Big Guy

Some athletes practicing for the Rio Olympics: Practice

As the worlds attention continues to be focused on American presidential races, the Israeli government continues to push Palestinians off their land: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/07/israeli-demolitions-palestinians-homeless-160727205226179.html The Zionist cancer spreads in Israel absorbing more and more Palestinian land and Canada is taking a summer holiday. Shame!

Let us wait and see which one of us is correct.

I think the original decision by a jury was faulty. It was influenced by public outrage of the time and was not justifiable and an appeal has been lodged. I also believe that the appeal will result in another trial - trial by judge - and the original decision will be reversed. I still do not understand why this was considered a criminal act. It was a stupid act but stupid is not illegal.

There are Palestinian Americans who are trying to get their issues into the forefront at the DNC: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2016/07/raising-palestinian-dnc-160728074650630.html Many pro-Palestine activists at the DNC this week who came out in a show of force unprecedented at other political conventions. They marched and rallied, held talks and town halls, carried signs and, at one point, raised a Palestinian flag on the convention floor. Good for them. I hope the Hillary administration reviews American policy towards Israel and holds Israel accountable for its crimes against the Palestinians.

Tony Schwarz is a journalist who ghostwrote Trumps "The Art of the Deal". A publication Trump is very proud of. I was watching CNN this morning and saw this very enlightening interview with that journalist: Interview

I think that 6 years is too heavy. I still have no idea what the motive was. If the judge ruled that the policeman was a targeting visible minorities or someone who looked Middle East then there would be an explanation but these folks did not know each other, had never met and the policemen gained nothing from the shooting. I think this will be appealed and in a few months we will read on page 25 that the appeals court changed it to time served.

There is a possible solution which is not very politically correct. Those who have "major" difficulties could be physically identified in some way - an arm band or purple jacket or (including a bracelet once an officer is close enough to check for one) ... Law enforcement would be pre warned to treat the individually differently. The alternative, is to deal with each individual acting "dangerously" assuming that they are a criminal out of control (which creates these kinds of incidents) or treat all people who are acting strangely as if they are individuals having a benign mental challenge (which would lead to police being killed by criminals out of control). I know this goes against the stream of trying to incorporate those "with a difference" but it would be a voluntary process. I know that if I had a child or adult with mental challenges, I would have no problem with insisting and "training" them to put on a certain jacket when they go outside unsupervised. It does seem cruel but it is better than being called to identify their bodies.

I agree with you. I have the same attitude to equestrian events and other events where the individual expertise is not the governing factor in competition. If everybody had to use the same boat or the same horse then I can understand a valid decision based on skill. The original Olympics had competitions based mostly without props.

I suggest that we differ in what "united" means. I have not seen or heard any booing after Bernie made his request. Bill Clinton did his usual story telling and there was not one boo during his 45 minute speech. I am not a fan of Hillary. Biden was my choice for Democrats and Kasich for the Republicans.

What you see depends on your perspective: Reality

Bernie just asked that the vote for Clinton be considered unanimous - cheered by the vast majority - it passed Democrats united.

I will seriously consider your advice. I am also sharing the advice you received in kindergarten: 1. Share everything. 2. Play fair. 3. Don't hit people. 4. Put thngs back where you found them. 5. CLEAN UP YOUR OWN MESS. 6. Don't take things that aren't yours. 7. Say you're SORRY when you HURT somebody. 8. Wash your hands before you eat. 9. Flush. 10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. 11. Live a balanced life - learn some and drink some and draw some and paint some and sing and dance and play and work everyday some. 12. Take a nap every afternoon. 13. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. 14. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Stryrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. 15. Goldfish and hamster and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we. 16. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first workd you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.” BYW. I noticed an ongoing civil debate in my backyard: Debate

Nuclear fusion?

I still think it is difficult to predict the future: "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." - Thomas Watson, president of IBM, 1943 "Television won't be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night.” - Darryl Zanuck, executive at 20th Century Fox, 1946 "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." - Ken Olsen, founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, 1977 "Almost all of the many predictions now being made about 1996 hinge on the Internet's continuing exponential growth. But I predict the Internet will soon go spectacularly supernova and in 1996 catastrophically collapse." - Robert Metcalfe, founder of 3Com, 1995

I am more a Hillary fan than Trumps but that is because of Trump. I do not understand why people are getting all upset about how these folks run their Conventions. They are not governed by any laws but by their own rules. Political parties are not an arm of the government or of the military or of any "official" representative organization. They are a bunch of folks who got together decided that it would be easy to elect people who think like them if they organized and spent their money efficiently. They have no obligation to the public. They may have some obligation to people who have registered as members of that political party but even those who have registered are not obligated to support the parties choice. These folks can do what they want, how they want short of doing something illegal - against the laws of the country not the rules they have come up with.

