JULY 30, 2010

NEW SHOPPING CENTRE IS COMING

After a second marathon public hearing into the SmartCentres’ proposal on the west end of Salmon Arm, Mayor Marty Bootsma and six councilors had a weekend to recuperate and come to a decision.

Monday at 5:30 p.m. a special council meeting was held in the packed rec centre. Each of the seven gave a speech and the final vote was five in favour and two against. The YES side cheered, and the anti-Walmart people left with sad faces. I believe the opposition side was against big box stores and the potential of profit more than the environmental banner they kept waving.

GRINDROD CELEBRATES 100 YEARS

A centennial celebration will take place in the park near the bridge in Grindrod on Sat. and Sun., Aug. 7 and 8. A pancake breakfast will available from 8 to 10 both days. There  will be vendors, cake walk, tug of war, tractor pull, lawnmower racing, kids'' games, etc. There will be a dance Saturday evening and a church service in the park at 9:30 Sunday morning. Look for posters in Salmon Arm malls.

WHISTLER VACATION

In January I saw a full-page ad in the Vancouver Sun from Rocky Mountaineer offering a train journey in the summer from Vancouver to Whistler and back for only $125 per person. It was available for B.C. and Washington residents only and had to be booked that day. I bought two tickets and hoped I’d find someone to go with me. I did. If you book the trip now, the travel and hotel plus HST would be double what we paid. www.rockymountaineer.com

The offer was made before February’s Olympics and was probably intended to boost tourism following such a busy spring. The train travel was magnificent and commentary by the staff person was informative. A box lunch was provided during the 3½-hour journey. Everything was first-class. We arrived on a Sunday when Whistler had its weekly craft and farmer’s market till 4 p.m. so that was our first stop.

We took the trip up the mountains to see where the skiing events were held during the Olympics. The two open-air chairlifts to the top of Blackcomb Mountain gave a good view of the scenery but made my knees weak many times. The 4.4-km gondola ride from the peak of Blackcomb to the peak of Whistler was breathtaking. The engineering marvel of three kilometers of unsupported span breaks three world records.

Old gondolas took us from Whistler’s peak to downtown Whistler. They were not enough to attract the Winter Olympics on two previous applications. It wasn’t till 2010 that Whistler experienced the world-renowned winter competition.

My friend and I kept getting lost on the village’s streets. They are for pedestrians only. They weave this way and that and are lined by 90 restaurants and 300 stores. Each time we ventured out, we had to ask how to get back to the Delta Hotel. www.whistlerblackcomb.com/summer

BC FERRIES OFFERED LOW RATE

A cheap ferry fare between Vancouver Island and the mainland was offered midweek to get people traveling on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. A car and driver cost only $39.95. It ended yesterday, July 29. Check the website for any specials in August. www.bcferries.com/fares.

I visited my kids and grandkids in Victoria and on one of the special sale days I paid BC Ferries only $29.05. That’s because people over 65 get free ferry transportation between Monday and Thursday. On a non-sale day, my SmartCar gets an undersize vehicle rate of $46.75.

ODD ARTIFICIAL CLOUD

Returning to the mainland, I saw the usual cloudy trails in the sky left by jets going to and from the airport in Richmond. But two were planted perpendicular to them, and they were short. Reading about chemtrails on the many websites, people suspect that those kinds of formations are made so their location can be seen from a satellite.

CHASE HORSE BREEDER’S STOCK SAVED

It’s tough being a breeder of thoroughbreds these days. Lee Oakford of T-Bar Ranch at Chase lost his farm due to financial difficulty and had to get rid of his herd of 30 horses aged two to 20 by Monday, July 26. He planned to haul them to a slaughterhouse in Fort Macleod, Alta. He would get $200 to $300 each and their meat would be sold for $500 each when exported to Europe and Asia.

On the Friday before, Lee’s friend Chris Adderson, who runs For The Horse equestrian centre as well as horse-rescue and rehab in Chase, posted a call for help on her website. She wrote that the horses are very nice, very beautiful with top breeding. The word spread on Facebook and online discussion forums that each was available for only $500.

Lee received over 600 calls and by Sunday, all the horses had been saved. He was flabbergasted, according to articles in the Vancouver Sun and Province. But giving up the horses was like giving up his children.

See pictures of a few horses with new owners at www.forthehorse.com. Click on Rescue.

