Just when you thought you knew just about everything, something comes along and rocks your world.
I must offer my sincerest apologies to all Egyptians the world over. You see, I dressed as an Egyptian for Halloween. I had no idea that was a bad thing. You see, I was drawn by the beautiful silky hair and the flowing gowns and the lovely gems as like the Egyptian women of history. As it turns out, that may have been a bad thing. You see, it turns out that dressing up on Halloween as someone who looks different than you do is considered offensive.
I did not know this.
This was recently brought to my attention when a group of five university boys dressed up as the Jamaican bobsled team (that team that we all fell in love with back in the 1980s) Four of these boys were white and painted their faces black to represent the four bobsledders. Their black friend, painted his white to represent their white coach.
I thought it was quite clever....I loved that team and I loved the movie about them later!
Bad me....who knew?
Well seems like a civil rights group in Toronto knew and they're letting those boys, the club they attended, and everyone else like me know about it now too.
From what I've heard, their concern is that it is not appropriate to dress up as anyone who could be considered marginalized. I don't know too much about Egyptians (accept that in history the women wore great bling!). So, I may be okay....they might not consider themselves marginalized.
But just in case, I offer my apologies now....I didn't mean to offend them or anyone else.
That said though, it turns out that I've been allowing such offensive behaviour slide right past me for the past 40 odd years or so that I've been enjoying Halloween.
You see, just this year a young boy showed up at my door dressed as a Hobo. I should have scolded that boy, and his parents for offending homeless people.
And then there was the little girl dressed up in the striped jail bird garb.Imagine the offense taken by those in jail. Her little friend was Pocahontas. What a slap in the face for Native Americans!! Naughty children!!
And naughty me for not saying "no candy for you!".

So,with the Toronto city workers strike close to an end, they're talking about clearing up the gargage on city streets and parks within the next few days.
I'm looking at pictures of the mounds and mounds of garbage piled up so high after five weeks of no curbside pick up.
It's unbelievable.
And I think back a few months to an open house I attended for a proposed Energy from Waste facility being proposed in my municipality. This facility proposes to incinerate waste while generating energy.
I took the time to speak with someone protesting outside who was clearly in opposition to the incinerator. I listened to his concerns, which included the dangers of incineration on the environment. As I listened, I recalled a recent trip I'd made to the dump.
I asked the man, 'if you are against incineration, what do you propose we do with all of our garbage?'
He said 'we should have zero waste'.
'Have you been to the dump lately'? I asked. He said he had...he's from Sudbury and apparently he says they don't have much in their dump. Wow, good for Sudbury...I'd like to see that dump.
I'm all for zero waste.
I compost and recycle everything I can. But what to do with that other stuff that can't go in those bins? It's gotta go in the garbage. Durham Region has a great recycle rate, but there's still a bunch of garbage. And unless manufacturers change the way they package, that's not going to change. And on that note, look at the way some things are packaged...just try to imagine a way that they could reduce their packaging while still being able to ship and market those goods safely. Yes, there is a great deal of waste. But some of those things just can't be shipped without serious packaging involved or the product we end up with would not be acceptable to us as consumers. So, what are manufacturers to do?
Bottom line, we've got a lot of garbage. And unless a lot of big things change, that's going to continue. We can compost, recycle and reuse to the highest possible degree, but we will still have garbage.
So, do we transport it to a dump in big trucks that spew yucky smoke into the air? A dump that grows ever larger taking up more and more space while also leaking toxins into our soil ?
Or do we burn it and generate power?
To that man I spoke to that day(or anyone else who feels the same)....look at the piles of garbage in Toronto and tell me when we'll have zero waste. Tell me why it's better to put it in a dump than burn it for energy.
And now, I've got to go and put out my compost and recycle bins....and that bag of garbage that I just can't seem to make go away!!!

