The Agenda with Steve Paikin - Wanted: The Perfect Parent

Oh how true. Aunthood or Unclehood is parenting-lite. But I suppose the question to me seems why NOT support for the mother? Support for a decision that ensures your child's safety doesn't seem so outrageous to me.

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Subsidized Again

forever young?
Originally uploaded by smannion

As you may already know, my mum is a person who has mental health concerns. She has lately been forwarding all her mail to an imaginary person and her phone has been cut-off: probably because she didn't pay the bill.

She is also a person in subsidized housing. To maintain her subsidy her housing provider requires proof of income once yearly. Well since she's been ignoring all letters and she doesn't receive phone calls they were forced to jack up her rent to more than triple what she normally pays as of last December. In January her rent bounced altogether. I've been in touch with them and they're very sympathetic. In fact they are the ones that got in touch with me to inform me of the situation. I should also add that my mum would never accept what they're telling her because she insists, among other things, that rent is now free and that the prime minister has made it so.

Anyway, I called CPP and pleaded with them to send me her proof of income, or to even send it directly to her housing provider; but they said they couldn't because of privacy. In the end, however, they did agree to put my name on it and send it to her address.

So that Sunday I went to her house and told her that I was expecting a letter and to please save it for me. She said she would. Crossing my fingers I visited her again yesterday and lo and behold she produced the letter. Naturally she insisted I forward it on directly to a person she named (this person is in her head). Instead, I called her housing provider and faxed the information over. Yay! What's even better is that they will retroactively refund her money for the period she was charged market rent. Double Yay!

E-Mail From Aunt Accidentally Opened

So many aunts; so many emails exactly like this one. It's my worst nightmare.

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Clouds gather as 'sulky' Musharraf retreats to bunker

Just classic. We long to spread democracy throughout the globe, as long as your people vote for someone we like. When they don't all bets are off

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Community Activism

Make sure you check out the website Leon's Boycott for our community response to having our local Early Years Centre/Boys and Girls Club being evicted by its current owner a member of the Leon's family.

Feature: How to Stop Checking Email on the Evenings and Weekends

Feature: How to Stop Checking Email on the Evenings and Weekends

I gotta admit. These are some pretty useful tips.

Community Uprising

My neighbourhood is pissed at having our early years centre evicted by a member of the Leon's family.

Crazy Canuk Punk

How can you not love them. Featured recently on CBC's Sessions. Good punked out, high energy fun.

How I See My Wife

 

It's the classic soft focus, sepiatone nostalgia shot that's perfect for Valentine's Day.

Alarming Bus Trips

I'm on the bus with Asha taking her to a birthday party when I hear a squeal from the back of the bus. It peaks my attention but I don't think anything of it. A few minutes later it happens again and I can see that close the the back of the bus a man and a woman are sitting beside one another and the woman looks upset. As the bus moves along it's becoming more and more clear that the man is somehow hurting the woman (I can't quite tell how). I'm becoming concerned about letting this go so I tell the driver that I think there seems to be something up with the couple at the back. The driver says OK thanks but keeps going. Finally, she yelps again and I tell Asha to stay where she is and I go to the back of the bus. Something has heated up between the guy hurting the woman (I'll call him jerk from now on), and another guy sitting opposite them (I'll call him Ted-although I don't know him or his name). Ted saying things to jerk that he'd like to take jerk outside and beat the crap out of him. Jerk's responding things like "fine--anytime". It seems clear to me that Ted is on a similar page to me and sees jerk abusing his girlfriend or partner. I ask Ted if he needs any help but he doesn't quite understand me. I turn to jerk's partner and ask her if she's alright. She says "I'm OK". I turn to Ted who says "she's not OK". I think Ted's right. Ted and jerk continue by trading insults and challenges whereupon it seems like it's Ted's stop and, all the while Ted gets off the bus. The driver has come over by this point and suggests to the woman that she sit closer to the front. She moves to a two-seater in roughly the middle of the bus and I go back to be with Asha. A few seconds later jerk moves beside her. I go over and politely ask jerk to move. He says he says he just wants to talk to her. I repeat the request and he insists he just wants to talk to her. It's clear he isn't going to move. I shrug my shoulders and go back to my daughter. By this time it's out stop so I make sure the driver knows that the jerk is beside her again and get off.

I feel really badly about this. I wish I had done more. Maybe I should have been more forceful with the jerk. Maybe I should have insisted the driver call the police. It made me question some things. I guess there will be people in the world who will continue to do bad things no matter how nicely you ask them not to. That sounds ridiculously naive but it really was a shock to me. Particularly as a social worker and someone who really believes there are peaceful alternatives to every conflict. Am I wrong?