No Smoking!

The 1950’s, When Smoking was Fashionable
Posted on Sept 19th 2018
by irishroverpei

The photo is of a Woodbine Cigarette package in the 1950s, there was no health warnings on packages. today most brands must display a large warning printed on the front ” Smoking is Lethal”. Back in the 1950’s my father often sent me out to buy him a packet of cigarettes. I usually ended up in trouble because I always brought back the Turf brand of cigarettes. I used the same excuse each time, the shop was out of Woodbine. I did this because the Turf packets had football player cards inside.

Smoking was popular and fashionable. Just about everyone smoked, it was acceptable in restaurants, cinemas, cars, public transport and even in hospitals. I think the only place were people didn’t smoke was in church, but they lit up as soon as they got outside. Was it any wonder at aged fourteen I could hardly wait to be considered old enough to smoke. Smoking was to be accepted as an adult, it was cool, it was in vogue. Everyone in my family smoked, they had nicotine stains on their fingers and I thought that was cool too. By the time I joined the Royal Navy at age 15 I was smoking. It was probably the time when I could least afford to smoke, but smoke I did!!
In basic training boys often walked around the camp looking for cigarette butts, when they collected enough they salvaged the remaining tobacco and rolled it into a cigarette. When I went to sea cigarettes were duty free. Ashore I enjoying flashing a tin of fifty Navy issue cigarettes around civvies, the duty free 50 cans were not available on civvy street. At one point I was so carried away with the image of smoking, I had every accessory available, cigarette case, lighter, and cigarette holder. This was probably caused through the movies, all the leading stars, male or female smoked on the silver screen. They did it with great flourish, blowing rings, cleverly lighting a match off their shoe, wall or what ever else was available. flicking ash, or crushing out the butt with flare. Was it any wonder we thought smoking was cool. Thankfully we have learned and smoking today is considered disgusting, smelly, dirty and most important very unhealthy. For those remaining smokers it must be very difficult to find places to smoke. In winter we see smokers huddled outside their workplaces puffing and shivering, hardly a pleasure anymore. However the major tobacco companies are still pushing their products and targeting the young. Labels are not enough, hiding the products on store shelves is not enough. High prices are not enough. So what is the solution???? Do we ban them? outlaw them? I do not have the answers but clearly it is a nasty and anti-social addiction. Perhaps one day it will disappear from society, we can only hope. I quit smoking when I was 19, just after I had returned from the Far East. However I still suffered the effects of second hand smoke aboard ship. The worse possible second hand smoke came whilst in submarines. Smoking was restricted in submarines, but often the Captain would authorize one all round, everyone would light up and the boat would fill with smoke Ugh!!!  Today I do not tolerate anyone smoking in my space.
God Bless and keep reading.

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As another Remembrance Day draws near

Soldiers Pride!!!!!Is this another private company attempting to profit from the Poppy, if so, its clear they got the idea from our phoney medal bedecked associate Legion members

Below are some of the reasons why the RCL is in such a mess

To Dominion-Provincial Commands?
Posted on November 13, 2017
by irishroverpei

 

The photo of this very smart little boy should speak volumes to the leadership of the Royal Canadian Legion.
Please tell me which photo you think portrays “Pride-Honour-Remembrance and Respect for our Veterans???????

If you think its Tom Eagles, then you should issue arrest orders for the little boy (except you can’t, he is in the UK). However, like all my previous posts you will just ignore me once again. Of course you might try to excuse this unnecessary law by saying you don’t make the law you just uphold it??? yeah right.
Finally, not to forget our very own PEI Provincial Command associate member, “Unanimous Brodersen”. Who would have thought your special unanimous committee might have been wrong???? Choose which photo of these two you find the more moving and respectful of our veterans? I fear it might be a unanimous decision in favour of the little boy
Oh Boy!!! just had to add this little gem. did you happen to notice the interview at the Ottawa service, with the first Canadian female to join the CF’s in the 1970’s?. She was a nurse and is clearly seen in the CBC TV interview wearing on her left breast her own CD medal. But on her right breast several second world war medals, (I assume they were her late fathers). Egads she is breaking the law!!! where was Dave Flannigan Dominion Command Legion President, Arrest that law breaker at once and throw her in jail!!!! This is the reason we have this law against blood relatives wearing late loved ones medals. Its just so criminal!!! Now, if that makes sense to those at Dominion Command???? If it all seems reasonable to the legion leadership with their right breast fake medals, then what more can I say????? I rest my case.
God Bless and keep reading

