Cold's (dis)comforts
Weather forecasters often get it wrong (European Forecasting System Gets Blame For Blizzard Blunder In United States – Jan. 28). Just ask any kid who has ever been assured that tomorrow will be a snow day.
The lesson learned from this "blizzard blunder"?
Kids, grow up to be meteorologists. Not only do you get to play with cool technology, but you can make big mistakes and never get fired. Best. Job. Ever.
Jean Mills, Guelph, Ont.
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Re Toronto, Let The Skaters Skate (Jan. 28): My grandson, who at 9 months is still too young to be civilly disobedient, will be the fifth generation of our family to skate on Grenadier Pond. When he is old enough to stand, I will buy him skates, take him to the pond and pay his bail for violating the city's skating ban. What else are grandfathers for?
Patrick O'Neill, Toronto
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Re Billing For Rescues Puts Skiers 'At Risk' (Jan. 27): Search-and-rescue leaders warn that billing irresponsible skiers would put them at risk, because those who go out of bounds would be more reluctant to seek help.
This ignores the problem of "moral hazard," which is the idea that if there is no penalty for risk-taking, people will take more risks. More skiers take risks because they know they won't be billed, so bailing them out could endanger them more than if they had to pay a penalty.
A prime example of moral hazard is the case of a Norwegian snowboarder who was rescued last week in Whistler's back country. She has since said that she would again consider snowboarding out of bounds. If she'd been billed for the rescue, she might be more reluctant to contemplate taking such risks again.
Ted Cohn, Burnaby, B.C.
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Award for hypocrisy
I propose an Academy Award for Hypocrisy and nominate outstanding performances coming out of Washington and Ottawa.
A year ago, Narendra Modi was not welcome in the U.S. after the massacre of Muslims in the 2002 Gujarat riots, which happened on his watch. This week, Barack Obama was hugging India's new Prime Minister as the U.S. courts Mr. Modi for closer security ties.
Then we have John Kerry demanding fair elections in Nigeria as a precondition for military assistance against Boko Haram. Meanwhile, Mr. Obama and Stephen Harper were offering condolences for a deceased ruthless dictator – sorry, monarch – of Saudi Arabia (A Forceful Show Of Support – Folio, Jan. 28). And we have Washington and Ottawa's unwavering support for electoral democracy, while at the same time embracing Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who took power in a military coup that overthrew an elected government.
Nothing beats last December's performance when Canada and the United States voted down a UN resolution calling on Israel to open its nuclear weapons program to international inspection. In the next breath, along with Israel, they condemned Iran's supposed failure to comply with IAEA regulation.
And the winner is …
Howard Davidson, Toronto
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Get that flu shot
Re Are We Taking The Flu (Shot) Too Seriously? (Jan. 24): It is widely agreed that current influenza vaccines are not ideal, as they have to be constantly reformulated due to the high mutation rate of the virus. That being said, there is still strong evidence in support of influenza vaccination.
Influenza can be very serious in older people and the very young. Older persons hospitalized with influenza often emerge far more frail than prior to infection.
One of the most important impacts of widespread vaccination is the well-documented effect of herd immunity. Even a less than perfect vaccine lessens the severity and duration of influenza infection, and limits the spread of the virus.
There is also an economic argument to be made for even partial protection in terms of fewer lost-work days.
We need better influenza vaccines, but until we have them, getting vaccinated is a benefit – however small – to each one of us. By taking the vaccine we do no harm to ourselves and we protect those around us, particularly those most vulnerable to harm from influenza.
Tania Watts, Sanofi Pasteur chair in human immunology, University of Toronto;
Jeff Kwong, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and Public Health Ontario; associate professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto;
Mark Loeb, division director, infectious diseases, McMaster University;
Janet E. McElhaney, HSN Volunteer Association Chair in Healthy Aging and medical lead for seniors care Health Sciences North and Advanced Medical Research Institute of Canada, Sudbury, Ont.;
Shelly McNeil, clinician scientist, Canadian Centre for Vaccinology, IWK Health Centre and Capital Health; professor of medicine, infectious diseases, Dalhousie University;
Allison McGeer, professor, department of laboratory medicine and pathobiology and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; director, infection control, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto
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Tax junk food
Considering the simple equation that leads to obesity – when energy-in exceeds energy-out – we must tip the scales back in the right direction (New Obesity Guidelines Fall Short, Experts Say – Life & Arts, Jan. 28).
As far as energy-in goes, high calorie junk food must be taxed at a much higher rate so it becomes prohibitively expensive to load the grocery cart with such food. On the energy-out front, gas has to be taxed at a far higher rate, making the decision to walk, cycle or use transit a more affordable and palatable one. With choices like these, our government could put the health and lives of Canadians ahead of pressure from food and oil industry lobbyists.
Mary Lapner, Ottawa
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Can't force MDs
Letter writer Greta Wemekamp suggests that the issuing of billing numbers to new family MDs should be restricted, based upon regional population and the supply of doctors (Rx For MD Pay – Jan. 28). This model has been tried to no avail in another form by discounting the fees paid to new family docs who practised in urban areas.
The restriction of billing numbers runs contrary to the mobility rights in the Constitution.
You cannot force someone to move to a place they don't want to live. Ms. Wemekamp and her family exercised their freedom of choice to live in Kingston. That freedom should be available to everyone, including doctors.
Mark A. Greenberg, MD, Toronto
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Paroled too soon
The article Tories Seek Tougher Penalties For Killers (Jan. 27) led me to reflect again on the recent passing of Francis Simard, an admitted kidnapper and murderer of Pierre Laporte in 1970. He was sentenced to life imprisonment but was paroled after only 11 years. Such an early parole can certainly be seen as a solid argument to legislate a stricter system.
While a total end to parole for capital crimes may be excessive for Canada, the family of the victim – and indeed society at large – has a right to know that convicted killers will be held to serve a term of long duration.
David Horley, Ottawa
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Just sayin' …
Re Under Fire, Marijuana Firm Invented Employee To Dispute Claims (front page, Jan. 28): Globe dudes! Cut the bros at CEN Biotech some slack, man. Every marijuana supplier in my town uses a fake name – or so I'm told.
Just sayin'.
Bryan Caddy, Red Deer, Alta.