Buy fresh produce that really is ‘fresh’ and support your local farmers and food producers. Every Tuesday at the Chestnut Hill Recreation Centre, northeast parking lot.
Snow on the roof doesn’t mean no fire in the furnace. Keep your fires going and participate in some of the great events for Seniors going on in Pickering this month.
The 55+ committee is working on behalf of Seniors in Pickering. They have developed many great events that help you remain an ACTIVE and ENERGETIC SENIOR.
Councillor Lisa Robinson raises serious questions about Mayor Ashe letter to Minister of Legislative Affairs Paul Calandra.
There are many serious points Councillor Robinson raises such as
_____________
Councillor Lisa Robinson’s Official Statement In Response To Mayor Ashe’s recent email to Minister Calandra to revoke O, Reg.102/72
May 31, 2024
As a councillor committed to representing the best interests of Pickering, I am deeply troubled by Mayor Ashe’s recent email to Minister Calandra, wherein he invokes his strong mayor powers to bypass the council’s input on significant decisions affecting our community. The unilateral approach not only undermines democratic principles but also poses substantial risks to our environment and local governance.
Mayor Ashe’s decision to utilize strong mayor powers to advance amendments to the Municipal Act and related regulations without meaningful council involvement is a concerning departure from the collaborative decision-making process that our community expects and deserves. The concentration of power in a single individual is detrimental to the democratic foundation of our municipal government, effectively silencing the diverse voices and perspectives of the elected councillors who represent Pickering’s residents.
The request to revoke O. Reg 102/72 and push forward with the development of Northeast Pickering, as outlined in the letter, raises several red flags. While addressing the housing crisis is crucial, it must not come at the expense of thorough environmental assessments and sustainable development practices. The potential environmental impact of such large-scale development cannot be overlooked. Rapid, unchecked development could lead to significant ecological damage, harm to farming and agriculture, increased pollution, and the loss of green spaces that are vital for the well-being of our community and its habitats.
Furthermore, the exclusion of councillors from these critical discussions prevents a comprehensive evaluation of the long-term implications for Pickering. Our community deserves a transparent, inclusive decision-making process that considers the environmental, social, and economic impacts of development projects. By sidelining the council, Mayor Ashe is not only disregarding our input as elected representatives but also the voices of the residents we serve.
The environmental sustainability of Pickering is at stake. The push to keep Northeast Pickering within the Urban Area Boundary without adequate environmental scrutiny and public consultation could lead to irreversible harm. Protecting our natural habitats and ensuring responsible land use planning is paramount to maintaining the quality of life in Pickering. Decisions of this magnitude require robust debate, diverse perspectives, and a commitment to preserving our environment for future generations.
In conclusion, while the goal of addressing the housing crisis is important, it must be pursued through democratic and environmentally responsible means. I urge Mayor Ashe to reconsider his approach, engage with the council, and ensure that the development of Pickering is both sustainable and reflective of the collective will of its residents.
Councillor Lisa Robinson
It may be easy to fault the City Council for poor communication with its residents. After all, finding information on the City website is horrendously challenging, the councillors do not send out concise, informative newsletters, no regular communication system between Council and citizens exists. So the Council deserves criticism at this communication shortfall.
However, pointing the finger of blame solely at the Council is a big mistake. Residents also deserve blame for not being active recipients of information when it is offered in some way. The Mayor and some of the Councillors hold Town Halls, so poorly attended by the public, one can feel the frustration of the Mayor and Councillors at the poor attendance at these events. Calling it citizen apathy may be overstating it, but there is some validity to the application of that label to the citizens. Voter turnout numbers confirm citizen disinterest in municipal affairs. Of course, voters have other responsibilities in their lives but voting should be a planned priority and inexcusable for not voting given all the means by which a citizen can vote.
Voter turnout at town halls demonstrates the level of priority given to municipal affairs among the residents. Again, personal responsibilities can be planned and rescheduled for the hour or two needed for the Town Hall.
This Council – Community communication interaction is a two sided coin with both sides seriously at fault for its failure. Council can easily solve their end of the process. There are numerous easy and practical solutions to their communication inadequacies.
The other side of the coin, community disinterest is much more difficult to resolve. How does one prod citizenry into taking an interest how their City is governed? How do you persuade citizenry to become actively involved in policy development as offered by the City regularly? How do you convince residents that it is in their own best interest to take an hour and get involved in policy development in their own City?
The blame for poor communication between citizens and Council is two sided but the bulk of the blame falls on the residents more than the Council. Council has some communication processes in place, inferior as they may be but there is no excuse for the lack of active participation in municipal affairs for residents.
Drop the TV remote for an evening and get involved in your City government may be a justifiable clarion call to the City’s residents.
What do you think? [ Comments can be made in the REPLY BOX at the bottom of the post. ]
This is not a criticism or condemnation of the Council of the City of Pickering. We just want to hear a straightforward, concise description of what they have done for us to justify their average salary of $40,ooo?
[Also see ADDENDUM at bottom of post]
Each month, we invite the Mayor and the City of Pickering councillors to write a short message to readers from the City of Pickering. We ask them to write a news update about the events, the news, and the things residents should hear about in their area. We received ONE response only. (To avoid causing any member of the council embarrassment, that respondent will remain unnamed. Their response is appreciated and will be published in the June newsletter.)
Here’s what we want to learn:
_________________
We are sending this notification to the Mayor and each Councillor and will publish the response we receive if it is received by June 3rd.
ADDENDUM
The Council should be criticized and censured for its lack of succinct and concrete communication with their constituents. We pay their salaries, so it is incumbent on them to account for what they are doing. Without this crucial communication, citizens do not know what councillors are doing, nor how things are being done in the city. Public celebrations like ARTFEST and SHOPS OF PICKERING CENTRE are fluff, mere icing on the cake to make people feel like things are happening. But what about the meet and potatoes aspects of the City….problems like the homeless, auto theft, food bank use, drug incidents, traffic chaos, and more. What have you heard Kevin Ashe, Maurice Brenner, Shaheen Butt, Linda Cook, Mara Nagy, Dave Pickles, and Lisa Robinson been doing in regard to any of those things?
ARTFEST Day 1: no fun as the intermittent rain dampened the outing for everyone. Umbrellas and rubber boots were the order of the day for Day 1. All the vendors had their booths ready to go but Mother Nature put a damper on the day for everyone.
Day 2 was sunny and dry…so the crowds got better.
The photos are from DAY 1
Scammers never let up, always finding new ideas to persuade you into giving up your money.
AI and fake celebrity images
The latest ones use Artificial Intelligence to add another layer of sales pitch to their endeavour, in this case, fake images of celebrities.
Sites to avoid
Immediate Connect and winnnersfarms.com are two of the most recent scammer sites trying to steal your money.
These sites use AI-created fake celebrities to pitch you how your investments can make loads of money. BS! No such animal. There is no shortcut to making money unless you count the ‘struck-by-lightening’ luck of any of the many lotteries.
Donovan Vincent, Toronto Star Public Editor, writes a great column about this latest scam. Read the details at –> DONOVAN
This post is a slide summary of the workshop on writing SHORT STORIES. There are some important DO’s and DON’T’s that apply to many other writing forms. Worth spending some time examining.
[pdf-embedder url=”https://www.szpin.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/WPS-Fiction-24.pdf” title=”WPS-Fiction 24″]
Ultimately he is trying to build upon land in Northeast Pickering often referred to a the Carruthers Creek Headwaters which is land that is only zoned for farming and rural purposes. Ashe wrote this letter without discussion with any of Pickering Council by using the Strong Mayors powers granted by the Ford government.
Sounds like Mayor Ashe is trying to consolidate his Super Powers capacity by using home building as the excuse. Sure would be nice to hear from other councillors on this but they are likely intimidated by the Mayor and his power and won’t be responding to this letter the Mayor has sent to the Prov. Government.
Read Mayor Ashe’s letter below:
[pdf-embedder url=”https://www.szpin.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ASHE-Letter-to-_Minister-Calandra_MZO.pdf” title=”ASHE Letter to _Minister Calandra_MZO”]
Perplexity is an AI tool that responds to input by searching the Internet for information. Often, the material any AI reports is overwhelming, as the computer bot responds with all that it finds. Refining and distilling posed questions yields responses that are more direct and practical to the average user.
Perplexity and its premium version, Perplexity Pro, are powerful machine language (natural language) or AI tools that provide awesomely comprehensive responses. Many users will find these overwhelming, but once they understand and master the questioning process, the tools become amazingly useful and beneficial.
Perplexity and PPro deal with more than text-based information. The tools also deal with images, optical character recognition, and beyond.
Some practical uses of PPro
At first glance, PPro may seem to be a writer’s tool. It can be asked to write outlines, introductions, explanations, and much more, and it will create the piece within seconds. The beauty of PPro is that it ends its response with a “follow-up” query in case the answer is less than satisfactory.
Improves with increased use, PPro
PPro grows in the richness of its responses as the user learns to refine and distill the clarity of their questions. But it goes far beyond just textual data. Asking questions about software, mechanical technology, vacation planning, and recipe modifications delivers concrete responses almost instantly. The information is endless.
PPro vs other AI’s
The number of AI tools available grows at an astounding rate. Just a few that are out there are Gemini, Google Bard, YouChat, Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, IBM Watson, and Google Cloud AI. There are dozens more available. Having tested many, I can confidently conclude that PPro matches, if not surpasses, the best of them.
Technological aspects, notwithstanding
Not being a computer programmer or software analyst, I cannot comment on PPro from that angle. I don’t know how much memory it uses or how it impacts your computer’s operation. I can only say it has not negatively affected my Win10 desktop.
Though there are many reasons to praise Perplexity AI, it is quite comparable to other AI’s in many ways except two:
Effective and personable support
Perplexity seems more interested in customer use satisfaction than in increasing its revenue. The company is staffed with personable professionals who attend to their clientele with diligence and empathy. They seem to respond quickly to support questions with concise, easy-to-understand explanations.
Revenue generation
Perplexity deserves utmost recognition and praise in another area. Every AI I have tried constantly tried to ‘upsell,’ constantly pushing to buy a basic subscription or upgrade to their premium version. Perplexity never pushed sales, even once. The company gave assistance, quickly and efficiently, never asking for a purchase of a subscription. Subscriptions are the lifeblood of such companies; the monthly rental fees generate ongoing revenue.
Perplexity seems to prioritize customer satisfaction with the use of their tool over sales. For that reason alone, I underline that every AI user should test the AI waters with Perplexity. I am confident it will be a gratifying and very satisfying experience.
To try Perplexity, click –> https://www.perplexity.ai
Happy Victoria Day Weekend!
It’s the long weekend. Plan a barbecue. Pack a picnic. The weather is going to be sunny and springy after the first day…so shop for foods to help celebrate Victoria Day weekend.
Here are the specials for this week:
SUPERSTORE
11 lb Watermelon $3.99
Sweet corn $.40 EA.
WALMART
Breyers ice cream $2.86
FOOD BASICS
1/4-lb beef burgers 4/$4
Irresistible potato chips $1.
ON Asparagus $1.98 lb
1lb US Stawbereies $1.67
NO FRILLS
Chicken drum sticks $1.87 lb
Auatulfo mangoes 5-lb case $5.64
9-lb Watermelon $2.99
FRESHCO
Royal gala apples $1.49 lb
Green onions $.99 bunch
Garden herbs/ vegetables 4/$10.
METRO
Seedless cucumbers $.77
Angus top sirloin steak/roast $6.88 lb
LOBLAWS
Striploin steak $8.88 lb
FM Sweet potatoes 5-lb/ $3.99
PC Salsa $2.
Victoria Day weekend. Enjoy!
So what is a billion?
If I give you $1 billion and you stand on a street corner handing out $1 per second,
twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, you would still not have handed out
$1 billion after 31 years!
Now read on. This is true and rather hard to really understand.
The next time you hear a politician use the word ‘billion’ in a casual manner, think about
whether you want the ‘politicians’ spending YOUR tax money.
A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job
of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases.
1. A billion seconds ago, it was 1959.
2. A billion minutes ago, Jesus was alive.
3. A billion hours ago, our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.
4. A billion days ago, no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
5. A billion Dollars ago was only 13 hours and 12 minutes, at the rate our present government
is spending it. We spend more on servicing the debt than on Health.
We are charged:
·Stamp Duty
·Tobacco Tax
·Corporate Income Tax
·Income Tax
·Council Tax
·Unemployment Tax
·Fishing License Tax
·Petrol/Diesel Tax
·Inheritance Tax (tax on top of tax)
·Alcohol Tax
·G.S.T.
·Property Tax
·Purchase Property Tax
·Tax on Title Searches
·Tax on Building Inspections
·Tax on supplements
·Taxes on various food items
·Taxes on Dining out
·Tax on all utilities – Phone, hydro, water, waste disposal
·Service charge taxes
·Social Security Tax
·Vehicle License / Registration Tax
·Vehicle Sales Tax
·Workers Compensation Tax
·And now Carbon Tax increasing steadily till 2030
AND I’m sure you can think of more……
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed years ago, and our nation was one
of the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt.
We had the largest middle class in the world.
A criminal’s life was uncomfortable.
What on earth happened? We can do better.
The government lost its way but we believed them – elected them, you decide.
It is up to each one of us. It will get worse unless we all do something.
I hope this goes around CANADA
Model Press is a site worth exploring if you are a poet and interested in publishing. I think they publish poetry chapbooks.
Check them out at –> MODEL PRESS
The ‘SIFT‘ strategy:
A four-step method for spotting misinformation
Pioneered by digital literacy experts, the “Sift” strategy is a technique for spotting fake news and misleading social media posts
It’s no secret that misinformation is rampant on social media. Research has found, for example, that around two-thirds of the most popular YouTube videos on vaccines contain misinformation. The fall-out can be dire: an uptick in inaccurate anti-vaccination content online correlates with a decline in vaccination coverage, especially among children. That has led to larger outbreaks of potentially deadly diseases, like measles, than have been seen in recent years.
“Misinformation is worse than an epidemic. It spreads at the speed of light throughout the globe and can prove deadly when it reinforces misplaced personal bias against all trustworthy evidence.”
HOW NOT TO BE MANIPULATED
In today’s onslaught of overwhelming information (and misinformation), it can be difficult to know who to trust. In this column, Amanda Ruggeri explores smart, thoughtful ways to navigate the noise. Drawing on insights from psychology, social science and media literacy, she offers practical advice, new ideas and evidence-based solutions for how to be a wiser, more discerning critical thinker.
One of my favourites comes with a nifty acronym: the Sift method. Pioneered by digital literacy expert Mike Caulfield, it breaks down into four easy-to-remember steps.
Practical steps to deal with misinformation: SIFT
Javier Hirschfeld/Getty Images
Perhaps one of the most pernicious aspects of the modern era is its urgency. Thanks to everything from our continual phone use to nonstop work demands, far too many of us seem to be navigating the world at a dizzying speed.
Being online, where both news cycles and content are especially fast-paced and often emotive, can put us in a particularly “urgent” mindset. But when it comes to identifying misinformation, immediacy is not our friend. Research has found that relying on our immediate “gut” reactions is more likely to lead us astray than if we take a moment to stop and reflect.
Stop. Don’t share the post. Don’t comment on it. And move on to the next step.
Javier Hirschfeld/Getty Images
Posts show up in our social media feeds all the time without us having a clear sense of who created them. Maybe we followed the creator intentionally, but never looked into their background.
Now’s the time to find this out.
Who created this post? Get off-platform and do a web search. Because search results can be misleading, make sure you’re looking at a reputable website. One that fact-checkers often use as a first port of call might surprise you: Wikipedia. While it’s not perfect, it has the benefit of being crowd-sourced, which means that its articles about specific well-known people or organizations often cover aspects like controversies and political biases.
In investigating, ask:
And finally, once you’ve run your analysis, the most telling question of all: Would you still trust this creator’s expertise in this subject if they were saying something you disagreed with?
If, from the previous step, you find that you still have questions about the source’s credibility, now’s the time to dig a little further. What you’re looking for is whether a more trustworthy source, like a reputable news outlet or fact-checking service, has reported and verified the same claim.
No surprise, but I find Google has some of the best tools for doing this. Obviously, there’s Google itself, and if you’re specifically looking to see if news outlets have covered something, Google News.
But I sometimes prefer to use the Google Fact Check search engine, which searches just fact-checking sites, specifically. Just keep in mind that Google says it doesn’t vet the fact-checking sites it includes, so to make sure your results are reputable, you’ll need to do a little further sleuthing – I like to see if an outlet has signed up to Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network.
If it’s a photo you’re investigating, use a reverse image search tool to see where else the image comes up online. Google has one, but I also like TinEye and Yandex
Your goal? To see whether there are any credible sources reporting the same information as what you’re seeing, and saying that it’s verified.
Often, you’ll wind up doing this at the same time that you’re trying to find better coverage, at least if you’re using the tools mentioned above. But the idea here is a little different. You’re trying to find out where the claim came from originally.
Even if you see that a claim has been reported on by a credible media outlet, for example, it may not be original reporting; they may have gotten that claim from another outlet. Ideally, the original story should be linked – so always go there – but if it’s not, you may need to search for it separately.
Crucially, you want to figure out not just whether something like this really is true, but whether anything was taken out of context. If you’re looking at an image, does how it was described in the social media post you saw line up with what its original caption, context, and location? If it’s a quotation from a speaker, was anything edited out or taken out of context or, when you see their full interview or speech, does it seem like perhaps they misspoke in that moment?
Taking these steps before deciding whether to simply share a claim might feel onerous. But the time investment of just a few minutes may save you not only embarrassment – but help ensure you’re not spreading misinformation that, at its most dramatic, can even lead to illness and death.
Today, anyone can make a claim on social media. And anyone can be the person whose re-sharing of that claim is the one who makes it go viral. That means it’s the responsibility of each one of us to make sure that what we are posting, liking, and sharing is, first and foremost, actually true.
*Amanda Ruggeri is an award-winning science and features journalist. She posts about expertise, media literacy and more on Instagram at @mandyruggeri.
The BOURNE ENIGMA
Eric Van Lustbader
Synopsis
On the eve of Russian General Boris Karpov’s wedding, Jason Bourne receives an enigmatic message from his old friend and fellow spymaster. In Moscow, what should be a joyous occasion turns bloody and lethal. Now, Bourne is the only one who can decipher Karpov’s cryptogram. He discovers that Karpov was willing to betray his Sovereign to warn Bourne of a crippling disaster about to be visited by the world. Bourne has only four days to discover the nature of the disaster and stop it.
The trail Karpov has been following leads Bourne to Cairo and the doorstep of Ivan Borz, the elusive international arms dealer infamous for hiding behind a never-ending series of false identities, a man Bourne has been hunting ever since he abducted former Treadstone director Soraya Moore and her two-year-old daughter and brutally murdered her husband.
In war-torn Syria and then Cyprus, Bourne moves ever closer to discovering the astonishing truth and ever closer to his own death.
The clock is ticking, and Bourne has less than four days to solve Karpov’s riddle—and hunt down Borz—if he hopes to prevent a cataclysmic international war…
Richard says
This is not a book for the faint-hearted: many characters with foreign names, even foreign words that need research, and geographic locations that are seldom heard of…in short, pay attention.
If you are a Jason Bourne fan, and many of us are because of exposure to cinema, then the book will appeal to you. However, it is no light slog through pages of easy reading. There are so many foreign names and foreign places that one will be hard-pressed not to be distracted spending time on Google.
Jason Bourne is the James Bond of today, well, ok, yesterday, while Bond is the day before. The book is a solid read though I found it demanded effort from the reader to stay focused recalling what was read just a page or two before.
