Signs of the Times

 

For some perspective, check out this tweet from Canada's top doctor Theresa Tam. Back in February 2020 when the virus was just starting to enter Canada, she had NO IDEA that it would wash over Canada and the world like a tsunami.

NO FUCKING IDEA.

Covid19 Third Wave Update: The Parade of Clowns Continues

Yeah. So here we are 13 months after this pandemic started and we're still being played with. I'm reminded of the general level of incompetence of our provincial governing systems. The operations of the health system is greatly distorted and divided for-profit and private interests so that when a pandemic steps in the weaknesses and failings are obvious.

We are now in a news cycle that is truly pathetic. A daily parade of clowns known as Local Health Officials or Ontario's Top Doctor or The Minister of Health etc etc tell us - nothing.

We don't know yet. We're making an announcement soon. There's a press meeting tomorrow.

We're blaming the feds. We're blaming the people. We're reminding the people. We want the people to do better. 

Slap me on the wrist one more time. Go ahead. Slap me down. Blame the pandemic spread on me.

And then while you're at it, refuse to vaccinate teachers early as priority caregivers while claiming that schools are safe and that cases come into the schools from the community but don't begin or spread in schools. 

And then, in the middle of the third wave with the highest hospitalization rates make an announcement that the province would like to offer online remote learning to all families in September.

Of course, nobody knows the details. Just make an announcement that something could happen.

Yeah. Lots of disappointment. Lots of disillusionment with my government's lack of ability to execute a quick and effective plan to save thousands of lives.

We are addicted to our freedoms. Our government doesn't plan for drastic measures to deal with serious medical crises head-on. Our government is afraid to restrict freedoms, and afraid of inducing panic. We are so dependent on food supply chains across borders that in a true transportational/transpirational crisis we would be so absolutely fucked. Our stores would be looted. As soon as people catch wind that they won't be able to get groceries or toilet paper for fuck's sake all hell will break loose.

Yeah. So lock down "everything" and close all the restaurants and exercise studios and personal services, and penalize business owners for not having a bottle of hand sanitizer at their doorway while at the same time ramping up the construction industry to full throttle. Get that concrete poured. Build those fucking apartments and condos. Sell that real estate. Make those Greenbelt deals. Keep those liquor stores open. Keep pretending. Keep up the ruse. 

The fire completely destroys the building while the government twiddles a few knobs on the side and claims that it's all under control, "we got this."

The truth of governance in Canada: If you have no real power, just pretend like you do.

via GIPHY

Doug Ford. Blames the victims by calling them Yahoos.

Cries out "try walking in my shoes for a day" then goes off to make a video about making cheesecake. Then goes out to some warehouse where PPE from China is being unloaded to gather applause for doing wonderful shit, meanwhile presides over the most fucked up vaccination rollout known to humankind.

The chief of all dinks. 

Presiding supreme commander of the planet of complete assholes.

Postponed March Break for public schools but not private schools.

Makes announcements about useless shit that means nothing.

Useless bureaucrat, zombie, Stepford wife with dead battery

aka Hamilton's Chief Medical Officer

This woman did not sleep between March 2020 and August 2021. She also never arose from this chair. She crawled under the table to eat a snack and check her briefs and then reappeared again to resume her perpetual on-camera existence.

This guy is a meme for all things totally useless, name is fucking something Williams...

I prefer, "he whom we ignore" 

aka Ontario's Chief Medical Officer

Some precious Brown family photos

Two young adults in love, mid 1950s 

Jean and Ron at the Glass House on their honeymoon, April 1955

That's Jean likely pregnant with Gerry, Grampa Brown (Bill), Gramma Brown (Marie) with Doug on her lap, and Ron. A typical summer's day, probably in Kelowna.

That's Jean with Great Grampa Brown, Doug, Gerry and Arlene. Edmonton or Kelowna, 1960.

A busy family with four kids and one more soon on the way. Taken in Edmonton. Probably 1964.

Edmonton, 1962. Ron, Gerry, Arlene, Doug, Glen, Jean.

This is Jean Hepburn sometime in the 1940s in Edmonton. Probably high school age.  That might be a CGIT uniform - Christian Girls In Training. That's at Gramma Hepburn's house in Edmonton.

