After a sleepless night on the wet coast with 80-100mm of rain falling on us overnight, and some areas getting even more, the wet coast's weather is in full effect. Sunny skies are not predicted until the 20th, sadly 12 days from now. This is definitely the season where you don't tan, you rust.
As the rain beats against the window, I really cannot complain that much compared to the poor folks in southern Ontario. I'll take rain over snow any day. Over the last couple days, they have been buried with snow with some areas reaching over 140+CM of snow! Environment Canada said some areas of London, Ontario saw up to 80 centimeters of snow on Monday. Another 20 to 30CM was projected to fall yesterday and another 10CM is expected today. To give you an idea of how much snow that is for that area, London only received a total of 108 centimeters of snow between December 2009 and March 2010. That's almost a year's worth of snow in a couple days! Keep in mind, places north of London got even more snow. Plus we are not technically even in winter yet and most likely this is a sample of what is to come.
Looking back to my weather prediction for the west coast that I posted at the beginning of October. It has been over 2 months since that post and with last nights heavy rain fall, I decided to see how my prediction is going so far if if I am on track or way off. If you didn't read or or need a refresher, the TL;DR, aka short and sweet of it, is:
"Based on what I have found, I would more or less sum it up to wetter than normal conditions with some snow around mid-December and again in February so my rain gear will get the workout and my snow gear will come out just enough to still feel loved. Snow tires, shovel and salt will still be needed but sump pumps and ensuring your gutters are clear may be of more importance."
So far, it has for the most part been correct. We have had a couple minor snowfalls on the coast (causing havoc here of course) and some not just cold, but damn skippy cold days for our area. Day time highs weren't getting above -5oC and throw in the windchill, it was getting down to -15oC or even colder range. Wouldn't be bad if it was dry cold like out East but wet coast cold weather tends to have moisture included, which goes through any clothes you are wearing, no matter how many layers. It sucks. My dog at least likes the snow but he also doesn't have to drive in it. Other than that, it has been a typical wet and overcast fall for the coast. Definitely a good time to consider taking some Vitamin D, aka the sunshine vitamin. Hmmm...I'm sensing a slight sidetrack off topic and why not? Maybe you can learn something? So let me ask you, why should we take Vitamin D supplements in the fall and winter? Well, I'm glad you asked (even if you didn't).
Vitamin D is produced naturally in the body through exposure to that big glowing orb in the sky's ultraviolet rays. Living North of 490, we tend to get a lot less sun in the winter months. Some areas farther North barely get any sun (but make up for it with the Aurora Borealis). Recent studies have shown Vitamin D can strengthen your bones, thwart different forms of cancer, stave off multiple sclerosis and autoimmune disorders and fight infections. I think that deserves a winner, winner, chicken dinner. The Canadian Cancer Society said that based on current research, adults should consider increasing their daily dosage of vitamin D to 1,000 International Units (IU) of vitamin D daily during the fall and winter months. And of course, in consultation with a health-care provider before you start taking it. Safety first people.
And now that we may have learned something, let's get back to my winter prediction. I decided to check the 14 day trend for Vancouver on TheWeatherNetwork.com's site and see if any of the fluffy white stuff is planned for the middle of December. Well, as of this post, we have snow predicted from the 16th through to the 19th. How much we will get, based on the below image, will depend on temperature. It looks like it will be hovering just around freezing mark so that could easily switch to rain or sleet for lower areas. But if it does drop, we could get a decent snowfall. We will just have to wait and see and make sure we are prepared for a couple possible days of snow right before Christmas. Now if the coast will get a white Christmas, we'll need to wait a couple more days before the long term predictions come in and even then, weather is known for changing to both better and worse conditions.
Follow up:
Speaking of winter storms, I decided today to weigh in on a couple recent issues and as a heads up, I may ramble so make sure you got your drink and you are comfy. It is a bit of a read but I plan to cover enough points to keep your interest. Ready? Okay.
