Haiti

The half of the island of Hispaniola colonized by the French became known as Haiti at the end of the colonial period. The motivation of most colonial powers was exploitative in nature and Haiti was settled with slaves from Africa to work the owner’s plantations, the indigenous population having been wiped out. After the French left chaos broke out and the US held sway during the first half of the Twentieth Century with little more benefit to the Haitian Population. After a slave-led uprising led to independence the government fell under the corrupt sway of Papa Doc Duvalier and his Tonton Macoutes enforcers. Given this history of victimization the Haitan people have become one of the poorist peoples on earth. Because they speak French Haitians have been migrating to Quebec in Canada and in particular to Montreal. Poverty and ignorance leads to disease and with the outbreak of HIV infections after the 1980ies Haitian became synonomous in Quebec with Aids Sufferer.
If there is such a thing as good news coming out of a disaster such as the recent massive earthquake centred on Haiti’s Capital of Port au Prince it is that it drew to the world’s attention the abject poverty in which this people has lived for the last few centuries. This earthquake devastated the already squalid structures that housed these people along with the few substantial homes of the rich who exploited them. The agencies who respond to the present critical need have to realize that these people are going to need long-term assistance to help them build a viable future and there will be need for these agencies to be actively involved to ensure that their aid doesn’t end up in the hands of corrupt officials. They can also expect little help from a government that is going to protest outside interference, indeed that government only allowed foreign aid into their country once they realized that the extent of the devestation was beyond their ability to cope.

May the Force/Farce be with You

The Star Trek Series and Movies have spawned conventions, Trekkies, and people crazy enough to learn to speak Klingon and Vulcan. Lord of the Rings has inspired people to learn Elvish, publish Atlases of Middle Earth, and make a study of ancient mysticism. Christopher Tolkien has made a living off the publishing of the notes his father used to keep his rather involved fantasy world straight while he spent all those years writing the 1500 page saga. Now comes word that a group centred in New Zealand around two brothers has formed a neophyte religion based on the cult of the Jedi in Star Wars and their belief in the Force. Its numbers have grown to the point that people are actually recording their religious affiliation on census roles as ‘Jedi’. For some this is a manner of protest in much the same vein as I would record my political views as being Rhinoceros. It is troubling to me that people could be so desperate to find meaning in their lives that they would base their religious belief on a work of fiction, a Holywood movie at that.

Shame

This kind of thing shouldn't happen anywhere, that it happened in my home province is cause for deep shame. I'm embarrassed to admit there are people who would commit such acts in Nova Scotia. My prayers and sympathies are with the victims.

CBC News - Nova Scotia - N.S. couple shaken by cross burning

CBC News - Nova Scotia - N.S. couple shaken by cross burning

N.S. couple shaken by cross burning

RCMP investigate incident as hate crime

Last Updated: Monday, February 22, 2010 | 6:11 PM AT Comments312Recommend213

CBC News

Shayne Howe was frightened for his family when he saw a two-metre-tall cross burning on the front lawn of his Nova Scotia home and heard racial epithets uttered early Sunday morning.

Michelle Lyon and Shayne Howe are worried about the safety of their children. (CBC)Police said they are investigating the incident as a hate crime.

Howe is black and his partner, Michelle Lyon, is white. The couple and their children live in a small community in Hants County, north of Halifax. Howe is the only black person in the community.

"I just seen a big cross out there, and it was on fire and it had the rope around the neck, and it was hanging down, and it was on fire. It was about seven feet tall," he said Monday.

"By the time I got outside, there was nobody around. All we heard was, 'Die, n----r, die.' I was scared for my kids and my life. I don't know what is going to happen next. If it's a joke, then I don't know what it is. I don't know how to take it."

Howe said when he saw the burning cross he thought of the Ku Klux Klan.

"What else can you think of?" he asked.

Family terrified

Lyon said the family was terrorized by the act.

"We were terrified, just terrified. We didn't know if they were still around the house, we didn't know if they were coming back, we didn't know why this had happened. We had no idea," she said.

"We're very well respected in the community. I've been here a long time and Shayne's been here for quite awhile now. Nothing of this sort has ever happened, so we were just kind of in awe and shock of the whole ordeal. It's like something you'd see in the movies, not real life."

Howe, who has lived in the community for six years, said he has never experienced this level of racism before.

