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Tim's Tips

For more words of questionable wisdom Tim's Tips Archive 2, Tim's Tips Archive 1

August 31, 2009

Some front yards have been turned into ugly beaches but at the other end of the spectrum we can find some front yards filled with flowers both annuals and perannuals. The stones and rocks lose to the flossoms hands down.(Click on thumb nail to see full size.)

August 28, 2009

An individual's most prized possession is his or her identity. Their family, nationality, ethnicity, culture and religion are the fabric of ones being and without those elements a person will feel lost and without purpose.(Click on thumb nail to see full size.)

August 27, 2009

Perhaps the most difficult thing for humans to do is to endure waiting. We need to have some experience with Jack Rabbits to discover that beeing silent and motionless is a pretty successful strategy. (Click on thumb nail to see full size.)

August 25, 2009

We have become a far to casual society, few if any events are considered special warranting dressing up and making the event an occassion. Consider how you might formalise your life just a bit. Make things important and dress for them. (Click on thumb nail to see full size.)

August 20, 2009

North America was developed with railroads but the illusion of freedom with roads, trucks and private cars has dominated that development and looks doomed perhaps taking the society with it.(Click on thumb nail to see full size.)

August 19, 2009

So often we are faced with a situation that sort of demands we "do something about it." The reality is that our power as an individual or even as a society is far more limited than we would like to think. (Click on thumb nail to see full size.)

August 18, 2009

The first Canadian to fly in this country did not do so until only 100 years ago. Yet we have always known it to be possible. Achieving the impossible is really worth the effort and that's why we need never say "why not." (Click on thumb nail to see full size.)

August 17, 2009

Face with prreditors this Jack has to be ready to take off in a split second. As intelligent beings we need to bring our brains to a similar level of readiness both to survive and achieve our goals in life.(Click on thumb nail to see full size.)

August 14, 2009

Canadians as a whole worry a good deal about being modest. The solution to the problem is a simple one, be yourself, whatever that may be. It is you who must cope with your own unique nature and for others to adjust to what you are.(Click on thumb nail to see full size.)

August 13, 2009

Tisdale "AAA" Midget Trojan season tickets are now on sale, buy before September 19 and you could win this year's tickets free. 22 home games for $90 students $75 and a ten game pass is $50.(Click on thumb nail to see full size.)

August 12, 2009

We don't know if there are ants that rebel against the hard work and lack of cable TV but we know survival depends very much on their collective contribution to the colony. We, like them, are social beings and all the same rules apply. Survival depends upon cooperation. (Click on thumb nail to see full size.)

July 30, 2009

And you thought learned to colour inside the lines wasn't important, the fact is we spend our whole lifes trying to figure out what the boundries are. There are limits on everything and you can achieve a great deal by knowing the limits and establishing your own personal ones..(Click on thumb nail to see full size.)

July 28, 2009

Though we all want to make sense out of the things we see it just isn't always possible. Life is and always will be a mystery filled with the common and the equally unusual. Many things will only make sense to the individual and his or her own perspective.(Click on thumb nail to see full size.)

July 27, 2009

Most of us need and do best by having a partner to fill in for our short-comings and encourage us even when things are going well. Its the way most social beings achieve their individual best when they are working in a partnership.(Click on thumb nail to see full size.)

July 23, 2009

Each and every day take your mind for a walk. Every person of every age needs badly to give their brain a solid work out to maintain top mental fitness. Conversation about abstract issues and reading top list for exercise.(Click on thumb nail to see full size.)

July 22, 2009

Success for a community might be a function of its ability to deal with its past and how it blends into its present. There is a need for us all to be able to accept the past and fit ourselves into the fabric of the present.(Click on thumb nail to see full size.)

July 21, 2009

It is the very nature of people to make the trival serious and the serious trival. Humour is the most complex emotion and its conventions the most age and genre focused of all the behaviours people have to cope with. You either get it or you don't and if you don't is really doesn't matter.(Click on thumb nail to see full size.)

July 20, 2009

In a college music class the professor pointed out that "good music is music that lasts." A powerful but simple statement and there is a good chance that many things we encounter in life may be judged that way. Time may be the most effect measure of the quality of all things. (Click on thumb nail to see full size.)

July 16, 2009

A supper special at Tony Tomas 3510 8th St E
Saskatoon. New York Sirloin strip with salad and baked patato $9.95. Not only is that a good value for a steak but the service was outstanding and the steak done to perfection. (Click on thumb nail to see full size.)

July 13, 2009

When designing the sidewalks and furnishing for downtown Tisdale this type of tree ring was prescribed. (This one at the Forks in Winnipeg) They were not installed because of cost but instead we have shin and door busting brick walls around the trees. In the long run it is always best to do the job right the first time. (Click on thumb nail to see full size.)

July 3, 2009

Don't be afraid of the dark. This picture was taken with ambient light in a Regina back alley July 1st. Brace yourself, turn off the flash and squeeze off the shot. You will be surprised that with picture taking and life itself fear is more lack of experience than the presence of danger. (click image for full size)

June 30, 2009

There is always a lot of talk about the practical and the economical but a much more enduring and important factor in the way things are is their aesthetic appearance and ambiance. If you make something nice it will always be better. (click image for full size)

June 29, 2009

The things that can happen to you as to travel through your time on earth can often seem less than worth while but the smile on your grand daughter's faces even erases all memories of any unpleasantness this is the true meaning of life for which I am truly thankful. (click image for full size)

June 25, 2009

Deep down inside every man there is this remarkable need to have ultimate control over his movement. Nothing seems to fill that need quite as well (at least affordable) as a motocycle. Bikers have a difficult time explaining their passion but it is real. (click image for full size)

June 24, 2009

While taking a fellow's picture the other day the man lamented his full head of hair was turning grey. This he said to a man with little hair left to turn grey. Life is like that if we look only to ourselves we do not realise our puny problems stack up in the real world.