I couldn’t describe the plot if I tried…it might be something about funding a Ukrainian invasion by Middle Eastern terrorists. I am not certain.
The writing is professional, though often I would say it is too esoteric, cerebral, and intellectual than necessary. If the author, Van Lustbader, is trying to score on the esoteric level, he wins, but if he is trying to write an entertaining, engaging and suspenseful book on espionage and terrorist activities, he gets few points.
The book demands concentration, memory and recall, making it a demanding read.
The origin of “Mothers’ Day”
Material from Heather Cox Richardson
Substack: “Letters from an American”
“Mothers’ Day” actually started in the 1870s, when the sheer enormity of the death caused by the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War convinced writer and reformer Julia Ward Howe that women must take control of politics from the men who had permitted such carnage. Mothers’ Day was not designed to encourage people to be nice to their mothers. It was part of women’s effort to gain power to change society.
The American Civil War, 1861 – 1864
The Civil War years taught naïve Americans what mass death meant in the modern era. Soldiers who had marched off to war with fantasies of heroism discovered that newly invented long-range weapons turned death into tortured anonymity. Men were trampled into blood-soaked mud, piled like cordwood in ditches, or withered into emaciated corpses after dysentery drained their lives away.
The women who had watched their hale and healthy men march off to war were haunted by its results. They lost fathers, husbands, sons, and brothers. The men who did come home were scarred in both body and mind.
Modern war, it seemed, was not a game.
But out of the war also came a new sense of empowerment. Women had bought bonds, paid taxes, raised money for the war effort, managed farms, harvested fields, worked in war industries, reared children, and nursed soldiers. When the war ended, they had every expectation that they would continue to be considered valuable participants in national affairs, and had every intention of continuing to take part in them.
14th Amendment, US Constitution (1868)
However, the Fourteenth Amendment, which established that Black men were citizens, did not explicitly include women in that right. Worse, it introduced the word “male” into the Constitution when it warned states against preventing “male inhabitants” from voting. In 1869, the year after the Fourteenth Amendment was added to the Constitution, women organized two organizations—the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association—to promote women’s right to have a say in American government.
Battle Hymn of the Republic
From her home in Boston, Howe was a key figure in the American Woman Suffrage Association. She was an enormously talented writer who in the early years of the Civil War had penned “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” a hymn whose lyrics made it a point to note that Christ was “born of woman.”
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword
His truth is marching on
Glory, Glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on
I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps
His day is marching on.
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His day is marching on
I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel
“As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal”
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel
Since God is marching on
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Since God is marching on
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Our God is marching on
In the beauty of the lilies, Christ was born across the sea
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free
While God is marching on
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
While God is marching on
Role of women in Howe’s eyes
Howe was drawn to women’s rights because the laws of her time meant that her children belonged to her abusive husband. If she broke free of him, she would lose any right to see her children, a fact he threw at her whenever she threatened to leave him. At first, she was not a radical in the mould of reformer Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who believed that women had a human right to equality with men. Rather, Howe believed strongly that women, as mothers, had a special role to perform in the world.
Franco-Prussian War, 1870
For Howe, the Civil War had been traumatic, but that it led to emancipation might justify its terrible bloodshed. The outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870 was another story. She remembered:
“I was visited by a sudden feeling of the cruel and unnecessary character of the contest. It seemed to me a return to barbarism, the issue having been one which might easily have been settled without bloodshed. The question forced itself upon me, ‘Why do not the mothers of mankind interfere in these matters to prevent the waste of that human life of which they alone know and bear the cost?’”
Appeal to the women of the world
Howe had a new vision of “the august dignity of motherhood and its terrible responsibilities.” She sat down immediately and wrote an “Appeal to Womanhood Throughout the World.” Men always had and always would decide questions by resorting to “mutual murder,” she wrote, but women did not have to accept “proceedings which fill the globe with grief and horror.” Mothers could command their sons, “who owe their life to her suffering,” to stop the madness.
“Arise, women!” Howe commanded. “Say firmly: ‘We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We, women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country, to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.’”
World Peace Movement
Howe had her document translated into French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Swedish and distributed it as widely as possible. She believed that her Women’s Peace Movement would be the next great development in human history, ending war just as the antislavery movement had ended human bondage. She called for a “festival which should be observed as Mothers’ Day, and which should be devoted to the advocacy of peace doctrines” to be held around the world on June 2 of every year, a date that would permit open-air meetings.
International Peace Conferences
Howe organized international peace conferences, and American states developed their own Mothers’ Day festivals. However, Howe quickly realized that there was much to be done before women could unite globally. She turned her attention to women’s clubs “to constitute a working and united womanhood.”
Women as equal individuals
As Howe worked to unite women, she realized that a woman did not have to center her life around a man but rather should be “a free agent, fully sharing with man every human right and every human responsibility.” “This discovery was like adding a new continent to the map of the world,” she later recalled, “or of a new testament to the old ordinances.” She threw herself into the struggle for women’s suffrage, understanding that in order to create a more just and peaceful society, women must take up their rightful place as equal participants in American politics.
Remember the real reason for the celebration
Celebrating the modern version of Mother’s Day may be laudatory and worthwhile, but we should remember that the reason for the celebration in Julia Ward Howe’s conviction is that women must have the same rights as men and make their voices heard.
Food bank lines prove we’ve lost our way
Toronto Star, May 12, 2024
NICK SAUL AND VALERIE TARASUK
CONTRIBUTORS
The long lineups of bundle buggies, anxiety and despair in front of churches and social service organizations in our cities and towns are impossible to miss. These food lines are some of the most visible signs of a society that’s lost its way, but the reality is they represent a fraction of the crisis at hand. Statistics Canada’s recently released data reveals that we have never had such high rates of food insecurity in the nation’s recorded history.
Nearly a quarter of Canadians report going without food, compromising on the quality of their groceries or being worried about where their next meal will come from. That’s close to nine million people and a 26 percent uptick from last year. These numbers are far worse for one-parent families, single working-age adults, people living with a disability, and Black and Indigenous communities. Not only are more people joining the ranks of the food insecure, levels of deprivation are growing. For example, the number of people who report not always being able to afford enough to eat rose by 50 percent this year — that’s 2.3 million people across the country. Consider the impact on our health care system. As research shows, people who are food insecure are much more likely to have mental and physical health problems and much less likely to have the disposable income to manage these problems. Food-insecure people turn up in higher numbers at doctor’s offices, emergency departments, and hospital wards. When they are hospitalized, they end up staying longer and are more likely to be readmitted. All of their health problems are intensified as the severity of food insecurity worsens.
Food insecurity is inextricably linked to inadequate and insecure incomes. More and more people simply do not have enough money to make ends meet. Low wages and scant benefits, as well as grossly inadequate provincial and territorial social assistance programs, contribute to the gap between incomes and living costs. It’s a problem that’s been festering for years, but cost increases for food, shelter, fuel, and other necessities have pushed millions over the brink.
The sheer scale of this crisis demands a national response. The good news is we already know the key policy levers at the federal level to address it. The research is unequivocal: direct income investments reduce food insecurity, improve health, and help foster a more equitable society.
Unfortunately, the recent federal budget failed to deliver on this score. Although the government committed to investing in critical areas of social infrastructure, such as affordable housing and pharmacare, the gravity of this historic moment was not met. Even the launch of the Canada Disability Benefit fell miles short: a meagre $ 200-a-month benefit that is difficult to access and won’t hit people’s pockets until July 2025.
What we need is immediate action. This starts with the federal government committing to slash food insecurity in half and eliminate severe food insecurity altogether by 2030. Achieving this target will require bold policies. Low-income Canadians must have adequate and stable incomes — whether they are in the workforce or not.
Expanding the Canada Worker Benefit into a new Canada Working Age Supplement would begin to build greater inclusion and health for this often-overlooked demographic. Increasing the Canada Disability Benefit and transforming the GST credit into a new Groceries and Essentials Benefit could also help us to establish a more dignified baseline for our most vulnerable citizens.
The dispiriting emergency food lines and the crushing desperation won’t go away without action. We know what is required. Let’s get to work.
[Read the full article: FOOD BANKS ]
[ NICK SAUL IS CEO OF COMMUNITY FOOD CENTRES CANADA. ]
[ VALERIE TARASUK IS PROFESSOR EMERITA AND INVESTIGATOR OF FOOD INSECURITY POLICY RESEARCH AT U OF T. ]
[ We invite your comments. We may consider forwarding them to FORD, TRUDEAU and the relative elected officials and the appropriate government ministers. ]
Ticks are bloodsucking creatures found throughout Canada. They are active in the spring through to the fall.
Common species include the black-legged tick, also known as the deer tick, the brown dog tick, the American dog tick and the Rocky Mountain wood tick.
It’s the black-legged tick that causes concern for spreading Lyme disease. Since 2021, there have been almost 5,000 cases of Lyme disease reported in Ontario.
Read the details about ticks, tick protection, tick removal in the articles presented below:
Click –> CONCISE VERSION
[Quick reading article that is concise without ads or unnecessary promo material]
Click –> FULL VERSION
[Detailed article that is the original Durham Region website article]
The City of Pickering received more than $5 million from the Provincial Government for achieving and surpassing the home building objectives. Bully for it….are the home prices going to be at attainable levels for the average home buying purchaser? Given the inflationary rates of our times and the baffle gab the various governments offer as their solutions, none on these hopeful buyers will be buying any home unless they can do some magical cash achievement.
Any kudos being considered for Kevin Ashe, Mayor of Pickering, for reaching these home building goals should be balanced with some unarguable criticism: has the City considered the seriousness of the impact those home constructions will have on the City, its traffic congestion, its transit use, its emergency response facilities, parking facilities? These criticisms could be catastrophic in the making but the City once again fails to give keep its citizens well informed. Who knows what plans are in the making to deal with the negative repercussions of all this home building? The City sure doesn’t inform people or if it does, it does so with ‘Council Minutes’ that only a lawyer or accountant might be able to decipher. The average resident, fuggedaboutit.
Read more in Glenn Hendry’s column “Housing target bonuses easy money for Pickering“
What do you think?
It Ain’t Over Yet
By Michael McFarland
My hearts in the right place; what’s left of it, I guess
My heart ain’t the problem; it’s my mind that’s a total mess
It ain’t over yet; you can mark my word
It ain’t over yet. © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Country singer Rodney Crowell sang those lyrics a while back and they carry as much weight today as they did when he first wrote them. More and more worldwide investigations are being carried out for the benefit of our senior population and they are reporting that health costs are rising due to inactivity.
Inactivity kills!
A new report from the World Health Organization says annual healthcare costs will rise from lack of physical activity. Under the current trajectory, the healthcare costs due to diseases linked to physical inactivity are estimated to reach US$300 billion by 2030; Canada’s share of these costs is expected to total US$421 million annually.
Adding in isolation and you’re dead
To hopefully offset this annual cost and to be a benefit to seniors, a new USA study marks the most extended test of whether exercise makes any difference once memory starts to slide — the research was carried out amid a pandemic that added isolation to the list of risks to participants’ brain health.
Exercise benefits you
Researchers recruited 300 sedentary older adults with hard-to-spot memory changes called MCI — a condition that’s sometimes, but not always, a precursor to Alzheimer’s. Half were assigned aerobic exercises, and the rest stretching-and-balance moves that only modestly raised their heart rate.
After a year, cognitive testing showed neither group had worsened, said lead researcher Laura Baker, a neuroscientist at Wake Forest School of Medicine. Nor did brain scans show the shrinkage that accompanies worsening memory problems. By comparison, similar MCI patients in another long-term study– but without exercise — experienced a significant cognitive decline over a year.
The results suggest “this is doable for everybody” — not just seniors healthy enough to work up a hard sweat, said Baker, who presented the data at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference.”
The last word, more study and me!
Baker is leading an even more extensive study of older adults to see if adding exercise to other can’t-hurt steps such as a heart-healthy diet, brain games, and social stimulation together may reduce the risk of dementia.
I’m movin’ away from my best buddy, my computer!
It ain’t over yet; I’ll say this about that
It ain’t over yet; here’s the truth, my friend
You can’t pack it in, and we both know why
It ain’t over yet. © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
As a teenager, my part-time job was working in a fruit and vegetable store. On colder days, customers would come shopping wearing their fur coats. They would regularly gravitate towards buying discounted produce. My then-employer would remind me, “That’s why they own a fur coat.” Even at that time, those customers knew and recognized the opportunity of a good bargain, how to save, and how to put something to good use.
How to save is available to us in all different ways. We need to be mindful not only of what we buy but how we use it. Everyday savings can easily start in our own kitchen. To avoid food waste, consider planning a shopping list carefully, cooking and freezing foods that are about to spoil, organizing a meatless meal, washing and reusing takeout containers, cover pots when boiling water to save energy.
In short, that old adage is still valid today: A penny saved is a penny earned.
WHAT and WHERE a selection of this week’s good buys:
SUPERSTORE
Sirloin tip roast $6.99 lb
WALMART
Mangoes $.47 ea
Maple Leaf fresh chicken $1.94 lb
Gay Lea butter $4.94 lb
FOOD BASICS
Heinz beans $.87 tin
2lb Lemons $2.98
2lb carrots / onions $1.25
Broccoli crowns $1.25 ea
Clover Leaf tuna $1.49
FRESHCO
HH Tomatoes $.99 lb
US Corn 5/$2
Iceberg lettuce/ celery $2.99
NO FRILLS
Sweet Corn $.33 ea
Bartlett pears $.88 lb
Blueberries $1.99 pt
4 L Trutaste milk $4.88
Oceans tuna/ Gold sardines $.99 tin
Dan-D Cashews 908g/ $11.88
METRO
Prime rib roast $8.99 lb
Strawberries $1.99 lb
Nutella 725g/$5.47
Ristorante pizza $3.49
LOBLAWS
Planters cashews $3.
PC pure Maple Syrup $9.99
Strawberries $1.99 lb
Whole beef tenderloin $12.88 lb
PC Shrimp 400g /$7.99
Ont Asparagus $2.99 lb
The BOYS OF BILOXI
John Grisham
Synopsis
For most of the last hundred years, Biloxi was known for its beaches, resorts, and seafood industry. But it had a darker side. It was also notorious for corruption and vice, everything from gambling, prostitution, bootleg liquor, and drugs to contract killings. The vice was controlled by a small cabal of mobsters, many of them rumoured to be members of the Dixie Mafia.
Keith Rudy and Hugh Malco grew up in Biloxi in the sixties and were childhood friends, as well as Little League all-stars. But as teenagers, their lives took them in different directions. Keith’s father became a legendary prosecutor, determined to “clean up the Coast.” Hugh’s father became the “Boss” of Biloxi’s criminal underground. Keith went to law school and followed in his father’s footsteps. Hugh preferred the nightlife and worked in his father’s clubs. The two families were headed for a showdown, one that would happen in a courtroom.
Life itself hangs in the balance in The Boys from Biloxi, a sweeping saga rich with history and with a large cast of unforgettable characters.
Richard says
Every Grisham book is a good read. Of course, some of his earlier books are sharper, tighter and grittier. The ones with the character, Jack Brigance, would be in this category, page-turners, page after page, faster, more quickly. You just want to know what is about to happen. As late-night reads, these books were masters of keeping one away from the arms of Hypnos.
The Boys of Biloxi is a very well-written book. A good story, engaging all the time. The plot is simple: two young boys, good friends, sports competitors with promising possibilities. Their lives take divergent paths only to cross again in adult life with one holding the life of the other in his hands. The one sentenced to execution was found guilty of conspiring the death of the other’s father, a celebrated district attorney.
The setting is southern Mississippi, the gulf coast surrounding Biloxi. The area is painted as being rampantly infested with Mafia-like crime bosses profiting from various illegal activities from gambling and prostitution to drug and gun trafficking. It’s a well-developed story, intricate, sophisticated and very authentic sounding.
Grisham weaves his tale in an engaging way. The tale unravels in an entertaining way. A reader will enjoy the descriptions, the plot development, the story’s flow. Simply put, this is a very enjoyable story, nicely written, well-developed and tied together well at the end. There’s no rush to finish the book as is common with many other writers. Grisham leads one, page by page, to the end and even the end is a resounding cacophonous crescendo, merely “this is what you expect, and let me give it to you like that.” A reader will finish the book with a satisfying exhalation.
A good read.
<– [This FULL PAGE AD appeared in the Toronto Star, Sunday, May 5,2024]
A couple of points to consider, Mr. Caldwell…
When
You write a glowing, heart-warming bit of nostalgia there, but the question is, “When?” What time period are you referring to? You clearly are not referring to Canada today.
Let’s do a bit of time guessing
Let’s guess a little about what period you are referring to as Canada and to which your points might apply.
The 1950s? The post-war period was a boom time for Canada. Many immigrants were eager to begin rebuilding their lives, feed their families, find work—any work—and take on the tasks of making a living while caring for their families. Canada was looking like a positive place to be, on the edge of unrivalled prosperity. You may be referring to this decade.
Even though the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s were times when protests and government criticism grew from nascent beginnings to young adult maturity. Nevertheless, the children of the post-war immigrant parents continued hopeful adherence to their parental philosophies of work and home-life responsibilities. They aspired to the same goals of permanent jobs, concrete career development, and ownership of home and property. Though some questioning of government was creeping into society, for the most part, life was good. You may be referring to this decade.
Perhaps you were talking about the ’90s, ‘OOs. Though the criticism of governments was relentlessly edging ahead, it was becoming more blatant, more glaring and more open. Political leader effigies were torched, and national flags trampled and burned. The demonstrators’ numbers were less than the majority, but they were growing. Growing in number, growing in volume, growing in violence. However, the majority still believed. The prosperity was still good. The hope of its continued growth was still there. You may be referring to those decades.
However, a dark genie was uncorked in the new millennium decades of OOs and 10s, the digital age’s unquestioned malcontent, ‘social media.’ The grandchildren of the post-war parents, nourished by the anonymity of the Internet, spewed unbridled criticism of government, institutions, and authority figures. The vehemence was uncontrolled. The principles and philosophies of the previous decades were cynically elbowed aside. No figure of authority was safe from criticism and condemnation. Previous commitments to social responsibilities and economic obligations were tossed. Every political leader, every politician, an open target, accused of corruption and malfeasance. You cannot be targeting this time period because Canada was deteriorating at that time. Nothing to idolize. Social problems were erupting everywhere, all kinds of ‘isms’ of offense and denigration. Ageism, sexism, racism, unmitigated hate accompanied by homelessness, growing drug abuse, rising numbers of mental problems, increased use and demand for socially led rescue. A very troubled society. You cannot be referring to Canada of these decades.
So when is the Canada you write about, Mr. Caldwell?
What is your point, sir?
More importantly, what is your point, Mr. Caldwell? Are you simply chastising and criticizing our government, our political leaders, and our politicians?
You ask politicians and political parties to divert themselves from ‘their own narrow political interests and agenda,’ quite a sweeping generalization. The brush seems to be applied to all politicians. Might there not be some who are dedicated to developing and improving our society? Could there not be a few who believe in their responsibility to deliver good government?
Maybe this is what you are saying
Mr. Caldwells, maybe this is what you are saying…”Canada, we have had some good times, some decades of prosperity and good living. Those times no longer exist, and the blame rests on the shoulders of our politicians and our political parties. Attention Canada! These are not good times any longer. It is time for good political persons to step up, stand up and ACT!
[We invite your response to this Caldwell advertisement in the reply section at the bottom of this post.]
Pickering of tomorrow, I’m getting frightened.
Read Glenn Hendry’s column, “Downtown Pickering continuing to grow up with condo tower proposals” at HENDRY
The story is starting to scare me.
