June 27 2023 - Olivia Chow vs 101 candidates

 

From the last day of school to the first day of Toronto's new mayor.  What an excellent headline this morning.  She's the first progressive mayor since David Miller.  She's the first Chinese-Canadian mayor and the third female mayor.  Her presence brings back memories of Jack Layton, a much-beloved NDP politician who died from cancer in 2011.  That was a significant loss to the political scene.  Jack Layton's predecessors were politicians and activities - his great-granduncle William Steeves was a Father of Confederation.  And the family business was Layton Bros. Pianos. That seems a good combination.  Olivia Chow was born in British Hong Kong and emigrated with her parents in 1970. While her parents were schoolteachers and a school superintendent in Hong Kong, in Canada they worked at odd jobs. She was an artist and sculptor in her early career.  She moved into politics in 1986 motivated by indigents of harassment and sexual discrimination. The voting was much higher for this election than the last one. It was about 40 percent of the eligible votes vs 29 percent in the fall election.   Perhaps there was more at stake this time - rejuvenation was needed rather than conservatism.  She promises affordable housing, improved transit,  that Gardiner Expressway revamp at ground level, and says there will be modest increased taxes to pay for the initiatives.  This is different than John Tory's conservative keep taxes low and reduce services strategy. Who is the biggest detractor of Chow?  Doug Ford. What a quote:  "While we're not always going to agree on everything..."   I wonder if there is something or anything to agree on - his initiatives include building houses on the Greenbelt and building a highway across the Greenbelt in Toronto's northern suburbs that will cost billions.   It seems like there will be contention between Ford's highways and Chow's transit plans.   That makes me think off our transit from more than a century ago - from before the dominance of the automobile.   The rail yard is full of activity on this layout.     Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Dec 30 2021 - Aliens to Finally Arrive in 2022

 

The surveys of what to expect in 2022 are published and we can guess ahead to 2022.   What do public citizens think is likely next year? Ipsos asked over 22,000 adults in 33 countries to give their personal predictions for 2022. "Although concerns persist about rising prices and the environment, most people felt things would be better in the New Year." Here's the chart that got my attention: How might we compare that with the percentage of people who think the world is flat?   Scientific American assessed that between 1.28 and 2% of the 10,000 YouGov respondents think the world is flat. - they had to analyze the questions to arrive at this number.  A Brazil survey found that 7% believed the earth to be flat.  The article interviewed one of those and he owned a restaurant, and did not live deep in the forest.  Another YouGov poll found that 3% of Britons thought the world flat.  So maybe it isn't surprising to see the chart above.  Deciding who to trust in 2022 might be a skill for 2022. We've been guessing this throughout 2021 and here's more proof. A train day today.

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Nov 19 2021 - Dreaming about Dream Jobs

 

Why do we use "dreams" to describe things we wish and want that we consider to be intangible or unreachable?   That's very different than dreams about being chased, taking an exam, flying, teeth falling out, cannot find toilet, falling, and so on.  The contrast is remarkable, isn't it? What are some of these things we "dream" about? Things like dream jobs, dream houses, dream vacations, dream spouses, dream bodies.  They seem to be about the acquisition of things tangible and intangible where money is no object.  I want to put "dreamy" in front of these - as though we are in a semi-conscious state.  Let's look at dream jobs.  We call it dream jobs when children say what they want to do when they are adults. Here are some that we would likely agree with: Actor Archaeologist Artist Athlete Chef Dancer Detective/Investigator Doctor Environmentalist Firefighter Interior Designer Lawyer Model Musician Nurse Photographer Pilot Scientist Teacher Veterinarian Writer I found this chart comparing what people do for work when they are adults compared to their childhood ambitions.

This is an interesting chart, but I didn't notice any survey or study referenced.  I did find lots in the Joke Library scattered around the internet:  What's your dream job? Well, in my dreams, I don't work. I've been posting my resume online while I was asleep;  hoping to get my dream job. Got my dream job today. I get my own 200 thousand dollar company car and a corner window with a view of the city.. Being a city bus driver is a dream come true. I finally landed my dream job as a palaeontologist It took years of studying and hard work, but I've never been happier. As I excavated a new find from the ground, a mother and her young son passed by. She pointed at me and told him, "This is why you need to do well at school and get a good job, or else you'll spend the rest of your life digging in a hole just like him."

