Monday, October 31, 2011
Wagon Wheels DOWNSIZED!
So WHY are people lined up at 222-2222 Pizza?
Driving by 222-2222 pizza on St. Anne's Rd. I can't for the life of me figure out why anyone would be line up like lemmings for pizza! I mean their pizza isn't even that great. Are they putting Tim Hortons coffee into the sauce?
Karen is ready for Halloween
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Stacey is moving out...
Well Stacey is moving out today. Karen and I will now be empty-nesters. Lynndon and Stacey bought a beautiful home in Transcona.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Pex & Thrills - 2 of my favourite things!
I was at Walmart tonight and I saw a "PEZ" rack and I had to buy some. I loved Pez when I was a little kid my favourite candy by far... Pez and "Thrills" my favourite gum that tastes like soap!
Largest Yacht in The World - Owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.
I bet my little 16 footer - 70HP gets better gas mileage!
M/Y Eclipse is a luxury motor yacht constructed by Blohm + Voss in Hamburg, Germany. Its exterior and interior were designed by Terence Disdale Design and its naval architect was Francis Design.[4] The yacht was delivered to Russian businessman Roman Abramovich on 9 December 2010. At 163.5 metres (536 ft) long,[5] Eclipse is the world's largest private yacht, 0.5 metres (1 ft 8 in) longer than the Dubai, which belongs to Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai.[2] The yacht's initial cost to buy was estimated at €340 million (approx. US$475M as of September 2011),[2] but a September 2009 report indicated that final costs could approach €800 million (US$1.12B).[6] Eclipse has two helicopter pads, 24 guest cabins, two swimming pools, several hot tubs and a disco hall.[7] It is also equipped with three launch boats, and a mini-submarine that is capable of submerging to 50 metres. Approximately 70 crew members are needed to operate the yacht. For security, Eclipse is fitted with intruder detection systems and a German-built missile defence system.[2][8] Abramovich's master suite and the yacht's bridge are fitted with armour plating and bullet-proof windows.[8] The yacht is reportedly equipped with an anti-paparazzi shield in the form of lasers that sweep the surroundings, and when they detect a CCD, they shine a light right at the camera to prevent the photograph. According to The Times, these do not run all the time, so friends and guests should still be able to take pictures. Instead, they will be activated when guards spot likely professional photographers nearby.[6] Eclipse was launched on 12 June 2009.[9] It arrived in Frederikshavn, Denmark on September 18, 2009 for tests, and was delivered to Abramovich on December 9, 2010.[3] First pictures of the completed yacht were taken at Kristiansand, Norway during its refuelling.[10] In February 2011 Eclipse was made available for charter through SuperYachtsMonaco,[11] a yacht brokerage company based in Monaco. Abramovich's private fleet consists of five motor yachts: Eclipse, Sussurro, Titan, Umbra, and Luna. He gave Le Grand Bleu to his associate and friend Eugene Shvidler in June 2006. He sold Ecstasea in June 2009 to an unknown Egyptian. He handed over Pelorusto his ex-wife Irina in 2009 as part of their divorce settlement, which she then sold to David Geffen for $300 million in 2011.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Saturday, October 22, 2011
This TV show used to scare me so much I had nightmares...
Today, you watch it, and it's pretty funny. Movies like "Saw" would never have been allowed back then. Sometimes I wonder how nice it would be to go back to those "innocent" days.
Today, nothing is shocking, we're all to used to it... Too accepting of it... Well that's my musing for this morning...
Friday, October 21, 2011
Human Rights Museum glass windows look strange...
But I guess I'll wait until it's finished and maybe it will make sense once everything is put together.
Calgary shows how a safer downtown can be created.
You know, why do we have to wait to see success at another city before we figure it out. I mean it's not rocket science! Please read this great article...
