What's wrong with Canada!

There's been a huge earthquake in Haiti, but Canada is still fiddling, trying to decide whether it should send DART, its emergency aid team.

This is the same thing that happened after the Boxing Day Tsunami.

You'd think they'd have figured out that the time to send help is immediately, not after dawdling and letting days go by.

Especially considering the fact that our Governor General, Michaelle Jean is Haitian, you'd think they'd have the DART guys on the first available plane. Oh, but I forgot, they'd have to be cleared by the ViewMasters at the airports. Besides, Parliament's on yet another prorogue holiday, so nothin's happenin' mon.

Sheesh.

Looking ahead

Soothsayers have long used crystal balls, tea leaves, ashes in the firepit.

But even though Harry Potter saw the face of Sirius in the fireplace, looking into the fire (especially when it’s 'the log’ on tv) isn’t one of the many methods of divination that I found.

Predictions are generally based on leaps from what is to what might be. The flying car juxtaposes the idea of the plane onto the automobile. Very few predictions anticipate something completely new. None of my predictions claim to be very new or even original, just ones I see as trends I think will pan into something more than they are now.

Wages:

I don’t believe that the gap between rich and poor can continue growing the way it has – at least not without dire consequences. When the average CEO makes 174 times the average worker’s wage, revolt seems bound to occur. Sure, CEO's have big responsibilities, but that much bigger? Lots of workers have big responsibilities, ones involving more than looking after financial dividends – bus drivers, teachers, electricians, caterers...

Celebrity:

In a similar vein, I can’t believe society will continue to endorse the kinds of wages given to film stars and athletes. Does someone who loves the game of golf as much as Tiger Woods (or at least as much as he once did) deserve that much compensation to spend his time out on the links?

Travel:

Back in his first book, Generation X, Douglas Coupland proposed ‘Use jets while you can.’ Travel is going to become much more difficult – both because of carbon footprint concerns and because of increasing security measures. A recent newspaper cartoon pictured travellers passing through the screening arch, wearing nothing but a puzzled expression. If that came about, I’d want to stay home (and the security workers would probably appreciate it if I did).

Resources:

The most worrisome resource concern won’t be oil or other fossil fuel, but water, the basis of life on this planet. My first inkling of this came when I lived in South Australia, the driest state in the driest country in the world. That’s where I learned to wash my car on the lawn, permitting the water to do double duty. The latest Christmas letter from a friend there said things had improved, that there’d been a bit of rain, but that car-washing was still restricted to the bucket method. I suspect meters will be required and that the 15-minute shower will be viewed as obscene, that it'll be a sin to flush when it's only pee. Even now, in places such as Mexico City, regulations aren’t enough to ensure secure supplies. Rain barrels, grey water collection - these ideas are sensible and will soon be commonplace.

Health:

The population bulge known as Boomers is approaching old age, and Alzheimer’s sounds as though it could be the next unofficial pandemic. The solution? Aside from legalizing euthanasia (which will likely happen too, though I hope it will be regulated very clearly), one can only wish that medication might be discovered. Aside from that (and a more likely solution) I believe we'll see more elders living in co-operative settings – small groups in great big houses or clusters of cabins – where peers can help each other and share the services of caregivers who will cook and help look after them.

Group meetings with physicians and other health care providers will also become more common. This would allow patients with similar symptoms (think, for example, people with fibromyalgia or diabetes) to spend more time with a professional, rather than their specified 10.2 minutes (or whatever the allotment might be). Besides, questions would likely overlap, so everyone would benefit from hearing the response. Support groups might also result from such encounters. Again, I see co-operative efforts as part of the answer.

Local Economy:

The economy? British Columbia could be well served by legalizing marijuana. According to many sources, it’s already a huge factor in the provincial economy.

Wouldn’t it make sense to tax and control it (like alcohol)? In truth, I’m surprised this didn’t happen back in the days following the LeDain Commission Report. And think how that might boost our not-so-hot tourism industry. Can you say 'Vansterdam'?

Fashion:

When it comes to fashion, I'm pretty much out on my own limb. My preferred garb, depending on the temp, is sweats or shorts with a hoodie or sweater and T-shirt. If the unisex coverall comes along, I'll want to sign up.

Technology/Personal Devices:

Smaller, faster, less expensive, with more and features. But there's no surprise in that. What will be different is that I think we're going to see these devices being surgically implanted -- a palm pilot becoming literally, a device in the palm of your hand. Finger tip or wrist implants to replace credit and debit cards. Cash? Wasn't that the name of some guy who did duets with Bob Dylan?

