PLEASE NOTE: There will be no newsletter published on November 13 due to Remembrance Day. The next edition will be published on November 20. | |
In this issue...
• Despicable much? Air Canada forces man in wheelchair to drag himself off a flight!
• New Brunswick bans sale of electricity to new crypto mining operations
• By the numbers X 10 + 1
• New survey: One country bucks the trend of women cooking twice as much as men
• Coke is introducing a new spiced raspberry flavour
• Looking for meat pies for Christmas or an autumn treat? The Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club can fix you up!
• Next Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Trivia Night: Monday, November 27
• A great Christmas gift! Acadian mugs with family names - dozens of options!
• New feature: Terrible vintage ads from yesteryear
• Before you go: 7 things you may have missed last week!
... and trivia, quotes, community events and more!
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Despicable much? Air Canada forces man in wheelchair to drag himself off a flight!
My God, Air Canada. Just when you think an airline has done the ultimate act of despicable act of bad customer service, along comes Air Canada to say, "Here, hold my beer." In short, they forced a man in a wheelchair to drag himself down the centre aisle of a plane because no other assistance was available - assistance which is normally given.
Article excerpt: "Air Canada has issued an apology to a man who uses a wheelchair, saying it violated Canadian disability legislation when he was forced to drag himself off a flight because of a lack of available assistance.
Rodney and Deanna Hodgins of Prince George, B.C. were travelling to Las Vegas from Vancouver on August 30 when an Air Canada crew member told the Hodgins he would need to get to the front of the plane without any assistance.
Rodney, who has cerebral palsy and uses a motorized wheelchair, usually exits the plane with the help of an aisle chair, a narrow version of a wheelchair.
Rodney, 50, dragged himself through the aisle to the front of the plane by pulling on seat legs, with Deanna crawling behind him, moving his legs.
The incident, which caused Rodney significant pain, garnered national and international attention.
Beenish Awan, a representative with Air Canada, sent the Hodgins a lengthy statement, which read in part, 'it was a very inconvenient and humiliating experience for both of you. I am genuinely sorry to hear about your and your husband's experience and offer my sincere apologies for the experience.'"
Air Canada has offered the couple $2,000 in flight credits. Seems pitifully low to me, especially considering the international bad publicity the incident caused. When you read the article, you will also see that the airline has a less-than-stellar history relating to disabled travellers. Mistakes are bound to happen based on their high volume of clients, but some incidents are just awful, despite this.
Read: Air Canada says it violated disability act after passenger in wheelchair forced to drag himself off flight. Related: Disabled man drags himself off plane after Air Canada fails to offer wheelchair.
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New Brunswick bans sale of electricity to new crypto mining operations
This is a very good decision. Cryptocurrency is not printed. It's mined by using an astronomical amount of electricity. (It's very complicated and ridiculous, if you ask me.) Anyway, these mining facilities are energy hogs and can cause inordinate stress on a small electrical grid that is often stressed, especially during winter months. New Brunswick is moving to halt the provincial electrical utility - NB Power - from servicing more of these crypto facilities.
Article excerpt: "The New Brunswick government is banning NB Power from providing electricity service to new cryptocurrency mining operations.
Energy Minister Mike Holland introduced legislation Tuesday that, once passed, would turn what has been a temporary freeze into a permanent legal ban.
The Higgs government quietly issued a moratorium on the utility servicing new crypto facilities in March 2022, after it received several large-scale requests for electricity supply.
'The cryptocurrency sector is an area that has a significant... draw or demand as it relates to electricity,' Holland said.
'We can't compromise the existing rate base so we need to make sure that we have capacity.'
Crypto mines are made up of thousands of computers that run 24 hours a day trying to earn units of the cryptocurrency, consuming vast amounts of electricity in the process.
Hive Blockchain Technologies is operating a 70-megawatt bitcoin mine in Grand Falls, and a second proposed facility owned by Chief Fuels won approval, and an electricity supply, before the moratorium went into effect."
This decision should be applauded. Crypto mines shouldn't put the ability to heat homes in the winter or cool them in the summer at risk.
