Silversea Water Cooler: Part 3, Welcome!

[Camillus112]

Mysty, in the US, reaching 65 is always a milestone....you are eligible for Medicare, our national health insurance. Another important milestone is reached at 70.5 years...you are obliged to cash in into your retirement savings account. However, I like your milestone concept much better, because you are celebrating life!! Enjoy your feast.

[mysty]

Thanks so much Cam! I will start drawing a little money from the Canada Pension Plan I contributed to while I was working. I'll also draw an even smaller amount of money from Old Age Security. Receiving money is a plus. Living on retirement savings will be the challenge. :) Jeff's spreadsheet suggestion is a real boon for that! Very grateful for his suggestion and helpful hints!

 

I have found something to keep me occupied for a while. When our son and daughter-in-law moved back to Canada from Seattle via Phoenix they bought a doggy daycare/grooming/dog hydrotherapy business. They managed to build the business and sold it last year. While they owned the business they designed and programmed software to help them run the business. After the sale they decided to commercialize the program they created and have recently offered it for sale to other doggy daycare/grooming businesses. The issue they ran into was that most owners of these businesses were not computer savvy. So they created a training video. They asked me to do the voice over. So I read and record the script and they edit to fit the video. It's fun! So as long as the video lasts at least my voice will live on! :)

[Camillus112]

Mysty, what a lovely story! May you last to see a re-issue of the video with your voice recorded.

[mysty]

Thanks so much Cam! I really hope they are happy with the results! And there are so many wonderful supportive people in the Cooler Bar! Thank you for being one of them!

[spinnaker2]

I propose a toast to Mysty, and an indoor picnic composed of all your favorite foods from a take out place, some champagne and a cake of course.

Put it all in a basket, along with a blanket and some candles.

Spread out the blanket in a romantic spot and light the candles...some good music playing and feast away!

You don't have to be wrapped in Saran Wrap.

;-)

[mysty]

Spins...you are a wonderful woman! Thanks so much for that! Yet another of the wonderful, supportive people in the Cooler Bar! Best wishes for the packing! :)

[spinnaker2]

Thanks Mysty.

Since you said you have been to many of the ports, any must see or do?

Wrestling with packing cold and hot clothes.

 

Sophia, welcome back.

Missed you!

[mysty]

Spins....In Puerto Limon we did the ship tour to Veragua Forest. We really enjoyed it! Here is the page link from the blog. http://mpworldcruise.blogspot.ca/2016/01/day-5-puerto-limon-costa-rica.html

 

In Salaverry we went to the Chan Chan Ruins. This was fascinating! http://mpworldcruise.blogspot.ca/2016/01/day-10-salaverry-peru.html

 

In Manta we did the tour to Montecristi for the Panama hats. http://mpworldcruise.blogspot.ca/2016/01/day-8-manta-ecuador.html

 

Those are the ports we visited that are on your itinerary. Of the three, I would choose the Chan Chan ruins in Salaverry. Have a great trip!

[Zombatar]

Do you know I find it quite sad that we so called civilised societies will ignore the plight of the Caribbean islands devastated by the hurricanes. Jeff and Terry can argue the toss about whether PR needs any help but at the end of the day they are suffering and to ignore them is obscene.

 

The UK government may well help out the British overseas territories with a measly £35 million but in the same breath they say islands like Dominica are "too rich" for any aid whilst we continue to pour aid into India and China.

 

Does nobody remember the famines in Africa, the floods in Bangladesh or come to that the Irish famine of the 19th century that provide so many emigrants to the USA.

 

I hope for comments but I will not be surprised to see that I am ignored.

 

Peter

[Solo mi!]

If you review recent posts you will see Jeff and Mysty (and I at times) talking about these disasters and lamenting what is not being done. We spoke of the toothless UN. We, and Coolers as a whole, do care. Camillus has family in PR and a number of us have friends. I live in Mexico and I care greatly what has happened here and in Guatemala. We are not apologists, as a few seem to be.

Thanks for for your post!

[Camillus112]

Thanks, Penny, as usual, spot on!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Peter,

 

I really hope you adjust your preconceptions about Cooler life, because if people ignored you, then you would be the first genuine person to be ignored. You are particularly welcome because the Cooler is all about debating stuff as long as we behave reasonably nicely.