Other:

On an optimistic note, we seem to be becoming more honest. Maybe it's thanks to the group-mind of sites like FaceBook that let us join groups expressing outrage over political actions/inactions. So maybe there really is hope for change.

Whatever happens, it'll come about despite, not because of predictions. Still, it's fun to think about what might happen. Want to toss a thought or two into the mix?

If we all believe...

Not very original, I suppose. Still, I can't think of a better goal to believe in at this time of new beginnings -- new year, new decade, new hopes.

It's all bad

I don't think that's about to become the new catch phrase its opposite has. But considering today's news, it's hard to view the day as one with anything good about it. And really, just how much depressing news can fit into twenty-four hours?

Five Canadians -- four soldiers and a journalist -- died in Afghanistan today. It was a deadly day for Americans there too. Days like this, it's doubly hard not to think it's a mistake to be over there in the first place.

And to top things off, it looks as if we're back in 'prorogue' mode, with Steve Harper shutting down Parliament until March, after the Winter Olympics.

I'm not sure what kind of government this is -- walking out the door at will -- this time appearing to do so to avoid important questions about our country's possible complicity in torture. The shutdown also gives Harper a window to weasel out of reporting on our plans for climate change, an item we are supposed to give an accounting on by the end of January. But with government 'not in session', that won't happen.

I know this isn't news to anyone. It's been blaring all day. Still, it leaves me feeling shattered. This is where our taxes go? These are people we elected? And a question: if there's any sort of emergency between now and March, what happens? Or does Steve maybe expect we'll just call up Obama and he'll take over?

A bad way to end a year. A worse way to end a decade.

Too many to forget

If you’ve been hypnotized by the lights on the Christmas tree, maybe you haven’t heard or seen any news in the last day or so. If that’s the case you might not realize that today is the 5th anniversary of the largest natural disaster in living memory -- the tsunami that killed over 200,000 people on Boxing Day, 2004.

The scene above is from a beach in Thailand, but one that’s on the Gulf of Thailand, the opposite side from where the devastation took place, the shores of the Indian Ocean. Still, I suspect many beaches that looked much like it were among those destroyed.

As so often is the case, my life gets caught up in what seems to be coincidence. Last night I started reading one of my brand-new gifts, Douglas Coupland’s Generation A. The first character to appear in the book is a Sri Lankan survivor of the tsunami. Page 1 reads like one of the tsunami videos on YouTube, “Imagine walking to the window’s louvred shutters and looking out and seeing the entire contents of the world you know flow past you…palm fronds, donkeys, the local Fanta bottler’s Jeep, unlocked bicycles, dead dogs…”

Thinking of all those people killed in such a short burst of time, I’m brought back to part of a film I caught on TV the other night, Star Wars. When Alderaan is obliterated, Obi-Wan says, “I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.”

I think many people felt the same kind of shock after the tsunami hit. How astounding that so much destruction could happen in the space of just a few minutes. Earlier tonight, I lit a candle, and am hoping for peace for those many lost souls.

And to all a good night!

With the reno still going on, this hasn't been a year for much in the way of Christmas baking around here. Despite that, I've still managed a few frantic moments.

Xmas Song

the singing of carols
is politically incorrect
so
i suppose
is this poem

the shopping frenzy virus
sends us frothing
to the malls

a spending fix to soothe
the fevered lists that grow
longer every day by ding-dong day

time for an assembly line
the oven is so hot
ribbons curl like earthworms
poking up from cookie dough

chop chop
bake bake
wrap wrap
swish
our lady of perpetual motion
have mercy on us

Do one less thing than you think you have to, and trust that all will work out. Have a Christmas that is fun and relaxing, one that allows you to enjoy the people you love.

Return of the Light

Sunset today was just about half an hour ago -- 16:16.

There's still a bit of light in the sky, a sign of things to come.

Diwali, Christmas, Hanukkah – so many autumn and winterfests are based in celebrating the Light.

The one I love best is Solstice. How remarkable that someone noticed this as the day the light would start coming back.

One of the first times I realized the power of the Solstice was in a hokey old movie, Journey to the Center of the Earth. That was the summer solstice, still. It mattered where the sun was.

Today has been a turning point on a couple of other fronts too. Looking forward to the Light coming back for all of us.

Embarrassing

I'm no pro at PhotoShop, so my altered flag might not quite do the job of expressing my shame and embarrassment over Canada's non-performance at Copenhagen.

Aside from 'winning' awards for Fossil of the Day and then Fossil of the Year, Canada didn't show an ounce of leadership. A single three-and-a-half minute speech by our Environment Minister, Jim Prentice and that just after midnight on Friday.

