In Canada, as well as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and parts of Europe, employers are struggling to meet adequate staffing requirements. This article from CTV News is one of many that is taking a look at this problem.
This labour shortage is more pronounced in the service industry – food industry, accomodation, transportation, recreation, tourism, manufacturing, construction, meat processing and packaging, and retail. As demand for these industries get back to pre-covid levels, finding the necessary employees to fill vacancies is an ongoing issue.
Media and business groups have been looking at the issues driving these labour shortages. These issues include – retirements as planned or moved up due to Covid, movement to careers offering work at home options, workers leaving the job market, and workers receiving pandemic benefits.
My view – One issue never discussed, is one that affects society as a whole these days. Division driven by special interest groups – in this case labour unions to a point but, most notablyBusiness Groups. I worked as an employee for decades. For the most part, especially up until the last decade, companies worked together – owners/management, and employees. This was especially true in smaller independent companies. In the past decade, business groups have become more and more aggressive about recruiting business owners/managers to join their organizations. I have seen and heard their pitch and I have seen the results. Owners/managers are convinced that they are being used and abused by their staff and taken for granted. They are convinced that they are hapless victims who do so much and get so little in return. They are convinced that their only hope for regaining their power, to which they are obviously entitled, is by joining an organization, with like-minded business owners/managers. Having joined, and with ongoing encouragement from their Business Group, they lose all respect and appreciation for their staff and treat them accordingly. Covid has given these employees options and they have taken them. Some employers are now offering higher wages, benefits, and better work conditions. For many, employees, it is too little, too late.
That is my News and Views for today. As always, feel free to comment below!
News has it that this month we are celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the musical phenomenon ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’. Read all about it here!
Living in Saskatchewan and seldom wandering further than our borders, I have never experienced the full blown Broadway version myself. I do remember it causing a stir at the time and my sister and I belting out the tunes from it on a regular basis. (Singing duets while we did the dishes was our way of getting even with Mother for making us do the dishes.).
I have sourced out a few of said tunes from this production on You Tube. If you are looking for a trip down memory lane or just wondering what all the fuss was about, ENJOY!
I am going back to Saturday’s edition of our local newspaper for today’s ‘News & Views Blog’. On Saturday, amidst the latest news on Covid, our recent federal election, and our first national Truth and Reconciliation Day events, there was one article that stood out. It was notable because, as usual, it did not warrant the attention of our vocal outspoken commenters.
The subject of this unassuming little article was ‘domestic homicide’. Specifically it was in regards to the ongoing trial for a man who stands accused of killing his ex-wife. Since the trial is ongoing and there is yet to be a verdict, I obviously cannot speak to his guilt or innocence.
What I can speak to is the fact that Saskatchewan has the highest per capita rate of domestic homicides in Canada.
What I can speak to are the victims – males, females, tots to senior. Those living in urban centres and those in rural areas. The wife of a farmer and the wife of an oilfield worker (and her toddler son), the politician, the teacher, the contractor, and the addictions counselor (and her three young children), all of them. All deserving of their precious lives and all deprived of them by someone who had committed to love and protect them.
It is not an issue that is easy to address. Ignoring it will not make it go away. But apparently we can try.
Today I have sourced out a few unique news stories for anyone who is looking for some thought provoking reading on this beautiful Sunday. Enjoy!
Fox News – ‘Missing’ Turkish man joined search party for himself. Beyhan Mutlu was believed missing when he wandered drunk away from his friends. Find story here.
Huffington Post – Tai taxi drivers idled by Covid-19 lockdowns turn car roofs into gardens. Drivers are growing tomatoes, cucumbers and string beans. Find story here.
Toronto Sun – New study finds that 42% would get under the covers with a robot. Find story here.
Ottawa Sun – Wally the wandering walrus sets up home on a motorboat. An appeal has been launched in Co Cork for a pontoon for Wally to use as a safe ‘haul-out site’. Walruses are semi-aquatic and must come up on land to rest. Find story here.
Live Science – Scientists convert plastic waste into vanilla flavoring. Find story here.
Post Media News – Russian man performs snake swallowing trick, dies from bite on tongue. Find story here.
