A Few Things

  A few things came to my attention today that I wanted to share with you. All are happy, to me anyway. Positivity is the theme of the day most days recently.

  Julian Fellows is writing a Downton Abbey movie! Now he is pretty quiet about its story line but I relish the chance to see what Carson and Elsie are up to. Were Edith and Bertie able to keep Marigold's secret? Did Mrs.Pattmore start a romance with Mr. Mason? And did Tom find someone to share his life with? 

  There is also talk that maybe it's a prequel! Taking all the characters we know and love and showing us their first days at Downton would be fun. Seeing the Dowager Countess in charge of the Abbey. Watching Robert and Cora marry and then fall in love. It's a fan's dream! Fingers crossed this comes to be.

  Canada's 150th birthday is just two days away and the police are doing everything in their power to make sure it is a safe one if you are going to Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Those of us who live here are working around road closures and massive delays but I believe it is worth it to ensure people's safety. 

  Prince Charles and his wife Camilla are stopping by to celebrate. As are the fabulous Bono and the Edge. While we are happy to have them party with us, especially Bono after saying how "the world needs more Canada", they aren't Canadian. Like all birthday boys/girls, we want to celebrate with our friends but we still want to be the center of attention!

  Speaking of Canadians, Michael J. Fox got the Governor Generals Award. A huge honor. The speech he gave was so......Canadian. He thanked everyone. From his family to his first drama coach. It was funny, kind and sweet. Exactly like we imagine Mike to be. Martin Short, who I love love love, got the award as well.

  It's graduation time! Lots of kids ready to move on to the next phase of their lives. Congrats to you all especially Matt, Brennan, and Avery. Get out there and show the world what you are made of. Be fearless in your choices. Experience all that is possible. Discover who you are while remembering where you came from. 

  See...there are still wonderful things going on in the world. We just need to open our eyes to see them.

  Ang

  

100% True

  Most of the world....at least 2 billion of us....are on Facebook. While they have taken a lot of flack recently about "fake news" I saw an article the other day that had a statement so perfect I don't care if it's fake or real. And it doesn't even matter.

  The article was, allegedly, from a mother who posted her son's itemized hospital bill from his most recent heart surgery. I'm not sure what exactly is wrong with his heart but he has had several surgeries and a few more are in his future. The total cost was huge. Hundreds of thousands of dollars.

  Also, she stated they have many specialist visits, prescription drug costs, regular doctor visits and home care. Almost all are covered by their health insurance. But if this new health care bill passes, "Trumpcare", they will lose coverage.

  This statement made me stop in my tracks....the Republican Party is pro-life til the child is born!! Think about that. It is perfection. And 100% true.  Whether you believe the article or not. 

  As a political party, they preach continually about the rights of the fetus. How abortion is murder. How they must fight to protect the health and safety of the unborn. But if that child is born sick...oh well it doesn't have a "right" to healthcare. And I use the word "right" because that's the word the party uses as a reason not to have universal healthcare. 

  Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belguim, Brunei, Canada, Cypres, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Luxemburg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. ALL these countries have universal healthcare. ALL of them.

  If the Republicans don't think this is a good idea they should ask the First Lady's extended family. After all, Slovenia has had it for years. 

  Ang
  

Thank You Teachers!!

  Dear Ms/Mrs./Mr./Mme. (insert any teacher's name here),

                 Thank you!!! Thank you!!! Thank you!!!

  Thank you!!!  For showing my child a whole new world. For opening their eyes to other cultures and histories. For listening to their stories and life experiences. For sharing your life and your wisdom with them. For going over the multiplication tables just one more time. For admiring their use of adjectives instead of focusing on the words spelled wrong. 

  Thank you!!! For holding their hands when they are crying because the ball hit them. For giving them the tools to "work it out" when conflict arises while standing nearby just in case. For boosting their confidence when speaking. For listening to stories about their vacations.

  Thank you!!! For letting them rewrite a failed test. For the countless hours of your time given for extra help. For staying after school to coach the sports teams and organizing clubs. For understanding when a report isn't printed because the family printer doesn't have any ink.

  Thank you!!! For eating lunch at your desk so they finally get that math equation right. For discretely giving your lunch to a student with none of their own. For buying pens, pencils, and supplies for those in need. For ordering books you know a child who isn't an interested reader would love. For understanding not every child has a computer and giving them access to one during school hours.

  Thank you!!! For having as much patience as you do day in day out. For caring whether our children succeed. For praising a B- from a C student. For calling home and talking to parents when marks are going down hill. For sending an email when a mark is on the rise. For allowing extra credit work to a borderline mark.

  A special Thank You to Mme. Roy, Mrs. Frappier, Mrs. Wahler, and Mrs. Als for being such fantastic teachers to Riley! Mme. Seguin, Ms. Jackson, Ms. Felippe....Thank You for helping Alex excel this year.

