Tornadoes hit Manitoba

This spring I have been complaining about the vast amounts of rain we have been receiving in Winnipeg. In fact it has been so wet I have been unable to get into my vegetable garden to weed. Now there are more weeds growing in the garden than vegetables. Hopefully the ground will soon dry enough to get in and remove all the weeds.

Well if the rain is all I have to complain about, I should count my blessings. This weekend Manitoba suffered from some of the worst thunderstorms and tornadoes in many years--in fact some of the tornadoes are the worst seen in 70 years.

Here is a quote from a June 25, 2007 news report:

People in towns and rural areas across southern Manitoba are dealing with the aftermath of at least seven tornadoes that touched down on Friday and Saturday evenings.

One of the worst-hit areas was Elie, a town of 550 people between Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie. A tornado tore a swath 300 metres wide and almost six kilometers long through the town on Friday, ripping buildings from their foundations, tossing vehicles and leaving 15 people homeless.
[Link to story: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2007/06/25/tornado-cleanup.html]

Here is a Manitoba map of the area:



This weekend Kathleen and I had been at a family reunion on the weekend in Spirling, MB approximately 45 minutes south west of Winnipeg. This reunion was to celebrate the 100 years since the Brown family homesteaded to The Lone ★ Farm. The Brown Family was living in Rockford, Ill before they moved before the moved to a homestead near Spirling, Manitoba in 1906. The family had the opportunity to either move to Texas or Southern Manitoba. When they chose Manitoba over Texas they called their farm The Lone ★ Farm in honor of Texas. Since there already was a Brown family in the Spirling district the family became known as the "Yankee Browns" to distinquish them from the other Browns. In the early years the "Yankee" Brown family was known to celebrate the 4th of July instead of Dominion Day on July 1st (now renamed as "Canada Day") which was celebrated by everyone else. Kathleen's Grandmother was born on this farm and lived there until she was married in 1930 and left home. The reunion was held over the weekend on Saturday and Sunday.

The reunion was a lot of fun Saturday ended with wonderful fireworks. We drove back to Winnipeg for the night. jus as the thunderstorms began. The sky lit up in such a spectacular manner. I have never seen such lightening. It was a lovely sight. Little did we realize the amount of damage this storm was creating. We were lucky to return home safely.

Here are some photos of the storm and the damage the tornadoes caused.

At least four homes were damaged and two homes were rated as unstable. Fifteen people were left homeless.

The storm tossed semis like toys into the ditch off the Trans-Canada Highway.

The damaged silo is part of the "Flour Mill" at Elie, Man.

Elie, Manitoba was one of the hardest hit areas.

These storms also did damage to cottages about an hour west of Winnipeg at the cottage area of Whiteshell, Ontario. Here over 100 cottages were either completely destroyed or heavily damaged with many downed trees and power lines. From the reports I have heard it may take the rest of the summer to clean up all the damage, especially with all the downed trees.

My one question is "Are the storms Manitoba is experiencing this summer due to global warming?" Manitoba doesn't usually have such destructive storms. This is unusal, but in the lasttwo or three years has unfortunately become more common.

Getting older

One our neighbours, Rose, a woman in either her late seventies or eighties collapsed while out shopping at the grocery store. Fortunately the clerks at the store knew who she was. One of the clerks from the store was able to drive her car back to her house. Rose was taken to the hospital. As she lives alone one of her friends took her small dog to care for it.

I often saw Rose sitting in her backyard since her house and ours shares the same back lane. in 1991 when Kathleen and I moved into our home Rose had moved into her mother's house to care for her mother who was unable to live alone. Over the next few years her mother's health deteriorated until she had to be placed in a nursing home. Rose faithfully visited her mother over the next couple of years. We often talked as Rose loved sitting in her back yard to take in the sun. Beyond her mother she did not say much about her family. When her mother died I saw Rose less frequently. This Winter her car rarely moved from its parking place. It was not until this morning that I found out how much Rose's health had changed over the winter.

This morning I went to the garage to get the lawn mover out and mow the lawn. I watched a man carry a few boxes out from her house and place them in a truck. After I finished filling the mower with gas and had attached the grass catcher I went over to as him if he knew how Rose was doing. I found out that he was her brother. Rose was in the hospital doing fine. He was unsure if she would be able to return home. She would not be able to live alone. I asked him if her children knew their mother was in the hospital and I was told that the family did not know where her children were. Fortunately, after Rose had collapsed, one of the neighbours knew her sister's telephone number contacted her. The sister then contacted the brother.

Reading between the lines I was able to conclude that Rose had not been doing well for most of the winter. She had not been able to care for her house as she once had. The brother was busy cleaning up the hosuse and taking out many bags of trash to the truck to be taken to the dump. If Rose was having trouble, as evidenced by the deteriorating state of her house, why had her family not noticed and offered her help before her health deteriorated to the point she collapsed?