There has been one recent worldwide storm of a different nature causing a ruckus both on and off the internet. It has no real relation to whether but after sitting back and watching things unfold over the last couple weeks, I've decided to put my two bits in on this. I expect the outcome of this storm to set future precedents on access and release of sensitive information pertaining to another country and the protection and rights to those who release it whether it be via news media or on the internet. Kinda like a worldwide whistle-blower protection law. Reason for this law would to let people decide if they want to go public with certain sensitive info not owned by them but came into their possession and what they can expect in the form of reprisals or possible criminal proceedings. Have you figured out yet what storm I am referring to?
Now unless you have completely cut yourself off from the news and internet, you know or at least have heard about Wikileaks. This site publishes and comments on leaked documents alleging government and corporate misconduct. They have made some previous releases that shed a new light on what has occurred in the middle east behind the scenes.
I personally am a bit torn if I am for or against what they are doing and what outcome they expect to result in the release of the documents. On one side, I see the benefit of what they are doing and making governments and corporations more transparent with the releases. It is interesting to get an idea of the backroom antics that we never hear or see. Some of the leaked articles have shown the public vs. closed door communications between countries. The press releases we see and hear tend to be all "prettified", sanitized and scripted but the cables and released documents show a different side with some less than diplomatic language and more direct, to the point, no sugar coated requests or even demands. It shows we are all still human with emotions and beliefs that can be said in the heat of the moment only later to regret, even politicians and diplomats. Now I am not defending politicians or diplomats as they are assumed to have a better discipline in speaking before they think. I believe if you say it, you meant it to at least some extent or why say it at all? People seem shocked with these releases to find out that their government lies, that their government doesn't favor certain other countries, or that their government is keeping dirty secrets. This is not new, it's just the volume of documents which is overwhelming. We see it all the time whether it be local or international about some politician or diplomat having a slip of the tongue and usually paying for it with there political/diplomatic career. If you believe your government is "perfect" and never lies, well, it just proves the brainwashing worked to some extent and you need to burst that bubble. Reality doesn't change if you choose to ignore it. I find myself asking if would we not like to know what happens behind the scenes with our provincial government? Especially of late on topics such as HST and education cuts with complete transparency? Hmmmm....
Let's take a break from the international issues and meander off topic again. Time to take a quick look at what is happening locally. In the last month in British Columbia, we have seen both our provincial premier, Gordon Campbell as well as the leader of the opposition, Carol James resign. Now whether this is for the good or the bad or a bit of both, that is your opinion and not gonna go there. What I do see is either way, right now, we are currently a province with no real political leadership. The leadership positions will be filled in the near future by both parties but in the bigger scope of things, where is our future headed now? Will this mark a new era in politics? Only time will tell.
If our own political parties keep having internal leadership feuds or moving forward with drastic changes without properly consulting the public, our provincial political system appears doomed to be stuck in a revolving door of feuds and scandals. It is amazing so much does get done some days. What does this show the youth, our future leaders?
To me it appears party leaders and members, no matter which party they represent, are more focused on political disagreements and power struggles than determining my future. These people determine, set forth and implement both my future, my family's and everyone else in the province's future, to some extent. I'd like to see that change and for politicians to set aside the squabbling, personal attacks and trying to ensure their future job security over the province's best interests. They need to step up and do what is best for the province and the people of the province in the term for which they hold office. I am sick of seeing in the news how one politician quickly jumps on the opportunity to lambaste another politician, even if the issue at hand was not caused by that one person directly. Rarely do you see it from a positive point of view. It seems easier to put down what someone else did and try and force them to step down rather than to one up the situation and make it positive and better. If politicians do a good enough job, in the eyes of the people, then they will elect them again. Now if they don't do a good job, well, history has shown what happens to them.
Every politician strives to leave a legacy and hope for it to be a positive one. But I believe even if the politician represents a major political party, they need to remember one thing. They were elected by the riding they reside in to represent those people. The expectation is they will stand up for that riding beliefs, values and needs which can vary by region but regardless they are that riding's voice. If this means going against their own party to prevent education cuts or maybe a commercial development of treasured coastal rain forests in their home riding, so be it. It is better to be heard and show you have a backbone and willing to participate in shaping the long term goals of the province. Now I am not saying this doesn't happen but sometimes political career progress gets in the way of making the right decision. Politicians need to show me and everyone else who reside in B.C. that they are willing to voice what us non-politicians cannot and not bow down to "political pressure" or personal gains. You will have more respect from me, and probably a lot of other citizens for standing up even if it means possibly losing your seat rather than bowing in to party politics on topics such as education cuts. My son's future depends on this. So politicians, if you're reading this, stop following the flock like a bunch of sheeple and prove to us why British Columbia is the Best Place On Earth.
