Editorial - Keith Nymark
Keith
June Issue
Cathy and I went to a family reunion in Minneapolis in May. But before I talk about that I will mention a very moving gathering I went to here in the city. It was the graduation evening for the Speakers’ School.
You may not have heard about this school. It is a project of the Thunder Bay & District Injured Workers’ Support Group and supported by Lakehead Social Planning Council and the Kinna-aweya Legal Clinic. The School helps build self confidence and gives marginalized individuals the skills to tell their story (and hopefully be heard).
Public speaking is said to be one of the most frightening challenges. This may be why we don’t hear firsthand the stories of those who often struggle the most in our society. Their stories tend to get told by social workers and support advocates. The Speakers School teaches individuals how to speak and advocate on their own behalf; how to stand up in front of a group of people and tell their story.
There were 7 graduates the night I attended and each gave a speech to the audience. They received feedback on their talks from three evaluators.
I admired their ability to overcome the fear of speaking (well their attempt to overcome their fear. I’m not sure one ever totally overcomes it) and I appreciated hearing about personal highs and lows each has experienced.
At some point in the evening Mayor Lyn Peterson slipped into the audience to listen. I am told she attended last year’s graduation as well. I can only assume she does it because she realizes how important it is to hear the stories these graduates have to tell. Chalk one up for the Mayor in my books. I could tell you about the speeches; how one young woman spoke about being abused and mistreated by her parents but who had been befriended by two city buses drivers who were in attendance, or how another spoke about how she had been discriminated against and hated the feeling that people looked at her as if she was a big fat Indian slob but I won’t. Instead mark your calendars and watch for the graduation ceremonies next year in May.
I haven’t spent a lot of time in Minneapolis, a few trips to Blaine for soccer is about it. For this family reunion Cathy and took a whole week, camped and rode the bicycle trails, about twelve miles a day. Apart from having an exceptionally sore bum it was wonderful. The trails are old railway beds and flat. I loved it. The campgrounds were empty which was just great as far as we were concerned.
The highlight of course, was reuniting with my family from Norway, cousin Knut, his wife Runhilde, daughter Marte and her husband Thor, and son Wegger. While I had met Wegger a couple of years ago I hadn’t seen the rest of the family since 1981. I think as one gets older these gatherings become more and more important.
It’s also interesting how most of our extended family gatherings tend to be around my wife Cathy’s family. Which is fine however I think Cathy really enjoyed meeting my Minneapolis cousins and their families as well as the folks from Norway. I know I did.
This is the last issue of Thunder Bay Seniors until September so I will take this opportunity to wish everyone a warm and fun filled summer.
May Issue
I happened to be at a City Council meeting the day that the folks objecting to the wind farm picketed city hall and made a presentation about their concerns.
As a lobby group they were extremely well organized and their representatives did a great job stating their case.
I happen to fall into the group of people who think that these protestors are misguided. They are, in fact, NIMBYers. They don’t seem to care about global warming or recognize the need to create alternatives to burning fossil fuel. Well, not in their back yards at any rate. I was going to say “Of course, it is never that simple and it is unfair to characterize people with genuine concerns that way” but somehow in this case I think it is that simple. They don’t want their view obstructed and are unwilling to compromise.
To me, having the windmills on the Nor’westers does more than generate energy. They would make a statement we can all be proud of. “Thunder Bay is willing to do its bit to help combat climate change”. (The fact that they would generate a little revenue for the city and Neebing is OK in my books as well.)
I also don’t buy the argument that they cause health problems, or that they make too much noise. It seems to me that being a kilometer or two away from homes is more than sufficient, given that Europeans have them built right next door.
I happen to like the look of windmills. I recognize it is the old “eye of the beholder” thing but I think they look progressive.
If I had a concern initially, it was about putting them on the Nor’westers. The Nor’westers really are an outstanding natural wonder and many of us take them for granted as part of the landscape of Thunder Bay. I couldn’t help but ask myself if we were making a mistake. If I was to dream I would see the Nor’westers developed as a park that would stretch from Thunder Bay to the American border. Having some windmills incorporated into that park would be alright with me.
If I was to continue to dream I could see the City of Thunder Bay setting a goal of producing enough energy to meet the city’s needs without having to use fossil fuels or depend on the larger grid.
We could embrace new technologies and make mistakes and grow and become a clean city…. oops sorry. I guess I was getting carried away.
To get back to the where I started, I have to say that I find lobby groups incredibly frustrating, powerful and admirable. They are getting to be so effective at presenting their side of the story that unless there is an equally strong push back it is hard to make a balanced decision. I wonder why there haven’t been deputations to council by environmental groups. Where are they?
I’m glad I am not a City Councillor or a Provincial MP to say nothing of Premier.
Watching City Council I have to say I think Councillors do an amazing job. And it’s not because they have always done what I think they should. In fact, in my opinion, they have blown it in a number of cases. What I feel they do well is listen carefully and ask good questions and ultimately, are striving to make decisions that will serve the City well for the future.
April 2010
Now that climate change has come to the northwest of Ontario we can feel secure in putting out the patio chairs and look forward to earlier than usual BBQs on the deck. Isn’t it interesting how we now seem to evaluate the weather in terms of the impact of climate change. I’m sure my friend Graham Saunders, the climate guru who writes for the Chronicle, must just smile at this.
In the summer Cathy and I often include the marina in our walks. Last week it was nice enough for us to do just that.
I was interested in seeing the progress in the construction. If you haven’t been down there I must tell you that adding 70 feet of fill in front of the train station creates a lot of space. I was quite surprised.
A couple of days after this walk we went to Duluth for a weekend getaway. We stayed in the Radisson Inn with the revolving restaurant on top. From that restaurant we could see a good bit of their water front. So while having breakfast we couldn’t help but made comparisons between our water front and Duluth’s and speculate on what makes a vibrant waterfront.
I think it is fair to say that their water front is mostly commercial. When we asked the front desk staff at the hotel about shopping in Duluth they suggested the waterfront (for tourists)and Miller Hill Mall (for real shopping)
Most people who visit Duluth from Thunder Bay go there for the shopping or at least include shopping as one of the activities they do. We, of course, made the obligatory walk through of Miller Hill spending most of our time in the Barnes and Noble bookstore. We then headed down to the waterfront (Canal Park) to check it out. We went to the galleries, had lunch there and went for a walk along the shore line. Our destination was another shopping area called Fitger’s. I like to have a destination when I walk.
I wonder if folks from the smaller communities around Thunder Bay go to our marina when they come to Thunder Bay or if they would go there more often if there were a greater variety of things to do?
Canal Park in Duluth was hopping busy on a pretty cold day in March. I couldn’t help but think it was because of the variety of opportunities available.
The combination of private entreprise and public lands seems to work well there.
April is the month we celebrate volunteering. What seems like just yesterday when I was working at the 55 Plus Centre we used to promote volunteering as an activity that benefits oneself. My dad used to call it “missionary work.” He’d head off to help some group or another and always come home with a smile and feeling of accomplishment.
When I attended the election of the Board of Directors at the 55 Plus Centre I couldn’t help but feel that for all the hard work they put into the centre, at the end of the day they would feel that same sense of satisfaction.
To everyone who volunteers, thankyou. By enjoying your volunteer activity you make Thunder Bay a better place in which to live.
March 2010
Last month I went to El Salvador.
It happened quickly. My sister emailed me to say that an old high school friend of ours was living there and that she had just built a guest house. She thought I might like to go and practice my Spanish?
