Celebration of life

Recently I went to a celebration of life for a family member, and as I listened to the speakers talk about the deceased, I noticed a theme. The theme was the importance of the relationship each speaker held with the deceased. 

Family members talked of her love and support, friends talked of her support. One person talked about a time in his life when he was going through a very hard time and the fact that the deceased was the only one that had faith in him and supported him.

As I talked to my nephew. after the speakers had finished, he talked about the stress of balancing family life and work. I was impressed that he was committed to putting more time into family than into work. 

I talked about the generational gap, his father and I belong to a generation that allowed work to define who we were/are. 

His generation has moved away from this position, which is a good thing. I am not sure if my generation were as bad as our parents for allowing work to mold, shape and identify the way we saw ourselves, but many of us still see ourselves as our job title.

At the celebration of life, no one talked about the work of the deceased, except to mention the how well she treated everyone at work, and how she stood up for the ones who could not stand up for themselves.

At the end of the day, it is our relationships, not our work that define how and by whom we are remembered. Make the relationships you have work for others in a positive manner.

September 17th Take Canada Back Day UPDATE

The following is from the Occupy Canada Facebook page, source at the end of the post:

Puppet Harper is destroying Canada for his corporate masters. Haven't you noticed Canada isn't recognizable right now? Have a look at all of the sources attached below. Join us across Canada on September 17th on the first day parliament returns, it's time to rally the country and Take Canada Back! 

If you don't live in Canada, or otherwise won't be in the country to commemorate the anniversary of the Occupy Movement, never fear, there are local rallies happening around the world! Check here for one local to you!

International Rallies:
http://s17nyc.org/2012/09/13/solidarity-for-s17-from-friends-around-the-globe/

Canadian Rallies:
https://www.facebook.com/events/351278528284242/

**TAKE CANADA BACK! RALLIES ACROSS CANADA**
PICK YOUR CITY! September 17, 2012 http://on.fb.me/RxVvF2

S17 Info-List: *NEW* 8 Updates TWITTER: #S17 #cdnpoli #StopHarper #TakeCanadaBack #OccupyCanada

MAIN PORTAL: http://www.facebook.com/NationalStopHarperCampaign

LIVE STREAM TEAM -*NEW* Contact: Jeremy Oh http://www.facebook.com/ghostinthemachine2011

CITIES PARTICIPATING ACROSS CANADA
-Cross-Canada
https://www.facebook.com/events/351278528284242/ -Ottawa

https://www.facebook.com/events/348417911906865/ -*NEW* Ottawa (7 Days of Marching)

https://www.facebook.com/events/310452425719967/ -Toronto

https://www.facebook.com/events/413249482043587 -*NEW* Sault Ste Marie

https://www.facebook.com/events/255959671173756/ -Winnipeg

https://www.facebook.com/events/515719308443210/ -Regina

https://www.facebook.com/events/274643825984321/ -Calgary

https://www.facebook.com/events/414589168578123/ -*NEW* Edmonton

https://www.facebook.com/events/429418993759983/ -Vancouver

https://www.facebook.com/events/274449842667826/ -Yellowknife

https://www.facebook.com/events/216652461795344/ -New York

http://s17nyc.org/

OTHER
-*NEW* March to Ottawa S.O.S. (page) https://www.facebook.com/OnToOttawa

-*NEW* Bike to Ottawa (profile & website) https://www.facebook.com/mountain.s.hippy
http://gdhippy.wix.com/bikeridefordemocracy

-*NEW* Sept 15th, Ottawa Tuition (event)  https://www.facebook.com/events/296853467088433/

-*NEW* Sept 15th, Global Protest (page)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Day-of-Global-Protest-September-15/470897186261286


"You won’t recognize Canada when I get through with it." -Stephen Harper. 2006 quote.

Quote source 1.
May 5, 2012- National post: “You won’t recognize Canada when I’m through with it,” warned Prime Minister Stephen Harper in 2006
source: http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/05/05/noah-richler-a-nation-playing-war/

Quote source 2.
Stephen Harper once said ‘you won’t recognize Canada when I get through with it.’
source: http://www.hilltimes.com/policy-briefing/2012/02/06/is-this-the-end-of-canadian-medicare/29460

Quote source 3.
There are some in the parliamentary press gallery in Ottawa who firmly believe that Stephen Harper has told his closest confidantes that they won’t recognize Canada once he is done governing. Are these recent changes part of what he has in mind?
source: http://thechronicleherald.ca/thenovascotian/100789-stephen-harper-vs-atlantic-canada


Quote source 4.
Indulge me as I repeat that last sentence. "You won't recognize Canada when I get through with it". In the original ad, the segment was ended with a three word commentary, 'He wasn't kidding'. Turns out he really wasn't kidding.
source: http://www.halifaxlive.com/content/view/690/32/