SECHELT WRITERS’ FESTIVAL

You still have time to attend the Festival of the Written Arts in Sechelt from Aug. 12 to 15. The full festival pass for $250 sold out quickly, as did the day passes for Friday and Saturday at $85. Lots of single tickets are still available. Two-for-one tickets will be sold in malls as late as Aug. 7. www.writersfestival.ca

WAIST PURSE (FANNY PACK) IS MISSING

One of my friends had her car burglarized after the thief used a tool to unlock a door from the inside which disabled the alarm system. Her wallet and contents were scattered on the winding part of Auto Road that gets closed every winter. Still missing is a small black nylon waist purse with important personal ID papers inside.

My friend’s initials are P.J. If you find the purse or the contents, please call me at 250-832-4831 or leave them for me at Lakeshore News.

NEW OWNERS AT RECLINE RIDGE

Mike Smith sold Recline Ridge Winery to Maureen and Graydon Ratzlaff on June 25. The new owners will have a meet-and-greet on the long weekend, Sunday and Monday, August 1 & 2 at the daily hours of the wine store, 10 to 5. There will be the usual wine tasting plus a draw for prizes.

Graydon grew up in Summerland and the two met in Kelowna. They lived in Langley and raised their kids there before moving to this area. The winery is at 2640 Skimikin Road, Tappen. 

FIREFIGHTER CLIMBS TALL TREE TO RESCUE CAT

Elsewhere in this issue you will read about a small woman who rescued a cat from the top of a tall tree. I had to meet her.

Angie Morris, age 58, is a White Lake Volunteer Firefighter, one of three women in the fire department. She always admired people in uniform and joined in 2006, six months after her husband Brian. Her kids think it''s neat that she''s a firefighter.

She is Japanese and was born and raised in the Phillipines. As a kid she always climbed, usually trees but in Manilla it was metal hydro poles. She used to be a gymnast, and she competed in arm wrestling.

When she heard a cat needed rescuing from a tall tree, she went immediately, as she is a pet lover. Despite reservations that a small woman her age would climb a tree, Angie convinced the owners that she could make the climb as easily as an ape.

The cat scratched her arms a little on the way down, but she licked Angie''s cheek before she was handed to her owner, Gunter Angermann. 

WILL NEVER BUY FRIGIDAIRE AGAIN

Bill Bates and his wife bought a Frigidaire stove locally five years ago for $699. Recently the oven quit so they called a repairman recommended by the store where they bought it. The problem was the clock which was replaced for $409.

The two seniors, who are in their 80s, feel they were robbed to pay 2/3 of the stove’s cost just to replace the clock. Neither the store nor the repairman could do anything about it so they wrote to Frigidaire Canada and asked if the charge was reasonable. They haven’t received a reply.

Bill wrote that they will never buy another Frigidaire product again. What do you think? Was the charge reasonable? Call him at 250-832-5318 or write me at sallys1@telus.net. 

GAYS CAN ENTER NBC’S WEDDING CONTEST

Every year, NBC’s The Today Show holds a modern wedding contest. The choice of couple to be married and details of the wedding, honeymoon, and reception are chosen by viewers. Winners will have their ceremony live on TV.

The wedding takes place in New York State, where same-sex marriage is not legal, so same-sex couples were forbidden from entering in the past 11 years. A gay and lesbian alliance convinced NBC that its rule is discriminatory. The couple can obtain a marriage license in one of the states where homosexual marriage is legal, and have the wedding celebration in New York State. 

HOW DO CHARITIES USE YOUR MONEY?

Most of us know almost nothing about how our donations are used, so MoneySense magazine has created Canada’s first charity grading system to help change that. The summer 2010 edition has an article and grading of the 100 largest charities in Canada. Data was obtained from the Canada Revenue Agency’s 2008 charity information filings, MoneySense’s questionnaire, charity financial statements and charity websites.

In 2002, a Toronto Star investigation revealed that almost one in six Canadian charities was spending more money on running the organization that on the annual charitable work. Lotteries like a house can be very costly as they rely on TV and newspaper ads, and often cash prizes and cars. They can result in a huge waste of your donated money.

See the results of the MoneySense grading system of charities at www.moneysense.ca/charities 

SOCIAL WORKER WRITING OBITUARIES

Last Words if the name of a company in Victoria started by a social worker who was often experiencing losses by families, usually in a hospital setting. Her company specializes in writing obituaries.

According to an article in the May 25 Times Colonist, she arranges meetings with surviving family members to gather personal information for the written memorials. www.lastwordsobits.com 

THE JOY OF SPENDING

If you have tons of money but cannot spend it, you may need help. The summer 2010 edition of MoneySense magazine has an article about a Vancouver couple with $2 million who could not force themselves to have coffee at Tim Hortons.

They worried about money their whole lives and shopped for bargains all the time. The 59-year-old wife spent hours pouring over grocery flyers. On Saturdays the two split and went from store to store buying only what was on sale and was an absolute necessity.