Getting back to WikiLeaks, the downside to these document releases, in my opinion, is some of the cables, documents, etc released could create large rifts between nations (if not already happened) over released items that were either hurtful but truthful or misinterpreted. Politicians and countries have been doing massive damage control, especially the US, based on the most recent leaks. Possible wars or conflicts could result over these releases or set back years of talks to resolve world conflicts. For what? To risk possible conflicts, death and destruction to expose the behind the scenes communications of countries so as to have better transparency? There is a reason why the general public is not told everything. Too much information can be just as bad as too little. It just depends on what the information is and who it impacts and how those impacted react to the release of that information.
The fact governments around the world are seeking to find and capture the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, with more vigor than going after terrorists, is not surprising based on the most recently released articles. But it makes you wonder why? The US government has already tried to figure out ways to charge Mr. Assange with the leaks. Problem is, the government would only be creating a martyr out of Mr. Assange and furthering the cause of WikiLeaks and their mission if charges were to proceed. Additional actions against WikiLeaks's website to prevent the release have included Denial of Service attacks around the time of the release, a major US based DNS company, EveryDNS dropping the WikiLeaks site as a hosting provider (only for EasyDNS to take up the cause and assist with hosting of WkikLeaks). Paypal and MasterCard have both revoked the donation accounts for WikiLeaks under violation of service terms (yet they didn't revoke it when they did there initial release a while back). And up to this point, other than the Swiss releasing a warrant to interview Assange, no formal charges have been laid in relation to the release. Yet. Hmmm...
Yesterday, Julian Assange was arrested in Britain on the Swiss warrant. They even denied him bail. Do these actions not sound a bit harsh for someone only being sought to be interviewed? Do governments really think if they put Julian Assange behind bars, it will stop the leaks? My guess, based on how the internet has reacted and stepped up to back WikiLeaks and Julian Assange, a full out digital information and right to access war is about to erupt, if it hasn't already. This could be the tip of a very large iceberg.
Mark Stephens, Julian Assange's lawyer told BBC1's Andrew Marr Show:
"It is quite bizarre, because the chief prosecutor in Sweden dropped the entire case against him, saying there was absolutely nothing for him to find back in September, and then a few weeks later on - after the intervention of a Swedish politician - a new prosecutor, not in Stockholm where Julian and these women had been, but in Gothenburg, began a new case which has resulted in these warrants and the Interpol Red Notice being put out.".
Now another odd thing, Julian Assange has not been charged with anything. Remember, he is only wanted for interview. All this for one person for just an interview? Something is not quite right but we may need another leak to find that out.
Mr. Stephens goes on to sum it up as "this is about a man who is a journalist. He received, unbidden, an 'electronic brown envelope' like journalists receive every day of the year. This particular journalist has put it out and what they are doing is criminalizing him, criminalizing journalistic activity.". This may lead to other journalists being prosecuted for the next "big scoop". Multiple newspapers published excerpts yet all focus appear still on Assange.
Do you think the world would react the same way to the release if it was a different country other than the United States present in the majority of the documents? Supposedly, other countries dirty laundry is being held by WikiLeaks and just a matter of time until that information is released. What if it was mainly private sector information instead? That reaction we'll find out soon enough as US bank information is slated for the next release but which bank it is and when, we will have to wait and see. And will it effect the worldwide economy if the documents are very damaging? We have seen how one event, like the sub-prime loans, can domino into the rest of the world's economies. My guess without knowing what is contained in the bank leaks, is a major bank (or 2) might fall, higher ups lose their jobs and multiple investigations launched. It might benefit everyone but at the same time, it may also create more hardship.
