Modelling disrespect

This week, I was scrubbing raw egg off my car  thrown there from what I can only assume was an errant group of misguided teens with nothing better to do. 

At first, I thought, "kids will be kids", and it didn't bother me much. But as I kept scrubbing the baked on remnants off, I started to get irritated. 

I began to ask myself, "why don't these kids have any respect?". I know for certain that my teenage friends and I did not destroy property. I wouldn't have dared, nor would I have even thought of it. 

This is not the first time this has happened to us. Over the years, we have had several bikes stolen from our back yard, a tire slashed, dents in the hood of our car where someone ran over it, ruined flower beds and a broken windshield wiper. 

Most of these were fairly expensive to replace or fix. 

It makes me sad and almost ready to give up on keeping my place nice.

I wondered, what makes these teens so different from those I have worked with over the years?

The answer is obvious: those teens I work with are good and respectful because their parents are. They have been shown what it is to be kind and to care for and belong to a community. 

Those other teens, the ones that cause adults to make sweeping generalizations, are parented by either absent parents or disrespectful ones. 

I suddenly have a sneaking suspicion: the guy in the gas guzzling souped up truck that cut me off in traffic and fingered me today, just might be the father of the kid who disrespectfully tossed the egg at the back of my car last weekend.  

Don't drive distracted

Despite increased education on the importance of paying attention while behind the wheel, it seems some drivers still don't understand the danger in driving distracted. 

Yesterday, I saw a woman driving a minivan while talking on her cell phone and smoking a cigarette. She was stopped at a red light, so I got a good look at her while she attempted to make a left hand turn with the unoccupied thumb of her left hand. 

I felt like yelling at her, but she was probably too distracted to notice anyway. 

Why did this upset me so much? 

Because, according to Transport Canada, there were over 2,500 fatal collisions in Canada in 2005. Most often, drivers and their occupants are the victims, but almost 650 pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicyclists were killed that year by vehicles. (read the report here:http://www.tc.gc.ca/mediaroom/releases/nat/2007/07-h017e.htm)

Additionally, she was fast approaching a school and playground zone at 3:10 p.m.

Recently, Strathcona County became the first in Alberta to ban Legislation has been proposed to cell phone use while driving. The new bylaw, which comes into effect in September, will cost first-time offenders $100, according to CBC news. Hands-free phones will still be allowed. 

Last year, a province-wide ban was rejected by the Alberta legislature, despite an August report by the Alberta Medical Association. 

That report stated that using a cell phone while driving decreases reaction time by 18 per cent, equivalent to driving with a blood alcohol level at the legal limit. Collision risk is four to six times higher for drivers using cell phones. 

Drivers who text message spend up to 400 per cent more time with their eyes off the road. As a result, incorrect lane changes go up by 140 per cent.

We have all witnessed erratic driving on the Queen Elizabeth highway and on the Deerfoot. Pulling up to offending drivers may reveal a driver chatting on a cellphone, gazing in a mirror or even reading. 

I admit, I have been guilty of an occasional cellphone call while on the road. But after reading reports and articles warning of the danger involved in driving while distracted, I am making a new commitment to think and drive. 

Education needed for emergency room use

An unfortunate onion-chopping incident yesterday resulted in a rough night and a newly gained insight into Airdrie's Urgent Care Centre.
This incident, which involved the loss of a nail and a good amount of blood loss, coupled with knowledge gained last summer when my daughter broke her leg, enables me to include my two cents in the growing Health Care debate.
What I learned in my nearly 2 hour wait is that people still don't know what an emergency is. As a result, people with dripping blood, intense migraines and sprained ankles are forced to wait in a crowded waiting room full of babies with colds and adults who can't (or won't) wait to see their family doctor.
Granted, thanks to the shortage of general practitioners, people may not have a family doctor, however, our city is home to several walk-in clinics. These clinics are the ideal place to go for non-emergencies that need to be seen quickly. The waiting time is similar, with the added benefit of adding your name to the list and being given an approximate appointment time, which allows you to leave and return close to your allotted time.
My opinion echoes that of many politicians: people need an education on how to use Alberta's health care system. A system in danger because of extremely high costs resulting in over-use.
I am not saying that babies with colds shouldn't be checked by a doctor-I am a concerned mother after all. I am just saying there are alternatives.
The key is to know what merits a visit to the emergency room. My humble opinion is that all life-threatening conditions, broken limbs, smacked heads, bad cuts and the like are true emergencies.
Anything that can wait isn't.
If people learn this, maybe we couldreduce waiting times and perhaps decrease the high cost of health care in our province.
It might be that the continuation of our world-renowned system depends on it.

