Well, it's crunch time - a week from today it will be boxing day. The big meal will be over and the presents will be unwrapped. We have nothing on the agenda for that day. Here's hoping we'll be lounging around in our pjs, watching tv, eating leftovers, napping or reading new books.
In the meantime I am trying to feel the Christmas spirit as I continually scan, add and delete items from my various to do lists. We are blessed with the joys and challenges of many family members. A good friend pronounced yesterday that I am not just part of the sandwich generation; I am a club sandwich.
It's not just the pressure of Christmas tasks that is contributing to my less than joyful mood. It's the never ending coverage of the impending Trump presidency. With every new appointment, the future seems bleaker. If you really want to feel frightened, have a look at Trump and nuclear fears, which aired on CBC's The National last week. Then there is the daily news from Aleppo, Syria. How can such a tragedy be possible? How can the whole world be watching this ongoing slaughter? I can't do anything about that situation but all of us can be as kind and giving as possible to those new refugees that we may encounter or hear about. Hopefully I will carve out a bit more time to contribute to the local English language drop-in classes in the new year.
How to get through this period? All I can think of is to focus on any positives. This morning our local CBC radio show, Ottawa Morning aired a little segment about a bus driver who dresses up as Santa Claus and puts Christmas lights on his bus every day. Yes, I suppose you could say that some people might be offended, but it certainly put a smile on my face, just hearing about it.
So I am going to try to focus on the positives, the good people, the kind acts. This morning, Norah's friend Sarah came to her house to babysit, at 8 am. She not only dragged herself out of bed and across town to be there, she also brought coffee for the tired parents! Just hearing about that made my day!
There really are so many good people all around us. This week, and in the new year, I'm going to try to focus and celebrate their kindness, thoughtfulness and generosity. Wishing you peace and happiness....
P.S. As if I needed confirmation of the goodness in people....
Last night The National ran this piece about a woman in B.C. who has started a Facebook group called Helping Our Northern Neighbours. Her name is Jennifer Gwilliam and what she has accomplished is truly amazing. Through her efforts, there are now many groups of people in southern Canada who are sending food, clothing and other supplies to people in northern Canada. It's only eight minutes long. If you have time, watch it all the way through for the surprise near the end.
Monday, 19 December 2016
The sin of bottled water
As the year draws to a close I will post this piece that I wrote a couple of months ago. It's still relevant, always relevant. It's about one of my pet peeves - bottled water.
Water, Water Everywhere ?
Remember water fountains? They’re becoming as scarce as
phone booths. I recently visited The Rideau Centre, which has almost completed
a 360 million dollar renovation and expansion project. I became tired, thirsty
and cranky when I couldn’t find a water fountain. That’s because there are no water fountains in the entire
mall. This is not an isolated occurrence. It’s a calculated move. Some
university buildings in Ontario and B.C. are encountering similar situations,
as companies like Coca Cola and PepsiCo obtain contracts to provide all
beverages sold on campus. How much control has been given to these companies
when people lose access to water fountains?
Another giant in the beverage business is Nestle. For months
now they have been waging a David and Goliath battle - the township of Centre
Wellington (in southwestern Ontario) against Nestle Waters Canada, a subsidiary
of the Swiss based multinational Nestle S.A.
Why should Ottawa residents care about water fights in
southwestern Ontario? It’s because the province has stepped into this
discussion and wants your opinion. It could be our water sites that are
affected next.
Nestle already has two water sites in the Guelph/Wellington
area; at Aberfoyle and Erin. They are allowed to extract 4.7 million litres a
day there. However, that’s not enough for Nestle, the company that brings you
San Pellegrino, Montclair, Perrier, Smarties and Delissio Pizza, among other
products. No, this summer they outbid Centre Wellington for the rights to a
third aquifer at Middlebrook, near Elora. Centre Wellington wanted to buy the
aquifer so they could supply drinking water to their growing population.
After months of campaigning by environmental groups, the
Ontario government has opened the door to possible changes in the water selling
business. On October 17th, Keith Leslie of The Canadian Press reported that
“the Ontario government posted a proposed regulation for public comment that
would impose a moratorium until 2019 on water taking permits for new or
expanded operations that take groundwater to bottle and sell. The Ministry of
the Environment and Climate Change will also stop issuing permits for pump
tests that determine the quality and quantity of water available for bottling
until the province completes a review of its regulations.” Minister of the
Environment and Climate Change, Glen Murray, stated that “This really deals
with the issue of water being withdrawn from aquifers and groundwater that
isn’t returned and we just came through a summer of significant water stress.”
