News doesn't take holidays ...

I have often been embarrassed when friends and family members catch me for not knowing that a holiday is happening. I usually need to be reminded that this coming Friday or Monday is a holiday of some sort. I saw it happen today to a colleague working on a special news project. He had been preparing to line up some phone interviews for Friday morning. Sure enough I was close by to hear his phone call this morning to the first interview, saying “Oh what? Friday? A holiday? Ohhhh… yesss. Okay then, …”

This all goes back to journalism school where you learn several things that stay true over the years; one of them being: News never takes a holiday. 

History is overwhelming...

This weekend is one I have thought about for some time. I was pleased to watch television Sunday to see the network coverage of the 100^th anniversary of attack on Vimy Ridge and the Canadian victory there.  I have to say I was pleased with CBC coverage over CTV. This is something I had been thinking about in the past few years and I actually considered travelling to France to take part in the commemoration.I think I just wanted to return to France for a visit as well.  Like most people I am certain I would have been overwhelmed with the sense of history, but I was happy at how well the event was covered on television. I read the book by Pierre Burton last year and was both shocked and overcome with the level of incompetence of the military brass in the First World War. But then again that is looking at the event through modern eyes. I must say I was amazed at the scope of the Canadian victory, but given that the German officers were as prone to the same level of bad judgement by some British and Canadian officers it might not be surprising that common sense won the day. History is such a cruel judge, but a judge just the same.

Regardless, I was so pleased to see the thousands of young Canadians , as in high school students, who took part in the Vimy commemoration this weekend. Like the poem said, the torch has been passed. “Be yours to hold it high…”

Image Credit: Library and Archives Canada: German officers surrendered to Canadians after the battle at Vimy Ridge. 

It's over!

What is wrong with me? I woke up this morning thinking of a life where people are open, honest, good, decent and interesting. That’s what happens when you watch too many episodes of Downton Abbey. Yes, I have been binge watching all week. It was Friday that Claudette got an e-mail from Netflix revealing that the final season was now available. Well, we could hardly wait to finish supper. So for the past few days, we plonked down on the couch, put the tea on and watched the entire final season. Of course we had love/hate relationships with all the characters, even to the point of shouting that Lady Mary is a bitch. And of course dowager Lady Violet is a saint with a sense of humour.  Last night it was the final episode. What a fabulous story. What a great television show. Claudette said she will now feel like she is missing something. As the final episode came to an end, she said “Well, they can’t leave us like that. We have to have more!” I cannot disagree.

Well done VIA!

I know it was a marketing thing, but I think VIA Rail made a brilliant move this week when it announced it was offering up youth rail passes for July for only $150 for unlimited travel in July. As most of my friends are aware, I am a huge rail fan and so I am glad VIA is making this option available for more people. I think it should be done more often and my hope is it will revive passenger rail travel. The other good thing is that it will help younger Canadians get to know their country better. I can't think of a better way to spend July than riding the rails through Canada. 

It’s funny but just last night I was out for some beers with a guy from the Globe and Mail. He is travelling to Moosonee to work on a story.  I assumed he was flying. I was pleased he decided to take the train. He said it would give him more time to meet people and talk to people. Exactly. That’s how you get good stories.

Change is good ...

I know there are people who are worried about the idea of letting refugees into Canada. One hopes they can learn to accept a little change. I believe it is a good thing to bring new people to our country. After all, our country was built by immigrants. I was pleased this week to see that a refugee family from Syria has arrived in Timmins. I wish them well.  I have very little idea of what their lives were like on the other side of the world. Let’s hope they find good lives and happiness in our country.

Hard choices

 In other news, as they say, a lot of people like myself are shaking their heads at the antics of Mr. Trump. I said Mister, because this fellow certainly is not presidential. But he has been elected, and that is the price of democracy. People can collectively make poor choices.  It is interesting because Canada is in the midst of selecting new leaders for both the Conservative and New Democratic parties. My concern is whether they are looking for a truly good leader, or merely somebody that can unseat Justin Trudeau. The idealists will say the answer is both, but I have my doubts. Our local guy is Timmins-James Bay MP Charlie Angus who is running to head the NDP. I like Charlie. He has integrity. He’s a good guy. Tough days ahead for him, for sure. I wish him the best. 

Keeping up to date ...

Jennifer sent me a text on Friday. “Question … u still alive?!” Ha ha, funny girl. But I can’t say I blame her because I was definitely out of touch for about four weeks. So I finally chatted with her Saturday night, after assuring her I responded to her text. She said she never got it. I insisted that I sent the reply, but then last night I realized that while I created a message, I never actually sent it. So much for thinking I was tech savvy enough to know how to use my phone. I wonder now why I never got answers for other texts that I figured I had sent out.

