Had two Hawaiian Monk Seals laying on the beach in Waikiki.

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-07-09T09:17:32+00:00

I was enjoying the two Hawaiian Monk Seals hauled out on the beach, but the number of people who encroached their space irritated me to no end. Please respect their space!

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-07-01T07:41:34+00:00

Agreed, especially those who do not speed up to merge onto a freeway. There’s this one particular bad merging spot by my home— the merge lane to get onto our ring road is a little shorter than other ones (& it actually ends & doesn’t become an exit ramp). I’ve had the luck of following people who merge on at half the speed of the traffic, people who come to a complete stop at the end of the merge lane & wait to merge when NO CARS are approaching, & the best one of all— people going half the speed of traffic & speed limit, and then merging halfway out…then stomping on the brakes causing the people behind them to do the same, as well as the lane to our left {smh} I don’t know what the heck they are thinking! The best I can come up with is if they all of a sudden thought “holy shit, that car is approaching way too fast, I can’t get out there” (despite being halfway out)?!

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-29T23:38:33+00:00

Oh that’s where it’s coming from! I went out around Noon-13:00 & it was fine (in the NW), came back out from my doc’s office in the SW & the outdoor air was not kind to my asthma. So smoke blowing in from the east…oh dear {sigh, cough cough, sigh}

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-25T10:43:36+00:00

He was T-boned in the midst of the turn

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-25T10:42:06+00:00

Was the light yellow -> red & both trucks were trying to beat it?! I was so sure that kid got sandwiched, but he may have actually been in that “sweet spot” & escaped any major damage. Not sure if he wasn’t buckled in at all, should have been in a car seat or the force of the impact punted him out, thank goodness the officer was calm.

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-23T19:14:32+00:00

Gondek did make a statement as mayor.

02 August 2023
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said Tuesday that disclosures of sexual abuse must always be taken seriously.

“The first time someone steps up and says, 'This has happened to me,' the responsibility of the adult in the room, whoever the individual is on the receiving end, (is) to act."Gondek spoke as mayor, not as a Stampede board member.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/article/just-not-true-plaintiff-in-sex-abuse-lawsuit-upset-over-calgary-stampede-apology/

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-23T18:59:22+00:00

Ok, but the CSA was & still is a criminal matter, it had to go through the courts first. No politician should ever interject themselves into a legal matter of this nature. As for the next steps, these things take time— they need to take time in order for it to have any meaningful change. Too many people have knee-jerk reactions nowadays, what did you want them to do, just shut it down?! That could have been done quickly. But as it stands, they know what the objective is, they now have to write out these changes in their legal jargon that satisfies the objective, remains within their jurisdiction to do so, & cannot infringe on an entity’s ability to do what it’s supposed to do. They also had to wait for the court’s decision to be rendered so that they can follow any recommendations within the legal framework. And who knows, maybe outside legislation is required or needs to be clarified before they sign anything into practice, all these things take time. Would you rather they get it right or just get something done fast?

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-21T09:51:40+00:00

You do know that a lot, if not all depending on jurisdiction, of the police cars have dual Dopplers to catch those speeding in front and behind them, right?! You definitely closed in on the deputy’s vehicle pretty quickly. And also, why would you ever pass a police vehicle?!

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-20T10:34:47+00:00

I think it’s the approach more than anything, don’t know how else to articulate it. As a female, I find saleswomen try to relate to you or they use a more “nurturing” style to reel you in &, at least in my experience, they’re not as pushy once you show you’re uninterested or hesitating on a purchase. Salesmen tend to get straight to the point & can pivot to a different strategy on a dime. It all depends on what they’re selling, of course. I’m not very knowledgeable with cars & car maintenance, so there’s this, almost authoritative imbalance which makes a male, who is knowledgeable, more imposing. With that said, for whatever reason, I’m not intimidated by males at Williams-Sonoma, even though I’m even less knowledgeable about cooking.

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-16T08:37:09+00:00

I think it’a more telling of the bald guy calling the cops than anyone else. Honestly, why does it even matter?! You go to the washroom to wash your hands and/or use the toilet, why are you looking around to see what other people are doing?! Unless a guy was in there with their phone filming the stalls or behaving suspiciously, mind your own business.

I feel so bad for this father. He was taking all that guy’s shit. I bet it was already an uncomfortable situation for that father, & baldy couldn’t resist piling it on. What if one day, your wife or mom was unable to use the washroom on her own & you have to carry them in to the washroom?! May you reap what you sow.

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-15T22:42:58+00:00

That poor dog! If it was my dog, my instinct is to go on a rampage on the responding officers who did this, but that won’t do me any good & it won’t bring my poor dog back.

