The Discomfort of Homelessness

As we were shunning the crowds and leaving the Vancouver Christmas market last night we walked past a homeless woman with a sleeping bag and a hat out for donations. It brought back many different memories. Back in the day, Vancouver has always had homeless down on their luck so to speak. They'd put a hat or a cup out with a small sign asking for donations and were always grateful for anything they received.

Sadly times have changed. I don't carry cash any more. So does that mean beggars go without? A former coworker of mine wrote a moving song about a fiddler on a Gastown street. Drug addiction has become much more invasive and pan handling has become much more aggressive. Homeless camps have become cesspools of crime and violence. There is no joy to be found in them. So where does someone go when they're homeless or just down on their luck?

The drug dealers exploitation of the homeless is cruel and barbaric. I remember the Janice Shore story. Allowing that exploitation to continue is not compassion, it is complacency and evil. If you're homeless you need to leave the DTES. Yet that's where the food lines and support services are so it is indeed a viscous cycle of exploitation and misery.

Christianity speaks at great lengths about feeding the poor, clothing the naked and housing the homeless. Yet Christianity is certainly not about promoting crime and Communism. Christianity is about freedom and compassion. As Martin Luther King taught you can't have one without the other. I must admit my compassion for violent criminals has worn thin. Yet my compassion for the homeless who are being exploited by the criminals remains.

Building more rental units is the solution to the housing crisis. Build, build, build - rental units. For 30 years everyone has been obsessed with making a quick buck from all that free money buying homes and flipping them to make a profit. The high cost of housing has been exasperated by money laundering from organized crime after they cracked down on casinos.

CBC put out a timely article about a stockbroker who went from riches to rags and ended up homeless and how he bounced back. Anything can happen in a New York minute.

Ginny Burton was a former drug addict who turned her life around and speaks out against harm reduction in favor of drug treatment. If we sincerely care about drug addicts we will have a desire to lift them out of their slavery. Yet the simple point of this post is the fact that homelessness is very uncomfortable and a lot of people right now are suffering.

Virtual reality Space Exhibit in Vancouver and Montreal

Vancouver's Best Places is reporting that "Space Explorers: The Infinite is an immersive experience where guests go on a virtual reality mission in space. It’s in Vancouver until January 2024. The space-themed attraction opened to the public on November 15th and it runs until January 14th in 2024. The experience happens at the Rocky Mountaineer Station, located at 1755 Cottrell Street in the City of Vancouver." It's also palying simultaneously in Montreal.

I saw an ad on a bus station and thought I'd check it out on the way to the Christmas market. It's just off 1st Avenue on the way into Vancouver just before Science World. When I looked at the web site I thought it was four separate movies but when I went there to check it out it's one movie with 4 stations. You put on a VR headset and walk around the Hubble space station.

We didn't have time today but I definitely want to check it out in the New Year. I look forward to getting the majestic views of the earth from space. It costs $60 for adults and $40 for kids but kids under 8 years old aren't admitted. They have a VR place in Guildford called Gobo VR. The have one where you're under water at the Great Barrier reef and fish swim by you. That would be pretty cool. They also have a kayaking one and a Google Earth one. That's awesome.

Say what you want to say: 2024 - Year of the Dragon

Quebecer with close ties to Hells Angels killed in Mexico

The Montreal Gazette is reporting that "A 37-year-old man with close ties to the Hells Angels in Quebec was gunned down in Mexico on Wednesday. Two Mexican media websites reported that Samy Tamouro was killed at a gym in Cancun. Tamouro was charged in 2016 after a drug trafficker arrested in Project Magot-Mastiff turned informant and provided evidence linking Tamouro to Hells Angels based in Quebec."

"According to La Presse, Tamouro also has ties to Frédérick Silva, the hit man who became an informant during the summer of 2022. Last week, the Sûreté du Québec and Montreal police carried out a series of search warrants based on an ongoing investigation that started after Silva became an informant. Police sources have told the Montreal Gazette in recent months that some well-known organized crime figures left Quebec after Silva was taken away from a federal penitentiary by helicopter and placed under police protection."