Our suburban neighbourhood was built during the late forties and early fifties and was intended for the many returning soldiers looking to start families. Many of these couples remained in he neighbourhood and are the original owners of the homes. Doing the math they are now in their late seventies/ early eighties. These seniors are beginning to sell and move out of the neighbourhood. Homes are "rolling over" from seniors to young families. Recently when taking a walk early one evening I noticed how many children I saw out playing. It was not all that long ago that one did not see many children in the neighbourhood. Another aspect of this "roll over" is seen in the large number of homes underging renovation as new families move in.

The changes in the neighbourhood leads me to reflect philosophically about what the future hold for each one of us. When advancing old age catches up with us, will we have been forgotten by family and friends as my neighbour was? How hard is it to move from a home lived in for many decades? New life is taking over from old which is good. When this change over from old to new occurs during the spring I find myself mourning the losses which occurs in order so that new life can take hold and thrive. It is like the Phoenix--through the flames of its death comes new life. I is a real joy to witness the renewal our neighbourhood has been undergoing for the past five or so years. It is sad that this joy comes at the expense of lives coming to their end stage. Couples moving from homes filled with a lifetime of memories. Wives or husbands loosing their spouse of many years. Joy and sadness; sadness and joy.

Promoting an Unpopular War

Our Canadian government is concerned that our participation in the war in Afghanistan is not supported by enough Canadians. There is a good reason many, though not all, Canadians do not fully support Canada's mission in Afghanistan. Those opposed to Canada's mission claim that there is not enough reconstruction in Afghanistan as opposed to fighting by our troops. There is not enough homes, water and sewage systems, schools, etc. being built by our troops. These claim is made that Canada, following the lead of the U.S.A., is spending too much time fighting battles (and killing the local people) and too little time helping Afghanis rebuild their cities, farms and lives. The complaint is that our military can not force a country to become a democratic at the end of a gun barrel. Afghanis are more likely to eventually adopt a democratic form of government if we redefine the mission of the military to spend more time helping Afghanis rebuild their country instead of shooting them. If Canadians are hated because they just bombed a village, or shot a loved one, Canadians will simply end up being hated and feared and will be less able to help rebuild a war torn country. As well insurgents will all the more likely rise up to drive the foreign troops out of their county. The more we are hated the less effective our efforts will be to help the Afghani people develop a democratic form of government.

I know there are some who argue that our troops can not begin serious redevelopment as long as there is so much violence and instability in the country. This point of view is only partially true. The more Canadians can be seen to be rebuilders rather than destroyers, the less reasons the Afghanis will find to attack our troops. I believe that if there was an increased emphasis on rebuilding, as opposed to fighting, eventually this would lead to a decrease in the violence, and a diminishing desire to drive the foreign troops out of the country. For these reasons the war in Afghanistan has become unpopular among some Canadians.

Our government wants to increase the support for the war. The Prime Minister has stated increased support for the war in Afghanistan as one of the goals of his government. Today was the 90th anniversary of the 1st World War battle of Vimy Ridge with the rededication of the Vimy memorial in France to fallen Canadian solders. Several members of our government, many Canadian school children, and veterans, and other dignitaries were there for the rededication of the Vimy memorial. This was not the time or place to garner support for Canada's present mission in Afghanistan. Our Prime Minister attempted to use the sacrifices made at Vimy ridge as reason to support our present day mission in Afghanistan (i.e. because of the sacrifices at Vimy we should support the war in Afghanistan). I cannot follow the Prime Minister's logic. The battle at Vimy Ridge, including all the fighting of WW I, in my opinion were not battles of heroic glory, but battles of folly. Ninety years ago the solders were fighting to keep empires going; these empires had already outlived their time period and were relics of a past age. For the Prime Minister to claim that Canadians should support the war in Afghanistan because of all the Canadians who sacrificed with their lives at Vimy Ridge, is false logic, bordering on propaganda. The folly of one war, even if thousands of Canadian solders did give up their lives as an ultimate sacrifice, can not and must not be used in an attempt to garner support for another war, equally fraught with its own folly. Now, instead of our soldiers fighting to prop up empires long since dead, our solders fight for the vain attempt to try to bring democracy to Afghanistan at the end of a gun barrel. Such folly! The sacrifices made by our troops in one foolish war cannot be reason for use to support sacrifices made by another generation of solders in another foolish war. To top off this false logic, our Prime Minister brought up the recent deaths of six Canadian solders serving in Afghanistan--we honour their deaths and sacrifices when we support the Canadian mission in Afghanistan. No! No! No!

