Ordinary Kindness

An acquaintance of my wife had a bit of an emergency recently ... he had to move out of his home in a hurry. He had to leave by Dec. 31^st, taking everything that belonged to him and find himself a new home. Normally, this would be a problem for the best of us -- short notice, fire in the hole, scramble like hell. This situation was not so normal. Imagine your worldly possessions consisting of just your clothes, your computer and personal documents. Imagine having nothing else to your name. Imagine surviving on a limited wage amounting to less than $1,000 per month. Now imagine having no sight whatsoever. Yes, visual impairment. No sight.

I can't imagine what I would do. I also suspect I have limited imagination, because I never imagined what would happen next. I never imagined the kindness of complete strangers -- and friends and family of ours. It was mostly my wife's doing -- she regularly restores my faith -- my faith in human altruism. Sharing the story of a young man's plight with family resulted in an outpouring of support. It wasn't a miracle. In hindsight, this should have been expected. We have such a capacity for kindness. We just need to tap into it more often, since the demand is, unfortunately, always there. I don't like miracles, as they tend to be out of reach for most of us -- the response to this crisis is something we can all do at any time. No miracles needed.

Response to the emergency saved one person this winter from falling through the cracks in Toronto. There is now a little apartment, mostly furnished, and quickly turning into home. I'd like to thank those that helped.

• My wife -- who got the ball rolling and came to the rescue.
• Aunt Tiger -- who continues to save the world; in this case, finding cutlery, dishes, blankets, towels and more mugs than I thought anyone could have.
• Joan -- for quickly locating her son's bed and passing along her desk from when she was a teen.
• Maureen -- for the rug ... and getting us in touch with Marlene and Al.
• Marlene & Al -- for the sofa and chair, and staying home to help us.
• Kathy -- for all the stuff ... buggy included ... he can now manage his shopping and laundry a little easier.
• Tyler -- for the physical labour; the grunting & groaning; the wisecracks; and figuring out what to do with a long sofa and tiny, complicated doorways.
• Bernadette & Vanessa -- for helping with the first grocery shopping.

My youngest also introduced me to FreeCycling and a bunch of generous FreeCyclers. So thanks folks for helping out:

• Jason -- for the end tables you've had since your teenage years.
• Birch/Cliff (I didn't get your name, but you know who you are) -- for the laundry basket and electric kettle.
• Nell -- for the dresser. Perfect fit in the bedroom!
• Jan -- for the radio. It works great!
• Lou -- for the microwave ... a very useful appliance for a single guy!

Folks, you've all done a wonderful thing. You've helped someone in need. You prevented him from disappearing. His name is Dave, and he is incredibly happy with his move.

So what are we going to do next folks?

BlingH2O

BlingH₂O -- just when it couldn't get worse, it does. BlingH₂O goes and takes what is (and should be) a fundamental human right, and perverts to hell. What the hell is BlingH₂O? It's water. Just bottled water -- although its makers would rather you think it otherwise, cause BlingH₂O comes in a corked, 750mL, frosted bottle, that has been handcrafted with Swarovski crystals. Bling!

According to the BlingH₂O website, we owe this little bit of depravity to Kevin G. Boyd, a most un-notable "Hollywood writer-producer", who noticed that "you could tell a lot about a person by the bottled water they carried." So he set out to create a market for water for the super-luxury consumer market -- ie. not for you worthless drivels, "just those that Bling." If you Bling, you must really be stupid, because water, is, well, water, and this BlingH₂O comes from Dandridge, Tennessee -- a place that certainly doesn't Bling -- but apparently knows stupid when it finds it.

If you're wondering how much pretension costs these days, it's about $40US per 750mL bottle. There you, Bling! -- the sound of gold coin rattling around the empty cranium of the rich.

