23-08-14

Too often well-intentioned people leap before they look. Just weeks ago the provincial government announced a major program to supply air conditioners for low-income people in rental units. That was the good intention, but they could not deliver.

The money was there, but there were immediate hurdles, including landlords who own those properties, legal considerations and of course the bureaucratic entanglement of delivering within a few days.

Now that we’re nearing the end of the heat cycle, are they still going to install them regardless of need? Or will the politicians simply accept that they tried and that should be enough to molify voters?

It may be my jaded cynicism, but we’re all being played like a cheap fiddle. The White House announced early Monday that President Joe Biden had gone on a secret trip to Ukraine. Well, not so secret, they called Vladimir Putin to let him know so that he would not have bombs bursting in air.

And lo and behold, there was no military action but a great photo op as Biden strode into public, on cue, air raid sirens immediately wailed to enhance the drama.There was no air raid, and U.S. media who were along for the ride immediately waxed eloquent about Biden braving a war zone. Ho hum.

Phone and internet scams and frauds have caught our attention but now comes word where many of them originate. A U.S. report says many are coming from inside prison walls where inmates use cell phones to spread their misery to the outside world. Some states have scrambled cell phone signals but activists have launched court challenges that the prisoners’ rights are being violated.

And technology now goes even further where prisoners establish inter-prison networks to communicate with inmates in other prisons.

23/02/22

Where else but in Saskatchewan would hundreds of local folks jam into the arena in Maple Creek to watch cowboys face off against their Cree neighbours in a charity hockey game – the "Battle of the Little Big Puck?" The game is an annual tradition, having started in 1979.

In the third period, players trade their hockey gear for traditional wear. The Cree players wear feather headdresses, animal hide and face paint while the cowboys play in chaps, cowboy hats, plaid shirts and even spurs. The referees are RCMP officers in red serge. Naturally their mayor is Metis, ensuring neutrality.

Nekaneet Chief Alvin Francis says outsiders may raise an eyebrow at the teams calling themselves "Cowboys and Indians," but he believes people who learn about the community come to realize it's about mutual respect, unity and friendship. BUZZ HERE

23/02/21

Phone and internet scams and frauds have caught our attention but now comes word where many of them originate. A U.S. report says many are coming from inside prison walls where inmates use cell phones to spread their misery to the outside world. Some states have scrambled cell phone signals but activists have launched court challenges that the prisoners’ rights are being violated.

And technology now goes even further where prisoners establish inter-prison networks to communicate with inmates in other prisons.

23/02/20

It may be my jaded cynicism, but we’re all being played like a cheap fiddle. The White House announced early Monday that President Joe Biden had gone on a secret trip to Ukraine. Well, not so secret, they called Vladimir Putin to let him know so that he would not have bombs bursting in air.

And lo and behold, there was no military action but a great photo op as Biden strode into public, on cue, air raid sirens immediately wailed to enhance the drama.There was no air raid, and U.S. media who were along for the ride immediately waxed eloquent about Biden braving a war zone. Ho hum.

23/02/18

Our provincial government wants to know about seniors and what they think. The province has put out a call for interviewers to go into long-term care facilities to listen to the stories of seniors. 

Government spends tons of money on paid pollsters. Why is it that when it comes to seniors they want volunteers? What happened to the philosophy of everyone being fairly compensated for their labour?