United Press International – Texas driver cited for using carpool lanes with skeleton passenger. Find story here.
New York Post – Shell-clocked – Woman gashed in the head after turtle crashes through windshield. Find story here.
I am speechless, so will leave you with these immortal words by the famous Mark Twain. “Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today”.
This morning, I checked out Global News and found a story from Burnaby, BC. Yesterday, the Metrotown Mall was evacuated by RCMP officers following a report of shots being fired and Sky Train Station was evacuated and searched by Vancouver Transit Officers after a report of pipe bombs. Shortly thereafter, Port Moody Police were called to investigate unspecified issues at Seaview Elementary School.
All three emergency calls were found to be unsubstantiated and all three are being investigated as cases of ‘swatting‘ – deliberate calls to emergency services to report fabricated incidents of bomb threats, hostage situations, gunfire or the like.
The consequences of these fabricated reports are panic, disorder, and trauma for targets and bystanders. Physical injury and deaths have occurred in the chaos. There is stress, high cost, and a tremendous waste of resources for law enforcement agencies involved. There are legal consequences for those caught ‘swatting’ including heavy fines to cover emergency services costs, plus potential jail time.
Emergency services and law enforcement have long been aware of ‘swatting incidents’. They have training to identify the possibility of such incidents in order to modify their response. In Seattle, they have created an anti-swatting registry to track those who have reason to suspect that they could be the target of a ‘swatting’ vendetta. Potential individual targets, most often gamers (of such games as Call of Duty, Counter Strike, and DOTA), celebrities, and journalists have been warned of the threat of ‘swatting’ and been advised how to keep one’s true identity and whereabouts safely offline. Potential fines and jail time for perpetrators of ‘swatting’ have been dramatically increased to discourage this practice.
My views on ‘Swatting’ –
While ‘swatting’ in Canada is rare compared to other countries, specifically the USA, it is still important for Canadians to be aware of these incidents – especially if one is in a group that is vulnerable to such attacks
Young people need to be aware of the consequences of ‘swatting’. Filing false reports of any nature, for any reason, can result in serious fines and/ or jail time. ‘Swatting’ is never considered a harmless prank. (Nor should it be).
People need to consider ‘swatting’ and such incidents when they are discussing taxes that cover the ever increasing cost of law enforcement. It is easy to complain about the high cost of taxes, but we must consider all reasons for the increased costs and look for solutions to such costly trends.
If one becomes the target of a ‘swatting’ situation or finds themselves in the midst of a situation such as the Burnaby Mall or Sky Train Station evacuation, remain calm & follow instructions of law enforcement. Be mentally prepared for such situations. They can, and do, happen. Always in such situations, you have the power to make things better or make things worse – not only for yourself, but for those around you.
That is it for my news and views of the day. Respectful comments are welcome in the section below.
Today is the beginning of a new month so it is time to move forward with a new theme. This month, my challenge will be to focus each day on one news story and present my personal take on it. I am hoping to find at least as many positive stories as negative and to branch out to as many media outlets as possible, to include as much variety and as many point of views as possible.
To start things off, the ‘news & views‘, let’s look at Canada’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation which was celebrated yesterday. As Canadians, we have been asked to set aside this day annually to honor the victims, survivors, and generational survivors of the native residential schools that operated across Canada for over a century and a half.
Countless indigenous and non-indigenous people came together, many wearing orange shirts, to remember the more than 150,000 Native, Inuit, and Metis children who were torn from their families, deprived of their heritage and culture, and often uncared for and physically (and/or sexually) abused in these schools. Thousands of these children perished from illness or injury. Thousands of others simply vanished into unmarked graves or unknown whereabouts.
Yesterday, there were official speeches on government grounds, native dances and demonstrations, school programs, picnics and birthday parties for the lost little ones, and obviously many calls for Truth and Reconciliation.
In my view –
The truth about native residential schools has been hidden and denied for way too long. The truth needs to be told and acknowledged by Canadians. It is a national disgrace but facing the truth is a crucial beginning to addressing any situation.
