It Strikes Me Funny: Fossil treasure cache, environmental carnage

[“The news is grim. The accelerating disintegration of Arctic Sea ice means that summer ice will probably disappear within the next decade. The dark open water will absorb more solar radiation than reflective white ice, significantly increasing the rate of global warming.” C. Hedges, Death of the Liberal Class]

On CBC News online the headline reads ‘Fossil treasure trove found at oilsands’, because last week, during her shift operating a fine piece of heavy equipment, Maggy Horvath came across a nearly complete plesiosaur fossil.

This gave one writer cause to report, “Alberta's oilsands is not just producing black gold — they're also yielding a treasure trove of ancient reptile and dinosaur fossils. The area, which contains one of the largest proven crude oil reserves in the world, was once covered by an ancient sea. It's the 10th fossil discovered on leases held by the oil giant.

This is great news of course for those who back the world’s largest oilsand’s development in search of black gold, because while Canadians are distracted by ancient bones there will be little thought given or talk about the oilsands as Canada’s largest CO2 producer and contributer to climate instability and as one of the largest environmental scars on planet Earth.

"I think it's great that I'm part of this,” said Horvath. “It felt pretty good to call my son and let him know that I found a prehistoric fossil while working in the mine.”

I’m sure anyone who unearthed a rare fossil would feel much the same way. It would feel good to see a part of our natural history come to life, so to speak, especially in the midst of one of mankind’s most degrading digs. A museum piece is found, thus making the largest scar upon our planet seem more worthwhile.


I write these words because Syncrude’s press release about the find and the media’s story is all one-sided.

That is, a treasure cache is held up to the light of day while the greater story - one of permanent, irreparable destruction to the air, water and land - is buried in the oilsands, thus allowing the illusion of mankind’s unstoppable progress to continue for another week, another month, another year.

***

Please click here for a look at 'Climate Change Concerns' related to ice shelves and ozone.

.

Cartoon in Progress: “Life’s like that, eh” 41

Ookpuck hoped he could move up to a bigger model this year.

gah

***

Please click here to view “Life’s like that, eh” 40

.

“IT STRIKES” Again: My American Idol baby and ten steps to a healthier lifestyle

[The following column was published in April, 2003, a time when I always had coffee money and a few fivers in my pocket. Oh, how times have changed. The fivers are gone and the two-mile loop (mentioned below) has been replaced by an exercise bike. gah]

My American Idol Baby and ten steps to a healthier lifestyle

Tupperware Friday was a big hit. I mixed together five items found in plastic containers at the back of the fridge, added a splash of Memories of Kashmir Spicy Tandoori Sauce and created a hotter, spicier version of Harrison Hash. Because her taste buds have been numbed by other tongue-tingling excursions down strange culinary paths, Pat didn’t notice the difference.

By 7:30 p.m. the dishes were done. After expertly balancing the last pot onto the top of the awkward tower of rinsed dishes I turned to my wife and asked, “What would you like to do tonight? Go for a walk? Stay in?”

Pat stared suspiciously at the stacked dishes and didn’t answer right away. I sensed she was tired after a long workday so before she could formulate a response I grabbed the TV listings. The first three programs scheduled for 8 p.m. were Search for the Most Talented Kd in America, Test the Nation, and Star Search.

“More difficult choices, Pat. Would you like to see (I read from the listings) ‘Youngsters from across the nation perform in a talent competition’?”

“You mean American Idol?”

“I imagine it’s a younger version of that show. Probably like ‘if some of the teenagers made you weep, wait ‘til you see this’!”

Pat said, “What else is on?”

“How would you like to ‘take an IQ test along with a studio audience’?”

“That’s the last thing I need - an IQ test on a Friday night.”


["My American Idol Baby can hit high C!"]

I quizzed her on two easy items just to warm up her brain. I said, “For 5 points - name 5 things you ate for supper this evening.”

Pat tried valiantly. “Left-over rice, some kind of spicu sauce, red peppers. (A short pause.) Corn niblets maybe.”

After a longer pause I said, “I’m sorry, Ma’am. You’re out of time! Not even close.”

We began the second round. “For 10 points - where are your glasses?”

Before she could answer I slapped my hand over the nearest coaster. “Bzzzt! Too slow!” I declared. “They’re on your face.”

“Now, let’s see what else is on TV,” I said. “There’s Star Search. It comes with no explanatory notes but I think we catch the drift.”

