Chatter With Kate A COUPLE OF BOUQUETS TO HAND OUT AND A REMINDER TO BE CIVIL

Hello folks – I hope you are having the best of weeks. Here in the desert south west the heat of summer is upon us with a vengeance. Today is the summer solstice and as I am getting too old to deal with the heat, I compensate by thinking that as of tomorrow, the days start getting shorter and we start to head back to longer nights and cooler days but before then we have to go through some crazy summer days. I shouldn’t be groaning because my one aunt, an elderly farmer from northern Indiana is going through heck and fire and brimstone. There have been some terrible storms, tornadoes just lately in the Midwest and the northern plains. We spoke to her this morning and at 85 years of age and having weathered a couple of strokes and a heart op. she said she was just fine. She was sitting in her dining room listening to the heavy raindrops outside. I said ‘how are your cows and she said they were fine to’. She has been farming for about 61 years now and though she is by herself these days with uncle having passed away, she toughs it out. Her generation doesn’t give up easily. So this little piece of writing is a bouquet to my aunt and her generation who fought and died for us in the last global conflict so that we can live a free life and it is up to us not to mess it up.
Another bouquet to, for those terrific folk at the Weather Channel and also those of the National Weather Service who are all so on-the-ball with their up to the minute information on what is happening with the weather especially when things are bad. I have been with my aunt when the alarms have come on the television telling us where the storms are, how close they are and what to do. I truly admire what they do and I am very grateful. To Jim Cantore, Dr Greg Forbes (severe weather expert) and all their colleagues, long may you continue and once again, you have the grateful thanks of a niece whose aunt is a special lady.

Finally on a completely different subject – civility seems to have gone out the window these days. I hear so much bad language from all ages. I just don’t know what has happened. I know things are stressful. The economic climate is really difficult for many folk; Lord knows our family has struggled along with the rest of the good folk out there. We have been through the dramas surrounding the loss of jobs and trying to balance the budget and pay bills. Despite all the dramas, loss of civility is sad, really sad. I look at folk lined up at the various government agencies who are trying to help folk in all of this and there are tempers, foul language and kids in the middle of it all. What examples are they being set? – the kids that is. None! Take a deep breath folks, count to 10 backwards and nut it out. Keep a favorite book with you if you have to go out into one of these long lines in which you might be standing. You can have a little read while waiting. Think to, of the folk behind the counter who are trying to help you – it’s not easy for them either. Beaurocracy is nuts – the beaurocratic godfathers make rules and regulations that these poor folk behind the counters have to dish out. However, it’s what we have and until the system is changed and we get even more computer-styled machines and we end up doing everything from home, we just have to put our best foot forward and remember civility. Be nice!

Cheers, Kate

Chatter With Kate: ATTACK ADS – I CAN'T STAND THEM

Greetings folks. This column has been in hiatus for a while and after thinking about what form it should take for the future, we have decided to keep it as it is and perhaps take a wider look at a broader range of subjects. So, apart from my ‘pesky politicians’ I will take a look at current news and trends, travel (I was a travel writer for a number of years) and personal thoughts and stuff in general. Bless the person who invented the word stuff – it’s a god send. My late mum would not approve as she was very particular with her words. She was a playwright and wrote beautiful thoughts and prayers and poetry.


The subject of this column is as the heading says – the attack ad season is upon us and it’s already driving me mad. I simply can’t see the necessity for the bad language, nasty words and I would like to talk to the people who actually write them. The general subject (content) of these political ads that we are putting up with until November is getting peskier than the last time. I do want to know what a candidate is all about, what they have done in the past and what they think – in their own words – makes them the best person to represent me in Washington DC. However, I don’t want to hear ads on their behalf that quite frankly are rude, aggressive and disrespectful. I know, I am probably barking up the proverbial tree, but as I have said before, these ads show no respect, no dignity and I think they show no class. The other thing that really gets up my nose, (no apologies for this phrase), is the candidate who is always GOING TO CHANGE WASHINGTON. Give me a break please, Washington DC has been like it is (progressively getting worse as the years have gone by) since our founding fathers. They were no different than the current day politicians – in fact they could be even peskier if you read our history. Sure, the place needs some change but it isn’t going to happen quickly. 2008 is a prime example of all the promises of change not really coming to fruition. The tricks and backroom deals are still there and the pesky strategies are still going on. So, when a candidate says they are going to go to Washington DC to change things –I would say to them, please don’t be disrespectful to yourself. They are not going to take any notice of you. If you get elected then don’t expect to change things the day you get there. Quietly work out your own little strategies and study The Art of War and you just might have a chance. Finally, I would like to say this. In our area here in the desert south west, there was a candidate in a local primary for the senate, who came out with some nasty ads and you can’t expect to come out with ads as nasty as they were without people on the other side having a go at you. This candidate did not win the primary although at the start of the crazy season for this, this person was leading. People, from my research, are heartily sick of the ---p! Respect the views of the voting public, we are not stupid and we don’t forget past voting. We are looking for good capable leaders not the pesky kind!

