Home Month and Year May 2023 Parker’s Pen – May 2023

Parker’s Pen – May 2023

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David Parker

How many times do members of the esteemed UCP party have to read headlines about being their own worst enemy before they start paying attention?

The election is nigh and the constant barrage of emails I, and I’m sure lots of us, receive mean that the promoters are a little scared, but the government just carries on upsetting the electorate.

Bragging about spending money – our money – gets outweighed by decisions that make so many voters angry. There have been many, but surely the announcement to encourage Americans to spend their money in Alberta to shoot sheep all year-round was just not thought out – daft in fact.

Anyone who has watched the superb nature films on PBS will wonder why rams in their prime, the ones with the trophy horns but also the ones best fit for breeding, should be offered to be hung on a Texan’s rumpus room wall rather than siring his herd, will be mad. I am.

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And on the subject of guns, when will politicians have the guts to just say, “No more automatics and handguns.”

Farmers and ranchers can kill for their meat, and qualified hunters can go and shoot ducks for all I care. But, weapons designed to kill humans should and must be banned, and anyone caught carrying them should be hit hard by the law.

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I’m a book collector, and for the past 30 plus years have enjoyed spending a few hours every Saturday at Aquila Books, the antiquarian book store on 16th Avenue N.W.

Doesn’t matter if a customer wants to buy a $20 or a $200 book, there’s a conversation on author or condition, edition, dust jacket, illustrator and many other aspects that make a book collectible.

In all of those years, I have never received a tip.

So, I was miffed and somewhat embarrassed when ordering two tall – translated small – lattes at my local Starbucks from a cashier who was so busy, hardly time to say “hello”, to find that before I could tap my credit card, I had to press “yes” or “no” to a tip.

Annoying – and what’s 18 per cent of $9.77 anyway?

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No doubt many restaurants and bars suffered a tough time during the COVID outbreak, and were in need of assistance. Yet, I dropped into OMO Teppan & Kitchen on a Monday night recently and found it absolutely jam-packed with diners having a great time cheering on the chefs conjuring their knives over hot plates.

Owner Eric Sit obviously knows how to create an enjoyable dining experience, but he had a good tutor in his mother Winnie who some might remember as the lady who ran Home Food Inn for many years.

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We get so many emails that appear out of nowhere from people and places we have no relationship with. Yet, I must admit I felt rather chuffed to get a couple from the Yacht Club of Monaco.

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Staying in business for any length of time takes hard work and creativity, so we must congratulate Calgary Stamp & Stencil for doing such a good job for 120 years. And although Bernard Callebaut now retails under the name Master Chocolat, congratulations are in order for presenting Calgarians with the finest chocolate for 40 years.

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Final words: I’m responsible for what I say, not what you understand.

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