Skeeters from all over Hwy 16 and other surprises

By Philip Rushton
Hinton Parklander

Being in a new office every week as a temp during summers and after graduating is nothing new for this intern.

On the other-hand, being in a new town every week is very different.

Shooting photos on a river jet-boat one weekend, then a rodeo, then munchkins in theatre camp Wizard of Oz presentation, and who knows what next. It's a great part about community newspaper.

Not so great is being lost in a new town every week with directions like 'across from Tim Hortons'. If only I knew where the Timmy's is located. Or 'where the old fire station was before they moved'. I don't know where the new fire station is, let alone the old one.

$50 reward for apprehension of losers

Retired citizen Don Maxwell is declaring open season on pesky Friday night partiers who have knocked over and broken antlers off his lawn ornament Dogpatch late at night July 22.


PS that was the actual headline and I was pretty happy to write it.... people can be so stupid. What I didn't write was the elderly guy's more grumpy response that he'd hunt those party animals himself if he wasn't so old and shaky with a gun. And again I love the country-side feisty spirit.

It's a long weekend, so stay safe and sober up before driving

Drinking and driving makes you a bloody idiot. They will literally be wiping blood off your steering wheel. Too graphic? It's been said thousands of times in thousands of ways, yet it never seems to be enough?

Kudos to RCMP officers who spend weekends at check-stops. Officers don't want to be marking off wrecked vehicle scenes that could have been avoided, or be knocking on doors to tell sad news to people they know in the community.

A MADD report from 2008 states that 1,162 of 2,694 vehicle collisions fatalities were caused by impaired driving and these are conservative estimates. 43 per cent of these could have been avoided by wiser choices. There are 149,028 crashes in 2008, or roughly 408 per day. Inconceivable.

Stats aside, why do friends not take away an impair friend's car keys? It is everyone's responsibility to take care of friends and family if they know they are too impaired to drive.

Thankfully it's becoming cool to be the designated driver, not the designated drinker. Most bartenders will give a DD free non-alcoholic drinks and the ladies love a sober responsible chap looking after his friends.

Responsibility is giving someone else the car keys when the party's getting started, planning to phone a taxi on speed dial or ask the waitress or someone else to dial for you. This is a simple gesture compared to apologizing to a victim's family.

The MADD mothers did fancy math with Ministry of Transportation stats and estimated social costs of death and damage caused by impaired drivers totals a chunk of change worth $21.62 billion in 2008. Why not plan ahead and change those numbers? Walk home or crash on the couch at the party.

Stay safe and have a fun summer out in Canada's outdoor playground. Plan ahead to sober up first and don't ruin the weekend because there's no undo button on the steering wheel.

P.S. this was my first real editorial and the publisher helped me a bit to polish it up into something more tactful, believe me, my first draft was pretty passionate and there were more stats of all the stupidity... but the inconceivable! comment I got to leave in because she likes Princess Bride too.

I loved simple effectiveness of these MADD campaign posters, very smart in a brutal way. So ya... a close subject to the heart when one of my soccer buddies was killed while driving his motorcycle by a drunk on the highway, so hence the heated writing.


If one more person changes his/her mind, my job is done, this is what I signed up to do ^_^ make a difference. Cheers to a safe weekend.

make stuff last like my grandparents did

Everything's so new, everything's so automatic. Nothing's meant to last, so why would you want to have it?

Any computer or cellphone salesman will admit their products are made to last only barely a few years, yet we pay so much for them. Don't worry there will be something newer and cooler out sooner. It boggles the mind that we consume so much.

So I've gone through a dozen cellphones (half destroyed by moisture, half by dropping) and on to my third laptop. Built or rebuilt four desktop computers over the past decade and I had fun doing it. The laptop I had to give back after I was done journalism school sadly. The next one was an indestructible old Dell that I got off a friend for free if I replaced the heat-sink fan. No problem, only cost me $30 and lasted me a good six months before other problems and frustrations took it out. Will see how long the HP mini netbook lasts with fewer parts to go wrong.

