Reflections of an Old Man

I This pandemic puts trains of thought into motion that may not have come about otherwise. We know that across the globe there are groups of people that have traits that are similar, and traits that are different, both in a physical and mental sense. We also know that people are amazingly similar, at a deeper level, both physically and mentally. The same goes for animals, insects. bacteria, viruses, etc. A theory as to how this has come about is as follows: Life develops under an umbrella of natural conditions that are forever changing and also modified by lifeforms as they emerge and multiply: The North American prairies being shaped by millions of bison over thousands of years, being an example. From time to time, there are major upheavals that can radically change a relatively steady state process in a very short time, like the arrival in the Americas of Europeans, as a case in point, almost wiping out countless millions of bison, and countless millions of native people as well, by

I don't think so. More like spoilt Alberta. Albertans with a sense of entitlement to the wealth they have become accustomed to over the last 70 odd years. On top of that, add an unwillingness to change and you have a province stuck in the rut with a bunch of recently elected rookie politicians with an attitude that they know it all. As the world moves on it looks like we are going to be left way behind in the dust, complaining about our lot and laughed at by the rest humanity. The "Hurtin' Albertan" ? I guess so.

How can rational people, observing a phenomenon, 'see' something very different from each other? Simply because what you see depends on your viewpoint, physically, and your point of view, or mindset. This explains the emergence of radically different opinions on the nature of what we have labelled Covid 19. On one side are those that see this virus as being similar to the one that created the 1918 flu pandemic, and should be dealt with as such. On the other side are those that see it as a weapon of fear without serious physical consequences and which should be ignored in order to preserve society as we know it. The people that are in direct contact with the virus daily and see it killing vulnerable individuals on a routine basis are generally in the first group. A good number of those that are not in direct contact, fall into the second category, as they observe empty parking lots and little obvious activity outside community hospitals (in contrast to those that work inside th

The conflict is now over after some 11 days of death and destruction and a 20:1 kill ratio in favor of Israel - as usual. What's new? Nothing. This process has been repeated many times over the years, with no change in sight. Why does it happen? Because it serves the interest of politicians and power groups on both sides of the fence. It entrenches them in power and ensures that money and materials will continue to flow into their respective coffers to keep the wheel turning for their own benefit. Dead and maimed children and adults? Too bad. So sad... Amen.

I now have the dubious distinction of having been directly exposed to teenagers, a middle aged person and an old person that were infected by COVID. The outcomes were as follows for the infected people: For the teenagers, a sniffle, for the middle aged person, a seriously debilitating period with no energy. For the old person, death in five days following infection from lungs plugged up with sticky mucus. For me, no problem, I have both my Pfizer shots and am currently in isolation. Transmission occurred because vector person(s) wrote off their own symptoms as a mild cold, nothing to worry about. That's the strategy of this virus in a nutshell. And it works, only too well. So, are we dealing with a freakish accident of Nature, or something far more sinister? You be the judge.

Things are likely coming to a head this morning in the UCP in the weekly UCP Caucus meeting happening at this time. This in light of an open letter from Caucus Chair Todd Loewen directing scathing criticism at Premier Kenney and his cabinet team and resigning as caucus chair. Depending on the reaction of the rest of the caucus membership, Kenney's only real choice is to expel Loewen from caucus. Furthermore, Loewen stated that he would continue to serve as a UCP MLA in the legislature. I can't see that happening unless Kenney chooses to step down from the premiership, which is highly unlikely unless forced to do so based on a popular revolt within the party. Rumors have been circulating before about the Premier threatening to call an early election if his leadership is seriously challenged. Jason Kenney was part of cobbling together the UCP from the remnants of the Progressive Conservative Party and the Wildrose Party following the 2016 election, and likely sees it as 'his

Ongoing extension of our reach into the micro and macro world around us brings home the point that what we can directly see, hear and feel is but a minute fraction of what is out there, and inside us. Working in the pig industry as a technician, I used to run an artificial insemination program and observed collected sperm under the microscope for viability, before extending doses to be distributed to company pig barns. Millions of little tadpoles swam around their own little universe, unknowingly waiting to become the instruments for creating new universes in the grander scheme of things. Our instruments are now giving us a peek outside of our own little 'pond of perception' and giving pause for reflection.

Sadly, I have been directly involved in a COVID case that resulted in the death of an elderly friend of mine on Thursday. So, now I am isolating for 2 weeks at home. I was present when paramedics managed to stabilize her with oxygen prior to the ambulance ride to hospital, bringing her blood oxygen level up from the mid fifties percentage to 84. Her heart rate, which was well over 100, came down as increased levels of oxygen entered her bloodstream. However, it didn't last as her lungs gradually filled up with a sticky kind of fluid, I'm told, that is very hard to drain. I am writing this for you, my readers, to understand that COVID is a formidable enemy using us as a, sometimes unknowing, carrier. This experience brings home the fact that our medical people know exactly what they are talking about. They are telling us the truth about this virus.

What is going on with COVID in Alberta? Do the official figures reflect the actual number of covid infections in the community? I don't believe so, for some good reasons. If you live in a hand-to-mouth situation, working to keep the wolves from the door, are you going to ask for a covid test if you get the sniffles? If you are testing positive, you will be ordered to socially isolate and inform Alberta Health about contacts, who will also be told to isolate and get tested: A major negative impact on yourself and friends. So what is a sniffle anyway? No big deal. Keep trucking. I believe a lot of this is happening right now, making sure that COVID wins the day. A VERY clever virus. Hmm...

Societal divisions What we are experiencing today, in part driven by the Covid pandemic, is a recurring phenomenon in history. In western society it happened most recently in the 1930ies, following an economic boom in the twenties. The underlying driver was a shift in financial wealth into the hands of relatively few people, at the expense of many and the failure to restore credit to the economy following the stock market crash in October 1929. This led to major 'have' vs 'have-not' divisions and the rise of fascism and communism in western society, culminating in World War II. In my native Norway these divisions emerged, just like they did across Europe, North America and Australia and New Zealand for that matter. To the point where family members were pitted against each other over causes of, and solutions to, societal problems. Sounds familiar? L

What we now call World War One used to be called "The Great War" before world wide hostilities broke out again in 1939. It earned that name because it shook the foundations of western society and permanently altered the world of its day. Add to that the death toll of the 1918 flu pandemic which far oustripped war casualty numbers. We are now back in the conditions that have traditionally caused profound societal changes. Pressures for change have been building for years with wealth shifting into fewer hands based on an exploitative underlying philosophy dominating the prevailing mindset. The unleashing of COVID on the world, whether intentional or not, has become a trigger for change, unleashing forces akin to those of a gun being fired. All of a sudden, there is money everywhere, as states authorize their central banks to 'let 'er rip' right across the globe. This happened in the 1920ies as well fueling an economic boom that came to an end in 1929 with the stock