Dreams and Challenges

Positive Affirmation: Today, I shall remind myself that in one hand I hold the seeds to my future; and in the other, I have what life gives me. (Unknown Author)

Thoughts moved with definiteness of purpose, persistence

and a burning desire are powerful things. (Napolean Hill)

Growth: Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered,

you will never grow. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Life will only change when you become more committed to your dreams

than you are to your comfort zone. (Anon)

“Plants Still Think It's Summer” writes Kathy Renwald... “the burning bush, rosebud tree, oak leaf hydrangea, the perennial geraniums, beautyberry, Virginia creepers. October has been delicious, but there's a reason why I move the portable jungle inside. It's called November!”

“Misplaced Monarchs: Clusters of Butterflies Stuck Up North!” (by The Associated Press Oct.26, 2017). Monarch Butterflies, those delicate symbols of spring and summer, should mostly be in Texas by now ~ winging their way to Mexico for the winter. But Darlene Burgess keeps seeing colourful clusters of them ~ and she lives in Canada. 'As this is nice to see, I really wish I wouldn't see it because they're running out of time.' She does evening 'monarch counts' at Point Pelee National Park in Canada (south-western Ontario). “It's not really good news for them.”

It's not just Canada: swarms have been seen elsewhere, including Cape May, New Jersey, at levels more abnormal for late September and early October. Scientists say tens of thousands of the butterflies are likely to be stranded far north of where they'd usually be this time of year...due to unusually warm weather and strong winds that have kept them from migrating south.

(Such is the dilemma for Nature's creations!)

Once in a while, it's good to challenge yourself

in a way that's really daunting. (Alan Cumming)

Size Doesn't Always Matter

(Excerpts from The Spectator View by John Roe: October 15, 2017)

Imagine little David kicking big Goliath's butt. Imagine a roaring mouse making a lion run away! Imagine an angry minnow fighting off a great white shark! Now, imagine the tiny nation of Iceland ~ population 330,000 and half of Hamilton's ~ battling its way to a place in the planet' s second biggest sporting event: The World Cup Soccer!!!

Who doesn't love seeing the underdog have its day?

But in Iceland's case, no stretch of imagination is necessary!

A few days ago, a determined team from North Atlantic's isolated, storm-swept volcanic island earned itself one of the 32 spots at next summer's World Cup in Russia.

This achievement is as extraordinary as, just a few years ago, it would have been impossible to predict. It's also an example to everyone ~ on both a human and sporting level.

Iceland is the least populous country to ever win a berth at the World Cup

and the only one with fewer than one million people.

It has no professional soccer league. The team's coach is a part-time dentist. Only 5 years ago,this soccer team was ranked 131^st in the world out of 121 countries. But the country had desire, a plan and was willing to invest money in soccer. Over the years, Iceland trained hundreds of highly qualified, licenced coaches ~ more per capita than soccer giants such as France or Germany ~ to teach children how to play. It built 30 full-size all-weather soccer ptiches, seven of which are outdoors, and another 150 smaller, artificial arenas. Kids can play year-round, whether it's sunny, rainy or snowing. The core of Iceland's squad has been together more than a decade. Iceland made it to the 2016 Euro-Europe's soccer championship, beating the World Cup semi-finalist Netherlands on the way.

Last week, Iceland trounced Turkey, a nation of 80.7 million people:

U.S.A. with a population of 325 million failed to qualify.

But as Iceland just demonstrated, Size Doesn't Matter! Here's to the Davids, the mice, the minnows and Iceland! 'Our reach should exceed our grasp because there is a 'heaven'... that awaits!

“Ask yourself, if what you are doing today,

is getting you closer to what you want to be tomorrow.”

(Anonymous)

Despite the Rain, the Olympic Flame Shines Again!

Nicholas Paphitis from The Canadian Press reports:

ANCIENT OLYMPIA, GREECE! The flame for the 2018 Pyeongchang Games was lit at the birthplace of the ancient Olympics on Tuesday, despite a brief cloudburst that disrupted the sun-reliant ceremony. It launched a long torch relay culminating with the February 9^th Opening Winter Games.

Using backup fire,

kept from Monday's last rehearsal,

an actress playing an ancient pagan priestess ignited the torch in front of

the 2,600-year-old Temple of Hera in the southern Greek Peloponnese region

She then passed the flame to the first relay-runner, Greek skier Apostolos Angeles who ran with it a short distance before handing over to former Manchester United soccer player Park Ji-sung, a South Korean...who commented, “As a sports person, I have been watching the Olympics throughout my life ...and I really wanted to participate...to be involved in the Olympics. We will show to the world, how we can organize a sports event.”

