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Braces For My Teeth: Eating

A little more than one week has past since the first stage of my new orthodontics braces. Although I had only minor discomfort at first, without any pain, now some of my teeth somtimes feel sore from the braces, and eating is still problematic.

Everything I eat is soft food, and I am getting tired of it. Almost everything I eat I must cook and or cut up into bit sizes pieces, placing it at the back of my mouth, Even then, I have to chew most all solid food slowly and carefully. Wire ocassionally digs in to my check. I have to wonder and worry about what I am going to eat at a summer barbecue, or at any other time eating away from home. Eating has become such an apprehensive and joyless activity.

I know I will forget about all this when my treatment is completed, and I see the result that is having straight teeth. I am getting restless waiting for the braces on my bottom teeth to be installed. I so look forward to the day when I can actually smile. And I am also looking forward to the day I can eat whatever I want to again.

© Trevor Dailey

Braces For My Teeth: Science And Posterity

As I mentioned before regarding my orthodontics braces, placing braces on my teeth was a challenge. Even the moulds that were taken of my teeth before treatment began were somewhat problematic in obtaining.

Thinking more about it now, I would have liked the dental office to have video recorded the installation of my braces. This video, I think, would have been useful to show orthodontics students as part of their education, or for use in dentistry or orthodontics lectures; or something. The reason is simply that I like science, and I think I would have made a good test case. My teeth, that is.

Not that I would have somehow advanced the progression of dental science, but I would have thought it helpful as a teaching tool. At least they have the X-rays and the moulds to use. Although I am interested in those artifacts as well.

I am certain I am not the worst they have seen anyway.

© Trevor Dailey

Learning A Little About South Korea

South Korea isn't a place I have given much thought to. I even 'missed' the 60th anniversary in 2013 of the end of the Korean War. However, my interest in South Korea was sparked by the most unlikely of sources.

I happened to come across some modern South Korean music on the Internet, and what got my attention was the english words placed within the songs. Why did these South Korean songs have english words added to them?

At first I thought that it was because of some sort of a fad, but the words kind of made sense in the songs, and were sung as well as the Korean words. I reasoned there must be something more to it, so I listened to more popular South Korean songs. I admit, I did start enjoying some of them after a while even though generally it isn't my cup of tea music. Pop, Dance, Techo music; whatever it is called today. 

What I soon discovered is the two main languages in South Korea are Korean and english. English is taught in school in South Korea. Instead of these young South Koreans singing english words that they did not know the meanings to, as I first thought, they probably know exactly what the english words mean they are singing, and how to correctly sing those english words. Just as they do for Korean words. Fascinating. 

Funny how I never thought much about South Korea until I heard some music, that led me to learning a little about South Korea, and then I realized that if South Korea had been abandoned in 1950 the freedom of South Korea most certainly would not exist today. All of Korea would be of darkness and desolation that North Korea is today. I may or may not like the music, but I am glad I am able to hear it. It means South Korea is still free, as I hope North Korea will be someday too.

© Trevor Dailey

CIA - The World Factbook - Korea, South

Canada Remembers the Korean War

Grolier Multimedia Maps: The Korean War 

Checking Facts From The Internet

The Internet is full of information, and not all of it is correct. I first heard about this quote after part of it was read on a radio show/podcast called, Just Right. 

A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.

Great nations rise and fall. The people go from bondage to spiritual truth, to great courage, from courage to liberty, from liberty to abundance, from abundance to selfishness, from selfishness to complacency, from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back again to bondage.

The quote, sent in by a listener, was attributed to Alexander Tytler. I liked the quote, so I searched for it on the 'net. I found it, but there was something odd about it to me. It didn't feel like something written in 1770 to me. The same quote I found on different sites had the word "lousy" in it, and I knew the informal word "lousy" was not used in 1770. Of course, with the cut, copy, paste, propagate Internet I kept finding the same suspicious quote. Then I found a webpage that taught me once again to remember that just because it is on the Internet does not mean it is true, factual, or correct. Tytler never said, nor ever wrote, that quote. 

The Truth About Tytler

Remember that old newspaper reporter mantra to always check the facts. 

