This story was broadcasted on the Global News Jan. 27, 2010.

The Toronto Star posted an article on Jan. 27, 2010.

www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/756558

In celebration of this week’s blitz to increase awareness of

pedestrian safety, Toronto police handed out nearly 100

fines to jay-walkers yesterday.

14 people have been killed in past few weeks for carelessly

crossing busy downtown streets.

 Police officers patrolled Young St and Eglington Ave,

issuing tickets for impeding traffic and not using designated

cross walks.  Tickets ranged from $18 to $100.

Why should I care?

This story reminds Ontario residents that jay-walking is illegal. 

Citizens need to realize that motorists can’t always slow down

their vehicles.  If the possibility of getting run over doesn’t

deter someone from walking out into the middle of the street

then maybe a stiff fine will do the trick. 

I was shocked to see so many tickets being given out to people

for jay-walking.  I found myself asking the TV; didn’t your parents

teach you to look both ways before crossing the street?

When the reporter said 14 people have been killed in the past

few weeks from j-walking, I was horrified.  People must be

driving so fast they can’t slow down.  Why are people not

using crosswalks? 

 It wouldn’t surprise me if I-pods and cell phones had something

to do with people getting killed.  Everywhere you look, people

are listening to I-tunes while texting friends and still trying to

function in a society where you need your eyes and ears.

We live in a technology based era where safety and

multitasking are a balancing act performed by all.

It’s now illegal for drivers to use handheld devices

while operating a motor vehicle because they’ve proved

it causes accidents.  Will they make it illegal for pedestrians

to cross the street while being distracted by handheld devices

as well?   

When I lived in Toronto, I never crossed the street expect at

the crosswalks.  Some of the craziest drivers are in Toronto. 

You would have to be insane to walk in the middle of traffic on

Young St or Eglington Ave.  There are always heavy amounts

of traffic downtown and drivers don’t stop for anyone unless

they absolutely have to.

Drivers in Toronto are always in a hurry, constantly honking

their horns at each other and at pedestrians.  Someone is bound

to get hurt when there is this constant struggle to save time

and get on with your life quicker than everyone else.  Toronto

taxi drivers are the worst for driving fast in and out of traffic

and not wanting to stop for people to cross the street. They

act like they own the road, making u-turns where ever they please.

 I think the moral of this story is common sense.  People should

know better than to walk out into the middle of traffic.  Cars are

bigger, faster and hit a lot harder.

There were a lot of mixed attitudes about the presence of

police officers on the downtown streets.  We have to

remember that they are here for our safety.

$18 to $100 is a small price to pay when compared to

getting run over by a Toronto motorist.

www.intelligencer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2272296

Posted on Jan. 22, 2010

 Belleville’s Blueprint is up for review.  Belleville’s city council

met on Thursday and Friday, to review their accomplishments

and matter of unfinished business.

 Mayor Neil Ellis promised the meetings would address

maintaining and improving the city’s infrastructure.

 Among the topics listed for discussion, new fire and police

department buildings.

 The present council has started and completed most of their

goals with federal and provincial funding.  Such as water

main extensions, building a bridge over the Moria River,

hiring doctors and upgrading pumping stations.

 In May 2009, Luc Bégin, partner with Dillon Consulting,

informed the city council they should invest approximately

$24 million on maintenance a year.  It currently spends

almost $800,000.

Why should I care?

 This story is important because it tells us the Belleville

council is holding meetings to decide whether or not they

are leading the City of Belleville in the direction they initially

intended.

We vote for government officials based on the trust they

will do what they promise once they are voted into office.

 The city council’s decision to improve its infrastructure

affects everyone who lives, works or goes to school in

Belleville.  As a voter and taxpayer, I care about the

quality of our roads, the quality of our drinking water,

and the quality of the buildings I shop in.

I agree with the author’s main point in his editorial. 

The city needs a better plan to deal with its infrastructure. 

It’s unacceptable the city council isn’t investing enough of

taxpayer’s money in maintaining and improving the city’s

foundation.  Government officials wait until roads and sewer

systems break down before fixing them.  They need to act

quicker instead of procrastinating. 

The success of future generations depends on good schools,

strong power grids and stable communities. 

Our government leaders are responsible for providing

services that support economic growth.  When the mayor

invests in our infrastructure he increases the productivity

of labour and capital thereby eliminating the costs of

production and raising profitability, production, incomes

and employment.  Everyone wins, even mayor Ellis because

he will be popular with the public. 

 I think mayor Ellis needs to commit more money to fixing

up the roads in Belleville, especially the heavy traffic

areas.  It’s unsafe to drive over potholes and cracks in

the roads.   

I think the idea to build new police and fire department

buildings it’s a great for two reasons; the old ones are small

and ancient and two it will create more local construction

jobs. 

While I’m on the topic of job creation, the doctor recruitment

program was an excellent idea.  There are a lot of Belleville

residents who visit the hospital’s emergency room weekly

because they don’t have a family doctor.  I hope more medical

school graduates decide to practice family medicine in

Belleville upon completion of their studies. 

This article left me with some unanswered questions. 

Who is going to pay for all of the proposed improvements? 

Does Mayor Ellis think he will receive more funding for his

strategic planning from the federal and provincial governments? 

I hope Belleville’s city council proves their critics wrong and

uses their time to make wise decisions about the city’s future.

The original article ‘No new sales tax on fast food’ was written by Robert Benzie, and was published in the Toronto Star on November 12th, 2009. (Original)

The Ontario government is offering a kickback from the new HST implementation, in the hopes to take away some of the rage Ontario residents are feeling at the moment over this new tax. No new sales tax on any fast food or value meals under $4. This includes coffee and newspapers as well.

Overlooking the fact that this is a slap in the face to any Canadian who has to pay more than $4 for a bag of milk, this has other negative backlashes which may not be obvious at first. According the World Health Organization, from 1995 to 2005, diabetes went up 70% in Canada alone.

Now, while it’s difficult to just point the finger at fast food outlets, it is not beyond recognition that diabetes is caused by an unhealthy diet.

In 2002, Time Magazine published an article named ‘A Food Fight Against McDonald’s’. The article followed the story of two children named Ashley Pelman, and 14, Jazlyn Bradley, 19, who suffered from obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure as well as many other health problems. The two had been eating McDonalds on almost a daily basis since they were both young. While nothing can be proved, the evidence is clear, the two had eaten nothing but fast food for most of their lives.

Now the government is offering a rebate on foods that are high in sugar, high in fat, and extremely unhealthy to our diet. The question is why? Well, it’s entirely possible that the government recognizes the amount of business being filtered into this industry everyday. Tim Horton’s alone can more than likely report record business on a daily basis, and it’s rare to find a Tim Horton’s drive thru that isn’t gridlocked with caffeine lusting consumers.

Whatever the reason, while probably easing the tensions of most value-added Canadians, the government is not really providing us with a true kickback. Why not provide Canadians with less tax on groceries, or clothing, things that many Canadians find themselves having trouble purchasing due to cutbacks and layoffs.

While HST may benefit our country in the long run, what may benefit our people is an ease on the charge of everyday necessities that some Canadians may find themselves start to go without. Tax reduced coffee doesn’t help a poverty stricken Canadian keep their family clothed and fed. That’s as certain as diabetes and taxes.