By Stefano Grande
Exec Director
Downtown Biz
It might sound radical and idealistic for a city to commit to a plan to "end homelessness." But that's exactly what Calgary has done. While there will always be those individuals who experience homelessness, Calgary has a plan to move people through -- and out -- of the system, ending chronic homelessness and the cycle of homelessness. And so far, it's working. If Calgary can help those less fortunate people who are struggling with social and mental-health issues off their downtown streets, through a housing-first model, so can Winnipeg. There is no doubt that from a physical perspective, the downtown is on a roll, good things are happening and there are more and more people working, living in and visiting our downtown. But it's time the social issues are tackled in the same aggressive manner, and in doing so, safety issues will improve for everyone. Two weeks ago, more than 40 CEOs and community leaders got together to raise awareness for homelessness issues in our city. More than $100,000 was raised for the Downtown BIZ's Change for the Better program, which employs those less fortunate who are willing to change their lives through a steady job. The highlight of the event was speaker Tim Richter, from the Calgary Homeless Foundation. He noted social and mental-health issues are at times seen among those less fortunate in our downtown who panhandle and are intoxicated. Creating housing for this community -- with supports to maintain this housing -- helps these people off the street, permanently. It can make downtown safer for everyone and bring about an end to homelessness. Consider some of Richter's key points from Calgary's experience. -- A housing-first approach has almost eliminated panhandling and public intoxication in a safer downtown. -- The model has saved governments substantial money -- $134,000 per person per year for chronically homeless people versus a housing and support cost of $10,000 to $25,000 per person per year. -- It was determined in 2007 that more than $320 million was being spent every year in Calgary on homelessness. If nothing was done, the cumulative cost of homelessness could have been more than $9 billion in the next decade. -- About 3,000 supportive housing units have been created in the last six years, with an 85 per cent average housing retention rate. Homelessness across Alberta is dropping. Edmonton saw a 21 per cent decrease from 2008 to 2010; Fort McMurray, 42 per cent; and Lethbridge, 53 per cent. Winnipeg can learn from this approach. Government leadership, however, is needed to put a comprehensive plan together and then attract long-term funding from all levels of government and potentially from the corporate community. It's clear our development agency, CentreVenture, which recently created downtown's first supportive housing project, is willing to move quickly to partner with others to create more supportive housing projects in the short term. In the long-term, the recently formed Poverty Reduction Council, a community entity like the Calgary Homeless Foundation, can play a critical role in sustaining this approach. All that is needed is a nod from the city or province, or preferably both, with the complete support and involvement of our aboriginal and Métis communities and service providers. We have all witnessed the costs, economically and to our pride, associated with Winnipeg not moving forward in addressing its social issues as aggressively as it should. Stefano Grande is the executive director of the Downtown Biz. Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Thursday, October 6, 2011
A group of people that have the most stressful job in the world...
This morning, I had the honour of being the opening keynote speaker at this conference of child and youth care workers. Prior to me speaking was a drum group led by my dear friend Jenna Liiciious. Hearing the amazing sounds of this group really gave me the ability to speak, as the songs are very heartwarming.
Here is a few seconds of the drum group:
I told TJ's story to the group, but told it in a different way this morning, much shorter, and encouraged all the workers that their jobs are the the most difficult jobs in the world for the least amount of pay. These fine people help take care of kids that need parental care where it isn't available. They truly are an inspirational group..
Where do these people come from?
Some woman (Melody Sanford) tells her friends and relatives that her new husband is abusive to her, so they lay in wait, with baseball bats, and tire irons and beat the shit out of him, killing him...
They now say they had no intention of killing the guy. Oh I wonder what else would a baseball bat and tire iron on the head do?
Let's just hope that these killers all get convicted of the 1st degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, that they are charged with.
Very similar to our case where my son TJ was murdered, four accused of 1st degree murder and conspiracy, but ultimately, not one of the four was convicted as charged. You can read about our case OVER HERE.
With quotes from the Winnipeg Sun...
"Melody Sanford duped her husband’s accused killers into believing he was a violent, dangerous man who wouldn’t leave her alone, one of the men claimed in a police interview video played for jurors Wednesday."