Nobody's perfect at low product consumption, but why won't things last any more? How old is my car? Almost 10 years old, runs smoothly and on its third owner. My road bike? I figure it's almost as old as I am and I only had to replace the tires, brakes, cables and oil the chain. Found it in a bush and it was the right height. Same goes for my last bike which I sadly left behind in Victoria which I rode for seven years without owning a car.

Without a car I learned to make things last, fixing old stuff in a second-hand bike shop where the owner, Hans, was this old genius of salvaging old frames, parts and economic replacements. He probably kept half of Victorians riding as everyone knew his skills to restore a bike. Kids would come with their parents who knew a bike would just get out-grown so why pay $100s when Hans could find a bike for them $50.

A business-man and community leader, Hans is proof of Mr. Ford's dream of mass-produced engines, nuts and bolts lowering the cost of transportation --Mr. Shimano's bike gears inter-changeability extended it. Simply put, computer parts and most electronics are swappable, with only the outside wrappings and customer service differences. Unfortunately it's cheaper to get a new one than pay for tech time to the problems. It could be that most people are scared or too busy to look under the hood and poke around to fix things themselves. Things are a lot more complicated too so not their fault entirely.

My grandparents grew up fixing things in a time before this over-consumption paced world. Growing up around the wars, it was only trash after it couldn't be used a couple times over. Tin and iron last a lot longer than plastics and can be reworked and reused. There was no BestBuy or Canadian Tire to just grab a new part, the general store might have it in next summer after the snow was finished.

Linen,wool and canvas wear like iron and patch-work quilts and darned socks aren't a stylish thing to keep old ladies busy, it was a fact of life. I don't know many people my age who can sew to fix clothes, just by a new piece at Old Navy. I'm guilty of it too but try to make my clothes last or gasp go to consignment stores even.

Economy may be fueled by n consumerism, but every time I go to the museum, I'm blown away. Take for instance, a portrait photographer made his own gear out of an old film projector lens, a scrapped shutter and built his own bellows and darkroom eighty years ago. I've built a pin-hole camera in elementary school and a few darkrooms up from very little, but nothing that fancy or with such good results. I won't mention how many cameras I've gone through, but it's more than the cellphones and my non-digital ones outlast their 'replacement' non-film ones. My mom's Pentax point and shoot lasted 25 years and I though I can use my 25 year old lenses on it, I can't say the same for my three year old dSLR Pentax.

Without soap-box ranting, surrounded by advertisements of what and holiday excuse to buy buy buy, I wondering how long cheap stuff will last. Yes duct-tape will extend the life of a car, but hopefully we don't need to test it. Maybe this whole earth-day thinking where people are so hip with being able to reuse recycle and reduce won't go out of style. Carbon footprint is a rant-worthy subject in Alberta but that's okay. Hope we can learn from our grandparents' ingenuity anyways.

red light challenges

Ever heard of the working poor? Sure thing that this guy isn't choosing to sleep, slumped over in the bus-stop after work.

A wild guess; he is employed yet doesn't have much in ways of options for sleeping arrangements -- maybe he catches a rest before working another job... maybe that's as good as shelter gets for that evening. Some people live in motels until they get thrown out for any number of reasons; others couch surf in an un-fun way; others give up their pride and get to a shelter. Maybe if people cared to ask why he's there, but they don't.

Now we can only care about how strong the caffeine fix is in the morning in order to slog the 9am-5pm and wonder how ever pay off student loans and mortgages.

However, the people living on society's fringes, they can't even dream of having a student loan or house with a mortgage. There's many people who are too proud, too stubborn, too desperate to expect anyone would help. So we're stuck with guilt when we notice them and don't really think they will ever to get ahead. Sometimes with a lack of education past Jr High probably doesn't help and lack of permanent address doesn't particularly induce proper study conditions when temporary de-housed. A nice politically correct phrase for homeless -- sounds more like de-loused.

