The Caged Bird Will Fly Again

Please don't think it's contrived that Madonna did this. I think for a pop concert it is one of the most moving performances I ever did watch.

Particularly poignant when it's hot on the heels of the recent persecution of women protesting in Iran.

Madonna's Isaac is a beautifully horrid reminder that the freedoms that women have in the Western world outweigh the challenges we have still yet to face.

Within my race, within my ethnicity, women are creatures strong, beautiful and rare. Even in the Arabian Nights, they spoke of controlling women for we were prized for our intelligence and wit. They oppressed women, shut them in boxes and kept them removed from society as a means to prevent them from uprising.

Women's weakness, our feeling of being powerless.

We are powerless because we are unable to band together and help our sisters persecuted unjustly for crimes as simple as not covering their heads.

Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged.

You Can Make Poverty History

What keeps KC up at night?

Every 3 seconds a child dies as a result of poverty. With over one billion people in the world live in abject poverty, 50, 000- one third of all the world's deaths are an unavoidable result.

A quarter of a million Canadians support initiatives focused on eleviating and/or abolishing extreme world poverty. However, Canada has fallen short on it's 2005 promise to introduce legislation that ensures 0.7% of our Gross National Income will fulfill Canada's human rights obligations by 2015.

In 2000 all members of the United Nations committed to the Millennium Development Goals- time-bound and quantified targets for addressing 8 goals that will ultimately address the many dimensions of extreme poverty including: income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter, promote gender equality, education and environmental sustainability.

Canada has barely devoted less than half of the minimum requirement and unless action is taken now, it is grim we will devote 0.7% of our GNI by 2015.

Enter the Better Aid Bill (c-293)!

In 2006, MP John McKay introduced a private member's bill, dubbed the Better Aid Bill (Bill C-293). When passed, Bill C-293 will ensure that Canada's foreign aid spending focuses on ending poverty consistent with our human rights obligations.

Bill C-293 will also allow the perspective of those actually living in poverty to be taken into account under this new law. By allowing residents of developing countries to submit written feedback to a committee should they feel that foreign aid spending isn't being used properly.

The law would also require parliamentarians to annually review all aid spending whether through CIDA or other departments like Finance and Foreign Affairs. I agree with the Canadian Coalition to End Global Poverty, that the recommendation to shift all of Canada's aid spending to the Department of Foreign Affairs is a mistake. "When development has to compete with trade, security and geo-politics - it's the poor who lose out"

Time To Take Action!

You want to help Make Poverty History? Then contact your local MP, RIGHT NOW and ask them to vote in favour of Bill C-293! Speed it required, this bill is being considered in the looming shadow of a pre-election debate over Canada's next federal budget. If the Government falls on the budget, the aid bill will probably be scrapped.

All is takes is a phone call, a letter or an email to say:

"Dear INSERT MP's NAME HERE,

I am in support of Bill C-293.

I ask you to vote in favour of the Better Aid Bill as a positive step in Canada's commitment to deliver .7% of our GNI to assist in addressing the many dimensions of extreme poverty including: income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter, promote gender equality, education and environmental sustainability.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME HERE"

Just click here to get your MP's contact information. They are home in their constituencies right now on March Break. When they return to Parliament, the bill will be up to vote.

Thanks, Kids. Now I can get back to sleep!

Oh my!

It was a train wreck I couldn't tear myself away from.

Rejected... it's a blog

wow.

When freedom of thought turns into forced sedition towards a political rule it ceases to be a freedom.

It is absolutism.

When freedom is promised under a loose disguise of acceptance of equality.

It is a lie.

32 women arrested in Iran for protesting. They were standing as an act of solidarity for 5 women's rights activists on trial and facing charges including endangering public security, propaganda and taking part in an illegal gathering.

The women were holding signs that read "We have the right to a peaceful protest". The women were attempting to draw attention to discriminatory Islamic laws that often cause great suffering to women.

We can bring down governments for harbouring imaginary weapons, isolate countries with differing opinions, destroy countries seeking criminals that never ultimately get caught, however, we cannot work together to ensure that the rights of women are protected.

Especially when they most clearly are not.

We all have the right to freedom of assembly under international human rights law, and Iran is party to this. However, this is not the first time women's right have been infringed upon by virtue of their sex.

Or age.

Look at the recent trial of 18 year old Nazanin Fatehi. She was sentanced to death for the murder of one of three men who attempted to rape her and her 15-year-old niece. At the time she was 17 which ought to protect her under international treaties that forbid the execution of anyone under the age of 18. Iran is signatory to these treaties yet continue to violate them.

Thankfully, Nazanin has since been acquitted and released. However, it was not through the work of international advocacy groups or governments. It was the work of Canadian/Iranian woman Nazanin Afshan-Jam, a woman I met through Miss World Canada, where she held the title that I unsuccessfully sought.

When freedom of thought turns into forced sedition of Islamic law it ceases to be a freedom.

It is absolutism.

When a government violates international rights by persecutes female activists seeking peaceful change.

It is intolerance.

Intolerance we are tolerating.

Because they are women.

I'm an Environmentalist Bitches

Recently, I must admit, the ebbing cloud of smog that blankets Toronto has lost it's sense of wonder for me. The sky, a permanent hue of grey, has almost replaced the colour blue in my memory. And, I can almost remember a time when clean air didn't smell like sewer steam.

I think Toronto is starting to lose it's sparkle.

As a skeptical environmentalist, I have set forward to implement changes that will ultimately benefit my surroundings. Which, brings me to the point: you don't need to be a treehugger in order to save the environment. However, don't be naïve to believe that there isn't a big business behind the push for the environment.

Yes, my unwashed hippie friends, even your patchouli oil is included in that.

It's hard not to dig the propaganda of a sustainable culture. The benefits are great and include: reduced emissions, less toxic run off into ground water sources, reduction in greenhouse gases and heck, rumour has it, less noxious chemicals might even make for tastier food.

Hey, I'm down for that.

Recently Toronto's City Hall is on a desperate quest to divert 70% of household waste by 2010. That includes FINALLY accepting plastic bags in blue bin pick ups. How many plastic grocery bags? 2.5 BILLION grocery bags.

Local recycling plants are eager to acquire all the plastic grocery bags they can get. Plastic bags are hot material when it comes to making plastic lumber. However, the word in the Recycling world says that local municipalities sign contracts with waste management companies who are willing to sort higher valued recyclables, such as aluminum, and can't be bothered to sort out the lesser valued plastic bags. Which, ultimately end up taking space, breaking down, releasing noxious fumes, and probably indirectly be the cause for random biological mutations, like two headed calves and children that grow into Tories.

So I've decided that until we can have an uncorrupted system, I'm just going to rely on myself to do the right thing!

Thankfully, Dominion and A&P grocery stores accept plastic bags for recycling. So my giant collection will be diverted there and then shipped to the U.S. for recycling.

I'm now armed with a sassy little shopping cart that I can wheel with me to the shops. It completely eliminates the need for plastic bags AND it's so much easier on my shoulders.

Recruiting a local hottie to carry my (reused) bags for me is always fun. Once home, I can rub his shoulders, maybe save some water and have a shower together. But, in the end... When it comes to greener sex, it's okay to toss the condoms.

Yep, this environmental racket is pretty slick. It only takes a little selfish initiative and a willingness to do good.