We agreed that instead of being offered seasoned performers we are getting more and more peeks at potential entertainers, possible up and comers, who seem to be less prepared every year. So TV viewing is a bit like asking for cheddar to go with your apple pie and getting a gob of Cheez Whiz.

Simon Fuller, the creator of American Idol, wants next to recycle careers of “people who have had a taste of fame but, sadly, their candle has been snuffed.” (Time magazine, Feb. 2003)

And if he carries some programming to their logical extremes we might soon be viewing even younger entertainers with ‘potential’, i.e., American Idol Baby, ‘brought to you live from the maternity ward.’

I put the listings down and snuffed the idea of watching TV. Ten steps later Pat and I were on Cathcart St., walking our two-mile loop.

gah

***

Please click here to read more “IT STRIKES” Again.

.

I Wish I'd Said It First

What can I put on the back cover of my next (soon to be released, and brilliant) book of collected columns?


How about another picture of me, one taken when I was young and had money in my pocket for more than coffee? Admittedly, coffee money is great, but a few fivers would be nice too every once in a while.

How about a few quotes of mine that have - undoubtedly; how could they not? - become famous?

E.g., live small and prosper.

Reduce spending, pay down debt, save money for tough times ahead.

It’s your turn to make the popcorn.

How about quotes from others, especially quotes I wish I’d made? And ones that relate to my writing.


["Can't sleep? Have I got the book for you."]

For example:

The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep. (W. C. Fields)

Perfect.

***

Please click here for It Strikes Me Funny.

.

Zoom w a View: Does the weather suck big time?

Now that the first snow of the year has landed in my backyard, I need to do two jobs, instead of one, first thing in the morning.

I’ll need to first whisk off the birdhouse before adding seeds to the porch roof. (Note to self - buy a whisk, buy more mixed seed).


And because of the deep puddles in the backyard due to this week’s unseasonal rainfall, I should also buy a high pair of rubber boots to keep from getting soakers - as I did yesterday. (Both feet!)


Who once said, if you don’t like Ontario’s weather, wait five minutes?


I think whoever-it-was got it right.

[Photos by G.Harrison]

***

Please click here for more Zoom w a View.

.

Welcome to Harperville: “Still more smoke and fire up your pants”

[There will be no golden eggs in this winter’s federal budget for Opposition MPs with their hands out. Nov. 26, London Free Press]

Line Dance Minister Jim Flatulence, never short for words, said a lot of interesting things about his upcoming budget recently, “left little or no room for anyone looking to derail the government’s cost-cutting agenda”, but also left several things unsaid, according to Conservative Prime Minister Harper’s tight-lipped plan.

What was said?

“As we do every year, we will hear from various groups, including the opposition, calling for more spending, new programs and bigger government.” (Nov. 26, Free Press)

What wasn’t said?

The Conservatives will thumb their noses at the opposition in the spirit of co-operation with the majority of Canadians, and will keep really quiet about the ‘more spending, new programs and bigger government’ of their own as the mystery bills for their ‘Omnibush’ Crime Bill, fighter jets and last Economic Action Plan come home to roost in the future.


["While Harper spends, spends, spends - suck on this, Canada!": photo GH]

What else was said?

“Although we stand prepared to be flexible and pragmatic should circumstances warrant it, we will stick to our low-tax plan to create jobs and economic growth.”

What wasn’t said?

The Conservatives have no plan or money if there is no economic growth because their current low-tax plan has reduced the size of the government coffers considerably, and it will shrink even more once their next promised corporate-tax reduction comes into effect.

What else was said?

“If European leaders continue to dither, future generations will inherit unsustainable debt burdens.”

What wasn’t said?

Canadian Conservative leaders will continue to dither with their low-tax plan to create jobs.

PM Harper has no Plan B.

Canadians already carry unsustainable debt burdens and future generations will inherit even more.

PM Harper and his Line Dance Minister will blow even more smoke and fire up our pants in the spring.

Stay tuned.


***

Please click here to read “More smoke and fire up your pants.”

.

Newspaper Clippings: “Canadian wages keep falling”

[Canadian workers are failing to keep up with the rising cost of living as real wages continue to fall dramatically, new data from Statistics Canada shows. Nov. 25, Metro]

Average weekly earnings for non-farm payrolls fell in September. Many already know that.

When the “3.2 per cent inflation rate for the month is taken into consideration, the drop in real wages was more dramatic.” (Metro) Many already know that.