I drive to and from work on the Highway of Heroes every day. For those who aren't familiar, this is the highway that carries our fallen soldiers to Toronto from the airforce base.
I can remember the very first time that soldiers were being taken on this highway....my son was about 4 years old. We were travelling on the highway minutes ahead of the procession. The people gathered on overpasses, waving Canadian flags and saluting was such an overpowering thing to see.
I was so proud of the soldiers who represent our country and I was so proud of the people who lined up to show their respect. The tears I shed that day, still come all these years later whenever I see people gathered on an overpass to pay respect to our soldiers.
My son and I have been been on the Newcastle overpass to show our respect. I think it's an important thing for so many reasons.
Recently, I had a very different experience with such a gathering.
An overpass in south Oshawa was brimming with people waving flags etc.
The traffic congestion leading to the on ramp to the 401 (Highway of Heroes) was very thick because of the congestion on the overpass.
Two cars collided, thankfully nothing too serious that probably could have been prevented if people were aware of the situation and thus ready to slow down at a moments notice.
That was scary in itself.
The really scary part happened on the highway.
Each overpass had hordes of people standing and paying their respects. Emergency vehicles had their lights flashing in honour of the fallen soldier.
When the funeral procession approached on the west bound highway, cars in the east bound lanes stopped dead....some pulled off to the side, others stopped dead in their lanes. This was at dusk, visibility was poor and the weather conditions were slick. I saw vehicles in front of me sliding as they braked.
Sadly, I have witnessed many of these processions on my way home from work.
Never, have people pulled off to the side of the highway or stopped dead in their lane. This was a first for me.
While I understand and appreciate their sentiment in doing so, they risk injury to other drivers in doing this.
I've never heard police or traffic authorities comment on this practice (though others I've spoken to have heard that people are NEVER to stop or pull over on the highway in such situations)
I would strongly encourage that this message be conveyed loud and clear. It is NOT SAFE to come to a full stop on the highway even to show respect for our soldiers.
Nor is it safe to slow down, throw on your four ways and pull over.
Those who are able, can park safely and stand on an overpass...I encourage this. However, in light of the accident I witnessed close to an on ramp, I would hope that the police would spend more time managing the traffic congestion and the inherent safety risks that arise from such a congregation.
Winter weather is here and driving is sometimes very dangerous.
My hope is that we won't have anymore of these processions down the Highway of Heroes...but sadly that is not likely the case.
Lets not needlessly lose more Canadians as a result.

A silly title for a blog about a silly display of governmental childishness.
I feel like I'm watching children fight in a sandbox. And right now I'm disgusted and ashamed.
Our leader has requested and received permission to gather up his marbles and go home until late January because his opposition ganged up on him (rightfully so I think after he got cocky and made the unusual strategic mistake of threatening to take away their funding).
Our leader tried to scare us with talk of the evil Separatists...perhaps strategically smart for him because, for most, "our Canada includes Quebec" but entirely without validity because this mess didnt start because of the soveriegnty issue...however, his rants have now alienated thousands and thousands of Quebecois who are not separatists at all.
They just think he looks at them like scum and so what will that do to their concern about their place in this country.
He implied that the Libs and NDPers were doing our country a great disservice by accepting the Bloc's support of their coalition.
Yet he considered the same thing in 2004!! The very same thing!!!
The coalition, that seemed so strong yesterday, now seems to be developing cracks after Dion gave a very amateur You Tube looking address to the country last night.
Some experts are saying the coalition is dead in the water.
Well, maybe that's true, but it seems to me what's more important is that the confidence in this government is also dead in the water. I really dont think a seven week prorogue will change that.
It was left to the Governor General to decide the temporary fate of this sandbox war.
Some said it was unfair to put such a decision on her considering that her role has evolved into a mostly symbolic one.
Well, if that's the case, why do we as taxpayers, pay millions of dollars to run the GG office?
We could easily pay someone, lets say, $150,000/year to put on a stupid robe and open and close parliament.
Hey, I'll do the opening/closing of parliament for even less. '
Tell me where to send my resume.
The GG role may be largely symbolic now, but if we didnt expect any more of the role then why the heck didn't we make changes to the constitution to reflect the role the GG plays now?
The fact is the GG's job as per the constitution is to make decisions in situations like this.
The GG is supposed to be like the 'expert' in interpreting how the constitution works in situations like this.
Sadly, Michaelle Jean, dropped the ball.
Proroguing parliament was intended to be used when parliament had finished up with their business and a break was in order.
It was never intended to provide time for thought and reflection(and escape) when there are so many issues that parliament needs to be addressing.
She has set a very dangerous precedent.
And it couldnt have come at a worse time.
Parliament is now shut down completely until the end of January.
Tell me...can the auto industry wait for them until the end of January?
I heard one political commentator say that her decision was theoretically incorrect but practically necessary.
I pray that guy is right.
But practically speaking, I really wonder if the auto industry, and our economy, can wait that long.