© Trevor Dailey

Learning Latin

Why am I wasting my time trying to learn a dead language?

I suppose I could continue to waste my time learning other dead subjects, including history, english grammar, and science, subjects I don't think are taught in school anymore; however, I have decided to add to my time wasting with the self study of Latin.

When I say Latin, I am speaking of the language of the Romans. This Latin, called classical latin today, was the spoken and written language of Romans. It is still used today in scientific literature, and was used officially until the 1960s by the Roman Catholic Church. Latin, like english, has changed over the years, and there are different kinds of Latin, e.g. the Latin written in official documents in England is not identical to the Latin of the Romans. I am beginning with Roman Latin.

Today, we see Latin in the english language in abbreviations and words. Some words in english are from Latin. This can be discovered by looking up words in a good english dictionary that lists the origin of english words. I used an abbreviation of Latin origin in the above paragraph:

e.g.

abbreviation

for example.

ORIGIN from Latin exempli gratia ‘for the sake of an example.’

Source: Oxford Dictionary

There are resources on the Internet to learn Latin, and I am learning from an old Latin school textbook (from when Latin was taught in school) that was digitized and placed online at the Internet Archive. There is lots of other Latin learning material there too. I am finding Latin not an easy language to learn, but it seems to make more sense to me than english does in the way that Latin is constructed as a language.

I might be wasting my time learning a dead language, but that isn't going to prevent me from learning as much Latin as I can. Besides, I believe one should never stop learning.

© Trevor Dailey 

VIDEO: Romans Go Home - Monty Python's Life of Brian

Foray Into Fiction: (The Big Bad Wolf III)

***SCENE***

[Werewolf in human form sitting at table. Aloof. Across sit two men. Woman standing. Three other men standing. One of three other men places covered plates in front of two men at table first. They lift covers to reveal meal. Covered plate placed in front of still aloof werewolf. Two men across eating. Werewolf decides to eat. Lifts cover. Reveals dog bowl filled with dry dog food. Sweeps bowl off table. Lunges at man who placed plate. Two men across table leap up and intercept werewolf. Woman restrains werewolf from front. Werewolf wrestled to ground. Werewolf almost overpowering the three. Werewolf is enraged as he fights to get to the one other man. Two other men stand ready to hold the one other man back, but the one other man makes no effort to reach werewolf.]

[Woman to other man. Angry.] What the hell is wrong with you?!

[Other man] Me? What's wrong with your dog?

[Werewolf continues to fight to get to the one other man]

[The one other man seeing werewolf is being restrained gets more arrogant]

[The one other man] Come on, doggy!

[Woman calms werewolf down. He gets to his feet, still held back by two men and woman. Werewolf still angry but controlling himself.]

[The one other man] You'd better keep your dog on a leash from now on. [Pretends to pick hair off himself] And you might want to brush him a little more too.

[Two men ready to restrain werewolf again. Werewolf turns around and walks away.]

[The one other man] Yeah, you just keep walking! Any time! Any place!

[Werewolf under his breath as he walks away, back turned] My time. My place.

[One of two men to woman] He is getting stronger. It won't be long before he can make the change to wolf form again. Then nobody will be able to hold him back. Good thing you can control him like that.

[Woman] I don't control him. He only trusts me. And that is probably the only thing that is keeping him from killing us all.

***SCENCE****

[Werewolf on floor facedown. Human form. Beaten. Close up. Foot pushes dog bowl filled with dry dog food toward his face.]

[Male voice off camera] Not hungry?

***SCENE***

[Woman dressed as Little Red Riding Hood approaches man. Man sees her.]

[Man. Snidely] Oh, it's just you. [Mockingly] What the matter? Have you lost your dog?

[Werewolf in wolf form surprises man and slams man against wall pinning him by the throat. Man choking and desperately struggling to get free. Overpowered. Werewolf glaring directly into man's face. Snarling.]

[Woman walks over to man as she removes a handfull of dry dog food from her dress pocket. Crams dry dog food into man's gasping mouth. Some pieces spill to ground. Turns and walks away. Camera follows her in close up as sounds of werewolf violence is heard in the background.]

