richard shatto's wordstorm

helping to implement social and business enterprises

Jack? Is that you?

[I received this recently in an email. Doesn't paint #JackLayton in a very positive way. Does anyone know a way to verify it?]

For all those who think the Sun shines out of Jack Layton's bottom end.

The basic facts are as follows. Layton and his wife Olivia Chow both sat on Toronto City Council for years before making the move to federal politics. While on City Council, they were making $100,000 a year.

They used a fraudulent scheme to get into subsidized housing. What they did was register the house in the name of Chow's mother who was an unemployed immigrant. In this way, they lived for years in a taxpayer
funded house while being paid $100,000 yearly from taxpayers.
They only moved when a reporter exposed the story. The real irony is that Chow styled herself as an advocate for the homeless on City Council. It is astounding that the media never mention this. It was theft, pure and
simple.

Today, Layton and Chow earn $350,000 together as MPs. They each get a housing allowance for living in Ottawa although they live together.
According to House of Commons records for 2010, they spent one million dollars last year on travel and perks. Because they're MPs.there is no detail.

When asked, Layton said that most of it was for travel back to Toronto to visit their constituents. That comes out to $20,000 a week for travel.
Toronto is 300 miles from Ottawa. Again, it's theft, pure and simple.

But speaking of simple, NDP loyalists see Jack and Olivia as the working man's friends. The simplistic media play up this image. Simplistic Canadians give Jack a
free ride on trust.

And, the other night during the big debate Jack had the nerve to say we don't need more jails because all the crooks are already in the Senate... well, make him a Senator!

The Best Little Service Station in Abbotsford

4-22-2011_3-02-44_pm
Hub Motor Service is in my mind the best car service station in Abbotsford. The Siemens family do great work and are more honest than just about anybody I know. You can just feel it when you walk in their door. Granted they are a bit old fashioned, I mean they run out and pump the gas for you, wash your windows and always ask you if you need your oil checked. 

But what about their gas prices? I once asked owner Ross Siemens, how they manage to compete on pricing, being a little independent station. True to form his honest answer was: "We're not always the lowest," he explained. "We only price our gas once a week, set at the price we buy it. If during that week the gas wholesale price goes up, we leave the price the same." So, theoretically, yours could be lower than down the street. "Yes," his honest answer continued. "But, if the wholesale price of gas goes down, someone down the street could have it lower." I've been going to Hub for years and my experience has been, it pretty much averages out. 

So, if you've ever tried their gas service, you know they make you feel pretty good. But, you also need to try their car repair service, its really outstanding. The Siemens apply all the same principles of good, honest customer care to repairing their customer's cars. They are quick to respond and give genuine advice and honest estimates. In fact, once they told me, I should go to another repair shop. They said they could do it, but thought another shop, which specialized in the work, would do a better job. They even called and arranged the appointment. And, they do their work on time (or sooner). If they can't complete a job on time or budget, they always call to give me an update. 

It's know wonder they've been around for over 50 years. That's right, I said fifty! There are now a 4th generation family business and not an inkling of the entitlement attitude that sometimes creeps into a multi-generational business culture has made it into the Siemens operation. They make it obvious how much they appreciate their customers. 

Even if you don't know exactly who the Siemens are, you'll probably where they are, because after so many years in Abbotsford, it's a landmark. You'll find them in Historical Downtown Abbotsford at the corner of Essendine and Gladys - just east of the railroad tracks where you turn South to Mission. The old fashioned sign on the  canopy says Hub Motor Service. If you do head on down, talk to Hub proprietor Ross Siemens. He's just one of the many Siemens and other long-term staff you'll find there. He just happens to be the friendly person that gets to talk with the customers. 

And, while your're there, you might even get a chance to press your nose to the windows of some of the oldest, best kept antique cars in town; beautifully restored vintages of all brands and ages. Why? Because their proud owners will tell you, Siemens is the best in town, the only business they trust with their polished pieces of history. Though, I've often wondered, after 50 years, if it's simply because the same Hub mechanic has been tinkering with them since they were new.

Hub Motor Service
33839 Essendine Avenue
Abbotsford, BC V2S 2H2
604) 853-2352

Living Next Door to the Gangster

You are right Doc Zone, anybody can be the neighbour next door. Unfortunately in the case of the UN Gang, we did. For four harrowing years, Clayton Roueche, leader of the UN Gang, lived next door.

Those were clearly the years he was actively solidifying his gangster reputation, making ties to Asian Triad (his wife's uncle) and establishing his loyal network of local gangsters.  We witnessed constant drug pickups, all night parties and stretched limos disgorging his tatoo uniformed troops. In the early days, they were polite and would respond to our requests for quiet, but toward the end, their behavious became increasingly defiant. 

