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Random Thoughts XI: Listen to the Whispers
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Test subject r23-432948 momentarily exited the matrix. Immediate termination is advised.
Yes, I should say so.
BTW, a mob pulled down a couple of statues: one of Queen Victoria and the other of Queen Elizabeth.
Zardnaar
Deity
In Winnipeg, on the Legislature grounds. Yesterday.
There is so much unrest and anger over the increasing number of unmarked graves of indigenous children being found at the sites of former residential schools that Catholic churches are being burned to the ground, schools and roads are being renamed, statues of Sir John A. Macdonald (our first Prime Minister), Winston Churchill, and now these two are being vandalized and pulled down, and there's been a slew of vandalism cases at various Catholic churches in Calgary.
There was a "Cancel Canada Day" movement as well, and some cities and communities did. I guess they didn't here, since I heard fireworks awhile ago.
It is all really messed up. What has been going on in Catholic schools, from Ireland to Canada and we do not know where else, and how is it going to help burning the religious buildings of significant numbers of the affected population.
Zardnaar
Deity
What details didn't I know?
In Alberta, vandalizing Catholic churches and toppling statues can be considered a huge "Eff-you" to the Premier and those of his cabinet who are Catholic. This includes my MLA, who is the Minister of Education. It took her five days to muster any words at all about the first set of unmarked graves. For the second, she reposted the words of one of her colleagues but had nothing original to say. She hasn't said or posted one syllable about any of the others. I'm wondering what she's going to do if they check the former school sites in her own riding and find bodies.
The reason they pulled down Queen Victoria's statue is because she was the queen who was on the throne when Canada was created as a country. Furthermore, she was the queen when the whole idea of residential schools was dreamed up. Therefore, they blame her (among many others).
Among some bizarre ideas in this is the notion that the residential schools were shut down when Stephen Harper was Prime Minister. That is just so much BS. The last of these schools was closed in 1996, when Jean Chretien - a Catholic Prime Minister - was in power.
Zardnaar
Deity
I didn't know not you
After you told me on NZ reddit a Canadian was asking Maori how to fix things like indigenous rights.
Most of us didn't know what they were talking about, I knew what you told me.
Canadian politics doesn't really make the news here, Aussie, US, UK does.
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Yeah, that's basically how it is. The owner of another gaming forum I belong to PM'd me back in May to say that she was planning some decorative touches to the forum for Victory Day, and could I help her out with some of the common symbols and whatever.I didn't know not you
After you told me on NZ reddit a Canadian was asking Maori hoe to fix things like indigenous rights.
Most of us didn't know what they were talking about, I knew what you told me.
Canadian politics doesn't really make the news here, Aussie, US, UK does.
It took me a few minutes to realize she meant Victoria Day.
Apparently, it's an informal holiday in Scotland too, but I hadn't heard about it until now.
Zardnaar
Deity
Yep just found it.
amadeus
Bishop of Bio-Dome
I'd be hard pressed to remember the last time I saw a pie cooling on a windowsill.
EgonSpengler
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The last two days I've been thinking about the fact that there are homeless people sleeping in the doorways of office buildings that have been empty for years. Seems like there's some obvious synergy there. Converting offices to actual apartments involves non-trivial construction, but we're talking about folks who'd be sleeping on cots or on the floor in sleeping bags anyway. I would think the city could help the building owner with real estate taxes and water & heating bills, even if they couldn't actually pay 'market value' for the space. I have to put market value in finger-quotes because, like I say, these office spaces have been empty for years. It's not just because of the pandemic. Any money the owners would get in such a scheme would be more than what they're getting now, or are likely to get in the near future, even if it's just in the form of tax breaks.
I guess there could be some zoning law complicating things, but that ought to be something the city could waive if it wanted to. Insurance might be an issue. Everyday wear and tear, without even considering vandalism or accidental damage from occupants who don't have their own insurance. I don't know if something designated as "emergency housing" or whatever is allowed to have no cooking fixtures. Installing a proper kitchen would be one of the big expenses of converting commercial space to residential space. Not all offices even have access to running water, so you might have to run whole new pipes to some parts of an office building. Like I say, converting offices to real apartments can be non-trivial. But still, I'm walking past people sleeping in the doorway of an empty building (and they're evidently conscientious enough to not break in and squat - it rained like Hell last night). It just seems excessively dumb. Could probably use some of that space for a clinic or a safe injection site too. One of the world's premier hospitals is literally walking distance away. I'm not sure what the city's stance on safe injection sites is. That might be a bridge too far. But you catch my drift.
I guess there could be some zoning law complicating things, but that ought to be something the city could waive if it wanted to. Insurance might be an issue. Everyday wear and tear, without even considering vandalism or accidental damage from occupants who don't have their own insurance. I don't know if something designated as "emergency housing" or whatever is allowed to have no cooking fixtures. Installing a proper kitchen would be one of the big expenses of converting commercial space to residential space. Not all offices even have access to running water, so you might have to run whole new pipes to some parts of an office building. Like I say, converting offices to real apartments can be non-trivial. But still, I'm walking past people sleeping in the doorway of an empty building (and they're evidently conscientious enough to not break in and squat - it rained like Hell last night). It just seems excessively dumb. Could probably use some of that space for a clinic or a safe injection site too. One of the world's premier hospitals is literally walking distance away. I'm not sure what the city's stance on safe injection sites is. That might be a bridge too far. But you catch my drift.
I think I read the other day about Calgary converting an office tower to "affordable housing" (what politicians consider affordable and what normal people consider affordable are two entirely different things). If so, it's about damn time. The oil companies that took the money and scampered back to Texas aren't going to come back and those buildings are sitting there doing nothing. They could have been put to so many uses during the pandemic - shelter for the homeless, extra classroom space so the schools could use proper social distancing are only two examples.
But this is Alberta, so nobody in government uses common sense.
The cabinet was shuffled today. There's a new social services minister who appears to be even more clueless than the previous one. And the ones who should have been shuffled weren't.
Ferocitus
Deity
Apparently there are "ghost cities" in China which have far more houses than people.
What kind of incompetent twerps there allow negative homelessness!
amadeus
Bishop of Bio-Dome
I know the answer to this one!
My random thought: movies don’t have enough spinning newspapers nowadays. For my next update in the games thread, I’ll include some spinning newspapers.
The communist kind who don’t understand things like supply and demand!
My random thought: movies don’t have enough spinning newspapers nowadays. For my next update in the games thread, I’ll include some spinning newspapers.
Ferocitus
Deity
When Cthulu gives you lemons
Make lemonade.
Make lemonade.
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