***SCENE***

© Trevor Dailey

Braces For My Teeth: Repairs

Two brackets detached, and so I had to have new ones put on five days into having my orthodonic braces. Replacing two brackets took about 30 minutes to do. Fortunately, one was on one of my bottom teeth, and that bottom teeth work has yet to be completed. The dental hygienist asked me with some concern if I swallowed the bracket. I hadn't, but I wouldn't be bothered if I did. I still have it.

It wasn't anything I ate, mashed potatoes, that caused the brackets to come off, so it seems the brackets just were not bonded well enough. However, I think I will be staying with yogurt and other semi liquid foods for a while. I don't want to have anymore problems with my orthodontics braces for a while at least. I expect to be getting my bottom teeth braced in the coming weeks.

© Trevor Dailey

Downtown Shopping

This evening, I was downtown doing some shopping. I don't shop downtown, but there was a store close by that had what I needed, so I walked to the downtown drug store. To my surprise, there were no shady characters, or panhandlers on my way there. Usually, downtown is where one is going to meet such people.

I entered the store, and I walked around, looking for what I wanted. Not long after, I heard an assertive female voice ask, "Do you want to pay for those glasses now?"

A similar question was repeated, and then a male voice joined in with similar questions. As I listened, I learned some guy had come in wearing sunglasses, and then did the old switch the old ones with new ones. He was caught doing it, and still had the tag attached to the new glasses as he was denying attempting to steal anything. They told him to leave, and he didn't seem to want to until he was threatened with a police call. "Don't call the cops!" he said in a worried voice, and he quickly left.

"Downtown," I thought to myself, and I continued shopping. This could happen anywhere, but I expect it to happen downtown, and when it does, I am not surprised. The store probably deals with such incidents everyday. At least it wasn't an armed robbery.

© Trevor Dailey

Braces For My Teeth

I am over the age of 40, and I now have orthodontics braces for the first time. Although braces can be put on teeth at any age, most people have braces in their teens; however; it seems more adults are getting braces. I am extremely fortunate that my dentist is providing this valuable service to me free of charge. One person who would benefit from dental improvement the most is selected per year for free dental care. I never thought I would ever be able to afford fixing my teeth, so I never thought I would be able to have this done.

Right now, only my top teeth have braces. Just the brackets that are attached to each tooth, and a wire. It took 2 to 2 and a half hours just to do the top. The bottom teeth will be done later. I expect this to be just as long. My teeth are crowded and misaligned in many places making the proceedure challenging. 

Besides the braces being a minor irritant, they do not bother me much at all, and I will get used to them in time. I have had no pain from the braces, as I expected. What does bother me is having to change my diet and leaning how to eat a different way. 

One can't eat certain types of foods while teeth braces are attached to avoid damage to the braces and causing tooth decay because the braces are difficult to clean. Eating is no longer something I take for granted anymore, it is no longer enjoyable, and it is something I am finding I avoid for as long as possible. Figuring out what to eat is difficult for me. I don't normally eat a variety of foods, so having to eliminate some staple foods like breads, tea, and peanut butter causes problems for me. Of course, I should just as my dentist if I can eat a certain food or not. Once I get used to it, things should improve.

Cleaning of the braces is the biggest problem. It takes a lot of time. It is the flossing that takes so long. Flossing is difficult, time consuming, and very frustrating. My dentist provided me with instructions and supplies, but it is very difficult to do. However, cleaning my braced teeth is extremely important, so I do my best. 

My crowded and misaligned teeth adult teeth have had a rough time of it over some 30 years. It will be years more before this metal is removed from my teeth, but it will be worth it in the end. Having healthy teeth, and a not being afraid to smile, is going to change my life.

© Trevor Dailey

Victoria Day Fireworks Displays

It is the Victoria Day weekend, and as per usual, the fireworks go off all weekend. Not the 'official' ones, the fireworks people buy themselves and light off.

Rarely are these in city fireworks seen, they don't go high enough, but they are heard. Most of these fireworks going off is without issue. Only a few get really annoying being set off at inappropriate times and places by inconsiderate people. As long as people are responsible, well-behaved, and respectful of the rights of others with the fireworks, I personally do not have a problem.