The Daily Mail is reporting that "A Canadian was executed during the middle of a workout at a gym in the Mexican resort city of Cancún. Samy Tamouro, 37, was shot in the head by a man at Total Sports Club on Wednesday. The gunman was seen boarding a motorcycle with another man and escaping." They posted a picture of the gunman on the back of a bike.

"Tamouro showed vital signs as he was placed on a stretcher and rushed in an ambulance to Galenia Hospital. However, staff declined to provide him medical attention, Mexican newspaper Excelsior reported. The reasons for his denial of treatment were not specified. He was then taken to a government-operated hospital and died before he arrived." That is really messed up. I don't care who he was. He is survived by a wife and two children as well as both his parents. Capping people before Christmas is low life. We really need to rise above that. Do unto others yo.

Info Bae is reporting that "During the early hours of December 20, the Attorney General's Office of the State of Quintana Roo confirmed the capture of two possible people involved in the homicide of Samy Tamouro , who was murdered in a shopping plaza in Cancún. These are Luis Felipe N and Juan Pablo N." The Riviera Maya News is confirming the arrest.

Brampton home of ex-Liberal MP site of recent shooting

March 2023 CBC reported that "Former Liberal MP Raj Grewal was found not guilty on breach of trust charges Friday after an Ottawa judge ruled there wasn't enough evidence to prove he used his political office to solicit loans from supporters to cover large gambling debts."

Meanwhile back on the ranch the Toronto Star is reporting that Raj Grewal's home was the site of a recent shooting. "Grewal was elected MP for Brampton East in 2015. He later admitted to a gambling problem that had led to significant personal debts and chose not to run again in the 2019 election." Things that make ya go hmmm....

6ixaktv posted a funny video of a Sikh business owner defending himself against an arrogant thief. That was not excessive force that was reasonable force. The vast majority of Sikhs are hard working law biding citizens who contribute to the community. The Sikh community is an important part of Surrey. It's not just a big part, it's a good part.

We all know about Vaisakhi, Diwali and the Sikh blood drives. Those are all good things. The Sikh Temple on 152nd street at 68th Avenue has kept it's Diwali lights up over Christmas. It looks really nice. When I covered the Khalistan referendum in Surrey I interviewed a Sikh who supported the Convoy and paid Pat King's bail. Now he's fund raising for the rest of his legal fees.

A lot of truckers in Canada are Sikhs. Where I work the majority of them are. A lot of Sikhs supported the Convoy. I saw white guys with their kids taking pictures with Sikh families and their kids at the Truck border crossing protest in Surrey supporting the Convoy in Ottawa.

Yet Raj Grewal was a Liberal tied to Justin Trudeau who bitterly opposed the Convoy. We supported the Convoy in Ottawa for the same reason we supported the farmers in India. We share the same concerns. What they're doing to the farmers in India is the same thing they're doing to the farmers in Holland and to the farmers here in Canada.

Farming is green. Plants and trees need fertilizer to grow. Banning fertilizer and cutting back farming has nothing to do with protecting the environment. It's part of the WEF agenda to create mass starvation. We can all see that.

So here's the deal. Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh both offered lip service support for the farmers in India but they both crushed the Convoy protest in Ottawa and they both oppose farmers in Canada. They are both connected to the WEF and they both support the fake environmentalism that pushes fertilizer bans and reduction in farming. So basically they say one thing and do another.

Justin Trudeau is a prostitute. He will pimp any cause that might get him votes, then he will betray that cause at the first opportunity. Justin Trudeau is a fake feminist, a fake environmentalist and a fake advocate for aboriginal rights. He is not a man of his word. We have all seen that.

Jupiter beside the Moon

Tonight you can see Jupiter beside the moon. It happened last night as well but it was raining. Tonight is a clear night and you can see it clearly. A coworker has a really cool planet app on his phone. You hold the phone up and fan it across the sky and it shows you the current locations of the planets. With a telescope you can see the rings on saturn and the moons orbiting Jupiter.

