# Better or worse after 50 years.



## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

Interesting article which asks the question do you think your country is better or worse off than it was 50 years ago...

http://www.pewglobal.org/2017/12/05...hether-life-today-is-better-than-in-the-past/

Spoiler alert, Canada says yes, USA says no.


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## TomB19 (Sep 24, 2015)

Human rights have come a long way in 50 years. Recently, they have regressed but only a tiny bit.

It's a more inclusive world and I am thankful of that.

There are ways in which the world is worse off. I think the whole idea of ethics and integrity are less understood than it used to be. We still have people of integrity and ethics, I suspect in similar numbers, but they seem to be less well regarded.

I feel we have lost the understanding of what separates us from the animal kingdom. I fear the united States could turn into a banana republic and we aren't all that far behind.

But, it has not happened and we continue to live a life with improved healthcare and only minor war globally, by human standards.

I wish you all peace and good health.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

Over the course of 50 years we are much better off, but over the course of more recent years the forward progress of the middle class has stopped and is in retreat.


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## Mukhang pera (Feb 26, 2016)

Some one recently sent me this little gem, that's somewhat on topic:

*How Old is grandpa?* 

Stay with this -- the answer is at the end. It may blow you away. 
One evening a grandson was talking to his grandfather about current
events. The grandson asked his grandfather what he thought about the
shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general.. 

*The Grandfather replied, "Well, let me think a minute, I was born before: *
' television 
' penicillin 
' polio shots 
' frozen foods 
' Xerox 
' contact lenses 
' Frisbees and 
' the pill 

*There were no:*
' credit cards 
' laser beams or 
' ball-point pens 

*Man had not invented: *
' pantyhose 
' air conditioners 
' dishwashers 
' clothes dryers 
' and the clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and
' space travel was only in Flash Gordon books.

*In my day: *

' "grass" was mowed, 
' "coke" was a cold drink, 
' "pot" was something your mother cooked in and 
' "rock music" was your grandmother's lullaby. 
' "Aids" were helpers in the Principal's office, 
' "chip" meant a piece of wood, 
' "hardware" was found in a hardware store and 
' "software" wasn't even a word.

Your Grandmother and I got married first, ...... and then lived together.. 
Every family had a father and a mother. 
Until I was 25, I called every woman older than me, "mam". 
And after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, "Sir." 
We were before gay-rights, computer-dating, dual careers, daycare centers,
and group therapy. 
Our lives were governed by the Bible, good judgment, and common sense. 
We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand
up and take responsibility for our actions. 
Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege... 
We thought fast food was eating half a biscuit while running to catch the school bus.
Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins. 
Draft dodgers were those who closed front doors as the evening breeze started. 
Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends-
not purchasing condominiums.

We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt, or
guys wearing earrings. 
We listened to Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President's speeches on our radios. 
And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey. 
If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan ' on it, it was junk 
The term 'making out' referred to how you did on your school exam.... 
Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of. 
We had 5 &10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents. 
Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel. 
And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps
to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards. 
You could buy a new Ford Coupe for $600, . .. . but who could afford one? 
Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon. 

And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a
husband to have a baby. No wonder people call us "old and confused" and
say there is a generation gap. or from the archives. How old do you think I
am? I bet you have this old man in mind....you are in for a shock! Read on
to see -- pretty scary if you think about it and pretty sad at the same time.

Are you ready ?????

*This man would be only 70 years old. 
*


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## Eder (Feb 16, 2011)

Ya...us old farts no longer belong here...brave new world lol.


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## 319905 (Mar 7, 2016)

^ The reality ... we came up with/created all that stuff


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

I think that little joke about grandpa being only 70 years old is over 10 years old. All those things that are being mentioned as being invented after he was born only applies to someone being born before 1940s. Or actually earlier. They were invented in the early 1900s but became more widespread after WW2.

I mean it is trying to be cute, but pretty inaccurate. I mean most of the things that are mentioned and not known like draft dodgers are 1950-60s where someone born in the 1940s would be very aware of those things.


