic field, please stand with me to make your voice heard.

One Month+ with the MacBook Air

I suppose all love affairs have to end at some point, but I don't foresee my feelings about the MBA changing.  If anything, after more than month with it, my admiration for it, if not my crush on it, has increased. 

There has not been one hiccough (yeah, I know ... old spelling; I'm old,) and I only see the MacBook line getting better as the technology that drives the Air migrates to the MacBook Pro line.  The only drawback I see to the machine is that RAM is not upgradeable.  The RAM module(s) is/are soldered to the system board, so upgrading would be difficult and somewhat costly.

 The other limitation is the lack of Ethernet port.  Designed as an ultralight laptop replacement, this makes sense.  WiFi may not be ubiquitous, but it is normally readily available.  It is at home or office that an Ethernet port would be an advantage, especially when uploading a lot of data to a network drive.


You can, of course, get a USB-to-Ethernet adapter, but that limits you to 10/100 speeds, as the Air's USB port is 2.0 -- no Gigabit speeds for this machine.  The Air's Thunderbolt port is faster than even USB 3.0, so this makes sense.  But there are precious few Thunderbolt devices, much less adapters, available at this time, and the jury will be out on Thunderbolt for awhile, perhaps for a long time.  A Thunderbolt to gigabit Ethernet adapter would be really, really handy.

Which brings us to Thunderbolt itself.  Happily, there are some display port to HDMI available, and I purchased the Kanex which works perfectly and seems to be solidly built.  In our spare room we have a 22"  HDTV set (720p), and I wanted to use that as a larger display for photo editing and to have a dual display setup available.

With the Kanex adapter, it works perfectly! Well ... as perfectly as the Sylvania (Funai) technology permits.  As a TV, the Sylvania is not bad.  Video from my satellite receiver via HDMI and Nintendo via component is good.  But at only 720p and with an older, lower spec'd panel from an unknown manufacturer, it's really not going to cut it for serious photo editing.

What I would like is a 27" IPS display that can also serve as a TV monitor.  At that size, an IPS display is going to run serious money.  Models from NEC, Dell, HP are going to be north of $1K, and an Eizo FlexScan SX2762W, which is pretty much an industry standard for the graphics environment, is over $1600.

Enter, then, the Apple Thunderbolt at $999 (less with employee purchase plan discount,) which not only starts to look "cheap" but adds 10Gb peripheral port capability -- and that's full duplex.

The fly in that ointment is that to date there are no adapters available to connect HDMI sources such as AV receivers, satellite and cable boxes to the Thunderbolt display.   This is after the first release of Thunderbolt technology about 9 months ago.  If I have any criticism of Apple at all, it is that they have repeatedly developed and implemented new I/O technologies that have not gone mainstream.  Firewire ... DisplayPort ... these and others were proprietary enough to keep them from becoming standards.  In this case, my understanding is that Apple initiated Thunderbolt and transferred IP  to Intel for development so that indeed it could become a standard.  That's hopeful, but it's not a guarantee of success.

Another option would be for Apple to manufacture or purchase as many adapters and devices for Thunderbolt as possible and flood the market.  Hell, make PCI-e to TB adapters and practically give them away.  Entice Windows PC owners and at the very least you they will sell some devices that are either Apple branded or branded by 3rd party suppliers closely associated with Apple.  How many Windows users have iPods and iPhones?  Make the next gen of those devices Thunderbolt-enabled for super-fast syncing (yeah, I know ... iCloud is replacing tethered syncing,) and watch how many of those users eventually buy a Mac. 

Such a strategy is not technically difficult.  On the Intel page referenced above, Intel states:

"Extend to reach other I/O technologies by using adapters that use widely available PCI Express* controllers. It's simple to create a Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire, or eSATA adapter using existing device PCI Express* drivers."

Did you get that Apple and Apple partners? 

Of course, Jason Hiner thinks the whole Thunderbolt strategy is a block on wireless USB 3.0

If so, Apple (the only "major" user of TB that I know of) and Intel better get really, really busy. Anyone who comes out with wireless USB is going to have at least a reasonable chance of having a major impact on technology.  And making a lot of money.