The Truth needs to include the full extent of damage done to Native, Inuit, and Metis people. The trauma that has been afflicted will not vanish with a cheque, a handshake, or one day of remembrance per year.
While the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation sounds good, I am not sure how much it will accomplish. These big gestures aimed to bring Canadians together, more often than not, seem to drive us apart.
IMHO The only way forward to reconciliation is through respect, compassion, understanding, consideration and genuine remorse on the part of non-indigenous Canadians and a genuine desire to heal and reconcile on the part of Native, Inuit, and Metis Canadians. I know that is a lot to ask of anyone who has been part of the history that they have, but it is the only way.
In some areas of Canada, Truth and Reconciliation will be a long time coming.
I have lived in Saskatchewan since I was three. I grew up knowing nothing of residential schools. I grew up knowing nothing about the Natives or the Inuit or the Metis. I grew up knowing nothing of segregation in Canada. I first met a Native when I was seventeen. We became friends. He came to my parents’ shop one day and stood chatting with me as Dad pumped his gas. When Dad was done he looked at us and my friend (I cannot recall his name) asked if he could go inside the office to pay. I looked at him and asked if he usually stood outside and threw the money at the counter from the the doorway. I had no clue that anyone would refuse him entry anywhere because of his heritage.
A few years later, I met a young native woman in a hospital, when we both suffered miscarriages. The staff treated me with genuine kindness and respect. I was appalled and embarrassed by how they treated my roommate.
Over the years, I have seen the divide between “us and them” in this province many times over. There is systemic racism. There are violence, and alcohol, and drug issues as a result of generations of degradation and abuse . There is anger, resentment, fear, skepticism, mistrust, and disrespect on both sides. I do not see this ending soon.
But, I do see a softening and a blurring of lines in younger and older generations. I see strength and healing happening on one side and I see respect and consideration growing on the other. I can only hope that, with time, there will be true reconciliation and healing through all generations.
That is my ‘news and views’ for today. As always, respectful comments are welcome in the comment section below.
Today is the final day of September. I cannot allow this month to end without sharing a ‘piece of my mind’ on the subject of aging. Fortunately, I have some firsthand experience on this topic to draw from. So, let us begin!
Memory – Quantity wise, as we age we have more memories, so we can be more selective about which ones we dwell on. 😏 Quality wise, our memory is not as reliable as it once was. This can be good or bad depending on the situation. It is frustrating as we search for our glasses every single morning! It can be a blessing as we can forget people, places, and events that we did not care for in the first place – or even when we forget what we had for supper yesterday. Who cares? That just gives us the option of enjoying the same meal three days in a row. 👍
Finances – There is one financial term that is typically referred to in retirement that drives me batty! ‘Fixed Income’. I am fortunate that my husband still works, we live a very modest lifestyle, and we live in a country that has financial programs to help the aged. I know that there are those who are worse or better off than me in retirement. But seriously, how many people are not living on a ‘Fixed Income’? In all of my years of working, never once did I have the opportunity to demand a pay increase because my utility bills, my cost of food, or because any of my costs increased. Very few employers have an automatic ‘cost of living’ increase built into their wage package. Those that do rarely, if ever, cover the actual increased costs of living, nor do these increases kick in every time a cost increase comes into effect. Many seniors struggle financially, but so do many younger people – many singles, many young people starting out in adulthood, many in low paying positions, many parents providing for families. These people cannot afford to have their taxes hiked to support raising pensions every time there is a cost increase. They, like seniors, are on ‘fixed incomes’ and are struggling to make the same cutbacks that we all are to meet their financial obligations.
Harvest – Yesterday, I posted a quote by Robert Louis Stevenson on my blog. “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant.” I used to think that retirement was the time to reap the rewards of life. I still do, to a point. Going into retirement, many of us have much to show for our working years. Our home is paid off, our relationships are solid, our family is self sufficient, our retirement income is secure. But, there was one thing that I discovered when I retired. I planted a lot of seeds (time, money, effort, love) in my life before retirement – in my kids, my marriage, my grandkids, my career, my home, etc. But, I did not plant a lot of seeds in myself – not in my health, not in my skills or my hobbies, not in considering, much less developing, my own interests. I do not regret any of the seeds that I did plant but when I retired and my family was grown and self-sufficient, I was so excited to be be free! And I was free, sometimes painfully so. It has taken two years – two years of walking, thinking, starting and stopping, but I am finally planting seeds in me. I am so grateful that retirement has given me the time and inclination to do this! It will be interesting to see what I harvest as these next years unfold.