That is like asking if a mosquito buzzing around my head as I am lining up my next shot on a golf course is going to improve my game. I have learned to try to ignore them. On a golf course I am able to swat them. Here, it is only you who are able to swat them. As to my definition of "troll" - I have seen you struggling with a definition that will satisfy all posters. Why should my personal definition matter? As to the last part, it is obvious that you disagree with me that there are still on this board participants whose only role appears to be to disrupt intelligent dialogue or insult anyone who does not fit into their political agenda. It is after all your board and you make those decisions. I disagree with your statement but I am only one participant and here by choice. If/when the agitators become more of a negative than the positive of reading well researched views, then I will vote with my feet - as will anyone else who participates on these boards. Thank you for asking.

https://www.olympic.org/sailing

It really is a question of aesthetics. In Southern Ontario, on the North of Lake Erie, we have a number of wind turbine farms. While art is in the eye of the beholder, so appears the aesthetic qualities of wind turbines. Some residents see them as ugly invaders of natural habitats while I am one of those who find them pleasant to the eye. I find them pleasing when driving in the area with their blades turning slowly in the wind on the horizon. I do have neighbors who see them as not unlike the alien invaders of "War of the Worlds".

I believe that I tried to explain the difference between what I would like to see and reality. There are many athletes who want to compete clean and continue to do so. They enjoy their sport and take pleasure in improving as they practice and participate. If/when, you can tell me how you can guarantee that one can impartially tell the difference between those athletes who are using no performance enhancing drugs and those who are completely "clean" then the "clean" athletes will get their level field. Until then, the chemists continue to create new performance enhancing drugs and masking agents to cover them. My point was that it is an "arms" race that will never end. The only way to level that field is to have no drug testing.

I do not have any reference because this is an issue to come. I am prepared to suggest a few: "A Vote For Trump Is Vote For Putin" "E-mail Hillary - Send A Message To Putin" "Dump Trump On His Rump"

Why do you assume that the reality of to-day is what I want? Certainly, I would prefer that all athletes be clean, that people were honest, that people were moral and ethical, that people would prioritize good will over profit ... But that is not reality. Many years ago I gave up on the Olympics. In the 1970's, I was involved in athletics on the national level. It was then that "blood doping" was first revealed in International competition and the level playing field to tip. It has continued to tip. "I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, committing ourselves to a sport without doping and without drugs, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams." Liar, liar, pants on fire!

I believe its not going to happen. It requires the British Parliament to pass legislation to invoke article 50. There is on obligation to do so and I do not think there are enough votes to pass it.

Unfortunately, it depends on the individual if they "recognize" a record. I have no doubt that most of the "records" in professional sport are as valid as the attitude of the person reading them. Babe Ruth was drunk for many of his home runs as was Mickey Mantle. Steroids were used for many years in baseball by those who set records before baseball was shamed into testing for drugs. Nadia Comaneci set gymnastic records at age 14 (wow aged 14 and still not having gone through puberty) and even at 16 she was a world class gymnast. When she finally went off steroids and was allowed to go through puberty she looked like an old lady at 20. Once in a while we got a Ben Johnson whose Canadian chemist was inept and not as good as the one for Carl Lewis. There is not one medal or winner of a world class competition that we can guarantee was not helped by drugs - except of course bike racing - just ask Lance Armstrong.

I believe that people have the freedom of choice to do whatever they want with their own bodies to attain an end. You have the steroids of body builders, the starving and drug use by models to keep their weights down and the same with jockeys. Fighters in all sports doing strange things to make weight before a fight. The second string offensive tackle in the NHL going on a steroid program to get that extra 10 lbs of muscle to make it to the first team. The truck driver using amphetamines so he can increase his driving times and make more money for his family etc. These folks in sport put their bodies at risk not for the spectators but for their own gain. No one is forcing them to do this.