The Dash

An old sentimental poem in honor of Mother’s Day.

Sun, 13 May 2012 09:22:28 -0400

Somebody’s Mother By Mary D. Brine

The woman was old and ragged and gray, And bent with the chill of a winter’s day; The streets were white with a recent snow,And the woman’s feet with age were slow.

At the crowded crossing she waited long,Jostled aside by the careless throng Of human beings who passed her by. Unheeding the glance of her anxious eye.

Down the street with laughter and shout. Glad in the freedom of “school let out,”Come happy boys, like a flock of sheep, Hailing the snow piled white and deep; Past the woman, so old and gray.

Hastened the children on their way.
None offered a helping hand to her,
So weak and timid, afraid to stir, Lest the carriage wheels or the horses’ feet
Should trample her down in the slippery street.

At last came out of the merry troop
The gayest boy of all the group; He paused beside her and whispered low,
“I’ll help you across, if you wish to go.”

Her aged hand on his strong young arm She placed, and so without hurt or harm. He guided the trembling feet along, Proud that his own were young and strong;

Then back again to his friends he went,
His young heart happy and well content “She’s somebody’s mother, boys, you know, For all she’s aged, and poor and slow;

And some one, some time, may lend a hand To help my mother—you understand?— If ever she’s old and poor and gray, And her own dear boy so far away.”

“Somebody’s mother” bowed low her head In her home that night, and the prayer she said Was: “God be kind to that noble boy, Who is somebody’s son and pride and joy.”

The Final Countdown

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:59:34 -0400

Today, the we lost an icon. Some would say an American Icon, I would say a North American Icon. I like most grew up listening and watching Dick Clark’s Rocking New Years Eve. As a young boy with the babysitter for company, a can of pop and bag of chip’s as Dick would entertain us for a few hours. Then he would announce that the ball in Time Square was about to mark the last few seconds of the year. Later that ball became known as the Big Apple. I would watch and wonder what the new year would hold, what great things I would see, hear and do this coming year. I started each year with Dick Clark and I am sure that this coming New Year’s Eve, I like so many people will think of him for at least a few seconds as the new year approaches.

Today I am going to think of his family, his wife and his three children. To them, he will be remembered on so many times other then New Year’s Eve and today they are in my prayers. Thank you Dick, for all those years you stayed with me and my family, counting down the last seconds of each year and welcoming in the new one.

1929 - 2012

The Undertaker

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 19:13:40 -0400

Normaly I write about someone who has died and how the life they have lived helped or touch others. Well today I want to share a poem I have on my office wall, a reminder of what I do each and every day. Yes each and every day, always a phone call away from death. Please enjoy and share with your friends, would love to see this retweeted, placed on facebook and sent to all we know. Thanks

The midnight hour, the darkest hour

That human grief may know,

Sends forth its hurried summons-

Asks me to come - I go.

I know not when the bell may toll,

I know not where the blow may fall,

I only know that I must go

In answer to the call.

Perhaps a friend - perhaps unknown-

Tis fate that turns the wheel-

The tangled skein of human life

Winds slowly on the reel.

And I? - I’m the undertaker,

“Cold-blooded”, you’ll hear them say,

“trained to the shock and chill of death,

With a heart that’s cold and grey.”

Trained - that’s what they call it

How little they know the rest -

I’m human, and know the sorrow

That throbs in the aching breast.

Bennett Chapple - 1903

Invite

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 20:53:57 -0500

I am sure that most of us now have received the news that Whitney Houston died today. As the world begins the process of grieving for Whitney and talk begins about her Celebration of her Life to come and the list of invites grows. I wonder if the most important person gets invited. Will Whitney be invited? Will she be the true guest of honour at her service or will she be left out. I hope she is there, I hope the family gets a chance to spend time with her. I know everyone says have a party, celebrate my life. I only hope that she is invited to her own party.

A giant age for a true survivor!

