The IRA Stands Down

   The "armed struggle" that devastated Northern Ireland for 36 years screeched to a halt yesterday when the Irish Republican Army ordered all of its units to dump their arms and announced an end to their fighting. Their huge arsenal is to be "verifiably put beyond use," according to an IRA statement that also invited Protestant and Catholic clergy to witness the decommissioning.
   The question many are asking is why is it happening so suddenly? They wonder if it is tied to the bombings in London. Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, leaders of the IRA's political wing Sinn Fein, both expressed regret over the July 7 London bombings, a regret they might not have expressed before 9/11. Perhaps now the terrorist attacks taking place around the world are hardening people's minds and hearts to causes that were previously viewed as "romantic". The freedom fighters could be understood by many for their resort to violence to make it known how much they wanted peace (?) in their land, before Bin Laden. The bloom is well and truly off that rose now.
   This past spring Adams made his yearly pilgrimage to the U.S. where he had previously been welcomed by high standing public figures, such as Senator Edward Kennedy. This year he was denied his usual tete-a-tete with Kennedy and the doors of the White House, usually open to him, were slammed in his face. Kennedy declared "the IRA's criminality is undermining the peace process, and it's time for Sinn Fein and the IRA to hear this message clearly from the U.S." A very short time ago, Kennedy had no problems at all with supporting men who were directly involved in a "struggle" that has claimed more than 3,500 Catholic and Protestant victims.
   The world evinces a growing weariness of violence, and a revulsion for those who espouse it. Perhaps the very means supposed to achieve their aim of expelling the Brits from Ireland has instead turned on them. While Adams was being snubbed so publicly in March, the McCartneys, five sisters of a Belfast victim of the IRA were being welcomed by Kennedy and feted at the White House while the media listened to their protest against the "freedom fighting" that has plagued their land for so long. "We are now dealing with criminal gangs who are using the cloak of romanticism around the IRA to murder people on the streets and walk away from it," Catherine McCartney said.
   The IRA have lost so much of the status they had previously enjoyed. They are now viewed as much as bank heist artists as they are a political movement, especially since a $55 million armed robbery of a Belfast bank last December was laid on their doorstep by both the British and the Irish Prime Ministers. "Romantic freedom-fighting was one thing, squalid criminality quite another," wrote Andrew Stephen, U.S. editor of the New Statesman.
   The call to stand down will be accepted by many of the members, of course, but there will also be those who will refuse to heed it. You can not preach murder for so long and not have your words finally acquire a life of their own. Anything that is alive will fight long and hard to stay alive. "A lot of good men who died would be turning in their graves, just like my stomach is turning over listening to this," says Harry McClafferty, a man interviewed when the news broke in Ardoyne, an acknowledged IRA power base. The struggle will indeed diminish, but I'm thinking that the terrorists who have enjoyed taking part in it will not so easily be denied their pleasure in killing. We can only wait and see.

