| Messages to the editor
MY CAT SAVED MY LIFE
Posted 01.26.10
OSLO, NORWAY: A few weeks back I wrote a piece called The Female Heart Attack. There is a sidebar to this story that is both uplifting and endearing.
The longest journey, the most hideous challenge and the most frightening struggle of this whole experience was, after having realized how immediately I needed help, the crawl from the bathroom to the phone in my bedroom.
I did not have the strength to crawl and so I crept and slithered my way across the floor. I would manage a foot or two and then collapse or lose consciousness.
As I had mentioned in my recent entry, I had been perspiring copiously for well over an hour so I don't know if my wonderful cat Trixie was just using me as a salt lick or whether or not she was bringing me back with intention.
Regardless -- each time I would lose it, I'd be brought around by a rough little tongue licking my face.
She must have done this a dozen times in those ten meters.
Recently I had a scheduled meeting with my physician and mentioned this to him.
"Well," he said "that cat more than likely saved your life. According to your medical report you had no more than a ten-minute leeway" ... in other words......
(Trixie is a 5-year-old adopted cat. She was thought to be difficult to place. I've loved her since the day I got her but now, my feelings for her are just ever to be grateful for having met her.) FEAR IS WIDESPREAD: UPDATE FROM HAITI
Posted 01.26.10
SOIL NEWS
Earthquake Response -- Your Support Needed!
PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, January 22, 2010
Dear John,
To our dear friends and supporters who have been so present through this difficult time. I feel like I have a wall of love and protection around me knowing that you are all holding Haiti in your thoughts and prayers. I apologize for not having written for the past few days, it is partly that life here is so hectic and fast paced and partly because I find that writing about the situation brings all my emotions to the surface and brings me to a vulnerable space that can be rather overwhelming. That said, I so want to be able to share with all of you what we are experiencing and the important difference we have been able to make as a result of your generosity.
When I first arrived in Port au Prince I spent a day at the UN compound by the airport where NGO's, doctors and soldiers swarm around talking on satellite phones and running from meeting to meeting. I learned about the massive amounts of food aid that arrived in the first week and was stockpiled at the airport. I learned of the aid trucks filled to the brim with supplies blocked at the border and sitting idle at the ports. Since that day I have not returned to the aid compound and chosen instead to go into the streets, into the camps where people hide from the sun, huddled together under tattered tarps waiting for the food that has yet to come, into the alleyways littered with the rubble of fallen dreams and the spirits of those we have lost.
I know that some of these stories of aid not reaching the victims are beginning to filter into the international media but I wanted to see if I can shed some light about why this is without casting blame. Everyone who has come here is devastated by this disaster, everyone wants to help but the slowness in distribution is not a question of intentions, it is a question of long standing fears and the security structures put in place in response to these fears.
A few days ago I got an email from Nicolas Kristof of the New York Times asking me to comment on the supposition made by many (not Nicolas himself) that Haitians have received large amounts of aid money over the years and have somehow squandered it. I responded to him by talking about fear, this same fear that is slowing the distribution of aid during this crisis. For centuries Haiti has been portrayed as a dangerous country filled with volatile and threatening people, unsafe for foreigners. This supposition, this fear and misunderstanding, has very deep implications for foreign aid and cross cultural understanding.
I have been amazed to visit friends working with large NGO's in Port au Prince only to learn that they are forced to operate under security restrictions that prevent any kind of real connections to Haitian communities. One friend showed me the map, used by all of the larger NGOs where Port au Prince is divided into security zones, yellow, orange, red. Red zones are restricted, in the orange zones all of the car windows must be rolled up and they cannot be visited past certain times of day, even in the yellow zones aid workers are often not permitted to walk through the streets and spend much of their time in Haiti riding through the city from one office to another in organizational vehicles.
The creation of these security zones has been like the building of a wall, a wall reinforced by language barriers and fear rather than iron rods, a wall that, unlike many of the buildings in Port au Prince, did not crumble during the earthquake. Fear, much like violence, is self perpetuating. When aid workers enter communities radiating fear it is offensive, the perceived disinterest in communicating with the poor majority is offensive, driving through impoverished communities with windows rolled up and armed security guards is offensive and, ironically, all of these extra security measures actually increase the level of risk for aid workers.