From the verdant, rain-soaked valley of Ancient Olympia, where the Games of antiquity were held for more than a thousand years, the flame will course through Greece for eight days and reach South Korea on November 1. The Ancient Games were held at Olympia from 775 B.C. to 393 A.D. 

Ancient traditions point to an earlier date for sports at Olympia, 

where the first traces of human settlement

go back to the third millennium B.C.

“In order to succeed, your desire to success

should be greater than your fear of failure.”

(Unknown Author)

From Psalm 27:6

“Then I will hold my head high above the enemies who surround me.

At his sanctuary, I will offer sacrifices with shouts of joy,

singing and praising the Lord with music.”

Written by Merle Baird-Kerr...October 28, 2017

Comments appreciated: mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca or inezkate@gmail.com

Blog Readers' Observations

Childhood Recollection

“At my grandmother's house in Brantford, I had a slide, a swing set and a wading pool”.

“I perceived that the slide was teetery...and was therefore fearful of it tipping over when I was at the top due to a high center of gravity. I believe it was my Dad who had a bright idea of putting the bottom of the slide in the wading pool, supposing that it would be pleasureable to slow my descent to earth by displacing a small amount of water.

“And my grandmother tied the garden hose to the top of the slide, that I might hydroplane over the film of water...and thus experience a much greater gravitational acceleration. I quickly learned that the rate of descent, coupled with my size and weight, exceeded the vertical challenge of the burms, thus causing a significant risk of sliding over the edge.

“Furthermore, the water had sufficient depth to absorb and displace my kinetic energy, thus allowing my tailbone to impact the bottom of the pool upon landing...and not allowing my back to sufficiently clear the bottom edge of the slide, causing more aggravated discomfort.

“So I played more on the swing set!”

With “Tongue in Cheek”

in response to my posted article re Las Vegas Ignites My Ire!

“It's a good thing alcohol control is so effective at preventing drunk driving, otherwise innocent people would be killed by drunk drivers. I'm glad nobody ever drives 'drunk, due to its being illegal'.

“And it's a good thing we've never had a mass shooting here in Canada, like the shooting that never happened at General Brock High School. And wasn't there one at McGill University?

“And it's a good thing child pornography is illegal, or someone like Mike Rafferty might kidnap, rape and kill an eight-year-old girl. Thanks to it being illegal, he had no access to such media.

“There is no such thing as a law that criminals obey!

“And there is no such thing as a gun-free-society. Even if you had one, history has shown that such societies precede a totalitarian government that genocides the part of the population that disagrees with said government. And a dubious government with such aspirations will always tout gun control following such an incident.

“And in the case of Edmonton, they refuse to call it what it is: an act of guerilla warfare, perpetrated by a foreign enemy soldier, who thinks he is at war with us.

“And in the case of Las Vegas, an act of guerilla warfare, perpetrated by an American, who is guilty of high treason by serving a foreign enemy to make war with the United States.

“If they just call it what it is, and treat it accordingly, it's all very simple!”

You Are Condemned!

“A man was in New York on a business trip and decided to head to a bar for a drink. Standing outside the bar was a nun holding a tin cup. As the man threw a few bucks into her cup, she launched into a long tirade about the 'evils of alcohol'. She went on and on about how alcohol was tearing apart the fabric of society...how it was the root of all the city's problems!

“Slightly annoyed at having to listen to the nun, the man told her, 'Listen, Sister, I work hard for my money...and sometimes at the end of a long day, I like a drink or two. That doesn't make me a bad person. I have a wife I idolize and two wonderful kids at home...I provide for my family...I volunteer my time to several local service clubs...and I contribute regularly to various charities.

Yet you stand here and condemn me

just because I drink the occasional glass of scotch!'

“The nun was slightly taken aback and replied, 'I see your point, my son, and I apologize if I offended you, but alcohol is such a powerful demon, that all who consume it are doomed!'

“There you go again,” said the man. “How can you make such a sweeping statement? Have you ever TRIED alcohol?” 'Of course not,' gasped the nun, 'the evil alcohol has never touched my lips!'

“Do you really think that one glass of booze can change you from a devout nun to some kind of evil degenerate?” 'Well, I really don't know...' she replied.

“I'll tell you what ~ come into the bar with me and I'll buy you a drink. One drink! I”ll prove to you that 'evil' is not inside the glass...it's inside the person.”