There is an seven page (really) city by-law regarding fireworks, but I have never known it to be enforced. Firecrackers are illegal. I am not making this up. It is another by-law created by a meddling and controlling city council. 

The tradition is to have the fireworks display on the night of the celebration, but many people can't wait. From just before sunset, while the sky is still light, they start. The cracking, thumping, whistling, banging, and popping sounds often fill the air for hours into the night. The big event is the 'official' fireworks displays that people are invited to go see. 

The City does a poor job in providing information on the "the largest fireworks display in the London area!". There is no time, specific location, or cost given. I suppose one is to find these details out for oneself. Like when one shows up ready to have a good time watching the fireworks display, and then find out admission is $15 per car.

© Trevor Dailey

Ezra Levant Wrong About CP CEO Hunter Harrison

Ezra Levant of TheRebel.media goes after Hunter Harrison, who is CEO of Canadian Pacific Railway, in a strange video commentary claiming that Harrison favours a tax increase for Alberta citizens. A clip of a few seconds from a 23 minute interview with Harrison is played as evidence of Levant's claim. Levant goes on and quotes from Harrison. Another clip of the interview is later played with Levant giving his commentary voiceover while Harrison's voice is muted. 

Levant is combining a January 15, 2015 interview and a May 15, 2015 speech to CP shareholders by Harrison. Levant does not reveal this, nor does Levant provide any source for the video interview, or the onscreen Harrison quotes. I had to track the sources down myself. (I will continue to search for a recording or transcript of Harrison's speech to CP shareholders) 

In introducing the clip of the Harrison interview, Levent says:

Well, here's one fellow [Harrison] who says he wants taxes...

Harrison says no such thing. Harrison is talking about how some do not like the private rail industry making a profit in the interview clip. He is not talking about taxes. 

Refering to Harrison, Levant later says:

… [Harrison says] on behalf of all Albertans he would welcome a one or two cent gas tax...

That is a lie. Harrison is talking about Alberta locomotive fuel tax and corporate tax, and how CP would be willing to pay extra in Alberta locomotive fuel tax and corporate tax. Harrison is not favouring or suggesting an increase in the automobile fuel tax for citizens of Alberta, nor a personal tax increase for citizens of Alberta as Levenat claims. Harrison is speaking only for CP. From the Calgary Herald

At CP’s annual shareholders’ meeting Thursday, Harrison said the Calgary-based railroad would be willing to pay higher fuel and corporate taxes to do its part as “a good corporate citizen” in the province to help the government deal with a $7-billion decline in revenues resulting from the collapse in oil prices.

“Look, somebody’s got to pay the bills,” said Harrison, the outspoken chief executive who has led a renaissance at Canada’s second largest railway in the past three years. “We’re a citizen here and we take the good and we have to help with the bad times and we’re willing to do our fair share.”

I do not know what Levant's motive is for providing such obviously wrong infomation in his TheRebel.media video commentary, but he clearly did not bother to make sure he knew what he was talking about before he opened his mouth and stuck his foot in it.

© Trevor Dailey

Interview with Railroader of the Year Hunter Harrison

Current and Historic Alberta Tax Rates (from January 1, 2000 to current) 

Rail by province

Hunter Harrison says CP Rail ready to pay higher Alberta taxes: ‘We’re willing to pay our share’

CP Rail boss OK with paying higher taxes to help Alberta

Railway boss Harrison says CP is prepared to pay higher taxes in Alberta

Hunter Harrison, CP Rail CEO, Ready To Pay 'Fair Share' Under NDP Government

Railway boss says CP is prepared to pay higher taxes in Alberta

Railway boss Harrison says CP is prepared to pay higher taxes in Alberta

 

Secular Saguenay

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled recently (Mouvement laïque québécois v. Saguenay (City)) in the importance of the neutrality of the state regarding religion. Put another way, the separation of Church and State, as it is commonly referred to. The state has a duty to neither favour nor discriminate against any religion or demonination. The state must at all times be neutral. 

