We need a new currency

In reaction to Postmedia's Godfrey Saw Total Pay Rise 50 Percent Last Year. This is from a company experiencing losses and cutting its employee compensation packages.
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/11/28/postmedia-paul-godfrey_n_4357068.html

"I can't keep doing business when these corporations and CEOs keep eviscerating the livelihoods of their employees who are the primary source of my clientele. On the other end of it, I can't compete for disappearing jobs to replace my lost business income. We need a new currency. Dollars are rendered useless as they are funnelled into offshore accounts where they die and we can't get enough of them for ourselves to survive."

White poppies, red poppies

From the Huffington Post:
 Julian Fantino Calls White Poppies 'Offensive' To Veterans
CBC  |  Posted: 11/06/2013 9:04 pm EST  |  Updated: 11/06/2013 10:52 pm EST

"...an offensive attempt to politicize Remembrance Day..."
- MP Julian Fantino

He should be reminded that all war is political and it was because of the politics of war that we lost the men and women we remember by the red poppy. And this is coming from a cabinet minister of a party with that has disrespectfully treated veterans poorly.

"The white poppy campaign is believed to have originated decades ago in the U.K."

"..believed..."??? What manner of journalism is this?

Here is a major credibility problem with the CBC in New Harperterre. It doesn't want you to know that the origins of the White Poppy Campaign came from women who lost fathers, husbands, brothers and sons in war in 1933 by The Co-operative Women's Guild in the UK. Anyone who stomps on the white poppy knowing this, stomps on the grief of women. This is why the military machine hates Mother's Day which was organised nearly a century-and-a-half ago by women's peace groups as a campaign against war.

"...Canadian Voice of Women for Peace make white poppies, which they hand out for free."

Obviously, it does not encroach on the fundraising efforts for veterans who sell red poppies each year.

Red poppies for remembrance. 

White poppies for a peaceful future.

More questions for Councillor Ford

Councillor Doug Ford the enabler: What's all this about "judge, jury and executioner?"

Though he could not state why he was disappointed, I thought it was obvious Chief Blair was disappointed in what Mayor Rob Ford SAID, because he was not surprised to see what Mayor Ford was doing.

Now, what about progress on tying up the loose ends in the murder case of Anthony Smith?

A prayer for Rob Ford

O God of the Universe:

May you be close beside our mayor today. Give him strength and hope and a clear mind to deal with what is ahead of him. Open his heart to those around him who love him and care about him. Help him to experience the joy of living, the blessings of abundance around him and healing love. May you walk beside each of his family members, his friends and his co-workers giving them strength and hope. May you bring hope and healing to the people of Toronto. Be especially close to those who are hurt and bereft surrounding them with your restorative love as we hold them in the light.

 Let it be this way today.

On Toronto Mayory Rob Ford's increase of support

Forget about the substance abuse and the drug dealing for a moment. What else happened here? The three media members told us that on the video they were shown racist and homophobic comments were made by a man who was apparently identified as Rob Ford. I suspect this is the source of Chief Blair's "disappointment" and would certainly be grounds for council to call for his resignation. Then, there were the shooting deaths of young men. THIS IS WHAT IS IMPORTANT here. Ford appeared in photos with these men and that appearance is what should be concerning people. But, all and sundry are going after the substance abuse behaviours which has obfuscated what the city's constituents need to remember when forming an opinion. This is why they have become more protective of "their" mayor.

Joss Whedon on strong female characters, again and again

Long ago, I remember discussions of books, films and main characters in groups as well as reading articles about books, films and main characters and was always given the line that if the main character was male, both men and women would see themselves in him. If the character was female only women could see themselves in her. Sounds like some of the deep theological discussions I had with other people too. Someone got rather huffy once when I suggested the Holy Spirit was female and said it had to be male since it was the spirit of Jesus Christ who was male. Then there were long sessions of prooftexting the mandated submissive role of women. I will admit, the very first time I saw Joss Whedon's name, I thought  he was female. When I discovered he was male, I was pleasantly curious and Buffy was part of a growing list of female characters who fueled my imagination.