When a few blogs exist where bloggers complain about fashion week being so lame or getting 2% milk instead of soy in their chai latte, suck it up.

They shouldn't complain if they don't have to know how to get rid of bed-bugs and lice from lack of places to get hygiene.

Itchy sheets are one thing, but the subject of lack of, or mis-diagnosis of mental health issues, in simple terms -- the wrong drugs won't do anything for the real problem -- educated guess. Create worse side affects fairly quickly for either numbing down the wrong part of the brain or system in the body. Worse kill confidence in someone to think they could never actively participate in larger society again.

So for the people who complain that star bucks was better before they got all trendy or whatever fashionable hang-out where cool people exist. I don't know, I've rarly even been nor will probably know where to find a bubble tea house, tapas bar (provincial Spanish buffet is in now) or chillax lounge or whatever the rage is now... at least people with wrongly diagnosised star bucks drink can function in society.

Guess what? Suck it up if there's no reservations for the tapas bar and go to Denny's.

My only complaint to the barista at star bucks was why people are more worried drunks are driving when I am more groggy at the wheel, Drunks try to stay away from driving. Don't worry, I was driving with the window open with a blast of cold air to wake up. I know... I should suck it up.

Which is pretty much all working poor people get when they sleep in their car with all their worldly possessions stuffed in the trunk. They suck it up.

Why tackle issues? With lack-there-of social housing, assistance unless someone is completely up the creek paddle-less -- with an incapacitating accidental dismemberment, mental health issue or incurable disease. there's everyone else who could use a hand-up instead of just a hand-out. Many could rant on and on about how there needs to be more programs from the government: Ways to catch those who fall through the school system's cracks and end up on crack to self-medicate.

Does coffee count as self-medicating to stay awake at work from over-working? I won't touch that one right now. I'll suck it up until i've had enough at 5pm.

The media won't touch it either because it's not a kid with cancer who may be cured if there's enough fundraising done. Proper society always will say NIMBY! There's so many safety and security concerns from those with children for valid reasons of attracting the wrong crowd of supports from pimps to drug pushers. people sketching out while in the process of rehab and cold turkey or binging as they break down and give in.

I guess for blonde barbies in a Chevy Malibu or Madza Miata, adjusting their make-up in the rear-view mirror while texting about how much it sucks to be stuck at a red-light, suck it up

 It's not like they worry about when they'll next get a shower. Going to a homeless shelter has a slight chance of having all earthly possessions of a back-pack stolen or rooted through while just trying to get five minutes to shower down. Too many red-light barriers for keeping a job, not any time to do make-up either.

Not when working poor. They suck it up. Don't pity them, just keep encouraging them or at least the people who want to work with them to get them to a better place. We can only suck so much up before we need to breathe and try to find some relief. Hope it happens soon.

-- PLR --

p.s. hope this flows okay as I'm trying a writing style with this idea to put everything in perspective of this editorial. And I have nothing against barbies in malibu chevys, I admit it's a cheap shot to prove a point.

p.s.s. so update from my nursing student girlfriend, sometimes people go off meds because nobody in the community encourages them to continue taking meds, sometimes they feel better so they figure they don't need meds anymore and think they aren't 'sick' anymore, why bother taking medication if someone doesn't cold medication even if the bacterial infection isn't completely killed off, same thing goes for anti-psychotics.

Does alcohol work? Does the disease go away? Apparently there an entire unit for concurrent (dual diagnosis) in the mental health hospital, because people have the worst deal, alcoholic guy with schizophrenia got turned away from AA meeting because he was hearing voices and sitting in the corner telling the voices to stop. Just a FYI of future articles on people.

Taxi Cab Drivers Have it Rough

As the cabbies protested to city hall for shields from crazy and dangerous passengers, it raises an interesting issue of who will pay for it and how bad could it be?

