Canadian

An Australian Definition of a Canadian

-Written by an Australian Dentist

Pakistan Newspaper Ad - Reward for killing a Canadian

You probably missed it in the local news, but there was a report

that someone in Pakistan had advertised in a newspaper an offer of a

reward to anyone who killed a Canadian - any Canadian.

An Australian dentist wrote the following editorial to help define

what a Canadian is, so they would know one when they found one.

A Canadian can be Scottish, English, or French, or Italian, Irish, German,

Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. A Canadian can be Mexican,

African, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian,

Asian, Arab, Pakistani or Afghan.

A Canadian may also be a Cree, Metis, Mohawk, Blackfoot, Sioux, or

one of the many other tribes known as native Canadians. A Canadian's

religious beliefs range from Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim,

Hindu or none. In fact, there are more Muslims in Canada than in

Afghanistan. The key difference is that in Canada they are free to

worship as each of them chooses. Whether they have a religion or no

religion, each Canadian ultimately answers only to God, not to the

government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for the government

and for God.

A Canadian lives in one of the most prosperous lands in the history

of the world. The root of that prosperity can be found in the

Charter of Rights and Freedoms which recognize the right of each

person to the pursuit of happiness.

A Canadian is generous and Canadians have helped out just about

every other nation in the world in their time of need, never asking

a thing in return. Canadians welcome the best of everything, the

best products, the best books, the best music, the best food, the

best services and the best minds. But they also welcome the least -

the oppressed, the outcast and the rejected.

These are the people who built Canada. You can try to kill a

Canadian if you must as other blood-thirsty tyrants in the world

have tried but in doing so you could just be killing a relative or a

neighbor. This is because Canadians are not a particular people from

a particular place. They are the embodiment of the human spirit of

freedom. Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, can be a Canadian.

Disappointing realities

Here's a story about a family living in a Canadian church - where they've been for over a year, under sanctuary, aware that stepping outside for fresh air could have them arrested and deported. Their crime: being refugees.

"The Raza family have been living at my (former) home church since August 3, 2006. They moved in to avoid deportation to Pakistan, a country they fled nearly ten years earlier. Canada's imigration policy is to consider the best interest of the children where deportation is being considered, and we do not believe the government followed its policy. Pakistan is a country to which the Canadian government does not recommend travel, and insists that people going to work there leave their children behind. It is a country where the Raza children would surely be endangered based on sexual, racial, and sectarian stereotypes."
- Sarah Bruer

Blog Action Day wrap-up note... from the BAD...

The Wrap Up

The very first Blog Action Day was an unprecedented success and
we've got the final wrap up where the site used to be at
http://blogactionday.org complete with statistics, sample posts,
details of the huge amount of press coverage we had all over
the world, quotes and more.

It's a must see. Please feel free to spread the word around as
it's great for people to really see what we achieved together.


******
Thanks

And if I could just say a huge thank you to every single one of
you, all 20,603 registered bloggers who took the plunge even if
it meant going off their regularly scheduled programming and
stood up to be counted.

Blog Action Day

So today is it - blog action day, a day dedicated to people blogging on some matter of environmental importance. It's a decent idea, but sad, really - why is we have to have a separate day to recognise the importance of care for the planet? When are we going to get to the point where creation care is just second-nature?
We had a big event at the church this weekend, including a wonderful luncheon... the meal itself was good, but we ended up with a bunch of garbage and recyclable and compostable stuff all in the garbage cans. Sigh. However, one of the challenges is the differences in recycling/composting programs from one region to another - one of our volunteers shared she has problems remembering what can go ionto the bins here as opposed to those at her home in the next city., Conversation then continued about how what is acceptable in the bins one year changes and is unacceptable the next year - based on financial benefit. However, as the program becomes more difficult for the average person to aprticipate in, the less likely they will be to get involved in the first place.
So what's the answer? Who knows. More political lobbying? More clearly articulated greener programs within the community? Focusing on the long-term benefits and costs of these programs instead of annual fiscal budgets would be a good start...
Random eco-thoughts for the day! Will a blog action day make all the difference? No, but it's a start - and one I'm willing to take part in.