Because of this paper my window of opportunity is pretty well limited to the two weeks in the middle of the month. So… on Monday my sister emailed me on Thursday I emailed Jan saying I would like to come on Tuesday of the following week.
Somewhat surprised she said yes but that the doors and windows wouldn’t be in the guest house as they hadn’t arrived. Given that the average temperature was 94 F and that it wasn’t mosquito season I thought I would take a chance.
Jan has been living in El Salvador for 10 years. She jokingly says that they sailed into Costa del Sol for a five day visit and she’s stayed for 10 years. She lives on an island without electricity or any of the amenities. She has a generator that she runs for an hour and a half each morning and evening to keep her fridge (actually a freezer) cold.
Living on her own, she has become part of the island community, many of whom are squatters living on land owned by others. She teaches local children English a couple of times a week at the school and a couple of times a week at her house.
I had the privilege of helping three young girls with their English. If the truth were told they helped me with my Spanish more than I helped them because they knew more English than I did Spanish.
In previous articles I have written about how material wealth isn’t a necessary prerequisite for happiness and this is certainly true of folks living on the island. The minimum wage in El Salvador is less than $1.00 an hour (El Salvador uses USA dollars for their currency).
Many of the locals use dugout logs for boats. Their main source of income is fishing although every day we would have a couple of young women come by with little freezer bags of juice for sale. The cost was 25cents. One afternoon a couple of women came over to cut down banana leaves for making tamales. My favorite dish was called a pupusa. It consisted of two thin corn or rice tortillas filled with cheese, chicken, veggies or pretty much whatever you chose and fried. They are an El Salvadorian specialty and there is a town on the way into San Salvador that is famous for them.
Each evening I was there two of the local boys came over to play computer games on Jan’s computer. Their excuse for the visit was to charge up their mom’s cell phone because Jan had a generator.
The boy’s father had a ponga (a larger boat with a shade cover) and he took us on a ride on the estuaries into the mangrove for lunch. In the middle of what seemed like nowhere to me was an open air restaurant (on stilts complete with thatched roof). The fish we ordered were scaled and cooked over a very hot wood fire. They were absolutely delicious.
There is a saying that “ignorance is bliss.” It would be fair to say that “ignorance also breeds fear.” As I mentioned the guest house had neither doors nor windows and while it was mosquito free it wasn’t scorpion free. I was somewhat frightened when one day I found a scorpion beside my bed and another in my bed sheets. Needless to say I panicked and shouted, real loud, for Jan.
I did have the benefit of learning the day before that a scorpion had bitten one of Jan’s dog’s puppies the day I arrived causing the puppy to be very sick but able to survive. I figured if a three week old puppy could live through a bite I would probably be OK as well. Nevertheless I have to fess up and admit that I slept in the hammock on the porch the day I found the critter in my bed.
A word about the puppies; there were eight of them. I felt sorry for the mom however Jan was a great support and the puppies were healthy and eager to eat food and drink powdered milk early on.
I really appreciated the opportunity to visit Jan and learn a bit about El Salvador. While it isn’t exactly a tourist destination for us northerners I can see it becoming one. The people are special, the beaches beautiful and the potential for tourism incredible.
February 2010
The future…and the past. This afternoon I stopped in at Thunder Bay’s newest juice & salad bar on Algoma.It’s called The Growing Season, While I waited for my “Living Salad and Big Blue Smoothie” I read a 1998 copy of Utne I got off the magazine rack. This was a special edition focused on the future. I chuckled because the articles could have been word processed today. I say “word processed” because one of the writers was lamenting the end of the written word as we knew it when we went to school.
One of the articles got me thinking about retirement.
When I was working, part of my job was to give talks on the importance of thinking about what you were going to do when you retired before you retired. These seminars usually allotted me about 20 minutes while whether or not you had enough money to retire got 1½ hours. Seems everybody felt pretty sure that they were going to be happy filling the extra time they’d have as long as they had enough money.
Sitting in the Growing Season reinforced in me the realization that good use of time isn’t the purview of us old folk That when it comes to quality of life and happiness we might well look to young people for help.
The Growing Season is operated by a group of young women, some of whom were/are stay at home moms and I couldn’t help but admire what they were trying to do. They looked like they were having a good time. And I thought of the girls who started Calico and of the recent PhD graduate and her husband who just bought a used book store. While I’m not saying these endeavors are without struggles, they seem to me healthy alternatives to a world running at top speed.
Then I remembered when I was young and the community of folks that would get together weekly for a coffee house in the Little Finn Hall. It was really just a social gathering. An excuse to tell stories with friends we hadn’t seen for a while. Kids ran freely. Everyone present was designated guardians of the kids. The talk went on, as often as not, over the music of the entertainer.
I have to admit I like the sense of community I feel at The Growing Season and at Calico. I’m going to take this opportunity to thank those young (and not so young) entrepreneurs for creating such welcoming spaces and for getting me thinking about my quality of life and what is meaningful to me. And hey, know what, I might well allot 20 minutes to see if what I am doing as a retired person is what I want to be doing. It is never a bad thing to do a little reflecting.
The Olympics start this month. The spotlight will be on Canada. We should be proud of the young Canadians who have dedicated so much of their life to their sport. Let’s cheer them on.
January 2010
First let me wish everyone the very best in 2010. Take time to enjoy family and friends, be good to yourself and add your support to some organization that is helping those less fortunate than you. I could throw in exercise, eat well and all that stuff but hey …you know about that right?
I resist New Year’s resolutions but find the reflection that goes along with thinking about them to be quite satisfying. I like relaxing into it. I can feel the tranquility in the area of my belly button…Ok I know! Enough!
My resolution is to learn how to follow through on the things I have resolved to do each year for the past 30 years.
We bought our daughter a Wii Fit game for Christmas. After much coaxing she hooked it up to our living room TV and I got to try it. It has a lot of potential. I am not much for “going to the gym.” I prefer exercising in the comfort of my home. I have until Jan. 8 to decide on whether or not it would be a good investment for me. That’s when my daughter and her Wii return to Ottawa.
A bit of politics… First: The Conservatives proroguing parliament irritated me so much that I looked up the meaning of the word as it applies to Canadian government. You can read about it on page 5 if you are so inclined. We really need a leader who can take the arrogance out of the Conservative Party.
Second. I agree with Jim Foulds take on the gun registry. Sometimes the spin of lobby groups confuses the issue to the extent that I get lost in the arguments and have trouble getting to the meat of the issue. Jim has done that for me on page 11.
Third: I can’t believe the Nay Sayers who are criticizing President Obama for being indecisive. I have no idea about everything that he has done but opening the door to health care and setting a date to withdraw from Afghanistan seem to me to be pretty significant achievements for the first year in government. I found it embarrassing that he excluded Prime Minister Harper from the group of countries he consulted in Copenhagen. I think it is a pretty clear message that while Harper thinks they are on the same page, Obama doesn’t.
And finally I have to say Ronald Franklin may be onto something when he says he and his friends have reached perfection. See his column on page 10. Or it could be that he’s just gloating having been interviewed by CBC’s weather woman Claire Martin for the noon hour show.
Again, all the best to everyone from Cathy and I and all of Thunder Bay Seniors writers.
Ontario’s HST is a Tax Grab! Or is it?
I have been receiving a lot of mail deccrying the new harmonized sales tax that Ontario’s Liberal government is set to implement next July. It was announced last March but for some reason the “smelly brown stuff” is hitting the fan again. Seems it is going to hurt the poor, the rich and all of us in between.