“Oh, I could never be seen going into such a den of iniquity...it's out of the question! However, your comment about 'evil' residing in the person, rather than the glass, is intriguing. I must admit, you've aroused curiosity in me.”

“Well, let's go inside and settle this situation.”

“No, my son, I could never enter such a place...but how about this? Take my tin cup with you and fill it with this 'scotch' you mentioned. Bring it out to me...and I'll try it.”

“You're on,” said the guy.

“The nun removed all the change and handed him the tin cup. He went into the bar and said to the bartender, 'Two scotch-on-the rocks...and could you put one of them in this tin cup, please?'

The bartender sighed and said,

“Is that darn 'nun' out there again!?!”

God as Inventor!

A colour cartoon shows a woman walking along a flagstone path in a flowering park garden. Two men, one with a cane, sit together chatting...on a bench. “When you think about it...God has to be the best inventor of all time. He took a rib from Adam and made a loudspeaker!”

Compiled by Merle Baird-Kerr...October 25, 2017

Comments welcome: mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca or inezkate@mail.com

Canadian News to Enlighten You

Yes, you may have heard or viewed or read the news through various media,

but in case you missed it, I send you significant data of interest.

Best Dressed: Hudson's Bay Co. Unveils Kit for Pyeongchang Olympics

(Excerpts by Toronto's Lori Ewing)

The moment Canada's athletes, clad in the iconic read and white, march into the stadium for the Olympic opening ceremonies, never fails to take Alison Coville's breath away. The president of the Hudson'Bay Co. expects nothing less when the the Pyeongchang Winter Games open February 9 in Hoenggye Olympic Park. Hudson Bay Co. unveiled its Team Canada collection on Tuesday and Colville said the kit will have Canadian athletes winning the fashion game. More than a dozen athletes modelled the collection at the morning unveiling at a downtown Toronto mall.

The patriotic apparel flaunts colour-blocks of Canadian red and white, plus black. For the opening ceremony, the parka falls to the mid-thigh and features “Canada” emblazoned across the chest in bold white letters...and a large white Maple leaf on the back. Medal podium outfits feature a puffy red coat, while the athletes march in the closing cermeonies in red and black softshell jackets.

“We really looked to capture what we believe is the iconic Canadian winter style. We considered the strength of our country, the backdrops of the mountains and the white in the snow. And we looked for inspiration, what our athletes are inspired by...and we also want them to feel super confident...and beyond that, we do believe that comfort plays a big role,” stated Coville.

Introducing Canada's 29^th Governor General

(Excerpts from The Canadian Press)

Former astronaut Julie Payette took the formal oaths of office Monday as she became the country's 29^th Governor General in a traditional ceremony on Parliament Hill. Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin administered the oaths to the 53-year old in the Senate chamber under the watchful eyes of hundreds of high-powered Canadian audience members, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his cabinet, Indigenous leaders and other dignitaries. Payette was presented with the ceremonial collars marking her as chancellor of the Order of Canada, the Order of Military Merit and the Order of Merit of the Police Forces, as well as head of the Canadian Heraldic Authority.

While much of the ceremony is dictated by protocol, Payette, herself chose music,

which included a rendition of Leonard Cohen's “Hallelujah”

Trudeau spoke of Payette's flights into space as inspiring moments ~ a two-time extraterrestrial Canadian. He praised her as a mother, an athlete, a pilot, a scientist and someone who “went where very few others had dared to go.” Payette had her first audience with the Queen two weeks ago.

Families Walking Highway of Tears

(Excerpts from The Canadian Press...by Laura Kane in Smithers, B.C.)

Rhonda Lee McIsaac says she's walking the Highway of Tears for all the women who can't. She was among the dozens of family members and advocates of missing and murdered Indigenous women who walked the final stretch of an emotional 350-kilometre journey along Highway 16 on Monday.

They sang and beat drums while carrying a banner emblazoned with the faces

of those who have disappeared or been killed along the notorious

stretch of road in British Columbia's Interior.

McIsaac said, “I have lost a loved one.

I grew up in foster care and I was adopted out.This is part of my story.”

(Indigenous Women Hearings Set to Resume!)

Canada's Women's Eight Captures Silver at Worlds

News Services reports from Sarasota, Florida:

Canada's women's eight made a late push to capture silver at the rowing world championships Sunday. The Canadians were able to get past the United States and New Zealand in the last 250 metres to finish in 6 minutes and 7.09 seconds. Romania won gold in 6.06 minutes.

The Big House, In Every Way.

