Mid-June Reflections

Stanley Cup

Not being a big hockey fan, it always amazes me that the playoffs last this long. Tonight I will tune in (and I hope to not be as disappointed as I was Monday night!) and watch, but likely I will be channel-hopping while I do so.

I had a thought about the playoffs this morning, watching Canada am. There was a researcher discussing sleep patterns and amount of sleep, and how this affects our performance. He specifically discussed sleep patterns in relation to hockey schedules. The playoffs pose an even more serious problems, as there is a definite change to the player's routines.

What if... the Stanley Cup finals were held in a similar fashion to football playoffs -- at s single arena?

Like football, the location could be chosen in advance. Then all four, five, six or seven games would be played two days apart with no travel for either team.

It would alleviate any concerns over travel fatigue, and (unless that arena's team makes the finals) there would be no "home-ice advantage."

Maybe the first two rounds of the playoffs (quarter- and semi-finals) could be held in selected arenas for each division, too. It would save travel costs, with teams having to fly in and out of the host city only once.

Oh, yeah... shouldn't hockey end in April?

---

Postal Strike

Really? CUPW can't understand why Canada Post wants to reduce delivery to three times per week? CUPW is notifying its members by email, so it shouldn't be surprised that mail volume is down.

Some CUPW locals, including the Sault's, held a wild-cat walk-out on Tuesday, claiming that Canada Post was, in effect, "locking them out" by cutting out two days of service.

You know the old saying: "Be careful what you wish for."

Today the union is officially locked out.

I understand the Union's concern, but I cannot find anyway to justify maintaining current employment levels if the amount of work has dropped. If there is less work to do, then fewer workers are needed.

I can't speak for everyone, but I only receive ONE regular piece of mail -- my VISA bill.

I do occasionally purchase books and other items over the internet, and select Canada Post as my delivery method. I still see a need for the Post Office, but if delivery is reduced to three, or even two days a week, it would not be a hardship.

And, since Canada Post owns Purolator, I don't see that businesses will have less access to shipping options. (And one is as expensive as the other.)

---

The Big Blackout: traffic tie-ups

Okay, it wasn't as big as the blackout of August 2003, but it was big enough.

I'd like to applaud the many drivers who remained patient and displayed a great deal of courtesy to their fellow drivers.

I'd also like to blow a big raspberry to those few, impatient and incosiderate drivers who felt that they were far more important than anyone else, and were vastly more inconvenienced by the traffic snarls resulting from the inoperative traffic lights.

Really, everybody was in the same predicament. No one was going anywhere fast. We all had to wait at major intersections.

It was astonishing to watch as drivers heading north and south on Great Northern took their turns -- one at a time -- while those crossing on Second Line felt that they could cross in groups of six or eight.

Fortunately, while there were some collisions, none were serious.


The Big Blackout: what happened?

At this point we still only know that there was a major equipment failure.

For the next two days some posters were suggesting some sort of cover-up was taking place, because the public was not provided with an immediate and thorough explanation of how this failure occurred.

A week later, it's no longer an issue.

In this day of "instant news," some people expect "instant answers."

Unfortunately, it can take longer to determine what caused a problem -- especially one of the magnitude experienced last week.

Some posters suggested that a good "Preventative Maintenance Plan" would have prevented the failure. I disagree.

I've worked in a number of industries, and have seen both "preventative" and "breakdown" maintenance programs in place.

Yes, preventative maintenance IS better, but it does not preclude problems from occurring unexpectedly.

Some parts of a process cannot be checked regularly, or taken out of service for inspection. While there may be plans for eventually replacing all equipment, failure can occur prior to the scheduled service.

All in all, I think that things worked out pretty well.

It also underscored a) how much we depend on electricity, and b) how unprepared we are for an interruption.

I know I have some work to do on my own emergency preparations.


But... that's just my opinion.