Well, the truth is, it is a consumption tax which means that we are taxed on what we consume. Most economists agree that this type of tax is better than income tax because it is fairer. The more you consume, the more you pay. Supposedly, you have control over how much you buy. If you buy lots, you pay more taxes than those who don’t.
It is also called a Value Added Tax or VAT. In Norway, Sweden and Denmark, while different items are taxed at different rates, they each have a 25% VAT tax rate. I can’t help but think that this may be the reason they have universal dental care. Ontario’s rate will be a maximum of 13% which brings me to a concern I have.
In Canada, probably because we are so influenced by American business, we have developed this cultural distaste for taxes. Taxes are seen as bad. It seems no one is willing to stand up and say, “I like our tax system. We get great value for our taxes.” Our health care system, our roads, our hockey rinks all depend on us paying taxes.
How much money did you save when the Federal Conservatives cut the GST by 1%? If you are like me you probably don’t have a clue and if the truth be told you’d have to agree that it probably didn’t impact your life style. It did, however, take 6 billion dollars out of the federal coffers. One can’t help but wonder about where that money could have gone; healthcare, roads, other infrastructure, how about providing shelter and food for the homeless. Maybe it could have been set aside to help the forest industry or for some unexpected crisis like a financial meltdown.
I think it is time we got rid of the ‘taxes are bad’ attitude we have.
Oh yeah! Back to the question of tax grab or not? Well, it really comes down to whether or not it is going to better the lives of folks in Ontario. Based on my reading I think it will. So I support it.
Bill Maki, the paper’s cartoonist has suffered a stroke and I want to take this opportunity to wish him the best in his recovery. I remember him commenting that “growing old certainly has its ups and downs.”
I’d also like to take this opportunity to wish everyone on behalf of Cathy and I and all the contributors to Thunder Bay Seniors Paper, a very Merry Christmas. Remember its not about the gifts we give. What really counts is the love we show one another.
Take care.
November 2009
The cartoon (see cartoon by Bill Maki) while troublesome helps to draw attention to the struggles facing Canadians. I’ve been listening to a lot of talk about pension plans going broke. Pension plans that leave retirees as well as workers without income they had trusted would be there for their retirement.
We have all, naively, it seems, assumed that if we were part of a company pension plan we would get a reasonable pension when we retired. Nortel workers and others have learned this isn’t always the way it works. They marched in Ottawa and demanded that Prime Minister Harper do something. They wanted their pensions protected by government or at least topped up.
At first I was hard pressed to feel sorry for them, especially after all the layoffs and mill closures here in the northwest. I thought to myself that if anyone could manage hard times it should be these folks. We all remember the hay days of Nortel. What was wrong with these guys? They should have put some of the big bucks they were making away for this kind of rainy day. Of course the real issue isn’t what is happening to Nortel employees, it is the fact that there is something wrong in our society if we can’t ensure all retired people a reasonable income.
Over 60 % of Canadians don’t have any pension. Companies are looking for ways to avoid offering pensions claiming it costs them too much and they can’t guarantee them. Lump sum payout pensions are becoming the norm, if they are offered at all.
I received a Public Service Announcement from MP Bruce Hyer. It outlined the five steps that the New Democratic Party feels the Conservative government should implement. I have printed the recommendations on page 7. I can’t help but think that once again the NDP are providing the leadership in an attempt to meet the needs of the majority of Canadians. Nothing of course will come of it. The Conservatives don’t really care and the Liberals are afraid if they support an NDP idea they will lose votes to them. And so goes Canadian politics. Kudos to the NDP for coming up with a plan that looks pretty good to me.
Can I stay with politics for a bit? I went to hear the Executive Director of Ploughshares speak a few nights ago. Ploughshares is the research arm of the Canadian Council of Churches and it tries to keep tabs on what is going on around the world.
Two things stood out for me as I listened to the speaker. One saddened me but the other gave me hope.
Did you know that Canada has moved its peace keeping money into the war in Afghanistan and that our funding for Canadian peace keeping in other parts of the world is so depleted that we really can’t justify calling ourselves peace keepers. Especially relative to what we were doing before. That left me feeling empty. I liked that Canadians were seen by the rest of the world as peace keepers.
The positive thing is that there are fewer areas of conflict around the world today than in 1995. In 1995 there were 44 areas of conflict in 38 countries whereas in 2008 there were 24 areas of conflict in 22 countries. The difference is attributed to the United Nations increased funding of peace keeping efforts. Still a ways to go but we are moving in the right direction.
This Remembrance Day take a few minutes to think about the men and women in the Canadian Armed Forces who have put and continue to put their lives on the line in an effort to make our world a safer place in which to live. While we may disagree with our politicians about where our troops should be deployed we can be thankful that there are those who are willing to make this committment.
October 2009
Has this the nicest September ever? Can’t believe we missed much of it by spending two weeks away in Italy. Am I feeling sorry for myself? Not a chance. We had a great time as you can read about later in the paper. Well, I should say, start to read about, as it is going to take a few issues to give you the full picture. Needless to say, it was the best of holidays. Italywas everything we had hoped for.
Our son Michael held down the fort while we were away and did a fine job. House was clean and parties well managed. We only lost a few of the outside plants but nothing to complain about.
Once or twice over the years, I have mentioned to Jim Foulds that I would like to have him write a political column for Thunder Bay Seniors. To my delight last month Jim called to say he now has time to offer his insights to us as readers. While no political points of view are ever agreed on by everyone, it is safe to say that Jim is well respected for his political service to the Northwest as NDP representative to provincial parliament from 1971 to 1987. Welcome Jim.
We, Cathy and/or I, are attending three retirement parties this week and columnist Patti Bain is writing about the retirement of her husband. Is this the long awaited start of the baby boom retirement movement? I heard rumours that somewhere between 400 and 600 city employees will be eligible to retire during the next 5 years. This should really open up opportunities for young folk who don’t want to leave the city.
I’ll take this opportunity to wish Dwight Gessie, Manager of City Parks and Michael Sobota, Executive Director of AIDS Thunder Bay all the best in their retirement. I know Dwight is going to love being free to be a groupie to the music groups he loves so much (to say nothing of his upcoming wedding) and somehow I don’t think Michael is going to retire in the sense that we think of retirement. I’m sure he will be working as hard as ever on causes close to his heart.
Mandolin player on bus
As it happened, he had a mandolin case in his hand so once he was settled I made the motion that he should play the instrument. Slowly, with shaky hands, he bent over and started to untie the strap holding the case together. The bus driver started yelling and I thought for sure I had over stepped my rights as a rider on the driver’s bus. The loud exclamations didn’t phase the old guy and he finally started playing to the applause of the riders. Within minutes the bus driver joined in singing in a loud baritone voice. Cathy looked at me and said “I feel like I’m in a movie.”. It was a memorable moment. Have a great month.
As I write this editorial, the sun is shining, the day is hot and I am enjoying the coolness of the indoors. It is mid August. “Perhaps”, I think, “we are going to get a little summer now.”
Actually it has been a good summer if I exclude the weather. We enjoyed the area festivals and outdoor music opportunities. It was great to see Roy Coran kicking off the Summer in the Parks season for the 35th year. Hard to believe the city has been putting on music in the parks for that long. Accolades go out to the Recreation Department for doing such a fine job.