The Fake News Parrots the same narrative

Showed this classic video to my pops last night and he was blown away, which made me realize how effective this compilation is for waking folks up to just how fake the Fake News Media really is.

Please download it and text it to your friends & family who are still asleep 🙏🏼🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/CQ7xhPwUvW

— TheStormHasArrived (@TheStormRedux) December 22, 2023

Free speech is essential to a real democracy. The fact that all these fake news outlets claim different opinions are a threat to our democracy reveals what their fake democracy really is.

Winter Solstice

Speaking of hope rising, today is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. After today, the sun begins to return and the days gradually get longer. If you're in the far north, you experience the polar winter. The sun doesn't rise at all. But if you're in the far south, you're experiencing the midnight sun. The sun doesn't set. Something the far north doesn't experience until the summer solstice. Seemingly you can see Jupiter beside the nearly full moon tonight.

O Tannenbaum: Christmas Grief and Christmas Hope

I saw a notice outside North Wood United Church that they had a Christmas grief healing service last Sunday. I didn't go. I recognize for a lot of people Christmas is a sad time of year. Lost loved ones, setbacks, disappointments. These are tough times. A lot of people are going without.

I remember one year I bought a Charlie Brown Christmas tree from Rona and it brought a smile to my face. For many years that's how I felt. Now I see that same tree is $65 and I'm like f*ck me. Everything is going up. If you're homeless then yeah, Christmas is going to suck. If you're in prison then yeah, Christmas is going to suck. I guess they key is to look up not down.

If you're in prison, you know you're not going to be there forever. Eventually you're going to get out. That's hope. Now is the time to start making plans. If you can take courses then do it. Don't load up on methadone. Do something. It's a time to self reflect and ask yourself why you're there and where you would rather be. Trying not to get caught isn't the answer. Conforming to a civilized society is. What is a civilized society? You don't need me to tell you that. We all know.

Setbacks cause reflection and growth. No matter what your past, you have a spotless future. So we have a blank canvas in front of us. What do we want to put on it? What kind of a picture do we want to paint? This is the first year in a long time that I set up a proper Christmas tree. I picked up some inexpensive balls and stars at Ikea and some proper North American hooks for the balls at Walmart instead of string. When we plugged the lights in I was like wow, that's kind of nice. Plugging Christmas trees in at night is magical. I haven't seen that in a long time.

I had a whole bunch of family members die one year and Christmas has certainly changed. I wouldn't say it's depressing. It's just a whole lot quieter. People who have lost loved ones to gang violence have a hole that can never be filled. There's a grieving process.

Is there a healing process? I can't see it. Nothing will change the past. All we can do is look forward to the future knowing that life does not end a death and live the kind of life that will bring us and the people we love peace. Do what the Catholics do. Light a candle for a lost loved one and cherish the memory. Remembering that your time here isn't finished yet.

The City of Surrey has a nice tree. I agree they put it in a bad location. There's no free parking at City Hall. It was better where it was or at least on the corner of King George at Holland park so people driving by can see it. I found a funny picture of the Surrey tree. Everyone has umbrellas so it must have been raining pretty hard. Let's embrace the hope and the reflection of that light.

40 kilos of cocaine seized in Ottawa

CTV is reporting that "Ottawa police have arrested three more people in relation to a seizure of more than 40 kilograms of cocaine and four kilograms of crack cocaine. OPS announced the results of Operation Top Shelf last week after a 10 month investigation described as one of the largest drug seizures in OPS history." OPP - that saves lives.

The Ottawa Citizen is reporting that "Dr. Gail Beck’s abrupt resignation as chair of the Ottawa Police Services Board on Thursday was announced after her adult son was arrested in what the police chief called one of the largest drug busts in the city’s history."

4 kilos of crack? These losers are still slinging crack. Get a life.