There Is Neither Male nor Female in Christ Jesus

   Well, you can bet the Vatican will throw a hissy fit over this one.
   On Monday, four roman catholic women were ordained as priests and five as deacons by three female bishops who were unofficially ordained in 2003. Two of those bishops have been excommunicated by the Vatican. The women - seven Americans, one Canadian, and one German - were joined by more than 250 supporters.
   The ceremony took place on the the boat, the Thousand Islander III, which was sailed out into the St. Lawrence River, to the international waters between the States and Canada, an area specially chosen because no diocese has jurisdiction there and so no-one could interfere. Although there has been no official response from the vatican yet, you just know there will be more excommunications declared by the backward, Dark Ages institution that is the roman catholic church.
   As I was saying in my post of yesterday, the bible was written by ordinary humans, often decades or even centuries after the events various passages sought to detail. The writing was done through the filter of cultural stereotypes and prejudices, likely with no understanding of the bias the cultural belief systems would superimpose on any story being reported. Therefore, to go to the bible as a source of authority for the banning of women from ordination is to err.
   I had a professor in the U of T who used to lecture at us about "apostolic tradition" as the justification for practices currently employed. Humbug. To look there is to make the same mistake, or even worse. The traditions of the earliest church communities have come to us through the same filters as the scripture have. Our consciousness of them consists of "snapshots" taken through lenses scratched and marred by the cultural context of their time and day. Anyway, why should historical practise be recognized as justification for something only when it suits the purpose of those thundering it from the pulpit to congregations threatening to escape their spiritual stranglehold? If the church is really big on following supposed apostolic tradition, then the next time Benny gets sick, let the vatican doctors dig up all the old medical texts they can find, (preferably ones written at least two thousand years ago), and follow them to the letter in their doctoring of the pontiff. If he knocks off for want of treatment that modern medicine could have given him, we can all interpret it as a sign that his death was part of god's plan.
   To attempt to base arguments in favour of banning women from the clergy on the scriptures is actually to wilfully ignore what is written there about the actions of the gentle Jesus that they claim to follow. Jesus went out of his way to include women in his ministry, in ways that set him dangerously apart from the accepted norms of his day. He flouted social and cultural conventions at every turn in his relating to women. He did so in defiance of those who viewed his every action as mounting evidence that he should be killed. He did so with a dignity that he extended to the women around him, at a time when a woman was no more than a chattel. How can today's church leaders do any less and still claim to be his followers?
   Understand a little about the cultural milieu in which the women of Jesus' day existed. One first-century rabbi, Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, wrote: "Rather should the words of the Torah be burned than entrusted to a woman." Jesus directly flouted this injunction, as reported by Luke in the story of Martha and Mary. Martha complains that her sister is not helping with the woman's chores while she is sitting at the feet of Jesus. She is seated there listening to him teach. His response was to say that she had "chosen the better part". He did not forbear to begin his intellectual discussion with the men while she was there, nor did he send her away just because someone complained. If Jesus set the example of instructing women in the scriptures, why do today's prelates presume to do otherwise?
   In Mark 15 and Luke 8, mention is made of the women who travelled with Jesus. Shall we assume they were disciples? It seems to me a better assumption to make than to assume they were whores and camp followers. If they were the latter, would Jesus have turned a blind eye to the activities of his male followers and/or even partook himself? No, those women must have been people he treated with dignity, including them in every aspect of his travels. If he had female disciples, then what happens to the use of "apostolic tradition" as a justification for the exclusion of women from the clergy?
   Other rabbinic sayings state that "Even the most virtuous of women is a witch." , and "When a boy comes into the world, peace comes into the world: when a girl comes, nothing comes." In the daily prayers to be recited by the Jewish men, there was one of thanksgiving in which the man would thank his creator for not making him a gentile, a woman, or an ignorant man. A woman who lived at the time of Jesus lived her life out as the property of some man, nothing more than a chattel. A woman could not even bear witness in a court of law. Her word counted as nothing, and there was a belief at the time that if there was no other man available to give witness, it would be better to call on the 'village idiot' than to call on a woman. Women were little more than sex objects and house-cleaning possessions necessary to propogate the species. Jesus would have known all of this and yet, when he resurrected on Easter, when the central mystery of his divinity played itself out, whom did he appear to first and call to give witness, other than a woman? This must have been by divine intent, part of the Almighty's plan to show the way to his followers. Look in Matthew 28, John 20, and Mark 16 to see the story of Jesus appearing first to a woman. Because of the strictures of the time against a woman bearing witness to anything other than a meal being ready for the men to eat, the apostles refused to believe and had to check it out for themselves.
   The one time that Jesus is recorded in the Gospels as openly declaring himself to be the saviour is when he spoke to Martha, the sister of Lazarus, and said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life." The first time he publicly revealed himself to be the messiah, he was talking in public (oh, the horror) to a Samaritan woman. The Jews and Samaritans hated each other and would not use the same cup for drinking from at a well, yet Jesus asks the woman to give him a drink and seems to care not about it coming to his lips from "unclean hands". In fact, he chooses her to be the first one to whom he reveals his messianic mission. She says to him, (John 4), "I know that the messiah will come" and he responds with, "I am he, I who am talking with you."
   How much more plainly do the pope and his cronies need it to be spelled out? Jesus himself said to his followers, "One man plants, another man reaps." Jesus was going directly against the accepted practice of the time to plant the seeds of female inclusion in a life of equality, to show everyone who followed that women should be included in absolutely everything, including the clergy. Leonard Swidler, in his essay "Jesus Was A Feminist" says the failure of the male half of the church to see the message being given by Jesus is "an overwhelming tribute to man's intellectual myopia". You can not phrase it any more succinctly than that.
   

Rome Preaches Intolerance

   Here's a surprise. The Vatican has issued a criticism of Canada's legalization of homosexual marriages. The Vatican daily, L'Osservatore Romano, called the legislation a "distortion of God's plan for the family". Get over it. If the members of each of these couples does their best to live a good life that harms no-one else, then surely they will have fulfilled the requirements of any divine plan. You gotta love these people who think they know what the Almighty's plan actually is. You gotta wonder, too, where they get their info. The bible is not reliable as a source of accurate info. Its pages are filled with more contradictions than you could shake a stick at. It was, after all, written by mere men, often centuries after the event they purported to be detailing. Every interpretation of the bible is nothing more or less than someone's personal take on the words and an attempt to decipher the content. If God really wanted humanity to know that s/he exists, not one soul would ever have died in terror and pain, screaming to the deity for help that never came. It's all a guessing game. The real focus of worship should be life - yours, mine, everyone's. The living of a life in such a way as to leave the world a little bit better for its having been lived should be the thrust of every church's teaching, not mumbled imprecations aimed at others who fail to interpret the jumble that is the bible in exactly the same way as they do.

Back Again

   I've been away in Tobermory for a romantic sojourn with my other half, heading out on sunset cruises, clambering over dolomite strewn shoreline, taking hundreds of pictures of everything form dramatic rockfaces forested with 1600-year-old cedars, to the wrecks of ships claimed by Lake Huron. I hope to add the best of those shots to my photo galleries soon.
   I came back to a little morsel of good news, a tiny crumb of communication from the CBC who have announced a renewal of Don Cherry's contract for Coach's Corner, and the removal of the seven-second delay on his utterances. I have also heard, however, the possibility exists that the Toronto Maple Leafs may lose Tie Domi. No, no. Say it isn't so.