Cheers and go safely out there, Kate

P.S. If you’ve got something to say, and would like to put it up on our blog, let us know. Please keep language civil and remember the libel stuff. Our editor reserves the right to have the final say on column content. K.

Chatter With Kate: GUNS, EARTHQUAKES, STORMS & A LACK OF SLEEP

Greetings folks - it has been a while since we had a ‘chatter’. Life in the last month or so has been difficult. Sleep has been broken and just when you think things are getting back on an even track then something else happens. I guess many of us have been through this before and we will deal with upheavals in the future. This difficult month started with a shooting where we live. It bothers me that there are way too many people carrying guns irresponsibly. About 1.29am my husband and I and the cats were all woken with a bunch of folk shrieking and yelling and then there were 5 distinct pops of a gun and all hell broke loose. It turned out that a brother of a girl who was being bothered by another person (a boyfriend I believe) was shot in the chest by this man because he, the brother, stepped in to help his sister. It was right opposite where we live and of course it resulted in a myriad of sirens etc etc. I am so tired of hearing about guns being used like this. All levels of society seem to be able to get hold of these weapons and this includes kids at elementary schools. There has got to be an answer as to how to deal with the misuse of guns. I personally think that the courts need to be a lot tougher. You can bet your boots, that most of the folk around here know who did the shooting; in fact I have been told as much. Everyone quickly disappeared and the cops have not found the fellow who did the bad deed. My sleep, post-shooting, has been awful. I find myself reading on our tiny palm reader, way into the night and of course the next day I feel just wretched. This comes at a time when we have passport forms to fill out (in the case of mine it has to be sent overseas), trying to sort out our departure to live in another state, trying to save extra $$ to deal with the move (you go where the work is), dealing with the oncoming summer heat. I am concerned to, about the amount of earthquakes lately – I have the EQTW link on my Twitter account and it has been really active. (I am a student of earth and planetary sciences). This is highly likely to be of a natural nature in that when you count things up there is no more than is usual it just seems that there are a lot at once. To top it all I have been looking at the bad storms back in Tennessee and Kentucky, two of my favorite places and now we have this terrible oil spill in the Gulf to deal with. Wow it just never stops – however as my logical and charming husband points out – we have to put our best foot forward, do the best we can each day and say a few extra prayers and plough on forward, through it all. Next time we ‘chatter’ I will try to be more optimistic.

Cheers folks and go safely out there, Kate.

Here is a positive pic for you to peruse – our two young cats (sisters) trying to squash into a small basket together