 

I believe everybody on the Cooler shares your views except it seems for Terry. Terry objected to and responded to criticisms of Trump by asking whether Obama or Clinton would have done it differently. You might have been puzzled and asked why Terry didn't include the one in between these two ie Bush. Perhaps it is because of Katrina or perhaps Terry didn't ask because the two he mentioned were Democrats and he might have presumed therefore that anyone criticisng Trump must be a Democrat including me which I do not believe to be so. Or perhaps it was merely a Freudian slip to omit Bush. Anyway we have decided to call a truce for the time being! (;))

 

Because people are now hacked off with the uselessness of the UN, then thinking further of them always seems to be a debating cul-de-sac. So people tend to invent new soutions or say that there isn't one. At no time ever before has the world needed a functional organisation that fullfills what the UN was originally set up for. The problem is not just the problems at the UN, but also that we do not have any leaders it seems anywhere who are showing world leadership in the way many thought Obama might turn out to be. So without visionary and inspiring leadership no one will turn the UN around.

 

What we need I feel are for the UN majors to agree to cancel the right of veto in the security council

 

Secondly, it needs to consolidate what it is being asked to do - have a look at the list below. How can it do any well? It then needs the closer scrutiny of it's strategy and tactics and budgets; the joint oversight and beefing up of core intitiatives and in modern times when tradition military has less relevance, the opportunity of a majority vote in The Security Council having a right to call up member state resources for natural emergencies and security intitiatives.

 

At the heart of the problem is to wide a remit. This is a summary of what it currently does, and it's closely associated organisations. it is far too much and they need to focus on what are simply the key ones and abandon the others. I am not going to say which one I think they should drop ........

 

How can any organisation focus and be effective at all of this?

 

 

 

UNDP

The United Nations Development Programme works in nearly 170 countries and territories, helping to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and build resilience so countries can sustain progress. As the UN’s development agency, UNDP plays a critical role in helping countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

 

UNICEF

The United Nations Children's Fund provides long-term humanitarian and development assistance to children and mothers.

 

UNHCR

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees – UNHCR protects refugees worldwide and facilitates their return home or resettlement.

 

WFP

The World Food Programme aims to eradicate hunger and malnutrition. It is the world’s largest humanitarian agency. Every year, the programme feeds almost 80 million people in around 75 countries.

 

UNODC

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime – UNODC helps Member States fight drugs, crime, and terrorism.

 

UNFPA

The United Nations Population Fund – UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled.

 

UNCTAD

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development is the United Nations body responsible for dealing with development issues, particularly international trade – the main driver of development.

 

UNEP

The United Nations Environment Programme established in 1972, is the voice for the environment within the United Nations system. UNEP acts as a catalyst, advocate, educator and facilitator to promote the wise use and sustainable development of the global environment.

 

UNRWA

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees has contributed to the welfare and human development of four generations of Palestine refugees. It’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance, including in times of armed conflict. It reports only to the UN General Assembly.

 

UN Women

UN Women merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system, which focus exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

 

 

UN-Habitat

The mission of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme is to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all.

 

UN Specialized Agencies

The UN specialized agencies are autonomous organizations working with the United Nations. All were brought into relationship with the UN through negotiated agreements. Some existed before the First World War. Some were associated with the League of Nations. Others were created almost simultaneously with the UN. Others were created by the UN to meet emerging needs.

 

World Bank

The World Bank focuses on poverty reduction and the improvement of living standards worldwide by providing low-interest loans, interest-free credit, and grants to developing countries for education, health, infrastructure, and communications, among other things. The World Bank works in over 100 countries.

 

World Bank Group

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD)

International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)

International Development Association (IDA)

International Finance Corporation (IFC)

Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)

 

IMF

The International Monetary Fund fosters economic growth and employment by providing temporary financial assistance to countries to help ease balance of payments adjustment and technical assistance. The IMF currently has $28 billion in outstanding loans to 74 nations.

 

WHO

The World Health Organization is the directing and coordinating authority on international health within the United Nations system. The objective of WHO is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. Health, as defined in the WHO Constitution, is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

 

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization focuses on everything from teacher training to helping improve education worldwide to protecting important historical and cultural sites around the world. UNESCO added 28 new World Heritage Sites this year to the list of irreplaceable treasures that will be protected for today's travelers and future generations.