June 23, 2009

After a decade of depression and then a war the 1950s was a time of delicious exess. Music, manufacturing and life itself was an expression of relief and joy contrasted with the two decades before. There was a feeling of open doors and the era brought about the explosion of culture in the 1960s. (click image for full size)

June 22, 2009

Each Sunday from 4:30 to 8:00 Tisdale's Great Wall restaurant serves up an amazing Chinese buffet dinner complete with salades and a huge variety of desserts. They also serve a lunch buffet on Wednesday and Friday. Truly an outstanding meal.

June 19, 2009

We are all happy that women in Canada are treated so much better than so much of the world. But we still have a long way to go. Equal wages for equal work needs to be sorted out here and even today, there is significant discrimination in the work place.

 

June 18, 2009

Courage is about knowing and accepting the danger present but forging ahead to accomplish a difficult task that needs to be done because of the merits of the task which out weigh the inherent dangers involved.Few politicians ever rise to this definition of courage.

June 16, 2009

Everything we encounter seems to have a purpose of some kind. I am convince the reason there are cats is to help us to understand that extreme limitations of our total understanding of anything. Cats are mysterious and we share with them their mysterious lives.

June 15, 2009

There is something a bit creepy about our desire to glorify the past but at the same time alter the past so it sort of fits with our perception of the present.

June 12, 2009

In a time of economic uncertainty as a society we must come to recognise the vital role public education plays and will play in the future of our province and our communities. We need to expand education to first and second year post secondary.

June 11, 2009

This is a blurry picture, unsuitable and unuseable but in this tiny format you are unlikely to see that it is substandard. This is a real problem in a complex world. Intricate issues are all to often simplified to the point that the vital details are eliminated.

June 9, 2009

Many analysists consider the Edsel as one of Ford's biggest mistakes. In reality it was just like so many other things in the human experience. It was simply very bad timing a factor that plagues all of us and we simply have to accept it as part of life.

June 8, 2009

Each year there are far to many accidents involving bicycles and motorcycles and the vast majority of those accidents are not caused by the riders of the two wheelled contraptions. As a driver be on the alert for them and cut them some slack.

June 5, 2009

Sure, lots of things kids do can be dangerous but there is a powerful need to explore and set limits for oneself. Everyone needs to adventure and occassionally screw up.

June 4, 2009

Though we are all trapped in the here and now, we truly can attain transcendence by going beyond what we can reach and see. It is the quest of us all to push back the frontiers of awareness.

June 3, 2009

Deadly to us fat people but you have to admit one of the great achievements of civilisation is the invention of the wonder of summer, Ice Cream.

June 2, 2009

If you are going to own and drive a motor vehicle keep its maintenance right up to the highest standard. Your life and everyone else who shares the road depends on safe vehicles and driving a vehicle with a bent fender or missing bumper tells you that the driver doesn't care.

June 1, 2009

I'll bet they probably don't mean it. Communications is a complex form of human behaviour and remarkable prone to misunderstanding. Most of the trouble you will have in your life relates to communication errors.

May 28, 2009

Transmission voltage is reduced to distribution voltage by a device called a "transformer". In the Si-Fi world the idea of machines converting themselves is the subject of movies but in reality, we have it within our selves to make amazing changes in the way we look at things. Happiness is dependent upon your out look on things you can choose to be happy or not just by transforming your perceptions.

May 27, 2009

Sooner or later everyone of us gets into situations in which we are unable to handle the challenges facing us. That's when we turn to friends and family for support and assistance. In the mean time keep up your end of being a good friend and relative. None us need to face hardship alone.

May 26, 2009

If you want to win friends and influence people turn off the damn cell phone and talk to the people who are there to see you face to face. The urgency of a cell phone call is the most over rated form of communication ever. Deals and agreements are not made on the cell but with people dealing with one another in person and ending in a hand shake.

May 25, 2009

Indeed 50 is not very old, the average Canadian lives to be 80. Canada ranks 10th in the world compared with England at 26 and the US at 30. The Average Canadian man can expect to live to 77 and the average woman 83.6. Americans without universal medical care expect their men to live to be 75 and their women 81.

May 22, 2009

The reason dogs make such excellent pets is because they have for tens of thousands of years come to rely upon humans and in turn humans have come to rely upon their best friend.Let's see if we can accept our close friends no matter what they do and just give them our unqualified loyalty.

May 21, 2009

"Cleanliness is next to Godliness" that doesn't only apply to things close at hand but streets yards and the community in general. In the light of infectious diseases even the churches are paying attention to cleanliness.

May 20, 2009

Humans have the most complex form of communication available to living things and successful human beings exercise their communications skills to the advantage of everyone they meet.

May 19, 2009

This world is in dire need of civility. A little thing like decorating a picnic table in front of a merchant's downtown store or just the smiles and greetings as you meet the citizens of you community everything contributes to making life for all a positive experience.