  To all of you teachers out there...enjoy the summer. You deserve it!!

  Ang

  

#PoorPeople

  If you are a Twitter fan.... thekernicklife @AngelaOttawa.....you  will have seen the #poorpeople everywhere this morning. That you can thank the 45th President of the U.S. for. His comments at a rally last night about how he doesn't want poor people running the government (I'm paraphrasing here) are what has prompted this backlash.

  Except he didn't get any in Iowa last night. Nope, he got cheers, applause, and accolades. Seriously. He did. I guess that's to be expected since it was a venue full of his supporters. But if I was a supporter of any politician who said because I'm not rich I can't do a job, I know I wouldn't be happy about that statement. In fact, I'm 100% positive I wouldn't be jumping to my feet clapping. I would, however, be re-examining my support and doing some serious digging into their policies. 

  How many of the hard working, poor people in Iowa are thinking about changing their support this morning? Not many I imagine. Mr. Trump has said far worse with no repercussions. Why would this statement be any different?

  Trump has sold himself as the  "swamp cleaner" but didn't do anything close to cleaning. Instead, he surrounded himself with rich, white men....and the occasional rich, white woman. Maybe he needs some #poorpeople to come in and give their opinions. Let them explain what the country needs when it comes to health care, tax reform, education, housing, and jobs. 

  When you are worried about paying the next hydro bill, doctor's visit or your child's education your perspective is much different than those of the super-rich.

  That is something you really need to learn from poor people Mr. President!

  Ang

School Driving Safety...AGAIN

  I missed Father's Day....again. In my head, I had these wonderful thoughts on John and the amazing father he is. I had planned to talk about my own dad and how I wish he was still here. And how lucky you are if yours is still alive. But I'll save those for next year.....FYI I said the same thing last year!

  Today though I want to rant about drivers. Not just any drivers. Parents...who drive. Specifically, parents who drive their children to school. I've talked about this issue before but weekly it drives me insane. Insane. 

  Let's start with the easiest one. You can't park on the sidewalk in front of the school. That means don't drive up on it to let your child out. You can't turn off the engine and walk your child over to the fence. You can't leave the drivers and back seat doors open and chat with your child. Why can't you do these things you may ask? Because children are walking on the sidewalk!! Where they are supposed to be! When you park there, even for a few seconds, those children must walk around your car. Sometimes that means stepping out into the road! Use some common sense.

  U-turns. Don't do them in front of the school. Ever. You are not the only vehicle on the street. Yes, yes I know you have to get to work. But there are children, again those damn kids ruining your morning, who are walking or biking. And you seem to absolutely need to make that u-turn in the crosswalk. But hey they aren't your kids so what does it matter if you scare them or worse case scenario.....hit them.

  Speeding in a school zone or residential street during bus pickup times. What possible difference could 15 seconds have on your commute? Let me answer that for you.......NONE! Your children are now safely on the bus so it's ok for you to hit 70 km/hr driving past my house? MY child is trying to walk to his bus. He's not safe from you yet. Guaranteed you would be banging on my door, yelling at me if the roles were reversed. And with no sidewalks on this street, it's even more dangerous.

  There are 7 school days left this year. Let's try something new for those days. Drive into the parking lot or park your car on a side street. Walk with your child to the gate. Walk back to your car. Drive slowly and patiently away. Speed all you want on the highway I don't care. Just stop putting my child's life in jeopardy because you don't want to be late for work, or the gym or whatever the hell you have planned for the morning.

  Maybe we need common sense testing added to the driver's exam.....at least in Ottawa.

  Ang

Free Speech

  Free speech is a wonderful concept. At it's best it is a way to protest against injustice. Or government policies we do not agree with. At it's worst it's to suppress people's individual rights or to express hatred towards a group based on religion, sexual orientation or something else that is none of our business. As much as we may not like what is being said we must all defend the right to say it. Or do we?

  Megyn Kelly, who has a news interview program on NBC, has done an interview with Alex Jones. Mr. Jones is a far-right radio talk show host who is also a well-known conspiracy theorist. What NBC and Ms. Kelly are trying to do is "shine a light" into the mind of this very controversial man. They are saying that if you can expose the absurdity behind the words and ideas, then you can keep people from falling for their rhetoric. Makes sense I suppose. However....

  Alex Jones thinks the Sandy Hook massacre of 20 school children is a hoax.  Brought about by gun control advocates. Twenty children aged 6 and 7. Twenty children. No one, and I mean no one, believes in anything enough to pretend their child has been murdered. And most certainly not twenty families. The idea is ludicrous. 

