The Bear Facts

Correct Me If I’m Wrong!                                           March 14, 2014

By author Bryce A Baker

The Bear Facts

Most that know me are aware that I’m a country boy. So most of what is in this ‘Correct Me If I’m Wrong!’ is from first-hand experience.

Let me tell you of one story a Park Ranger told me many years ago. They got a report of a bear attack and responded. Apparently there was a black bear by the side of the road and a mother wanted to get some photos. She put some honey on her son’s cheek so she could get a picture of it licking the boy’s face. Well, like most woodland creatures after the taunting food source disappeared, it looked for more on the boy and got frustrated. The boy and mom escaped unharmed, but she wanted the bear put down for attacking the boy. Need I say ‘Who needs putting down???’

Bears are extremely unpredictable.

Living and being in rural areas, I have had dozens of interactions with black bears and two grizzly encounters. In most cases they can be spooked and sent running, but that isn’t always the case.

The worst draw for a bear attack is a dog barking at them or a person screaming. The bear’s defense mode kicks in.

I had bears on my acreage out of Peachland nearly every day with no indication of a threat. Yet when I sold and moved into Peachland core, there was a large male bear that had his morning buffet route through my yard. He learned that populated areas provide an easy food source. THIS is when interaction can turn deadly.

My face to face with this bear showed he had no fear of humans. Not even when my truck horn howled two feet away from him. He trained his new female partner about his buffet route.

Early spring, I startled her with her two cubs in my yard and she attacked me. Fortunately, when I raised my arms and yelled, it scared the cubs so she went after them instead. 

I contacted the Conservation Office and was tortured by a bureaucratic bunch of BS. There was nothing they could do. The Conservation Officer mentioned he was going to come to the area and ticket people that don’t wash their garbage cans. Washed or not, a bear can pick up a scent more than a dog. Then, are we getting ticketed for bird feeders, dirty barbeques, or pet dishes. There is much more to this, but there isn’t enough paper in my computer.

I received a report from a friend of mine about a similar problem and she received a similar response from Conservation. She didn’t leave garbage out or any temptations. The Conservation Officer refused to trap the bear because if they did they’d have to tag it before release. His problem with that is that they are held liable if the bear gets into trouble after release.

No matter what we do, bears are going to eventually interact in populated areas. Even though urban attacks are rare, the threat persists.

I have been told that we have pushed these animals out of their habitat and we are responsible. I agree to disagree. Yes we have, but considering the millions of acres of unpopulated forested areas as well as the cities and towns that have been established for tens of decades, we need our space too. Bears need to be educated like the people to understand, what is a safe environment. Bears can be taught that urban areas and garbage are not conducive to their safety either. For those that feel we kicked the bears off the block, don’t yell for help when a bear is sitting down at your dining table uninvited, or face an attacking mom bear like I did.

I feel that there should be a team of trackers like myself to be organized to respond to wild animal reports and duly take action appropriate to the call. If it is a deathly situation and a tranquilizing dart isn’t going to save a human life then, the worst case scenario would be to put the animal down. If a bear trap can be used then, the animal is spared and released in a proper area. 

Considering the extreme shortage of Conservation Officers in this province, contract government appointed trackers could cover areas for human safety.

Wild bears or any other wildlife is part of my being and to see an animal destroyed is the last thing I would like to see. But priority is human life.

In closing; I have always put my money where my mouth is. I volunteer to be part of a Wildlife Conservancy Unit in B.C. with no excuses.

Post Script;

Grizzlies are a different story. Just pray your only encounter is seeing the butt end of one walking away.

Please... Correct Me If I’m Wrong!

Bryce A Baker

www.bryceabaker.com

www.bryceabaker.com

Child Protection from the Law

 CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG!                                               February 21, 2014

By author Bryce A Baker

 

Child Protection from the Law

In a time long, long ago; in a place far, far away, I remember being a kid. 

To understand what is happening in modern pertinent circumstances, one has to immerse themselves deep into that callow thought pattern.

In 1985 the Child Protection laws changed in Canada to secure any child free from abuse. In the process it relinquished most, if not all authority away from parents, teachers, law enforcement or any adult.

I understand the theory of providing a protective base for our children, but I saw a substantial increase in youth crime and extended violence soon after that law was instituted.

