Category Archive: Wreckollection

Jan 01

Statistic of the Year 2019

In 2017, the most recent year with available data, nearly 40,000 people in the U.S. died from firearm injuries, more than eight times the number of U.S. military members who died overseas during Operation Iraqi Freedom between 2003 and 2010.

 – Time Magazine, How Likely Is the Risk of Being Shot in America?

Scary Ways to Die Suddenly

Most Recent Totals

Odds of being killed this way

Murders in America

  17,284 2017

  1 in 18,275 2017

Ebola in DR of the Congo

    2,227  2019 

1 in 38,971 2019

Animal Attacks in Australia

 189 2008-2017

1 in 402,750 2017

 

Jan 01

Innovation of the Year 2019

Innovation of the Year: Phone-controlled self-lacing sneakers

Finally, people too lazy to bend over and tie their shoes can burn calories thinking of new reasons not to get out and exercise.  Thanks to Nike, now people can do the smart thing and “just phone it in” at practice and play.

See the rest of the field at: https://www.popsci.com/story/technology/best-of-whats-new-2019/

Jan 01

Movie of the Year 2019

Movie of the Year:  No Winner (that I have seen)

Honourable Mention: American Factory

I stumbled onto this documentary by accident. A different kind of (culture) shock and awe, it’s an unbiased depiction of what is going on in the world today and what the future might have to look like.

See what everyone else liked at: Best at the Box Office 2019

Jan 01

Song of the Year 2019

Song of the Year: Living by Dierks Bentley

Honourable mention:

Someone You Loved  by Lewis Capaldi

What If I Never Get Over You by Lady Antebellum

Jan 01

Best Book (that I read) this Year 2019

Best Book (I Read) this Year:  No Winner

I didn’t read anything worth recommending, but the jury is still out on “The Mueller Report” (redacted) by William Barr

What the other guys liked: Top 200 Goodreads of 2019

Jan 01

Quote of the Year 2019

“The internet has provided a dangerous avenue to radicalize disturbed minds and perform demented acts”

the Dodder, America’s Social Networking Abuser-in-Chief

 Runner Up: “We treat the future as a distant colonial outpost where we dump ecological degradation, nuclear waste, public debt and technological risk.”   Roman Krznaric, social philosopher

Jan 01

Other Awards 2019

My “Life Imitates Art” award goes to (Real) Food Prices

It’s a case of ,Let them eat cake (but not banana cake), when an artist duct tapes a real banana to a wall and sells his work for $120,000. Another starving artist is then arrested when he goes to the museum and publicly eats the master’s piece. But wait there’s more (or less), as real world food prices are also going banana’s.

Related Statistic: Food prices in Canada rose by 3.5 per cent last year and projections for next year are calling for another  price hike that could be (and now that grocery profiteers have seen the report will be) as high as 4%. The average family following Canada’s food guide may have struggled to swallow their average annual grocery bill of $12,180 last year.

My “All Thumbs” award goes to Samsung’s Galaxy S10 phone

Anyone that used to be “all thumbs” was considered inept and perhaps, as a result, a little insecure, but more recently “those(not a racial slur)people” are considered smart phone users. In 2019, the smart owners of the Samsung S10 were upgraded to “totally insecure” in the fact that any thumb print (a.k.a. “all thumbs”) can access their precious.

My “Can’t China Light on Me” award goes to China’s Moon Shot

Nothing would change for China’s reputation on the world stage as a closed and untrustworthy regime when their Chang’e4 moon mission makes it the first country to successfully complete a landing on the dark-side of the moon.  Yes, in the midst of their trade war with America, China surreptitiously moons the Dodder. While some might say, “Wowee! What a marvel of Chinese technology,” nobody can blame others who say, No wonder we cannot trust Huawei to deliver a secure and open global communications platform”.

My “Tales from the Crypt” award goes to QuadrigoFX

When the founder of, what might have been (because who really knows where the money goes) Canada’s largest cryptocurrency exchange drops dead, subscribers are unable to pry their $216 million from his cold dead hands. Move over death and taxes, cryptocurrency is the new sheriff in town. Queue the Crypt-keeper’s maniacal laughter.

My “Dinner and Dance” award goes to Japan

This is a moving story that may not be for everyone. Ever the efficiency expert, Japan manages to save time and space on date night with the dinner and dance combo of dancing zombie squid, fried fish flops and a host of other living dead things.