Some questionable points to consider:
Some scary questions
I’m all for modernization, improvement and gentrification of the City of Pickering, but are we moving too far too fast? Are we developing support systems to cope with the impact of all these changes? Where or who is doing all the necessary planning and consideration?
Most importantly, where is the City describing and detailing all the related information in regard to these changes? And is this communication being delivered in layman’s language or that typical lawyerese the city is known to communicate when reporting the Council Minutes?
Residents deserve clean, concise, and easy-to-understand communication about what is in store for the City of Pickering tomorrow. Mr. Mayor and Councillors, where are you on this?
Mosquitoes are more than just a seasonal nuisance – they pose serious health risks. As warmer weather approaches, mosquitoes will become more active and abundant. These pests can transmit dangerous diseases like malaria, dengue, Zika, and West Nile virus. Mosquito-borne illnesses can cause fever, body aches, and in severe cases, neurological complications or even death. Mosquitoes are responsible for millions of deaths worldwide each year. Taking precautions like using insect repellent, wearing protective clothing, and eliminating standing water around your home can help reduce exposure and lower the risk of contracting a mosquito-borne disease. Staying vigilant during mosquito season is crucial for safeguarding your health.
________________________
Mosquitoes need stagnant water to breed. Their babies start out as little worm-like creatures that breathe through their butts and eat algae and bacteria until they are ready to become the biting, flying nemeses we all know so well. This is why you’re supposed to cover or dump out any containers that collect water weekly
Councillor Brenner, Region & Ward 1 Councillor, has a very comprehensive newsletter that covers a broad range of topics including…hold your breath now:
To access the full newsletter, click –> BRENNER_MAY_NEWSLETTER
FOOD BANK use – sky rocketing…up 80% since the pandemic.
FOOD BANK donations – declining like a stone…less than 30% of prepandemic levels.
GLOBAL NEWS: –> FOOD BANKS
CBS NEWS: –> FOOD BANKS
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What is the government doing about this? Nothing noteworthy.
Causes of increased FOOD BANK use:
Hello Savvy Shoppers,
Finding great grocery specials of the week has become increasingly challenging. However, there are a few finds this week, all ideal for the making of healthy, nutritious meals. If these stores are within your shopping circuit, a stop will make the savings worthwhile.
Metro is advertising frozen turkeys at $.99/lb !! This may not be our traditional time for a turkey dinner, but the price is very right. If you have room, continue to store it in your home freezer. Once cooked, you can invite family and friends for an off-season turkey dinner. Leftovers make great pot pies/ freeze them. These are great ready-made dinners you can enjoy after any busy day. Stop at Food Basics to collect salad needs -tomatoes and cucumbers at $.88. And pick up a cantaloupe for $1.88 to enjoy a healthy dessert.
Here are additional combinations possible:
SUPERSTORE
Limes $.40 ea.
Atlantic salmon fillets $9.99 lb
Activia tub $3.49
Ensure reg meal $11.99
Planters Cashews $3.
Whole beef brisket $4.99 lb
Iceberg lettuce $3.
Avocados $5. bag
F.M. Roma tomatoes 3lb/$6.
WALMART
Seedless cucumbers 2/$.94
Iceberg lettuce $.94
Campbells soup $.94 tin
Breyers ice cream $2.94
FOOD BASICS
Cantaloupes $1.88
Tomatoes on vine $.88 lb
Seedless cuke $.88 ea.
5 lb Russet potatoes $1.68
10″ hanging flower basket $12.98
Chicken leg quarter $1.78 lb
Selection bacon $2.98
Catelli pasta /sauce $1.67
FRESHCO
Broccoli crowns $1.97 lb
1 lb strawberries $2.44
Avocados $4.47 bag
grape tomatoes $2.97 pint
3 pk Romaine hearts $4.97
NO FRILLS
NN frozen fruit $3. bag
Planters cashews $3.
Ground chicken $3 lb
9 lb US watermelon $3.88
Unico beans/tomatoes $1.25 can
Purex/Sunlight 100+ loads $ 8.99
Tomatoes on vine $1.99
1 lb strawberries $3.99
Pineapples $2.99
LOBLAWS
Chicken drumsticks/thighs $1.88 lb
Sirloin tip oven roast $4.88 lb
Blueberries $1.94 pint
Jumbo cantaloupe $1.99 ea.
Planters cashews $3.
METRO
Utility turkey-frozen $.99 lb
Irresistible 500ml maple syrup $7.99
Broccoli crown $1.99 lb
Consider creating a VITAL BINDER which is a compilation of all your vital information in one place.
Make two copies:
- digital copy for storage on your computer and a
- hard copy for storage in a secure place at home in a security vault.
VITAL BINDER should contain all your vital information and be regularly updated, best once every month.
A practical way to organize your vital data binder is to create sections, some of which are suggested below:
The major topics can be subdivided as appropriate to your needs. For example, FINANCIAL could be subdivided into CREDIT CARD INFO, INVESTMENTS DATA, ACCOUNTS, etc.
How to start
Your binder does not have to be completed in one session. It is easier to build one section at a time until you have all your information in both locations, hard copy and digital. Then, it is a matter of monthly updates to keep the information current.
About DATA ENTRY
Data can be entered as photos, photographs of the front and back of each credit card, for example, as URLs or FILE digital addresses, and even in the old-fashioned way of typed pages or even handwritten ones.
The important point is that each entry is clear for accessing the information.
An application like EXECUTIVE ORGANIZER is a great tool for helping you record vital information. To learn more about this application, click –> ORGANIZER
I remember my uncle had a stroke in his 70s, and no one in the family knew what was happening. With medical intervention, he was rehabilitated to some extent. He lived into his 90s but never regained proper walking capability or normal speaking capability. Still, he managed to have a decent 20 more years after the stroke.
Did you know there are over 50,000 strokes every year in Canada or about one stroke every 10 minutes? Stroke is a major health event that happens when there is a disruption of blood flow to the brain, and it can affect people in different ways. In this 3-minute video, Dr. Ada Tang, Assistant Dean of Rehabilitation Science, explains what you need to know about stroke. She says it’s important to recognize the signs of stroke when it’s happening because “time is brain”.
For more information, –> McMASTER OPTIMUM AGING PORTAL
Source: McMASTER OPTIMUM AGEING PORTAL
As we age, our bodies change, and tasks that were once second nature may become more challenging. One of the most significant concerns for older adults is the risk of falling, and globally, falls are the second leading cause of death from unintentional injury. Falls can lead to serious injuries and impact independence and quality of life. However, many falls can be prevented with some proactive steps and awareness. Here are some simple tips to stay steady on your feet.
It is important to remember that falling should not be considered inevitable, but there are many things you can do to keep your feet firmly planted on the ground. Speak with your healthcare provider, and consider your circumstances when deciding which strategy is best for you.
To Whom it May Concern:
Sharpen the blades!
Take advantage of the rainy weather. Get the lawn mower blades sharpened and ready to rip through the lawn when the rating stops.
Disruptive delegates deflect Council focus from City municipal agenda.
City of Pickering Council meetings have recently been disrupted by unruly, discourteous and disruptive delegates. The delegate process in order to address the council has a specific procedure. Prospective delegates must apply to receive speaking approval and then they are supposedly bound by regulations as to duration of speaking and topic they may address. Because certain delegates have been abusing these regulations, the Pickering City Council has passed new regulations regarding delegates. Basically, the regulations further limit who can be delegates, loss of photo taking permission and emphasis that they must abide by delegate regulations.
Read the full details at –> DELEGATES
Comment
Delegate approval should be given to those who ‘skin in the game’ only (are City of Pickering taxpayers). However, proper delegate decorum should be a given and those who do not abide by the regulations should be removed from the delegate podium. End of story.
[Comments/opinions may be added at the end of the post.]
The BYLAW:
Tribute (Brookdale) Limited has submitted Pre-Submission Applications for Official Plan Amendment and Zoning By-law Amendment for the Brookdale Centre to permit a multi-phased, high-density, mixed-use residential development consisting of six buildings containing fourteen residential towers ranging in height from 17 to 35 storeys within four phases. A total of 5,238 residential units are proposed, including 7,149 square metres of retail/commercial space, and a 716 square metres daycare facility.
The purpose of the Official Plan Amendment is to increase the maximum residential density from 140 units per hectare to no maximum, and to increase the maximum Floor Space Index (FSI) from 2.5 to 5.0.
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The 75 Towers that Ashe vehemently denied is looking closer to the truth. Where is all the retail outlets going to be located in Pickering? I do believe there is a Food Basics, Home Depot, Shoppers Drug and many smaller retail outlets in this proposed area. What is to become of them? The traffic which is already terrible is going to become on big parking lot.____________________________________Mike Borie
__________________
There may “ eventually” be retail there to support those new residents.
Some people would have you believe that endless growth and development is a wonderful thing and a sign of prosperity. I, on the other hand, left behind my life in Toronto for the quiet life in the Town of Pickering, outside Metropolitan Toronto boundaries. Now, those borders have been transcended to the point that the only thing separating us from Toronto is the Rouge River valley.
More that 50 later, the spectre of highrise development is upon us. 30,40,50 story buildings all along the 401 corridor. The only problem with this is trying to infill land around what a small town has built up over a century. It fundamentally changes everything. It forces small businesses to relocate when plazas and vacant land are sold off. It makes getting around to shop more difficult, as all the subdivisions require getting out to Kingston Rd., Brock Rd., Whites Rd., Liverpool Rd., etc. This is archaic planning. If you were building from scratch like in Dubai, then everything can be planned accordingly with the proper infrastructure, sort of what will be accomplished in Seaton if you like what you see at Taunton and Whites Rd.
Our Planning and Zoning laws are only limited by the depth of the developers’ pockets. Politicians get elected but don’t tell us their hidden plans. Mr. Ford comes up with the novel idea of special Mayors’ powers. Mayor Ashe says he won’t take these powers if elected, gets elected, and takes the special powers.
Our elected Council can only follow the planning process and then have their decisions taken to the Ontario Land Tribunal which usurps our Pickering Council. The former OMB, Ontario Municipal Board, was pretty tough on local decision-making, but then it transformed into LPAT, a somewhat tougher Local Planning Act Tribunal. Now we have the OLT, Ontario Land Tribunal, and the public has all but been shut out of this process which it has tried to navigate it.
As Mr.Ford would say, “that’s politics folks.” We are creatures of habit and keep repeating the same mistakes. _____________________Paul White
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“Even a broken clock is right twice a day. “
[ Comments or opinions may be added at the end of the post.]
Unfortunately, Councillor Lisa Robinson set an aura for herself when she took unique positions about marginalized group recognition and symbolic flag waving at public institutions about a year ago. It may be impossible for her to remove that aura. However, the Councillor has some validity in her most recent video statement made on YouTube at ROBINSON STATEMENT
The text of what was broadcast is as follows, with the highlighting indicating points to consider rather than merely as face value:
_______________________
Robinson’s Council Highlights April 22nd, 2024
Monday’s Council meeting had only 10 attendees. In a 5 to 1 vote, I dissented from adopting the minutes of previous meetings due to concerns about omitted details, censorship changes, and potential manipulation of recordings. I proposed employing an independent source for recording meetings to ensure transparency.
The Mayor, after announcing the first item on the agenda being the Integrity Commissioners Annual report, sarcastically stated “This should be Fun,” and then proceeded to insult me by saying he was going to have me on a short leash, like some kind of animal,
The Integrity Commissioner’s “Annual” report, which hasn’t been received annually for at least 4 years, raised questions. In which I was told it was generally/kinda/sorta an annual report. I challenged why the IC made a recommendation to forbid any delegates from speaking to any IC recommendation reports, and while trying to get a straight answer, the IC admitted that this suggestion was only made to the City of Pickering and not made to any other of her clients unless asked. I further tried to question the report, but I kept getting shut down by both the mayor and IC. After much research, I found out that this report is nothing more than a generic template and lacks focus on Pickering. Calling it Pickering’s Annual Report is nothing short of being very misleading to the public.
Council backed Saint Catherines’ petition for more funding for museums and libraries. I questioned this motive, as it’s unrelated to Pickering or Durham. The Mayor also labelled it urgent in his recap
I attempted to rescind the over $30,000 approval for chamber artwork, questioning the selection process as it did not go out to a call for artists for competition. Despite my efforts, the motion was not seconded, and the Mayor refused to relinquish his seat in order to do so.
Another issue was the commission of another $80,000 public art project at Kingston Rd and Whites. Recently, we have approved bringing 3 art projects in at over $170,000. In a 5 to 1 vote, I was the only one who advocated for prioritizing community needs, lowering property taxes, fixing roads and playgrounds, and preventing crime over decorative distractions.
I opposed the advancement of 1525 Pickering Parkway due to insufficient parking. Selling 571 units without parking for 256 of those units neglects community needs and exacerbates street parking and safety concerns. I also commented that none of the members of council would be willing to give up their cars, so why are we assuming that the people of Pickering will? In my opinion, not having a parking space is not going to make your investment more affordable like the politicians, and developers want you to think. Follow the money.
I voted against tax rates and due dates, criticizing the undemocratic Strong Mayors budget process in which the council was excluded and the unnecessary spending on things like non-essential projects and consultants, which could have prevented the 2024 tax hike.
We supported a seasonal patio program for the open studio art café in Nautical Village. I suggested exploring its extension to other restaurants/café’s in Pickering.
I proposed dividing the recommendation to provide extra grants to the Pentecostal Church and the Pickering Caribbean Canadian Cultural Association, granting the CAO and treasurer the authority to increase minor grant amounts from 250 to 2000 without council approval. Unfortunately, my colleagues refused to divide it, resulting in my vote not accurately reflecting my support for the grants, but not for the lack of transparency surrounding the high increase to be given out without the council’s approval.
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Two motions were presented to name a new or unnamed city property after former mayors John E. Anderson and Wayne Arthurs. I suggested considering naming rights for public facilities to generate revenue for the city and exploring alternative ways to honor Pickering politicians in the best interest of its residents.
And lastly, A motion was presented, in my view, in a sneaky, underhanded manner regarding the exclusion of non-Pickering residents as meeting delegates even though we have 4 members of the council who sit in the region. Despite lacking urgency or our usual procedure, it received 5 to 1 support from the council, which I find concerning, as this motion seems aimed at suppressing dissenting voices unless they align with favoured narratives. Over the last few months, we’ve reduced delegate time from 10 to 5 minutes, eliminated the question and answer period, prohibited attendees from recording meetings, and now the disallowance of non-Pickering residents as delegates with few exceptions, We also removed any Pickering residents delegations, from being able to register ten days in advance for items not listed on an agenda. This, my friends, represents censorship and undemocratic practices and marks the onset of a new era of council censorship, silencing the voices of the people. That’s it for Robinson’s Council Highlights, Thank you for watching and God Bless
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Official Statement:
The recent behaviour of Mayor Kevin Ashe, including derogatory remarks towards residents and non-residents of Pickering, such as labelling them as “nut cases,” “crazies,” and “right-wing conspiracy theorists,” is entirely unacceptable and condemnable. His online conduct, which includes bullying, intimidation, and name-calling, is not only unbecoming of his position but also deeply concerning.
Furthermore, Mayor Ashe’s hypocritical actions, purportedly advocating for mental health while engaging in behaviour that exacerbates it, are particularly troubling. His behaviour does not reflect the values of our community or the responsibilities of his position.
Therefore, I call for Mayor Kevin Ashe to step down from his position, as he has demonstrated that he is unfit to hold such a position of authority and responsibility.
I extend my sincerest apologies to all my supporters who have been bullied and called names by the Mayor and fellow councillors. No one should have to endure such treatment, especially from those in positions of power and authority.
It is one thing to have a dissenting opinion, but insulting, name-calling, bullying, and intimidating those who do is beyond disgusting. Such behaviour has no place in our community or in our council chambers. We must uphold the principles of respect, integrity, and inclusivity in all our interactions and condemn any actions that seek to undermine these values.
Thank you.
________________________
There is growing grumbling and dissatisfaction with the dynamics of the current City of Pickering Council.
[Comments and counterpoints can be written at the bottom of the post.]
From the statements of certain Councillors to some of the Mayor’s actions and words, there is a growing concern with the current City of Pickering Council.
Councillor Lisa Robinson may have freed the genie from the bottle with her flag-waving and marginalized group endeavours from a year or so ago. Robinson’s actions and statements, arguably justified, seem to be a prod for more equitable recognition of outsider groups, from Blacks to LGBTQ+. Though some may question Robinson’s stand, (grand standing?) they should pay attention to her underlying messages. Robinson is doing more than poking fingers into political and civic leaders’ chests. She is questioning the processes and procedures used by political institutions. Her finger prodding seems to have touched the sensitivities of more than one leader, though Mayor Ashe comes to the fore in this regard.
First, it is crucial to underline that Councillor Robinson needs to give more consideration to the questions she raises. Sometimes, her questions spark emotional and social turmoil needlessly. Sometimes, they touch areas that need questioning. No one opposes her right to free speech, but free speech must be regulated and sometimes even limited. You may have the right to say “Fire” in a crowded theatre, but no one would agree you should have the freedom to do so. You may have the right to say the word “nigger,’ but no one would agree you should.
However, Councillor Robinson seems to act a little too impetuously to the detriment of her surroundings, Councillors and citizenry. She may have some valid points in some areas that she questions, but should the questions be raised at all? Perhaps she might benefit from some emotional sensitivity and social awareness training sessions to raise her consciousness about the impact her words and actions may have on the community.
Be all that as it may, Robinson may have burst the damn of political intransigence and continuation of old tropes. Perhaps the best-before date of the “old boys’ club” pontifications is long past and should be modified or, better yet, trashed. She may have been voted to the table along with other females, but her permission to speak may be somewhat in question as evidenced by some recent words and actions of Mayor Ashe.
At a recent Council meeting, when a delegate got somewhat carried away with her statement and the attending audience became somewhat rowdy in support, Mayor Ashe responded with some name-calling, “nutcase,” followed by cutting off her mike.
Again, in a recent Council meeting, which was open to the public, Ashe was overheard saying things like, “This should be fun,” and that he would keep a certain councillor on a “short leash.”
As much as some people may see these kinds of remarks as arguably trivial, others see them as systemic issues, problems that may be indicative of misogynistic undertones. Perhaps the Mayor and Council members need to consider some anger and social awareness training also. Many of us would benefit from joining those sessions.
On another note, when exploring how our public officials seem a little lagging in fulfilling their responsibilities, the Integrity Commissioner is supposed to provide public annual reports. When criticized for lagging in this responsibility, he lamented about an overload of work as he was Integrity Commissioner for Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, and all of Durham. This kind of begs the question: Is such a lamentation appropriate for a civil servant at such a level?
The point of this whole missive is that we all need to examine our behaviour more closely. The Internet and Social Media’s anonymity and immediacy have made it too easy to criticize others in ways that Granny would never have permitted. We need Granny to come back and remind us about respect, proper decorum, and sensitivity.
Becoming justifiably deserves to be labelled a bestseller. Continue reading
A French expatriot brings his passion and expertise relating to print to Canada.
Letting Go of EITHER/OR
and Embracing BOTH/AND
With more than 30 years of experience in printing, Simon Dulac began his career in France, where he simultaneously oversaw the printing of more than 20 weekly newspapers. Deciding to follow his children to Montreal, he founded Rapido Books in 2013, with the objective of sharing his expertise in digital technology with Canadian and Quebec publishers.
The result is Rapido Books’ trademark turnkey service for short-run printing and print-on-demand. Simon leads a team of dynamic professionals dedicated to offering publishers new and creative solutions that will pave the way for the future of the printed book.
Rapido’s philosophy is based on 4 principles:
This is a self-publishing company. Read more below:
Lulu is dedicated to making the world a better place, one book at a time, through sustainable practices, innovative print-on-demand products, and a commitment to excellent service.