Unfortunately, many calls to the Abbotsford police did little to stem the activites at the gang's station central. Those were the years Abbotsford Police were merely reviewing the dictionary for "definitions" of gangster, rather than tackling the growing threat. 

And, though we were able to witness so much first hand, it wasn't until years later with Roueche and the Bacon's safely locked away in their prison cells, we knew the true danger of our Gangster Next Door. 

The Gangster Next Door

45:13 minutes 

The Gangster Next Door is the harrowing story behind the headlines of the country’s bloodiest gang war - shockingly led by young men raised in the most middle-class of families. And yet they’ve stooped to new lows to win increasingly brazen gang battles, targeting previously off-limits gangster girlfriends and wives and shattering the lives of true innocents, like the four-year-old left alive in the backseat of a Cadillac, his mother shot dead at the wheel. At stake: billions in illicit drug money.

 
James Coulter, founding member UN Gang

Part police action film, part in-depth analysis, all deeply-human storytelling, The Gangster Next Door introduces characters rarely willing to step out of the shadows – a founding member of a notorious and violent gang, the mother of a gangster girl-friend, and the shattered mother of an innocent victim, a woman whose all-consuming grief fuels an anti-gang crusade.

The Gangster Next Door is a must-watch documentary for anyone who wonders how Lotus Land became Gang-couver – and if it can happen in your community.

 
Eileen Mohan still lives across the hall from where her son was murdered

The world awoke to Vancouver's gang problem in the winter of 2008-09 during a period of time on the streets of the lower mainland when there was a targeted hit every six days. The gunfights became increasingly audacious and public – robbing the community of its sense of safety. The collateral damage from the gang problem spreads out in waves out from every horrific incident –staining the lives of parents and grandparents, children and old friends, bystanders and the community itself. Nobody’s immune.

 
Vancouver Sun reporter and gang expert, Kim Bolan

Perhaps most disturbing - the baffling new profile of these greedy young gangsters who are willing to kill over drug profits:  among recent gang murders or arrest warrants are the sons of a teacher, a banker, a therapist, even a policeman. The new breed of gangster is quite likely middle-class – a young man with a world of options open to him who is still somehow drawn to the dark side.   

The Gangster Next Door explores this emerging social phenomenon – the deadliest gangster could be anybody's next door neighbour.

 

via cbc.ca

 

I just added the new Marginize tool to my browser

It's hard to believe it's been a year since I last wrote on this blog. So, I'd better do one. I'll keep it short. I've got a ton to do in the next few hours and days. 

I just found a web tool that is very cool. It's called Marginize and it allows you to put a little tool, an almost hidden tab, on the side of your page as you browse. On any webpage you are on, you can click on the Marginize tab and it will pop out a couple of inches and show you comments people are making about that page, company, blog or whatever. It also allows you to make a comment (they call it a reaction) about the page you are on and then send it to those Twitter and Facebook places on the web where you like hang your hat. 

I just marginized my own blog page. Go check it out. 

Richard

Irena Sendler

Recently 98 year-old  
Irena Sendler died.

During WWII, Irena, got 
permission to work in the Warsaw ghetto, as a 
Plumbing/Sewer specialist.

She had an 'ulterior 
motive'.

Being German, she KNEW what the Nazi's 
plans were for the Jews.

Irena smuggled infants 
out in the bottom of the tool box she carried 
and she carried in the back of her truck a 
burlap sack, (for larger kids).

She also had a dog in 
the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi 
soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto.

The soldiers of course 
wanted nothing to do with the dog and the 
barking covered the kids/infants noises.

 

During her time of doing 
this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 
kids/infants.

 

She was caught, and the 
Nazi's broke both her legs, arms and beat her 
severely.

 

Irena kept a record of 
the names of all the kids she smuggled out and 
kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in 
her back yard.

 

*******************************
I know neither the source nor author of this story, but think it is worthwhile to share as it is. For more information on Irena Sendler click here. 

Fallen Soldier

JULY 4, 2008  Another 4th of July is here and all across the nation, millions of us will celebrate in thousands of different ways.  Our military members around the world will miss out on hometown celebrations, instead, performing the duties assigned to them.  This story is in honor of them.

 

As a commercial pilot, I too see the effects of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Last month I showed up to start a trip and was approached by a gate agent.  “Captain, good morning, I wanted to inform you that we have H.R. on this flight”, she said.  H.R. stands for human remains.  “Are they military?”, I asked.  “Yes”, she said.  “Is there and escort?”, I asked.  “Yes, I already assigned him a seat”, she said.  “Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck, you can board him early”, I said.

