Parents of Abandoned Infant Arrested

Several months ago a baby approximately 7-8 months was left on a cold stairwell in a Toronto parking garage. A man was caught on a grainy video throwing her to the ground like a piece of garbage. After 2 hours in the -14 degree Celsius weather she was found face down bleeding slightly from cuts to her face by a passerby who just happened to noticed a tiny cry.

Two people were arrested in Kitchener yesterday. They are 30 years old, married with 3 other children. They moved from North York last month. Each face four charges: criminal negligence causing bodily harm; assault causing bodily harm; abandoning a child; and failing to provide the necessities of life

I don't know why but this news story hit me very hard when it happened. You hear of horrible things happening to children everyday and it seems to me that I have been blocking all these images out of my mind. However, perhaps because there was video of the man throwing her to the ground, or, because the picture of her was so eerily similar to my own new born daughter I felt sickened, upset, horrified and more. That someone could do this to their own child when there are so many options available just breaks my heart. Tonight I will hold my children close.

Here is a link to the globe report:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080523.CHILD23/TPStory/TPNational/Ontario/

Farm Workers Second Class Citizens?

Farm workers in Ontario are currently barred from unionizing in Ontario. They are currently attempting to show the Supreme Court that it violates their rights and should be thrown out as unconstitutional.

These workers in Ontario, many of whom are visible minority immigrants, have never had the right to strike. They did, briefly, gain the right to bargain collectively under the former NDP government of then-premier Bob Rae and the UFCW successfully organized 200 workers at a mushroom factory in Leamington, Ont. However, as soon as Mike Harris was elected in 1995, the conservatives reinstated the union ban and forced them back to court.

I think it is important to note that we are not talking about family farms anymore. Farming has become big business and most farm workers in the province can be found in mushroom production, greenhouses and hatcheries, which even Ontario's labour relations board has found are "factory-like'' and no different from a "typical manufacturing plant.'' These companies are making millions of dollars and are treating their employees like second class citizens. While the government would like you to believe that this could somehow put our food chain at risk the union has stated that it is not seeking the right to strike and does not want to open the door to food disruptions; they say they would accept binding arbitration rather than the right to strike to settle any disputes.

I think it is time for all of our workers to be treated fairly. Google this topic and if you feel the same write a letter to your MPP.

Veggie Farming - From our factory to your kitchen
Who Knew?

I want one!!

Ok, OK I am JEALOUS! Watching the rise of Obama makes me slightly envious and a little annoyed at the lack of excitement in the Canadian landscape. Seriously, can you imagine 70,000 people going to watch Harper or Dion? NO WAY!


My little political secret is that the last time I was excited about Canadian politics was during the 1997 election when I volunteered for a local Liberal MP. I was the person who called you and asked if you were going to support the liberals and by the way do you need a drive? I was totally caught up in excitement and even managed to shake Chretien's hand at a rally. Contrary to popular opinion he was an awesome public speaker. I really, really, really miss those days.


Yuck, how did we get here anyways? All I feel nowadays is a persistent feeling of dread and the impending sense of doom brought on by repeated news of the heavy handed tactics of King Harper AKA Bush Lite.

Happy May Two-Four!

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend! Although it has been a little cold and windy I was able to get some gardening done!

Did you know that the Victoria Day Weekend is the Canadian Statutory weekend that celebrates the birthday of Queen Victoria. She was the first sovereign of a confederated Canada. During the holiday the Union Jack is flown along with the National Flag at federal buildings, airports, military bases and other federal buildings and establishments within Canada, from sunrise to sunset, to mark this day. While most Canadians could care less about the birthday of a long dead Queen, they care more for the day off! I raise a glass to her (filled with beer of course!) and enjoy the fireworks and the sense of community that seems to explode around me during long weekends.

Doesn't she look fun?

Irena Sendler Dies at 98

A great hero has died. Irena Sendler who was credited with saving over 2500 children from the warsaw ghetto during the war passed away at the age of 98.

Using the pretext of inspecting sanitary conditions in the ghetto, Irena and a team of about 25 people would smuggle children and babies out. Hiding them in baskets, or sometimes even wrapping them as packages they would smuggle them out in ambulances or trams. She was eventually caught in 1943 and was arrested and tortured by the Gestapo.
She only escaped execution when the Zegota organization managed to bribe some Nazi officials, who then left her unconscious but alive with broken legs and arms in the woods.

Irena Sendler was among the first to be honoured by Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial as a Righteous Among Nations for her wartime heroism. She was also later made an honourary Isreali citizen. Sendler was almost forgotten in her Poland until recently when she came to the world's attention in 2000 when a group of schoolgirls from Uniontown, Kan., wrote a short play about her called "Life in a Jar." This play has been performed in the US, Canada and Poland.

Reading about this woman has made me feel small and yet hopeful. I can not imagine being so brave in the face of such horror. Saving so many is mind boggling. Could I or you have done this?

Quit Already!

I can't take it anymore! Please just go away before the whole democratic party explodes! When it first started I have to admit I did want you to win but your campaign suffers from foot in mouth disease and you just keep digging the hole deeper. Please just go away.

Sorry had to do it, driving me crazy.

Rainy Days

Anyone a Mystery fan? I love mysteries specifically series style that focus on one detective. For the longest time I preferred English series. You know, Minette Walters, Colin Dexter, Ian Rankin etc. Recently I have discovered a great new publisher that has introduced me to authors from around the world. The series have been set in Australia, Sweden, Laos and even some from Canada. My favorites so far are Henning Mankell & Colin Cotterill. If you love quality writing that keeps you reading through the night check out this website.

http://www.mysterybooks.ca/features/worldofcrime/books.html

When I lived by myself I had all of my books lined up in alphabetical order by author, and it gave me such pleasure seeing them there, knowing they were just waiting to take me somewhere. Now, I am in desperate need for new bookshelves, my books are in boxes, bags and everywhere; It drives me freaking crazy. Somebody get me a house with a library...My life would be complete!

I have always loved reading and easily read through the day and night if I find a book that I love. Of course, now that I have children reading is not as easy to get to as it once was! I really cherish the times when the kids are asleep and the house clean enough to give me a couple of hours to lay on the couch with my mind in another world. P always says that if I could only set my mind to reading Non-Fiction books (you know, the ones that teach you something) I could be amazingly knowledgeable. I don't know about you but the very thought gives me shivers. I read to get away from reality not sink further into it!! I hear enough every day about what a crappy world we live in that my mind could not possibly focus on more. I hate the how to books and books where people wax on about how amazing they are.

Well, it is pouring rain outside so I better get going as I happen to have the brand new Donna Leon novel and it is calling my name.

Busy Spring

With Spring now here in full force...well, it's still cold but I have been able to ignore it thus far, I have been busy...need to get back to writing on this more often! There is so much that I could talk about...The Conservatives trying to sneak through the new immigration bill as a rider on a budget bill that would give the immigration Minister huge powers...sneaky, creepy jerks....Rev. Wright helping to implode Obama's campaign...bad timing for him or what!.. Ontario losing jobs like never before and the possibility of us becoming a have not province for the very first time....Thank you George Bush for wrecking the US economy & killing our manufacturing base!

Anyways, I need to think about these things and will write more in the coming days!

Enjoy the Spring even if you are wearing your winter coat!