She also reminded me that I hadn’t been updating the blog. So I will stay on top of that.

Anyway, good news. Jennifer has passed her provincial exam and is indeed a Registered Nurse. They say pride is a sin, but I cannot help but be proud of what she has done. I am blessed to say at this point in my life my children give me happiness.

I am proud of myself too. Claudette and I were out shopping for dinner. I convinced her she would like pan fried pork chops. I wasn’t sure because she can be as fussy as I am with food. But happily the chops turned out just fine and she enjoyed the mango chutney that gave them a nice flavour.

For dessert we had something we both remember from out childhood … baked apples. Oh my goodness, they turned out nice and soft, but not mushy. We had them with a stuffing of brown sugar, butter, flour and granola. It was great! And the vanilla ice cream was fabulous. 

An amazing football game.

Well a lot of friends think it is strange that I rarely watch NFL football but I make a point of watching the Superbowl. It was even a funnier a few years back when I showed up at my favourite roadhouse, only to have some friends laughing and pointing at me for showing up on game day. They hadn’t seen me in ages. The best part was when I scratched a beer ticket and won a gas barbecue! Ha ha. I watched the Superbowl game on Sunday from start to finish and was amazed. Claudette and I cooked up a bunch of game day snacks and really got into the game. A couple of times she even hollered at the Patriots defence for allowing so many wide open passes. So yes, I was cheering for the Patriots, but it sure got quiet at halftime. I kept thinking Brady was holding onto the ball too long. That’s when I said to Claudette “sometimes you will be amazed at how crazy things happen in the closing minutes of the game.” And that’s why it was fun to watch the final minutes of Sunday’s game. I could barely believe what I was seeing. And then in overtime, it was all Brady. No wonder the guy has won Superbowl five times now.

Way to go Jennifer!

So pleased to get the most amazing news from daughter Jennifer this morning. People close to me know that Jenn is a cancer survivor. She endured a harrowing and horrible time in 2009 and 2010 when it discovered she had a rare form of leukemia. Jenn was confined to hospital for months. She could not walk. She endured chemo-therapy, radiation, spinal surgery. But she fought back. She survived. She learned to walk again, going from a wheelchair, to a walker to a cane and finally back on her own two feet. Four years ago, Jenn set out on another journey. She was so impressed with the loving care she got at the Sudbury cancer centre that Jenn decided to become a nurse. 

In December, we celebrated the fact that Jenn graduated with honours for her B.Sc. Nursing degree. This morning Jenn called to let me know she has been hired to work at the Sudbury hospital, Health Sciences North. Yep, she is going back to work in Oncology, helping the people the way she was helped. 

I am so, so proud of this amazing young woman! I am also more that pleased with the incredible love and support Jenn got from her husband Scott and her boys Tyler and Nathan. 

Such good news ...

I have to say I am pleased to hear that 2016 was a special year for mining safety in Ontario. I am working on a story today about the fact that 2016 was the first year in many, many years that no one died in an underground mining accident in Ontario.

That is such good news. Over the years, I have done too many stories of men dying in the mines. And just a couple of years ago, I had to do the story of the first ever woman to be killed on the job underground. As a reporter, as a former miner and mine rescue man, I hope we are in a new era and the trend continues.

Life is good

New Year’s was great this year because Claudette and I were back together. We first met just before new year's several years ago. Time passes, things change and we are together again. It’s all good. I think the best part is that she knows me better than I know myself in most cases and doesn’t put up with my usual bullsh*t. So I have to say 2017 is going to be a good year. 

So happy new year and other stuff...

Okay so 2017 is here and by my reckoning that means I have been blogging now for 10 complete years. This January marks my 11^th year! I confess, I am not writing in here as often as I should. Some days I think, who cares? But then I remember that part of the exercise here is to write about things I want to remember. Not that I have any memory problems! LOL. Plus it’s nice to share the good things that happen.

Christmas Day, like most Christmas celebrations in the past year, was at Scott and Jennifer’s place. Even before Terry died, we were celebrating at Jenn’s I think mainly because of our grandchildren. It just made the whole celebration that much more fun.