Nov 6 2021 - Gone Dormant

 

Where do mosquitos go in the winter? Do they hibernate like a bear or go dormant?  There's some magic that keeps them surviving and thriving.  I went to mosquitoauthority.ca to find out everything Canadian about mosquitos .  "Once temperatures start staying consistently below 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit), mosquitoes start to go dormant in preparation for winter. They will often find holes to hide away in until warmer weather returns. Mosquitoes can also lay eggs in frozen water. That way, the eggs are perfectly preserved and can hatch when the water thaws and warms to the right temperature. New mosquitoes will be growing and getting ready to feed as soon as winter ends. It might seem impossible that such a small insect could survive a Canadian winter, but after all, mosquitoes are as old as (or possibly older than) dinosaurs. Evidence shows that mosquitoes date back to at least the Triassic Period, so they’ve survived a lot more than few icy months." Mosquitoes have a particular appetite for delicious type O blood. What about the biting black fly - I thought they were only out in spring in cool temperatures.  That's not the case as I have a big blister scar on my foot from a bite a month ago.  They can go through multiple generations in a year, - so that means one can be bitten early, mid and late in the season. And how about the fly swatter experience:  Flies experience time in slower motion compared to humans. So that lightening fast fly swatter of yours is often little match to them. We now have sufficient information to compare mosquito vs fly jokes: A young mosquito returned to its mother.   How was your flight dear? asked mom. It was great mom, everyone was clapping for me! A woman walked into the kitchen to find her husband stalking around with a fly swatter. "What are you doing?" She asked.  "Hunting Flies" He responded.  "Oh. Killing any?" She asked.  "Yep, 3 males, 2 females," he replied.  Intrigued, she asked. "How can you tell?"  He responded, "3 were on a beer can, 2 were on the phone." Our last train show was in Sacramento - here are a few images from it.

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Marilyn's Photos - March 16 2021 - Walrus falls asleep on Arctic iceberg, ends up in Ireland

 

It has happened to me - falling asleep on the subway and ending up in North Toronto rather than Etobicoke.  Sleeping through an interchange can have its consequences.  So how did a walrus get so far?  "A walrus has been spotted on the shorelines of western Ireland, believed to have drifted there on an iceberg from the Arctic, possibly after falling asleep. It's an exceptionally rare occurence. According to the BBC, citing the Irish Dolphin and Whale Group, it represents the third such sighting in Ireland since 1999.  Local Alan Houlihan and his five-year-old daughter Muireann spotted the walrus Sunday while on a morning walk around Valentia Island, the Irish Independent reports. “Muireann is the David Attenborough of Valencia Island,” Houlihan told the publication, adding the walrus is "huge, huge, he’s about the size of a bull or a cow." Kevin Flannery, director of Dingle Oceanworld, confirmed the sighting to the Independent. “I’ve seen pictures of him sent to me by Seanie Murphy, the ex (coxswain) of the lifeboat, and I’ve confirmed he is a walrus, not a seal with a toothache,” Flannery said. “... He would be pretty tired and pretty hungry at this stage. That is usually what happens to them is that they fall asleep on an iceberg and then get carried off from the Arctic.” Experts are urging the public to give the walrus some space so it can build up strength for its journey home. Walruses are social animals, typically found in groups. You'll most commonly find them in Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions of the world, in the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans." The full BBC story is HERE. We have two images from the Sundance layout today.  Look at that detail. Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Life Lessons

Can you imagine turning 98 today? it's my father's birthday and he's 98. We had lunch at August restaurant yesterday with him.  I thought of it in comparison to a birthday lunch at August's a few years ago. The birthday celebrant was turning 100.  She insisted on arm-wrestling the young waiter.  She was so strong that it turned out to be an arm wrestle.  He thought he would be giving her the opportunity to win.  He got a life lesson from the old.  You can imagine how many articles there are on lessons from old people.  There are 90-year-old lessons, 93-year-old lessons, 100-year-old lessons, lessons from Harvard graduates from the class of 1963.  There's a huffington post article on a person who asked 1500+ elders for advice on living and loving. Are the lessons the same or different from the young vs the old?  There are lots of articles on 30 lessons I learned before 30, or 5 lessons I learned before 21, etc. The advice given looks the same to me. But I guess the fundamental question is: What makes us interested in life lessons? What is the payoff and the benefits we're seeking ?  I had to go to life lesson jokes to get the clearest answer.  Six lessons for life is at eBaum's World.  I chose 3 that are presentable here. A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out. The Genie says, 'I'll give each of you just one wish.' 'Me first! Me first!' says the admin clerk. 'I want to be in the Bahamas , driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.' Puff! She's gone. 'Me next! Me next!' says the sales rep.. 'I want to be in Hawaii , relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.' Puff! He's gone. 'OK, you're up,' the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, 'I want those two back in the office after lunch.' Moral of the story: Always let your boss have the first say. An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, 'Can I also sit like you and do nothing?' The eagle answered: 'Sure, why not.' So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it. Moral of the story: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up. A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy. A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him. Morals of the story: (1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy. (2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend. (3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut! I wonder what the modelling lessons would be from this layout?