 

ILO

The International Labor Organization promotes international labor rights by formulating international standards on the freedom to associate, collective bargaining, the abolition of forced labor, and equality of opportunity and treatment.

 

FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organization leads international efforts to fight hunger. It is both a forum for negotiating agreements between developing and developed countries and a source of technical knowledge and information to aid development.

 

IFAD

The International Fund for Agricultural Development, since it was created in 1977, has focused exclusively on rural poverty reduction, working with poor rural populations in developing countries to eliminate poverty, hunger and malnutrition; raise their productivity and incomes; and improve the quality of their lives.

 

IMO

The International Maritime Organization has created a comprehensive shipping regulatory framework, addressing safety and environmental concerns, legal matters, technical cooperation, security, and efficiency.

 

WMO

The World Meteorological Organization facilitates the free international exchange of meteorological data and information and the furtherance of its use in aviation, shipping, security, and agriculture, among other things.

 

WIPO

The World Intellectual Property Organization protects intellectual property throughout the world through 23 international treaties.

 

ICAO

The International Civilian Aviation Organization sets international rules on air navigation, the investigation of air accidents, and aerial border-crossing procedures

 

ITU

The International Telecommunication Union is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies. It is committed to connecting all the world's people – wherever they live and whatever their means. Through our work, we protect and support everyone's fundamental right to communicate

 

UNIDO

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization is the specialized agency of the United Nations that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability.

 

UPU

The Universal Postal Union is the primary forum for cooperation between postal sector players. It helps to ensure a truly universal network of up-to-date products and services.

 

UNWTO

The World Tourism Organization is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.

Other Entities

 

UNAIDS

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS is co-sponsored by 10 UN system agencies: UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, the ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank and has ten goals related to stopping and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS.

 

UNISDR

The United Nations Office for Disaster Reduction serves as the focal point in the United Nations system for the coordination of disaster reduction.

 

UNOPS

The United Nations Office for Project Services is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners' peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world.

 

Related Organizations

 

IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency, is the world's centre for cooperation in the nuclear field. The Agency works with its Member States and multiple partners worldwide to promote the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies.

 

WTO

The World Trade Organization is a forum for governments to negotiate trade agreements, and a place where member governments try to sort out the trade problems they face with each other.

 

CTBTO

The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization promotes the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (which is not yet in force) and the build-up of the verification regime so that it is operational when the Treaty enters into force.

 

OPCW

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which entered into force in 1997. OPCW Member States work together to achieve a world free of chemical weapons.

 

IOM

The International Organization for Migration works to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people.

 

Edited October 1, 2017 by UKCruiseJeff

[mysty]

Welcome Peter! We will dust a bar stool off for you! :)

 

That list of UN committees/concerns/objectives is ridiculous. Even halving leaves too many to reasonably address. Even the process of getting the members to focus on a single motion requires extensive lobbying and who knows what other "incentives". It is a massive blob of ineffectuality (not a word but it should be). I'm not sure if there is a solution. Perhaps completely dismantling and re-building with a very clear focused mandate might work. How to convince member states to start over is another question.

 

Peter, your concerns are shared by many here.

[Solo mi!]

And now, I personally, am very concerned about Catalonia. Yes, I know that this has gone on for hundreds of years but, it so reminds me of the former Yugoslavia and the relationship between Serbia and the rest of the country. Croatia and Slovenia and Vojvodina were the prosperous areas...Belgrade was the home of the central government, and received a great deal of the revenue from the other areas. The prosperous areas resented it greatly. Finally, it became untenable and we know what came of that. Some may say that the issue was between religious factions...They would be wrong.

[mysty]

Penny...our world is fragmenting and collapsing inward. So many disenfranchised and disillusioned people with no real leadership, no global empathy, no clear path on to how to help, and reams of disinformation fueling flames among the masses. So many suffering with no sign of relief. We can continue to care and support where we can and hope that others do the same.

[mysty]

Oh and Penny...I was remiss. You are another of the wonderful supportive people here in the Cooler!

[UKCruiseJeff]

Penny...our world is fragmenting and collapsing inward. So many disenfranchised and disillusioned people with no real leadership, no global empathy, no clear path on to how to help, and reams of disinformation fueling flames among the masses. So many suffering with no sign of relief. We can continue to care and support where we can and hope that others do the same.

