What about Basic Human Rights

There was an article online today about a report into the French prison system and the appalling conditions within it. The quotation from the report used is "totally at odds with a modern society's requirements". It seems that certain inmates of the French prison weren't being treated with the respect for their human rights, seems they didn't all have access to a hot shower every day.

The opinion I am going to express is probably going to be "totally at odds with the definition of human rights within a modern society'. But I'm really not someone with ideas fostered during the Spanish Inquisition, but I do put forward the notion that possibly it is hypocritical of any society that has a tradition of laws and the rule of law to have much to say about "human rights". I think that if you don't follow the accepted laws and moral standards of a society then you lose the right to have the same rights as those who do follow them.

In case you are unfamiliar with it I am going to quote a section from the American Declaration of Indepenence and its reference to basic rights which expresses the concept as well as anything else I have found

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

I think that anyone would agree that this more or less forms the basis for rights within any of the civilized nations of the world. But having said that, many civilized nations have laws that provide for execution of criminals, so that does away with the life part, we also confine people to prisons which definetely throws liberty out with the bathwater, and the Government of Canada has deliberately put some laws in place that most definitely have made me unhappy. For an example you can't keep a clam that is under 3 inches long, this makes me very unhappy when I am digging them, because most of what comes up is only 2 3/4 inches long and I have to discard them. Now I don't necessarily disagree that for the public good these are good laws, but each infringes upon rights in the strictest sense.

Here is one of my pet peeves. On PEI if you want to do some plumbing in your house it has to be done by a licensed plumber. So if I wanted to put in a sink and I went ahead and did the work myself (which I am quite capable of doing I am breaking the law) If I had to hire a plumber it would definitely infringe on my pursuit of happiness, whatever happened to a mans home is his castle as a founding principle of English common law.

So all I can say then is that there are no absolute rights, that everything is fair game and if these self evident rights can be compromised by legislative means, this makes human rights "subjective" because we compromise even the most basic ones.

The question that I have to ask myself then is this, "is it reasonable to conclude that if a person wishes to conduct their affairs outside of the rules that society has set for itself that the basic rights that everyone wants for themselves are reduced because of their "opting out". I think the answer has to be yes because we have already established by precedent this is within the rights of society as represented by our Governments and courts in putting restrictions on the ability of non conforming members to the pursuit of life , liberty and the pursuit.

So I say this, it is impossible to pass a law without infringing upon the basic rights of someone

Last time I heard this kind of an argument I think alcohol and mind altering drugs were involved If you don't agree then "no soup for you" and you can take it up with the "soup nazi" who claims it is his right not to sell to the likes of you.

Things Are Simpler Than You Think

I remember about 27 years ago when by chance I came across one of the principles of marketing that gets overlooked by the experts. They are all aware of it but because its pretty mundane I think it gets shuffled aside because its to simple, but the reality is that it works. It made quite a difference in my business and personal life and when I periodically give my head a shake, just like cream it rises back to the top. Everyone has heard about word association to help you remember things, well here's how you can remeber this thought just say "Bob Dylan".

And when you think of Bob Dylan connect him to these lyrics that he wrote and immortalized in his song "Positively 4th Street"

I wish that for just one time
You could stand inside my shoes
And just for that one moment
I could be you

Yes, I wish that for just one time
You could stand inside my shoes
You'd know what a drag it is
To see you

What a lesson in life that is, to realize that what you think and how you perceive things may not be how the rest of the world sees it. And if you are a marketer its a lesson you had better remember if you want to be successful.

But you don't have to be a professional marketer to get a benefit from understanding this. Its one of the most valuable techniques you can use when trying to accomplish anything that is going to involve people. There are certain things that people respond to, attitudes that bring reactions, ideas that have appeal to everyone and its good to have a list of these positives in your arsenal no matter what you are doing, and particularly if you are trying to win people over to your ideas. Knowing that you'd think I would have learned to use those concepts effectively but alas I haven't, I'm like the kid who brings home the report card with rows of "T"'s on it. The legend at the bottom says it all T - Tries and has some success.