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:17:50 -0500

Actor Karl Slover, who was best known for playing a Munchkin in the 1939 classic film The Wizard of Oz, has died at the giant age of 93.

One of the last surviving cast members of The Wizard of Oz. Slover, who was one of the smallest male Munchkins in the movie, played the lead trumpeter, a townsman and soldier in the Oscar-winning film.

Karl’s stardom was by chance, he was originally cast in a smaller roll. His luck changed when another actor got stage fright during filming and Karl was promoted to lead trumpeter.

In 2007 Karl along with 6 remaining Munchkin stars were honoured in Los Angeles with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

But you ask why a survivor? Well that’s easy, when Karl was born in Czech Republic as Karl Kosiczky. Those days were very different then today, his father who was 6 foot 6 inches tried many different treatments to make Karl grow. At the age of 9 his father sold Karl to a troup of traveling midges in Berlin.

Karl made his way to America with his traveling troupe and that troupe was the nucleus of the Munchkins. In the 40’s he moved to Florida and worked for a traveling carnival owned by Bert and Ada Slover. There connection was so strong, they became his surrogate family and he legally adopted their last name.

Finally a family he was able to call his own.

1918 - 2011

Funeral’s are in vogue again.

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 15:08:38 -0400

Now I am sure most of you are looking at the title today and wondering what planet I am on. Well I have both feet firmly on the ground we call Earth. And I believe that funeral’s are now in vogue again, funerals for celebrities, politicians, the so called royalty of our time.

We as a society will flock to the television to watch the funeral of Jack Layton, line up for hours to sign his register book and pay our respects. And these are all good things we as a society need to be doing, this is how we show our support to the family and the beginning of our own healing process. However when death comes to those we love, whether it be family or friend, what do we do. It seems our society has opted to do nothing.

What do we tell our family to do in the event of our own death? We tell them to just get rid of our body, cremate me and do nothing. We opt for a “simple cremation or burial” with no fuss. We say things like we don’t want to burden our family and friends with a funeral.

Let me share with you a story of my neibour whose wife died a few years ago. He chose to have no service with a direct cremation, no notice in the paper, “No fuss”. Well her death came in the dark of winter and it was several weeks later my wife and I ran into him at the grocery store. The first thing I asked him after our hellos was how is your wife? And then he had to relive and experience the whole visitation period in the produce section. As we parted and said our goodbye’s he turned to me one last time and said with a tear in his eye that he wished he had done something, so all those who loved and cared for her could have the opportunity to say goodbye and give him the support he really needed.

On Monday, I watched the season nine opener of Two and a half Men with the other 28.7 million US viewers. As I watched, I relieved that we were all watching to see the funeral, to mourn the loss of not only Charlie Sheen from the show, but his alter ego on the sitcom Two and a Half Men The season nine opener began with the funeral of Sheen’s character, Charlie Harper, after he was apparently killed by a metro train in Paris.

So as I said in the title, the Funeral is in Vogue again. I only hope that we can bring back the funeral for those we truly love and impact our lives.

Ways to show we care

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 10:14:01 -0400

We as a society are so blessed to have the opportunity to show we care when a friend or family member dies. The Layton family is giving us an opportunity this Saturday to do just that in an official way. The state funeral for Jack Layton will take place at Roy Thompson Hall after Jack lay’s in state in Ottawa.

A fitting tribute to Jack that Prime Minister Harper called up Olivia Chow, Jack’s wife to offer this special privilege. Olivia so graciously accepted and I believe this show’s on both sides the way that Jack lived his life. He honoured and respected everyone, he may not have agreed with what you were saying, however he gave you the opportunity to speak. He listened carefully and would respectfully debate with you and show you his side of the discussion.

