Frank De Jong Retires

Fr. Thomas Berry

Michael Jackson's Earth Song

A Disturbance In The Force

I've had my first restless night since being diagnosed with cancer over a month ago. Even the savage back pain that followed my recent surgery didn't cause me to loose appreciable sleep.

But I awoke from a nightmare at 2:30 this morning, the images from the dream already faded, but a feeling of dread still lingering.

Awakened suddenly and completely from a restless sleep that had been hard to come by in the first place.

Perhaps in was the lingering dull ache, still left over from the back pain, that disturbed my sleep. An ache not strong enough to require medication but annoying enough to wear on my nerves. And infuse my dreams with dread.

But more likely it was the unexpected phone call from the surgeon's office, early yesterday evening, telling me of still another appointment with still another oncologist, booked for me on May 7th. A distant two weeks in the future.

Linda had taken the phone call. Why two oncologists, she asked? The oncologist I'm seeing this Thursday is my radiation oncologist. The one on May 7th is a medical oncologist who will assess me for chemo.

Two oncologists? One of them not available for a further two weeks? Would they need to confer? Would this delay the onset of treatment? Delay it a further two weeks! Giving the cancer a full month to spread further?

Or would I begin an immediate course of radiation, alternating with chemo in two weeks time? Were the two appointments deliberately booked in a staged pattern set by some evidence based protocol?

Linda was inclined to think the latter. But I became fixated on the former. And went to bed with my mind in turmoil for the first time since this all began.

The word "delay" spinning round and round in my brain. Like a scythe in a nightmare.

Curled up beside me on the couch, Lindsay too has just begun to dream. Her nose twitches with remembered scents and her feet jerk in a running pattern. The tip of her tail brushes against my leg. In her dream she is likely off in the meadow chasing squirrels on a sunlit day and is a peace.

I write my blog and worry. And hope for more peaceful nights in the future.

Now Linda is up and wishing me a "good morning", a puzzled look in her sleepy eyes. Lindsay rolls off the couch and goes to greet her, tail wagging with pleasure.

Perhaps by the time the sun rises and chases away the gloom, I will be feeling better.

But for the first time since this began, I don't know.

International Turn Off Your TV Week

It's International TV Turnoff Week, so just do it.

From April 20 to 26 join millions of people worldwide and switch off your set. Find a more rewarding and active life--at least for a week.

Last year 5 million people in the USA alone turned off the box and found that they had all sorts of extra time to do things they had been meaning to do. Like talk to their friends, read a book, take a walk...

Why not explore life without the tube?

Virtue Beats Hope When It Comes To Sustainable Living

Advocating a sustainable lifestyle as a way to avert a global climate disaster, or to give our kids hope for a decent future on this planet, turns out to be counter productive.

New Research suggests if you want people to live more sustainably, you have to give them reasons more immediate than "hope."

John Vucetich, assistant professor of animal ecology at Michigan Technological University, and Michael Nelson, associate professor of environmental ethics at Michigan State University say that trying to get people to live sustainably by giving them hope for a better future doesn't really work. We're told to stay hopeful, that what we do each day will make our future bright...but what people need to be told is that living sustainably is just plain old the right thing to do.

Hope may actually be counter-productive, Vucetich and Nelson suggest. "I have little reason to live sustainably if the only reason to do so is to hope for a sustainable future, because every other message I receive suggests that disaster is guaranteed," they explain.

These researchers suggest getting people to focus on positive human qualities that living sustainably represnts, like love, sharing, caring for others, will get more people interested in living sustainably. That's because even climate change nay-sayers are interested in doing the right thing. Essentially, make the most of the time we've got here on Earth.

"Instead of hope, we need to provide young people with reasons to live sustainably that are rational and effective," they say. "We need to lift up examples of sustainable living motivated by virtue more than by a dubious belief that such actions will avert environmental disaster."

The Lost Generation

Do You Think We'll Survive?