Random Acts

I'm occasionally surprised by people - in my line of work I get to see it all - good, bad, ugly - but the other day I was shocked. I was in the library (shock surprise) doing some research (shock surprise) and my pen died. NOT good. So, I knew I only needed a few more books to get the info I needed, and I asked a man (the only other person on the floor, it was before the term started again) to borrow his pen briefly. He obliged, then when I went to return it he told me to keep it. It was a little thing, but now and then it's the little things that make the difference. It made my day - it meant I could get all my research done that day and not have to go back - which, with my schedule is a big deal - and it was generally nice.

Summer Camp

I know that as a fan of camping, it's always a good time for me to spent a wek or more in a tent. I also know that I'm not all that normal, and most people would find a week without pumbing, walls, the ability to dress standing up, etc. to be a difficulty rather than a vacation.
This summer I went camping again for my vacation. No big surprise - I've camped all over the world. This camping experience was fabulous - it's the 100th anniversary of the Scouting movement, and so Jamborees (really big camps) were being held all over the world. The Canadian Jamboree was held at Tamaracouta Scout Reserve in the Laurentians, about an hour north of Montreal. There were some 8600 people there, in 9 subcamps, and it was great! I was a sub-camp chaplain, which meant I was doing everything from unloading the food truck at 5:30am to translating (really, in that locale, the secutirty guys should have had at least basic french), to helping some kids with homesickness, to being (as one Scout called it) "The Bad News Person," to offering worship services, and getting voluntold to sing at the Sunday morning Scouts Own. Wish I had known that I was the only one - the words "Laura Marie, there's your microphone" when there's 4000+ people watching were just a TAD intimidating!
The most important part of the Jamboree for me was the fun - the laughter - my laugh was known throughout the subcamp (me? A loud laugher? No....) but the smiles and laughs on the kids faces was worth it all, knowing that they would go home and remain full of the Scouting spirit having had a fabulous time there. Most people think that paying to volunteer to work isn;'t really a great vacation, but for me, when you can see immediately the positive impact that something like this can have - it was money and time well spent.

An example of how fantastic my friends are...

Taken from the CBC...

Life’s Not Fair

By Kate Jones

July 13, 2007

Kate Jones works as a home care physiotherapist in Thunder Bay.

I believe in my heart that every individual around the world is born with inherent value.

I remember growing up, as the eldest of three sisters, hearing the constant refrain of “That’s not fair!” if one of us felt that she was not being treated equally. My father’s reply to this was always “Well, life’s not fair.”

I have come to learn that he was right. Life isn’t fair. But also to believe that the world would be a better place if he had been wrong. I believe that around the world, wherever you go, people are people, with the same hopes and expectations, joys and sorrows, as people anywhere else, and that they should also have the same rights as people anywhere else.

I recently had the opportunity to spend three years volunteering as a physiotherapist at a hospital in rural Tanzania, East Africa. While I was there, I attended weddings and funerals; I sang and danced with my friends; I held a new-born baby, and held the hand of an elderly man who was dying. My friends taught me many lessons about the important things in life, including the value of family and community. But I saw again that life isn’t fair. What did I do to deserve the happy accident of birth that had me born into a relatively well-off family in a prosperous country like Canada, with the ability and opportunity to attend university; which led to a well-paying job and the chance to travel the world? My Tanzanian friends: Edither, Judy, Mambo, Taybebwa, Jenester, Christer, Kandaga, Jeska, Denis will never have these opportunities. Life isn’t fair.

But then I remember back to my sisters, and our insistence that we be treated equally. I believe that all people, no matter where they are in the world, are my brothers and my sisters. I feel the need to insist that we all be treated equally. Here, living in Canada, I can make my voice heard as I speak out about social justice. I do my part to work for a more equitable society here in my community of Thunder Bay. I raise awareness about international development and how each of us can play our part to work towards a more just world.

