The level of editorials in the local media has sure taken a dive.

The Free Press for example. With the exception of Bill Phillips the contributors mostly write about themselves and their inane daily meanderings. It just seems like a waste of good media space when we have so many other issues people need to be informed on.

Take Vic Bowman and his articles. What gibberish for the most part. Mostly self centered and about as insightful as 20th Century commentary could be. Take for example his recent column “The Political Dilemmas” where he infers that regular folk are just to darn self serving and stupid to have any real input on public policy. Ironic in that he doesn’t raise the bar to far on his own responsibility as a columnist to enlighten the public.

Vic Bowmen seems to come from the same school of thought as our local absentee MP Bob ‘the bomb shelter tourist’ Zimmer, who advocates that ‘the people who are the planners are good planners, and we are all sure they will have a good plan’… more trickle down failure.

So when Vic Bowmen is on the wrong side of public discourse on the HST referendum, the Enbridge pipeline, and the PG fluoride debate he blames it on the ignorance of the populace, rather than the new level of political discourse that rose up to the occasion. He seems to argue against democracy, rather than for a process that could be more inclusive of stakeholder concerns.

Surely the Free Press could find better contributors that actually do some investigative reporting, present an issue in an open minded presentation, go to the local politicians directly and corner them on some issues so we can even have an idea of what the people we elect actually stand for themselves on a multitude of issues.

Media can not always simply blame their ills on a distracted public, or the shrinking talent pool due to the synergies of media concentration in a few corporate hands… we still have editorial space and what good is a public watch dog if all it does is sleep in a dream world.

I think Paul Strickland has written some good stuff as of late, and I like the way Bill Phillips seems to have a nose for the political scene, I look forward to what Peter Ewert has to say, Ben of course stirs the pot (often with good research he brings to bear)… but other than that PG has a very shallow talent pool that is employed by our local media and we all pay for it through the state of our political discourse, our community awareness, and the accountability of our elected officials.

IMHO

.

Also really dumb this week was Canada having our trade minister in the Ukraine amid an awful civil war that is pushed and instigated by the likes of Harper, and amid a week with some of the greatest carnage yet he announces that the Harper government is negotiating through a fast track to get Ukraine free trade with Canada.

So are we going to negotiate free trade with the 40% of the country that is not at war, and what about the regions that are at war? We are talking about a country that has betrayed and back stabbed every international partner they have ever had contact with, in a civil war, they don’t even have control of their own country… and Harper is talking a fast track to free trade?

Generally goading on the minions in Kiev… like Poland was pre WW2 believing in British guarantees… in effect partnering Canada’s decision to go to war with bat shet crazy yahoos hell bend on a race war. Talking free trade, knowing full well they are paving a path to war.

Have a great weekend!

Let it snow so,the winter games are a success :)

GO S E A H A W K S…..

Quite frankly, P Val, do I really care? I’ll answer my own question–Nope, not at all! Wish I had the money to be outta here while the games are on!

Thanks for the share Eagleone.

There are only 4 outdoor events once of which has already been moved out of town.

I see the City is burning some more money when it comes to snow removal. Yesterday when the roads were bare I seen a grader and two loaders roaring around side streets like they were racing to get to Timmies. I lifeted up my arms in disbelief at one of the drivers and he just smiled and waved. I guess they are only doing what they are told.

A big Thank You to the city for grading the ice on our lowly side street. Not everyone has a 4 x 4 to tackle the ice ruts that had formed during the mild weather.

WINTER GAMES – WILL WE BE TAINTED BY THIS?

This week a business associate was in Prince George working on a project with me. Due to his field of consulting, his employment has taken him around the world. He was staying at the Ramada Hotel as he always does and being a smoker, steps out every 2-3 hours for a cigarette. Over the 3 day period he was here, he figured he was hit up for a smoke or money at least 8 to 2 times an evening, including early mornings at 0630 am. I found this disturbing and could not help but think about all the visitors to our city for the winter games being hit on by these demands. I myself have been continually accosted for money at the local super store and mall parking lots as of late.

This is the words from an email my friend sent me last night after his leave of Prince George.

“I have decided that Prince George has trumped Inuvik, NT as the begging capital of the communities I have been in in Canada.
Inuvik begging is basically at night and limited to demands for a smoke and/or buy them a beer.

PG has it at any time! Even pre-dawn.