All that's left is a charred piece of wood. (CBC)"It's 2010. That's supposed to be gone. It wasn't even around when I was a kid," Howe said. "I got called a few names, big deal, but it wasn't nothing like this. That's not a joke to me, that's not a prank."

Howe said he considers the cross burning a threat but doesn't believe anyone in the community did it.

"I can't see it being a community thing. I'm respecting the community. If I'm outside, they're waving. There's absolutely no reason for anybody to do that," he said.

"If it's a hate crime, then I've got to pack up and get my family out out of here. It's not that I'm running, but I've got to protect my children."

Hate crime investigation

The first thing the family did Monday was look for a new home because they're afraid of what may happen next. Lyon said the family fears their house may be set on fire.

RCMP spokeswoman Sgt. Brigdit Leger said police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.

"In this case, with the burning of the cross, and the use of racial terms, we are absolutely exploring the avenue that this may be a hate crime," Leger said.

Police have no suspects yet, and anyone with information is asked to contact RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2010/02/22/ns-cross-burning-hants-county.html#ixzz0gNPbNhdp

Kill or Cure

My asthma finally reached critical mass yesterday. That point at which the known side-effects of treatment are likely to be exceeded by the symptoms of the disease. I’ve been breaking out in a cough every time I try to laugh for some time but it was when I started wheezing while I went for a walk yesterday and had to slow down to catch my breath that the die was cast.

The treatment in question is 5 mg of generic Reactine, a drug I have not taken in over a year. This anti-histamine is claimed not to cause drowsiness but it still bears the do not operate heavy equipment caution. Best taken an hour or so before betime the side-effects kick in shortly after ingestion. Protestations aside the eyelids start getting heavy about an hour later and within two hours impromptu naps seem inescapable. For good reason all over the counter sleep medications are actually anti-histamines. Anti-histamines effect the endocrine system causing the system to dry out. They also serve to prevent sweating, dangerous if you’re out in hot weather.

Sleepiness aside one can soon feel one’s lips getting dry and this morning I had to wash my eyelashes to get my eyelids open. Did I mention the other major side-effect is depression? The drug damps down metabolism making the user feel fatigued and dopey. On the other hand it takes at least two weeks before the benefits of treatment kick in. If one survives the doldrums in between one may come out the other side feeling better. Alcohol tends to increase symptoms exponentially. Dare I indulge in $2 pints today? Fortunately my favourite pub is a short walk from my RV.

Don’t you hate it when the weatherman gets it right. Sunday saw highs in the mid 70ies. Today won’t get out fo the 30ies and the promised sleet and rain have arrived on cue. Opening my curtains today is an exercise in proving to the neighbours that I’m alive to do so; it did not increase the lighting level and served to let in the cold so I closed them again. One begins to believe that hibernating groundhog may have had it right afterall.

Gunsmoke

I’ve reviewed this TV Series before so I’m make a normal blog entry this time round. Until finally exceeded by the likes of The Simpsons, Gunsmoke starring the 6’ 7” James Arness as Matt Dillon was the longest-running TV series in history spawning literally scores of Westerns due to its success. Along with a revolving door of Deputies the show starred Milburn Stone as the acerbic Doc and Amanda Blake as the Madame and owner of the Long Branch who carried on a platonic love affair with the Marshall that kept watchers guessing for the entire run of the show.

Among the stock set-pieces that figured at the start of each show were the shoot-out on the same set where the famous gunfight in High Noon took place with Rodd Redwing playing the over-looked opponent and the meditative visits to Boot Hill where the men who opposed the Marshall lay buried. Rodd Redwing, it turns out was an expert weapons man noted for his ability to draw and fire accurately in 0.2 seconds hitting a quarter at 20 feet. It was he who taught Arness how to handle a gun along with many others.

Matt and Miss Kitty’s love affair must rank as one of the longest running cases of unrequited love but had they consummated the relationship millions of women would have had their hearts broken. My own Mother observed that in later years of the show’s run our aged neighbours across the road stayed up when the show was moved to 11 PM to Midnight.

Modern training regimens, drugs, and supplements have changed our image of what a handsome leading man should look like. When Matt Dillon has his standoff each week with his back to us we see no buns of steel, no well-shaped glutes thrusting against his buckskin breeches; indeed even when Doc patches him up we barely ever see any skin. No toned abs or rippling pecs, in those days actors kept their clothes on. Miss Kitty gets to wear strapless fashions that tend to show off her assets as do her girls. Although it is obvious she is running a brothel the closest we get to any action is the ocassional departure of a girl with her client.