My “Know You Are But What Am I” award goes to The Dodder.

After learning he is not Time’s Person of the Year, America’s Tweeter-in-Chief and a host of his shilling sycophants were anything but chilling (in one sense of the word) when they attack a 16 year-old Swedish girl with claims that she should stop overreacting to fake science.  The Dodder’s tweeted concession speech reads, So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!

In a related Story: Three weeks earlier, a study conducted by the World Health Organization concluded that we are currently experiencing a “global epidemic” of childhood inactivity. Apparently America’s Buff(oon)-in-Chief doesn’t believe that either.

My “Smashing Success” award goes to the Tesla Cybertruck

Because the reputation of Tesla’s Cybertruck is not demolished despite a not-so-smashing demonstration of the smashproofiness of its windows.  Window shopping truckers have already placed over 150,000 orders

My “He Puts the Me in Meme” award goes to The Dodder.

He just keeps going and going… marching to the dumb-beat of his own drum.  Daniel Patrick Moynihan was not speaking to the Dodder when he said, “You are entitled to your own opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts” but he might as well have been.  Fact is, he like everyone else (except the voices in my head) would have probably been lost for words as a tsunami of mindless meme fodder continued to pour from the mind, mouth, and thumbs of America’s self-proclaimed IQ-iest president.

My “Figures Skating” award goes to… Computational Robotics

Forget about global warming people, mankind may be skating on another kind of thin ice after this Swiss company develops a robot that figures out how to skate circles around the competition (all by itself). The Good news: Switzerland is a neutral country; therefore, this may not lead to a robocalyptic power play (outside of the international hockey arena). The Bad News: The Swiss are also famous for their love of money and the global export of their Swiss army knife.

MyYou Peopleaward goes to Donald “The Dodder” Drumpf

The Dodder continues his assault on race, women, geography and educated people everywhere when he suggests that four female democrats (three of them born in the USA), go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.

Related Statistic: What’s really broken might be closer to home drummkopf:

        Undesirable Femalien Birthplace Most Recent Annual Murder Count Murders per 100,000 pop.
Rashida Harbi Detroit

261

38.9

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Cincinnati

64

21.6

Ayanna Pressley New York

289

3.4

Ilhan Omar Somalia

599

4.3

USA

17,284

5.3

 

 

Related story: “China Addresses the Real State of the American Union”

The Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism warns travellers who are planning to visit America that they, “should fully assess the risks of going to the US as recently(?) there have been shootings, robberies and thefts happening frequently in the US.”

My “Communist Sleeper Cell” award goes to… Huawei

The Americans and their Western allies fear Chaos when this Chinese tech giant Gets Smart telephones and 5G internet technology that is vastly superior to any other products on the market.

My “I’m Too Tasteful for My Body” award goes to… The Dodder

Trump Taste-ifies against further allegations of sexual assault by dismissing the latest woman to come forward with the statement, “She’s not my type.”   She was however the sweet 16th woman to come forward with similar allegations (he confided openly of another, she would not be my first choice”). If he weren’t so unhot looking himself, one might argue that, where there is smoke there is fire.  The good news is he seems to have harnessed his tastes and kept his potus in his pants while in office.

From the Archives: From the Lips of about Babes

My “Tomato, Tamato” award goes to… Madrid

The rain in Spain is no longer mainly on the plain.  Now it sounds like Madrid should be Madrained.  Many have a sinking suspicion that this is just the tip of the (melting) iceberg in what may become a global tsunami of Venice envy.

Mother Nature is saying ‘You’re Fired’ in a Big Way

She sees stupid (if not soon to be dead) people. But they don’t know they’re stupid.  America’s Denier-in-Chief will likely weather his opposition’s attempts to impeach him, but even he can’t deny that the world’s biggest island (I know it’s a continent, but work with here), the world’s biggest rain forest in South America’s biggest country, and his own biggest pain in the ass at the polls (a.k.a. the American state with both the biggest economy and population) are all on fire. Some will argue, fires happen and these particular ones aren’t even the largest in history so what’s the fuss. Others might say that is because we are running out of burnable forest.  Almost everyone (at least anyone who’s not oxygen deprived upstairs) should, however, agree that, as the forests disappear and the coal-burning plants reappear, the planet and everyone on it will eventually be toast.