During a recent interview, 90 year old James Lovelock, originator of the Gaia Theory, was asked "Do you think we'll survive the coming global warming?" Here is his reply:

"I'm an optimistic pessimist. I think it's wrong to assume we'll survive 2 °C of warming: there are already too many people on Earth. At 4 °C we could not survive with even one-tenth of our current population. The reason is we would not find enough food, unless we synthesised it. Because of this, the cull during this century is going to be huge, up to 90 per cent. The number of people remaining at the end of the century will probably be a billion or less. It has happened before: between the ice ages there were bottlenecks when there were only 2000 people left. It's happening again.

"I don't think humans react fast enough or are clever enough to handle what's coming up. Kyoto was 11 years ago. Virtually nothing's been done except endless talk and meetings."

To read the full interview in New Scientist, click on the title of this post.

Founder of "Deep Ecology" dies at 96

Arne Naess, a Norwegian philosopher whose ideas about promoting an intimate and all-embracing relationship between the earth and the human species inspired environmentalists and Green political activists around the world, died Monday. He was 96.

In the early 1970s, after three decades teaching philosophy at the University of Oslo, Mr. Naess (pronounced Ness), an enthusiastic mountain climber and an admirer of Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring,” threw himself into environmental work and developed a theory that he called deep ecology. Its central tenet is the belief that all living beings have their own value and therefore, as Mr. Naess once put it, “need protection against the destruction of billions of humans.”

Deep ecology, which called for population reduction, soft technology and non-interference in the natural world, was eagerly taken up by environmentalists impatient with shallow ecology — another of Mr. Naess’s coinages — which did not confront technology and economic growth.

It formed part of a broader personal philosophy that Mr. Naess called ecosophy T, “a philosophy of ecological harmony or equilibrium” that human beings can comprehend by expanding their narrow concept of self to embrace the entire planetary ecosystem. The term fused “ecological” and “philosophy.” The T stood for Tvergastein, his name for the mountain cabin he built in 1937 in southern Norway, where he often wrote.

Telecommunications Tower To Be Built In West Hill

Bell Mobility has made application to the Ministry of Industry to build a
telecommunication tower on the CNR property located near Galloway Road.  The City of
Toronto does not have any legislative authority over the placement of these towers
but does mandate that a community meeting take place for community residents.  (They
are looking at the City to replace the earlier proposed one at the Guildwood
Presbyterian Church.)

At the end of 2007 150 people had jammed the Guildwood Community Presbyterian
Church just before Christmas, concerned about a proposal to build the tower at
the Church. The meeting had been
called by officials from Bell and Industry Canada, the federal agency
that governs telecommunications, to reassure residents that
electromagnetic radiation from the tower would pose no health threat
and that the tower will look like a flagpole. Although at 37 metres in
height, that would make for a very large flagpole indeed. One with a
large shed at its base.

The deal had been reached between the
Church and Bell Canada in back in April, but residents, only learned
about it on Nov. 8th, after Bell sent letters to about 70 homeowners in
the area informing them the tower would be built in the new year. Ward
43 Councilor, Paul Ainslie, told the meeting the city has developed a
protocol requiring telecommunications carriers to consult with the
municipality on tower locations as of January 1, 2008, but it couldn't
be backdated to this tower and wouldn't be binding on cell companies.

Under
the Radio Communications Act, Industry Canada has the final authority
to approve the location of telecommunication towers and antennae.
Municipal zoning by-laws do not have to be considered. A court decision
on March 2, 2007 determined that telecommunication installations are
not subject to site plan control since they are a Federal undertaking.

Many
people at the meeting were also angry that no church officials showed
up to explain why they made a 20-year lease deal with Bell without
first informing the community.

In the past, the City of Toronto
Board of Health have noted concerns that existing guidelines may not be
health protective for continuous lifetime exposure to radio frequency
(RF) electromagnetic levels and that several jurisdictions have adopted
stricter limits than those in Canada. In 1999, the Board of Health
recommended a prudent avoidance policy that RF waves from
telecommunication towers and antennas be 100 times below Safety Code 6
in areas where people normally spend time. The Medical Officer of
Health has recommended that the City collect data from cell phone
carriers on predicted RF levels of proposed towers and antennas to
allow the City to monitor the potential impact of proposed
telecommunication facilities in Toronto.

Bell
officials reassured residents that testing done at the base of other
towers showed the electromagnetic radiation is "thousands of times"
lower than acceptable levels; however, many at the meeting distrusted
the claim. Others felt that even if the tower was not a health threat,
they didn't want a flagpole more than twice as high as the church
steeple towering over their community.