The original article ‘Health Canada may add anti-cancer drug to junk food’ was written by the CTV news staff and published on CTV.ca on Dec.22. 2009. (Original)

Health Canada has proposed an unusual new side to fast foods most Canadians buy everyday. It’s an additive called asparaginase. It’s a leukemia-fighter, and Health Canada is asking Canadians to comment on how they feel about this additive.

Over the years different health organizations have begun to recognize a toxin known as acrylamide, which is created during the frying process in most fries, potato chips, cereals, cookies, coffee and other packaged and fast foods. Acrylamide has been proven in lab mice tests to cause cancer, but scientists are unsure if it is carcinogenic in humans as well. Although, they’re not taking any chances this time.

Asparaginase has also been tested in lab mice, and has been proven to fight the cancer caused by acrylamide, although again, scientists are unsure how it will react in the human body.

There’s a problem with this equation. Additives that were supposed to be good for food and the consumer have been proposed and added before, with negative results. Trans fats is a major candidate in this category, which became the leading cause of heart disease. Introduced in the early 1900’s trans fats was a way to keep food longer if it were to be refrigerated. This additive stayed active in foods until early 2000, and can still be found in some fast foods today.

So now here we are again, a new product being proposed to be added to our everyday meals. There’s another problem that arises. If Health Canada is so concerned with the possibility of these foods causing cancer, enough to add a cancer fighting additive, why is the government allowing these products to currently be sold with nothing to fight the possibility of a carcinogenic toxin. Also, what happens if most Canadians say no to this additive, what is the next step? Will Health Canada do what should have been done in the first place and force companies to come up with a new way to produce their packaged products?

There are two key differences to this new additive. First of all, it’s being made public and it’s meant to help the consumer rather than the company. Second of all, Health Canada is giving Canadians a chance to voice their opinions on how they feel about having this product added to their food. This may be something you’re feeding your family everyday. It’s important for Canadians to do their homework first before making any decisions, and research the facts on both asparaginase and acrylamide.

You can add your comments to Health Canada about this proposed additive here, the government is leaving this opinion forum open until February 21st. If you have something to say, don’t stand by, get involved.

A story about Quebec doctors asking to be paid for volunteering in Haiti was posted on the CBC news website on Wednesday, January 27, 2010.

It turns out that Quebec’s Health minister, Yves Bolduc has received a request from a group of orthopedic specialists. The specialists claim they are loosing money at home while they work abroad and think they should be compensated. The magic number is $704 a day, this is a “base fee” that they make in Quebec and so far only the orthopedic doctors have requested this kind of reimbursement.

The request is being considered by the Quebec government who are mindful of the implication of agreeing to the doctor’s demands. “There are many consequences to the decision, because you have many people who work in Haiti and they are volunteers and they are not paid,” says minister Bolduc. If the government does not agree to pay, the doctors will remain in Haiti, but not as long as they would have if they’d been compensated.

Dr. Gaétan Barrette, head of the federation of medical specialists in Quebec, contends that the request is fitting for the situation. Dr. Barrette compares the services the doctors provide to the work done by firefighters and police who, coincidentally, get paid for their services.

With the disaster in Haiti starting to fade in the collective consciousness of the media, and as a result society at large, stories like this really need to be in the forefront. As noble as it is to volunteer or to donate there are always people with ulterior motives to their philanthropy, this may be one of those cases. It may be the first of many reports of such requests and that is something to look out for.

Medical professionals are often revered in our society, they go to special schools, they have special titles, and they have the power over life and death. Power and prestige are tricky things because they can make a person great or they can make them monsters. This recent request for compensation seems to be a case of doctors taking advantage of their stature.

The Canadian Oxford Dictionary defines volunteer in a variety ways, but the two closest to fitting the bill here are:

1. A person who voluntarily takes part in an enterprise or offers to undertake a task.

3. A person who works for an organization voluntarily and without pay

So the question is which definition did the doctors have in mind when they volunteered their services? Is the sentiment of the doctor’s action tainted if they were voluntarily taking part in the aid effort with no intention of forgoing some form of pay? So many ethical and moral questions are raised by this story and answering them is made more difficult by the scope of the Haitian disaster.

On the one hand, these doctors are uprooting themselves from their lives and going into harms way, presumably, to help those in need. The cynical view is that they are taking a disaster vacation and will return to their practices with some great photos of smiling Haitian children and a large feather in their caps.

There must be a middle ground to this situation, some way to make compensating volunteers seem less petty, a tax break or something less vulgar than cash money. Perhaps these doctors deserve $704 a day for their work. They make nearly $5000 a week on these fees alone in Canada and it may be too much to ask them to forgo that income. They provide an essential service that is desperately needed in Haiti and that is hard to put a price on.

This article was originally published in the Globe and Mail on January 26th, 2010. The article was written by Oliver Moore.

In Nova Scotia there is a man who is commonly known by the police as “Super Naugle.” Terry Naugle has had 36 convictions throughout his adult life. He was released last February after a three year prison term on charges that were related to drinking and driving. One month later, he was arrested again. He pleaded guilty to driving impaired, fleeing the scene of the accident, refusing a Breathalyzer and driving without a license.  It’s expected Naugle will get a light sentence, which angers Julia McMillan, “It’s really scary to live in a country where this is as good as it gets. In our Criminal Code, Terry Naugle will have to kill someone to be locked up indefinitely,” she says.  The drunk- driving charges carry a maximum term of five years says a spokesperson for the provincial prosecution service.  The Crown attorney will not give any indication as to how much jail time she will recommend. But it’s expected that the sentence will not be indefinite. Many who know Naugle believe that he will never change.  Margaret Miller, national president of Mother Against Drunk Driving says, “he’ll be back out doing the same thing. Cases like his, I honestly don’t know how to stop him.” Also, Ontario law professor Robert Solomon, an expert on impaired driving at the University of Western says “If the only way to keep these people off the roads and from endangering your family is to incarcerate them, then I think the interest of public safety outweighs the concern and cost.” But, in Terry Naugle’s case he has never killed or seriously injured anyone and has had a string of short sentences. The loophole is Naugle hasn’t faced a charge that carried a possible 10 year sentence, which is mandatory when seeking long-term dangerous-offender status.  “Does it take blood on the pavement to have him declared a dangerous offender?” Margaret Miller asks.  Pamela Stephens, a spokeswoman for Justice Minister Rob Nicholson stated in an email that “drunk drivers  endanger the life or safety of another person and could thus fulfill the dangerous-offender requirement of serious personal injury offences and we are therefore confident that these provisions can be applied to court.”

This article is important because it’s a public safety issue. Regardless that this man is from a different province, everyone should be aware of this issue.  

He’s so infamous the police have a nickname for him “Super Naugle.” It’s rather sad thinking that this man is still let out on the streets.  Regardless that he hasn’t killed anyone; he’s obviously a danger to society. He has repeat offences up the ying yang most of his adult life, 36 convictions to be exact.  Shouldn’t that be enough? The law prevents Naugle from being considered a dangerous-offender because he hasn’t faced a charge that carried a possible 10 year sentence. Shouldn’t Naugle’s past be a factor when it comes time for him to be sentenced? I believe it should. Even people who know him believe that he will never change. All of these factors are what stand against him, but the law protects him. How fair is that for the families who have been directly affected by his carelessness?

