RSP: Our Life Savings

I would have you talk
to my father if I could
dead at 53 — an expert
on early retirement

or to my mother
left alone with all
their plans, the means
now available

but she no longer has
the right combination
to access these two
lives saved up for later.

© Kristine Paton

Freedom 55 — The Real Deal

I wrote that poem years ago; it explains why I don't have the conventional retirement savings plan. This Friday, June 12, I will celebrate my 55th birthday which is two years older than my father when he died. Who knew he was so young!

I'm pushing 60 and perhaps some buttons but, hey, it wouldn't be the first time and it won't be the last. Finally, I am entering my crone phase, fully embracing the title and what it means to be a crone, both good and bad. It is only in our culture that the word 'crone' is seen as detrimental and more representative of the 'witch' or 'hag' (well... if the shoe fits). In most cultures other than our materialistic, image conscious, American influenced, westernized culture, the crone is also revered as a wise woman, often mystical, having earned her status as such by surviving whatever life has thrown at her and thereby gaining knowledge and wisdom — not to confuse the two.

So, what does Freedom 55 mean to me? I am overcoming past heartbreaks, both given and received; forgiven myself and anyone else. I have downsized and am debt free and hold a 5 acre clear title chunk of raw land in my back pocket. What do I know? That it could all change in the blink of an eye. What does the future hold? Who knows, who cares? And so, I have learned to trust God not money, live in the 'now' (not because of Mr. Eckhart Tolle) and to take each day's assault of fears as they come.

Give me the simple life. Coffee (yes, COFFEE not decaf) in the morning, fresh duck eggs, true grains bread, free range chicken and local farm produce, fresh water not bottled, local wine & cheese, a good book, walks with Molly and just enough work to make it all possible. You can keep your Blackberries, your 80 hour work week, the Yummy Mummy Club, the spinning class (unless it's a good yarn), the hot yoga and, definitely, most definitely, the stock market
... and forget Facebook. You need family, whether their yours or someone elses, a few really close flesh and blood friends, and good neighbours.

That's it — my Freedom 55. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a nice cup of Dilmah (the best black tea ever) and a good book waiting for me in the back yard. And look, there's an extra chair.

New Show Opens May 7

2934 South Pandosy, Kelowna, BC
Sheila Norgate, Bill Gingles and Me!
Exhibit continues to June 2

www.sopafinearts.com

Swine Flu or Hog Wash?

"Identification of influenza subtypes became possible in the mid-20th century."

Sigh... before that, we all just got "the flu". We went to bed, missed school (yay!), took Bayer aspirin, threw up in the bucket beside the bed, ran to the bathroom (a lot), drank ginger ale and ate soda crackers. Ah, the good old days. I'd never heard of the World Health Organization... WHO? who are throwing around the word "pandemic" like Chicken Little on a good day. Personally, I'd much rather listen to the World Organization for Animal Health... which could be the World Health Organization for Animals ... or WHOA! A command given to reign in a galloping horse. They report, "This strain can be transmitted from human to human, and causes the normal symptoms of influenza." Ahhhh, sanity restored.

Three cases of swine flu have now been reported in BC, bringing the total number of Canadian cases to 13. CTV Reports as of 18:00 GMT, 4 May 2009, 21 countries have officially reported 1085 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection. But another source has that number at 236. Yes folks, 236 confirmed cases world wide amongst a world population of 6,000,000,000+.

The first time I heard the term "swine flu" was back in 1976. At that time, some "genius" in the US came up with an immunization programme which resulted in " Overall, about 500 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), resulting in death from severe pulmonary complications for 25 people, which, according to Dr. P. Haber, were probably caused by an immunopathological reaction to the 1976 vaccine. Other influenza vaccines have not been linked to GBS, though caution is advised for certain individuals, particularly those with a history of GBS. Still, as observed by a participant in the immunization program, the vaccine killed more Americans than the disease did."

Wow, that gives the expression "pig in a poke" a whole new meaning!

Now, this scares the crap out of me. Remember the strong arming of the level headed nurses who refused to get a flu shot: lose their sick leave benefits if they happened to get the flu? Now we have Stephen Harper reminding people "to comply with health orders because the illness is a serious issue". Other than washing my hands, etc., what are those "health orders"? Could it involve all those lovely antiviral drugs out there? The ones that might actually kill me!

But, thank God, I don't live in the U.S. On April 27th, the FDA issued "Emergency Use Authorization" to make available certain antiviral drugs to treat the swine influenza virus in cases for which they are currently unapproved. The agency issued these EUAs to allow treatment of patients younger than the current approval allows and to allow the widespread distribution of the drugs, including by non-licensed volunteers.

And what about those poor maligned swine? People are actually afraid of eating pork, even though you can't get swine flu from eating pork. Wait. That could be a good thing as far as the pigs are concerned. (Don't tell them about the 250,000 'offed' in Europe, and especially don't tell them we may actually have given the flu to them sometime around 1918).


EVERY YEAR, there are about 250 million malaria cases resulting in nearly one million deaths… EVERY YEAR!

Why is this not on the news every hour of every day? Because people living in the poorest countries are the most vulnerable …and that's not us.

So, let's have a little perspective people.

Activated by BC Rivers Threat

No one could call me a political activist (ok...I do subject my friends to the occasional rant now and again) but the following information has come on the heels of my having just watched Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy on the Knowledge Network, which has me fired up.