Stephen Harper and the almost unlimited power of a majority government
source: http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/gerry-caplan/2012/06/stephen-harper-and-almost-unlimited-power-majority-government-ca

http://sorryworld.ca/

All references attached below:
___________________________

WARNING: Harper wants 1984 Big Brother Government to spy on you (Bill C-30)
WATCH VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhlfL9iwxu4

Toronto Star: Haroon Siddiqui -"Harper acting like an elected dictator"
source: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/article/740829--siddiqui-harper-acting-like-an-elected-dictator

Macleans Magazine: Andrew Potter-
"Want Harper to be less of a dictator? Give him a majority." Yeah that worked.. after his government prorogued parliament and then was found in contempt.

source: http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/03/28/want-harper-to-be-less-of-a-dictator-give-him-a-majority/

Harper wrote about Canada being a dictatorship in 1997..

CBC news: Terry Milewski - "So, let's consider that obscure but intriguing article, written in 1997 by two brainy conservatives, Tom Flanagan and Stephen Harper. Yes, it calls Canada "a benign dictatorship."
source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadavotes2011/story/2011/03/30/cv-milewski-harper-coalition.html

Huffington Post: Harper Conquers Canada, One Robocall at a Time.
Election fraud: We should not treat this as some petty misdemeanor. This is a grave threat to our very basic freedom. This is a threat to our democracy. This is corruption. "This isn't a story about "dirty tricks," it's about election fraud. This isn't "stupid," it's illegal. This isn't "folly," it was a deliberate, systematic, strategic, targeted campaign to steal the election. This isn't "voter suppression," it's stealing democracy."
source: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/jim-harris/robocalls-scandal_b_1305397.html?ref=canada

Government of Canada Renamed 'The Harper Government'
CBC News Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXywZ7ycXTI

'Harper Government' Not 'Government Of Canada': Why Did Tories Pursue 'Harperization'? Documents obtained by The Canadian Press reveal widespread incomprehension and unease among public service professionals who have been ordered to change "Government of Canada" to "Harper Government" in non-partisan communications materials.
source: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/11/30/harper-government-harperization_n_1121897.html

Tories rebrand ‘Government of Canada’ as ‘Harper Government’
source: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/948436--tories-rebrand-government-of-canada-as-harper-government

Harper shuts down Parliament
“Three times in three years and twice within one year, the prime minister takes this extraordinary step to muzzle Parliament. This time it’s a coverup of what the Conservatives knew, and when they knew it, about torture in Afghanistan. So their solution is not to answer the questions but, rather, to padlock Parliament and shut down democracy.”
source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2009/12/30/parliament-prorogation-harper.html

Harper government impedes process of collective bargaining, strike right
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/232933.html

May 28, 2012- Dark days for Canada's trade unions
"This is not just a war on unions. It's an attack on all working people in Canada to fundamentally change the labour market in ways that benefit employers.''
source: http://www.canada.com/business/Dark+days+Canada+trade+unions/6691375/story.html

Google any of these references for the article sources to pop up.

☑ Stephen Harper called Canada a dictatorship, Google it.
☑Stephen Harper met secretly with China's propaganda minister
☑ Stephen Harper renamed the Government of Canada after himself. (The Harper Government)
☑ Harper Government broke the law when dismantling Canadian Wheat Board
☑ Harper Government broke election laws
☑ Harper government spending $1Billion dollars on armed drones for our military.
☑ Harper plans to privatize Canada's prisons.
☑ Harper wants police to spy on ALL Canadians with no warrants
☑ Harper secretly allowed U.S troops full access into Canada.
☑ Harper secretly allowed U.S police/F.B.I full access into Canada.
☑ Harper Government Building $9 Million Barricades for Parliament Hill
☑ Harper Government building $46 Million glass dome for parliament
☑ Found in Contempt, first time in Canadian history
☑ Harper has Majority in Parliament
☑ Harper has Majority in the senate
☑ Approx. $1 Billion spent for Harper's G20 3 day security summit
☑ Harper paid the RCMP $500 million at the G20 summit
☑ Harper's personal security costs $47 million in just under two years
☑ Harper government $2 million fake lake, and $9.4 million dollar G20 fence
☑ Largest mass violations of civil rights and largest mass arrests in Canadian history at Harper's G20, Harper chose downtown Toronto
☑ Harper's Omnibus crime bill estimated to cost $19 billion
☑ $25 Billion contract for Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets
☑ Canadian census contracted to Lockheed Martin for $81 million
☑ Harper spending $35-billion for new ships
☑ $9 Billion for New super Jails when crime rates are the lowest in 40 years
☑ Canadian loss of Sovereignty in secret border deal with US
☑ Prorogued Parliament (twice shut down parliament in face of opposition)
☑ Harper government illegal $50 Million dollar "G8 Legacy fund"
☑ Harper Government hires $90,000-a-day 'cuts' consultant firm
☑ Harper government covered up afghan torture
☑ Harper adviser Tom Flanagan called for the assassination of Julian Assange
☑ Harper adviser Bruce Carson fraud x5/prostitute scandal/Native water contracts
☑ Harper adviser huge segal, a senator wants to erode Canada into a "North American community" giving control to private bankers and corporations.
☑ Harper spent $23 million on a media centre for the G8 leaders 3 day summit.
☑ Federal spending up 22% since Harper took power
☑ Harper spending $28 million for the War of 1812-1814 commemoration
☑ $226M in proposed veterans cuts by the Harper Government
☑ The Harper government dropped more than $10 million on news conferences over the past five years
☑ Harper cuts over $200 million in environment spending
☑ Harper defends asbestos exports despite cancer risks
☑ "Ordinary folks don't care about arts": Harper
☑ "People don't care about Afghan detainee issue": Harper
☑ "Canadian people don't care about contempt" :Harper
Feel free to add to this list..