Many also know Canada’s unemployment rate is hovering around 8 per cent, with my home region of London suffering 9 per cent rates. Many know that because of the high rate of under-employment, low wages associated with part-time employment and lack of reliable full-time jobs with some semblance of benefits, the true unemployment rate is double or triple the reported number.


["I'd like something smaller than a Falcon, please."]

What many do not know is if governments and businesses have plans to create an alternative economy to the unsustainable, market-first, high-production-of-wasteful-goods model that is faltering in most countries of the world at present, and that will continue to do so into the future as easy, cheap oil disappears.

May I suggest The Small Economy, based on the culture of small (rather than the culture of big)? May I suggest the building of small houses (900 sq. ft. and smaller, not larger) and accompanying smaller-scaled appliances and furnishings, small vehicles (e.g., a three-wheeled, enclosed scooter with a small bed in the back for groceries) and necessary smaller-scaled parts and accessories, and small, energy-efficient apartments close to the downtowns of cities to save on fuel and infrastructure costs. (I’ll take a one-bedroom on the fifth floor - close to Gambrinus - as soon as it’s ready!)

Don’t hold your breath waiting for governments or corporations to promote The Small Economy or the culture of small. But - as real wages continue to shrink - prepare for it nevertheless.

***

Please click here for more reasons to adopt the culture of small.

.

One Year Ago Today: Two lovely birdhouses

With a few clicks I can find images on my computer that were taken exactly one year ago today.

No surprise, there are hundreds of pictures from my grandson’s birthday party. In three or four I look younger than I do now. Exactly one year younger.

The last picture of the day, Nov. 29, 2010, was taken inside my workshop. Two birdhouses. Lovely blue paint. The wood came from Value Village. I wish I had more of it!


["I could use a pile of blue boards!": photo GH]

When I saw them I also began to think... if I wanted to examine over 5,000 images on file, I suppose I could count how many birdhouses I’ve made since then. I bet I’d reach 80 - 100.

Forget it. I think I’ll just go out to the shop and continue working on the ones I’ve got on the bench today. That’s a better use of my time.

***

Please click here for more from The Workshop.


.

Ollie and Me: Never too young to love Bob Dylan

It’s raining cats and dogs and green frogs outside, so Ollie and I are listening to Bob Dylan tunes in my study.

He’s as cozy as a bug, drawing pictures on a magic board and asking endless questions about Bob.


“What is this song called? Why is it called that? What’s he saying? Why is he saying that? Can we play it again?”

I try to explain what an album is, what a CD is, that songs have one name and albums usually have another. When I mention the CD ‘under the red sky’ he wants to see it, so down to the basement we go to my Bob Dylan shelf.


“Why isn’t the sky red?” he asks when he sees the CD cover.

That’s a good question, I say, and later I play ‘Born in Time’ three times in a row upon Ollie’s request.

I did my best to explain the lyrics “You were snow you were rain, you were striped you were plain” but feel I came up short.

However, I may have found a soul mate - five years old on Thursday. Never too young for Bob, eh.

[Photos by G.Harrison]

***

Next week, Tom Waits.

Please click here for more Ollie and Me.

.

It Strikes Me Funny: Strange ‘Key Words’ find my blog

If you ‘googled’ Birdhouse London chances are good you’d be directed to my blog.

Other key words will also do the trick. E.g., 'buy nothing day’, ‘permafrost’, and for some unknown reason, ‘naked at Port Burwell.’ (Don’t ask. I don’t know. Even if I did I wouldn't tell.)


["Nothing but a few fishermen on the dock as far as I can see": photo GH]

Today, while checking stats related to my second blog (re prose, song lyrics), I discovered that a reader had found it by typing in the following string:

verse for a friend who has not kept in touch since you left w

w? wth? What does it all mean?

My first guess is, the string went on for a few more words but was too long for the key word record.

My second guess is, the missing words are “with my brother” and the reader found my Hit Single entitled ‘Lordie Lordie.’

And about ‘naked at Port Burwell’... still nothing.

***

Please click here for the lyrics to my Hit Single 'Lordie Lordie.’

Please click here to mead more It Strikes Me Funny.

.

The Workshop: “I’d better make more big ones”

Because I’ve been asked the same related questions on at least a dozen occasions (i.e., “Do you put seeds inside a birdhouse to attract birds?” “Where do seeds go on a birdhouse to attract birds?”), I recently designed a simple house and feeder combo.