May 15, 2009

ts the long weekend check your gas gauge and see if you had planned wisely. The price of gasoline went from 85.9 to 91.9 and hirer this morning. The price of crude is stable at $57 a barrel but the petroleum companies feel the need for greed and they will get us all again for July first.

May 14, 2009

No matter how great we think trees are, when it comes to trees in your yard it is inevitable that some trees just have to go. An old or dying tree, or even one that does a disservice to a yard has to be dealt with in the same manner that one deals with a weed.

May 13, 2009

With a limited vocabulary and severely limited control over what happens in life it is only natural for a kid to wail over relatively trivial events. With maturity to we learn that most things aren't as bad as they seem at the time. It is remarkable that the cointinuous news media networks are still in their infantile/toddler stage.

May 12, 2009

This is a neurotic Robin who for reasons only he and his therapist understand smashes himself against windows repeatedly. The funny thing is he is only a bird yet we humans have an incredible capacity to repeat the same mistake over and over.

May 11, 2009

If there is even a hint of a road construction or emergency vehicle that you are approaching on the highway get that speed down to 60kph. No excuses.

May 7, 2009

If you budget, manage, organise or do what ever you do with time, it really doesn't matter because time itself moves relentlessly onward, no matter what you want to, or think you need to do with it.

May 6, 2009

We live in the "texting" age and its time for us all to accept the reality and figure out how this communications tool will make a positive contribution to our society.

May 5, 2009

Pigeons have been getting along with people for thousands of years yet people have such a problem getting along with each other.

May 1, 2009

The most important thing for all living things to be successful is the ability to adapt. Be like a seagull, if you find yourself far from the sea make the best of it.

April 30, 2009

One way or another we are all on a leach of some sort. Some tighter than others but. Drugs like alcohol loosen up the leach and we all know what can happen when things are out of control. A leach is a good thing.

April 29, 2009

A full life is far more than survival it is reaching beyond the accessible in a never ending struggle to try new things and widen the horizons of one's existence.

April 28, 2009

Take it easy with the chemicals you spread around your yard to control weed and pests. Studies show that gardeners are harder on the environment then farmers.

April 27, 2009

Using your hands with gestures is a perfectly normal thing to do. You might find Dr. Goman's comments about this subject informative.

April 24, 2009

When your phone rings and there is no one there it is likely a computer checking to see if your number is active. Quicking hit the "#" six or seven times and the computer will be confused and eliminate your number from its confirmed live list.

April 23, 2009

When you get your next spam phone call just say, " Hold On, Please...", while putting down your phone and walking off instead of hanging-up immediately. Then when you eventually hear the 'beep-beep-beep' tone, you know it's time to go back and hang up your handset, which has efficiently completed its task.

November 30, 2005

The private vehicle almost is the economic and socio-political icon of the past one hundred years. It is destroying the atmosphere depleting the planet/s resources and enslaving each and every owner. Its time to reconsider the importance and part this piece of machinery plays in our culture and economy.

November 23, 2005

So why is a name important? It is the filter through which we perceive our world and no example covers it as well as the little village northwest of Nipawin, everybody needs to be in Love some time.

October 28, 2005

This little picture is really what life is all about. Two people working together facing adversity and raising their child.

October 28, 2005

This week the Department of Highways was fined for the death of 22 year old worker. Few work related injuries or fatalities are not preventable. Rules and safety equipment are part of the work world so wear your hard hat and be happy to work another day.

October 18, 2005

The price of fuel is not going to go down folks. Inflation and ultimately a downturn in the standard of living is inevitable and much of that probllem comes from our reliance on trucks. Railroads haul freight at a fraction of the cost and we have to accept the short sighted fools who allowed railroads to be removed and religated to bulk goods.

October 14, 2005

It all comes down to what is important! As intellectual beings people put more stock in ideas and concepts than in real material objects and so it is that symbols are right up there at the top of human priorities.

October 10, 2005

A black cat crossed my path today and nothing bad happened. That's the way it is with omens, they are quite simply "bunk". Superstitions and the concept of luck are mostly dumb excuses, get over it and move on.

October 6, 2005

Of course exercise could kill you but the lack of it will not only shorten your life it will make much of your life miserable. You don't have to beat yourself up just take a walk about four times a week and you will be adding substantially to the quality of your life.

September 23, 2005

Peaceful co-existense, working together and partners for life. Geese do a much better job of getting along despite a lot of adversity than we humans do and they have brains about the szie of a walnut. You would think with our capability we could learn from these feathered characters and do a better job of our society.

September 20, 2005

A wooden box for a head light holder. One way of dealing with body work. This brings to our attention that a person always has choices they can throw up their hands and do nothing or figure out a simple solution to a problem that they can handle themselves.

September 19, 2005

As surely as the sun will set each day so it is that each of us is mortal. It is through our children and their children that a little bit of us will live on and on.

September 16, 2005

Though Saskatchewan people mostly live in cities there is a crop out there this year that needs to be harvested and the economy of the province will be seriously affected if it is lost or degraded.

September 15, 2005

Across the street from Art's Autobody another aging house has been removed making way for a new dwelling to replace it. The process of recycling the property in a town makes great sense and keeps the neighbourhoods constantly updating.

September 13, 2005

So you think things are tough for you. You can be glad you are not a grasshopper who relies upon drought and dust for good living conditions. This has not been a good year to be a grasshopper.

