Columns

By CLIFF SEGAR
Like all of us, I recall where I was and what I was doing 10 years ago.

Sept. 11, 2001, will be forever etched into our memories. And, like the rest, I wondered what I could do to help.

At that time, I was living in the Atlanta  area. I was a field engineer for the Mobitex wireless data network. That was the first carrier for the BlackBerry system.

By 10 in the morning, my manager had sent out a message to all of us field engineers to leave any downtown areas.

Last Saturday, I spent the morning in my kayak at the Kingston waterfront, dutifully watching as swimmers churned through the water in the city’s first triathlon.

Excitement was in the air as people cheered from the shore and other volunteer kayakers and a Jet Ski operator made sure all were safe.

On Sunday morning, I was back in the kayak and on the water again — this time a couple of hours away.

How did you spend your weekend?

I spent the better part of Sunday afternoon in a Hamilton County classroom scrubbing desks and lab tables.

I’m no school teacher, but Derek — the man I am dating  — is.

I rubbed out graffiti, scraped gum, wiped away months of grime and even washed a few windows while he arranged and installed equipment and tackled other chores.

It was important for him to be ready for the return of students this week.

We have, on occasion, opined that most governmental entities have become altogether too cozy with the “business community”.
Much of the time that criticism has been aimed at the federal government with all its lobbyist generated laws granting various favours to the giant corporations that have steadily gained more and more control over the national government.