Shared by Derek Soberal@OccupyCanada http://www.facebook.com/OccupyCanada

Bottom of Form

Canada Eh!

Thanks the Jen for this wonderful view of Canada
Source: https://www.facebook.com/#!/richard.hansen86

Bogus cell phone Fire Warning email

I received an email from a friend about the danger of cell phones when filling up on gas, as usual when I receive these types of messages I do a bit of homework before I send them on. 

What I found out about this is below and is from this site:The message which you recently received is a HOAX.  Someone (has intentionally taken legitimate information from web-sites and other sources and added false information to it for some perverted purpose, to scare people about using cell phones at service stations while fueling.  The "information" provided about "150 refueling fires caused by cell phones" is totally false - a fabrication, an outright lie.  Please forward this message to other people whom you may already have forwarded the first message to.  We have enough things to worry about today without wasting time or nervous energy fearing bogus threats.

I am an environmental engineer in private practice, with more than 20 years in the U S Army Corps of Engineers and 17 years in private practice as an engineer in ten states and five foreign countries.  As part of my practice, I teach "Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response" (HAZWOPER) classes in accordance with OSHA requirements for people who work with hazardous materials and hazardous wastes, including fuel; I also teach mining safety (MSHA) classes for miners in both hard-rock/coal and sand and gravel operations, and I analyze facilities for environmental safety and health issues.  I can tell you that this is a completely false claim.

But don't just take my word for it.  The bogus story claims that their information comes from the Petroleum Equipment Institute, but mysteriously, the URL (web address) embedded in the message doesn't work.  When you go to the REAL PEI site, you will find exactly how someone has corrupted their message about stopping static when refueling your vehicle.  Go part way down the page, just past the list of safe rules (notice, only 3 and not 4 rules) and you see:  "Are cell phones responsible?  No. We have not documented a single incident that was caused by a cellular telephone."  They go on to talk about the very message that was forwarded to you.

Also, visit another web site, one of several which attempts to provide accurate rumors about hoaxes like this.  It states in part:

Summary of the eRumor
A message said to have resulted from a conversation with Robert Renkes of The Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) who says there have been more than 150 cases of fires caused by sparks from static electricity igniting gasoline vapors. The eRumor says it has happened mostly to women, mostly with Dodge Caravans, and mostly among people who have re-entered their cars during refueling. The email encourages caution when drivers are filling their tanks at gas stations.

The Truth
Robert Renkes, the Petroleum Equipment Institute, and a report on fires started by static electricity are real. The institute is sponsoring a project called "Stop Static."
Static electricity is the build-up of an electrical charge, such as around a person, that can be discharged when coming into contact with the ground or anything connected to the ground, such as a light switch, an elevator door, or even another person. When that happens, people feel a "shock" as the electricity discharges. To minimize the danger of static sparks igniting gas vapors, the pump nozzles at gas stations have a wire that "grounds" the nozzles to the equipment. The Petroleum Equipment Institute says there are many fires that have been started by flame, cigarettes, or electrical sparks, but until recently, there had not been much documentation about fires started by sparks from static electricity. Further, the fires happened where there was no open flame, no cigarette, and the pump nozzle was properly grounded.

In a report on their website (www.pei.org), the institute says it has collected data regarding more than 150 fires that they believe have been started by static sparking. They recommend more research, but their conclusion is that most of the fires resulted from a motorist scooting in and out of the car during the refueling, which caused a build-up of static electricity. Then when the motorist touched the pump handle or the area around the gas cap, the spark discharge[d] and ignited the gas vapors.