As I said, this wall of fear is not a new phenomenon and it has had very serious implications for the distribution of the millions of dollars of aid that have been flowing into the country for the past 10 days. Despite the good intentions of the many aid workers swarming around the UN base, much of the aid coming through the larger organizations is still blocked in storage, waiting for the required UN and US military escorts that are seen as essential for distribution, meanwhile people in the camps are suffering and their tolerance is waning.
Over the past 5 days I have been grateful to work with a small organization unhindered by bureaucracy and security restrictions. I am so thankful to work with a courageous team of Haitian community leaders and a respectful and fearless group of Americans. Thanks to the generous donations of our supporters SOIL has raised approximately $30,000 for immediate relief efforts and we are committed to providing that relief as quickly as we can get the money into the country. The most striking thing I have noticed while visiting the many camps throughout the city is the level of organization and ingenuity among the displaced communities. Community members stand ready to distribute food and water to their neighbors, they are prepared to provide first aid and assist with clean up efforts, all that they are lacking is the financial means to do so. When the quake struck people's savings were buried under the rubble of their former homes, banks are closed and no one has been able to access their accounts. Food and water are available for sale in the streets but no one is able to purchase them.
Our hope is that SOIL, AIDG and other small organizations will be able to help provide communities with the means to meet their needs in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, bridging the gap during the time it takes for the larger organizations to mobilize. I am honored to know a network of brave community leaders throughout Port au Prince whom I met during my human rights work from 2004-2006 and our team has spent the past several days visiting the camps with them and helping to distribute the resources that we have at our disposal. Each day we have been purchasing water trucks to deliver to camps that have yet to receive water, giving money to community organizers who are then able to purchase food from local businesses and distribute it to the areas most in need, bringing doctors and medical supplies into zones of the city that have none, providing our generator to community cyber cafes so that people are able to contact their families, driving patients from the camps to medical clinics that can receive them.
The magnitude of this tragedy is unimaginable and we are aware of our limitations and our inability to help touch more than a small percentage of those affected. While it breaks my heart to think about those we cannot help, it also fills me with hope to see the impact that we have been able to make. Each day I am awed and humbled by the dedication and compassion of my colleagues, both Haitian and international and touched by the outpouring of love and support that we have received from around the world. Please keep your love and donations flowing and we will do everything in our power to funnel that love and aid to the communities that need it the most.
With love from Port au Prince,
Sasha
SOIL
Sasha Kramer, Ph.D. Where are the cajones, Canada?
Posted 09.24.09
Elected senators? What happened to that idea that I would support? Almost thirty appointed Senators now by Harpo? Wasn't it Muldoon (a former Con PM who was prone to making large bank deposits without knowing where the money came from or what it was for) who said to Turner, "You had a choice, Mr. Turner and you picked the wrong one?" Well, you had a choice Mr. HarperÉ
This bunch is still continuing on in that fine Tory tradition of making one dumb decision after another. Nortel technology sold to offshore interests and not one objection from the ruling party? Yet we heap praise on Tim Horton's for coming back to Canada?
Instead of being in the international spotlight at the UN with other world leaders, our illustrious PM is in Hamilton having some Timbits and a large double double?
We have managed the economy effectively? This statement coming from a party that didn't even realize that there was a worldwide recession coming? According to our Finance Minister, Jim Flatulence, everything was absolutely rosy last fall. And Harpo told us there were bargains to be had in the falling stock market when all we were trying to do was hold on?
Tougher criminal laws and sentencing? Sure, let's build those US style super jails and really train criminals to be better at their craft?
National unity? This egocentric PM has given the Blocheads more seats in Parliament than they could ever dream of.
Enough already! Where are the voices of reason in this C.R.A. Party? Oh, that's right, I forgot, no one in the Tory caucus is allowed to speak their own mind. Heaven forbid that one of them should have an opinion that differs from the great one's. Someone's got to have the cajones to speak up.
Keith McClatchie
Posted 06.10.09
Dear President Obama,
I am highly skeptical of this letter ever reaching your desk, but in any case, I have decided to send it and see what transpires.
As a proud American and citizen of this great country, I find it incredibly hard to digest that we still maintain such a drastic level of inequality when it comes to basic human civil rights. As a gay man in a committed and loving relationship, I am forced to fight for my civil liberties on a daily basis.