Well let’s look back, September 9th, 2009 Roger Walsh was slapped with a life sentence which was his 19th impaired-driving conviction. Walsh is the first drunk driver to be handed this long of a sentence.  Now let’s look at Naugle, the difference is Naugle hasn’t killed or seriously injured anyone. But like what Margaret Miller said “Does it take blood on the pavement to have him declared a dangerous offender?” Does it? Because that’s what it looks like.  Shouldn’t Naugle be considered a dangerous offender? His carelessness for everyone else is a danger to society.  The fact that he has repeated his action shows his disregard for others. Obviously the long string of jail terms hasn’t taught him anything.  If someone has had 36 related convictions, shouldn’t that be the light bulb above law enforcements heads that maybe this man will never change. Maybe the next time he does this someone might get hurt. Isn’t it the law enforcements jobs and the governments to avoid this situation from occurring? To make sure that the public is safe? Laws need to be changed, because apparently nothing is working.  It shouldn’t take someone to do the same thing 36 times for someone to say, hey maybe we should do something! Something should have been done a lot earlier! 

This article “Ottawa will fast-track Haitian adoptions, but balks at expanding Immigration” was originally published in the Toronto Star on January 20th, 2010. This article was written by Campbell Clark.  This article was also used in a blog written by Beverly Wellington.

Since the earthquake in Haiti, Canada has decided to speed up 100 cases of adoption. Many Canadians are trying to adopt Haitian children, to get them out of the destruction. But the government has no intention of allowing Haitians to resettle here.  “Massive resettlement is not a solution to natural disaster. The solution is reconstruction, and we’re focused and dedicated to that,” Immigration Minister Jason Kenney states. Even with this plan of attack, there are obstacles in the way that will take day’s maybe even weeks. The government still needs approval from the Haitian government, which is shambles due to the destruction. Once that is done Canada plans to “issue special temporary residency” that way the children can be brought here quickly. Even though the compassion from the Canadians is heart warming, David Morley president of Save the Children Canada said “the compassionate urge Canadians feel to adopt children from devastated Haiti must be tempered with caution. Children believed orphaned may actually have a parent, grandparent, aunt or some other relative that wants to care for them.” The Liberal Opposition would like Haitian Canadians to bring over their extended family.  Liberal leader, Michael Ignatieff urges the government to do more, “We think we must widen, for the Haiti crisis, the definition of family. So that Haitian families can bring in brothers, sisters, nephews. We must soften the rules for humanitarian reasons,” he told reporters Wednesday. Canadians can sponsor Haitians, but they can only adopt nieces/nephews, grandchildren who are under the age of 18. The fast-tracking adoptions should bring in 5,000 Haitians to Canada.

This article is important because it lets the Canadians citizens know what other Canadians are doing for the Haitians other than donate money.  Putting the political aspect aside, this is a very heart warming and compassionate story that all Canadians should be aware of.

I would have to disagree; I do believe that what the government is doing is great. Fast tracking 100 adoption cases is better than none.  The story isn’t about denying the hundreds of thousands of Haitian people. The Canadian government is doing what they think is best, and out of the 100 adoption cases it can bring over 5,000 Haitian children. That is a lot of children who will have homes, food and a loving family. The Canadian government isn’t denying adoptions, but there are limitations. This would be understandable for any country to do. The Canadian government can’t bring over everyone.   But I don’t think the people over in Haiti are alone; there are people from around the world there in Haiti to help. Not only that but, Canadians aren’t the only ones who are adopting Haitian children. According to CNN in Washington, there are 300 cases of Americans waiting to adopt Haitian children. Of those, 200 cases are being accelerated.  Also, CNN in London on January 21st, 2010, Aid groups are urging to stop new Haiti adoptions. Save the Children, World Vision and a unit of the British Red Cross stated “Any hasty new adoptions would risk permanently breaking up families, causing long-term damage to already vulnerable children, and could distract from aid efforts in Haiti.”They are more focused on whether these children have families first. So, should there be any hasty adoptions to begin with? If the Aid agencies are advising countries to stop any early adoptions, should we continue to do so? Getting back to Canada, I do believe that Haitian Canadians should be able to bring over their extended family. According to the 2006 Census of Canada there are 102,430 Haitian Canadians, in 5 years that could have doubled. Those 102,430 Haitian Canadians might have extended families over in Haiti and want their family over here and away from the madness and mayhem. But on the same token, who’s to say that people wouldn’t lie about their Canadian relation?

              It’s like déjà view. On January 25, 2010 Fisheries Minister Gail Shea was delivering a speech at the Canada Centre for Inland Waters in Burlington, ON when a woman pushed a tofu cream pie into her face. The reaction? A Liberal MP suggests the federal government look into whether the pieing constitutes as an act of terrorism. MP Gerry Byrne [Humber-St. Barbe-Baie Verte, NL] believes what happened should be reviewed under the legal definition of terrorism, which is as follows:

Noun

• S: (n) terrorism, act of terrorism, terrorist act (the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear) [WordNet Search]

              Animal-rights group PETA claimed responsibility for the incident. It said that the pie was part of its campaign “to stop the government’s ill-advised sanction of the slaughter of seals”.  Emily McCoy, a 37-year old American activist was taken into custody and charged with assault after the pieing [there’s a new word for you Oxford]. McCoy was not the first pie-er [making up words is fun] in Canadian history. In 2000, former Prime Minister Jean Chretien was hit in the face with a pie by a protestor in PEI. In 2003, Jean Charest was pied when he was elected Quebec premier, as well as then-Alberta Premier Ralph Klein who was hit with a pie at the Stampede breakfast. There were two pie attacks in 2007. All pie-ers were given jail time.

           After wiping pie from her face and returning to the podium, Gail Shea [Prince Edward Island riding] said that the incident only strengthens her resolve to defend the hunt. Shea did not require medical attention.

              There are definitely certain things that people can read from the incident and its aftermath. The pie in the face is symbolic of the freedom people have to express attitudes towards certain situations. The aftermath suggests you have to find a less interactive way to get your point across. There are undefined boundaries in the Charter as it guarantees you freedom of expression, but sometimes that expression is considered violent, and therefore against the law. The importance of this news story is to inform readers that over stepping boundaries has its consequences, but having beliefs is your greatest power. Learn to channel them effectively.

           To be frank, comparing a pie in the face to a roadside bomber is outrageous. That’s exactly what the Liberals are doing when they say it should be considered a terrorist attack. In the definition of terrorism it says “done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear”. The only people who are afraid of pie are panophobians and people on diets. The liberals called the pie in the face tasteless, well yes it would be. That’s what you get when you use Tofu. But in all seriousness yes it was tasteless, but it shouldn’t be considered terrorism. If a pie in the face is terrorism, than anybody who can bake a pie would be considered an accessory to terrorism. What about all the clowns and people who were subjected to pies in the face? Are they considered victims of a terrorist attack? If it becomes a crime to throw pies in peoples face, then you take away fundraising opportunities and fun memories from children. If anything, just charge the woman with assault. Shea wasn’t hurt [although her taste buds might have died a little] and she was able to continue on with her speech. No harm, no foul. [What’s the big deal for anyhow? Pies and politicians go hand in hand (In fact more politicians should have pies thrown in their faces) nobody seemed overly concerned before, why now?]