Kingston Penitentiary was the largest public building in Upper Canada When it Opened.
(writes Mary K. Nolan in The Hamilton Spectator)

The joint. The slammer. The clink. The institutions where miscreants and malfeasants do time for their misdeeds go by many names. But there's only one KP...Kingston Penitentiary...which as lock-ups go in Canada, was the big house in every way. When it opened for business in 1835, it occupied 80 hectares of waterfront land that included stone quarries, a prison farm and a four-hectare complex of buildings to accommodate up to 1,000 prisoners.

But more formidable than its physical presence is the roster of offenders

who served their sentences behind KP's massive limestone walls.

They were the worst of the worst ~ Black Donnelly patriarch James, serial child-killer Clifford Olsen, murderous rapist Paul Bernardo, homicidal air force colonel Russell Williams, wife slayer Helmuth Baxbaum and prolific pedophile James Cooper ~ once described by a Hamilton judge as “a lowdown, mean, despicable, evil manifestation of a human being.”

Mobsters, bank robbers, cop killers, fraudsters ~ thousands upon thousands

who failed to follow society's rules languished behind KP's iron bars

over its 178 years of operation.

On September 30, 2013, the massive wooden doors groaned open to release the last prisoner, a man who believed he was the King of England and the guards were his servants.

Trouble Sleeping?

From a Canadian novel I recently read, the author wrote about Steve, who didn't usually have trouble sleeping ~ even with the distant noise of jets on the nearby runways, but one night was different. He usually knew just what to do with worries and unsettling thoughts. They went into a compartment in his mind: walled off by themselves where they wouldn't bother him until he chose to deal with them. The navy had taught you that.

You divided yourself ...your mind...your heart...your life into compartments...

and then managed these things one by one.

Compiled by Merle Baird-Kerr...October 5, 2017

To comment: mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca...or inezkate@gmail.com

Autumn Benefits

There is harmony in autumn and a lustre in the sky,

which through the summer is not heard or seen.

(Percy Bysshe Shelley)

Autumn or fall is a beautiful season: the tree's foliage shifts from green to shades of yellow, red and brown. And their fall to the ground form the most beautiful carpets. Many have written about the beauty of the season, but it's not just humans who love the autumn. Dogs laughingly play and sit and roll in the leaves. Lion cub with leaves on his head, reclines in his leafy blanket. Cat looks up into the sky as leaves land on his nose and ears. Little squirrel peers out from a wooden basket that blends with the fallen leaves. White puppy gleefully runs across the grass with brown-leafy-coverage.

(Author unknown)

Come Little Leaves

by George Cooper...submitted to me by Rosemarie

“Come little leaves,” said the wind one day;

“Come over the meadows with me and play.

Put on your dresses of red and gold.

Summer is gone and the days grow old.”

Soon as the leaves heard the wind's loud call,

Down they came, flitting one and all.

Over the meadow they danced and flew

Singing the soft little songs they knew.

Dancing and flying, the little leaves went;

Winter had called them and they were content.

Soon fast asleep in their earthly beds,

The snow laid a soft mantel over their heads.

An American poet, remembered chiefly for his song lyrics ~

many set to music by Stephen Foster.

He translated the lyrics of German, Roman, Italian, Spanish and French musical works

into singable English.

Fall is a spiritual season. Part of the tree dies in order to generate a more healthy version of itself for later in its life. We are observers of divine healing. (Anonymous)

Riddance of Evasive Plants ~ Fall of 2015

(Written by Richard Leitner... Hamilton Community News)

At-Risk Bobolinks Taking to Grass at Former Dump Site

“The city built it and they came.

The former Upper Ottawa Street municipal dump is finding new life as a nesting spot for bobolinks after being seeded with prairie grasses, the threatened songbirds need to breed. Cynthia Graham, manager of the city's architectural landscape services, said an ecologist hired to monitor the impact of the new vegetation this summer, observed several bobolinks, including one breeding pair.”

“That was pretty exciting for us,” Graham said, “It's hard to know

just how many pairs are there because they are elusive birds.

Sometimes, it's just a matter of whether you are there at the right time.”

“According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, bobolinks were added to the' Species At Risk Act' in Ontario List in 2010 because they could become endangered if no action is taken to protect their dwindling habitat.

“Males are black with a white back and yellow collar

during the summer breeding season...but lose that plumage in the fall

when they more resemble the females which are tan with black stripes.

“Work began in the fall of 2015 to remove invasive plants like the Manitoba Maple, Russian Olive and Buckhorn from the16-hectare dump's top and southern slopes to make way for the native grasses the ground-nesting birds favour.”

