Wine would be better in a smaller glass
Is there a specific amount I can drink and still be considered safe to drive?
On the rare occasion when I have the pleasure of dining out where a glass of wine goes nicely with a meal, much as I enjoy a drink at such times, I prefer a lesser amount than is offered on the usual menu, whether I am driving or not.
The amounts quoted on most menus are for six or nine ounces per glass, but when I ask for half a six-ounce glass, more often or than not the answer is no. I can, but only if I pay for the full six ounces.
Why can I not get less than the minimum offered? Because, I am told, the cash register isn’t programmed to charge for different amounts and it appears there is no ability to alter the price manually.
Are our lives and choices really confined to those dictated by the ability of a machine (or its programmer) to be flexible?
We are, after all, encouraged not to drink and drive, and if I can consume the lesser amount with my meal, followed by a coffee, should I not be encouraged to do so. Or is it a ploy by wine producers to simply sell more?
In Europe and elsewhere, it is frequently standard to offer 125 ml (about four ounces), so while it might partly be the choice of the individual to limit consumption, the hospitality industry must also play its part by being more responsive to customers’ requests for less than the amount on the menu, that appears to be written in stone.
Rosemary Taylor
Qualicum Beach
Slower ships would help save the environment
I applaud whales and other sealife being protected from noise. However, the Port of Vancouver’s ECHO program only runs in the summer and fall, and then only in Haro and Boundary Pass.
Yet adjacent to us in Washington state the Quiet Sound Program runs in the winter.
The whales are in both areas, often year round. Both programs should be year round.
Both ECHO and Quiet Sound slow ships down to reduce noise and stop ships hitting whales.
A slower ship also uses much less energy to move through water a given distance, even though it takes longer, and hence less pollution.
Why does human health not take a priority year-round? Why do government regulators not slow ships down in the Salish Sea Airshed year round for human health?
These ships come slowly in Juan de Fuca Strait, slow steaming to save fuel, and then increase speed when Canadian and U.S. pilots board in Victoria and Port Angeles.
Often they are just going to anchor for days before going to a dock.
This is a low-hanging fruit to improve air quality, and human and mammal health, and reduce global warming.
Michael Coey
Duncan
No, I don’t want to be a landlord
Re: “Direct homeowners to develop vacant space,” letter, Jan. 2.
Many people don’t want to live with strangers in their home. They don’t want the noise or the smells or to deal with all the legal and financial issues.
Adding kitchens and bathrooms doesn’t come cheap, so many mortgage-free homeowners would have to go into debt to do the renovations.
Then there are the issues related to sharing a heating/ventilating system with someone who could have a permit to grow pot.
Granted, it would create a lot of available housing. Not only would there be new units, there would also be all the houses put on the market by people leaving B.C. because they have no desire to become forced landlords.
When it comes to governments interfering in our lives, this would definitely be a step too far.
S.I. Petersen
Nanaimo
Irreparable harm, but what is the cause?
A judge has ruled that a law prohibiting people from consuming or injecting drugs where ever they please could cause irreparable harm, so put a pause on it.
Doesn’t the use of these harmful substances cause irreparable harm? Isn’t that why people are dying in record numbers?
I fail to see the reasoning.
Giving out free needles was supposed to solve the problem, installing needle drop-boxes was supposed to solve the problem, setting up safe injection sites was supposed to solve the problem.
I’ve only seen the problem get worse.
Bob Broughton
Saanich
Nostradamus and the power of predictions
It’s been said that a prophet is without honour in their own land, but the man history knows as Nostradamus would definitely be the exception to that rule.
Famous in his own country — and in his own lifetime — Nostradamus would come to be one of the most popular non-Biblical prophets in the history of the world. That holds true even today, centuries after his death. For 2024, some alleged Nostradamus predictions are effortlessly Googled.
Thing is, although our brains are fine-tuned for many things, predicting our own behaviour is not one of them. Attempts at foresight can be clouded by the tendency to see ourselves too optimistically.
It’s especially challenging to imagine how we’ll react in a hypothetical situation as we overestimate our abilities … perhaps explaining why real guesses allow us to be much closer to the mark.
We like to imagine that things will work out in our favour, which makes it difficult to accurately analyze evidence. If only we can separate the facts from our best hopes, our next prediction could be a winner.
William Perry
Victoria
Island Health saved my brother’s life
A shout-out to Island Health and its mental health professionals with thanks.
Credit where credit is due. Island Health and especially its mental health sector saved my brother’s life. COVID almost brought my sibling, who suffers from bipolar disease, to the brink.
Prescription medications were regularly issued and taken, but poverty, food instability, lack of adequate housing and mental decline resulted in him almost dying of neglect.
Unable to walk without losing his balance and constantly falling, resulted in a broken bone, which in the end proved to be a blessing. The ER at the Jubilee scheduled him in for surgery and a psychiatrist on examining him immediately suggested that he be voluntarily sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
These two medical interventions together proved to be lifesaving. He received excellent care in the hospital and his psychiatrist visited on a weekly basis and monitored his slow but steady progress. As he was homeless, destitute and unwell, his new case worker worked diligently to find him appropriate housing upon his release.
After a short but essential start at a transitional house run by Island Health, he was accepted by Cool Aid and provided a decent, clean, well supervised studio apartment for 30 per cent of his income. As a result, he has dramatically improved.
None of this would have been possible without Island Health and its mental health professionals and without the non-profit organization, Cool Aid. A great big thank you to you all.
T.M. Douglas
Oak Bay
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