Tired of their penny-pinching, in 2008 they sought financial counseling. Their money coach gave them permission to spend, and to realize they were getting messages from childhood that it was bad to spend and they were ashamed to do so. They needed to be assured that they really have enough money to last them a lifetime.

Now they have three money pots: One for savings, one for emergency cash (six months supply) and a third for regret-free living that now contains $10,000. “We now spend happily on our vacations because we have a plan, and we’re not spending our capital,” said the wife.

JULY 23, 2010

DON’T MARRY TILL YOU’RE 30

That’s the advice by two women, a divorce lawyer and a psychotherapist on how to get happily married. “Stay single, ladies, until your 30s, and find great friends.”

Maclean’s magazine carried a review of a new book for young single women called Last One Down the Aisle Wins: 10 Keys to a Fabulous Single Life Now and an Even Better Marriage Later.

If you want a long happy marriage, “your 20s shouldn’t be spent finding a man; your 20s should be spent finding yourself. Spend your 20s investing in new friendships with women.”

Before marrying, women need to take charge of their finances, develop a positive body image and, if they have eating issues, solve them before marrying. www.lastonedowntheaislewins.com

BREAKING UP CAN BE CATCHING

Do you remember when your friends were getting married? And then they were having babies? And now they are divorcing? All are catching, like a virus.

A psychologist appeared on the Early Show on CBS recently to discuss how divorce is contagious. “People in your life are influencers, especially in the workplace.”

If you are in a weak marriage you may be focusing on the kids, believing that working on your marriage can wait. The psychologist said the marriage must come first.

TORONTO ELIMINATES CHRISTMAS

Retailers in Toronto probably eliminated the few remaining mandatory holidays that existed, including Christmas, New Year’s and Canada Day. In May, city council planned to look at the issue to ensure that Toronto retailers stay competitive. A vote was to be taken within the next few days and was expected to pass.

One councilor who was in support of the measure said, “We’ve arrived in the 21st century. Toronto is no longer a provincial town; it’s a cosmopolitan centre that’s open 24 hours a day. It acts different and it feels different.”

Under present rules, only stores in designated tourist areas such as the Eaton Centre, and Mississauga’s Square One are allowed to open during statutory holidays. Many other stores have been open during stats but there was an increasing demand for 365-days-a-year shopping.

CLEAN YOUR PLATE OR DON’T RETURN

A restaurant owner in Australia was fed up with the waste left by customers and ordered them to eat everything on their plates for the sake of the earth or pay a penalty and not return. Chef Yukako Ichikawa serves guilty-free Japanese cuisine in her 30-seat restaurant in Sydney.

She introduced a 30 percent discount for diners who eat all the food they ordered. It includes foods that are organic and free of gluten, dairy, sugar and eggs. The menu states, “Please note that vegetables and salad on the side are NOT decorations; they are part of the meal too.”

Yukako and her staff tell people who don’t clean their plates to choose another restaurant next time. www.wafu.com.au

CANADIAN HISTORY IS SOUGHT

Archives swap historical items they are given with other archives, so look in your attic and basement and find old photos, postcards, slides, movies, documents and other bits of Canadian history.

An ad in the BC Bargain Hunter states the Okanagan Archive Trust Society collects items from all areas and swaps with other archives. “Help share your history with generations to come.” 250-490-9339. brian@oldphotos.ca www.oldphotos.ca

ARE YOU PAYING TO STORE JUNK?

Do you have treasures in a storage compartment you are renting by the month? Has a year or two gone by when you last looked at it? Why not ask a trusted family member to go through it with you and give away or sell everything that’s in it?

Turn it into cash. Give it to the thrift shop. Have someone jot the history of an item and give it to a grandchild. Stop paying every year for the storage compartment. Empty it now while you can, and not leave it to your kids when they are grieving over your loss of mind or your death.

UPDATE YOUR WILL THIS MONTH

Is your last will and testament 100 years old? Then it’s time to write a new one. You may have sold your farm or home, changed partners, closed your business, grown your investment in the credit union to over a million, and may be traveling the world now.

Go to a lawyer or notary public, or buy a do-it-yourself will package in a store, or buy the will kit I put together and is available for $12 cash at Lakeshore News. The kit contains a form for a living will, a last will and testament, and a handbook in which you will fill a lot of information about yourself.

WILD BOARS ESCAPED IN ENDERBY

Nine wild boars slated for slaughter at Valley Wide Meats north of Enderby broke a corral panel on April 20 and escaped. A community-wide alert resulted in seven being spotted in the country and shot. Two were still at large.

Wild boars create havoc. They were brought to Saskatchewan to form a new industry but it was not successful. They are loose and breed like rabbits. They are night animals and forage fields, destroying crops. When hunters spot the black pigs, they move on.

