As IF Times

link SUV crashes into departure level at YVR – Headlines – News – News1130 – ALL NEWS RADIO

In 1993, the World Trade Center was attacked deliberately by terrorists who detonated explosives packed into the trunk of a vehicle parked in the basement parkade of the towers. Although a few deaths and injuries occurred, damage to the structures was contained and subsequently repaired.

Fast forward to September of 2001 and this time, the terrorists succeeded by hurtling entire aircraft into the towers resulting in mayhem, death, destruction and led to a controversial war. In December of that same year, the idiot Richard Reid was thwarted in his attempt to light a fuse on his shoe while on an American Airlines flight from Paris.

For the past 8 years, millions if not hundreds of millions of air travellers have been forced to de-shoe their tootsies while going through airport security because of this idiot. This precaution must work because there have been a total of zero, zip, nada, none, goose egg incidents of this kind in the past 8 years. Not only that, there has not been even a reported attempt at this type of high tech shenanigan again. Frankly, to expect a repeat of this action is an insult both to terrorists as well as the rest of us.

Luckily, the fuse was on his shoe not in his underwear, or we’d see separate his and her security lines at the airport today. Oddly, we are still on guard against people with flammable shoes, but not on guard for vehicles packed with explosives driving into buildings. Wouldn’t it be easier to circulate in the general community hatching up car bombs than to stand in line at airports subject to the beady eyed scrutiny of security personnel?

The story in the link above caused me to think that although it was apparently an accident caused by a bad driver, ( hey this is Vancouver) such an incident could have been planned with malevolent intent by bad people.

“Well sure,” some would argue, “you can’t check every car that goes near a building” and this is true. But neither is it likely that future troublemakers will re-do the shoe thing again. Heck, it’s probably just as easy to glue some explosives in someone’s toupee or hat or turban or glass eye or denture plate. Diabolical minds will think of all kinds of creative ways to cause havoc. People have been conned to think this is a security measure which is implemented for their protection. It appears more likely this is bureaucratic measure that’s long past its usefulness, but which cannot find someone with the balls to push for its abolition. This has everything to do with PC again. Since no one wants to isolate or ‘profile’ individuals, far better to inconvenience everyone.

Again, it’s a puzzle to me why people, civilians and politicians, allow the on-going erosion of little dignities which characterize life in the so called free world. See previous post on global stupidity.

link Reuters AlertNet – Studies show obesity taking hold in Africa and UK

‘Studies show obesity taking hold in Africa…’

If this is true, future Miss Universe pageant contenders will have to find a new stock response during the question and answer segment. From the time I was a kid until, well, up to when I ran across this article, I’d always thought people in Africa were starving. No doubt that is probably still the case in many regions where wise dictators, er leaders, determine who gets seconds and who gets to just look at seconds; but if this study is correct, that’s quite a sea change in circumstances without a lot of deserved fanfare.

Shouldn’t there have been an announcement in the papers? A card sent?

My rapier-like mind figures that one of two things have happened to cause this significant change in the circumstances for people in Africa. Either more food is available or more food is made available. Anyone who has ever been to the American Midwest would never argue that there has ever been a food shortage. We then entertain the other possibility; that food has always been plentiful, the problem has been with distribution.

Food and financial aid programs to ameliorate deficiencies in diet, water and living conditions in Africa have been in place as far as I can remember. It appears that now, there’s evidence of their efficacy. I suspect that changes in political climates in Africa have as much to do with such welcome progress as aid itself. It’s easier to feed a nation for example when the resident dictator doesn’t skim off the first 80% or so for himself, his cronies and his army.

As many still fail to grasp today, sometimes you have to upset a few regimes, even with force if you really are in the helping people business.

But all is not tickety boo yet, according to this article, the citizens in the increasingly urbanized continent are consuming low quality, high sugar foods which contribute to obesity, heart disease etc etc.

The most interesting passage in this article is:

“Given the chronic nature of most diseases associated with obesity and by extension the huge cost of treatment, the prospects look grim for the already under-funded and ill-equipped African health care systems unless urgent action is taken,” said Abdhalah Ziraba, who worked on the research with the African Population and Health Research Centre in Nairobi.”

Hey wait a minute….they’ve become AMERICANS!!