Then there's the rumoured Apple Television (not the Apple TV set-top device) ... which I would hope would have HDMI input as well as Thunderbolt.

But back to my MacBook Air ... Will Moyer wrote a blog entry about his MBA purchase.  His only real negative was that he felt the cursor (arrow) keys were chintzy.  I don't find mine to be any different than the other keys, and they certainly don't feel chintzy.  I suspect Apple has more than one OEM vendor for keyboards, and I got lucky.

So all-in-all, I'm still thrilled.  It's like being on a really long honeymoon with an inanimate object. 

Yeah, I'm weird.  But you knew that.

My new name is Gene Wilburn

After all, I'm sitting in a coffee shop, writing on a MacBook Air. This is a good trick because the "real" Gene Wilburn is no doubt sitting across Lake Ontario (about 100 miles as the crow flies,) in a coffee shopt, writing on a MacBook Air.

There is a lovely symmetry to this, don't you think? Actually, it was my friend Gene's experience with his MBA that contributed to my final decision to make the jump.

Gene is a fellow photographer and fellow IT professional. With a long career as a techie, I figured someone who had been a Unix sysadmin, developer working on contract for a major, major online retailer, someone who dove into Apple and loved the experience, well ... what can you say?

Having been a long-time Wintel user, I had resisted Macintosh primarily for two reasons.

First there was the price. Mac fans will argue that there is more long-term value to the purchase of most Apple products, and won't argue that point as I really haven't been qualified to do so. But the fact remains that if you don't have the up-front cash, then you just don't have it. For some years I held that premise as a major barrier.

Second, there was familiarity. Once you're deep into knowledge and experience of a particular system, technical or otherwise, there is an inherent resistance to changing. Don't get me wrong, I am not stubbornly resistant to change. I just knew what a big, time-consuming effort it would be to make the leap.

Fortunately I overcame the first challenge with a really novel technique -- I saved. Shocking, I know. Every paycheque I put aside $75 into savings, moving some of it into a CD once I hit the minimum deposit for a CD. I created a spreadsheet predicting the date when I would be able to purchase a specific model of MacBook. I noticed that in general I would have sufficient funds just after the Air product line was likely to be refreshed.

This pleased me, since I deduced that I likely would be able to purchase a better, more powerful Air for the same money, or I could purchase a previous configuration for less in the event the refreshed models were not a significant upgrade. If you know Apple, you know that latter was not likely to happen. And it didn't.

I ended up with (delivered at 11:51 yesterday!)

MacBook Air 13"
4GB RAM
128 SSD
AppleCare
Apple One-to-One

I'll write another post (or several) about my experience, but for now I can summarize my impressions as follows

* Wow -- amazing design and build quality
* Smooooooth
* SILENT
* Fast

Thoughts on Interdependence Day

Yes, I know it's Independence Day in the US, and yes, I know there is an Interdependence Project, though I don't know anything, really, about that except that it's a secular Buddhist affiliation.

It occurred to me this morning, however, that one of the central ills of the US is the whole idea of what independence is. Somehow the issue of separation from a ruling government not of one's choosing has morphed into "We can do anything we want just because we are us/US."

This is trouble.

All things, all beings are interdependent. That's not an optional view or belief system.

It just is.

What is Enlightenment?

Enlightenment

Enlightenment seems to be greatly misunderstood. As it has no "definitive definition", all I can really say is that is not perfection; it is not achieving a permanent state of detachment from externalities.

Sitting outside, summer day

Silent. Total

Breeze ceased

Skin, air intertwined without notice

That big tree there

That colour of sky

Exist

Awake

Empty Mind

http://www.youtube.com/user/emptymindfilms

When Fear Begins to Weaken the Fabric

Two recent articles caught my attention today. Both have fear as their underlying theme. And underlying fear is illusion; the illusion that as individuals we are separate, when in reality we are all one. And the illusion that our thoughts and emotions ARE who we are.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/stiffer-rules-infuriate-quebec-border-town/article1516454/

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/28/opinion/28rich.html?src=tptw

While there will continue to be disruption and discomfort, I think disintegration is necessary before real change can happen. Some are ready for spiritual change, some not yet.