The beggars must be able to hear a flint hit a lighter wheel at 5 blocks or smell cigarette smoke at a mile. Money, not beer, is #2 demand in PG”

Happy Friday, everyone.
You brought up two good issues, Eagleone, I agree with you on the first and totally disagree with your second….and that’s the benefit of living in a great country where freedom of speech and the right to disagree is the norm.
I’ve become so disillusioned with our mainstream local “news”paper that I’ve cancelled my subscription. I got fed up with reading national international news stories that are at least one and more frequently two days old; of reading editorials taken from better newspapers published in other cities; and the utter absence of anything remotely resembling investigative journalism – reproducing, word for word, information filed at the courthouse in legal actions is NOT investigative journalism! Gordon Hoekstra, please come back!

Why on earth are gas prices at 99.9 at some stations? This is greed plain and simple.

Could you imagine what we would be paying without Costco axman

Thankyou City crews for getting rid of the buildup of ice on our streets.

Goog morning to all my friends in George and others Well it’s a other balmy day in Abby . A bright sunny day temperature at 10c. My daffodils are up and should bloom in early February. The camellia by our front door will bloom a bit later. Abbotsford is just a great place for us gardeners .

Someone mentioned “fishing” last week. They seemed to know a lot about clear lakes in the PG area. I was not much on hiking into lakes. I mentioned that I had a nice light boat but never considered packing it into a walk-in lake.

I only knew of two clear lakes that I fished. There was Ness but it’s a zoo. I would like to know where these other clear water lakes are. Might take a hike in when I vised my friends in PG this spring.

Although I’m not as nibble as when I hiked with the Caladenia Ramblers but could give it a try. Hiked into a Fish Lake when we lived in the East Kootenay that was 12 miles a four hour hike into the Top of The World Park. It was not a park in those days. There were so many fish they would jumped on my raft after my fly.

But I digress.. I’m off to early Mass now to ask forgiveness for those of you that I have held in contempt. See you next week.
Cheers

Ntkr14, I don’t care you don’t care.

The athletes coming here have been training to get here and it’s about them not you. I want the athletes to have good conditions for their sport. I want everyone to be safe and have fun at the games. It’s an opportunity to see Canada’s best athletes. Time for PG to shine.

Our side streets in lower college heights are so bad. The main arterial streets are great u

Man, the weather is getting nasty out there. If you feel that you need to do 50 in the left lane down the Hart(like one petrified woman did this morning) please stay home. Better yet, turn in your license and start taking the bus. You’ll be a lot safer with that.

And to all the guys in their jacked up Dodges who decided that tail-gating her would help? It doesn’t. Just pass her on the right like everyone else did. There is no correlation between penis size and driving habits.

But there is an inverse correlation between truck size and penis size.

Axman, consider this. If I’m living on the Hart, am I going to drive all the way to Costco, SS, to save a few cents a litre, consuming fuel to get there? If the prices are jacked up on the edge of town or the main highway,
that is probably the mind set of fuel companies. Yes GREED, pure and simple.

“But there is an inverse correlation between truck size and penis size.”

-I drive a 1998 toyota corola..Women say “check out the hammer on him..”

No events have been moved out of town for the Games…quit making stuff up NoWay! Your fear mongering is ridiculous!!

If the weather goes horribly wrong from now to the Games this is sure a possibility but no one can predict that…ever!

There are, of course, contingency plans for each sport if the weather doesn’t cooperate. That’s called good planning. None have been activated, that is a fact. Could they be? Well, there’s only one person that knows for sure and he hasn’t spoken to us since biblical times.

NoWay spreading false information? Say it isn’t so! :-)

I have no brief either for Harper or Ukraine, but I’m curious as to how a country that has had such a brief existence as such could be said to have “betrayed and back stabbed every international partner they have ever had contact with”.

Good Morning to all the wonderful residents of Prince George and others.

It’s a lovely 0 degrees celsius and I am happy to see a very welcome 15 cm snowfall coming down. The boughs on the trees look like postcards, the sparkling snow is white and fluffy, we are waxing our cross country skis and the trails look wonderful.

Our neighbor is loading up the family Skidoos and they are looking forward to making more memories on the trails and in the alpine at their winter cottage over the weekend.

The new snow is pushing the daffodils back down and covering up the grass, as it should in a city where we are not ready to look at them yet because we love and celebrate four distinct postcard seasons.