My “I Could Walk Faster…but Nah” award goes to “Hyundai”

The Koreans are developing a concept car for everyone who has ever said, “I could get out and walk faster” (despite not having walked a block since the Pontius Pilate was an air cadet). Relax, why not walk in the comfort of your own car. If, going forward, this idea does prove to have legs, it might also appeal to those of us who have ever taken flak for driving a block or two to pick up our daily six-pack of doughnuts. Talk about having your cake and eating it.

My “One small step for Political Correctness” award goes toCanadian Amateur Sports Authorities

After some provincial sports leagues announce they will drop the term “midget” as an age category descriptor, Athletics Canada announces it will pursue a national movement to eliminate the term. If he could, Don Cherry would probably have found some way of thanking all the little people who made this possible.

My PC Hammer, “You Can’t Touch This” award goes to… Philip Williams

I’m veganning to think religious fundamentalists aren’t the craziest people on the planet. Mr. Williams, a vegan, is suing Burger King for allowing his Impossible (vegan) Burger to be cooked on the same grill that a regular burger might have touched. At this time, it is impossible to say what his settlement will be but it had better not be a whopper.  Hurting Headitors note: Fortunately, no midget hockey players were harmed in the making of that burger.

My Two-Faced White Trash award goes to Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

After being forced into an unconditional surrender in his trash talks with South-East Asia, and getting caught red handed in a rash of brown face photo ops, our hero “raps” (up a lackluster year) with some open-mike trash talk about the Dodder.

My “Hitchcocked Response” award goes to… Sydney, Australia

In a country that has learned to live with some (make that almost all) of the most deadly animals in the world, this city council authorizes magnum force to bring down a mean-spirited magpie.

Elsewhere in Australia, a hiker walks(?) away with this year’s “Pick Up Your Feet” award after the man falls down a cliff and spends the next 2 days carrying his leg out of the bush. He tells reporters that, “legs are very heavy when they’re not connected to anything.”

My “Oips, That Hurt!” award goes to… Purdue Pharma

The makers Oxycontin were feeling the pain in 2019 when they were drug through the courts for their part in pushing the Opioid Crisis on an unsuspecting public.  They came crashing down from their high horse when the court ruled against them and ordered settlements currently estimated at $12 Billion.   Apparently “their addiction to profits” was no defense. Sources say the owners are now smuggling  much of those profits offshore.

My “Not too swift” award goes to… Richard Keedwell

The 71 year-old holds fast on principals but is now a little short on cents after the Englishman spends £30,000 ($39,000US) fighting £100 ($130US) speeding fine.

My “Bad Vibes” award goes to… Consumer Technology Assoc.

All the buzz surrounding their CES tradeshow was negative when an innovative new vibrator won an award, but no-one was pleased when it (the award) was withdrawn. Protestors and Lora Haddock, the sex toy’s chief executive, finally got what she desired when it (the award) was given to her again.

Jan 01

Headlines You Won’t See in the Mainstream 2019 Year-End Reviews

“One medium (Ms.)step for womankind”

Yes, last year’s super bowl of giant steps for womankind was scuttled by a wardrobe malfunction. When planning their first ever all-female spacewalk, the galactic geeks running NASA, although well versed in math, quantum physics and string theory, failed to account for an unwritten law of ladies’ fashion. One of the women was a late scratch due only to the fact that two women could not go out wearing the same outfit. Oh well, live and learn… if nothing else, now they will understand where Shania Twain is coming from when she sings, “Okay, so you’re a rocket scientist, that don’t impress me much.”

The (bottom) line on sand has been drawn, and people are dying

Next to water, sand is the 2nd he most consumed natural resource on the planet. A South African entrepreneur, two Indian villagers, and a Mexican environmental activist were only a few examples of persons murdered for crossing the line on sand. Supply and demand is such that Dubai, a city that sits on the edge of a massive desert, has to import sand from Australia even as China has likely used more sand this decade than the United States did in the entire 20th Century.”

No Shit?! No wonder American scientists all flush with pride”

Researchers at Penn State University say they have created an ultra-slippery toilet coating that prevents shit from sticking to the bowl. If their claim that “the fresh water used to flush the world’s toilets each day is six times Africa’s total consumption” is also no shit, their discovery could “save vast quantities of water around the world.”