Soldiers Pride Poppy Brooch

First time I have come across this “Soldiers Pride” and it looks like an American company that sells military banners, posters flags etc. If this is correct I have to wonder how they have come by the commercial rights to use the poppy for profit. Also, if I’m correct, then the blame falls squarely at the feet of the Royal Canadian Legion, they started this selling poppy embossed items for their own profits. Items like earrings, bird feeders, teddy bears, umbrellas. legion lager and much more.. The Poppy is a world wide symbol of remembrance, and should be respected as such. It was never intended for private businesses or Legions to market for profit. I have many times objected to the RCL selling poppy embossed trinkets and their huge array of legion (right Breast) medals. It just seems like this is an endless story of a once proud organization becoming one that will lower its standards for money. Seems all respect for our fallen has been kicked into touch by this new breed of civilian legion members.

God Bless and keep reading

Scottish Bubble Gum!!!

A Wee bit of Scottish Humour
Posted on 16th Sept 2018 by irishroverpei

One morning a Scotsman is having breakfast in Paris, (coffee, croissants, bread, butter and marmalade) when a Frenchman, chewing bubble-gum, sits down next to him. The Scotsman ignores the Frenchman who, nevertheless, starts a conversation..
Frenchman: ‘You Scots folk eat the whole bread?’
Scotsman (in a bad mood): ‘Of course.’
Frenchman (after blowing a huge bubble): ‘We don’t. In France , we only eat what’s inside. The crusts we collect in a container, recycle it, transform …them into croissants and sell them to Scotland .’ The Frenchman has a smirk on his face.
The Scotsman listens in silence.
The Frenchman persists: ‘Do you eat marmalade with your bread?’
Scotsman: ‘Of course.’
Frenchman (cracking his bubble-gum between his teeth and chuckling): ‘We don’t. In France we eat fresh fruit for breakfast, then we put all the peels, seeds, and leftovers in containers, recycle them, transform them into marmalade, and sell the marmalade to Scotland.’
After a moment of silence, the Scotsman asks: ‘Do you have sex in France ?’
Frenchman: ‘Why of course we do’, he says with a big smirk.
Scotsman: ‘And what do you do with the condoms once you’ve used them?’
Frenchman: ‘We throw them away, of course.’
Scotsman: ‘We don’t. In Scotland , we put them in a container, recycle them, melt them down into bubble-gum, and sell them to France .’
God Bless and keep reading

The Bionic Man

Seeing the photo on FB of the Bionic Man brought back fond memories of our youngest daughter Susannah May AKA Budge. When she was a little girl she loved Steve Austin. She would run across the living room in slow motion to imitate Steve running at bionic speed. For a time Budge insisted we call her Steve or when she felt more formal Major Austin. She is all grown up now and living and working in Newfoundland. We usually get to see at least once a year but still miss her very much. I hope you will all give her a kind thought today. She is very sick and in Hospital in St Johns. However, I have confidence her bionic powers will return and she will soon be cured!

Love You Budge. God Bless and keep reading

Government Changing PNP Program????

Do our elected politicians really believe we Islanders are thick, dumb, stupid or perhaps all of the above.??? Chris Palmer recently stated the following, quote : As a government, we must ensure that our programs are working to the benefit of the Province”. Next he stated and I Quote “It is clear that previous successive governments were unable to alleviate concerns. Chris may I ask to which previous successive governments are you referring ???  Would that be the three successive liberal governments, the two term Ghiz liberal government or the present MacLauchlan Liberal government . Could it not be possible the program change is due to the Canadian Border Security Service investigation?? Or possibly because more than 600 immigrants registered the same Sherwood Motel residence as there permanent island address? Naturally all islanders are happy the program is changing, its just a pity our elected officials cannot tell us the truth.

God Bless and keep reading

Real estate windfall or ????

If the story I recently read on social media is factual then I have to confess I’m at a loss to understand. In March 2018 a government committee was formed, (Standing Comittee investigating Land.) Among the land owners invited to attend was  GEBIS (Buddhist monks).. MLA Allen Roach was a committee member who strenuously opposed GEBIS being included. He claimed to do so was racist, anti immigrant , infringement of religious rights and completely inappropriate..he succeeded in blocking the monks from having to appear. There have been questions raised about the amount of land the monks are buying. It has been alleged they are purchasing land using other names, names that connect directly or indirectly to GEBIS.. On the face of this it appears to just be another liberal dominated committee forcing its policy on the opposition. However,one item causes me to reconsider. Shortly before this committee was formed I understand that Allen and Betty Roach sold their modest Montague area home for approximately 3/4 million dollars. It is further claimed the home was sold to Chin+Fang Chen and Chieh-Ju Chen, and suggests they are connected to GEBIS. While I’m quite sure the house transaction was legal there nevertheless does not appear to have been any question asked by the opposition or news media. One might have expected the opposition and or the media to be all over this. I’m left with three questions. (1) was there a conflict of interest with Roach participating on this committee? (2) Should Roach have recused himself? Finally does this pass the smell test?. I leave your readers to judge.