 

A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck.  He was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier.  He introduced himself and I asked him about his soldier.  The escorts of these fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and with us.  “My soldier is on his way back to Virginia”, he said.  He proceeded to answer my questions, but offered no words on his own.  I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no.  I told him that he has the toughest job in the military and that I appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen soldiers.  The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his hand.  He left the flight deck to find his seat.

 

We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an uneventful departure.  About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin.  “I just found out the family of the soldier we are carrying, is onboard”, he said.  He then proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year-old daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home.  The family was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier was in before we left.  We were on our way to a major hub at which the family was going to wait 4 hours for the connecting flight home to Virginia. The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was too much for him and the family to bare.  He had asked the flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them to see him upon our arrival.  The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane.  I could hear the desperation in the flight attendants voice when he asked me if there was anything I could do.  “I’m on it”, I said.  I told him that I would get back to him.

 

Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of email like messages.  I decided to bypass this system and contact my flight dispatcher directly on a secondary radio. There is a radio operator in the operations control center who connects you to the telephone of the dispatcher.  I was in direct contact with the dispatcher.  I explained the situation I had onboard with the family and what it was the family wanted.  He said he understood and that he would get back to me.

 

Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher.  We were going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family.  I sent a text message asking for an update.  I saved the return message from the dispatcher and this following is the text.

“Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you.  There is policy on this now and I had to check on a few things.  Upon your arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft.  The team will escort the family to the ramp and planeside.  A van will be used to load the remains with a secondary van for the family.  The family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp.  It is a private area for the family only.  When the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the ramp and planeside to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg home.  Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans.  Please pass our condolences on to the family, thanks.”

 

I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job.  I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass on to the father.  The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told me, “You have no idea how much this will mean to them.”  Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing. 

 

After landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area.  The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway.  It is always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit.  When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were told that all traffic was being held for us.  “There is a team in place to meet the aircraft”, we were told.  It looked like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and delay the family from getting off the airplane.  As we approached our gate, I asked the copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the gate to make an announcement to the passengers.  He did that and the ramp controller said, “Take your time.” 

 

I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake.  I pushed the public address button and said, “Ladies and gentleman, this is your captain speaking.  I have stopped short of our gate to make a special announcement.  We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect.  His name is private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his life.  Private XXXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold.  Escorting him today is army sergeant XXXXXXX.  Also onboard are his father, mother, wife, and daughter.  Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first.  Thank you.”

 

We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our shutdown procedures.  A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit door.  I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something you just do not see.  I was told that after we came to a stop, every passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the family to exit the aircraft.  When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly started to clap their hands.  Moments later more passengers joined in and soon the entire aircraft was clapping.  Words of “God Bless You, I’m sorry, Thank you, Be proud, and other kind words were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the airplane.  They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with the loved one lost. 

 

I never did see the family.  Another soldier died, another family grieved and we did what we could.  That is the way it works sometimes.  I get a call from the cabin and we work as a team to do what we can.  That day everybody from the flight crew, to the operations center, to the 184 passengers onboard, we did what we could.  Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I made.  They were just words, I could say them over and over again, but nothing I say will bring that soldier back.  I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this day and the sacrifices that millions of men and women have made to ensure our freedom, safety, and the right to live a good life.

 

Be safe,

 

FlyGuy.

 

Thanks for this FlyGuy,

 

Richard

"Midnight at Times Square"

MIDNIGHT AT TIMES SQUARE

Get Tickets Here

"This is going to be the best party Abbotsford has seen in years!"

MIDNIGHT AT TIMES SQUARE: featuring Comedian Dan Nainan of New York from 8:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Volunteer Abbotsford will host guests 19 years of age and over inside the Ag Rec Centre which will be magically transformed into downtown New York to celebrate, complete with Broadway, Central Park and Times Square.  Partygoers will have the opportunity to enjoy tasty snacks offered by city-style street vendors, take part in draws for fantastic prizes (including a $2000 travel voucher and a WestJet voucher for two) and dance their way into 2010. 

Guests are encouraged to ‘dress to impress’.

Net proceeds from ticket, drink and food sales as well as 50/50 draws and “Torch Surprise Number” raffle will benefit the Paediatric Department of the Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Volunteer Abbotsford.

The Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation is pleased to be a co-beneficiary of this fabulous New Years’ Eve event.  The Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation, which received its charitable status in April 2000, builds partnerships with individuals, community organizations and businesses to support our local hospitals and health care services.

