On Preparing and Eating Soft-boiled Eggs

Do you eat soft-boiled eggs? How do you boil them, how long? How to you open them, which end, why? Do you know why brown bread is traditionally eaten with them?

We cover our eggs with cold water and put the eggs into the pan so that they are just covered. We then bring the water to the boil. At the point of boiling we time for 4 minutes. the eggs are then placed in egg cups with the pointed end up. The pointed end has no air space and so is 100% egg white (albumen). 

I tap twice at one point with a spoon and then using my thumb I fold back the top....Usually it shows a clean edge with no small fragments of shell. Then I eat. 

The apparent traditional reason for using brown bread is that there is a good content of B vitamins. Any runny part of the egg still may have an anti-B enzyme so the the bread helps to off-set any degradation. It is also a good taste experience! . 

Many cut their toasted bread into fingers and dip them into the yolk....yummy! This is just our way but follow your own bliss! Personalized rituals are fun. 

We have one for poached eggs too but that is another story. :-) I eat more than 300 eggs a year....My cholesterol level is good....The myth that eggs are not totally good for you has now been debunked and we have never had a salmonella attack by eating runny eggs. My wife and I are 72. 

But be careful of Romaine /Cos lettuce from your local Supermarket, apparently!

North Korea......My Druthers and Crystal Ball

Mr Trump is doing his usual switching back and forth. Or is he applying some subtle brilliant diplomacy? Take your choice, I guess! South Korea and North Korea have just had a surprise meeting. And, as Trump so often says, "Wait and see!"

The US would like to see North Korea clear out all their "Nukes" and has even suggested that they be shipped to the USA. They also would like to keep the Nuclear umbrella in that area as future security. Seems like a real stumbling block to me.

The carrot that Trump APPEARS to be offering is protection from the US, relaxation of all sanctions and even direct support for the North's move to stability and prosperity. But what will Kim do ? He is being pushed into a sticky corner. He would dearly love to keep his "Nukes" for his Country's protection and as a deterrent. The fear of a 'Libya situation' looms in his mind. His fears and distrust need to be allayed. 

So what next? I think they SHOULD have a summit, put all the cards on the table and move toward denuclarization ASAP, with a signed treaty which ensures the North's protection, coupled with real support. Pile on some real goodies and Kim will bite...they have been desperately in need for years.

The USA should remove their military stuff from South Korea completely. They don't need them there. In the case of any aggression from the North, the USA has more than enough Nuclear contingencies in the form of submarines and ICBMs. They have their navy which can be deployed in the unlikely-hood of a unilateral act from the North. China could help in this whole process if Trump would stop upsetting them. 

With this being written, I will return to my comfortable arm-chair! The downside for me is that if this works, they will probably give Trump the Nobel Peace Prize! :-)

To the Anti-Monarchists re. The recent Royal Wedding 

True, the Royal family is a result of power struggles, religious corruption, greed and all manner of negative things to which we might refer. The whole present British fabric of economy and politics was founded on the same things. Much of the wealth left today comes from Slavery and the power lust of the British Empire....and, true, not to be proud of......But: 

These are negative things which we could focus upon and wring our hands. However they are products of History and we should better look forward rather than back. The members of the Royalty did not ask to be born into their present mold, they inherited it as any family member, in any family can so inherit from their immediate ancestors. But any of them can, and many do, perform good things which serve society. 

Meghan is not poor and all I have seen is positive...give Harry and her a chance. The present Royal family is a business which the UK has seen fit to tolerate and use for positive outcomes, even if the 'Privilege' thing sticks in many of our throats. 

It was a great wedding with a strong 'inclusive' twist......Such a great 'sermon' by rev. Curry and inspiring music.

On the never ending USA/World debates 

All the different slants of argument have merit to a greater or lesser extent. Trump despises everything that Obama has done and reacts with school-yard behaviour. 