Lem'me remember off the top of my head the incidents I've heard from cabbies... This isn't even news as I found another article from a few years ago with robberies and violence -- not fun stuff.

Both from taking the cab before I got my own wheels in Calgary and from working a few night jobs at front desks of hotel & dorm.... Those guys are really hardcore and worthy of a bit more respect.

Wasn't at dorm for two weeks when I heard about a guy getting punched in the cab - picture smashed window in face - by an angry guy outside the cab. I bet neither party paid for the broken window. I also bet to avoid a fight and avoid the nightly fight club style brawls outside cowboy bars.

Unfortunately, that's not the worst I've heard. Another cabbie told me about his car getting written off when he hit a crack-user who ran into the street suddenly and got nailed going 50km/h. Dude dented the hood in a serious way, totaled windshield and then rolled over car roof. He picked himself up, swore at the jaw-dropped cabbie and ran off half athletically. Junkies are hardcore like that.

The number of nearly passed-out people are basically dragged out of cabs is regularity every weekend and half the week-days too. After the few times I've driven drunk people home, I'm impressed with cabbies' skills. Drunk, passengers are prone to be very sensitive to sudden stops and sharp turns. Imaginable that cabbies don't want to be constantly hosing down seats and outsides of doors.

Being a journalism student, I've had some great informal cabbie interviews for practice. Incidentally I gained more respect from learning how hard cabbies work; dusk til dawn and everywhere in between.

One guy was a former software engineer who had been through the recession in the 80's and 90's. Told me some of Calgary's history and the typical cab-driver stories. About how couples made out in the back of his cab, stampede cowboys,  and how some bride-to-be asked him to be her last stand. Also about how some people puked in the back and then refused to contribute to the cleaning bill. He had a huge sense of humour to put up with it all.

Another was an immigrant who was doing time while he was upgrading to be recognized as a nuclear engineer. What struck me was how he had perfect English and commentary on building standards compared to India.

Having studied civil engineering first, this cabbie noted that they have to be creative about being able to recycle site materials -- where it's only recently fashionable or LEED worthy to do so in North America.

Absolutely astute about how general business practices and high standards Canadians have here. Thought some of it didn't make sense but he was glad to upgrade his knowledge. It didn't make sense to me that he could probably come up with some amazing solutions for low-cost housing.

A third cabbie who I had a great conversation with was from Kenya and filled me on how much influence the Chinese and Arabs had economically affected Africa, long before it was common knowledge.

He had been an anti-poacher in his homeland, no kidding, which was basically shooting down and capturing poachers. Had to thank him for that black irony of a job.

Talked about elections comparisons and about how much of a joke NATO and the G8 were for trying to do anything down there. Talked about the Somalian pirates too, all business and support for freedom fighters. Couldn't agree with him on that subject but interesting to get the opinion.

Talking to cab drivers who picked up people from the hotel I worked at for international flights, doctors' appointments and Sunday morning church are incredibly patient, sometimes waiting for 10-15minutes. And they are not running the meter until the traveler got to the lobby or out of their house usually.

Often cabbies would come in towards the end of the shift after 4AM and just chat at the lobby. They had a crazy mix of clubbers, hookers and rhinestone cowboys to deal with every night. Not my idea of employment but I get the impression there's not much choice. At least I had a 4' high desk between me and the crazy people.

Don't remember any particular cabbie who had a knife drawn on him, or worse, but sadly plenty of threats, initial refusals to pay fares and racism.

If cabbies are demanding more safety on the job, who's going to do something about it? There has to be some kind of standards made, and unfortunately, they all own/lease their vehicles from the taxi companies. So it's not something city hall make a quick fix.

--PLR--

image from CBC.ca

trying to unplug from internets?

Development of paper-thin digital technology by people at University of Waterloo claim will become a cellphone. It likely will make it simpler to stay in touch. While I'm excited to see what newspaper will become, I hesitate about thoughts of a cellphone being so ingrained and small -- like a mp3 player can be shoved into the sleeve of a jacket.

