Shelter Pet Day…
I just heard that November 30th is Shelter Pet Day.
Of course, our cats came from Katie’s Place, a shelter in Maple Ridge that we love and support.
The people there are loving, wonderful people, and do so much for not only the animals of Pitt Meadows & Maple Ridge, but throughout the whole Province.
That is where we got Barnum & Bailey, and I realized it has been a while since I have posted cute cat pics… so here they are !!!
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Giving Blood – It’s Fast, Easy, Fun & They Have Cookies…
Since before I was able to donate… (as a young teenager) …I have always wanted to give blood.
It is the simplest of donations.
It costs NO money… just a bit of time.
Our bodies produce more blood than we need, so we can spare a bit.
And it helps others tremendously.
I said in the title, that it is fun. That may be an overstatement, depending upon your definition. Everyone is courteous, pleasant, caring, and extremely kind. I like talking to people, and by golly, there are people there. I have fun there… but I have fun most places. Just in case, when you go… take your fun with you.
Why wouldn’t you want to do it ???
And yet a lot of people, don’t.
I’ve lost track of how many times I have donated… (back in the 80s, when it was ONLY tracked on the back of your Donor Card, I “lost” a dozen or so donations when my wallet was lost.) …my card says I’ve donated 31 times.
But I feel proud, every time I see a Canadian Blood Services ad. It IS “in” me to Give.
Over the past few years, my donations have slowed, due to travel for work, and trips with family.
Both the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, and the Shandong Province in China are considered areas where Malaria is found, and so I have to wait a year after returning from each trip.
So, last Friday was the anniversary of my departure from China, and I can give again.
My last three donations were in 2007, and before that, 2004.
The over-lapping travel schedules procluded me from giving blood in between.
But I should be able to get back to donating regularly, again.
And, if you are concerned, as I was, that a medication might make you ineligible to donate… (I take medicine for high cholesterol) …you just call up the 1-888-2-Donate number, and ask to speak to a nurse, and they will tell you whether your medications would prevent you from giving, or if you are okay to give Blood. (You can also go online and get different contact information for the Canadian Blood Services)
It makes me feel good, and it helps people in our community who are battling injuries or illnesses.
Think about your family and friends… Have NONE of them ever had a surgery, or treatment where they required a blood transfusion or a blood product ???
Give back…. it takes an hour, and each donation can save up to three lives. You can donate again, every 56 days.
AND… (if you need further arm twisting…)
At the end, you get cookies… juice… and a sticker that says “Be nice to me, I gave Blood today !!!”
Light Up The World…
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This week, we tried to light up the world… or at least our corner of it.
Large oversize Christmas Lights and Ornaments, now adorn our front and back trees.
But we are pleased with how it turned out… …and hope our friends and neighbours in Pitt Meadows will enjoy it, along with us.
Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas !!! (It’s a month to go !!!)
Update: And, now there is snow, so here’s the latest view, complete with frosting on top !!! |
Kiva – Loans That Change Lives…
In the past few days, a few different people have asked me about Kiva Microloans, so I thought I would write it up in a blog.
Lorie (@Loriegray on Twitter) and I have been members since September 2008.
Before that, we partnered with Heifer, an Organization that helps folks supply agricultural stock… (Bees, Bunnies, Goats, Oxen) to farmers, so that they may build up their farms.
Then we heard about Kiva, which also helps third world countries, but through a series of microloans that they ask be repaid.
So, for instance, I have helped fund a business run by Gladis in Peru, who needed some money to buy inventory for her store. 
This is what Kiva does. Finds someone who needs a hand up… and connects that business with people who have a few dollars to help. A number of strangers, from all around the World, have given this woman, in $25 increments, enough money to start her on her way to a better life.
In my experience of ten loans, I have not had a single penny of loans defaulted on.
The money usually comes back in fits and starts… I was repaid $8.82 in August, $14.99 in September, and $12.12 in October… which meant I had enough money ($25) to make another loan.
I have also given Kiva credit to others as Gifts for Christmas and Birthdays.
When I go onto my Profile page on the Kiva website, I can see the various loans I have made, and their repayment status.
3 loans to Peruvian ladies who wanted to start stores are 100% repaid, as is the loan to a Nicaraguan lady who was starting a Pharmacy.
A young mom who started up a beauty salon in Peru is starting to pay her investors back, at 14%.
Two different groups, starting up food distribution networks in the country of Burundi, have almost reached the half way point in their repayment plans.
And Gladis, who, a few days after my portion was loaned, achieved the full sponsorship, and will be getting the money shortly, so they can begin implementing her business plan.
There are others, but that is part of the fun.
Pick a man or woman. (We almost always pick women entrepreneurs) Pick any country in the world, or choose specifically. Choose an industry. Choose whether you want to support a group, or an individual. There are lots of options, if you choose to be specific… or, you can just pick one of the 1213 current loan requests at random.
Each loan request is “vetted” by a recognized Kiva Field Partner, to ensure that the request is a legitimate enterprise, and structured with a sound business plan.
Currently I have a little over $120 loaned out to 6 people… So, as an individual, I don’t even make a dent.