Golden Moment

Two Videos on Zen/Zazen

I encountered these on the Toledo Zen Center website. The first is a very good, and simple, explanation of zazen, i.e. Zen "meditation". The second puts zazen in the context of what Zen "is" ... if we can say such a thing, since Zen simply is, and therefore we can't really say anything. :)

An open letter to Justin

One day (in the future) you come home from work to find your house burned to the ground by an arsonist; everyone is safe, but pretty much only the foundation of the house remains. What does remain is soaked in water, and your most important personal possessions that might have survived (keyboard, photo album, etc.,) are soaked from the water used by firefighters.

You decide to sue the firec hief because he "ruined" your prized possessions.

Make sense?

Well, this is essentially the situation we have today. The current financial situation is a result of the Chicago school of economics (Milton Friedman, chief guru), which was promoted by successive administrations: Reagan, Bush I, (Clinton to some extent -- I'd have to do some more reading) and Bush II. Essentially it is the Libertarianism of economics, i.e. minimal, if any regulation, put "faith" in the "rational self interest" of the market, etc., etc.

Yet it is flawed, and we saw the results in 2007-2008. The recovery funds for the financial sector was put in motion by Bush. Essentially, he had to do it because the collapse was under his watch, the result of ideology that he espoused and supported. Without doing something, the banking system would have come to a complete collapse and a depression would have ensued. So that was in place before Obama took office, but regardless, Obama was faced with the same necessity.

Then the domestic auto industry came to the brink. GM and Chrysler went into bankruptcy. The federal governments of the US and Canada became creditors to enable the companies to survive in some form. This is standard business practice, with certain conditions that protect jobs in both countries. (Bankruptcy (although under different rules) is also available to individuals who experience financial disaster.) Assuming GM and Chrysler survive and return to health, the governments who have invested will be able to sell their shares and recover the investment, and perhaps even healthy profit.

This is not socialism, as the yelping running dogs of the far right scream. (Note: That's SARCASM, a reference to Communist propaganda-speak from before you were born.) Socialism refers to when entire industrial and business sectors are under permanent ownership of the state. No matter what, the US and Canadian governments will not end up owning the auto sector.


I am amused when I hear people address the health care reform debate as "socialized medicine"; nothing could be further from the truth! Private enterprise will still own the hospitals, clinics, insurance companies, etc. All that will change are rules and regulations that broaden coverage. I have my doubts as to how effective this will be, but I think it might be a step forwrd, so am prepared to wait and see how things unfold. (My main concerns are that it is NOT universal and that it still involves too many payers and players, resulting in gross inefficiency and opportunity for discriminatory care. The underlying principle that I hold is that health care is a basic human right, not a privilege or semi-guarantee. This, of course, is a distinctly different discussion, but is one which I think would be valuable for the American public.)


Emotion -- anger and fear -- are valid. But when they become the ground upon which people make decisions, facts go out the window. The US entered and escalated the war in Viet Nam based not so much on reason but on ideological attachment -- the "domino theory", which is fear translated into foreign policy. The 2003 attack on Iraq was the same -- using public fear to justify an unjustifiable action. How many people needlessly died in both of those conflicts?


The same process is occurring now, though the circumstances are different. People are in the dark and afraid. When that occurs, people get angry and act on that anger. The essential question is NOT public policy, e.g., should we reform health care or not, should we help struggling companies, etc. The essential question is "How do we approach social policy in a manner that allows for reasoned (though not dispassionate) discourse, that respects the opinions of all and respects the proper place of not only the majority but everyone?"


I realize that Facebook is a social networking site, and normally serves for one-off comments that range from funny to flippant, sarcastic to serious, birth to death, etc. So rather than fill up space with a status response, I post this here, on my own blog.


