Archives for 2011

I try not to upset Immigration Canada, so when I got wind of Section 329 of the Canada Elections Act I decided to keep my fingers to myself and spend the night off-line. But while I was guarding my visa and watching CBC election coverage, born and bred Canadians were taking to the Tweets with cross-border allies.

It was surely the most succinct case of mass civil disobedience in Canadian history: revolution, 140 characters at a time.

While the threat of a $25,000 fine kept many off their keyboards Monday, political vigilantes would not be deterred by a 1938 law barring the “premature transmission” of election results.

In fact, even before a single poll had closed, digital denizens were flirting with creative ways to flout Section 329 of the Canada Elections Act -everything from using fruit and soft drinks as party proxies to starting fake Twitter accounts -all in the name of fighting legislation varyingly dubbed draconian, paternalistic and unenforceable.

Specifically, the ban applied to the sharing of election results in any electoral district to the public in another electoral district before the polling stations had closed there.

This affected not only public websites and national broadcasters but also social media such as Twitter and Facebook.

“This isn’t something we want to compare to, say, U.S. civil rights or granting women the vote in Canada,” said Jason Morris, who teaches political science at the University of Northern British Columbia. “But at the same time, this is how public policy changes are often made: by people raising their hands, writing letters, protesting or, nowadays, having Tweet-ins.” […]

In the end, it was non-Canadians who led the digital dissent, with countless social media users from around the world offering to tweet election results emailed to them. By 5 p.m. -still two hours before the end of the publication blackout -the “real-time election” was in full swing online.

In fact, #tweettheresults generated so much activity in a three-hour period that it was not only the top trending topic in the country, but the mosttweeted topic worldwide, besting even Osama bin Laden.

…just, wow. I’m not sure how I didn’t hear about this in February, but it’s just one more glaring example of how Marie Stopes doesn’t really care about saving lives (such as those lost from STIs) or about the social status of women. There’s just something about blow-up dolls that doesn’t jive with being pro-woman.

The charity teamed up with comedy music band The Midnight Beast – brandishing blow-up dolls and condoms – for an online safe sex campaign.

While the song’s lyrics encourage using condoms, it also includes the line: ‘One up the bum and it’s no harm done, one up the bum and you won’t be a mum.’

SCROLL DOWN TO WATCH THE VIDEO

Some viewers have criticised the charity, saying it ignores the risk of spreading Aids and other diseases, while one mother complained: ‘It is a silly way for the charity to spend valuable resources.’

The video has now been watched more than 90,000 times on YouTube.

It features band member Stefan Abingdon simulating sex with a blow-up doll and another, Dru Wakely, finding a condom in his mouth while eating a banana.

It ends with a message warning viewers not to rely on Midnight Beast for safe sex advice, directing them to a Marie Stopes website instead.

But one young viewer commented: ‘I take it this video is for a world without Aids?’

I know many single parents, almost all of them female. While some seem superhuman in their ability to work and parent, others struggle with the basics of daily life. However they manage, there’s more of them now than ever before, and they could all use a little help.

One in four children in the U.S. is being raised by a single parent – a percentage that has been on the rise and is higher than other developed countries, according to a report released today.

Researchers found that the U.S. had 25.8 percent of children being raised by a single parent, compared with an average of 14.9 percent across the other countries. […]

Christina Gibson Davis, a professor at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Police, said changing gender roles, the rise of contraception, high incarceration rates in some communities and an acceptance of having children out of wedlock have all contributed to the growing number.

Terry O’Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, added it isn’t being a single parent in itself that raises difficulties.

‘Single moms do a brilliant and amazing job raising their children,” said Terry O’Neill, president of the National Organization for Women.

‘It is also true that single moms in this country are systemically underpaid, and systematically under-resourced and systemically unrespected. It’s not the fact they are single moms that makes things difficult.’

People! I’ve inspired a hostile web site! What a thrill! It’s by two feminists in Toronto. I’m not going to try and conceal my delight. Check it out.

________________________

Jenn happily adds: “NeoCon”? Wow, I didn’t even know Canada had NeoCons, let alone that I was one of them. I digress…I find the idea of a political group (or in this case, a pair) refusing to debate anything particularly amusing and incredibly irrational. How does one expect to make the collective decisions necessary without discussing them?

I like this one. The pro-life message in a Pampers ad. Enjoy.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxbRdxbBROI”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxbRdxbBROI]

______________________

Jenn adds: I saw this ad yesterday and thought the same thing. I also found the Pampers facebook campaign called ‘Little Miracle Missions’, encouraging people to support mothers and mothers-to-be. “Little Miracle Missions is a program that encourages people to help one another in fun, unexpected ways. From time to time we’ll suggest a way for you to support a little miracle. Gather some friends to join the cause and Pampers will complete their own larger mission reaching families across the country. Think of it as a chain of good started by you.” I’m in!

…is an epidemic. This University Observer (a student paper in Ireland) article begins by discussing prenatal screening and seems to advocate against terminations of cognitive defects stating,

…people with Down’s syndrome often live full and happy lives.

Those with Down’s syndrome today can expect access to education, employment and acceptance by the community – Ireland’s hosting of the Special Olympics opened the world’s eyes to just how capable these so-called “disabled” people are at living life.

But no, the author is actually setting the stage for her promotion of prenatal screening and abortion access.