The absurdity of a town not being able to buy and use its
own natural resource has galvanized attention from many quarters. CBC comedians Gavin Crawford and Rick
Mercer have joined the fray. On the September 30th edition of
Because News, comedian Crawford sang his version of the old Coca Cola ad, I’d
Like to teach the World to Sing:
“I’d like to buy your H2O,
for my own company
And sell you plastic bottles of
What you once got for free.”
That pretty well sums it up. Millions of consumers have been
convinced to pay for something they can get for free. It’s practically free for
Nestle as well. In his October 11th rant Rick Mercer pointed out
that Ontario sells water at the rate of $3.71 per million litres. Bottled water companies, golf clubs,
municipalities and construction companies are currently allowed to take 1.4
trillion litres of surface and ground water every day!
Not only do we have the issue of taking water that should
belong to local residents. We also have the waste of energy used in the
manufacture and recycling of plastic bottles. At the end of the day the
majority of bottles end up in landfill. In the Bottlegate episode of TVO’s
Water Brothers series, hosts Alex and Tyler Mifflin pointed out that Toronto
recycling facilities receive 700 000 plastic water bottles every day. Toronto
landfills are deluged with 65 million water bottles every year!
Clearly our water situation is out of hand. The Ontario
government’s recent decision, to
study the whole process is a baby step in the right direction. Premier Kathleen
Wynne said she wants to hear from Ontarians as the government overhauls the
water taking permit program. Let her know what you think.
Thursday, 1 December 2016
Respect
What would I do without CBC radio to accompany my days? (Don't get me started on Conservative leadership candidate Kellie Leith, who has stated that the CBC should be dismantled. )
Anyhow, today I heard an interesting show; Out in the Open. Today's episode was Who Gets to Go. It was all about public bathrooms. The part that really moved me was the interview with a bathroom cleaner. He talked about his job, with its risks of encountering germs and disease. When asked what he thought the public thinks of bathroom cleaners he replied, "We're invisible and disposable."
How sad is that?
It made me think about my own attitude towards all the people who clean up after me: the people who collect our garbage, the folks in shopping malls and airports who sweep the floors, empty the trash and clean the bathrooms. How often do any of us take the time to make eye contact, smile or thank these hard-working people? In my time as a teacher there were plenty of opportunities to interact with the cleaning staff. Many teachers had great relationships with the school care staff. Others clearly thought janitors were beneath them and only spoke to them to give instructions or complain.
In today's interview, the cleaner asked that people give them a little respect. We should respect the people who do these jobs and also respect the next person to come along and use that bathroom stall or that shopping cart. How many times do I find dirty kleenex in my shopping cart? Tonight as I left my local Canadian Tire store, I saw a young employee bent over, picking up garbage from the store parking lot. It was mostly empty wiper blade packages. Customers went in, bought their winter wiper blades and simply threw the empty packages on the ground, before driving off. Yes, it's all about respect and consideration of others.
Anyhow, today I heard an interesting show; Out in the Open. Today's episode was Who Gets to Go. It was all about public bathrooms. The part that really moved me was the interview with a bathroom cleaner. He talked about his job, with its risks of encountering germs and disease. When asked what he thought the public thinks of bathroom cleaners he replied, "We're invisible and disposable."
How sad is that?
It made me think about my own attitude towards all the people who clean up after me: the people who collect our garbage, the folks in shopping malls and airports who sweep the floors, empty the trash and clean the bathrooms. How often do any of us take the time to make eye contact, smile or thank these hard-working people? In my time as a teacher there were plenty of opportunities to interact with the cleaning staff. Many teachers had great relationships with the school care staff. Others clearly thought janitors were beneath them and only spoke to them to give instructions or complain.
In today's interview, the cleaner asked that people give them a little respect. We should respect the people who do these jobs and also respect the next person to come along and use that bathroom stall or that shopping cart. How many times do I find dirty kleenex in my shopping cart? Tonight as I left my local Canadian Tire store, I saw a young employee bent over, picking up garbage from the store parking lot. It was mostly empty wiper blade packages. Customers went in, bought their winter wiper blades and simply threw the empty packages on the ground, before driving off. Yes, it's all about respect and consideration of others.
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