I’m not a baby… wait a minute why can’t island this deal? Wah!”

The Dodder cancels his state visit to Denmark. When their “nasty” Prime Minister calls his offer to buy Greenland absurd, he takes his ball and his glove and stays home.

“California’s Terminator is real”

No, I am not referring to Arnold. A robot rolls into a California hospital room and tells a 97 year-old cancer patient that he is terminal and asks if he would like a morphine drip to make his termination more livable.

“Talabama, USA”

Alabama passed the strictest abortion law in the America, in a year that would see countless other conservative states racing to pass anti-abortion laws that were only moderately less restrictive.

Quote from the Archives: “The world holds two classes of men—intelligent men without religion, and religious men without intelligence.”    — Abu’l-Ala-Al-Ma’arri (Syrian philosopher/poet, 973-1057)

Ironically, the beliefs of one of the greatest minds of the golden age of Islam was at loggerheads with the religious fanatics of today who will kill anyone (including themselves) in their attempts to return to that golden age.

“There was no Bikini At’oll… but she sure could cook”

A hot Virginian biochemist made quite a be-spectacle of herself as she  cooked up a storm on stage enroute to her winning this year’s Miss America contest. Explosive? Maybe. Hard to swallow? Probably, but I would definitely opt to skip the dishes with this one.

Nothing to see here folks, move along

It would be more than a no holds barred match when the world’s most notorious rivalry spills over into the world’s most popular game. A hard fought soccer match between North and South Korea was played(?) in an empty North Korean stadium to no fans, no journalists, and no score.

In a related story: America’s Dear Leader is booed on World (Series) Stage   

The Dodder is booed and berated with chants of “Lock Him Up when his attendance is announced at game 5 of the World Series.  He and his posse still manage to manufacture fake smiles secure in the knowledge that they will be able to write this off as just one more example of fake boos.  Asked why he opted to break tradition by not throwing out the first pitch, he said, “They gotta dress me up in a lot of heavy armor. I’ll look too heavy. I don’t like that.” 

“A battery of Silicon Valley lawsuits spring from a technicality”

The families of dead and injured child miners in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are suing Apple, Google, Tesla, Microsoft and other tech firms on allegations they are knowingly profiting from the proceeds of children labouring in deadly work-conditions.  DR Congo accounts for 60% of the world’s supply of cobalt, the mineral used to produce the lithium-ion batteries for electric cars, laptops and smartphones.

“Look! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No it’s bumper stars”

Space X launches 120 satellites that are designed to enhance our internet access.  These represent the initial phases of a planned mega-constellation of 12,000 Starlink satellites that is expected to be completed over the next few years.  Add another 3200 satellites that Amazon plans to launch into orbit for essentially the same reason and things may be looking up for internet users.  Although they are running into flak from stargazers everywhere, this reporter believes there are (and now will be astronomically more) naval gazers with access to more screen-time everywhere so who will have time to look up anymore. As the year draws to a close, a Japanese company is betting lots will look up when it launches a satellite designed to release enhanced firework displays from space.

“Another environmental Catch 22 that probably won’t leave anyone (breathing easier)”

In a breathtaking news release, British scientists announce that asthma inhalers are contributing to global warming and the further depletion of our ozone layer. To add context (if not fuel) to our latest environmental chicken/egg dilemma, the annual CO2 produced by one person’s inhaler can be as much as 400kg, which is roughly the equivalent of 20% of what you or I produce annually when we drive our car 18,000 km (or that which is produced over the lifetime of 20 chickens or 1470 eggs).

“Now that screwing around at the office is OK, you better not F#!@ with our pensions

French courts rule that a company must compensate the family of a man who had a heart attack while having sex with a stranger during his business trip.  It is now both legal and pensionable to screw around on company time. It’s no wonder French streets are on fire as everyone (including their police force) is busy protesting the French president’s attempts to F#!@ with their pension rules.

“Electrifying Development in US/China Trade War”

As other tech companies scramble to move production out of China in order to avoid US trade tariffs,  Tesla’s Model 3 electric cars start rolling off it’s Chinese assembly line. Apparently Elon is betting that in the years to come there will be more Chinese than Americans who can afford his $50,000 cars.  So far, only Tesla employees at his Shanghai plant have purchased any of the vehicles.