Ivan (John) Radocaj, 43, a former wrestler once known as the Croatian Giant, was found beaten to death in his Interlake area home on Sept. 14, 2007.
“Everybody’s thinking this guy is a big bad guy,” Donald Richard said. “We were all trying to be helpful, sympathetic.”
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
I didn't even know I owned a store in Vermont!!!
My friends are travelling through Vermont and came across Floyd's General Store... What a hoot!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Young killers 'are poor lost kids,' not sociopaths
This article is one of the best written columns I've seen about young killers. I've written quite a bit about this subject, and this article certainly fits with my understandings. In case you missed it, here is a recent featured editorial that I wrote for the Winnipeg Free Press on October 1, 2011, CLICK HERE
Winnipeg Free Press
It was shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday and I was driving on Sherbrook Street just north of Ellice Avenue when I spotted the three teenage boys and pulled over. I had a question. "Are you afraid of being stabbed when you're on the street?" One of the boys, a 16-year-old with a cluster of love-bite bruises on his neck, answered in an indirect but telling way. "My cousin was stabbed to death on College and Aikins." His cousin was Clark "Clarky" Stevenson. The street stabbing happened early on the morning of Sept. 10 and two teenagers have since been charged with killing the 15-year-old because they believed he was affiliated with a gang. One of the accused is 18, the other only 14. I could tell the kid who is living with the death of his cousin wanted to talk more, but the leader of the group pulled him away. But he called back that we would meet later at the Tim Hortons across Portage Avenue. "Five o'clock," he said. -- -- -- The next day, I had another appointment, this time with Dr. Keith Hildahl, the head of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority's child adolescent mental health program. I had a related question for him, too. How does a kid get to the point in his life where he can look some other kid in the eye and stab him in the heart? Actually, I'd been thinking about that long before Friday's Free Press story about teenagers being the victim or the accused in nine of the city's 32 murders so far this year. My initial curiosity came from constant police reports of people, mostly young people from the inner city, being stabbed but not necessarily dying. Subsequently, I read about kids in what amounts to inner-city American war zones who witness and live with the threat of violence in their homes and neighbourhoods and how so many of them suffer the emotion-numbing after-effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. I wondered if that could be part of the reason kids in inner-city Winnipeg can kill other kids with such little feeling. The way soldiers are trained to, and street gang members are supposed to. Hildahl agreed that was part of it. "We've got lots of kids who come through youth justice who have had early physical abuse and early sexual abuse and massive amounts of early neglect." Which creates what psychiatrists call a lack of "attachment," the emotional connections that come from being loved and nurtured as a child that help us empathize with others later in life. But Hildahl also said this: "There are as many stories as there are murderers." He suggested there's a natural tendency to want to lump the reasons into those large clusters. "Gangs, which is a big factor. Inner city. Obviously a big deal. Poverty." I suggested another reason. It comes from something published years ago in a letter to the New York Times. "Why do young black men kill other young black men?" the letter writer asked. "Because they're shooting into a mirror." But Hildahl suggested that what he sees most when he looks into the souls of these mostly First Nations kids isn't self-loathing. "I see more emptiness. I see lots of emptiness. Kids who have nothing and understand they have nothing." Kids who don't see a future. Who lack hope. "If you have no hope," Hildahl said, "what is the consequence of taking someone's life?" Yet, after they kill, Hildahl said, some kids have deep remorse. Others express remorse as much as their limited emotional development allows. "And once in a while we see kids with no remorse." Surprisingly perhaps, few in Hildahl's experience are classic sociopaths. Instead, when they're alone in a room without the bravado of the gang to live up to, Hildahl sees them for what they really are. "These are poor lost kids." But these are the grandchildren of the kids Hildahl saw when he was working as a youth justice counsellor back in the early 1970s. "You're seeing a generational transfer," he said. "And it's growing." If you're wondering about the kid who was supposed to meet me at Tim Hortons, he didn't show up. But then I didn't really think he would. What concerns me far more is, other than talking tough on crime, most of our political leaders have failed to show up on the issue during the provincial election. But then I really didn't think they would, either. gordon.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 1, 2011 B1
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
This is simply and utterly sad...