Chatter With Kate: SCHOOL BULLYING – WHAT A GREAT SHAME THIS IS HAPPENING

I have been listening, with great distress, to the events taking place in Massachusetts recently about school bullying resulting in the subsequent death of a young Irish lass. When I heard that she had been taken home to Ireland and buried near the ocean she loved, I cried. I was standing in my kitchen, working at the bench and the tears just ran down my cheeks. I am of Irish heritage and perhaps the joint ancestry came to the fore in this. I simply don’t understand what is going on in schools today. I was at this level of schooling a long time ago and to be sure there were kids in school who were a ‘perfect pain’. But the level of bullying simply wasn’t there. Punishments were dished out and so were leather straps. Teasing was not unusual at school but I sometimes wonder that in this modern age, if we have gone over the top with what we give kids and all the political correctness about not being able to give them a good caning if they don’t behave (in the case of boys). There are folk who do go over the top with punishments and beat their children in an unnecessary way. I truly believe that discipline is lacking. We had school officers who kept an eye on things – there was never campus police and kids never thought of bringing guns to school or drugs for that matter. Life was economically hard as it is today and I think folk were too busy working and making ends meet to get into to much trouble. There were little ‘clicky groups’ when I went to school but nothing like it is today. And nothing at all like the retribution that seems to be going on between the young people now. It is very sad because there are some truly good kids about and the few spoilt ones are making it all seem bad for those ones who want to do good. As for the school administrators in the school involved in this debacle and very sad situation, they need to be disciplined themselves – their behaviour was appalling. I say this taking into account that the stupidity of political correctness has not helped them. I hope that things can be learnt from this sad business. I noted that in the aftermath of the Massachusetts situation, another young man took his own life for the same reason – unreasonable bullying. Come on school administrators, parents and students. Get together and sort this out. There are many folk willing to help you and let them do this. To the students who reported the bullying, don’t feel that what you did was wasted. You tried and we thank you for your efforts. God Bless you and the young lady’s family and the family of the other young man.


Go safely out there folks and bless you all. Kate.

Chatter With Kate: THE VICE PRESIDENT & YOUNG AMERICA with F-BOMBS IN THE MIDDLE

Hello folks and I hope today finds you as best as you can be. I was delighted to see on the television yesterday, that a bunch of young Americans were taking on the VP over his recent expletive - namely the F-Bomb debacle when introducing our somewhat embattled President recently. Good for them. I am so sick of hearing F-Bombs everywhere. You simply can’t walk out your door without hearing F-Bombs being uttered all around you. We never grew up with this and I don’t know why people need to utter this unpleasant word so much. Oh I know that there are a number of people laughing about this incident but while I might be having a little episode of wishful thinking here, I think the Vice President should realize that we are watching and for the most part we all have good ears. The press certainly does and politicians can’t get away with much these days, even though they would like to. Vice President Biden is a fairly pleasant fellow, but I would like to remind him to set a better example. There are a lot of people out there who are going to say ‘oh Joe’s just one of the boys’. Well then this particular ‘Joe’ needs to apologise which is what the young folk want. I will be pleasantly surprised if he does. It would be nice though and be a bit of good PR for this embattled administration. It might sound to be a simple thing to a few folk and nothing to worry about. However, as with many things in life, it is the simple things that make a huge difference and these young folk are the ones that will be picking up the pieces of what this administration leaves. So Mr. Vice President, say you’re sorry. If you come out to the desert southwest, send me an email and I will invite you for a coffee and a deep fried Twinkie for keeping the kids happy.


Cheers and go safely out there.

Kate.

Chatter With Kate: ARE YOU SICK OF THE PESKY POLITICIANS?

I am! Someone said recently ‘how did politics become so wretched?’ and ‘will the politicians ever be known as nice folk?’ Well I think that if you search through time you will find that each age has had its share of corrupt politicians and even more corrupt political aides. What I have found difficult to take recently is the blanket disregard for the Constitution. I have said before, that each generation has different things to sort out and things to change but the Founding Fathers put the basics in place to help us, we the people. How on earth can you attempt to pass a bill in the manner that this wretched healthcare bill has been done? Once again, do the folk at the Capitol think we are all nuts that we cant see their devious ways of doing things. Do they really care that the public have such a low opinion of all their comings and goings? It is going to be very interesting to see who retains their seat in Congress (in both parts). Here in the desert southwest, there are a few who, in their support of this idiocy going on in Washington, are unlikely to go back to the corridors of power there. It gets back to a previously written column; there is NO RESPECT – none at all. They have no respect for us and no respect for themselves. As far as the Health Reform is concerned. I have no issues with a universal type of health care. I have lived and worked and paid my taxes in 4 countries that have public health options. For the most part, it worked very well, particularly in Ontario, Canada and in England. I see ads slamming the health care in England. Well I just wonder if those people doing the slamming have ever lived there. If I needed health care (thank God, it was rarely) there, then it was no problem to get attention. In Ontario, Canada we paid into OHIP. You paid a little, your employer paid a little and in came the Provincial Government as well. I was blinded by accident, in my right eye. So off I went to see my doctor, who sent me on to an eye specialist. The OHIP paid for all the fees and everything was worked out in a professional manner – administrative stuff (I love that word!) included. The problem (currently) is, leave the Feds out of it. Let the states create their own systems. In this day and age, when the Feds get involved everything goes to hell because they are too corrupt to run things properly. Oh I agree with our President that something needs to be done about health insurance company’s but is it just political posturing coming out of Washington – are they trying to be seen to do something about this issue to retain their powerbases etc. Oh I don’t know – the whole thing is, as my English Dad would say, a giant pickle! I don’t see any solutions right now that make any sense to me either – sadly. Just before I sign off this week, I would like to say this. How can you say that you will reveal what is in a bill once you have passed it. We have the right to know what is in a bill BEFORE it is passed.