I thought, it’s brilliant and should satisfy some folks who not only want to watch birds as they settle into a nest for a season but feed them as well.

Shortly thereafter I was asked another question. I.e., “I like the combo but do you have a larger feeder?”


Back at the old drawing board, rescued lumber and a few pen scratches came to the rescue. Two nights ago I added red paint to easy-to-reach flat surfaces and later applied white pine trim and linseed oil (w a titch of maple stain).


I think they look really good together and the feeder, once placed upon a portable stand, will be a fine addition to my back deck (or someone else’s) this winter.


Though I really like the combo idea, I’m going to make a few more big feeders before the snow flies. Oh, and double my order of mixed seed from Home Hardware!

[Photos by G. Harrison]

***

Please click here for another stop inside The Workshop.

.

Zoom w a View: “Showing off tri-plexes”

That’s right, I’m showing off - uncharacteristically, I’m sure you’ll agree.

Someone recently wanted to see birdhouse tri-plexes and I had nothing to show for my labours except a few photos.


But even in photographs, there's something about red cedar that catches the eye, isn't there?

***

Please click here for more Zoom w a View.

.

The Workshop: "I'll have it ready by Tuesday, no problem"

I said thank-you to the caller, hung up the phone and began to feel nervous. Someone was coming over in an hour or two to visit the workshop and look at a few cedar birdhouses, tri-plexes in particular, and I realized, upon hanging up the phone, that I might be all out of them.

A quick look in the basement and workshop proved me right. The four I had made the previous week had been sold.

What can I do? I thought. Show the caller a few pictures? Show her the one my wife bamboozled me out of selling and has sitting on the porch?


["I'll just show off this lovely picture": photos by GH]

That sounded fine to me. But, to burn off some nervous energy, I cut and sanded pieces for two more tri-plexes and stacked enough materials on my work bench to make it look as if I knew what I was doing and that I could back up my usual line to anyone who need things done in a hurry, i.e., sure, sure, I can have it ready by Tuesday, no problem.




There, I’m feeling better now. (Today is Saturday, right?)

***

Please click here for another trip to The Workshop.

.

My last word about London’s cargo hub

[Jamie Robertson, president of a local freight-forwarding company believes there’s “no ongoing business at the cargo terminal.” Nov. 19, London Free Press]

My last word? Readers are no doubt delighted. So I’ll make it quick.

No matter how Mayor Joe Fontana or London International Airport’s boss Steve Baker spin the numbers related to the amount of freight moving in and out of the city’s $11 million cargo hub, I’ll still think we’ll get a poor bang for the buck, maybe even lose our shirts and cargo pants.

As many in North America and Europe shift from the culture of big to the culture of small, and as fuel prices rise, the shipping of cargo by plane - the most expensive method - will become less profitable.

And what were the Mayor’s last words re the matter?

He said, “There’s no doubt the numbers are staggeringly positive.” (Nov. 19, London Free Press)

And Steve Baker’s last words?

Baker asked city councillors to urge the federal government to create a “free trade zone” to spur more shipments and more “remarkable” growth from London’s cargo hub.

My last word: The hub still won't fly. How remarkable or staggeringly positive are the numbers if one must urge the creation of a not-necessarily-for-free trade zone?

***

Please click here if you can’t get enough of the news about London’s cargo hub.

.

One of life’s little mysteries

I’m not going to say a thing.

I’m just going to share two very small items.

First, a small clipping I found on the floor under a side table in the room where I read my daily paper. Whatever I was going to say about it exactly escapes my mind, so I’ll just say nothing.


[London Free Press item from Sept. 28: photo GH]

And second, yesterday I mentioned the following statement in a post re one of my columns from 2003:

Canadian food banks assisted 295,228 people in 2002. Ontario’s food banks accounted for 40% of that total. 35 - 40% were children. (London Food Bank, Decade report)

***

Please click here for more related to food matters.

.

