October 13th – Special 🤨

by annemariedemyen, posted in News & Views - October 2021

I am veering off the warm and fuzzy for today’s blog post. The news story that attracted my attention today is one that focuses on yet another Canadian ‘special interest’ group.

The group in the news today, are the “Conservatives of Chinese Descent”. They are pushing Erin O’Toole, the current leader of the Conservative Party, to resign after his loss in our recent federal election. They claim that his loss was at least partially due to O’Toole’s “tougher approach to China”.

There are more than twenty thousand special interest groups in Canada. A list of some of these groups in Canada can be found here. These special interest groups (listed or otherwise) typically have three things in common : a desire for government funding, a desire to influence government policy and legislation, and a total indifference to find workable solutions or to compromise with any other group of Canadians. Being special, it is all about them and their agenda.

In my view – Governments are formed to collect funds (taxes) to provide and maintain the services that individuals, individual communities, or individual provinces cannot manage on their own. Once elected, governments should do what they are elected to do without pressure from thousands of ‘special interest groups’ who feel that their rights and agendas outweigh that of society as a whole. During elections, politicians should be expected to release their platform and state their qualifications for ensuring that their platform can and will be implemented. Period.

People in Canada (and probably in every country in the free world) are forever complaining about the size of government, cost of government, corruption of government, and incompetence of government. Then, they run to government in little groups, hands out for money and fists pounding for action on their demands. How is any government supposed to operate efficiently under such conditions?

I have no idea how we reverse this trend of special interest groups and massive government, but this is not working and it is only getting worse.

Thanks for listening. 🙄 (For the record, I have nothing against Chinese Canadians, nor am I particularly for Erin O’Toole. I do not belong to the Conservative Party or any other political party.) As always, feel free to comment below. All I ask is that you keep it respectful. Thank you. 💞

Just a group of happy musical frogs 😏

Take care and have a great day! 💞

October 12th – More Good News🤗

by annemariedemyen, posted in News & Views - October 2021

Because we are celebrating our Thanksgiving today, I thought what could be better than a good news Thanksgiving news story!

The story I found highlights the generosity of farmers from Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. These kind people offer a share of their potato crop to others every year, days before Thanksgiving. This year they have joined forces with a local Hutterite Colony for an even greater impact. Many of the recipients of their largesse come prepared to share with neighbours and friends who are not able to attend this event for themselves. 💞

These good people, who gladly and willingly share with others, deserve recognition. As we are kicking off this season of sharing and caring, I thought this was a great story to share today, to give them just a bit more of the recognition they deserve. I hope you enjoyed it. 💞

Take care and have a great day! 💞

“Giving is not just about making a donation. It is about making a difference.”

– Kathy Calvin

October 11th – Happy Thanksgiving!

by annemariedemyen, posted in News & Views - October 2021

Today it is officially Thanksgiving in Canada. (In our house we are celebrating with our Thanksgiving supper tomorrow night – at 7 pm, to be specific 😁).

I did not source out an actual news story about Thanksgiving in Canada but I have put together a few bits and pieces that I would consider newsworthy. Some were news to me. 😏

Matin Frobisher and his crew celebrated the first Thanksgiving in Canada in 1578 in honor of their safe return from a dangerous exploration of the Northwest Passage.

Thanksgiving was formally recognized as a holiday in Canada in 1879. It is celebrated on the second Monday of October, in recognition of the successful end of our annual harvest season. Since our harvest ends a month sooner than that of our neighbours to the south, our Thanksgiving is celebrated a month earlier than their November celebration. That makes sense!

One of our neighbourhood Bluejays, harvesting peanuts.

Thanksgiving in Canada is not the huge holiday that it is in the States. Families gather. Some watch a bit of sports. Most eat a lot of turkey, ham, cabbage rolls, mashed potatoes, stuffing and all the other foods fit for a traditional feast – up to, and including, pumpkin or apple pie. Many Canadians rally to serve a hot meal to the less fortunate. There are small local events put on across Canada, but nothing national or over the top. It is typically a relatively quiet family centred holiday.