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## Pluto (Sep 12, 2013)

Economically a little better off.
Technologically emmensely better off, and poised to continue exploding.
Everything else: Things will slide in all directions. About the same. Human nature does not change.


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

I don't know about the technology part..........TD bank is down again.


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## fatcat (Nov 11, 2009)

things have improved greatly for marginalized people

we have much greater psychological understanding of ourselves

technology has been a mixed bag though probably more helpful than unhelpful

but count me in with the group that wonders how a 100-million person canada is going to be a good idea as some people have suggested

and 11.2 billion people on the planet by 2100 ?

someone is going to have to explain to me how we will make our world livable ... especially with regards to the natural world ... if we hit these kinds of population numbers


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## new dog (Jun 21, 2016)

I agree we are better off then 50 years ago but the left is working hard to destroy it. For many years the push and pull from the left to the right has worked out but lately the left has been pulling ahead and their bonehead ideas are going to throw us off track. From migrants, useless climate change plans, overpopulation ideas as fatcat suggested, controlling free speech and poor education for children right through university. 

Hopefully they will see this and Canada can get back on the right track again.


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

Things they no longer consider worth teaching in school (based on my kids)...

Spelling
Grammar 
Cursive writing

According to the university profs I know they say they are teaching just 1/10th of the material they used to put into courses just 10 years ago (this is probably an exaduration, but they have "dumbed down" the course and kids are still having more trouble passing than they should). With funding tied to student success rates, profs are under pressure to pass kids no matter what.


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## Mukhang pera (Feb 26, 2016)

Just a Guy said:


> Things they no longer consider worth teaching in school (based on my kids)...
> 
> Spelling
> Grammar
> ...


Please tell me you spelled exaggeration as "exaduration" in jest to reinforce your point about spelling.


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

Knee? Way how thing thag of he?


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## s1231 (Jan 1, 2017)

Mukhang pera said:


> Please tell me you spelled exaggeration as "exaduration" in jest to reinforce your point about spelling.


ya! eggzellent effect! 
#14, he seems going too far but mee or knee no wanna complain.


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## s1231 (Jan 1, 2017)

Well...back to the topic,

50 years ago ( in my point of views of developed countries)....probably.... simpler life, more feeling energized of working toward improvement, less frequent or smaller impacts on natural disaster (hurricane, wildfire, flooding etc.), less additive in foods (less additive affects on mind, health & nervous system), more kids are playing outdoor + nature, more writing or drawing (very good stimulation of our brain - good exercise for light dementia), more senses, less modern sickness (obesities, autism, ADHD, depression, dementia), less suicide rate, less polluted, less contamination , more old forest with great deep roots system, more ecologically balanced untouched places, less debt of each countries & people, smaller gap on rich & poor etc etc... 


It has been nice to see a lot of positive movement in year 2017.
It seems more people into the garden & grow foods in backyard, more products Canada & local products, more people aware of foods affects on our health & mind + make some effort of better lifestyle, from unconscious to conscious action & spending etc.


Better health & mind (able to participate any time - without delay) will lead --- less pain, senseful, helping healthcare system, conscious spending, less waste, participate better environment, 
and better society + keep the safe zone wider.


p.s. Happy new year everyone!


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## MISAOK (Nov 19, 2017)

Depends on what demographic you represent.

Globally - things are generally better by almost every measure. Certain countries are worse off certainly (the ones who are now destroyed by war but were not in 1967/1967). But overall, people are less likely to die in childhood, to starve, to be killed in a war, to be illiterate, to live in extreme poverty, to be governed by a dictator, etc.
https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/20...ry-global-conditions-charts-life-span-poverty
http://www.politifact.com/punditfac...-wars-fewer-people-dying-wars-now-quite-some/

In Canada, things are better for most demographics as well. Ethnic minorities, LGBTQ people, those with disabilities are more included in mainstream society and face less discrimination. Women have more opportunity to succeed in the workplace if they so choose. The rich have gotten richer, the poor have also gotten richer (but not at the same rate as the rich).

