America not great, but doing better?

  

The United States just can’t lose. 

American GDP is expected to rise 2.7% in 2024 while the stock market reaches new highs.  

In the meantime, Germany is teetering into recession. Great Britain is managing post-Brexit syndrome. China is losing population while Canada faces a housing shortage amidst an economic slowdown. 

Don’t get me wrong – the U.S. has problems. It will always have problems. With gun violence. With racial divisions. With you-know-who. But all that aside, things are kind of looking up. Violent crime has dropped to its lowest level since the 1960s, the unemployment rate is at historic lows, and inflation has declined considerably. 

As much as I’ve enjoyed criticizing American capitalism throughout the years, the economic and social progress this nation has made is still the envy of most of the world. Against all odds, the country has maintained its dominance on the world stage. 

Its relative strength has diminished only because other countries have emulated its economic success. India's GDP, for example, has grown 6-7% per year since 2006. The share of India’s population living in poverty has fallen from 29% to 11% over the last decade, meaning 248 million fewer people live in dire conditions. 

This growth has given countries more autonomy in making foreign policy decisions, whether the West likes it or not. In part, it’s because they no longer feel obligated to kowtow to American interests. 

That doesn’t mean the U.S. has become less productive or powerful. They’re still the world’s largest military power and the most attractive destination for new immigrants (Canada comes in second). Its influence on culture reverberates throughout the world, whether other nations appreciate it or not. 

We used to point to their inhumane healthcare system, but they’re doing much better than twenty years ago. The Affordable Care Act is filling a gap where many were previously uninsured. The majority who have insurance typically get quality service and may not suffer the same wait times as we do in Canada (we won't talk about the inefficiencies, higher costs and uninsured services.) 

As a Canadian, I say this all not with great admiration – it’s not like I’d ever want to move there – but befuddlement. How many have predicted America’s downfall? At least for the time being, they’re doing pretty good. 

If the U.S. can survive the next election cycle – and I realize that’s a big if – they could be on a positive trajectory for many years to come. Investments in clean energy, foreign aid to places like Ukraine (please, send more money to Ukraine), and brokering peace in conflict zones like the Middle East would show that they haven’t completely lost interest in the world around them. 

If the Trump Republican Party could abandon the America First mantra, which reduces their influence over world affairs, so much the better. In a polarized world, where dictatorships are gaining ground faster than democracies, countries that espouse to be free can't afford to become insular. As Garry Kasparov, former world chess champion said in a recent interview, “You cannot defend democracy in your country, ignoring the rest of the rest of the world.” 

What I’m really trying to say is, I’m, uh, kind of pulling for you, USA. Our future might just depend on it. (Gulp.) 

 

 

2044 eclipse still on schedule

  

On Monday, as you may have heard, there was a total solar eclipse in eastern Canada. The last one to hit Canada was in 1979, when I was turning two. The next one scheduled for Canada will be in August 2044, when I’m (hopefully) 67. That one will at least pass through the western provinces, for which I will say – it's about time. 

Politics aside, eclipses reveal a lot about the earth and our solar system. The fact we have them at all is an interesting coincidence of celestial size and distance. The moon is 400 times smaller than the sun, but it’s also 400 times closer to the earth than the sun. This allows for it to completely block out the sun about every 18 months somewhere on earth. 

But it won’t always be this way. Little did I know, the moon is gradually moving away from the sun at a rate of about four centimeters per year. In about 600 million years, it will be too far away to completely block the sun. That will be a huge disappointment for the humanoids around at that time. 

Eclipses also tell us something about how fast the earth is spinning. Based on historical information of when and where past eclipses have taken place, things don’t line up. That’s because the earth isn’t spinning at a consistent rate. It rarely does.  

Depending on the shape of the earth, which changes over time due to geological shifts and its distance from the sun, it will spin faster or slower. The lengths of days may change slightly each year, but over time, it can add up. You may have to adjust your clocks by a full millisecond over the course of your lifetime. 

For most geological and celestial matters, time is on our side. The last ice age to hit earth ended 12,000 years ago. For most of humanity’s flourishing, we’ve had an interglacial warming period. But this is also cyclical. Thanks to the earth’s wobble and some variation in the orbital route it takes around the sun – called the Milankovitch cycles – the earth warms and cools. 

Over the next few thousand years we’re expected to enter another cooling cycle, but for the time being climate change is disrupting all that. In geological time, human-induced climate change is a millisecond – kind of like a car crash, it’s a blip in time that could do much harm. 

Just like looking at the eclipse without the proper glasses. 

But hey, I’m sure the eclipse was wonderful. I look forward to seeing the next one in my backyard, with glasses on, in 2044.

 

 

 

Your colon will thank you

  

I’m not a doctor. But if you’re over 45, consider a colonoscopy. 

Trust me, there’s not a big line of people waiting for one. Apparently, a lot of people also cancel – that’s how I got in only four days after meeting my doctor. 

Sure, it’s not fun. The preparation sucks. And a long tube going up your bottom end is a little unsettling.  

Some of you might do the easier “fecal mail-in" for colon cancer testing, which is great. But from what I’ve been told by my specialist, it’s not fool-proof. It won’t necessarily tell them if you have polyps in your intestine, which is the most important factor for developing colon cancer. 

Consider this: If they find one polyp in your intestine and remove it, there’s now almost no chance of you developing colon cancer. That means you can keep eating your bacon, your steak, and your Ukrainian sausage. All of these increase your risk of colon cancer... if you have polyps. 

In my case (and my wife’s), they found irregularly shaped polyps that are at higher risk of becoming cancerous. It could be one year from now or it could be twenty. But once they’re gone, the risk is reduced significantly. During your procedure, they’ll snip them off painlessly.  

Why no pain? Because you get fentanyl. I don't want to over-promote the drug given the opioid epidemic out there, but when safely administered, it does what it’s supposed to do – makes you feel good and forget almost everything. There may be a moment or two of discomfort as that nasty probe goes up and through your insides, but I assure you, it’s manageable. Even without the drugs, you can survive the procedure... just ask my wife! But why would you want to do that? 

Get the fentanyl. Take a day off from work and enjoy the time in the hospital, where they tend to your every need. Don't worry if the nurses accidentally see under your gown. It’s nothing they haven’t seen before.  

Even the doctors are friendly. I’ve had the pleasure of working with (yes, I consider these procedures a partnership) some extraordinarily young and talented specialists in the past couple years as I’ve had to endure a couple unwanted procedures. One young intern, who looked like she was 12, told me with eyes lit up that I would have the worst pain I had ever experienced over the next two weeks after surgery. And she was right! But she said it so nicely that I hardly worried about it at the time. Don’t worry, this was not a colonoscopy – although it also involved my bottom side, it was something completely different for which I will not go into detail at this time. A colonoscopy will not leave you in pain, I assure you. Only feeling good. Get one if you can. 

This is my message after the recent passing of former president and CEO of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Jim Hopson, who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer three years ago at the age of 70, made a point of emphasizing the need for regular check-ups as he dealt with his diagnosis. 

Most of us will not take his advice to heart and assume we’re the fortunate ones. I understand, because I was the same way. Until I was “lucky” enough to get a colonoscopy in my 30s because of an unrelated issue. When they found a polyp at high risk of turning cancerous, I counted my lucky stars. That got me on a regular schedule of check-ups, just like my wife who also stumbled into a three-year colonoscopy rhythm. 

I've had three and my wife has had four, and we're only in our mid-forties! But incidents of colorectal cancer have been rising steadily for adults under 50 for the last thirty years. 

Now we can both enjoy our Ukrainian sausage – without the guilt or shame.