Bomb-Threat Teen

   Travis Biehn, a 17 year-old Newfoundlander, "sat in inscrutable silence in a Pennsylvania courtroom yesterday" while a Pennsylvania judge described him as arrogant and emotionally immature, after Biehn's conviction on charges of threatening to blow up his high school. He has been remanded to custody until he begins a month-long wilderness program in August. At the end of that time, the judge will determine whether or not to release him into his parents' custody. If that decision is made, the parents would have to sign a contract that prohibits any type of weapons — including paintball guns and fireworks — from their house. The family would also have to attend counselling sessions and there would be restrictions on Travis Biehn's computer use. He will be obliged to complete 100 hours of community service with Habitat for Humanity and pay $8,218.95 (U.S.) in restitution to police departments and the school district.
   Some supporters of the teen are suggesting that the judicial reaction is an overreaction. Some have said the trial results have "shattered" their faith in the judicial system. Biehn's parents have complained about the judge describing their parenting as being substandard because they never held their son accountable for his actions.
   Get over it, all of you. This kid is a creep. Period. He knew what he was doing when he uttered those threats. He knew the seriousness of his actions. He needs to have it forcibly pointed out to him that issuing such threats is an infringement on the rights of others. Why waste time bemoaning the judge's supposed harshness and patting the boy on the head? Why send him home free to carry out his school threat or others he has not yet uttered? Which one among those supporting this thug would want to shoulder the responsibility for the deaths that could occur if they guessed incorrectly about his intent?
   Even if he actually had no intent to carry out his threats (and who could really be sure of that?), he will now have learned that simply issuing the threats makes him a persona non grata among the law-abiding. He will hopefully have learned that his actions create repercussions and responsibilities. He has to know that he is not free to do just as he wants, whenever he wants. He needs to learn that he does not exist in a vacuum. His world is peopled by other individuals who have every bit as much right to life as he does.

Bill C-38 Passed by Senate

   The Liberal government's Bill C-38, which will give gay and lesbian couples the right to marry in courthouses and city halls across the country was passed through the Senate yesterday with a vote of 47 to 21. Apparently the Senate erupted into cheers when the vote was announced. The bill is expected to receive royal assent today, making Canada the fourth country to sanction same-sex marriage.
    Conservative Leader Stephen Harper has affirmed he would resurrect the debate if he were elected prime minister. It would seem to me that would pretty much guarantee the dweeb will never live at 24 Sussex Drive.

Hot Enough For You?

   The heat and humidity has been at record setting levels in southern Ontario, with Toronto just completing eight consecutive days of extreme heat alerts.. I'm really a winter person so I grumble my way through July and August every year, but some Torontonians had extra reason to damn the heat yesterday when the heat and humidity combined to crash the ventilation system cooling the air in the operating rooms at St. Michael's Hospital. Emergency surgeries had to be diverted to other hospitals across the GTA, and all elective operations were rescheduled, said hospital spokesperson David Davenport. The operating rooms are expected to re-open today and the hospital will be increasing its operating room capacity to catch up with any backlog,according to Davenport.The rest of the hospital was unaffected since it uses a separate cooling system.

Beam Me Up, Scotty

   Farewell to engineer Scotty of the original Star Trek series. The Canadian actor James Doohan died on Wednesday at the venerable age of 85. Doohan came to acting after serving with the armed forces in WWII. At 19, Doohan joined the Canadian army, becoming a lieutenant in the artillery that landed on Juno Beach on D-Day. The Canadians were able to cross a minefield laid for tanks because the soldiers weren’t heavy enough to detonate the bombs. At 11:30 that night, Doohan was machine-gunned, taking six hits, including one to the chest which was stopped by his silver cigarette case. You always hear about smoking taking people's lives. I guess this was a happy exception that allowed the world to meet the "Scot". Doohan's harassed engineer character seemed to say at least once in every episode "I canna' hold her together much longer, Jim." Then he would go on to coax a miracle from the ship's engines.
    Straight ahead Scotty, and turn at the next star. May your journey be as much an adventure as your time on the Enterprise.

Boomerang!

   Last Friday I went down to check out the "All Over the Map" Harbourfront Festival and the opening show at the CIBC stage by the "Sengalese Scorchers" Daara J was pure pleasure. The group's latest release "Boomerang" is currently topping Europe's music charts and it's easy to understand why after seeing them on stage on Friday.
   Alhadji Man is tall, lithe and easy on the eyes. Dreadlocks swinging, beads of sweat bathing him, he and the other two, Faada Freddy and Ndongo D, were able to get the reserved-Toronto-the-Good crowd up and moving, no small feat. They wooed the crowd in an easy-flowing mix of Wolof, French and English, and no-one cared at all that so much of the lyrics were completely foreign to them. The beat of the music and the charisma of the three carried everyone along on a good ride.
   The name Daara J (pronounce the J as a G) loosely translates as "school of life", and their lyrics (for those who can understand them) tackle enough issues to make their songs into textbooks in that school. They speak out about poverty, corruption, and the importance of voting, among other things. Between numbers on Friday, Freddy, the group's spokesman, tells the audience that as far as they are concerned rap is not something new. "'We're saying that rap travelled out on the slave ships and grew up in the plantations of America. Now it's coming back." Man tells us that they do think they are the best among Senegal's current crop of 3,000 rap groups. Listen to them for a while, and you'll be inclined to agree with just about anything they might say.

A Different Take

   For an interesting variation on the theme of how to solve the problem of terrorists, check out this blog entry. The writer asks "what if all terrorists were bloggers"? Her idea is that they could try spreading their ideology with the tip of a pen (so to speak) rather than with the end of a sword. It gives food for thought.