For those of us who are unable to attend the viewing in Ottawa, or the funeral in Toronto, you can sign an online book of condolences at www.ndp.ca. If you live in the southern Etobicoke area of Toronto, you can come into Ridley Funeral Home between the hours of 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. to sign a condolence book. This book will be available from Tuesday, August 23 to Sunday, August 28^th. Ridley Funeral Home will deliver the book to the Layton Family shortly after the 28^th. Ridley Funeral Home is located at 3080 Lake Shore Blvd. W. Toronto, Ontario. www.ridleyfuneralhome.com.

So Long my friend

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:19:19 -0400

Yes I would call Jack Layton my friend and your friend. He was a friend to everyone in Canada from coast to coast to coast. No other politician in recent memory captured so many Canadians eyes like Jack Layton did. His infectious smile, quick remarks during debates, outstanding ability to win over everyone with charisma like no other.

I never had the pleasure of meeting Jack, however I feel like I have known him for so long even though he was only in the House of Commons since 2004 and leader of the NDP since 2003. He stirred a passion in many Canadians this past spring to get out and vote, he lead the NDP to 103 seats across Canada and became the Official Opposition for the first time in its history.

Even if you sit on the other side of his politics, you can’t help but like Jack. He treated everyone the same, with respect and dignity. He was slowly bringing decorum back to the House of Commons. Jack’s death brings a loss to all of us in Canada, a loss of a great leader and the loss of a friend to all of us. In our sadness, we cannot forget his family. Jack leaves his wife Olivia Chow and his children Michael and Sarah and his granddaughter Beatrice.

As I write this post today, my heart is heavy, the loss for Canada will be felt for a long time, and the loss for his family will be felt even longer. I hope we give his family the time they need to grieve; we treat them with the same respect Jack treated everyone else with. And if we are blessed with a public service for Jack, we give him all the honours he deserves.

Olivia, Michael, Sarah and Beatrice, you’re in my prayers. Jacks epitaph could easily read “Jack Layton, he made a difference for all of us.” He made a difference for all of Canada, but most of all, he made a difference for his family with his love, strength and support.

Rest in Peace my friend

Jack Layton

1950 - 2011

Jean Charest still laughing

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 12:47:56 -0400

Death and laughing are two things that happen together more often than not. If you spend time at a funeral home, you will hear laughter coming out of the visitation rooms. Don’t get me wrong, you will hear soft tones, crying and hushed whispers from the same rooms, however more often than not, you will hear laughter.

Well earlier today hackers were able to get into the website of Le Devoir (a Quebec newspaper) and post that Quebec’s premier Jean Charest was dead. Once the paper found out about the Hacking, they quickly shut down their website and posted a note to correct the hoax report.

The premier was able to joke about the report since he is still very much alive. He claims he has been written off by many papers in the past, but this was the first time any of them have gone at it from this angle. Glad to hear the Quebec Premier is doing well and able to laugh and joke about his own demise.

Jean Charest

1958 -

Back from Vacation

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:24:56 -0400

The hot breezes of July have been replaced with the warm winds of August. And as we look forward to the coming fall, we realize that our summer is slowly slipping away from us. This has been an interesting and terrifying summer so far. I know I am fortunate to have had the last few weeks away from work to spend with my family. We mainly stayed around Ontario and as I like to say “I refreshed my soul in Ontario”.

Others around the world have not enjoyed the great weather, security and freedom we do in Canada. I have been watching the streets of London burning, young people doing things so unimaginable to me. The senseless deaths, destruction and injury to so many in England, for what? Nothing has been accomplished; nothing has improved for these young people who say they want change. If anything, they have set themselves back by their actions.

I have listened to Prime Minister David Cameron tell us it is the “Broken Society” that needs to be fixed. He has pledged a war on gangs, review of all policies, speed up plans to improve parenting and education. Will these programs work? I don’t know.

Over lunch with some good friends this weekend we were discussing the events of the last few weeks and I was asked why I thought this was happening. What can be done to fix the problem? Here is what I told them.