September 12, 2005

The term "financial prostitution" comes to mind when we see Canadian merhants like Martin Dole flying the flag of a foreign country. A foreign country that economically and politically is outright hostile to our country and its citizens. The American public is not warm and friendly when it comes to their American neighbour as they consider our economy theirs, jobs here taking jobs from their citizens and most of us terrorist bent on blowing up part of their major cities. They elected with a majority their imperialistic and war mongering president. God Bless America.

August 3, 2005

"me too-ness" it really is a bit tedious. I spotted two of these on the back of a Manitoba van Monday, it says "we support our troops". When have Canadians ever not supported our troops. We have a few hundred scattered around the Globe all of the time and they work bloody hard for us but do not send them off on Imperialist war adventures for trumped up excuses. Folks who do need to show support for their troops, with us it is not even a question.

July 21, 2005

The model "T" created its own market was a great product and developed mass production. Yet our society has been unable to move on to newer and greater things as the economy and the lifestyle almost a hundred years later is still worshiping the automobile.

July 20, 2005

After a long hot walk in the desert, never turn down a camel ride Darlene and Candace Shire from Kelliher mouseying along in Jordan.

July 19, 2005

For more than six months of the year we live in a monochrome world where the only colour we see is on television or in a movie theatre. Mrs. Playford's garden makes up for all six months.

July 18, 2005

Many things are hard to do, often seemingly impossible but the right tools and the skill to handle them can make the impossible a minor task.

July 13, 2005

My dad and I would like to recommend the PetroCan restaurant at the intersection of highways #9 and the Transcanada at Whitewood Saskatchewan. The service is entertaining and the food just great. We like the ice cream, "baby sized" cones.

July 7, 2005

If you are in an urban community watch the cars, SUVs, pickups and vans go by and you will be surprised to see how many have only one solitary occupant, with gas approaching a buck mass transit looks good but so do summer solutions like a solo scooter.

June 29, 2005

The people of the United States knowingly elected George W. Bush to a second term and it is they who must accept the responsibility for the woes of their country, economically, socially and the ever confusing state of their self inflicted wound known as Iraq.

June 23, 2005

Most of Saskatchewan's people do not farm or even depend in any way on agriculture. But we must never lose sight of our roots and for this hundred years of this province it has been agriculture that has been what Saskatchewan is all about.

June 22, 2005

If you need some workers or you are a student and need a job, drop by the Student employment Centre in the Tisdale mall and talk to Shannon Classen.

June 21, 2005

The town curbs were painted yesterday. Part of the whole concept of civilisation is the attention to those details that show the members of the society that everyone matters.

June 20, 2005

Many have wondered about the practicality of the upgrade to Tisdale's downtown but today I saw this great example of someone making use of the trees. This gentleman stopped for a rest under this tree, that's what they're for.

June 18, 2005

This ornament rides around on the dash of a vehicle. There seems to be no need to justify his presence being silly is not a sin and could easily be a valued cherished part of life.

June 17, 2005

I am old enough to remember when we did not have street lights in Saskatchewan towns yet today we take public lighting for granted. Lighting, good lighting is one of the marks of civilisation, so much so that lighted highways have only a fraction of the number of accidents as other road ways.

June 16, 2005

Self serve, shopping carts, mass marketing and big box stores. The question remains, is this making our society better? As a kid I did the shopping, I walked across the street handed George McClement mother's shopping list, he put everything in a bag warned me about the eggs and put the whole thing on "our bill". We got our clothes and other goods from Mr. Eaton's catalogue and everything was delivered a few days later on the train. I liked that better.

June 11, 2005

Brent Butt understands the strange phenomena of putting the year and the words "grad" on civil property. I have often wondered if this has a ring of desparation to it, as the graduating group feel they have nothing more to offer than the date they moved on. This one beats me!

June 10, 2005

The power of the human face can never be underestimated. This world famous portrait was shot in 1985 in a refugee camp in Pakistan of a 12 year old Afghan girl by National Geographic photographer Stephen McCurry. The image drew attention to the plight of the people of Afghanistan who had endure continuous war for decades and when interviewed in 2002 this woman said things were better under the Talaban.

June 9, 2005

Among the other beings who inhabit this planet only we humans have to devote so much time to rearing our offspring. Yet as every parent knows, it is just a blink of an eye as infants become babies who become toddlers who learn to say "no" become children and then teenages who need to have responsibility and with that the danger of growing up.

June 1, 2005

They mate for life care for their young with zeal and do not wage war on other members of their species. We humans could learn a lot from geese.

May 31, 2005

Our health care system has become to drug dependent. As we all have become more and more impressed with the power of modern medical science we have come to demand treatments for a lot of things that are better dealt with by other means. Doctors have responded with more and more reliance upon expensive pharmaseuticals and we are all getting into trouble. Go to the doctor when you need to but the fewer medications you take the better it will be for you in the long run.

May 30, 2005

All we need now and then is a little protection. Be it the rain, the wind, unexpected events, what ever comes our way. People are not helpless but they function best when they learn to use and make use of the things that will lessen the harm of the hostile and aggressive.

May 26, 2005

Statistics Canada reported a rise in farm income of between 29% and 34% in 2004. Though that is a positive improvement it is compared to the two previous years when farming was a definite losing proposition. Farmers need a better return on production that's the bottom line.

May 25, 2005

When the sun is shining and we feel safe, life does not seem very complex or even that difficult. Our problem is learning to see things in the sunlight and taking the necessary steps to make sure that we are safe and beyond threat.