Prose: good defensive hockey

[The following was inspired by the excellent display of defensive hockey by Tyler Ferry of the London Knights (OHL) when he shadowed Nail Yakupov of Sarnia Sting on Oct. 30, 2011. A fellow I regularly play hockey against said the game was less enjoyable to watch. I heartily disagreed. gah]

good defensive hockey

stay on him
like dirt on an old dog
like the sticky on warm tape
stay on him


["Hockey equipment from the mid-1960s": photo GH]

coached repeated his plan to me
stick to him, that number 10
like spit on the sidewalk
like smell on your old man’s shirt
and I stuck to 10 that night

near the end of the first
he hacked my ankle and was sent
to the penalty box - I guess so!
but my team failed to capitalize
and my ankle tightened up
while I shook my head

period one ended, score one each

***

Please click here to read about periods two and three and the breath-taking conclusion of ‘good defensive hockey’ by G. Harrison.

.

“IT STRIKES” Again: Wisdom might have everything to do with feeding the birds PT2

[This column was originally published in April, 2003. There is a link to PT1 below. gah]

...Past government policies helped distribute more fairly some of our country’s wealth. Those days are gone.

Consider these clippings from March and April 2003:

The ranks of high-powered, high-salaried Canadian workers ballooned by more than two-thirds between 1990 and 2000, with almost half a million people in the exclusive club of those who earned more than $100,000 a year (Canadian Press)

Average earnings have gone up in Canada and they’re higher than they’ve ever been now. The reason - the upper end made big gains. But... the number of full-time workers who earned $20,000 or less also increased in the 1990s... (Canadian Press)

“What these figures show is we have a growing gap between the rich and poor,” said Rebecca Coulter of the University of Western Ontario. (London Free Press)

Canadian food banks assisted 295,228 people in 2002. Ontario’s food banks accounted for 40% of that total. 35 - 40% were children. (London Food Bank, Decade report)


["It's wise to feed the birds": photo G.Harrison]

London police are dealing with people who have a mental illness at an alarming and rapidly increasing rate... more of those people are being arrested because police have no other options. (Kelly Pedro, Free Press)

“Better housing, income and options are needed for people who are mentally ill,” says Lisa Heslop, supervisor with the London police victim services unit. (Kelly Pedro)

In a move that acknowledges some customers face genuine hardship, London Hydro announced... a $50,000 donation to THAW, helping low-income (earners) facing hydro cutoffs. (Mary-Jane Egan, London Free Press)

I think it wise to feed the birds.

gah

***

Please click here to read ‘Wisdom might have everything to do with feeding the birds’ PT1

.

Are we expert enough to right our wrongs?

[“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall...” Mother Goose, 1803]

Perhaps we’ve listened to experts about the economy for too long.

I feel the mighty have fallen. And some mighty men and once mighty systems seem to be in free fall.

Consider the following from Death of the Liberal Class by Chris Hedges:

Alan Greenspan, the former head of the Federal reserve Board, once treated with reverential deference by the power elite and the liberal class, announced in 2008, “I made a mistake in presuming that the self-interest of organizations, specifically banks and others, were such that they were best capable of protecting their own shareholders and their equity in their firms.”

Greenspan exposed the folly of the liberal experts and economists, who had promoted a baseless belief in the power of free markets to self-regulate and solve the world’s problems. In holding up what amounts to a strenuously defended utopianism, these leaders ignored three thousand years of economic and human history to serve a corporate ideology.

All the promises of the free market have turned out to be lies. (pg. 153 - 154)

And still, we place profit ahead of people in the hopes of shared wealth. We place the economy ahead of our environment and leave reparations to future generations.We place unsustainable lifestyles now ahead of a sustainable future for our children and grandchildren. And there are many signs we are not clever enough to see or right our wrongs.

Proponents of the free markets and globalization still rule the media.


[Link to images by Rene Milot]

Chris Hedges writes, “The New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, a cheerleader for the Iraq war and globalization, became the poster child for the new class of corporate mandarins. And although Friedman was disastrously wrong about the outcome of the occupation, as he was about the effects of globalization, he continues, with a handful of other apologists, to dominate the airwaves.” (pg. 142)

As well, many North American political leaders are stymied, stuck in their ‘business as usual’ ways or just plain stupid.

Under the headline ‘U.S. lawmakers abandon deficit cutting efforts’ in Tuesday’s London Free Press I read the following:

...The admission of defeat by Republicans and Democrats on a 12-member congressional "super committee" is likely to cement perceptions among voters and investors that politicians are too divided to tackle trillion-dollar budget deficits and a national debt that now is roughly equal to the U.S. economy.

