Tribute to a friend and spiritual teacher

Today, I found out that a friend of mine who was involved in a car accident a couple weeks ago in which his wife died, has himself died. Zino and Julie Del Monte were beautiful people who will be surely missed by all who knew them.

As tears stream down my face as I write this, I can't help but remember all the wonderful moments we shared together, as friends, soulmates and kindred spirits... that no one could crush.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them.

Both Zino and Julie were Kabbalists and for several years Zino was my Maggid (spiritual teacher). From him, I went on to study other religious teachings and philosophy's. At times, we differed on issues and worldly events, and during these times we had some really good heated and emotional arguments, filled with passion and conviction, that would send people who didn't know us scurrying for cover. :-) During these times, we didn't care what other people thought... it didn't matter to us... we only cared about each other. To us this was true friendship and a testament to our bond. I could go on and on, but right now I can't...

Goodbye my good friends, and thank you for being who you were and for loving me for who I am. The lessons you taught me, will not be lost like tears in the rain, but will stay with me forever, as will my memories of the both of you.


Some men strive after wealth; some would like to be strong and healthy; others again wish for fame and renown. But the wise ones apply their hearts to knowledge, so that knowing, they may understand the purpose of their lives and work out their destiny before the night cometh.
- From the Writings of Moses Maimonides.

There is no death, there is no destruction, all is but change and transformation, first the caterpillar, then the chrysalis, then the beautiful butterfly. Likewise, first physical man, then the mighty mind, and at last a noble soul.

Land of the Taser, Home of the Slave Blog

Further to what seems to be my evolving one man crusade against our government(s) use of Tasers against its own citizens, I have created the following blog in an effort to awaken people to this threat to our civil liberties, health and well being:

http://landofthetaserhomeoftheslave.blogspot.com/

The people need to be educated about the abuses being perpetrated by unchecked government and its agents, to our freedoms. In this regard, I have taken my posts (with respect to this issue) here in this blog, and copied them over to the above blog. In future, my posts dealing with this subject will appear in the above blog only.

If one did a google search of Land of the Taser, Home of the Slave one would find case after case of police and RCMP regularly stunning people with their Tasers, with many cases of torture and death as an end result. As of today, I will be adding reported Tasering cases to this blog, as they occur, and as I am able to (work and life commitments aside).

My intent here with this new blog is to, hopefully, awaken and arouse enough public anger and disgust, as to do away with Tasers... and to the people in elected office, who (in my opinion) have been responsible and guilty of perpetrating inhumane crimes against humanity, and to betraying the citizens they were elected to serve and protect (sic). (I want 'accountability'!)

I want to see 'heads roll' and that action is taken to do away with this barbaric 'social conditioning tool'. If people feel motivated to help me by getting involved in whichever way they are best able to do so, I would welcome that... suggestions, ideas, opinions, action!...


... a city where right reigns only by virtue of a force without appeal - a sort of sovereignty of good, in which intimidation alone prevails and the only recompense of virtue (to this degree its own reward) is to escape punishment.

The budget – next steps

The following is an email letter I received today from Michael Ignateiff:

Dear John,

After carefully reviewing the budget with our Liberal Team I wanted to share with you our next steps.

During my tour this past month you’ve said over and over again that you don’t want further delays and you want the support you were promised. But you also said that you want the government held accountable, they failed you in the past and lost your trust.

I want you to know that the Liberal Team listened. We are prepared to support the budget but will be putting forward an amendment that will ensure that the government is held accountable, to you, and to Parliament.

We are putting Stephen Harper on probation.

If the government fails to satisfy the expectations of Canadians we will be ready to defeat him.

Stephen Harper insists that accountability is important, but he has lost credibility and the trust of Canadians by failing to deliver on promises made in the past. We must ensure that the economic measures offered in this budget actually reach the people they are meant to help.

If the accountability reports in March, June, and December are unsatisfactory we will withdraw our support.

