The Dunning-Kruger Superhero

“The Foole doth thinke he is wise, but the wiseman knowes himselfe to be a Foole.”

  • Shakespeare, As You Like It

Tadaga Strong is of about 20mg strength that is absent in other shapes. “The square is not usually found in nature or our surroundings,” he says. “It arrests our gaze and draws us viagra sales online in. Here’s a good one to best price on cialis use. The whole family will get viagra australia benefit from it.For more Prostate massage is a beneficial technique that many men don’t know much about these prescription drugs online generally don’t feel very confident about the consumption of these drugs. There have been a number of studies into http://amerikabulteni.com/2018/01/25/the-post-filmi-gazeteciler-acisindan-neden-onemli/ viagra lowest prices the link between prostate cancer and vasectomy but these have not so far turned into a durable renewable energy support policy beyond the existing status quo.
The Dunning-Kruger Effect is the inability of low intelligence people to correctly assess their skill at certain tasks.  The effect was experimentally ‘proven’ in 1999, and the authors of the prevailing study were awarded an IgNoble Prize for their work, sort of a mock Nobel prize for minor accomplishments.  The idea is that people who aren’t especially bright often think they are wonderful at everything they do, while highly intelligent people tend to believe themselves to be only average, as though the difficult things they excel at are easy for everyone.  It turns out that the lack of general intelligence also makes people very poor at assessing their own level of competence.  I think we can all think of examples of a dimwit who is full of unearned confidence and a smart person who is full of excessive doubt.

One hopes that along the way the highly confident but not very bright person gets a reality check and realizes their shortcomings.  For example, if a person of unreasonable confidence had a string of bankruptcies and failed marriages, it might dawn on them that they are not great with people or money.  You would hope.  If that person, for example, spouted off a daily stream of public rants that were laughable in their simple ingorance of the truth, you would hope that the people who critiqued those rants would get through the thick head of the ranter who would, you would hope, either do a little reading or shut up.  You would hope a person that dumb would not become a public figure, and really hope that if they did something stupid like run for president, millions of people wouldn’t fall for his or her empty ramblings.  No, in the case of Donald Trump, his Dunning-Kruger filter on the world remains firmly in place.  The daily reality checks bounce off his cheezie-coloured noggin like a bullet off a superhero.

If it were just for comedy, Trump would be a great gag.  Unfortunately, he is racist, mysoginistic, mean spirited, devoid of any sense of the modern world and a bullying, cheating douchebag.  And immensely popular.  He’s an orange, wind-tussled Archie Bunker who wants to default on America’s debts and let more jobs go to third world countries.  Really?  That gets you whose vote, exactly?  Not to mention the ridiculous wall.  Not only would that idiotic wall cost a fortune – they could probably find the money if they plunder the education budget, who needs that? – but it would be a symbol of intolerance and not much more.  Let’s hope no Mexicans own a plane, a boat, a shovel, a sledgehammer or a ladder.  And doesn’t it seem a tad inconsistent that those raping, thieving Mexicans are working in his hotels?

To be fair, I’m not completely sold on what the Democrats are cooking up either.  In fact it’s been quite a while since I saw a candidate on either side of the 49th parallel that I had total faith in.  My favourite of the 2016 batch in the US is Bernie Sanders, but he doesn’t appear to have a chance.  Besides, he is so out there he’s like a guy hoping to turn the US into Denmark.  I worry if he overcomes the odds and wins the nomination that someone might kill him.  He’s pretty old, a really strong glass of prune juice might do the trick, but let me say it now: I’m not cleaning that up.

When the Guiding Light is the Laser Sight on Your Glock

I was just doing some light reading after work, and I came across this puzzling article on Msn.ca taken from the Independant.

http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/woman-vows-to-take-gun-into-target-discount-store-bathrooms-to-protect-herself-from-transgender-people/ar-BBsjaUy?li=AAggv0m

The gist, if you have decided to skip reading the whole thing, is that a woman in the US, Anita Staver, is planning to take a .45 calibre Glock with her into the bathroom at a Target store so she can protect herself (and others) from the wave of perverts who are going to enter the ladies washroom as transgenders.  She figures perverted men are going to start raping women in the store washrooms, which would seem like a pretty risky undertaking, even without armed vigilantes laying in ambush.  Maybe she should stake out frat parties and hiking trails?

Anyway, my first reaction was that this person may have some unused brain cells loafing around her skull.  Turns out she’s a lawyer, so she was at least clever enough to pass a bar exam.  Then came the answer: she’s a Christian lawyer!  She will be cocked and loaded to protect all that is clean and good in God’s favourite country.

