Maritimes Tour 2016 - Day Three - Alma Lobster

Day Three: This was a more casual day. We drove down to Alma, via Riverview, and stopped at Octopus’s Garden Cafe for lunch. We had eaten at this place before and it was still delicious.I had the ploughman's lunch which came with the soup of the day: tomato basil.

We then stopped for lobster at Collin’s Lobster shop. They sold uncooked and cooked lobster as well as other items so we picked up three uncooked ones.

They grow big in the bay of Fundy!

We then drove back via Fundy National park and stopped for ice cream at McCabe’s Famous Ice Cream. Being from Victoria, where we have four homemade ice cream shops, it was good but more pricey than I am used to.

That night it was time to consume the pre-cooked exoskeleton and it was delicious. Meat was firm and there was lots of it. Delicious!

Maritimes Tour 2016 - Day Two- Aircraft and a Gathering of the Clans

Day Two: This was a super action packed day. First my mom took us to the Havelock Flying Club airfield where we had breakfast, chatted with folks, and looked at the aircraft on the field. Also saw some taking off and landing.Below is an amphibious plane.

Shortly after getting home we borrowed my mom’s car and drove to my dad’s clan gathering. A great spread was put on by my Aunts and Uncles! We chatted with folks and caught up on what had occurred to each other. Also met cousins I had not met in a while and a new edition to the clan who was a few months old.

Later in the afternoon, after things wound down, it was time to go to Gusto Italian Grill and Wine Bar. There we met with my mom’s clan and had a great supper. The arancini was crisp and tasty. The pasta of the day was cooked perfectly and the pesto and vegetables were great. They have a wood fired oven too.

Then we retired to my Aunt and Uncle’s place to continue the gathering and chatted about what the family was doing and have recently done. My Uncle has a wicked train set too.

Maritimes Tour 2016 - Day Zero and Day 1 - Travel

Day Zero: This was supposed to be our travel day. We had arrived at the airport on time, checked in our baggage and boarded the Westjet plane after a good breakfast at the Spinnaker’s Bistro. We were told that after initial checks, a light was observed to be not turning on when a fault was induced. The light was replaced and the checks did not illuminate the light. We were then deplaned and alternative flights were made for the passengers. Unfortunately for us, it meant leaving the next day. Fortunately for us it meant that we were on one less flight and were flying first class (or “Plus Class” on Westjet) all the way. Also fortunate was that my Aunt could reschedule the meeting of the clan to day two of our trip.

The rest of the day had us phoning relatives/house sitters, eating Prima Strada pizza, relaxing, and getting to bed early.

Day One: The “Plus Class” experience was a good one. In a row of three seats, the middle seat has a flat surface and drink holders. The legroom is also larger and there are complementary food and drink. We arrived at the Moncton airport at 730pm.

Postcard of the Interwebs - 13 July 2016

Low emission Funerals: Clever Canadian idea for making less waste of our remains.

Electric Fields make Chocolate Better: I'd like a taste test please...and another...and another...

Reason for Not Getting a Good Sleep in a New Place: I don't think this affects myself but I know others who are.

Inexpensive testing for malaria and other things: Excellent idea for inexpensive testing of blood borne ailments.

Prions induce Many Diseases: Interesting study linking metals, prions and brain diseases.

Tower that Eats Smog...and Makes Jewelry: Do not know how popular the jewelry would be but at least its better than pumping it underground.

What if you lost 90% of your Brain?:  Interesting article about a man who is cognizant but has lost most of his brain.

Postcard of the Interwebs - 29 June 2016

King Tut Dagger made from Meteorite: How cool would it be to have a weapon (or anything really) made from a meteorite. Now go back to 14th century BCE!

The Meaning of Life from different Philosophies: Good overview of the different paths.

Bacteria as Storage Devices: Our bodies could become the next storage device...or anything really.

EM Drive keeps going: More testing by independent labs. Looking more promising.

Human Blood Type Variation on Earth: Interesting diversity.