Well I guess we will all see what happens this coming Sunday. Take care out there.

Cheers, Kate.

Chatter With Kate: THE BUDDING PESKY POLITICIANS HAVE ARRIVED!

Well we are off and running with those who seek political office, showing us their faces, ideas and oh so sweet smiles on the television. It is a nice Saturday afternoon here in the desert southwest and I thank God, the bigG for the Create Channel. They have gone to Ireland for the day in order to celebrate the upcoming St Patrick’s Day. It is a nice break from all the incumbent pesky politicians and the would be pesky political candidates. Oh I know that they have to do their stuff and tell us what they are about but oh wow, some of these TV advertisements are already starting to sound snippy and quite frankly, speaking for myself, I can't stand this. I want to hear some constructive stuff. The erstwhile ideas of those seeking political office seem fine but you know, they (the new candidates) are not going to get their ideas past the toilet door because the corridors of political power are run by the party machines and these party machines have an arm-twisting skill that is scary – oh my yes. If you have been taking note of the comings and goings of Washington this past week in order to get this disputed healthcare bill passed into law, then perhaps you should think (as a candidate) ‘do I really want to do this?’. It shouldn’t be like this but I know that of all the people I have spoken to lately, 98% of them are so fed up with politicians. TERM LIMITS - they might help. If the Presidents get term limits, so should the Senate and the House. The other thing that the budding pesky political candidates need to take note of is the screwing around with the constitution and the fact that they, the incumbent pesky politicians, seem to be losing respect for what the founding fathers of this (still) great country wanted for us. Oh sure, centuries bring new things and each generation goes through changes and things in some cases, obviously need changing but the respect is no longer there. And yet, there seems to be no end of budding political (pesky?) candidates to have a go. They are so eager and they are all going to change the whole system and Washington – remember the last presidential campaign and all the promises about changing Washington - well hell, it is simply not going to happen and we all have to find a path through it and do as Italy does maybe, they seem to go on their own path (their citizens that is) and leave their Government to its on-going stupidity. I don’t think that our current incumbents are entirely stupid – in fact they are mostly very clever folk and that’s the frustrating part of all of this, they should be a lot better at their jobs than they are. We to, as citizens, have to remember that there is give and take and we can’t have all that we would like. So, to all the budding (pesky) politicians, good luck to you. I hope you all have a tough skin. You’re going to need it.

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That was supposed to be take care out there. That’s what comes of talking to the cat while you are typing.

Cheers, Kate.

Chatter With Kate: GET OUT AND VOTE – YOU HAVE THE POWER

Hi folks. Well it is a gloomy Sunday afternoon here in the desert south west. I am back into politics in this column – to whit – the upcoming elections and a bunch of observations and thoughts that I have come across lately. So, here is a list of some of these things I have heard from folk from all places and all walks of life:



*I feel that the Democrats and the Republicans have big problems ahead and maybe that is why we will see many new faces in Washington.

* The bitter and stupid nuttiness of Washington DC is crazy.

* I would just like to say that there is a time when an incumbent administration must stop blaming the previous administration for woes and mistakes etc. It is just too boring to continually hear this.

*It seems to me that too many politicians serve masters other than the voting public.

*To many politicians have a total lack of morals.

*I am sure that there are a handful that are dependable and nice but show them to us.

