Gilbert #1

Gilbert #1, a photo by wmtickle on Flickr.

Climate Change and Canada’s Part in it

It is sad politically that Canada has fallen behind in responsibility to climate change issues. We want economics over the environment in this last 2011 election. One good thing came out of it a Green party leader was elected MP to the House of Commons. Only one which is a small voice to stand for Canadians who did believe climate change was an issue, but it's a giant step in North American history. Other European countries have elected Greens in the government effecting positive change. I cannot put down just our own governments the Ontario Liberal party has done well with the Green energy plan and hopefully when Ontarians go to the polls they do not elect the Tim Huhak Conservatives who would scrape the Samson contract putting workers out of jobs and putting us into an age with no real energy plan. When talking to Canadians about carbon tax all their comes to mind is the idea of another tax, but in reality carbon tax is good for the economy and the environment. We need to education Canadians about the truth and what is falsely taught by climate change deniers.

Gilbert

PHTO0018_1, a photo by Greg Boyce on Flickr.

10,000 Steps

10,000 Steps

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The Walking Stick

As we age there is a tendency of not being sure on our feet. I just began using a walking stick for a number of reasons. For one reason the walking stick helps keep 25% off the feet, knees and ankles. It helps with balance and also to pickup pace. I find it helpful when ascending and descending hills. Just the thought of falling and ending up the hospital is a good enough reason for me to use a cane or stick. The stick is better suited for active walking, as we grow older there is such a thing as pride which stops a lot of people from using a stick or cane. Hiking and walking distances and for the use of the walking stick. The cane is better suited for the elderly. There was a time when canes and sticks were used and never left behind. I bought a walking stick after needing the use of a cane for support the stick is better suited for me because I am almost 6'2" in height. I don't care what I may look like to people, it's practicality over anything else. If we all walked with sticks and canes maybe we would start a new fashion trend.

Another March Day

Again I am forced inside with a raging winter storm. We were without power for at least an hour, but finally electricity was restored. I am not winter sports lover except for being a hockey fan. When I was younger I enjoyed cross country skiing at Wasaga Beech trails called the Blue Berry Plains, the trails are made up of beginner, intermediate and advanced levels of difficulty. I enjoyed the intermediate which I used to do two rounds with my friends every week day we covered 14 miles a day on skis except the weekends when it got busy. I was in very good shape after using the trails daily for the winter months. At the end of the season I was fit enough to bicycle back and forth from Collingwood to Blue Mountain without getting winded.

A horrible thing happened when I started driving everywhere like a lot of us do, I put on weight and got flabby. Then about five years ago gave up the car and started walking daily for the amount of travelling I do in Collingwood. I don't like transit because of they are often crowded so I prefer to walk. I know people have told me I'm crazy because I walk on a warm summer's day in the rain, but I love it. You don't melt with a bit of rain falling, just wear a hat to cover your head and that's all you need. I long for weather which one can get out and walk. I own a treadmill and it doesn't compare to getting outdoors in the fresh air. The only problem we face as pedestrians is bicycles that do not obey the bylaws and ride on the sidewalks. It is a dangerous thing with being almost rundown by bicycles, after all there are bicycle paths on the side of the roads for cyclist, I just wish they would use them. When I ride my bicycle I try to follow the rules of the road and stay to the bike paths, it's as easy as that. Safety is important whether you are cyclist or a pedestrian, walk on the sidewalk and cycle on the bike paths if they are available.

Walking

Just to get out and go for a walk feels so much better than being coped away all winter. I haven't been out much, due to the icy road conditions, but now the winter is coming to an end I feel so much better to see the spring come. I saw the first signs of spring with the Canadian geese flying north. It's such a beautiful thing to see the seasons change after long winter months. I have many plans for the spring, summer and fall. The goal is to walk ten thousand steps or more a day to get the weight off and get into shape once again.

Ideas from a Manic Mind: Our New Year’s Resolutions

Ideas from a Manic Mind: Our New Year’s Resolutions: "With every New Year we all make hard to keep news year's resolutions. Don't know about everyone but when I do there always seems to be some ..."

Our New Year’s Resolutions

With every New Year, we all make hard to keep news year's resolutions. Don't know about everyone, but when I do there always seems to be some reason to begin and then quit after a few weeks. I guess the big thing is that we really what to get somewhere in our lives or our personal health and wellbeing. The key with doing something like starting a diet and exercising it has to be habit forming and in that way we don't tend to break the contract because it will cause us to feel really bad about ourselves. This time of year we tend to buy exercise gear, gym memberships and diet plans. The industry is making big profits at this time of year on our hopes and plans. But all too soon for a lot of us we give up and feel pretty shitty about the whole thing. I find with my past experiences not to set myself up by try to do a little more exercise than I normally did the year before and I have already began eating healthier so now I am feeling better with the nutrition and now I lost a few pounds making me feel good about myself. The problems with all the years before the plans were too daunting an endeavour to do. Just small doable steps is what I will be doing fon.rom now

Ideas from a Manic Mind: The Vinyl Record Shops of Yesterday

Ideas from a Manic Mind: The Vinyl Record Shops of Yesterday: "Back in the seventies and eighties I used to collected records. Going down to the record shop once a week and buying a few albums was an en..."

The Vinyl Record Shops of Yesterday

Back in the seventies and eighties I used to collected records. Going down to the record shop once a week and buying a few albums was an enjoyable pastime. Gone are those day's unfortunately, back then I could ta talk to the store clerks about the latest albums that would complement my collects. Record shop got to know my tastes and genre of music that I liked the most. Getting an album that was highly recommended was a wonderful thing in those days. I learned to discover recording as I would in a book in a library or private book store. The excitement was taking to album and playing it for the first time and then playing the album for a second or third time until it grew on me. Letting other people see my record collection was a way in defining my tastes in music within my home. The idea of the concept albums was a time of music generous in that time. There was the picture disc albums and vinyl of transparent colors. The Hi Fi end of recording was just coming into existence. The sound was warm and alive, not so with digital recording, also with downloadable music there is always the case of using credit cards. At one time cash was valued and used, you took so much as with you and that was the extent of what you bought. Consumerism of today has run amuck with credit instead of hard earned cash. The mom and pop stores of yesterday have been overrun by an industry that only takes credit.

I wish for the return of a simple music purchase system such as the around the corner record shop. I've heard that vinyl may take a comeback but when will this be? I sure miss those days badly, things just were a lot more sensible then; there was a beauty of buying good music. In this world of an industrialized music sales so is the way of good quality music. Of course there is some good music on today, but to back they wouldn't publish the recordings in vinyl once again. Bring back the record stores like Sam's or some of the smaller stores. Please everyone needs to discover the benefits of collecting good vinyl music once again.