May 24, 2005

There seems to be no end to the lengths advertisers will go. These roses are close to thirty feet tall and this past week it was ruled that advertising using huge orbital satellites will not be permitted.

May 20, 2005

In most things we appreciate the fact that design is matched to function. The exceptions are far to numerous but automobile design seems to top the list of design for design sake.

May 18, 2005

Though the vast majority of young people and more than half of the rest of us are quite aware of what it means to be Canadian and understand the dramatic legal and political differences we have from our neighbours. There are significant numbers of mature adults who watch to much television and can not fathom their national identity.

May 17, 2005

The Conservative party was formed out of deceipt and broken promises, yet today those same folks wailed in anguish when one of those who created their little renamed Aberta Separatist party said she had a better offer.

May 13, 2005

That's the problem with so many things, by the time you realise you are getting into trouble you are to close to it to do anything about it.

May 11, 2005

So it says "God made Scotts juat a wee bit better". Researchers into the reason people suffer from addictions of any kind seems to stem from the individual not having a strong awareness of culture, heritage, both ethnic and family. A little pride can go a very long way to being happy.

May 10, 2005

It is traditional to associate Tulips with Holland but this flower originated as a wild flower in Turkey.

May 6, 2005

The car was to small or the furniture to big but this driver was heading down the highway yesterday with the trunk and back door open. Though it looked pretty funny it really shows his determination to work with the resources he has. The moral of the story get the job done and use what you got.

May 5, 2005

Like it or not we all have to share the air that we breathe the waters in our lakes and streams and as being with the capacity to make the biggest mess we have the responsibility to do our best to make sure that air and water are safe.

May 4, 2005

The humble dandelion holds the secret to success in this world. For no matter how hard we try to get rid of them, they return, often the first to grow and definitely the last disappear under the snow.

May 3, 2005

This is a very difficult world to be a kid growing up in and each and every kid needs your support and encouragement. Adults, talk to kids, they need to see the world through their eyes and you are part of their world.

April 30, 2005

"Its the end of April it should be nice spring weather." Sorry that is not the case in the past six years we have had snow, low temperatures and mean cold winds at the end of April. Check our weather log.

April 29, 2005

Difficult tasks are made easier by having and using the right tools but to much is put off or never done because of the excues of not having the perfect tool for the job.

April 28, 2005

It may be cold and cloudy but the air in Tisdale is clean and breathable. We all have to guard and protect the air we breathe.

April 26, 2005

The manifest of liberty, freedom and the pursuit of happiness is one of the most immence mythes of all time.The fear and anxiety created by international terror and America's own government directed terror has made air travel complex and filled with hoops to jump through while offering no real security.

April 25, 2005

My grandfather came to this country to have a good life for himself, his children and grandchildren. After spending a week in the United States I am convinced that his goal was achieved and we need to be on our guard not to let what has been gained be lost as we could easily slip into the poluted world south of the border.

April 15, 2005

Lorne Calvert's government appears to have averted a teachers strike in Saskatchewan. The tentative agreement reached early this afternoon is likely to be accepted by the teachers and will form a solid basis for a good settlement with the nurses. Essentially 2% per year over the three years of the agreement with an inflation clause and help for the group medical plan.

April 12, 2005

Things don't look good, the provincial government's decision not to negotiate a teachers agreement seems set to produce a full scale province wide walk out of the teaching force that could occur late this week or early next.

April 9, 2005

It seems that we expect of ourselves and of others. perfection. How totally absurd, yet amazingly it surprises us when we fail to meet our own expectations, or others appear to be mere humans.

April 8, 2005

In order to complete confederation and support a rail link to British Columbia it was necessary to have a productive population on the plains. The Ukrainians who settled along the CN mainline are responsible for making Canada possible and so it is significant in Saskatchewan's centennial for workers to come from the Ukraine to work here in Tisdale. A new cycle of renewal has begun once more.

April 6, 2005

With only a lmited time for news both television and radio, perhaps even newspapers seem only able to handle one story at a time. The Pope died and as a result earthquakes in the Pacific have stopped, murder in Darfur has ended and the war in Iraq has been posponed.

April 5, 2005

Check your phone bill and you will discover good ole SaskTel is ripping you and me off for $2.95 a month "administration fee" so what's the telephone charge for and why do they need to collect another $35.40 a year from all of us?

April 1, 2005

The inability to reason and consider other points of view almost completely defines the rigid and self serving attitude of those who consider themselves as Conservatives. Successful thinkeres have learned to listen and adapt their opinions based on evidence and cases made based on something other than belief.

March 30, 2005

There are to many deaths on Saskatchewan's highways each year. Let us all do our part by realising the need not to assert our "rights" but to make generous allowances for the deficient driving skills of others.

March 26, 2005

Relying upon superstition and witchcraft are pretty unreliable ways of conducting business or any human behaviour for that matter. Yet goofy beliefs by politicians in economic theory and political rather than research based results in educatioin are the basis for budgetary decisions.

March 22, 2005

I know lawyers get a pretty bad reputation but when it comes to decision making seeking legal council could be the most reasonable expense you could incur. Issues like insurance, warrantees and contracts are not always as cut and dried as they might seem.

March 21, 2005

The devaluing US dollar is going to make American grain and agricultural products significantly cheaper on export markets this fall. A large corn crop could seriously depress world markets.

March 18, 2005

When was the last time you backed things up? Look at the important information that is accumulating in your computer's hard drive. Hard drives have a limited life make sure your stuff is backed up somewhere.

