I have been reading this book: Father to the Fatherless. It’s very riveting. It is the biography of one man, Charles Mulli, who, from a childhood of abandonment, neglect and abuse, grew up to be successful and wealthy, in Kenya. He then gave up his whole business to serve street children. You may not read the book, but you can watch these YouTube clips about all he has achieved. Amazing.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jzcx4CMUQcM]

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luMzrgBDAS8&feature=related]

It’s not PC. It’s not something you’d hear in a gender studies department. But everyone’s grandfather would say something similar, that’s my guess. My two cents on the “controversy” of a Rick Santorum backer without media training saying what many people are thinking. Watch the clip.

Is it just me, or is it a little bit ironic that there’s a column in today’s post by Father de Souza called “What contraception has wrought” and then just a few pages before, an article about rising infertility in Canada?

It’s somewhat sad that the situation we face is one where girls are told to pop pills for years, only to discover at said magical moment when they want to have children that it is too late.

Contraception has wrought infertility, in no small part. And many other things, of course, but no need to go on about those here. I suppose my point with this post is for women in particular and society in general to draw a connection between those contraception and infertility. Infertility may be a sad burden for many women to bear, but it will only continue and increase if we don’t acknowledge the conditions that create it.

(I’m aware that this is counter-intuitive for many and so I link to the Pill discussion PWPL did some while back.)

Columnist Naomi Lakritz of the Calgary Herald focuses on women in this column, but the reality is, we can’t have it all and no one, male or female, is entitled to everything he or she wants. Or put differently, you can have it all, just not at the same time. Most unfortunately, we live in a culture where people expect a lot. We can reasonably accommodate families, but there remain some places where babies don’t belong. Like Parliament, for votes, as Naomi points out:

Ladies, the world isn’t going to hand itself to you on a silver platter. It may offer you some things and may make some concessions to your status as mothers, but you’ve got to rise to meet the world halfway. You’ve got to do the rest. And you’ve got to understand and respect the idea that there are some places where babies simply don’t belong. Parliament is one of those places.

CPAC–that’s the Conservative Political Action Conference, happening down in Washington DC just now. Brian Lilley of Sun News is down there, reporting live, and posted Rick Santorum speaking to some young pro-life conferees on his blog. For those of you tracking with American politics.

This would be a great place for me to inject my opinion on the Republican race for presidential nominee, unfortunately, I haven’t been tracking with it as much as I could or possible should. I basically think that Mit Romney will win it and I will be disappointed with that. However, American politics are never boring, so there could be some sort of mixup. For example, he could choose Sarah Palin as his running mate. (Of course I’m kidding.)

Last night I watched a DVD. I got home from work early and plunked my stuffy, congested, headachy, whiny self on the sofa and stayed there. Amazing how heavenly it felt just to lie on the sofa, given how crappy I felt during the day. Perspective, people. On certain days, even lying down can be fun.

All this meandering preamble is unrelated to the point of the post, which is that prior to the actual movie coming on, I was forced to watch an ad. The ad shows a cowboy and features an electronic voice, “singing” in a monotone, robotic way. The words went like this:

You don’t always die from tobacco

Sometimes you just lose a lung

Oh you don’t always die from tobacco

Sometimes they just snip out your tongue

And you won’t sing worth a heck

with a big hole in your neck

Cuz you don’t always die from tobacco

The ad shows somewhat horrified onlookers listening. The cowboy has a hole in his neck, I gather, from smoking. This little ditty came courtesy of something called InfectTruth.com.

It got me thinking about how long big tobacco clung to outdated ideas on tobacco, and how smoking was even considered empowering (“You’ve come a long way, baby”). Then it got me thinking that you don’t always die from abortion. Sometimes you just get depressed. Or sometimes, you just lose your relationship. Or sometimes, you just get breast cancer. Then the movie started, and I stopped thinking. (Which is a blessing all round, many would argue. When Andrea stops thinking.)

We’ll see how much longer big abortion lasts.

The FDA is looking into a vending machine dispensing Plan B on campus in Pennsylvania and whether or not that is fine with regards to prescription and ID requirements. A school spokesperson said “You cannot be a 13-year-old and walk in and get it” because the vending machine is on campus. (?)

I’m working out at one of Ottawa’s universities these days. Just before my swim time, there’s a class for small kids, in the university pool. The place is literally crawling with kids of all ages whenever I’m there. Just saying.

I’m against dispensing drugs in vending machines in general, and on campus in specific. And while I’m concerned about the wrong people getting access, I’m also generally concerned about a culture whereby we put condoms in washrooms and Plan B in vending machines. I don’t actually think you have to be particularly conservative to step back and think that sounds like a culture gone totally astray.

A cross-post from Véronique’s blog. It’s about the passing away of one Geordie Henry:

I’m sure that the medical staff had many discussions about Geordie’s prognosis for an acceptable quality of life. I’m sure that some even thought that he may be better off dead. But his story shows, as so many others do, that even lives of suffering have purpose. The purpose may not be to accomplish great things but to draw others to greatness. Too often the beauty and generosity lay dormant in people until something or someone stirs it up, a little like chocolate syrup at the bottom of a glass of milk. It takes people like Geordie to give purpose not only to their own lives but to so many others!

Thank you Geordie for a life well-lived.

The man of the hour, using his time as an MP to do something meaningful, rather than vie for a cabinet position. (Incidentally, I think there are likely a whole lot of other MPs also doing meaningful things, and just because they are quiet about it, doesn’t diminish that. There’s a place for public positioning and there’s a place for strategy. Anyhoo.)

Read a little bit more about him in this light piece at the Post.

Naomi Lakritz also weighs in on our 400-year-old approach to when life begins, here. (It’s past 5 am, and there’s no water in my trough!)

Margaret Wente asks this question in her column today.

I’ll get the discussion started with a little debate statement.

BIRT it is okay to kill girls when a North American feminist advocates for this on the grounds of free choice but not okay when someone does so because of cultural dictates for son preference. Talk amongst yourselves.