For Your Information Canada

   I have been writing about the ongoing story of Mukhtaran Mai, posting several entries about the courageous woman. In the one that I posted on June 17th, I expressed concern that people with the same mindset of those who ordered the atrocity, those who visited the atrocity upon her, and those who condone the atrocity will find their way here and bring their barbarism with them. I asked readers to consider voicing protest and said, "Scream loud and long about the outrage visited upon this woman and her sisters in faraway Pakistan. Scream on her behalf so that you may never find yourself, one day, screaming in self-defense."
   Those people are encircling the globe already, and my last check on comments left at my blog showed that to be fact. I found quite an "interesting" comment left after my entry written back on March 15th about the Miss Canada Pakistan Pageant. Someone had written telling me they had begun to wear the hijab of their own free accord. The comment that was left immediately after that one is the one I want to draw to your attention. It was left by "anonymous", one of those bullying coward types who have not the courage to identify themselves when they spew hatred, and their comment is a threat, an outright threat. Is it directed at the person who said they had donned the hijab? Is it directed at me? Is it directed at you? Whichever way, the writer makes mention of Mukhtaran in such a way as to show that they know exactly what happened, and that they support it 100%. We traced this person and found that they had come to my site from the Rogers network right here in Canada. Here are their exact words: "you are wearing a useless hijab, just to call yoiur self pure. You may not even be nothing close to purity. You dont call your self a muslim. Apparently you just have taken over the fashion of wearing a scarf on your head, to call your self a muslim.
GO AND LIVE ON THE STREETS OF RURAL AREAS IN PAKISTAN, AND THEN CALL YOURSELF A MUSLIM. SEE WHAT TO WILL DO TO YOU EVEN IN YOUR SO CALLED HIJAB, JUST LIKE MUKHTAR MAI"
   Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Anne McLellan has been warning about public complacency here in Canada. The hatemonger who left that comment, who feels free to threaten others with the same outrage visited on Mai, is right here. Maybe they're someone you work with or live next door to. Maybe they're capable of, and planning more than you know.
   It is time for you to get involved. Raise your voice and let it be known that you support freedom and the rights of all. Don't sit quietly and do nothing while the darkness creeps in.

Safe Schools?

   It seems the Human Rights Commissioner Keith Norton has decided that the Safe Schools Act's supposed "zero tolerance" policy which introduced automatic suspensions for serious offences such as drugs, alcohol, weapons or assault is unfairly targeting black male students and the disabled. The act is viewed as being inflexible and is supposedly resulting in "a disproportionate impact on certain identifiable groups within the school system", according to Norton.
   You know what, Mr. Norton? It's not the act that makes any of those problems you feel you are seeing. It's the people interpreting the act. Yes, I mean 'interpreting'. Even though there are supposedly strict guidelines laid down, it still all comes down to the principal and teachers involved. I have watched as the aforementioned individuals conducted themselves in any way but the ways supposedly indicated by that act. I have seen instances of behaviour directly in contravention of that act covered over and hidden so that they could be allowed to pass with no disciplinary action having been taken. I have seen this happen no matter the colour or ability of those involved.
   If, for instance, a student were found using drugs ot wielding a knife, then it would be time to be inflexible, as the commissioner terms it. Whether the user were black, white, or purple-striped should not matter at that point. They "did the crime". They need to "do the time". While that state of affairs should prevail, however, there should also be ongoing programs of outreach in communities identified as being at greater need. That is where the inequalities of impact on various groups would be addressed. Once you're in the middle of the wrongdoing, the colour of the person's skin has no significance.
    I have seen behaviour that poses a distinct threat to the safety of the other students in the room excused and even reinforced by the principal(s). Trips and excursions that included students who should have been on suspension for inexcusable, unacceptable behaviour can be interpreted as nothing other than endorsement. Come talk to me sometime, Mr. Norton. I can tell you stories from the front lines about the invoking and ignoring of this supposedly inflexible act that worries you.
    It's not the act that needs any kind of rewording. It's the people who staff the schools who need your attention.

An Everyday Angel

   I took my mother out for a day of shopping today. She just loves going up to the Upper Canada Mall in Newmarket. She feels the people there are friendlier than here in the "big city". I don't know about that - it is rather a sweeping statement. I do know one thing for sure though, after today's trip. There is an angel working at the Ardene shop there.
   I spend the summer buying various items to fill shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. There was a wall display that caught my eye, and made me think of the shoeboxes. A wide selection of socks were being offered at the wonderful price of four pairs for $10.00. I spent time looking through all of them until I felt I had found the four prettiest pairs they had, then took them over to the counter. The young lady behind the cash commented with a smile on how long I had spent on my search and told me she liked what I had picked. I explained to her why I was being so choosy, wanting them to be beautiful to the eyes of whichever young girl would be receiving them. She took them from me, put them right into a bag without ringing them up, and told me that since they were going to such a good cause, they would be free.
   Yep, there's an angel working at that store!

More About Mai

   The lady has been prominent in my blog of late. (see below and here) If you've been keeping up to her story and would like to know the latest, follow this link. Pakistani President Musharraf needs to humble himself in front of Mai. If he really gives a good goddamn about the women of his country, he needs to sit at Mai's feet and ask her for advice and guidance. This brave woman would have a great deal to teach him.

Again

   On June 29th I wrote about Pakistani President Musharraf's response to Mukhtaran Mai, and his attempt to silence her so that she would not "tarnish" Pakistan's reputation. Among his blusterings and verbal posturings was this little gem, "I have always condemned in the strongest possible terms the actions of powerful groups to seek revenge on those who are weak by humiliating their women." He also said his country would host an international gathering of women who would be invited to tell their tales of having been victimized - no date set, of course.
   Musharraf would have far too many women from his own country alone at such a gathering, if it were ever to actually take place. Within mere weeks of Musharraf shooting off his mouth comes the report of Fauzia Bibi and the ordeal she endured.
   This kind of mindless misogyny is the norm in Pakistan. The "men" (for want of a better word) feel perfectly free to continue it. Where is Musharraf right now? Why isn't he immediately getting involved in this case? Where is his condemnation in the strongest possible terms of these barbarians who committed this atrocity? The newspaper account seems somehow to be lacking details of Musharraf taking any action here to preserve the reputation of his country.

Ice, Ice, Baby!

