CanPol Megathread: Big Changus

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P.d0t: Dec 27, 2007; I released my finger from the trigger, and then it was over...

Calgary Transit is poo poo, btw. Apparently there was a "switch malfunction" at the station one stop south of the Stampede grounds, around 3:30 this afternoon. Caused at least a 30 minute delay, and I had to get a ride instead.

It's pretty annoying that they close parts of the line every long weekend (and some normal weekends) for maintenance, and yet I notice a problem with the line at least twice a week -- and that's just during my commute times, I'm sure it's happening other times during the week, too.

loving hell.

# ? Oct 29, 2016 07:45

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# ? May 30, 2024 02:51

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

P.d0t posted:

Calgary Transit is poo poo, btw. Apparently there was a "switch malfunction" at the station one stop south of the Stampede grounds, around 3:30 this afternoon. Caused at least a 30 minute delay, and I had to get a ride instead.

It's pretty annoying that they close parts of the line every long weekend (and some normal weekends) for maintenance, and yet I notice a problem with the line at least twice a week -- and that's just during my commute times, I'm sure it's happening other times during the week, too.

loving hell.

when will they do maintenance that doesn't inconvenience anyone? :qq:

# ? Oct 29, 2016 08:07

P.d0t: Dec 27, 2007; I released my finger from the trigger, and then it was over...

OSI bean dip posted:

when will they do maintenance that doesn't inconvenience anyone?

I don't mind the maintenance, it's "poo poo breaking all the time, despite all the maintenance" that raises my eyebrow.

# ? Oct 29, 2016 08:22

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

P.d0t posted:

I don't mind the maintenance, it's "poo poo breaking all the time, despite all the maintenance" that raises my eyebrow.

Raise taxes and put the extra revenue towards these problems.

# ? Oct 29, 2016 08:25

MA-Horus: Dec 3, 2006; I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am.

Lol a 30 minute delay is a daily occurance on the TTC.

# ? Oct 29, 2016 13:48

Mad Hamish: Jun 15, 2008; WILL AMOUNT TO NOTHING IN LIFE.

The HST in Hamilton regularly has missed buses, which leads to the next bus being a sardine can, as well as the baffling situation where Google Maps has better accuracy for when the next bus will arrive than the HSR's own bus check line.

These are things that happen when you under-fund public transit and then jack up fares to try and compensate, which inevitably ends up lowering ridership.

# ? Oct 29, 2016 14:39

Subjunctive: Sep 12, 2006; ✨sparkle and shine✨

namaste faggots posted:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/repo...rticle32512431/

this entrpreneurial juggernaut will grow canada's economy into glory

this is why we need to give small businesses more tax breaks so we can build a food truck manufacturing industry

The only one of those I'd let pitch me is the vet sim.

# ? Oct 29, 2016 15:05

PT6A: Jan 5, 2006; Public school teachers are callous dictators who won't lift a finger to stop children from peeing in my plane

OSI bean dip posted:

when will they do maintenance that doesn't inconvenience anyone?

No excuse. I've never been to any city that has as many delays on a metro or LRT as Calgary. Presumably they, too, must perform maintenance and deal with funding issues.

# ? Oct 29, 2016 15:27

Reince Penis: Nov 15, 2007; by R. Guyovich

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/10/28/conrad-blacks-son-charged-with-assaulting-girlfriend.html

quote:

Jonathan Black, 38, son of fallen media baron Conrad Black, has been charged with assault causing bodily harm after reportedly breaking his girlfriend�s wrist.

Black appeared in court for a bail hearing Friday morning.

Black was arrested Thursday, and charged with assault causing bodily harm and mischief, said Toronto Police Service spokesperson Jenifferjit Sidhu.

I guess it really is true: when sons grow up with fathers in jail, they lack that moral guidance and grow up to be violent criminals.

# ? Oct 29, 2016 15:42

Seat Safety Switch: May 27, 2008; MY RELIGION IS THE SMALL BLOCK V8 AND COMMANDMENTS ONE THROUGH TEN ARE NEVER LIFT.; Pillbug

P.d0t posted:

Calgary Transit is poo poo, btw. Apparently there was a "switch malfunction" at the station one stop south of the Stampede grounds, around 3:30 this afternoon. Caused at least a 30 minute delay, and I had to get a ride instead.

