Pic of the Past
TEAM WORK -- The Okotoks Fire Department team of W. Wilde, N. Foster, W. Edwards and J. Wilson compete in a hose coupling competition in High River in 1964.
photo courtesy of the Town of Okotoks Museum and Archives
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Column -
No such thing as the Brady Bunch
By John Barlow
Editor
I remember vividly walking home from the school bus each afternoon and walking through the front door to be welcomed by mom’s record player blaring Elvis Presley’s C.C. Rider (if she was vacuuming) or some Bee Gees or Boney M (if she was cooking).
Dinner was always on the stove, in the oven or in the Amana Radar-range which looked more like it belonged on the space shuttle than in a kitchen. Every night myself, my parents and my two brothers would sit down to dinner and it was always a full blown banquet.
Although those full meal deals did not help my waist size as a kid, it was an excellent bonding time for the family and dinner was a special time in our house.
How times have changed.
Last Thursday my wife and our three children sat down for dinner and it did not take long before we were all laughing, trading jibes and passing the potatoes.
There was no fighting, no squabbling, no television blaring or computer beeping.
I sat back and tried to remember the last time we all sat down to dinner together. Embarrassingly, I could not remember it had been so long ago. Why?
Then I thought about at our weekly schedule. Monday: hockey practice, volleyball practice, dad’s work. Tuesday: dance. Wednesday: hockey practice. Thursday: dance, volleyball practice, dad’s hockey. Friday: son’s hockey game. Saturday: son’s hockey game, daughter’s volleyball tournament. Sunday: son’s hockey game, daughter’s volleyball tournament, dad’s hockey game. Whew.
How can we ever have dinner together with a schedule like that? Now it is peanut butter sandwiches or granola bars as we run out the door. Looking at our grab-and-go diets I am surprised more of us don’t come down with scurvy. Oh yeah, fun fruits protect us from that. Thank goodness for that 10 per cent real juice.
It seems everyone is trying to juggle a busy life.
I am not naive, I know times have changed.
It was easy to get us all together for dinner when I was a kid — there was nothing else to do. Watch the Western lottery telecast with Don Whitman? With two channels if it wasn’t M.A.S.H. or Wonderful World of Disney I wasn’t interested. Whereas, my kids have 49 channels to choose from. We did not have so much as an Atari let alone Playstation, Facebook or iPods.
On Friday night my nine-year-old daughter started grilling me about what I had when I was a kid.
“Did you have cell phones?”
“Nope.”
Tee hee.
“Did you have computers?”
“No.”
More giggles.
“Did you have cartoons?”
“Only on Saturday mornings.”
Bent over in uncontrollable mockery.
Well, it is true we did not have any of those things, but two things we did seem to have was time and each other.
Time to curl up on the black vinyl couch with mom and an afghan or lie down on the tacky red shag carpet with dad and play Battleship.
Time to be together.
How have things changed so drastically so quickly?
Have we put so much focus on trying to live life to its fullest we have forgotten the simple things are often the best things? Have we tried so hard to ensure our children have every trinket, toy and gadget that we have forgotten how much we laughed at Pop-up Trouble? Have we forgotten how much fun movie nights can be? How special was it when dad brought home a mitt full of Betamax movies and a six-pack of pic-a-pop?
Those were good times, but listen to me — there is no such family as the Brady Bunch.
We are not bad parents trying to provide our family with every opportunity to get the most out of life. I want my kids to be involved in sports, school and friends. I want my wife and I to have an occasional date night.
What we do have to do is cherish those moments when our schedules do intersect, savour those times when we can be together.
With a quiet afternoon on Sunday (the teenagers were out of the house) I took my youngest skating at the rec centre. She staggered across the ice like a new born doe, counting how many times she fell and laughing the entire time. Then, out of nowhere, she grabbed my hand and with those Bambi eyes looked up and said, “I sure love spending time with you.”
True, they may not happen every day, but those are moments that I will simply never forget.
Honest Ed now King Eddie
Prior to Monday’s election Premier Ed Stelmach was running on a platform of change.
After winning 72 of 83 seats in the Legislature on Monday the slogan for Stelmach’s new government could be “I hate to say I told you so.”
Few analysts would have predicted the Stelmach-led Progressive Conservatives would grab more than the 64 seats they had in this election. No one could have predicted the overwhelming majority that took form as the election results rolled in Monday night.
Monday’s election results did not only show resounding support for the Tories, but for Stelmach’s controversial oil and gas royalty framework.
When it was announced late last year it was roundly criticized, but Albertans were adamant Monday Stelmach made what they believe is the right decision.
“This is telling us the premier got the royalty regime close to right,” said Highwood MLA George Groeneveld, who was re-elected on Monday. “We have some oil guys who are still upset, but the general public is happy with it.”
Now Steady Eddie has taken his place among the Tory elite which includes King Ralph and Peter the Great.
