Fall Thanksgiving: Hope and Gratitude

As the earth turns the seasons once again change and I reflect on a line from Stevie Mac's song Landslide. "Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life?"

I think so. On the radio one headline read Canadians are burnt out. I turned it off. I don't feel burnt out. Not right now. Maybe at times in the past. I feel older, wiser, bolder. Tired but not burnt out. We still have a lot to be grateful for. 

My daughter was talking about a women who was trying to get through the Darien Gap with her young child to come to Canada. The Darien Gap is very dangerous. It's literally a jungle with wild animals. The woman's young child died on the journey and the mother lost the will to live. She just held onto the child and refused to move. She said just let me die here. 

She did die there and people say you can see the woman still holding on to her dead child. My daughter then asked why would people risk that to come here? Misinformation I said. People think it's some magical solution when it's not. We still have to work harder than ever and make sacrifices. 

Yet many people do risk all that to come here so we should be a little more grateful for what we do have. Gratitude is an important part of happiness. It makes us hopeful and lifts us out of despair. "Where there is no vision, the people will perish." 

Hope is an anchor to the soul. If faith is the moving cause of action within us, hope is the precursor to faith. We hope tomorrow will be a better day. If I didn't have faith that the light would turn on, I wouldn't get out of bed and flip the switch. 

It's still dark out and I can hear eagles. They stop by in the tall cedar trees as they migrate. My daughter heard them yesterday and we saw them later on in the day. November 15th there are a lot of Eagles in Kilby. December 15th they're in Brackendale. They come to feed on the rotting chum after they spawn.

As life spins faster and faster it's good to slow it down and look at the big picture. Last night as I was picking up my son from the Ferry I threw in an old CD I burned on my computer with an old playlist on it. All of the songs meant a lot to me at the time but circumstances have changed and they no longer hold the same meaning for me they once did. It's time to find a new playlist. 

When I came back from Ireland my father dedicated a song from Finain's Rainbow to me. "Tis a rhyme for your lips And a song for your heart, To sing it whenever The world falls apart."

There have always been songs that have pulled me through the tough times over the years. Now it's not really a tough time for me it's just a keep moving forward time. There's no drama or bitterness. Just a desire to move forward. I'm resistant to change but once I do change, I don't want to go back. 

It's a beautiful sunny day out there today. The gym was packed. You can definitely notice the leaves starting to fall. I'm not really ready for winter yet. I guess that's why we have Fall first. Gives us time to transition. Ride on. Long may you run. 

Witcher Season 4 begins October 30th

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The Witcher Season 4 is finally ready to be released. I know we were all very disappointed to hear Henry Cavill was being replaced. We didn't think it would work without him. Yet they got a wig for his replacement so it looks like it's going to be OK.

I was really impressed with the character development in that series. Yennefer made quite a physical and moral transformation while Ciri was more a coming of age thing. Finding her destiny and true potential which is staggering. 

The official story as to why Henry Cavill was replaced claimed he was upset the writers deviated from the books and because he had some other roles to play. The Superman movie changed their mind but he is appearing as MacLeod in a new Highlander movie which should be awesome. 

Being the conspiracy theorist that I am, I personally think there was a bit more to the story. I have nothing to base this on but I think he was banging Ciri. They were doing an interview and Henry was asked what the secret was to a successful relationship. Henry said he thought the key was to date someone younger before their career was set. 

He said when you both have careers juggling the both of them at the same time can be challenging. Ciri was all googlie eyed and I went hmmm. Seemingly Henry has been with his current partner Natalie Viscusosince since 2021 and had their first child January 2025. So I was either wrong or that's water under the bridge. MacLeod should be awesome.

Despite her youth Ciri was very professional when asked about Henry's replacement. She said we will welcome whoever is chosen. Yennefer was just as professional. She played the role and gave Liam a kiss on the cheek in a promo shot. 

Even with the wig, Liam Hemsworth is very different than Henry Cavill but that's OK. This is really about Ciri and Freya Allan is rising to that challenge as is Anya Chalotra who plays Yennefer.

So I'm ready. Bring on the long swords and the magic. 

Warriors, come out to play. 

In the preview the new Gerald played by Liam Hemsworth said let's F*cking move! It's kind of startling because that's simply not something the previous Gerald played by Henry Cavill would say. In three seasons of the Witcher we never heard Gerald swear once. So the writers are changing a lot. Forbes mentioned this. Unlike Forbes, I really like how the the series developed. So let's talk about Gerald's character development. 