March 17, 2005

The acquittal of the two accused in the Air India tragedy is not a failure of the Canadian justice system it is instead a failure of the Crown to do a proper job of investigating and pressenting its case before the court.

March 16, 2005

The world's economy is now firmly in the hands of China. If their banks decide to sell the $609 billion US dollars they hold in reserve the US dollar would plumet to its actual value of about 53¢. This process may already have begun.

March 15, 2005

It is up to you to figure out the moral of this story. I cashed in three lotto tickets today two "were not winners" the third cost $3 as it was a 6/49 with the Plus. The pay out was $2.

March 10, 2005

There is no need for this world to be a brutal and savage place. We all need to feel that we are safe and that is an achieveable goal if we emphasis and encourage all to deal with everyone fairly and rely upon each of our cultural heritages to show us appropriate behaviour.

March 8, 2005

Firearms were designed to kill, its as simple as that and if people are allowed to have them they will use them for what they were intended.

January 26, 2005

Do not walk or attempt to walk around downtown Tisdale. The sidewalks are unsafe. The worst area is in front of the post office but from Wolfers to ScotiaBank is really dangerous. The exception is RBC to LaCroix which is fine but the only place you can safely walk.

January 24, 2005

"When all is said and done!" What a mythical and totally unrealistic concept. Life and all of reality is not, despite our desire to arrange it in the form, an episodic existance. There is a flow, a continuity of reality that merges this moment with the next. This is why time has become the defining element in modern society.

January 21, 2005

Be it frozen, as a gas, flowing in a stream or seeping out of our pores, water is the stuff of life. It is contaminated, can be cleaned and is often referred to as the universal solvent. Water is the key element in every community, its quality and abundance determine prosperity and the quality of life to be had there.

January 20, 2005

How about a movie this weekend. Tisdale's Theatre is the best for picture and sound in the area and an interesting movie. Melfort is showing the Aviator one of the best pictures this year and in Porcupine a marvellous movie on enduring love.

January 19, 2005

Is beauty in the eye of the beholder? Yes, but its a little more complex. Heterosexual males are programmed to see women as beautiful. Though some aspects of this appear to be socially based the attractiveness of a female is not determined by her genetic make up but by the predisposition of the viewer.

January 16, 2005

Cold weather and onion soup, a combination. Make your soup from a bag of soup mix, add half a chopped onion, cook in microwave, preheat dish in toaster oven, fill with portion, top with a disk of bread and motzziella bake in the toaster oven and serve.

January 12, 2005

With two more Alberta cows testing positive for BSE, if you're not feeling uncomfortable you should be. Government officials are "downplaying" the gravity of these sick cows but it is time that we became more than a little alarmed. You must realise that a few more cases and it will be clear that the Alberta herd must be eliminated.

January 7, 2005

One of the hazards of having will power and some control over our actions is that unlike trees we can give up, we can make strategic decisions. Canada as a country must addopt a more tree-like action plan.

January 6, 2005

Everything, all that we remember, all that we record on video, in pictures or notes are just constructs. The impressions of what is or what happened is flexible and each of us recreate our experiences selecting what is significant to us.

January 5, 2005

As the cold hand of winter grips the Canadian prairies it is heartening to note that each day is just a bit longer as our portion of the sun's light lengthens. In the mean time a good book and a nice fire will pass the few more days of winter.

December 31, 2004

It appears that world fuel production capacity is more than adequate to meet current demands. The only dramatic variable that will affect the price is the health of the US economy and it is not looking good however a slide in the US dollar should not cause fuel prices to rise in Canada.

December 30, 2004

Advertisers must enjoy their work. They have jackets made covered in advertising and people pay money to buy the jackets and the advertiser gets paid to advertise. This one broke me up on a shopper in Melfort yesterday.

December 22, 2004

A skill that must never be taken for granted and we must realise that without this capability life in our world is just not going to work and that is the ability to read.

December 21, 2004

In every part of social life there are those who lead and those who expect others to lead. It is remarkably important to understand that responsibility is a shared thing.

December 20, 2004

Fighting is to hockey as dandruff is to hair. It is an unwanted affliction and usually a sign of poor behaviour by either coaches or the referee.

December 18, 2004

Here's a tip that can save you a lot of cleaning. To prevent your Christmas tree from dropping its needles, don't put your tree up until Christmas time.

December 15, 2004

If you start hearing things it is unlikely that its the little drummer boy. Two things come to mind, you forgot to turn off the TV or you have been playing the stereo in your car to loud. The chances of it being a sign of mental illness are extremely remote.

December 14, 2004

Tisdale drivers will be shocked to learn that the triangular shaped signs at intersections do not mean to speed up, but rather are a warning for those facing the sign to yield to other traffic.

December 10, 2004

If you can't find the sash for your bathrobe, you've got it on inside out.

December 9, 2004

On ice with a front wheel drive vehicle you better remember to use not the brakes but the accellerator to get yourself out of trouble. With limited traction apply modest power to avoid a vehicle out of control or negotiate a slippery turn and when that fails, count on ABS brakes by jumping on the brake peddle as hard as possible. Without ABS the powered front wheels are your only hope in an emergency.

December 8, 2004

So, when is it to late to begin a new career or start a new phase in your life? Perhaps this might be worth considering. Almost 800 years since his death this guy's plays are still being performed and he is credited with having established the English language, among other things, yet William Shakespeare did not appear to publish anything until he was in his late fifties, and this was in a time when life expectancy was less than forty.

