Monday 25 July 2011

Vacation Update #1

Ingrid and I are on our Way to Winnipeg for Jonathan's baptism planned for this coming Sunday - in Saskatchewan, actually, where Luisa's sister and her husband and family live on their farm.

We set out on Saturday morning for Tobermory where we had booked a ferry to take us to Manitoulin Island. The ferry trip was notable for the beauty of the island views on the water, the numerous pictures of sea gulls that I took as they slowly overtook the ferry, the thick fog that settled in unexpectedly - at least for me.

On "The Island" we stayed at Willow Shores, a B&B run by Gord and Charleen Gorman. I can tell you straight off that Ingrid and I were both very happy with our stay there; we would definitely use it again if the occasion arose and I certainly recommend it to any friends travelling that route. Manitoulin Island, by the way, is the largest island in a freshwater lake in the world.

Saturday night we had an unscheduled and unexpected treat. After fish and chips at a pub called The Musky Widow we were invited to attend a poetry competition put on across the road by a local Aboriginal theatre group, Debajehmujig.

Immaculate Conception Church, Manitoulin Island
We spent Sunday sight seeing and eating, starting off with the high point, mass at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, built to resemble a roundhouse and incorporating elements of First Nations culture into the liturgy and church architecture and furnishings.

Today, Monday, we had an uneventful but enjoyable drive to Sault St Marie. Ingrid and I have just enjoyed a jacuzzi in our new B&B. Up early tomorrow for a planned day outing on the Agawa Canyon Tour Train.

Good night.

Sunday 17 July 2011

Congratulations on your engagement, Heather and Stephen.

On Friday evening Heather and Stephen stopped off to have dinner at our house on their way to spend the weekend with Heather's parents, Rob and Mary-Ann. We offered them some wine and they told us that, yes, we had something to celebrate. Whereupon Heather dangled her finger with engagement ring in front of our noses. It seems Stephen had made a great meal after which he pulled out the ring and sang a song composed for the occasion.

Talk is that a wedding is being planned for sometime in June, July, August 2012.
Congratulations, Heather and Stephen.  We are all very pleased for you both - and for ourselves.

Here are some pictures of the happy couple and of "The Ring." See the album, "Engaged - Heather and Stephen."

Some Jonty News - and pictures

On 10 July we received this email and photos from Luisa:

Hello all!  Our dear little boy is sleeping right now, so I thought I would download some pictures to share.  It has been a busy summer with lots of fun adventures.  Jonathan is a big fan of the hot weather--must be his African blood...


Jonty LOVES the water--regardless of the temperature, he is happiest when splashing and swimming.  It is so wonderful to see.  We've been to the beach, some pool parties, and have used our own blow up pool in our backyard too.  We've also been camping with the McCann's, to the Zoo with our buddies, to the park, canoeing, and tomorrow we are planning on going strawberry picking.  I am loving being at home with him this year and we love that Daddy works from home, so he can pop out and see us during the day.


What a mess - much like Aunty Miriam was
The three of us are planning a trip out west to the Rocky Mountains at the end of the month.  We are flying to Winnipeg and then heading to my sister's farm in Saskatchewan (4 hours away) for the weekend.  Jonty and his cousin Adriana will be baptized there together.  Ingrid and Terry will be there for the event as well--Jonty is a lucky boy.  Then our little trio will keep driving west, camping along the way, to the Rocky Mountains.  After a week, we will be joined by my sister Guida and her family and the 7 of us will camp and travel together for 10 days.  Its going to be quite the adventure!  We are really looking forward to it.


Nice and clean - with my hair combed
We hope this email finds you well!


Hugs from Peterborough


Luisa, Mark and Jonty



Babysitting Assignment

Yesterday (Saturday) Mark and Luisa attended a wedding with Jonathan. Ingrid and I were tasked with babysitting Jonty while mom and dad enjoyed themselves at the reception. He was a delight to babysit, especially when we gave him his solids, chuckling with delight over every spoonful. He also generated dozens of Oohs and Aahs from whichever ladies he favoured with his smile when we took him for a walk around the St James area looking for some take-out for ourselves. All went well until about 12:20 AM when he woke up and decided he was not going to be conned into being satisfied by anything else when what he really wanted was the real McCoy Milk from the real McCoy Milk Source. So, off I went to fetch Mama and Dad a few minutes away by car. By the time we got back Ingrid had done a good job of convincing him that he would soon have his every need satisfied.