The current Federal laws in this country are discriminatory both in theory and in practice against every gay and lesbian person, and further serve to marginalize our lives. In your victory speech on election night, you referenced the gay and lesbian citizens of this great country of ours. That in itself is contradictory to the laws of this country that serve to do nothing more than discriminate against a certain segment of the population, just as they marginalized people of color for many generations.
As a citizen of this United States, I pay taxes and contribute just like anyone else. However, our governmental system penalizes me because I am a gay man. Does this seem unfair, unjust, and unbalanced? I believe that it certainly does.
The laws in this country rest upon a foundation of equality and not inequality, or so they should. Yes, it is true that in certain states my partner and I can legally be married and receive certain legal protections. Nevertheless, a recognized union between two people is not a privilege. It is a fundamental right and yet, many of your fellow Americans are denied that very basic right. We are a country where separation of church and state should be the rule and not the exception.
I do not concern myself over whether or not the relationship with my partner is labeled a ÔmarriageÕ or Ôcivil unionÕ. In the eyes of the Federal government, it is a matter of semantics. The churches, faith communities, and religious leaders take it upon themselves to decide if a person has the right to marry someone else. If clergy do not wish to allow my partner and I the right to wed in their house of worship, that is their business in doing so.
However, they should have no bearing as to whether or not my relationship is recognized by state and federal governmental entities.
We are all proud people living in a country where freedom reigns and where discriminatory practices at any level will not be tolerated. I implore you to take a firm stand in our government in working to eradicate discrimination against gay and lesbian people within the Federal government. Equality and basic civil rights for our citizens of this great land are the principles you should be working to uphold. Anything less is wrong and unjust.
Whatever your personal faith in God or belief is, I respect you for it. Nevertheless, those things have no place in deciding whether or not I receive equal treatment by the very government I help to support and the balance of equality as it pertains to Americans as a civilized society.
Respectfully,
Jeremy S. Mahoney,
Posted 02.21.09
Norway is one of the world's richest countries with a GDP per capita of 47,800 in US dollars placing it at number four worldwide. Sitting pretty is the Government Pension Fund of Norway, Europe's largest, holding a market value of almost USD 356 billion . There have been losses of course -- no country can completely escape the global reality but all things are relative.
quot;Nordic countries, Denmark and Norway, reported rising unemployment with oil-rich Norway saying the jobless rate rose to its highest level in two and a half years in January.
The Norwegian labor office said the unemployment rate hit 2.6 percent -- up from 2.0 percent in December and 1.8 percent a year ago."
Regardless of her wealth, the crisis is having its impact here.
Car sales are down 40 percent.
Real estate, in the past a virtual goldmine, is now slow, slow, slow to sell.
The stock market is falling.
High-end retail sales are down although low-end chains are showing increased sales.
Restaurants are suffering and even 7/11 coffee -- although the price has remained the same, give you less for your money.
"The latest package from the Norwegian Ministry of Finance, announced over the weekend, is aimed at easing access to loans and financing for businesses."
This is Norway's second attempt at rectifying the crisis but without any success. Parts of the package resemble Obama's -- infrastructure, infrastructure, and infrastructure.
I have to admit it's hard for me to take the situation in this country seriously when I see what's going on in the rest of the world.
Yes, the Western world is suffering but not nearly as much as third world countries with doubled or tripled prices of grain, their life's sustenance.
And what effect really does this global financial crisis have on the war in the Congo, the Sudan, Somalia, the Middle East, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe?
Millions of people worldwide have been suffering from financial crisis for years -- no food, no clean water, no power, no school -- and yet somehow the world has not been able to get together to provide them with bailouts that actually work.
As with much of the rest of the world, the rich seem to get richer and the poor just simply die.
So I, for one, have little sympathy for the greed, corruption, and dishonesty of the West. Of course the same exists in third world countries but we ought to know better.
B. Lundh
Posted 11.05.08
Dear Barack Obama,
Today is indeed a huge day for the world and not because you are America's first black president. Today is a huge day for the world because finally someone was able to mobilize American voters to go the the polls and vote for change.
As someone who has been living overseas for the past twelve years, I have wondered consistently over the past eight how America would survive the GWB administration, not only at home but throughout the world.