I believe in my heart that every individual around the world is born with inherent value, and should have the same rights as any other person in this world. I believe that we all have an obligation to do our part to make this world a fairer place for all.

For This I Believe, I’m Kate Jones in Thunder Bay.

Facebook

I finally did it - I finally joined Facebook... I've been getting those annoying "I've added you as a friend!" e-mails, so I finally signed up. I can understand the merits of a networking tool, really I can. I'm just shocked at how often people are on there, and how much personal information they're broadcasting to everyone (and anyone - as someone who's had unwelcome stalkers, I'm cautious as to what gets posted!) - aside from the initial set-up period (joining groups, making contacts, etc.) I'll probably check in to it from time to time (as an internet and email junkie, that means close to daily) but it's not going to be my primary mode of communication... I'll still keep my email up, and I still have that strange device called a telephone... One of the readons I've resisted facebook so long is it seems to be an extension of distancing ourselves from one anbother. Call me crazy, and I know I'm biased as I work in the people industry, but there's something great about a phone call or a meeting of someone - maybe it's the emotion you can get without emoticons - an inflection in a voice or eye contact.
Who knows. Maybe I can be the rebel who uses it as a networking tool but still communicates from soemwhere other than behind the screen - although on sick days (like today) sitting on the couch in my PJs without straining my throat can be a good thing!!

I haven't blogged since before EASTER?!?!?!

Wow, has it really been over a month since I last blogged?! I must be pretty busy...

Easter was an adventure - a rather BUSY and tiring one - but what a fabulous spirit-filled experience. Maundy Thursday was fun, it's the annual footwashing in the Anglican tradition - and Kristine's favourite service - where the clergy take the role of servant - and K was doing the washing, one of the choir members took the initiative to wash her feet. The kids wer all there too, which was amazing - and a little bit of a bribe - we had a sleepover that night only ifg they attended services WITH their parents. So, Good Friday the church was attended by kids (and adults!). The Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday was a good time, I got to do a baptism of a future soccer player - gorgeous little girl managed to kick the chrism off the font - we all laughed. And Easter morning, of course, full fan fare of resurrection celebration!

One of my favourite moments of the Easter weekend was the presentation at the parish - we've started a new thing, with the entire service being projected on the wall so that people can follow along without books - it was amazing to watch so many people who are unfamiliar with the service able to keep up without flipping pages or other such confusion. Yes, it's heaps of work for me to put it together, but if we can use this to keep our newcomers feeling welcomed and part of the family - brilliant.

The rest of life is going well too... the weather is gorgeous, which means lots of walks in the park with the dog. I feel sometimes as though I'm stuck on a treadmill with things being repetitive (get up, walk dog, go to work or school, come home, walk dog, eat, go to bed). However, there's lots of new potential for the upcoming months, and I may actually get to do some work on the house soon... like fix the back steps and install a decent kitchen (one with storage space for things like food)... ideally get back to blogging on a regular basis!!!

La Cena del Señor

(The Lord's Supper)

This week was a cool one at church - we've been using different Eucharistic prayers throughout Lent - they're all Anglican, and they're from around the world - we've used the prayers from Australia, Wales, New Zealand... today I was celebrating (saying the thanksgiving over the gifts, blessing the elements of bread and wine for communion), and I was using the prayer from the Episcopal (Anglican) Church in Spain. So, it was Book of Common Prayer, and it was in Spanish. I would say a line in Spanish, K would say the English translation, and we went from there. The rest of the service was in English - and up on the Power Point that I've been having fun with, not just in the book. One of the assets of the Anglican Church is that our liturgy is the same all around the world... so it was fun to bring to mind in the congregation that not all Anglicans speak English (and globally, more Anglicans do NOT speak English than those of us who do!). And, to be fair, it was great for me to use my Spanish for something other than reading. The congregation seemed really impressed not just at my ability to speak another language but at the sense of continuity that I was hoping to achieve. :-) It's so easy to get caught up in what we're used to and miss the bigger picture... I loved being in that bigger picture today!!