One thing that has changed is attitudes toward smoking and tobacco. In those days actors did their own commercials on set barely breaking out of character hence in the supplements on the first disk we get to see Arness shilling for his favourite brand of unfiltered cigarettes. Still alive in his 87th year apparently he quit or beat the odds.

The Curmudgeon Rants Again

Shades of 9/11 someone crashed a plane into the Internal Revenue Building here in Austin. Those kinds of things I’d prefer to read about in the news but it may explain all the sirens I heard this morning. I’ve just finished reading the Austin Chronicle. Once more I’m at a loss to take in the fact that judges get elected here. How that differs from the political patronage appointments we get on our side of the border I can’t say but it seems strange; but then they elect sheriffs and dog catchers as well.

After eating out at a few local diners I’ve discovered another cultural difference here in the south; this one culinary. Whereas we on our side of the border would take salt and vinegar with French Fries for granted it would seem that no one uses vinegar on their fries here, no one seems to have it available.

However after reading up on the Travis Audobon Societies birding trip this Saturday I have discovered that some things never change. The pre-eminent place to observe birds in Austin is the Sewage Treatment Plant. They may dress it up with a fancy name but it’s still a place where a closepin for your nose is probably advisable.

Wanted: Dead or Alive!

A certain Canadian has declared War and Open Season on Texas Squirrels. Seems one member of that species crawled up into my engine compartment, chewed a hole in my anti-freeze overflow tank, then chewed the insulation off the wires it dripped on. The resulting short has been draining my battery and causing me all manner of pain. If the miscreant hasn’t already succumbed to ethyl ethylene glycol poisoning he has a $370 price on his head.

February Blahs

My readers have commented on the lack of recent personal entries. This groundhog saw his shadow on the second and crawled back in for more hibernation. Even my journal has been neglected. There are only so many ways one can say: I got up, browsed the web, got meals, read, and looked out at another day of cold and rain. Were it not for walking up to the campground laundry and shower rooms I wouldn’t get exercise some days.

In January I walked the half mile to the Long Centre in a cloud burst to see the Austin Symphony. Believe I wrote a concert review. My electric bike, not happy with getting wet, has barely been out from under its tarp in a month.

It finally stopped raining for a few days on Friday and while I was out taking my tri-weekly stroll I stopped at the Zach Theatre and picked up tickets for that night’s Vaudville style show titled the Flaming Idiots. Definitely not highbrow but good for a laugh. Once a showman, always a showman and the trio of jugglers who have a decade on me still have it. They even make fun of the fact that they sometimes drop things and are no longer the ripped studs they were in their youth. When the sun came out at last on Saturday i got out the bike, charged up its battery and rode down to the bank to get cash for my campground rent.

Emboldened by the success of that ride I got up early Sunday and biked up the quiet weekend streets the 8 miles to church. I was the first choir member to arrive. The thermometer was near freezing and the wind in my face for the uphill bike in; on my way home I had to peel a few layers and although downhill, the ride home was again against the wind. What’s up with that.

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And these just because:

What makes a bookkeeper unique?

The word "bookkeeper" is the only word in the English language with three, back-to-back double letter combinations.

The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog. You’ve seen it a thousand times, but what does it mean? Is it a clever bit of poetry, or a famous quote? No, it’s a pangram, a word that uses each letter of the English alphabet.

Never judge a book by its movie.
J. W. Eagan

An alcoholic is someone you don't like who drinks as much as you do.
Dylan Thomas (1914 - 1953)

Drive-in banks were established so most of the cars today could see their real owners.
E. Joseph Cossman

The shortest distance between two points is under construction.
Noelie Altito

Alas, the Orient Express made it’s last run over a month ago. Another icon slips into history.

Reality continues to ruin my life.
Bill Watterson (1958 - ), Calvin and Hobbes

Lewis Carroll wrote 97,000 letters during his lifetime.

California School tries to ban Webster's Dictionary because it defines oral sex! Will the Bible be next?

City of Toronto Mayoral candidate loses out when his philandering past comes to light. Thirty-two year-old Adam Giambrone gave up his bid to get elected when the scandal broke.

Was Michael Jackson's death assisted suicide?

