CUPE in Windsor and their "priorities."

From AM 800 CKLW
CUPE CLEANS VIETNAM MEMORIAL
2009-06-26 21:33:58

One area of Windsor's Riverfront is being cleaned up by striking CUPE members. They're mowing and picking up garbage around the Vietnam Memorial. Local 82 President Jim Wood says it's the least they can do for veterans. There's a commemoration at the site Sunday.

For those of you from a distance, Windsor's inside and outside workers have been on strike now for about 9 weeks. No grass cutting in parks, no planting, no garbage pick up. Yep... since April meaning the parks haven't been touched since last Fall! Our city is a shambles but... it's still operating. We managed to hold a world class, international event, The Red Bull Air Races, downtown in Dieppe Park. We held Art in the Park, Carousel of Nations but of course our kids can't swim, play baseball or soccer. Now... CUPE did cut the grass around the Cenotaph for the anniversary of the Dieppe raid, saying the Veterans deserved it.

Windsor hosts the Dragon Boat Races, has for years. It's a well attended, well supported event that raises large amounts of money for the Breast Cancer cause. The participants are all survivors. Guess what? CUPE wouldn't allow them to cut the grass at the usual City waterfront park where this event is usually held. They also refused to cut it for them!

Today they cut the grass around the Vietnam Memorial as there is an event coming up. So... the veterans deserve special treatment, and as an Army brat, I couldn't agree more. BUT... what about the women who suckled those Vets, their wives, their daughters, their grandchildren? They deserve nothing apparently.

Shame on CUPE as a union and their "leaders" as human beings! Get your well paid, well protected, as Union leaders drawing full salary and the last ones out the door, Municipal feedbag asses back to work and then send us thank you cards for paying your very healthy salaries.

So my dear CUPE Union leaders...I'm done with you. Most of the city is done with you. I take care of my own garbage, I cut my city owned boulevard and I pick up trash off public sidewalks. For this my taxes support you and your families! You have managed to dig yourself into a hole so deep the entire public works department couldn't get you out!

shhhh... apparently it's a secret... don't tell the Americans!

These are pics from my very simple, old, digital camera taken about 20 minutes ago. There were beautiful effects, falling leave, strobing stars that went on and on; the barges alight in strobes...




The choreographer of tonight's big Target fireworks show is a Canadian! My friend, Patrick Brault from Sirius Pyrotechnics in Quebec. It promises to finally be a different show. Maybe no more identical shells fired from all three barges? No more red/green/gold... red/green/gold! I anticipate some imagination, varied levels and effects I've not seen at this show for the past 30 years I've been watching it!

No one wanted to watch this show with me or anyone who works with me, (did I mention I work at a fireworks company and we do shows?) I think we kind of spoiled their view with our talk! If you see the show tonight, one of the largest, choreographed to music displays in North America, please leave a comment and let me know how you liked it! I'll chime in with my opinion tomorrow.

Oh, and Patrick, he's doing the Philadelphia show for July 4th. That's a biggie... the birth place of the USA!

Changing Mid Eastern landscape?

This could be the signal, this could mean a whole new Iran and subsequently a new Mid Eastern landscape. Who would have thought you'd see this in one of the most despotic Muslim countries in the world!

Power to the people!

Michelle's convocation day!

Bachelor of Science with thesis. Off to Grad School in London at Western next September! Where does the time go?

A tale of two districts and H1N1 testing. Scotland vs Ontario

I had to read this line over and over again... Yep it says what it says. "Since we're asking that only hospitalized and high risk patients be tested, we expect future reports will show that the provincial case count is growing at a slower rate." Well I feel better with Dr. David Williams, acting chief medical officer of health for Ontario in charge! We can all rest assured now that Ontario's growth rate of H1N1 is bound to go down! whew...

H1N1 Flu, WHO

http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSL968732._CH_.2400

WHO getting close to declaring H1N1 pandemic


11:51am EDT
GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said on Tuesday it was getting close to declaring a full-blown pandemic caused by the H1N1 virus, which has infected more than 26,500 people in 73 countries.

Keiji Fukuda, acting WHO assistant director-general, voiced concern at the sustained spread of the new strain in countries including Australia following major outbreaks in North America. Confirmed community spread in a second region would trigger moving to phase 6 from phase 5 on its 6-level pandemic alert scale.

Fukuda, asked whether there was any doubt that a pandemic was under way, told a weekly teleconference: "We are really getting very close to that."

(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay, editing by Andrew Dobbie)

Due to the post below...

This is how I'm cooking dinner! Kinda like camping, but without the tents!

Guess what we're doing today?

H1N1 Flu update

Credit: www.chinaview.cn

















Credit: WHO