After successfully navigating a record-breaking IPO for Red Hat in 1999, our founder, Bob Young, discovered publishing his amazing story through any of the traditional publishing houses was impossible. Determined to share his story, he employed a hybrid publisher but was frustrated, disappointed, and dissatisfied with the nominal results. At this point, he determined no one should have to share a similar experience, and Lulu was born.
Lulu uses print-on-demand technology to print and ship books, calendars, & more. Our international network of printers handles each book individually, ensuring the highest-quality custom book printing in the industry.
Today, Lulu has evolved to offer print-on-demand sales tools to address content creators’ biggest challenges: monetizing content while developing a direct relationship with their fans. Direct-to-consumer sales tools like Lulu Direct allow anyone to sell books directly on their own website. Direct sales are the way of the future and Lulu brings the best ecommerce integrations for anyone who wants to publish and sell books.
As a Certified B Corporation, Lulu is committed to balancing purpose and profit. We prioritize sustainability and strive for the highest social and environmental performance standards.
100% renewable energy consumption
Paid volunteer days for employees
In-office composting and gardening
Read more at LULU
Council approves “DELEGATION RIGHTS”
Concern over DELEGATES’ SPEAKING RIGHTS
Just a concern over the motion approved tonight concerning new rules surrounding delegating before Pickering Council. Residents not having access to the motion put forth by Councillor Pickles and seconded by Councillor Nagy in a timely manner to the actual motion’s wording did not have adequate time to consider if they wanted to speak towards this motion was wrong. Second, what is to become of people that do not live in Pickering but do work 40 to 50 hours weekly within the boundaries of the City of Pickering? How about non residents of Pickering that own business(s) within the city of Pickering and do pay taxes to the city of Pickering?
Mike Borie
____________________
REPLY: All Pickering taxpayers have the right to speak at Council Meetings as delegates
Hi Mike,
All these concerns are addressed in the text of the motion.
As Mayor Ashe read out, any and all taxpayers (including business owners) are able to delegate, no issue; for anyone with a concern about something before them who lives outside the city of Pickering (for example the delegation we had about stopping the use of rodenticides last year), they can email any member of council to seek to delegate, and can delegate with a mover and seconder.
If an issue at hand would impact a neighbouring resident, such as an Ajax resident in regards to a development for example, they will be given leave to delegate.
This motion is designed so that these exact examples you point out are given a genuine opportunity to speak and be heard.
Mara Nagy (she/her)
City Councillor | Ward 2
____________________
REPLY: Response to Councillor Nagy
My concerns of not even knowing that this was going to be a motion in a timely manner, such as no notice at all as it was not contained in the agenda, made it so that I as a resident of Pickering was not able to even decide if I wanted to speak to the motion (delegate). Even the 2/3 vote by the council to allow the motion does not account for any resident voices as residents could not, were unable, to even contact their councillors before the meeting to express their questions and concerns. One may begin to wonder if Councillors have become mind readers and are able to know how all their residents would feel about this surprise motion. What happened tonight with the passing of this motion was very undemocratic, not at all transparent to residents, not timely and simply wrong. There was no urgency to pass this motion and could have been discussed at the next Council meeting. Thank you, those Councillors that voted for this motion, for removing my and many other residents’ voices concerning the surprise motion. Even the reading of the motion by Mayor Ashe was not clear as he stumbled on many words and phrases which to me and others certainly left the motion unclear. Listens to the recording when Mayor Ashe reads the motion as I have. Council should have given notice of a new motion at the end of the meeting as is correct method of presenting a new motion. Thank you, Mara Nagy, Kevin Ashe, David Pickles, Maurice Brenner, and Shaheen Butt, for removing my democratic chance to voice my opinion once again (residents have no idea what Councillor Cook feels with this issue because she was not in attendance).
Mike Borie
____________________
RESPONSE: Re delegates’ speaking rights
Well said Mike . I find it rather hypocritical considering Pickering Council has allowed many delegates to speak in chambers from other areas when it serves them or adopted motions or letters from other regions like Aurora previously or St Catherine’s tonight.
Brenda Adams
____________________
RESPONSE: Re delegates’ speaking rights
Mara
So that the public can better understand this motion could you please provide a copy of it for everyone to review.
Thank you.
Craig Bamford CPA, CA
____________________
Good morning Craig,
Happy to do so – please find attached the motion as it reached all councillors’ supplemental information packages just ahead of our meeting yesterday evening.
Thanks!
Mara Nagy (she/her)
City Councillor | Ward 2
____________________
RESPONSE: Re delegates’ speaking rights
Thank you Councillor Nagy for your reply. I and many other residents have expressed our concern to our elected representatives about the state of how Council meetings have deteriorated when certain issues are on the agenda. I also approve of certain requirements being placed on non-resident delegations to enable the Council to carry out the business of the day. The cost to the taxpayers of Pickering to allow outside delegates to waste precious time on matters that do not pertain to the agenda business must be stopped immediately. The motion introduced by Councillor Pickles addresses that concern. I just listened to the entire segment of the Council meeting of April 22,2024 in reference to delegations. Hopefully it will bring some semblance of sanity and decorum back to its rightful place in Council.
This looks like a very interesting service. It costs you nothing until you sell something through them. At first examination it looks like a service that offers many benefits and services to writers. Should be explored further.
For more information, click DRAFT2DIGITAL
Check your car for spring/summer driveability.
Here’s a checklist to help you:
Neighbours of a Nuclear Plant
What Durham Region Residents Should Know about Nuclear Energy
Ontario’s power grid has become increasingly reliant on nuclear energy. Currently, Ontario is home to three nuclear stations – two of them are in Durham Region, within 30km of each other; the Pickering and Darlington generating stations.
With 753,500 Durham residents living near these two stations, it is crucial that every person is fully informed about nuclear activity in their backyards. Decisions about nuclear power will have direct effects for everyone living in the region. While accidents are unlikely, the aftermath can be catastrophic.
Three Nuclear Plants
The Darlington nuclear generator units are currently under refurbishment and the plant is also awaiting the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to determine whether a 15-year-old environmental assessment applies to a proposal for new Small Modular Reactors (SMR) at the same site.
Similarly, the Pickering generator is currently licensed to operate until the end of this year. However, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) is seeking to extend its license (again) to operate some of those units beyond its original operating life span. The province has also asked OPG to pursue refurbishment (essentially reconstruction) of the units at Pickering to operate for several more decades.
Emergency Preparedness
A local nuclear awareness group, Durham Nuclear Awareness (DNA), is composed of Durham residents who advocate for public education of all nuclear decisions occurring in their communities. One of their main concerns is that, alarmingly, many residents in Durham’s community are under informed of what they should do in the case of a nuclear accident.
“Since the late 80s DNA has advocated for improved emergency planning, our goal has been to try and raise awareness in the Durham Region about nuclear power because most people don’t know about it.” said Gail Cockburn, long-time member of DNA. According to a poll conducted in 2018, 54 percent of respondents were unaware of any emergency response plans in case of a nuclear accident, a clear indication of the need for stronger awareness efforts.
Current Emergency Response Plan
What are the current emergency plans in place for residents? The Durham Nuclear Emergency Response Plan (DNERP) outlines:
Ambiguity of plan effectiveness
The effectiveness of these plans relies on public knowledge of what should be done and what their next steps would be. People living in Durham Region are reassured by the message from the officials that a nuclear accident is very unlikely. However, an ongoing concern is that if a severe emergency is not considered likely, then inadequate resources and planning may result. This was a main finding in Japan after the Fukushima-Daichii earthquake and resulting nuclear accident.
In the event of an accident
“A nuclear accident, if one happens, it’s a rare thing. But if it happens, it’s a very chaotic event. It’s not something that most people expect to happen on any given day. And there are always going to be uncertainties when you try to translate these paper exercises (emergency plans) into the real world,” said Dr. M.V. Ramana, global affairs professor at the University of British Columbia and advisor of DNA.
Despite the local support of nuclear energy from the government and commercial groups, local residents who would face the brunt of any potential threats must be aware of the risks to themselves and their communities. For Brennain Lloyd, long-time member of Northwatch, an environmental advocacy group and lead nongovernmental organization on nuclear waste, this begins with residents simply asking questions.
Questions that need to be asked
“I think that they should just ask questions. I think if they have a question about nuclear energy, they should send that question to OPG, and to CNSC,” said Lloyd.
People have a say in what happens in their communities, and according to Lloyd they shouldn’t stop asking questions until they are satisfied.
“And they should wait for their answer, and when they get that answer, if it’s not satisfactory then they should write to their MPP and their MP and say, ‘I asked this question, and I’m not satisfied with the answer. Can you please get me an answer’,” added Lloyd.
Impacts of Nuclear Waste
For host communities, nuclear activity can have adverse effects on the environment. While nuclear energy is often said by the industry to be a “clean” energy source, nuclear waste poses a serious threat to its surrounding environment. According to an article published by Earth.org “toxic materials remain highly radioactive for tens of thousands of years, posing a threat to agricultural land, fishing waters, freshwater sources and humans.”
Storage of unsafe nuclear waste
For Durham Region storage of nuclear waste is a major concern due to its proximity to Lake Ontario.
“People in Durham Region should be very concerned about the dry storage container system at Darlington and Pickering. They are immediately on the shoreline of Lake Ontario and they’re inserting more (containers) in between the current dry storage buildings and the lake, which means they’re more vulnerable to extreme weather events,” said Lloyd.
When it comes to the long-term management of nuclear waste, there is no current satisfactory and safe plan – dry storage is the sole short-term plan for the storage of nuclear waste.
“They don’t have any plan for long-term management of the waste at the reactor station, they plan to put the waste in a deep geological repository, an idea they have been working on since 1977. We’re in the third round of them trying to design and build and site a deep geological repository that has not been successful yet,” said Lloyd.
Promoting Nuclear Awareness in Durham Region
Despite the potential risks to the environment and ultimately our own health, nuclear energy is a significant piece of the Ontario electrical system. Living in a nuclear community is simply the reality for people in Durham Region. However, residents can be proactive in keeping themselves informed and their community leaders accountable for all nuclear activity happening in their backyards.
Local residents in the community have taken it upon themselves to get involved in nuclear activity in their communities. Oscar Koren is the vice president of the Slovenian Home Association (SHA). After approaching CELA with nuclear concerns, Koren was connected to DNA in 2022, hoping to get some answers for concerned members of SHA who live in close proximity to the Pickering generating station.
“They (SHA members) have a concern about the (emergency) plans, because they don’t know what they should do in case of an emergency”, said Koren.
Koren believes there is confusion and a lack of knowledge of emergency preparedness plans for his members and their families. He hopes for “security and knowledge” for members of his association.
“If something happens, let’s say some sort of an accident, our members that live in the vicinity, we’d like to know what’s the plan? What should they do?”, added Koren.
Much like Koren, many residents have taken matters into their own hands, hoping to educate themselves and spread awareness of nuclear energy in their community.
An IT professional and long-time resident of Durham Region who prefers not to be named makes it a point to be fully aware of nuclear activity in Durham, and suggests that “simply getting people talking, and asking their politicians to start talking about these subjects,” is the best practice to increase critical awareness on nuclear energy.
Knowing that nuclear energy in Ontario will be around for many years, the local IT professional urges for honest communication from the government and nuclear decision-makers.
“If we’re going to have these colossal multi-reactor facilities, let’s be honest about them,” added the IT professional.
Other people living in Durham, have little to no prior knowledge of emergency preparedness, environmental impacts, or general nuclear topics. CELA spoke to residents of Durham Region – here’s how they responded when we asked what they’ve been told about emergency response plans:
Many residents of Durham are reassured by the belief that an accident is very unlikely to occur. However, it is important to learn from historic nuclear catastrophes and ensure that individuals, families, and communities are well-educated and prepared for the unlikely event of an accident.
How can you get involved?
According to Durham Region’s Growth Management Study, the population of Durham is forecasted to grow to 1.3 million by 2041. As the region continues to expand, all residents at the very least must have a general understanding of what it means to live near these stations.
For residents wondering how they can begin educating themselves and their community about nuclear activity, Executive Director of the Canadian Environmental Law Association Theresa McClenaghan, suggests the following:
Duotrope is a subscription-based service for writers and artists that offers an extensive, searchable database of current fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and visual art publishers and agents, a calendar of upcoming deadlines, a personal submission tracker, and useful statistics compiled from the millions of data points we’ve gathered on the publishers and agents we list.
The variety and selection of writer’s tools are endless because their selection is so subjective. Here are what we believe are the essential ones every writer should have in their writer’s toolbox.
We invite you to submit additional tools you think may be useful to other writers. Submit to Richard at zippyonego@gmail.com
NOTEZILLA
(application/program)
Win10 has STICKIES for free but serious computer users use NOTEZILLA.
NOTEZILLA, the Cadillac of sticky notes, app does what every digital note making app does and more: reminders, colors, formatting customization, folders, and much more. Its coup de grace feature is its capability to stick a note to a website. That note pops up on your next visit to the website reminding you what you noted.
The app is uniquely priced with the developer, Conceptworld, The entry price is high but after the first year of subscription, the app is competitively and fairly priced. However, NOTEZILLA is so superior to all other such apps, its initial fee becomes justifiable in no time.
NOTEZILLA has a free trial version available at Concept World. [Full disclosure: we have built up a relationship with Concept World over the years. If you are seriously interested in the app, contact Richard who may be able to arrange an extension of the trial period for you or even get subsidization for the initial price of purchase.]
NOTABILITY
(expensive investment in devices)
Not a writer’s tool per se, but a program that runs on Apple devices (iPad) only but one that will become your right/left arm in no time. NOTABILITY is an electronic notepad on steroids. Type, draw, highlight, record, copy, paste, edit…do it all digitally as if writing into a notebook. Big advantages though, portability, storability, retrievability…this is the very best of any tools you can get if you use computers. [ Unfortunately, NOTABILITY is available on Apple devices only. You will need to buy an iPad device and an Apple pencil (vers. 2 is best). But if you are serious about writing and research, this is roughly a $1200 investment that just gets better and better as you use it. It will become your right-hand assistant in so many ways, you will wonder how you worked without it.]
GRAMMARLY
(usable on multi-platforms)
“If you’re a writer, this extension is an absolutely essential.” It highlights spelling and grammar errors instantly letting you decide whether or not to use the suggestion, but often it improves what you wrote.
The free version will serve most writers very well. Try the free version for a period to evaluate it.
Grammarly can be downloaded at Grammarly.com
MS OFFICE (WORD, EXCEL)
WORD and EXCEL are the foundation of MS Office applications.
WORD is a word processing program used by much of the text writing world. There are free versions of text processing programs such as Office Libre and Google Docs but WORD is our word processor of choice.
Many people view EXCEL as a numbers crunching program, a spreadsheet. It is but it can be much more. Manage lists, inventories, rosters and such data, and be able to manipulate and modify easily to suit your needs. Free alternative programs are easily found on the Internet.
SCRIVENER
A word processing program on steroids. Scrivener is not for the easily intimidated computer user. It is a very powerful text management program that takes common word processors to new heights. Manage your writing in ‘movable chunks,’ easily arranged and rearranged at the click of a mouse. The program also is noteworthy for its final productivity. You can compile your output into more than a dozen formats: book, ebooks, pdf files, WORD files, generic text files, very handy if you need the capability of producing your material in different formats.
GMAIL
Most email programs are similar. If you use anything in the Google family, consider Gmail for your email needs. It actually has some in-depth features that make it very useful, maybe a notch more than many other email programs. MS Outlook seems to be playing a good game of ‘catch up’ nowadays. Try Gmail taking some effort to learn its deeper features. It will redeem the effort it took to learn it very quickly.
GCALENDAR
Again, if you are using GOOGLE products, it is best to stay within the family for compatibility efficiency.
GOOGLE
There are many browsers available on the Internet today. But again, if you are a GOOGLE user, stick with GOOGLE Chrome as your browser of choice. Again, learning its many features will do you well. Serious computer users may quibble over aspects about Chrome but for most people these are not enough to change the game. [ I found one bit of discomfort. Google does monitor your work which may result in advertising popups later. But I can live with this, especially as there are ways to reduce or eradicate the issue if it is problematic. ]
GOOGLE EXTENSIONS
The GOOGLE CHROME browser offers its users little applets, programs that perform specific tasks. Here is a partial list of some excellent ones for writers:
POWER THESAURUS
This is a very useful and practical GOOGLE extension. Configure it to display synonyms, antonyms and/or definitions. Then, merely click on the extension, type in your word and voila, the results pop up on the screen.
“Rrrrr”
The tingling in my forearm woke me up. 6:30 a.m., the time I had set the alarm. Nice, woke me up in time for the day. I need to test the other features of this new implant.
Fifteen years ago, I had one of the very first ABC devices inserted into my forearm. An ABC device is an Anatomy Body Center manufactured device called a BID that is implanted in the body and interacts with the recipient. BID’S, Body Implant Devices were developed years ago at the Anatomy Body Center. Today there are very sophisticated connectivity between human and an ABC computer. I got my BID updated a few days ago and I’m eager to try out its new features. Like the Alex-Siri devices of long ago, my BID needs an identifier when dealing with it and I use “SZP321” for mine. The most touted one is the BID integration with the recipient’s brain waves. The BID is supposed to act on what a person thinks. Amazing and very exciting.
So as I understand it, my BID is supposed to connect with the brain, responding to brain wave activity. I think and the ABC system acts on the thought. One new feature I have to test is the engage/disengage switch. ‘On’ and your thought waves are connected to the ABC for activation; ‘OFF’ and your thought was are disengaged and remain private only in your head. This BID device is like having a live assistant constantly at hand responding to your every whim.
“SZP321, engage,” I say out loud to engage and activate my BID.
“Call the office and tell Linda I’ll pick up the Mcdonald’s brekkies for us,” I think.
The ABsys makes out the phone call.
This new BID makes the Alexa-Siri systems outdated. They worked well when they were launched in 2020. They were voice-activated systems but primitive in what they could do. BIDs have been continually developed every few years right up to today, 2075.
“Bzzz, ” a mental image pops up in my head reminding me my cancer meds need updating again. Very convenient. Cancer was eliminated about 20 years ago but to keep it that way, those who have had an incidence of it must have their prescription protocols periodically updated. The reminder shows my appointment is at 2 p.m. at the PBC, Phys Bod Centre.
Showering and shaving quickly, I head to the kitchen where “kichrob” has prepared my coffee. I could have taken the coffee pill but I still like drinking my coffee and the kichrob readies my favourite blend, served just right, piping hot and black.
Coffee finished, I stand in front of the synthetic garb jet saying, “Office,” to which the jet response by spraying the latex-like garment on to my naked body. I exit my pod. My clear domed bubble sits at the curb, a transportation device that works on some sort of magnetic levitation system, much smoother than Tesla’s earlier models that served us so well for so many years. The autopod is a bump-free ride, super fast, silent and sleak, letting me look all around at the scenery and other bubbles zipping to their destinations.
The CCC, City Central Control Office, eliminated all air traffic above the city, five years ago to reduce eye pollution above the city. Now the autopods travel higher up and at speeds adjusted for efficiency and optimal traffic flow. But passengers just enjoy the ride.
Mentally, I imagine the Sausage McMuffin and the order of pancakes knowing they will be on the pickup pedestal when I arrive at the McDonald’s. Linda and I prefer eating our food rather than ingesting the nutripills the CCC offers. The pills may be better nutritionally as they are custom calibrated with the right amount of proteins and fat level for each individual. Linda and I still prefer the old-fashioned mouth feel of eating our food.
“Good morning Linda. Where are we at?” I greet Linda.
