I am presently reading a book called Our Towns by David Mclennan which gives a brief history of Saskatchewan towns. I must admit that I'm a sucker for local history. If there are great pictures, like this book has, I'm really hooked.
The author has a pattern for each town. He gives it's location, early origin, main economic status and the town's pattern of growth. For 75% of Saskatchewan towns their growth pattern is similar. In their early development they usually prospered and then for reasons of climate, economics or depopulation they withered and died or almost died.
What intrigues me about these stories is how people came to a new area with dreams of success and worked hard only to fail because of influences they could not control. Yes, some people were the author of their own failure as they were not competent in the enterprize they chose. Many people were eager to start a small business in these villages and towns as they thought they could make a fortune or if not a fortune a good living. They worked hard to establish all the amenities for a community. So schools, roads , parks, hospitals and recreation facilities were built. Much effort and equity was put into these developments.These people were optimists and doers. For many the dream failed. They lost their busnesses or farms after they had put in years of labor and equity. Climate worked against many settlers in the southwest as they did not get enough moisture to produce crops. The depression only made matters worse. Later, the change to highly mechanized farms lead to massive depopulation of rural areas. Better roads and transportation allowed people to travel to cities or larger towns to conduct their business. As a result, local small businesses had to close.
Having grown up on that isolated Saskatchewan farm in the 40's and 50's I saw many of these changes take place. My father worried about the success of his farm. He made the right decisions and succeeded. I probably would have become a farmer, but the option was not there.
For all this hard work and hardship I have a feeling of sadness because these people worked hard and long and in the end lost. As I travel through Saskatchewan and look at the sad little communities I can't help but feel sympathy for these long gone people and the dreams they lost.
David Mclennan has caught the rich character of Saskatchewan towns in his beautiful book, Our Towns. Thank you David.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Bird Trail for Red Deer
Bird trail some joker may say? Yeah birds run through the bush. Well, I'm telling bout a differnt bird trail.
Bird trails have recently been designed and become very popular. A bird trail is nothing more than a series of excellent bird siting areas that have been publicized and organized. Birders can then travel to these areas and see a larger number of birds without wasting time. Some of these trails have become very popular .
The Red Deer River Naturalists (RDRN) are producing a map which will detail sites to visit within the city of Red Deer. Locals know where these spots are ,but the poor tourist comes to town and misses excellent birding opportunities. Our brochures should be ready in April 2010 and be distributed to tourist bureaus. We also hope to have this information on our website http://www.rdrn.fanweb.ca/
.
We host a series of early morning bird walks in the spring. Check our Face Book Site and Http://wearenaturalwise.blogspot.com/ and get dates and times. We'd love to have you join us.
In the coming year we will produce a birding trail guide which will feature the Central Alberta area. Again the locals know all of the good sites . This new material will make it easier for visitors to see the birds we have in this rich area.
So join us or just come to the area on your own and enjoy the birds in this area.
Bird trails have recently been designed and become very popular. A bird trail is nothing more than a series of excellent bird siting areas that have been publicized and organized. Birders can then travel to these areas and see a larger number of birds without wasting time. Some of these trails have become very popular .
The Red Deer River Naturalists (RDRN) are producing a map which will detail sites to visit within the city of Red Deer. Locals know where these spots are ,but the poor tourist comes to town and misses excellent birding opportunities. Our brochures should be ready in April 2010 and be distributed to tourist bureaus. We also hope to have this information on our website http://www.rdrn.fanweb.ca/
.
We host a series of early morning bird walks in the spring. Check our Face Book Site and Http://wearenaturalwise.blogspot.com/ and get dates and times. We'd love to have you join us.
In the coming year we will produce a birding trail guide which will feature the Central Alberta area. Again the locals know all of the good sites . This new material will make it easier for visitors to see the birds we have in this rich area.
So join us or just come to the area on your own and enjoy the birds in this area.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Ten Things Old Guys should Do.
Quite some time ago I did two posts with the "old guys" theme. I did "All Old Guys Should Cycle " and "All Old Guys Should Have a Paper Route." I had fun with these posts and have some ideas for more. Today I would like to make alist for old guys(and gals too).