Read: Province banning N.B. Power from selling electricity to crypto mines
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New survey: One country bucks the trend of women cooking twice as much as men
A new survey shows the gender gap widening when it comes to the percentage of meals being prepared by women in the home as opposed to men. One country, though, is bucking the trend.
Article excerpt: "A new survey finds the gender gap in 'home cooking' has widened, with women cooking more meals than men in nearly every country worldwide.
Women cooked just under nine meals per week, on average, in 2022. Men cooked about four per week. These are the results of an annual survey by Gallup and Cookpad, which tracks how often people prepare and eat home-cooked meals in countries around the globe.
When the survey began in 2018, traditional gender roles were well established, but during the pandemic years the survey results showed that men were cooking more. This narrowed the gender gap, explains Andrew Dugan, a research director at Gallup, who has worked on the survey since it began. 'Every year since the study started, the gap narrowed,' he says. Until now.
The latest results, which Duggan says come as a surprise, point to a reversal of this trend. In 2022, women continued to cook at about the same frequency, but men started to cook less. On average, men cooked a little less than one fewer meal per week."
But yeah, one country is not following the trend. In Italy, in fact, the trend is for men to cook more than women in the home.
Read: Worldwide, women cook twice as much as men: One country bucks the trend
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Coke is introducing a new spiced raspberry flavour
Coke has a new flavour on the way: spiced raspberry!
Article excerpt: "With any food brand, the original flavour or product is always going to be the most popular. When you order Girl Scout cookies, you may be tempted to order a box of whatever new cookie has debuted, but you know the new cookies won’t replace Thin Mints on your order sheet. And if you’re getting a soda, you know Coke is always a classic choice.
But while we love what is old, something new is always exciting - especially when it’s coming from one of those brands that we already know and trust. In this case, Coca-Cola is reportedly debuting a new flavour this winter.
In the winter months of 2024, Coca-Cola is set to release a new flavour of Coke: Raspberry Spiced. The news was reportedly released at the National Association of Convenience Stores convention earlier in October. If you’re a Coke Zero fan, you’re in luck. The new Coca-Cola flavour will also be released in Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Raspberry Spiced."
One odd thing about this launch, though, is that it's only coming after the holidays. Strange, considering that you'd think a lot of people would want to try it during a period traditionally seen as one with a lot of overindulgence and parties. In fairness, though, raspberry is seen as more of a summer flavour, not one traditionally tied to the holiday season.
Read: There's a new Coke flavour coming soon
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Looking for meat pies for Christmas or an autumn treat? The Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club can fix you up!
I'm pleased to announce the latest fundraiser for the Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club, of which I'm a member.
Christmas is coming! Time to stock up on meat pies for the holidays or just for the cooler fall and winter nights on the way. $15 each
These 8" pies are locally made in Southeastern New Brunswick. Ingredients: chicken, wheat, eggs, carrots, peas and onions. Sales close on Sunday, November 12. The pies arrive (frozen) about two weeks later. Cooking instructions: Bake at 350F for 60-70 minutes.
By supporting the Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club, you're helping us support our community projects. Most recently, we've supported Krista Richard's Community Sports Program, Habitat for Humanity, Summer Children's Breakfast Program, Ronald McDonald Family Room at The Moncton Hospital, Harvest House Atlantic, Junior Achievement New Brunswick, the Antler Breakfast, Project Linus - Moncton Chapter and much more!
You can email me at [email protected] if you'd like to buy one or more meat pies. E-transfer is the best payment option, but other arrangements can be made. Please note that pickup is in the Greater Moncton area!
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Next Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Trivia Night: Monday, November 27
The next Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club Trivia Night will be held at St. Louis Bar & Grill, 1405 Mountain Road, in Moncton on Monday, November 27, beginning at 6:30 p.m. $10 per person (cash only). Click here for the Facebook event listing.
Participants may play as teams or individuals. The winning team gets 50% of the door receipts as their prize.
It is strongly suggested that participants arrive by 5:15-5:30 p.m. for a seat. Trivia begins at 6:30-6:45 p.m. Everyone welcome!