The headline for this column is very important for our future here in our great country. GET OUT AND VOTE – GET REGISTERED. We have the power to change things. Try to get through the platitudes, the myriad of promises you will hear between now and voting day but at the same time listen long and hard to what the folk running for office are saying. One of the interesting things to watch for this year is the Tea Party – they might get a seat or two. Who knows? People are so dissatisfied that this party has come along at the right time and if they get themselves organized with an honest platform or agenda to campaign on, it could be very interesting. My husband and I are independent folk and it is the independent folk out there who could make the greatest impact. I heard someone say just recently that they are so sick of politics, politicians, Washington that they simply can’t be bothered with any of it. Well while I appreciate this sentiment, I say to this person, it is you who has the power to change things. Get out there and vote!! Next week I am going to do my best to ignore the pesky politicians and find something to talk about that will probably bore you to tears!!

Take care folks, be safe and happy. I am off to have my simple supper – poached eggs in chicken gravy poured over some bread and butter.

Until next time, cheers – Kate.

Chatter With Kate: A STRANGE RESPITE FROM THE PESKY POLITICIANS

I am spending this Saturday catching up with my columns. For the last 10 days or so I have been coping with a bad cold (I don’t think it was the flu!) which for me is a very rare thing. The last time I can recall having a cold that sent me to my bed was in 1998. In a somewhat mysteriously quirky way I got this cold within a week of having my H1N1 shot. I need a holiday and some serious RandR. My poor husband had a week’s vacation time last week and spent it looking after me. Bless his heart – he makes a great nurse! We are supposed to be getting ready to move to a new town and we seem to be having a series of setbacks, namely the bad cold, a tax return which we were hoping would give us some traveling money and it turned out to be the grand total of $9.46 wow!! – however, we will persevere and march onwards. I looked at the pesky politicians on CNN pretending to be civilized (at times) and thought I just can’t be bothered with them and dealing with a cold. Don’t get me wrong here, I think CNN do an excellent job with their news and I particularly like their Situation Room. So I turned on to the Create Channel and my favourite chefs and I even took a look at the ‘Price is Right’ which I hadn’t looked at for a very long time and was truly fascinated at the interesting human behaviour I witnessed. I suppose though, in these difficult economic times, to win a car or a bedroom of furniture or a trip is enough to make one leap around the stage and clean everyone’s ears out with loud screams. My husband said ‘I wonder if they are thinking about the tax on their winnings?’ Why is it that when you find yourself having to go to bed if you are unwell that all the cats manage to find a space on the bed and snore their heads off and only wake up when you get up to use the bathroom or get a drink and then they all follow you and supervise and return to the bed and juggle themselves around so that they!!! fit in and you are left with the least space. I truly love our cats – a bunch of previously abandoned beauties that have been with us for a long time (the eldest is coming up 18 years). Our 18 year old is the big boss lady in our family. Her right paw makes Rocky Balboa look like an amateur. I periodically threaten to get a dog and am just met with several pairs of eyes with blank looks. I swear that our ShooShoo understands English – whenever I say something she always answers and the others look at her and look at me and think ‘oh yeah, whatever’. So now that I’m well and truly on the mend, I may take a look at those pesky politicians next week and see if they have learnt to work together – my husband (also a writer) just said ‘you’ve got to be kidding’.

I bow to his deference. Take care out there and keep well and safe

Until next time, cheers from Kate.