Edward Snowden's gift of life

For those who complain about wasted tax dollars, Edward Snowden has provided an opportunity to view how those tax dollars are wasted. Meanwhile, he is vilified for doing that (without drawing from the taxpayer) by the same people who complain. If he is guilty of anything, his sentence is the community service he has already done and, therefore, time served. He has given his life away so that others might see more clearly.

Dirty dining on Parliament Hill

Not just the knives are out, the forks and spoons too. Senate proceedings are a hot item these days as the Senate debates whether to oust Senators Patrick Brazeau, Pamela Wallin and Mike Duffy over misclaimed expenses. As the sauce, seasoned with racism, thickens over these Harper appointees, the Harper government finds itself in the hot oven of inquiry in the House of Commons. Sliced and diced by truth and lies these Con-kniving chefs distract us from the mouldy, rotting issues that ooze goo in the fridge of Canadian life. The kitchen is due for renovation.

The man who would be King of America - Ted Cruz

Due to the circumstances of his birth, (Cuban father, American mother, born in Canada) US Senator Ted Cruz has been crowned king by his father. Since by the US constitution he cannot become president, it is thought he will seek alternate means of becoming leader of the United States of America.

Much about a name: Washington Red Skins offends.

So the Washington Red Skins NFL football team is now under pressure to change its name. Here is my suggestion. The sports writers would be spinning yarns about them for generations to come.  The Washington Red Skeins.

Theology of the Rainbow OR The Bible in Six Easy Colours

You'll always hang your Pride Flag
right side up if you remember this.

RED: Red is at the beginning and it is the passionate LOVE God felt for the Creation that came from womb, hands, heart and head. Human Beings are part of Creation and long for that LOVE. It is a gift from God and we give it to one another.

ORANGE: Messengers came bearing news of the LIGHT sent to Human Beings, created by God to tell them of the LOVE. This was told to them in many ways. Some Human Beings got the message and a long time passed.

YELLOW: God sent the LIGHT, a self in the form of a Human Being who could talk about the red, passionate LOVE God had for what was created and who could show Human Beings what LOVE is. There are many who call this LIGHT "Jesus."

GREEN: The LIGHT shone afresh upon Creation and caused it to grow visibly. Wonderful signs of growth were seen by many Human Beings. LOVE grew inside Creation. LOVE grew inside Human Beings for other Human Beings who did not know about the LIGHT.

BLUE: Creation needed more from LIGHT now that it understood it needed to continue to grow. LIGHT gave itself up and called WATER. WATER came in torrents to help continue the growth of Creation and its understanding of God.

PURPLE: Creation needs reminders about LOVE. LOVE is wonderful, astounding, affirming and passionate. So, purple is ROYALTY who put itself at the bottom, giving away everything it had so that Creation could be on top and know the red, passionate LOVE that came to it from the very beginning.

This edited version first published Fall 2005.

 

Co-operate

Co-operate. The spelling is symbolic. The hyphen draws together the actors and the action. The co-operation of the entirety of a single human being is a lofty achievement. ~ DLH

I am pro-life...

I am pro-life. I support the rights of the already born. I support sex education at early stages of life because an educated child makes more responsible decisions about engaging in sex and having relationships. I support free birth control methods. It is a responsible decision for men and women to use it when engaging in sex. I support a woman's right to control her own body. She will decide when it is appropriate to engage in sex. Men already do this. What all this does is substantially reduce the number of women who need to seek abortions which is well on the way to achieving the goal of the pro-life movement, that is to eliminate abortion.

I am pro-life so I am against the death penalty. It serves no useful purpose except empty revenge for the bereaved.

I am pro-life so I am for universal health care and the social safety nets we extend to the people of our country in need through the tool of our government.

I am pro-life so I stand against sending our country's sons and daughters into expensive and pointless wars that exert control over freedoms in other countries.

