Gord Barnes

“Cross country skiing is great if you live in a small country.” ~Steven Wright

gordbarnes — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 01:16:47 +0000

To dispel the myth that ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ I have taken up cross country skiing and I am loving it!!! I have lots of learning to do, but hey if you live on the prairies there is no better place to do this – plus I had very bad experiences with down hill skiing years ago.

We are very lucky, in Regina, to have some great trails maintained incredibly well by the Regina Ski Club. (I will be sending in my membership and trail grooming donation this weekend). The trails are in Wascana Centre, at Douglas Park and west of the Science Centre, as well as A.E. Wilson Park and Les Sherman Park. East of Regina there are the White Butte Trails. I haven’t got to other trails, farther away from Regina, however this is on my ‘to do’ list.

If you check out the Regina Ski Club website at www.reginaskiclub.ca you will see there is a regular update to the information about trail conditions!!!

Do we say: “None is too many” or do we agree to respond to the international humanitarian refugee crisis?

gordbarnes — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 05:06:58 +0000

I recall the early 1970′s when the “boat people” arrived from Vietnam, children, women and men who risked their lives to flee a terrible war. I was at the time very proud that Canadians welcomed so many of the “boat people” – there seemed to be a generous spirit and this extended across Canada. As people fled from Vietnam (also Cambodia and Laos) there was an incredible humanitarian crisis as thousands of people faced a terrible crisis. There were untold miseries, rapes and murders on the South China Sea. At the time the UNHCR, under the auspices of the United Nations, set up refugee camps in neighbouring countries to process the “boat people”. They received the 1981 Nobel Peace Prize for this.

In contrast we now are witnessing “boat people” fleeing from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries. They try to make it to Australia, Canada and other destinations. Incredibly our Canadian government is determined to label everyone who makes this trip as “illegal” rather than maintain and encourage a generous stance. The government has introduced Bill C-49 that will punish legitimate refugees. Amnesty International, the Canadian Council of Refugees, the Canadian Bar Association and the Canadian Conference of Bishops have all expressed concerns about this bill. I encourage you to find out more and then contact your Member of Parliament to indicate your opposition to Bill C-49.

In another disgraceful time in Canadian history the Canadian government did less than other Western countries to help Jewish refugees between 1933 and 1948. According to official statistics, only 5,000 Jewish refugees entered Canada during this period, the lowest record of any Western country. In early 1945, an unidentified immigration agent was asked how many Jews would be allowed in Canada after the war. He replied “None is too many”.

My personal feeling is that Canadians are generally speaking, generous people who are more than prepared to welcome people who are refugees, be they arrive in crisis – by boat or by some other process. I hope you agree.

Never concede to those who inflict torture and perpetuate Human Rights abuses: Write for Rights on December 10th

gordbarnes — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 04:54:41 +0000

Friday, December 10th is International Human Rights Day. Amnesty International encourages everyone to participate in our “Write for Rights” event. You can join thousands of other people who care enough to take a moment to send an appeal letter. I have often been asked if the appeal regarding human rights abuses make any difference. My answer is simple: we can never give in to those who inflict torture, who are responsible for grave human rights abuses, it truly is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.

I have written many appeal letters over the years I have been involved in Amnesty International. I have not received very many replies. I am aware however that in a good number of the cases I have worked on the letters have made a difference. This is good enough for me. I hope you will agree. Where ever you live you can be a part of the world’s biggest letter-writing event with participants in over 50 countries writing to help prisoners of conscience, human rights defenders under threat, and vulnerable communities facing ongoing abuse of their human rights.

You can find out more at www.amnesty.ca

Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride. ~John F. Kennedy

gordbarnes — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 19:10:46 +0000

In Regina, Saskatchewan, we are fortunate to have some great walking and cycling paths. I have been enjoying riding around both of the Wascana Lakes. The trip is about 11km.

A morning-glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books. ~Walt Whitman

gordbarnes — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 04:52:05 +0000

I love our morning-glory flowers, there is something very special about them, its actually hard to describe what they mean, perhaps it is their sense of freedom. I am not entirely sure I agree or understand what Walt Whitman might have been saying though, in terms of his choice of the morning glory over the metaphysics of books. I love to read and this is the nature of my question. Walter Whitman (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, journalist, and humanist. He was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse. His work was very controversial in its time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described as obscene for its overt sexuality – I am personally inclined to suggest finding a window with a good view of a morning glory and reading Walt Whitman, with a glass of fine red wine at hand.

Please help to make sure that human rights are at the heart of the global fight against poverty

gordbarnes — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 05:28:47 +0000

There’s not much time left – please ‘help make this petition go viral.” My friend Lindsay Mossman, the Women’s Human Rights Campaigner for Amnesty International Canada – said this to a few of us recently in a conference call. The petition is simple and will just take a moment of your time. It’s a urgent call for support and solidarity for the millions of people around the world who continue to face a daily struggle to live in dignity.

In 2000, countries around the world agreed to 8 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as a global initiative to eradicate poverty by 2015. Ten years on – five years from the deadline – these goals are still not a reality. Progress has been made, but it has been unequal. Goal 5 on improving maternal health, for instance, is the most off-track of all of the MDGs. Hundreds of thousands of women and girls continue to die in pregnancy and childbirth each year, and most of them live in the poorest countries and communities.

No solution to poverty will have any long-term impact without human rights at its core. At the United Nations MDG Summit in September, world leaders will decide on a plan of action to step up their fight against poverty.

Please… sign the on line petition today, and share this with your family and friends, coworkers and members of your faith community.

If ever there is a petition that fits the call to “light a candle of hope, rather than curse the darkness” this is it.

http://www.amnesty.ca/iwriteforjustice/take_action.php?actionid=440

“When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other.” ~Chinese Proverb

gordbarnes — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:48:43 +0000

However one might feel about this Chinese proverb, lilies are so special. These are the lastest, blooming in my garden. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do…

‘Human Rights Radio’ hosted by Amnesty International volunteers

gordbarnes — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 03:01:22 +0000

‘Human Rights Radio’ is a show hosted by Amnesty International Volunteers in Regina, Saskatchewan, covering a wide range of topics involving human rights violations around the world, wherever they occur. You can tune into this program on Regina Community Radio at 91.3 FM or over the internet at www.cjtr.ca

You can also listen to archived, podcasts of the show at this link: http://humanrightsradio.podbean.com/about/

Comments and suggestions about the ‘Human Rights Radio’ program can be sent to: humanrightsradio@cjtr.ca

You can make a difference. A donation to Amnesty International, signing petitions, writing letters, these are all ways in which you can help. Go to http://amnesty.ca for more information.

If you live in Saskatchewan you are invited to join our facebook group: “Amnesty International Saskatchewan” and there is also the “Amnesty International Canada” facebook group, (as well as many others) and in each case, this is a great way to connect with other people who share a common interest in human rights.

Remember: “It is better to light a candle of hope, than to curse the darkness.”

“I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.”– Claude Monet

gordbarnes — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 03:33:56 +0000

A few weeks ago I promised to post some photos from our flower garden. With all of our rain and then sunshine in Saskatchewan, it has turned out to be a good year with the exception of about a week ago when we had some hail – won’t show you what happened to the lilies blooming at that point. As I mentioned before, our flower garden is a joy and quite often people who are walking by, will stop to visit and talk about the garden. (So far I haven’t painted something from the garden, but this is certainly on my ‘to do’ list.)

Untitled..artwork…

gordbarnes — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 15:02:39 +0000

This untitled artwork is arcylic on canvas. You might have a name to suggest.

24 by 48 inches.