Stelmach will not have much time to bask in his glory. Although Albertans showed their support for the royalty regime, they are still waiting for concrete plans to address health care, infrastructure, affordable housing, oil sands development and environmental stewardship.
While Stelmach plows ahead, his opponents in Monday’s election will be rethinking their strategy. The opposition was astonishingly inept and unprepared for this election — it appears as though they mailed this one in.
The Liberals will likely be looking for a new leader and the New Democrats are defunct. In four years the Tories may get more of a challenge from the Greens and Wild Rose Alliance
Letters to the Editor -
Pound Rescue is a community charity worth saving
Dear Editor,
We have read with great concern the potential problems for the Pound Rescue in its present location. We believe in its work and are convinced that it must continue.
Mahatma Gandhi said, “A society is measured by how it treats its weakest members.” The animals for which Pound Rescue cares are surely among the weakest members of Okotoks. This case gives us the opportunity to see how we measure up. Are we going to enable the caring ministry of Pound Rescue to continue or are we going to put blocks in its path that will make this impossible?
In the Feb. 27 newspaper, a person suggested that the Pound Rescue could move into the old town building in the industrial park. If this or another suitable building were donated, that would indeed be a wonderful solution. But if there is no donated building, with the price of real estate in Okotoks, there is scant hope that Pound Rescue could raise enough funds for a non-residential property. It is simply not reasonable or honest to say that we support the ministry of Pound Rescue, but believe it should purchase or rent a non-residential building. That is like saying we support an eagle’s desire to fly after we have strapped a one tonne weight to its back.
But is it reasonable and honest to suggest that Pound Rescue can continue in its residential location? We believe it is. In this, we are not alone. This was the clear view expressed at the non-statutory public hearing on this topic in Jan. 16, 2006. It obviously makes no more sense to complain that a facility dedicated to the care of dogs and cats has barking and smell than it does to complain that a shelter for mothers and children has babies crying and a toy-strewn yard. The whole question is one of degree. There are limits to the noise and the smell that a neighbour can endure. We would argue, however, that the neighbour of this ministry should be willing to put up with a significant degree of inconvenience for the sake of the animals receiving care. We can only say that our family would be honoured to make such a sacrifice if the Pound Rescue were located next to us.
Gail Munro and
Fergus Tyson
Okotoks
Speed bumps will address speeding
Dear Editor,
Re: Crack down on speeders
I have lived in Okotoks just one and a half years and, like Karen Brace (“Crack down on speeders” Western Wheel Feb. 13), have seen several drivers not only speed through a posted school zone (at Dr. Morris Gibson School), but also run through the four-way stop signs. But there is a cheaper, effective alternative to using municipal officers to slow traffic in school zones and residential areas.
Raised crosswalks and speed humps are more effective in reducing vehicle speeds. Data collected worldwide by Insurance Company of British Columbia (ICBC) in 1997, found that the installation of speed humps reduced motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) by an average of 75 per cent.
Speed humps (not the smaller, ineffective speed bumps) are designed to limit specific maximum speeds. They are comfortable for drivers travelling at the intended speed, but become increasingly uncomfortable for drivers travelling at increasingly higher speeds. Speed humps not only reduce speed, but also enhance pedestrian safety, improve livability along neighbourhood streets and reduce MVAs.
If Okotoks installed speed humps in the school zones, it would free up our municipal and RCMP officers to tend to other roads (saving the town money over the long run), reduce speeders in areas where our children are vulnerable and keep our children safe.
Carolyn Lindsay
Okotoks |
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Alberta voters stays true to the Tory blue
?A week ago I was at a dinner meeting and afterwards we all decided to pick the number of seats we felt the Conservatives would have after the election.
The choices ranged from 44 to 57 seats until a fellow sat down who is quite involved with the party. He guessed 67 seats and we all laughed and reminded him that was more than they have now. Guess what? He who laughs last wins and even this Tory insider will be surprised to see 72 seats with a recount or two yet to happen.
This number is only two from the record number of 74 that Ralph Klein once got when he stood up and said, “Welcome to Ralph’s World.”
King Ralph has now officially turned the crown over to steady Eddie and Premier Ed Stelmach can now forget about being compared to Ralph. Monday evening Ed became King Eddie and now has one tough job ahead of him. I would not like the job of picking the next cabinet and trying to keep all candidates happy.
The NDP are pretty much dead in Alberta with only two seats and have lost their official status. The Liberals will need to re-build with a new leader after losing close to half their seats to the Conservatives. Steady Eddie can now relax and do the things he feels are best for Albertans. If the Tories win one more time in four years they will break the longest span one party has ruled in Canada.
Congratulations to both George Groeneveld and Ted Morton for their huge wins in their ridings in our readership area. Expect both to have cabinet positions in the new government. Also, congratulations to rookie MLA Cal Dallas who won Red Deer south. He is a personal friend and past newspaper publisher.
