April 14th, what are we celebrating?

 

APRIL 14, 2024    NATIONAL DOLPHIN DAY Each year on April 14th, National Dolphin Day recognizes the social and intelligent mammals of the water.    NATIONAL GARDENING DAY National Gardening Day on April 14th encourages gardeners and would-be gardeners to pick up a shovel, plant some seeds, and kick off a beautiful year of homegrown bounty.    NATIONAL REACH AS HIGH AS YOU CAN DAY National Reach as High as You Can Day on April 14th encourages us to evaluate our goals and do our best to reach them.     LOOK UP AT THE SKY DAY On April 14, Look Up at the Sky Day encourages us to admire the beauty above us. On this day we all hope for good weather and an opportunity to fill our eyes with the sky from horizon to horizon.    NATIONAL PECAN DAY Each year, National Pecan Day on April 14th celebrates one nut native to the United States. It's also a favorite snack and ingredient across the country. Re   NATIONAL PAN AMERICAN DAY National Pan American Day on April 14th each year commemorates the First International Conference of American States, which concluded on April 14, 1890.  NATIONAL EX-SPOUSE DAY Very few marriages end amicably. Each year on April 14th, National Ex-Spouse Day encourages those who have dissolved their marriage to forgive their former spouse and move beyond any anger or bitterness that may remain. And even those that do aren't free from angst or regrets.   April 14th Celebrated History   1828 American Noah Webster publishes An American Dictionary of the English Language. It took twenty-seven years to complete and was the first dictionary of the American English language. To evaluate the etymology of words, Webster learned twenty-six languages, including Old English (Anglo-Saxon), German, Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, French, Hebrew, Arabic, and Sanskrit.   1865 John Wilkes Booth assassinates President Abraham Lincoln. After shooting Lincoln in the head at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., Booth shouted "Sic semper tyrannis! (Ever thus to tyrants! The South is avenged," and jumped from the President's box seat to the stage, breaking his leg and fleeing the theatre.   1902 JC Penny opens his first department store in Kemmerer, Wyoming.   1960 Berry Gordy Jr. incorporates Motown Records Corporation.   April 14th Celebrated Birthdays   Juan Belmonte Garcia - 1892 The Spanish bullfighter gained a reputation as one of the greatest toreros in the early 20th century. A disability cause Belmonte to change the art of bullfighting. His legs were weak and deformed from birth, so instead of dancing and jumping away from the bull, Belmonte stood straight and motionless, drawing the bull closer. The bullfighter's elegant use of his cape diverted the bulls away from him.   Anne Sullivan - 1899 Partial blindness at a young age led Anne Sullivan to the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts. Following her graduation, the valedictorian came to work for the Keller family as governess and teacher for their daughter Helen. With Sullivan's support, Helen learned to fingerspell, speak, and eventually attended school and college. Together they became lifelong companions and advocates for the blind and those with disabilities.   Loretta Lynn - 1932 The Coal Miner’s Daughter, Loretta Lynn, found her legendary voice as a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter from Bucher Hollow, Kentucky. She was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1960 and her critical acclaim would follow her for decades to come. Lynn continued making music well into the 21st century. Her last album was recorded in 2016, titled Full Circle.   Pete Rose - 1941 Pete Rose played 23 years in Major League Baseball primarily for the Cincinnati Reds. He also played for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Montreal Expos before returning to the Reds and then continuing his career as a manager. Versatile throughout his career, Rose played infield and outfield and earned 17 calls to the All-Star roster. He also brought home three World Series championships and numerous other awards. In 1989, allegations of Rose betting on baseball broke and started his permanent exit from baseball.

Questions and answers from CARP

 

CARP - Canadian Association of Retired People Questions and Answers from CARP Forum
Q: Where can single men over the age of 70 find younger women who are interested in them?	A: Try a bookstore, under Fiction.
Q: What can a man do while his wife is going through menopause?	A: Keep busy. If you're handy with tools, you can finish the basement. When you're done, you will have a place to live.