After a bit of a vacation from this blog, why was I not surprised to see your alarmist title "Separatists In Power".?? Oh chicken little, the sky is not falling.
Countries have survived coalition governments and we will survive this coalition government.
I write as though its a done deal...because I have faith in democracy.
This is what's happening here Dave....democracy in action. It's all spelled out there in our Constitution.
To be clear, the Bloc will not be running the country. They are putting their support behind a Liberal/NDP coalition.
The cabinet will not have Bloc members. It will be Liberal and I think I read 5 or 6 NDP cabinet posts.
Don't get me wrong, the Bloc will get something sweet out of this deal.
But whatever it is, I have no doubt this new coalition wouldn't be so stupid as to compromise this country. They wouldnt be stupid enough to say 'oh, ok, separate but we'll continue to fund your little new country of Quebec.'
No, that would be stupid.
Perhaps as stupid as the move Harper made...the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.
When he threatened to pull funding for opposition parties he made his bed. What was he thinking? Talk about sweet deals! Pull funding to the opposition parties while he's pleasantly in power. Ya right.
In a way I simply love the power that you're giving Jack and Bob!!
Oh they are so all powerful and cunning that they are "wrestling power" away from the Conservatives!!!
Jack and Bob didn't need to wrestle anything from good ole Steven! He practically gave it away all by his lone self!!
We'll see what happens on Monday after OUR democratic process runs its course...but I assure you Dave, whatever happens, the sky will not fall.

I've just returned from a holiday in Miami and I was interested to read/view media interpretation of the current presidential race.
We have access to a great deal of US television media here in Canada.
To be honest, I had no interest in watching much US television news on my vacation (though I must admit I tuned in to Mrs. Obama's stint on Jay Leno while I was there!)
I did however, read the Miami times each morning (over coffee and a beautiful view from my balcony). I also paid attention to the political signs as we toured between Miami and Tampa(surprisingly fewer signs than during a Canadian election).
Mostly, I asked the Americans that we met what they felt about this race and I noticed the interesting ways that people expressed their opinions. These expressions in themselves could be considered media...they were mediums to express their opinions, not to the masses per se, but to those whose paths they crossed on the street.
My favorite was the guy who walked through a crowded (very upscale) outdoor mall....he was walking 7 or 8 whippets (dogs that look like mini greyhounds). Each dog was wearing a "team Obama" t shirt. Well, the guy was drawing so much attention with people snapping pictures and such. He didn't need to say a word, his point was clear.
He and his dogs were voting Obama....I think he's got the whippet vote covered.
Media persuasion at its best!
A few Hollywood stars were in Miami to support their candidates while I was there as well.
If you were at all implying in your blog that American media is more fair/impartial than
in Canada, this is where I'd have to say I can prove you wrong.
Elizabeth Hasselbeck put herself out there as a celebrity supporter of McCain. Oh please.
The girl 'earned' celebrity as a contestant on Survivor. She didnt even win. Then, because of her cutesy she made her way on to the View.
(where, based on media gossip,she isnt well thought of)
So,McCain, has this girl who really has no proven political knowledge giving speeches to espouse his credentials.
Well, what kind of media frenzy is this?
Same can be said for Matt Damon and Jason Alexander doing the circuit for Obama.
Who are they to say he's so great?
(Although for goodness sakes, they hold a lot more stake for me the poor Elizabeth...at least they have a history of actually being able to verbalize the issues and expressing their opinions)
Media controls politics...
there are intellectual media venue both in Canada and the US, but how many people watch that?
You mention Michael Coren (who is on my tv in the background as i write this)....sure, there is common sense and an attempt at fair representation on his show, but for goodness sakes, i'm the lefty and you're the right wing #*@#*....and I'll admit that this forum leans left. The important point is to see where the show's interests lie...they all have an interest.
In an election, its all about PR ....and sometimes
PR means
swarms of whippets
wearing Obamas Tshirts and
sometimes that means star power.
If that's what people listen to, then that's what political stategists will use to sell their candidate....its all about media...
and mediums...and mediums are evolving and expanding...to quote Mcluan "the medium is the message"........
hmmm, in the US the mediums are celebrities and whippets....what kind of message is that?