How Astronomers Analyze Images: Way cool look at what astronomers do with those different wavelength photos that are taken.

Sex/Income/Happiness Index: Does income and/or frequency of sex affect happiness? Results may surprise you.

Old Firehouse Wine Bar

We were in the Duncan area doing errands and the food carts were interesting for Saturday's farmer's market. Our favorite, an Iranian stall, was not present so we decided to give the Old Firehouse Wine Bar a try.


We settled on the Firehouse charcuterie plate and a side of bread and olive tapenade. They fixed this up for us even though it was on the supper menu. Very glad they did as it was delicious! They mentioned that they switch up the meats and cheeses every week so its worth checking out if you are in the area. We would again.

Wisdom Without Zealotry - Feelings, Opinions, and Dopamine

There can be great differences in what a person feels is true and if that feeling is actually truthful. This is because feelings are based on emotion, and facts are based in logic. It is perfectly possible that both the feeling and the truth are the same but if the feeling is not true it is difficult to have a person understand that it is false. I will explain, using some knowledge gained from an exceptional book, The Righteous Mind, and other sources.

Feelings are sometimes used to armor up opinions to give them more weight and value. Someone might say that X and Y are facts and that they are not debatable; but the opinion is actually just a feeling to the person who said it. Not fact. When opinions/feelings are factually wrong it will be hard to sway the person who said them and no amount of evidence will convince the group who is feeling they are right to acknowledge reason. They are not processing the new information because of strong feelings about the "truth" of a claim. The more zealous the person the more entrenched they will be. This is because the brain or kidneys may be rewarding the brain/body pathways with dopamine when it keeps the armor up on a very strong opinion/feeling. In order to change it, their feelings have to change and/or they have to understand the evidence and/or they have to see their feelings for what they are; emotion rather than logic.

Feelings are personal. They are closely held viewpoints on topics that can range from politics and religion to cooking and child rearing. One can never argue against a feeling because the person who has them is invested in that viewpoint regardless of its truth or untruth. They will defend it and the more strongly they feel it to be true, the more likely they will want to be rewarded with a hit of dopamine. The key to identifying if someone is arguing from a feeling is to determine if the statement is valid for the person who has it (or a small group) but is not valid for a neutral observer. Remember that this may not be yourself if you feel very strongly in the extreme opposite (Be objective, B..E..objective). That will help with the next step...

Patience is required in dealing with feelings. Remember that you can never tell a person that their feeling or opinion is wrong because you are not them. It will cause them to rationalize their stance and potentially release dopamine when they are successful, if it is a very strong stance. It is addictive and may cause the person to be even more extreme to hold onto their emotional stance to maintain their hit. Remember that they came to that feeling/opinion based on a lifetime of experiences. You can help them analyze the whys and wherefores of how they came to that viewpoint.  By doing so you offer new viewpoints while reassuring them on their current ones so as to not shut them away from you.

Use a phrase like, "I understand that you feel this way because of your experiences. You feel that X and Y are the way they are because of Z. I have had different experiences and do not see them as being connected. Why am I wrong?". This has less of a chance of driving them further down the rabbit hole while keeping them engaged. It also helps them verbally describe why they feel their stance is right.

Ensure you keep them on topic because if they drift off topic it may be that they sense their original viewpoint is changing. They might say something that will reinforce their viewpoint to get the hit of dopamine.

People can also change their own minds independently and usually occurs with an emotional response to a new experience.

In conclusion offering other viewpoints, evidence and logical points through calm and patient dialogue and reassurance can help others realize their feelings are not truth. Do not be overtly confrontational, as an emotional response on your part will invoke one on theirs. Finally, realize that you could be the one that has the emotional stance and are wrong. The wise man calls themselves a fool at least once a month.

References not listed above:

http://www.houstonpress.com/arts/no-it-s-not-your-opinion-you-re-just-wrong-7611752

http://www.houstonpress.com/arts/a-guide-to-arguing-with-a-snopes-denier-6384551