In tents evening at Occupy Toronto

The tension was palpable. Helicopters over the village of tents outside St. James Cathedral, media trucks parked along the street, cameras and microphones at the ready.  I stepped into the library tent at the Occupy Toronto site. Some children were listening to a story read by a woman and others gathered around. I introduced myself to four of the folk and asked them directions to the information tent.  We talked about the anticipated eviction and was invited to the general assembly meeting starting in 15 minutes.  I made a brief foray to the information tent and dropped off a couple of flyers for a conflict transformation workshop facilitated by Lee McKenna. I found out that song writer Gordon Lightfoot had been there earlier to check on his daughter who was occupying. I spoke to an older couple with greying hair who were on their way to the general assembly.

The assembly was a circle of about 300 or so and the meeting began with a mic check, the human microphone where one person's speech was repeated by many others so the entire group could hear. Rules of order, a few announcements including one about a workshop on knowing your rights and then some information about what the legal team was doing in court at that very moment.  An announcement was expected at any moment about whether the city would proceed with the eviction.  Since I had to be at work later in the evening, I peeled away from the meeting. On the way out of the village, I went by the medical tent and saw some of the artwork in production laid out on the bank.

It was clear that the occupiers are a mix of people of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds. A few were homeless folk who would have been sleeping in the park with or without the Occupy crowd, so it was good they had a group of supportive people around them.

On the way home I heard on the radio the eviction would not proceed.  There were fourteen (and counting) of the 44 city councillors who had signed a letter asking the city to hold off. St. James Anglican Church officials have asked the city to continue allow the occupiers to stay. The church is half owner of the park. Occupy has a court date Friday with a final decision expected on Saturday.

What these folk are doing is worthwhile. We have only begun to see the fruits of their labour and I am grateful.

Leaderless, homeless, perhaps? Hopeful? Surely.

The list is long, but what Occupy wants is very clear.  The "demands"  all stem from how the economic system that once had some measure of stability and gave most people an opportunity to achieve the basic foundation of what some call the "American dream".  The financial system has been hijacked, people defrauded of their homes, livelihoods and pensions and control now rests with a very small number of people. This is antithetical to the American ideal of freedom.  Occupy wants to restore freedom to the people who no longer serve their country but are enslaved in it.  What Occupy is doing is quite libertarian socialist in certain aspects.  Government cannot be trusted since it is in the pockets of corporations.  So, it works outside of government and corporate structures and connects people with one another as well as taking care of one another.  In that it has been spectacularly successful.

If you find it is like trying to nail jelly to a wall and grasp at straws trying to find  spokesperson(s), perhaps it is like that.  Life is messy and resists being packaged and marketed.  People need to know they do not need to operate alone in struggle with the system that demands more work, offers diminishing rewards and charges increasing prices for goods and services and hangs people in hopeless debt.

People are tired of worshipping the "golden calf" of Wall Street, Bay Street and all the other financial streets around the world and getting nothing in return.  When Occupy offers intangibles of soul restoration, sustenance and hope, it is easy to see why it has taken hold.  People will turn to one another as neighbours and society can be rebuilt.

Rob "effing" Ford

The mayor who flipped a bird to a mother and her child after they pointed out he was using a cellphone while driving his vehicle is now national news. Rob Ford, as many federal and provincial politicos have enjoyed, had the privilege of getting the ambush from 22Minutes' "Marg Princess Warrior" (Mary Walsh) one morning and refused to play along.  He called 911 TWICE to have the comedienne and her crew removed from his driveway and hurled obscenities at the dispatchers because they weren't moving fast enough to his liking. Dear Mayor Ford, don't you remember your vow to cut the gravy at Toronto City Hall? This is what happens when you cut into bone. And, that's not funny at all.

http://www.cbc.ca/22minutes/

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/10/27/rob-ford-911-call-cbc-attack-dispatchers_n_1034470.html

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/10/27/rob-ford-makes-a-bad-situation-worse/#Comments

Of Anthony, family troubles, unemployment and homelessness

I find it rather disingenuous that the Toronto Star put the story about Madonna's brother Anthony who is broke and homeless in its entertainment section AND puts Madonna's picture instead of his beside the story. Aside from anything to do with family squabbles that may have brought him there, the problem of homelessness and the circumstances that take someone from a good job to living under a bridge is a serious one. Presenting it in this fashion in entertainment sections of news media diminishes the urgency of the problem.