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Just to let you know my opinion on the Town of Okotoks council salary increases. I have felt for a couple years now that the salaries are too low for the work expected and the amount of activity going on in our town. The mayor got the largest increase and based on the amount of time he puts in he is still a real bargain. Fortunately for us Mayor Bill is retired and can spend six to eight hours per day on the job. It really has become a fulltime position and it would be unfair for anyone to take on the position with a fulltime commitment to another employer. I hope before the next election we make the Mayor’s job fulltime. |
War in South America
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?Something strange happens to the roads in eastern Colombia. As you near the Venezuelan border, you suddenly come across long, dead-straight stretches that are about eight lanes wide. They are, of course, emergency air-strips for the Colombian air force to use in the event of a war with Venezuela, and they date back to a period long before the current crisis between the two countries. But they are still there, and the topic is on the table again.
It’s hard to know how seriously to take Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s threats of war with Colombia, because he often talks like that.
Speaking on his weekly television show, Chavez denounced last weekend’s Colombian military incursion into Ecuador.
“This could be the start of a war in South America,” he warned, addressing Colombian president Alvaro Uribe. “If it occurs to you to do this in Venezuela, President Uribe, I’ll send some Sukhois.” (Russian warplanes recently bought by Venezuela).
Then, intoxicated by his own rhetoric, Chavez upped the ante: “Mr. Defense Minister, move 10 battalions to the border with Colombia for me, immediately — tank battalions. Deploy the air force. We don’t want war, but we aren’t going to permit the Empire (his term for the United States)... to divide and weaken us.”
All very exciting stuff, but can he be serious? There hasn’t been a war between South American countries in over 80 years.
The trigger for this crisis was a Colombian raid early Saturday that killed Raul Reyes, the second-in-command of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), and 16 of his companions. It was an important success in Alvaro Uribe’s long war against the Marxist guerilla army, but there was one little problem: it all happened on the far side of Colombia’s border with Ecuador.
Colombia initially apologized, explaining that its troops had come under fire from the FARC band, but it later became clear that Reyes and his men had been betrayed by a spy and killed in their sleep. The border violation was deliberate and premeditated. Two friendly governments might still have smoothed the matter over — after all, if Ecuador was policing its border properly there should not have been any FARC troops in its territory, and besides no Ecuadorians were hurt in the operation — but these are not friendly governments.
Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa, like Venezuela’s Chavez, is one of the “new left” leaders of South America, whereas Alvaro Uribe is a conservative leader with close US ties. Both Correa, whose country borders Colombia on the south, and Chavez, whose country borders it on the east, essentially see FARC as a legitimate contender for power in Colombia.
Chavez even eulogized Raul Reyes as a “good revolutionary” and condemned his “cowardly murder” by the Colombian army.
Uribe (whose father was killed by FARC in a bungled kidnap attempt) has gradually been winning his war against the guerilla organization: numbers of commanders have been killed or captured, and there is now a steady flow of defectors. Nothing could be better for Colombia than an end to this crippling five-decade insurgency whose leaders still spout the antique Marxist rhetoric of the 1960s. But, both Chavez and Correa see FARC as a friendly force.
The Colombians have long suspected that Chavez allows FARC units to rest and re-train on Venezuelan soil. Correa has only been in power for little over a year, but the Colombian army claims to have found a letter from Reyes to the FARC high command in the dead man’s hard drive in which he recounts his discussions with the Ecuadorian security minister about establishing a permanent link with Correa’s government.
So the Colombian government suspects both its neighbours of aiding and abetting FARC, and it may well be right. Venezuela and Ecuador fear that the recent Colombian incursion into the latter’s territory to kill FARC fighters may be only the first of many, and they also worry that the United States is encouraging such attacks as a way to destabilize these two leftist governments. They, too, may be right.
Given these concerns and calculations, the apparent over-reaction of Chavez and Correa — Ecuador has also dispatched troops to the Colombian border, and both countries have expelled their Colombian ambassadors — may be quite rational. They may be trying to overstretch the Colombian army and give it a two-front problem, in order to protect their FARC friends and deter any further cross-border operations by the Colombians.
But they’d never actually go to war, would they? It still seems very unlikely, in particular because the far more experienced Colombian army would dismantle any forces the Ecuadorians sent against it in a matter of days. Venezuela and Colombia are more evenly matched, and for that very reason it would not be in either government’s interest to have a war: neither side would win.
So that’s settled, then. Except that I keep remembering those emergency airstrips on the roads. Even long before Uribe and Chavez came to power, somebody thought that a war between Colombia and Venezuela was likely enough that they spent all that money preparing for it.
Correction
In a letter to the editor by Mildred Nelson of High River entitled “Premier Stelmach brings needed change from within” that was published Feb. 20 there was an error.
It was stated in the letter that was published, “Politicians need direction from voters between elections. If their main incomes comes from vested interests or self-serving cronies, an administration will inevitably go downhill.”
However, the statement was intended to read, “Politicians need direction from voters between elections. If their main input comes from vested interests or self-serving cronies, an administration will inevitably go downhill.”
We apologize for this error and any damage it may have caused.
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