Please note that restaurant reservations are NOT available for this event. First come, first served. Limited seating of approximately 50 guests.
Participants may bring an optional non-perishable food item (box of granola bars, Kraft Dinner, cereal, etc.) for distribution at Krista Richard's Community Sports Program events, of which the Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club is a sponsor. Any donations will be gratefully received and provided to Krista for distribution to her program participants (school-aged children from Moncton-area schools).
Since Rotary Trivia Nights began in 2016, the Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club has donated nearly $20,000 to Hospice SENB, Atlantic Wellness, Karing Kitchen, Ray of Hope Kitchen, Salvus Clinic, The Humanity Project, BGC Moncton (Moncton Boys & Girls Club), Junior Achievement New Brunswick, Project Linus - Moncton Chapter, and Krista Richard's Community Sports Program, among others. During the last Rotary Trivia Nights season (September 2022 to May 2023), more than $6,000 was raised.
The Greater Moncton Sunrise Rotary Club gratefully acknowledges the kind and generous sponsorship of its restaurant partner, St. Louis Bar & Grill.
See you on November 27! Click here for a larger version of the event poster shown above.
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A great Christmas gift! Acadian mugs with family names - dozens of options!
New from Acadistuff: Acadian flag mugs with family names. Dozens of options available! Shipping is included in all prices. Tax extra.
• 11-oz. mug: Click here
• 15-oz. mug: Click here
Don't see your family name there? Contact me via email to have it added.
These mugs have been shipped all over North America!
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New feature: Terrible vintage ads from yesteryear
Thanks to the Internet, there are lots of cringeworthy ads from yesteryear around. Every week, I'll feature one that will be sure to make you say, "What were they thinking?" Of course, keep in mind that these ads ran in a very different era when casual sexism and racism were blatant.
This week: An old ad from Hoover. Let's just say that - these days - buying your spouse a vacuum cleaner for Christmas will likely only get you a one-way ticket to divorce court - and certainly not a clean rug! At the very least, Christmas dinner would be an incredibly awkward meal for everyone.
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Trivia: Did you know?
In case you were lying awake at night wondering about this, the name of the rooster on the box of Corn Flakes is Cornelius.
Did you know that Corn Flakes have quite the history behind them? Check out: The Battle of the Cornflakes.
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Quotes of note
• 1. "There is no fair in life and death. If it were, no good men would die young.”
- Mitch Albom, author (see photo)
• 2. "I don't need to be reminded that I was on Friends. I remember - some of it, anyway."
- Matthew Perry, d. Oct. 28
• 3. "The month of November makes me feel that life is passing more quickly. In an effort to slow it down, I try to fill the hours more meaningfully."
- Henry Rollins
• 4. "When you lose something in your life, stop thinking it's a loss for you... it is a gift you have been given so you can get on the right path to where you are meant to go, not to where you think you should have gone."
- Suze Orman
• 5. "It's always too early to quit."
- Norman Vincent Peale
• 6. "History is a vast early warning system."
- Norman Cousins
• 7. "To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift."
- Steve Prefontaine
• 8. "Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell, and advertise."
- Laurence J. Peter
• 9. "I saw a study that said speaking in front of a crowd is considered the number one fear of the average person. Number two was death. This means to the average person, if you have to be at a funeral, you would rather be in the casket than doing the eulogy."
- Jerry Seinfeld
• 10. "Why do they call it 'rush hour' when nothing moves?"
- Robin Williams
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Greater Moncton Walking Group
In November, the group is walking at Irishtown Nature Park, meeting in the parking lot on Elmwood Drive.
The group meets for walks every Tuesday and Thursday at 8:30 a.m. New participants are always welcome! For more information, please contact Wayne Harrigan at 506-386-2187 or via email.
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About this newsletter
Brian Cormier's Weekly Update is distributed weekly from September to June via email to more than 500 subscribers in addition to many others who access it online. If you're reading this newsletter online and want to subscribe, please email me, fill out the subscription form on my website, or subscribe via the "Join Our Email List" button at the top of the newsletter (if you're viewing this in a browser.) This newsletter is not published in July and August and on holidays.
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