This stems back many, many years. In the late 70’s, early 80’s we as a society decided that the way we raise our children was going to change. We were no longer going to have a neibourhood where one parent would be home to raise the children. We decided that we needed more and more, more property, more houses, more cars, more toys, more money. The way we accomplished this was to send both parents out into the workforce. This left a huge gap to be filled in. The parenting gap, the expense of taking care of our children was growing to the point of the second income, however that second income was needed for all the other things we decided we needed. So our personal debt grew and grew. Then the brake down of the family was going full steam ahead and now we have so many single parent families working two or more jobs, just to get by. And our children are left to take care of themselves.

In my opinion what can be done to fix this problem is for government to support the family. Support them by making it financially feasible for one parent to work and support the family on that income. Do this with tax breaks. For each family we take one parent out of the workforce to stay home and care for the family, we are cutting down the unemployment line. We are providing another support back to the neibourhood where the children are playing. I know I am making this sound very simple; however I do believe this will improve our families, children, neibourhood’s, communities, cities and countries.

End of innocence

Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:25:10 -0400

When someone decides to end our innocence for us, no words can explain the sadness that goes along with this end. This happens naturally to us in so many ways, as we age we lose that innocence. We no longer look at our parents or older siblings as heroes; we start to see their flaws and short comings. This is not the innocence I am talking about, the innocence I am talking about is the loss felt by a community, city or even a country. This has happened far too often since the terror attacks in New York City on September 11, 2001. On that day the USA lost her innocence and since that Tuesday in September the world has been slowly losing her innocence.

The latest is Oslo, Norway, with the bombing of a government building earlier today and then the shooting and murder of 10 young people who were on a retreat. The shooting appears to be connected to the bombing earlier in the day, the shooter arrived at the youth camp dressed as a police officer and claimed to doing security after the bombing in Oslo. I don’t know who is responsible for these events in Oslo, Norway as no group has claimed responsibility; all I do know is that Norway has joined the group of nations to lose her innocence.

My son is at work with me today doing some odd jobs for me and he asked me why this has happened. Norway is a peaceful country, nice people live there, he said. I don’t have an answer for him. He is old enough that he understands people have differences, country’s go to war and the world is not always a peaceful place. He does not understand why someone would or some group would kill and hurt so many people for no reason. These people went to work today and this is what happened, these young people went to a summer camp and this is what happened.

I have no answer for him. He will be going to summer camp in a week and I can only hope that this is not something that occupies his mind. I hope my children and yours can keep their innocence for as long as possible. The innocence of America, Britain, Afghanistan, Iraq, Philippines and many other nations are gone as is mine.

Space, the last frontier.

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:40:51 -0400

The end of an era has come. The space shuttle Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station on its final mission in space. The space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to land at the Kennedy Space Centre on Thursday. The end of a glorious era, one that generations and generations will remember.

I was ten when the first shuttle touched off from earth and I can remember it so vividly as if it were yesterday. The hype, excitement, anticipation, hopes and dreams all rushing towards space on that day. My children and there generation have not had the same excitement about space travel as my generation had. I contribute that to them thinking this is normal everyday things we do. Travel around the world as quickly as we do and travel into space to live on the international space station. My dream is for us humans to not only continue to travel to space, but to continue to do it as a whole world and not just as nations. Imagine if we all worked together on space travel and living. We could accomplish so much more then all of us working alone.

That is one thing my children’s generation has my generation and the generations before me beat on, they are willing to work with each other. They don’t see the differences as clearly as generations before did. They are the lucky ones, they can see past religion, ethnic origins and colour. They are our future and it is as bright as the future of space travel can be.

The shuttle space program

1981 – 2011

Better late than never.