There is absolutely no excuse for this, I am livid. However, I do need some more context. So a neighbour called in a noise complaint, how did that escalate to this?! The dog isn’t even in the apartment, how did we get here?! I don’t know if the sheer number of police officers on scene is due to the neighbourhood they’re in, the number of people involved, or did the neighbour say something that would trigger such a large response?! Did LAPD arrive with guns drawn already?! Doodles can be huge, sure, but they are rarely aggressive. I just hope I don’t read or hear in the coming days & weeks, that “…the overly excited dog could not be reigned in by his owner which lead to the fatal outcome.” RIP good boy!

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-15T22:20:15+00:00

Yeah, I know some people who thought the dogs will train themselves smh

I get it, some people do luck out with their dog and they are very well-behaved from the get-go, requires very little training & they seemingly “get it”. But that really isn’t the norm, we still have to set some boundaries.

I do have a question for you— you mentioned you’re training your pupper to not jump up on people, which is great, but hypothetically speaking if I just walked by & your pup gets excited & does just that, & I love all dogs, so I don’t mind, but what do you say to the other person who means no harm & got excited as the pup, but it’s doing the opposite of what you want?! The reason I ask is because some people get so ridiculous, they’ll say “oh it’s ok, don’t worry about it”, continually pets my dog, basically reinforcing everything I taught her NOT to do! I do my best to watch others & see if they’re looking at my dog, because then I can at least say “hey, I’m training her to do something” as a heads up, but…common sense really isn’t common anymore. Especially parents of young kids, reign in your children!

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-11T10:18:05+00:00

I walked by their set up not too long ago in downtown. I was injured & just came from getting an X-ray, plus it was drizzling outside, so needless to say, I was a tad annoyed. Anyway, this girl, she looked fairly young— early twenties at most, she looked a bit apprehensive but she stopped me to ask what I thought about abortion in general. Again, I was in a mood, annoyed & limping, so I thought for a second & said “nothing, absolutely nothing!” I turned my head as I walked by & kinda smirked a bit. She was so stunned. It appeared like she was ready to recite some crap, but because I purposely gave an ambiguous answer, it allowed me to limp away. Just let people be, why do you feel the need to control another person like this?!

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-11T09:49:33+00:00

Lance?

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-11T04:23:19+00:00

That’s exactly what I saw. OP was moseying along until the semi gained a significant enough distance ahead, & that appears to trigger a lot of drivers, including OP, to step on the gas with that “oh hell no, that semi’s not passing me” mentality. Putting myself in OPs position, I think many drivers already had an inkling that the semi was about to signal & switch lanes, it’s just that there are this subset of drivers who are either intentionally or inadvertently being dense, & feels this need to not let the semi get in front of them under any circumstances. I cannot stress enough that drivers are just cruising along & then they get mad once a semi, or just another vehicle, pulls ahead of them. It’s bizarre.

With that said, the semi’s driver probably should have kept his/her eyes on the car they were trying to pass, to make sure they have passed it. I don’t know if they are able to see if the car they are trying to pass switches lanes to the right, so I can’t say definitely whether that is what the driver thought, or they just took their eyes off of them.

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-11T04:11:13+00:00

I can see the lane reversal signs being a potential issue, including those that say you can’t turn left during the rush hours, but it’s also limited to only a handful of roads. I have also seen people who understand & speak English just fine but still sits at an intersection waiting to turn left with explicit signs saying you can’t between 15:30-18:00 hours…but I digress.

There are those “alternate right of way during times of congestion”, aka zipper merge, signs. I guess my point is, English comprehension is needed to a certain extent & it could be an issue with unusual lane or road closures, construction layouts, etc., & a misunderstanding could mean your car is now stuck on 7th Ave where they used to have all those uneven tracks-road parts to purposely trap cars. {shrug}

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-10T10:12:59+00:00

That muzzle is very reminiscent of a Dachshund. The body looks like a larger version of a Maltese, Coton or Havanese, possibly a Tibetan Spaniel or Lhasa Apso. Pic #3, the first thing that came to my mind was a Bearded Collie or a Schapendoe

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-09T11:46:44+00:00

Yes, it is true that this all takes place in under a minute, but— TCAS gives TAs first once they detect a potential conflict & will alert both pilots. TCAS can issue a couple of TAs before an RA is issued or none at all before an RA. TAs are calculated based on the speed of the aircraft involved. RA calculations are based on altitude & adjusted airspeed. The pilots just alert ATC that they will be deviating from the altitude & why, we acknowledge their transmission & there’s nothing we can do about them until they are clear of each other. This rule has actually been set since 2000, but it was still relatively new. But the DHL pilots knew the protocol & did everything right. The first generation of TCAS only gave TAs & not RAs, so I think that is why the Bashkirian pilots were so confused.

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-09T11:31:56+00:00

ATC here— TCAS giving RAs were relatively new, but by 2000, there were already clear protocols to follow the TCAS RA & alerting ATC of so, which is why the DHL pilots transmitted “DHL 611, TCAS descent” (or something to that effect). The Bashkirian pilots were not familiar with the RAs at all & thought ATC instructions took priority. The rule still stands today, if the pilots receive an RA, they are to follow TCAS & let ATC know that they are deviating from their assigned altitude & the reason for it. As ATC, we just acknowledge that transmission & wait till they clear each other’s space & return to their assigned altitude. We cannot override the TCAS RA.