Many times as I personally approached youth that were committing a crime, minor or felonious; their response was for the most part the same, “I am under age and you can’t do nothing to me.” And they smiled as they said it!

The laws were instituted to reduce abuse by family or otherwise against these children, but created a monster. The youth are programmed that there is no retribution while they are a minor and like a very young child, will test how much they can get away with. The freedom they have been given in this regard is programming the future as adults.

Respect for my elders and others remains a part of my being as taught when I was young. If children are taught that respect, honor, authority, consideration and even love are only options in growing up, then what we are dealing with now is expected.

I investigated charges of sexual assault against a teacher by two teenage girls in the late 1980’s. My investigation cleared the teacher of these charges and the two girls admitted in court, they made the allegations up because the teacher was giving them a failing grade. As a result, the teacher was still forced to forfeit his credentials as a teacher, his wife left, and he spent his savings on the lawyer. The girls were given NO punishment for their actions.

I could write volumes of the damage this law has done, but the only way it can change is if we start thinking like responsible adults and reinstitute proper parenting back into our society. No, I don’t believe that a corporal punishment is necessary; there are many other ways to instill proper values in our children.

As adults, we pay for mistakes and that is accepted, (more or less) so think like a child and ask yourself; ‘If I steal that cookie from the cookie jar, will I get in trouble and get punished?’ or ‘Oh well; I can do anything I want because if I can’t, I will just call Child Protection and complain about my parents!’

I give credit to the good parents that give their children the guidance they need to grow to become a responsible adult.

“Sorry mom! I will put the cookie back.”

Please... CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG!

Bryce A Baker

www.bryceabaker.com

Success

Correct Me If I’m Wrong!                                  February 7, 2014
by author Bryce A Baker 

Success

 

Personal experiences are the blackboard of life, with you being the chalk. The formula for success includes the downfalls which provide the window to see the right path. If we utilize the tools that are given us, almost anything is possible.

Success in society is as varied as the population itself. To some it means wealth and status. To others it is accomplishing a personal challenge. And then there are the couch potatoes that are very successful at opening a beer with no ambition… to each their own.

The phrase ‘If only I knew then, what I know now’  has rattled around in many of our thoughts. But it is a good thing we didn’t.

Success (work related) to me was an investigation with resolution. In that industry, recognition from the public was not anticipated or expected as such. This wasn’t why I personally did the job anyway. With this said, I have an incident to relate.

After retiring from said employment in the nineties, I embarked on the new project of illustration art. Aside from the opportunity to purge negative from my memory, it provided a fun way to meet the public in a totally different perspective.

During a solo art show, a group of teenage Asian gang members approached my display. The youth were under eighteen and known for extreme violence. My first thought was to prepare for battle.

The group silently walked around my show for about fifteen minutes. Then the gang leader and a few members approached me and said, “You are really good! I’ve always wanted to do art work.”

We had a positive conversation for several minutes, and they left without incident.

This conversation and reaction was the biggest success in my life. It is said ‘to lead by example’, so if that be true, I pray that, that young man changed along with setting an example for others to do the same.

In conclusion; one less violent act means one less victim. One positive example could lead to an epidemic. This is success to me.

Please... CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!

 Bryce A Baker
www.bryceabaker.com

Dating 101 ½

CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!                   January 24, 1014

by author Bryce A Baker

Dating 101 ½

After ending a marriage, one can find solace in many ways. There is the pursuit of experiences thought to have been missed; drinking heavily to drown the sorrow of the expired marriage, or hyper dating. 

If I were to tell you my dealing with said trauma was unique, I would be telling a fib in the first degree. But in this my writing of words, I’m going to dwell on but one of these; hyper dating.

Since I have personally experienced three divorces, my expertise on the subject is substantial with the certificates to prove it. Now don’t get me wrong about the numbers. I’m not that bad of a person, it was just the circumstances that led to the demise of the relationships. At least I come with references!

Dating is a subject that should be controlled with legislation by the ‘Dating Control Board of Canada’. Rules should include heavy penalties for lying about one’s real appearance, age, or if and when one has had a sex change operation.

Entering into the dating world after a lengthy absence is like going from kindergarten to university overnight. The use of heavy doses of prescription medication helps a lot.