I work in the office for interplanetary construction supplies. Currently, we have a huge order of building materials scheduled for Monday lift-off to ‘Mars 17,’ the outpost set up for Mar’s study years ago. The material we’re launching to the outpost will double its size in short order.
“You’re scheduled to talk to Matt, Mars 17 OPD at 10, Richard,” appears in my mind’s eye.
“Got it. Got a couple of minutes yet”
I sit down at my workstation, a modern model of virtual reality devices we have been using for years but “Connectivity” today has been modernized replacing the veritable office devices with blue outline images rather than real substance. It was found that people were more comfortable working with a vestige of a real device rather than nothing at all. Works the same. I think, computers carry out the functions, and activity bots do the necessary physical work in the plant.
We live in a world of bots. For many people, all the physical work is done by bots responding to brain activity, our thoughts. I say many people because updating BIDs can be costly, the fee for doing so deducted from one’s salary account automatically provided you have the balance in the account and you choose to do the updating.
Physical buttons connected to machinery are a thing of the past. Now the latest BIDs allow thinking to activate the necessary physical machinery to carry out the activity. Very convenient, very efficient.
“Ok Magma, bundle the order for Mars 17 and connect me to OPD Matt,” I think.
“Hi Richard. How goes the battle?”
“Like always Matt, blue skies and Aussie breezes,” I think. As always, the CD’s (City Dome) does its job nicely providing the city inhabitants refreshed air, consistent sunshine and blue skies every day, everywhere with no harmful radition.
“You’re supplies are bundled and scheduled for lift off Monday. I think you’re good to go for a while now,” I continue thinking.
“Thanks, Richard. Appreciate it. You guys are golden. Talk to you in a few weeks,” comes the auto audio response.
The whole conversation is done by thinking, a process that felt strange when it was first created years ago but today runs as smooth as a knife cutting into softened butter. I still love those old sayings even though the foods no longer exist.
“You autopod will be here momentarily, Richard,” says Linda.
“Thanks Linda. I’ll be back after my PBC appt,” I think but Linda hears me as if I am speaking because she has not updated her BID to the thinkers yet. She claims it’s just too much of a change, too much too soon.
“You autopod will be here momentarily, Richard,” Linda says.
“Thanks Linda. I’ll be back after my PBC appt,” I think.
An INTERACTIVE MAP displaying publishing companies across Canada. Very useful to writers who are looking for a publisher.
Meet the Presses is an all-volunteer collective devoted to promoting micro, small and independent literary presses within the Greater Toronto Area. This new collective has come together in the spirit of the original Meet the Presses event begun in Toronto in the mid-80s by Nicholas Power and Stuart Ross.
Members of the new Meet the Presses organize a variety of curated public events that interest them, and all the events focus on independent publishers of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction.
The Literary Market
Meet the Presses’ flagship event is a literary market focused on sales of literary books, chapbooks, magazines, and recordings. Meet the Presses Indie Literary Market is a curated event – that is, the participating publishers are chosen by the Meet the Presses collective. The Indie Literary Market gives the public an opportunity to meet local literary presses and directly purchase publications that may not be readily available (or available at all!) in bookstores and other commercial outlets.
[Meet the Presses members are Gary Barwin, Becca Lawlor, Jennifer Lovegrove, Madeline Rossell, Renee Sarojini Saklikar, Shaylyn Schwieg, Eugénie Szwalek, Aaron Tucker, Jacqueline Valencia, and Tali Voron. Founding Members Emeritus are Paul Dutton, Maria Erskine, Ally Fleming, Beth Follett, Maggie Helwig, Leigh Nash, Nick Power, and Stuart Ross.]
On special at Canadian Tire…$22.99
PICKERING FORWARD is the OFFICIAL PLAN for the City of Pickering
What is an OFFICIAL PLAN?
This is a long-range plan that deals with land use aiming at responsible, efficient and sustainable growth.
The plan deals with:
Why update the Official Plan
The current plan has been in place for over 20 years. Hence the need for updating.
Updating the plan is obligatory by the Provincial Planning Act. However, based on the current growth rate of 3.3% per year and the expected housing needs,
the City feels an update of the plan at this time is essential.
Impacts on the Plan
There are numerous Provincial and Regional Plans impacting on the City of Pickering:
Other impacts on the Plan need consideration
Input from City residents is important
The City seeks resident input on the Official Plan.
May 27, 2024 – Special Meeting of Council re the Official Plan Review, 5pm Council Chambers
Important dates
May 17, 2024 – Preview report: early report Pre-May 27 meeting
May 27, 2024 – Special Meeting of Council – Launch of Official Plan Review
The City of Pickering last reviewed the Official Plan in 2007. While Provincial Regulations require review every five years, the City seeks citizen input at this time.
Citizens wishing to address the City Council about the Official Plan must apply to be a delegation and apply at à DELEGATION REQUEST
No matter how you view the City of Pickering website, the City would benefit from your doing their survey to give them feedback about user who have used/visited their website.
The BAD
Users of the website complain endlessly about the website, enough that the City has undertaken a website redesign, the launching of which is still unknown.
The complaints against the current website are valid and spot on. The website is overly complicated. Finding information is more than a challenge, in some instances, impossible. Contact phone numbers are unavailable, as if the contact persons are to be kept hidden. Too many menus. No site map. No short cuts to previous page, home page. The list goes on…so far on that many users quit the site before finding what they need.
The UGLY
The absolute worst factor about the new website project is the cost, $900,000. Whoever vetted this fee missed the boat. In fact, they likely are under the boat, drawing in incompetence. Even a cursory examination of corporate websites will reveal that annual costs for design, modification and maintenance of a website are in the range of $50,000 to $250,000 with the latter amount seen as very high. Pickering goes above and beyond to nearly a million dollars. There is no possible way to justify that extreme amount. Saying that cost is preposterous is an understatement. Some body ‘really profited’ by that fee.
The GOOD
The Good associated with the City’s website is that the City listened and is responding to the lamentations and criticism resident users have made. Not only has the City undertaken modifications but it is even surveying users’ input to possible changes. That is what should be done. Ask the users what they think and respond to them. Most certainly, the new city website will be a positive and constructive improvement of today’s site.
However, the City needs all the feedback it can get. So every resident user of the website should respond to the survey request. Let them know what you think, what you find good and what you think should be changed. Those responses will be heeded. They better be given the cost of the project.
Give the City your comments about the current website at SURVEY
Learn from feedback that will be written on everything you write. Share your poetry, stories, script writing and book chapters. All skill levels welcomed.
Click link –> FAN STORY
This grocery giant may just have been replaced as the biggest thief in the corporate community by elexiconenergy.
Loblaws has been criticized for price gouging many times, so many it had been crowned as a corporate capitalist crook in the public eye. It had even been caught price fixing a household staple, bread, a few years ago.
Well, the crown of corporate capitalist crook may have found a new place, elexiconenergy, electricity provider for much of southern Ontario, the area known as Durham.
Almost 10% increase
A receipt statement change increased the monthly hydro rate from $157.00 to $172.00, an increase of 9.55%. The current inflation rate in Canada is 2.78%. Even if the company tripled this user’s hydro rate, it would still be less than the rate charged, 8.34 vs 9.55. Something is drastically wrong if a service company serving a large part of Ontarians can get away with such gouging and exploitation.
elexiconenergy is a company that robs people, a corporate thief.
Community associations can be the means to strengthen every community.
There are a number of community associations in the City of Pickering, varying in size, membership, resident population and persona. These associations serve many constructive and concrete purposes. They bind the community together as neighbourhoods. They create social unification within a neighbourhood. They are a means of communication and information dissemination throughout a neighbourhood. In short, these are excellent ways of binding and bonding residents who are part of the neighbourhood.
However, the bonds that bind are only as strong as the executives who lead the association. If they are dynamic and energetic, the association follows suit. If they launch initiatives, the association flocks behind. If they want to promote and put the association in the public limelight, the association members benefit.
The benefits of a neighbourhood association are many with much for the association to be gained by it but everything rests on the shoulders of dedicated and committed leadership.
Without that leadership the question would be who are…
Fairport Beach Neighbourhood Association
Rougemont Community and Recreation Association
West Shore Community Association
Whitevale Community Association
We will learn more depending on the leaders of each!
The City of Pickering has recently released the financial accounting of councillor expenditures. These are always interesting and revealing. Residents can see how councils manage their office budgets.
An important caveat
It is very important to note that these reports were produced prior to the tighter controls imposed by the council on spending. Any figures posted in these reports have met city regulatory standards though they may seem extravagant or out of line.
Examination of any one council and concluding that the councillor’s expenditures are out of whack in comparison to other councillors leads to erroneous conclusions. All Pickering Councillor expenditures are gauged by the City’s regulation and no councillor has a report that has not been approved at the time of financial statement filing.
On another note
How a councillor spends their office budget is another question. Some councillors see the need for more communication with their constituents. Hence, they use other means such as mailers, door-to-door distribution and even advertising in local newspapers (Metroland, News Advertiser no longer publish print editions). Some councillors rely on personally developed and commercial or digit distribution of the material. Again, this is their prerogative and a commendable means of keeping their ward’s residents informed.
In any case, residents should be aware of how their elected representatives are doing their job and more importantly, how they are keeping their voters informed. Some councillors are doing outstanding work in these regards.
How much red meat is safe to eat?
Source: Ginger Wojcik
Newsletter Editor, Healthline
I find it’s really easy to get into debates about red meat. On one hand, it’s absolutely packed with micro- and macronutrients that your body thrives on. On the other hand, it can be high in saturated fat, and eating it has been linked to many chronic diseases. Not to mention, red meat production isn’t exactly known for being environmentally friendly or great for animal welfare. See how many debates I stirred up in one paragraph?
Today, we’re going to focus on the health aspects of red meat, specifically how much is OK to eat each week. Our friend and registered dietitian Kelli McGrane is here with a look at the existing research plus some practical pointers.
Q: What’s the healthiest amount of red meat to eat?
A: Unless you’re at an increased risk for chronic diseases, like heart disease and type 2 diabetes, or certain forms of cancer, eating one or two servings of unprocessed red meat per week is likely OK — especially if the meat is accompanied by a generous serving of veggies.
Still, it’s important to know that unprocessed red meat intake has been linked to an increased risk for heart disease (though research is mixed), type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
It’s recommended that you limit processed red meat in your diet even more. This includes hot dogs, deli meats, bacon, and the like. The World Health Organization has classified processed meat, which tends to be higher in sodium and preservatives, as “carcinogenic to humans.”
Now for some important caveats!
Most studies on red meat intake are observational. This means these studies show an association between red meat intake and health outcomes — they can’t prove a cause-and-effect relationship. Also, there are SO many variables that contribute to disease risk, including your overall diet, your genetics, and lifestyle factors like smoking, physical activity, and stress.
Let’s not forget that unprocessed red meat is a great source of protein and provides many important vitamins and minerals that your body needs to grow and function properly, including iron, vitamin B12, selenium, and niacin (vitamin B3).
Here are some healthier ways to enjoy unprocessed red meat:
The last chapter, the last page, they come for us all. Some people plan for the times. Others leave it as dealing with the inevitable is depressing and difficult.
Gawande’s “Being Mortal” deals with a very difficult stage of life for everyone explaining how medicine pushes the envelope in every area of illnesses except one. It shows a great reluctance to deal with dying.
If one is lucky, really lucky, the final stage can be more dignified, more bearable and more acceptable.
Councillors Nagy and Brenner make notes about the presentation
Councillors Maurice Brenner, Linda Cook, and Mara Nagy hosted this town hall. The topic of discussion was “Sustainable Pickering,” a bureaucratic label for policies dealing with Climate and Environment.
Introduced by Melanie Edmond, the primary speaker was Jade Schofield representing the committee that works on the City project dealing with climate, the “Community Climate Adaption Project.”
An “in the clouds” presentation
The presentation seemed esoteric rather than substantive, more academic rather than plain language pragmatic.
The areas covered:
Explanations dealt with ‘climate extremes:’ heavy rainfalls, extreme heat, flooding, lightning storms, and forest fires with residents and councillors describing their experience with climate-related emergencies such as the black the recent past.
The city’s work in this area of concern entails a three-phase plan with the crucial connector being that the marginalized get appropriate and full attention.
Two of the three discussion questions got off the ground but the discussion broadened into real-life concerns as expressed by the nearly two dozen attending residents.
Discussion questions:
1. How did you respond to the extreme weather event?
2. What services would you like to see more/less of during extreme weather events?
The audience members raised questions that cause them concern and worry: about fires in the Rouge Valley national park, assistance for the seniors during emergency events, responses addressing DEI (Disability, Equality and Integration) and the need for improved information dissemination to the public.
The responses to these worries and concerns were generic and as expected. Pickering has an active 3-phase plan in place regarding policies and needed actions regarding climate change. Information is disseminated through the City website and other means such as Councillor Brenner’s newsletter and neighbourhood associations that currently exist.
The meeting closed earlier than other town halls.
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Editorial comment:
In speaking with a number of the attending residents, a tone of exasperation and frustration was evident. These residents were upset about high expenditures and concerns about support for citizens, particularly seniors, during emergencies. The queried responders seem to suggest they viewed the city as speaking in generalities and not presenting enough substance. In one instance, outright anger underlined one responder’s frustration with the response to the drastic need to replenish FOOD Bank shelves.
New website, not a panacea
The criticism that repeats itself, town hall after town hall, is about ‘communication’ with Pickering residents. The City is repeatedly criticized as having inadequate communication paths for the citizens. The response by councillors is touting the pending new website implying it would be the panacea to communication inadequacies. However, this town hall was not the place to delve into this issue more deeply: overbudgeting to the extreme for the design, development and management of the new website at nearly $1 million. Furthermore, as repeatedly pointed out, many citizens are not Internet users though one town hall respondent suggested the library give workshops to help citizens with entry and use of the Internet (The Pickering Public Library has offered numerous excellent workshops dealing with this need.)
Apathy an ongoing problem
Be all that as it may be, the biggest lament, as repeated at every town hall, is that few residents attend these events. The problem may be inadequate communication with the public but more likely as Councillor Brenner emphasizes people cannot be forced to attend and they have other interests. Like voting in elections, apathy is a problem with no easy solutions.
The result of the inadequate communication complaints seems to be verbal wisps of smoke, a promise of a new and significantly better website. But that is an ethereal response. We need a system of constructive strategies to reach more citizens. There are numerous paths the City could develop. More talk discussion by councillors is not one of them.
This may have been a disappointing town hall for some of the attendees.
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A comment about these town halls
Town hall attendance is abysmal. The best attended was one of the earliest ones held at the East Shore Community Centre where nearly 100 people attended. But since then, attendance has declined to where fewer than 40 people is the norm. Last night fewer than 20 attended. Either residents are not hearing about the town halls, or they have other priorities or they have no interest in how their city functions.
Town halls have repeatedly demonstrated that a lot of valuable information is presented. The Councillors hosting past town halls should be commended for selecting timely and useful topics and for providing excellent speakers who presented in a down-to-earth fashion that was engaging as well as informative. Attendees learn valuable information at these events and Councillors like Brenner, Cook and Nagy demonstrated dedication, knowledge and passion for their municipal service. Maybe more importantly, these councillors project an empathy that “they are one of us.”
Credit cards have some value but you’re paying for those benefits.
Merit cards or Bonus points cards earn free purchases
Some credit cards offer bonus earnings whenever their card is used to make a purchase. It is a small amount when individual purchases are considered but over time it can amount to significant savings. These savings can be applied to grocery purchases, gasoline purchases, reduction in travel packages and more. These credit cards usually have an annual fee for their use and are beneficial only if you use them a lot during the year.
They go after the supplier
Some credit card companies will fight on your behalf and go after suppliers who have failed to deliver as promised. They will credit your account and go after the supplier behind the scenes. Your purchase money saved.
Warranty extension
Some credit card companies offer warranty protection or extension. So if your product breaks, they will reimburse you or have the product replaced and they do the leg work.
You use their money for a month FREE
Some companies offer “no fee” plans at no cost. These cards allow you to make purchases up to a set credit limit and if you pay the outstanding balance in full each month, you pay nothing for their use. This is using the credit card company’s money for a month for free….but….you must pay the outstanding balance in full each month or you will be charged interest charges, which could be significant.
The credit card companies cost you money. They don’t nickel and dime you, they gouge you with hidden user fees. Beat the b*****ds by using cash.
Credit card companies didn’t become financial giants by simply lending you credit. They gouge you whenever you use their services. And if you really want to feel pain, examine the interest rates they charge for accounts with outstanding balances. Loan sharks take lending lessons from AMEX, MASTERCARD, VISA and the like.
How pervasive is Credit Card use in North America
The user fees may not seem like much, about 3-5% on the sale. It becomes more than a hill of pennies with how many purchases are made each month. In the United States alone, there were more than 35 billion credit card transactions a month in 2020. Add in Canada and update to today, and we are talking likely more than 100 billion. That earns credit card companies $3-5 billion dollars a month. And you and I are adding to that revenue every time we click our credit card.
Beat the b*****ds at their own game. Pay cash! No transaction fees, no penalty charges, no lending fees. Clean, fast, and simple. If you can do it, use cash as often as you can.
We doubt we can affect any kind of change to the exploding cost of living but we wonder what suggestions you might have?
The cost of living is impacting on us all, seriously and in some instances, very drastically. We wondering what ideas you have that might need consideration and initiating…
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My dog had to be groomed recently. I always tip the groomer, usually about 15% but this time 15% turned out to be a significant jump. I wasn’t accepting it. I tipped the groomer what I thought was fair recognizing that it was less than she likely expected. I engaged the groomer in discussion as I explained that I could not pay more. The impact on a retiree’s budget was too much.
We got to talking. Her business was about to hit with a leasing increase. Not 5%, not 10% but DOUBLE. The story goes on elsewhere with festival producers lamenting that insurance costs are rising ridiculously, again DOUBLE. They need to price a hot dog at $18, a soda at $8. Imagine the cost of a family outing at a City food truck event.
Grocery shopping is becoming a gauntlet of ever-surprising jumps in pricing or volume reduction.
How do fixed-income people cope? What do single-parent families do to deal with it? What do seniors on fixed pensions do? Legitimate questions with no legitimate solutions.
The vicious circle needs breaking
There’s a vicious circle in operation: expenses increase according to the corporations, therefore they need to increase prices; consumers buy less due to the price increases, corporations increase prices to compensate for the decreased purchasing. And on and on it goes. Somewhere somehow this vicious circle of never-ending price increase/cost increase must be broken and the break should not be at the door of the average citizen as they have no way of compensating, unless you count food deprivation as a solution. Corporations must compensate shareholders adequately or that funding will dry up? No corporation is going to bite the hand that feeds it financially, the investors.
Government doing what?
Governments are doing nothing but paying lip service to action. Remember, elected leaders receive campaign expense support from corporations. Are these financial recipients going to bite the hand that feeds them? No politician is going to bite the hand that feeds financially, the lobbying corporations.
The average citizen
So no matter how you cut the vicious circle pie, it is the average citizen that is going to suffer. Not the corporation. Not the governing politician. Karl Marx’s prediction of an inevitable revolution may eventually occur but not in our time. It will not happen soon because every average citizen believes: better times are coming, coping strategies will work, governments will help, and corporations will not exploit us more. Yeah….sure…what do you think? Give us your opinion.
The information here is from PENSIONER FITNESS, a website done by a dedicate senior, Ian McClymont. He lives in Burkina Faso, Africa, can you believe it and he is passionate about fitness, especially for seniors.