Whilst in Canada, I lived in Quebec, five miles as the crow flies from the Canada-US border and sitting right on top of the Vermont-New Hampshire border. Our alpine ski passes were at Wilderness (yes, Dixville Notch) in New Hampshire. Our summer vacations were spent on the coast in Maine or Massachussets. I have visited, over longer and shorter periods of time, forty-two of the United States of America and, although I love being Canadian, I have felt that I knew the US almost as well as I knew my own country -- that is, until GWB.
However, this last eight years seems to have taught Americans one very important thing -- that they alone have the collective power to make changes for over 300 million people. They and no one else. And it took a Barack Obama to move them enough to finally do the right thing -- Vote for Change -- and they did.
Hurray for you and your family, hurray for the American people, and last but absolutely not least, hurray for the world.
All the best for what will be an interesting four years.
B. Lundh Ed scholarship planned in QC's Eastern Township by CFUW
Posted 10.22.08
Dear Editor;
Former teachers and students of one-room schools in the Eastern Townships continue to be honoured and appreciated by members of the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) Sherbrooke & District Club with the collection and preservation of the recollections of that bygone era.
Their book, Days to Remember: One-room Schoolhouses in the Eastern Townships of Quebec, launched in November 2007 was received with much enthusiasm. The book is a perpetual calendar which is richly illustrated with vintage and contemporary photographs, and features over sixty biographical sketches of former teachers, pupils and one inspector.
Ronald Ewing wrote in the Sherbrooke Record that "it is a wonderful addition to any collection of texts dealing with our local history with an emphasis upon the English population. It succeeds in a scholarly way while using an anecdotal style."
Former teachers and students are still invited to contribute their stories, photos, etc. to the Eastern Townships Research Centre at Bishop's University in Lennoxville or their local Historical Societies. If anyone would like to have the questionnaire used in the project, contact www.cfuwsherbrooke.org or 819-826-3929. All tapes, transcripts, and memorabilia from the CFUW project are being preserved at the Eastern Townships Research Centre to be used for personal or scholarly research.
Plans are underway to establish a scholarship for a student who is working towards becoming an elementary school teacher. The book can be purchased at local bookstores and specialty shops in the Eastern Townships, through Townshippers' Association (819-866-5717) and the club's website In Montreal, books are available at Nicholas Hoare Bookshop and Concordia University Bookstore, and in Quebec City at La Maison Anglaise et Internationale. On the rights of gay people to marry
Posted 10.21.08
Dear Editor;
The majority of Floridians are OK with same-sex couples having the same exact legal rights as everyone else -- hospital visits, inheritance, and benefits at work. But they don't want those couples having the legal right to get married (translation: God doesn't like homos).
Their logic escapes me. Oh wait, there is no form of logic, intelligence or reasoning from these folks. Many of these "citizens" are the same people who voted for our current president and look where that has gotten us.
When asked about same-sex marriage in a Research 2000 Florida Poll, 53 percent of the respondents eagerly support Amendment 2, the proposed change to the Florida Constitution that would limit marriage to the legal union between one man and one woman. However, these same exact respondents enthusiastically - around 77 percent -- supported the legal rights of same-sex couples.
(Translation: "It's OK if those people want to see a dying partner in the hospital, get their partner's money, or benefits from an employer. But, those people are not normal and Jeebus ain't gonna be happy if the fags marry".) Their f*cked up mentality is steeped in the Bible (translation: hypocrites.)
It is this same percentage of the population who still believes the earth is flat, won't allow evolution to be taught in the schools, and eagerly supports the likes of McCain and Palin (translation: mindless)
As a gay man in a same-sex relationship (seven years and going strong), I do not understand why anyone could take issue with my having the right to marry my same-sex partner here in Florida (or anywhere else for that matter). How does my ability to wed as a gay man influence their lives? (Translation: not one friggin' way.)
Marriage is a union between two people. An emotional bond comprised of love, commitment, and loyalty. These things are not limited to one man and one woman. My life partner and I can certainly attest to this.