During my excursions into the twilight zone, I personally met many aliens pretending to be women.  These dates gave me insight and hope that when things can be this bad, there must be someone out there that doesn’t eat with their fingers.

Unlike many other men that have wandered into the realm of the horrifying area of dating, I survived with minimal battle scars. Fortunately, four years ago I met the most beautiful woman on earth, and we have bonded with intellectual and emotional super glue. Love you Rena!

In summation; if you are going through what I have called the ‘Alternate Dimension of Bilateral Emotional Partner of Permanent Coupling Disorder’, I have one word of advice; ‘Remembertoduck!’

This message has been brought to you by the ‘Learning Institute for the Misaligned Bachelor’. For more information please contact:  www.rednecklearnin’datin’stuffjustbecause.com

Please... CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!

Bryce A Baker

www.bryceabaker.com

Do Skeptics Really Exist?

 

CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!                                          January 9, 2014

by author Bryce A Baker                            

Do Skeptics Really Exist?

In light of my new book ‘Ghosts of Time’, which is about an extremely skeptic university professor, I had to do this Correct Me If I’m Wrong under the heading of ‘Skeptics’.

Through the thousands of years of human history, there have been the naysayers with closed minds that find anything that doesn’t slap them in the face, is preposterously impossible.

Personally, I feel that undiscovered mysteries or animal species are what keep us investigators chasing the unknown. If everyone had a closed mind like a radical skeptic, we would be pulling the wagon with the horse taking the ride.

The list of subjects that have the pro and con theorist’s squaring off is vast; Bigfoot, UFO’s, Spontaneous Human Combustion, Ghosts, Religious Studies and so on, are shrouded by people that can’t see past their noses. They are unable to understand that there is more than their closed mind and a big world out there.

 What is so hard for them to move past their selfish wall into the possibility of something new?

The strange and wonderful mysteries that keep hyper curious investigators busy, opens the door to better understanding in most cases. Just decades ago, if the average person was asked if it was attainable to land on the moon they would have said “That’s impossible!” I guess that’s why inventors and people with dreams get an extra push when they are told they can’t do it.

Everyone (except skeptics) has had strange, unexplained events at some point in their lives. Most don’t say anything in fear of being thought they have loose bolts. I have been privy to many strange, unexplained events (besides ex- wives!), and telling the stories doesn’t affect my unorthodox thinking. The doctor just keeps doubling my medication, and then I get more book ideas.

This is an excerpt from Ghosts of Time;

‘As children, we are programmed with our first known word and demand. The word is ‘NO’! This word trains and stifles the child’s psychological expansion of a substantial brain function. Their psychological growth is later minimized by labeling any that escaped manipulation as crazy. The mind is a wondrous organ that has infinite ability to stretch what has been confined.’

There are hundreds of new species of insects, and animals discovered every year, but I know… the skeptics say that’s impossible in this day and age.

Now sometimes there are unknown subjects that should be left alone; left without giving an answer to a question that shouldn’t be asked. This is for preservation against discovery abuse.

In summation; even with an open mind, I feel the subspecies of humans known as Skeptics are just a figment of their imagination, unless they can prove otherwise!

 

Please... CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!                     

Bryce A Baker

 

 

www.bryceabaker.com

Thanksgiving

CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!                                 November 29, 2013

Thanksgiving

Writing fictional books is like sailing through different worlds that may not be afforded us in real life. Authors command the adventure and realize the result without giving way to status quo. Putting the words to paper is scaling the impossible and immersing oneself in a dimension of imagination. It is a mind drug with incredible side effects.

When I write a sentence, there is always a paragraph behind it.

I originally wrote this for Facebook, but because it is a time for thanksgiving I felt it was appropriate in this ‘CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!’

Canadian and American thanksgiving days are a month apart, but it should be noted that we should give our thanks every day. As a Christian, I personally have taken criticism for being of my faith, but as I learned many years ago, I am not here to accept that criticism as a base for why I am. No matter which God or belief one follows, is not of my judgement. If our faith is a positive message and a benefit to our neighbors then so be it.

Many times Christians have been labeled as hypocrites. Well they are right; everyone is a hypocrite, but if one seeks positive answers and a way to help others then they are in the right place. In my previous career I have seen the bowels of evil and if a person wishes to live and believe in that then they are already paying the price of loss for there is no brother standing next to them.

