Tuesday, June 29, 2010

 

Wordle Cloud Examples

City of Wimps
by Jonathan Kay

Only in Toronto could isolated spasms of political protest drive a whole population into a state of collective hysteria

You'll find a Wordle for the following article at http://is.gd/d9246

When I was covering the riots at the Summit of The Americas in Quebec City eight years ago, the most useful data came through my nose: If I smelled tear gas in the air, I would follow the scent -- Toucan Samstyle -- to wherever in the city police happened to be raining tear gas canisters on protestors. Like other reporters and riot tourists, I even took one of the spent canisters home with me--you could find the things all over the city--to put on my desk and show my colleagues what a bad-ass I was.

The Quebec City protests of 2001 were about 10 times the size of the protests at Toronto's G20 summit this past weekend. And they were more violent, too -- featuring not only tear gas, but also frequent use of rubber bullets and water cannon. Some protesters even got through the security perimeter -- which never happened in Toronto. At one point in Quebec City, there was so much tear gas in the air that the official summit delegates couldn't even leave their building.

All of this violence was rightly denounced. And yet, somehow, the country didn't descend into hand-wringing about how Quebec City's image had been irreparably damaged in the eyes of the world. There was no talk of the historic city receiving a "black eye" on the world stage. The city simply cleaned itself up and got on with things. Within a day or two, it was back to the usual business of provincial governance and tourism.

Here in Toronto, on the other hand, we are in the midst of a spasm of civic mortification. Over the weekend, I listened to radio reporters breathlessly tell listeners that tear gas actually had been used on the streets of "Toronto the Good" -- as proof that the city was enduring some Cormac McCarthyesque apocalypse. Egged on by thousands of media images of the same three cop cars burning, my Twitter and Facebook correspondents filled their postings with hysterical dispatches: One particularly breathless Rosedale denizen compared the violence to "Soweto '76." A Toronto Sun columnist compared a brief detention of some protesters at Queen Street and Spadina Avenue to "martial law." The normally sensible Don Martin wrote that the scenes have "bought Toronto an international black eye." And the Toronto Star -- well, the Star covered the story exactly as you'd expect it to. Naturally, this being Canada, everyone is now demanding a public inquiry.

As a Torontonian myself, I am naturally not happy about what happened over the weekend. But neighbours, get a grip please: Thanks to a strong police presence, not a single person got seriously hurt, let alone killed. Even the property damage was minimal: As I wrote in Monday's Post, when I biked around the protest-affected areas of downtown Toronto on Saturday evening, I was surprised to see how few businesses actually had been attacked -- and in most cases, the damage was confined to a single plate glass window. That very evening, the downtown core was thronged with the usual crowd of well-dressed restaurant-goers and tacky club-hoppers. I guess none of them got the news about Toronto being transformed into Soweto.

I love living in Toronto. But in times of strain, the city takes on the character of an over-privileged wimp, shrieking and sobbing at the merest civic pin-pricks. We saw this in 1999, when the mayor asked for army troops to help battle the sort of snowstorms that Edmonton and Winnipeg seem to get every other week. We saw it again in 2005, when a series of local gangland shootings caused the media to present the city as a sort of Escape from New York wasteland of nihilistic violence -- even though we have one of the lowest per-capita rates of violence in the world. And now, a weekend of scattered protests, featuring even more scattered criminal vandalism, has had the same brain-scrambling effect.

In many parts of the world, including large parts of Europe, a protest featuring no deaths or major injuries would barely make the daily news. And indeed, it is telling how feebly Toronto's violence registered in the global media. I have in front of me print editions of three world-leading newspapers, The New York Times, the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal. All three front the G20 summit. And not a single one of those A1 stories even mentions the protests (though separate stories on the protests were included, in the back pages).

Is it any wonder the rest of Canada dislikes Toronto? We say we want to be a world-class city. But then, when the price tag comes -- in this case, in the form of the cliques of idiots who show up at each and very "world-class" G8, G20, WTO, IMF and World Bank conference -- we fall to the ground and weep.

It's almost as if someone tear-gassed us or something.

Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/city+wimps/3213468/story.html#ixzz0sGQAS6C8

Copyright 2010 National Post, June 29, 2010, p. A16

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Friday, June 18, 2010

 

Love's Power ...A New Approach to Stress Management

Another Patton Associates S-M-A-R-TBriefing

The Power of Love

by: Gary F. Patton (gfp '42™)


The Beatles were right! "All we need is love!"

That's because love is the most powerful force in the universe ...in your home, your workplace and in your neighbourhood. Recurring research proves it.

For you business people who doubt my linking the words 'love' and 'workplace', here's what one top management guru says on the subject:



“Love in organizations is the most potent source of power we have available.”
~ Margaret Wheatley, U.S. author, consultant & management guru (From: ‘Leadership and the New Science’)

The other names love goes by in a world that is preoccupied by sex and Hollywood's definition of love amplify and explain Ms. Wheatley's position. They are affection, appreciation, compassion, non-judmentalism and similar words.

"A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave." ~ Mohandas Gandhi (1869 – 1948) Indian statesman

Like other positive emotional states, love, like its namesakes, improves human performance, including the way the brain processes information.

Love creates more order in the pattern of signals coming from the heart to the brain thus facilitating cortical function. (See Institute of Hearthmath for powerful research on this 'stress-optimizing' issue.)

That's the part of the brain those of us who work were hired to use. It's the same part that we entrepreneurs are wise to optimize if we want to stay in business!

"If you want to hear the truth, listen to your heart because it doesn't know how to lie."
~ Gingerale

Here’s your customer service and people skills S-M-A-R-TTip™: "To love" is a verb ...an active not a passive verb, the synonym for which is "to serve"! And serving others is love made visible!" ~ gfp '42™ When we smooth our heart-brain interaction by feeling love (serving), we feel better and can be our best. We are better equipped to think more clearly because we can see people and situations from a broader, more complete perspective. When we do, we are better problem-solvers and decision-makers. We also are better lovers! "To love" is also a choice. And remember, quality customer service is a moment-to-moment choice. And life is an unending series of choices.

Please comment immediately below. Alternatively, by clicking here, you can e-mail me regarding questions about this article or to be added to my S-M-A-R-TBriefing™ Mailing List.

With my compliments and permission to reproduce, without change, including the following:

© 2010 Gary Patton, PattonAssociates.ca, People Development Coaches


142-26 Livingston Rd. Toronto ON CAN M1E 4S4 E-Mail: Gary@PattonAssociates.ca

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Friday, June 11, 2010

 

Breakthrough Thinking

Another Patton Associates S-M-A-R-TBriefing

"Breakthrough Thinking® ...Adding Distinctive Value To Your Business & Life"

by: Gary F. Patton (gfp '42™)

Your Challenge

"Change is constant and inevitable. Improvement and growth are optional!" ~ gfp '42™

Every day, in service centers, offices, factories and homes, people try to solve problems. Yet, more often than not, their "solutions" are inappropriate, or even harmful. Incorrect thinking is usually the reason for failure in any endeavour.

You can cope with change, improve and grow in the new millennium, personally and organizationally, only by adding distinctive value, not just value, to your life and business. You will do so as you successfully solve your problems focusing on your customer whomever that may be in any circumstance.


The Key To Adding Distinctive value

Breakthrough Thinking® (BT) is the key distinctive value-adding process Patton Associates introduces to individuals and teams in working with them on any assignment ...at no additional cost.

BT adds distinctive value to organizations by enabling an individual or team to discover the purpose-oriented, solution-after-next for their challenge ...now and in the future. With appropriate coaching, your leadership team will learn how to use BT on its own to solve future business problems, with minimal or no outside coaching help.

At the same time, individuals also learn how to solve personal problems away from the office ...just as effectively.

How Breakthrough Thinking® Will Help Your Team

BT blends the best of the usual "Chance", "Affective" and "Rational" problem-solving techniques in a natural way. It is easy for you to use for every kind of problem. BT overcomes the inherent shortcomings in each of the traditional problem-solving approaches. It assumes that you have decided not to use the "Do Nothing" approach. BT is:


Putting BT's Principles To Work For You

The power of BT is its simplicity. It is a simple, not simplistic, and disciplined, common-sense approach to avoiding the seven basic errors usually made in problem solving.