December 7, 2004

George Burns lived to be a hundred years old and he did it with not only his own smiles and chuckles but he was able to give his audiance their share of smiles and chuckles. You don't have to go through life as a glum chum when life can be appreciated and enjoyed one day at a time.

December 3, 2004

Though we not only declare that hockey is Canada's national sport it is also considerably more than sport, as the experience of having to perform in a complex team activity, all players and fans alike, accept the importance of mastering an event, by utilising the skills of the team.

December 2, 2004

Even though trains are few and far between in Saslatchewan, each year people die failing to notice trains a mile long.

November 30, 2004

If you are looking for something special for someone who loves birds in their yard, a great gift is a birdhouse. This remarkable example is for sale at Pharmasave.

November 26, 2004

Our daily bread, yes indeed! Like most towns Tisdale's, size we have an outstanding local bakery. Patries, buns, breads, cakes and pies are standard fare and in addition Zoerbe's is where you get a "BeeSting!"

November 25, 2004

Limiting access reduces consumption or use, be that tobacco, alcohol, VLTs or narcotics. However, we can not legislate socially acceptable, or healthy life style conditions. The lesson of prohibition of alcohol and of drugs has not been without considerable negative side affects. This issue is as old as our species and we need very much to consider alternatives to criminalisation and denial.

November 24, 2004

Watch out folks, the American Patriot Act has you under observation. VISA, Canadian Tire, Sears and other Canadian companies are having their point programmes and cards looked after by US companies and you are definitely being watched. To check out the details on this scary problem look over Carolyn Parrish's article "Buyer Beware".

November 23, 2004

Big is not better. In buisness, or any other type of human organisation, size is a major factor in optimum performance. At a certain point an organisation can be to small and all large organisations become more and more reliant upon structural rules to function and less and less on responding to the needs of their workers and customers.

November 22, 2004

From the beginning of our species it would appear that technology has been the most significant factor in determining a culture's viability. The question for us all is to consider what does the reliance upon technology do to the intellectual and cultural development of our society.

November 18, 2004

There is no use complaining about it. The Golden Age Centre are holding their "Christmas Party" this weekend and store windows and displays including trees are popping up all over. What is the use, the pagans have taken over and even the name is lost to so many who have no idea what the original idea was all about. Do we just go along with it? Not me sports fans, this year I am going to ignore it and complain no more, let the pagans go at it all they want my Christmas is December 25, period.

November 17, 2004

So what did you expect? The good ole' United States is going whole hog on building an anti-ballistic missiie system. Russia announced the development of a new type of nuclear weapon system today. Do not try to make sense of this world but rather consider how you are going to survive in it.

November 13, 2004

Reconciling yourself with the past as it relates to the present and your expectations for the future is the ultimate quest for each individual.

November 12, 2004

There a very important absolute in all of the tools and equipment we use. Most things break, some more than others.

November 7, 2004

In last night's Trojan game the first line scored to goals and had two goals scored against them. Hockey is a game of complex unrelenting teamwork. Work as a team or lose.

November 6, 2004

If you are looking for just the right piece of furniture for your place look no further than the three stores in Tisdale that have exactly what you need and at the same price you would pay in the city.

November 5, 2004

Saskatchewan's roads are the most dangerous in the country with a staggering death rate each year. I stopped and pull well over to get this picture but many people in Saskatchewan take their lives and the lives of others far to casually. We all have to get our minds around the need for safe driving in this province.

November 3, 2004

At 3:30 this afternoon I was once again reminded of the "meaning of life," our young people are the only reason for our existance and it is our responsibility to keep our world in its best possible condition for them to enjoy.

November 2, 2004

Since the second world war the manufacture, use and infrastructure of the private car has dominated North American society. They have been fancy, big, small, expensive, off road and now edging toward economy while Detroit is heading for big horsepower. For some time we have needed to re-evaluated the role played by cars in our society, it looks like that discussion is about to take place once more.

October 29, 2004

Sixty years ago the US president was Calvin Coolidge, a republican vice president who became president when Harding died in August 1923. He won the election with 54% of the vote and refused to run in 1928. He was best known for doing nothing. Not only was he a man of few words but he was a man of little action. He let things take their course and in October 1929 the world entered the "Great Depression".

October 28, 2004

When it comes right down to it there are few things in life as good as a cookie.

October 26, 2004

If it makes a noise, get it fixed. A curious lurch when turning the van around to park prompted my curiousity. When looked over this afternoon it was discovered taht the full steering box mechanism had come loose.

October 25, 2004

All of life takes place within our thoughts, our mind and within that mysterious realm we call the brain. Dreams and wishes are as real as a cup of coffee or a TV commercial. For each of us all that really matters is what we think.

October 23, 2004

Butterflies from plastic pop bottles, Christmas decorations from old light bulbs. The save, recycle, reuse world needs very much to be cheered onward if we are going to make it as a species on this planet.

October 22, 2004

Keep in mind when you see young people smoking that with the potency of present day tobacco products, this is not just a harmless habit, it is a serious life long addiction that is far more dangerous than many drugs now illegal under the law.

October 21, 2004

We tell children not to run across a street yet adults seem impelled to jog for perhaps, the only time they will all day long, when they move across the street, in front of traffic. The reasons not to do this is a long list but when the impulse to run hits you, remember the drivers in the cars and trucks are all sitting down, they can wait.