So this past Christmas was different. We exchanged no gifts at all. That was Jenn’s idea because we had decided to spend a week on a family vacation in Punta Cana. It cost a bucket of money, but it was the best thing.  For years I would tell people I had no interest at all of going to a southern climate and sitting on the beach. And it was true. But I had no idea how much I would enjoy it.  And going to an all-inclusive resort is the only way to go. I am sure I will find time to do it again.

I think the best part was going out to a different restaurant each night and spending time with the whole family. There was Jennifer and Neil and myself, Jenn’s husband Scott and his parents Don and Denise, and the grandchildren, Victoria, Tyler and Nathan. In the photos below we have Denise, Jenn and Victoria. Then there is another nice pic with Denise and Jenn, and then a pic of Scott and Jenn. 

Coming home to Northern Ontario and Timmins was nice, but the weather was indeed a bit of a letdown after spending a week with blue skies, warm breezes and sunshine.

But it is good to be back at work and back into the groove of covering local news stories and staying in touch with what is going on in town.

I should mention one of the best things that happened on our vacation was Jennifer getting news back from the school that she has completed her nursing education. Yep, Jenn has an honours degree B.Sc. in Nursing. Woohoo. I was proud to stand up at dinner one night and make a toast in Jennifer’s honour. We are all super proud of her.

The worst thing about the vacation was the night I was awakened with a huge pain in my right kidney. I knew immediately. I was passing a kidney stone. It has happened to me before. That kind of pain is extreme and I suspected it the day before when my urine looked pink. There was nothing to be done but to endure it. I didn’t know the resort had a physician on duty 24/7. And I had full insurance. But I sort of went into a pain trance and fell asleep about two hours later. I was better the next day and thanks to some heavy duty Advil, things got better.
In the photos below, Neil and Scott enjoyed some tequila, Jennifer and I in a photo at the beach, and that was me showing off the bottle of champagne they put in my room.

2017 is going to be a good year in Timmins I predict. There has been a lot of fuss in Timmins over the fact that the city is planning a huge celebration for the Canada 150 anniversary of Confederation. It will be an eight-day festival of fireworks and music. Mayor and council are taking a lot of flak over it, because the city is putting up $3.5-million to make it work. I think in the long run, people will see that the city finally had some guts to step up and do something different and exciting. Complainers will always complain. And even if the event is a winning success, complainers will still find something to whine about. Anyway, check out the website: starsandthunder.com

Facebook is one of the reasons I think. It was supposed to a fun thing, to see how other people are having fun in their lives. There was a time you could just walk away from the whiners, but now they get in your face every day. LOL.

In the window of life, it’s always nice to look for the good things. But then again there are always those people who come and smear shit all over the window. The price of democracy is that everyone has a voice.

First ever southern vacation trip...

I have never been on a southern vacation before. It seems like such an ordeal to plan and carry it through, but now that I am here, it sure seems worth it.

 Wow, what a couple of crazy days we’ve had. The drive from Sudbury to Toronto Thursday afternoon was scary. We hit a bad snowstorm at Parry Sound and Scott had to follow a tractor trailer because he could barely see the highway. We got into Toronto around 9 p.m. We got the hotel room dumped our bags and then set off for dinner at a place called Jack Astor’s. It was nice and we were so glad to have a drink and relax.

Then we got back to the hotel, had another drink and decided to go to bed. Good thing. I think I had one whiskey too much. 3:00 a.m. and the hotel door opens. Hello Neil! My son was back from a rock concert and hanging out with friends and had to pay $50 in a cab to get from downtown Toronto to the airport Crown Plaza Hotel.

So we were all up and showering, shaving and re-packing the luggage at 5:30 a.m. Got down to the lobby by 6:07 a.m. to find a huge crowd of hotel guests all trying to catch the same shuttle to the airport as we were. So we were a bit disappointed for a minute. Then the drive came back into the lobby, saying he had room for four more! That was us. We were right at the front of the line for the next shuttle but he took us in the early shuttle. Lucky for us. We got into Pearson Airport just before 7:00 a.m. to find another crowd of Sunwing passengers all clamouring for registration. Well I bought the elite tickets so I got through quickly, but Neil, Scott and Jenn had to wait for the rest of famjam to show up to get through security together. That’s when the fun began. Sunwing originally sent us to gate B20, but because of the storm, some planes did not get back to Toronto on time, so they sent us to gate B27. The thing is, they would not admit there was going to be a delay, so we rushed like hell to the new gate. Then Sunwing announced a new gate again, this time gate C33. Again, more than 200 passengers rushed like hell to get to the new gate. Thank God for gray hair. As an almost senior citizen, they put me on one of those golf carts trolleys and gave me a free ride to the new gate. I gave the driver, a guy named Vincenze,  a five dollar tip!