The structure of the American system means that any group in power will be hobbled in their quest throughout their terms. Israel HAS to be an ally with the USA and visa versa because there is a strong Jewish influence in USA economics. Judaeo-Christianity has been pitted against Islam for two thousand years and these religions have multiple factions which disagree within the respective religions. Islam is probably worse in its ferocity. Mix in Natural resources with Power and guess what?....problems which are virtually unsolvable. 

The chess game never ends and at best reaches a balance from time to time. World leaders take turns playing...some are better than others. However I sometimes wonder whether Trump is cool enough for the job. 

The NRA is a powerful organization and formidable in their lobbying of the Trump admin. I disagree with their interpretation of the Constitution regarding gun ownership. IMO, people may have guns for sensible protection and hunting but high powered assault weapons for all citizens? ..Nah, never in my book.Look at the wording of the amendment. At any rate there should be stringent registration.

 Health care should be as universal as the economy can stand.....not unfairly biased to the rich. Care should be made before scrapping existing Trade Agreements and 'America always first' is something in which the nation should tread lightly. There, world problems on the way to being solved! 

Beware all these: Nationalism, Religion and Raw Greed. The American Civil War never ended and that is the USA's legacy. And, no doubt, King George of England was certainly responsible for a lot of present day problems.

But, "The past is a Foreign Country, they do things differently there". 

And this: 
“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none; be able for thine enemy rather in power than use; and keep thy friend under thine own life's key; be checked for silence, but never taxed for speech” (William Shakespeare ).

An update on Roundabouts

Here we go again!

I just watched our Global News and, guess what ?...They bought up the issue of roundabouts re. the recent Bus/ Truck tragedy at an intersection.

I have been saying for years that Roundabouts save lives...And they are statistically proven to reduce fatalities by over 90%. In our local town we need a roundabout or even more roundabouts at our problem, accident prone, intersections.

The D.O.S.Council has not pushed hard enough in lobbying for this...I guess more people have to die first!

I hope The Ministry responsible for BC.Highways sees this and stops dragging their butts on this! In Countries where there is extensive use of roundabouts there is far less road rage.....the people who use them have to drive, drive well and have little time for the confrontations we see here. Even in those places where it seems that there are no rules....if you watch you can see the skills, the concentration and the resulting statistical lack of serious incidences. Go with the flow, concentrate, use your horn when necessary, learn and keep cool! Oh and I.C.B.C should reward good drivers and severely nail the bad ones! Wanna see what I mean?... ride in a Taxi in Mexico City...a humbling experience!  :-):That's all I have to say about that"...for now. Now go to this link:

https://trib.al/ejan75j

On the Kinder Morgan Pipeline April 2018

Much has been said recently on this issue:

The trouble is, the Premiere of Alberta wants her "cake and eat it'. 

She wants to keep her economy going with minimal tax ( think about their sales tax!). She does not want to give us (BC) anything in terms of monetary support for our inconvenience and possible damage to our water ways. 

She says she supports Confederation but her Province is one of the richest in resources. If we are a Confederation, we should all have equal shares in those resources. We pay heavy sales tax and so should they. For her to threaten to cripple our economy and cut off our rightful resources is inexcusable. 

I have words for her and they are not polite! The whole Province of BC should not be punished as a result of her desires The Feds should step up to the plate and sort this out very soon. Why should I pay almost twice as much for my gas and oil because of the extreme views of a few. I am not against the pipe line,only the very real dangers to our inner waterway. 

The pipeline should go to the Roberts Bank area and an extra pier for loading should be constructed. Yes I AM for the curtailment of Fossil-fuel use but it should be done gradually. Better still, burn our own resources for our own use and not export it all to nations who have little conscience in its use.....pissed off!!!


A slightly different view from a friend:

"So far it’s been a lot of hyperbole on both sides. I fully support John Horgan in his perfectly legal means of slowing down and trying to stop the pipeline. 