Locally, things weren't any better. About a dozen people carried awareness signs and walked outside our local Member of Parliament's office. The group caused enough concern among Russ Hiebert's staff that the office workers locked the doors to the place. The sight of a dozen men and women and children must have been terrifying.

Followers of this blog might be surprised with the contention made as the closing line in the news article above: "Hiebert’s staff in Ottawa have told Peace Arch News in the past that every submission received by his office is sent a response." That's simply not been the case.

What I'd like to know is what does Russ do in Ottawa anyway?? And while I'm wondering that, what about the rest of his Conservative pals? If their feeble showing in Copenhagen is any indication, I suspect they don't do a whole heck of a lot.

Surrey doesn't suck

The tagline from Love Story, a 1970 movie, was 'Love means never having to say you're sorry.'

White Rock residents played on that with the slogan, 'Living in White Rock means never having to say you're Surrey.'

Surrey's been home to more bad jokes than Poland, but I think things are starting to change.

Last week I went to a reading at one of Surrey's Kwantlen University campuses. Poet Matt Rader, an instructor there, had organized a reading featuring Elizabeth Bachinsky. Although it was great to hear both of these accomplished writers read from their work, I was most excited by what I heard at the Open Mic portion of the event.

This is Jill, reading from her detailed retelling of the Goldilocks tale, set to the rhythms and patterns of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" -- what an accomplishment!

The other photo shows Nick, who performed a most impressive rap -- a piece that employed exciting rhythms and language and presented a whack of meaningful political comment -- exactly what the best kind of rap is all about.

Both of these writers are clearly aware of poetic form, but are fulfilling its demands their own way. And if these two aren't exemplary of what contemporary poetry is, I don't know what might be.

Lots of hope here -- for poetry, for creativity, and for Surrey as a cultural centre worth bragging about.

White Rock cares about Climate Change

Despite freezing temps, a stalwart crew gathered for a candlelight vigil at the busy intersection marking the boundary of White Rock and Surrey. Our goal, to show solidarity with those working in Copenhagen to create meaningful policies that will bring positive results.

People here on the Semiahmoo Peninsula, an area which still boasts some of the best weather in Canada, care about how climate change is affecting our sisters and brothers around the world.

The message to Stephen Harper and the rest of our government is clear. Now is the time to get moving with real change – changes in action and changes in thinking that will address the climate changes occurring all over the face of our lovely planet.

No Fun City!

That's one of the names Vancouver's been called before, but now I see that the title is probably going to have to move further south.

Driving through Surrey this morning, I noticed a group of skaters with hockey sticks swirling over a frozen pond. To most Canadians, this wouldn't be worthy of note, but out here in supposed 'Lotus Land' the ponds don't usually freeze. I was glad I had my camera along, and planned to pull over to take the shot on my way home, when I'd be on the safer side of the highway.

Only when I came back that way, the ice stood vacant as you see in the shot above. I can only guess that the skaters had been shooed off, as there was a sign asking me to call my MLA if I wanted to 'free the ice'.

It's difficult to accept this as any kind of safety issue, as the site is a fen -- basically a marsh, and I can't imagine any part of it is deep enough for anyone to drown in. Besides, it's been cold for a week now and the water is most definitely frozen.

Off to phone my MLA, who's used to hearing from me, though not over anything as ridiculous as this.

PostScript: Today's local paper has a story on this, explaining that the issue isn't safety but 'concern for the environment' -- especially litter -- that sees the pond decreed off-limits. Considering that 'they' spent $2,000 erecting a fence to keep family skates from occurring, I am baffled. Didn't putting posts into the ground cause more disturbance to the site than skaters would have? And couldn't they have installed a litter bin for a tenth of that amount?

12 Days to Make a Difference

This first day of talks in Copenhagen didn't bode well for Canada.

Even at home, Canada took it in the teeth. Greenpeace protesters apparently caused the RCMP some 'embarrassment' by being able to climb Parliament buildings and hang banners. So much for tightened security.

But more embarrassing is the fact that Canada received the distinction of a 'fossil' award for its environmental track record, brought down specifically by the Tar Sands.

It will be interesting to see how many more embarrassments we will have to endure before our leaders grow the backbone for us to once again take our place in the world as leaders for change, for making hope a reality.

How does Vancouver say Welcome to the world...

...when all of the signs are in English?

Canada's official languages are English and French, but aside from the airport or other federal buildings, it's rare to see a sign en francais. Oh yes, there's Maillardville, a quiet little community that celebrated its centennial this year. Since it's not home to Olympic venues, it's doubtful it will be much help to francophone travellers.