I support the service and sacrifices of our Canadian Men and Women fighting in the military They serve where ever they are ordered to serve. I do not support the present Canadian Mission in Afghanistan. The mission as it is structured cannot succeed. Democracy can not be forced upon a nation at the end of a gun barrel. The proof of this is that the longer Canadians remain in Afghanistan, the more we are hated and the more the local people rise up in violence in an attempt to drive out all the foreign troops. I could support the mission of our troops if the mission were to be redefined to focus primarily on helping the Afghanis to rebuild their country as opposed to shooting them.

What upset me today was the way our Prime Minister wrongly used the 90th anniversary of the terrible battle at Vimy Ridge and the recent death of six Canadian solders in Afghanistan, all in an attempt to try to build up support for a war which is increasingly growing unpopular in Canada.

Government, budgets and me.

Here in Canada our government operates on a parliamentary form of government, inherited from Britian and adapted to our unique Canadian situation. One aspect of the parliamentary form of government is that the finance minister prepares a budget detailing how it will deal with taxes and the government programs will be supported by the money the government has available to spend. There are lots of programs the governemnt can choose to support, or not, as it deem fit. The government can choose to support environmental projects to support the reduction of global warming (Kyoto), produce tax cuts, provide more money to cities for rapid transit, roads. They can choose to spend money on programs aimed at helping keep troubled youth out of the justice system. The government can also put money into programs aimed at providing affordable housing for low income families and the homeless There is a crying need to build housing for the homeless, yes even here in Canada many persons still have nowhere to hang their hat at the end of the day.

Today I checked a news online forum asking posters to comment on the budget recently presented by our government. I was dismayed by many of the posts I read. Many posters were concerned with what benefit they would receive from the federal budget. Would the government be benefiting them financially with some new program or tax cut. At tax time would they be paying less in taxes. Basically what is in this budget which will directly benefit me.

I am dismayed by these responses. Sure no one wants to pay more taxes or get fewer benefits from government. I want the same things, but this is not the point. I am reasonably well off. I live a comfortable life many in the world, and even in Canada would envy. I am not rich, but I do not lack anything that truly matters. I consider myself part of the comfortable middle calss.

When I read the comments posted about the budget, what leapt out at me were the many posts wondering what is there for me in this budget. When I read an analysis of what our government's spending priorities are in this budget, I am left with a sad, sinking feeling. This present Canadian government has very little in their budget for those members of our society who need our help. There is little for the vulnerable, those who need society's help. Programs are being cut which help children from lower income families in trouble with the law. There is nothing from the government to build affordable housing for low income families and the homeless. Instead there are a few tax cuts for the middle income families and large tax cuts for the wealthy and big business. I consider myself part of the middle income group and I can fend for myself very well without a tax cut (and even would not be hurt if my taxes were to increase). The rich and big business do not need a large tax break. But the low income families, the truly poor, and the homeless do need help. My taxes are NOT going were the need is greatest. Where is the help from the government for the poor struggling families? Where is the funding for programs which work with troubled youth, many from our inner cities? Where is funding to help build affordable housing. I would have more faith in our government if I had seen more help for those least able to help themselves in the government's budget. For many commenting on the recent federal budget, the focus is "Me, me, me!!!" Its what's in it for me. Where is the concern for others beyond ourselves? Where is the concern for those who need our help? Where is the concern for humanity as a whole? Why isn't there less concern for "me" and more concern for others?

After reading the comments posted at this news forum I am left with an empty feeling in the bottom of my stomach.

Sadly I suspect our politicians focus federal budgets on those most likely to vote. The poor and homeless are not a group known to turn out to vote in large numbers. These persons can be ignored.

P.S. If you live with in driving distance of a homeless shelter why not consider giving the shelter a phone call and ask them how you may help them. Its easy. Often they can use coffee and tea, any unused clothing, some food (canned food is good). Support for the food bank is also needed. If the government fails to support the poor, we as individuals can still do our part. We may not be able to have the same impact since we do not have access to the larger amounts of money government funding would potentially provide. Still every small bit each person provides helps.

Frustrations and death and life.

Some times web pages which require the user to log in end up frustrating me. I have entered my password and user name only to be not quite able to decode the letters I need to type in to prove that I am a real pserson and not a spam bot. Errrgh! Today I heard that typing in a series of letters to prove the user is human may be a thing of the past. Spam bots which post spam messages are getting too good at optical character recognition and can identify the letters. In the future I understand we will be presented with picture recognition. We will be asked the name of an item in a picture, i.e. a coffee cup, pencil, car, cat. Picture recognition is still hard for non-human spam bots to accomplish. Now maybe logins will be simpler---if only I can remember how to spell pensil???