Whether one is a Christian or Muslim or a Buddhist or whatever, it is the positive example that is the biggest teacher to others. If you reach out, they will reach back.

In my work I have had Guardian Angels with me, and I thank the Lord for providing them. I also thank Him for the spiritual gifts bestowed, for his message shall be given.

The following is an excerpt from my second book ’Shield and Sword: Into the Light’

‘As one stands at the bottom of a canyon looking up the steep rock walls it is time to understand why you are where you are. To reach the top of the cliff walls takes dedication, reflection, and positive spirit.

Many times I have been on top looking down and found myself plummeting back to where I began in the canyon base. These rises and falls are part of life and the important thing is how we react, learn and mature. It isn’t because of anyone else's error but our own. We have all been given the spiritual and physical strength to overcome calamities. The answer doesn’t get resolved consuming alcohol or drugs. On the contrary, the problems remain and are amplified by a hangover.’ 

I have learned that a positive spirit makes the journey less corrugated and more of an adventure. Appreciate the gifts that are given to us in bounty and not the bounty in the gifts.

Even though my climbs up the cliff walls have scarred my physical being and my soul, these battle scars only remind me of, and amplify the good given.

We may not live in a mansion or drive a fancy car but if we are happy on a bicycle and dwelling in a tent, take no criticism for you are you. Give the person beside you on the cliff wall a hand. The climb for them may be more difficult.

Please... CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!

Bryce A Baker

www.bryceabaker.com

Burden of Knowledge

CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!                                                                November 15, 2013

by author Bryce A Baker

Burden of Knowledge

As a former undercover detective I, like most bad guy hunters, have seen the vile part of society. Most people are unaware, or selectively blind to the world around them.

In the 1980s there was a criminal investigation and recovery that a detective and his partner were assigned. An eighteen year old woman was kidnapped and as the investigation proceeded, a general case went viral. The main suspect was a landed immigrant and was a key figure in a Canada wide criminal organization. The suspect falsely coerced young ladies toward glitter but became prisoners of the street. This organization forced young ladies into heavily monitored prostitution and leased out to ‘pimps’ by the week in different cities across Canada. Yes Canadian slavery!

Two weeks into the investigation, the ‘brass’ told the detectives to stand down on the investigation, or ‘stop’. The lead detective had a chronic case of persistence, and a week later ‘recovered’ the young lady from a ‘lease pimp’ in Alberta.

The detective and partner interviewed the young lady shortly after recovery and confirmed the organizations arrangements and drug induced compliance. She also witnessed a murder of a forced prostitute in Winnipeg who was caught holding back money from the pimp for escape. He put her against a wall and drove his car into her. The detectives later confirmed the murder. No charges were pursued because all the witnesses were blind at the time. The recovered lady also said that a number of clients across Canada were municipal, provincial, and federal politicians and named many names.
The young lady was sent to drug rehab in a secured location and later put into a safe house.
The interview was not submitted with the main report and has been secured in a safe place.

Considering the age of the case, it is assumed the lot of politicians are now history. Charges were never brought against the landed immigrant ‘boss’. At the time, there was a hit contract put out by the suspect against the detective. This contract was never fulfilled and involves another long story.
As a retired detective, this story is only one of thousands that can prey on one’s emotions and confidence in the politicians who we depend on to make our laws and govern a safe, productive country. Now if this interview was released at the time, the retribution from the guilty would have been severe, as well as the criminal organization that is so conscience void.
 
Telling this story does not give reprieve from the burden of knowledge, and many will say “That doesn’t happen in Canada.” So as we enjoy the freedoms our soldiers have given us; the hidden war at home steals the lives of those TAKEN by Organized Crime.

There is the old saying:”What you don`t know won`t hurt you.” Well, I hate to burst your bubble but, IT IS!

Many ‘Law abiding citizens’ add to the carnage every time they buy an ‘Innocent’ amount of dope, pick up a prostitute or any other so called ‘harmless’ ride away from honor. Each grain of sand can become a beach. But it’s okay; there are people to protect you.

Please... CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG!

Bryce A Baker   
www.bryceabaker.com