Marketing competes with cellphones capable of Skype cameras, social networking and now even portable video game playing ability. Get it now fresh out of the box.... Hey wait, are we that bored without electronics?

Before I even get started, I have to admit, I play video games on occasion. A laptop is absolutely brilliant invention for me to be writing at a coffee shop or especially when doing interviews.

However, it's becoming the norm to be always connected. Why? It's easier to email details or proposal to read later; text instead because someone doesn't do phone calls. So what if it's urgent or an emergency? Voicemail?

To the point where people seem hard pressed not to compulsively check their email, facebook, twitter and everything else digital. Starbucks, hotels and everywhere else with free wifi are winning customers. I check my mailbox attached to my house a few times a day, email can wait too.

Some claim an iPad is essential for business clientele files and communication. Books and newspapers will never be the same if simply downloadable. Still wonder what will happen when batteries run out or if an electronic gets wrecked in rain?

Will business-people and everyone else be able to exist without their electronics? I was really apprehensive to completely rely on my work and appointment schedule being purely on my cellphone. Still have a paper day-timer and wall calendar. Am I becoming rare soon for thinking so?

Many people plug into their earbuds world and text message on their cellphones when they are done work or on the bus, and everywhere else - it's hard to have a conversation in the real with them sometimes.

It feels like a conversation lasting over five minutes is becoming a lost art. I couldn't start conversations on the bus anymore when I used to do that daily in college, mostly to practice my interviewing skills, but meeting really cool people. Not anymore for the past three years, even when I commuted daily to work.

Heard a recent survey of high-schoolers were unable to deal with not using electronic devices for just one day. One day only and they were overly lonely, depressed, anxious, absolutely bored and listless without their connections; some broke down halfway through the day.

Most probably even got all the homework finished and talked to their parents and friends in the real for the first time in ages. I didn't have a cellphone until the end of high-school. Only because I was training on a bike and out most nights with friends and I liked to check in with my parents. I doubt kids do that now unless forced.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I can check my email on my phone away from the house. It's convenient to text message someone for a few bits of info when I can't talk for long.

There's also an updated law in Alberta being passed for distracted driving -- with a $172 fine for grooming, eating and especially texting while driving. While driving? Is texting more important than safety? This is ridiculous that we're so multi-tasking in life. Can it not wait until a red light? Or ten minutes later when arriving, safely.... it's nuts. I admit I had to drop the habit of occasionally doing that stuff, but amazing to need pass a law.

It sounds dire and maybe I'm over-reacting, but it's becoming harder to stay in touch without computer and e-communication in this future now e-connectivity.

People will learn and adapt. Still, it's nice to actually talk in the real, use a land-line telephone or write a honest to goodness paper and pen letter. I keep meaning to dig out my film camera and shoot through a few rolls for old times sake.

Please do a favour and unplug from the internet and turn off the cellphone and texting once in a while. You never know what may happen or who you might meet. Then again, I guess my blogging would be unreadable, so come back occasionally ^_^

--PLR--

ps... want to hear the irony of the graphic? I found it on google images from a site called hackaday.com in a blog entry called cellphone jamming. apparently illegal and good to know....

coalition? don't matter, get'ter done

Half-way into the election campaign, politically correct, petty political shots and perfect promises, party platforms all compete for our votes. All boast of what to do after they get elected to help communities which elected them. How quaint, however, it's getting tiresome after many elections. Because it seems like we've done this every other year for nearly a decade, it's time for a change. Just like last time.

The simple saying 'get'ter done' is said for a reason. It's a great concept yet we all struggle at times and need a helping hand.

Despite who gets elected, do us a favour and act for the greater good. Not for the party's greater good. Not for a sweet job. I hope they get more done than just sit around in sub-committees planning. I'm impatient so I would love a short and sweet plan to set succeed, so shock me and get'ter done.

