Thursday, September 11, 2008

Canadian Idol

I watch Canadian Idol every year starting at the top 10. This year I watched a young man from Lethbridge sing "Collide" on the first show and fell absolutely in love with his voice. In my opinion, every other Canadian Idol has fallen into obscurity. They are good, but not great.

Theo Tams is fantastic. I think this kid has the potential to be one of Canada's top stars. Somebody write him an original song like "Collide" or "Arms of An Angel" and watch him take off.

I never get tired of listening to him sing. Enjoy these videos. The first are a little raw as they were his audition tapes, but it's just great to watch him develop in just a few short weeks. He's going to be a star.

All Canadian Idol Auditions - Part 5

Theo's first audition - halfway into this, but it's all pretty entertaining to watch.

Theo Tams - In The Arms of an Angel

Theo Tams - Weak In The Knees

Theo Tams - Collide

This kid from Alberta is the best Canadian Idol we've ever had. I never tire listening to this boy sing. Enjoy.

Theo Tams - Apologize

Theo Tams top 2 Good Mother



Theo's final song on the night of the deciding vote. It wasn't lost on me that he was sending out two messages: the first he was saying thank you to his parents. Secondly, he was letting us all know how bad he wants to win. And the kid is so astute musically, he gave up the band for this performance, cut back on the piano a bit and let us hear nothing but his voice. The judges knew exactly what he was trying to do. Win.

And he did.

I love this kind of passion.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

BJORNSON CONGRATULATES MANITOBA SCHOOLS RANKED AMONG TOP 25 IN CANADA

Education, Citizenship and Youth Minister Peter Bjornson today congratulated three Manitoba schools selected among the top 25 in Canada in the Today’s Parent magazine Great Schools 2008 competition.

The magazine’s fifth annual survey of Canada’s “stellar schools” featured in the publication’s September 2008 issue includes the Lakeshore School Division’s Alf Cuthbert School in Moosehorn, the Pembina Trails School Division’s École Dieppe School in Winnipeg and the Winnipeg School Division’s Luxton School.
“It was exciting to learn that three public schools were selected by an independent publication and characterized as excellent on a national scale,” Bjornson said. “This news supports our view that Manitoba has one of the highest-quality public education systems in Canada and I congratulate the schools and divisions for their exceptional work.”
The minister noted the Manitoba government has significantly increased public school funding over the past nine years and will fund 80 per cent of the total cost of public education through general revenues by the 2011-12 school year. The 2008-09 investment in public school grants was more than $1 billion for the first time in Manitoba history.
Alf Cuthbert School in Moosehorn, a Manitoba Interlake community, won in the Real Respect category. The magazine quoted one parent as saying there is “an unwavering expectation of good citizenship” at this school. Students from higher grades pitch in to help younger students with breakfast programs and lunch preparation. Older students help to run intramural sports programs. Christmas dinner is served by support staff each year.
École Dieppe School, located in west Winnipeg, won in the Terrific Teachers category. As one example, music teacher Andrea Wicha helped her students bring home a large number of awards from the Winnipeg International Music Festival. Her music students also performed a composition they wrote with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra.
In central Winnipeg, Luxton School won in the Community Commitment category. A school family centre is organized and staffed by parents and volunteers who hold activities for students and their families. The school offers adult upgrading programs, English courses evenings and weekends, and a recreational program for children. According to Today’s Parent, this award is about helping students learn they belong to a wider community capable of handling cultural, recreational, social and emotional enrichment programs.
“As a former teacher, I know first-hand that it takes more than a building with desks and books to make a great school,” Bjornson said. “The real credit belongs to the teachers, students and families who have made their schools clearly stand out against a backdrop of thousands across the country.”

Friday, September 5, 2008

It's all about Cattle Country

Wow, what a tough couple of weeks.
We've been fighting rain all summer. Our part of the Interlake has seen more rain than we can handle and we only have half of the hay we need to feed the cows this winter. Dealing with this personally and having to write about it in Cattle Country was hard. Mark said that he'd worry about home and it was my job to worry about everyone else. It's been a long week trying to find out if there is going to be any financial help for producers who have to buy/bring in feed this fall. We still don't have all the answers finalized.

On an optimistic note, I created a new blog!
I made a blog for the paper so that anyone can access the information online. I think this is going to be an excellent resource for people and while it will take some time to get going, it's going to help with some of the challenges of putting out only eight papers a year. I've added the link on this blog so you can check it out.

The book is coming along really well. I haven't been able to work on it the last few weeks, but I'll be back at it first thing tomorrow morning. The plan is to have it done by Christmas.

Well, better go. Check out the other blogs.

Monday, September 1, 2008

So true . . .

NICKNAMES

If Laura, Kate and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura, Kate and Sarah.
If Mike, Dave and John go out, they will affectionately refer to each other as Fat Boy, Godzilla and Four-eyes.

EATING OUT
When the bill arrives, Mike, Dave and John will each throw in $20, even though it's only for $32.50. None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they want change back.
When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.

MONEY
A man will pay $2 for a $1 item he needs.
A woman will pay $1 for a $2 item that she doesn't need but it's on sale.

BATHROOMS
A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel .
The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 337. A man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these items.

ARGUMENTS
A woman has the last word in any argument.
Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

FUTURE
A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

SUCCESS
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

MARRIAGE
A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.
A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, but she does.

DRESSING UP
A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the trash, answer the phone, read a book, and get the mail.
A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.

NATURAL
Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.
Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

OFFSPRING
Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favorite foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.
A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
A married man should forget his mistakes. There's no use in two people remembering the same thing!

Thoughts about writing and life in rural Manitoba

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