The only demographic that I'm not sure is unequivocally better off than 50 years ago is middle-class white males. The current group is richer and has longer life expenctancy than their 1967/68 counterparts. But their social priviledge is less. They are no longer automatically given all the best opportunities and status in mainsteam society. White males still have more than their share of opportunities and social capital, but not the near monopoly they had 50 years ago. I think this might make it feel as though things are worse for this demographic as ther relative prosition in society has declined.

Now of course, middle-class contains people of all generations - millenials, greatest generation, boomers, gen x/y. In 1967/1968 Boomers were just starting to inherit the country. They had a much better playing field than millenials today. They inherited a rich country with low debt-to-GDP, voted en-bloc to lower taxes for their cohort and cut services that did not help them while increasing benefits that did. This made them richer than they deserved to be and everybody else poorer. Millenials will have to pay for the excesses of Boomers. So while overall, the middle-class is better off, it is only because this includes Boomers. Twenty-year-olds in the middle-cass now are probably not better off than they were in 1967/1968. 
https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2...-everything/lVB9eG5mATw3wxo6XmDZFL/story.html
This is an American article but I think the overall themes still apply.


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## Spidey (May 11, 2009)

Interesting topic. On many measures we are better off - economically, health care, life expectancy, human-rights. But despite all of this, I don't think, on balance, we are happier and we may even be less happy. Anxiety, depression and obesity tend to be epidemic these days and I think they are hitting at much younger ages than previously. Millennials appear to be particularly prone to a variety of these emotional based problems that seemed barely worth a mention 50 years ago. Life appeared much less complicated 50 years ago. Having both parents working, has been good for women's rights and for the bank balance, but has added a lot of stress to families. In a nutshell, families need better work-life balance. IMO we are long overdue in balancing this with European-style vacation time and better parental leave, even if it means a little less take home pay.


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## s1231 (Jan 1, 2017)

human-rights....
According from the analysis, many sanctions were failed. (a few successes)

Venezuela has been in trouble with hyperinflation. 
They need foods & basic supplies instead of sanctions.
Sanctions are causing of jobless & hunger / anger . 


- Sanctions: An Analysis
PROBLEMS WITH CURRENT SANCTIONS POLICIES
https://www.globalpolicy.org/global-taxes/41612-sanctions-an-analysis.html
Suffering of the Innocent 

CASE STUDIES
Over the course of more than seven years of sanctions against Iraq, several UN agencies and human rights organizations have produced reports showing malnutrition due to blockage of food, and severe health problems due to absence of medicines and water purification systems. Some observers have argued that the sanctions policies have been imposed primarily in order to regulate the world's supply (and price) of oil, rather than to change the policies of the target state. This argument seems plausible, but it is difficult to prove. Sanctions experts agree, though, that in general there are often hidden reasons behind the nominal legalities used to justify sanctions.


On October 28, 1996, UNICEF head Carol Bellamy held a news conference about the crisis in Iraq . She said that 4,500 children were dying every month of hunger and disease because of conditions imposed by the sanctions. Yasushi Akashi, Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs said that nations were not contributing to emergency relief funds because they thought that the embargo was soon to be lifted . Other experts noted that Iraq's water and sewage system was crumbling, leading to greater risk of infectious disease. The World Food Programme announced that 180,000 children under the age of 5 in Iraq were malnourished .



- Struggling Venezuela Launches Tender To Buy U.S. Crude:
By Irina Slav - Dec 14, 2017, 11:00 AM CST
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Struggling-Venezuela-Launches-Tender-To-Buy-US-Crude.html


- Photos Of Empty Grocery Shelves Show Dire Situation In Venezuela :
01/10/2018 17:56 EST | Updated 01/10/2018 17:56 EST 
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/...ry-shelves-photos_us_5a567751e4b08a1f624afcf6


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

In the US and hopefully Canada never heads in their direction..........