Yesterday's announcement that Canada has joined the ranks of countries with ‘approved destination status’ suggests that we should expect a wave of tourists from China. As long as they visit the suburb of Richmond, especially Aberdeen Centre, those tourists will feel right at home, as much of the signage there is in Chinese characters.

Still, if they venture far beyond there, I fear they may get lost -- especially if they try to use the newest leg in Vancouver's rapid transit system, the Canada Line. I haven't yet seen a sign there in anything but English -- and even that signage doesn't seem to do a very good job of communicating.

I've always admired Toronto's subway system, with its colourful, distinctively tiled stations. Easy enough to show a person that they need to get off at the red station or the green one -- much harder to ask them to read a crawl sign or listen for the name of a station called out by a pre-recorded robotic voice, no matter how lifelike its tonality might be.

The last three times I've used the Canada Line, I've been approached by people (an older couple, a mother and her daughters, three teenaged girls) who couldn't figure out which train to take or which stop to get off at. And judging from their lack of accents, these were all people for whom English is their first language.

If they can't understand the signs that are posted, how are we to expect travellers from around the world to navigate their way around the city?

Rings? Or chains?

The last few days have seen the high-alert mentality around the 2010 Olympics go into a mode that only be called bizarre.

B.C. entrepreneur Wil Tarnasky was taken to task by Canadian Olympic Committee for an image on his heat product,Toasterz. Apparently, the flame on the packet looks altogether too much like the flame on the Olympic torch. This story sure makes it look as though these ad-police have altogether too much time on their hands.

And then, earlier today, American broadcaster Amy Goodman was detained at the Canadian border. Although she was scheduled to speak in Vancouver about health care, border guards apparently challenged her on whether she was going to talk about the Olympics.

If she hadn't planned on doing so, you can bet she will now, and likely will continue to do so once she gets home to her radio show, "Democracy Now!"

Today it was also reported that the City of Vancouver has, as a result of public pressure, backed down on some of its bylaws controlling protest during the Olympics.

Although I try to make a point of not picturing or promoting brand-name products, I'm wondering how much longer I'll be permitted to eat my favourite brand of yogourt.

Renovating -- a reality check

This is what happens when you have to move everything out of two rooms and into some other part of the house. One of the joys of renovating.

If you look above the top of the wicker chair, you'll spot an 'open' cardboard box that looks something like a dollhouse. That's our working/planning model for what will go where. Because I'm the more anal member of our pairing, I also have a to-scale version on graph paper, with the pieces of furniture on bits of sticky notes so I can move them around.

I bet you can guess what I want for Christmas this year -- for this to have magically gone back into its new space!

An anniversary

Rhona McAdam is one of my favourite poets. When it comes to turning ordinary words into something else, I think she's about the best.

Consider this, from her poem, "Anniversary"

It’s been a mother since my year has died,
a clutch of grey hairs, a loosening of skin.
Each day I move closer to you, the sound
of my own voice hums in my bones, a family sound.

And yes, today is the first anniversary of my own mother's death. When I thought about what to write today, I couldn't help thinking of Rhona's poem. There is nothing complicated about any one of the words. The biggest word in there is ‘loosening’. But put the words together, and they make up more than simple sentences. We know about the poet’s mother’s dementia, understand that the poet herself is dealing with aging, yet she never has to say these things directly. The arrangement of these simple words leads us to those understandings. To me, that is what constitutes the magic of poetry.

Being remembered by those who love us may be the truest immortality any of us has a right to. By honouring my mother today, I hope I'm giving a bit back to her. The little shrine I made includes treats I've pulled out of the freezer, ones I've saved for such an occasion as today -- Christmas cookies. Why? Because my mother, Carole, was born on December 25th, a date that sadly isn't even noted on the place where her body rests (rules -- but this isn't a time to get me going on bureaucracies).

In closing, one more stanza from Rhona's poem, which by the way is taken from Cartography (Oolichan Books, 2006):

It's been a mother since my year has died,
a hot, dry mother, a cold snow and rain
and now wind, wind as we've seldom seen it
tearing the leaves from the trees and howling.

Oddly, this has been a week of wild winds, ones that have made me concerned for all the trees that live in our yard. I hope, when those predicted winds rise again tonight, my mother will be amongst them, singing.

An Open Letter to Carole James

Yesterday I learned that a committee headed by MLA Doug Donaldson had spoken out unanimously to reinstate funding to the arts and culture. I was elated, especially when I realized this committee consisted of MLAs from both the opposition and from the governing Liberals, the very party that appears to be behind the recent drastic cuts.