Occupation, boats and turning tides.

I get a little testy when I hear the often used saying "a rising tide lifts all boats." This assumes everyone has a "boat" and every "boat" is in good repair. Unfortunately, economic storms have tossed so many of these "boats" around that some are leaking badly or have been smashed beyond repair. Meanwhile there are very big "boats" that ply the waters picking off life preservers from the smaller boats leaving human beings to drown in the wake. It is for this that the Occupy movement lives.

Missing personal certificates on a pocket pc and my solution

I do find a fascination with old technology and the many ways one can use old PDAs and cell phones.  Recently I acquired an Audiovox PPC 6600 with Windows Mobile 2003. It came with a wifi SD card, Belkin wireless keyboard and the charging cradle can charge a second battery.

Loaded it up with Opera Mini and soon I was surfing the web at home using a Bell router.   The connection speed was good, though, as yet I have issues with the size of the storage and memory.  I can't play audio or video yet.  I might find a way.

So, in going back and forth between the wifi and another SD storage card and switching the batteries, I somehow lost the settings and it began demanding a personal certificate before connecting.  I searched the web for solutions and none seemed easy or fit the same circumstances as my problem.  Downloading this program or that so I could modify the registry was just too complicated.  Then, I decided to delete the settings for the connection and start over.  Presto! I am now reconnected.

Now, back to fun with Bluetooth.

Another "shocking" email arrives

Every once in a while I get an email from someone well-meaning who passes on some shocking thing about government taking religion or not taking religion out of society. I used to get a lot of them, but now they only come once in a while. This morning was one of those times.

The email said “Shock on CBC yesterday morning.” and made reference to a CBC poll on the question whether to keep the word God in Canadian culture. Apparently 86 percent of responses were in favour of keeping the words “God keep our land” in the national anthem.

First and foremost, I tried to source the CBC poll and could find nothing. So, whoever was upset can rest easy. The most I could find was an article about people's beliefs that said 23 percent of Canadians do not believe in God and some items on the uproar over gender non-neutrality in the phrase “all thy sons command” in O Canada in early 2010. I did find someone else who wrote on the topic and referenced a Snopes item where the text of an American chain email was lifted out and Canadianised.

The original lyrics penned by Sir Adolphe Basile Routhier in 1880 to O Canada are in French. Christianity gets its due from “Car ton bras sait porter l'épée, Il sait porter la croix.” (For your arm knows how to carry the sword and it knows how to carry the cross.) The English lyrics penned by Robert Stanley Weir in 1908 bear little resemblance to the French lyrics and no mention is made of God. “God keep our land” replaced one of the repetitive lines “stand on guard for thee” in 1968.

In early 2010 there was an uproar over gender neutrality in a nationwide discussion on the phrase “In all thy sons command.” It was an edit from the original by Weir himself “Thou dost in us command,” was a hint at getting support for the war effort in 1914 since women who fought in the war were not on the front battle lines and they wanted strong, young men.

Canada did not have an official national anthem until an act of Parliament in 1980. So, there is no shock, it is not on CBC and it s not about taking the word "God" out of Canadian culture.

---

Sources:

http://www.suite101.com/blog/graywriter/shock-to-cbc--most-canadians-believe-in-god

http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/godpoll.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Canada

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2010/03/03/o-canada-anthem.html

http://www.sen.parl.gc.ca/vpoy/english/Special_Interests/speeches/Speech_National_Anthem_Act_2nd_Reading.htm