Chatter With Kate: SNOWSTORMS, POLITICS and POLITICAL PERCEPTION

Well hello everyone and you certainly have to have sympathy for the folks in the eastern United States and all the snowstorms that are frequently occurring. The jokes on the American late night talk shows about politicians and the snow are really pulsating. When the government shut down because of the snowstorm that has been hounding Washington DC there were cheers around our neighborhood. It is a sad thing that you hear these cheers and it is also a sad thing that because the federal government has lost the basic respect of the citizens by their partisan antics and failure to listen to the populace they are subject to these barbs and statements or the words ‘oh good, we can all take a rest off them’ (those folk in the Capitol and White House). I don’t think that I have ever heard such bickering and seen such posturing before the press (the latter four words are a quote from President Obama) from our politicians as there has been lately. Of course, you have to remember that 2010 is an election year for a lot of folk. Posturing in an election year is a natural occurrence. You know, politics is perception and I wonder if some of our representatives ever watch themselves on television. I would love to just pick up a few of them and shake them and say ‘come on mate, you can’t have the stance you do, on television – its doesn’t work’. Oh they won’t listen to me anyway but over the years and having studied political science at university and having worked in the background of political offices you watch the antics and posturing and just shake your head. Perhaps I should go in for political PR. I think my husband would have a fit or maybe not. Our politicians have GOT TO REMEMBER that we, their public, remember everything when it comes to our voting and our perception of them on television. I think that perhaps this is a problem with our President. I think he is a clever man, means well but right now he needs to have a less arrogant stance. The general perception of him could be better. Stabbing in the back is rife in Washington DC – it is an art form in politics and he needs to rearrange his staff as they are not always perceived well. He needs to be very strong and if his VP does say that the President has ‘both feet on the ground and he knows each day what he is going to do’ then if he is going to get another 4 years in office come 2012 then I would say to the President, ‘walk firmly, very firmly indeed’. Politics isn’t nice and people like to keep their little piece of power and right now, I have a feeling that he will be challenged in a primary. This election year will see some huge changes and some of our more well known politicians will find themselves back in their homes looking at the television like the rest of us.

So, when the snow melts and the streets become safe to walk on and to drive on in Washington DC let us hope that posturing takes a backstance, the folks in the Capitol et al. get their heads together on jobs and to quote our Vice President ‘get the quality jobs back on the market’.

Get to work politicians, from the President downwards and get the political perception back on track because it surely isn’t on track right now.

Cheers folks, keep warm and well and don’t forget to have your H1N1 shots.

Kate.

Chatter With Kate: Pesky Politicians

PESKY POLITICIANS


Greetings folks on a rainy day in the south western United States. Are politicians driving you crazy lately? I have often wondered just who is at fault with our pesky politicians. Is it us for electing them and not looking too much at all into who they really are? Or is it the politicians who have this peculiarity about them that even though we elect them in basic good faith, thinking ‘oh he or she seems ok’, they get elected and then they seem to undergo some metamorphosis when they get hold of a bit of power and then whoops - they change into pesky politicians. Oh I know that you can find some who are pretty good but right now, where are they? This is a global issue – it must be the power thingy? I have lived in several interesting countries and there is not one of them that have not had this problem. I wonder sometimes if politicians think that we, the public, aren’t taking any notice of them and that they can get away with their power playing partisan nonsense. There was an election recently in the state of Massachusetts in the United States in which a senate seat that had previously been held by the late Edward Kennedy (of the well known Kennedy clan) for nearly 50 years changed to a republican seat and completely upset the balance of political routine. The new senator-elect took notice of what the folk in his electorate were thinking and saying and the public in this electorate were taking notice of what was going on in the federal capital of Washington DC and didn’t particularly care for the behaviour and disrespectful way of the federal politicians. One hopes, that this should be a lesson to other politicians not only in the United States but around the world, that we, the public are watching you and actually do take notice of what is going on and you, the incumbent politician should not take your electorate for granted. If you are a student of politics, then I would suggest you might take a look at how this new Senator-elect from Massachusetts, ran his campaign. It is good stuff.

You know folks, it is all about respect. I like to see politicians being respectful. If they don’t respect each other, then they are not going to respect an electorate’s intelligence. I say to them, wake up! Don’t think we aren’t listening to you. Your electorate has brains and you will do well to remember this. To you good folk out there, that no matter where you are on this great planet, YOU HAVE THE POWER TO VOTE PESKY POLITICIANS OUT OF OFFICE if you have a system of government that allows you to do this.

Final word on this, *only respectful politicians are respectable politicians* - I am probably asking for miracles but you can live in hope.

Cheers and go safely out there, Kate.