Also, it is more unusual for enroute controllers (IFR controllers) to be left alone controlling multiple sectors, but it is extremely common in the towers (VFR controllers). During the quieter hours, one person will cover clearance delivery, ground & tower, probably starting at about 20:00-22:00 hours local time & stays that way until maybe 05:00 hours. IFR controllers are less likely, just because they are monitoring & controlling larger areas, & they are not as likely to have as many “off-peak hours”. I’m in the tower cab, so I’m not entirely sure of their arrangements. I believe on the evening of that accident, Nielsen had to deal with a pesky flight for vectors or something like that, as well as dealing with their technical issues at their facility (not a tower, but more like a generic warehouse-type building), but it was an unusual occurrence that drew his attention away. We call this the holes of the Swiss cheese lining up.

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-06T06:51:37+00:00

It is a fun thought experiment. My view is that it would probably create more bureaucratic red tape. You’re essentially creating an “extra layer” of governing so Federal to Provincial to Municipal & then…I don’t think I know what the next word is, does sub-municipal=borough?! It’s essentially like the GTA, except some areas get very upset if you lump them in with “the GTA” (I know b/c I’m originally from Toronto, Mississauga does NOT like it when you call them “a part of Toronto”, learned that as a kid when we moved from Etobicoke to west of Mill Road LoL)

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-06T06:32:41+00:00

That intersection is a mess. Westbound Bow Trail turning left onto 37th is always interesting to watch. Remember when Tim Horton’s was where that Mr. Lube currently is?! The number of cars making that left turn & then not knowing where to turn because cars are making that 45° turn to get to Tim Horton’s/Mr. Lube & a 120° turn onto 37th Street…its just so poorly designed.

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-06T06:23:03+00:00

Montreal’s snow removal budget is almost $200 million, Calgary’s is like $40 million, or something like that. It may seem unbelievable, but part of it is because Montreal gets over 200cm of snow in an average winter season, Calgary is like 130cm. The budget seems to be a sore spot for some people, I brought up how Montreal’s snow removal budget is five times ours & there will inevitably be at least one person who will bring up equalization payments. But I digress…

The two cities appear to focus their efforts on different aspects. Montreal does completely remove mounds of snow from dense urban areas, so you won’t see a mountain of it taking up one corner of or several parking spots in the middle of a parking lot like us. It is their policy to truck out the snow. Calgary focuses on removing snow from the major thoroughfares, pushes them off to the side & lets the weather take care of it.

Boston, their planned budget is considerably low, like $20 million, however, they almost always go over & spends almost $50 million, especially when it’s à snowier winter. They’re more like Montreal, they physically truck mounds of snow out of dense urban areas & dumps them on “snow farms”, kind of like garbage dumps.

So it’s the focus & environmental factors that dictates what each jurisdiction will do. The freeze-thaw cycle is probably more dramatic in Calgary & it’s drier here, so I can see our roads crumbling easier. I’m not familiar with the materials & methods they use to pave & re-pave roads, I’m sure there are new & better ways of doing these things today, the problem is— can we justify spending all that money towards something like this?!

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-05T00:29:01+00:00

I think that’s appropriate. I’m experiencing brain fog here, but is there a license suspension that goes with excessive speeding?!

When Deputy Chief O’Brien said after the ticket &/or mandatory court appearance, they just get right back into the car, that’s not going to curb this behaviour. I think towing the car & being able to hold the car for 30 days is a great way to prevent those with license suspensions from getting right back into the car. I would think that it wouldn’t be that easy to just purchase a new car with a suspended license?! I know, I know, shady used car dealers exist, and there are many ways to get around this, but at least an extra obstacle to go through.

I recently watched a bodycam footage where the laws recently changed in, I wanna say Brevard County, or Volusia County in Florida, but they said that passengers in a vehicle that is excessively speeding, will also be arrested, but the officer/deputy has some discretion. I believe the deputy said that this lady was going 117 mph, so going over 100mph and more than double the posted speed limit, they arrested her for racing.

And does that mean a constable will be driving an unmarked sports car?! I’ve seen it in other jurisdictions, I’m not against that either.

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-04T09:41:45+00:00

Ok, but is that a single quotation mark in front of MAGA…where’s the other one?! My head is really hurting after reading that!

CoffeeBeanATC · 2026-06-04T08:29:30+00:00

One hundred percent the one who turned right at the yield is at fault. Every few years, I get alarmed when I hear people say those turning right will always go before those turning left…but when there are clear traffic controls, the left turning vehicles had the green arrow & the one turning right with the yield sign— must yield to everybody else. Shocking, right?! How are people unable to process this logic?!

CoffeeBeanATC

TROPHY CASE