On Friday, March 21, 2014, my grandfather passed away peacefully, surrounded by family. During his long life, he served his country overseas in the Second World War, was married for more than 65 years, raised three wonderful children, and shared great wisdom with his seven grandchildren. He was a teacher, craftsman, and respected member of his community.

In honour of his memory and the great influence he had on me, I have chosen to share a poem I've written about his life.

REST IN PEACE, GLENN WALKER REEVE.
You were loved and will be missed.

AN ODE TO GLENN

Gather 'round, dear loved ones,
For a story must be told
About a man, a grandfather,
Who lived to be very old.
This man was always young at heart,
He traveled all across the land.
He lived a life of discipline,
And lent many a helping hand.
His hands had helped us all
In oh so many ways,
So come close, open your ears.
We'll go back to his early days.
When this man was just a lad,
He passed his days on the farm
Or followed Doc, tending to animals,
In weather both cold and warm.
He thrived on tasks in childhood.
He was full of talent and will,
Developing a gifted hand,
A real craftsman's skill.
In the war, he made it possible
For our planes to take flight.
He was an aircraft mechanic,
Holding corporal at the end of the fight.
When this veteran returned home,
He hooked up with his high school sweetheart.
They married in '48.
After that, they were never apart.
Post-war times found him in the garage,
Or driving a Volkswagen Beetle,
Or teaching auto mechanics
At Beal, Banting or Wheable.
He traveled all around
To the world's most unique places –
Fiji, Russia, China, to name a few –
And could recall many different faces.
In his Ilderton shop he spent his time
Doing the town's woodworking and repairs.
But now that he is gone, we know that
No other grandfather compares
To the man who spent his life
Loving his wife, family, you and me.
Now a great hole is left in the world
Where Glenn Walker Reeve should be.

Today is March 11, and it's also my 29th birthday. As the last year of my 20s begins, I have chosen to celebrate it in a unique way. Instead of receiving gifts, I am giving the gift of reading to three lucky people with The 1st Annual Birthday Book Giveaway Contest. Check out this poster for all of the details:

By: Sheila Busteed

Gentlemen should be added to the endangered species list.

After being aggressively hunted by methodical females, the gentleman is nearing extinction. This is a sad state for this rare creature, considering that many of its fans deem it to be a diamond in the rough world of dating.

The gentleman has followed a peculiar evolutionary line in recent history, with different breeds present all over the world. Many common traits among them include the opening of car and building doors, volunteering to pay for dinner during a date, standing when a lady joins or leaves a table, displaying good etiquette and demonstrating kind and polite speaking habits in public. These are but a few, among other such examples.

Experts now attribute many factors to the gentleman's rapid decline in population. Unlike the male Birds-of-Paradise, which have been driven to drastic levels of sexual dimorphism and the development of dramatic mating displays for the pleasure of their female counterparts, the gentleman has become discouraged by the increasing demands of its female suitors, triggering devolution among some gentlemen. Others have become distracted by environmental factors, such as pay-per-view sports, video games, and pornography, making stimulation difficult. This issue has been compounded by the gentleman's confusion about its natural place in a changing culture, which has evolved to include increased gender equality, common-law relationships, feminism, and female executives.

It is not at all surprising that such an important issue – the disappearance of the gentleman on a global scale – is being raised during a time when one of the most popular songs around the world this last year was Psy's "Gentleman." This mocking number's music video suggests men now more commonly act in childish, rude or delinquent ways rather than those of a true gentleman. Many female hunters have confirmed this judgement as true after repeated trips to the dating pool.

There is some hope for the female hunter who is determined to find a gentleman, but the terrain is dangerous. One of the few regions where they can still be found in decent numbers is in southern American states, such as Texas, Georgia and Louisiana. However, in going there, the female must also embrace other, more unpleasant, characteristics including the prevalence of handguns in hip holsters, racism and intense religious practices.

The World Wildlife Fund has started a relief effort to protect the dwindling gentleman population in its natural environment, and many zoos are now considering housing this elusive creature in a protected habitat, where curious visitors can observe its rare customs.