BT gives you a successful thinking process to use, consistently, in solving your problems. BT focuses on solutions for your future rather than on problems in your past. To put it to work in your organization and life:

  1. Recognize that every problem is unique ... This prevents you from applying canned solutions, that may have worked in the past, to new needs and different situations.
  2. Focus on purposes ... This prevents you from working on the wrong problem by stripping away non-essentials and addressing both the immediate and practical, larger purposes for the future at the same time.
  3. Look for the solution-after-next ... This prevents you from stifling creativity and more effective solutions by working backward from an ideal, target solution for your future, larger purpose.
  4. Understand that every problem is part of a larger system ... This prevents you from overlooking complexities that you must embody in implementing your solution by making recommendations that fit the real world while coming closest to your ideal target.
  5. Limit data collection up front ... This prevents you from getting bogged down in detail and missing a simple solution because you know too much about your problem.
  6. Develop your solution with the people who will use it ... This prevents hostility and results in ownership of the changes by the solution's end-users from the beginning.
  7. Adopt a betterment time-line ... This prevents you from losing perspective by planning for a sequence of purpose-directed solutions as a bridge to a better future.

Enhancing Your Team's Creativity

BT is the natural process identified by Gerald Nadler, of the University of Southern California and Shozo Hibino, of Chuyko University, Japan. They spent years researching, applying, and verifying what it is that successful leaders do to come up with truly creative, ground-breaking solutions to their problems. Nadler and Hibino identified the seven, simple, cross-cultural principles that consistently are used by all effective problem solvers. They also have discovered the steps that you can use to increase your success in solving your problems optimally.

BT could result in your using one of the new, business management processes for coping with 21st century change and competition as well as the need to provide superior, customer-delighting service. "Re-engineering", "chaos inducement" or another process could be your BT solution to your problem. But, BT does not start from the assumption that there is only one solution for your unique problem.

Unleashing New Possibilities

Here’s your customer service and people skills S-M-A-R-TTip™: "Consider the exciting possibilities for enhancing your potential and performance with Breakthrough Thinking! ~ gfp '42™ BT is elegant and powerful in its simplicity. Its seven, common sense principles, consistently applied by individuals and work or home teams, have the potential to revolutionize your business or organization and your life. You will communicate better and more powerfully when you do, no matter who or how you serve. Remember, quality customer service is a moment-to-moment choice. And life is an unending series of choices.

Please drop me a line using the link immediately below this paragraph. I'd love to hear what you think and how you feel about the above.

By clicking here, you can e-mail me regarding your comments or questions about this article. You also can ask to be added to my S-M-A-R-TBriefing™ Mailing List.

With my compliments and permission to reproduce, without change, including the following:

© Copyright 2000-10 Gary Patton, PattonAssociates.ca, People Development Coaches & Consultants

"Specialists in assisting business & professional people to relate and serve better cross-culturally and cross-generationally!"
142-26 Livingston Rd. Toronto ON CAN M1E 4S4 Tel: 416-931-7048 E-Mail: Gary@PattonAssociates.ca
View my Visual Resume Discover places where we can connect

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons 3.0 License.

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Wednesday, June 09, 2010

 

Industrial Wind Turbines ...Not Green

The Trouble with Industrial Wind Turbines

by: Michael Spencley

Industrial Wind Turbines (ITWs) are not just a "green-washed" tax grab by governments. They are a real problem in many community areas ...including:

  1. IWTs are not 'green'. (Spain's CO2 emissions are up 50% with its subsidized "green jobs" program.)
  2. IWTs do not create jobs. (2.2 jobs were destroyed for every so-called “green job” created in Spain.)
  3. "IWTs cause health problems for humans." (So says Dr. Robert McMurtry, Professor Emeritus in the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at The University of Western Ontario and special advisor to the Canadian Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care).
  4. IWTs slaughter birds, bats and wildlife. (Experts world-wide confirm they pose an ominous threat to endangered species.)
  5. IWTs are uneconomical. (They often result in over 200% increase in rates through subsidies as in feed-in-tariffs).
  6. IWTs negative impact on costs forces industry to relocate to other jurisdictions. (This further negatively impacts the net loss of jobs with some 'green' initiatives.)
  7. IWTs stir up a "toxic stew" in peoples' drinking water. This results from excavations to support their concrete footings when installed in Ontario's Great Lakes or other bodies of fresh water.)
Copyright © 2010 Michael Spangley This summary is extracted from Mr. Spencley's letter of June 8, 2010 to the Toronto Globe and Mail correcting errors in an article by a Globe columnist, Marcus Gee. Mr. Spencley is an engineer and Chairman of Michael Spencley International Inc. who lives & works in Toronto.

By clicking here, you can e-mail us regarding questions about this article or to be added to our Followers S-M-A-R-TBriefing™ Mailing List.

With our compliments and permission to reproduce, without change, including the following:

Gary F. Patton, PattonAssociates.ca, People Development Coaches

"Specialists in assisting business & professional people to relate and serve better cross-culturally and cross-generationally!"
142-26 Livingston Rd. Toronto ON CAN M1E 4S4 Tel: 416-931-7048 E-Mail: Gary@PattonAssociates.ca

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Friday, June 04, 2010

 

A Huge Interpersonal Communication Problem

Another Patton Associates S-M-A-R-TBriefing™

“The Dangers of Billy-Goating”

by: Gary F. Patton (gfp '42™)

Might you be using a word repeatedly that is interfering with your ability to communicate effectively? The dangerous word to which I refer is ‘but’. This little word can severely damage your oral communication as well as your letter, e-mail or Blog/Web site writing.

You'll hopefully permit me to call the practise of repeatedly using ‘but’ when responding to points made by another, ‘billy-goating’. Male goats called billy-goats and, especially their kids, spent a great deal of wasted effort and time ‘butting’ heads.

Using ‘but’ in a written or spoken sentence often frames your message in a way you do not intend. Employed to link two seemingly similar thoughts, the word often has an opposite effect. It can put another on the defensive by seemingly discounting what you just said.

Consider the following: "I was really impressed with your presentation, BUT next week we need to start exactly on time." “Your approach does seem to have some advantages BUT I’m still more comfortable with mine.” “You’re certainly welcome to look elsewhere BUT I’m confident you’ll discover we’re your best option.” What implications, ripple effects, and reactions come up for you with each of these examples? (Please, consider this for a moment before you read on.)

Each time you hear ‘but’, do you feel a clunk in your stomach like me? The way many of us use ‘but’ it can have the habit of negating the first part of our sentence. Its use seems to imply: "I didn't really mean what I just said. I'm only being polite."

There are better ways to join your thoughts that are not off-putting and will not put another on the defensive. The substitute word, ‘and”, is inclusive and respectful.

Sense how different these statements feel from those above. You are saying the very same thing but sending a very different message. "I was really impressed with your presentation, AND next week we need to start exactly on time." “Your approach does seem to have some advantages AND I’m still more comfortable with mine.” You’re certainly welcome to look elsewhere AND I’m confident you’ll discover we’re your best option.” What other ways can you think of to link two thoughts without using ‘but’?

Here’s your customer service and people skills S-M-A-R-TTip™: "Eliminate ‘but’ from your vocabulary and stop billy-goating those with whom you interact!"gfp '42™ You will communicate better and more powerfully when you do, no matter who or how you serve. Remember, quality customer service is a moment-to-moment choice. And life is an unending series of choices.

Please drop me a line using the link immediately below this paragraph. I'd love to hear what you think and how you feel about the above.

By clicking here, you can e-mail me regarding your comments or questions about this article. You also can ask to be added to my S-M-A-R-TBriefing™ Mailing List.