Cathy and I love the Red Rock Folk Festival. It takes place in an idyllic setting, is the result of great community spirit and involvement and features wonderful entertainment. The main stage shuts down at midnight on Friday and Saturday at which time the stellar night hawkers move to the bonfires to continue into the wee hours of the morning. There were a number of highlights for me this year. The Irish/Canadian poet Holmes Hooke and the irreverent Wendell Ferguson hosted the main stage performances on Friday and Saturday evenings and brought a wonderful sense of humour to the festival. Rodney Brown did one of the best sets backed up by a stage full of musicians. The way musicians jammed and supported each other over the weekend was truly amazing and so much fun for everyone. I could go on and on. If you love music take the Red Rock Folk festival in next year. You won’t regret it.
I watched with awe as city council dismissed presentations by 10 professional health groups and voted to do nothing about the addition of fluoride to city water. Professionals from such reputable groups as the World Health Organization right down to our local Health Unit spoke on the benefits of fluoride. All that was being asked of council was to let us as citizens have a vote by putting the question on the ballot at the next election. I was so amazed at how dismissive the political process can be that I have written about it later on.
I went on my first golf road trip this summer. Peter Raffo got me into golf last year and I am hooked. Three years ago if someone had told me I would spend my summers chasing a little white ball around a golf course I would have told them they were nuts. However…
We played Lutsen, Silver Bay, Two Harbors and Black Bear Casino courses. All the courses were fun although, truth be told, we had to stop in at Duluth to stock up on balls. I don’t want to think of how many balls I lost.
Cathy is turning 60 this fall so we are off to Italy in September to celebrate. It has always been a dream of hers to visit Italy. We will be going to Rome, Cinque Terra, Lucca, Florence and the Amalfi coast. You can read about it in the Oct. issue or catch snippets of it earlier on my blog on Thunder Bay Seniors Paper website.
It feels good to be sitting down and writing an editorial after a couple of months break. I hope you continue to enjoy the paper and I wish you all the best as you make plans for the fall.
June 2009
Cathy and I have just returned from the Grand Marais Jazz festival. What a lot of fun! The festival starts on a Friday night at the Siverston Gallery and wraps up at Papa Charlie’s at the Lutsen ski resort Sunday night.
One of the nice things about the festival is that there aren’t many people there. Not exactly a positive for the organizers but for those of us in attendance it made for close up and intimate viewing of the entertainers. There was some exceptional entertainment and some of them were homegrown Grand Marais folk. Liz Siverston plays sax and clarinet and she and her partner are just a hoot to listen to. The Siverston Gallery hosts them (even supplies wine and treats) for a couple of hours Friday. This year Chicago pianist Chris Gillis joined them for a fun time of jamming.
There was all kinds of free entertainment at bars and restaurants which made dining out quite special. More formal concerts were held at the Arrowhead Centre for the Arts and Lutsen ski resort. One of the concert venues was the chalet on the top of Lutsen ski hill. Participants took the gondola up to the chalet. It was a gorgeous day which made the experience all that more fun.
We stayed at MacArthur House Bed and Breakfast with hosts Max and Sherry. They were great hosts and we’d stay there again. I enjoyed having breakfast with the other guests at the B&B. There were 5 couples in all and most were from the Twin Cities up for a hiking weekend. The stimulating coversations were fun and it was interesting to hear people’s stories about such diverse subjects as politics, birdwatching, travel tales and preparing for job interviews.
I think the organizers plan on holding the festival again next year on the US Memorial weekend so if you enjoy music I would really suggest considering this for a weekend getaway.
On a more cerebral note if you enjoy politics and history Ronald Wright’s latest book “What is America” is a great read and puts straight much of the history of North America. A historian, Wright explains the cultural differences between the Aztecs and the Incas, talks about the indigenous first nation communities complete with farming and infrastructure and paints a picture of America European culture that is not as it is portrayed in our history books. He takes a critical look at politics in America right up to present day.
Wright is as entertaining as he is factual. An easy read that I found I couldn’t wait to get back to. “What is America?” is a small book of great historical significance.
Cathy ran the 10 mile road race on our May long weekend. While she enjoys running with a group of friends this is her first formal run. She was training for it with the Fresh Air Experience group (The staff at the Fresh Air Experience store do a great job of supporting runners. They had the largest group of runners in the run.) While she felt a real sense of accomplishment at completing the run she hasn’t been talking about marathons so my guess is she will continue the less formal runs with friends.
June is Thunder Bay Seniors paper’s last issue for the summer. We will be back in September so we will take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy, healthy and warm summer.
Letter to the Editor
CBC Radio Thunder Bay is in trouble. The station that’s become such a part of our daily lives is struggling to stay alive. If we don’t step up and help out, our daily window on the lives of our city and region will end up a shadow of its former self.
You probably remember when CBC Radio arrived in Thunder Bay, taking over from CJLX in the early 1970’s. Instead of just pop music, we heard news and radio documentaries taking us to places around the country and the world. For the first time, we also began to hear from our neighbors in Geraldton, Red Lake, Kenora and Fort Frances. Now, more than 30 years later, I believe we have a sense of place here in Northwestern Ontario that never would have been possible without CBC Radio Thunder Bay.
But that sense of place is, I fear, going to be greatly diminished.
Because of a sharp, serious decline in television ad revenues, the CBC is cutting a third of its staff in Thunder Bay. It could mean up to six positions. That’s from a pool of just fifteen people. It’s a cut that’s far deeper than in the CBC’s big-city radio stations that can afford to take larger cuts without the dramatic loss of service Thunder Bay now faces.
Many cities in Western Canada, such as Edmonton, are receiving no cuts to CBC Radio at all. The CBC seems to be targeting small cities with smaller audiences for the big cuts instead. This sounds like the kind of decision that you’d expect from people from big cities that don’t understand how important CBC Radio is in smaller communities.
CBC Radio Thunder Bay broadcasts to an area the size of France. All that territory to cover with just fifteen people, some of them the technical and administrative staff you need to keep a station running. Losing a third of them should make all of us concerned for what will be left and what kind of job they’ll be able to do. How connected will CBC Thunder Bay really be to our city and region if they don’t have enough reporters to get out of the station? Will it come down to announcers reading press releases instead of reporters digging out the award-winning news for which the CBC has come to be known?
CBC Radio in Thunder Bay has faced little but a progression of cuts since it first arrived in our city. The station used to have more than 30 people working there. Back in the day, the station had a much greater capacity for fun and silliness that we all loved. Remember Fred Jones and Milt Rainsworthy, the cranky janitor? Remember Arthur Black and the hog report?
With CBC Radio Thunder Bay we are not out of sight and out of mind. We have a voice, an important one, that is heard across Canada. I wonder what kind of voice we will have if so few reporters are left?
I think it’s time we lifted our voices and let the people who run the CBC know that what they’re doing is simply unacceptable. We want our CBC back! You can let your voice be heard. I urge you to write the president of the CBC, Hubert Lacroix and the federal Heritage Minister James Moore. But you have to act quickly. The layoff notices at CBC Thunder Bay are scheduled to begin in mid-May.
You can reach Mr. Hubert Lacroix at: CBC/Radio-Canada, P.O Box 6000,
Montreal, Quebec H3C 3AB. You can e-mail him at ht.lacroix@cbc.ca
You can reach Mr. James Moore at:
House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6. Mr. Moore’s e-mail address
is moorej@parl.gc.ca Janice Piper, Committee to Save Your CBC.
April 09 What a month! Two Norm Foster plays. “Looking” at Magnus and “Office Hours” by Cambrian Players (both fun). You can still catch “Office Hours” this weekend. It is being presented in the old Paramount Theatre. I have to admit that the theatre itself intrigued me. It felt very big city, small theatre. You know, the kind of theatre that has most of the attributes you’d find in a theatre –like sloped seating, raised stage etc., but seems kind of squeezed into its space. I liked the feeling and the play itself was well done. In fact both plays were well worth seeing.