Chatter With Kate: THE LOGISTICAL CHALLENGE OF HAITI and SOME INAPPROPRIATE WORDS

Hello there folks. A couple of days ago I sat down to write a few words to you about ‘pesky’ politicians. I set up the laptop and turned on the television to have some background noise. Then along came the breaking news on the CNN network about the dreadful earthquake in Haiti. This is a truly staggering situation. I have been watching the great effort of the United States and other nations to get assistance to Haiti and try and alleviate the suffering of the people there. These things take time and I am amazed that some of the rescue teams got there within 48 hours with all their equipment and personnel etc. The dogs that go into the rubble of collapsed buildings never cease to amaze me. Aren’t they terrific?! When you think about it, the logistics of starting to sort out a devastated city of nearly 2 million people is staggering and yet I hear criticisms beginning to appear. Well I would just like to say to these people; just button it, your mouth/s that is. The logistical challenges are as I just said, staggering. The scale of helping a city of this size needing EVERYTHING is mind boggling. Where do you start? With Haiti having a government that can’t cope and an infrastructure that has basically ceased to exist, the problems that have to be dealt with are compounded by these and a port that is broken up and an airport that has a cracked building and control tower. The challenges are everywhere. I hear that the US military has gotten the airport sorted out but the port is a mess. So give folk time to sort this out to! As I write this, I am thinking that perhaps the United Nations should take perhaps Haiti over and put the country under its protection until they can find a leader for Haiti that is not going to become a dictator and has a brain or two. This might sound harsh but if you look at the history of this beautiful country and its resilient people, they have been placed under some crazy governmental situations in their history. The largest percentage of Haiti’s population is under 18 years of age and there are many orphanages and schools that are trying to cope. Wow! It all sounds overwhelming. But you know, we will all help them. It may be physical help; it may be in our prayers. We may even be able to volunteer in some way. If you can do the latter, then please try. I know that many folk nowadays are struggling financially, but even a dollar or two to a reputable agency like Red Cross or the United Nations would be welcome.


Finally, I would just like to say to the well-known preacher who said on national television, that the people of Haiti (who seem to have a history of different troubles) basically deserve what they are getting because they had made a pact with the Devil to get the French Colonial power out of the country – well you need to button your mouth up too. My goodness me, perhaps you might like to think of finding a different profession. Sure, we live in a democracy with the right of free speech, but dude, this was way over the top. I have a lot of buttons of varying sizes – perhaps I should send you one of the larger ones.

Go safely out there folks and God Bless you.

Kate.

Chatter With Kate Jan 7th 2010

Hey there and New Year greetings to you. I was pleased to see 2009 come to a finish. It was one of those years that no matter what you tried to do, things were just plain difficult and frustrating. I thank God for my small family – 1 husband and 5 cats. I really enjoy looking after them and in the case of the cats (naturally!) watching their antics. We will all be moving soon after being 4 years in a city we don’t like and living in a suburb that is difficult – the downtown area of a large tourist resort. I look out my 3rd floor window and see too many young people walking around at night – sometimes they are really young and I wonder ‘where are their parents’? Then along will come a family or two who have not found room at one of the local shelters. Being in a tourist city, the panhandlers abound. Our city has a huge amount of foreclosures, an education system that is in the bottom 5 of the USA. The unemployment rate is the highest in any city and on goes the negativity. So 2010 will be for us, a year of new opportunity in a new state. We will be living in a small city in a rural ranching/farming area with a big airbase close by and temperatures in the winter that are in keeping with those in northern Canada, the arctic or Alaska! My husband found his job on the internet – he is returning to a profession in which he has had many years of experience but one which he had left a handful of years ago. Both of us have lost our jobs in the last several years. My husband is a good man and found work at a base salary but as he said, it is a job! It has been very hard at times. We try to keep faith in our planet and while I don’t think you should ignore all the negativity you hear on the news and in the press, try and see past it and look at all possibilities - they are out there. Dolly Parton, God bless her has a great expression – you need to ‘honk your own horn’.


So my advice to you is just keep on truckin’ – do what my husband has done, keep faith in yourself and persevere. We human beings are unique. WE CAN DO ANYTHING!

See you later. Keep warm out there folks.

Kate.