          Another matter that should be addressed is why the pie had been shoved in Shea’s face in the first place. Canada’s seal hunt is barbaric. Hundreds of thousands of seals die every year just so Canada can make a profit. Though Canada’s quota of 280,000 seals hardly dents the population of 5.6 million, it’s still not right. For the most part it’s not why they do it, its how they do it. Seal hunt opponents say that seals are routinely clubbed or shot and left to suffer on the ice until they’re clubbed later. But a 2002 report in the Canadian Veterinary Journal found that “the large majority of seals taken during this hunt … are killed in an acceptably humane manner.”* Isn’t that what people want to hear? How do you know what side to believe? Better yet, why do it all? [The same can be said about killing cows, pig and chickens... but more people are dependent on these animals than seals. The Inuit, who eat the seals, should be the only ones who can kill them]. Canada has so many other resources they can profit from, one less isn’t going to damage its revenue. Just think of it as one less reason to eat pie.

* from the CBC article FAQs: The Atlantic seal hunt

The original article was written by The Canadian Press and published in the Globe and Mail. (original)

On Monday, January 25, 2010, Kim Stinson, who works for the National Atlantic Treaty Organization in Afghanistan as a contractor, came into Loyalist college to talk about how she got her job, and the type of work she does. The following are notes I collected from the presentation.

Kim graduated from Loyalist college. While at Loyalist, Kim studied Photo Journalism and E-Journalism. Kim got into a her desired field, and started her career in Coburg and Port Hope in Ontario.

Kim recalls how she got the job with NATO. “When I was working one day, photos from Afghanistan came back to me from a journalist covering a story over there. I covered the story and my boss asked me if I had ever considered a job with NATO, since they were hiring. I had thought about it, but I didn’t think I had the qualifications for it. I tried anyways, hoping that one of the two open slots could be mine. I got a call asking for an interview, and from there I got the job.”  Kim then said “I was lucky [the job] I had a few things come together.”

Kim had some early complications with the job. She says “I used to live beside a military base and I figured I knew all the acronyms. However once I started I realized military acronyms were the hardest things to learn. They also have set times. For the first three weeks I missed breakfast.” Kim also says she had trouble learning the country. “Afghanistan is one of the most confusing countries in the world. You could spend years there and come away with absolutely nothing or very little. People are wonderful. When we picture Afghanistan it’s just Kandahar, but I get to see the other side of Afghanistan, and it’s quite phenomenal. It’s different for sure, you can 50 miles down the road, and you’re in a completely different setting. I would consider Afghanistan as an onion, there are so many layers, you just keep tearing and tearing layer by layer until you get what you need.

Kim works out of Mazari Sharif, in Afghanistan. Mazari Sharif is one of the wealthier cities in Afghanistan, and is the fourth largest city. Kim is the leader of the forward media team over to the East, and works with the Provincial Reconstruction Team. Kim also mentioned that there are 13 media teams in Afghanistan, and that she’s based with the Swedish and the Finnish teams there. Kim has Afghan journalists who go get the stories, then when they return she writes them. “The Taliban’s don’t get the full story however. So we have to do a lot of fact checking.” When Kim goes out into the war zone to cover stories she has to be accompanied by a Close Protection Team. She told us that “There are many hot spots that we know about, and we know if we go in there we will get shot.” So it is mandatory that she wears both a vest and a helmet when covering war stories.

When asked if people down there treat her like the average Afghan woman she responded with “No. Western women have more breathing room. I respect their religion, I wouldn’t wear a head dress, but I do wear an Arabian robe. People actually come up to me and say thanks, and they respect me. So with me being a Western woman, I am able to go into places that most Afghan women aren’t. I am also allowed into women’s events that men aren’t allowed in. However of course men have more freedom. But that’s known so I am lucky because I get to see both sides.” She continued telling us about their lifestyles “It’s hard to see, there are women there who honestly think about business development. Then you see the women who live by what the men tell them. I remember when the people had their vote women were asking me who they should vote for because they weren’t educated in any of the politics. But the men there also struggle. The young men have a huge problem with employment because everything is already filled. I am teaching a journalism course there and I have 75 students split between two classes, so they are attempting to learn new things. There are young boys who actually attempt to pick-pocket people, I once had to threaten some kids saying I would slap them so they would learn. Then there are children always asking for money but there are no infrastructures there to spend their new money. When I do see people asking for water I will try my best to supply it because their water isn’t particularly healthy.” Kim did mention that everything is starting to develop though. She said that there is extreme poverty, and that the Western lifestyle is adapting down there.

Kim then mentioned the dangers that are involved with her job. She referred to a woman who was threatened by the Taliban when she was on television. She was fine with that, however then when the Taliban threatened her family she knew she needed to move to do radio. Which is the most used form of delivery in Afghanistan. Another concern was the belief that Kim could be kidnapped if she is not accompanied by anyone. When she enters a new city or country she is always escorted by someone. But she said there were very few worries there.

Finally Kim spoke specifically about news in Afghanistan. “Like I said radio is the most used news distributer. Newspapers are also used constantly. We have changed their newspapers, before they were to print heavy and this confused people. A photo can just as easily get a point across and we’ve emphasized that. People also receive their news from the Mullah, or they go to the market place and find it out. ” Kim mentioned that propaganda was what the people in Afghanistan instantly assumed all the news was. “We look for the success stories, there are to many negatives, and we try to provide the people with hope.”  After she mentioned that her presentation she gave us was over.

The presentation was great in my opinion. Kim taught me a new things I had no idea about. Honestly when I thought Afghanistan I believed it was the Kandahar scene. But Kim has shown me it is not, and she is very helpful to journalists who are just studying the field. She has shown the positives and in her field of work that is what she is supposed to do.

Thanks for everything Kim, that was very helpful and very beneficial.

Kim has a website where you can read her stories. If you want to find out more visit the website at http://kjstinson.com/

Mike Wobschall

January 26, 2010

A Bangladesh teen was lashed 101 times for conceiving a child out-of-wedlock. What’s the catch? She was raped. In April of last year, a 20-year-old man from Brahmanbaria made this young girl his victim, and she is still suffering.

On January 26, 2010, Dean Nelson of The Telegraph reported Muslim elders in this girl’s village issued a “fatwa”, which is an Islamic religious ruling, or a scholarly opinion on a matter of Islamic law. This fatwa insisted the girl be kept in isolation until her family agreed to corporal punishment. Her father was also fined, and told his family would be labeled as “outcasts”.

According to The Telegraph, Bangladesh’s Daily Star newspaper reported she was so ashamed following the attack that she did not lodge a complaint. Not long after, the girl was married. However, her husband left her a few weeks later when health tests revealed she was expecting.

 The real kicker is the village elders pardoned the rapist.

 Understandably, the girl told the Daily Star she wants justice, because the rapist has “ruined her life”.

“Ruined her life” could be the understatement of the year.

 For Westerners, these religious beliefs and practices are hard to understand. When evidence shows a Canadian girl is raped, he is jailed and sentenced. However, in Bangladesh, it’s the women’s fault.

 This girl has suffered through an unimaginable experience. She victimized, and now she is paying for a crime committed against her. The 101 scars left on her body from lashing only serve to remind her every single day how the justice system has failed her in the worst possible way.