To me, the basics are this: understanding the true nature of self (self/not self) and compassion. As I reflect on my own speech and actions, I am increasingly brought back to those compass points. When I look at North American society, I see this as the most pressing need.


I recommend you take a longer view. Your grandparents endured a prolonged depression. While there was debate, both ideological and practical, over policies, the predominant impression I have of that period is that people simply worked together. The impatience of youth is valuable because it adds energy to situations. It can motivate people to take action, it can energize. But precipitate action can also derail thoughtful consideration and careful action. An angry populace is not necessarily a train on the right track.

Grain and Softness

Sometimes fine grain and sharp focus aren't really the sine qua non. (Click the pic for link to full size.)

Yeah, I wasn't crazy

I've been wondering if maybe my perception of politics in the US was a figment of my imagination. Apparently not.

Paranoia is in vogue ... again.

No resolutions

I started this blog a few years ago with a reference to my intention to lose weight. In the intervening years I've lost maybe a few pounds, but not what I wanted ... or intended.

New Years resolutions are useless for most of us because we imagine doing things directly contrary to our nature, our skill set and our patterning. Doomed.

The past year has been wonderful and, in some ways, amazing for me. Yeah, I know, you'd never know it from this blog, as I just haven't been a real blogger. Oh well.

So in 2010, I have some things I want to accomplish, but they're not resolutions. Yes, I've given myself permission to NOT do stuff, which, in a strange way, opens up the path to actually doing. So here goes, here's the things I envision for 2010. Hold me to them, but don't nag, OK?

1. Lose about 20 lbs, maybe a bit more. I figure a pound a week (on average) is doable, so that is about .35lb/week over the whole year. I'd love to say "and exercise more and get really fit", but hey, let's just start, OK? Exercising and getting really fit would be, like, gravy. Ooops!
2. Shoot more 4x5. Large format photography is REAL photography, and demands discipline and commitment in multiple areas. Let's say an average of two 4x5 outings per month, which accommodates for the reality that I probably won't do much in winter and until at least a few of those 20 lbs are shed. Carrying a 4x5, tripod and some film holders ain't easy.
3. Shoot at least 80% b&w. I "see" in b&w, but often pop colour in the camera ... well, who knows why. But I know, inside, that my strength is in monochrome.
4. Do structured and accurate tests for film speed and development. I used to do that, but have been lax since I resumed photographing.
5. Savagely edit my work. My flickr postings have included a lot of stuff that was just ... stuff to post. Bah.

Most importantly, pursue the path of Zen. That will inform all of the above.

Segue into health care discussion

My friend George at Decrepit old Fool published a piece about peace and pacifism yesterday, to which I responded. Our friend, Sue Byler, (at least I'm pretty sure SueB = Sue Byler!) made the connection between the cost of war and violence and the lack of funding for socially desirable policies such as promoting policies that supported having a healthy citizenry. I started writing a reply to that specific comment, but decided not to hijack the thread, so publish it here.

Thanks, Sue, for the segue.

Sue: I agree with your sentiment regarding health care. But truly, health care is never "free", at least in the context of a socio-economic system based on an exchange of currency for goods and services.

I mention this only because (and sorry to hijack this thread...) I think using the word "free" in the context of the health care "debate" (if one can call it a true debate ... yelling/pissing match seems more appropriate...) is counterproductive for those of us who support universal health care.

And really, that is where the discussion should be centred right now. The reality is that a universal health care policy and system will save money and increase both efficiency and standard of living. But the minute we use the word "free", it inflames the right wing and even raises flags for many of those in the political centre.

Canada is often cited as having "free" health care. It isn't free. It is funded through taxes. The differences are:

1. It is universal and federally mandated under the Canada Health Care act.

2. Employment-based contribution or taxation is not required for coverage. In other words, if I lose my job, I am still entitled to health care services.

Beauty in a Garden

In ancient times, when I was a biology student in university, I worked as an undergraduate assistant in the department. I assisted a professor and his graduate student. Dr. Hetzel was a professor of invertebrate zoology, (note: it's pronounced "zO ology", not "zoo ology"!), which was what was my interest. This was due to my intention at the time of going into marine biology or some other form of aquatic biology. While there are plenty of vertebrates in aquatic environments, the invertebrate world forms the foundation of the animal kindgdom, and I felt was especially important in marine environments, hence its importance.