And you'de think I would get it through my thick skull. The successes in my life have come when I remember what I am preaching, and the failures when I abandon them, and take firm grasp of the jawbone of an ass which I keep dangling from my belt and begin swinging.

Instead of looking at every situation from your eyes try changing places and you will be amazed how the world looks different and how your interactions with people become so much more productive.

But its so hard to admit I'm not always right.

I'll Guess I'll Never be a Gamer

I did something out of character for myself yesterday, I bought a game for the PC. It is well known around our place that I hate games. I hate them for a whole lot of reasons. It seems to me that the craze of gaming has ruined the potentials of an generation of kids who lack the will power to turn them off and get on with living. There is no wonder we have a nation, which for the first time in its history has identified child obesity as being its number 1 health problem, and I blame video games as the main reason.

The youth of today has become obsessed with an unhealthy, addictive pastime that involves them in relationships with mythical beings whose main objectives seem to be the electronic destruction of enemy caricatures. This constant interchange can't be healthy. It used to be said you are what you eat and you can tell a lot about a person when you look at the company they keep. And you know what its still true. The environment we place ourselves and the relationships we make eventaully define us. Its kind of scary what we are going to find in 20 years as the first generation of addicted gamers reach their mid to late thirties.

Anyway, back to my game. I bought Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf 2006. I only got it because it was storming out, I had a gift card to Future Shop in my pocket, I enjoy getting out and golfing, but mostly because I had a momentary lapse in judgement. So I thought when I am at home this evening I will start this up, relax by pretending to play some golf and enjoy the scenery of the replicas of famous golf courses. Notice I put in the word relax, let me give you a look into the future - "not to be". Now my wife is an avid gamer, she glues herself to the computer screen for hours on end playing things like Laura Croft, Doom, Age of Mythology etc, etc, etc. So when I told her about the game I had purchased, her eyes lit up (even though she hates golf) and she set about doing the installation.

I left for the corner store and when I returned after my daily socializing and catching up on the days happenings in Eldon she said to me "this is a big game, its still loading". So I made a cup of tea and sat in a corner of the living room while she continued her struggles with the demons of technology. One thing I learned a long time ago is that no matter how much frustration she is experiencing at her computer, even if you could fix it in a moment its best not to interfere. Finally she informs me that the game is installed and I look forward to starting it up, but whats this, her eyes glass over and she is giving it a try, so knowing my place I have some more tea.

As the strings of profanity increase in both volume and frequency I realize that all is not well in the land of the "Tiger". Finally she says, I'll figure it out tomorrow and leaves. Its not that I have any great love for mental anguish but I think well I'll give it a try and start it up.

Here is what I have now learned about "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06". First the fu**er that put this together is a mean, mean b*st*rd. You can't just play this game. In fact it takes you an hour to figure out that you have to create a character and when you do you can't just start playing, you have to go through a zillion steps to find out how you buy your clothes, clubs, lessons etc. Then you find out that there are only a few select courses you can play except they don't tell you which they are or where to find them. So I thought I would go online and find out the answers to these questions, thats when I discover that the only person meaner than the b*st*rd who programmed the game is the evil piece of sh*t who figured out that how to squeeze every nickel you ever hope of owning from your greasy little palm right into his pocket if you want to actually play it.

The whole game is structured to get you paying to play online, and pay for every moment you play, and for every question that you ask. Now I understand why they do not include a user manual with the game.

Bottom line, I hate the game and everything associated with it, from the little pr*ck who sold it to through the designer of the ATI 9200 Video card that makes it work to the programmer, and ending with the Board of Directors of EA Sports. The Pox on them all, may their d*cks all drop off, I'm going back to Wednesday night cribbage and wait until spring for the real thing.

NOTE: I was listening to a conversation yesterday between two avid gamers. The topic was that games are getting to complicated and one said they were getting sick of getting an expensive game and then not being able to use it either because it didn't fit with the computer or some part of it and then because it takes to long to figure the damn thing out.