With my compliments and permission to reproduce, without change, including the following:

Copyright © 2000-10 Gary Patton, PattonAssociates.ca, People Development Coaches & Consultants

"Specialists in assisting business & professional people to relate and serve better cross-culturally and cross-generationally!"

142-26 Livingston Rd. Toronto ON CAN M1E 4S4 Tel: 416-931-7048 E-Mail: Gary@PattonAssociates.ca
View my Visual Resume Discover places where we can connect
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons 3.0 License..


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Wednesday, June 02, 2010

 

Adverse Health Effects & Industrial Wind Turbines


By:
Carmen Krogh

A Snapshot


· From Health Canada: ‘…there are peer reviewed scientific articles indicating that wind turbines may have an adverse impact on human health.’[1]

· Not every one gets sick. However, from a population stand point, those at risk include: healthy people; people with pre-existing health problems.[2]

· Adverse health effects can occur almost immediately or over time (1, 2, 4 months or more).[3],[4]

· Those with the following pre-existing medical conditions could be affected: migraine syndrome and inner ear problems where the balance can be affected by moving blades, the shadow flicker, noise / vibration leading to dizziness / tinnitus (ringing in the ears).[5]

· Based on health studies to date, the causes seem to be related to: noise that you can hear (dBA / intermittent swooshing) which disrupts sleep and which the human ear does not tolerate well. Noise that you can’t hear (low frequency / infrasound). Shadow flicker which can distribute fairly far. Electrical pollution (stray voltage) and substation noise (low frequency noise.). See appendix and references below.

· Sleep deprivation is not trivial and can lead to serious medical conditions.

‘… I have no doubt that wind turbine noise emissions cause sleep disturbance and ill health.’ [6]


Noise: dBA, low frequency and infrasound


· Noise levels can lead to sleep disturbance and adverse health symptoms.

‘Wind energy will undoubtedly create noise, which increases stress, which in turn increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.’ [7]

‘…may actually be more disturbed by the noise inside their homes than they would be outside.’[8]

‘This mode of observation is particularly significant at low frequencies, below the threshold of normal hearing.’[9]

‘…the military has been aware of the way a combination of persistent low-frequency noise, infrasound and visual strobing can destabilise the human body.’[10]

Low frequency and infrasound disrupts inner ear; that what you can’t hear can harm you.[11]

Noise guidelines have been adjusted: an increase of 10 dBA is perceived by the human ear as doubling.[12]

53 dBA June 04 (160% louder than 40 dBA)

51 dBA October 08[13]

40 dBA June 09[14]

?? September 24, 2009, seems to have reverted to Guidelines of October 2008. Clarification requested but not yet received.[15]

‘40 dB … necessary to protect the public, including most of the vulnerable groups such as children, the chronically ill and the elderly, from the adverse health effects of night noise.’[16]

‘…noise regulations can have a significant impact on wind turbine spacing, and therefore the cost of wind generated electricity…’ [17]

A 1 dB reduction of noise will reduce power generated 0.3% to 3%. [18]

Wind energy formula based on (dB(A) ~ kWh ~ $$$)[19]

You may not hear noise directly under the turbine, yet it will be heard a distance away[20]

Sleep disturbance adverse health effects / symptoms [21]

· Behavioural (affects performance, fatigue, memory, concentration problems

· Psychiatric (leads to depression, anxiety conditions}

· Medical conditions (cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal disorders, weight gain/loss

· Mortality (increased risk reported)

Low frequency noise adverse health effects / symptoms [22]

· Chronic fatigue

· Heart ailments anxiety, stitch, beating palpitation

· Chronic insomnia

· Repeated headaches

· Repeated ear pulsation, pains in neck, backache

· Frequent ear vibration, eye ball and other

· Shortness of breath, shallow breathing, chest trembling

· Frequent irritation, nervousness, anxiety

· Frustration, depression, indecision

Infrasound adverse health effects / symptoms [23]

· Sleep disorder

· Headache

· Vertigo

· Nystagmus (eye movement associated with vertigo)

· Nausea

· Mental changes

Health effects and low frequency noise from consultant from wind energy proponent

· ‘…it is acknowledged that this may be one area of scientific uncertainty in the wind energy industry as a whole’[24]

Health effects infrasound from consultant from wind energy proponent

· ‘…it is recognized that this may be an area of scientific uncertainty’ [25]

Setbacks for health: 3rd party, unbiased health studies including that of epidemiology to determine setbacks and noise limits including dBA and low frequency / infrasound are required.