And then there was the North of Superior Film Associations “Film Festival” last weekend. 19 films in 4 days. Cathy and I usually buy two 6 packs of tickets then end up buying another 6 pack just to get through the weekend. We saw 7 films over the four days. What a treat! All were good however “The Stone of Destiny,” “Outsourced” and “Tell No One” were my favorites. “The Stone of Destiny” is the true story of 4 Scottish University kids stealing back the Stone of Scone from under the coronation throne in Westminster Abbey, England, on Christmas Eve in 1950. “Outsourced” is about the experience of a young American when he is sent to India to set up a call centre and “Tell No One” is a real mystery thriller with twists and turns that leave you puzzling for days after. I’ll take this opportunity to put in a plug for the Great Canadian Video Network on Memorial Ave. They have a good selection of foreign films and I know they have a number of the NOFSA films in already.
For my part, I just really like the opportunity to see films made outside of Hollywood and would like to thank all the volunteers at NOSFA for doing such a great job of selecting and then coordinating the festival. It is one of the great festivals in Thunder Bay.
Staying on the theme of festivals, we went to the auditions of local bands for this year’s Blues Festival. (Feels like we’re getting to be real gadflies) It was a great night. Each group auditioning got to play two songs so it was an opportunity to get a fleeting taste of Thunder Bay’s Blues talent. Every group did a stellar job and while only three were chosen I think any one of the groups would do Thunder Bay proud.
Finally, if you enjoy Jazz and want a weekend in Grand Marais mark May 22 to 24 on your calendar. Cathy and I chanced upon the Grand Marais Jazz Festival a number of years ago and just love it. It’s not a well known festival (not big crowds) but an intimate time with some exceptional music. The venues run from Grand Marais to Lutsen. One venue is on top of Lutsen ski hill and the Sunday Brunch/Buffet at the Lutsen Hotel on the water was over the top last year.
Have a great April.
March 09
Did you get to see Slumdog Millionaire? Eight Academy Awards! I wouldn’t have bet money on the movie winning any awards let alone eight. Not that it doesn’t deserve them but because it is a British Independent movie made in India, This isn’t traditional fare for Hollywood. What is so very exciting is that by recognizing Slumdog Millionaire, the Academy is recognizing the quality and potential of independent film makers.
On the chance you didn’t see the movie when it was here, the story takes place in Mumbai, India and is centred around a game show similar to our Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The young man, Jamal, competes and wins the contest but because he is a former street child from the Dharavi slums how he wins becomes the focus of the movie. A) Did he cheat, B) Is he just lucky, C) Is he a genius, or D) or is it destiny.”
The movie is filmed in India and in the slums of Dharavi. One gets to laugh as the children of the slum play tricks and do pranks and we cry at the sheer brutality of those who profit from the poor. The theme, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, presents a light superficial face, and contrasts sharply to Jamal’s childhood which is stark and frightening. His treatment by the police who torture him to find out how he, a child of the slums, is winning leaves one appalled.
Alas, the movie is also a love story. Jamal has always loved his childhood friend, Latika and it his personal goal in life to be with her.
An interesting note is that Slumdog Millionaire was “discovered” last August at the Toronto Film Festival and as a result got picked up by a large promoter allowing it to have a limited North American release just last November.
Can I rant just a little? I usually leave that to my friend Gerry Poling but every once in a while I feel like letting loose. I don’t go to the Port Arthur Clinic often; once a year for a checkup and maybe once or twice with the kids if they have a sniffle. We’re pretty healthy. But I’m glad I don’t have to go more often. There must be such a thing as a cumulative response syndrome. If I was only reacting to one negative at the clinic I could live with it. But paying $2 to park, waiting 1 hour at the lab and speaking to a receptionist who is both impatient and surly… well, put them altogether and I get upset. I like my doctor but I have to say I don’t enjoy going to that clinic. Okay, enough.
Cathy and I were lamenting the long winter and so I decided to take a bit of time and head to the Conservatory. She thought it might be nice to remind folks of the little bit of the tropics here in Thunder Bay. What a great place. There were lots of visitors. I tend to think that because I don’t go someplace nobody else does either so I was surprised to see that there were others seeking respite from the cold. If the government ever comes up with infastructure money and the city manages to get on top of the potholes in our roads I would like to see the Conservatory expanded to include a restaurant and three times as much space. Then we wouldn’t need to be so quick about heading south for winter holidays. Well, OK, I know it’s not quite the same. But it is great to know that there is a place here in the city where one can enjoy a break on a cold winter day.
Spring is just around the corner. The sun is getting warmer, the days are getting longer and the driveway is clear of snow. Have a good month.
February 09
It is great to be on the leading edge…so to speak. Well, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration! Each winter Cathy and I do a little cross country skiing, usually at Kamview ski area. The trails are nothing short of spectacular, Much to my disappointment a couple of years ago ‘she’ took up skate skiing (for those who don’t cross country ski, classical skiing is what sensible people like myself do and skate skiing is basically skating on skis). I resisted. I complained that we would no longer ski together. She would be way out ahead of me. I said I didn’t want to buy tights (the dress of skate skiers) even though I have been told I might look pretty good in them (if only from the rear). I don’t mind exercising, I whined, I just didn’t want to sweat so profusely that I would have to have a shower every time I went skiing… not to mention the possibility of a heart attack. “I like stopping to look at the snow on the trees and feel the sun warming my face as I rest on the top of a hill,” I exclaimed! All of this rant really just means that I resist change as keenly as the next guy.
Well imagine my joy when a friend who skate skis and I went skiing and he said he was going to classic ski. I was taken aback but hid my amazement until we were enjoying a hot chocolate after our ski. I ventured the question, “Are avid skiers starting to do more classic skiing?” (I wanted to add, “Are they giving up their tights?” but that would have been a bit much.) Sure enough classic skiing is making a comeback. I can once again hold my head high as I glide down the ski trails of the north. Now if only Cathy would join me on classic skis. We could both be on the leading edge…so to speak.
January was a cold month. Weather watchers say it has been a normal winter and that we have been spoiled the last few years with unseasonably warm winters. Well, just for the record, some of us old folks are weather watchers as well and I can tell you it has been a cold winter and no amount of justifying is going to make me feel it hasn’t been. I like to think that once we pass the winter solstice on Dec. 21 and the days start getting longer, things are going to start looking up. Dec. 21st is my first bench mark that the weather will warm up and that we will have another spring, summer and fall. A bit optimistic I concede.
Don’t forget to mark Valentine’s Day on your calendar. It is a special day. So often with our day to day routines, we forget to tell those we love that they too are special. Have a great month. Spring is just around the corner.
Jan. 09
So much has happened. December seems like a bit of a blur. My oldest son, Forest, got married in a destination wedding (we went), our daughter came home from college for Christmas (Yay!), our youngest son, Mike’s team won the Christmas Classic tournament for soccer (Wow!), my son Brook bought a bookstore in Toronto (What an adventure!) and we welcomed the New Year in with good friends, wonderful prime rib supper and a great bonfire (can’t beat that!) I have to count my blessings.
The destination wedding was a different experience for us so I wrote about that later in the issue.