It was important to find the two in the Enderby countryside before they began breeding. The owner of the slaughterhouse received a call months later that they were on rural property. When he got there with his gun, the owner said she had been feeding them for three weeks. She had been taming the wild boars and was able to pat them.

The Okanagan Advertiser reported that the woman was allowed to keep the animals for a few more months before butchering them.

IT’S OK TO QUIT

By motivational speaker Veraunda Jackson,

reprinted from Secwepemc News.

1. Quit arguing with people about the same old foolishness! Respect their position and keep it moving!

2. Quit telling people your secrets when you know they are not going to keep them! And if you keep telling them, then quit getting mad when they tell your secrets!

3. Quit trying to pull people on your journey who don’t want to travel with you. Either they believe in you and value you... or they don’t!

4. Quit complaining about things you can’t and won’t change!

5. Quit gossiping about other people! Minding our own business should be a full time job!

6. Quit blaming each other for things that in the big picture aren’t going to matter three weeks from now! Talk solutions... and then implement them!

7. Quit eating things you know are not good for you! If you can’t quit... eat smaller portions!

8. Quit buying things when you know you can’t afford them! If you don’t have self control, then quit going to the stores! Quit charging things, especially when you don’t NEED them!

9. Quit staying in unhealthy relationships! It is not okay for people to verbally or physically abuse you! So quit lying to yourself! It is not okay to stay in the marriage for the children! Ask them and they will tell you that they really would prefer to see you happy and that the misery you and your spouse/partner are living with is affecting them!

10. Quit letting family members rope you into the drama! Start telling them you don’t want to hear it! Quit spreading the drama! Quit calling other relatives and telling them about your cousin or aunt! Go back to #5. Minding your own business should be enough to keep you busy!

11. Quit trying to change people! IT DOESN’T WORK! Quit cussing people out when you know that they are just being the miserable and jealous people that they are!

12. Quit the job you hate! Start pursuing your passion. Find the job that fuels your passion BEFORE you quit!

13. Quit volunteering for things that you aren’t getting any personal fulfillment from anymore! Quit volunteering for things and then failing to follow through with your commitment!

14. Quit listening to the naysayers! Quit watching the depressing news or you are going to live in the doom and gloom of it all!

15. Quit making excuses about why you are where you are or why you can’t do what you want to do!

16. Quit waiting on others to give you the answers... and start finding the answers for yourself! If what you are doing isn’t working for you... then quit it!

17. Quit settling and start making your dreams a reality! Quit being afraid and START LIVING YOUR LIFE! CREATE THE LIFE YOU WANT! If you want something different than what you have had in the past... you must quit doing what you have done before and DO something different! JUST QUIT IT and START DOING something to create the experience you want!

Reprinted with the permission of Veraunda I. Jackson, Esq., international speaker and author based in Florida. www.ehapinc.com

JULY 16, 2010

FUNDING FOR SMARTCENTRES BATTLE

Rival chains may be helping the organized group in Salmon Arm that does not want SmartCentres and Walmart to come here.

A letter to the editor in the July 6 Salmon Arm Observer by the pro-development group refers to the July 7 Wall Street Journal based in New York:

“The article outlines how opposition groups in towns contact companies that specialize in opposing development. This began to open up our eyes to what is really going on. It’s not about SmartCentres, it’s about opposing large-format retail.

“Big Box Toolkit (www.bigboxtoolkit.com) is an international organization that focuses on organizing local community activists to oppose developments. This site contains a description of how this organization helped local opposition activists in 2008. A local organization is now the main contact group.

“This group has always maintained that their focus is the environment. However, recent arguments have been all over the map: development on wetlands, ecosystems, black cottonwood, First Nations, flooding, distance to downtown, competition with other local developments, the review of the OCP, and conflicting retail reports. Recently their attention turned to the Phased Development Agreement, which allows for additional amenities to benefit the entire community. They even opposed that.

“SmartCentres has addressed all the opposition’s concerns. Have the group shown any ability to compromise?

“These groups do not represent the majority of Salmon Arm residents, and their tactics are hurting the overall image of Salmon Arm as a place to invest and do business. Other investors and developers are watching what’s going on and may be choosing to go elsewhere.”

Signed by Thomas Welsh, Marg Kentel, Shuswap Pro-Development Association

COUPLE IN P.E.I GOES FRIDGELESS

In January, a couple unplugged their refrigerator. They couldn’t see why the big machine was working 24/7 when they bundled up to go out in Charlottetown’s winter. They told the CBC that their fridge is now just an extra cupboard.