This weekend we will be getting ready to go ice fishing on one of the thousands of lakes around PG, away from the noise and congestion of the city. True serenity ( no one else around) should be about 20 minutes away.

What are the chances of the Cougars winning the next 2 games versus Seattle ?? What are the chances of a coaching change ??

No complaints about pot holes, the city must be doing a better job?

I’m wondering what people think about the wolf cull that is going on? Should we be killing wolves to try and save our dwindling caribou herds? Or should we just let nature take it’s course and add the BC caribou to the extinct list?

Hey BCGrog, That a good piece that you have given us. I didn’t know that you had a sense of humor. Have a nice day
Cheers

When your out fishing be careful on the ice with all the warm weather it may not be that sound. And leave your truck on shore.
Cheers

Retired 02, Asking for forgiveness doesn’t mean that you are forgiven to repeat your badgering of others. Maybe lay off the Cheers for awhile, I am beginning to believe that maybe be part of your problem. We are here for you in a time of need you know.

Just a thought!

PG great sledding with this snowfall, Abby, lousy sledding in the gang capital of Canada.

Abbotsford has four distinct seasons but are different in that while the ones in Prince George are candy for the eye, the ones down there are more for the nose.

When we are enjoying warm summer evenings it is smog and ozone season in Abby blown up from the big city. Our crisp clear fall days are when the mushroom compost is spread in Abby, the odor hanging so heavy in the air you can almost chew on it. When we are enjoying a winter wonderland the phrase uttered most in Abbotsford is “does this smell mouldy to you” The sights of new spring leaves around PG means that it surly is time to spread pig poo on every field from Hope to the Port Mann.

Should change the name of the place to Odoursford!

I have to offer an apology to the folks from the City of Abbotsford for suggesting the other day that the city employees were just being dicks for spreading chicken manure on the homeless camp , I should have known they were just feeding the daffodils.

Chairs

I see there is a list of things that could go into the Old Target Building.
-grocery store-home décor store-restaurant(s)
-movie theatre
Here are some more.
-Baby sitting service for shoppers-indoor skating rink-(fake ice)
-amusement park–WEM like-walking/running track
-bar-night club
or a combination of a lot of these.

Great news, the price of gas has just jumped back up to 99.9 a litre at Husky at Spruceland and at the Shell at 5th and Tabor….

add the snow and it is going to be a great weekend.

NoWay, I actually seen those two graders and the front end loader at Timmies by Princess Auto yesterday….

Like P Val, I hope the Winter Games are a huge success. What a great opportunity for the City to welcome so many visitors and athletes. We have so much to offer that many people have no idea of. I am hoping that all who come here, go home with a positive attitude about us and our city. Safe travel and games for all involved.

Posted on Friday, January 30, 2015 @ 12:24 PM by oneofakind

I see there is a list of things that could go into the Old Target Building.

——–

The PAC… :)

maverick 1965,I guess you only read my post and then accuse me of badgering others. How about reading some, of sparrows and others. I took derogatory remakes about myself, my city and the people that live here and passed it off as “humours”. When I had enough after living in PG for 30 years I know a some of the bad points are about living in PG.

When I pointed some of the negativity of PG the abuse hasn’t stopped. So thank you for caring but you should know what the facts are. And why would my sign off be a problem?
Cheers

I am sorry retired02, I did take the time to read all the post and I must say BCGrog painted a beautiful picture for the minds eye, very descriptive I was in awe how he captured the moment.

As for Sparrow I believe he is just expressing his dis-likes of the retched odors associated with living in a place such as Abby. However I was quiet shock with his comment of the chicken manure, but he did apologize because we all know accidents happen aside from J.B’s beliefs.

seamutt, well it sounds to me he was eager for an action packed weekend, he only stated the obvious. Or is Abby not the gang capital of Canada? I have heard ruthless things about the area in the past.

Maybe Retired 02 it has come time for you to leave the past and move on with your future. P.G. is a wonderful place to live, with 4hrs in either direct you find yourself in a whole new Eco-system. You surely couldn’t find that anywhere else in the world.

Cheers, well I meant maybe you like to tip a few back and find your demons lashing out at others.

Not sure if you noticed though, you have changed with your commenting, it does come across a little thuggish. Maybe Sparrow in his own way is trying to enlighten you.

You do seem to carry a deep seeded hatred for P.G. and the people who reside here.

As I said before Retired 02, we are here for you.