   Word has come today that the two sides in the hockey dispute have reached a deal, ending the longest labour dispute in North American sports history. The NHL and the NHL players’ association are said to have reached an agreement in principle on a new, six-year labour deal, ending the 301-day lockout. Glad tidings!
   There is speculation that healing the rift between fans and players may be well nigh impossible in the southern states. WGARA? The game was borne amid snow and ice, and if its playing parameters are cut back again to those limits, it might make the league - and the play-offs - a little more manageable.
Training camps will begin in less than two months, and then, heaven will not be far behind. Come on, Hockey Night in Canada!

Fields of Grain

   If you live in Toronto, and are into "natural" then you should check out "Fields of Grain", the most wonderful little bakery-et-al shop on the west side of Yonge Street at Castlefield, two lights north of Eglinton.
   They carry a whole range of Ace Bakery products, including wheat-free and gluten-free, as well as free of preservatives.Several are made with ancients grains like spelt or kamut. Better still than what they're made with is how they taste. Every one of them is a treat for the tastebuds.
   The shop also carries copies of the "Ace Bakery Cookbook" by Linda Haynes. Be aware though, that this book's recipes are not gluten-free. Take a minute to chat with Hazel, the warm and friendly proprietor of the store, and she'll tell you that she expects to be bringing in a book in the fall that is grain-free.
   Staring right at you as you enter, defying you to exit without one, are an array of fresh baked goodies and tarts - some with fillings nestled in regular pastry, others in a chocolaty pastry shell. Get thee behind me!
   Opposite the bakery shelf is an arrangement that begs you to stay and read some labels. Their nut butters each list only one ingredient, so the almond butter, for instance, proudly states that it contains almonds. Period. It doesn't take a lot of time for the reading. You do need extra time though for amazement at the total absence from the list of multi-syllable additives that look like a chemical who's-who.
   The display is topped by a proud line-up of syrups, the Flavorganics, presenting themselves for your approval. They include flavours like hazelnut and vanilla, among others, and can be used to enhance a leisurely Sunday morning cup of coffee, or as a topping for pancakes and ice cream.
   To the right of the syrups, the Natural Energy bars line themselves up in eager anticipation of your attention. Again the list of ingredients alone is worth a stop in front of the display. Pick one up and you're peeking throught the wrapper at a snack visibly rich with pumpkin seeds, nuts or berries, depending on which one you choose. Energy, indeed!
   Just beside the door is a selection of Fair Trade coffees to complete your trip down alimentary alley, giving you that cup of Joe you crave, to be enjoyed with an extra feel-good of knowing that you're making a positive contribution to the lives of those who produce the coffee.
   It's a small shop, but every inch packs a punch. Good things do indeed come in small packages.

Three Questions

   Further to yesterday's post about someone punching a hole in my rear bumper ... my husband and I went to the Collision Reporting Centre this morning. Because the incident happened north of Toronto, we had to go to the York Regional Police centre. Last year I was rear-ended within the city confines and so we went to a centre staffed by members of the Toronto constabulary. They routinely photocopy the report and give you the copy. This morning, thinking of the procedure in the Toronto centre, my husband asked the officer working with us if we should have a copy. He said we could have one, but it would cost us $40.00. You have to wonder. Report copies free south of Steeles, and costing $40.00 just north of it. What accounts for the difference?


   Something else we have to wonder about is the reaction we'll be getting from our insurance company. I have maintained my coverage with The Co-operators for years and years. The vast majority of them have passed with me making no claims and not being involved in any accidents, although of course, the premiums have been collected each six months. They have more than made their money off me.
   A couple of years ago, we bought a 2003 Toyota, new. Bad luck has plagued this vehicle. Last year, within a two-month period, we had the misfortune to be hit twice. One impact was quite minor. The other was worse. Although I was lucky enough not to sustain life-altering injuries, I was still in physio for months. When it came time to renew the insurance policy, Co-operators informed us that they were no longer willing to continue it because I had had too many accidents. Come again? When we phoned them and pointed out that neither of the accidents had been my fault, they relented. Their initial action of threatening to terminate the coverage, however, is what has us wondering what we will hear from them this time.
   It certainly was not my choice to come out to my car after doing weekly grocery shopping and find that someone had driven into it, left a gaping hole in it, and driven away. Of course, neither was it my choice to maintain a good customer relationship with this company for all the years that I have done so, and then receive from them the letter they sent stating their intent to withdraw coverage.
   Last fall, at the same time as I was opening that wonderful letter from the Co-operators, there was also an ad campaign being run on the TV and radio about how much representatives of the business were caring, dedicated individuals who got so involved in their communities - one of those campaigns shot through gauze while soppy string sections churned out schmaltz in the background.    Can anyone explain to me why it is that we are held so in thrall to these huge, uncaring, profit-gouging companies that pretend concern for their customers but don't really mean a single word of it?


   Toronto is currently sweltering through the throes of another heat-wave. On July 12th, when regional norms would usually take us to 24 degrees, today's predicted high is 35 degrees Celsius. With the humidex factored in, this afternoon will feel as though the thermometer has reached 42 degrees. City health authorities have issued a smog alert, and an extreme heat alert.
   There has also been a directive issued to people telling them that it is necessary to conserve water. Although official criteria for a drought have not been set here, Environment Canada is saying that we are also in the middle of one of those now, since we have had only 4 mm of rain over the last month. As I was driving home this morning, I was listening to the radio announcer reiterate the admonition to conserve water by foregoing the watering of lawns. I was looking out the car's front window, however, at Alexander Muir Park at Lawrence and Yonge, and seeing the city's water sprinklers turned on full blast, and watering away to beat the band. I am sure that if they are watering any one of their parks, they are likely to water every one of them.
   Water and energy demands are apparently straining our supply capacities to their limits right now. The trees in that park will continue to provide shade, heat-wave or no heat-wave. The grass beneath them does not have to be a perfect, lush green at the moment, any more than private lawns have to.
   I am curious. How does the city justify such inconsistencies in their approach to the current water shortage?