It comes down to what's fair and just in society. Denying any two consenting adults (two men, two women, or a man and a woman) who have made a choice to share a life together and love one another the right to marriage is just wrong. It is unfortunate when people live without thinking for themselves, but instead choose to hide behind illogical ideals, irrational thought, and the concept that somehow there is a Guy in white robes floating around in the clouds waiting to get pissed off if gays get to call their relationships a "marriage".
Scott Mahoney US anti-Cuban laws now enforced in Canada
Posted 04.24.08
Dear editor,
Like many Canadians, I receive a MasterCard application about twice a month.
These offers come from US bank subsidiaries based in Canada. Some of the applications state, in very fine print, that the card cannot be used in Cuba, North Korea, or Iran. Others don't say so, but a telephone call will confirm the same restriction.
By some estimates, as many as one third of Canadians belong to credit unions. If you are a member of a credit union that issues MasterCard, your card is likely no longer valid in Cuba because the company that clears your transactions was bought out by a Canadian subsidiary of a US firm.
Were you even told this? (Note Bank of Montreal MasterCards are still valid in Cuba as they clear their own transactions).
The MasterCard issue is part of a larger picture. To my knowledge, we now have:
Does anyone reading this have knowledge of other consumer-oriented applications of the US's Helms-Burton law in Canada?
Canada has a law prohibiting this sort of application of US laws in Canada.
When Helms-Burton was enacted in the US in 1996, Canada quickly amended its Foreign Extra-territorial Measures Act to protect its sovereignty and by requiring US subsidiaries operating in Canada to abide by Canadian law and not discriminate against Cuba in economic activities.
To date, no prosecutions have ever been launched in support of this law, despite the growing number of violations.
Last year, Canada voted with most of the world, 184 to 4 in favour of lifting the blockade against Cuba. Despite this very public support for Cuba, we are allowing US companies to use our banking system to destroy the economy of Cuba, a sovereign nation with whom Canada has had uninterrupted, friendly relations for more than sixty years.
Brien Young Emergency Meeting, or The Sky is Falling! The Sky is Falling!
Posted 03.29.08
After arriving in the morning in their Japanese cars, they shared a breakfast of Belgian waffles, Spanish omelettes, Mexican cornbread, and good old Tim Horton's coffee.
While eating, someone admired Présidente-Directrice Générale Madame France Boucher's outfit, including new Italian shoes and her nice new Hong Kong-made purse, and everyone laughed when she said she bought the purse at Wal-Mart. . . and admitted she got her skirt while on vacation in Florida!
They chatted about Amy Winehouse's performance at the Grammy's and Monsieur Guy Dumas mentioned that last night he went to see the new "Rambo" movie, version Française of course, at the American-owned AMC Theatre downtown . . . after eating at Boston Pizza. He said he had not slept well because his teenager kept playing her Jay-Z and Kanye West CDs in her bedroom too loud.
With breakfast done they moved to their new boardroom decked out in Ikea furniture and a Honduras Mahogany boardroom table to start their emergency meeting. Madame Marie Gendron fired up the Sony projector and her Toshiba Laptop to present a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation on how a handful of English signs at McKibbin's Irish Pub in Montreal were destroying the French culture.
On resignations and hypocrisy
Posted 03.13.08
So, Spitzer has now resigned as Governor of New York. It's too bad that folks weren't as demanding in calling for Bush's resignation.
Bush has advocated for torture, abused his own discretionary powers time and time again, and keeps lying to America -- and yet he still sits at the helm of our government. What a jackass. Dick Cheney, Rumsfeld, Alberto Gonzales...don't even get me started on these jokers.
The only folks Spitzer owes an apology too are his wife and kids for the hurt, shame, and public embarrassment he has caused them.
Jeez. Look at the Kennedys. With all their scandals and public humiliations, Ted is still in office.
If the American public wants to call shame on anyone, it should be on that moron sitting in the oval office, and his band of criminal cronies he has surrounded himself with.
The end of Bush's term can't come soon enough for me. Good riddance.
Scott Mahoney
An apology/suggestion from the LCC's Galivanting Gourmand
Posted 01.26.08
I've been so busy that I somehow missed the opportunity to pen a tribute for Robbie Burns Day.