God Bless and keep reading

Disappearing Health Care

Not so long ago this Liberal Government privatized homecare by awarding the contract the the Island EMS. Now perhaps I stand to be corrected? perhaps I have misunderstood, because very little on these subjects is ever made public. I never saw or heard mention in the media or on CBC Compass. Now this latest rumour, I hear you can only receive physio at a hospital if you are a patient in hospital. If your doctor prescribes physio, guess what? You have to go to a private clinic. I imagine their fees are expensive and probably beyond the scope of a great many islanders. When I say I’m not totally clear on my Facts, its because so many of these changes are slipped in quietly. Little or no mention in the news media. It seems this is what MacLauchlan meant when he said his government would do business differently.. What really worries me, and indeed should worry all islanders, is other possible changes to healthcare we are not being informed of.

God Bless and keep reading

 

 

A Little Sunday Humour.

A farmer lived on a quiet rural highway. But, as time went by, the traffic built up at an alarming rate.
The traffic was so heavy and so fast that his chickens were being run over at a rate of three to six a day. So one day he called the sheriff’s office and said, “You’ve got to do something about all of these people driving so fast and killing all of my chickens.”
“What do you want me to do?” asked the sheriff.
“I don’t care, just do something about these crazy drivers!”
So the next day, the county workers erected a sign that said, “SLOW: SCHOOL CROSSING”
Three days later the farmer called the sheriff and said, “You’ve got to do something about these drivers. The ‘school crossing’ sign seems to make them go even faster.”
So, again, the sheriff sent out the county workers and they put up a new sign: “SLOW: CHILDREN AT PLAY”
But that sped the drivers up even more!
So the farmer kept calling, and the sheriff kept changing the signs.
Finally, the farmer said to the sheriff, “Your signs are doing no good. Can I put up my own sign?”
The sheriff was ready to let the man do just about anything if it would get him to stop calling every day. He said, “Sure thing, put up whatever you want.”
And after that, the sheriff got no more calls from the farmer.
Three weeks later, the sheriff’s curiosity got the best him and he decided to give the farmer a call. “How’s the problem with those drivers? Did you put up your sign?”
“Oh, I sure did. And not one chicken has been killed since then. I’ve got to go. I’m very busy,” he said, hanging up the phone.
The sheriff was really curious now and he thought to himself, “I’d better go out there and take a look at that sign. … It might be something that WE could use to slow down drivers …”
So the sheriff drove out to the farmer’s house, and his jaw nearly hit the floor at what he saw.
There, printed neatly on a sheet of plywood was the farmer’s sign:
“SLOW: NUDIST COLONY — WATCH FOR CHICKS”
Welp.. That’s one way to solve his problem!

God Bless and keep reading

Questions swirl around Legion Leadership?

Questions of leadership arises again and again! From my own experience I saw the collapse of the Rustico branch 13 when the manager, an assoicate member stole in the region of $100.000 in approximately one year. A loss of that much money from a small country branch was just too much and the branch was forced to close .I hear of theft from the Goosebay legion, and serious questions have been raised at a Calgary legion. Apparently Poppy funds have been allocated to persons with no military connections. Recently I posted a statement that originated at Dominion Command, It cited the reason for declining membership was due to the declining numbers of veterans!. Members from the Dominion convention denied this statement came from them and claimed I was lying. One year ago, I was serious ill and required chemo treatment that was not covered by the PEI dept of health. I received zero from the Royal Canadian Legion at Command and local branch. I’m a  veteran having served 12 years Royal Navy and 12 year Royal Canadian Naval Reserve plus 30 years as a legion member.  Now we hear a criminal charged with killing a police officer and presently in prison is receiving treatment for PTSD provided by Veterans Affairs. Yet no where do we see or hear of the legion showing concern?  When we look at all these various issues within the legion hierarchy one has to admit there are  serious problems with the leadership. One might ask, if under these circumstances, can the legion continue to survive? Seems doubtful!  Yet what I have written here barely scratches the surface of the many issues of unpleasant dealings with the various legion leaders.  God Bless and keep reading