So for me, animal species that are seen as "icky" and evoke a "Yewwww!" or fear reactions are for me simply objects of curiosity if not fascination, and often of beauty and awe.

Dr. Hetzel's Masters student, Shirley Moore, was doing her research in slug hematology, i.e. the study of "slug blood". (I don't recall the species Ms. Moore worked with, though I believe it was the "common garden" slug.)

So when I saw this story in the the Toronto Star, the photo of this beautiful (yes beautiful!) slug just popped off the screen and took me back to the days when on the microtome, I sliced up the sacrificed slugs which had been embedded in parafin.

So the next time my wife calls me a "slug", I'll point out how beautiful a slug can be. Of course, she may still choose to think about parafin and slicing ...

Down Photo-Memory Lane

One reason well all love still photos is they can instantly evoke feelings, the lingering scent of a memory that is disintegrating in consciousness. But that aroma, that feeling can be instantly invoked by the photo. The photo is four years old, the camera/lens is likely older than most people on the planet. No matter.

(click for entire image)

On Matt's Wall

My young nephew Matt was in mourning the other day, a result of the House passing a health care bill. A wee discussion (OK, it was in danger of becoming a brush fire if not a firestorm) resulted. Trying not to fan the flames, I wrote a couple of responses, two being required due to the length limit on Facebook. For what it's worth, here's what I wrote.

One of the characteristics of the health care discussion, and the discussion of the direction of US social policy in general, has been the use of the word socialism. Those who are vehemently opposed to the social initiatives either enacted or proposed by the current administration use the blank term socialism quite loudly. (Some actually use socialism and fascism interchangeably, which makes my head spin!)

Both the tone and frequency of the use of the word indicates to me that it is being used as a “scare” word, a scare tactic, if you will. Of course in the minds of those who are strongly opposed, sometimes even strident, they are not scare mongering. But nonetheless few, if any, stop and clearly state their definition of socialism. One gets the distinct impression that socialism is anything which which they disagree regarding social policy and programs. Such a position does not foster true, constructive dialog, as those engaged would be forever disagreeing about definitions and perhaps never getting on to empirical issues, i.e., solving shared problems.

Before I insert some dictionary definitions of socialism, however, I do want to state that I do not come to the characterizing those opposed to universal health care as using scare words lightly. One thing that I have learned in observing human behaviour is that when people use scary, boogie man words, 99.99% of the time it is because they themselves are scared. They are scared of uncertainty, scared because they have been led to a place of fear or paranoia, or perhaps scared of something uncomfortable inside themselves which is being revealed by the debate at hand.

In US recent history, this is quite understandable, perhaps even predictable. The roots may stretch even further back, but they at least began growing with the Viet Nam war, accompanied by massive cultural shifts, an unprecedented communications revolution, additional armed conflicts that have shaken or at least challenged some core beliefs, and finally economic upheaval that has been both hard to understand and hard to take.

No wonder there has been fear, uncertainty and doubt.

Now, on to some definitions of socialism …

From dictionary.reference.com:

so⋅cial⋅ism
/ˈsoʊʃəˌlɪzəm/

–noun
.
1.a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.
2.procedure or practice in accordance with this theory.
3.(in Marxist theory) the stage following capitalism in the transition of a society to communism, characterized by the imperfect implementation of collectivist principles.

From merriam-webster.com:

Main Entry: so·cial·ism
Pronunciation: \ˈsō-shə-ˌli-zəm\
Function: noun
Date: 1837
1 : any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership an administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
2 a : a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
3 : a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done
Neither the OED or American Heritage have free online searches available, so I will have to be content that their definitions are substantially the same at their core, though perhaps more detailed. What is clear to me here, is that the term “socialism!” as applied to the health care debate misses the mark, and by a large margin.
In my opening response to Matt's post, I purposely used the term “social programs” to counterbalance his use of socialism. (Matt, of course, is better [and world-wide] known as a duct tape artiste. My own opinion is that so far he is much more accomplished in that genre than political acuity. But I'm working on him. ;) )

I wanted to tease out individual definitions of “socialism” that I knew needed to be declared, and provoke the kind of discussion we have been dancing around … or “around which we have been dancing”, to be a bit more stuffy.