They moved their food from the fridge to an unheated mudroom. Milk was kept in a cooler with water to insulate it from the cold. Fruits and vegetables are kept on the counter. They make more frequent trips to buy groceries, although they grow their own veggies. In warm weather eggs will keep on the counter for a week.

They joined a growing list of bloggers who unplugged their fridges and are writing about it. Google “unplug fridge” to read their experience.

NO KITCHEN IN SECONDARY SUITE

Kelowna may consider allowing small secondary suites, suites that have no kitchen. Young people do not spend a lot of time cooking so there is no need for a traditional kitchen with a long counter, double sink, large fridge, four-element stove and a table with chairs.

Marketing specialist Howard Rensler found that many tenants, single people and cohabiting couples eat most of their meals out or bring in prepared food. The February 3, 2010 Okanagan Saturday quoted him as saying, “The simple truth is, roommates are a common form of affordable accommodation or housing.”

ARMSTRONG LEGALIZING SUITES

Probably many of the houses in Salmon Arm that were built within the past 50 years have a suite in the basement which is rented to provide extra income. It provides low-income housing for students and young couples.

The City of Armstrong created a residential secondary suite zoning and provided an amnesty period during which it waived rezoning and building inspection fees, according to an article in the Okanagan Advertiser.

Not everyone applied for rezoning and the amnesty period is over. Council recently voted to lower the cost of business licence fees on legitimate suites. If the city receives information on a possible illegal suite, the bylaw officer will visit and provide a package of information to encourage legalizing the place.

ARE YOU DEPRESSED AND ANXIOUS?

People who take cholesterol-lowering drugs often become depressed and anxious, and they start suffering from memory loss. Now scientists have discovered that the brain needs serotonin, an enzyme, in order to control mood and behaviour, but taking a statin for a long time changes the structure of the cells that are sensitive to the enzyme. When the drugs are stopped, people resume normal functioning.

(Source: Biochemistry, 2010; 49: 5426). www.wddty.com

SUGAR CANE ROOT LOWERED READING

A man switched from Lipitor for lowering cholesterol to a natural product made from sugar cane roots. It didn’t cause any side effects and his cholesterol reading was lowered two points in two months.

He called last Saturday after reading my comments about cholesterol. Lipitor cost him $1.20 per pill, whereas Policosanol from HealthQuest cost $42 for two months.

BAYER SUED OVER BIRTH CONTROL PILLS

The oral contraceptives Yaz and Yasmin were supposed to be safe but women users all over the world are having serious side effects. A group of Canadian women is suing Bayer because the pills caused conditions ranging from decreased bone density to strokes, gallbladder problems leading to surgery, pulmonary embolisms, deep vein thrombosis, etc.

Over 100 lawsuits have been filed in the U.S. against Bayer by Yasmin and Yaz users. Switzerland and Germany are urging a ban on the contraceptive after several women users died.

A Google search for “Bayer being sued” brings hundreds of websites about many products the company produces.

DON RAFFAN IS CITIZEN OF THE YEAR

Popular auctioneer Don Raffan was speechless when he was honoured as Armstrong’s 35th citizen of the year at the Armstrong Spallumcheen Chamber of Commerce Canada Day celebration. He said he thought he was going in the dunk tank, or they might have him sell something.

Five people were nominated for citizen of the year. Many who voted for Don included comments on his contribution to the community and the comments were read at the July 1 celebration.

Congratulations, Don!

END TENANCY BY MUTUAL AGREEMENT

If you are renting and you want to leave without giving a 30-day notice, or if you are a landlord and want a tenant to leave without giving a 30-day termination notice, the provincial government has a new form. No need to give notice on the first of the month, to take effect on the last day of the month.

The one-page form is called Mutual Agreement to End a Tenancy. The landlord and tenant agree on a day and time for moving out and both sign the form. At the bottom it says: “The parties recognize that the tenancy agreement between them will legally terminate and come to an end at this time.”

You can get a copy from www.rto.gov.bc.ca. Search for Mutual Agreement.

LOVE CAN BE AN ADDICTION

Breaking up is much like getting off cocaine, heroin, nicotine or alcohol. Anti-depressants don’t work when coping with a break-up.

Researchers who’ve looked at the brains of the lovelorn by MRI say rejection by a romantic partner lights up areas of the brain that are associated with addiction, reward, craving, and depression.

The results by study researcher Helen E. Fisher, PhD, an anthropologist and noted relationship scientist at Rutgers University, was published in the Journal of Neurophysiology.

Dr. Fisher said that rejection causes the neurotransmitter dopamine to wash over the brain, triggering feelings of frenzied desperation that can lead to behaviors such as stalking, homicide, and suicide. “You crave the person who dumped you. You go through withdrawal, you can relapse, and cravings can be sparked months after you think you’ve gotten over it.”

