Every single weekend when we get back from our seasonal site on Sunday night, I feel like my legs are on fire from all the walking, biking, hiking, swimming and assorted heavy lifting I’ve done over the weekend (and no, I’m not just counting all the beer cans I’ve lifted to my mouth as “heavy lifting”.) 🙂
This weekend I added to my pain by using a foot pump to fill a pool we’d bought after realising that the plug-in charger we brought wasn’t actually charged but needed to be for a few hours before it could be used.
With a couple melting kids waiting to try their new pool, waiting for that plug-in charger to be ready was definitely not an option!
Anyhow, above is a picture of Shea as she went with my parents to pick up our rPod three summers ago in Davidson, halfway between Saskatoon (where the owner lived) and Regina (where we live.)
I think I’ve told the story of how we came to buy our rPod before so won’t rehash here. But I’d go so far as to say it’s one of the best purchases we’ve ever made!
The Trump Campaign (and now Administration) has been and continues to be a street called Crazy with a shop called Crazy that serves a menu full of Crazy with a specialty of Crazy with Crazy on top.
I briefly thought about writing a post where I ranked the four candidates but instead, I thought I’d give a quick review from my somewhat uninformed perspective (which I suspect is similar to many NDP members who are sorta kinda paying attention but not following it like the hardcore politicos):
Charlie Angus – “Got Your Back” Greatest Strength: I think he’s got the best connection to working class, blue collar voters.  It’s also cool that he was in a punk band which speaks to a certain authenticity as well. Greatest Weakness: Some have said his French is the weakest of the four but given that I dropped out of French in grade eight, I wouldn’t know about that. 😉 Bernie Sanders Influence: Most resembles a dishevelled old activist that kids will find cool.
Guy Caron – “Let’s Build a Progressive and Sustainable Economy” Greatest Strength: I’m really intrigued by his Basic Income proposal. Is only candidate from Quebec if you believe that’s crucial to electoral success. Greatest Weakness: Possibly the most generic of the four candidates with no unique “hook” to set him apart? Bernie Sanders Influence:Â Candidate most focused on economic inequality as an overriding issue in society.
Jagmeet Singh – “With Love and Courage” Greatest Strength: Easily the most intriguing serious leadership candidate for any political party in recent memory.  The only candidate who could out-flank Justin Trudeau’s hip, metrosexual persona. Greatest Weakness: Perhaps lack of experience in federal politics (although that didn’t hurt Jack Layton when he became leader) or perception that his campaign has made some unforced errors and not been as professional as you’d expect at this level? Bernie Sanders Influence: Candidate who is part of a minority group (Sanders is Jewish, Singh is Sikh) but trying not to make a big deal about it.
It presents a lot of interesting questions – how far does the library’s commitment to equity of access go? Â How should libraries respond to people who commit crimes such as using illegal drugs on library property? Â What about less serious crimes like public intoxication or uttering threats? Â What sort of training do staff receive about identifying/responding to people with addictions issues and/or de-escalating serious situations? Â What sort of training should they receive? Â Where is the line between allowing people who may be intoxicated or otherwise under the influence into the library versus other people’s right to use and enjoy the library? Â What sort of security measures are in place to protect library patrons and staff? Â Is there a role for other professionals or authority figures such as social workers, addictions councillors, or Indigenous elders in responding to these issues when they do occur?
Is there any musician that defines Canada more than Stompin’ Tom? Â And is there a better song to post on this long weekend of Canada’s 150th Anniversary?