A united Opposition forced Stephen Harper to concede important points in yesterday’s budget:

• new investment in social housing and infrastructure, including for Canada’s First Nations;
• targeted support for low and middle income Canadians through an expansion of the Child Tax Benefit and Working Income Tax Benefit; and
• investment in regional development agencies throughout the country.

But, the budget is also flawed in significant ways:

• it doesn’t go far enough to protect Canadians who have - or will soon – lose their jobs;
• it opens the door for attacks on pay equity for women;
• it breaks the Conservatives` promise to all Canadian provinces on equalization;
• it missed the opportunity for significant stimulus investment towards the green economy;
• it lacks clear plan for getting us out of the $85 billion hole the government will dig us into over the next five years.

You have made it clear that you want us to act in your best interest and address the economic crisis with the seriousness it deserves.

Thank you for all of your encouragement and for working with me on finding solutions to our Country’s challenges.

Michael
...............................................

You have made it clear that you want us to act in your best interest...

Well, as I said in my last post, I think Mr. Ignateiff acted in his own best interest and those of the Liberal Party of Canada, while showing a total disregard in protecting the most vulnerable in our society.

We are putting Stephen Harper on probation...

I think Ignateiff thinks he has given himself and the Liberal Party of Canada a lifeline, but instead, he has only tightened the noose around his own neck, as Harper has proven he cannot be trusted, nor is he capable of running this country during these trying times.

When he wakes up, will Jack and Duceppe be willing to trust him and work with him again? Only time will tell, but it does look like he has burnt bridges, instead of building on them.


... pain and suffering are good because they goaded the poor into greater efforts, thus the economy is energized.

Liberal Coalition with Conservatives

The following is an email I sent today to Michael Ignatieff and to all Coalition members of parliment:

Dear Mr. Ignatieff,

I see by your despicable actions of today that you are more concerned with your own political future and that of the Liberal Party of Canada than you are with protecting the most vulnerable in our society. Somehow this does not surprise me as your whole background has been one of privilege. To say I am disappointed with your decision to turn your back on the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who are presently suffering (and whose ranks will soon be swelling), and who will most certainly continue to suffer under a Harper/Conservative government, would be an understatement. But I suppose a man of your background and upbringing is more concerned with politics than with doing the right thing. Which would have been to support the NDP and Bloc in forming a coalition government to protect all Canadians from a party whose track record has been…

Conservatives do not believe that people can work together and help each other so they do not believe in government and law. Instead they believe in a dog-eat-dog, everyone on-their-own and out-for-themselves society where the strongest survive and it doesn't matter what happens to everyone else. So whenever conservatives gain power they abuse it and use it to get money for themselves and their friends.

Your actions today confirm in many people’s minds that the Conservatives and Liberals are nothing more than different sides of the same coin. Consolidating your position while attempting to build your party’s coffers may be in your mind a prudent course of action, but I tell you sir, you have lost not only the moral highroad but the good will of the people, and that will be clear to you and your fellow Liberal MP’s come the next election. That you can take to the bank!

John Prince, Liberal

p.s. This is from a life long supporter of the Liberal Party of Canada who recently became a member, and now wonders why?

http://blog.johnprince.ca/2009/01/today-i-joined-liberal-party-of-canada.html

John Prince
P.O. Box 255
Crowsnest Pass, AB T0K 0C0
Blog: blog.johnprince.ca
Phone: (403) 564-4518 Cell: (403) 563-0637
Fax: (403) 564-4509

Rick Mercer / Behind the Curtain

Behind the Curtain

URL: http://www.rickmercer.com/blog/index.cfm/2009/1/28/Behind-the-Curtain





So here it is hey, budget day in Canada. One of the few days of the year when Canadians actually pay attention to how our government is spending our money. And believe me, governments hate that.

They would much prefer to operate in total secrecy. It's in their nature. But luckily we have the Access to Information Act, which says if you, or I, or a journalist has a legitimate question about how our government is spending the money they have to answer us.

And just to make sure they do, we have an information commissioner – Robert Marleau – whose entire job is to make sure that government plays by the rules. And what's he say?

