Awe

CBC cutting 244 jobs across the country

Too bad. So sad.

Heavy, Heavy Sigh

Young child abandoned at Surrey bus stop; police looking for parents

You can bet if his parents care about him, they'd be desperately searching for him, too. God help that little fellow.

A Feel-Good Story...

...for a sappy person like me:

"Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.

One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs.

His bed was next to the room's only window.

The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.

The men talked for hours on end.

They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on
vacation..

Every afternoon, when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.

Although the other man could not hear the band -he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days, weeks and months passed.One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep.

She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window.The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window besides the bed.

It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.

The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.'

Good Lessons

Once again, from Facebook:

:-[

The hippymobile is no more.

Back To The Alberta Floods

I heard on the radio this afternoon that scuba diving rescue workers were searching for bodies inside some of the inundated buildings in Calgary. They hadn't found any drowned people, but they have found many dead pets. :(

That Explains a Lot

Alzheimer's Disease: Exercise May Reduce 'Senior Moments'

I sit in front of this little boob-tube waaaay too much, and I suffer from "Senior Moments" all the time. Just walking from one room to another is enough to erase the gray cells that contain the purpose of my entering the room. I've taken to writing things down when I think of them, and taking the little scraps of paper with me when I wander into another room. Until now, though, I thought there must be some sort of force field that erases memory as one passes through a doorway.

I suppose I should take heart that global warming isn't being blamed. I'm sure there's a grant somewhere, for the taking, for anyone who can design and conduct research that finds a link.

I also suppose I should be grateful old age is still associated with treachery.

Tears In My Eyes...

...again:

A story of life's lessons learned late in life, too late for some things, but not too late for the learning in the retelling and reminiscing.

Funny how that is. Yet so common.

Read the comments, too.  Although this is not truly a story about brokenness, it reminds me of the words of Ernest Hemingway:

"The world breaks everyone. But afterwards many are strong at the broken places."

What it is, is a story of what we may not learn at the time events in our lives take place, but what, nonetheless, remains to teach us when we are ready for the learning.  Or, more plainly, just an old fashioned youthful love story with some missing bits filled in much, much later. Poignant. Sweet. Universal.

Oh. How Sad!

Loyal dog braves highway to remain by fatally struck dog's side

Wanna Know My Opinion?

Well, you're going to get it anyway. I think Terri-Lynne McClintic did not kill Tori Stafford. She's a variant of Karla Homolka.

Nevertheless, I believe she should be locked up for good.

Graham James Gets...

...two years. (Updates from SunTV below) Not two years less a day, as is often the case, but two full years. The significance of that is that two full years is a Federal pen sentence. One day less, he'd be heading to a provincial pen, where all the petty thieves and whatnot go.

Two years means he has to spend seven hundred and thirty days with hardcore criminals. I hope his new bunk mates take care of things - every - single - one - of - those - days - for him (if you know what I mean).

Read Greg Gilhooly's victim's impact statement. Frankly, I don't think two years is enough. Perhaps two years for each of his victims, but not two years total.

UPDATE: The truth from one of his victims:



And another:



Sun TV has lots of videos reacting to this verdict.

Hey!!

Are you a depressive sort of person? Do you enjoy being depressed? Wanna spend three hours being really depressed. Just watch this three part TVO series (perhaps originally British) about a serial killer murdering young drug addicted prostitutes in Ipswich, England. If your not sniffing and wiping your eyes while you're watching this, there's something wrong with your heart.

Now, go hug your daughters.

If It Was As Cold...

...as it was here last night, that man is probably dead.

Man, He Was Just Hungry!

You can't get fresh fruits and vegetables this time of year in the Alaskan wilderness:

And he's just a baby!

It's gotta be Harper's fault. Or maybe Bush's.

Conundrum

Without them, how am I gonna prove they could be mine?

BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!

May calls exclusion from debate 'dark day' for Canada

The headline says it all. What a loser!!

A Bad Day for the Little Ones

Boy, 4, dies in four-car pileup

Twelve-year-old Newfoundland boy improving after being shot in hip

Newborn in critical condition after mother attacked

Child pinned between train and platform dies

And baby belugas, and pigs, too!

The world is a sorry messed up place.