I saw a television interview with the author of a book on the senior "nomad" phenomena.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/17/books/review/nomadland-jessica-bruder.html

There are a growing number of seniors in the US who live in their vans, cars, tents, campers and travel from place to place seeking work.

They work at Amazon for a few months leading into Christmas and then are laid off. The average worker earning $12,000 - $15,000 at a Amazon warehouse are worn out for months after.

They work in the sugar beet harvest, and national parks cleaning washrooms and digging out firepits. These seniors receive an average of $300 Social Security a month.

This all goes on the background of society hidden from view. There are huge camps of these people who live off the grid to save money. They die in the vans, cars........and nobody hears about it.

Although a lot of things are better today, I don't think the workplace is one of them. I don't think retiring without a DB pension is one of them either.

1/3rd of all seniors in the US earns less than $19,000 a year. Jeff Bezos CEO of Amazon has amassed a $94 Billion dollar fortune and pays his workers $12.50 an hour.

Corporations are taking advantage of people's situations and their government has abandoned them.

Despite many people receiving almost nothing from Social Security, the Republicans still want to further cut entitlement programs.

When you dig deeper, the election of Donald Trump with all his pledges is better understood. 

Americans didn't have the wrong idea. They just had the wrong guy.

http://graphics.latimes.com/retirement-nomads/


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

As usual anything connected with the private sector is immeasurably better, I mean in ways we could not even conceive of 50 years ago. While anything to do with the public sector has stayed the same or gone down hill.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

Life is pretty good now. But life was also good then. Just different. I remember watching Ed Sullivan on our B&W 17" console TV every Sunday night. It was a family affair. Us kids went to the movies Saturday matinee.


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## olivaw (Nov 21, 2010)

50 years ago (1968) we were afraid of Russian and Chinese nuclear weapons, American was involved in the Vietnamese quagmire, the Russians invade Czechoslovakia., American police officers were still beating up civil rights protestors, President Charles DeGalle was forced to flee France for a few hours after student protestors took to the streets, Dr. Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated, the bloody Nigerian-Biafran war claimed countless lives. Pierre Trudeau became Prime Minister of Canada. 

Compared to that, things seem pretty good now. We still have hunger, disease, civil strife, disease and ultra-nationalism but we have made great strides in food production, medicine and international cooperation. If it weren't for Trump, Putin and Kim Jong-Un, I'd be very optimistic about 2018. 

We have cell phones, personal computers and tablets, the Internet, cheap GPS, reusable rockets, electric cars, safer cars, cheap air travel, Netflix, ultra high def TVs and incredible pictures of the cosmos, We may be on the verge of AI (don't know how that will work out though). We'll figure out climate change too. 

TL;DR: There was far more suffering, civil strife, poverty and war in 1968 than there is in 2018. We actually live in a pretty golden age. Despite what cable news tells us, we have made great strides in solving problems that have plagued us for millennia.


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## new dog (Jun 21, 2016)

If it weren't for Kim, insert almost any US politician and maybe Putin and I would be optimistic in 2018.

The problem today is we are near the end of a golden era of low interest rates and what happens after that is troublesome.


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## lonewolf :) (Sep 13, 2016)

New Dog so true I do not think most people have a clue how dangerous this market it is. The majority will get burned. I have less then .5% on table using options for both long & short.


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## Daniel A. (Mar 20, 2011)

I think we are worse off just not me personally.

The divide between the haves & have nots is growing young people struggle more today than in the past.
I think with all the changes in pensions over the last 15 years the next ten are going to be challenging for people planning on retirement. 
Technology has complicated life for many it may be time to slow down a bit. Big brother is so far into everyone's life at the touch of a button the amount of information collected would shock some.


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## new dog (Jun 21, 2016)

lonewolf :) said:


> New Dog so true I do not think most people have a clue how dangerous this market it is. The majority will get burned. I have less then .5% on table using options for both long & short.


It really all comes down to what Trump can do if anything to turn the tide here. The Fed is signalling a possible end to supporting the stock market and unless something changes there is no way the market can hold up.