 

M,

 

The issues are of course complex, but equally many are not complex but we simply refuse to confront them often through the over consideration of political correctness or simply because we do not wish to have the discomfort of doing so. I reckon I could easily start a war in the Cooler if we inititated half of the discussions we might have. :)

 

As an example, to take an extreme topic on which presumably we might all feel that we think in the same way and agree - the topic of terrorism and the causes of terrorism. The traditional and politically accepted criticism is that there is no excuse or justification of terrorism and to say otherwise invites attack. But unsophisticated thoughts and generalisations do not get to the heart of where the seeds of terrorism lies, and that lack of empathy prevents us from taking genuine thoughtful action that might reduce it.

 

As an example, imagine that you were a 15 year old male youth alive today in a range of countries who on an almost daily basis but certainly weekly, you will see as a part of your daily life unmanned drones fly over head and later that day either through personal observation or because you see it on your news you hear that innocent people going about their daily lives lost their lives in a drone attack. For many of these people, it might even be people who they know, or are related to, or at least feel an affinity to as being of the same culture or religion or country or all of these things. They might be elderly women fetching water, kids returning from school or playing in the rubble, a crowd attending a wedding. You read about it and you learn that every day a President in a foreign country is given a list of names of people who are on a daily kill list and he signs the list and remote pilots then attempt to track and kill those people as though playing a sort of Playstation game. Some of them are at times you read from a whistle blower are under the influence of drugs whilst doing so. Invariably in that process, innocent targets are listed but even if not, in the process inncocent adults and children are seen as collateral damage and a collective shoulder is shrugged. In selling this to the public all are reclassified as "enemies" and therefore the public believe that a small amount of innocent people lose their lives but that it is an acceptable cost of eliminating the bad people. But in reality more like 90%+ are innocent. Would it be so wrong of that 15 year old kid to believe that his people were the subject of terrorism by a larger bullying state who seemed not to care, and whose citizens also seemed not to care? Is it so unfathomable to see how he (or she) might grow up and wish to avenge the people who caused this to his people by also using whatever "terrorism" he had available? Would American, Canadian or British kids feel so different? Would that not be seen as sacrifice and patriotism? Is that not - I hate to say it - brave? Is it so difficult to see why the kith and kin of those that become active might see that sacrifice of their young as martydom and in pursuit of a just cause? Perhaps they feel not responding is wrong. And when kids and families discuss these issues in the home, or at school or in the streets or on social media, is it so difficult to understand why so many terrorists are produced and why they might hate us and wish us harm?

 

This is simply an alternative view on how we might understand what might be what we do that might cause terrorism. Magnify this for many hundreds of the topics that fragments the world. Unless we confront what we do and question it then how on earth can we be on the first base of understanding what we do that makes unexpected things happens and therefore make progress?

 

And so to a final Sopranos and hopefully bed. Night all. :)

Edited October 2, 2017 by UKCruiseJeff

[mysty]

J...the scenario you paint is all too believable! And much of the misunderstandings and misinformation is generated by our governments. I am at a loss as to how to affect change here. We have some impact with our votes during elections. And very rarely are the campaign issues related to global affairs. There is little public input on military operations or the lack thereof. So how does the common man/woman make their concerns known? How do you convince a government to hold their military operations in favour of discussions and education? What should any government do when another country's leader is actively killing their own people or standing by and watching one portion of their population killing another portion of their population? There may be many in the world preoccupied with their own insular lives J. However there are also many who watch helplessly with no clear path to a way to help. In the face of that what do people do?

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good Morning M,

 

Well I guess the first thing is that all of us has to make ourselves available to the concept of open-mindedness. I think then, in our generation, stuff and places like the Cooler multiplied across the world can be the modern vehicle of mind-set change.

 

As an example of this for which I will own up without too much embarrassment I hope is this topic of drones in its wider context. Until a week ago I was an extremely strong advocate of drones as a part of well managed and planned political assasination as alternative to war devlaration and futile invasions. My defence was simply if states killed bad people then whilst that is in no way a perfect solution it isn't as bad as declaring war and invading in order to very often simply being rid of a single person. It is better simply that fewer people die and suffer. That is what has happened historically many times over. I though for example the Isreali approach which was to minimise innocent casulaties was the least worst approach. he issue is in the way such programmes are mismanaged.