Google “love addiction” and you will find many websites.

GHOST WRITER FOR THIS COLUMN

In 1978 I asked if there was someone who would write this column. The paper, then called Shoppers’ Guide, was three years old and I needed help. I asked for a sample of the applicant’s writing.

A submission arrived in the form of a letter written on a typewriter with an old ribbon. It was mailed from Salmon Arm but the letter said it was from Grinrod bC. This is it, typed as it was submitted, and as it ran in a 1978 issue:

DEER Shoppers Guide boss

Is coming to Bc mountans from prarie to see mine gerl Anny an gran kits an oder kits too. Grampa is geting ol, all de saim I readit lotts of paper. Wen I bee here I readit shoppers guidebook. Las time Im here I readit oder paper to, wen dat Snok felow rite leter to paper boss. Dat guy sure rile lotts of gerls like hel, he sur mak thaer hare stan on end.

I saiy to mine Anny, why all de fuss, she saiy papa you ol fashend, today is womans lib, wer de woman wans to wer de pants – not jus de man. I no understan. Mary and me cum from ol countree --- thats befor we hav ten kits an Anny.

Mary is dy now thre years. Wen we cum everythink was 50-50 mine Mary weret de pants half de tim. Mine Mary milket cuws, driv de horse an fix fenses jus lik de boss. After war Mary lok after farm wen I go for visit ol countree. She be a godeboss. I saiy why gerls get so riled today Mary be half boss 50 yeers ago, is no diference nuw.

Is wondering huw much yuw pay, maybe I stai inBc.

Yore frend

Mike

JULY 9, 2010

MY NEW PICTURE AT AGE 72

The new me: no jewellery, no curls, no coloured hair and no glasses except when driving. My eyesight has improved from eating organic and naturally-grown foods and avoiding packaged food with ingredients that I cannot pronounce. I also avoid taking prescriptions except for one that keeps my blood pressure in check.

Perhaps now when I meet acquaintances on the street, they will recognize me. Recently, after a brief conversation, one person asked me if we had met before. When I said my name, I got a hug.

HIGHEST CHOLESTEROL IN TOWN

The newest store in town offered a free cholesterol clinic in its pharmacy. When I booked an appointment I asked the pharmacist if he was prepared for a shock. He said he was.

The lab test is simple. No fasting for 12 hours and no drawing a vial of blood. Just a jab on a finger for two drops. They were placed on a slide and inserted into a small machine. In a matter of minutes it gave my reading: 12.7.

I explained it is a family tendency and is my normal reading. I refuse to take cholesterol-lowering pills because they have too many side effects. Besides, it has not been proven that a high reading causes death from a heart condition. My doctor has a letter saying I will not take the meds and I take 100 per cent responsibility for my health because of the decision.

LOW CHOLESTEROL NOT NECESSARY

Cholesterol-lowering drugs do not help people live longer, according to a study of 65,000 people by Cambridge University researchers. Instead, people who take the drugs are merely more likely to suffer one of its side effects, such as cognitive decline, memory loss and nerve and muscle damage.

A new study has discovered that these statins are no more effective than a sugar pill, or placebo, in preventing death from heart disease. Researchers say that statins are useless if the person has high cholesterol but is otherwise healthy. www.wddty.com

ONE WEEK OF THE NEW TAX

On July 1st B.C. combined the 7 per cent provincial tax with the 5 per cent federal tax to give us a total HST rate of 12 per cent. It is the lowest in Canada.

Nova Scotia introduced its HST in stages. On July 1, 2010 it increased its provincial tax to 10 per cent, thereby making HST 15 per cent.

RESTAURANTS STILL BUSY

I had lunch in three restaurants to check the traffic with the tax changes. On June 30 I had a bison burger, on July 2 I had enchiladas verdes and on July 3 I had a denver sandwich. All restaurants were busy.

I do not think HST will have a negative effect on restaurant traffic, especially now that tourist season arrived.

HST PAID ON TWO NEW SUITES

The apartment project I am selling will pay the HST on the next two that are purchased as a primary residence, or a residence for a relative. See the ad for Valley Vista one-bedroom apartments on the opposite page.

SCOOTER DRIVER WAS DRUNK

A man on a scooter is expected to be charged with impaired driving after an officer watched him go through three stop signs in the southwest area of Salmon Arm. Police pulled over the 42-year-old local driver on 10th Avenue SW. Breathalyzer tests showed readings of .17 and .16. (www.salmonarm.myezrock.com)

SECRETIVE DOWNTOWN WASHROOMS

Behind CIBC are two modern public washrooms but there are no signs pointing to them. If you were a tourist driving down Hudson Ave. or walking on the sidewalk, or sitting in the Ross Street Plaza, you wouldn’t know there is a men’s on one end and women’s on the other.

