The Cormac MacSweeney Blog - 660News Calgary

I am glad I get to do something I have wanted to do since college. This weekend I get to talk to students at NAIT and discuss the radio industry and my personal experiences.

When I was sitting in class watching the “industry elite” stroll in and talk with us I always loved meeting the people behind the voices. I made a commitment to myself that one day I’d get to stroll in like someone who knows what he is talking about and blab at a bunch of kids … although some may be older than I am.

I’ll let you all know how it goes on Monday because this is the first time I’ll ever do something like this.

On Good Friday I decided enough was enough. It had been about two-and-a-half years since I last played golf. Since coming out to Alberta and leaving my clubs out east, I have been too busy/lazy to pick up some new clubs, let alone make my way to a course.

So I couldn’t take it anymore and bought a driver…it’s not a set but it’s a start. I grabbed a golf glove and made my way to a golf dome. I hit ball after ball for an hour and a half. In fact the only reason I stopped was because I developed a blister on my hand.

I was soon to realize that was not the only pain I’d feel. During the night my muscles seized up and I basically began to hurt all over. The main pain points were the shoulders and thighs.

It still hurts but it was well worth it to get back into a sport I have enjoyed so much.

Hope to see you on the links soon…provided there is no unexpected snow from mother nature.

It’s St. Patrick’s Day and it’s the day where everyone looks at his or her family tree trying to find an Irish relative so they can head out to a pub and party. Even if you have no lineage from the Emerald Isle it’s a safe day to call yourself an honourary Irishman (or woman).

We all know this is another day for a Saint that we have exploited for consumer purposes, in this case buying beer, and it’s lost the true meaning. But that doesn’t stop us from making a big party of the day…and let’s be honest, who can turn down a party?

In Ireland St. Patrick’s Day is a holy day and is a little bit different than the drunken parade full of shamrocks that many North Americans know it for. My parents moved to Canada in the 70’s and most of my aunts and uncles are living in Ireland. For them, it used to be all about going to church and getting together with family, check out the parade, maybe have a nice dinner and just trying to relax. It is a national holiday.

Nowadays things have changed. Ireland has a St. Patrick’s Festival, which began in the 90’s. The parades are getting bigger, it’s more of a party than when my parents used to celebrate it and people are definitely hitting the pubs. I believe (if I can accurately remember what my mother told me) that they used to close down the bars on March 17th to keep the holiday about religion and not alcohol.

The first parade in North America began in Boston in 1761 (according to Wikipedia.org…I love that site) and for Canada the longest running is the one in Montreal which has been celebrating St. Patrick since 1824. If you ever get a chance to catch the one in Montreal I advise you do so. My cousin lives out there and it was probably the most fun I have ever had.

You may be wondering why Calgary doesn’t have one. Well I did that story on Friday and it is because of a lack of volunteers and a lack of support…which could mean not enough people are taking the initiative. Colette Smithers with the Irish Cultural Society was telling me she really wants to start organising a parade for Calgary so that families, and anyone else who enjoys a parade, can have some fun and celebrate St. Patrick in a way that isn’t just revolved around pubs.

I think it would be an amazing addition to yearly festivities and would be great for tourism. I suggest you write to the Society if you are crossing your fingers for a parade, and if you have the hands or mind to lend in planning and preparing such a parade then help them out.

Oh and in case you’re wondering “why March 17th?” it’s actually the day St. Patrick apparently died. Sorry to leave on a morbid note…HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!

So on Thursday night I was able to attend a fundraiser for the Summit Foundation…an organisation in Calgary that raises money for Cystic Fibrosis research.

Ted Henley wrote about it in his blog a little bit, but I will explain again, I was honoured with an unsung hero award. The reason I was honoured is because my girlfriend Melissa suffers from this degenerative disease. Basically the award is for the spouses of those who are suffering from CF.

From physiotherapy to making sure they takes their drugs, the spouses of CF patients do go through quite a bit, but it is nothing compared to what the patients go through. CF is a disease that affects mainly the lungs and digestive system and patients are forced to swallow about 20 pills or so a day just so they can digest food and take a mask around 4 times a day to receive their medicine. You can often hear them coughing like they have a horrible cold, but it is really caused by mucus filling their lungs. This leaves a large portion of their lungs turning into scar tissue.

At the moment there is no known cure for CF but there is hope with new discoveries and research that is happening right here in Calgary. The U of C’s Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation is doing great work at the Foothills Hospital and all of the money raised is going towards research projects.

The keynote speaker at the event was Kelly Hrudey, the hockey player turned analyst for Hockey Night in Canada. Growing up I remember watching Kelly in between the pipes for the Kings with his bandanna always fastened to his head.

Kelly is probably one of the most down to earth celebrities I have ever met and didn’t get in front of the crowd pretending to know what he was talking about. He basically said he doesn’t know CF, he knows hockey and tried to relate some of his stories with what families dealing with CF have to go through. He kept the crowd entertained with stories of Gretzky in the shower (get your mind out of the gutter it wasn’t indecent), coaching problems and even his slumps and low points as a goalie.