The purchase of the bookstore by Brook and his wife Colleen has been watched by us with great encouragement and awe. It is called the Recycled Book Shop and is on McCaul Street just around the corner for the Ontario Art Gallery in Toronto. It has amazing character. Wobbly wooden floors, wall to wall books, several levels and a suite for the owners. If you happen to find Toronto on your list of destinations in 2009 stop in and say “Hi.”
What I haven’t done is make any resolutions. I can think of some but for me I need to write them down for them to be meaningful. We bought a season’s pass for Kamview Cross country ski area so with any luck that should take care of any resolution related to exercise. Of course, we/I will need use the pass. We need to go out a total of 17 times to pay for the pass. Hmm. Let’s see! That’s at least once a week between now and the end of May.
I may have mentioned in a previous editorial that Cathy, my wife, has a special birthday next fall and that I would like to take her to Italy as a birthday present. She has always wanted to go there and if the bottom doesn’t totally fall out of the market and if RBC doesn’t go into receivership then we might just make it. So… I resolve to learn how to speak a little Italian. I want to learn “I would like to know where the public washroom is.” “Good day” and “I don’t know what you are trying to tell me?” That much should be achievable.
I bought an acoustic electric guitar last year on eBay and now have arthritis in my thumb from pressing too hard on the back of the fret board. I can’t open jars, clip my nails or pick up a plate of mashed potatoes without being reminded that I had once wanted to learn to play the guitar. Maybe I will try again this year with the knowledge that my thumb will be clearly visible on the side of the fret bar at all times.
And finally, I resolve to spend more time with friends. Maybe just go to Timmy’s for a coffee with a friend or have folks over for a game of cards.
I will take this opportunity to wish all the readers of Thunder Bay Seniors Paper a wonderful 2009. I am sure there will be challenges for each of us. I am equally sure there will be opportunities.
December 2008 Issue
Let me start with hope. This paper came out, last month, just days before Barack Obama was elected the next president of the USA. I have never experienced such exhilaration in an election and I have never been happier with the outcome of an election. Obama brings hope for a better world. He is more compassionate, stronger and much more charismatic then any of the current administration’s leaders. Having said this I am reminded of a conversation I had with a good friend a year and a half ago after I had put Obama’s picture on the front page of this paper. He said, “Be careful what you wish for. Obama has some negatives too.” It is true that no one is perfect but right now I am oh so hopeful.
We had a great one day workshop for seniors at the Thunder Bay 55 Plus Centre in early November. The Older Adult Centre’s Association of Ontario and the Ontario Seniors Secretariat fronted a small working group to put the event on. We had an early bird registration date for a draw to Bistro One and the whole workshop was booked by that date. For once, Thunder Bay wasn’t a last minute town. There is no doubt that the presenters made the day. They were all excellent and the feedback on evaluations couldn’t have been more positive. My thanks go out to the Thunder Bay 55 Plus Centre for allowing us to use the centre and to Catherine Peterson, Kathy Gibson, Oliver Reimer and Magdalena King for being the best committee ever.
Have you ever been to a “Destination Wedding?” We are about to head to the Dominican Republic to celebrate my oldest son’s wedding. The colder it gets the more I think destination weddings are a good thing. The resort looks fabulous; the pools and swim up bars inviting and the chance to walk without bundling up something I truly miss in winter. I’ll let you know how it went next month.
One of my favorite people turned 95 a couple of weeks ago. Millie Foster was instrumental in making the dream of a new Thunder Bay 55 Plus Centre a reality. She was loved by everyone and could schmooze the politicians better than anyone I know. At one point the naming committee for the centre considered calling it the Millie Foster 55 Plus Centre. Happy birthday, Millie.
With Christmas just around the corner and our economy in the tank, many good people are going to be feeling the pinch this year. For some it will be a very hard Christmas. Your donations and hugs will be appreciated. Have a merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year. …Keith
November 2008 Issue
Last month, I had a wonderful week in Barrie, Toronto and Ottawa. Wonderful because I got to spent two of the days with my daughter Lindsay in Ottawa, have supper with my mother in law and son Brook and his wife Colleen and touch base with old friends at the OACAO conference in Barrie.
The OACAO (Older Adult Centre’s Association of Ontario) was held at the Horseshoe Valley resort this year. It was exactly when the trees were turning their most beautiful. Last year Gerry Poling passed the responsibility of sitting on the OACAO board to me. I used to be a member so it was a bit of a homecoming for me. Lots of seniors and staff I had known when I worked at the Thunder Bay 55 Plus Centres.
However, there is nothing quite up to meeting with ones kids. Brook and Colleen just bought The Recycled Book bookstore on McCaul street in Toronto so I had to check it out. You have to stop in if you get down to the big city. The store has wall to wall books, creaky wooden floors and narrow treacherous stairs. Everything a good used bookstore should have.
As I’ve probably mentioned, Lindsay started college in Ottawa this year at Algonquin and so this was my chance to visit. She took last year off school and worked in Calgary so I was hoping she would find College and studying both a reasonable challenge and fun. I was pleased (as only a parent can be) when I found out she was doing well and liked it.
We went to Wakefield in Quebec to the Black Sheep Inn (CBC listeners may recognize the name) where we enjoyed a group called the Good Lovelies and had supper at Soupe Herbe in Old Chelsi. Both real hits for a daughter father outing.
While I am not a supporter of the Afgan war I do respect the men and women who are working to bring some semblance of order over there. When you sign up for the military you agree to fight for what our politicians deem worthy. You don’t have a choice and unless the war is totally unjust (such as Iraq) that is the way it should be. On Remembrance Day we remember those who have fought for us and lost their lives in many different wars. It is the greatest sacrifice one can make for one’s country. I’ll be taking a couple of minutes or more to reflect on their sacrifice on Nov. 9. I might see you at the cenotaph.
By the time this paper hits the street the USA will have a new President elect. I was listening to the British Broadcasting Corp. and was surprised to hear the emphasis put on the importance of this election. The short commercial called it the most important election in the world. I couldn’t agree more. George W Bush has taken the world where no leader should be able to go. Rarely does one see a politician do so much harm worldwide. While McCain has worked very hard to distance himself from Bush all my money is on Obama. We (and I mean the peoples of the world) can’t afford another Republican Government in the States. The challenge for Obama, should he win, will be immense. Somehow he strikes me as the type of person who can handle it.
Have a great month.
October 2008 Issue
I can’t not write an editorial about the Federal election. Hmm I wonder if the double negative means something?
For once there seems to be a relatively clear difference between the parties. The Conservatives under Stephen Harper are, as always, conservative. ‘Let’s get government out of the way of business because a free market will right all our woes.’ Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. Our neighbours to the south let the free market have control of mortgages and now thousands of Americans have lost their homes. And that’s to say nothing of the health care crisis in the States. A quick look at the Scandinavian countries (which rank very high on the best places in the world to live) shows the value of a large social safety net. Mr. Harper speaks well, says the right things needed to get elected and my guess will probably be back as Prime Minister.
The Liberals are going green. This comes as no surprise. Mr. Dion has always put a high value on the need to address climate change. I support a focus on the climate because there are incredible opportunities available for Canada if we embrace the idea of a cleaner environment free from fossil fuels. No one can argue that it won’t be better for the earth. The carbon tax has worked in Europe. It taxes the people who pollute the environment which puts the onus where it should be. I can buy that although Dion just hasn’t got the charisma necessary to win votes. We are so fickle as a society; most of us have a terrible time getting past his inability to express himself. I was very pleased to see the other liberal leaders stepping into the spotlight. We need a strong Liberal campaign if we are to keep a tight rein on the Conservatives. Ever since the Harris days in Ontario I have become a strong believer in minority governments.