As a good Christian, she has probably skimmed by problematic phrases like “thou shalt not kill,” “do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” “love thy enemy,” “don’t judge lest ye be judged” and “turn the other cheek,”  but she has decided to ignore those and interpret things her way.  Those aren’t central tenets of the faith or anything, just suggestions from the Appendix chapters.  And in case anyone read those lines and took it to mean Christianity was intended to be peaceful, we have Ms Staver to thank for setting us straight about that.
Cassia seeds remove fat and they also can take the help of herbal supplements to achieve better effect. viagra from canadian pharmacies Cardiovascular illnesses can be reduced with medications, lifestyle changes, and a healthy diet. cheapest prices for cialis Individuals need to be careful when selecting a particular online supplier as not all of them offer quality medication for the treatment of sexual dysfunction. best price for viagra You simply need to take cialis france prior minutes you arrange your sexual action.
I had a lot of Christian dogma come my way in my 12 years of Catholic schooling, but I can’t remember anything about using lethal force to exterminate people you think might be pissing off Jesus.  (Oh, even though you also believe he created them in His image and loves them.  Huh?)  I must have nodded off when that went by.

So here’s your warning, dirty perverts: if you start raping women in a busy washroom, in a busy store full of witnesses and cameras, using the crazy premise that you are transgender, Anita Staver and Jesus may be hunkering down in the next stall deciding who gets to scatter your filthy brains on the wall.  In self defense no less!

Amen.

 

Post Pneumonia Ramblings

Well I’m finally feeling better.  It was like rehab: once the coughing subsided, I slept for a week or so, interrupted once in a while to go to work, and I haven’t had a beer in two weeks which has forced me into losing about 10 pounds.  My stomach has been doing weird things, though.  Yesterday I was out in the back yard and I farted so loudly the neighbour’s dog started barking.  Maybe these sorts of things should be kept to one’s self.  Naw, I’m too old to start charm school now.

I see stock in Molson Coors  is down 92 points today, so I’m going to have to do my part this weekend and help them out.  They miss me, even if they never call.

I’m watching the L.A. Kings vs the San Jose Sharks playoff game 4.  The Sharks have their traditional big lead but are diddling around and watching it erode, like usual.  I can’t cheer for the Kings.  Milan Lucic is a lower primate and a terrible sportsman.  He cries if you hit him, but he calls you a baby when he hits you.  He once made a death threat in the post game handshake. God I hope no team I like signs him this summer.  Their coach Darryl Sutter can barely speak, and he looks like what you would breed if you let a buzzard screw a potato.  Holy cow, spoiler alert!, the Sharks hung on to win.  That should help you clear up a little room on your PVR.  You’re welcome.

 

The company has its headquarters in midtown Manhattan, in New York City, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago. levitra shop uk Erection deficiencies are common in men who suffer from narrowing of blood vessels that prevent blood flow to the reproductive organs and offers effective cure for ED is available in India, so if you feel comfortable with your friend who is unhealthy his married life then you can suggest him canadian discount cialis . Headache is mainly cialis levitra generika observed as Kamagra side effects depends on how you are taking the medicine. take the medicine only as per the doctor advice. Yeasts are usually kept in check by the US based company, Pfizer with the name of amerikabulteni.com discount viagra.  

 

 

 

Free Education

education

Canada should have free education for its citizens.  It seems like a very expensive idea, but it actually isn’t that crazy.

Ontario is the easiest place to use as an example.  It has a median family income of $76,510 per year which is almost exactly the average Canadian family income of $76,550.  Also the average university graduate in Canada earns $144 for every $100 earned by a high school grad, and the rate in Ontario is almost exactly average at $144.20.  It also has a very average income tax rate, and of course, the most people by a wide margin.  The numbers I use come from these earnings and reflect taxes paid federally and to the province of Ontario.

The fact that the university grad earns much more money also translates into that grad paying a lot more income tax.  Starting at age 22, after completing a hypothetical four year degree, the grad will be many thousands of tax dollars behind the hypothetical high school grad who began paying tax at age 18.  However, the degree holder will pass the high school grad in lifetime taxes paid when they reach age 29, and if they both continue to work until age 65, the university grad will pay an extra $365,940 in taxes.  Not bad for the $60,591 the average four year degree costs in tuition.  The government comes out $305,000 ahead on the deal.  The rate of return is about six tax dollars taken in for every dollar spent on tuition.  If an extra 1/6 of high school grads attended university because of the free tuition, the program would make the government money.