I Feel a Rant Coming On

Has anyone else noticed that jars are getting more difficult to open; not that I’d admit to losing my grip. I’m nostalgic for the good old days when everything you bought didn’t come with layers of security devices one has to fight through to get to the good stuff. And who was it that invented those child-proof medicine containers that only a child can open?

I abhor the blister paks everything seems to come packed in these days. Thanks to MP3 downloads one no longer has to fight one’s way into a CD without breaking the jewel case that holds it. Opening a DVD is quite another matter, especially those ones that come with a strip across the top. Fighting one’s way to most electronic devices requires more tools than I presently possess and a college degree in engineering. The violence involved in getting to some devices belies the often fragile nature of the contents.

Anyone who counts calories, has to watch their cholesterol, or avoid salt had best avoid prepared foods. I just noticed that one serving of the spaghetti sauce I just fought open contains 1/3 of the recommended daily consumption of salt, guess I’d best start reading labels more closely. The serving size is 4 oz meaning the bottle contains nearly twice the daily recommended intake of salt. Iced tea mix and lemonade mixes seem to be flavoured sugar; they may not contain the 12 teaspoons in a can of pop but sugar is still the principle ingredient. If anyone can advise me on an affordable microwave popcorn that is not loaded with both fat and horrors palm oil plus salt please drop a comment. Alas I find unsalted tacos tasteless but a recommended serving of the salted variety that contains an entire day’s recommended intake of sodium is about 8 chips, who stops at 8?

Just finished watching disk 4 of the eighth season of X-Files including the one in which Fox Mulder comes back from the dead. Only on network TV would a character be resurrected because he finally settled the contract dispute he had with the show’s producers. As I remember he complained about the dampness of Vancouver and separation from his wife. The show of course got moved and his wife got a show produced in Vancouver.

Farming on Facebook

Since Boxing Day I’ve been on Facebook and in a moment of weakness decided to play an online game there called Farmville. Virtual farming allows one the vicarious pleasure of growing crops and tending cattle without the bother of getting one’s nails and knees dirty or shovelling the proverbial. Some of the game’s conventions stretch reality to the limit such as the thought of harvesting wheat after 3 days or placing 5 bulls in the same pasture. Keeping sheep and goats unpended and not seeing them attack nearby crops is novel as is the fact that crops don’t seem to need watering. Moving combines, barns and villas around at the click of a mouse gives one a feeling of power. One of the more interesting aspects of the game is the ability to visit neighbour farms to chase off foxes, crows or weed; fertilize crops; and feed the chickens. Seeing how others arrange their farms serves as inspiration for this pop analysis.

Seeing your neighbour’s farm is like walking into a friend’s home. Are they neat freaks, do they arrange their books in order, are there pictures on the wall, do they wallpaper, paint or use wood panelling? The first thing one notices is whether the farm plots are arranged in an orderly grid or are haphazard. Are their cattle fenced in separate pens, are they frozen in place or do they roam free. Well you try collecting eggs from a moving chicken. Sheep dart willy nilly and kittens tend to hide. It hadn’t occured to me that my chickens should be sorted by colour until I saw that someone else had done so. Same with my calves but who thought of making them green? Are the orchards neatly arranged or do their owners believe in a mixed forest ecology? Is the farm spacious or are the elements packed in?

Some farms remind you of a teenager’s bedroom but then some of the farmers are teens. Are the crops tended or allowed to wilt? Do the proprietors like crops, animals, orchards or a combination of all three. Do they add ornaments, place flowers, and collect topiaries. Is there a small village of outbuildings and extras or just the bare essentials? Is the farm well planned or were the elements just thrown together as they were acquired. And then there are the annal retentive and obsessive compulsives who have everything arranged in geometric proportions.

What my neighbours emphatically demonstrate is the power of their imaginations, artistry, and architectural planning. The beauty of some farmscapes is breathtaking. The artistry of some bowls me over. Some show the inspiration of antebellum estates that would gladden Scarlet O’Hara’s heart. Others demonstrate architectural wonders I would not have thought possible. Some people are willing to play the game in a small way and just enjoy dabbling on a ‘hobby farm’; while others will go to any lengths to get ahead in the game. Zynga, the game’s creators will allow you to spend real cash to advance faster than patient farming will allow. One can see signs that some farmers have so invested. And others who obviously tried it out and abandoned their farm.

You will notice that I have taken care not to mention names here but for those who are able by all means drop a line mentioning what you think my own farm tells about the owner.