So we all finally hook up at gate C33. All the family was there so we charge up our phones, grab some coffees, some bagel BLTs and have a nice little breakfast together. It was almost 9 a.m. and the flight was scheduled to leave at 9:15 a.m. Something told us this would not happen. The plane had not arrived at the gate, said the lady at the reception desk. Suddenly there was another announcement. All passengers with tickets for Sunwing Punta Cana please be advised of a gate change. This time we all rushed to gate B41 expecting to see our plane. No it was not there. So we sat for nearly three hours and finally we were able to board the plane just before noon. Once we got airborne, the flight was four hours to the Dominican Republic and then it was more than an hour getting through customs and immigration. There was also roughly an hour of sitting on the taxiway at Punta Cana airport waiting our turn to disembark I should have mentioned earlier.  By the time we got to the hotel for check-in it was close to 8 p.m. That’s okay, everyone showered, got fresh and we hit the dining room. OMG it was so good. Did I mention that Cesar, the hotel guy, gave us all a Presidenté Cervesas beer on the bus ride in from the airport.

Anyway, after supper, which included substantial amounts of seafood, salad, pasta, and sushi and more beer, we decided we needed a walk. But not before stopping at the bar in the main lobby where we all loaded up on some tropical cocktails… you know the type, double shots of rum and tequila and juice and fruity things. Well it was an excellent tropical evening with a soft breeze blowing in from the ocean.

So the boys had the bright idea of going down to watch the waves crashing in on the beach. It was excellent to stand there and watch the moon rise and smell the fresh salt air and the warm gentle wind.

I couldn’t take it. Took off the shoes and sock and decided to dance in the surf. It was a perfect day one of my first ever trip on a southern vacation. 

What can you believe

This is such an issue right now because so many “fake news” organizations are springing up on the 'net and people are posting fake news as a joke, or sometimes to deliberately spread misinformation. It drives us crazy at work because ordinary folks really have no idea of the work that goes into a story. They ask inane questions about how truthful the real news is. They have no idea that 75 per cent of our time is spent gathering information and fact checking. You can’t imagine how many times we have stopped a story because we cannot verify the information on time.  Of course if Justin Trudeau says something that isn’t true, we won’t call him a liar but we will present correct information and let people judge. We recently ran an environmental story where we presented numbers from an environmental report. One woman on Facebook said she disagreed with the numbers. That’s fine. That’s an issue between you and the environment ministry. So of course she goes on Facebook to say the story is wrong and that our reporting is wrong. OMG, this is not about winning a coffee shop argument. This is about facts. Somebody was obviously sniffing too many fumes in the hair salon. You almost wish her grade five teacher would show up at her doorstep, rap her knuckles and tell her smarten up.

I’ve got to write more later about disagreeing. Just because you disagree, doesn’t mean you’re right and the other guy is wrong, or that you’re a better person. It just mean’s you disagree. 

Breaking news. Really?

I am getting old. Maybe I am getting cranky. I heard a local news story this week described as “Breaking News!”  It wasn’t. Yeah it was local news, but breaking? Nahhhh. I remember when the term breaking news was something HUGE.  Everywhere you go now, everyone is talking breaking news.

We are only a few days away from November 22. That’s the anniversary of President Kennedy being shot to death. THAT was breaking news.

Last month we had the anniversary of the Yom Kippur war. I remember being in J-school and seeing the BULLETIN come across the wire. October 6, 1973. Back then the wire machine was a big Telex contraption. Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding, Holy crap. Five bells! It was the first time I had seen a bulletin coming in. OMG that was a word that gave goosebumps to news junkies. You knew some heavy shite was happening. Turns out that Israeli was inches away from being defeated by the Arab states. Israeli needed more jets and bombs to fight Egypt and Syria. They appealed to the U.S. for help. Nixon and Kissinger refused to help. Israel’s Prime Minister Golda Meir was tougher than both of them. She positioned an Israeli air force pilot into the cockpit of a jet fighter that sat on a runway ready to roll at a second’s notice. It was loaded with a nuclear bomb. Meir told the U.S. that if Israel came any closer to being defeated, she would destroy Egypt. The U.S. sent new jets.

THAT was breaking news. 

A nice tradition...

I was pleased to see a tradition continue this year in Timmins at the Cenotaph.  People who attended the Remembrance Day ceremony were placing their poppy on the steps of the cenotaph once the ceremony has ended. It’s a nice personal tribute I think. I am not sure how or when the tradition started. I first noticed it a few years ago and I am pleased that people do this. It was just as pleasing to see so many young people showing up at the ceremony, although it was cool with winds gusting up to 40 kilometres. Well done.