As a tourist you might ask someone, or go to Tim Hortons or another restaurant.

HEALTH FOOD STORE RAIDED

In Courtenay, B.C. inspectors raided a store that integrated pharmacy, homeopathy, Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine and other modalities at a professional level. All products without a Natural Product Number were seized by Health Canada. Total at cost was $146,290.85.

Perhaps it was the store’s name that triggered the raid: Marigold Compounding and Natural Pharmacy. On June 14, 2010 four inspectors from Health Canada, accompanied by two RCMP officers and inspectors from the College of Pharmacists of BC marched in, sent the staff home and instructed the owner to stay. http://marigoldnatural.blogspot.com/2010/06/ire-and-fire-progressive-pharmacy-draws.html 

NATURE SCRUBS THE SKY

Many people watch the sky when it is full of spreading trails left by planes. Some also notice that nature scrubs the sky with natural clouds. One person sent this picture that he took at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, June 29 after a heavy spray day. He said if you look closely you will see an angel.

SASKATCHEWAN REUNION

The date is Sunday, September 12 from 1 to 3 p.m. at Holiday Inn Express in Salmon Arm. Everyone is invited, even if you just visited Saskatchewan. A man will talk about the sport of shooting gophers in fields they wrecked. Rain this year has kept the creatures in their holes. More details to follow.

WHY DOES SMARTCENTRE DRAW RVs?

Last week I quoted someone saying that if Salmon Arm gets SmartCentres, it will draw RVs. Son-number-one, who proofreads my column before it is printed, wrote the following: “I don’t understand this reasoning. What am I missing?  What is the link between SmartCentres and RV’s?”

Here’s the reasoning: Walmart lets people park RVs in its parking lot. It provides extra night security. Also, people in RVs are tourists who shop, eat, fuel up, and take in the sights in the whole community.

WALMART GREW DAWSON CREEK

Small business owners worried about Walmart coming to Dawson Creek about six years ago. They were opposed but could not do much about it because Walmart built on its own property in a newly-developed business area. Once it opened, it attracted many other businesses to the area, like Canadian Tire and a hotel.

A local woman who asked that her name not be used in order to protect her business, had been a manager of a store with over 50 employees in Dawson Creek. Everyone was worried, she said, because it would be competing with Walmart. They didn’t have to worry. Walmart brought many people to shop and all the locals stayed home. They didn’t drive 45 miles to Fort St. John or 80 miles to Grand Prairie, Alberta where there was no provincial tax. “People just stayed in town.”

Walmart’s arrival stimulated Dawson Creek’s economy. Zellers never closed. Shoppers Drug Mart expanded. Another McDonalds came to town. Many people got jobs, especially those who were unable to get a job elsewhere. “Didn’t hear a lot against Walmart after it came,” she said.

WORLD SOCCER ENDING SOON

One month of FIFA world soccer in South Africa will end with the final game on Sunday, July 11. It has been exciting!

This newspaper sponsored soccer in Salmon Arm for about 10 years, first with young men’s starting about 1989 and then with young women’s until 1999. It is an excellent sport.

SEYMOUR ARM HISTORY

The oldest community on the Shuswap has had its history published in 2008 in a book that is available in many stores around the Shuswap. Called Seymour Arm, Historical Gem of the Shuswap, the first half was written by Gwen Bauer and the second half by Estelle Noakes. It contains 80 photos and the names of pioneers in that community. It sells for $18 plus 5 per cent GST. No HST on books.

GERMANY LEGALIZES EUTHANASIA

A comatose woman had left instructions to end treatment by withholding nourishment or preventing the treatment she no longer wanted, and so the Federal Court of Justice of Germany ruled it was not unlawful since she had given consent, thus legalizing direct euthanasia.

The ruling overturns a previous conviction for manslaughter of a lawyer who advised a daughter of a comatose woman in her 70s to cut her mother’s feeding tube with a pair of scissors, after nursing home staff had refused to remove it according to the instructions she had left. A lower court acquitted the daughter of killing her mother because she had “mistakenly” follower her lawyer’s advice. The lawyer, Wolfgang Putz, was convicted and given a nine-month suspended sentence.

DRUG COMPANIES WERE BULLIES

They scared European health agencies into buying their antiviral vaccine just before the anticipated swine flu epidemic last year. One agency was given an hour to place a multi-euro order or it would be offered to another country. Now the Council of Europe and the World Health Organization are facing embarrassing questions about their relationship with the drug industry.