It's pretty annoying that they close parts of the line every long weekend (and some normal weekends) for maintenance, and yet I notice a problem with the line at least twice a week -- and that's just during my commute times, I'm sure it's happening other times during the week, too.

loving hell.

Calgary Transit's City Hall switch has routinely frozen up for every snowfall ever since the introduction of the NE line in the early 80s. It's just never been fixed properly, possibly because of the compromises made by Klein to get the system working for '88.

Before there was the little shed, they would send a guy out with a tiger torch to stand on 7th and heat the switch up so it would slide.

Interesting the one at Erlton is failing now too.

# ? Oct 29, 2016 15:57

PT6A: Jan 5, 2006; Public school teachers are callous dictators who won't lift a finger to stop children from peeing in my plane

That switch is older than I am, and they still haven't seen fit to actually fix it? That's ridiculous.

# ? Oct 29, 2016 16:20

Seat Safety Switch: May 27, 2008; MY RELIGION IS THE SMALL BLOCK V8 AND COMMANDMENTS ONE THROUGH TEN ARE NEVER LIFT.; Pillbug

PT6A posted:

That switch is older than I am, and they still haven't seen fit to actually fix it? That's ridiculous.

To be fair, it is probably the sixth or seventh version of that switch. I think it is a design issue with the interchange.

I know it's rare for the west interchange to fail and I would assume those were designed at the same time. Could be due to how the aborted underground City Hall station was installed below the east one.

Also public transit often has a very long tail. I remember reading an article about one of the older lines in NYC or Boston or Chicago running on nearly eighty year old electromechanical switching.

Seat Safety Switch fucked around with this message at 16:31 on Oct 29, 2016

# ? Oct 29, 2016 16:27

MatchaZed: Feb 14, 2010; We Can Do It!

PT6A posted:

No excuse. I've never been to any city that has as many delays on a metro or LRT as Calgary. Presumably they, too, must perform maintenance and deal with funding issues.

Just wait until the KW LRT is done.

# ? Oct 29, 2016 18:57

Mr Luxury Yacht: Apr 16, 2012

WilliamAnderson posted:

Just wait until the KW LRT is done.

Well you're going to have to wait until at least 2018 now because guess who they contracted to build the trains :v:

# ? Oct 29, 2016 19:57

Femtosecond: Aug 2, 2003

Subjunctive posted:

The only one of those I'd let pitch me is the vet sim.

That one stood out to me as potentially useful as well.

quote:

Veterinary Simulator Industries Ltd. (Calgary): Creates practical animal simulator models that veterinary students can train on, to reduce or remove the need to practice on live animals.

Are vets really doing unnecessary surgeries on live animals for practice? That's hosed up.

# ? Oct 29, 2016 20:17

Reince Penis: Nov 15, 2007; by R. Guyovich

Femtosecond posted:

That one stood out to me as potentially useful as well.

Are vets really doing unnecessary surgeries on live animals for practice? That's hosed up.

Naw I'm pretty sure most of the training surgeries are on dead animals. Or dead animal parts at least.

# ? Oct 29, 2016 20:42

Nine of Eight: Apr 28, 2011; LICK IT OFF, AND PUT IT BACK IN; Dinosaur Gum

Seat Safety Switch posted:

Also public transit often has a very long tail. I remember reading an article about one of the older lines in NYC or Boston or Chicago running on nearly eighty year old electromechanical switching.

NYC, it's pretty incredible to see the Museum piece they're working on replacing right now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjx3S3UjmnA

# ? Oct 29, 2016 21:49

vyelkin: Jan 2, 2011

quote:

Video games and pizza: Nearly half of Canadian soldiers are overweight because they sit too much
Alan Freeman, Washington Post | October 29, 2016 1:35 PM ET

OTTAWA � Canada has often been criticized for failing to pull its weight as a military partner in organizations like NATO because of its relatively low level of defence spending.

But it�s a weight problem of another kind that�s currently dogging the Canadian Armed Forces. Many members of the Canadian military are fat, and authorities aren�t sure what to do about it.

According to a recently published survey on health and lifestyle conducted by the Canadian military, 49 per cent of all Regular Force personnel were considered overweight and 25 per cent were considered obese, based on body mass index. This included 6.1 per cent of personnel considered morbidly obese.