Gerald starts off as a kick a*s loner mercenary that kills monsters for a living. Yet he does have a moral foundation. Then he's kind of cast into this role of being a step father to Ciri which is new for him. He's not very sensitive or social yet this new sense of purpose helps him grow as a person and a character. Then he meets Yennefer who's a bit of a trickster undergoing her own moral development. 

When Yennefer betrays Ciri to get her powers back Gerald loses his sh*t and just about kills her. Yet his sense of compassion and his feelings for Yennefer yearned for restraint. As each character develops Gerald has yet another role to learn and that is one of being in a longer term relationship and even one of co-parenting a step child. This is all growth from his initial loner monster hunting mercenary role. Can I relate? Maybe. 

In this new season with Liam Hemsworth Gerald's character is forced to evolve yet again and gain more social skills as he leads a rag tag group to save Ciri. Yet the line let's F*cking move just doesn't fit in with Gerald's established character. So maybe the writers were the problem after all.

I'm still looking forward to the new seasons because I want to see Ciri fulfill her destiny and see how Yennefer continues to develope as she helps Ciri find her true potential. 

Yennefer's bond with Ciri as a mother is important because as Yennefer's mentor Tissaia de Vries observed, this is how Yennefer rose above the curse. 

Yennefer started off as a hunch backed outcast then sells her soul for worldly beauty. The flip side of that deal was the curse that she would not be able to bear children and become a mother. Yet adopting Ciri helped her overcome that curse. It's an intriguing web of personal growth and development. 

I'm a bit concerned about how the writers are changing the script and are victimizing Ciri. They're turning her into a damsel in distress that needs to be saved by a white night. That's not what Ciri is and that's not what Gerald is.

Gerald is to protect her until she comes of age and can defend herself. Gerald and Yennefer's role is to help Ciri find her true potential. Once that happens she is no victim or damsel in distress. She's the one that will save everyone else. 

This script change comes as no surprise since Netflix writers are f*cking everything else up which has created another boycott like when they promoted child exploitation in Cuties.

Woman critically injured in Surrey shooting

CTV is reporting that "A woman was critically injured when shots were fired into a home in Surrey early Sunday morning, according to authorities. Police were called to the residence on the 13000 block on 103A Avenue just before 2:45 a.m. for reports of gunfire and found paramedics providing lifesaving first aid to the victim, a South Asian woman in her 20s."

CBC is reporting that "She was taken to hospital, where she remains in critical condition." City News has pictures.

Wow, these extortion guys are bags of sh*t. Get a f*cking job. Threatening to harm someone's family because you want to extort them is about as low as you can possibly go.

Josh Hammer wants to cancel Bad Bunny for his views

Sky News is reporting that "Newsweek senior editor-at-large Josh Hammer explains why Bad Bunny shouldn’t have been picked for the NFL Halftime show." Josh Hammer is one of the Jewish lobbyists that was pressuring Charlie Kirk before he was murdered. He objected to the NFL's choice to have Bad Bunny at the halftime show because of his political views which are shared by the majority of the Latino community. 

Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States. "Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since 1917 and can move freely between the archipelago and the mainland."

Everyone was fine with Shakira at the Superbowl and she's from Colombia. Jennifer Lopez was born in New York and is of Puerto Rican ethnicity. Everyone was fine with that. Clearly everyone can see how the lobbyists that killed Charlie Kirk are now controlling what's left of MAGA and the American far right. 

Let's hope Josh Hammer doesn't shoot Bad Bunny.

Surrey Drug Bust. First in a long time.

The Abbotsford News is reporting that "Four suspects have been arrested in what police are calling a significant seizure in Guildford involving 56 kilograms of illegal drugs including fentanyl, methamphetamine and crack cocaine."

24 kilos of crystal meth, 9 kilos of fentanyl, 3 kilos of crack and 2.6 kilos of cocaine were seized. That is significant. "This is one of the top three seizures that we've had probably in the last 10 years." That's because the CFSEU don't make drug busts in BC like everyone else does in other provinces. This was SPOSU: Surrey Provincial Operations Support Unit. 

The last ones we've had here was the fake Mexican cartel bust and the FBI set up of the Brother's Keeper in LA. The Brother's Keepers work for the Edmonton Hells Angels who the BC CFSEU support. Just like they supported Damion Ryan. Notice that crystal meth is top of the list and crack is still around. "The suspects' names have not been released." That's sketchy. 

This comes as no surprise. As I said before, drug users smoke crystal meth in public right beside the Community police station in Surrey were I got a traffic ticket recently. They don't care about the meth or the crime and violence that goes with it. 