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## Mukhang pera (Feb 26, 2016)

Reading a bit of law this morning caused me to reflect on one way in which things have changed over 50 years ago, in the realm of what might broadly be described as family law. When I was a kid, divorce was practically unheard of and was regarded as quasi-shameful. When I was first at the bar, getting a divorce - even unopposed - meant conducting an examination for discovery of the respondent spouse and oral examination of the petitioner spouse in open court. We counsel were expected to don our barrister's robes for the trial, though perhaps brief. It was a solemn occasion. 

Now we have no-fault divorce and the term "broken home" has lapsed into history. Now, walking away from a relationship that no longer suits is encouraged. It was already some years ago that I saw a cartoon in a French language magazine (my French was much better then) in which a mother was remonstrating with her daughter with words to the effect: "What's wrong with you? All of your friends are getting divorced, while you are not even married yet."

However, what struck me in my reading today was not about the ease with which one may divorce (although it could be argued that dissolving a common law relationship has become more difficult), but all the layers of complexity that now seem to surround the aftermath. In the old days, the court would pronounce an order nisi, then an order absolute of divorce and the spouses would work out things such as "visitation" with their children of tender years.

Today, what I see is a whole industry that has evolved around what is sometimes called "custody and access". The term custody also seems to be disappearing, along with "guardianship", although those terms are still found in some of the pertinent legislation. The whole "bundle of rights" that go with custody, access and guardianship are becoming subsumed under the rubric of "parenting arrangements". But overall it has become a growth industry, probably fairly immune to being taken over by computers or robots any time soon.

For some time, courts have resorted to "custody and access reports" which, in BC, are contemplated by s. 211 of the Family Law Act. Sometimes it is a parent who applies to the court for an order that such a report be prepared. Most are done by psychologists who specialize in these things. They take months to prepare and cost thousands of dollars. One or both spouses are usually ordered to bear the costs. Sometimes it's the taxpayers, particularly if the court orders a family justice counsellor to prepare the report. A spinoff from s. 211 reports are "views of the child" reports. Those have been around for awhile.

Of more recent advent are s. 211 reports that find that one parent has "alienated" a child or children from the other parent. "Parental alienation" has become a term of art. Some industry has grown up to address that lamentable condition. We have seen the emergence of "Family Reunification Programs". These can cost even more than s. 211 reports that recommend them. They can involve live-in situations, kinda' like drug rehab programs.

What prompted me to post today was a case in which the court ordered retention of a "sleep consultant" as an adjunct to making a parenting order. For some time now, courts have ordered the appointment of "parenting coordinators", usually for a period of one to 2 years (at more significant cost), to assist fractious parents to deal with parenting issues. But the "sleep consultant" seems like a relatively new one on me. 

I suppose, at the end of the day, all I have to say is that I am at a loss to know how parents back in the day ever managed without no-fault divorce, custody and access reports, views of the child reports, parenting coordinators, family reunification experts and sleep consultants. I am wondering what will come next. But they make money for more and more "experts" and allow the parties' respective counsel to continue billing for shepherding the whole protracted process. That's all to the good, of course. Usually these things run out of steam (and the parents out of funds) by the time the kids are grown up and have taken their beans and blasted off to some faraway place to forget about the whole debacle that dominated their lives for so long.


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

Just another sign of our disposable society. No one ever considers the kids in a divorce anymore it's usually "me, me, me". Now, this doesn't mean I condone getting the tar beaten out of you and taking it for the sake of the kids. To me, it means you'd never even consider raising a hand in the first place. However, I suspect most divorces today revolve around the world not being perfect, having to deal with real world issues like money, stress, kids, jobs, mortgages, debt, renovations, etc.

Things start to get tough, hit the reset button and go through it all again. Many divorces usually wind up with multiple divorces which tells me it's the people not the system. 