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:39:20 -0400

That’s the old saying we hear all the time. We hear it from our waiter, doctor, dentist, friends and family all the time. 53 years late is something else entirely. 53 years late is a life time, half a life time or even ¾’s of one. 53 years is a long time to wait for a letter from your old college sweetheart. A letter written in 1958 is finally being delivered to the addressee

Now I am sure some of you are wondering why this is even relevant in today’s news, let me tell you. First some of you (I hope) have wondered where my blog has been for the past week. Well that’s what vacation will do to you, however I am back and think I have figured out how to write and post on my blackberry so less disruptions. Secondly, in today’s world of email, blogs, twitter and facebook the art of actually writing a letter and mailing it are all but gone. We could even go on more about the art of conversation has almost gone, but that is for another day. So I am confident that you will all receive this almost as soon as I send this out.

Thirdly, go home and take 20 minutes to write a love letter to your wife, husband, or love interest. Then decide which way you would like to deliver it, email, mail or hand deliver. I am going to hand deliver mine tonight.

The Red Coats are coming, the Red Coats are coming.

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:34:29 -0400

Wouldn’t it be great if William and Kate were to wear a couple of Red Coats for their visit to California? The famous line credited to Paul Revere brings images of the British Army of that time. By all accounts the Americans are going to be much more welcoming to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge when they visit. The couple are heading out of Canada for two days in California where they will be greeted by the former Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger and I am sure David and Victoria Beckham. No real plans have been released yet on where the couple will visit, only suggestions they will take in the Golden Gate Bridge and Yosemite National Park.

This visit will be somewhat different from the visit to Canada. The Canadian visit saw the Royals walking among the crowds, talking to the ordinary citizens and sharing laughs with the young children. I hope they receive the same great reception they have had here in Canada when they arrive in the US. This will be Kate’s first visit to the United States of America and the first time William will be in the US in an official capacity.

Thank you for visiting my home of Canada, by all accounts, we have enjoyed your visit with us as much as you seem to have. Your welcome back as often as you can make it officially or unofficially. We would love for you to visit in winter and enjoy the skiing or summer at one of our many lakes. So till next time, cheers.

Great advice

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 16:00:10 -0400

Great advice comes from great men and women. We lost a great man on July 5^th of this year; Gordon Tootoosis was a great Canadian actor of Cree and Stoney descent. I was all ready to write about the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge today and their visit to Calgary, but after hearing the story of Gordon’s passing, I feel compelled to write about him. He helped preserve his culture and told his people’s stories. On October 29^th, 2004 he was awarded the Order of Canada, which is a fantastic achievement, one most of us in Canada will never receive.

Those who knew Gordon, remember a passionate man who was devoted to his family. Married since the early 60’s with 3 daughters, two adopted sons and several grandchildren. He endured a harsh childhood after being taken from his home and forced into a residential school where he was not allowed to speak his language and treated very poorly. He grew to be a strong man devoted to helping others, becoming a social worker and chief of his band and a vice-president of FSIN (Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations). An actor, and was in many films over the years. A great man I wish I had the opportunity to sit, talk to and learn from.

Now to the part of great advice, advice for aspiring actors.” If you want to be an actor, don’t try and be the star. There are only a few of them in Hollywood, the rest of us are artist.” This is great advice for all people who aspire for greatness in the Hollywood lights, be the artist and enjoy your craft.

1941 - 2011

Forces coming home

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 11:36:00 -0400

I can recall the media coverage over the past 9 years of our Canadian forces contribution to the war in Afghanistan vividly. The good stories, the sad stories and the eye opening stories. This war, like most wars will be talked about and debated for many years to come. There are many things that will stick out in my mind for the rest of my life. Each time one of our soldiers died in Afghanistan and was taken home, they landed in Trenton, Ontario. On arrival, they were met by the family, friends, community and the funeral home. We did this in broad day light, rain or shine, with dignity, respect and honour. We never hid the fact that our soldiers died, we embraced each and every one of them as they came home. I think the thing that most of my friends from around the world remarked to me was not only did we do this in publicly, but the number of Canadian who would line the Hwy of Heroes as the motorcade drove from Trenton to Toronto. Cars were pulled over to the side of the road; veterans would stand on overpasses along side of ordinary Canadians. We would hold our flag high, bow our heads and many, many of us would shed some tears.