October 20, 2004

The Red Sox have won the pennant defeating the Yankees four straight and go on to the world series. But the NHL is even worse off with the whole season in doubt. So sports fans, get your fix at home, Trojans play at 8:00 Saturday night at the RECPlex against the Hounds.

October 19, 2004

Though I fly no more that awareness of being aloft remains with me and helps me see my environment in a different way than my earthbound fellows. Your experiences provide you with your unique view and perception of what you experience. Thus each of us must learn to understand, appreciate and respect the views of our peers.

October 18, 2004

Undefended border, free trade, what a bunch of lies. Our once friends are now most decidedly our enemies with tariffs on pork, lumber, and a ban on beef, sheep, bison and anything with hooves. They get most of their energy from us and use our country to hunt and fish to their heart's content. Its time to start treating them as we would should any hostile or terrorist country.

October 15, 2004

As a communications device nothing tops the ability of the human face to show emotions of the widest possible range. Though we often associate facial gestures and communications with the mouth, by far the most important information comes from an individuals eyes and the highlight features around the eyes, thus explaining the emphasis on eye make-up.

October 13, 2004

Few things are really impossible, it is just that some things are more difficult to accomplish than others.

October 8, 2004

Its not the price of oil that is rising, it is the weight of the US economy that is flattening the value of the US dollar. Devaluation is in progress.

October 7, 2004

This is how we Canadians differ the most from Americans. After four years of a president who was not elected few, if any Americans believe in democracy and certainly those in power are against it in every way. But in Canada our parliament can decide to hold another election tonight or work its way along with a minority government. We Canadians believe in the Briitish parliamentary democratic system.

October 5, 2004

Americans are concerned about their supply of influenza vaccine but Canadian health officials said that there is no shortage in Canada. I got my shot today and you should really consider the benefits of this simple precaution. It may not prevent you from getting the flu but if you do it will be milder and you will be less likely to give it to others.

October 3, 2004

To the competitive hockey player, hockey is not a part of life, it is in fact life itself. To engage in such a highly skilled activity, only those who devote themselves entirely to their participation, can expect to do well or better.

September 30, 2004

We often do not recognise the burden that young people must endure as they work their way through high school. The rigours of modern academic work far exceed the course work of years ago and you can do your part my merely offering encouragement. Young people need to know that they are supported in their struggle to gain an education and a few words and a smile can go a real long way in getting a person through that homework and research project.

September 28, 2004

If you live in the Perigord area and remember the Cote family who lived there some years ago and raised a family in the area, his brother would like to hear from you. Send you e-mail to me and I will pass it along.

September 27, 2004

Definitely not a "Hollywood" movie "Hero" is special. The film is beautiful, it does not focus on story but on a theme that will stick with you long after the haunting music leaves your ears. A must see!

September 24, 2004

Department of highways have it in the bag as new signs have been installed around Tisdale that state "Detour, Highway 35 North" so that the old highway once again is the highway.

September 23, 2004

This morning as I sat at breakfast I noticed a fellow in another booth wearing a wrist watch set to seven and one half minutes ahead of time. Now would you trust a person who is misleading themselves? Why wear a wrist watch that did not tell the correct time? The man had more than a 10% error. You may want to mislead others now and then but never ever attempt to mislead yourself.

September 22, 2004

It is an odd feature of our memory and of awareness that we want so much to glorify the past. The "good ole days" of what ever era. This may be a natural tendency to help ourselves fathom what is now and what is happening and how it fits into the context of our society and our culture.

September 21, 2004

People of all ages are positively relentless about "fitting-in". We dress alike, follow the same speech conventions and fear being identified as "different." The facts of all life is that difference not conformity is the biological and intellectual spark that makes for a successful society.

September 20, 2004

Without graduating from high school a person's life is pretty much confined so we should pay due respect and honour to each year's graduating class for each individual has made a choice to pick up the challenge of a fuller life.

September 10, 2004

The final selection camp to kick off the new Trojan hockey seasons begins tomorrow. Check out the website and take in the intersquad game Sunday, proceeds to the Terry Fox run. The season's schedule is posted on the web site.

September 8, 2004

For high school and university students enormous over loaded back packs have become the norm. Here is an interesting alternative. A vest, large enough to carry what you need including a laptop computer and cell phone. $55 from FTLComm.

September 7, 2004

There is a powerful tendency with all of us to consider that we are living in a super modern world where everything is so much more advanced. The facts of the matter are that we are living in very primative times and so much remains to be achieved. 55 years ago a car like this (1928 Model A) was our family car, considering price and minor technical development (hydraulis and electronics) a modern car is only marginally better. Medicine, biology, chemistry have only made modest gains in those 55 years and it is time we as a society began to realise that we need to emphasis education more in our world and press a little harder for development.

September 3, 2004

While we were going about our peaceful business Wednesday afternoon 1,200 children and their parent were grabbed by Chechnian terrorists in a Russian town and today more than 200 of them are dead. Is there a point to this? When people lose everything and have nothing left to lose they will act in ways that are a mystery to everyone. Peace prevails here in Canada, but all we need to do to get the same kind of trouble here is ignore the needs of a sizeable portion of the population and give them no reason to remain civilised. Opression and poverty are the ultimate enemy.

September 1, 2004

"if it offends thee!" Shirt labels are weapons of neck destruction and if it scratches, dispatch it. The same goes for the impossible use of velcro closures on inside jacket pockets which makes them almost useless without both hands just to put something into them.