“Canadian marijuana windfall did not go up in nearly enough (of the right kind of) smoke”

The Government’s high priced consultants were clearly very high last year when they came up with sales estimates of C$4.34 billion.  As at the end of July sales were just breaking C$500 million and there was little hope of pushing sales nearly enough to pick up the slack.

Jan 01

New Words 2019

The following words were added to the Oxford and/or Merriam-Webster dictionaries over the course of 2019.

 Bottle episode (n.) An inexpensively produced episode of a television series that is typically confined to one setting

 Bottom surgery(n.) A type of gender confirmation surgery in which a person’s genitalia are altered to match their gender identity.

 Bundle buggy (n.) A bag or basket on wheels for carrying shopping; a large shopping bag set on a (collapsible) two-wheeled cart.

Buzzy (adj.) – Causing or characterized by a lot of speculative or excited talk or attention : generating buzz

 Frequency illusion (n.) A quirk of perception whereby a phenomenon to which one is newly alert suddenly seems ubiquitous. See also: Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy, Confirmation Bias, (or Fox News).

Generation Z (n.)The generation born in the late 1990s & early 2000s.

Gig economy (n) (coined in 2009) economic activity that involves the use of temporary or freelance workers to perform jobs.

Go-Cup (n.) A plastic or paper cup used especially for taking a beverage off the premises of a bar, restaurant, etc.

Goldilocks (adj.) – Having or producing an optimal balance usually between two extremes (e.g. not too hot, not too cold – just right).

Hophead (n.) A beer enthusiast.

Screen time (n.) Your time spent in front of a screen.

Swole (adj.) Extremely muscular; having a physique enhanced by bodybuilding exercises.

Treasure trail (n.)a narrow line of body hair leading from the navel down to the genital region.

Unplug (v.) Setting down your device and removing yourself from the online world.

Jan 01

Vital Statistics 2019

Vital Statistics

2019

2018

2017

2009

a Canadian dollar is worth $0.77 US $0.74 US $0.79 US $  0.95US
an ounce of Gold is worth $1,517US $1,283 US $1,302 US $1,088US
a Bitcoin is worth $7,190US $3,687 US $13,810US (2010 debut 8¢)
S&P/TSX Composite Index 17,063 14,323 16,209 11,746
your share of the National Debt $18,792 $17,994 $17,508  $   14,981
the average Housing Price in Ottawa is $501,201 $429,039 $392,474 $303,888
a domestic Postage Stamp costs $1.05 $1.00 $1.00 $0.54
a local call on a Bell pay phone $0.50 $0.50 $0.50 $0.50
a liter of Pepsi costs $2.79 $2.49 $2.49 $2.29
a liter of water costs $2.39 $2.39 $2.49 $1.89
a liter of milk costs (purchased in a four liter bag) $1.10 $1.14 $1.07 $1.25
a liter of gasoline costs $1.15 $1.15 $1.09 $0.95
a loaf of bread costs $3.39 $3.29 $3.29 $1.99
a paperback novel costs $12.99 $12.99 $12.99 $12.99
a weekly (Time) magazine costs $7.99 $7.99 $7.99 $6.99
a comic book costs $4.99 $4.99 $4.99 $2.99
a daily newspaper costs $2.38 $2.38 $1.52 $1.19
a regular bus ride costs $3.60 $3.50 $3.40 $2.30
a medium cup of coffee costs $1.76 $1.71 $1.62 $1.27
a basic cable television package $24.99 $24.99 $24.99 $29.99
a first run movie rental costs $4.99 $4.99 $5.99 $5.99
an adult’s movie theatre ticket costs $11.99 $11.99 $11.99 $10.50
a children’s movie theatre ticket costs $8.50 $8.50 $8.50 $7.99
Minimum wage (Ontario) $14.00/hr $14.00/hr $11.60/hr $  9.50/hr
an adult men’s haircut $20.00 $20.00 $19.00 $15.75
a medium combination pizza $17.50 $17.00 $16.75 $15.50

Current World Population 7,754,485,784
Births this year    140,086,071
Deaths this year      58,811,489
Net population growth this year  81,274,582

 

Bonus – Other Vital Stat Meters at a Glance:   http://www.worldometers.info/

 

Older posts «

» Newer posts