BC has not challenged the constitution or done anything illegal. They have used the courts to challenge another governments decision. That is how the rule of law in a democratic society works. Kinder Morgan is using this to get out of a bad deal for them. The fact that they just discovered a huge reserve of much cheaper oil in Bahrain probably has nothing to do with their decision to mothball the pipeline. 

Notice they were very particular not to abandon the pipeline, just stop any further development at this time. They want concessions to get their costs lower. They don’t want to pay for a spill response until a spill happens. If they don’t get that they still have Bahrain. It’s a win/win for them."

Here is an article related to all this:

http://www.macleans.ca/opinion/the-kinder-morgan-spat-is-an-intractable-slog-but-its-also-democracy-in-action/

Some recent correspondence with our Council

From: Dave Colwell  

Subject: Re. Your recent calls for input

Squamish Council:

We have recently been inundated with requests for input regarding the running of this town.

We have had numerous requests to fill out surveys  regarding the above. I have dutifully filled them out.

There have been numerous Public Forums.

But you do not let up. You must be mindful of the numerous modes of input that you have had access too.

Namely:

  1.  Squamish Chief Letters

  2.  Squamish Reporter Posts

  3.  Numerous Survey Data

  4.  Personal letters to you by citizens like me.

  5.  An awareness of all that our wonderful service clubs are doing for this community

  6.  The obvious Environment needs of our area in the light of Global problems.

  7.  The financial needs, in balance with all of the above

With respect, I think there is a need on your part to think about and discuss all this in a rational thoughtful manner, without prejudice, and to think about the economy of your strategies.

Again, Respectfully, Dave Colwell

_______________________________________________________________________________

On Mar 7, 2018, at 8:07 AM, Dave Colwell   wrote:

I already made a comment but  I wish to say this in addition to my previous words which may have been interpreted as negative and  possibly not supportive:

I am fully in favour of anything and everything which will enhance efficient Government, Business, Ecological stability, Social interaction, and most important, COMMUNICATION. Most of the Sponsors listed would seem to be able to help improve these things. No Council should need seemingly endless permissions to work towards any of these goals.

Let us not stick at the "survey post" ....... rather get on with the job.

And I do applaud your motivation to be as fair and inclusive as possible.....It is just that we elected you to be able to make informed decisions as efficiently as possible with confidence.

______________________________________________________________________________

Thanks Dave. Appreciate the feedback. It is a fine line between too much and not enough engagement. We usually get criticism for not doing enough.

Cheers

Patty (Mayor of Squamish District)

_____________________________________________________________________________

And a further reply from a Council Employee:

Thanks for the feedback, and I do recognize that there is a level of engagement fatigue with regards to all of the programs and projects currently flowing through the District. If I may, I would like to share a few points with you from our perspective, for your consideration.

Modern principles of public engagement reflect the premise that better decisions are made when citizens who are affected by those decisions have input into the decision-making process. There has been a demand for greater transparency across all levels of government (and many private organizations and businesses too) in the last decade, and inviting citizens into the decision-making process is a way to increase that transparency and gather important feedback from those who will ultimately be affected. It is not a substitute for leadership, and is not about asking for permission, but rather a recognition that “collective wisdom” from a group of impacted stakeholders serves to make a better decision.

We do recognize that there can be engagement fatigue and burn-out among citizens, and this is also a comment on how busy our municipality currently is with the growth that we are experiencing. Some of our processes are legislated, i.e. around development applications and public hearings, and certainly there is an unprecedented volume of applications from the development community as demand for housing in Squamish has sky-rocketed in the last few years, due to market factors.

We are also just coming off a two-year massive project as we update the Official Community Plan, which has required extensive input from the community to ensure the plan reflects the wishes of the community as to how we all envision Squamish in the next 25 years.

(Just one note about the Smart Cities project that you commented on, this is a contest that is hosted by Infrastructure Canada, and a key element of the contest requires municipalities to demonstrate how their community has been involved in crafting a challenge-statement).

Again, thank you for your feedback and it serves as a good reminder to us that we need to consider community engagement fatigue as we approach new projects and opportunities.