The "Stop Static" campaign recommends three rules for making refueling a vehicle safer:
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Extinguish any cigarette.
3. Don't get in and out of the car during the refueling.

Some of the other findings in the PEI report include that all of the fires took place on days of dry weather, usually also cold weather, and that the drivers mostly wore shoes with rubber soles. One of the versions of this eRumor says the incidents happened mostly to women, but there is no information in the report about that.

The PEI report did not blame any of the fires on cell phones. Although some gas companies and cell phone manufacturers say cell phones should not be used at gas stations, there have been no gasoline fires or explosions that anybody knows of caused by radio transmissions from cell phones. CLICK HERE for more details on that.

If you need more confirmation, or believe you have evidence that contradicts this, please contact me.  I'll be glad to examine it. In the meantime, help stamp out rumors like this.  I don't know what perverted thrill someone got from creating this story out of whole cloth, but their motivation cannot be good.

Oh, and yes, you will see a lot of labels of fuel pumps at various convenience stores, service stations, truck stops, etc. that warn you to turn off your cell phone.  These are just proof that even petroleum distributors and sellers get fooled by hoaxes as well - as even at least one state legislature has.  Ask the manager of the store to research on their own and find out that what they are doing is spreading a vicious rumor which, if anything, harms the industry campaigns to improve consumer safety, and makes people skeptical of ALL warnings.
Nathan A. Barton, CE, PE, DEE
Environmental Engineer

The original scam message:

Shell Oil Comments - A Must Read 

Safety Alert! Here's some reasons why we don't allow cell phones in operating areas, propylene oxide handling and storage area, propane, gas and diesel refueling areas.
The Shell Oil Company recently issued a warning after three incidents in which mobile phones (cell phones) ignited fumes during fueling operations

In the first case, The phone was placed on the car's trunk lid during fueling; it rang and the ensuing fire destroyed the car and the gasoline pump.

In the second, an individual Suffered severe burns to their face when fumes ignited as they answered a call while refueling their car!

And in the third, An individual suffered burns to the thigh and groin as fumes ignited when the phone, which was in their pocket, rang while they were fueling their car.

You should know that: Mobile Phones can ignite fuel or fumes

Mobile phones that light up when switched on or when they ring release enough energy to provide a spark for ignition

Mobile phones should not be used in filling stations, or when fueling lawn mowers, boat, Etc.
Mobile phones should not be used, or should be turned off, around other materials that generate flammable or explosive fumes or dust, (i.e., solvents, chemicals, gases, grain dust, etc.)

To Sum it up, here are the: Four Rules for Safe Refueling

1) Turn off engine
2) Don't smoke
3) Don't use your cell phone - leave it inside the vehicle or turn it off
4) Don't re-enter your vehicle during fueling

Bob Renkes of Petroleum Equipment Institute is working on a campaign to try and make people aware of fires as a result of 'static electricity' at gas pumps. His company has researched 150 cases of these fires.

His results were very surprising:
1) Out of 150 cases, almost all of them were women.
2) Almost all cases involved the person getting back in their vehicle while the nozzle was still pumping gas.  When finished, they went back to pull the nozzle out and the fire started, as a result of static.
3) Most had on rubber-soled shoes.
4) Most men never get back in their vehicle until completely finished.  This is why they are seldom involved in these types of fires.
5) Don't ever use cell phones when pumping gas
6) It is the vapors that come out of the gas that cause the fire, when connected with static charges.
7) There were 29 fires where the vehicle was re-entered and the nozzle was touched during refueling from a variety of makes and models.  Some resulted in extensive damage to the vehicle, to the station, and to the customer.
8) Seventeen fires occurred before, during or immediately after the gas cap was removed and before fueling began.

Mr. Renkes stresses to NEVER get back into your vehicle while filling it with gas.

If you absolutely HAVE to get in your vehicle while the gas is pumping, make sure you get out, close the door TOUCHING THE METAL, before you ever pull the nozzle out.  This way the static from your body will be discharged before you ever remove the nozzle.

As I mentioned earlier, The Petroleum Equipment Institute, along with several other companies now, are really trying to make the public aware of this danger.  You can find out more information by going to <http://www.pei.org/ > Once here, click in the center of the screen where it says 'Stop Static'.

I ask you to please send this in formation to ALL your family and friends, especially those who have kids in the car with them while pumping gas.  If this were to happen to them, they may not be able to get the children out in time. Thanks for passing this along.

End of the bogus message
For more information, read this 2002 article from Von Mises: “New Technology, Old Scams”