Tea is good eh

Okay, I am calm now. I can write about things without flipping out over the U.S. election results.

It was a good day. We’ve have had a couple of nice mild days in Timmins, a bit overcast, but the temps were warm, around 10 Celsius.

We have a few nice new coffee bars in the downtown area, which I think adds a pretty nice local flavour to our city. Yes, I still enjoy McDonald’s coffee and a Timmies dark roast, but today I got a nice cup of Red Rose for only 75-cents. That’s all they charge at the Coffee Warehouse, because you serve yourself. You can also pick and choose from a huge selection of Keurig coffee pods, and other tea-like infusions. 

They also have amazing muffins, cookies, sandwiches and other foods. I drive myself crazy walking by their pasta bar, it smells so incredibly good. The new shop is located in a former clothing shop, so the decor is pretty rich and upbeat. They kept a lot of the expensive wood paneling. Looks nice. 

So I think I have had only ten cups of coffee in the past month. I am definitely on the tea thing now. I don’t know if that is better for me or what, … but I don’t pee as much LOL. 

Fish and potatoes...

So we had a really nice supper Saturday of cod fish and potatoes, with some carrots and broccoli. I say nice because I was comfortable with eating the fish. In recent years, I have discovered that some of the traditional Canadian brands for fish are no longer Canadian. We were looking at buying some sole or haddock and there was that familiar picture of Captain Highliner on the label. But after reading the fine print, it revealed this fish was Product of China. So no, I will not eat fish from China. I do not trust their food industry at all. And why the hell is Highliner selling Chinese fish? We are being told, as older people, to eat more healthy foods. So I try, given that I usually like a healthy glass of whisky now and then.  After searching a bit more, we came across a European label that features fish caught wild in the North Atlantic near Norway. At least, that’s where the cod was caught. It is call Findus.

Well, let me tell you it tasted just like the nice Cod I used to eat when I was a kid. By the way, the potatoes were excellent. We mashed ‘em by using an electric mixer, the same kind you use when making cakes or muffins. Just add a bit of Philadelphia cream cheese and they taste fabulous. Just sayin’.

Could it really happen?

I think I am like a lot of folks these days, living in dread of whether Donald Trump will actually be elected to office. I don’t believe he is a stupid as he has been portrayed, but he is certainly not as smart as he might be. Certainly, he is not presidential in the sense that George Bush Sr. or JFK presented themselves. Mr. Trump is a disappointment, as is the Republican Party. 

What is truly disheartening is reading the stories in the U.S. media of how ordinary people seem so ready to accept this person and the things he stands for. I don’t see how people can overlook his obvious sins and be ready to vote for him. I think also there is an underlying current of people being against the idea of a woman being president. Come on. This is 2016. I also think there is a backlash against Obama. I think a lot of American citizens are still so upset at having had a black president, they will thumb their nose at the establishment by voting in Trump. And that’s fine. But I am still having a hard time accepting the level of popularity that Trump seems to be enjoying. I hope I am wrong.

Oh well, we will know by Tuesday night.

By the way, Tuesday is Ronald’s 60^th birthday. What a milestone for my little brother. No more war zones for that guy. Not unless somebody talks down about the Toronto Maple Leafs or Miller Genuine Draft.

And yes we are all getting older. Big brother Gary will be 65 in December.

Speaking of sports favourites, I can truly say I was more than pleased to see the Chicago Cubs win the World Series. I was never a rabid Cubs fan, ever. But when Cleveland beat the the Blue Jays, I could not cheer for Cleveland so I figured I would have to cheer for Chicago. Ask Claudette. We sat in her living room on more than one occasion with the TV blaring and me shouting at the plays. 

On being civil ...

Okay this is a rant, but if you know me, it will be civilized. I hope. I have noticed in recent times, especially with social media, that there is a spirit of meanness that runs through a lot of the comments on things like Facebook and Twitter.

This is especially true in Timmins when people get upset by decisions made by city government. Okay, we get it, you are not happy.  But the constant whining and name-calling is really getting out of hand.

I am getting so tired of it that I am getting close to shutting down any participation in social media at all.

I have been blogging here now for more than 10 years, and I do try to present my own rants and points of view in a civil fashion, even though there are time I get peed off.

I just think that before people hit the “send” button, they should take a breath and reconsider their words.