Ape Hangers, Sissy Bars and Mini Apes

On a side note, I was looking at motorcycles after work the other day. I sat on a Road King and I was like no way. The feet were way too close to the body. It felt very uncomfortable. 

It must be built for midgets. But I put my hand on the handlebars and I was like, hey that feels pretty good. They were higher than normal. Mini Apes. Now I know I make fun of guys who obsess over Ape Hangers. They look cool but they're not very functional. They're for people who care more about how they look than how it feels. Posers love them.

These mini Apes weren't high above the shoulders. Your arms were horizontal, parallel to the ground. It felt very comfortable. I sat on an old Yamaha Silverado with mini Apes and a triangle sissy bar and I was like I really like the height of these handlebars. There are several guys at work who ride Harleys and they swear by them. They have 10 inch and 12 inch.

10 inch is just below the fairing and 12 inch is just above the fairing. I don't use a fairing so that doesn't matter to me. One of the older guys said it really helped with his back pain on longer trips. They all say it's better for your back because you sit straighter. The stock handle bars make you hunch your back and shoulders. These mini Apes make you sit up straight.  

Obviously if you are above horizontal your arms are going to get tired on long trips but these mini Apes feel good and improve your posture. I'm sold on them. 

Another thing that's coming back is the sissy bar. Now I don't care about fads or what's popular but I like these new sissy bars for the look but also for the function. Viking bags sell motorcycle backpacks that fit over your sissy bar. I really like that for touring. It's way better than that Goldwing look.

The sissy bar was made famous in the movie Easy Rider but these new slightly shorter triangle sissy bars are a new look with a new function. A triangle sissy bar with squared off mini Apes. Now that's what I'm talking about. 

Christian Service and Catholic Doctrine

Just to follow up on my last post I want to explain what teachings of the Catholic church I agree with and disagree with. I'm just going to throw it out in the archives so people can read through it when I'm dead and gone. 

As I said, Catholics are great people. Mother Teresa was a shining example of Christian service. That is the purpose of it all. I was never really big on doctrine. People who fight over doctrine miss the point. 

To start let's reference the Protest and Reformation. King James I commissioned the translation of the Bible in 1604, and the King James Version was published in 1611. Google AI claims that "The project was authorized after a conference of churchmen requested a new, more accurate translation to replace existing versions that were considered corrupt."

The Protestant Reformation began around 1517 when Martin Luther published 95 Theses. Wikipedia claims that "It detailed Luther's opposition to what he saw as the Roman Catholic Church's abuse and corruption by Catholic clergy, who were selling plenary indulgences." 

Google AI is trying to rewrite history by denying what the sale of indulgences was. So is an arrogant troll on this blog. Let's be clear. This is not a hit piece on the Catholic religion. I know many Catholics who are wonderful people. I don't know any Catholic who believes everything that church teaches blindly. They all believe in the church but disagree with many things about the church. As I said, I like Catholics a whole lot more than Born Agains. 

When the Bible was translated and people started reading it they saw many of the teachings of the Catholic church didn't match up with the teachings in the Bible. For example, the Bible says a Bishop should be the husband of one wife and predicts a time when people will forbid to marry or eat meat. 

The translation of the Bible aided the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther was a good man. Martin Luther King was named after him. He was also a good man. King Henry the 8th, that's another story. The Catholic church didn't allow divorce so he kept beheading his ex's. After a while he started feeling guilty so he started his own church that allowed divorce. King Henry's motives were far less sincere than Martin Luther's. 

That kind of sums up the Protestant Reformation. We had some good people trying to go good and some bad people trying to do evil. We also had human nature that tends to fight and argue about everything. People would argue about a point of doctrine then split off and form their own church.

I had a good friend in Belfast who was a Catholic. He would say Peter was the first Pope and there's an unbroken chain from Peter to the current Pope. I'd just smile. If that was true he'd be absolutely right. He'd also say the Catholic church is the only church that has the proper authority. If we don't have it the Protestants don't have it and if we have it we certainly didn't given them authorization to start a new church. Again, I'd just smile because his argument did make sense. 

The problem is Peter wasn't the first Pope. Jesus mentioned prophets and apostles but he never said anything about Popes. Neither did the Bible. After Peter and the Apostles were killed there was a gap of 300 years before the first Pope was selected and that office was created. 

Christ chose 12 apostles. After Judas killed himself the other apostles chose and ordained Mathias to take his place. After that, they were all killed with no replacements. 