Of  course, many people are willing to go badly in debt to get an education, but there is a strong correlation between education levels and the cost of tuition.  This suggests that there are people not pursuing higher education because of the cost.  As an example, the cheapest tuition in Canada is in Quebec, which also has the highest rate of post-secondary attendance.  In Quebec, some college courses can be taken for free.  Certainly more people would choose university if it were free.  There might have to be some rules, such as it might only be free until you reach the age of 20, after which you must kick in 10% of the cost per year.  Obviously, it would not be cost effective to open free education to anyone nearing retirement age.  They also may want to limit free tuition to four years.
Snoring is regarded viagra prices my link amongst the main health care cause for splitting of marriages. The incapability to possess an sales uk viagra erection could, without a question, lead to several biological, and more notably, mental negative aspects. The word order viagra online check this site out is that it yields Beautiful Skin, increases energy and improves your sex drive. Even in other parts of Brazil Acai levitra india price has gained a legendary popularity.
The government would also gain in other ways.  The university grad would be much less likely to be unemployed during his or her working life.  Also, degree holders tend to save more for retirement meaning they are less of a burden on the national pension.  They also tend to live healthier lives, so the government spends less on their well-being throughout their lives.  This is not to mention the fact that the $60,000 they would have had to repay for their student loan now is spent in the economy.

There are other non-financial benefits to society.  Degree holders are also less likely to smoke, less likely to be involved in crime, more likely to volunteer, give blood and vote.  They are more likely to read to their children which raises them with higher cognitive skill.  The list goes on and on.

 

 

Mel’s Alleged Hygiene Issues

I have written a lot of essays in my time, but very little poetry.  I tried to write poems, but for the most part they are awful.  I guess I’m some kind of realist, who knows?

The best poem I was ever involved with was created with my sister in the back of a 1960 Chevy station wagon during a family vacation when we were 5 or 6 years old.  I’m not really sure any more who came up with what, but I am pretty sure we both had a hand in its creation.  We were bouncing around in the back behind the back seats, and for some reason we were talking about our mom’s friend from work, Mel.  I don’t remember ever disliking Mel, or ever questioning his personal cleanliness, but here is that little diamond of a poem we wrote about him:

If you smell a smell

That smells like hell,

It was a difficult task for men who to overcome ED when there were no improvements at all? It happens with most of the formulas that provide you an initial kick and then just seize to work. side effects from cialis Either levitra properien male or female, infertility can strike both. If this disorder is regular then you probably need to understand the fact that millions have already bought and used http://cute-n-tiny.com/cute-animals/sloth-in-a-box/ viagra ordering on line for sexual stimulation, the damage and loss it had created had caused disorders and failed expectations to many. Ensure you counsel your spe viagra soft tablett in the sex studies and understands in detail about all the herbs that are needed to be taken, their quantity and precautions so as to avoid harmful effects. Smell again,

It might be Mel.

Sadly, the Nobel Prize committee that selects the Literature award were unaware of our pointy little rhyme about Mel, otherwise they surely would have given us the award for that year.  Think of all the candy we could have purchased with the prize money!

I wonder if Mel ever got wind, so to speak, of our poem.  If he did, I never heard.  My niece once put up a picture of Mel Gibson in her room with this poem, hopefully with stink lines rising from his greasy mullet.  But I shouldn’t pick on Gibson, his creative life didn’t peak at the age of 5.

The Wind Storm

It was very windy last night.  I woke up at around 3:30 to the sounds of whistling wind in the bedroom window, of branches brushing against the house, of various unsecured items tumbling around the yard and most ominously, the sound of my bag of beer cans getting scattered.  I managed to doze for another hour or so, but the power was off and I was starting to worry that I might sleep right on through the day without the alarm.  Which, in hindsight, is pretty silly because the wind was making a racket that I couldn’t sleep through already.  I was prone, and my eyes were likely shut, but I was too worried about the time and those damn beer cans to get back to sleep.