Jack Layton wants to be Prime Minister. Not much hope there but it certainly has gotten attention. We all like someone who isn’t afraid to reach for the gold ring. The New Democrats are once again focusing on ensuring we have a sound social safety net. As you will have gathered, I think we need that voice, strong and clear. Health care is an issue. So is job loss in manufacturing and the forest industry. We need a party that is committed to making us face these struggles. They aren’t sexy but they are bread and butter issues and this is why we need the NDP voice in government.
If I was a betting person I would bet that Bruce Hyer of the NDP will be our next Member of Parliament in Thunder Bay/Superior. He is greener than the Green Party and he’s been around politics long enough to know how to hold feet to the fire. I don’t think there has been an environmental committee or issue that Bruce hasn’t played a key role in. It could just be his turn and I think that would be alright both for the Northwest and for the Federal Party. Another seat for the New Democrats would be a good thing.
It will be an uphill battle for anyone to beat incumbent Ken Boshcoff. Ken’s been around a long time. Being a past city Mayor and a Liberal stack the odds in his favour although John Rafferty made him sweat in the last race. Rafferty has shown he is in it for the long haul and name recognition is starting to work in his favour. It will take a strong showing from the Conservatives, Richard Neumann, to allow John to slip up the middle so my money is on Ken.
Elizabeth May is a powerful speaker and the fact that she got to speak in the debate shows she is tenacious and unrelenting. Being called the Green Party is both an asset and a problem. The name attracts mostly young people concerned about climate change and the environment. The name also makes it difficult for most to see past that main issue. What else does the party stand for? Are you doing your homework and examining the Green Party’s platform? Will others? I’m not so sure.
I have always enjoyed politics. Those who run for office deserve our gratitude and support. We need to encourage good people with the best interests of us all to represent us. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the candidates of all the parties for participating in this election. Bon chance.
Sept. 2008 Issue
Welcome back to all of Thunder Bay Seniors Paper readers. I hope your summer has been a good one even though the weather has left a lot to be desired. I have to admit that the yard has never looked greener. It has been a great summer for the gardens. We just returned from Ottawa and Toronto and I couldn’t believe how high the farm grown corn was. Well over 6 feet in many places and what a labyrinth one could build in a field like that.
The highlight of our summer was our nieces wedding in Ottawa. She was married at the Museum of Civilization in Hull. They were married in a tent that opened onto the Ottawa River with the Parliament Buildings in the back ground. Quite spectacular and a photographers dream for a location. The fact that it started to rain half way through the family photo shoot didn’t dampen any ones spirits. The fact that I got lost in the museum and missed the photo shoot didn’t sit well with you know who. I offered to insert my photo with Photoshop but that didn’t appease the family at all.
The trip also provided our son Michael with a chance to visit three universities. He is going into grade 12 and wants to take Kinesiology and eventually Physiotherapy at university. We went to Guelph first and I got really turned on by the possibilities. He didn’t. I thought that rather than moving into a home for older folk, I would move into a university. I could get the meal plan, a place in residence and take classes. No one seemed as excited about the idea as much as I was. Because we were in Ottawa, Michael toured Carlton University. He loved it because he liked the soccer coach who said he would try Mike out for the University team. Problem is that Carlton doesn’t have a Kinesiology or Physiotherapy program.
Our last University was Queens. By this time we were starting to feel that if you’ve seen one university you’ve seen them all. The actual tour at Queen’s didn’t seem as informative as the others however it could just have been exhaustion on our part. Luckily he has some time to work this out.
Lastly, our trip allowed us to take a van load of our daughter’s goodies to Ottawa as she starts a Biotechnology course at Algonquin College this fall. I liked Algonquin the best of all the schools I visited. It had a great residence, good food, and a wide variety of courses. Cathy and I may move there!!
I hope everyone has had a great summer. I am looking forward to the fall and just hope it isn’t as short as the summer.
June 08 Issue
This is the last issue of Thunder Bay Seniors Paper for the summer. We take June and July off and gear up again for September. It is one of the nice things about being semi retired; our ability to have control over when we publish and just as important… when we don’t.
I went up to the Thunder Bay 55 Plus Centre last week for a meeting (we are planning a one day health related workshop in the fall), a hamburger (the Fix it Club was having their BBQ) and to see the art work of the centre’s students and instructors. It felt great being there. I got to say “Hi” to a lot of people I haven’t seen in a long time. Reino Kivisto and the Smokey Island Band entertained at the BBQ. Etta Finlayson and members of the Fellowship Club are hosting a party celebrating the old timers from the Pensioners club, the Friendship Club and the Sunshine Club who worked to make the 55 Plus Centre a reality. The three clubs amalgamated in 1991 when the centre opened. They became the Fellowship Club. It will be another opportunity for me to say “Hi” to some old friends
I read a couple of good books last month. My book club’s selection for the month was A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. The Thunder Bay library can put together a package of books for book club. We used this service for A Prayer for Owen Meany. It saved us having to purchase the book. Great service. Irving has an amazing sense of humour and plays on his insight in human nature. I quite enjoyed it.
Infidel by Ayaan Hirst Ali was the other book I read. It is a nonfiction memoir written by a Somali woman (Ali) and is a real insight into the power of religion and clans/tribes in a social structure. We hear a lot today about the conflict between clans in the Middle East and Africa and the influence of extreme religious leaders on day to day lives of people under their influence. Infidel is a first person look at these influences and how destructive they can be. The author, Ali, tells the story of her life growing up in Somalia, her running away to Holland and her time as an elected member of Holland’s parliament. I highly recommend it.
Well, it is raining buckets as I write this but I know that summer will come. Cathy, the Thunder Bay Seniors Paper column writers and I take this opportunity to wish everyone a great summer.
May 2008 Issue
I have returned from my two week adventure in Guatemala and am slowly getting up to speed with life in Canada. Spending 16 hours travelling takes the best out of me.
Guatemala was exceptional. I spent 4 hours each day studying Spanish, one on one with Matilde my instructor. Right off the bat I told her my main interest was in learning to speak Spanish and not necessarily to learn a lot of grammar so with a sly smile she launched into grammar. Hey, I just pay the bills. She was a wonderful teacher and as always the teacher knows best. Right! We would spend the first hour or so with her speaking Spanish. Talking about her family or politics in the simplest of language. Mostly I listened. Then we would move into grammar. Towards the end of the two weeks we went shopping and out for coffee.
I definitely learned some Spanish. The emphasis is on the some. I was under no illusion that I would be able to learn much in two weeks and I was right.
I stayed with a Guatemalan family that spoke no English. I was provided 3 meals a day and there were often 5 of us who sat down to a meal. It was quite uncomfortable sitting eating with people you couldn’t communicate with. We smiled a lot and they would look at me oddly and smile and I would make all sorts of projections about what they were thinking about me.
The famiy, (the Chavez family) consisted of Grandma and Grandpa, their grown Granddaughter and their Grandson’s girlfriend. I never figured out why the family was made up as it was or where Mom and Dad were.
The school itself was beautiful. It had a swimming pool and we studied out of doors in shed-like cubicles. Birds and flowers surrounded us. It was never too hot. In fact I often had to wear a sweater in the morning.
The town of Antigua, where my school was, is situated in the mountains guarded by three volcanos. Only one is active.
One of our side trips was to visit the active volcano. After hiking all the way up to the top of the volcanoe, we climbed down into the centre of the volcano and walked over the hard volcanic ash to roast marshmellows over flowing lava. No kidding. The rubber on the cheaper running shoes actually started to melt. This would never be allowed north of the Mexican border and I still think it was quite dangerous…but the stuff of which stories are made. It was our most exciting side trip.