Below you will find two directions:
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[pdf-embedder url=”https://www.szpin.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/STRENGTH-2.pdf” title=”STRENGTH 2″]
Source: Ask Polly, Heather Havrilesky
You could be missing out on a lot of life if you are a nay sayer, quick to say ‘NO’ to anyone and any thing. Read the following reading to get a new perspective on saying ‘YES’ rather than ‘NO.’
“Kierkegaard, in Purity of Heart Is to Will One Thing, describes complete absorption in God as the deepest unity in life. All ambivalence would disappear and competing interests would be reconciled.” — Erving and Miriam Polster, Gestalt Therapy Integrated
Last night I read these words in a hotel room in Dayton, Ohio. My sister was in the queen bed next to mine, reading a witty and suspenseful seafaring novel that I’m pretty sure she’s read a few times before. My mother was at an Airbnb a few miles away with two of her lifelong friends, probably telling each other the same stories they’ve repeated for years now.
We’re all in town to see the total eclipse.
I don’t care that much about eclipses. I wouldn’t personally choose to drive 16 hours round-trip just to watch the world go dark for a few minutes. I said yes because it seemed important to say yes. My sister was also on the fence, but she decided it was important, too.
So now we’re in Ohio. Unfortunately, the clouds might be a problem. This morning I woke up at 5 am to look at the weather forecast on three different apps. I read some pretty damning reviews of the “castle” one hour north of Dayton where my mom and her friends want to watch the eclipse. Those ladies might be hard to dissuade. Last night, they seemed determined to pack sandwiches and leave early and drive in traffic for an hour, just to sit in an open field next to a collapsing, leaky castle and a few porta potties.
So I’m starting to worry. I’m sending screenshots of cloud coverage to my mother, but I keep getting little red NOT DELIVERED messages back each time.
Finally, I decide to get my running clothes out of the car, so I can go for a run and maybe calm down. Yesterday my sister and I ran ten miles along the Miami River. Today’s run will be shorter but maybe it will help.
On the way through the hotel parking lot, I see a sign on a rearview mirror that says:
PRAY LESS, WORRY MORE.
Right on. I think. Couldn’t agree more!
Then I look again. I misread it. It actually says:
PRAY MORE, WORRY LESS.
***
Sometimes I treat ambivalence and worry as a kind of religion. “If I worry enough about this turbulence, this plane won’t crash.” “If I research the weather enough, we’ll find the perfect spot to watch the eclipse.” “If I indulge my ambivalence about every person, place, and thing I encounter, I’ll sort through all of my conflicting feelings enough to understand myself completely.”
Ironically, I was reading Gestalt Therapy Integrated last night because I’ve been trying to evaluate my Gestalt-trained therapist’s approach — instead of, you know, just showing up to therapy and talking about my feelings like a normal person. So when I landed on those sentences about Kierkegaard and “complete absorption in God,” I found myself taking a deep breath.
Isn’t that the real point of being alive? I thought. Not to analyze and overthink everything, but to allow yourself to be utterly consumed by the divine!
Non-believers like me see the word pray and we think it means “Ask some imaginary man in the sky for favors.” So we take “Pray more, worry less,” to mean “Get the big bossman upstairs to give you what you want like I did, and then maybe you won’t be such a stress case!”
But when you think of prayer as fostering a deep connection with everything that’s divine — which for me includes the natural world and other people and animals and all of the strange, invisible forces that you can sense without understanding them completely — those words change.
PRAY MORE, WORRY LESS
means
Turn down your neurotic thoughts and attune yourself to the real magic around you.
***
That’s what this eclipse trip is really about.
My mom started planning it more than a year ago. I was always on the fence. Nothing about her plans sounded that great. I had my doubts about the hotel she booked. I kept picturing unwanted clouds and hours of gridlock.
But there are times when indulging your doubts gets you nowhere. Ambivalence is just another form of hiding in plain sight, a way of keeping yourself safe from everything you can’t control. Sometimes worrying is just another defense mechanism, a method of shielding yourself from disappointment, a strategy for remaining untouched by the unknown.
Prayer pays homage to the unknown. Praying is a way of saying yes to what’s important, a way of going hours out of your way to honor someone else’s wishes, a way of clearing space for magic to enter your life.
Praying is letting the outside world under your skin. Today’s eclipse — partial or total, clouds or no clouds — offers a chance for us to do that, to drop everything and walk outside and attune ourselves to the natural world and the people around us. Try to treat it as a kind of prayer — like reading the same seafaring novel again and again, like repeating the same childhood stories to your lifelong friends, like running for miles along a wide, muddy river, like saying yes without knowing what you’re saying yes to.
It feels good to say YES! without a single hint of NO! in your voice, even when you don’t know why you’re doing it. It feels good to align yourself with the divine, even when you don’t always know what that means. All ambivalence disappears, and competing interests are reconciled.
Suddenly you realize that you don’t have to know more. In fact, accepting that you’ll never know enough is a way of yielding yourself to the enchantment of the universe.
So today, turn down the noise and the worries and pray to what you don’t know. Pray to the darkening sky and the encroaching clouds. Pray to the old ladies chattering about colanders and castles, pin holes and packed sandwiches. Surrender to the real magic around you.
Source: healthline.com
People don’t talk about the social benefits of exercise quite as much as the physical and cognitive benefits — but they should.
So many different forms of exercise that involve other people — including dance, team sports, and solo sports you do alongside others — have been shownTrusted Source to help people feel a sense of belonging and encourage social bonding.
There’s a strong connection between lifelong learning and well-being. For example, one 2020 review of seven studies found that learning a foreign language helped older adults maintain their cognitive abilities.
It also helped them form social connections and feel integrated into society.
Not to mention, it’s fun! If you have more free time these days, it’s a great time to enjoy learning something new. You might even meet a few new friends.
You can quickly start to feel socially isolated if you live alone or don’t have much time to socialize with others. If you’re in this situation, try making a conscious effort to schedule social dates with others.
If you can’t get out of the house for whatever reason, or don’t feel like it, consider checking in daily with friends and family by phone.
Calling a loved one, having coffee with a friend, or going to the dog park to chat with other dog lovers all offer healthy social time.
When you think of something you want to share with someone in your life, you don’t have to wait until you see them next. If you have a cell phone, you can text them.
It’s a great way to stay connected and share information with your loved ones in real-time — even just to say hello.
Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram can also help you stay in touch with the people you care about.
A 2015 report found that 35% of people 65 and up used social media — a major increase from 2% in 2005.
Always ensure you understand your social accounts’ privacy settings and policy before you sign up or share personal information through them. And if you want to learn more about using social media, consider signing up for a class at your local library or community center.
Having transportation planned can help you gather the motivation to go out and socialize — especially if you don’t use a car.
It can help to research your transportation options so you can easily get to where you want to go. Senior Services of America suggests a few options that may be useful whether or not you’re a senior:
Helping out a cause you care about might allow you to connect with others who share your values and can help you gain a sense of purpose. It’s a win-win.
Volunteering outside your home at a set time per week can also help you maintain your social schedule.
Getting to know many different kinds of folks with varied interests can expose you to a broader range of activities, people, and resources than you might experience were you only part of one social group.
Try branching out by trying things you’ve always wanted to do but never had a chance to do before.
This could be through volunteering, trying a new sport or hobby, joining a book club, and many more social activities. The important thing is that you’re broadening your horizons and staying curious.
If your everyday habits include a lot of isolation, you might want to consider inviting people to join you sometimes. Ask yourself:
It’s very easy to fall into a routine of coming home from work or other daytime activities, curling up on the couch alone to watch TV, and then going to bed without much social interaction.
If you don’t get enough social time during a regular week, try swapping a solo evening on the couch for hanging out with a friend.
Research shows that caring for a pet can reduce stress and increase well-beingTrusted Source. It’s not the same as socializing with other humans, but it can provide a great deal of comfort.
Having a pet may even help you create more connections with human beings since you’ll have more chances to meet other pet lovers.
Remember that getting a pet is a big commitment, so make sure you’re ready and in it for the long haul before diving in.
Connect with community centers in your area to discover a wide array of workshops, social events, sports, and arts activities.
Many centers have events or classes going on every day of the week. It’s just a matter of choosing what you want to do, signing up, and showing up.
You shouldn’t have to deal with loneliness, stress, and social isolation alone. Speak with a healthcare professional if you’re not sure how to get out of a loneliness rut. You can start by talking with a doctor or contacting a therapist.
They can help assess the issue and help connect you with resources in your community.
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Getting social on a daily basis is crucial for people of all ages and has many health benefits.
If you’re in a transition period, such as retirement or adult kids leaving home, then now is a great time to start forming new habits and expanding your social circle.
Maintaining strong social connections will help you live a long and happy life.
Incivility is a problem that is becoming increasingly serious in our society. We have written about it in earlier Editorials and once again return to the issue as a well-known political leader has picked up the cudgel of the cause: Jean Charest, former Quebec Premier, has called on Canada’s leaders to promote civility.
Incivility has become so denigrating, it permeates society everywhere and in social media without controls or regulations. This leads to a mentality of unrestrained statements and declarations. Hate speech, racism, sexism, ageism, the axis of evil seem to have increasingly free rein in the Internet world and this spills over into the real world with the many acts of violence we suffer so frequently.
Read the full ‘call to arms by JEAN CHAREST at –> CHAREST
Pierre Poilievre may not be the sharpest pup in the litter but he sure is the cockiest.
Taking a page from Dog Ford’s campaign strategy book, Poilievre promises absolutely nothing. Instead he continually criticizes, condemns and verbally combats anything Trudeau does or says. Poilievre has blamed Trudeau for:
The list of criticisms is ongoing.
But not one single time, not in one single instance does Poilevre promise anything. Not a single policy, not one promise. The Dog ran successful campaigns the same way by promising nothing, making no policy statements.
Poor campaigning vs proven campaigning
No matter how poor this kind of campaigning may seem to be, as the voter is given nothing of substance to consider. No policies, no promises, nothing to think about and consider.
Who cares? Nobody at the Conservative Party executive offices gives a hoot about this being a poor way to campaign, offering voters air rather than substance, fog rather than concrete considerations. These execs don’t give a damn if it may be viewed as poor campaigning. The Dog has proven that it is the road to success on the campaign trail. The pup in Ottawa is barking up the same tree.
We have purposely steered away from commenting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as it is such an emotional and sensitive issue. However, bombing the World Central Kitchens food delivery team is the last straw. WCK is a humanitarian organization delivering food and water to both sides of the conflict. There is no justification for what was done, erroneously claims Israel. Is that the point where this war has reached, where humanitarian teams delivering food are bombed?
Without any apology or attempt at justification, we can no longer accept this state of the war. Each side has merit and worth to its stance but both sides have questionable goals and long-term aims. No matter. The point where this war deserves a ceasefire and possible peace negotiations has been reached. When innocent humanitarian workers such as Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen are killed delivering food to war victims, it is time to speak up and speak against Israel. This conflict is unjustifiably wrong. Blaming the military for making erroneous tactical decisions is lip service.
Opposing the Israel offensives now may sound like an outright pro-Palestinian stance. It is not. Both sides merit support for some things but both sides are wrong in some areas. What is not wrong, is condemnation of killing humanitarian workers who are trying to help the victims of this conflict. WCK has been delivering food to both sides, Palestinians and Israelis. Fact-check it. Can you imagine, delivering food to starving people and being targeted as if you are a combatant?
Peace negotiations are called for…NOW !
[Read Jose Andres’ impassioned plea in his NYTimes statement at JOSE ]
“I pose a threat to the status quo. I fearlessly expose the corruption that runs rampant in our city hall, and I am shining a light on the abuse of power by both staff and council members. And for this, I have become the target of their malicious attacks.”
PICKERING COUNCILLOR LISA ROBINSON ON BEING ACCUSED OF PROMOTING HOMOPHOBIA AND TRANSPHOBIA [Toronto Star, Apr. 6, 2024]
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The turmoil and disruption caused by Councillor Lisa Robinson just will not go away. Maybe it shouldn’t as there may be something to what she says. However, making such a statement without hard evidence, is simply a muckraking, irresponsible declaration.
Such statements from any elected politician have value only if there is evidence to support the claim. If there is evidence, lets hear it so everyone benefits: Pickering residents, Pickering municipal councillors and all politicians.
Otherwise, making such statements without supportive evidence is not only yellow journalism but is slanderous causing unnecessary turmoil and problems for everyone concerned.
Either make the case with evidence or go away. The residents and municipal civil servants of the City of Pickering deserve better than this.
Your opinions and comments are invited.
COUNTERPOINT
With gratitude,
Lisa Robinson
City Councillor
Ward 1
City of Pickering
The dog photo in this article is an untrained, aggressive dog who has an irresponsible owner/master.
Dog ownership has many rewards but irresponsible dog ownership is unacceptable.
Dogs are pack animals that respond well to positive and constructive training and a dog who has been trained is a rewarding pet. By its nature, a dog tries to please its master. Just watch how attentive, well-trained and responsive a dog becomes when given a clear command by a responsible master.
Trained dogs are great pets. Untrained dogs are ticking time bombs.
Dogs like the one in the photo at the top of the page are lousy pets because they have been allowed to be untrained, not knowing what to do or what they cannot do. Dogs are animals that will act naturally if untrained. They are not sophisticated thinkers but will become defensive at the spur of the moment. Defensive may mean an aggressive posture. The dog is defending itself by projecting a fearsome, aggressive face. Pushed a little, this dog may attack, but again, the attack is a defensive response. Nevertheless, an attack is an attack and any dog is capable of brutal aggression causing serious injury. Even my cute little Scottish Terrier is capable of inflicting serious injury even though he is small and seemingly safe.
Irresponsible dog owners who do not heed the cautionary message stated above, should not be allowed dog freedoms. Dogs of these owners should be reported and the City bylaws about dangerous dogs should be enforced. These owners should lose their dog, have them removed to an animal shelter ready for adoption by responsible owners.
This all boils down to two things:
Read the full article about aggressive dogs in TorSTAR article –> DOGS
Councillors Shaheen Butt, Linda Cook, Mayor Kevin Ashe, Councillor Mara Nagy, Pickering-Uxbridge MP Jennifer O’Connell, Councillors Lisa Robinson, Dave Pickles, Maurice Brenner
The $65 million City of Pickering Heritage & Community Centre was launched in a ground breaking ceremony on Thursday, Apr. 4, 2024.
The City’s Heritage & Community Centre is planned as a new, 44,000 sq. ft. facility celebrating the city’s rich heritage by bringing together Museum, Library and Community Centre into one dynamic space.
The Facility’s Amenities
Projected opening and location
This facility opening is slated for 2026 at its prospective location on the upper site of the Pickering Museum Village.
The facility will serve as a new Visitor’s Centre for the Pickering Museum Village replacing the current, aging administrative building. The existing Museum Administration Building, known as the Robert A. Miller Building, is a hybrid structure built in post and beam style in 1867 with a wood frame addition built in 1967 wood frame addition.
The facility will preserve local history in a much-needed storage space for over 11,000 artifacts. The collections, artifacts and records of the Library, Pickering Museum Village, and City Hall will be highlighted in a climate controlled environmental and custom design lighting controls.
It will replace the aging Greenwood Community Centre, and provide a modern and accessible space for community groups, programs and services, and be a centre for staging events and showcasing exhibitions.
Additionally it will include the first public exhibit/art gallery showcasing travelling exhibitions, and local artists’ art.
Much larger than the current facility, the new one will serve more guests and likely host up to 300 guests at any one time.
Enviornmentally green, with zero-carbon design, the facility will be highly energy-efficient minimizing any greenhouse gas emissions from its building materials to its operations, support ing Pickering goal of becoming one of the most sustainable cities in Canada!
Replacing Aging Infrastructure
The City is committed to maintaining safe and accessible infrastructures, and therefore is replacing the aging Greenwood Community Centre built in 1970. The aged centre was small, 8,400 square foot, two-storey building made of concrete block and steel framing, without wall insulation. The aged building style make the building expensive to heat and cool. The City has concluded the building has reached its end of life. The new building will be environmentally green, cost less to maintain and operate and potentially serve Pickering residents and visitors for a very long time.
Space benefits
The Pickering Public Library benefits with two valuable spaces within this new facility: our Local History Resource Centre and an Express Library Kiosk.
The Local History Resource Centre will be a destination for a variety of visitors, offering them access to collections, staff assistance, and innovative programming. Students, researchers, and family historians will be able to comb through documents and photographs that bring the people, places, and events of Pickering’s history, stories and journeys to life.
As well, the library services will be available through the Express Library Kiosk which will offer innovative service prototypes and feature holds, pick-up, freshly, curated collections, comfortable spaces and access to essential technology.
Suspense more than “killer-thriller.”
Before the Fall is a ‘who done it’ story without suspense but with mystery. A reader is taken along a path where they may begin to question the basic premise of the story. Did the protagonist, Scott, actually have anything to do with the event? Continue reading
I attended the Fairport Beach Neighbourhood Association annual general meeting recently and I was impressed.
Most neighbourhood associations are viewed as being loose gatherings of a bunch of neighbours convening for a coffee clatch about their neighbourhood, probably a vestige of the old-time neighbourhood watch groups. Not the FBNA.
The FAIRPORT BEACH NEIGHBOURHOOD ASSOCIATION is a sophisticated, well-developed group, residents of the Fairport Beach area located in south Pickering on the shores of Lake Ontario.
The association was established in the early 1900’s and has developed and grown into a sophisticated advanced association of neighbouring residents.
Though their original goals may have been about neighbourhood events and issues, the FBNA has developed into much more today. It integrates itself with its larger municipal community, generously donating time and money to various groups in Pickering from hospital donations to food bank and homeless assistance.
Its long-serving President, Paul White, has been fortunate to have a passionately dedicated and committed group of residents who have served on the FBNA executive board for many years. The FBNA has collaborated with numerous City Councillors on waterfront projects and numerous safety and security improvements enhancing the neighbourhood residential area.
Recently, I was invited to speak to the association about the Internet and digital services available to Pickering residents. The City, amid planned website changes, promotes web use noting that an increasing number of communities and corporations are basing their services on the web and Internet. Soon, it may become the norm for all business and municipal services. I concluded that people who are not using such services now, need to consider learning it and making use of it as it will soon become the standard mode of operation everywhere.
Councillor Maurice Brenner, FBNA Pres. Paul White, FBNA V.P. Phil Warne
Regional Ward 1 Councillor Maurice Brenner
The FBNA annual general meeting also had a presentation by Ward 1-Regional Councillor Maurice Brenner covering many aspects of the City of Pickering. With his excellent recall, the councillor talked knowledgeably about a surprising number of topics. He praised the FBNA as a model for other associations. He continued by explaining about property taxes and the shortfalls impacting such services as Durham Rapid Transit. Brenner expanded with comments about crime and the Durham Police Services. Again more money is needed, to modernize and develop the police services. He talked about traffic safety and speeding problems on residential streets and how the FBNA helped fund its speed control street devices. Brenner talked about city community well-being services dealing with the homeless and the food shortage stressed drawing attention to the unique community service known as DARS. Casino revenues explanation brought Brenner to his conclusion: very high praise for the FBNA and how it could be a model to all other neighbourhood associations in Pickering.
A personal comment
Attending the FBNA AGM was an eye-opening moment: I have been exposed to talks by Councillor Brenner at various functions from Town Halls to neighbourhood gatherings. He is a surprising fount of information recalling an amazing number of details about the City. The problem is residents of Pickering do not hear him, do not see his valuable and informative presentations and explanations. The same can be said about other City Councillors and even the Mayor who recently held a coffee house information session. Sadly, too few Pickering residents attend these information opportunities. The City and its Councillors are not to blame for the poor turnouts at these information sessions. What is disappointing is that Pickering resident are not getting the information, information that would demonstrate to them the dynamic and exciting development of their city. Pickering is much more than a bed-room community. Hopefully, the new city website and the encouragement of web use by more residents may change this situation soon.