The state’s duty of religious neutrality results from an evolving interpretation of freedom of conscience and religion. The evolution of Canadian society has given rise to a concept of this neutrality according to which the state must not interfere in religion and beliefs. The state must instead remain neutral in this regard, which means that it must neither favour nor hinder any particular belief, and the same holds true for non‑belief. The pursuit of the ideal of a free and democratic society requires the state to encourage everyone to participate freely in public life regardless of their beliefs. A neutral public space free from coercion, pressure and judgment on the part of public authorities in matters of spirituality is intended to protect every person’s freedom and dignity....

Mouvement laïque québécois v. Saguenay (City)

Some disagree. On TheRebel.media, Brian Lilley appears to have taken up this issue, and seems to imagine it to be an attack on Christianity. No, it is not. There is no attack on christianity, nor is this is about atheists vs christians, as TheRebel.media and Lilley have tried to make it out to be.

Barring the municipal council from reciting the prayer would not amount to giving atheism and agnosticism prevalence over religious beliefs. There is a distinction between unbelief and true neutrality. True neutrality presupposes abstention, but it does not amount to a stand favouring one view over another. 

Mouvement laïque québécois v. Saguenay (City)

Lilly also introduces specious arguments to the Supreme Court ruling. (See video links below).

The first line of the Constitution Act, 1982, is referred to by Lilley; however, Lilley only quotes the first part of the sentence, and not the entire sentence leaving out "...the rule of law":

Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law:

In my opinion, this sentence shows the duty of state neutrality by stating the supremacy of both God, (sacred) and the rule of law (secular).

The words "D. G. Regina" on the back of a Canadian coin is given by Lilley as evidence for his argument of a sacred Canada. "Dei Gratia Regina" means "By the Grace of God, Queen" in Latin, and all Canadian coins have the abbreviation "D. G. Regina" on the back. What Lilley seems not to take account of is "D. G. Regina" is only a remnant of Canada's British history.

The report by Lilley that the Richmond City Hall Council is considering ending the use of the Canadian National Anthem because of the Supreme Court ruling is used by Lilley in his argument of an attack on Christianity. In my opinion, Richmond City Hall should obtain a new lawyer. The National Anthem of Canada is not a prayer.

The duty of neutrality appeared at the end of a long evolutionary process that is part of the history of many countries that now share Western democratic traditions. Canada’s history provides one example of this experience, which made it possible for the ties between church and state to be loosened, if not dissolved. There were, of course, periods when there was a close union of ecclesiastical and secular authorities in Canada. European settlers introduced to Canada a political theory according to which the social order was based on an intimate alliance of the state and a single church, which the state was expected to promote within its borders. Throughout the history of New France, the Catholic church enjoyed the status of sole state religion. After the Conquest and the Treaty of Paris, the Anglican church became the official state religion, although social realities prompted governments to give official recognition to the status and role of the Catholic church and various Protestant denominations. This sometimes official, sometimes tacit recognition, which reflected the make-up of and trends in the society of the period, often inspired legislative solutions and certain policy choices. Thus, at the time of Confederation in 1867, the concept of religious neutrality implied primarily respect for Christian denominations. One illustration of this can be seen in the constitutional rules relating to educational rights originally found, inter alia, in s. 93 of the Constitution Act, 1867.

Mouvement laïque québécois v. Saguenay (City)

As regards religion, the state must remain neutral, and must not favour, nor discriminate against, a religion or a denomination. It is as simple as that. 

To put it briefly, what the Supreme Court is ruling in this case, in my view, is that a Saguenay City Council meeting is not a church meeting. Saguenay City Hall is not a church.

On the evidence in the record, it was reasonable for the Tribunal to conclude that the City’s prayer is in fact a practice of a religious nature.

Mouvement laïque québécois v. Saguenay (City)

© Trevor Dailey

The Canadian Constitution

A Consolidation of THE CONSTITUTION ACTS 1867 to 1982

AUDIO: (FM 94.9 CHRW Radio/Podcast Opinion) Amen to secularism

VIDEO: (TheRebel.media Opinion) Supreme Court's prayer ban part of elite's war on tradition

VIDEO: (TheRebel.media Opinion) MPs want to abolish House of Commons prayer

VIDEO: (TheRebel.media Opinion) Richmond Hill city council: 'O Canada' unconstitutional!