Pretty strange how stations jumped to 99.9 almost at the same exact time. Another strange thing is that the barrel is dropping, it’s around $45.00 now. Just a money grab.

I have never lived in Odoursford but have worked there for extended periods in the past and everything I have posted is based on personal observations and experiences. Sorry retired 02 those are not all beauty marks , Odoursford has it’s fair share of warts.

As for the chicken manure comment, it did actually happen. The City of Abbotsford instructed it’s employees to spread chicken poo all in and around a homeless camp that had been set up on a vacant lot across from a Sally Ann or similar charity organization. I don’t really think they were trying to fertilize the flowers.

From November 2013 cbc article:

“Homeless people and protesters are launching a human rights complaint against the City of Abbotsford after chicken manure was spread on a camp earlier this year.

The move comes only one day after Abbotsford Mayor Bruce Banman told homeless campers in the city’s Jubilee Park they had 48 hours to leave, citing nightly ceremonial fires and possible drug overdoses as safety risks.

The campers, some of whom have been in the park for 37 days, say they are trying to bring attention to the way drug addicted and homeless people have been treated in Abbotsford.”

Cheeks

You guys are on a roll today! :)

oneofakind: “I see there is a list of things that could go into the Old Target Building.
-grocery store-home décor store-restaurant(s)
-movie theatre
Here are some more.
-Baby sitting service for shoppers-indoor skating rink-(fake ice)
-amusement park–WEM like-walking/running track
-bar-night club
or a combination of a lot of these.”

None of those suggestions would make enough money to pay the rent of such a large location, outside of maybe a grocery store/large national home decor store. And we had a grocery store in the mall, but it closed not too long ago. I doubt they would be looking for another.

Please note that when you have “seen” something, you cannot write “I seen”. I saw is the appropriate word to use or “I have seen”. Thanks, I had to get that off my chest as it drives me nuts when people say or write “I seen….”

You know where to put your diction…………..

Oh great another grammer teacher and yes I spelt it wrong on porpose. Correct away Bornandbreed!

The ice oval isn’t ready so speed skating has been moved for now. Sorry!

It’s going to be -25 tonight here in Ottawa, along with beautiful 30 KM/H winds. Screw you and your new climate change enhanced winters PG, LOL :)

NMG….we are getting a good dump of very wet, heavy sow. Tonight the temp is going to plummet and we are going to have a real mess. 250 will light right up. Go Sens…..

Retired 02 – why do you feel it is necessary to give us updates on the weather in Abbotsford all the time? Your intentions don’t seem very friendly.

Posted on Friday, January 30, 2015 @ 3:08 PM by Grizzly2

You know where to put your diction…………..

Where the sun ain’t ever seen?

HIGH GAS PRICES – There is a 14 cent difference per litre between all the big oil stations and Costco. This is literally highway robbery. These stations recently purchased the fuel in their tanks for a wholesale price of (let me guess) 85 cents. They should be required to sell this inventory at the cheap rate, then increase accordingly when they receive their next higher priced shipment. TOTALLY ILLEGAL and as a business they should be accountable. A 100 litre fill up gives them a minimum profit of $14.00 per tank.

Thanks

Digitus Impudicus, that’s funny. We got a bit of a dump yesterday, but it was pretty light so not too bad. Sens are inconsistent this year, 67’s have been playing well of late though. We’re hoping to get out to Winterlude at some point soon, it’s always fun to try and eat a Beavertail with frozen hands, LOL.

Beavertail and beans in a frying pan is incredible!

He doesn’t really need to give weather updates for Abbotsford. I drove through there on Sunday to Vancouver and back to Prince George on Wednesday.

Guess what? It was approx 10 degrees both days.

It will be 10 degrees +/- a degree or two until April.

It’s been that way since October.

The temperature there doesn’t fluctuate much until the summer. It’s the same every year.

Maybe this is still a novelty to him. Perhaps in 5 years it won’t be newsworthy anymore.

Natives should band together and shut down all the guide outfitter in B.C.

Why should it be left to the natives?

Why bring up race ?

Don’t get me wrong I’m all for shutting down all hunting for all that are not hungry or starving . Killing for sport is Barbaric and inhuman .

Cougars got blown out 9 t0 2 tonite…players taking stupid penalties as I think the players do not believe in themselves or the coaches systems.. something has to change and the trade deadline has passed.

That’s the new Ice Age bc!