Aside from the obvious need to define terms in any debate or discussion, I come at the specific debate on health care, and a discussion of social policy in general, from what I think is a more empirical viewpoint. I am trained as a scientist (biology and chemistry), and have made a career in computer networking. Both of those pursuits require clear definitions and scientific rigor, i.e., empiricism, for one to be successful. “Feelings” don't count. Opinion, ultimately, doesn't count when it comes to core technologies.

So having experienced both private and public, universal single payer health care, I can speak from experience that relatively few in the US have. This is why Trevor's question to Matt is, I think, important. As in Sweden, many other countries (democracies at that) have public health care. Canada, Norway, Sweden, UK, France (mixed model), etc. … and nearly all of them have health outcomes that are BETTER than the US. Life expectancy in Canada, where I live and work and which provides a reference in which all other major social factors are nearly identical to the US, is 5-7 years longer, IIRC, to the US. And the health care system is less expensive, by around 30%.

There is a real world example based on actual data, not theory or political posture. Even though the current government of Canada is far more right-leaning than makes me comfortable, they would be thrown out in a split second if they evinced any tendency to fundamentally challenge Medicare. Canadians love their beer, their arts and hockey. But if push came to shove they would give up those three rather than health care. (Note: Anyone who wants to present the political “ad” about the woman who had to come to the US to get live-saving treatment should think twice. That ad was a lie; the woman was NOT in a life threatening situation, as attested by multiple physicians and the head of the Ontario Medical Association (as I recollect), and in fact she sued the Ontario government to recover the money she had to acquire by way of a mortgage which she cannot now repay.)

Not only is health care considered a human right, but it is seen as a distinct advantage both socially and economically. Businesses that invest in Canada actually figure in the benefit of universal coverage when calculating their risk analysis and business plans. That is one reason the auto sector has been so strong in Canada, and not just for the domestic manufacturers, or what is left of the “Big Three”. Toyota and Honda are heavily invested in Canadian operations, and part of that is due to health care, along with the skilled labour force and support industries. The next time you buy a Corolla, Civic, Equinox, Flex, Camaro … think about that. All those vehicles are built in Canada, along with others.

And further evidence of Canadian “socialism” is the regulation of the banking industry. Being more heavily regulated in areas left unregulated in the US, Canadian banks are far stronger, having experienced far less loss and damage during the financial sector crisis originated in the US. Where there used to be laughter at the “stodgy, over-regulated” banks in Canada, there is now chagrin. The housing sector is healthy after a short dip, with the larger cities experiencing increasing values for new and re-sale homes. (Not that I consider that the absolute yardstick of health in real estate.)

One of the characteristics of the health care discussion, and the discussion of the direction of US social policy in general, has been the use of the word socialism. Those who are vehemently opposed to the social initiatives either enacted or proposed by the current administration use the blank term socialism quite loudly. (Some actually use socialism and fascism interchangeably, which makes my head spin!)

Both the tone and frequency of the use of the word indicates to me that it is being used as a “scare” word, a scare tactic, if you will. Of course in the minds of those who are strongly opposed, sometimes even strident, they are not scare mongering. But nonetheless few, if any, stop and clearly state their definition of socialism. One gets the distinct impression that socialism is anything which which they disagree regarding social policy and programs. Such a position does not foster true, constructive dialog, as those engaged would be forever disagreeing about definitions and perhaps never getting on to empirical issues, i.e., solving shared problems.