The survey, based on self-reporting done by a sample of military personnel in 2013-14, showed a continued increase in obesity levels from earlier surveys. The report�s authors blamed part of the problem on too much sitting around and poor eating habits. Regular Force personnel reported spending an average of 30.5 hours a week in sedentary activities, an increase of 6.35 hours from 2004, the report said.

�The increase in sedentary activities was almost entirely driven by an increase in time spent using computers and surfing the internet,� the report said. Video games were also a major factor, with participation in sedentary activities even higher than average among soldiers ages 18 to 29.

According to the survey, 17.4 per cent of Canadian Armed Forces personnel reported being unable to deploy overseas because of health problems, including 25 per cent of those considered obese. More than half of the respondents said they intended to lose weight over the next year.

Scott Malcolm, director of Force Health Protection for the Canadian Forces, insisted in an interview that BMI should not be used as a proxy for fitness and that the index is used primarily to determine members� risk of heart attack, stroke and diabetes. �Our risks are about at par with Canadian or North American society,� he added.

In the United States, the Pentagon is also reportedly concerned about excess weight among its personnel, but not at the same level. According to a recent report in the Military Times, 7.8 per cent of the U.S. military is considered overweight, based on a similar BMI test, although it was not immediately known if the two surveys were comparable.

Malcolm said that he hadn�t seen the U.S. study but that at first glance it seemed the two surveys would be �apples and oranges.� Among other things, the U.S. military is considerably younger than Canada�s, he said.

�There is a problem,� said Scott Taylor, editor and publisher of Esprit de Corps, an independent Canadian military magazine.

Taylor, a former infantryman, says that Canadian combat troops are extremely fit but that there are relatively few of them in the Canadian military. �We�ve got one of the worst ratios of headquarters to combat units anywhere,� he said. And it�s at headquarters in Ottawa, he said, that �you�re going to get guys taking the bus and eating pizza.� Taylor says the Canadian military is so top-heavy that there are now more personnel in Ottawa headquarters than there are in all of the Royal Canadian Navy.

Because it�s an all-volunteer force, the Canadian military is worried about retention, so it has trouble enforcing fitness standards for aging members and has even given up on fitness standards for recruits. Instead, Taylor says, it will send recruits who aren�t fit enough to what he calls �the fat farm,� a special program to get newcomers up to standard before they start basic training.

Arya Sharma, an obesity expert at the University of Alberta who has worked with the Canadian Armed Forces, says that what�s happening with Canadian soldiers is indicative of the weight problems affecting the population at large, noting that many soldiers have desk jobs or other sedentary positions.

He also says that BMI can be a poor indicator of excess weight because some people have a high BMI because of muscle mass. �You can be big and healthy,� he said. And he noted that members can be in stressful jobs, have a lot of shift work and, in some cases, suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, all of which can contribute to weight gain.

Malcolm said the Canadian Armed Forces are improving on healthy food options in military cafeterias and aboard ships and trying to make physical fitness part of the daily routine. But, he adds, �behavioral change is a challenge.�

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/c...ey-sit-too-much

That's right, the CF is too fat to fight and they're worried that if they make the fat people get in shape then they just won't re-up and no one will sign up because it's too hard.

But it's okay because actually it just reflects the general level of obesity in the rest of society, oh well.

vyelkin fucked around with this message at 00:57 on Oct 30, 2016

# ? Oct 30, 2016 00:45

RBC: Nov 23, 2007; IM STILL SPENDING MONEY FROM 1888

time to fire some managment sitting on their asses all day

# ? Oct 30, 2016 00:55

namaste friends: Sep 18, 2004; by Smythe

I can't wait until the cf stops sending their noble and brave warriors into battle because otherwise they'll get :qq:

PTSD

And since they're an all volunteer force you don't want to scare them off from re enlisting under the threat of getting :qq:

PTSD

But seriously though, is there a more cowardly and pathetic military in the g20?

# ? Oct 30, 2016 02:16

Jordan7hm: Feb 17, 2011; Lipstick Apathy

There are definitely fat people in the military but I think using BMI to assess fitness is probably not ideal when dudes are encouraged to lift weights.

# ? Oct 30, 2016 04:31

PoizenJam: Dec 2, 2006; Damn!!!
It's PoizenJam!!!

Mad Hamish posted:

The HST in Hamilton regularly has missed buses, which leads to the next bus being a sardine can, as well as the baffling situation where Google Maps has better accuracy for when the next bus will arrive than the HSR's own bus check line.