Due to public pressure the applications was withdrawn but the tower
now proposed for CNR property at Galloway and the train tracks
behind the Boy's and Girls Club.

12 Tips For A Less Stressful 2009

For many people 2008 will go down as one of the most stressful in recent memory, and 2009 is promising more of the same.

Global Warming provides the paradigm for the social, economic and environmental damage we see around us. The trip to Global Warming is through Climate Change with increasingly radical, unpredictable and damaging weather patterns.

Coping with it all can be a major challenge, but there is a pathway we can follow, one that has been charted and followed for milennia by Zen Monks.

Fortunately, there is no need to renounce the world and become a monk in order to benefit from what they have learned.
.
According to the Zen Habits website ( http://www.zenhabits.net/2008/03/12-essential-rules-to-live-more-like-a-zen-monk/) these are twelve habits of Zen monks:. .

1. Do one thing at a time.
2. Do it slowly and deliberately.
3. Do it completely.
4. Do less.
5. Put space between things
6. Develop rituals .
7. Designate time for certain things.
8. Devote time to sitting.
9. Smile and serve others.

10. Make cleaning and cooking become meditation.
11. Think about what is necessary.
12. Live simply.

These are not easy to practice in our internet world, filled with all the demands of multi-tasking, which does not seem to simplify one's life. (It certainly can become a ritual, though.)

Wishing You A Happy And More Peaceful New Year!

What Hermann Scheer Thinks Of Ontario's Energy Policy

Check out this fantastic article in the Toronto Star today:
http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/555638 If the link doesn't work, just click on the title of today's post above.

"Ontario could power itself exclusively on renewable energy one day if it thought differently about the operation and design of its entire electricity system, says the chief architect of Germany's green-energy law.

German legislator Hermann Scheer, largely credited for pushing through the policies that have turned his country into a renewable-energy powerhouse, said the biggest challenge is overcoming the belief that large, centralized power plants based on nuclear fission and fossil fuels are necessary for an electricity system to operate reliably."

Great comments online as well.

The Story of Stuff--Part 7

The Story of Stuff--Part Six

The Story of Stuff--Part Five

The Story of Stuff--Part 4

The Story of Stuff

I found these little videos on YouTube. I thought they did an excellent job of explaining some of our environmental issues.

Hope you agree.









There are 7 videos altogether in the series. I will post the remainder over the next few days.

Attend the GPO Annual Policy Conference at the Mansfield Outdoor Centre

2008 Annual Policy Conference to Determine GPO Policy Priorities > By Mike Schreiner, GPO Policy Coordinator

Here is your chance to help determine the policy direction of the Green Party of Ontario leading up to the 2011 election. The 2008 GPO Annual Policy Conference is on November 28 - 30, 2008 in Mansfield, Ontario (about 100 km north of Toronto).

A new collaborative policy process is in place this year designed to engage and empower party members in determining our next platform. Unlike previous years members will work together to develop and debate the GPO policy priorities for the 2011 platform.

The Green Party of Ontario is a recognized political force in Ontario. For the first time ever, leaders in green movements and the business community from key Green constituencies will give presentations and be available to interact with party members at the conference. Keith Stewart of World Wild Life Fund (WWF) Canada and, Judith Andrews of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, are just two of the key speakers signed onto the 2008 Annual Policy Conference.

Our keynote dinner speaker on Saturday will be best-selling author and Canadian Environmental Award winner Wayne Roberts who will be available to sign copies of his newest book, The No-nonsense Guide to World Food. Interactive plenary sessions will be hosted by leading policy makers on the issues of: Sustainable Food and Farming, Small and Green Business, Policy Making at Queen’s Park and Green Energy.

In addition to plenary sessions the conference will feature a number of member-driven policy workshops. The purpose of the workshops is to create space to empower party members to discuss, debate and ultimately determine the policy priorities for the GPO leading up to the next election. These workshops are the ground floor to the 2011 GPO platform.

