A country boy a courtin’... “Why, I think
you’re cute as a speckled pup in a little red wagon.
I care so much for you. I’d climb the tallest mountain, swim the
deepest ocean, cross the hottest desert just to see you.
And if it don’t rain come Saturday, I’ll be
over.”
* (President’s Newsletter No. 6 December 2007)
Once again our own Cliff Irving was re-elected
as the representative for the BC Region’s Executive Management
Committee
(EMC). Federated Co-operatives Limited
(FCL) sales for the eleven-month period ended September 30, 2007 were
$4.9
billion compared to $4.6 billion for the same period last year. Savings to September 30, 2007 were $472.6
million compared to $379.3 million a year ago.
Other Newsy Notes - Co-operatives are among
Saskatchewan’s top 100 companies.
FCL
ranked first in a listing of Saskatchewan’s top 100 companies in the
September 26th issue of The Star Phoenix (the list was
compiled by
the Saskatchewan Business magazine).
The ranking which was based solely on sales volumes, also
included
retail co-operatives: Saskatoon #29, Pioneer at Swift Current #38,
Prince
Albert #42, Sherwood at Regina #46, Lloydminster #52, Yorkton #59,
Battleford
#63, Pineland at Nipawin #74, Weyburn #75, Moose Jaw #76, Meadow Lake
#81,
South Plains at Estavan #82, Delta at Unity #87, Melfort #88 (yours
truly’s old
stomping grounds), Kindersley #91, Southland at Assiniboia #92, Beeland
at
Tisdale #97, Prairie at Melville #98 and Shaunovan #100.
The 79th Annual Meeting will be held
in Saskatoon, on Monday and Tuesday, March 3rd and 4th,
2008.
Girl elevator operator, alone in car with a
sailor, “Going up... going up... anybody else going up?
Please, will somebody go up!”
The British Columbia Institute of Co-operative
Studies has published a much-awaited new book entitled Co-operatives
and the Pursuit of Peace. Edited by
Joy Emmanuel and Ian MacPherson, this collection of
essays - many presented at last year’s conference on co-ops and peace,
held in
Victoria, BC - examines the challenges co-operatives encounter in
taking up the
call to be more active peace makers, and the unique characteristics and
benefits that make them suited for this role.
Contributors from around the globe share their experience,
knowledge and
insight on the challenges co-operatives must meet in addressing an
array of
conflict situations, and how the co-ops and regional co-operative
movements are
responding and contributing to peace making and sustainable development. Themes include; gender, co-ops and peace;
co-ops and peace in reconstruction periods; and co-operating out of
poverty in
Africa. Copies may be ordered through
the Institute via www.bcics.org.
By this time, most of my readers will know
about the Travel Services Program offered by the Northern Health for
local
patients who need to travel to out-of-town medical appointments in
Northern BC,
and to Vancouver, Kamloops and Grande Prairie.
Some
time ago my wife had to travel to Prince George for X-rays which
were unavailable here in Vanderhoof.
She caught the bus in the am and was transported to Prince
George where
the necessary X-rays were taken and in the afternoon of the same day
was able to
board the same bus for a return trip to Vanderhoof.
Olga
said at all times the driver was courteous to the people on board
and obeyed the rules of the road making for a safe and pleasant trip. So if you find it necessary for medical
reasons to travel to any of the other noted centers call Northern
Health and
make arrangements, sit back and enjoy.
If you smoke, quit it:
Health Tip;
Smoking
cigarettes damages your lungs and airways by causing air
passages to swell and fill with mucus.
You can develop a cough that won’t go away.
If you keep smoking, breathing gradually becomes more difficult
and increases risk of lung cancer, chronic lung disease, such as
emphysema, and
cardiovascular disease.
Health tip;
Smoking
cessation decreases your risk of all these health issues.
In fact, 10 to 15 years after quitting, a
former smoker’s risk of premature death approaches that of a person who
has
never smoked. As soon as you stop
smoking, your circulation improves and the carbon monoxide level in
your blood
declines and breathing becomes easier.
Quitting smoking cannot reverse permanent lung damage; however,
it will
limit further damage to your lungs.
Smoking cessation offers immediate and substantial health
benefits at
any age.
One Sunday in a Midwest city, a young child was
“acting up” during the morning worship hour.
The parents did their best to maintain some sense of order in
the pew,
but were losing the battle. Finally,
the father picked the little fellow up and walked sternly up the isle
on his
way out. Just before reaching the
safety of the foyer, the little one called out loudly to the
congregation,
“Pray for me! Pray for me!”
On or around the 15th of this month
one should be extra careful, an old gentleman by the name of Julius
Caesar was
careless on this date and in the year 44 BC, some good old friends did
the poor
lad in on the steps of the Senate House as he went to govern.
This
date is known as the Ides of March!
And of course on March 17th all good
Irishmen the world over stop and pay their respects to St. Patrick the
patron
saint of the good old shores. St.
Patrick is most known for having driven the snakes from Ireland.
While
it is true there are no snakes in Ireland, chances are that there
never have been, as in many old pagan religions serpent symbols were
common,
and possibly even worshipped. Driving
the snakes from the old shores was probably symbolic of putting an end
to that
pagan practice.
Then of course Ireland is also known for
Blarney, Village, County Cork, South Republic of Ireland.
It is said that he who kisses the Blarney
Stone, placed in an almost inaccessible position near the top of a
thick stone
wall of the 15th-century castle, is supposed to gain
marvellous
powers of persuasion. That’s why you
will often hear someone say about another person I believe he must have
kissed
the Blarney Stone. (My dear wife often
accuses me of having kissed the Blarney Stone and I have never been in
the dear
ole isle, my clan comes from across the sea in the Highlands.)
On February 9, 2008 the Chinese people all over
the world celebrated the start of their New Year. The
year 2008 will be the year of the Rat. The
Chinese Zodiac consists of a 12-year
cycle, each year of which is named after a different animal that
imparts
distinct characteristics in its year.
Many Chinese believe that the year of a person’s birth is the
primary
factor in determining that person’s personality traits, physical and
mental
attributes and degree of success and happiness throughout his or her
lifetime. My Zodiac sign would be the
year of the Rabbit. Which would mean
that I have the luckiest of all signs, I would be talented and
articulate,
affectionate, yet shy, I would seek peace through out my life.
Last summer, down on Lake Isabella, located in
the high desert, an hour east of Bakersfield, California, some folks,
new to
boating, were having a problem. No
matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t get their brand new 22 ft.
boat
going. It was very sluggish in almost
every maneuver, no matter how much power was applied.
After about an hour of trying to make it go, they putted to a
nearby marina, thinking someone there could tell them what was wrong. A thorough topside check revealed everything
in perfect working condition. The
engine ran fine, the out drive went up and down, and the prop was the
correct
size and pitch. So, one of the marina
guys jumped in the water to check underneath.
He came up choking on water, he was laughing so hard. NOW REMEMBER... THIS IS TRUE... Under the
boat, still strapped securely in place, was the trailer.
So this coming summer be sure when you put your
boat in the water, you have removed it from the trailer!!!
ONE THING we can be thankful about is that we
don’t get as much government as we pay for.
So with that little gem of wisdom, I’ll sign
off for now and try and get back your way in a month or so.