Graham said the city is required to monitor progress yearly for the next 3 years and then at regular intervals for the following 15 to ensure the habitat remains suitable. This includes ensuring invasive plants...and especially trees, don't once again take root in this grassland area.

“Trees can start to grow and establish...

and those are considered barriers for bobolinks

because raptors, birds of prey on other birds,

sit on top of them,” she said.

“Even erosion or anything like that can happen to a site

if you just walk away from it.”

Fall has always been my favourite season.

The time when everything bursts with its last beauty,

as if Nature had been saving up all year

for the grand finale.

(Lauren DeStepho, Wither)

Merle Baird-Kerr...written October 13, 2017

Comments appreciated: mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca or inezkate@gmail.com

Trees ~ So Stalwart!

Writers have written:

“Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.”

“All our wisdom is stored in trees.”

“Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong.”

“In a forest of 100,000 trees, no two leaves are alike.”

“In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect;

trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways...and they're still beautiful.”

Martin Luther: God writes the Gospel, not in the Bible alone, but also on the trees, and in the flowers and clouds and stars.

Khalil Gibran: If you reveal your secrets to the wind, you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.

Warren Buffet: Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.

“ Under trees, the urban dweller might restore his troubled soul

and find the blessing of a creative pause.” (Walter Gropius)

Jane Goodall: Chimpanzees, gorillas and orangatans have been living for hundreds and thousands of years in their forest, living fantastic lives, never over-populating, never destroying their forest. I would say that they have been more resourceful than us as far as being in harmony with the environment.

“It is easier to FEEL than to realize or in any way to explain

Yosemite grandeur! The magnitude of rocks, trees, streams and waterfalls

are so delicately harmonized, they are almost hidden.” (John Muir)

Modern Day Message: Suburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees...then names the streets after them. (Bill Vaughan)

My interest to write this article was piqued by a recent “Rhymes With Orange” cartoon showing 9 or 10 weeping willows in a small woodlot ~ very graceful long branches arching toward the ground. The beginning small box entry to the cartoon shows a miniature 'weeping willow' saying to himself, “I weep for affection!” A man walking into the cluster of weeping willows and after reading the sign, goes and hugs the first willow he sees, placing his arms securely around the trunk...and suddenly, all the tree's branches rise to point skyward with “happy-tree-smile faces”. Another man seeing this 'miracle' notes and remarks, “That's Cool! And now we need to hug all the weeping willows!”

(Of interest: The 'weeping willow tree' has a lifespan of about 50 years).

 Raindrops that are falling to the ground
 from the drooping branches resemble 'tears'.
 (Their elongated leaves are green on the upper side
 and white on the bottom side.)

The Greening of Hamilton Will Make Us All Feel Better!

(Excerpts from an article by Carmela Fragomeni)

TREES HAVE BEEN CALLED the lungs of the earth for purifying the air. They are said to reduce flooding and erosion. They improve water quality and provide habitats for wildlife...and for humans, they enhance good mental health. Cathy Plosz, natural heritage planner with the city stated, “A lot of studies show people feel better if they are looking at trees.” So Hamilton is about to embark on forming an ambitious strategy to increase Hamilton's urban tree canopy from less than 18% to 30%.

Plosz said Hamilton is uniquely lucky to have those forests...

and tree enthusiasts and environmentalists couldn't be happier

with the prospect of an urban forest strategy.

Jenn Baker with the Hamilton Naturalists Club, said, “We're one of the last municipalities in southern Ontario to have one.” (Currently, there are about 400,000 trees within the city road allowance...and an estimated 150,000 in city parks and cemeteries.)

Coming to Canada: A few years ago, a couple left their homeland in Argentina to locate a place to live in Burlington and begin businesses from their university skills. I assisted their accommodation to an apartment downtown for convenience to walk, shop or bus and to enjoy Spencer Smith Park and Lake Ontario's waterfront.

Their 4^thfloor apartment faced north; and delighted they were with the superb balcony view:

“On the horizon, is the bluish escarpment line and; what is special to us both is the canopy of trees totally covering the downtown residential homes...like a treed blanket covering all below!" 

  

“The Trees in Burlington Invited Me to Come,”...says a resident in a Senior's complex. He had worked and lived in several areas throughout Ontario. After retirement he sought a place that was 'high on nature' and discovered Burlington for its trees, trees, trees! A street near his current home is mostly tree-lined with branches forming an overhead leafy covered arbour from spring to late autumn under which to walk, bike or drive. “In autumn, when the trees are colourfully dressed, the experience is that of a sunburst rainbow of many hues!' he said.