Volunteer Abbotsford, a legacy of Abbotsford Spirit of BC (ASBC), was formed May 3, 2008 to provide volunteer services to individuals, agencies and businesses.  They assist in building the capacity for effective volunteering through personalized training, leadership, and acting as advocates on issues relating to volunteerism.

About Dan Nainan...    

Dan Nainan

Comedian Dan Nainan of New York will be the Master of Ceremonies and do a comedy performance at the Midnight at Times Square New Year’s Eve event at the AgRec Building.

Dan Nainan is an American comedian of Indian and Japanese origin.

As a senior engineer at Intel in the late 90's, Dan Nainan presented high tech demos worldwide with Chairman Andy Grove. His job involved making presentations in front of thousands of people, so he took a comedy class to get over the nervousness of being on stage. Intel's event planners saw his tape and asked him to perform at the annual sales conference for 2500 people, in what was only his third performance ever. His dead-on impressions of Andy Grove and Bill Clinton had the audience rolling in the aisles. Dan was promoted to Strategic Relations Manager, but restless in his stationary new job, he retired from Intel in 2001 to pursue comedy full time.

Dan won an open mike contest at the DC Improv and the chance to open for the headliner of his choice.

Nainan has been seen on NBC's Last Comic Standing and Saturday Night Live as well as onNickelodeon and A&E. He has done a variety of TV commercials and appeared on many radio stations around the US. Nainan has performed at various events for Hillary Clinton, Cherie Booth (Mrs. Tony Blair), congressman Mike Honda, Sanjay Gupta and Howard Dean. He has performed with some of the top comedians in the country such as Jerry Seinfeld, Russell Peters, Bob Saget, Tim Conway andGarry Shandling. 

In 2006 Nainan played a small role as a cello player in Paramount's film The Hoax starring Richard Gere. In 2009 Nainan played the role as a Fire Nation Warrior in the M. Night Shyamalan movie The Last Airbender.

Currently Nainan performs at charity and corporate functions, weddings, private parties, colleges and many comedy clubs in the U.S.  He recently opened the Bethesda Comedy Club, a 300 seat venue in the Washington, D.C. area.

Nainan’s website is www.danielnainan.com

Well don't just sit there, buy your tickets!

via midnighttimessquare.eventbrite.com

I'll be going. You can too, buy your Tickets on-line here. http://midnighttimessquare.eventbrite.com

CBC News - Books - Lewis Carroll's book for Alice fetches $115K at auction

A rare copy of Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There that Lewis Carroll presented to the book's real-life inspiration has fetched $115,000 US at auction.

Published in 1871, the first-edition volume was inscribed to Alice Pleasance Liddell by Charles Dodgson, who wrote under the pen name Lewis Carroll.

Its sale was the highlight of Wednesday's children's literature auction by Southern-California based Profiles in History.

The volume — a sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland — was sold by retired National Football League player and children's literature collector Pat McInally, who called it "really exciting" to have found a book the author had given to the real Alice.

Liddell was the daughter of the dean at Christ Church, Oxford, where Dodgson worked as a professor.

McInally, the former Cincinnati Bengals star, said the goal of the auction — which featured a host of items from his collection — was so he could focus his efforts on books by A.A. Milne.

Another highlight of Wednesday's sale included Beatrix Potter's own copy of her book The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which sold for $92,000 US.

The auction also featured first-edition copies of several classics, including H.G. Wells's The Time Machine: An Invention, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, and J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philsopher's Stone.

via cbc.ca

A fascination with Children's Literature, this article caught my eye. It's amazing what opportunity a careful, studied investment into collectibles can offer today.

RS

Huge New Year's Eve Party in Abbotsford this year

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via volunteerabbotsford.ca

So everyone knows there is NOTHING to do in Abbotsford New Years eve, right? Sorry, that's wrong this year and from now on. This party is going to be huge! I've heard there are already hundreds of tickets sold.

If you know me you know I'm not much for partying, but I'll be at this one. First, because I do think it sounds like fun, second and more importantly, it is going to help Sick Kids at the Abbotsford Hospital and Volunteer Abbotsford.

Volunteer Abbotsford is an amazing organization that is just getting started, but is going to help so many organizations in so many ways. A central hub of information and administration for volunteers. And, volunteers are so important these days.

So, please call Volunteer Abbotsford to buy your tickets before they run out. Do it now before you forget. Call 604 850 7161 or click through the link below (or above) to the Volunteer Abbotsford website.

See you there!