Just as the Bible predicted the scattering and gathering of Israel, it also predicted the apostasy and restoration of the church. Would the Catholic church fix itself or would someone else fix it? I'll leave that for you to decide. Some believe that God had to restore it. That is what I believe. 

Yet I still contend that people who argue about doctrine miss the point. Service is the purpose of Christianity. Christ made that clear in the parable of the Good Samaritan and in the parable of the sheep and the goats. Martin Luther King taught "Anyone can be great because anyone can serve. Life's most persistent and urgent question is what are you doing for others?"

Martin Luther King nailed it. It doesn't matter if the pearly gates swing or slide. What matters is that we live the kind of life that will let us pass through them. I remember a joke about a man who went to heaven and was getting a tour. 

He passed by the Catholics, the Muslims, the Jews and the Sikhs. Then he passed by one building that was filled with cheers. They were screaming Yeah! Yahoo! Hallelujah! The man asked his guide what is that? The guide said, oh that's the Born Agains. They think they're the only ones here. 

My personal beliefs:

I was raised in the United Church of Canada. I have many positive memories from that time. The United Church doesn't claim to have all the answers. They're not really big on doctrine but they are big on forgiveness and tolerance. 

I remember hearing them sing Jesus loves the little children when I was growing up. "Red and yellow, black and white they are all precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world." The United Church emphasizes service and forgiveness. They exemplify the parable of the prodigal's son. 

I was christened in Saint Andrews United Church in North Vancouver when I was a baby. My father served as the Sunday school president. His parents were married in that church. When I was 13 I made my confirmation in Surrey and renewed the vows my parents made on my behalf when I was a baby. 

When I was 19 I joined the Mormon church and served a mission. Although I have served many years in that church I am no longer active. Yet I still believe in their doctrine. Right now I'm kind of half way between the two, LDS and United. 

There are a lot of things about the United Church I really like. I just think they're missing a bit of doctrine but too often doctrine distracts us from the real point of the church. 

There are some things in the Mormon church that I disagree with. Not many but a few. I do believe in the 13 Articles of Faith especially the 11th and 13th. The 11th article of faith states "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may."

That's pretty much a public endorsement of the US Constitution and the Canadian Charter of Rights. The freedom of religion doesn't mean adopting a state religion. It means the freedom of religion. The 13th article of faith recognizes that there is good in other religions and we embrace the good. 

The 4th article of faith clarifies the first principles and ordinances of the gospel while the 1st article reaffirms a belief in the original Trinity. The distorted understanding of the Trinity came from a council of men 300 years after the Apostles were killed. 

Many born agains claim Joseph Smith was a false prophet because he said he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God. They claim Jesus and God are the same so that is not possible. People who claim that do not understand the Bible. 

Stephen was martyred for saying the same thing in the book of Acts 7:51-60. He said he saw Jesus standing at the right hand of God and the religious zealots at the time said that was blasphemy and stoned him. 

Jesus said we would see him standing at the right hand of God. They said that was blasphemy and crucified him. 

There are many verses in the Bible which states God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one but you need to put that in context. The Bible also says that the church should be one. That means they should be united. It doesn't mean every Christian shares the same body. Christ made that very clear in his prayer while in the Garden of Gethsemane. 

In that prayer Christ asked that his followers be one in the same sense that Jesus and his Father are one. Who was he praying to? He wasn't talking to himself. These are basic doctrines that a lot of people get mixed up but again I say, arguing about these doctrines misses the point. Mother Teresa understood the point of the gospel. So did Martin Luther King. 

Yet we are reminded that the greatest service we can render is within the walls of our own home. I also still believe in the United Church Creed. That creed mentions seeking justice and resisting evil. Seeking justice is missing from the Mormon articles of faith. Martin Luther King said noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good. Seeking justice is an important part of any mission statement. 

The United Church has embraced LGBT. If you are LGBT they will welcome you and put you to work serving others. You can also take their communion. That door is wide open.

Now I'm not saying the LDS church should do that. There's a woke wave sweeping over the LDS church and I'm a bit uncomfortable with it. When you take the sacrament you renew the covenants you made a baptism. 

That includes a commitment to have heterosexual relations within the bond of marriage. If you're not prepared to do that, then don't take the sacrament. 

The LDS church is now saying it's OK if you're LGBT as long as you're celebrate. That's not realistic. You're better off being honest and join the United church. As for the Catholic church, the amount of sexual abuse that has gone on over the years is an abomination. There's no way around that. The Pope's support for Communism and gun control is something I reject. 