This is probably 1972. We traveled out west and ended up visiting our old family friends the Husbands. We were so fucking cool in those bell bottoms and fat belts and shaggy haircuts. Doug is wearing an epic Perdue Band t-shirt.

Taking a Sabbatical

To the BFOGA executive board, and the bylaws committee and bylaws subcommittee,

I am now taking a sabbatical from my volunteer duties as by-laws committee chair and as communications committee chair for a period of one year.

This is an act of necessity since my father is ill, and my sister and I will be helping to look after him as he is now failing at the age of ninety.

Moreover this is an act of preserving what remains of my passion and interest in being a long-term supportive member of our Longview community. I have spent hundreds of hours of interesting work on various projects including the bylaws editing and the Longview Network. I have been glad to help organize sessions for gathering member input. I had a blast working through the naming of our roads.

My rationale is that to continue editing and updating the new version of our bylaws would be ineffective under the present conditions of our community. To give a single example (of many possible), our meeting of March 7 was recessed before an unexpected motion from the floor was presented which would direct the bylaws committee to conduct an investigation into errors and procedural failings. This is not the job of the bylaws committee and should never be. And yet, we were on the brink of allowing a single impromptu motion to direct and expand the work of the committee. I recognize now that my role as seconder was out of order and so now with this writing I officially withdraw my offer to second this motion affirming two principles: One, as the acting chair of the meeting I was out of order to place my name as seconder. Two, this contravenes the bylaw committee's purpose as stated in our current bylaws. As acting chair of the meeting I also accept my part in allowing these unapproved agenda items to come forward. I regret that there was no intervention from the elected leaders or members who should know this is an error. Now we can see the elephant in the room.

The uncomfortable fact that executive board members did not stop this obvious departure from the agenda and the out of order proceedings which followed is just more confirmation that I need to step back, and that our elected leaders do not collectively know how to stand up for good procedure. I would suggest the complete state of exhaustion of the board members contributed to this unfortunate situation, but it is not the main reason.

Dammit, our community does not agree on how to meet together! We do not know how to do it. We have repeatedly bypassed the basics of conducting effective meetings and now it has become very clear that our elected leaders have not been properly trained or prepared. We are getting nowhere. Four and six hour meetings are evidence that we have failed at the most basic level.

I hope that this will remove the time pressure to push a set of documents through. My fear is that we would continue to create confusion by presenting documents that are not based on proven practice and truly shared values.

After a year I sincerely hope our elected leaders will have begun to implement a system that sets and follows priorities, uses proven procedures for conducting meetings, systematically and effectively communicates regularly, and coordinates all committees to help our community to thrive. At that time it will be much more effective to then codify our proven practices.

I am willing to leave the bylaws committee altogether if that is what the elected leadership desires. I am also not opposed to someone else taking over in my place. I will await your reply when an answer is ready.

Thank-you everyone. I remain a fellow member of our community.

Glen Brown

Extreme Disappointment

 At what point do you say your voluntarism is no longer worth it? At what point do you just say it's time to quit because I really don't feel like having my balls cut off?

How do you cut your losses and jam on the brakes before you go careening over the edge into a free-fall of unexpected stress? How do you withdraw from a war that you never chose to enter?

How do you stop a situation that has sucked you in like a force of gravity, and now you are circling the planet and unable to escape the grasp, going round and round?

How do freeze time, or go back in time and undo decisions that were foolishly made? How do you go back and take the eyes of the present with you so you can see more clearly?

How do you ever work with groups of people and come out with no regrets? How do you justify fighting to stand firm for a cause that is worth it, but which also requires you to face opposition and emotional challenges that you never expected?

How do you clean up your heart and wash away feelings of failure, disillusionment and sadness? Is removing yourself from a situation the only way to save yourself?

Why are people so unable to trust when they can see the people who are helping them standing right in front of them? How is it that trust cannot be built and maintained? How is it that someone can stand back and criticize and stir up suspicion and then not offer to be part of the solution?

I am feeling so done with volunteerism, with being the helper, with freely adding my own value and insight, whatever that may (or may not) be! 

How do you not let small potatoes drive you fucking insane?