Well he says that when it comes to transparency this government is...what's the word I'm looking for? Terrible. He says in Ottawa the "fog is thickening". That government is intentionally delaying or ignoring most information requests.

Well that's great news isn't it?

Just when government is preparing to spend more money than any of us could have ever imagined, it's suddenly harder to find out what they're actually up to. Money and Secrecy. What could go wrong? It's such a good duo. It's right up there with gasoline and matches.

Maybe over the last couple years a bit of secrecy didn't really matter, because at least we knew they were spending within their limits. But now they're preparing to spend billions of dollars we don't even have. Billions. With a "B."

And like a lot of Canadians I had a hard time wrapping my head around what a billion actually was, and then I got an e-mail that pointed out that a billion seconds ago it was 1978. Yes a billion seconds ago, the Village People were at the top of the charts. So a billion is a lot!

And seeing as we're preparing to spend over sixty billion dollars we don't even have, maybe now is not the time for added secrecy. Or the next thing you know we're gonna wake up and find out that half that money got spent in Jim Flaherty's riding. So if they have to spend the money, fine, but only if the fog lifts and the sun shines in.

....................................................

note: Pretty scary when you consider the conservatives track record... So whenever conservatives gain power they abuse it and use it to get money for themselves and their friends.

Appeal to action and support for a Coalition Government

Today, by way of an email link to my earlier post, I sent all the members of the Coalition, an appeal to action and my support for them to form a Coalition Government, to ensure the protection of ordinary Canadians, during our present crisis. In this regard, I received the following email reply from The Liberal Party of Canada leader himself, Michael Ignatieff:

Subject: Making the right decision for Canada - Prendre la bonne décision pour le Canada

Dear John,

During my January economic listening tour – and by way of thousands of emails – you provided me with a litmus test for the upcoming budget, and I shared your views with Mr. Harper. I told him that in order for his budget to earn the support of the Liberal Party, it must do three things: 1) protect the most vulnerable Canadians – those hardest hit by these difficult times, 2) protect the jobs of today, in every region of the country, and 3) create the jobs of tomorrow, strengthening Canada’s competitiveness and productivity without leaving our children to inherit a legacy of debt and deficit.

Later today, when the government releases its budget we will be looking to see if it meets this test and whether Stephen Harper is serious about addressing the economic challenges we face after failing to act for so long.

In order to make the right decision for Canada, I will be taking some time to review the contents of the budget, and will return with our Party’s decision on Wednesday. In the meantime, I want to hear from you. Please let me know if you think the budget meets your test.

As I’ve said before, we are in this crisis together and we will get out of it together. I look forward to hearing from you.

Michael

...............................

Well, he has and will be hearing from me again. Will he be hearing from you?


There are three kinds of people in the world: those who make things happen; those who watch things happen; and those who never know what hit them.

U.S. study raises more questions about stun gun safety

For full-story go to CBC News

The Taser stun gun has been advertised and sold as a police tool that can decrease the number of suspect shooting deaths and officer injuries, but a new study suggests its use does not reduce the number of people who die in custody.

The research group found a sharp increase in the rate of in-custody sudden death in the first full year of Taser deployment compared with the average rate in the five years before the stun guns were used. "A little bit to our surprise we found a statistically significant six-fold increase in the in-custody sudden death rate in the first full year of Taser deployment...

Over the entire reporting period, researchers found the average rate of 1.57 sudden deaths per 100,000 arrests in the 50 cities. In the first full year after stun guns were deployed, the rate was 5.96 per 100,000 arrests, a 6.4-fold increase over the predeployment period.

Canadian physicians concerned
The Canadian Medical Association has raised concerns in the past about police departments relying on the manufacturer's claims of safety, and has called on police departments to open their databases to researchers... "Greater societal pressure needs to be put on agencies on this to release that information for the public good because people are asking serious questions about this."


Lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

Stephen Harper

“Canada now has the strongest economy in the G7. Last month, more than 100,000 new jobs were created – the biggest one-month gain ever. We’re going to get through this together. Our election platform is not full of grandiose, costly promises. It’s a prudent approach. We can afford it. We’ll never go back into deficit.”- Stephen Harper, October 14, 2008.

“The deficit will be $64 billion over two years…”- Stephen Harper spokesperson, January 22, 2009.

There you go, Mr. 'Flip Flop' has done it again!


Get the facts, or the facts will get you. And when you get them, get them right, or they will get you wrong.

Today I joined the Liberal Party of Canada

Today, after a life-time of supporting the Liberal Party of Canada with my vote, I decided to make it official and support them as a member as well (even made a donation :-)). I hope others, especially in our Macleod riding, do likewise, and I will tell you why in a minute. You can join here.
(I have also put a graphic link to Liberal Bloggers on my sidebar for those of you who may be interested.)

Now, if after next Tuesday the powers that be try to launch a 'propaganda war' in order to maintain power, then people should read the following before jumping to false conclusions, and/or convictions of right or wrong, or them and us.

Thanks to CuriosityCat for this...

..............................

If, as many Canadians hope, the three opposition parties vote against the Harper government on the vote of confidence next week, the Governor General will have to decide what to do. In doing so, she will follow certain well established parliamentary conventions.

Because so many Canadians do not know enough about how these conventions work, a group of 39 eminent constitutional lawyers have published their legal conclusions regarding what the GG should do, based on our parliamentary government system.

Their conclusion is:

"It is our opinion that in the event of a non-confidence vote or a request for dissolution of Parliament after only 13 sitting days of the House of Commons, the Governor General would be well-advised to call the leader of the opposition to attempt to form a government".

Their reasoning may be summarized as follows:

1. According to the principle of responsible government, the government must enjoy the confidence of the House of Commons in order to govern legitimately. Our Constitution requires that the Prime Minister and the cabinet, not being elected directly by the people, enjoy the support of a majority of the elected members of Parliament.

2. In a minority situation, the Prime Minister cannot claim to have "won" a right to govern. At best, he or she can claim to have the right to try to sustain the confidence of the House. (The Tories are dead wrong when they argue otherwise).

3. When a minority government loses the confidence of the House, the Governor General is no longer bound by the advice of the Prime Minister. The Governor General must then exercise what is known as her "personal prerogatives".

4. She may dissolve parliament and call for a new election or, if the elections have been held relatively recently (opinions range between 6 and 9 months), she may invite the leader of another party to attempt to form a government that would enjoy the confidence of the House of Commons.

5. When the Governor General exercises her personal prerogatives and decides whether or not to dissolve Parliament or call the opposition parties to form a new government, she must act in a judicial manner, with total impartiality.

6. “It is our opinion that in the event of a non-confidence vote or a request for dissolution of Parliament after only 13 sitting days of the House of Commons, the Governor General would be well-advised to call the leader of the opposition to attempt to form a government. This would be most appropriate in the circumstances where that leader has already gathered the assurance that he would enjoy the support of a majority of votes on any issue of confidence for the next year or so. The principle of democracy would be protected in so far as the new government would enjoy the support of a majority of the elected officials. This would ensure the stability of our political system.”

There you have it.

By the end of next week, Canadians could have a new government, a Liberal one, supported by the majority of the MPs in our duly elected parliament, lead by Michael Igatieff, in coalition with the NDP, and with the Bloc having agreed not to vote against it in any confidence motions for 18 months.

And then this new government can set about protecting Canadians from the ravages of the recession which has sent the world reeling.

And all this can be done in accordance with our democratic parliamentary conventions.

...............................

note: What Obama did in the States we need to do here. Mobilization of forces needs to take place and joining up and getting involved is the first step. That's why, today, I became a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.


... everything has simply become to big... The government merely takes money from the citizens in the form of taxes and hands it back to them in the form of welfare, less the paying of politicians and bureaucrats.