Airdrie homes destroyed by fire

Two Airdrie homes were destroyed by fire Saturday, May 16.
The fire started in a home in Elston Bay, S.E. around 7 p.m. and quickly spread to a neighbouring home.
The fire was subdued around 7:30 p.m. by the Airdrie fire department.
Local RCMP officers also responded, and had to clear the area from witnesses who ventured too close to the fire.
Dark smoke and ash billowed into the air, drawing hundreds of locals to witness the event.
The cause of the fire is unknown.

Airdrie homes destroyed by fire

My views on Jim Richards, The Anatomy of a Miracle

We've all heard the message: If you think you can, you can.

That is the central message of speaker Jim Richards, who appeared on "It's a New Day" this week. This message, which came from his series: "The Anatomy of a Miracle", is a new and possibly controversial one for many Christians. I, however, have been inspired by the hope-filled message.

Richards claims that God already made the provision for us to have healing, success, and a peace-filled life. All we have to do is receive what is already ours. How? Through our thinking.

This message rang true for me because I have heard and seen many successful people who claim to have "thought" their way to success. They have done this by believing in their success and not giving up. In fact, many claim they envision themselves being successful- despite the situation they may find themselves in.

Richards claims that believing something to the point of being convinced (sounds like faith) shifts our minds and the world around us to conform to that belief.

It may sound new age, but Richards shows how science and the Bible prove his theories.

What is neat about what Richards teaches is that we all have the capacity in ourselves, God -given, to be one of those kind of people.

I would encourage anyone, whether they are a Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, or atheist to watch the series on http://www.newday.org/. It is an intriguing message and may be just the catalyst for a shift in thinking that could change someone's world, or even the greater community they live in.

The message "If you think you can, you can", may have been proven scientifically. Watch or listen to the program to learn how.

A couple of disney world photos

They certainly do everything as magically as they can.

Disney World: The Dream Marketing Scheme

Marketing and advertising students should definitely study the marketing scheme of Walt Disney when he planned Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
Having just returned from a family trip to the magical destination, where we stayed inside the resort at Disney's Pop Century, I must commend the corporation on their marketing plan.
Oh, I had a great time with my two children and husband. It was sunny and hot, the parks were meticulously clean, and customer service was outstanding.
However, staying in the Disney World resort is like staying in the Hotel California. It's a lovely place, but hard to leave.
We actually left the resort just two times- once to visit Sea World and the second time we walked out of the resort from Downtown Disney.
What did we find?
Affordable, high-quality food and cheap merchandise- both of which are unheard of inside the resort.
In fact, we enjoyed a Mexican meal for the equivalent price of the tasteless, greasy burgers and fries we found inside the park!
And guess what? The customer service was great, and the restaurant didn't display kid-tempting merchandise when we left the meal. What a treat.

Saving Journalism

I just thought I would weigh in on what is on every journalists mind......

Journalism is of vital importance in society. It is a watch dog, the only way to keep business and government accountable. It must exist, for the good of all.

But, in this world of instantaneous entertainment and news, traditional journalism is dying. Readership is down, journalists are being laid-off in droves, advertisers aren’t spending. The bottom line is: business is poor. Many newspapers just aren’t making money.

But why?

Perhaps it is the convenience of reading the news online, coupled with cheap (often free) access to almost limitless choices of news feeds, entertainment and opinion writing online that is killing traditional journalism. Or it might be the new “green” attitude. Why kill a tree, when you can just surf the web for desired content?

While these reasons may play a part, I think the real issue is public perception of journalism.

Many people believe that newspapers are biased, and not credible. And sometimes, they are right. As journalists, we have to be better. We have to stop writing newspaper-filling fluff. We have to be credible and neutral. We have to write about relevant issues, and go beyond traditional journalism by offering solutions and reasons for real world problems.

And we have to figure out a way to offer those solutions up in a palatable way. Facebook, twitter, blogging, spot.us, all of these are usable technologies. Whatever the format, I believe it is essential to create hard- hitting, truthful, fresh, thought-provoking content. And I think people will pay for it.

Portfolio Pictures

Portfolio Pictures

Portfolio pictures