Most Loathsome People in America

The Beast has published its top 50 list of the Most Loathsome People in America in 2007, chronicled with charges (the reason they're on the list); evidence; and some quite viscous and deserving sentences (if only). Not surprisingly, topping the list are George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. The list contains the usual suspects, but in a surprise move, the number nine position is occupied by you -- Americans that is. And here's what the Beast had to say about Americans:

Charges: You believe in freedom of speech, until someone says something that offends you. You suddenly give a damn about border integrity, because the automated voice system at your pharmacy asked you to press 9 for Spanish. You cling to every scrap of bullshit you can find to support your ludicrous belief system, and reject all empirical evidence to the contrary. You know the difference between patriotism and nationalism -- it's nationalism when foreigners do it. You hate anyone who seems smarter than you. You care more about zygotes than actual people. You love to blame people for their misfortunes, even if it means screwing yourself over. You still think Republicans favor limited government. Your knowledge of politics and government are dwarfed by your concern for Britney Spears' children. You think buying Chinese goods stimulates our economy. You think you're going to get universal health care. You tolerate the phrase "enhanced interrogation techniques." You think the government is actually trying to improve education. You think watching CNN makes you smarter. You think two parties is enough. You can't spell. You think $9 trillion in debt is manageable. You believe in an afterlife for the sole reason that you don't want to die. You think lowering taxes raises revenue. You think the economy's doing well. You're an idiot.

Exhibit A: You couldn't get enough Anna Nicole Smith coverage.

Sentence: A gradual decline into abject poverty as you continue to vote against your own self-interest. Death by an easily treated disorder that your health insurance doesn't cover. You deserve it, chump.

Victory for Extremism

In the wake of Benazir Bhutto's assassination, a grinning Al-Qaeda has stepped forward to take responsibility. Regardless of whether Al-Qaeda had any hand in the murder or not, the chaos that has resulted can only serve to bolster the reigning poster child of terrorism -- and likewise, give those cloaked in the anti-terrorism flag, firmer ground to stand on. Could Bhutto's death have been prevented? She attracted enemies from all sides, and all had much to gain from her demise. Pervez Musharraf can now do away with the planned elections in two weeks, and crack down with martial law as Pakistan is torched by mobs. Al-Qaeda can claim another victory, further destabilize the region and recruit more supporters. Extremism has won yet again.

Bhutto's Assassination

It's happened again -- in one deadly act of violence, the radicals have won yet another battle. Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was murdered in the run up to the country's farce of an election. The motivation of the murderer can only be inferred at this point -- but I think I can safely say that it wasn't an act of an individual. There were many that wanted Bhutto dead. She was a woman twice elected to lead a muslim state -- and twice deposed on trumped up corruption charges. She was the only real challenger to President Musharraf in the upcoming election, in which Musharraf is attempting to retain control of the country.

I'm sure Bhutto had her faults -- she was after all a politician -- but she represented a refreshing choice in a country that desperately needs a choice. She would not have been the choice of the United States, as her credentials in dealing with terrorism is lacking -- but her committment to democracy is without question. And therein lies the lost to Pakistan. What will come next will surely be more of the same, and a continued slide towards totalitarianism. In the wake of this loss, the world will certainly make the obligatory noise demanding change -- but with no reprecussions attached to those demands, there will be no change.

We should not let this murder be quietly swept under the rug. Our collective democracy, freedom and justice demands more.

Wild, Wild West

It's extraordinary how absolute power corrupts. In the case of America, the only superpower left in the world -- that power is rotting the core of America -- its justice system. The Bush Administration made it legal in their adventures against terrorism, to kidnap foreign nationals, on foreign soil, and drag them off to the Guantanamo purgatory. Now it appears that law can be leveraged against any foreign national, suspected of running afoul of American law, to be kidnapped and brought back to America to face American justice.

The Times Online reports on a senior lawyer in the American government, who recently told a British judge in a British court, that American law allows America to kidnap British citizens and bring them to justice in America. In this stance, there is no respect international law, or the laws of other nations. This is a case of might equaling right. I wonder what the American response would be if other nations started doing likewise. I believe George W. Bush has had charges brought against him in other nations, for violating their laws in actions he authorized in his "war on terror." Would it sit well with America to have their president kidnapped to face ... hmm ... let's see ... Iranian justice?

When will the American people shake off their political lethargy and join the rest of the world in condemnation of their uncivilized laws and actions? More and more the line between the terrorists and those that profess to wage war against them are blurring. All because of a select few currently in power.