One of my late Mom’s favorite aphorisms was “if you can’t find anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
She was also a brilliant, hard-working professional, and a community activist on issues ranging from education, to human rights, to racism, to inclusiveness, and fulfilling one’s personal capabilities.
And I suspect she’d be finding it very hard to hold her tongue about Covidiots, and deniers, and community safety abusers.
I’m sorry, but I have zero sympathy for Canadians abroad who are now facing tough, expensive, (finally) mandated and not just recommended regulations upon their return to Canada. Those who are whining on a beach somewhere.
If they had heeded public health advice, they would never have left the country for a vacation.
In this time of fake news, Covid, societal troubles and tribulations, and rampant social media wildness, I remember the words of Ukraine’s greatest poet, Taras Shevchenko, from some 150 years ago:
Учітеся, брати мої!
Думайте, читайте,
Learn, my brothers,
Think, read. . .
Translation mine.
Don’t just mindlessly click. Read and think.
The great thinkers of centuries ago knew that education was key to confronting rampant poverty, and all its accompanying ailments. Not to mention entrenched social stratification.
And that subjugation and exploitation, be it by empires, countries, or soulless businesses, is evil.
Shevchenko was incarcerated for his words by the Russian Empire.
Not much has changed today, eh?
When a dictatorship fears words, they must carry meaning. . .
People in Ukraine, Russia, and beyond, have been subjugated for centuries, let the flowers blossom.
Please, people, take the time to read, think, and learn.
During my pre-lunch south Burnaby ramble, I noticed that Byrne Creek was running milky blue again. I called it in to City of Burnaby Environmental. This has happened several times over the last couple of months. Sigh. . .
UPDATE: Staff traced to construction site. It is illegal to pump out construction sites into street drains without remediation/filtration. Thank you for the swift response, and thanks to others who apparently reported this, too!
Gull playing with golf ball at Piper Spit on Burnaby Lake in Burnaby, BC.
At first I thought it might have mistaken the golf ball for shellfish, and was trying to crack it open, but after observing for awhile, I think it was just having fun.
It would drop it and try to catch it again in mid-air.
The sad thing is there were dozens of golf balls in the shallows to the east of the spit.
Could they be washing down Eagle Creek all the way from Burnaby Mountain Golf Course?
There’s always lots of action at Piper Spit on Burnaby Lake. And lots of people out enjoying the sunshine.
Green-winged Teal
Mallard
Mallard
Mandarin Duck
Northern Pintail
Wood Duck
Scaup
Scaup
Hairy Woodpecker
Spotted Towhee
Unfortunately we found another dead Pine Siskin. Samonellosis is spreading among these cute wee birds. Yumi picked it up using some sticks so as not to touch it, and buried it, hopefully to help contain the spread.
We had a blast wandering Robert Burnaby Park in Burnaby, BC, today searching for the forest sculptures created by Vancouver artist Nickie Lewis.
UPDATE (2/2): This was not approved by Burnaby Parks. While entertaining, and getting folks out into nature, there are also drawbacks like habitat denigration, erosion, etc.
Apparently the artist was planning to do more of these in other Burnaby parks, including Byrne Creek Ravine Park, where I’ve volunteered as a streamkeeper for over 20 years. Byrne Creek Ravine Park has a very fragile riparian zone, and attracting hundreds of people to trample through it would be disastrous.
When I heard this, I contacted Burnaby Parks, and was assured that they are aware, and have contacted the artist who has agreed to stop these activities.
Yes, I have to admit we enjoyed exploring Robert Burnaby Park, but upon further thought, it’s best to try to maintain what little urban biodiversity that we have left. . .