 These men are the worst abusers of women’s rights. Western society has done so much to improve the rights of women and to make equality a reality. However, we can’t alter the way Islāmic men treat women. Unfortunately, they need to make these changes on their own.

 If this girl decides to take a stand, there is the very real possibility she will be putting her life and the lives of her family in danger. Standing up to religious beliefs and practices is almost unheard of in her country.

This article opens up a can of worms regarding women’s rights in Bangladesh. The gender imbalance not only exists within legal sectors, it exists also within the home. Traditionally, Muslim women have been seen as something to control. They are raped by their own husbands, and abused in unimaginable ways. Every single aspect of their lives are controlled. How they dress, how they act, how they speak, to whom they speak to, how they walk, what they eat…is all monitored by their husbands, fathers, brothers and uncles. They are forced under religious beliefs, to be submissive and weak. To essentially give up the rights  every human being should have.

How long will the concept of “free will” elude these women? To these men, they are nothing more than mothers and wives. As they grow up, they are taught to obey, keep a tidy home, and raise their children. They don’t know any other way of life. And this is an unjustice in itself.

 If a woman chooses to object to this way of life,  she could be murdered by one of her own family members. Called a “mercy killing”, muslim women are killed for resisting religious law or family rules. Can we even begin to imagine this kind of thing happening in Canada? For men here to be so authoritarian and misogynistic would never be tolerated.

In Canada, women who are suffering abuse at the hands of their husbands have options. Interval House is there to put a roof over their head, and food in their stomachs. In Bangladesh, these women have nothing. If they resist the rules of their husbands, they are whipped, beaten, and left to die.

What can we, as Canadians, do to help? As we raise billions of dollars for the people in Haiti, we display our ability to be kind and compassionate people. We are there to help people in a desperate time of need. So how about we extend some of this goodwill to the women in Bangladesh? How can our money help these women escape lives of oppressive marriages and religious traditions?

Do we make it easier for women to immigrate to Canada after suffering such inhumanity? Do we give them a home, a place to re-build their life? Or do we continue to stand by, and watch this happen again and again?

The threats, murders and intimidation against women in Muslim countries needs to stop. How many lashes will it take before this is regognized as a serious problem? How many more young girls will be punished because they were raped?

 Think of your daughter, your sister, your best friend…and tell me this is something we should just ignore.

This article was written on January 25, 1010 and was published in the Toronto Sun. This article deals with how the Toronto Transit Commission is handling photos being published of three of it’s workers napping on the job. This article dealt with one employee in particular, Robitaille, who was said to have a health condition. He also appears to be on medication that makes him drowsy and has only had this one five minute problem. The TTC has not disclosed what kind of punishment their employees will be receiving for napping on the job. Toronto City Councilors do not want Union workers thinking that their jobs are safe when any sort of mishap occurs.

This is terrible how these workers still have their job. Robitaille can be excused if there is an underlying illness but the other two workers should be terminated. They seem to think that they are above the law because they are in a union they will just give them a slap on the wrist for sleeping at a public service job.

In a time where unemployment levels are hitting record highs the fact that it is still possible to get away with sleeping on the job is just appalling. There must be some discipline put into place on these workers. There have got to be thousands who would be able to do this job better without napping on the job. If it were possible why don’t we all start napping wherever we are working. The employee serving your Tim Hortons would be asleep in the drive thru causing delays on the thousands who rely on Tim Hortons for their caffeine fix. There are so many people who have terrible jobs and work hard to scrape by the bottom of the barrel to live. And then there are those people who happen to be in a union that can go on strike if they choose causing hindrances to millions of people, and yet they can sleep as they choose and still get paid the big dollars.

After so much dispute with strikes and wages there should be punishment as they can continue to cause problems even when they are on the job. They are always asking for more money and more vacation days and yet you can still not depend on them to work. Large unions such as any transit union or teachers union have to be governed somehow and their employees not treated as royalty whenever a problem occurs. They should have to face real world problems, such as termination for sleeping on the job. At any job not unionized if you were caught sleeping on the job (and it would appear that it has been done more than once) there  would be no questions asked and you would be terminated on the spot.

If the TTC is run by the city of Toronto they should be facing the same penalties that the rest of the public service workers are facing. That is stricter working conditions and not having the power to do whatever they want and not penalties. They receive their paychecks from the same people that the waste disposal employees receive theirs from. There is no slack in that job, if you are not strong and able another person can easily replace you. And yet all you need to do is be able to do is sleep on the job if you are seeking employment with the Toronto Transit Commission.

-Matthew Kerr

            In a poll conducted by the Canadian Press, four out of five Canadians found it reasonable for airports to install body scanners as a new security measure. Of the Canadians polled, three quarters said that the scanners would decrease the chance of a terrorist attack. An article published in The Globe and Mail, said many Canadians believe that airport security should be as strict as it needs to be, only those polled in B.C. during a trial run rejected the idea. The Harper government has announced that 44 three-dimensional scanners will be placed in airports across the country. The three millimetre wave scanners are to detect for explosives [like those sewn to the underpants of the Nigerian man arrested for an attempted attack on Christmas day.]  To the operator/security guards the scanner provides detailed images of whoever steps inside. [The operator performs the check from a separate room to maintain privacy]. Travellers 18 and under will not be required to go through the scanners, but they will be subjected to a mandatory pat down. The poll suggests that the scanner is preferred over the pat down. The other quarter of Canadians polled felt uncomfortable with this new idea. The study reveals that women and people aged 65 and older were apprehensive about the scanners.

            Controversy looms, as the ability of the scanners to detect deadly weapons is up for debate between security analysts and civil rights advocates. Senior vice-president of Harris-Decima [research firm] says the opinion is split over whether this decision was an overreaction to the failed attack on Christmas day. Harris-Decima surveyed over 1,000 Canadians by phone. The article in which this was published stated this survey has a margin of error of 3.1 per cent, 19 out of 20 times.

            Like Lindsay mentions in her blog, this news is important because it affects travellers across Canada. Technology is beginning to shape the way we live our lives. From waking up to an irritating alarm clock, to determining if you pose a risk when you travel, technology is controlling us, and we’re paying for every minute of it. We pay hundreds for iPods, computers, TVs, and cell phones. And now 11 million in tax payer dollars is going towards scanners, and there isn’t even a 100 per cent success rate.

              It would be naive to fully support the new scanners. Sure they worked in the trial, but there is no guarantee that they will catch everything. As Lindsay points out, all safety precautions had been tested and yet the machines still weren’t fully effective.
This means that terrorist attacks are still possible. So why are Canadians giving their full support? If we as taxpayers are going to be shelling out that much money, then there should be a 100 per cent safety guarantee, no ifs, ands or buts about it. With these new scanners in place, does that mean they’re taking out metal detectors? Most likely not. Travel time has just increased, and still nobody cares. If everyone supports the scanner than they don’t have a right to complain when they have to arrive 8 hours before their flight takes off. Security is one thing, but this for the most part, is just too much. What is so mind boggling is why the government is willing to spend millions on something that doesn’t have a full guarantee. This money could be used to build shelters for the homeless across the country, it could be used to better deteriorating infrastructure, it could even be used to buy Stephen Harper’s new boat [if the governments happy, the public is happy.. in theory]. No matter what obstacle is thrown in their way, a determined terrorist is going to find away to accomplish what (s)he set out to do. Wasting all this money only gets us exaggerated safety.