The 2008 APC is hosted by the Simcoe Grey riding association, for $250 ($225 early registration before November 10), you can participate in this new and innovative GPO policy conference introducing a new and inclusive grassroots policy decision making mechanism, current issue plenary session and interactive workshops designed to directly lead policy for the next 3 years. Registration includes: meals, materials and two-nights accommodation at the beautiful Mansfield Outdoor Centre.
Register online at www.gpo.ca.

I look forward to spending an enjoyable and inspiring weekend with you at the 2008 GPO Annual Policy Conference.

Oshawa Green Party Candidate killed by Drunk Driver

FROM DURHAM NEWS:

Retired Whitby teacher killed, man faces drunk driving charge

Oct 27, 2008 - 04:30 AM

Joanne Burghardt

Comments (0)

OSHAWA - Green Party leader Elizabeth May has called the death of Pat Gostlin 'simply devastating'.

Ms. Gostlin, 58, was the Green Party candidate for Oshawa riding in last month's federal election. She was killed early Sunday morning in an accident blamed on a drunk driver.

"Pat's untimely death is simply devastating," Ms. May said late Sunday in a press release. "She was a tireless and dedicated advocate for change. Her warmth, kindness and cheer touched all those she met. Pat will be sorely missed and I extend my deepest sympathies, on behalf of all Greens, to her family and loved ones."

Ms. Gostlin's efforts were instrumental in propelling the Greens into the televised debates in the last election, when she and other Greens organized a protest that hit the national airwaves.

"Many of us were blessed by the opportunity to know and work with Pat. Many more of us felt proud after learning of her tremendous efforts to protect democracy in Canada. Pat will always have a special place in Green history and today we mourn her tragic passing."

According to Durham Regional Police, the crash took place at the intersection of Park Rd. S. and John St. W., in Oshawa shortly after midnight Sunday morning.

Inspector Jamie Grant said the suspect was speeding northbound on Park Rd. when he crashed into the victim's car which was stopped at a red light at John St. W.. The victim's car was forced into the intersection when a car going westbound on John St. W. hit the driver's side of the vehicle, killing the woman.

The suspect then tried to flee the scene but was held by a citizen until police arrived, Insp. Grant said. The man, from Bowmanville, is charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle causing death.

A message on the Oshawa Green Party website reads:

'At around 12:30 a.m. on the morning of Sunday, October 26, 2008, Pat Gostlin left us here on this earthly plane of existence, a little emptier inside for her loss. Having left the comfort of her friends to return to the comfort of her family, she was struck and killed by a drunk driver. This tragic loss has robbed us all of someone whom we cared deeply for.

Ever the giver, ever the smile on her face. Wherever Pat went, she always carried with her an abundance of warmth, kindness and humour. Never one to judge, she was always ready with a kind word for anyone and everyone she met.

We are devastated by the loss of Pat, and extend our deepest and heartfelt sympathies to her family and friends. Pat, you will be sorely missed!'

For The Promotion of Ethics In Political Advertising

It was the perfect storm. Here in Southern Ontario we sat astride the US Canadian border while both countries were in the midst of election campaigns during the worst economic crisis since the great depression.

The result was a gearing up of one of the most irresponsible and embarrassing behaviours still permitted on our air waves.

Canadian ads are governed by Advertising Standards Canada, an industry run regulating body that fields complains and removes ads that "unfairly discredit, disparage or attack other products services, advertisements or exaggerate the nature or importance of competitive differences."

The code applies to every area of advertisement-except political ads which are expressly exempt from the code. In the United States, ads enjoy a similar exemption since the Supreme Court ruled they fall under the First Amendment rights to free speech.

That freedom without responsibility has not served the political process well on either side of the border.

As University of Texas advertising Professor Jef L. Richards noted, "The law requires a paper towel ad to be scrupulously honest, but allows political candidates to lie without reproach."

Advertising legend David Ogilvy beleives, "Political advertising ought to be stopped. It is the only really dishonest kind of ad that's left. It's totally dishonest."

Not only do political ads lower peoples opinion of advertising but help explain why its so hard to attract quality candidates and bring the entire political process into disrepute.

It is not surprising that Canada experienced the lowest level of participation by voters in our most recent Election.

To join us in helping lobby for political advertising to be held to, at least, the same ethical level as toilet paper commercials click on the title to this article to take you to our Facebook page.