Medical & other researchers suggest: Note: Terrain and siting dependant – not 1 size fits all. Dr. Pierpont suggests there may be a need more than these in mountainous terrain

2 - 3.5 km - Phipps - New Zealand (2008) *

2 - 3.2 km - Dr. Pierpont - USA (2008) *

> 2 km - Kamperman - USA (2008)

>2 km - Frey & Hadden - UK (2007)

2.0 km - Scottish Executive - UK (2007)

2.0 km - Bowdler – UK (2007)

1.6 km - Dr. Harry - UK (2007)

1.5 km - Acoustic Ecology Institute – USA (2009)

1.5 km - Medical Academy of France - EU(2006)

1.5 km - The Noise Association -UK (2006)

>1.5 km - Bennett – New Zealand (2008)

>1.5 km - Dr. Hanning – UK (2009)

· Noise is more pronounced in hilly terrain.[26],[27],[28],[29],[30],[31]

· Shadow flicker more pronounced in hilly terrain. [32]

November 23, 2009


Copyright 2009-2010 Carmen Krogh


[1] August 6, Letter : 2009 Safe Environs Program, Health Canada Environmental Assessment Nova Scotia

[2] Wind Turbine Syndrome, A Natural Experiment, Dr. Nina Pierpont www.windturbinesyndrome.com

[3] ibid

[4] Wind Vigilance for Ontario Communities (WindVOiCe), September 12, 2009 www.windconcernsontario.org

[5] Wind Turbine Syndrome, A Natural Experiment, Dr. Nina Pierpont www.windturbinesyndrome.com

[6] Dr. Christopher Hanning ‘Sleep Disturbance and Wind Turbine Noise’ June 2009

[7] The National Institutes of Health, Environmental Health Perspectives, volume 116, pg A237 – 238, 2008 (USA)

[8] NASA technical paper Wind Turbine Acoustics

[9] ibid

[10] Location, Location, Location An investigation into wind farms and noise, UK Noise Association 2006

[11] Tuning and sensitivity of the human vestibular system to low-frequency vibration, Neil P. McAngus Todd et al, Neuroscience Letter 444 (2008) 36-41

[12] Wind Turbine Acoustic Noise, Anthony L. Rogers, Ph.D. 2006

[13] Guidelines, October 2008

[14] Proposed Green Energy Act Regulations

[15] Green Energy Act Regulations of September 24, 2009

[16] Night Noise Guidelines for Europe, World Health Organization (2009)

[17] CanWEA letter to MOE June 15 2004

[18] ‘Noise Optimization of a Siemens Multi-MegaWatt Turbine’ Søren Hjort, Siemens Wind Power A/S

[19] Wind Turbine Aeroacoustic Issues, Paul G. Migliore National Renewable Energy Laboratory US Department of Energy 2002

[20] NASA technical paper Wind Turbine Acoustics

[21] Night Noise Guidelines for Europe, World Health Organization (2009)

[22] Mirowska and Mroz

[23] A Review of Published Research on Low Frequency Noise and its Effects, Leventhall, 2003

[24] Jacques Whitford Stantec Ltd (Stantec), Byran Wind Project ERR, August 25, 2009

[25] ibid

[26] Minnesota Department of Health (USA)

[27] National Research Council (USA)

[28] Dr Robyn Phipps, Dr Marco Amati, Dr Sue McCoard, Dr Richard Fisher (New Zealand)

[29] Fritz van den Berg (Netherlands)

[30] UK Noise Association (UK

[31] Dr Eja Pedersen / Dr Kerstin Persson Waye (Sweden)

[32] Evaluation of Environmental Shadow Flicker Analysis for “Dutch Hill Wind Power Project”

R.H. Bolton January 30, 2007

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