Before I insert some dictionary definitions of socialism, however, I do want to state that I do not come to the characterizing those opposed to universal health care as using scare words lightly. One thing that I have learned in observing human behaviour is that when people use scary, boogie man words, 99.99% of the time it is because they themselves are scared. They are scared of uncertainty, scared because they have been led to a place of fear or paranoia, or perhaps scared of something uncomfortable inside themselves which is being revealed by the debate at hand.... Read More

In US recent history, this is quite understandable, perhaps even predictable. The roots may stretch even further back, but they at least began growing with the Viet Nam war, accompanied by massive cultural shifts, an unprecedented communications revolution, additional armed conflicts that have shaken or at least challenged some core beliefs, and finally economic upheaval that has been both hard to understand and hard to take.

No wonder there has been fear, uncertainty and doubt.

Now, on to some definitions of socialism …

From dictionary.reference.com:

so⋅cial⋅ism
/ˈsoʊʃəˌlɪzəm/

–noun
.
1.a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.
2.procedure or practice in accordance with this theory.
3.(in Marxist theory) the stage following capitalism in the transition of a society to communism, characterized by the imperfect implementation of collectivist principles.

From merriam-webster.com:

Main Entry: so·cial·ism
Pronunciation: \ˈsō-shə-ˌli-zəm\
Function: noun
Date: 1837
1 : any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership an administration of the means of production and distribution of goods
2 a : a system of society or group living in which there is no private property b : a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state
3 : a stage of society in Marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done
Neither the OED or American Heritage have free online searches available, so I will have to be content that their definitions are substantially the same at their core, though perhaps more detailed. What is clear to me here, is that the term “socialism!” as applied to the health care debate misses the mark, and by a large margin.
In my opening response to Matt's post, I purposely used the term “social programs” to counterbalance his use of socialism. (Matt, of course, is better [and world-wide] known as a duct tape artiste. My own opinion is that so far he is much more accomplished in that genre than political acuity. But I'm working on him. ;) )

I wanted to tease out individual definitions of “socialism” that I knew needed to be declared, and provoke the kind of discussion we have been dancing around … or “around which we have been dancing”, to be a bit more stuffy.

Aside from the obvious need to define terms in any debate or discussion, I come at the specific debate on health care, and a discussion of social policy in general, from what I think is a more empirical viewpoint. I am trained as a scientist (biology and chemistry), and have made a career in computer networking. Both of those pursuits require clear definitions and scientific rigor, i.e., empiricism, for one to be successful. “Feelings” don't count. Opinion, ultimately, doesn't count when it comes to core technologies.

So having experienced both private and public, universal single payer health care, I can speak from experience that relatively few in the US have. This is why Trevor's question to Matt is, I think, important. As in Sweden, many other countries (democracies at that) have public health care. Canada, Norway, Sweden, UK, France (mixed model), etc. … and nearly all of them have health outcomes that are BETTER than the US. Life expectancy in Canada, where I live and work and which provides a reference in which all other major social factors are nearly identical to the US, is 5-7 years longer, IIRC, to the US. And the health care system is less expensive, by around 30%.

There is a real world example based on actual data, not theory or political posture. Even though the current government of Canada is far more right-leaning than makes me comfortable, they would be thrown out in a split second if they evinced any tendency to fundamentally challenge Medicare. Canadians love their beer, their arts and hockey. But if push came to shove they would give up those three rather than health care. (Note: Anyone who wants to present the political “ad” about the woman who had to come to the US to get live-saving treatment should think twice. That ad was a lie; the woman was NOT in a life threatening situation, as attested by multiple physicians and the head of the Ontario Medical Association (as I recollect), and in fact she sued the Ontario government to recover the money she had to acquire by way of a mortgage which she cannot now repay.)

Not only is health care considered a human right, but it is seen as a distinct advantage both socially and economically. Businesses that invest in Canada actually figure in the benefit of universal coverage when calculating their risk analysis and business plans. That is one reason the auto sector has been so strong in Canada, and not just for the domestic manufacturers, or what is left of the “Big Three”. Toyota and Honda are heavily invested in Canadian operations, and part of that is due to health care, along with the skilled labour force and support industries. The next time you buy a Corolla, Civic, Equinox, Flex, Camaro … think about that. All those vehicles are built in Canada, along with others.