            Three quarters of Canadians polled said they supported the scanners. Was this before or after they knew their privacy would no longer be theirs? Is no one concerned about this? The scanners don’t just show the body, they show detailed outlines. Every roll, piercing and crack will be exposed. There is nothing [supposedly] you can’t hide from this machine. And who’s to say that the images projected stay with the operators? There is never a for sure guarantee in life, and it’s foolish for people to think that these machines are going to change anything. [You may say that this is nothing but cynicism, but then explain how a terrorist was able to board a plane, and almost blow it up (if it hadn’t been for the man’s father, we’d be mourning the passengers of that flight)]. The only way to fully protect your country is to put a dome over it that has one entrance doubling as an exit. Extreme? You want safety don’t you? That’s pretty much the only way you’re going to get it. But for what it’s worth, these scanners might intimidate the enemy for awhile, or until they discover how to outsmart them.

The above was written based on the work of Lindsay Craggs

            The latest scandal to come out of Toronto has taken the internet by storm. On January 9, 2010, Jason Wieler took a picture of a Toronto Transit Commission employee snoozing in his booth at McCowan station. On January 22, 2010 president of the Amalgamated Transit Union, Bob Kinnear said that it was very discouraging that the picture taker as well as other transit riders made no attempt to determine if there was anything wrong with the employee. “The guy could have had a heart attack. He could’ve had an aneurysm. He could have been diabetic,” stated Kinnear. On the same day a second photo of a napping TTC employee at King Station was released to the media. Scott Dagostino, who snapped the second picture, said he’s not out to get anyone fired but finds that this is symbolic of a larger problem.

             On January 20, 2010 the transit agency’s board voted to appoint a blue-ribbon panel of private sector experts to help improve customer service. This was largely due in part to an impending fare increase and token rationing. Though the TTC has been taking some heat about the fare increase and the token shortage, the top two complaints remained bus and streetcar delays and discourtesy from TTC workers. Kinnear rejected the idea that rudeness is common among TTC employees, and blamed the commission for rider fury. Kinnear also urges the public to cut the snoozing employee some slack saying “that’s a human being behind there.”

     The importance of this news depends on who you are. For transit riders it means lack of customer service, a decreased amount of available protection and a free train ride. For the TTC it means irresponsible employees, a loss of profit and more complaints towards the company. For the younger readers it means that your parents lied when they said that working adults were always responsible. This is definitely something that needs to be taken care of, whether it’s the transit riders checking the well being of an employee if found snoozing [on the off chance that there is something wrong] or the TTC enforcing stricter codes.

             On January 24, the Toronto Star released an article entitled “Wake up to real issues, TTC sleeper tells public” and it’s basically the TTC employee saying there are more important things happening around the world and people should be less concerned with his sleeping habits. George Robitaille has worked for the TTC for almost 30 years, and he describes himself as a hardworking employee with a stellar track record. In 1995, Robitaille was honoured for saving a disabled man’s life. That’s all well and good, and yes there are more important things to be concerned with but the fact of the matter is that Robitaille was sleeping on the job. Having a stellar record and saving a man’s life doesn’t entitle him to nap where and when he chooses. If he has health issues that cause him to sleep than he shouldn’t be working. He becomes a danger not only to himself but everyone else around him. There are hard working people who can stay awake for their designated shift who can’t find work.

              Here’s another piece of advice for Mr. Robitaille. Be a Man. It’s time to start taking responsibility for your actions. Stop trying to defer blame elsewhere. No one pointed a gun to your head and said take a nap. If you actually had health issues that caused you to sleep sporadically then chances are you wouldn’t have that job. Thirty years on the job and you haven’t fallen asleep [no reports have indicated] until now? That just screams bullshit. Making excuse doesn’t justify what you did. What would you say if your house caught fire, but the firemen couldn’t come battle the flames because they decided to take a nap? You would call them irresponsible and say that they needed to be fired. So what makes you so different? [The difference between jobs is noted, but the point is more principle oriented.]

               As for Bob Kinnear, how about instead of lashing out at transit riders you lash out at the TTC’s irresponsible employees. If they weren’t sleeping, people wouldn’t have felt compelled to take pictures. Sure, they should have checked to see if he was okay but for the most part you can tell when a person is sleeping as opposed to being dead. On that note, why is it up to the transit riders to ensure that the health of the TTC’s employees is up to par? People have families and jobs to get to. If they stopped to check on every employee that decided to take a nap they’d be wasting time that they don’t always have. Like Robitaille said, there are more important issues in the world. Take responsibility for your own damn employees, their actions are reflections of your leadership.

The original article was written by Kelly Grant of the Globe and Mail. (original)

In his column, “E-Cars, How about producing streetcars,” (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/commentary/e-cars-how-about-producing-streetcars/article1438534/) in The Globe & Mail on Jan.21, 2010, Eric Reguly shares his view on the automotive industry.

Each year, the European and North American automotive industry are designing new models: Hybrid and Electric. Designs for electric cars, are becoming more popular, as more people are becoming more environmentally cautious. Reguly feels that “What’s good for the Auto industry is good for the economy, environment, cities, and small fury animals.”

If electric cars are better for our environment, why aren’t companies producing them? There are some electric cars in our market, but not nearly enough.  Reguly explains in his article that the people, who show some disagreement, are automotive experts. Why?  In today’s society, more families own more than one vehicle. In fact, on average most families have two cars while some families have three or more. Years ago, on average most families had one car. People continue to buy big, bulky vehicles. Not worrying about the effects it has on our environment. Hybrid vehicles   more , but they are quite expensive. They are more compact and smaller, which is probably the point, but if you have a large family, is it practical?

Reguly attended a car show and listened to Jan-Welm Bierman, an engineer and professor at the Automotive Institute of Germany’s RWTH Aachen University, who was selling the idea of public transportation.  Surprised that someone would attempt to promote public transportation takes a lot of courage, Reguly explains a valid point: Electric cars might be better for the environment, but the companies supplying the power to recharge millions of cars, is that any better?

Even if consumers know that electric cars are better for the environment, are they reliable, easy to fix, and cost efficient? Families are bigger, and the needed space is an important reason for most consumers. Consumers rely on low maintenance, space, and reliable when purchasing a large item.

In large urban cities such as, New York City, London, and Paris most people choose to use subways, or other forms of public transportation, why? Most middle to upper-class families don’t want to pay for the parking or hassle trying to park. If anyone has been to New York, parking takes up more of your time than walking, or taking the subway. The families that can afford to taxi, take the subway, or choose to walk, are the ones who can afford a vehicle. These people choose not to pay for expensive parking.

Reguly discusses the idea of re-inventing the “streetcar,” but is the streetcar the answer?

Toronto has streetcars, and if anyone has experienced taking them, they are far from reliable. The subway is more efficient, and it will arrive on time. So far, the subway has been working. If only more cities would build a subway system.  If more people had a reliable source for travelling that didn’t involve their own vehicle, would more people choose to use public transportation? No matter how much money that is spent into amazing alternatives to driving, there will still be people choosing to drive, or purchasing a vehicle. Each person has their own reasons to why they need a car. Not everyone lives in the city; in fact, more people choose to live out-of-town.