Unlike our American neighbours, we do not round off our Thanksgiving weekend with a pre-Christmas shopping spree. Our retail outlets hold their biggest sales of the year on Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) as a customer appreciation event. This is a throwback to a European tradition started by Lords and Ladies of great estates. On Boxing Day they would present gifts to their household staff to show appreciation for the extra services that they had provided over the Christmas season.

Let our lives be full of thanks & giving💞

Take care and have a great day! For all of those who are celebrating in Canada this weekend – Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃

October 10th – Heartfelt News

by annemariedemyen, posted in News & Views - October 2021

I am so enjoying finding news worth sharing this month.  Today, I found the best story yet, in my mind! 

The news story that I found comes from the South Central  Correctional Facility in Licking, Missouri.

The story is about a special rehabilitation program that has been operating for ten years. Prisoners housed at South Central are given the opportunity to spend much of their time sewing personalized quilts for children living in foster care. (Click on the link above and read the story! It is brief and well worth your time. 💖)

Cherished handmade quilt that Dan’s Aunt Helen gave us for our wedding. 💞

I cannot find anything regarding the origins of this program but it is beautiful. It gives prisoners a sense of dignity, self-worth, and pride. All are traits that will serve them well in prison and on the outside following their release. The personalized quilts that they make give their recipients security and self-worth, knowing someone cared about them. Traits that will give them confidence as they grow out of foster care and into their adult lives.

Every life is precious. Every man, woman, and child needs and deserves the opportunity to feel valued, appreciated, and respected. Programs like this, that accomplish that goal, are amazing and seldom get the recognition they deserve. Which is a pity, because these programs need recognition to get the funding and support necessary to continue.

That is all I have for today. Sometime this month, I plan to touch on Correctional Facilities and Foster Care in Saskatchewan. But not today. Today is a day for a bit of good news. 🤗

Take care and have a great day! 💞

October 9th – Hockey night in Canada

by annemariedemyen, posted in News & Views - October 2021

I could not post an entire month of ‘News & Views’ without devoting at least one day to Canada’s favourite sport and one of Canada’s favourite teams.   According to this news report, Leaf fans have reason to head into the season with some realistic hope for victory this year.

#1 Fan
Also a fan💞

I have to admit that I am not much of an expert on any sport, including hockey.  When I met Dan, he was playing on a couple of teams. His main one was The Raiders. To this day, most of them stay in touch and get together on occasion. I went to watch a few of their games. I still managed not to learn a lot about hockey, but I did discover that Dan was a decent hockey player! 🏒

So why, is there hopes for the Leafs this year, despite their previous years of less than stellar performances?

  • The Leafs did well in the regular season last year. It didn’t translate into the finals but it is something to build on.
  • They have a handful of elite top end players.
  • This is the first full season for coach Sheldon Keefe.
  • The season schedule works to their advantage. With the odds in their favour for the first few games it puts momentum on their side.
  • Talented prospects… Nick Ritchie, Michael Bunting, Andrej Kate, and David Kampf

Here is to wishing the Leafs all the best in the coming season. For the fans out there, keep the faith! This could be the year!

Mini Leaf

Leafs fan or not, Take care and have a great day. 💞

October 8th – Synchronicity

by annemariedemyen, posted in News & Views - October 2021

It took me a while to find a positive news story today, but I am relatively positive that I have found one that people can appreciate. This story is about a bike rider who was injured in a freak accident and the doctor who happened upon the scene and quite possibly saved his life.

In short, Corrections officer Todd Van Guilder was out riding the Cuyuna Lakes Mountain Bike Trails of Minnesota. After landing on his chest, when he leapt off of his bike to avoid a catastrophic accident, he lost conciousness . Dr. Jesse Coenen, an emergency room physician from Wisconsin, happened upon the scene. He saved Van Guilder from potential heart stoppage and possible death by performing an emergency cricothyrotomy.