FIFTEEN days after a 15 year old boy was murdered by a 14 year old and an 18 year old, a 14 year old murders a 20 year old. Just read that sentence over again... FIFTEEN days after a 15 year old boy was murdered by a 14 year old and an 18 year old, a 14 year old murders a 20 year old.
Does it even make any sense? Not to me... It's just so sad...
We truly need to get down to the root causes here folks. The 2 - 14 year olds will now be in jail... Guess what? You actually think that they will suffer in there? Not a chance. They will actually command "respect" in the system, the tops of the ranks. SAD
Today's Free Press:
WINNIPEG - A 14-year-old boy is facing charges of first-degree murder in connection with the death of 20-year-old David Michael Vincett, whose body was found in front of a home on Boyd Street early Sunday morning. The death was related to tensions between rival street gangs, police said Wednesday. Vincett was walking on Boyd Avenue near McGregor Street around 3 a.m. Sunday when he met the suspect and they exchanged words. The suspect then pulled out a gun and shot Vincett before fleeing the area, police said. Police arrested the 14-year-old suspect around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. He has been charged with first-degree murder and detained at the Manitoba Youth Centre. He cannot be named under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. "It does appear that they had acknowledged to one another having associations of sorts to gangs in that community, and it does appear that those were opposing gangs in that community, " said Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen. The two didn’t know each other before the shooting happened, but police said the incident was allegedly linked to ongoing tensions between rival street gangs. The shooting followed on the heels of the stabbing death of 15-year-old Clarky Stevenson near College Avenue and Aikins Street earlier this month, which intensified the rivalry. "We have some information that would support that this incident has a tie to that particular incident," said Michalyshen, who didn’t give further details. Vincett had told others he was affiliated with street gangs before the night he was shot, said sources. Police said the young man who is now charged with murder also allegedly has gang affiliations. Michalyshen said police have recovered a gun in connection with the shooting, but didn’t say where it was located. Jennifer Kraynyk, the mother of Vincett's 10-month-old daughter, said even though the couple had split up, he visited the baby regularly. She said she took her daughter outside the city to raise her, but remained on good terms with Vincett. "She's got his eyes, his smile, his face, pretty much everything," Kraynyk said. "Every time I look at her, I see him." Vincett's mother also posted a message online, saying she was "always (led) to believe that David was NOT gang material," and that "he always dressed to fit in with (whatever) group he ran with." She declined further comment on Tuesday. "He was a good kid with a big heart that just wanted to belong someplace," she said in the message. "I miss him, he was my baby." Earlier this year, Vincett was convicted of a theft under $5,000 and two court breaches. At a July sentencing, court heard he had severe attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). His lawyer, Bonnie Gembey, told the court Vincett had "some difficulty with impulse control and good decision-making." "He's considering the possibility of moving to Gimli to live with his grandparents," Gembey said. "He's hopeful if he removes himself from certain acquaintances and influences in Winnipeg, he may have a greater time staying out of trouble." Judge Marva Smith agreed. Vincett's death is Winnipeg's 32nd homicide of 2011. gabrielle.giroday@freepress.mb.ca mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.caVictim planned to leave city: family
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Attention Saggers. $25.00 fine for wearing baggy pants!
ALBANY - Officials in Georgia say a city's ban on saggy pants has generated nearly $4,000 in fines in less than a year. City Attorney Nathan Davis says 187 citations have been issued and $3,916 in fines collected since the ordinance went into effect Nov. 23, according to the Albany Herald. Officials say the ordinance bans anyone from wearing pants or skirts more than 3 inches (7.6 centimetres) below the top of the hips, exposing the skin or undergarments. First-time offenders face a $25 fine. On further offences, the fine can rise to $200. The ordinance also allows 40 hours of community service to be completed in lieu of fines.
Monday, September 26, 2011
To ALL the Parents out there!