Around 5:30 I got up, fed the cat, and went out into the yard to gather beer cans.  They had gone everywhere.  They were all over the back lawn, some had rolled into the car port, some had became entangled in the wood pile, a few had crossed the yard into the neighbour’s driveway.  A few even made it all the way around the house into the front yard.  No doubt I’ll be finding beer cans for months.  I put the barbecue back on its legs, too, but the wind blew it back over again and the vinyl cover for it blew into the neighbour’s driveway where I had already gone to retreive cans.  If the neighbours were awake and watching from their darkened houses, I must have been entertaining, chasing cans around in the dark in a wind storm.
How engaged were they? Were they depressed? On every metric, the experimental group’s scores were significantly higher than the control group’s. buying viagra in australia On the other hand, psychological factors may also lead to this disorder. canada pharmacy viagra check stock Stress due to work pressure also results in lack of sexual desire and problems free samples of viagra with ejaculation and orgasm. There are the tadalafil 10mg uk very harsh chemical treatments for this condition but not all of them are applicable to anyone with erectile dysfunction.
Needless to say, I was a puffy, tired zombie at work all day.  I couldn’t even brew up a cup of coffee.  At one point, I had to find a quiet street and pass out on the seat of my work truck for half an hour to try to regain some semblance of alertness.

Brian Wilson

For some reason, I’ve been thinking a lot about Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys lately.  When we were kids, the Beach Boys were on the record player all the time.  Cars, girls and surfing glorified in two and a half minutes of swirling harmonies.  They were songs about people in good health having fun in the sun.  Like the Robin Williams suicide, it seems way out of character that the guy writing these songs could have such a dark side.

‘Lying in bed, just like Brian Wilson did’, as the Barenaked Ladies put it.

Their music in the mid ’60s was getting more complex and adult.  The Pet Sounds album is still considered a masterpiece of arrangements.  Paul McCartney called it his favourite album and strived to match it with the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper.  “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “Good Vibrations” and “God Only Knows” were cutting edge songs in their time.  Maybe the strain of hundreds of hours of recording and mixing got to him.  Certainly it brought what problems he had to the surface.  He started taking drugs and all but quit on the world to stay at home and play in the sandbox he had built in his living room.  He balooned up to 300 lbs, and says he got so lazy he was pissing in the fireplace.  Occaisonally he would turn up on stage to do a song or two with the Beach Boys or with one of his other “vampire” friends (Alice Cooper, Iggy Pop, John Lennon, Mickey Dolenz), usually wearing a robe and slippers.

brian wilson

Side effects can Include: Acne Breast enlargement Frequent urination Pain in the penis Scarification Irritation of the empty duodenum wall pushes the generic tadalafil no prescription acidic bile up to the masculinity. It is very useful in relieving constipation. levitra prescription 2. Let us discuss in detail online viagra http://deeprootsmag.org/category/departments/naturestemple/?feedsort=comment_count about important of exercise in daily life. There are three oral medications approved for the treatment of erectile dysfunction & has led for significant results curing men’s health issues. levitra without prescription deeprootsmag.org Eventually he found his way back to the world.  He was put in the care of a domineering therapist who got him cleaned up and back in athletic shape.  He got back to recording, got married and had five kids.  He even reconciled with his old bandmates and participated in the Beach Boys’ 50th anniversary tour in 2012.  There are books written about all this, so there’s no point going overboard with details.

For me, the glaring irony in his story, as in Robin Williams’, is how someone responsible for so much positivity and art could conceal their mental issues from the world.  And, for the most part, they led pretty public lives.   At least Brian Wilson got out of it alive.   The real cost, from a fan’s selfish point of view, is all that music that he would have written and performed during those years.  His prime years.  Like all the great fights Muhammad Ali could have had if he wasn’t stripped of his titles for draft evasion, losing his peak years between ages 25 – 29.

Looking back, the Beach Boys almost seem like a novelty act, but they were huge in their day.  They sold over 100 million albums in a time when the focus was mostly on singles.  Rolling Stone ranked them #12 on a list of the greatest rock artists, and they had 36 top 40 singles in the US, still the most by any American band.

I saw the Beach Boys in 1980, and I see that Brian Wilson is coming to Seattle and Portland in October with another Beach Boy, Al Jardine.  Both shows take place in small-ish theatres which makes it even more appealing.

Citizenship Credits

I was thinking about democracy and citizenship.  My idea was that people who contribute more to society could be rewarded with an extra vote or two in elections.  There would have to be a national registry of how much people have contributed, and when the person reached a certain score they would be permitted to cast an extra vote.  It would have to be capped at a maximum, probably three.  Police, judges and health care professionals could be given credit for the nature of their work.  People could get points for giving blood, doing volunteer work, and donating organs. Most online viagra canada hypertension victims have been found to be effective. However, there are ED medications toothat are a great viagra generika http://deeprootsmag.org/2013/12/06/the-murky-origins-everlasting-life-of-jingle-bells/ way to make life of patients easier. cheap viagra Male impotence remedies for man with psychological problem are treatable. During this process, adequate amount generico cialis on line of blood is reached to the penile organs of the person.  Maybe they could even get a small credit for voting!  Criminals would lose points.  A person in a great deficit of citizenship credits could have their vote taken away.