The idea of public transportation is a great idea for those who live in cities.  If the government spent more money  towards public transportation, more people will use it. Ultimately, the environment would be better, because every bit does help.

Hybrid vehicles are produced more often, but they are quite expensive. They tend to be a smaller vehicle, which is probably the point, but if you have a large family, will it be practical?

The original article ‘Turned away by rink, disabled child gets Leafs invite to ACC’ was published on thestar.ca on January 25th, 2010. (Original)

Tucker Patterson, a 3 year old boy suffering from a terminal genetic disorder called Leigh’s disease, which attacks his motor functions, was turned away from a public skating rink because of his wheelchair.

Tucker’s mother Kari Patterson, was in contact with Flamborough ice rink near Hamilton, to ask if they could accommodate their son’s wheelchair in order to take him for a family skate trip. Patterson was flatly told no.

Patterson was obviously angry, and frustrated for her son. She said that she was hoping to have something that they could all do as a family as they are limited on what they are able to do.

The city’s recreation manager later said that the employee who’d refused the Pattersons misunderstood the facility’s policy.

The Leafs have stepped in and invited the family to come to the Air Canada Centre on Tuesday to skate together with the entire team.

The Patterson family including Tucker’s too big sisters are all big Leafs fans. Tucker himself is named after Darcy Tucker. The family will watch the Leafs skate then the L.A. Kings skate and then have a meet and greet afterwards.

It is extremely frustrating for any family who has a child with a disability to endeavor family trips or tasks that may need to include the child. But when public recreation facilities like a skating rink are not set up to accommodate the needs of children like this, it is all out upsetting.

Wheelchairs are not a new development, so when we come across a public facility that isn’t set up to accommodate one, instantly anyone who is in a wheelchair or has a family member in a wheelchair wonders why; and they should.

In June of 2005, the Ontario Government passed the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, which was meant to make Ontario the first jurisdiction in Canada to develop, implement and enforce mandatory accessibility standards. It was also meant to be applied to both the public and private sectors.

This means that all business and facilities whether public or private are under law to provide a means of accessibility for anyone who is disabled and unable to use regular means of access.

If this act was passed in 2005, it is very surprising to find that a public facility like a skating rink is still not up to standards with the act. Simply saying the staff was not aware of the facilities policy does not make everything better. Accommodations are meant to be made, and staff should be fully trained in what is company policy. If they are not trained the company is not following the act properly.

It is extremely refreshing to see the Leafs doing something in the public eye that benefits the people in their city. It’s just a team of guys willing to help a small boy who only wanted to skate. Now he gets to skate with his heroes and all it took was the turn of a Leaf.

In the article “Lenders plan to auction Intrawest assets” (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/lenders-plan-to-auction-intrawest-assets/article1437922/) in The Globe & Mail on Wednesday January 20, 2010. Written by, Boyd Erman, Erman shows us the difficulties Intrawest is experiencing. With less than a month before the Games begin, an auction follows close behind.

Failing to make their debt payments of $524 million, has caused Whistler Ski Resort owned by Intrawest gone to auction. Intrawest, received a foreclosure notice January 8, and the resort will be scheduled for auction February 19. The Games start on the 12th, ending the 28th.

Concerns about this year’s Olympics have left people wondering, how this will affect Whistler’s downhill ski competitions. What will happen if the auction is successful?

Dan Doyle, Executive Vice President for organizing committee of VANOC has said “it doesn’t make very good business sense or people to put them out of business at the time of year when their making their most earnings”.

It was said that Fortress banks have worked with Intrawest trying to find a reasonable solution, but nothing has worked.

Sales will include  properties in: Quebec, Colorado and California.

Intrawest has decreased all of their pricing, hoping to encourage visitors in the meantime.

This is bad timing. No one wants to see complications rise, as the athletes hit the slopes. Athletes have enough stress on their plate, and the added stress of potentially a ski hill that may or may not be available is nerve-wracking. It would have made more sense to auction after the winter games. This would have made things less stressful for all parties involved. It will be hard to watch Whistler Ski Resort go up for auction since it’s a hot spot for travelers.

How will this affect the tourism in British Columbia? Losing one company is hard, but losing multiple is even harder. Not to mention the number of employees who will be affected by the change. Our economy is just starting to work towards recovery. So many companies have been affected by recession, and so many people have become jobless. Watching another company fail is upsetting.

In the Sunday  Whig Standard, Sue Yanagisawa explains the devastating incident that happened during the Queens University Homecoming in 2008. In this article (mailto:http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2264118), Yanagisawa explains the difficulty that both parties are experiencing.

Carleton University student, Mackenzie McDonald has finally been sentenced 14-years for aggravated Assault.

McDonald, attended Queen`s Homecoming in Sept, 2008. Those who are unsure what this homecoming party is, it`s an illegal street party hosted by Queen`s students that has become an annual tradition. Queen`s Homecoming has been around since 1986, over the years, the numbers of those who attend increases and the drunken behaviour gets worse.  In 2007, estimating approximately 8000 students attended. Police were called to the scene when a nearby car was flipped upside down, then set on fire. Students attending from schools across the region attend each year. Several students were arrested for drinking in public, other`s for vandalism and under-age drinking.

The Kingston Police, OPP, along with the staff at Queen`s University thought Sept, 2008 would be different. Bringing the Police from Toronto, and setting up camera`s on Aberdeen Street would be enough to sustain the party. Somehow this information was leaked, and students planned Homecoming as usual, but re-located the event.

What happened this time?

36-year old Darren Gibson was stationed in Kingston working for a company that was building a new Canadian Tire store in Kingston. Gibson and his boss, Gerard Traverse chose to grab a sub at Subway downtown. The Subway was packed with students and young people. Unsure of where the line started, Gibson took advice from some people on where to join in.

McDonald who was also in line with some friends, after attending the Homecoming party, have been waiting patiently to order. Gibson and Traverse happened to have joined the line in the wrong place. This caused McDonald to hold Gibson in the “sleeper-hold,” also known as a martial arts headlock. Gibson was dropped to the floor, hitting his head on the ceramic floor.

Gibson suffered from a fractured skull and has spent months in the hospital.

Today, Gibson undergoing therapy, has found a hard time finding work. He is unable to remember words, and doesn’t remember anything the night of the incident.

McDonald, has been finally accused of Aggravated Assault, sentenced to 14 years in prison and will appeal his case in a few months.

Was this is it for Homecoming? Why end it now, after all these incidents?

If a neighbours car, flipped over, and set on fire was not enough to say “hold on, we need to do something?” not to mention other incidents of injuries. What changed the minds of all the Universities including Queen’s? There have been several opportunities to have set rules and boundaries. Students should have been expelled, and charged. So many people have shrugged off the incidents and let other people, who were minding their own business, get injured. Where does it cross the line? How far do incidents go, before someone, or something intervenes? How do we measure the severity of a situation? Do we wait until someone is hurt, and then say “party is over folks?”