Chatter With Kate Dec 21st 2009

Happy holidays to all of you. I have been watching the incredible snow back east and can’t help remembering when I have been stuck in airports for one reason or another. With hundreds of flights cancelled and another storm pending, the airlines and airport people and all the thousands of other folk in various cities who get called out to deal with these kinds of episodes, must be tearing their hair out! Doesn’t the weather channel do a great job of informing you about what is going on? I am a great Jim Cantore fan. He is a nice man and along with his great colleagues is informative and sensible. I was watching when some New Yorkers brought him out some coffee to help him in the cold. What a nice thing to do. It is these little things that are so important. My husband often says that it is these simple things that do so much. Our holidays this year will be quiet. $ are tight and we are moving as my husband is transferring out of our desert location to a place near the Canadian border, up on the prairies. I will be very pleased to get out of the heat as I can’t stand the 100+ days for 4 months or so during the summer. The fact that we will have very cold winters is not too much of a bother. When I lived in Canada for two years we had copious cups of hot chocolate during the long winters and lots of nice soups. I have always maintained that you can dress up for the cold but in the very hot summers it is not always easy to feel cool. In these days of air conditioners life is better I suppose. Our little home looks nice inside with the simple lights that we have. The cats have been quite good this year and havenot been too naughty with the decorations. I cannot come to terms with the politicians in Washington DC – how can you push through a bill that is 2000 pages long? I am not surprised that most of them haven’t read this supposed health bill. Who would want to read such a bill? What bothers me to is that they don’t know yet, how much it is all going to cost. We, the taxpayers, haven’t got limitless money. It is very hard for many of us to make ends meet and our grandchildren are going to be paying the debts the present Congress and President are incurring. I would like to think that they mean well and I would like to give them our budget and send them shopping to see how they get on. My husband and I are independents and I used to write a fairly light political column in my days of being a newspaper columnist. My husband writes quite a stern political rant. I think people who blog and write rants do us all a service. You may not always agree with them but they speak from their hearts, well mostly, and we get a better idea of going on from these folk than the press secretaries and other folk who do the publicity for the senate and the house. My husband says that they should have term limits put on those who go to Washington to represent us. I think he might just be right. Some of them have been there too long and get hooked into the lobbyists and then it is just a mess. I hope the holiday season is fine and safe for you good people out there. Take care of yourselves and we send many blessings to you and feel free to chat with us here at House Abukoff if you would like.

Bless you, and happy holidays and happy New Year. Kate.

Chatter With Kate Dec 7th 2009

Hey folks. The reason I started this feature is lately I have heard so many stories from good folk who just wonder what is going to happen next in this difficult economic climate and don’t have an outlet to just ‘chat’ or folk to ‘chat’ to. Not everyone has a family or a friend or for that matter, a computer or a cellphone. There seems to be any number of people that are struggling and wondering what they are going to do about all manner of things. My husband and I both lost our former jobs and in my husband’s case he found another job at an absolute base rate of pay. We never did live a ‘high’ lifestyle and continue to live a simple life in a simple apartment with our crazy cats that help to keep us grounded and I find it a good thing to have this responsibility. We recently started up an online book and curio store and a virtual assistance program. If you are feeling a little splat, depressed, down in the dumps etc. try having a chat with the big G. upstairs and ask his advice. Perhaps you can put on a favorite DVD or VHS if you have them available. If you are able, try and give a cat or two (old cats rock!!) from an animal shelter, a home. If you are worried about Christmas and not having money for gifts or decorations, go along to a thrift store. Most of them have a Christmas table with seasonal gifts that have been donated and are for sale cheaply. I got a wonderful felt angel last year for $3.00. We called her after an elderly friend of ours who has departed our life – the name of Pearl. It suits her. If you live in a country that has the Dollar Stores, they have great craft things for making decorations or revamping old decorations. For a dollar last year I bought a packet of several glitter glues that are great fun to decorate with. All these things can be cheerful. Volunteering is a terrific way to meet other folk and help out all the charities who welcome help.




My husband has just rung in from his job and he is on his way home (on the bus) on this cold night so I am going to get a coffee pot ready for him. Have a drink with us in about half an hour.



Talk to you again soon.



Cheers, Kate.

CHATTER WITH KATE

This is another new addition to our FEATURES SECTION. We welcome ‘chatter’ from our readers and will put their ‘chatter’ in this section. The editor reserves editorial right to delete any bad language or to refuse any ‘chatter’ which could be offensive.