Each one of our soldiers gave the ultimate sacrifice, they gave their life. We Canadians, who did not know each of these soldiers personally, only knew them as soldiers who died. The families of these soldiers will remember them not just as soldiers; they will remember them as husbands, wives, parents, children and friends. Each one of these family members will have very personal memories to cherish throughout their lives. I would like to thank each and every one of our soldiers and their families for the sacrifice they have made. Today marks the end of Canada’s combat mission in Afghanistan. As our troops start to leave Afghanistan and arrive home to the waiting arms of family and friends, I think it would be great if we would honour them. The next time you see a soldier, thank them for everything they have done for us and the world. You can visit the 7^th Book of Remembrance, this is a living document dedicated to honouring our soldiers who died serving our country. You can visit it at http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/sub.cfm?source=collections/books/7thbook

The Future King and Queen are here.

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 16:31:00 -0400

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are in Canada and the first thing they do is honour our veterans. They made their way to our National War Memorial and laid a wreath and a bouquet of flowers. The Duke and Duchess are so very young, yet spent the time to visit such an important place and then spent some time talking with veterans. They have a busy schedule while they are on this side of the pond and they will see so very much of our Country before heading to the US, but I do think this is a great start.

Over the next few days, weeks, months and years we will hear lots of debate in Canada about cutting our ties with the Monarchy. So I thought I should weigh in on the conversation, for what it is worth. I believe we should not cut ties with the Monarchy. I am asked often what makes me Canadian and I proudly speak of the great things our nation has done and is doing. The wars we have fought and are fighting in for justice not just for us and our citizens, but also for the global village. We as Canadians stand tall; we stand up for those who are not able to stand for themselves. Those are all things which make this a great country. We are so much more than a vast great land of water, ice, plains, valleys and mountains. Canada is a country of people who are just as strong as the land we call home.

Why keep our ties with the Monarchy? Simple, it is part of our history, part of what makes Canada, Canada. We are a country who is tolerant to others; we welcome people from all around the world to come and join us and live among us peacefully. Part of the reason we are able to do this I feel is because of who we are and our history and traditions.

So we have a choice, we can either embrace our history or we can decide to turn another path without it. Change our traditions of government, currency and who we are. I say we embrace it our history, traditions and the Monarchy. Welcome William and Kate, enjoy your time here in Canada and please do come and visit again and again. 30 June: Arrival in Ottawa.

2011 itinerary highlights

1 July: Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa
2 July: Visit to a cookery school in Montreal
3 July: Freedom of the city ceremony in Quebec City
4 July: Prince William takes part in Sea King helicopter training session on Prince Edward Island
5 July: Visit to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories
7 July: Arrival in Calgary
8 July: Attend Calgary Stampede. Leave for US

Service above self

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:38:44 -0400

The title say’s it all. Early yesterday morning as most of us in the GTA were waking up, a young Police Officer died. York Regional Police Constable Garrett Styles was killed in the line of duty. This was not the story I wanted to be writing today, that was not the news the York Regional Police wanted to hear yesterday and his family should not have had to hear. This was senseless, stomach turning news. Most of us go to work each day and never think this is the last kiss we will give to our spouse or child before we walk out the door. Too many people in this day and age die while doing their job, from construction, transportation, military, firefighters and police. Each time it is sad news to hear for all of us, especially the family, friends and coworkers.

When a Police Officer or Firefighter dies in the line of duty, I believe we as a society all for a brief moment join each officer from around the country and share in the pain. I never had the honour of meeting Constable Garrett Styles and now I like most of you only get a glimpse of his life in his death. Garrett, from all accounts, sounds like someone who I would have been proud to have called a friend. So many of his fellow officers, former teachers and others who knew Garrett, have coloured a vivid picture of someone who cared for his family, friends and community. They all have been shaped by Garrett in more ways than they will know.