I've been struggling the past 37 days leading up to today....no, scratch that...I've been struggling for the past few years about who I will give my vote to.
For the first time ever I seriously considered spoiling my ballot....up until yesterday when I discovered that I'd face a $500 fine to do it publicly. If I destroyed my ballot, I would want to do it publicly....to do it in private is senseless. They'd have no idea if I was doing it in protest or if I was just a dope and didn't know how to mark a ballot.
Then again, I considered writing a little note on it to say I knew very well what i was doing...that i'd spoiled my ballot with sound mind.
I won't get into the reasons for my struggle because you've heard these arguments back and forth in various venues over the past 37 days.
My point is, this time voting was a struggle....a chore.
My political views make it impossible for me to vote Conservative. The Liberal platform, despite some glaring problems , was not enough for me to get past the fact that I just can't bring myself (despite trying) to see him as a strong effective leader.
The NDP, while running a strong leader, and a platform that suits my perspective, did not run a candidate in my riding. Well, they started to but he resigned amid discovery that he had said some not so nice things online about someone.
My riding has a strong Conservative history...I mean there's really no chance for anyone to beat them around here unless...well, i can't even think of an 'unless'....
So, I walked my dog over to the school (a small protest in my mind...i'll bring my dog and ruffle some feathers....no luck....everyone loved the dog).
I walked in and looked at my ballot. I wished I had lots of money so that I could slather the ballot in peanut butter and let my dog eat the ballot for all to see.
But you know, as funny as that would be, I just couldnt spoil it.
It hasnt even been 100 years since women got the right to vote. They struggled greatly for it and how terrible would it be for them to see a woman taking this right for granted.
So, I looked at the ballot and I thought about the debates I'd seen and the articles I've read.
And I cast my ballot for Elizabeth May and the Green Party. A friend of mine said recently "the Green Party has only one attribute and that's their stance on the environment". I said, without pause, "No, they also have a very strong leader in Elizabeth May".
So, Green it was for me.
And in a sense I guess some would say I got to spoil my ballot because they won't win.
With that attitude, in my riding any vote for a party other than Conservative is spoiled...and if everyone thought that way elections just wouldnt work would they?
So, my vote wasnt spoiled. My little vote will show that someone out there heard Elizabeth May.
I honoured the women like Nellie McClung who fought for a woman's right to vote....and I honoured a party with a strong commitment to the environment and a strong leader who went out there and did MORE than hold her own among the hard core politicians.

There is a new organization out there that I intend to learn more about and spread the word.
It's called Neighbors, Friends and Families.
Its purpose is to raise awareness of the very real problem of domestic violence and woman abuse in our society.
They provide information to the neighbours, families and friends of abused women and children on what resources are available in their communties to those in this situation.
In Canada almost every woman who was killed by their partner, had a someone who knew that they were in danger.
Think about it. Have you ever known someone who you suspected was being abused by their partner?
But what to do about it?
It's a hard call. Telling them to leave is simple....and it won't work. And you run the risk of alienating your friend and then they'll never confide in you again.
Think about what you would do if you saw a family member, friend or neighbor being verbally, emotionally or physically assaulted.
It's easy to say you'd step up and say something until you're really in that position.
Now, for those about 40 and older, think about drinking and driving 20,30, 40 years ago.
Think about being at a party when a drunk friend was about to drive home. How likely was it 20 years ago that you would steal their keys and refuse to let them drive?
And think about that same situation today. Twenty years ago, maybe a feeble attempt would be made, if any.
Today, you would do anything to keep them from driving.
Think about a party in your own home 20 years ago. Did you let intoxicated partiers leave your home to drive?
Would you do that today?
Think about the bar/restaurant owner 20 years ago. Was he/she concerned if someone left their establishment drunk and drove home? No.
But they are today.
We won't let our friends/family drive drunk today because we know that they could get out on the road and kill.
We don't let our friends, family and neighbors leave our house party drunk because if they get in their car and kill someone, we are also held criminally responsible for them.
Bar and restaurant owners require their servers to take smartserve courses because if a patron leaves their establishment and gets in their car and kills someone, they will lose their business because of the lawsuits they will face.
Twenty years ago it wasnt unusual for the police to pull over a car full of drunken 20 year old boys and make the one who could walk the straighest line drive them all home.
Can you imagine that ever happening today?!
How did this all change? How were societal attitudes altered so drastically and how were laws imposed to stop drinking and driving.
It was a group of women sitting around a kitchen table, enraged and grief stricken over the loss of one of their children who was killed in a drunk driving accident.
That group of women formed MADD...Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Their work changed attitudes....changed laws...and made drinking driving socially unacceptable.
So I'm thinking that Neighbours, Friends and Families can do the same.
It was once ok to turn a blind eye to drinking and driving just as it seems to be ok to turn a blind eye to the neighbour you can hear being assaulted by her partner today.
"it's not my place to interfere"...."its a family issue"......"its a cultural thing"........
Well, it is NOT a family issue or a cultural thing and it IS our place to speak up because that neighbour could be DEAD tomorrow.
Many provinces and states in North America have Good Samaritan laws. From what I've read, they seem to apply mostly to EMS personnel and those trained in first aid.
If they happen upon an accident while off duty, there is an obligation for them to step forward and assist.
I wondered how this would apply to witnessing domestic violence. Why should I not be held responsible if I know someone is in danger and dont do anything and then they end up dead?
Well, I googled it to find a connection.......I did not find anything on Good Samaritan laws as they relate to woman abuse.......but I did find something on how the Good Samaritan law can be used for abuse of animals.
Hmmm. Interesting....sickening really.
It's time that we do something about this very horrible thing that is happening behind too many closed doors in our neighborhoods...right under our noses.
Don't accept it. Its not okay.
Go to neighboursfriendsandfamilies.ca