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Napoleon Says

Napoleon Said:  Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. The story goes that Napoleon planted trees along French road in order to keep his troops shaded wherever they marched.   They were planted long before Napoleon - in the 16th century.  The origin is that Henri IV ordered the building of straight roads with trees on either side to provide firewood and building materials. Napoleon is correctly credited with numerous military innovations.  The most significant change Napoleon made to the troop mix of his army was an increase in skirmishers, including light infantry, fusiliers, and grenadiers. Signifiant accomplishments were more far-reaching than military innovations.  His Napoleonic Code streamlined the French legal system, and still forms the foundation of French civil law.  Other accomplishments include: Decipherment of hieroglyphic writing by French scientists during Napoleon's Egyptian expedition invention of the ambulance service by a doctor of Napoleon's army invention of the submarine by American Robert Fulton commissioned by Napoleon. First launched in France in 1800 Napoleon himself is given credit for discovering and proving Napoleon's theorem in mathematics the metric system the tricolour French flag and the national anthem He seemed to be endlessly creating - there are many more achievements credited to him in the article HERE.   Aren't these excellent model railway scenes found at the Sacramento convention.

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She's so Skinny!

What about these 'teasers' on website news articles?  "Precious is so skinny now and looks like a model - we can't stop staring..." and "Anne Hegerty is so skinny now and looks gorgeous!".  "After her weight loss, Celine Dion confirms what we knew all along".  Were they on diets in 2019?  Maybe they those one these these 2019 diet trends.  Read the list and tele if the article would be titled:  "No one believed what she ate to get so skinny!" 1. Keto diet - involves very low carbohydrates and moderate protein so that 70 to 80 percent intake comes from fat 2. 16:8 is a fasting diet - involves fasting for 16 continuous hours, then being free to eat whatever is wanted for the other eight, every day.  The most widely researched approach is taking the eight-hour eating window between 10 and 6pm 3. Alkaline diet - limiting acid forming foods like meat, fish, dairy, grains, alcohol and highly processed foods and refined sugars, while bumping up your intake of alkaline forming foods like fruit and veggies.   4. Blood type diet - tailoring your diet to suit your blood type so people with type O should have a diet rich in animal protein but light on grains, type A should stick to a vegetarian diet, and types B and AB should eat slightly differently 5. Mediterranean diet - sticking to a plant-based diet of wholegrain, olive oil, fruits, veggies, legumes, nuts, herbs and spices - this one is recommended as a good way of eating Nutritional trends from besthealthmag.ca look crazy too: 1. medicinal mushrooms - fungi-infused teas are available at David's Tea for example.  2. oat milk - this is becoming a leading dairy alternative 3. cauliflower - this is a low-carb stand-in - make pizza crust to faux steak 4. elderberry - with anti-inflammatory benefits, it is on the rise as an ingredient 5. cannabis infusions - Coca-Cola was recently in talks with B.C. cannabis producer to make a CBD-infused wellness drink No food photos today - we're looking at a layout at the Sacramento Narrow Gauge Convention.

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Steam in Maine

One of the enjoyments of models is that they can be whimsical and creative.  So we look at some of the artistry on the model layouts in Maine this year.  The ocean theme was represented well with boats of all sizes.  In the second picture, the experimental steam works seemed a charming storyline with great detail.

How Many Model Railroaders Are There?

It's a Happy Train Day! How many Model Railroaders are there?  I wondered this and one of the forums had this answer. "If one considers all those with some sort of interest in model trains, teen through adult, tin-plate or scale, I believe that something like 300,000 might be a reasonable figure for the U.S.A., based on magazine circulation, hobby sales, etc. However, I'd have to say that likely more than half of these would be more properly classified as model railroad enthusiasts - persons with an armchair interest only or who never get beyond a single loop of track on a bare piece of plywood. Based on what you can find in the magazines and on-line, maybe something like 10k-20k might be considered true model railroaders with operating, scenicked layouts, while there appear to be a great many individuals that fit somewhere between that minority and the simple enthusiast level, or are those who are between layouts. " While this answer was from 2004, I can assume the number would remain a good estimate a decade later.