What impressed me immensely was his SERVICE ABOVE SELF. In his call for help which many of us have heard or read here is what he said;

“I’ve got a van on my waist, I don’t know… it hurts, and I’ve got some people inside the can. I don’t know how they’re doing,” the dying officer told the dispatcher.

Even in all his pain, fear and suffering Constable Garrett Styles was concerned for others. He was not only calling for help for himself, he was calling help for others who may have been hurt. As it turns out, his call for help may have saved the very person who may be responsible for his death.

Last night, as I tucked my children in to bed, comforted my baby girl and said good night to my wife I said a prayer for Garrett and his family. I thanked him for watching over us and keeping us safe as we went about of lives. I woke today feeling so sad; sad because Garrett was not able to share a meal with his family, tell a bedtime story to his children, comfort his baby or spend time with his wife. So much has been taken away from him and his family. So next Tuesday, I hope each of us will take a small amount of time and think of Const. Garrett Styles, his family, his friends and his community. And I hope the next time you see a Police Officer doing his or her job, you will appreciate and respect them for what they are doing.

Condolences may be placed on this facebook page which was set up at https://www.facebook.com/ripgarrettstyles

Garrett Styles

1978 - 2011

Monty Python's Flying Circus

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 11:46:57 -0400

Some of the members of Monty Python will be heard again soon. They are working on a 3D animated film based on the Autobiography of the late Graham Chapman. A Liar’s Autobiography will also feature recordings that Chapman made prior to his death in 1989. For those of you who don’t know who or what is Monty Python’s Flying Circus or the Monty Python franchise, here’s a quick history lesson. The group John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, Eric Idle and Graham Chapman who all made up Monty Python paved the way for some of the greatest British Comedy. From the BBC television show Monty Python’s Flying Circus and big screen movies of the likes of Monty Python and the Holy Grail and the Life of Brian. Any fan of the Circus will remember the Dead Parrot sketch with a wry smile, as I have on my face right now. Why am I even writing about this you may ask, well let me tell you. As I channel surf most nights I often find myself yearning for the TV of old. The show’s that we would watch as a family, the comedy’s, drama’s and the documentaries. This is evident every time another actor dies such as Peter Falk, the commentary which followed on how the world misses Columbo and the show’s with substance and characters. I know times have changed and I know what was funny years ago does not make the young chuckle like it did, however I do know that our memories are great places to hangout. So every now and then I hangout in my memory. I turn the TV off, turn the computer off, turn off the cell phone and just share some memories with friends and family. This is an art form I want my children to learn. They have mastered Facebook and now I want to make sure they master Facetime. Yes the time you spend with friends, neighbours and family. Now that you have read this today, turn off the Computer, TV, phones and spend the important Facetime with those you still can.

1941 - 1989

Who is important to us?

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 15:51:00 -0400

Who is Billy the Kid and why is he worth so much money? His only known authenticated picture was just sold in an auction for $ 2.3M over the weekend. Now most people know that Billy the Kid was a notorious outlaw who stole and murdered his way through the American West back in the late 1800’s. He has been made famous in a few Hollywood films over the years. In those films we rooted for him, hoped he would beat the lawman of the time. Just this year the governor of New Mexico turned down a request to posthumous pardon Billy for the killing of a county sheriff in 1878. In the end, he was hunted down, ambushed and killed by Sheriff Patrick Floyd Garrett. I wonder if anyone today would spend $2.3M on a portrait of the Sheriff who in doing his job killed Billy the Kid. Why do we idolize the outlaw and ignore the lawman of that time? I really don’t know the answer to that question and I don’t know why anyone would pay that much money for a picture of someone who is not related to them. Especially now that you can view it online and print it with the same or better quality as the original. I myself will go home, put my memory stick from my camera in the computer and print some great pictures of my family. Each one of them is priceless, the pictures and the people. Let’s go out and celebrate the people who are truly important to us.

1859 - 1881