That is about it for my thoughts on retirement. I personally recommend aging and retirement! It is great, even when the struggle is real.
My sister Lorraine shared another post with me on the weekend. This one was relative to ‘Empaths’ and it got me thinking about sharing ‘a piece of my mind’ on the subject.
The term empath was originally coined by Scottish sci-fi writer JT McIntosh. In his 1956 story ‘The Empath’ McIntosh writes of paranormal empathetic beings who are used by the government to oppress workers. By the 1990’s science fiction writers regularly used the term ’empath’ to denote a highly sensitive person. In the 2000’s the term went mainstream with psychologists, spiritualists, and self-help and lifestyle authors. Everyday people took to self-identifying as empaths.
There are a number of traits common to ’empaths’ as we know them today.
Strong empathy
Easily overwhelmed
Dislike of crowds
Easily overloaded
Love of nature
Need for rest
Solitude
Trouble fitting in
Aversion to conflict
Deep caring
Problem solving
Boundary issues
High sensitivity
Unique view
Strong intuition
When I first became familiar with the term ’empath’, it resonated with me. I could relate to virtually every trait commonly listed.
I sense the emotions of others. I assume all people do to some degree. On a one to one basis, I notice it more with negative emotions – particularly strong negative emotions such as anger, fear, or grief. I have had a couple of experiences with random people where I felt their grief so strongly that it was gut wrenching. People I barely knew and yet they knew that I felt their grief. It was the strangest, deepest, most intimate of ‘shared’ moments.
I am intensely uncomfortable in large crowds – especially crowds of ‘excited’ people. The worst for me is parades. When the band strikes up or the airplanes do their fly-over, I am overwhelmed by emotion to the point of struggling not to burst into tears. I have a friend who once told me that for her, the most overwhelming moment was hearing the first ‘batter-up’ at a baseball game. No worse than parades I guess. 😂
Needless to say, any prolonged or overwhelming contact with people is exhausting for me. I want to flee to a solitary refuge, preferably in nature, where I can rest and recoup. I am so fortunate to be at a place in my life where much of my time can be spent just being alone, in nature.
High sensitivity, aversion to conflict, boundary issues, deep caring, problem solving are all enter-twined for me. Being sensitive to the emotions (especially negative emotions) of others tends to make one overly vested in their problems. It is difficult not to want to push boundaries and meddle to relieve the emotional tensions. It doesn’t make it right or particularly helpful but it does help to know why one does what one does!
I am not sure about the unique view. Dan does tell me that I am ‘so wierd’ on a regular basis, so possibly.
I do have strong intuition. I feel serious discomfort when someone close to me, typically family, is having a major emotional experience. I don’t necessarily know who it is, or what it is – I just feel it. I have learned (somewhat learned) to send up a quick prayer and then ‘let go and let God’ protect my loved one in such situations. I usually get a call after such events and the situation is typically resolved or at least emotionally uncharged.
In some ways, considering myself an ’empath’ has been somewhat helpful in understanding myself and learning to modify my experiences and reactions to them. In that way I think it is a good thing.
Where I have trouble with the concept of empaths, is when I read certain social media post. Many of them seem to make ‘highly sensitive empaths’ out to be superior or special beings. I think we all have emotional traits as individual as our physical characteristics. I don’t think it is so much which traits we possess but how we use them that matter.
One of the things about empaths that is often noted, is that as an empath one must distance one’s self from others – especially energy vampires or those who bombard us with negative feelings and emotions. I get that to a point. Over the years, I have come in close contact with some people who gave me seriously creepy vibes. (They may have been men and it may have been their tendency to stand way to close to me, look down my shirt or up my skirt. 😳) Those people, I do believe in distancing myself from.