Q: How can you increase the heart rate of your over-70 year-old husband?	A: Tell him you're pregnant.
Q: How can you avoid that terrible curse of the elderly wrinkles?	A: Take off your glasses.
Q: Seriously! What can I do for these crow's feet and all those wrinkles on my face?	A: Go braless. It will usually pull them out.
Q: Why should 70-plus year old people use valet parking?	A: Valets don't forget where they park your car.
Q: Is it common for 70-plus year olds to have problems with short term memory storage?	A: Storing memory is not a problem. Retrieving it is the problem.
Q: As people age, do they sleep more soundly?	A: Yes, but usually in the afternoon.
Q: Where should 70-plus year olds look for eye glasses?	A: On their foreheads.
Q: What is the most common remark made by 70-plus year olds when they enter antique stores?	A: "Gosh, I remember these!"

May he rest in ??🏒🏒

They say "never speak evil of the dead".  However, when it comes to a criminal it's good for people to tell their stories.  She signed an NDA and today it became invalid.  Here is her story:

Nicole Minet:

I've been waiting 29 years to tell this story about OJ and his days at USC. Now that he's dead (may he burn in hell) I have a story that I signed an NDA for that is no longer valid. I was a junior at USC working in Topping Student Center on campus in 1995. I was an administrative assistant to the President of Student Affairs that semester in the work/study program. In early 1995, Robert Shapiro and Robert Kardashian (USC Alumni) walked up to my desk and said they had an appt with my boss. I was studying to be a criminal defense lawyer with a dual major in PoliSci and International Relations so I knew who they were. The meeting lasted about 30 mins. After they left I looked at my boss like wtf was that all about!? He walked me outside and we sat by the old sprawling big tree outside Topping and my boss lit a cigarette for the first time in years and told me I had to sign an NDA because I could confirm OJ's lawyers were there for a meeting. Then he told me what the meeting was about. Before OJ could graduate from USC, the university paid off two families of two blonde white girls that he had dated and battered. They had both gone to the LAPD to report it. One claimed he also sexually assaulted her in their relationship. The school had a vested interest in OJ going far in football and protected him at all costs. OJ had been in custody for 6 months and lawyers were in the discovery process for the trial and OJ's friend Robert Kardashian, who knew OJ from also being a student at USC, thought it would be best if those stories never saw the light of day. So a large check was written, given to my boss, and they left. I'll never forget holding that check. Now, did you hear about this before now? Nope. That's how much power money enables. After he was acquitted I changed my major to Philosophy/Psychology double major. I understood that I could harm society more than not if I pursued law. This is also why I abhor the Kardashians. They're rich thugs. Nothing more. #OJISDEAD

The information never stops - this time the National Police Union

 I thought I would post this as the media only tells one side of the story.  

It's being reported the NDP is trying to postpone the judicial inquiry that's slated for the end of the month.  

The ongoing Surrey boondoggle - police transition. Will it ever end?

Our city voted to replace the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with our own police force Surrey Police Services (SPS) in 2018.  However, all the promises made by the new police force have not been fulfilled. The SPS said by 2021 they would be the police of jurisdiction.  It's now 2024!  As of today the SPS has 205 officers on the street.  Where are they going to find the remaining officers?   The RCMP will not move over to the SPS but be redeployed elsewhere in Canada if this transition goes ahead.

This is from the City of Surrey website as to their decision to why we need to retain the RCMP.

After careful considering of the information, it was clear to Council that the provincially-ordered police transition would cost Surrey taxpayers hundreds of millions while delivering no public safety benefit to Surrey.

Council based their decision on the following facts:

1. The SPS would cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars:
   • The SPS would cost taxpayers a minimum of $31.9 million more annually, compared to the RCMP.
   • City costs would increase by a minimum of $464 million over the next 10 years.
   • A double-digit tax hike would be the direct result of the provincial order, costing each taxpayer thousands of dollars.
      