City of Pickering has budgeted $900,000 for modifying and maintaining its new website (delivery sometime in 2024). This is absolutely insane if taken at face value.
Every web design and managing company has been astounded by this budget figure. The public has not received any explanation of the figure, nor any details about how this fee can be justified. Most average single-owned websites cost a few thousand dollars per year, corporate sites are a few thousand more. All this suggests that the City of Pickering site costs should be significantly lower.
However, the City of Pickering has allotted $900,000 for its site, with no explanation or justification to the public.
This is insane, and a gross misuse of public funds.
What do you think?
Premier Doug Ford stated that a hospital was to be built in the Durham region, in Ajax. However, the Premier is playing with the promise as if it were a hacky sack ball.
Read the full story –> HOSPITAL
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POINT
The Premier seems to making the building of a hospital into a personal issue. He dislikes things that Ajax Mayor says or is doing and in his usual ‘gentle’ way tells her to fly right or she may lose the promised hospital grant.
The bully comes of the Doug house with his intimidation tactices. Either fall in line or you will be punished.
Typical Ford!
A hospital in Durham is
This Town Hall will be co-hosted by Councillors Brenner, Cook and Nagy.
The presentation will focus on Environmental issues relating to the City of Pickering culminating in a Q&A session.
Goals & Objectives
DATE/TIME: Wed., April 10, 7 p.m.
LOCATION: West Shore Community Centre
People wonder if civil servants are spending appropriately. Are they dipping into the public purse or spending their own dime. Just as importantly, citizens want to know how their money is being spent: TRANSPARENCY vs TRANSGRESSION.
[COMMENTARY that is anonymous will not be published and all commenting authors will be identified unless specifically requesting otherwise.]
POINT
Susan Cassel,
[City Clerk, Legislative Services]
As you are aware we are almost at the end of 3 months into 2024. When I go onto the Pickering.ca site, link provided below, to view the Council expense reports I note that for the year 2024 there are no, O, Council expense reports. I have been writing and discussing this issue for over 2 years and I have heard all sorts of reasons why residents are not able to view Council expense reports 30 days after submission. To make sure this is fully understood it was common practice prior to this issue of Council expense reports to be able to view January’s expense reports 1 month (30 days) after submission. This would mean that residents could view January’s expense reports at the end of February and February expense reports could be viewed at the end of March. The end of March is quickly approaching and residents have no reports to review at all for the year 2024. This issue has been going on for over 2 years and is not acceptable and certainly not a timely reporting of information that residents should be able to view on a regular basis.
https://www.pickering.ca/en/city-hall/CouncilExpenses.aspx
Mike Borie
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COUNTERPOINT
Good Afternoon Mr. Borie,
Thank you for your email and your patience in awaiting my reply as I was out of the office for a few days last week.
You and I have had several emails on this matter over the past 2 years and I can appreciate that you would like to see the reports posted sooner than they are. That said, as I have explained in the past, the City’s obligations to report on Council expenses and remuneration is under Section 284(1) of the Municipal Act and under the Act, this annual reporting much be done by March 31st. This was recently fulfilled through an annual report from the Treasurer which was included on the March 25, 2024 Council agenda. That report cannot be compiled until the prior year’s financial reconciliation has been completed which is why it is not required to be available until March of the following year under the Municipal Act.
Similarly, each month’s expenses also have to be reconciled. With the work undertaken to wrap up the financial reporting for 2023, it is inevitable that the first quarter expenses have been slightly delayed. As previously communicated, the posting on the City’s Council Expense webpage is above and beyond the requirements of the Municipal Act. Under the City’s Council Compensation Policy, it states that “expenses are prepared on a monthly basis for each Member of Council and publicly disclosed on the City’s website as soon as practically possible.” The Policy further states that the public’s right to Council expense information must allow for proper accounting and reconciliation of expenses. It is of the utmost importance that what is posted on the Council expenses webpage is accurate. In order for this to occur, the checks and balances in place may take longer than what you may expect.
The City will continue to post the Council expense information in as timely a manner as possible. We appreciate your understanding in this regard.
Thank you,
Susan Cassel
City Clerk
Legislative Services
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COMMENTARY
City Clerk Susan Cassel,Thank you for your very comprehensible and logical explanation regarding publication of Councillor expenditures. I don’t speak for M. Borie, but I feel he was coming from a positive intent rather than being critical of your work regarding financial reporting. Today’s citizens live in spurious and troubling times and they want to be assured that where their money is concerned, things are being done right. I think it is merely questioning transparency rather than criticism of your reporting.I too push and prod the City for more transparency in the work it does. My prodding does not imply that there is any disorder or misuse of public funds. I am merely looking for explanations to give me the feeling the City council is working for the benefit of the city rather any individual’s gain. For example, I have been very critical of the City’s near $1 million dollar budget allocation for the City website modification. This is not the place to argue that point, but research and experience suggest this is an outlandish expenditure. Hence, I look for transparency and explanation.I believe Mr. Borie is working with the same intent. As a citizen interested and involved with the City, he is not making accusations but looking for clarification and transparency.I am certain he regards your work as being conscientious, professional and optimum.Richard Szpin
The VIDEO is a approximately 5-10 minute overview of SCRIVENER. (It is a rudimentary video as I was teaching myself how to create videos on my website, but it will give you an excellent overview of SCRIVENER.)
The City of Pickering has budgeted nearly $1 million for website makeover. To say that this is absurd budgeting may be a gross understatement.
No matter which website designers I speak with, TD Bank, Toronto web design, even in my own nearly 10 years of experience with web design and work, that amount of money for doing a makeover of a single website, no matter how deep, how sophisticated has been labelled as being absolutely ridiculous.
Even if the company is doing ongoing maintenance and monitoring over two years, a $1 million dollars sounds as has been labelled, astounding. The professionals I spoke with were shocked at this amount. None could find any justification for a million dollars.
As a lowly skilled website designer and manager, I am hesitant to jump on the criticism bandwagon fully. However, I am skeptical about how this amount can be justified.
The City does not owe me, a lowly, somewhat computer-skilled citizen, any explanation or justification for this amazing fee. However, perhaps the citizens of Pickering should get some kind of explanation, some kind of transparency as to how this money is being used and how it is justifiable.
Do the citizens of Pickering deserve some explanation when a million dollars of their money is being spent on what looks like a possibly overs expenditure?
The CANDIDATE NOMINATION process for PICKERING UXBRIDGE has been the center of confusion. Some candidates have withdrawn, others have sunk into the woodwork, while others have been surrounded by controversy, viz. Anthony Yacub.
Anthony Yacub threw his hat into the Candidacy Nomination ring but as he did, controversy erupted. The PUCDA (PICKERING UXBRIDGE CONSTITUENCY DISTRICT ASSOCIATION) executive rejected his candidacy as regulated by Rule 9.3 which states that no member of the executive or the committee for nomination of candidates may run for the nomination. Even when told that his resignation from his PUCDA positions would allow him to run for the nomination, the regulation was invoked and his nomination was rejected.
Yacub is still in the midst of sorting out this problem, asking the Party executives in Ottawa to help resolve the issue. At this time, the resolution is pending.
Yacub has added “notes of clarification” –> NOTES
Joseph Donato
Client Experience Associate
Pickering Public Library
905.831.6265
pickeringlibrary.ca
Politics is a blood sport, unfamiliar to the common voter. It’s a game that is populated by the treacherous and black-hearted. Remember “E tu Brute?”
Well, the sport is alive, well and practiced with a passion in Canada today. Read this email notification sent out by the Pickering Uxbridge Constituency Distract Association: –> PUCDA
The notification states that candidate Anthony Yacub is ineligible to campaign for the nomination for Conservative candidate for the riding because he served on a PUCDA nomination committee, since resigning from all positions associated with PUCDA.
This notification is pure ‘dirty politics.’ Anthony Yacub, a long-time party member who has devoted himself to passionately serving the party for many years, even at his youthful age, has been forbidden to campaign for the riding nomination position. This is politics practiced at its worst and it is a shameful example of how badly politics can be practiced in Canada, in this day and age.
Rules may be justifiable and in place for acceptable reasons. However, democratic principles should trump all local political regulations. If a citizen wishes to campaign for a political position in any election in Canada, the campaign rules should be reviewed and gauged against democratic rights. PUCDA has eschewed that consideration and chosen to forbid a citizen from his constitutional right of association/assembly.
The rule may be justified and in place for valid reasons but again, democracy must trump all rules, particularly today when democracy is being tested and challenged throughout the world.
PUCDA may be short-sighted in the effects the imposition of this regulation may have on its image. The Conservative executives in Ottawa should take note and act on this in a constructive and practical way with due consideration of Canadian democracy.
There are many professional writers from whom budding or developing writers can learn. This is an ongoing list of writers I respect and think are examples of excellent journalism:
Katharine Lake Berz
Berz is a frequent contributor to various Canadian media like the Toronto Star and Globe and Mail. Her greatest strength is how well she encapsulates large amount of material into a distilled, engaging columns. Sample piece –> FLORIDA
Heather Cox Richardson
Richardson is a Pulitzer prise wining American journalist who writes a regular column commenting on American politics. Her greatest strength, beyond her polished style, is that she incorporates a lot of American history into her captivating reports. Sample piece –> BIDEN
Rosie Dimanno
Dimanno is a journalist writing for the Toronto Star. She is amazing in the breadth and range of topics she writes: sports, politics, critiques. Her greatest strength is her vocabulary. She elevates her pieces to academic pinnacles with erudite and sophisticated heights with language that is inspiring and intellectual prodding.
Sample piece –> ZAMEER
Joyce Vance
Vance is an American columnist who may be viewed as the commoner’s Cox Richardson. She eschews the historical depth of Richardson but writes American political analysis incisively and insightfully. Sample piece –> CIVIL DISCOURSE
Estate planning is a huge task, no matter how little monetary value you make think it has. Click –> Estate Planning” to see the many posts I have written about this very important topic.
You should consider it a priority task to include as part of your will preparation, a ‘legacy package’ for your heirs.
Two important follow ups…click each to learn more about it:
Best,
Katharine Lake Berz, a Canadian writer, touches the globe with her words. I draw attention to Berz for far more than her writing which has depth and empathetic sensitivity. I draw attention to her because she walks among us. She is sensitive to her readers as people first and fans second.
Writing her a short note regarding her article about segregation and marginalization in the US, Florida in particular, got a reply, short, concise but an acknowledgement that I wrote. Some Toronto Star writers should take note. Berz, Rosie Dimanno and other writers are sensitive to their readers and responsive to them.
Everyone else
Everyone should take note. When these people, deluged with work and professional responsibilities, still find the time to send a short responsive note, why can’t you?
Recently, a newspaper article gave me pause to consider. I have a will that I drafted based on Internet research. The article pointed out that wills based on ‘will kits’ could have loop holes in them which can give the family expenses, legal headaches and inheritance difficulties.
If you have a ‘home made’ will, might I suggest you consider having a lawyer examine and evaluate it for sound legal foundations. As the will has been done for the lawyer, costs to affirm the legal foundation of the will may be reasonable and it will give you peace of mind knowing you will is ‘good.’
Read the full article in the paper at –> LAST WILL SOLIDITY
Tablets, cell phones, smart phones generate radiation.
The human body may be affected adversely by radiation, most certainly, by too much radiation.
View this video about the emission of radiation from these digital devices and act on the information with your own discretion.
[Thanks Paul White]
The Petticoat Creek branch book club met a week ago and discussed Fallis’ book and to a person, it was 2 thumbs up all the way. The discussion slid easily into the world of politics, notably our own politics here in Canada. We laughed all too easily at our own obvious political clowns and then got a little more serious with our laments about the lack of integrity and high ethical standards in politics today. The blame was placed on the political system rather than on the individual who are participants in the system and of course, as do all political discussion, we never reached a unanimous conclusion about politicians today. But we did about Terry Fallis’ book…we loved it!
Just look at the salaries of the civil servants on this list. It really does pay off to have friends in high places who can give you a “little assistance.”
Hospital Sick Children President CEO Ronald Cohn $851,414
University Health Network President/CEO Kevin Smith $844,992
Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster $838,097
President and CEO Ontario Pension Board Mark Fuller $826,539
Ontario Health CEO Matthew Anderson $821,000
Premier Doug Ford’s $208,974
Premier’s chief of staff $324,000.
Government House Leader Paul Calandra $165,851
Deputy Premier Sylvia Jones $165,851
Toronto’s city manager $417,216
Chief of Police Peel $423,050.
TTC CEO Rick Leary $562,325
Toronto Police Chief Myron Denkiw $289,029
Toronto Fire Chief Mathew Pegg $289,509.
Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore $464,148
Ontario Chief Coroner Dr. Dirk Huyer $455,091
Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Thomas Carrique $373,472
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles $174,950
Former Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie $129,438
To view the full list, click à ONT SILLY SERVANT SALARIES
DURHAM MAYORS
Muncipality Mayor Salary Taxable benefits
Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy $189,346.73 $19,740.63
Ajax Mayor Shaun Collier $156,665.05 $31,538.31
Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter $147,926.82 $484.20
Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe $124,138.77 $25,124.74
It seems like the City of Pickering Council is swimming in turbulent waters endlessly.
For months, the waters are roiled with racism accusations and bigotry criticisms.
Then, council meetings become heated to rolling boils, so turbulent that police are needed to calm the waters.
Next come accusations of gagging and censorship. These are followed by demands for the provincial government to step in via the Human Rights Commission to remove outspoken councillors.
Then, criticisms are addressed about the lack of transparency regarding expense reports…
The City of Pickering Council meeting, Mar. 25, 2024, heated up from the first gavel.
The opening spiritual words fell on some deaf ears at this particular meeting.
The temperature-raising issue, not part of the declared agenda, was in relation to a procedural bylaw that restricted speakers addressing the council to delegations who had submitted requests as delegates and had received approval. Councillor Lisa Robinson questioned the acceptability of the item as being undemocratic, and restrictive of free speech. The verbal exchange that ensued became increasingly heated as Robinson was noted as being out of order as the question was not part of the agenda. The Chair became progressively more irritated with Robinson continue prodding at the possible violation of democratic principles.
The issue was not clearly resolved. However, a motion to eliminate the “Question Period” to make council meetings more efficient was passed, 6-1. Additionally, a second motion was also passed to disallow the use of photo or image recording devices at all future meetings.
Let the meeting begin
The delegations part of the meeting had more than a dozen delegations on the agenda, almost unanimously dealing with Councillor Robinson’s op-ed piece that has been labelled as being anti Black History Month. Chair Ashe should be commended for maintaining order and adhering steadfastly to the agenda.
The majority of the delegates who spoke in regard to the Robinson piece were in clear support of the Councillor. Though one delegation had to be reminded most vigorously that delegates were allowed 5 minutes to address the council, most delegates accepted the limitation.
Their presentations in support of Robinson varied a lot in bases. Some presented the historical perspective of persecuted factions ages ago across the world. Others presented the argument that Robinson’s rights to free speech were being violated. Others dealt with her chastisement and council duties suspension as an example of bullying. The bullying aspect was repeated several times. Others painted Robinson as a luminary trying to defend women’s rights and advance that cause.
One delegate specifically underlined that Robinson was defending the principles of diversity, equality and inclusion though closer examination of her statement begs the question that she says anything actually racist or derogatory. That still seems to be an ongoing debate.
Curiously, the Oshawa Durham Central Newspaper’s delegate, editor Joe Ingino, was a ‘no-show’ at the council meeting though he was designated as a delegate. The Robinson article appeared in the Mar 26th edition of the newspaper. It can be accessed by clicking –> “Slow Death of Democracy“
Not all delegates were supportive of Robinson’s position. She was labelled as a ‘rogue’ councillor who should resign from council. Additionally, criticism was aimed at the councillors in general for failing to research the proper ways of dealing with Robinson and for their ‘poor response’ to her logic.
One of the last delegates called for the Human Rights Commission of Ontario to step in and resolve this dispute. The goal suggested was that the HRC remove Robinson from office based on racist and bigotry grounds.
There was a small number of delegations that dealt with more localized matters such as Pickering cultural endeavours and the demolition of a possibly Heritage legacy property in the city.
__________
No more business was recorded by this reporter after this point.
__________
See Glenn Hendry report –> inDurham
For an EDITORIAL commentary relating to this council meeting and the Lisa Robinson issue, click –> EDITORIAL
Casino revenue sharing may be coming to an end. It will interesting to watch how this story unfolds.
Published March 25, 2024 at 4:09 pm
The 2024 budget presented by Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe last month through his Strong Mayor Powers was a document of restraint, with the city’s portion representing just a 1.25 per cent increase on tax rolls.
But achieving those relatively painless numbers was not without sacrifices and one grand gesture of goodwill may take the fall in the coming years, with Council debating the merits of continuing casino revenue sharing with Durham Region after the current deal ends in 2026.
The City agreed to share a portion of its casino hosting fees for Pickering Casino last year, with the Region declaring those funds to be used for affordable housing.
Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe
Under the terms of the arrangement, Pickering keeps the first $10 million, with Durham receiving a portion of funds after that to a maximum of $6 million per year.
The deal is worth close to $2 million a year to the Region.
The motion, put on the table by Councillors Lisa Robinson and Maurice Brenner, acknowledges that the Council “cannot compel” a future council to terminate the agreement but declared the cost-sharing is putting a “financial strain” on the City.
The motion, if approved, will call for a review of the deal “with a view to considering whether or not it is appropriate” to continue any revenue sharing after the end of the contract; and to explore other options for the allocation of future casino funds,
“including the possibility of retaining all revenue generated from the
Pickering Casino.”
The budget, which included $108.6 million in capital expenditures, will likely see other sacrificial lambs, with more than a dozen projects being cancelled or postponed (if the staff report is approved), from a $3.5 million land purchase for the expansion of the #5 Fire Station on Bayly Street and more than $600,000 in sidewalk replacements to $10,000 for the installation of an outdoor drop box at the Central Library.
Staff attendance at two international conferences – the DELL World conference in Las Vegas and the SAP Sapphire Conference in Orlando – are still on the agenda, however, with total costs not to exceed $8,000.
Staff is also recommended padding up several reserve funds in anticipation of future shortfalls and establishing a Building Faster Fund for moneys received from the Province for the City meeting its housing targets.
Pickering received $5.2 million last week from Premier Doug Ford for exceeding those targets.
Should the “Lisa Robinson” issue be moved off the council table? Two council meetings had numerous delegates speaking to the issue, the council meetings in February and March. The issue is very serious and quite caustic. However, the responsibilities of the Pickering Council are much broader than dealing with this singular issue. The issue is important and most definitely should have been discussed and resolved by the councillors. Two meetings would seem to be adequate time to devote to it.
This issue is such that it can never be brought to closure as the opinions pro and cons are endless.
Let’s sum up and close the issue as a City Council agenda item
First, the ‘Lisa Robinson issue’ is the controversy that was stirred up by Ward 1 Councillor Lisa Robinson’s actions and statements regarding the flying of the LGBTQ+ flag and the celebration of Black History Month. The outcry in response to Robinson was that she was a racist and a bigot.
Several communities and many people responded vehemently to Robinson, possibly with little regard for her actual position.
Is there more to her position than meets the eye
It is easy to view the surface of Robinson’s position. Many too quickly criticize her position without giving her logic more thought.
For a moment, overlook the racist heat that her position generates and consider the full thrust of the position. Robinson could be explaining that highlighting one faction is ignoring another. Hence, celebrating Black History Month means disregarding other important issues and factions in the community. She adds that either all months must be included or the singular one must be removed. That view has logic to it.