But of course the whole point of the evening was not a hockey hero, it was about finding a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. If I can do anything while I’m around it is to try and help those who have the knowledge to cure the disease that the love of my life is suffering from. I donated money, like many others, because I want Melissa to be free of the pain she has known for every second of her life. I may not have all the cash to give and I may not have the know how to look at the cells in her body but I can support and promote those who do the amazing jobs that help fight the disease. I hope you can get involved and help the hundreds in Calgary and Southern Alberta who are suffering from Cystic Fibrosis…help give the breath of life.

You can watch the gala event on Shaw TV at 1pm on Sunday or you can visit www.summitfoundation.ca or www.cysticfibrosis.ca

At the beginning of this week we made Ed Stelmach smile by giving his Tories 72 of 83 seats in the legislature. Even though steady Eddy has faced much criticism, the electorate gave him a mandate so strong it is in Ralph Klein territory. This means that today, the end of the week, the future of the opposition parties is a big question mark.

The Liberals suffered a major blow losing a total of 7 seats and in a strange twist they now have Calgary as a stronghold, not Edmonton. The NDP lost official party status by falling to 2 seats which are occupied by current leader Brian Mason and the woman rumoured to take over the leadership (whenever Mason chooses to step down) Rachel Notley.

Of course this all may have something to do with the low voter turnout. Only 40% of eligible Albertans actually cast a ballot, which anyone who feels passionately about democracy would say is despicable. Clearly, with a record low turnout, the key to this election was that a large chunk of the undecided’s stayed home and those who actually came out voted for the party they committed to.

It would appear that the Liberals didn’t even get their voters to the polls because pundits were expecting a jump in seats, not have the tally cut nearly in half.’

By the time we have the next election, we could see a drastically different opposition. There has been a lot of talk about a massive overhaul in at least one party in an attempt to recover and have a political recuperation.

But what can these parties do to gain your support let alone get you to the polls. The Liberals have the biggest task ahead of them. Duane Bratt with Mount Royal College spoke with me and says they are 3 main things they need to do.

#1- Change their name

#2- Choose a new leader

#3- Overhaul their grassroots organization.

Some may say a liberal under any other name is still a liberal. But Bratt gives examples of the Social Credit party in B.C. and the PC’s in Saskatchewan. Both changed names with the So Creds becoming the Liberals and the PC’s becoming the Saskatchewan Party. Both completely turned their parties around and became rather successful.

To actually prove to the voter that they really aren’t the same old party they would definitely have to change their leader. The two measures go hand in hand and might not work without each other.

I think it will be very interesting to see what happens over the next year and whether our political system will see some massive changes that could change Alberta forever…or not do anything at all.

Well it is that time in politics again that we are relied upon to choose our new government. The polls are open for us to cast our ballots…but I have heard many people say they are so frustrated with politics that they don’t want to participate in this important process.

I am an advocate of democracy and disagree with this point of view (but I’m not saying it’s wrong because everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion). I think every eligible person should make their voice heard through their vote, no matter who they support. In my riding, for example, there are six candidates trying to become my MLA. If I am unhappy with a party or candidate I look to my other options and vote for the person I believe will best serve me.

As I look at the other ridings in Calgary I see that no riding has less than five candidates running. This means that we truly have a variety of candidates to choose from ranging in the political spectrum from left wing environmentalists, to centrists, to right-wing separationists (although I don’t believe any candidate is officially running for the Separation Party of Alberta).

A few people I spoke to this morning say they are not going to vote, but I was glad when the majority of people I spoke to say they are going to do their civic duty and cast a ballot. It was also encouraging to see at least one voter a minute entering a polling station in Calgary Elbow for the first two hours of voting.

I think there is a problem with people not realizing how great our freedoms are. Why don’t we take advantage of the fact that we can actively choose our next government? Preston Manning spoke on CTV’s Question Period and pointed out that in Afghanistan’s election about 75 per cent of eligible voters turned out to make their voice heard. Now compare that to Alberta’s last election of a turnout of 44 per cent. Manning pointed out that we might be taking our freedoms for granted. There are many countries in this world that don’t even give you the opportunity to vote.

One woman made the point to me today that her father fought in the Second World War to make sure that Canada and the world can keep democracy and enjoy our rights and freedoms. She adds voting was one of those rights and we are disgracing what he fought for if we don’t take advantage of what democratic abilities we have.

On the other hand, while everyone has the right to vote we also have the right not to. It seems there are many people willing to not mark an “X” to either prove a point or keep themselves out of the political process. While some don’t want to, I encourage you to make your voice heard, whether it is for the status quo or against it. Your vote actually makes a difference and you have a choice. Voting, it takes just a few minutes but can change a lifetime.