Conservative mismanagement to blame for deficit

One of the biggest fallacies in Canadian politics has been that the Conservatives are good fiscal managers. What a crock! You only need to see what they did recently in Ontario, Sask., etc. and what they have done here in Alberta (and the Crowsnest Pass) with their reckless spending and total disregard and incompetence, and lack of preparedness, in managing our economy and Heritage Fund for the current and upcoming hard times. Now we see it here again on the federal level...

The Conservatives have been and always will be a tax and spend party. Tax the little guy (who they have nothing but contempt for) while giving to the big guy.


Conservatives do not believe that people can work together and help each other so they do not believe in government and law. Instead they believe in a dog-eat-dog, everyone on-their-own and out-for-themselves society where the strongest survive and it doesn't matter what happens to everyone else. So whenever conservatives gain power they abuse it and use it to get money for themselves and their friends.

Things to be grateful for...

"If you woke up today with more health than illness… you are better off than the million people who will not survive this week.

Today, if you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation, you are better off than 500 million people in the world.

Today, if you can attend a religious meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are better off than 3 billion people in the world.

Today, if you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead, or even a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of the world.

And today, if you have any money in the bank, or any money in your wallet, or even spare change in a dish someplace… you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy."


It is a wise man that does know the contented man is never poor, whilst the discontented man is never rich.

Yes We Can - Barack Obama

Today marks the beginning of the end, or as someone once said, at least the end of the beginning. Bush is gone (Thank God!) and now a new era is here... finally!!!

A while back, I wrote about my enthuiasim for Obama assuming the Presidentcy. I think it is worth repeating here... (Yes We Can!)


People's values are shaped by the cultures they live in; as society changes we need changed values.

Can You Sleep While The Wind Blows?

Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast.
He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were
reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the
awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.
As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received
A steady stream of refusals.

Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached
the farmer. "Are you a good farm hand?" the farmer asked him.
"Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.

Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help,
Hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from
dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.
Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore.
Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed
next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the
little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming!
Tie things down before they blow away!"
The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No
sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows.

"Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on
the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm.
To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had
been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down.

Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his
hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while
the wind blew.

Moral of this story

When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life?


note: Friends of mine who use to own a B&B in Coleman and are now living in Ontario sent me this. And now, I'm passing it on...

RCMP watchdog launches new Taser probe around deaths

The RCMP's civilian watchdog will investigate every case in which a person died after being struck by a Mountie Taser (see story).

An earlier investigation concluded the RCMP was increasingly relying on the device in cases where a less drastic response was appropriate, including in situations involving the stunning of children, the elderly and people in handcuffs.

From my previous posts here and here, I obviously look at this as being good news, as the public has a right to know that you can walk out of your house and not expect to be Tasered by somebody because you’re walking erratically, or perhaps you had too much to drink, or some other situation that may have provoked that response. Police are suppose to serve and protect, not act as judge, jury and executioner, which is what they have been doing.

The present police state of Stockwell Day and his 'Nazi' loving Israeli supporting conservative buddies that we are living under, has to go, and their Tasers with them!

Land of the Taser, Home of the Slave.



He who will not reason is a bigot; he who cannot is a fool; and he who dares not is a slave.

What should the focus and 'goal' of the AdHoc Committee be?

During my term in office, I and my council were successful in getting a vision (Pass to the Future) and a plan (Municipal Development Plan) completed, as well as an Organizational Review. We also took part in the creation and formation of a regional economic development initiative called MMERI (Mounties to Mountains Economic Regional Initiative). In addition, as part of the southern Alberta region we created and formed the HWY 3 Association, which in turn saw to the completion by a Calgary Professor of a comprehensive ($50,000) economic report on HWY 3's impact on communities in our region, including our own. In the end, it was all for naught.

After my term in office and since then, the ‘vision’ and ‘plan’ have been sitting on a shelf somewhere at municipal hall, collecting dust. Both MMERI (see post) and the HWY 3 Association might as well be defunct for all they have been doing since then. How was this allowed to happen? Who decided we should die a slow death from economic stagnation, instead of using the tools we had developed to be all we could be... as our neighbours have and are presently doing?