And then the second part of the story came through. Because the HST wasn’t part of the package, you were saying No to the whole thing.

This sounds a little like the diehard vegetarian who turns down a Thanksgiving invitation from her estranged family because she doesn’t eat turkey. Rather than saying yes and simply not taking a chunk of meat, she misses out on the mashed potatoes, the Brussels sprouts, the rest of the trimmings – even the pie. But even more so, by turning down the invitation, she misses the chance to regroup with people who are important to her.

The recent slashes to budgets have been downright mean, affecting sectors already running at bare-bones levels. More frighteningly, the cuts have looked like government-by-backroom-schemes rather than legislative decisions. Even the Feds, through comments by Heritage Minister James Moore, have questioned the economic sense of these massive reductions in funding.

Yet when the opportunity arises to join with fellow MLAs to speak out on this important issue, you seem to think it’s a good idea to just say No.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who wonders just how many of these cuts have been dreamed up – not by the Liberal Party as a whole – but by Campbell, his ego, and the members of his innermost circle.

I’m sure there must be many MLAs, Liberals included, who have been horrified by the cuts and are at a loss when it comes to defending the decisions to their constituents.

So it was very exciting to learn that a group of MLAs – especially ones elected under the banner of Campbell’s party – were willing to speak out in such a way.

Only what did you do? Rather than rolling up your sleeves and saying Let’s pull together and clean up this mess, you jumped on your high-horse and said No. Sure, it might have meant holding your nose to work with those you’ve cast as your opponents, but then this mess is a lot like a backed-up plumbing problem. To clean it up, everybody’s going to have to hold their nose until it’s fixed.

I suspect the only way my message might register with you is to say that by taking this non-action, you’ve probably lost even more votes for your party.

But the real issue here isn’t about winning or losing votes. It’s about seeing that the people of British Columbia start getting government that represents all of us, that it isn’t just government by the rich and for the rich. It’s about seeing that the people of British Columbia can count on our MLAs to speak out on our behalf. even when it might require some nose-holding to achieve a common good.

How disappointing, Carole James. You’ve turned down an opportunity that might have led to real change.

Remembering

Just before 11:00 this morning, I turned on the radio to see what sort of acknowledgement of Remembrance Day there might be. As I'd expected, there was a bugler as well as a piper playing the traditional mournful songs, but most striking was listening to the moment of silence. Not the usual 'sound' one expects from the radio.

The photo above shows a replica of World War I's famous Sopwith Camel, a structure that was on display in our local mall as part of Veterans' Week. As you can imagine, it drew quite a lot of attention.

This is also another of the many days when I remember my dad, who piloted a bomber in World War II. Like so many men who fought, he rarely spoke of his experiences in the war.

And there's another person I always remember on this day -- a man who not only spoke about his war experiences but who wrote about them -- Kurt Vonnegut. Ironically, his birthday was November 11th. I couldn't help thinking of Vonnegut earlier this week, when I ran across a YouTube posting of an ice cube being subjected to heat but not melting. It worried me, as it sounded much too much like Vonnegut's Ice-9, the material that debuted in his Cat's Cradle.

Taking a positive step for the Arts

Today saw a diverse group of artists gather for an Open Space forum. Our goal? To formulate answers to the day’s guiding question, What will grow and sustain our local arts community?

The day's gathering was sponsored by the City of White Rock, but drew artists in many genres from well beyond the boundaries of the city.

For a change, despite all the doom-and-gloom cutbacks we’ve seen to the arts here in BC, I think all of us left with the feeling that things are going to improve.

As one of the visual artists in attendance envisioned it, she showed us her painting of a bud ready to burst. She followed that with a second piece -- blossoming into this vibrant display.

99 bottles of beer??

Nope, this time it’s 99 days. Days remaining in the countdown to Vancouver’s 2010 Olympics.

Probably the first marathon tv-viewing I did was the hours I spent in front of the screen watching the Olympics. I remember taking a shovel out into the snow and clearing off a little frozen stream near our house so I could have a place to practise figure skating without an audience to laugh at me. When it came to the Olympics, I was a believer.

And now the Olympics is coming to a city near me. Considering all the security precautions and anticipated scenarios, that may be a city too near me.

It’s hard to get excited about something that appears to have had so many negative effects on anyone who isn’t among the elite – the only ones who seem able to afford the pricey tickets.
This photo is just one of the panels on a truck I drove past yesterday. Although the point they’re making concerns our coming Harmonized Sales Tax (again, something that looks as though it will only benefit big corporations, the already-wealthy), the visual pretty much sums up the many cuts to social services, education and the arts that are occurring on a daily basis here in B.C.