Dear Editor:
Re: 鈥淢iller Time,鈥 (June 28).
鈥淧lease note we are not publishing on Tue. July 2 due to Canada Day.听 This allows for out staff to enjoy a three-day weekend,鈥 James Miller writes. 听
Gee, what would happen if airport workers, firefighters, police officers, ambulance drivers, first responders and hospital staff were to do the same thing?听
Your paper did this some time ago. I found it strange then as I do, as I do now. I鈥檓 suspicious there may be another reason for this publication cancellation.听
Richard B茅gin
sa国际传媒
There are angels in this world
Dear Editor:
I am writing about angels because they are relevant even now. Since the 1990s, I have read dozens of books about angels which became a passion of mine, Time magazine and McLeans.
Let me illustrate this with a few examples:
When I was about 14, I became involved in an argument with a friend and he knocked me down. He then pinned my arms down and grabbed a baseball bat with the intention of killing me when a woman suddenly told him, 鈥淩obert! Give me the bat!鈥 and he did so needless to say, she helped me up and vanished. That was a miracle!
Also, on one occasion, I was a university student and was driving to Simon Fraser University on the freeway near Burnaby when I was watching for my destination exit from the highway when my mothersa国际传媒 friend started to talk to me and said that I was missing the exit ramp when I turned the steering wheel around at about 55 mph. That moment, it was like somebody was directing the steering wheel around the 180-degree turn. Thus, I was not seriously hurt when I should have been killed. Another angel miracle.
Well, it gets even better.
sa国际传媒 eight years ago, I was going to see a hockey game one night with a friend when I collapsed twice on the street and started to scream blue murder. Luckily, someone nearby had a phone and called 911. The paramedics arrived and rushed me to Penticton hospital. When I woke up the next morning, there were two physicians standing by my bed. They told me that I was lucky to be alive. I had a blood clot on my lung. They had given me an anticoagulant during the night but had thought that I was going to die. Obviously in my mind, either another angel or God had saved my life again. Another miracle!
I few more times in my life one believed an angel intervened at a crucial moment, I actually believe I once met a real-life angel in a coffee shop. She looked about 30 years old and was much prettier than even Princess Diana and when she smiled about two-thirds of her face lit up -- never did I or could I have imagined such a radiant glow. She went outside and vanished. Another miracle!
Catholics believe that each person has a guardian angel, and many ancient civilizations believed in angels as well.
Richard Elmer Sano
Osoyoos
Constituents deserve to know
Dear Editor:
Itsa国际传媒 time Canadians demand that the names of the MPs who wittingly or unwittingly conspired with foreign actors be published no matter their party.
Whether this merits the charge of treason or not, may be debatable, but members of parliament are elected to serve their constituents and Canada as a whole.
The fact that they can be co-opted to serve another countries agenda means they are for sale and not worthy of that position and its benefits.
By releasing their names, the electorate will be the judge, even if the justice system won鈥檛.
Andy Richards
Summerland
Mentally, morally challenged
Dear Editor:
In Thursday nightsa国际传媒 debate, Joe Biden looked and performed as he is -- burned out and aged out. 听
For the benefit of America and the world, President Biden should immediately resign in honour.
Bidensa国际传媒 replacement, V.P.. Kamala Harris, would have an opportunity to demonstrate her qualifications to run and win the 2024 U.S. Presidential election.
The monkey suffering Bidensa国际传媒 back is (Babbling Baboon) Trump, who proved again to be mentally and morally challenged.
Joe Schwarz
Penticton
Can students cheat with AI?
Dear Editor:
Fool me twice.
A recent trial by the UK University of Reading showed that exam markers were fooled by AI answers, or were they?
What if the exam markers were AI bots and they could recognize what were student answers and what were AI answers and reward them with better marks?
It is not an unrealistic as people might think as a number of educational organizations are considering AI correction as a money saver.
Dennis Fitzgerald
Melbourne, Australia
Citizens need to be vaccinated
Dear Editor:
Re: 鈥渟a国际传媒 ignores evidence with its health decisions,鈥 commentary, June 26.
In no way did sa国际传媒 misunderstand the evidence from research regarding the importance of COVID vaccinations.
Alan Cassels writes that COVID vaccinations weren鈥檛 tested to prevent 鈥渢ransmissions.鈥 They were tested to prevent infections.
More infections among the public lead to more transmissions. Especially in hospitals and care homes, that was certainly evident.
His opinion that doctors and nurses need not be vaccinated if they did not wish to be is absurd 鈥 they would be close to infected COVID patients throughout the day, and close also to uninfected patients who could therefore easily pick up the infection if they were not vaccinated.
