One thing I have struggled to understand in the mornings over the last few years is why do we have to compete with snow ploughs when we are taking kids to school.聽 To me, after a dumping of snow like what we had last Thursday night, the areas on Gladstone (especially) and other school zones should be cleared well before 8:30 a.m. If that鈥檚 not possible, then I really think it鈥檚 safer to try and drive through the snow as opposed to watch for other vehicles, children walking, and then also find a safe spot to sit while a snow plough parades up and down the street clearing the white stuff. Not to mention the fact high school kids can be pretty self-absorbed as they cross streets and go to school. I鈥檝e seen more than one do something they know full well is dangerous, yet they are smart enough to know they also have the right of way. I can appreciate the hard work that goes into keeping the streets clean; but surely there has to be a better way to do school zones. Let鈥檚 just try and avoid the peak times of drop off and pick up. If you can鈥檛, then I think it鈥檚 incumbent on the workers to really be careful in these areas. What I saw Friday morning was street cleaning with no regard for anyone else, so all it takes is for one motorist or one pedestrian to slip up and we have a serious problem.
A death by an inmate while in custody of Saskatoon Police has resulted in the call for better services in the areas of mental health and addictions. Police Chief Clive Weghill says, 鈥淚f you have people falling off a cliff, why don鈥檛 you build a fence so people don鈥檛 fall off rather than picking up people at the bottom when they fall off.鈥� First of all, we live in a world that even if Weghill doesn鈥檛 feel this way, he has to say this because he鈥檒l be, socially, lynched for being insensitive.聽 But, my counter to this would be that if you have a cliff that is too dangerous to climb to the top because you could fall off, then there really isn鈥檛 any reason to put up a fence. You, simply, educate about the dangers and pitfalls of going up this cliff and if people decide to go to the top anyway, then聽 yes we will be ready at the bottom to clean it up.
Damian Cox, who I think self-proclaimed himself a hockey insider (if he didn鈥檛 name himself, he should have stopped the person who gave him this title because it鈥檚 just wrong) blocked me on Twitter last week for no reason that I can see other than that the truth hurts.聽 During the NHL Trade Deadline program, I happened to catch a glimpse of the ticker that runs along the bottom of the screen. I don鈥檛 have the exact wording anymore, but Cox had tweeted that there was a real strong chance Tampa Bay could trade Jonathan Drouin.聽 Maybe. This made me chuckle.聽 By saying 鈥榗ould鈥� and 鈥榤aybe鈥� in the same Tweet, he pretty much should have just said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if Tampa Bay will trade Jonathan Drouin today.鈥� It has the same meaning. I tweeted to him that I felt 鈥榗ould鈥� and 鈥榤aybe鈥� were great words to use as an 鈥榦ut鈥� in the event Drouin isn鈥檛 traded (which he wasn鈥檛).聽 Someone else chimed in and agreed and added that there is no substance to reporting facts anymore. It鈥檚 all about being first more than it is about being correct.聽 This resulted in me and this other person (who I don鈥檛 even know) getting blocked by the super-sensitive Cox. Make no mistake about it. Cox is no insider, so when he reports on Hockey Night In Canada that James Reimer wants $6-million a year and he attributes absolutely no sources whatsoever, do not assume what he鈥檚 telling you is correct. It鈥檚 highly likely that it鈥檚 not. If this kind of reporting is how one keeps a sports media job today, then I am glad I鈥檓 no longer part of it.聽 Oh, I鈥檓 glad I鈥檓 no longer part of it anyway, who am I kidding?
Speaking of Twitter, this is why I like Brad Wall. Someone Tweeted at him last week that he was a hillbilly (this is a personal attack and should result in getting you blocked) and that his mentality is 50 years behind. Wall, who accepts personal criticism much better than poor Damian Cox, replied with, 鈥淪o no lawn sign then鈥︹��
Shame on Global for reporting about that inmates at Regina Corrections were, once again, refusing to eat because of what they say are inadequate exercise facilities and also being locked in their cells for 21 hours a day. Hello! It鈥檚 jail. It鈥檚 clear that when they protested the quality of their food a few months ago and that fell on deaf ears with the general public that there is no reason to think any of us give two hoots about whether or not they have the ability to exercise effectively. You have a floor. Do some push-ups and sit-ups.聽聽 聽
Nice person mentions to Brent Murdock, Nicholas Horbasz, Dave Esslinger, and Jennifer Gillis.