But the other people, those that seem to suck the energy out of us or bombard us with negative emotions – fear or anger or grief, aren’t those the people who need us? Aren’t we given this gift of empathy so that we recognize these people who need us, so we can offer our support and caring and kindness? Obviously we need to understand what is going on in a situation like this and we need to take care of ourselves and replenish our strength and energy, but if we push away anyone who needs us, how does having the power of being an empath make us better than anyone? If we were physically powerful, wouldn’t we be inclined to help someone struggling with a heavy load? If we were wealthy, would we not think it right to help those less fortunate? If we were intelligent, wouldn’t we be expected to assist anyone struggling to read or write or understand a concept?
Personally, if I do possess any magical empath powers, I am more than willing to use them to help others. If I can absorb anyone’s grief or anger or fear, if I can share peace or light or hope, I am more than happy to do so. In my mind, I wouldn’t possess such powers if they were not meant to be used.
That is it for today. Those are my thoughts on being an empath.
No idea what Kat’s magical power is, but she does have a unique ability to sniff out the peanuts that the squirrels hide in our garden planters.
Since I have been sharing a ‘piece of my mind’ on various topics this month, I thought this would be a good time to share my thoughts on mental health.
I have always believed that mental health was every bit as important to one’s wellbeing as physical health. I strongly urge anyone, who is struggling with any aspect of their mental health to seek professional help – and I do hope that such help is available to anyone who needs it.
I am not a health professional – physical or mental. My thoughts on this subject are mine and mine alone. For what they are worth, here they are.
1. Let’s talk about it – By all means, if one is having issues with their mental well-being ‘Talk About It‘. Talk to a family member, friend, confidant or professional. Talk to Oprah or Dr. Phil or whoever – but talk about your issues, what you have done to cope, how you struggle to cope, what helps, what doesn’t. What doesn’t help is going on national television or running around anywhere and everywhere, talking about who caused your mental issues, how they caused them, or why they should be publicly flogged.
2. Deal with it! – In this day and age this is frowned upon – especially in regards to mental health but just like physical exercise, mental exercise is not a bad thing. Everyone struggles mentally/emotionally at times. It is okay, and it is okay to work one’s self through these times. The strongest, happiest, most well adjusted people I have known are people who had been through hell and back, mentally and emotionally – over and over! They learned to overcome. The weakest people I have ever known were either coddled through life or simply plodded through life, never trying to overcome their issues. Whether it is seeking out the help and guidance of professionals, reading self help books, physical activity, taking a break, or meditation – just do something. No one should have to live with depression or stress or anxiety or anger issues or any other debilitating mental health issue without at least trying to deal with it.
3. Covid and mental health – First off, not everyone has struggled mentally and/or emotionally through this pandemic. For some people it has been an opportunity to reset their lifestyle, their priorities, and heal from all of the stress and anxiety of their typical day to day life. The media, politicians, and ubiquitous ‘experts’ have beaten this Covid mental health thing like a drum for the past two years. If one is seriously struggling they know by now, if their children are struggling they know by now, if their pets are struggling they know by now. Make literature and resources available to those who need it. But quit with the depressing ‘everyone is struggling mantra’. Quit trying to make anyone feel guilty and miserable for being happy, peaceful, and content. It does not make any of us less caring and compassionate. Maybe the world needs those who are happy, peaceful and content to keep hope alive for those who are struggling.
4. There is no excuse – There are many who suffer from mental/emotional health issues. I believe we all do at different points in our lives. Attention has been given to making it okay to seek help and to speak out about our mental health. That is all well and good, but recently I have seen more and more people who use mental health issues as an excuse for bad behaviour or avoiding responsibility. I am not judging anyone specifically. But I see it a lot and what I particularly dislike is when people use self-diagnosed mental health disorders (like OCD) to bully others. First off, it is totally disrespectful to anyone who actually suffers from such disorders. Secondly, people with OCD do not go around using it to get everything they want, when they want it, done exactly as they want it. If it is not yours, leave it alone. If you do not like how someone else does something, keep quiet or do it yourself. No excuses.
That is it for today and my thoughts on mental health. As always, thank you for listening and feel free to comment.
Seclusion 101 with AnneMarie 