The Toronto Star reported today that the Durham Regional Police have changed their menu for prisoners attending court.
Most prisoners attending court in Durham Region travel one hour from Lindsay jail where they remain for a twelve hour period before returning to Lindsay. Prior to departure they are fed a standard hot breakfast and receive a hot dinner upon their return to the prison.
During the twelve hours they are at court, they receive one granola bar and one juice box.
Several defense lawyers are now arguing this in an effort to have prisoners fed properly.
Apparently this is a problem not exclusive to Durham Region.
So far, one Scarborough judge, Justice Lawrence Feldman, has adjourned court proceedings and said "call me when these men are fed and fed appropriately" (Toronto Star)
The article reports that Durham Police Superintendant, Michael J Ennis, defends the lunch ration reduction by explaining that feeding prisoners while they're at court in Durham is very costly. In fact the burden of cost is paid by Durham taxpayers.
Supt Ennis is then quoted as suggesting that the Lindsay jail "send a box lunch and we'll keep an eye on it, make sure no one is tampering with it, and prisoners get the food they deserve and require."
Clearly Supt Ennis feels that prisoners are not currently being fed properly, but that Durham is putting their foot down because these prisoners are the provinces responsibility. I wish he would have come out and said that directly rather than having to piece his comments together through this article.
My concern is that some members of the public will look at this and say 'well they're prisoners, they don't deserve more than a granola bar and a juice box.'
Now, i understand that i'm just reading a report in a newspaper.
Is it the media not reporting a clear message or is it the Regions no making their message clear.
If it is truly a matter of which level of government is responsible for the cost of lunch, then I'd like to see that made very clear.
It's unfortunate that prisoners have to be starved in order for the public to be brought up to speed on this budgetary fighting between the province and municipalities.
Shame!

I wish I had the patience to be a teacher. I once dabbled in it hoping i would find a passion/talent for it...those summers off really appealled to me! I was a youth worker for a youth agency and I was the worker who went in to the classroom with the kids from our agency. I worked side by side with the teacher.
Although I enjoyed the experience, I realized very quickly that it would drive me completely mad to try to teach someone elses children day in and day out.
It also gave me a very sincere appreciation for the wonderful work that good teachers do.
(ok, all you teachers out there, go ahead and diss me for ending that sentence with a preposition!!!yet another reason i shouldn't be a teacher!)
ok, so its clear that, like Oprah, I totally respect teachers..........but....you knew there was a but coming....
teachers are human.
Despite the fact that any human service worker is trained to be unbiased and open to all personalities, there have to be times when some teacher meets a kid that they just don't like.
It's human nature.
I've heard parents say 'the teacher just does not like my kid.'
It's easy to pass off such a remark as a rationalization for the trouble their child gets into.
But ya know, I've got to admit that I've met people in my lifetime that just rub me the wrong way. I don't hate them...they just bug me. And despite best efforts, it must come across in the way I communicate with them.
So its safe to assume that sometimes a teacher will have a kid in their class that just rubs them the wrong way....for whatever reason. The reason doesn't even really matter.
What does a person do when they just know that their kid's teacher just doesn't like them?
Luckily, in my own experience, that only happened once and it was a long time ago.
The good thing about most teachers is that most can remember what it was like to be a kid. Kids can be annoying sometimes.
As a parent that can be really difficult to know that your child is spending the day being educated by someone who doesn't like them.
As much as such a situation would be tough for the teacher, its equally, if not more difficult for the child and the parent.
The relationship has to be monitored carefully......at what point does a parent step in and say that this is negatively affecting their child's learning experience.
Or do you step in at all and just chalk it up to human nature and life?