Birthday Bash!

Normally, I don't make a big fuss out of my birthday... but this year was my 30th, and in November a very close friend told me she'd be coming over from England for it... so, plans started being made...
I hosted a cocktail party, where people were all formal and fancy - it was fun! I sold tickets for it - for $25 each - and all the money raised was to go to a program based in my church - it's called Out of the Cold, and it feeds hungry people. There are some phenomenol people who cook a good hot meal for whackloads (about 125) people each week - more than once - and can use all the support they can get. So, the party itself was a fantastic time, with about 50 people coming out all fancy, we raised enpough money to feed some 240 people. What a gift.
I was wearing a navy-blue satin floor-length backless dress, it's amazing what I can do with a bit of creativity and a sewing machine... Kristine helped me put the cake of my imagination into the artful reality pictured here.
I wonder if people realise how easy it can be to help others while having a good time themselves... I never would have thought of this idea by myself, so am grateful for the input from friends - no idea yet what my next help-others project will be, I'll keep you posted...

"At the lonely end of the rink"

That title sounds a lot more desolate than this blog will be!
I got tickets to The Tragically Hip last week, and that was the first song they sang... (well, until Gord forgot the words). It was possibly the best Hip show I've ever been to! That the seat were in the 12th row was a big help, was kinda weird to be SO close to the band in such a full arena. Hehehe. It was great - one point they sang Wheat Kings, and it reminded me of a casual sing-song out west a few years back... a bunch of us were at Luther Village for a retreat, some of the guys had guitars, and we were singing Hip songs. (Really, what else would you do in a cabin in the woods?) I remember how we were getting the order of the verses confused, but having fun all the same. So there I was physically with 30,000 people in the stadium, mentally with a handful of friends overlooking a lake. (Barrett - remember that weekend?) It made me smile.
I've often said that I live my life with the intention of having the best stories when (if) I get to the nursing home... this reminded me that I already have the best stories because I already have the best people to share experiences with. My wealth is my friends - and I am rich beyond imagination. Big hugs and love to all of you - I can never verbalise just how much you mean to me.

Audacity of Hope

I attended a conference last week, run by the Trinity Institute in New York. I of course did not go to New York, but to the Webcast in Winnipeg! It was so great to head home for a week... the conference was called "God's Unfinished Future: Why it Matters Now" and talked about eschatology - a big word meaning the end times... the speakers took the Book of Revelations, and current discussions on the "Left Behind" series (a rather dismal approach to Revelations) and talked about how the end of times is NOT a time of a chosen, raptured few and suffering, burning unworthy people, but rtather of hope... that the message is not one of a far-off heaven as a destination but rather of the kingdom of God being an on-going journey made accessible to everyone in the here and now. The speakers at this were amazing, one of my favourites (Jurgen Moltmann) used the phrase "revitalising the audacity of hope" which just helped to fire me on... why are we so afraid of the unknown? Why are we comfortable in accepting a less-than-ideal outcome? Why NOT hope? Yes, we might fail, but that doesn't mean we can't hope... not in a utopian, overly-optimistic way, but in a realistic positive manner, acknowledging potential difficulties but still trying to attain the best.
Sigh - I hope I can remain audacious!
The rest of my time in the 'Peg was delightful - I got to see a lot of great friends, play with my perfect godson a lot, and just relax... I also got to go to my spiritual home, St. John's Cathedral, which is really a place I love. It's where my heart feels at home. I was honoured to be asked to preach on Sunday morning, and it really felt as though I had only been gone for a week, not 6 months. I was delighted to be asked by my friend the Dean to celebrate the early service's Eucharist, in the chapel where I celebrated my first Eucharist last summer. It was great - it was a true sense of family. It was hopeful for me - I really love being in that community, and I can only hope that everyone has some spiritual place where they can feel as comfortable, and know that they can love and be loved.