These are things that happen when you under-fund public transit and then jack up fares to try and compensate, which inevitably ends up lowering ridership.

Hamilton public transit is an absolute dream compared to St. John's Metrobus. Metrobus: Is more expensive, transfers can only be used once and only on a connecting bus (never the same line), and buses only come every half-hour to an hour. I've literally had no complaints about Hamilton public transit, and often find it faster than driving as a means to get to work. I guess it's a matter of perspective.

# ? Oct 30, 2016 04:58

Furnaceface: Oct 21, 2004

vyelkin posted:

That's right, the CF is too fat to fight and they're worried that if they make the fat people get in shape then they just won't re-up and no one will sign up because it's too hard.

But it's okay because actually it just reflects the general level of obesity in the rest of society, oh well.

I want to see the same statistics for the RCMP because I know it would be way worse.

# ? Oct 30, 2016 05:10

Trapick: Apr 17, 2006

Femtosecond posted:

Are vets really doing unnecessary surgeries on live animals for practice? That's hosed up.

Surgeons practice on live people all the time (by assisting, or when under supervision). Why wouldn't vets? As long as the surgey was going to happen anyway it's all good - I don't see anything suggesting the surgeries were unnecessary.

# ? Oct 30, 2016 05:13

Scaramouche: Mar 26, 2001; SPACE FACE! SPACE FACE!

I knew a guy who was training to be a surgeon (on humans), he'd do at least 1 heart valve replacement surgery on a live pig a week for the summer we worked together. Its not just vets

# ? Oct 30, 2016 07:11

P.d0t: Dec 27, 2007; I released my finger from the trigger, and then it was over...

OSI bean dip posted:

Raise taxes and put the extra revenue towards these problems.

are you implying that the municipal government in Calgary doesn't increase taxes every year? because :lol:

# ? Oct 30, 2016 07:57

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

P.d0t posted:

are you implying that the municipal government in Calgary doesn't increase taxes every year? because

Are you implying that Calgary doesn't pay enough taxes? Your infrastructure maintenance costs are going to be hilarious in 20 years and your current tax structure is never going to sustain it.

# ? Oct 30, 2016 11:00

PT6A: Jan 5, 2006; Public school teachers are callous dictators who won't lift a finger to stop children from peeing in my plane

God loving forbid we charge extra for a train ticket to the ends of the loving earth, though. We're so hosed because our sprawl is completely out of control.

Now that I've been flying again, over the city, the sheer scale of it makes me enraged. How the gently caress did this happen? Why was the municipal government asleep at the switch for so long to allow this gigantic, unwieldy and unsustainable footprint? And all we have is a tiiinnny little clump of highrises downtown, and gently caress all else for density.

# ? Oct 30, 2016 13:18

Stickarts: Dec 21, 2003; literally

Driving into suburban Calgary gives me the heebeejeebies. Miles of rolling hill after hill into the distance, every stitch of which is absolutely covered by houses that are all the exact same.

# ? Oct 30, 2016 13:33

Risky Bisquick: Jan 18, 2008; PLEASE LET ME WRITE YOUR VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENT SO I CAN FURTHER DEMONSTRATE THE CALAMITY THAT IS OUR JUSTICE SYSTEM.; Buglord

Stickarts posted:

Driving into suburban Calgary gives me the heebeejeebies. Miles of rolling hill after hill into the distance, every stitch of which is absolutely covered by houses that are all the exact same.

This is every Canadian suburb built in th last 10 years

# ? Oct 30, 2016 13:57

Stickarts: Dec 21, 2003; literally

Yes. My point was more that the actual physical geography of elevations in Calgary gives you far-reaching sight lines, which lets you see four or five hills stretching up and down off into the distance covered in suburban sprawl. It's a unique perspective.

# ? Oct 30, 2016 14:07

vyelkin: Jan 2, 2011

PT6A posted:

God loving forbid we charge extra for a train ticket to the ends of the loving earth, though. We're so hosed because our sprawl is completely out of control.

Now that I've been flying again, over the city, the sheer scale of it makes me enraged. How the gently caress did this happen? Why was the municipal government asleep at the switch for so long to allow this gigantic, unwieldy and unsustainable footprint? And all we have is a tiiinnny little clump of highrises downtown, and gently caress all else for density.