  The murder of children is condemned by everyone. Giving him an even bigger platform than he has already, almost 650 thousand Twitter followers alone, seems wrong to me. Why? Because it's children. Plain and simple. You don't use children to further your personal agenda. Period.

  The parents of these children have spoken and they don't want this interview aired. As it is they are being harassed by some of Mr. Jones' followers. They are concerned, and rightfully so, that more trouble will come their way, if and when, it makes it on the air. I can't blame them. I'm sure these families will never fully recover from the deaths of their children. They don't need to deal with conspiracy theorists banging on their doors.

  Maybe NBC will pull it. Perhaps it will be seen by millions. Either way, we all need to learn a very valuable lesson from this. There are consequences to everything. Nothing in life is free.

  Not even speech.

  Ang

  
  

Busy Busy Busy

  June is turning out to be an even busier month than May for me. I honestly didn't think that was possible! While I have a few minutes of breathing space let me catch you up.....if I can remember it all.

  Our friend Dan retired from the airforce after 35 years. 35 years! Like all service people, he has helped change the world and made it a better, and safer, place. The sacrifices both he and his family have made for Canada should be honored and celebrated. Enjoy your "free" time Dan! I'm sure there is a to-do list with your name on it somewhere.

  We got a pool! A pool. The kids are beyond excited and even though the heater isn't installed yet, fingers crossed that's today, they have swum the past two days. And come out purple but with huge smiles. It's been a lot of work for us to get the yard ready but in the end, I know it will be worth it. I can picture the lazy days of summer. A book, a beverage, and no fighting children. Bliss.

  The boys' activities have almost finished. Theater, volleyball, and swimming are over. Scouts, hockey, and piano are in the final days til the fall. And let's not forget school. Less than two weeks and they are free to sleep in and I don't have to scramble in the morning for lunches. Lots of free time on the horizon!

  Boy, it doesn't look like I've done much but trust me I've been busier than it looks! Making that backyard pretty was an undertaking in itself. And the car repairs....I almost forgot about those. My bank account didn't though. Life is busy. For all of us. 

  Remember..you woke up breathing or a reason. Take a minute to enjoy today.

  Ang

  

Consequences

  Do you know the name Dani Mathers? She is the ex-playboy model who took the photo of a naked woman in the gym change room and posted it on Snapchat. Well she just got sentenced to 30 days community service and 3 years probation. This seems like a fitting and just punishment for what she did. But it's obvious she learned nothing from her mistake. 

  During an interview, Ms. Mathers said it has "taught me a lot about privacy" and "I've lost a lot of that myself as well".  Ummmm yeah. You took a total stranger's picture, without her consent, showering, and put it on social media. Without one iota of thought to her privacy. You should feel consequences for that.

  But the real damaging thing she has repeatedly said is that she never intended to share it publicly. Just to her friend. With the caption "If I can't unsee this then you can't either". So she really only meant to humiliate this innocent woman to her friend. Not the entire world. Oh that makes it better. No, it does not.

  Dani Mathers is not the victim here. In any way, shape or form. She is, however, a shining example of how some women try to break down other women instead of building them up. And there are too many of those in this world. To me, it says a lot about her character that she needs to feel better about herself by insulting others. 

  Imagine if the pic had of been of this woman in her workout clothes, sweaty and red-faced from exertion. With the caption "Hope this is me at 70 something!" Think how 100% different the story would have been.

  Consequences people. Consequences.

  Ang

LeBron

  If you are a basketball fan you know the name LeBron James. He is one of the greatest players of all time without a doubt....the Cavs being behind 3-0 at the moment aside. He does charity work in and out of the spotlight. Unlike so many top athletes, not much in the way of scandal. But with all his success, awards and good deeds...someone painted racial slurs on the gate of his home.

  Being black in the United States is tough. Anyone who tells you different is lying. No matter how smart, kind or successful you are, there is a portion of the population who believe you are inferior based on the color of your skin. No other reason. They don't know you yet they judge you. And if you are male, well that's two marks against you before you even open your mouth.

  I've stood on the street hailing a cab in NYC and had cars stop for me that whizzed by someone of color ten feet away. Heard clerks in stores in Florida comment negatively on their own customers based on color. I've heard it in restaurants, airports, bathrooms....you name the place chances are I've heard something there.

  But LeBron James? That truly shows you just how deep-seeded it is. Had the criminal written, "Cavs suck" or something similar, I could say that it was sports fan related. But that's not was written and it certainly had nothing to do with basketball. Skin color plain and simple.

  I'm not sure how people get this way. How they come to a point where they hate a person based on the one thing that cannot be changed. I know it's learned but wouldn't you think people would "unlearn it" when they grew up?

  The world we live in is crazy. There are many, many reasons to dislike people. Let their actions be the reason. 

  Not their skin color.