For years now I have seen people come and go in this community. Upon arriving, they soon find out that things run a certain way here and progressive change is frowned upon, as ‘the locals’ like things just the way they are. They wake up to the realization that the only way to get along and to get ahead here is to forget what they think and ‘suck up’ to the powers that be, and conform (like the 100th Monkey Effect). I always laugh at these people. Because they have no guts and therefore no glory to work towards. Wanting to conform so badly and thereby, hopefully, be accepted, they are the first to criticize those who have the courage of their convictions to stand-up and fight for change, as being ‘too negative’, not realizing they are the problem, as their silence and conforming are the very reason things have not been changing for the better, as fast as some of us would like to see it change. Finally, they become disillusioned and disgusted, and move away.

What I am getting at here, is the newly forming Adhoc Committee will serve no useful purpose if it is made up solely of yes men/women, hacks, want-to-be’s, and conformists, whose only interest is in maintaining the status quo, by not making any waves. Photo-ops and editorial comment alone will not turn this community around. We know that because we have seen it time and time again, lots of pomp and circumstance but little in the way of actual product (think Bridgecreek). To make my point here, I remember a dedication a while back where all sorts of dignitaries showed up and vast amounts of money was spent on food and drink and having a good time. The dead miners who this dedication was for, after all the speeches by the high and mighty mucky mucks was over, received a cheap $100.00 plaque fastened to a rock. In other words, it appeared like the dead miners were used as a ‘prop’ in order for the living to have a good time at taxpayers’ expense. We don’t need more pie-in-the-sky promises or pomp and circumstance. What we need is to roll up our sleeves and get to work. With the right kind of people on board, having a common vision and goal.

Someone once said, “... a board of directors is one or two ambitious men - and a lot of ballast. I mean that groups of men are vacuums. Great big empty nothings.” With this in mind, it is imperative a catalyst be found. I see the first order of business and the primary 'goal' of this Adhoc Committee to be to find a ‘catalyst’. Someone who can create interest, energy and motivation for action. A person of integrity with the ability to stand by an idea. This catalyst will make community development come alive. This needs to be the 'goal' of the Adhoc Committee. Everything else springs from this.

Once we have the leadership (catalyst) I’m sure our ‘vision’ and ‘plan’ above, will get dusted off and used. And that MMERI and the HWY 3 Association will be given new life by resuscitation, in order to fulfill their original mandate, as was the intent by all us who worked so hard back then to make all these ‘tools’ available, in order to bring economic prosperity to our community.

The above is what I envision the ‘goal’ of the Adhoc Committee to be.


“Nothing great has ever been achieved without enthusiasm.”

Generation Gap in the Pass?

Was over at Randall Whiteside's blog today and commented on one of his latest posts. I mentioned to him, I found it interesting that what I had said on my real estate blog, was some of what he had said on his blog, with regards to the 'positive change' that has been taking place recently in our community of communities. People here are not only 'talking the talk' but 'walking the walk', as well.

I think we as a community have reached the point of saying, 'Enough is Enough'! A small minority running this community for their own benefit, while having a total disregard for the wishes and aspirations of the majority, just ain't going to cut it anymore! I think this became apparent for everyone with the recent results of the Centre plebiscite. People are now coming forward, feeling more emboldened and empowered, wanting to be part of the change they feel and sense is happening. This is a good thing! Community spirit coming alive!

I recently came across information on the unique characteristics of the following four generations:

• As the oldest generation, Veterans (1922-1945) prefer stability, respect authority and generally won't challenge ideas.
• Baby Boomers (1946-1965) want to change things. They are used to competing with others, doing things their way and like learning for the joy of knowledge.
• Gen Xers (1966-1979) are independent, self-sufficient, somewhat impatient and goal-oriented. They challenge where the learning is taking them and what it means to their life.
• Millennials, sometimes called Generation Y (1980-2000), are confident in their knowledge, excel at their use of technology and their ability to multi-task. They require their learning to be relevant to their reality.