However, people with Down’s syndrome only experience a high quality of life if they have fully-committed, loving parents who dedicate vast amounts of their time and energy to looking after their children. This poses a huge challenge.

[…]
If parents are financially secure enough to go private [with health care], their children may receive the special care they need. But these days, many Irish families are far from wealthy and the thought of taking responsibility for a child with Down’s syndrome may be too much for some prospective parents.

Another unavoidable question is who will look after their child when the parents pass away? People with Down’s syndrome can indeed lead independent lives, but many need a certain amount of care and assistance.

[…]
But surely pre-natal screening for conditions such as Down’s syndrome should at least be an option in modern Ireland, as it is in the UK? Many people argue that pre-natal screening could be extremely valuable to Irish families, as it would allow parents and siblings to prepare themselves emotionally and financially for the birth of a child who will require special care. Others believe that there’s no point to these tests being available here, as abortion is currently illegal in this country.

It seems ludicrous that abortion still isn’t legal in Ireland[…]

Although the real figures are far from certain, currently about 7000 women are thought to travel from Ireland to the UK for abortions each year. If antenatal Down’s syndrome screenings became available, it’s likely that this number would increase.

It’s tragic to see such a poor and lazy argument being made at the university level. Summary: Down syndrome children are capable of leading full and happy lives. These children will however require more resources than others. Solution: antenatal screening and legalizing abortion.

C’mon students, where is your “can do”attitude? Strap on your runners and get those resources out there. Here, I’ll even get you started. CLICK HERE

OK folks, a wee post from the train to Ottawa. Why am I on the train? Because all flights to Ottawa were cancelled. They were also cancelled last night. Traveling this short distance was starting to feel like it would never be done. In any event, here I sit, meetings cancelled and plans on hold.

I don’t like endless waiting… Nor do I like the number of times I’ve taken the ferry to Toronto’s island airport in the past 24 hours. But what I do like are these short moments in our wealthy land when we learn we cannot control everything. We like to think we can, but we can’t, and how we react to uncontrollable (and annoying) moments matter. (For example, in other annoying and uncontrollable news, I ran like a race horse to catch the 9:25 train and now 20 minutes later, we sit in the station. Bygones.)

Murhabazi Namegabe has been awarded the World’s Children’s Prize for his work in the DR Congo.

“You’re going to die tonight. Eat your last meal!”
Murhabazi read the short message that beeped on his mobile phone. He was in an important meeting with the UN, discussing children who were being forced to become soldiers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He looked around cautiously. Had someone in the room sent him the death threat?

Murhabazi has made many enemies during his struggle for the thousands of children being exploited and tortured in war-torn DR Congo.
“The fight for children’s rights here is a matter of life and death. And I’m prepared to die in that fight, every day,” says Murhabazi Namegabe.

Murhabazi Namegabe has been nominated for the World’s Children’s Prize 2011 for his 20-year long perilous struggle for children in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo. Since 1989, Murhabazi and his organisation BVES has freed 4,000 child soldiers and more than 4,500 girls who have been sexually assaulted by armed groups, and taken care of 4,600 unaccompanied refugee children.

His 35 homes and schools offer some of the world’s most vulnerable children food, clothes, a home, healthcare, therapy, the opportunity to go to school, security and love. Most of the children are reunited with their families. Thanks to Murhabazi, some 60,000 children have passed through the doors of BVES’ various centres and been given a better life.
Murhabazi and BVES represent children in DR Congo by constantly urging the government, all armed groups, organisations and everyone else in society to look after the country’s children.

Not everyone supports Murhabazi’s struggle. He has been imprisoned and assaulted and is constantly receiving death threats. Seven of his colleagues have been killed.

…in the U.S. anyway.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – There’s a political shift in many states across the country, including Missouri, where lawmakers are trying to pass tougher abortion restrictions. Those watching these bills say the number filed has dramatically increased nationwide, with bills in more than 30 states. They include measures that would require an ultrasound before an abortion, restrict insurance coverage on abortion or ban late-term abortions because of alleged fetal pain.

According to reproductive health advocates, changes in the political composition of state legislatures after last fall’s elections have played a role in the increased number of such bills filed. The Rev. Rebecca Turner with Faith Aloud says the economy and jobs were on the minds of voters last fall, not abortion.

“This is definitely the most extreme swing to the right that we have seen. It has been building for quite a number of years. This happened at this particular time because of a bait-and-switch in the last election.”

Many sponsors of these bills argue they would give women more information before making a decision about an abortion. Turner calls that information misleading and inaccurate.

I vehemently disagree with just about everything Rebecca Turner says, and this article is no exception. Ultrasounds are misleading? Anyhoo, the times are changing, and that’s a good thing.

Well, now I know that if for some reason I had my baby tomorrow, he/she would have a chance of surviving:

German doctors say a baby girl who was born at 21 weeks and five days is spending Easter at home after five months in neonatal care. She is believed to be the most premature baby in Europe to have survived.

That’s pretty awesome.

_________________________

Andrea adds: That is pretty awesome, Deborah. Congratulations! (I also need to add an add here for when this imports automatically into my Facebook page and I start getting empathetic and concerned looks from ladies at church. Andrea is pregnant? Who? How? I was recently asked if I have six kids, after one of Véronique’s blogs “became mine” in Facebook.) So let us be clear, then. This is me, Andrea, reporting for Facebook purposes that I am not Deborah.