Ten Things Old Guys Should Do
Read my blog
Read good books
Watch the sunrise
Watch the sunset
Have a nap after lunch
Enjoy sitting in the sun
Walk in the woods
Listen to great music
Enjoy good food
Visit with other people
Friday, January 29, 2010
Stephen Harper not Trusted
I have always found it difficult to trust statements coming from Prime Minister Stephen Harper. I have kept my mouth shut before this and not criticized the prime minister. Lately, he has gone too far for me to remain quiet. Proroguing parliament has pushed me over the edge and I can no longer remain silent. To remain silent means that I approve of his deceitful methods.
It has bothered me for a long time that Harper announces and reannounces spending projects. He seems to think that I am a fool and fall for this deceit and that I will think he's giving out more money. People who are not well informed will fall for this line. There's an old saying that goes something like this . Take me for a fool and YOU are a fool. That's how I feel. I think that this practice is morally and ethically wrong.
Harper very quickly blames others for his lack of success in getting his legislation passed. Some of his accusations may have a smattering of fact in them. He's his own worst enemy. When he prorogued parliament he left many of the bills in the House of Commons and they are now lost. They will have to be brought forward again because of his own shiftiness .
There are more examples that could be described , but two are enough to illustrate my point
To put it bluntly Harper has used bully tactics and when they don't work he takes his ball and runs away.
I can appreciate discussion and point of view which differs from mine. I cannot tolerate someone who will stoop to use deceitful tactics to get their agenda achieved and then expect us to think that he is a nice guy and we should vote for him.
It has bothered me for a long time that Harper announces and reannounces spending projects. He seems to think that I am a fool and fall for this deceit and that I will think he's giving out more money. People who are not well informed will fall for this line. There's an old saying that goes something like this . Take me for a fool and YOU are a fool. That's how I feel. I think that this practice is morally and ethically wrong.
Harper very quickly blames others for his lack of success in getting his legislation passed. Some of his accusations may have a smattering of fact in them. He's his own worst enemy. When he prorogued parliament he left many of the bills in the House of Commons and they are now lost. They will have to be brought forward again because of his own shiftiness .
There are more examples that could be described , but two are enough to illustrate my point
To put it bluntly Harper has used bully tactics and when they don't work he takes his ball and runs away.
I can appreciate discussion and point of view which differs from mine. I cannot tolerate someone who will stoop to use deceitful tactics to get their agenda achieved and then expect us to think that he is a nice guy and we should vote for him.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Enforcement Discussion Grows
What started out as a generic discussion of law enforcement on Hiawatha House grew when I had a discussion with a paper subscriber. So out in the ice and snow my subscriber asked the innocent question, "What's new?" My immediate response was nothing but I knew that he wanted more than that. So I told him that I had been doing a couple of blog posts on lax law enforcement. This topic interested him greatly and he soon got on to capital punishment as he is a supporter of capital punishment.
So with such a discussion I am right back to a blog post I had not thought of making.
I have been opposed to capital punishment as long as I can remember. Briefly I oppose capital punishment because it doesn't work. We only have to look at murder rates in states which use capital punishment and we do not see lower murder rates. Then there's the nasty problem of our justice system not being infallible. Too many convictions are in error. With capital punishment the sentence cannot be undone. It's permanent.
So my friend and I had a discussion where we agreed to disagree. He's a person who can discuss an issue and doesn't attack the person who opposes him. So when I visit with him it's always a stimulating discussion as he has made me post a blog on the topic.
So with such a discussion I am right back to a blog post I had not thought of making.
I have been opposed to capital punishment as long as I can remember. Briefly I oppose capital punishment because it doesn't work. We only have to look at murder rates in states which use capital punishment and we do not see lower murder rates. Then there's the nasty problem of our justice system not being infallible. Too many convictions are in error. With capital punishment the sentence cannot be undone. It's permanent.
So my friend and I had a discussion where we agreed to disagree. He's a person who can discuss an issue and doesn't attack the person who opposes him. So when I visit with him it's always a stimulating discussion as he has made me post a blog on the topic.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Law Enforcement Again
I am not one of those people who want a law for everything that moves. One of my favorite bloggers http://myretirementchronicles.blogspot.com/ sometimes puts on a piece called More Dumb Laws. She hits the nail on the head.