President Barack Obama has kept his distance from the talks, choosing instead to emphasize a job-creation package that has been blocked by Republicans. He said Republicans had scuttled the talks by refusing to consider tax hikes on the wealthy. [Link to full article here]

Doesn’t it seem that there’s no end to the difficulties that strangle the U.S’s chance to move forward?


["GH mantra: Reduce spending, pay down debt, save money"]

And while that is going on, in Canada, our own Prime Minister shuffles about the globe hoping to find buyers of the costly crude that is squeezed - not gently, in more ways than one - from his beloved Alberta Tar Sands, a deep dark hole where reasonable environmental standards and thoughts of a healthy, sustainable future go to die.

Our experts are falling and failing, it seems to me.

Over 200 years ago people were entertained my Mother Goose and learned the fate of one poor egg that fell off a wall.

“... All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.”

Today’s experts may think otherwise, but we may suffer the same fate soon with our belief in free markets, globalization, and unsustainable lifestyles.

It’s time for breakfast. I’m thinking... omelette.

***

Please click here for information about Catch-44 and the progress trap.

.

I Ask You: Do adults suspend belief like children?

Grandson Ollie likes to consult Mr. Expert to hear the pronunciation of common words.

“How does you say ‘sock’?” Ollie asks.

Mr. Expert says, “Soock. That’s really how you say it, Ooollie.”

“What about ‘movie’?

“You should say ‘meevie’, Ooollivoor,” says Mr. Expert.

And the expert should know. After all, he’s one smart potato and has been to college. At least, that’s what I tell Ollie.


["How do you say 'cookie'?: photos GH]

Ollie loves little chats with Mr. Expert, and they will continue for a few more days, until the spud is needed to make Mr. Irish stew.

I like how children suspend belief and play along with grandfathers.

In the real world, however, I think adults have been suspending belief for far too long.

The way we run our economy and treat our environment has run its course, yet many still believe in ‘business as usual’ - as if prosperity will continue as it did in the past few decades on the back of cheap oil.

Mr. Expert would say, “Goood loock with that.”

I ask you: Do we suspend belief like children?

***

Please click here for another I Ask You.

http://itstrikesmefunny.blogspot.com/2011/11/i-ask-you-is-our-empathy-for-people.html

.

“IT STRIKES” Again: Wisdom might have everything to do with feeding the birds

[This column was originally published in April, 2003. It was inspired by the short-sighted attitude [also hard-hearted in my opinion] revealed in a letter to the editor of London’s local newspaper. gah]

Wisdom might have everything to do with feeding the birds

Robbie Smink of St. Marys quoted a wise man in a recent letter to a local paper but left me none-the-wiser.

“If you put the bird food out the birds will come.”

Robbie wanted politicians to ‘wise-up’ because many people are lining up to ‘not pay’ their hydro bills (“The excuses seem unlimited... their ability to milk the system, uncanny.”). He sees “no end in sight” to those needing assistance through London’s THAW program.

“Why can’t politicians grasp this simple concept?” he asked. Smink fears government involvement in other areas of our lives because “there would soon be countless needs, chronic shortages, lineups and waiting lists as we already see in social housing, education, health care...”

I think governments understand Smink’s simple concept and have already enacted many seed-removal measures. Deep cuts to health care, education and social services are well-documented. Is it now time to stop feeding the birds entirely?

Smink intimated as much when he offered for our enrichment the wisdom of Quebec Premier Bernard Landry (another simple-concept-fellow who doesn’t approve of bird feeders); “If a small bird with a tiny brain can house and feed her young and look after herself, why can’t people?”

Both men should throw out a few crusts and observe what happens. As a variety of birds swoop toward the bread a natural pecking order will be seen and the offering will not be distributed evenly.

A wise woman said, “We should re-establish and strengthen our universal family allowance program, which Ottawa killed... leaving us without family or housing allowances. The spectacle of hundreds of thousands of Canadians lining up at food banks is a commentary on how badly we need a program to help families pay for the most basic necessities.” (Linda McQuaig in ‘The Wealthy Banker’s Wife’).

It is not people in lineups or on waiting lists that should chiefly concern Robbie Smink. It is present-day, calculated, government policy meant to deprive people of assistance and a sense of equality. Past government policies helped distribute more fairly some of our country’s wealth. Those days are gone.

(Author’s note - do past government policies fan the fire under the Occupy movement today?)

More to follow.

***

Please click here to read the full letter that prompted the above column.

Please click here to read another exciting episode (How could it not be?) of “IT STRIKES” Again.

.