Collectively, as of November 2009, the Kiva Community had facilitated over $100 Million in loans.
That is the power of the many.
Here are the Kiva Beliefs:
- People are by nature generous, and will help others if given the opportunity to do so in a transparent, accountable way.
- The poor are highly motivated and can be very successful when given an opportunity.
- By connecting people we can create relationships beyond financial transactions, and build a global community expressing support and encouragement of one another.
Kiva promotes:
- Dignity: Kiva encourages partnership relationships as opposed to benefactor relationships. Partnership relationships are characterized by mutual dignity and respect.
- Accountability: Loans encourage more accountability than donations where repayment is not expected.
- Transparency: The Kiva website is an open platform where communication can flow freely around the world.
I think it is SO cool, that by loaning someone $25, you can help them start a better life.
Once they have had success, they pay you back, and you can help someone else.
It is a hand up… not a hand out!
And, to me, it is BRILLIANT!!!
Sentence Structure: Bad & Uneven Writing In Our Courts…
I’ve been dreading writing this post.
In the last while, there have been a number of high profile cases where BC Provincial Judges have handed down sentences for drinking and driving offences, where the drivers have caused the death of individuals.
I am neither an expert in jurisprudence… nor a Legal Eagle.
Just a guy with a keyboard and a Blog, who was struck by a comment overheard on the radio, earlier this week.
It was a pundit, talking about the 0.05 alcohol threshold, and summing up the “re-interpretation” of the drinking law, saying that laws should not be made, or levied, in response to either an individual case or public pressure.
And this is where I have struck a legal hairball.
Earlier this week, the Court made an example of Shawn Woodward, who was approached in a bar by Ritch Dowrey, with an offer of buying him a drink. It ended with Woodward sucker punching Dowrey, who slipped, fell, hit his head, and now has an apparently permanent brain injury. Because of his objection to another man believing he was gay. and some slurs thrown around after the altercation, this was labelled as a hate crime.
I think perhaps the litmus test for a hate crime designation should be an established pattern of behaviour.
Not an ill thought action, in a bar, by probably drunk people, who are hopped on adrenalin.
But bars are where many poor decisions are made.
Carol Berner drove her car after drinking some wine, and killed Alexa Middelaer, and injured her aunt Daphne Johanson.
Darnell Pratt ran over and dragged Grant De Patie to death, underneath a car.
Paul Wettlaufer was drunk when he ran over Carley Regan, and drove away.
Three high profile cases, where people made decisions, while impaired.
I can’t reconcile an assault, even with unfortunate catastrophic consequences getting a six year sentence… with a drunk driver killing another person, and getting 2.5 years. Less jail time, for what I consider a “worse” crime.
It appears to me, as an outsider, that the invocation of the hate crime rule allows for special punishment to be meted out.
I believe that all punishment (except for that delivered under the Dangerous Offender designation) should be doled out in consideration of the circumstances, and the consequences.
Therefore, I’d like to call upon the Governments… (both Provincial and Federal) …to get their legal ducks in a row, and make sure that punishments are more of an ordeal for the convicted, than the victims families. I think it would be a good idea if the sentence lasted longer than the trial. And, I’d like to think that there was a constant and steady measure of justice enacted with each sentence… so that a chronic offender gets dealt with differently than a first time offender, and a murderer gets more time than any other offense.
I’m not defending the assault, or saying I know better.
I just think that when you look at penalties assessed for different crimes, I would like to think that killing another human is by far the most severe crime, and deserving of the greatest punishment. Everything else SHOULD work back from there.
Halloween in Pitt Meadows…
Hallowe’en is the “event” Holiday, that we look forward to all year.
Lorie and I don’t have kids, but we start to get excited in the weeks leading up to October 31st.
Our neighbourhood is (IMHO) pretty cool, with more houses participating than not.
For years, it has never worked out that we could take pictures and “talk” about what we do… but with the date falling on a Sunday, we and many of our neighbours took the opportunity to set up on Saturday… rather than the traditional try to get it all done before the first Trick or Treater arrives !!!
The basis of the decor starts with a machine which we got a few years ago… which makes a light flicker, based on the amount of noise. So we have this machine, along with a CD Player, blasting spooky Hallowe’en sounds out an upper window, and lights strung all through our house, and into the garden, so the whole House flickers.
The porch is draped in tattered curtains, which Lorie made out of cheese cloth which she tea stained, spray painted and lovingly slashed into spooky tattered shreds.
Next we hang pumpkin lights,blinking peeper eyeballs, bats and assorted other Hallowe’en lights.
Gravestones, screaming heads, skulls and ghosts hang in the garden adjacent to the stairs, behind a mist of fog from the fog machines. Caution tape keeps the faint of heart at bay.
In the bushes, an old geezer (mannequin) with ax in hand, lurks to startle the child absorbed in counting their candy…
All around the neighbourhood, folks put similar effort into their Hallowe’en decor… some going the Scary Clown/Ghoul route… and others going the way of kid friendly inflatable Pumpkins and Ghosts.
Hope everyone has a great night !!!
Eat… drink… and be scary !!!
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