Laws which are outdated or impractical are a waste of time as they do more harm than good.
We need well written, necesssary laws and they have to be enforced. Laws which are not enforced or poorly enforced only tell the bad guys that the odds of getting away with something are worth their while to break the law.
My favorite example of lack of enforcement and that people really go to town and break laws with abandon is highway traffic laws. I'm a little old guy who drives down the highway at 120kmh which is 10 kmh over the speed limit. I'm afraid I'm going to get run over . People pass me like I'm standing still. I do not get the satisfaction of seeing my speeding friends stopped down the road receiving a ticket. What is worse is that in Alberta there are over $100 000 000 of outstanding traffic fines . So even if you do get caught you don't have to pay a fine. So traffic laws must be enforced and then the bad guys get the idea that the odds are pretty high that they will be aprehended. Somehow or other the fines have to be collected. So the offenders not only get caught, but they pay the price.
The same thing happens in the criminal law enforcement. Bad guys don't like to get burned. They don't mind doing time , but to get caught is the down side for them.
So we are going to have to lobby our politicians to take a serious look at enforcement and do what it takes to enforce laws.
Laws which are outdated or impractical are a waste of time as they do more harm than good.
We need well written, necesssary laws and they have to be enforced. Laws which are not enforced or poorly enforced only tell the bad guys that the odds of getting away with something are worth their while to break the law.
My favorite example of lack of enforcement and that people really go to town and break laws with abandon is highway traffic laws. I'm a little old guy who drives down the highway at 120kmh which is 10 kmh over the speed limit. I'm afraid I'm going to get run over . People pass me like I'm standing still. I do not get the satisfaction of seeing my speeding friends stopped down the road receiving a ticket. What is worse is that in Alberta there are over $100 000 000 of outstanding traffic fines . So even if you do get caught you don't have to pay a fine. So traffic laws must be enforced and then the bad guys get the idea that the odds are pretty high that they will be aprehended. Somehow or other the fines have to be collected. So the offenders not only get caught, but they pay the price.
The same thing happens in the criminal law enforcement. Bad guys don't like to get burned. They don't mind doing time , but to get caught is the down side for them.
So we are going to have to lobby our politicians to take a serious look at enforcement and do what it takes to enforce laws.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Be it resolved that bylaws be enforced.
It's time for a gripe. Usually I am fairly calm, laid back and agreeable. I hope that Hiawatha House is usually upbeat. So what has crossed me so that I will complain?
Here's an example. Our city has a bylaw which says that receational vehicles cannot be parked in a front driveway from Nov.1 to Mar.31. On my daily rambles through the neighborhood I see all kinds of recreational vehicles parked in the front drive way. They don't bother me, but if they were right next to me it would be a nuisance.
Here's my point . The city only enforces the bylaw when someone complains. So somebody has to be the bad guy and turn in his neighbor. How many people will do this? Not very many. The city will not make a patrol and request owners to move rec vehicles. Most other bylaws are treated the same way.
Now here's my point. If we have laws which are nor enforced it tends to give people the wrong idea. People will think that their chances of geting away with things will be pretty good.Yes, people will easily think that they can get away with many other violations because bylaws are not enforced. We are giving citizens the wrong idea. We would be better to not have bylaws if they are going to cause other problems. Are we bringing about a general disrespect of laws and bylaws?
Here's an example. Our city has a bylaw which says that receational vehicles cannot be parked in a front driveway from Nov.1 to Mar.31. On my daily rambles through the neighborhood I see all kinds of recreational vehicles parked in the front drive way. They don't bother me, but if they were right next to me it would be a nuisance.
Here's my point . The city only enforces the bylaw when someone complains. So somebody has to be the bad guy and turn in his neighbor. How many people will do this? Not very many. The city will not make a patrol and request owners to move rec vehicles. Most other bylaws are treated the same way.
Now here's my point. If we have laws which are nor enforced it tends to give people the wrong idea. People will think that their chances of geting away with things will be pretty good.Yes, people will easily think that they can get away with many other violations because bylaws are not enforced. We are giving citizens the wrong idea. We would be better to not have bylaws if they are going to cause other problems. Are we bringing about a general disrespect of laws and bylaws?
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