 

My mind was changed a week or so back whgen I started receiving emails from Clive Stafford Smith of Reprieve, an organisation I'm a founder member and financial supporter of asking for cash to take the American government to court for the murder of an innocent man by drone. Bizarrely (it seems) I am not in complete harmony with all of their aims, just enough to make me support them. I'm undecided and currently ambivalent about capital punishment for example, perhaps my judgement is clouded by having a close family member murdered and seeing the murderers in a dock laughing and joking and having their charge changed from murder to manslaughter followed by a very short jail sentence. I am however against poor justice when clearly systms that routinely execute innocent people or people guilty of relatively trivial offences.

 

But on the topic of drones I decided to read and find out morte including testimony of senior people who have managed the process and trained people. I also tried to understand how people get on to the American kill list. I simply changed my mind and agreed with the idea that whilst the drone kill programme might be a better alternative than all out war, the systems underpinning it were clearly making it a bad thing. I read about the manufacturers improving the products including them now flying for over 40 hours at a time and having machine guns added to them for example. I also read of how people killed were falsely recategorised in order to make the programme seem successful. I simply changed my mind because of how it seems to me the way the programme is currently managed is a cause of terrorism.

 

I think we have to encourage open debate and open our minds to see whether we might cause some of our own problems.

[Tothesunset]

The situation in Catalonia is interesting. It highlights the hypocrisy inherent when a democracy (Spain in this case) seeks to prevent any part of its dominion being diluted should a democratic election so result. So rather than permitting the Catalonians a vote on whether they want self-determination, the government obstructs the democratic process.

 

It is no wonder that some of the people of Catalonia feel disenfranchised. The seeds of terrorism, or even frank rebellion, have been planted and further obstruction from Madrid will only harden those feelings.

 

100 years or so ago a similar situation obtained in Ireland - ultimately the wish of the Irish people to be self-determining lead to the Irish Free State and ultimately the Irish Republic. But not before many had been killed, wounded and impoverished by an oppressive government unwilling to submit to the idea that Ireland should manage itrs own affairs. While I don't support the armed insurrection that lead to the independence of Ireland I would ask what choice the Irish had when their way of life was dictated by a foreign power and whose wealth was extracted to another country?

 

Preventing the freedom of expression inherent within a democratic vote is, imho, only going to harden independence-minded activists in Catalonia and I fear Penny's example earlier in the thread re the Balkans demonstrates the potential for the Catalonia situation to worsen and stir up old enmities. People must be allowed to self-determine.

[Lois R]

Good morning.........I am the first to post this morning?..........for those who have not seen the news yet:mad:........20

people killed and 100's injured at a mass shooting in Las Vegas.........it was at a Music Festival being held across from

The Mandalay Bay:(.........those numbers are probably going up..............:(

When will the hate ever stop?

Edited October 2, 2017 by Lois R

[Tothesunset]

Now saying 50+ dead and over 200 injured.

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers! And again morning breaks with news of death and injury. We are all asking the same question Lois. :(

 

J....Your curiosity and subsequent further research has provided the information that changed your opinion about the use of drones for "targeted kills". Your post has also served to inform and educate the Coolers. As denizens here we can no longer "not know". Changing attitudes on a person-to-person basis is a great start. How to widen the circle of knowing is the challenge. And when the masses become educated how would that translate into changes in attitude at governmental levels? We do need to start somewhere and the catalyst for change needs to engage more people. I really don't know how that can be done.

 

TTS.......I agree that self-determination is important. Your analogy to the situation that existed in the Irish Republic and Penny's to the Balkans illustrated the dangers in attempting to subvert the will of the people. Here in Canada we have our own potential powder keg with the Province of Quebec. For now things seem relatively quiet but the issue of separation is always there beneath the surface. I would hope that when the issue bubbles to the surface again, our government will not react with attempts to derail democracy.

 

The situation in Spain with Catalonia may also inflame the situation with the Basques. That will make for an even bigger "challenge" for Spain.

 

On that cheery note I wish everyone a good day!

[MissSophia]

G'Day All......so sad to wake up to the Las Vegas news.

 

Peter, you're so welcome to comment on the cooler at anytime without being blasted.....

 

I don't get involved with the debates but learn from reading them and knowing that we all really do care about what's happening in the world today.....

 

😊

[UKCruiseJeff]

Good Afternoon Coolers,

 

Today I made her a bowl of spaghetti alle vongole and some focaccia - made in the pizza oven. She enjoyed it.