Does Harry Potter Recycle?

   I just found out that the sixth book in the series, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", due to be released this Saturday, will be making its way out through the midst of a conservation controversy.
   Scholastic Books, the U.S. publisher, has lagged behind the efforts made by many other publishers, worldwide, to use recycled paper. This neglect has resulted in Greenpeace and the National Wildlife Federation launching a "Save Muggle Forests" campaign, in which they are urging U.S. Potter fans to buy Canadian, rather than domestically. Canadian publisher Raincoast Books uses 100% recycled paper.A spokesperson for Scholastic has responded by saying that the company uses "some recycled material", but wouldn't specify how much.
   Raincoast Books has even received praise from the U.S.-based Green Press Initiative, which is urging publishers to go green. Spokesman Tyson Miller quotes these figures, "Per tonne of paper, recycled saves 1,000 kilograms of greenhouse gas, 46,000 litres of water and 24 mature trees," Scholastic's initial print run of 10.8 million copies of the "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" would have used about 240,000 trees, according to Miller. "I'm not sure that anyone is using 100 per cent recycled paper and I think you should probably check those facts," Kyle Good, Scholastic's voice, said.
   One suggestion made was that the most eco-conscious move would be to borrow a copy from the local library. Bollocks to that! This Potter fan wants to own a copy, to place on the shelf alongside the first five books. I'll simply be careful to check first that the publisher is muggle-friendly!

Not Again

   Well, it happened again. I was in a grocery store today for one half an hour. During that time, someone rammed my car, and drove away without having the decency to leave any ID or admittance of what they had done. They hit my car so hard that they rammed a hole right in through the back panel below the trunk. The edges of the hole look like they were subjected to heat, like they are charred. That makes me think someone's tail pipe was what punched the hole. Whatever it was, the idiot had to have put their foot to the floor in order to have the force behind the collision to create such a hole. Brain-dead moron! I hope they drive straight into a lamp pole or highway divider. I want them to walk away unscathed but leave a vehicle that has been totalled. I want them to have to take the blame and maybe, just maybe, learn a lesson.
   Why are so many people so goddamn dishonest, sneaky and cowardly?

A Good Read

   Click here to get to Rosie DiManno's article, "Terrorism's Trickle-Down Effect", in the July 11th Toronto Daily Star. I have problems sometimes with Ms DiManno and her opinions on some subjects, but her writings about the attack in London have been 'spot on'. She makes some damn good points and observations, but there is one especially in this article, that rings true in such and loud clear tones. She notes that "Islamic fanatics are nihilists who seek to blast their own societies back into the eighth century, purifying their lands of the infidel, rejecting everything that hints of modernity (save for weaponry; all the technological resources useful to planning and perpetrating havoc), and inflicting a fascistic theology on societies already denied so many privileges of the 21st century." (emphasis my own)
   She is so right. If those animals would demand of themselves the same totality of fundamentalism that they seek to impose on others, then they would be attacking us with the same weapons that the prophet waged his wars with. Picture a phalanx of mujahideen firing bows and arrows at the twin towers. Imagine the troops of terror trying to get their restive mounts past the ticket-takers of the London underground in order to strike with their swords at the infidels gathered there.
   DiManno says that it is such inconsistency and ordinary humanity among the ranks of the terrorists that will be their ultimate downfall. Their seeking to reverse time is part of what she claims will bring them down. "Theirs is a self-defeating and deadening crusade.", says DiManno. It would seem to me that she is right. I want very much for that to be exactly right. I only wonder how much time and how many innocent lives it will take for it become reality.

"Mightier Than the Mightiest Weapon"

   As a teacher at the intermediate level. I encountered mention of Mahatma Gandhi in the grade eight geography text. They gave a quote of his in a section dealing with globalization and the HDI. A one-line gem of altruism, it has stayed with me ever since. I went this morning in search of the great soul after writing the blog entry below. Yesterday's violence in London, the tip of the proverbial iceberg that is man's inhumanity to man left me needing a glimpse of sanity, a hint of healing peace. I went to this site, one I have not visited before, and found the textbook quote looking back at me from the top of the page. More than that, I found the very next quote, positioned beneath Gandhi's picture. "Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man." It is enough. I shall hold tight to that today and go out to light my little candle against the darkness, glad that I volunteer today at the CNIB, glad that I share my time and my expertise with someone who needs them, in a gesture of solidarity; a feeling of kinship with part of my greater family, the family of humankind. I will tell myself today that my actions of caring are part of the great force the Mahatma spoke of, and know that I am helping, in my little corner of the world, to fight the good fight.