 JULY 2, 2010

HST STARTED YESTERDAY, JULY 1

Despite opposition and more than enough signatures on a petition in every riding in the province, the harmonized sales tax came into effect yesterday. Instead of adding 5 per cent GST and 7 per cent PST on many purchases, 12 per cent HST is being be charged. It will be added to many purchases that were exempt from PST.

DO YOU BUY LOTTERY TICKETS?

If you do, stop complaining about HST. Lottery tickets are a form of taxation but you see them as buying into a dream.

Do not let the new 12 per cent HST stop you from going to a restaurant, buying a new outfit or going on a vacation. Ask yourself why you are buying lottery tickets.

Stop buying goods with heavy packaging and foods with ingredients you cannot pronounce. Shop at farmers’ markets where no tax is added, although it may be included in the price.

NO HST ON BOOKS, KIDS’ CLOTHES

No HST on basic groceries, municipal water, home and auto insurance, public transit, ferry tolls, gasoline and diesel, music lessons, child care services, etc., etc.

For a list of what is taxable and what is not, go to http://hst.blog.gov.bc.ca

The HST puts B.C. on a level playing field with 130 other countries and five provinces that have already moved to a similar tax structure. At 12 per cent, B.C. has the lowest tax of the five provinces.

PHONE BOOKS MAY CHANGE

Last week I wrote that Yellow Pages will carry only business listings and advertisements, but it may be for the lower mainland only. We’ll have to wait and see what our Telus phone book looks like when it is delivered.

SMARTCENTRES BACK TO COUNCIL

The development proposed west of Salmon Arm by SmartCentres is back before council with a smaller proposal. It will cover 20 acres instead of 34 as requested by the Ministry of Environment. If it passes council, the anticipated start of the public hearing is Monday, July 19 in the rec centre.

SMARTCENTRES IN RED DEER

“They should have built it 10,000 sq. ft. bigger and 10 years sooner if they had known how many customers it would bring.” That was the comment by a businesswoman in Salmon Arm who moved here from Alberta and asked that her name not be used.

Red Deer is halfway between Calgary and Edmonton. SmartCentres opened in Red Deer four years ago and drew shoppers that normally went to the city. She said there was some opposition but nothing like here.

It provided a positive economic development to Red Deer, and employment. Some stores took three months to find enough people to staff.

From a tourism perspective, she said the year of the wild fires in Kelowna was the first time many people stopped in Salmon Arm. They said they would make it an annual destination. With SmartCentres here, it will draw RVs.

“People driving to cities do more harm to the environment than if they would shop at SmartCentres.”

NEW STORE IS ENERGY EFFICIENT

I walked about the new Save-On-Foods and noticed lights going off in one of the glass-fronted coolers. Then I saw sensors at the top of the display cases. I stopped an employee and asked what was going on. He said if the sensors detect no one in the aisle, they turn off the LED lights in coolers and freezers.

Looking up, he said on a bright sunny day the skylights will provide light and the fluorescents will dim down to save energy. In fact, he said it’s the most energy efficient store in the Overwaitea food group.

The store has six self-checkouts, a first for Salmon Arm. And it has tables and chairs near the pharmacy for people waiting for a prescription, or for grandpa to sit while waiting for grandma to shop.

REMOVE POSTERS FROM POLES

Advertising posters on hydro and street lighting poles take away from the beauty of a shopping area. It was brought to my attention that downtown Salmon Arm is terrible for posters on posts even though there are plenty of windows and bulletin boards where they can be taped.

The City of Vancouver pays students to take them down. We’ll do an experiment here. Would you take down all posters you see taped to posts in downtown Salmon Arm? Write down the name of the group that put them up and the count of posters that you took down. Bring your list to the Blue Canoe Bakery on Wednesday, July 7 at 1:30. If you can’t be there, send me your list to sallys1@telus.net.

From now on I will carry a retractable blade in my purse for taking down posters.

CHEMTRAILS OVER EUROPE

Contrails disappear shortly after a plane flies by. It is believed the exhaust of many planes has been fitted with equipment that leaves fine particles of metals that stay in the sky, spreading to block the sun’s rays and falling to the ground.

A Salmon Arm man took a picture of the sky from a plane flying in Europe and was shocked to see all the trails left by planes. He sent it to me, and said I could use it as long as I didn’t use his name. I know why. People like me, who believe the lingering plumes left by planes are chemtrails, are considered kooks.

STOP SMOKING AT BUS STOPS

For people allergic to cigarettes, the smokers at bus stops are very inconsiderate. A caller said the bench in front of Askew’s is the worst.

Here’s an experimen