This year’s Homecoming has been moved, and is no longer in the fall, but this should have been the case a few years ago. Actions should have been brought forward and implemented last year. Dwelling on the past won’t make a difference today, but if only people truly understood the severity of this issue, and the problems it has caused. It’s so common with young people. They follow the lead of their peers, and then choose to act in a way and then wish they hadn’t the next morning, not realizing that one mistake or one person could change it for everyone. This is something they will later on regret. If only more people would just take one minute, and ask themselves, “Is it worth it?” This question could make or break where you stand tomorrow.

The article “Ryan’s Olympic hopes shot down in a Blais of agony” (January 24, 2010) shows how someone is able to lose their true dream in a matter of minutes. The article explains how one true Canadian Olympian gets his hopes up. Then in the end they are crushed by a mistake someone else made. The team officials allowed Blais to deal with being an Olympian some around 40 minutes before stopping. The team officials let him no Saturday if he was still on the team or not. The media has been at him since the terrible night, another chance lost to go to the Olympics.

The story shows how easy you are able to bring your hopes up by a small mistake made from someone else. So many Olympians have been let down due to the fact that a mistake was made right in front of them. The thrill of being able to just try out for the team must have been more then a thrill for most athletes.

When being congratulated on someone else’s win isn’t satisfying especially when it’s a huge mistake. Olivier Rochon must of felt horrible thinking he won and having Blais congratulate him when the officials congratulated Blais. They didn’t check the scores properly and didn’t listen to Blais hen he told them to re-check them. “I told them to double-check, to not toy with me,” he said. “I’m bawling already. It’s not a time to rush this type of thing.”

The reaction of the story was heart wrenching, it felt as though you yourself were feeling the disappointment and anger. Seeing how Canadian Olympic officials made this mistake it was that much more upsetting having to read how Blais felt.

“I’m a dreamer,” said Blais, who started a fund to help young athletes. “I always have these fantasies and one of my fantasies is if I went to Vancouver and got on the podium, I would refuse to talk only about me to the media.” Everything about Blais makes you think of this amazing person who has never stopped fighting for what he wants. Reading this specific quote makes it feel that much harder to see what he has gone through. Not making the Olympic team in 2006 but again in 2010 especially when its in Canada must kill.

Canadian freestyle skier’s dream of becoming an Olympian dashed, for the second time, in heartbreaking fashion the first time was in 2006 when he was yet again moved down a spot for someone else. Despite winning the last qualifying event at Lake Placid he got pushed aside, just like this year. Canada should not be making mistakes as small as he ones this weekend.

Both Canadians are amazing athletes, and we should be congratulating both for making it this far in their careers.

By: Ashliegh Gehl

Lisa Priest’s article, “Cash machines a lucrative sideline to Ontario’s gaming agency,” printed in The Globe and Mail on Jan. 23, 2010 explores the controversy hovering above of automated banking machines in Casinos.

Last year Ontario’s Lottery and Gaming Corp. reeled in $12.6-million from onsite cash machines. Priest says, “At issue is whether ready access to cash causes gamblers to spend more than they had intended.”

When the question of willpower is at hand, one has to wonder if moving automated banking machines to a separate location will be affective. Smoking bylaws force smokers to step away from the slots and feed their addiction. Why not light up near an exit where bank machines have been relocated? If a gambler wants to empty the bank a little further, sending the pocket book into the red, it is unlikely a simple relocation will prevent a transaction.

According to Robert Williams, Lethbridge co-ordinator of the Alberta Gaming Research Institute, bank machines and Canadian casinos are not a healthy mix. “The cash scene is readily available and too available in my mind,” said Williams.

Williams thinks moving bank machines from a game room to a designated area out of sight, will not inconvenience many.

Is Williams applying the adage out of sight, out of mind to the presence of bank machines in casinos? It seems like it. 

The removal of bank machines from gambling venues is not a new concept. Venues in South Africa have banned them. The state of Victoria in Australia plans to remove them from poker machine venues by 2012. Manitoba prohibits cheque-cashing and credit card use where most casinos in Ontario allow credit card and bank transactions from the machines.

Last summer, as part of a new study, the Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre stripped the Western Fair Raceway in London of its ABMs. This removal forced gamblers to walk to a designated bank machine room.

The article does not mention the results of the study, nor does it mention if results are still pending. And it failed to mention the distance gamblers were forced to walk.

The blinding lights and loud noise of a casino are designed to keep gamblers alert and energized. They are designed to keep gamblers in the casino. Targeting the placement of bank machines and not the elements that keep gamblers gambling seems like a last resort.

Apart from casino aesthetics, certain membership perks give gamblers incentive to spend more money. At Casino Rama, a club card gives the gambler access to pre-sale box office tickets and $5 cash for every 100 CashBack points. A gambler with a diamond card is at the top of the gambling club with over 75,000 CashBack points. Points cards give gamblers the incentive to spend more money. A system not influenced by the location of an ABM.

With the relocation of ABMs, it would be nice to know what gambling demographic is being targeted. The person with the diamond card is going to spend money regardless of where the bank machine is. The gambler has to spend a certain amount of money each year to stay at that level. The causal gambler, on the other hand, may be reluctant to travel the extra distance.

The removal of ABMs from casino grounds might produce the result Williams is looking for.

After watching both of Sunday’s NFL conference championship games and seeing the winning teams players celebrating with their championship hats and t-shirts. It made me wonder what happens to the losing teams merchandise?

Companies already have hundreds of hats and t-shirts printed for both teams even before the game starts, so that they winning team can wear them for the pregame celebrations. This leaves hundreds of items that are considered “misprinted” and are basically useless in North America. For the longest time the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL would just have the losing team destroy the merchandise.

Working together with World Vision, the NFL set up an agreement that allows all of the unwanted hats and t-shirts to be sent to a developing third-world nation.

According to an article that appeared in The New York Times in 2007. After the Super Bowl the merchandise will be shipped out to a warehouse near Pittsburgh where they become property of World Vision. The clothing is then packages up into wooden boxes and sent over to third-world countries, usually in Africa.

I think that this is a great idea. I always thought that it was a big waste of money and clothing by having all of those shirts and hats thrown out after the championship game is over.

I always thought that all major sporting leagues should have done something better with all of the extra shirts and hats they made, rather than just destroying them. If they didn’t feel like sending them over seas there are many other ideas they could have used. They could have changed there printing process and just had the team receive the shirts a couple of hours after they won their respective championship. The only problem with this is that it had become a tradition and both players and fans loved to be able to receive the championship merchandise only moments after winning.

In the end the only sensible solution in which the NFL could agree upon was to send the merchandise to another country with people in need.

Some people may disagree with this and say that the clothing would be better uses by the less fortunate people across North America; but the NFL doesn’t want to cause any humiliation to the losing team. They agreement they made includes a law that states: “items are to never appear on television or on eBay. They are never to be seen on American soil”.

The NFL has been sending their unwanted clothing over seas for about the past ten years. It wasn’t up until 2007 when the MLB, NBA and NHL also joined the agreement with World Vision and sent their unwanted clothing over to Africa.

I hope that eventually all leagues realize that this is the best way to get rid of the unwanted championship merchandise. Rather than destroying hundreds of items of clothing, they are helping less fortunate people who need the clothing.

Kudos to the NFL for starting something that will benefit third-world countries for years to come.

Sources:

“Far Away, Super Bowl’s Losers Will Be Champs” – The New York Times

NHL.com