Oakville passes air quality bylaw

Kim Arnott/Special to the Beaver

February 2, 2010

A new bylaw aimed at making Oakville's air easier to breathe has received unanimous approval from local politicians.
The town's new Health Protection Air Quality bylaw puts air-polluting industries on notice that the Town may not be a welcoming new home. It also makes Oakville the first Ontario jurisdiction to regulate fine particulate matter.
"Oakville is a community that leads," said Ward 6 councillor Max Khan. "I'm very, very certain that other municipalities will follow, as will the province eventually."
Under the new rules, Town councillors will have the right to reject incoming new industries judged to be major emitters of pollutants that cause unacceptable health impacts. The Town will also be able to deem existing industries and facilities that are major pollution emitters as "public nuisances" and refuse them approval to continue to operate unless they cut emissions.
However, the Town did modify the bylaw slightly as a result of a meeting last month that saw business representatives soundly criticize the proposal.
The approved bylaw will now require all facilities that emit fine particulate matter (airborne particles less than 2.5 microns in size), or other pollutants, which produce fine particulate matter, to make a one-time report of emission levels to the Town.
There will be no cost to the reporting, and further reporting need only be done if there are changes in emissions.
Facilities deemed "major emitters," based on standards determined by the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI), will be required to go through a $25,000 town approval process.
Along with all emissions from the facility, the process will look at the dispersion of the pollutants and assess the public health risks associated. The Town will hire professionals to review data provided by the facility and council will determine whether to grant or refuse approval.
Existing facilities that agree to develop a five-year plan leading to a 25 per cent reduction in emissions will be given approval to continue to operate. Those that do not agree to a reduction plan will need to convince Town council that there is a public interest in allowing them to continue to operate despite their emissions.
Town staff estimate there are probably 10 or 15 facilities in town likely to be classified as major emitters.
Consultant Rodney Northey, an environmental law specialist hired to advise the Town, noted that those companies will already be collecting emissions data and dealing with approval processes.
"There should be no surprises to a major emitter because they are already reporting under NPRI," he noted.
Oakville facilities - which can include institutions and large apartment buildings, along with corporations - that currently operate under a provincial Certificate of Approval (CofA) for air quality emissions will be required to report their emissions in six months. Emitters that are not operating under a CofA will not be required to report for the first year of the bylaw.
Town CAO Ray Green told councillors that the cost to administer the first year of the bylaw will probably be in the neighbourhood of $75,000 to $100,000, but could be double that, depending on the public education component planned. He added that he is unsure of ongoing costs.
"To some degree this is like the pesticide bylaw and the private tree bylaw," said Green. "What we'll do is develop options for council."
Cindy Toth, the Town's director of environmental policy, told councillors that fine particulate matter, which is small enough to be breathed into the lungs and even absorbed into the bloodstream, causes about 80 premature deaths each year in Oakville.
The message was reinforced by Northey, who emphasized that there is no safe level for fine particulate matter pollutants.
"Those numbers are as firm as anything you can find," he said. "Any level of increase in fine particulate matter is associated with some increase in the death rate and any level of decrease is associated with some decrease."
John Sawyer, president of Oakville Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber supports initiatives to improve air quality and air quality standards, but doesn't believe the Town should be doing the regulation.
"We're not in support of municipal regulation of the airshed," he told councillors. "This type of regulation should be mandated by the province in a process that would affect all jurisdictions equally."
Sawyer suggested the new bylaw will be expensive for businesses and ineffective in reducing air pollution. He is also afraid it will put Oakville companies at a competitive disadvantage, create an uncertain business climate and make it difficult to attract new companies to town.
"You want to catch a large tuna, but you'll kill a lot of dolphins in the process," he said, in what appeared to be an oblique reference to Town council's ongoing battle to keep TransCanada's proposed gas-fired power plant out of Oakville.
The bylaw did receive support from representatives of Oakvillegreen, C4CA (Citizens for Clean Air) and two local residents groups that spoke at the council meeting.
While local politicians may be the first in the province to try to improve air quality through a bylaw, a number of councillors expressed confidence that the province will eventually follow their lead, as it did with smoking and pesticide regulations.
Fine particulate matter is currently regulated at the provincial level in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Newfoundland, as well as in all American states.
"We can't rest on our laurels with this because this is only one small tool in a very large toolbox to deal with our toxic airshed," said Ward 5 councillor Jeff Knoll. "This is a much bigger problem than we can solve on our own."