Some of you may already be aware and for that I commend you. I have had my head buried in the proverbial sand of the riverbank. If you have children, if you enjoy rivers, streams, forests, if you eat fresh fish, if you steward wildlife, if you can still afford electricity, if you like having a say in what happens where you live... if you nod to any of these, you should take a minute to read on, about what is happening to your power without your permission (even if you are not in BC; it could happen, or may be happening, wherever you are).

This information is regarding the big corporate privatization of our electrical power and loss of river access. The following websites are, of course, biased, but the discerning mind will uncover the underlying threat — their power/our loss. I had no idea this was going on behind my back on such a large scale. What you do with the information, ignore or pass on, is up to you. I decided to watch (especially The Theft of BC's Rivers) and pass on the sites below:

http://ashlu.info/video/bcrivers.html

http://saveourrivers.tv/powerplay_player5.html

I am as concerned over our provincial government's brutish misuse of its empowerment, as I am about the impact on BC rivers, for example:

Bill 30 "The Ashlu Bill": Squamish/Lillooet Municipality said NO to zoning for this project on the Ashlu River and thought the matter was closed. Our provincial government passed Bill 30 which "stripped local municipalities of their zoning authority over private river power projects, leaving BC's communities [meaning YOU] without a voice [choice] in this process."

WHISTLER QUESTION,Squamish News: Ledcor’s run-of-river project on Ashlu Creek moved forward despite local and SLRD opposition in 2006 when the provincial government passed Bill 30, which removes the decision-making process for Independent Power Projects out of the regional government’s hands...

and this

Boychuck [for Ledcor] also said fears over negative impact on wildlife were unfounded,“They [critics] would say that there would be a negative effect on grizzly bears and wildlife, it’s actually been just the opposite. We’ve had grizzly bears and black bears wandering through our site, sometimes watching us.”

BAH HA HA HA HA!!!!! Yeah, they're watching and they're thinking... What the f...?

Although David Suzuki isn't against run-of-river power entirely, he does have this to say about it:

"It’s ludicrous to think that we must sacrifice all environmental considerations to get green energy onto the grid. It’s not green if it causes negative ecological impacts. In British Columbia, B.C. Hydro and the B.C. Transmission Corporation have identified more than 8,200 potential sites for run-of-river hydro projects in B.C.’s 291,000 watersheds. That should give us plenty of choice, and surely we don’t have to harness all of them. What we need, in B.C. and elsewhere, is to guide development toward areas that have high energy potential but are less susceptible to environmental damage. Governments must also act quickly to ensure that renewable energy options are considered as a whole rather than in isolation.

An individual project may appear to be environmentally benign, but the cumulative impact of many could be detrimental. We also need a better system for water licences and Crown land licences to avoid the gold-rush mentality that is leading numerous private interests to stake claims on rivers for power projects. And we need strong environmental regulations, along with monitoring and enforcement, to ensure impacts are minimized. It’s in our best interests to act quickly to get as much renewable energy into play as possible. As well as getting us off fossil fuels and combating global warming, renewable energy is also one way to dig ourselves out of the economic mess we’re facing. It’s good for business. But that doesn’t mean environmental safeguards should be relaxed in the name of green energy. Global warming is, without a doubt, the most critical environmental issue we face. Clearly, there’s no time to waste, but unless we tie our shoelaces before we race out the door, we’re guaranteed to trip ourselves up long before we get to our destination. We need to ensure that our solutions don’t lead to the destruction of the very thing we're trying to protect." DS

If it happened there, it can happen here. If it happened once, it can happen again. This time rivers, next time ????? When the governing french monarch Marie Antoinette said of her starving people, "Let them eat cake.", the people cut off her head. Too bad we're not in France.

Before we are completely left in the dark and out in the cold, turn off their power ... VOTE.

PS - Have you heard the one about Bill 15?

Celebrating Jimmy at the AGGV

Yesterday I attended a memorial service at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria held for James Dee (Jimmy) Wright. Needless to say it was standing room only.

Although I had once worked with Jimmy in his Yates Street studio, our lives had long since gone in different directions. Sadly, I was among many it seems who did not even know he was ill. If you did spend time with "Victoria artist" Jimmy, you may think you knew him...but after listening to his daughter, Treece, speak so lovingly of her father and the life they had shared, and then Jimmy's two close buddies each with their own memories, it was clear I did not know him at all. I am grateful to his wife, Pat, for inviting me to witness Jimmy, the man, and not just Jimmy, the artist.

Not a day passes in which I don't think of Jimmy: how could I not, a 4 ft by 5 ft bear (above) hangs in my living room. My brother-in-law, who does not appreciate Jimmy's love it or leave it painting style, calls it my molar bear. Personally I love it and will not leave it, or rather, it will not leave me unless by some act of God. Not long after news of Jimmy's death became public, a visitor to my home, upon entering my living room, took one look at this painting and said, "That will be worth a lot more now." I almost slapped her, however, the comment simply reflects a sad truth about our smoke and mirrors art world.

Treece graciously shared many thoughts about her father, one in particular still resonates with me today, and which he obviously felt very deeply. How else would you explain his choice of iconic imagery from which to create his "cash cow"?

"I'd rather meet one bear a week than one hundred people a day."

James Dee Wright 1937-2008

My "Spirit Bear" NFS

Works On Paper

It has been quite some time since I painted on paper rather than canvas; these are two mixed media pieces I just sent to Sopa for February's "Works on Paper", a group exhibit of just that... works on paper.

Primordial Landscape


Early Warning System