Beating a dead horse
The City council continues accepting delegates criticizing or supporting Robinson. Maybe it is time to stop. This is not to say the issue is to be disregarded or shelved. Every instance of racism, prejudice and hate must be attended to and addressed. But council meetings deal with many more issues requiring more time, consideration and urgency.
A disappointing image of the Council
The City councillors should consider how these kinds of issues divide the councillors and dilute their effectiveness. Furthermore, cabinet solidarity is a government practice used for a reason. This council seems to have forgotten or overlooked its importance. Certainly, differing views among councillors has the benefit of broader considerations but constant division and polarization of councillors cannot be beneficial to the governing of the City.
Police state
Finally, there’s something drastically amiss when a city council meeting has the police removing people as trespassers.
The council has the capability and capacity to find better ways to deal with potentially heated and controversial issues.
READERS’ COMMENTS
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Meditation: at your desk First minute: Sit quietly and comfortably, and lose the distractions: loosen your belt, take your shoes off, close the laptop, put your phone on silent.
Second minute: Pay attention to your breathing as you inhale slowly through your nose, filling the chest and belly. Hold for four seconds, then exhale slowly and steadily through your nose. Put your right hand on your chest and your left hand on your belly to feel the gentle flow of air.
Third minute: Inhale, then imitate the drone of a bumblebee while exhaling. Mmmmmmm. Close your eyes and feel the soft hum resonate in your head.
Fourth minute: Cross your hands over your chest, palms resting flat on your body, and feel the hum resonate in your chest.
Fifth minute: Sit silently, counting your breaths while pushing aside any thoughts that try to intrude. Count five breaths, then another, then another, until the minute is up.
I found a writing app, described as useful for poetry writers, but I think prose writers might find it useful too. Poke!Book is very interesting and useful: it’s free, and it stores everything locally in your browser. Having two notepads side by side—one for the writing, the poetry and the other for making notes —is incredibly helpful. The lined notepad expands infinitely, and makes it painless to delete and change line breaks. And best of all, it doesn’t auto-capitalize when you start a new line.
Click link –> https://book3.pokeghost.org/
by Haroon Siddiqui
Introduction
Being Muslim is a short book which introduces the reader to the Muslim world: its politics, its social position in Europe, its primary faith, its relationship with women, explanations of Jihad and terrorism and its future.
This very informative book is written in a positive and constructive way. There is no proselytizing, no indoctrinating, no promoting for the sake of conversion. It is simply a book that educates the reader about the Muslim world. It is a pleasure to read because Siddiqui never brow beats so that his point is accepted. More often, he simply lays out a fact, which can be authenticated easily via an Internet search.
Haroon Siddiqui has been a journalist writing for the Toronto Star. His professionalism shines through brightly throughout the entire book. He describes, analyses for clarification and elucidation but he never preaches or forces a point on the reader. It is simply, “Here is the fact [usually reinforced with data]. Accept it or reject it as you wish.”
Politics
Muslims have a very rich history and wear it with pride but today, according to Siddiqui, they are under siege. They are viewed in a dark light because of crimes and hate filled acts committed in various parts of the world, usually sensationalized by the media with the detrimental effects on the Muslim world. Western government policies have reacted to the various news events by legislating and developing policies which reflect an anti-Muslim stance.
Islamophobia
Societies have responded in similar ways when violent terrorism has occurred. There is a negative response, a rejection of Muslims and even reciprocal violence and vandalism against Muslims and their religious institutions. Right wing extremists in government, in politics and in the media, have resorted to unjustified universal criticism and condemnation of Muslims everywhere. This Islamophobia is a worldwide response and often times, it crosses the line into outright, open bigotry.
Siddiqui further explains that verbalized misconceptions by western political leaders has further developed the anti-Muslim attitude in society. He quotes American leaders such as John Kerry and George Bush, men of influence and power.
Muslim Malaise
Muslims have a history of persecution and antagonism. It was reinforced with international changes forced on the world after World War I and again after WWII. The effects of these changes remain today but continue to worsen because of economic woes in many countries, because of conflict and ongoing military struggles in many parts of the world and because of the growth of right wing populism in political philosophies.
Many Muslims have sought refuge and escape in the faith. Islam has become a haven of spiritual revival and psychological respite. Feeling abandoned and persecuted, many Muslims have sought refuge in religion. Hence, Islam is growing worldwide.
Some however, have found action more attractive than prayer. Continuously oppressed by right wing politicians, by sensationalist media, the young men and women turn more and more to terrorism and violence as methods of retaliation. These activities add fuel to the fire of Islamophobia. Rich fields for extremists within the Muslim world to plant their seeds of agitation, insurgence and terror and as Islam does not have a hierarchical structure like the Church of Rome or the Church of England. Radicalize youth joining the factions led by extremists like Bin Laden is understandable and without a universal leader, anyone can don the mantle of leadership.
European turmoil
Europe is undergoing tremendous social and economic upheavals because of conflicts which have or are taking place in countries such a Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel and many more. The pressure of huge numbers of refugees has put tremendous pressure on many European countries trying to cope with the influx of so many immigrants seeking asylum and protection. The economic repercussions of this social upheaval have been a horrendous challenge. Unemployment is a pan-European problem as the flow of new people continues relentlessly and Muslims suffer the same woes of unemployment.
Muslims suffer even more because of the social responses to the new migration, racism and bigotry. Blaming the migrants for the economic problem in Western Europe is easy to do. Someone is to blame for the economic problems. The new immigrants are the easiest target. The societies react and respond too readily to the new refugees. They see the many homeless, poverty stricken, unemployed youth in their cities and easily jump to blaming them as the cause of the declining condition within their countries. Xenophobia, racism and bigotry are not gigantic leaps.
Rushdie, Van Gogh Cartoons
As Siddiqui examines the events in Europe which eventually led to greater negative responses to Muslims and practitioners of Islam. He deals with Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses, the Van Gogh documentary which slandered Islam, the Danish publisher, Jyllands-Posten, which published cartoons mocking Muslims and depicting the prophet as a terrorist with bulging eyes and a bomb-shaped turban with a burning fuse. Siddiqui writes with conviction when he comments on freedom of speech and the need for defending it. However, it points out that this defence must be applied universally, and not solely in relation to Muslims and Islam. Hate speech lacks boundaries; defence against it should be afforded the same universality. Siddiqui how Denmark particularly opposed to Muslims with quotes from an executive editor of Jyllands-Posten to quotes by Queen Margrethe and PM Rasmussen. He concludes the European examination with,
“How the West conducts itself towards Muslims is a test of pluralistic civility, cosmopolitan collectivity and the most fundamental principles of democracy.”
The Hijab debate
It’s a simple scarf used in the practice of Islam by women. Throughout time, the hijab has evoked a broad range of emotional reactions which have vacillated in numerous directions and to various levels of acceptability.
The other garment which evokes varied reactions is the head to toe garment some women wear, the burqa.
Islam
Next Siddiqui deals with the five pillars of Islam: declaration of faith, daily prayer, charity, fasting and the Haj [pilgrimage to Mecca.] He draws the inevitable comparisons with other religions though he takes care to differentiate important aspects of Islam like the importance of the mosque beyond being just a place of worship. To Muslims, the mosque is much like the country church was to rural Christians in bygone eras, a place to meet, a place to socialize and a place of community friendship. The mosque is all that and more as large mosques usually also have mortuaries.
Halal and Haram
The practitioners of Islam have a code of ethics by which to live, what is permitted or lawful, the halal and what is not permitted or unlawful, the haram. But there seems to be a rule of flexibility within Islam where the rules by which they live can be overruled or ‘broken’ depending on circumstances. For example, the haj is not forced on those who are unable to do a pilgrimage due to illness or economic conditions; prayer five times a day can be reduced if the conditions preclude a prayer being competed at any particular time. The religion seems to have a degree of flexibility and bending to accommodate real life conditions.
The Qur’an
The Qur’an may be the most revered book in the world. It certainly is the most recited. Interestingly, the Qur’an is written in verse format, like a series of poems or verses of poetry. A ‘rap’ singer would find this sacred book very appealing as it is like reciting rap verses. In fact, because of this special format, the Qur’an is more easily memorized than other books. Additionally, and again because of its format, reciting verses from the Qur’an can be very much like meditation, comforting, reassuring and maybe even soothing.
The Prophet
Muslims believe in the Christian figures as being prophets, indviduals like Jesus Christ, Abraham and Moses. However, the final prophet is Muhammad who they cherish and honour but do not adore as he is not God, the claim Christians make about Christ.
Siddiqui closes the last parts of his excellent book on being Muslim with many sayings authored by Muhammad. It is interesting to see that references to violence and killing are extremely rare in the Qur’an and where they are used, they basically justify such extreme acts as other faiths do, that it can be justified based on the need to defend one’s self and/or one’s family. The Qur’an does not preach or advocate acts of extremism as are popularly held erroneously by some non-Muslims.
Women
An entire chapter is devoted to explaining and examining the status and role of women in the Muslim world. The prevailing attitudes in the Western world about women in the Muslim world is that they are second class citizens who are subordinated to the men. Siddiqui states that the opposite is true philosophically with Muslims. Women are totally equal to men. Any inequality or misogynistic status us culturally based and absorbed from the cultural influences to which the Muslims have been exposed. Misogyny exists across many cultures in the world and understandably these cultures influence the Muslim attitudes.
No where in the Qur’an is there a claim that one gender is superior or inferior to the other. In fact, the Qur’an claims total gender equality and Muslims have practiced this equality anywhere where cultural influences have been suppressed or held in check compared to the Islamic philosophies.
Domestic violence
There has been disagreement in interpretation of the Qur’an in reference to physical suppression of women. Muhammad never beat his wives and campaigned vigorously against such abuse. Muslim mistreatment of women exists, not because of some sort of theological or philosophical justification but for the same reasons that spousal abuse in other societies and other cultures.
Honour killings
Another form of abuse of women is the killing of women for sexual misconduct. Again, there is no philosophical justification or rationale for such abuse in Islam. However, the abuse exists in countries such as Pakistan, Turkey, Jordan and Israeli-occupied Territories. Again, the abuse is culturally based in these societies.
Genital mutilation
No mention of this is in the Qur’an. It is an African tradition which some early Islam scholars had accepted. In the 1990’s, Islam scholars joined the ban of this practice.
Adultery and stoning
The Qur’an does not condone the practice of stoning adulteresses. However, it does prescribe harsh punishment for violators of both sexes. Because many Muslims live in patriarchal societies, women often suffer unfair or unequal punishment compared to men.
Polygamy
Monogamy is the norm among Muslims. However, the Qur’an writes that “men may marry more than once if they can treat the wives equally, which they cannot.”
Divorce & child custody
Marriage is a civil contract in Islam. Hence, divorce is permitted on certain grounds such as incompatibility, cruelty, adultery, injustice and insanity.
The husband must pay a support fee, mehr, to the woman.
Children under 7 are given to the mother for care; beyond that age, the children may choose the parent with whom they wish to live.
Marrying non-Muslims
There is some discrepancy on the issue of marriage with a non-Muslim. Men are permitted to do so, women are not. But this issue is being discussed among the scholars now with many supporting universal permission for both men and women.
Qur’an and Hijab
The majority of Muslim women do not wear it. It is more of a cultural practice to assist in the segregation of the community in the mosque, or in general.
Muhammad and women
The prophet respected women and urged that they be treated fairly and equally. He married a number of wives, each of whom was a widow at the time of his marriage to them.
Sharia and women
During history prior to Muhammad, women were treated equally. But as Muslims integrated more and more with other cultures, patriarchal ones, women became increasing subordinate in status. It is an internal struggle within Islam where the modernists clash with fundamentalists on the issue. However, the Qur’an does not say anything about women being subordinated to men.
Islam and Feminism
This issue is an ongoing debate in the Muslim world. The clash is cultural rather than theological whereby many cultures in the world treat women as insubordinates while many other cultures view this as unfair inequality. The status of women seems to depend on the which culture dominates the society in question.
Jihad and Terrorism
Jihad means struggle and can refer to personal, political and religious struggles for the individual Muslim.
Personal struggles are struggles with worldly temptations. Every Muslim is exposed to certain and ongoing temptations varying from the sexual to the physical. Each Muslim must contend and deal with these personal struggles as they see fit.
The political and religious struggles are less clearly delineated. These are cultural struggles and each Muslim struggles with defending Islam against outside influence which could diminish the faith.
Western media has influenced the Western view where Islam has been labelled as being violent, led by terrorists. Many Muslims claim that Islam is a religion of peace and they resent that Islamophobes and anti-Muslims are twisting its position to suit their disparate agendas.
Qur’an and Jihad
The Qur’an is often misquoted or quoted incorrectly or quoted inadequately.
The basic philosophy the Qur’an has about Jihad is that Muslims have a right to defend their faith when persecuted. The Qur’an was revealed during a time when religious warfare, as well as political military conflicts were the norm of everyday life. With time, the philosophy of peace began to supplant that of any kind of violent defense. “Islam, like all world religions, neither supports nor requires illegitimate violence.”
Suicide bombing
Islam forbids suicide. The Qur’an and the Prophet Muhammad prohibited suicide. The suicide bombings which have occurred throughout the world can be ascribed to radicalization of the suicide bombers to political terrorist philosophies not to the doctrines of Islam.
Jihad and martyrdom
Martyrdom seems to be a somewhat tainted or corrupted ideal. Martyrs are celebrated by most religions. Paradise as a reward is also a common view in many religions. Siddiqui generalizes with this issue. He quibbles with how the Qur’an writes about the number of virgins that will be the reward of the martyr. He notes that other cultures have used suicide martyrs without the same negativity which is given to Muslims. Additionally, he points out that suicide martyrs are a fairly recent phenomenon and also that if men are drawn to this act, what is the draw for women who are not assigned the same reward according to the scriptures. An interesting and perhaps valid question.
Jihad is a rallying cry for practitioners of Islam; it is a struggle to overcome evil. It is a personal battle to conquer temptations. But it also is meant to be a call to defense against oppression, occupation and persecution. Where it has moved into the more violent world of terrorism and violent acts, this can be credited to the extremists and the radicalize such as Bin Laden and opponents of Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait. Jihad is not a religious battle cry for violent opposition to the West, or any other society.
The FUTURE
The response to Muslim and Islam seems to vacillate from one response to another, from one culture to another, from one society to another. Such is life and this continuously changing response and its degrees of intensity may fluctuate for a very long time. The Muslim world holds no anger or hatred for other societies. It is a proponent of peaceful coexistence and asks it be accorded reciprocal dealing.
Like other faiths, it struggles with internal factions which divide it, fundamentalists and liberals. It has extreme factions, the proponents of terror, extremism and violence. These are not supported actions of the majority.
The West needs to reassess its position and how it views the Muslim and Islam world. Terms such as “political Islam,” “extreme Islam,” “Islamism,” “Islamic extremism” and such need to be re-examined and reviewed as to appropriateness for Islam has become a dirty word in the West.
Muslim reformation
The defensive posture taken on by Islam practitioners is understandable given the connotation of the word Islam in the west. Democracy is growing among the Muslims of the world. The autocratic governments of the past are being rejected. The roots of liberalism and equality of all are growing deeper in the Muslim world. Social and religious revolution are underway.
Era of hope
Siddiqui ends with a message of hope, a declaration that the Muslim world is very aware of its position in the world and it is acting in positive and constructive ways to improve conditions for Muslims and practitioners of Islam.
He concludes,
“A congenitally optimistic Canadian I may be, but as a journalist tethered to reality, I can say with some confidence that we may, at last, be on the cusp of a new era of understanding.”
I concur and add that it is incumbent on all Canadians to open ourselves to learning about other cultures whenever and wherever the opportunities present themselves.
For an abbreviated summary of Islam: Short version
For a more detailed summary of Islam: Longer version
Residents of Pickering, put on your seat belts. The City is going to hit the big time like it has never seen before, a ‘wild ride’ according to the mayor.
Read the full story at –> WILD RIDE
Ford is bashing his way into construction of Highway 413.
There many reasons why this should be opposed:
But remember, Dog Ford has developers putting ‘things’ in his pocket.
Read more at –> HWY 413
Ever think how useful, yet simple, the flush toilet is?
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Fortunately, the flush toilet enables us to dispose of human waste extremely easily. Using water to dispose of waste dates back as far as the Indus Valley Civilization, but the development over the years has made it easy, quick and clean so that you don’t have to give it second thought. Flush toilets incorporate a shaped bend that allows the water in the bowl to collect and stop sewer gases from emerging, and when flushed, a valve opens which allows water from the reservoir tank to quickly enter the bowl. This causes the swirling water to quickly rise and fill the shaped bend, where the siphon action pulls the water and waste down the drain and into a septic tank, and then onto a sewage treatment plant. The water lines and valves connected to the water supply refill the tank and bowl so that it is ready for use again.
John or Crapper
Both names have historical basis relating to the toilet.
Thomas Crapper, a British plumber, refined and finalized the toilet. He didn’t develop it from scratch but his company, Thomas Crapper and Company, made so many toilets in mid-19th century England that his name became synonymous with the toilet. Even the manhole covers in London streets sported his company name.
However, it was American soldiers who made the name eponymous, seeing it on toilet walls and then talking about it so much upon return home.
Thus, born the “crapper!”
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But the flush toilet was invented much earlier by John Harington, godson to Queen Elizabeth I. Overexuberantly criticizing the the Queen’s father, Henry VIII got Harington banished to a small village in northern England, Ajax. With time on his hands, the young Harington dreamed up the idea of a flush toilet using leather bellows. The Queen’s visit and use of the device nailed it. Every user would learn it was “John’s device,” soon shortened to “the John.”
Thus, born the “john.”
And now you know it.
The CANADIAN REVENUE AGENCY has some advice on how to avoid tax fraud.
Click –> PREVENT TAX FRAUD
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POINT-COUNTERPOINT: TOP 10 STOLEN VEHICLES IN CANADA, 2022
Stolen vehicles is a criminal epidemic in Canada today. Organized crime has sunk its teeth into this and once that happens, the crime incidents will increase in number drastically.
The finger of “missing in action” in who should be working to reduce these incidents of crime should be pointed at the car manufacturers. However, car owners also should receive some culpability for these crimes.
Car manufacturers
The bulk of the blame for the ease with which thieves can steal cars rests on manufacturers. They should be engineering more and better safeguards to help prevent unauthorized access to vehicles. They have the engineers. They must have the thinkers who can develop what is needed to make stealing of cars much more difficult. Give car owners more secure cars rather than pointing blame fingers elsewhere.
Car owners
Car owners are not blameless in vehicular theft. Leaving doors unlocked, windows open, parcels left on the seats, parking in driveways, in winter warming a vehicle in the driveway….just some of the examples of the stupidity car owners practice. There is no excuse for this stupidity. These owners are more than tempting fate, they are inviting theft.
There are numerous safeguards available and many of these may not guarantee 100% security but they will reduce the risk some. Thieves are becoming more sophisticated and more adept and capable at stealing cars. There is no 100% means of defence against the crime. That onus still rests with the manufacturers.
However, car owners can reduce the risk in many ways and these are described on the web, on the Internet.
One of the very best ways to safeguard your vehicle
One of the best ways to safeguard your vehicle is to get it out of sight, inside the garage. If you don’t have such, investigate neighbours who may rent out space in their garages.
Cut power, cut off access to your car
If you have your car in your garage, consider this idea. Thieves troll neighbourhood working garage door devices testing for garage doors they can open. Once discovered, bingo and goodbye car! Cut them off. Get a power cut-off switch installed to your garage door opener whereby you cut the power to your garage door at the flick of a light switch and thieves no longer can open your garage.
Read –> Surge in Car theft