2. There is no evidence the police transition would benefit public safety:
   • The proposed transition was poorly conceived, planned, and implemented.
   • Today, 75% of police officers in Surrey are with the RCMP.
   • The SPS has hired 132 officers receiving full compensation who are not deployed.
   • The SPS is nowhere near having the frontline officers to become the police of jurisdiction.
   • SPS recruitment will have a significant destabilizing effect on policing throughout the Lower Mainland.

We had an election in 2022 and the citizens elected Mayor Brenda Locke who mandated to keep the RCMP.  The B.C. Police Act  https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/consol15/consol15/00_96367_01 stated the City could choose it's own police force.   

A review was done with the SPS and RCMP.  It was sent to Minister Farnworth and when it was reviewed by the province, the City had to sign non-disclosure agreements so none of the tax payers have any information!

Solicitor General Mike Farnworth changed the B. C. Police Act in November 2023.  Now,  we don't have a choice but they are forcing the SPS police force most citizens don't want by giving us a bribe of $150 million.  It will not cover the cost!  The government added another $100 million to the transition.  Yesterday, in a televised news conference, a very nervous Mike Farnworth took the $100 million off the table. When he raised a glass of water, he was shaking.  He said he would give us a transition date next week.  This entire process is sleazy and could be corrupt!   Solicitor General Mike Farnworth didn't agree with what the voters wanted and changed the law!  What are they hiding?

The City of Surrey asked for a Judicial Review.  It will take place at the end of the month.  It's alleged that some improper activities have taken place within our Provincial Government.  If the above is true, I trust we the taxpayers will find out exactly what has transpired.  Hopefully they release ALL the information on both sides.

I stand with Mayor Brenda Locke to keep the RCMP in our city.  The 150 million dollar bribe from the government should the judicial review side with the city should go to hospitals, schools and housing throughout the province where it is desperately needed. 

Statement from Mayor Brenda Locke April 9, 2024

The plot thickens:

What a wonderful generation we were

A generation that walked to school and then walked back.

A generation that did their homework alone to get out asap to play in the street.

A generation that spent all their free time in the streets with their Friends.

A generation that played hide and seek when dark.

A generation that made mud cakes.

A generation that collected sports cards.

A generation that found, collected and washed & Returned empty coke bottles to the local grocery store for 5 cents each , then bought a Mountain Dew and candy bar with the money.

A generation that made paper toys with their bare hands.

A generation who bought vinyl albums to play on record players.

A generation that collected photos and albums of clippings of their life experiences as a Kid.

A generation that played board games and cards on rainy days.

A generation whose TV went off at midnight after playing the National Anthem.

A generation that had parents who were there.

A generation that came home to a mom in the kitchen who baked cookies for after an school snack.

A generation that laughed under the covers in bed so parents didn't know we were still awake.

A generation that is passing and unfortunately it will never return no matter how hard we try.

I loved Growing up when I did. it was the best of times.

Landon DuPont

Today at 1 PM, a news conference will take place in Calgary regarding this young hockey player!  It's fabulous to see a child deemed "exceptional", especially in the world of hockey.  His dad is Micki DuPont, a late Calgary Flames draft pick in 2000, who was an undersized defenceman who played a few games in the NHL.  Here is a player to watch:

The Western Hockey League is expected to announce the designation of 14-year-old defenceman Landon DuPont as its next exceptional status player at a Monday press conference.

The league said in a media release issued Friday that it would confirm who the player is on Monday, but they are not naming them at this point.

DuPont, who is currently a defenceman on the Edge School’s U18 team, is widely regarded as the best player of his age in the country.

He’s in grade nine.

DuPont caught everyone’s attention with his play at the Circle K Classic back in December, where he stood out despite playing against players who were years older than he is.

Exceptional player status allows underage players to join the league a year early.

The last WHL player to receive exceptional player status was Connor Bedard, who joined Regina as a 15-year-old.

The Everett Silvertips have the first pick in the 2024 WHL draft.