Sunday 10 July 2011

Claire Celebrates Her First Birthday

Yesterday, Saturday, Claire turned one year old.  She had a great celebration with a number of her friends and cousins, and her favourite grown-ups. To see some of the photos have a look at the new album, Claire's 1st Birthday. See the Photo Galleries page.

Friday 8 July 2011

It's OK if it's not illegal? News of the World. Canadian Asbestos.

"I knew what we did pushed the limits ethically. But, at the time, I didn't understand that I had broken the law at all."
Glenn Mulcaire, Private Investigator, in his statement of  apology released to The Guardian newspaper in connection with the News of the World phone-hacking scandal in the U.K..

The Spirit and the Letter
The company I work for requires me and all its employees to sign, annually, a document called "The Spirit and the Letter." It makes clear that as employees of that company we undertake to comply not only with the letter of the laws and regulations in all the countries where GE operates, but that we will also keep "the Spirit" of those laws, by which is meant the intent of the law and its ethical components.  Mr. Mulcaire's apology makes it quite clear  that he and his employers knew that they were in violation of the 'Spirit'  of the law but that he thought this was okay so long as they did not break the letter of the law.

The Letter, but not the Spirit
I have just a little data to back up my next sentence but I really do think the statement is true based on impressions and recollections for which I do not have the time to go back digging into archives. This attitude of something being okay so long as no law is actually broken is becoming increasingly prevalent in the West and seems to me to be displayed increasingly by political leaders.

Here are just a few recent examples in Canada.

Example 1.
Interim auditor general John Wiersema reported that  the Conservatives passed off a $50 million G8 Legacy fund as part of an $83 million investment to reduce border congestion when they sought Parliament’s approval for funding. (The Star. Further, Wiersema said auditors were unable to locate any paper trail for the selection of G8 legacy projects — a “troubling” finding that he said was unprecedented in his 33 years in auditing.  In response, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, who had signed off on the G8 legacy projects in his earlier role in charge of infrastructure spending, said the Conservatives had not done anything illegal. He noted the auditors’ own conclusion that they weren't “aware of any specific law that was violated.”

Example 2.
In March, Parliamentary Speaker  Peter Milliken ruled that  Bev  Oda's responses to MPs when she was asked about a funding decision related to a third-party foreign aid group caused "confusion" and, as a result, he believed this constituted a breach or breaking of Parliament's rules. (Canoe.ca.) In a second ruling, Milliken  found that the government broke Parliament's rules when it failed to provide information requested by MPs on the costs of its crime legislation.  History was made when  the government as a whole and International Development Minister Bev Oda specifically were found in contempt of Parliament.

 In response Stephen Harper said, "We have debates in Parliament all the time. You win some you lose some. We thought we had provided enough information. We'll go back and see what additional information we can provide." He said the  rulings are all part of the democratic system.  "But our focus can't be on parliamentary procedure. Our focus has to be on the big interests of Canadians and in my judgment, that is the economy,"

"Parliamentary procedure" are the laws that govern how we make laws and which ensure that we remain a Parliamentary democracy!

Example 3.
It is illegal to use asbestos for building in Canada because, as a known carcinogen, it is considered a health hazard. In April of this year Stephen Harper campaigned in Asbestos, Quebec and stated proudly, "The only party that defends the chrysotile industry is our party; the Conservative party."

The justification?
"Canada is one of a number of exporters of chrysotile and there are many countries in which it is legal who are buyers. This government will not put Canadian industry in a position where it is discriminated against in a market where sale is permitted."

The letter, but not the spirit of the law.

Monday 4 July 2011

Camp at Balsam Lake, Canada Day in Peterborough

On 1st July, Ingrid and I went to Peterborough to celebrate Canada Day with Luisa, Mark and Jonathan. We walked to the town multicultural parade and then joined a thousand or more others on the lakeside lawns where there was a multicultural concert that you could watch while munching on multicultural food. We selected the Polish lunch, in part because the queue was not as long as at some of the other booths. The perogies, sausage and sauerkraut were simply delicious. I have uploaded videos I took of bits and pieces of the parade. See my video page.

The weekend before, some of us went camping at Balsam Lake. The weather wasn't too wonderful but we could keep dry thanks to an extra shelter and some tarpaulins that Mark put up. It was very much a case of, "Never mind the weather, just so long as we're together." See my "Balsam Lake" album on the Photo Galleries page, and the three videos on the Video Gallery.

Yesterday, Ingrid and I joined Geoff, Miriam and Claire for a trip to the Toronto Zoo. I have not had a chance to get the photos for that into an album yet.