Ten Most Beautiful Forests in the World

Sagano Bamboo Forest, Japan: a magnificent forest west of Tokyo.

Giant Sequaia National Monument, California, U.S. located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Redwood National Park, California, U.S. These trees are the most massive tree species on earth.

Black Forest, Germany: in a wooded mountain range bordered by the Rhine Valley. The name was given by the Romans who referred to the forest blocking out most of the sunlight.

Crooked Forest, Poland: oddly shaped pine trees, first planted in 1930 with about 400 pines.

Jiuzhaigou Valley, Sichuan, China: Its Valley of Villages is noted for its many-level waterfalls.

Montiverde Cloud Forest Resrve, Costa Rica: Consists of over 2500 plant species, including orchids.

Daintree Rainforest, Australia: Probably the oldest tropical rainforest on the planet.

Amazon Rainforest, South America located within 9 nations (60% of it in Brazil).

Olympic National Forest, Washington, U.S. It is the wettest place in continental United States.

Prediction by Enos Abijah Mills

The forests are 'the flags of Nature.' They appeal to all generations, inspiring universal feelings. Enter the forest...and the borders of nations are forgotten. It may be that sometime an immortal pine will be the flag of a united peaceful world!”

Look deep into Nature and then you will understand

everything better. (Albert Einstein)

Compiled by Merle Baird-Kerr...October 4, 2017

Comments welcomed: mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca or inezkate@gmail.com

Wounded Were "Wound Up" to Play!

The Invictus Games ~ the 'brainchild' of Prince Harry,

began in England in 2014; the second edition was in Orlando, Florida in 2016.

And Toronto wonderfully hosted the 2017 Invictus Games

from September 23 to September 30.

Invictus...a Latin word, means 'Unconquered'!

The event was an amazing success: Both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, held at the Air Canada Centre, were the largest in attendance since the Games' inception...over 550 athletes participated in the 12 sports (90 of them Canadian)...all having suffered physically and/or mentally. They came from 17 countries...tickets were completely sold out for all games. As they entered the ACC, each country proudly carried their representative flags...Veterans, broken in combat, some in wheelchairs, others with canes, some limping and others with artificial limbs. Speeches were crisp and inspiring for all.

Signs around the Centre carried a message ~

I Am ~taking the 2^nd I in Invictus and the AM from Games!

Invictus Games Showcase High-Tech Prosthetics

The Invictus Games are not only focusing attention on military veterans and the life-altering injuries they have suffered, but the event is shining a spotlight on some cutting-edge technology that allows them to compete and go forward with their everyday lives. From bionic prosthetics to “smart” braces that return mobility to those who have lost a limb or injured their spine, there has been an explosion of innovative assistive devices aimed at improving the lives of both soldiers injured in combat or training accidents and civilians who become disabled through trauma or disease.

Retired master corporal Mike (Michael) Trauner is among those being helped in the rehab devices field. In his case, an 'intelligent' lower limb prosthetic that uses high-tech sensors, anticipate and help him execute his movements. In December 2008, he was part of a 200-man-foot patrol in Afghanistan, when he was caught in a blast from a remote-controlled IED that blew off parts of both legs, shattered the bones in his left arm and hand and sent shrapnel rocketing into his eyes. “In an instant, my life was irrevocably altered ,” said the 19-year veteran, a member of the 3^rd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment, Canadian Light Infantry. “When I got injured, everything's taken away... from walking to standing to running to sitting,” said Trauner, 38 of Pembroke, Ontario. He and his wife had to move to a 'wheelchair-friendly' home and traded his vehicle for one that was wheelchair accessible and operated with hand controls. But technology...in the form of prosthetics made by a German-based company Ottobock, has given him back his life.Trauner wears an Ottobock X3 prosthetic on his left residual limb, which was amputated above the knee, that contains a micropressor that mimics the movement of the missing joint. “I'm walking and it thinks as I'm walking. It's almost like it's artificial intelligence. It knows what I'm doing all the time...so it makes it very safe to walk.”

For his right leg, which was amputated below the knee, he dons an Ottobock Harmony prosthetic that doesn't incorporate a microprocessor, as he's able to bend the knee naturally. In all, the devices set him back more than $30,000...but their benefits are priceless.

“They gave me the ability to basically be human again,” said Trauner

who competed this week at the Invictus Games, coming fifth in hand-cycling

and taking double-gold in stationary rowing, both sports performed without his prosthetics.