In Mourning

   Last night I watched as the TV covered the details of yesterday's horror in London. During a span of 56 minutes of the morning rush hour there, a series of four blasts targeted at the public transit took 50 lives, wounded more than 700, at least 45 critically so, and left an unknown number of bodies in the Underground.
   The website, Al Qal'ah, or Fortress, has posted claims of responsibility for the attacks by a group billing itself the Secret Organization of Al Qaeda in Europe. "The heroic mujahideen have carried out a blessed raid in London," their website claimed.
   The news coverage went on to show a shaken Blair declaring, "The purpose of terrorism is just that — it is to terrorize people — and we will not be terrorized. This is a very sad day for the British people, but we will hold true to the British way of life." Scenes followed of openly armed police and military personnel patrolling New York's subway in heightened alert after yesterday's attacks. Assurances that Toronto has protection in place were detailed.
   Earlier in the evening I had been watching a program about WWII and Churchill had figured prominently in it. Later I watched the news channel's footage of London's Mayor Ken Livingstone, as he spoke from Singapore, where he was with the London delegation that had secured the 2012 Olympics. Listening to him brought back the image of Churchill, in all his staunch defiance of tyranny. Addressing himself directly to the perpetrators of the attack on innocent commuters, London's mayor spoke of London as a much sought-after refuge for so many immigrants and said it was so because it is a haven of freedom, the very freedom that the terrorists seek to destroy. Livingstone spoke in a voice laden with steely intent and told them, "Nothing you do, no matter how many of us you kill, will stop that flight to our cities, where freedom is strong and where people can live in harmony with one another."
   I watched all of this, and more, with sadness, a bleak and heavyhearted knowledge that they will strike again, and again, these animals. The question is not "if", only "when". Acts of terrorism seem so easily accomplished. For all our sophisticated measures of counter-intelligence and security - and England's system is regarded as one of the best - those whose hearts are filled with violence still slip through the net and strike at innocents.
   My paternal grandfather came from England. Part of my heritage is their famous "stiff upper lip". It just seemed so far away last night. I did not lose friend or family in the attack, but I did lose, nonetheless. We all did. The family of humankind has been diminished yet again by the evil of brother killing brother. Yesterday's horror and last night's dejection has to give way to today's sunrise and the hope that a new day brings. That stiff upper lip has to prevail. We have to make our way past the threats of the terrorists, and their bloody-minded short-sightedness. We have to look to the long-term hope for a world where humankind actually can live in peace. Until then, the words of Tony Blair's response to yesterday's attack can help. "We shall prevail and they shall not."

Post Script

   I wrote yesterday about ecological footprints and the Live8 concerts. I asked if we of the privileged countries cared enough about Africa simply to keep them in mind for the duration of a party, or to keep them in mind for a lifetime of thinking globally. If you want to know more about Africa's plight; if you're open to viewing the "do-good" approach of Live8 from a different angle, take a look at this.
   For Canadians who want to feel they can take immediate action, read about the GuluWalk, and be sure to sign their petition. "GuluWalk is the effort by two average Canadians to raise awareness and support for the 'night commuters'; the children of rural northern Uganda, who, to avoid abduction by the rebel army, walk every night towards the safety of larger cities, like Gulu, from as far as 12km away. And every morning they return to their homes to work or attend school." Even if you're not Canadian, take a moment to read the Toronto Star's article about GuluWalk. The walk being undertaken by Adrian Bradbury and Kieran Hayward is supported by Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR) and the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF).
   If you're really feeling inspired by all this, and you want to do more than just signing a petition, you could plant a tree in Africa. It's amazing what a seedling can do. "In Africa, trees provide many of life's day-to-day necessities. Food production is greatly reduced when too many trees are cut down; this contributes to the recurring drought and famine in developing countries." Get involved. You don't even have to work up a sweat!
   There's so much more that can be done than just one night of partying. I don't know if Bradbury and Hayward saw the Canadian Live8, but I do know they're doing a whole lot more in support of Africa than the majority of the concert goers, organizers, or performers. Maybe Bob Geldof should give the publicity seeking a rest for a while, quietly spring for a new pair of shoes for himself and hit the pavement with these two concerned world citizens. It might just do a whole lot more than his Live8 concerts did.

Footprints

   Do you know what an ecological footprint is? It's measured in hectares (or acres, one hectare being equivalent to 2.471 acres), and represents the land area needed to provide the resources for one individual and to absorb the waste and greenhouse gases produced by that same individual. Think of it as the price tag paid by the planet to support one of its citizens.
   The world average footpriint is 2.2 hectares per person. The world's biggest footprint is to be found in the U.S.A., at 9.6 hectares, while the world's smallest is currently in Bangladesh, measuring in at a mere 0.5 hectares. Canada, unfortunately, is not far behind the behemoth to our south, at 8.6 hectares per person. We have the world's third largest footprint, coming just after the United Arab Emirates at 8.97 hectares. If you're wondering how heavily your nation's footprint lands on the earth, look up the global ranking here. If you're curious about what the size of your own individual footprint is, you'll find the answer by taking the Ecological Footprint Quiz.
   So what are some of the steps people can take to reduce their footprint size? There are several things you can do.You could stop driving to work and either car-pool or take public transit. You could take on the challenge of reducing the greenhouse gases you contribute to the atmosphere. To get tips on how to do that, visit this site. Don't be sidetracked by its "Government of Canada" header. It's got great suggestions for anyone living in the western world.
   Another idea is to eat less beef. Nothing to a vegetarian, of course, but if you're a meat-eater, would you be willing to substitute a dinner based on beans once or twice a week? To understand how substituting plant protein occasionally for the beef could make a difference, you need to know that producing one pound of grain-fed beef requires about 16 pounds of wheat and approximately 2,500 gallons of water. In the U.S., more than 70% of the grain grown is fed to livestock, and more than half of their water supply goes to livestock production. Getting one single hamburger patty to the table can use enough fossil fuel to power a car 20 miles or warm enough water for 17 showers. To provide a little contrast to all of that, one hectare taken from the production of fast food burgers and used instead to grow wheat would yield 1660 kg of wheat, which could result in 3,400 loaves of bread baked from that yield.
   If you're feeling a little overwhelmed by all this, or maybe a little less-than-interested, let me suggest one more angle from which to view this, before you stop reading. Think of all this in terms of the Live8 productions of the weekend. Were those concerts, above all, just more entertainment for the immediate-gratification seekers of privileged nations? Do you think they actually accomplished any of the consciousness-raising they were touted as achieving? Were you there, either in person or by watching televised coverage? Did what you watched serve to inspire you to alter your lifestyle in such a way as to lessen your ecological footprint?
   If helping to affect a change for the better in Africa is really high on your agenda, are you going to start thinking globally and acting locally, or are you just going to assuage any possible twinges of guilt by telling yourself that it's all up to the G8 leaders and that there's really nothing you as one individual can do? A gift of money alone is not going to be enough. We all have to climb on board this wagon and get involved. "Saving Africa" should be just one part of our efforts to save the whole world.

