Let’s be kind to our visitors
Why are some people getting uptight about the traffic disruptions caused by the ITU Multisport World Championship festival? Personally, Penticton is dead for eight months of the year and I love seeing a lot of people around during the summer months. But, that’s just me. I walk Milo nearly every night near a hotel and enjoy seeing the visitors and asking them where they’re from and even offering the occasional insider tip.
Unrelated, my wife witnessed a disturbing incident. Two American visitors, I don’t believe they were ITU participants, appeared to be minding their own business when an unknown male, unprovoked, called the woman a “(expletive deleted) bitch.” The Canadian man then went off about a lack of gun control in the States and the presidency of Donald Trump.
I truly hope this was a tourist and not one of our locals.
My wife apologized on behalf of all Canadians basically saying, “that’s not us.”
One bad experience for a visitor, such as the one I just described, can poison an individual on a community forever. And they’ll tell two friends, who will tell two friends.
Very few Americans are like the ones we saw on television last week in the Charlottesville protest. What this individual did was stoop to that level.
While on a tirade, we went out for dinner (not here in Penticton) on the weekend. Service was painfully slow and we eventually had to leave because of a prior commitment. (I was ready to order pizza in.) Pooh happens. Rather than beak off on the Penticton Facebook page or Trip Advisor, we’ll give them another try this week. Chances are, they were busy.
I’m always reluctant to complain because you often never know the circumstances. Maybe an employee didn’t show up for work because there was a death in the family. Who knows?
So often the cry babies on social media will crucify a business or person because of one bad experience. Is the goal to put a bunch of people out of work or to have a local business close down?
Think, damnit people, think.
Michael Jackson was gone far too soon.
OK, music trivia time. Enough has been said about Bonnie Tyler but, also from the Eighties, in 1987 Billy Idol re-released “Mony Mony”, a remake of a a Tommy James and the Shondells classic. It always packed a dance floor and who could forget the vulgar refrains and where did that ever start? “Mony Mony” reached the top of the Billboard (U.S.) Hot 100 knocking Tiffany out of the No. 1 spot with “I Think We're Alone Now,” a remake of a song by... Tommy James and the Shondells.
And in case you forgot (and maybe you’re trying to), Joan Jett reached No. 7 five years earlier with her take on “Crimson and Clover.”
Welcome back Sister Madonna, the Iron Nun from Spokane, Wash. who is competing in ITU in the over 80 category. She raced on Tuesday.
Eight months now and counting and still no announcement yet by RCMP and the Crown on the “financial irregularities” with the Downtown Penticton Association.
If you’ve taken a drive past The Herald’s office lately you might think we’re in the middle of a war zone. We are actually having the building painted and it should look great once it’s done. James Miller is managing editor of The Penticton Herald. To contact the writer: editor@pentictonherald.ca.