Liz Steeves, 32, is another Invictus Games participant who is benefitting from advances in the rehab devices field, in her case a motorized “dermoskeleton ”that straps on her leg and allows her to engage

in everyday activities. In 2010 as a mobile support equipment operator in the Royal Canadian Air Force, Steeves was injured ~ she fell almost four metres, headfirst off a wall during a training exercise and crushed a few vertebrae in her upper spine and broke another in her lower back. Her mobility grew worse and later she was diagnosed with a crushed kneecap. Steeves, who lives in Sooke, B.C. was medically released from the RCAF last year because of her injuries. But that all changed when her leg was fitted with a Keeogo, a $50,000 device made by B-TEMIA in. In Quebec...which uses sensors at the knee and hip joints to detect movement the person wants to make, then provides the assistance needed to execute the motion. “The Keeogo allows me to have more of a life,” she said, adding that when her submariner engineering husband goes to sea, I can go out and cut the lawn and I don't have to worry about falling over,”said Steeves who was competing this week in wheelchair tennis.

There's no real limitations.

If you basically dream it, you can at least attempt it.

You may not be able to do it...but at least you tried!”

For Natacha, Invictus Means Much MoreThan a Medal!

Natacha Dupuis's return to sports started with a mountain bike. The former master corporal served several Canadian Forces regiments, including the Royal Canadian Dragoons, for over 16 years. She did a tour in Bosnia and two in Aghanistan ~ the last which saw her witness the deaths of two comrades. Her diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) came after her return home. And her symptoms didn't just include psychological difficulties ~ she was in physical pain ,too. Dupuis said she'd always been athletic, but found herself gaining weight.

So, “Soldier On” a Canadian Forces program to help rehabilitate injured veterans, gave her a mountain bike ~ a gift that Dupuis said started her road to recovery. “Mountain biking was part of my journey,” said the Gatineau, Quebec resident. Three years after she left the miltary, Dupuis is one of Team Canada's co-captains at the Invictus Games in Toronto.

Dupuis was part of Team Canada in Orlando last year.

She ran ~ and won gold ~ in both the 100-metre and 200-metre dash,

and picked up a bronze in powerlifting.

Invictus Games Turned Injured War Veteran's Life Around

When Skelly Scanlan first signed up for the Invictus Games ~ after serving in Afghanistan ~ she didn't realize the sporting event for wounded soldiers would pull her out of years of physical and mental injuries. Scanlon first joined the Canadian Forces at age of 16, to train for deployment to Afghanistan at 18. During her training ,she suffered her first injury, a completely torn ligament in her leg.She decided to push through the pain and deploy anyway, and at age 19 she left to spend 8 months on tour as an infantry soldier in Afghanistan.

“I stopped going to doctors because none of them seemed to have an answer for me,”

said Scanlon. “I figured this was just how it was going to be...so powered through!.”

But, when she returned home, the injury had worsened. Because the tear changed how Scanlan moved entirely, it shifted the entire right side of her body. She had trouble using stairs and was less active. Doctors told her she might never fully recover. It was about then, the Mental effects of her situation started piling up. “It was a day here or there, then it became a week, and then it became months at a time... then she was diagnosed with PTSD injury and depression a year after returning home.

Around that time, Scanlon said she briefly cycled with Wounded Warriors,

a national charity supporting soldiers and noticed an improvement

in her condition when she trained.

The 'Big Change' came when another wounded veteran convinced her to sign up for the Invictus Games in Toronto. He stated, “After you sign up...and there's going to be a lot of people watching, you don't want to disappoint your community and country!”

“Through training, the pain I was in was significantly reduced.

I was sleeping better, I was feeling better and less anxious about things,” she said

“And my life took a complete turn for the better!”

Almost 7 years after returning from Afghanistan injured, Kelly said her life is proof that the battle to compete in Invictus Games can change lives. Although told by her doctor she'd never wear a uniform again, this summer she was hired as a new recruit at her local fire department!

(The foregoing are excerpts from The Canadian Press)

Lincoln an Invictus Games Competitor

Sergeant (Retired) Tyron Lincoln of Burlington, Ontario, is one of 90 Canadians participating in the 2017 Invictus Games. He was a Geomatics Technician with the Canadian Army and is competing in track and field, cycling and wheelchair rugby. Lincoln is one of 13 member of the Canadian Military Engineers Association competing in Toronto. He credits his grandmother as his inspiration. “She was my mother and father who shaped me into the determined man I am today,” he said. A photo in The Burlington Post shows him wheelchair-practising his prowess in preparation for the Games.