And further evidence of Canadian “socialism” is the regulation of the banking industry. Being more heavily regulated in areas left unregulated in the US, Canadian banks are far stronger, having experienced far less loss and damage during the financial sector crisis originated in the US. Where there used to be laughter at the “stodgy, over-regulated” banks in Canada, there is now chagrin. The housing sector is healthy after a short dip, with the larger cities experiencing increasing values for new and re-sale homes. (Not that I consider that the absolute yardstick of health in real estate.)

Matt, Thomas, et al … the lack of universal, affordable health care has been killing the US for decades now. It is exactly the opposite of what you posit. I am not naïve (or stupid) enough to believe that any public health care system is perfect. I am not naïve (or stupid) enough to believe that government involvement in any social program is without problems or even, at some stages, peril. I am not naïve (or stupid) enough to propose that the Medicare in Canada, NHS in the UK, or the systems in other countries with universal care are without inefficiencies and open to abuse and even, sometimes, corruption.

But I am also not naïve (or stupid) enough to hope, against all past experience, that a completely private system, monopolized by a relative few large corporations, will extend care to all, will root out its own dishonesty and the corruption of blacklisting subscribers on the basis of a corporate profit outlook required to satisfy Wall Street analysts who wouldn't know the difference between a suture and the incision requiring it. Nor could they care.

Thomas, your reply to my “rights” statement was interesting. I sincerely apologized because I hadn't made myself clear, and I really should have made a greater effort.

What your response told me was that you didn't understand that I was speaking of a human right rather than a commercial opportunity. Your example, that of being able to go to Shell or Exxon, etc., and buy gasoline as long as you have the money, is not a “right” in the same sense. It is, as I stated above, a commercial opportunity. It's interesting that you have the civil (i.e., social) right to do so without discrimination against your race, ethnicity, disability or religion, precisely because of the entrenchment of your human rights within the law of the land.

As long as we cast health care within the sole realm of commercial enterprise, we won't agree. All that progressives are trying to do is extend what we sincerely hold as a human right into a democratic society. If we could all stop with the hyperbolic and hysterical rhetoric, maybe we could come to understanding, and perhaps, then, some agreement.

Peace

Blog Roll Addition: John Densky

This past summer, I had the pleasure of meeting John Densky, a freelance photojournalist based in London, ON and Montreal. I added his site to the blog roll. In two days I learned a lot from John, and it is possible we may collaborate in the future. Hooking up with John and Larry Towell at the Home County Folk Festival on the same weekend was amazing ... I remember being ecstatic afterwards, telling my wife that "this was one of the best weekends of my life." She was glad, and I was glad she didn't ask "better than the weekend we got married?" LOL ... Thanks, sweetie!

It's not fair, but here is the "fearless" Densky, photographing a giggling daughter ... Giggling because of what her camera will capture on self-timer. Peace.

Living by the Sydenham River

When I worked at University of Western Ontario, one of the residences was Medway-Sydenham Hall. Sydenham was taken from the Sydenham River, which winds its way through SWO (Southwestern Ontario), with its source near London, emptying into Lake St. Clair.

The previous blog entry about growing junk food had additional impact because not only do I know the area somewhat, but one of my favourite photographers, Larry Towell of Magnum, lives close to the Sydenham in Lambton County.

Larry Towell
Home County Folk Festival
London, ON
July 2009

I met up with Larry at the Home County Festival in London this past summer. It wasn't planned; he, his wife and a son just happened to be there. I had attended the first festival 35 years ago and hadn't had the opportunity since. It turns out Larry and Ann have been attending ever since I left London in 1977.

If you don't know Larry's work, a "gentle" way to get into it is his marvelous book The World from My Front Porch. There you will find, through Larry's excellent writing as well as his photographs, the attachment his family has to the land near the Sydenham. Juxtaposed with the junk food article, the images of Larry's children growing up in an idyllic setting where they used to be able swim in a Sydenham before it became sick and unfit slam home the awful and sad reality of a junk food society.