My Flag

   Just after Canada Day, I read a little news blurb about a concerned Canadian citizen finding "split" flags for sale. Apparently, someone had seen a chance to make money by selling a flag that was half the Canadian flag and half the U.S. flag. The Canuck's reaction was to decry the abomination, and I'm with him 101%.
   If you get all teary-eyed about our neighbours to the south and feel the need to let others know, buy two separate flags to carry around. It isn't right to mess around with a country's flag. It should be treated with respect, and respect for my country's flag does NOT include putting any stars or stripes on it. One maple leaf in the middle of two red side bars is the way my flag is supposed to be. Stop fucking around with it!
   While we're on the topic, I am a patriot, a daughter of the true north and I am proud to see my flag flown here, there and everywhere throughout my country. I am not at all happy to see the U.S. flag fluttering in the northern breezes. In fact, it annoys me to see the red, white and blue flown north of the 49th. For christ's sake, you can bet they don't fly our flag down there. If some establishment wants to show they are multi-national, then they should fly a selection of flags from nations around the world, but stop the display of the U.S. flag side-by-side with ours. Give the boot-licking toadying a rest. We are a separate country. Let's act like one.

If Muslim Men Are Scared

   I've borrowed my entry title from a statement made by Tarek Fatah, spokesman for the Muslim Canadian Congress, commenting on the fuss caused by last Friday's prayers at the United Muslim Association mosque in North Etobicoke. The prayers were led by a woman, the first time in Canadian history that such an event has occurred in a mosque.
   Pamela Taylor, co-chair of the New York-based Progressive Muslim Union was invited to lead the mixed-gender congregation in prayers and to give a sermon. Among the comments made by Ms Taylor was her statement that Canada's lack of "imperialistic escapades" could allow its people to speak out against the oppression of repressive regimes.
   Reaction before and after the service was sadly predictable. Threats were received by organizers of the event beforehand. After the service led by Taylor, an American-born convert to Islam, she was criticized by some detractors for her pronunciation of the Arabic she used, while the content of her sermon calling for greater equality between the sexes in the Islamic community was ignored.
   Mohamed Elmasry, national president of the Canadian Islamic Council, dismissed the whole event as the actions of a "fringe group" and said it "must be ignored by the (Islamic) community." This all leads us to Mr. Fatah, whose succinct comment captures the issue in a nutshell: "If Muslim men are scared of having women as imams," he said, " they need to examine their own misogyny."

Summer Vacation?

   If you're in the market for a summer sojourn on foreign shores, you might think consulting the U.S. State Department's travel warning list would be the best way to ensure you visit a place you can count on surviving. You might be wrong on that one, however.
   AON is a corporation headquartered in Chicago that provides risk management services, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, human capital and management consulting, and specialty insurance underwriting. One of their services is the production of a Terrorism Risk Map, that provides risk ratings for every territory in the world and ranks nations from the safest to the most dangerous based on the number and severity of terrorist acts in those countries. The 2005 version is available now at their website. This is the one you might want if you plan to do any such research, since half of AON's 20 most dangerous locales per capita are not even on the State Department's list.
   Slight conundrum ... The AON list, according to "Wired" magazine's short article in the June 2005 issue, includes Monaco in the top 20 "most perilous" places. Quiet little Monaco? At the same time, the Terrorism Research Center says that there have been no known terrorist attacks in Monaco, and no known terrorist groups operating in Monaco.
   Who are you going to believe? Maybe staying home might be the best way to ensure you survive your vacation. Depending on where you call home, however ...

Happy 138th, Canada!

   Here's something for fun, the Canada Day Quiz 2005, taken from the Toronto Daily Star. Try it!

    If there are any questions about our flag on the quiz linked to above, you can use the next paragraph as your "cheat sheet"!
   The original Maple Leaf flag was first raised above the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill on Feb. 15, 1965. Days later the flag was given to Lucien Lamoureux, deputy Speaker of the House of Commons at the time. He settled in Brussels after retiring in 1985. That is where the flag remained for years, but earlier this week Lamoureux' widow turned the flag over to Canadian officials at the Brussels embassy. They saw it safely onto a commercial flight that brought it home in time for Canada's birthday. Government officials have yet to decide how best to display it, considering its age and historical importance.

This Says It All

   "... she wants what she didn't have the heart to give: Mercy and a life safe from harm."

The quote is taken from a Toronto Daily Star article by writer Rosie DiManno about schoolgirl-killer Karla's demands for protection after her release. The media ban she seeks should not be given. Muzzling the press about her doings and her whereabouts would set a dangerous precedent. If such an injunction were to be granted, the public outcry raised in response should be enough to rouse the dead. Homolka has already added to their numbers. For God's sake, let's not facilitate her doing it again.