I certainly would not want to be in a hospital during a pandemic where staff were not vaccinated against the infection.
Whether a fully vaccinated person could 鈥渢ransmit鈥 COVID to another person (who was not vaccinated) is an interesting question.
Since the virus is airborne and found on surfaces, presumably it could be on a vaccinated or un-vaccinated doctorsa国际传媒 or nursesa国际传媒 hands or medical gloves or clothing, and infect an unvaccinated patient.
Therefore, the more citizens in all of lifesa国际传媒 roles who are vaccinated during a pandemic, the better.
Janet Doyle
Victoria
The greatest U.S. president ever
Dear Editor:
Re: 鈥淧ro-Trump coverage stinks,鈥 by Rick St. Martin (letters, June 28).
In regards to Trump has a VP shortlist, which appeared earlier in the week, great article and coverage for Trump. He will go down as the greatest president that ever built a countrysa国际传媒 economy.
Joe Biden will be known as the worst, corrupt president ever in the history of the U.S.
I guess with some people the truth hurts. 听
Larry Kowalchuk 听
Penticton
More complaints about ICBC
Dear Editor:
Jason McDaniel, vice-president operations for ICBC, states: 鈥淭he Enhanced Care insurance model is designed to help anyone injured in a car crash with ongoing medical and rehabilitation support.鈥
If that is the case itsa国际传媒 a poor 鈥渄esign鈥 for catastrophically injured people like quadriplegic Tim Schober.
Why is there an upper limit on monthly benefits with the result that Schober unjustly does not get full payment for needed 24-hour caregivers? What is so 鈥渆nhanced鈥 about that?
McDaniel states: 鈥淲e take concerns about the Enhanced Care model and our organizationsa国际传媒 commitment to supporting crash victims seriously.鈥
If that is the case one would hope upper management at ICBC would urge lawmakers to do away with the artificial upper limit on monthly expense benefits.
Removing that ceiling would result in payment of all accident-caused costs for extremely badly injured people like Schober. That is only fair.
F. Kenneth Walton
Victoria
Anyone else see the irony here?
Dear Editor:
Re: 听Jun 27, page 8 articles: 鈥淲ikileaks founder Julian Assange returns to Australia a free man after U.S. plea deal鈥 and 鈥淩ussia puts U.S. journalist on trial (for espionage)
鈥漈he truth will set you free or tit-for-tat, eh?
Frank Martens
Dear Editor:
The statement in the June 19 edition that the ban on short-term rentals has made it difficult for sporting events in Victoria is wrong.
The shortage of suitable accommodation for sports teams is a result of the sa国际传媒 government purchasing hundreds and hundreds of hotel rooms in Victoria for the homeless.
These moderately priced hotels were well within the budget of the teams and families wishing to come to the city. They were not renting overpriced short-term rentals.
Tim Hackett
Brentwood Bay
Not following correct policies
Dear Editor:
Re: 鈥溾楽ystemic mismanagement鈥 in 颅hiring in sa国际传媒 public service, ombudsperson says鈥
The ombudspersonsa国际传媒 report on the Public Service Agencysa国际传媒 breach of its own hiring policy dozens of times is a bad practice.
What is more disheartening are the statements made by Premier David Eby and the deputy minister of the Public Service Agency, defending their mismanagement of the hiring process as extremely small numbers!
Seriously?
It is just like saying 鈥渨e do have a written policy, but it is OK if the government hiring agencies do not follow it.鈥
That defies the governance principles that governments must adhere to. What is the point of developing a policy if it is not followed?
How is that fair and equitable to people who believe in fair hiring practices when they apply for jobs and want to work for the government?
The ombudsperson report adds doubt in the minds of prospective employees that 鈥渋tsa国际传媒 who you know in government will get you a job.鈥
This casts a shadow on the governmentsa国际传媒 credibility and hiring standards. If any bureaucrat or politician thinks this is OK, I think they need to think again.
Perceptions can be very damaging to their image.
Mano L. Sandhu
Victoria
We should have water cremation
Dear Editor:
The environmental problems, the coming shortages of cremation facilities and the costs of the latter process all call for such options for choice at death.
That aquamation is available in so many provinces and territories in Canada but not here in 鈥済reen sa国际传媒鈥 is very objectionable. And the government has no right to deny me the choice of treatment at death when no one else is affected negatively and the environment benefits.
I hope to see more articles like this so that people become aware of this option and can also support related local businesses and providers who have alternatives to the present polluting methods the government approves.
Anne Spencer
Victoria