As for the costs, people are just ignorant of managing money and lawyers and the industry have capitalized on it in the name of "public good". After all, who wouldn't be concerned that your kids aren't sleeping well from the stress? Especially if the spouse is ordered to pay for it. Like sags, people are more than willing to spend as much money as they can until it all runs out, no care for what is actually in the bank because no one ever mentions that. 

Have you noticed that car adds never mention the actual price of the vehicle anymore, it's all about "affordable payments".


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## peterk (May 16, 2010)

Mukhang pera said:


> But they make money for more and more "experts" and allow the parties' respective counsel to continue billing for shepherding the whole protracted process.


These are legitimate positions in our modern economy, held by smart people, as evidenced by the university degrees most of those in the "government mandated internal bureaucratic relations" field possess. These folks deserve every penny they make, obviously!



Just a Guy said:


> Have you noticed that car adds never mention the actual price of the vehicle anymore, it's all about "affordable payments".


Come on JAG, you can buy a nice new Truck for "just $99 ever couple a weeks. No payments until 2022."
I've noticed the speaking voice in car ads is becoming so casual in tone, it's rather funny. They used to speak proper English at least. When I heard "every couple a weeks" (from the radio in our bought in cash car) for the first time I laughed out loud. Supposedly this advertising **** works though, at least according to the Ad-Man neighbour of Muk's Divorce Sleep Consultant up on Mansion Hill, next to David Suzuki...


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## Daniel A. (Mar 20, 2011)

Mukhang pera said:


> Reading a bit of law this morning caused me to reflect on one way in which things have changed over 50 years ago, in the realm of what might broadly be described as family law. When I was a kid, divorce was practically unheard of and was regarded as quasi-shameful. When I was first at the bar, getting a divorce - even unopposed - meant conducting an examination for discovery of the respondent spouse and oral examination of the petitioner spouse in open court. We counsel were expected to don our barrister's robes for the trial, though perhaps brief. It was a solemn occasion.
> 
> Now we have no-fault divorce and the term "broken home" has lapsed into history. Now, walking away from a relationship that no longer suits is encouraged. It was already some years ago that I saw a cartoon in a French language magazine (my French was much better then) in which a mother was remonstrating with her daughter with words to the effect: "What's wrong with you? All of your friends are getting divorced, while you are not even married yet."
> 
> ...


Having been a victim of the system in the early nineties 4.5 years and 150,000.00 later that is what it took to get custody of my son I can relate.
I'm sure judges have a team of law clerks working very hard looking for case law to avoid doing the right thing. 
Best interest of the child has little to do with anything.

I remember it was only after the AG appointed a lawyer to represent my son that things started to change, didn't hurt also that the case was being quoted in the House Of Commons.


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## bobok (Apr 22, 2018)

After 50 there is a lot of free time. Which can be used with advantage.

_________________________________
vidosy.com/video/u0eJRXOOikg/Stephen-Hawking's-Last-Speech.html last speech hawking


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

Better. My parents were better off than their parents. We are better off financially than our parents. Not certain if this will be true for our adult children though.

The products we buy today are generally much better. Just think of the poor quality, unsafe vehicles that GM, Ford, and Chrysler used to flog even twenty five years ago. It was not that long ago that I sat on a plane with a GM exec who had been to Ottawa trying to get Ottawa to reverse the then proposed regulation forcing manufacturers to have daytime running lights! Same with many other products. Still a long way to go but as long as we keep moving forward it is good.


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## Big Kahuna (Apr 30, 2018)

Rusty O'Toole said:


> As usual anything connected with the private sector is immeasurably better, I mean in ways we could not even conceive of 50 years ago. While anything to do with the public sector has stayed the same or gone down hill.


You basically summed it up-one only has to look at the bloated and inefficient "healthcare" and "education" sectors for a prime example of this. Overall, obviously the standard of living at the median in Canada has improved from 1968 to 2018, but the pace of improvement is tiny compared to the great strides made from 1918 to 1968. Probably one of the main reasons for this slowing of progress of society is the incredible growth of "government" over the last 50 years.


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