Now with each side of the leaked documents having its supporters with various technology backgrounds. Steps have been taken by certain groups on the internet to both help keep and prevent WikiLeaks from making the information accessible. A call for assistance was made and numerous mirrored sites started to appear. Anyone willing can get the required information to become a mirror thus making it virtually impossible to shut down the access to WikiLeaks' released information. Now what that might entail for that person's server mirroring WikiLeaks, that is another issue. I can only assume they risk denial of service attacks and possible prosecution by those against the release. That's the thing with the internet, once it is on the net, it is can easily get cached on so many servers to the point it can be next to impossible to fully remove that information. There will always be someone with a backup waiting to republish the information regardless of the consequences. Various rally to action calls on the internet to support WikiLeaks are popping up too. Signs of these actions seem to already be occurring with MasterCard's website going down. Not the best time of year for major payment processing companies to be targeted and go down. Gonna be some angry customer's not able to purchase anything.
So far, only 261 of the 250,000 documents received by WikiLeaks had so far been released. If this is what happens for less than 1 percent of the total documents, one can only wonder what the next coming weeks and months will bring when more is released.
I'm gonna end this little rant, but hopefully educational or informative one, taking a wee look at good ol'diplomacy. It is defined as the art or practice of conducting international relations, as in negotiating alliances, treaties, and agreements. With all of us stuck on this rock known as Earth, worldwide diplomacy is going to be tested by these releases and we can only hope the world positively learns from this and governments do improve the transparency of their actions, even just a little bit. In the end, it will hopefully result in the citizens of every country being kept as informed as possible on all discussions between nations. An informed citizen can make a better decision when they have all the facts. Keep in mind, borders are imaginary lines drawn on maps. Events do not stop at a border purely because that country did not get or want to be involved.
Politicians seem to think that everything that they say is of no concern to the people they represent. Only once they have made the final decision do they feel it necessary to be inform the general public. How the politicians came to their decisions is what appears as an ever growing importance to the public. Just looking at what WikiLeaks has released so far shows that the public interest is present. In one way, we want to see the dirty laundry every so often. This helps align them more to our level rather than being seen as one class higher than the rest and with that additional privileges. For the most part, politicians and diplomats were at one point, an everyday person before they were elected or promoted to that position. In the end, it is only a title which can be removed as easily as it is given. People are curious and want to know what trade offs or concessions were made behind closed doors to complete the trade deal that sounded so stellar to the public or to stave off a country from causing a conflict requiring the world to respond whether they want to or not. Just look at the recent mounting tensions between South and North Korea. With North Korea consistently provoking South Korea with attacks, it is only a matter of time before diplomacy is put to the side. Back room secrecy and old alliances are not helping diffuse the situation or allow people to get a better understanding of the conflict and what has been done so far.
Politicians and diplomats like to keep a lot of information shrouded in secrecy. Some of this is warranted in the respective nation's best interests and to an extent, is part of the job description. But looking at it from a different point of view, this can also be one reason why wars and conflicts have become more common recently. How do we know the next conflict won't be caused because one country's envy of another natural resources and comes up with some reason completely unrelated to start a conflict. This in turn would draw in neutral countries to keep the peace and for what? Greed? Without at least some transparency, we might not learn why. This can lead to hate and we know where hate leads to...(Hint: go ask Yoda)
What is the problem with everybody being kept informed on all issues and keeping open lines of communication instead of requiring a conflict to initiate negotiations and democracy? I try and teach my son to use his words instead of physical actions. But it can be hard when grown ups, leaders of the world, act like an adolescents and are not able to show that restraint. Government leaders are aware of the views of other leaders, whether they agree with that view or not. It's not like some countries just magically appeared but rather they have been shaped over decades or centuries. For the most part, we know what each country wants and doesn't want, what they believe in and value and how it differs from country to country. That is why we have various types of government, each with pros and cons. What we need to do now is realize we are different but we share the same place. History has shown imposing the will on others doesn't work out but yet again, we also know religion has a heavy hand in that. Whether we like it or not, Newton's 3rd law applies to everyone in the world, both good and bad intentions. I just hope we see a change for the better planet wide and leaders of the world grow up and acts like adults soon before some unrecoverable, catastrophic event occurs.
In this modern time, we should have no reason to start another war but it appears not everyone has learned that lesson yet...or willing to prevent provocation. *sigh*
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Best Regards
Mark