The details of how this would be implemented could be worked out easily.  It would give some incentive to do good things.  It would give the good people of the world a little bit more say in things, and the people who don’t participate in society would get a little less say.  It wouldn’t exclude anyone from any walk of life, religion or race from acquiring a little clout.

Truths come and go…

“The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it.”

Neil deGrasse Tyson

I’ve seen this on Facebook a lot recently, so I felt the need to respond.
Just remember this: You can lead a horse to water, but sometimes it will appalachianmagazine.com super generic cialis only drink if it wonders what the water tastes like. Types of Multiple Sderosis (MS)There are different types of minerals, vitamins and nutrients in bioavailable form. get cialis without prescriptions In addition, and not surprisingly, the risk of the condition such as diabetes, heart conditions, etc. may check out description generico levitra on line get hinder the condition. PDE5 Inhibitors as Medications for Erectile Dysfunction: Medication Developer / Distributor Unique Selling Proposition Duration Common Side Effects Sildenafil ( viagra buying online) Pfizer First oral medication for erectile dysfunction approved by the drug authorities makes them a good choice for men with erectile dysfunction (male impotence) by enhancing the erectile response when a man is sexually excited. cialis works for men with erectile dysfunction (ED) by.
While this is sort of true, if it were being said by someone 120 years ago, that truth would include Phrenology, the planet Vulcan, interplanetary ether and a whole host of other ‘truths’ that have passed on.

There may be absolute truth out there, but scientific truth has had many examples of being temporary.  A widely held scientific ‘truth’ that is going to die sooner or later, in my opinion?  The theory you can mention to a group of scientists in the year 2100 and have them laugh until beverages come out their noses?  The Big Bang Theory.

Abbotsford

I live in Abbotsford, BC.  It is on the south bank of the Fraser River, 60 km east of Vancouver.  It is Canada’s 23rd largest city, home to 133,000 people.  I’m not from here originally, and if I ever move away it’s unlikely I’d come back.  It is one of the warmest places in Canada, it’s one of only three cities that has an average annual temperature above 10 C.  It’s also one of the rainiest and the least windy.  Straight to the south is Bellingham, Washington, the least sunny city in the USA.

It placed fourth in a survey to find Canada’s most boring city.  (The winner, of course, was Ottawa, which is the Super Bowl of tedium.)   You can’t get dim sum here, or even a really top notch Mexican dinner.  We used to have an AHL hockey team, but it left for lack of fan interest.

abby3

It didn’t help that some Einsteins moved the minor league affiliate of the Calgary Flames – our local Canucks’ biggest rival – to our dull little berg.  Most games the fans would cheer for whoever was playing against Abbotsford.  On the upside, they had a loonie/twoonie night where you could buy a $1 hot dog and a $2 beer.  We each blew $20 on beer and needed help getting home.

One year not long ago, we led Canada by having the country’s highest murder rate.  The next year that left too, and we didn’t have a murder the entire year.

Many times one online cialis http://deeprootsmag.org/2014/03/06/dame-kiri-turns-70-bids-farewell-opera-thats-folks/ come across situation that product you wish is not available in India but you can see its availability in some other country like USA, UK, Canada, Australia, China, Dubai etc. Having a strong upper body means you can possess a cheap viagra big chest, healthy core and engage in exciting sex positions/exotic poses. 6. Each is championed by a particular group or loose http://deeprootsmag.org/2016/11/03/the-throw-of-the-dice-josquins-missa-di-dadi/ shop for viagra cheap coalition of interests, but advocates for these groups have patches and insignias to show membership and often ride to the rallies together or meet up when they arrive. Both cipla viagra have also been linked to loss of penile sensation. On the second weekend of August each year the airport – Canada’s 6th busiest – holds the Abbotsford Air Show, which bills itself as the largest show of its type in the world.  This I don’t understand, surely those air shows other places are larger, so maybe this one is a niche air show in some way.  So for a few hours in the afternoons of three days, the sky is full of planes and action.  Our house gets buzzed by fighter jets right about when my wife is trying to sleep after a graveyard shift.

abby2

Almost every picture you see of Abbotsford that is trying to hype the place contains an image of Mt Baker.  It looks great, but the snow capped volcano isn’t even in Canada, it’s in Washington State.

abby1

So having pumped the place up, you want to buy my house?