Candace Owens and Catholicism

Update: Christian Service and Catholic Doctrine

I've quoted Candace Owens quite a bit lately because she's said a lot of important things related to Charlie Kirk's assassination. As I've said before I don't agree with Candace Owens about everything but I support her right to hold and express her opinion. She is a very strong voice for good. 

As most people know Candace has converted to the Catholic faith. When I first heard that I thought that's nice. Her husband is Catholic so now they can attend church together. 

I know a lot of Catholics and they're all good people. When I was in Northern Ireland it was hard for me to not take sides because I supported the Catholic's desire to be free. I found Ian Paisley's Free Presbyterians very intolerant. 

In fact the flag for the Republic of Ireland is green, white and orange. Green represents the Irish Catholics. Orange represents the Protestants and white represented peace between the two. That's the flag Ian Paisley would burn and shout Ulster says No. 

They would complain Catholics say set prayers, Catholics pray to statues, Catholics this and that. I didn't have a problem with any of that. There's a lot worse things people could be doing. Statues remind us of God and heavenly pursuits. 

Some Christians won't even have a picture of Christ in their home. I find that extreme. Some won't celebrate Christmas. I think that's weird. Nevertheless I did hear Candace make a comment saying that Charlie Kirk was considering converting to Catholicism. To me, that simply doesn't matter. If he did or didn't that would be his choice. It would sure ruffle a few feathers. 

I also saw a post where someone said they were considering converting to the Catholic faith and Candace said she would pray for them and I was like OK hold on a sec. Let's not get carried away here. There was a reason for the Protestant Reformation. Historically the Catholic church has taught and done some very bad things. 

The Catholic church has never taught that sexual abuse was OK. Yet the prevalence of sexual abuse among Catholic priests has been abominable. At one time the Catholic church taught about Indulgences. If you paid money you could be forgiven of certain sins. That was kind of abominable. 

I'm not going to trash the Catholic church. I'm just going to say that although I love Catholics, I don't agree with all the teachings of the Catholic church. I will also once again emphasize that my primary concern is the idea of adapting the Catholic faith or any other single religion as the Sate Religion. That is a very bad idea that would completely contradict the US Constitution and the Canadian Charter of Rights. 

Adapting a State religion is a stepping stone to abolishing all religion. First you abolish all religions but one. Then you abolish that one religion and there you have it. A Marxist Leninist State. 

Judge tosses Drake's lawsuit over Kendrick Lamar diss

CBC is reporting that "A U.S. federal judge tossed out on Thursday a defamation lawsuit that Toronto rapper Drake brought against his record label Universal Music Group (UMG), ruling that lyrics branding the superstar as a pedophile in Kendrick Lamar's diss track Not Like Us were opinion."

That's the thing. If you're suing someone for defamation in a US court you have to prove actual malice. That means not only do you have to say something is false but you have to know it is false. In this case Kendrick never said Drake is a pedophile. He said I hear he likes them young. 

When you look at Drake's dating history that is fair comment. Drake has said and done a lot of very sketchy things with young girls. Drake needs to own that. I have to admit the Crip dance in that song is a very catchy beat. 

The line saying that Drake is always trying to strike a cord but it's probably A minor was very funny. Kendrick's Superbowl performance was awesome but when he was in Toronto he tried to bring back those ridiculous pants on the ground nonsense. 

It was ridiculous when kids did it and it's even more ridiculous when a middle aged man does it so don't do that. Alright? 

Speaking of defamation, Brigitte Macron's lawsuit against Candace Owen is the US is also a dead end. Brigitte has to prove that Candace knew she was a woman at birth which none of us know for certain. Candace states I think Brigitte was born a man and gives a whole lot of valid reasons for coming to that conclusion. As I've said before either way I don't care. If she is trans it's bullying. If she isn't it's defamation. There are much more important things to worry about. 

Kamloops lawyer on trial for murdering his clent

Global is reporting that "A former lawyer from Kamloops, B.C., accused of first-degree murder, says he should only be convicted of manslaughter." 

"Butch Bagabuyo is on trial for killing Thompson Rivers University instructor Mohd Abdullah, 60, in 2022. Abdullah hired Bagabuyo for his 2016 divorce and transferred a large sum of money to him in order to keep it away from his ex-wife."

"The Crown alleges Bagabuyo spent more than $770,000 of the money Abdullah gave him on personal expenses. When Abdullah tried to get his money back, Bagabuyo killed him, the court heard. Additional details were heard in the courtroom on Tuesday, including that Bagabuyo was in debt and under audit by the law society."