To ALL the Parents out there!...... A mother passing by her daughter's bedroom was astonished to see the bed was nicely made and everything was picked up. Then she saw an envelope propped up prominently on the center of the bed. It was addressed, "Mom." With the worst premonition, she opened the envelope and read the letter with trembling hands: Dear Mom: It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you. I had to elope with my new boyfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with Dad and you. I've been finding real passion with him and he is so nice-even with all his piercings, tattoos, beard, and his motorcycle clothes. But it's not only the passion Mom, I'm pregnant and he said that we will be very happy. He already owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter. He wants to have many more children with me and that's now one of my dreams too. He taught me that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone and we'll be growing it for us and trading it with his friends for all the cocaine and ecstasy we want. In the meantime, we'll pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so he can get better; he sure deserves it!! Don't worry Mom, I'm 15 years old now and I know how to take care of myself. Someday I'm sure we'll be back to visit so you can get to know your grand children. Your daughter, Judith... PS: Mom, none of the above is true. I'm over at the neighbor's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than my report card that's in my desk center drawer. I love you! Call when it is safe for me to come home...
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Minto Political Debate
The host was Jamil Mahmood, Executive Director, Spence Neighbourhood Association.
The candidates were:
Cheryl-Anne E CarrCommunist Party of Canada - Manitoba
Harold DyckGreen Party of Manitoba
Belinda Squance
The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba
Andrew SwanNew Democratic Party of Manitoba
Don Woodstock, Manitoba Liberal Party
The three panelists were
1. Jessie Gair from Spence Neighbourhood Association2. Shannon Buck from Red Road to Healing Coordinator and Traditional Teachings Coordinator at the West Central Women's Resource Centre.
3. Joan Hay from Ma Mawi
This was my first time doing anything like this, and I had a great time! It was really quite fun.
The three panalists asked very well thought out questions and the candidates gave their answers. Then the floor was opened to the public, and the candidates had to do their best thinking on the fly as these were not rehearsed answers as were the three previous questions.
I am not going to comment as to who won or who gave the best answers, but I will say that not all of the candidates stuck to answering the very direct questions. I did however try to direct them to focusing on the question at hand rather than wondering off in other directions.
Help Stop Child Abuse - REPOST...
A child said to his mom,
Mommy I coloured on your sheets with lipstick!"
In anger she started to hit her child until he was unconscious. She regretted what she had done, crying to her child, "
Please open your eyes!"
it was too late... his little heart had stopped beating. When she walked into the bedroom, the sheet said...
"I love you mommy!"
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
4TH ANNUAL GRANDMOTHERS PROTECING OUR CHILDREN SACRED WALK
4TH ANNUAL GRANDMOTHERS PROTECING OUR CHILDREN SACRED WALK
It was truly a moving experience partaking as well as listening to the many Grandmothers and Youth speaking at the Legislature. It started at Thunderbird House and ended at the Leg.
Here are some pics:
FROM FIRST NATIONS VOICE
BACKGROUND:
In January 2007, Elder Margaret Lavallee was following media coverage of the 12-year-old child who was impregnated by her grandfather. She was outraged, first, by how could the grandfather impregnate his granddaughter, then horrified that the community rallied behind the grandfather and not the child. The mother and child were exiled from their community. Grandmothers Protecting Our Children
“Our Voice is a gift from Creator” “the hurt of one is the hurt of all” “the honor of one is the honor of all” We the Kookums council hear the cries of our children. It is our responsibility as “WISDOM KEEPERS” to bring our communities together, raising awareness wherever there is violation to the human spirits of our children “We will not remain silent”
Someone responds to my Winnipeg Free Press editorial...