Gas is cheap and gas will be cheap forever and the more we build sprawling suburbs the more demand there will be for Alberta to refine its oil sands which benefits the city's economy so really it's a win-win-win

# ? Oct 30, 2016 14:15

Precambrian Video Games: Aug 19, 2002

Safe injection sites for oil: Why doesn�t Canada�s harm reduction philosophy also apply to fossil fuels?

Short answer: because it doesn't reduce harm, you lovely troll rag.

# ? Oct 30, 2016 14:56

Lain Iwakura: Aug 5, 2004; The body exists only to verify one's own existence.; Taco Defender

eXXon posted:

Safe injection sites for oil: Why doesn’t Canada’s harm reduction philosophy also apply to fossil fuels?

Short answer: because it doesn't reduce harm, you lovely troll rag.

Ethical Oil ™

# ? Oct 30, 2016 15:03

EvilJoven: Mar 18, 2005; NOBODY,IN THE HISTORY OF EVER, HAS ASKED OR CARED WHAT CANADA THINKS. YOU ARE NOT A COUNTRY. YOUR MONEY HAS THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND ON IT. IF YOU DIG AROUND IN YOUR BACKYARD, NATIVE SKELETONS WOULD EXPLODE OUT OF YOUR LAWN LIKE THE END OF POLTERGEIST. CANADA IS SO POLITE, EH?; Fun Shoe

One thing about Winnipeg is with it being 10 years behind the times people here still haven't figured our for the most part that the sprawl and traffic is just going to make the commute worse. This means that houses closer to downtown are still cheaper.

Can't wait for people with 1+ hour long commutes one way to start whining about how they'd love to live closer to the core but can't afford it because smug assholes like me bought them all up.

# ? Oct 30, 2016 16:12

Jordan7hm: Feb 17, 2011; Lipstick Apathy

Thing I cannot imagine anyone saying ever: "I wish I lived in the Winnipeg core"

# ? Oct 30, 2016 16:18

Furnaceface: Oct 21, 2004

Jordan7hm posted:

Thing I cannot imagine anyone saying ever: "I wish I lived in the Winnipeg core"

I dunno man, Barrie is getting so bad that Winnipeg is starting to sound like at worst a side grade if I were to move there.

# ? Oct 30, 2016 16:25

Brannock: Feb 9, 2006; by exmarx; Fallen Rib

Jordan7hm posted:

There are definitely fat people in the military but I think using BMI to assess fitness is probably not ideal when dudes are encouraged to lift weights.

It takes an enormous amount of weightlifting and bulking up to actually bump into overweight BMI without a high body fat percentage, let alone obese. For the majority, if they "lift weights" and have a BMI higher than 25, there's plenty of fat to lose. On top of that given all the reports of sedentariness, I have a hard time believing there's a significant subset that's really just totally jacked, you guys.

Lifting doesn't make you gain weight. You gain weight by eating more.

# ? Oct 30, 2016 16:43

Jordan7hm: Feb 17, 2011; Lipstick Apathy

Brannock posted:

It takes an enormous amount of weightlifting and bulking up to actually bump into overweight BMI without a high body fat percentage, let alone obese. For the majority, if they "lift weights" and have a BMI higher than 25, there's plenty of fat to lose. On top of that given all the reports of sedentariness, I have a hard time believing there's a significant subset that's really just totally jacked, you guys.

Lifting doesn't make you gain weight. You gain weight by eating more.

You're overweight at 180 at 6'.

There's fat to lose for sure but you can be pretty drat healthy at that weight.

e: the bigger issue is definitely the fitness standards. They aren't that onerous. They should not be allowed to slip.

# ? Oct 30, 2016 16:55

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# ? May 30, 2024 02:51

Brannock: Feb 9, 2006; by exmarx; Fallen Rib

Jordan7hm posted:

You're overweight at 180 at 6'.

There's fat to lose for sure but you can be pretty drat healthy at that weight.

The perception that "180 at 6" is normal is thanks to the average weight in the West shooting up a few dozen pounds over the past half century.

Jordan7hm posted:

e: the bigger issue is definitely the fitness standards. They aren't that onerous. They should not be allowed to slip.

Absolutely, yeah. It's an overall lack of discipline in the military on top of everything else that goes on with Western culture and "nutrition" contributing to obesity.

# ? Oct 30, 2016 17:01

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