Next Year's Invictus Games are Scheduled for Sydney, Australia.

And as Prince Harry said to all the competitors,

“See You All There...and More!”

“I think the INVICTUS GAMES is something the world needs to know about ~

what it does for the competitor,

what it does for the families,

what it does for the wounded warriors and their support system,

which is nothing short of phenomenal.

Now people need to know about it.” (John Cena)

Composed by Merle Baird-Kerr...October 2, 2017

To comment: mbairdkerr@cogeco.ca or inezkate@gmail.com

Las Vegas Ignites My Ire!!!

In my writings, seldom do I comment or address

anything political or religious since they are often sensitive issues.

Hence, the recent asinine and insane killings in Las Vegas

ignited my ire...and possibly yours, also.

The Opinion Page of The Hamilton Spectator's October 4^th issue, printed an editorial that appeared in The San Jose Mercury News ~ which I share with you. I am also aware that all details are often omitted in press releases whether in newspapers, television, reporting and newscasts.

What Trump Didn't Say About Las Vegas

Is that the best you can do, Mr. President? Hours after the nation's worst mass shooting in modern history, Donald Trump told the nation, correctly, that the slaughter was “an act of pure evil.” But then the president suggested there's nothing to be done about mass murder on the home front by an American apparently unafilliated with foreign terrorists.

Actually, the answers begin with toughening of the nation's gun laws, starting with a reinstatement of the Assault Weapons Ban that was on the books for just 10 years following a 1993 massacre in the Bay Area. At 101 California Street in San Francisco, a man killed eight people and wounded six before taking his own life. It drew national attention, but by today's standards it's a common occurrence. That's how numb we've become. Even Trump back in 2000 declared support for the ban. And in 2012 he backed President Barack Obama's call for action following the killing of 20-first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School (in Connecticut).

That was before Trump declared himself a lover of the NRA

as he prepared to enter the presidential race.

Would reinstatement of the ban stop mass shootings? Of course not. But the staggering number of deaths and injuries inflicted in just minutes Sunday night reinforces the need to control proliferation of rapid-fire weaponry.

In contrast to Trump's reaction, consider Obama's words hours after the Orlando night club massacre 16 months ago. Obama called it “a further reminder of how easy it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon that lets them shoot people in a school, or in a house of worship, or a movie theatre, or in a nightclub. And we have to decide if that's the kind of country we want to be. And to actively do nothing is a decision as well.”

Sadly, Congress made a decision to do nothing.

And Obama's successor apparently has no inclination to do anything either.

There is still much we still don't know about the shooter's motives. But, please, spare the rhetoric that one shouldn't politicize this horrific event. If we shy from politics, Congress will never act, and there will soon be yet another mass shooting record set

.

Late Night Hosts Plead for Gun Control After Las Vegas Massacre

(appearing also in today's news...as a brief)

All the late-night TV shows started out on a serious note, Monday, as the hosts addressed the horrific tragedy in Las Vegas, the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Trevor Noah and James Corden were in disbelief over American Gun culture. Conan O'Brien was devastated to realize how many times he's had to talk about mass shootings. Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers urged Congress to take action on gun control.

Jimmy Fallon had Miley Cyrus and Adam Sandler

opened the show with Dido's “No Freedom”

“The American Mental Health System is Broken”...

(writes Joe Carter, a Senior Editor at the Acton Institute and Communications Specialist for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission...and a College professor of Journalism)

...but this back-door approach under the guise of preventing crime is not the way to fix it. It will only further stigmatize the mentally ill, and prevent many from getting help. America's deepest problems are not guns or mental illness. It's impossible to fix sin, evil and cultural disorder by presidential decrees. Locking up every gun in America won't make us safer.

The Lord looked with favour on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering, he did not look with favour. So Cain was very angry and dejected. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why are you dejected? If you act rightly, you will be accepted; but if not, sin lies in wait at the door: its urge is for you, yet you can rule over it.

Cain said to his brother Abel,“Let us go out in the field.”

When they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.

That same offer stands before America today. However, just as with Cain, we must rule over the darkness in our hearts. A safer, healthier, more peaceful society is not borne of misguided legislation, but deep respect for God's greatest creation: human life.

“Canada was built around a very simple premise.

A promise that you can work hard...and succeed...and build a future for yourselves...

and for your children...and that future for them would be better than the one you had!”

(Prime Minister Justin Trudeau)

Merle Baird-Kerr...written October 4, 2017

Comments welcome...mbairdkerr@cogeco or inezkate@gmail.com