Obviously, this is a story that had a positive outcome for Van Guilder and for Dr. Coenen! But I believe it is a positive story for all of us.

We are often told “It can happen in an instant…”. Life changing events typically with devastating results. Fortunately, amazing things also tend to happen in an instant! Too often, these moments go unnoticed because disaster was averted. Nothing to see here, folks!

For all of us these moments happen on a regular basis throughout the course of our lives. One such dramatic event happened in ‘our’ life a few years back. My husband came home early one day with a splitting headache. Although he is not prone to headaches, he decided to lay down for a bit and hope that it would pass. It did not. The next morning I asked him if he wanted me to take home to the hospital to be checked out but he declined. I left for work. A couple of hours later he decided that he should in fact get checked out. He pulled on shorts and a t-shirt and called a cab to take him to our nearest emergency room. Entering the emergency room, he walked past a door that happened to open at that moment. A young doctor sitting at a desk glanced up and saw Dan. In that brief moment, the doctor noticed a strange rash on Dan’s leg. He jumped up, ordered a gurney, and had Dan taken straight into a treatment room. If, if, if… If the stars had not aligned perfectly in one instant, I would probably have lost Dan to sepsis. It was that close.

There have been countless other moments in our lives. Some more notable than others . Like the day that we were driving to Gravelbourg, one of the few times that I was behind the wheel. Just as we approached the turnoff to Gravelbourg, a vehicle coming towards us sped around a curve and came straight for us – in our lane. I honestly have no idea how a head-on collision was averted, but at the last second the other driver swerved back into his lane.

I could recount dozens of such moments in our life and I am sure there are hundreds more that went by totally unnoticed.

There were of course other moments where an ordinary day turned extraordinary just due to one incredible instant of synchronicity. That chance encounter, that stroke of luck, the perfect moment in nature, that perfect photo, or that perfect sports shot – all happen in one instant.

What I think this says, is that one needs to be aware of the potential for bad and good in life. And, we need to live in the moment – because that moment holds the possibility for the devastating and the miraculous.

Take care and have a great day, filled with special moments. 💞

October 7th – Dimming

by annemariedemyen, posted in News & Views - October 2021

According to a news article on The Weather Channel, it is official.  We are not as bright as we used to be. 

According to this article,  as our oceans warm our level of cloud coverage is reduced.   As cloud coverage decreases, we do not reflect as much light to the skies as we used to.  This in turn means more sunlight reaches earth’s surface and is contributing to global warming. 

My View – I am no expert on the subject of global warming.   In Saskatchewan,  there is much denial on the subject  – especially as far as how much global warming can be attributed to humanity.    I personally believe that  global warming is  a problem and that this problem is growing exponentially.   I believe that anything that contributes to global warming creates other  issues that contribute  to global warming.   Issues that are out of our control. 

It has long been understood that humanity causes, or contributes, to global warming by carbon emissions via the burning of fossil fuels.   It may not be the only factor.  It may not even be the most significant factor.  But, it is one factor that we can address.

We are not at a place where we can end our reliance on fossil fuels. We are at a place where we can be aware of what we are doing and how we can do it better – from the recovery of fossil fuels, the processing of fossil fuels, the delivery of fossil fuels, right to the end use of fossil fuels.  That is at least an acknowledgement that there is a problem and that we can all contribute to the solution of the problem.

That is my News & Views for today.   As always, feel free to comment below.

Take care and have a great day! 💞

October 6th – Labour Shortage

by annemariedemyen, posted in News & Views - October 2021

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 notably Business 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!

Take care and have a great day! 💞

October 5th, Golden Jubilee

by annemariedemyen, posted in News & Views - October 2021

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!

Take care and have a great day! 💞

October 4th – No Comment

by annemariedemyen, posted in News & Views - October 2021

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.

Take care and have a good rest of this day! 💞