If one can simplify and summarize, I would say the Baby Boomers, along with the Gen Xers are knocking at the doors of power in our community wanting in, and the Veterans standing in the half-open doorway are leery and cautious and uncertain, whether they should let them in or not. This in a nutshell is our present situation. How do you really change things when you have a generation that stands in the way, because it prefers stability, respects authority and generally won't challenge ideas?

The man who writes about himself and his own time is the only man who writes about all people and all time.

How to Impress a Woman/Man

How to Impress a Woman:
compliment her,
kiss her,
caress her,
love her,
comfort her,
protect her,
hold her,
spend money on her,
wine & dine her,
listen to her,
stand by her,
support her,
go to the ends of the earth for her.

How to Impress a Man:
show up naked,
bring beer.

Ken Chapman's Blog

I was just at Ken Chapman's blog 'enjoying' myself as he has some 'good stuff', when I realized I don't think I have ever given him a much deserved plug. Check him out! I think you will be happy you did.

Happy New Year to one and all!

Well it is now a new year, a time for most people of resolutions and hope for a brighter future. Unfortunately, from all indications, 2009 does not look very promising on several fronts. Enough said.

For those of you, who either live in the past and/or worry about the future, let me be presumptuous enough to give you the following advice. Live in the present instead, and you will fair well. A good book on this philosophy is Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now. Do yourself a favour and read it.

As you can see, I'm starting off the new year with having done some minor changes to this blog and have given it a new name (mine) and URL address blog.johnprince.ca (please adjust your bookmarks accordingly). I changed the title to John Prince, the individual and his opinions, from those suggesting, as I think it did, those of the Crowsnest Pass, written by John Prince. If you know what I mean?

In addition to the above, it seems I spent most of the holidays fine tuning my real estate website at johnprince.ca and my real estate blog at crowsnest pass real estate. I also gave myself a Facebook and MySpace presence too. Not to mention (as I have already done) the work I did on this blog as well. I’m pooped! Talking about poop. I heard they had a toy out for children this Christmas called the ‘poop chicken’. :-) Apparently, when you squeezed it, out came some poop. No shit! :-) LOL! Talk about man’s ingenuity... there you go! :-) :-)

Anyhow, with the above sites I hope to ‘corner the market’ in 2009 as a Realtor in the Crowsnest Pass, or at least get my fair share. ;-) They say 75-80% of people today shopping for a new home (or selling) go online first before seeing a Realtor. That’s impressive! Therefore, it is what a Realtor needs to do these days. And I don’t mind it. After all, it just makes good sense for everyone concerned. An informed client and a knowledgeable and resourceful Realtor go well together, just like cookies and milk. :-)

Looking out my window I see it is still snowing. I miss my jogs!

In closing this post let me wish you and yours the best in 2009, while also leaving you with some food for thought on dealing effectively with life's many challenges. As my buddy Chief Dan George (who I met once, years back, while at the race track in Vancouver) so eloquently said, we must all `endeavour to persevere`. :-)

As I always end my posts with a quote, I think the one that comes readily to mind, and is really relevant right now with the times, and especially with New Year’s resolutions now here, is the following one I saw recently on a fellow Crowsnest Pass blogger’s site...


CONSUME LESS / SHARE MORE / LIVE SIMPLY

Crowsnest Pass Homes For Sale - Burmis, Bellevue, Hillcrest, Frank, Blairmore and Coleman

http://www.realtor.ca/ http://www.maxwellcitycentral.com/ http://www.activerain.com/ http://www.johnprince.ca/ http://realestate.johnprince.ca/ http://www.google.com/ http://www.google.ca/ http://boards.mls.ca/lethbridge/ http://www.creb.com/ http://www.localism.com/ http://www.homesacrosscanada.com/ http://www.homesandland.com/ http://canada.oodle.com/ http://www.livedeal.com/ And the list goes on. There are specialty sites that deal with 55+ communities, golf course communities, and more. The point is - buyers come via the Internet. Make sure your agent uses the Internet.