Today was a warm spring day and the snow has begun to melt. Also today a friend's cat died at the age of eighteen. This has got me thinking about life and death. Soon the snow will be gone and the bulbs planted in our front garden will begin to appear, some of the earliest actually appear before all the snow has melted. All around there is a sense that the death of winter is morphing into the new life of spring.

I am not totally clear with my thoughts in this post. Pardon me if I ramble a bit. With the death of my friend's cat I have been reflecting on death more than usual. I think about my parents who are now in their 80's. Death is something I will have to deal with sooner than later given their advanced ages. But death is not something I dread, even if it is a close loved one such as a parent. Death enables new life. Just as winter comes to an end and slowly spring replaces the dead of winter so I believe that when a person dies after a long life their death makes way for the new life after they are gone.

It will be hard when my parents die. I will grieve and hurt for awhile, but I don't think i will be sad. Death is natural and a part of the way things should be.

One more comment about y friend and her Cat. It is pefectly natural to be sad when our much loved pet dies. These animals were an important part of our lives for many years. They loved us unconditionally. How could we not grieve when a treasured member of our family dies, even if it is a four legged furry friend, a cat or dog.

Aside--my radio just began playing Pacabel's Cannon...this tune is very emotional for me...combined with the news of the death of my friend's cat leaves me in a very reflective mood about death,.....and life.

A thought.

If you live in an area were winter is cold, as it is here in Winnipeg, why not consider donating some coffee, tea or hot chocolate to a homeless shelter in your town? these items are desperately needed by the shelters to help keep the homeless warm (and alive). The shelter in our town operates a van and delivers a hot drink to people living on the streets. This donation is not that expensive for us who have so much. This is a donation which can save lives and show we care for each other.

Another thought. Many homeless were provided with hats and gloves when it first started to get cold. Then the weather warmed up here and many other places in the country. As happens with people living on the streets, when the weather warms the get rid of anything they do not need so they have less to carry and keep track of. So if you have any unused mits, scarves, hats, toques the homeless shelters need these items as well.

We can all do our part to make the world a tiny bit more caring.

Am not entitled to the comfortable life I enjoy if I fail to share some of what I enjoy with those who otherwise would have to go without? It is better to give then receive. If we can afford to assist a fellow citizen of this world we have a duty to do so. If you are unsure what the homeless in your area could use, give your shelter a call. They will be more than happy to let you know how to help.

A sad day

Ten years ago I worked as a ministry assistant for an inner city Lutheran church here in town. Attending the congregation was a family who had immigrated from war torn Ethiopia. The older boy in the family was born before the father left for Canada, with the goal to bring his wife and son to Canada after he was settled. After a few years the wife and son reunited with their father and husband in Canada. I remember the boys attending a church camp the congregation helped run north of the city. The younger boy was four was too young to attend so we bent the rules to allow him to attend with his brother. One day we took the campers to the beach at the lake and the younger boy was attacked by mosquitoes, covered from head to toe. My wife spotting his distress quickly wrapped him up in a large beach towel and carried him to the kitchen to put him in a tub of warm water with baking soda. Soon he was asleep and being carried to bed.

During this time that the family began to get ahead, The father obtained a good job in housekeeping at a local hospital, though both parents still had to work to to get by. mym wife often saw the father at the hospital, were she also worked. One day she informed me that he had told her he was worried his oldest boy was in trouble, making friends with the wrong teenagers in the neighbourhood. I made a visit to his home and helped him to set up family counseling. Shortly after this visit I left the congregation and did not know how the family was doing. I hoped that they were receiving help from the counseling service we had set up. My suspicions was that the older boy was involved with drugs. This was about ten years ago.

Yesterday I was listening to the news on the radio heard that the city police had an arrest warrant out for the older boy. He would be in his early twenties by now. Later that night I was discussing this with my wife and she told she had heard that the younger boy had been at a party and while there got into a fight. He left the party to return with his brother and a gun. Five persons ended up at the hospital with gunshot wounds. I am not sure if either of the brothers did the shooting or someone else was responsible. It looks very bad for the family.

Here as some thoughts I have had since hearing about this family after all these years. immigrating is not easy. The family leaves their homeland, relatives and extended family support to live in a new country with a new culture that is foreign to them. How are you raise your children in Canada? Do you raise them as you would in Ethiopia, using its culture and morality; do you raise them as Canadian with little of their Ethiopian culture; do you raise them as a mix of both Ethiopian and Canadian? This is the dilemma most immigrant families face. In the case of this family the choices the parents made were well intentioned with the best interests of the children always in mind. The aspects the Ethiopian culture he parents held dear and wanted their children to respect were seen as foreign by the boys and rejected for the more familiar values of their friends. Unfortunately most of the friends they associated with in their neighbourhood were heavily into the gang culture.

So, yes it is a sad day for me as I remember these two boys.