  Ang

That Scary One

  Your body has many ways of warning you that something is wrong. Like those little hairs on the back of your neck. When something is wrong mine stand at attention. They sure did last night and again this morning. And something most certainly is wrong.

  Riley has that cough. If you are a parent you know the exact one I mean. The wheezy, asthmatic one. The one that takes you from a deep sleep to wide awake instantly. That's what he has. Bad.

  He's had it before and the doctor has given him a puffer to help. Usually, it's only at night but this time he is wide awake and it's still there. It's no less scary in daylight I assure you. A trip to the doctor's office is in our immediate future.

  You would never know the child was sick....until you hear it. Hopefully, he will improve some today.  Another day spent lying in bed resting should help him feel better.

  It can't hurt.

  Ang

  

Speechless....Well Maybe Not

  I'm speechless. Truly at a loss for words. Another terrorist attack in Britain. Another comedian crosses a line. Another Trump absurdity. It's deja vu. 

 "Keep calm and carry on" is a famous phrase from the British government in 1939 while preparing for war. That seems to be the motto of the country today. With two attacks in short order, the English people are doing just that. They are going about their business. Fear does not rule their lives. 

  I'm not sure how to stop these attacks. I'm not quite sure why these terrorists feel such hatred. Towards governments, I understand but not innocent civilians. The word disenfranchised comes up often, especially with home-grown terrorists. I only know it's sad. Senseless and sad.

  Another senseless and sad thing is Trump. Picking and choosing other people's words to insult them and question their resolve. Taking a tragedy and spinning it to fit your narrative. How dare you. At a time where your own people are saying how you fully support Britain, you are up late at night tweeting the total opposite. It must be so frustrating and embarrassing to work for you.

  As for Bill Maher.....what can I say? Personally, I can think of only three words in the English language I hate and never, ever use and this is one of them. I am aware of the actual meaning of the word but that's not what people think of when they use it. It's the history behind it that would never allow me to say it. But today I watched Whoopie Goldberg explain that Maher did what a good comedian does when talking about something controversial and used the word to describe himself. It was an interesting point of view considering she is both black and a comedian.

  The day is almost over. We made it through another day. Be thankful you have. Hold your loved ones for an extra second. Kiss your kids goodnight one more time. Eat the cake.

  "Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

  Ang

Is It Hot In Here???

  Where to begin. Sigh...just one day I want to wake up to a world not thrown for a loop by the U.S. leaders uninformed, egotistical decisions. I know it's only been 5 months or so but it's exhausting.

  Climate change. Is it real? Scientists agree it is. Big energy companies do. World leaders including our own PM Trudeau believe it does. Every person I've every spoken to about it does. I do. The only people who don't seem to are Trump advisors, some of his supporters and the man himself. However, he is building a wall...yes another one....to stop his golf course from falling into the sea because of rapid erosion in Scotland. Wonder what he believes is causing that?

  What is mind boggling to me is that the Paris Climate Accord markers are voluntary. If he really was so concerned about job loss or making the middle class pay then the numbers could have been changed without pulling out of something that took years and years and years to agree upon. Simple. Easy. Change your goals. 

  One thing to come out of this is my renewed hope in U.S. business leaders. Bob Iger and Elon Musk have honored their word about leaving the Advisory Council if Trump withdrew from the Paris Accord. It is refreshing to see someone stand up for the country even when it means going against the leader. 

  There isn't a Plan B. We have one planet. We need clean air. We need clean water to drink. We need to work together.

  All 7.347 billion of us!

  Ang
  

  

Opinions

  Expressing an opinion is tricky. There are always folks who will disagree with you and perhaps not very nicely. Allowing people to have their say without name calling or hostility is an adult quality most don't possess. It's most obvious in politics, religion, vaccinations and abortion. 

  Any controversial opinion is met with anger and personal attacks. Don't believe in vaccinations? You are an idiot, stupid, child abuser who should be killed. I read that exact statement last week on a public board. The Liberals ruined Canada. Heard that one the day after the federal election after defeating the Conservatives, who had been in power for 10 years. Neither makes sense. 

  People are passionate about their beliefs. That's a good thing. But it's the reaction to others passion that irks me. Every day I see and hear people disrespect religion. Not just the atheists but religious folks criticizing other faiths. Loudly. Rudely. I don't get it. 

  When I write I try to be respectful. It's a balancing act for me to express my thoughts on an issue while trying to see the other side. Sometimes I'm not successful. Those entries I either rewrite or delete. I'm not willing to ruin perfectly good friendships over a difference of opinion. It's not worth it.

  Stand up for what you believe in. Fight for your rights. Just do it in a respectful manner. Make Dr. King proud.

   Oh and if it's mine you don't like remember.....nothing nasty.

  Ang