A vicious circle... Re: We need to wrap our hearts around this boy (Sept. 16). Floyd Wiebe's comments about the 15-year-old boy who was murdered were refreshing to read. These young female and male children are in bad situations because their parents found themselves in the same situations. Obviously, not all parents of kids who get into trouble or join gangs were not able to parent properly because of their own upbringing, but I am confident the large majority were. So neither generation had a home base, a safe place to live where they learned of their worth and were loved and taught and cared for. So besides the normal teenage angst, these kids are dealt a life they should not have to live, just as many of their parents did before them. They know nothing else. The village could come to their assistance and model to them how important and full of hope their futures are. Alas, the village is filled with, as Wiebe says, "somes, others and anyone elses." There are few citizens in the village who understand their responsibility. DIANA TAMBLYN
Winnipeg
This morning...
Was just on CKUW - U of W with Cam MacLean talking about the election. Man this guy asks tough and well thought out questions! He sure has a future in radio if he wants it especially as a political correspondent. Thanks for inviting me Cam!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Free Press features my blog about Clarky Stevenson in today's paper.
Click here to see the Winnipeg Free Press article.
Tonight the family is having a "Walk in honour of Clarky Stevenson."
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
I AM PISSED OFF...
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BACKGROUND
September 10th: A 15 year old boy, along with another male on a bicycle, was at College Avenue and Aikins Street at about 2:40 a.m., when they met a group of males and a fight broke out, resulting in the teen being stabbed. Police said the teen is known to police and the incident appeared to be "a street-gang related matter." Three days later, he died... No arrests...
His name is Clarky Stevenson…
I AM PISSED OFF
I keep a blog of the 2011 Winnipeg murders (http://floydwiebe.ca), and I added this horrible murder this week... As I was doing my research, I came across various news agency videos and still shots of the paramedics transporting the dying boy, with no shirt, and no sheets covering him, to an ambulance. WHY? Why does the reader/viewer need to see this? But that's hardly the point. WHY DOES HIS FAMILY HAVE TO? If they have to have a picture of Clarky, why could it not have been the one in this blog?
Does it actually sell more newspapers? Do people rush to 7-11 to buy a newspaper to see this? Do they PVR the scene for instant replay?
I have never seen my son TJ’s dead body. The medical examiner said, "It wasn't advisable." I took her advice. The juries in the case all saw him. The murderers saw him and had a whole book of pictures to look at him at their disposal. The lawyers all saw him. I did not. Why then does all of Winnipeg have the ability to see a dying 15-year-old boy, possibly before his parents may have even known he was even stabbed? THIS HAS HAPPENED!!!
The police, and I understand their logic, say, he is "known to police", and "a street-gang related matter", and I cringe... as right away, "SOME" people react with a "Oh, he’s a gang kid… Oh well, at least its one of them killing their own." Then, more people, upon finding out he's aboriginal, dismiss it even further, and combined with being gang-related, “SOME” people will instantly forget what they read.
More people will exclaim, "Where are his parents at 2:40 am?" and say, "I damn well know where my kids are at 2:40 am! " SO WHAT? Does that mean we should dismiss this poor kid? We need to wrap our hearts around this little boy. Oh yes, then there are “OTHERS” who will "think" the above words, but will not verbalize it, for fear of not being "politically correct".
I remind the “SOME” and the “OTHERS” and ANYONE ELSE that,
"It takes a village to raise a child."
The village has leaders. There is an election looming. I can just see “SOME” political pundits saying, (in whispered voices) "Oh shit... We don't need this now..." Well, to the "SOME" political pundits... FIX IT... Now is your chance...
If you are not “SOME” or “OTHERS” but are the… “ANYONE ELSE”, then lets work together as a community to HELP our politicians FIX IT.
I AM PISSED OFF... I hope you are too.
From my dear friend, Jessica Dumas:
I think this is great and I totally agree with your opinion. Media definitely adds to normalizing the violence and continues to add blame to 'video games' and 'music'. Because of the baggage the media has added to this young baby's death, few people will care, his life has been deemed meaningless and just another story. It’s disgusting. I'm pissed off too. I was shocked and furious when I saw a picture of my dying brother on the front page of The Sun. At least in death, can he have some dignity?
- Jessica Dumas, sister to Matthew Dumas killed in 2005 by WPS.
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