I also experienced my first earthquake. I was lying on my bed when it started. I had heard that earthquakes were reasonably common so I didn’t panic but laid back and experienced it with some degree of fascination. At one point I thought maybe I should stand in a door way or something. No one came to save me or to see how I was so I assumed it was just another quake. The next day I found out it was 6.2 on the Richter scale and that everyone was pretty excited by its strength. Sometimes ignorance is the best.
I could go on forever about the experience; however I did keep a daily blog and if you are interested feel free to read more on the internet. www.tbayseniors.com Just click on Keith’s Blog.
Cathy and I went to hear Valdy play at the Finlandia club. He was brought in by the Sleeping Giant Folk Music Society and he gave a great concert. He played some old standards, lots of his own stuff and even forgot the words to some songs. It was nice to realize that I’m not the only one whose thought processes get confused. Listening to Valdy sing old anti war songs made me feel there was a need for a renaissance of these songs. Songs to make one reflect on the problems of war. Good stuff for the soul!
Boy am I glad it is April…not just because it’s my birthday but maybe the snow will leave and a good rain will clean things up a bit. I am getting lax about walking Nick because every time I do I have to wash him off in the bathtub.
Well I finally have a web page cum blog for Thunder Bay Seniors Paper. Please check it out at www.tbayseniors.com. You can also find it by typing Thunder Bay Seniors Paper in Google or Yahoo. At the beginning of each month I will put all the articles from the paper on the website so you can check there if for some reason you didn’t get the paper itself. I even have a page for A Bit of Humour that will include the jokes from the paper. Keith’s Blog on the right hand side of the front page is a more personal page and will be updated more frequently (as I am motivated to comment on things).
I am very excited. The time has come for me to test my Spanish speaking skills. I soon leave for two weeks in Guatemala to study Spanish. I have no illusions that I can learn Spanish in two weeks but I am looking forward to picking up a bit. I will be living with the Chavez family in a homestay and studying one on one with a teacher 4 hours each day. If I can I will write an update in my blog so feel free to check it out.
I have been fascinated by the debate between the KI native community on Big Trout Lake and Platinex Inc over mining exploration on the lands that KI has designated as a Land Claim area around their community. I went to the court case where 6 members of the community were sent to jail for 6 months each and have written about it in my Political Musings column.
I like the new sign at the Thunder Bay 55 Plus Centre on River Street. It is so much nicer than the billboard that was used before. It ads a bit of class to the city and is an example that others may follow. Well done.
If you get a chance to attend the Health and Wellness Fair on Thursday April 24 I would recommend it. It is a chance to ask questions of businesses that cater to our age group. There are always one or two services that are new and innovative.
Now that it is warming up don’t forget to get out and walk around the block. Walking is supposed to be the best of exercises and if you start early in the spring you might just catch up to Eva Brown’s daily walk of 5 K.
I’ll look for you on the sidewalks of Thunder Bay.
Have a great April.
March 08 Issue
The Waterfront Debate
It is time to weigh in on the waterfront debate. The ‘letters to the editor’ page of the Chronicle Journal has not seen a day without some comment.
What often happens in debates like this is that those against a direction get all the headlines. In this case it is a fairly balanced debate, although from what I have heard some of the ward meetings haven’t been so friendly.
I appreciated Councillor Bentz and Rubertos’ letters in the Chronicle explaining the rationale of the committee; however I’m not at all sure I agree with the reworking of what seems to be a perfectly great park when we have 52 Kilometers of waterfront crying out for some people friendly development.
I would love to see a link from Boulevard Lake to the Marina. I’m not against limited private development in the park and could easily live with the recommended condos and hotel. The park is dead in the winter. The recommendations would hopefully make the park a year around attraction and move it from “great” park status to “really great” park status.
I remember being so upset the last time a plan for the waterfront was derailed. Then it was caused by a few city councillors, not the ground swell that seems to be the case this time. At that point in the city’s history, city council was dysfunctional. That’s not the case now in spite of some of the vulgarities being flung their way.
A lot of time and thought has gone into this plan. I had many opportunities to go and look at the plans and comment on them. I didn’t. Well, I did once and remember being pretty excited by what I saw and happy that once again there was a plan being developed. I think my excitement was spurred more by my desire to see something happen. Anything! The debate has been a good one. I have read the editorials with interest. I am much more informed as a result. Good ideas have been generated for future development. I have moved past the point of ‘let’s just get on with it ‘ and am now excited about what might come after this plan is implemented.
I disagree with the concern that “We as a city can’t afford it!” I’m on the side of “We can’t afford not to!”
Someone said that great things start out from dreams of what could be and I think that is true. It takes a lot of grunt work to see those dreams come true and the people who step up to do the work leave themselves open to a lot of criticism. So my thanks to them.
Do I agree with everything proposed for this time around? No. Do I want them to proceed with the plans? You bet! I hope it is just the beginning of waterfront development. The debate has been a good one. I think this city council will show the leadership required and get this project moving. I support that.
February’s editorial
It’s mid January and Cathy and I are busy working on different things in our little office. She has just told me that our niece, currently living in Austria, with her boyfriend is going to spend three months on an ashram near the Dalai Lama in India. She has always been attracted to Yoga and meditation. It’s an exciting thing for her to do.
I don’t know if I mentioned that we were booked to go to Africa in February to help build a Habitat for Humanity home. We actually had our air plane tickets booked when we changed our mind. We (I should say Cathy) booked our flights on the Thursday night and on Friday morning at the Scand Home (we have a standing date for breakfast on Fridays at the Scand Home) we changed our minds. A potentially expensive decision given that air lines aren’t great at refunding tickets unless you are dying. We just couldn’t leave the kids for three weeks. It was one of those decisions that just felt right once we had made it. Fortunately for us our house building was to be in Kenya and with all the turmoil over there around their elections the Canadian government announced a travel ban to Kenya. Didn’t take us long to call see if we could get a refund. So far so good. The airline was quite good and refunded out points. We still need to do a little negotiating with the insurance company but what is an unfortunate circumstance for a lot Kenyans turned out to be good for us.
When I started my editorial we were enjoying the milder weather and getting out for walks around Boulevard Lake. Not so today with 25 below temperatures however my spirits are high. The days are getting longer and our daughter is home living with us after a 6 month work experience/adventure in Calgary. She is now trying to figure out what she wants to do with the rest of her life. College seems to be the direction she wants to go so we are trying to be supportive and encouraging. There is so much pressure on young people to go to College or University. I remind myself that I didn’t go to college until I was 28 and that taking some time to mature before going on can be a good thing. However I can’t help but worry that if too much time is taken off she might not go on and if nothing else it is an experience I would like her to have.
The US election primaries are heating up. I haven’t made up my mind who I think is the best Democratic candidate. I am leaning towards Obama but feel Clinton would also be good. Either way history will be made come next November. There is something ironic the way a party of one stripe or the other can really screw things up, loose an election and saddle the winning party with the job of cleaning up the mess. It is so very important to world order that a more moderate approach to world affairs been taken by the States.
February is the months of hearts and love. It is a good excuse to spend some quality time with a loved one or some friends. XXXOOO
1 comment
Hi Keith, I really enjoy being able to read this on the website. I even sent a copy to my brother in Brampton, Ont. as I think they will enjoy it also. Keep up the good work, see you around the 55 Plus Centre. Eva.
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