On my Internet travels this frosty morning I came across an interesting link regarding the early Scottish settlers in the Eastern Townships and Quebec. Perhaps you have seen this but I thought it might be of interest to you and others. http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/9917/hisqueb1.htm#history
In absence of a proper column for loyal Log Cabin readers, I can provide at least one tribute of sorts by introducing a concept that may allow some union of Quebec's two solitudes. I believe that Haggis presents a perfect opportunity.
In celebration of Robbie Burns Day why not stuff a stomach with poutine in lieu of sheep and pig offal? Serve with neeps and tatties and Pepsi. Jos-Lois for dessert is a reasonable accommodation.
The name I suggest for the poutine-stuffed haggis is Quaggis.
Have a wee dram for me,
Greg, the Duncan Bread-making reader is enthralled
Posted 07.09.07
The old chimney is blocked...PERFECT! and the stones and bricks are still around the place, it'll make a fine bread oven using your descriptions to help me along.
Thank you so very much for the great page, nice writing too
Howard and Kelly Lute And this from a chef
Posted 07.09.07
Cool life you have carved.
The insight is personal and sweet.
Thank You Letter from an angry American
Posted 07.09.07
I am outraged that you chose to commute the sentence of Lewis Libby.
Mr. Libby was tried by a jury of his peers and found guilty. He was sentenced under guidelines passed by Congress and upheld in the federal courts.
By commuting his sentence you have shown that there is not equal protection under the law in the United States, you have demonstrated to the world that in the United States it is nice to have friends in high places.
A bad example set by the leader of the free world.
Sincerely,
Frank Bernheisel
RE: Ross Murray's dreaded peanut butter jar dilemma
Posted 03.14.07
Years ago, in the petit village of Ste. Hermenegilde, QC, I learned from big guy Hank that if you toss your crusty peanut butter jars out into the yard that the squirrels and chipmunks will happily clean them out for you.
Down in the Eastern Townships this worked wonderfully and they actually ate most of the plastic, too, if you did not collect them quickly.
Once in a awhile a big squirrel would get momentarily stuck (bucket head, hee, hee!) and we would watch the antics from our window. The chipmunks always had the advantage as they could easily negotiate the smallest of jars.
Somehow, up here in the suburbs of Montreal, they do not do this. We put the dirty jars out and learned quickly that it is feral cats that perform this task. The squirrels seem to know that having their heads in a sticky jar spells certain death by a local band of night prowlers.
These are some ugly and tough felines, I tell you, and they mark their territory to our great frustration. Nothing like the musky scent during an early morning hot tub session outside after the hot tub has been owned by the marauders.
Try the Squirrel-Klean technique. At the very least you may witness a display of dominance by whatever animals inhabit your yard. A mob of Meerkats vs porcupines in Stanstead, perhaps?
Chunky works better that creamy and they don't like the organic unsweetened stuff. That's for sissies and bad for your heart...
Greg Duncan
Posted 03.03.07
I recently read an article by Barbara Florio Graham on-line in the Log Cabin Chronicles about Whose Junk is This?
Anything that can be done to keep re-usable "stuff" out of landfills is good for us and particularly good for future generations. As has been said many times, "One person's junk is another's gold mine." I'd like to tell you about a "gold mine" that many are not aware of.
At www.freecycle.org people can find a group that recycles things in their area. There are approximately 3,260,193 members in 3975 groups worldwide and it is constantly growing. "The best things in life are free" and Freecycle(TM) helps this by members offering things they no longer need or want (some new, some used) and members can also ask for items needed.
Recently, a manager of the Freecycle(TM) Group in Montreal was interviewed on TQS-TV and our Sherbrooke membership increased by 34 percent in less than a week.
We started our group in January 2005 and we now have 369 members. Many of them are bilingual, while some are unilingual English or French. We have members from as far away as Connecticut because they have a cottage in this area which they visit often.
The more members we can get interested make for more "stuff" to kept out of landfills. Sometimes it is amazing what people ask for and actually get as well as the many items that are offered. Not long ago a person from a western province asked for a house and he did get one, including the property it was on.
Please consider giving our group in Sherbrooke a boost in membership and help to keep useable articles out of our landfills. People can visit our Freecycle(TM) Sherbrooke QC group at:
http://ca.groups.yahoo.com/group/Freecycle_Sherbrooke_QC and sign up right away or they can check www.freecycle.org to see if there is a group closer to their area.
Thank you,
Ric Smithers
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