SNOW!

We finally got snow in Hamilton, we finally got snow in Hamilton!!! It was hilarious watching Guinness experience snow for the first time - he was terrified of the white stuff on the stairs until he figured out he could eat it, run through it, and not get hurt... very exciting.

Today I convinced my neighbours that I'm a headcase - I cycled into work. Yesterday they were shutting down everything because of the snow and freezing rain, which isn't too terrible, and here I was on a bicycle today. Without ice tires. It was great!

This afternoon I'm taking the dog back to the dogpark for a run - he LOVES it there - lots of energy being expelled - it's a giant fenced-in area at the SPCA where doggies come and play. Our first trip last week had him playing with new friends, our second trip on Sunday wasn't quite so good - he ran a lot, but there was an agressive dog that didn't realise Guinness was only trying to play... ah well. No harm done, tired pooch, and sleep for all!

I'm also going to head to Green Venture, an eco-friendly place in the east end fo the city for my new composter... oddly enough, there aren't many places to get compost bins here - fortunately the city has now instituted a compost program, but still - worms in the basement will work just fine for me, and that leaves lots of fertilizer for the garden next spring!

Hmmm, physical adventure, my pets and an environmental comment - I think that touches on all important aspects for my blog for today!!

Year In Review

I wrote the following blog for the National Anglican Youth website (www.generation.anglican.ca) but it seems worth a re-release... :-)

I know most people are having fun looking back at the year 2006… there are tons of lists – best music, movies, photographs (okay, I’m a news junkie). Then there’s the lists of good times, difficult times, already-forgotten times that each of us has. I had some friends over for New Year’s Eve, and then more friends over New Year’s Day. What a year – I’ve had a bunch of stuff happen – travelled on 4 continents, was ordained priest, met new friends and rekindled ages-old relationships, started a new job and moved across the country, obtained some new pet-friends (including the odd hedgehog and the puppy who is too quiet right now, I really hope he’s not in the garbage AGAIN!), destroyed my car (and myself) in a car-vs.-moose collision, standing up at my friends’ wedding as a bridesmaid, fantastic new boyfriend… the list goes on.



But here’s my important list… in 2006, I met God. Almost every day. Some days it was easier than others – God would manifest Godself right in front of my eyes, in such a blatantly obvious way that I couldn’t help but noticing… sharing the stories of worship from the World Council of Churches Assembly with groups of people back home, welcoming a new parishioner into the church, holding my godson, experiencing the Lutheran Youth Gathering with all it’s high energy… then there were times when God was there and I didn’t always see… driving past a homeless man and trying hard not to make eye contact, enjoying a large meal without giving thanks to God or thinking about the efforts of the people and land who produced my feast, forgetting to follow through on commitments I made to friends, choosing to watch a movie instead of pray… unfortunately that list goes on as well.



And so, here I publicly share my New Year’s Resolutions for 2007. This way, they’re out there, people can hold me accountable to them…

1. Pray, daily.
2. Smile at a stranger. Daily.
3. Call a friend I haven’t spoken to in a while, at least once a week.
4. Grow my own food – at least some of it – and continue to support local farmers!
5. Meditate on the challenges in my life and find what God wants me to learn from it.
6. Blog – on time – both here and my personal site!
7. Exercise – easier with a high-energy dog, but still…



There it goes… that should do it… I wish you all a Happy New Year – and I pray we all recognise the blessings God has bestowed on us.

what Planet Should You Rule?

You Should Rule Mars

Mars is a planet that shines brightly and loops wildly around the solar system. You are perfect to rule Mars, because you are both energetic and independent. Like Mars, you seems attractive and bright to others - but you're difficult to pin down. You are a great thinker, but you only think in the present and ignore the future. Full of enthusiasm and inspiration, you are into your own thing... and rather insensitive to others.

What Planet Should You Rule?