Isn't that what they do before elections? Make up convincing platforms for change. Not many campaign promises with solid 12 steps plans to actually happen without a three year projection. Odds of that half-baked plan working challenge even R2-D2's ability to calculate success probability, especially when there's an election every two years... okay maybe the cycle will be broken. Yet it's still a major downer for me if they start with great intentions, only to be blown away before full completion.

For a listing of the political promises to see for yourself, check out the Canadian Press summary which comes out every few days through google news. Some of the promises are so practical it hurts. Note the ratios of new promises per party. Their platforms seem real optimistic with studies and surveys and ideas. When you look at how much money they want to spend without saying how to raise it, who foots the bill other than taxes and jobs created? It's easy to be socialist without saying how to pay for it all.

Some of the political ideas are great, but last only as long as the campaign competition. So do promises and plans just get put into storage like shiny Christmas decorations and recipes for next election?

Not being in their shoes, I try not to judge politicians too harshly. I've failed at times to explain their lack of logic. They don't seem to consider wearing my shoes when huge changes impact my life and everyone around me. They should try well-worn sneakers and work boots once in a while. Not trendy but serviceable for the common folk.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to be working with the opposition and common folk who elected them? There are some wonderful ideas which fade after the election is over like supporter signs on the lawn. Why can't politicians just.... all get along? Left or right of center, who knows, they might be able to pull off some major reform or simply be civil and not block bills that might cause an election to swing in their favour to win control.

If they want to control the country, spiffy. If there's some joint coalition, whatever that political jargon means, just do something already. Maybe there's some solid reasons to not have too many chief bakers in the kitchen. Maybe I'm simplifying the whole concept but I thought it was how a minority government gets anything done - by co-operating and making compromises with the evil enemy, the ominous opposition leaders. Aren't they elected people who also want to do great things for the country and its citizens.

Peace, order and good government is what Canada was built on, not half-baked cookie dough. They built Rideau Canal almost 200 years ago and despite set-backs, it was engineered so simply and solidly that it still works. So keep rising to the occasion and orderly build upon good governing - which I hope includes being fiscally responsible and spending within reason.

Whoever is in power after this election stands could do great things, or end up with half-baked cookies and budget plans. If standing by their promises to get plans into action, against the huge odds, do it anyways. Even R2-D2 has been known to be wrong.

Pro-action sounds nice but difficult to under-take. Sweat equity is painful and muscles which haven't been used in a while get sore easily before endurance builds up. Just as work-outs at the gym start to show satisfying results, so do plans turning into results. So politicians, please, shock me, I know you got it in you to get'ter done.

-- PLR --

p.s. check out the Voter Compass at CBC's website because it surprised me on the results for myself. I'm obviously going to need to do some more reading on political stuff...

Editorial on Atheist Bus Ads

There is probably no God so stop worrying and enjoy your life.

That's what the atheists group wants to put an advertisement on buses and like it won't be offensive to the other 75 per cent of the population.

Why be so rude to imply that anyone with faith is unhappy?

There is little point in arguing that one faction is trying to force it down others' collective throat, so why is an atheist group allowed a pre-empative strike.

To make a public ad message on the side of a bus is only going to start a flame war which religious groups will take as a red cape to charge.

Trying to justify opening healthy dialogue to question faith is a weak excuse to denounce someone else's core values and belittle them.

What atheists fail to grasp is the fact that others may have other beliefs which may also be true.

Talking to an atheist who argues how strength comes from within man and he must rely upon his own wits because nothing else in the universe will help him.

If it is so illogical to trust in a higher power of such an ignorent outdated deity, then why do so many millions of intelligent people choose as adults to retain their faith?

Obviously Christ, Mohammad, and Buddha, along with the multitude of other religions and belief systems spoke some truth in teachings of compassion, love for fellow human beings, and trust that there is a meaning to all the chaos.

To write off those religious ideals as illogical mumbo jumbo is rather narrow-minded and illogical in itself.

So in the name of freedom of speech, let the atheists show their true colours.