One for the Ex Pats

This one goes out to our dear friends who turned tail and ran from this extraordinary piece of earth we call Toronto...

as you both are sitting around, dreaming of paris, sipping strawberry-mango juice, basking in the desert heat, here is a little piece of the free city, some memories of home to keep you through bedouin nights.

We finally had a real snowfall this past weekend. Not these light flurries/wet snow that still seem to frighten the sense out of drivers. No this was a real snowfall, with gently swaying to the ground and accumulating. This time the snow stayed on the ground, blankets of white swirling on the pavement and decorating the roofs. Winter did her long extended entrance to this season, a slow waltz that looked perfect.

Here is the part you won't miss.

-20 yesterday and Saturday with the windchill. howling winds, rattling tree branches on Saturday. Sharp winds the sting the face and parts of the body not adequately covered. Freezing nose hairs, Freezing facial hair and Freezing snot. Ice tip fingers and Ice tip toes. Long streams of steam with every breath and involuntarily creeping upwards of shoulders, clenching of jaws, tightening of muscles.

You don't miss that do you? Postcards are pretty, being in them maybe not so much.

However there are good things to the cold. It feels clean every time you breath. This season of death seems to wash things clean, erase them with bitter cold until renewal is the only option. Winter weather is lonely weather. This nights are longer, the sun turns its back on us earlier each day and comes out later each morning. It feels like a long season, moments outside are heavier, steps take longer, the outside world is a chore. A season of dying in itself lends to loneliness, sadness that longer nights can only bring, despair that cold weather can only bring. Now if you are without kin or kindred or have been during a winter you know what I am talking about. If however you blessed with love and companionship than winter can be a beautiful time that defies the dark charms of that icy lady. It is a time to get close, to huddle up and cuddle up. To unreservedly drink hot chocolates and teams, egg nogs and rum, ciders and spirits. It is a time to warm each other up, for thick blankets and cozy slippers. We parade in pajamas and long sleeves. Hot showers feel all the better during colder days and nights. Candles and soft lighting become la mode and hearty meals full of goodness and warmth are eagerly anticipated. You can go skating or just walk around outside (if dressed of course), throw snowballs, get frosty then come in after a day and look forward to getting warm.

The best part of winter however?

Rosy cheeks. Hands down. Girls look so pretty with rosy cheeks. Especially my girl. Rosy red cheeks make her a different sort of pretty that I love and love.

So while you sit there getting sand in your eyes and shoes, sweating in december, though we might grumble, the winter can still be a pretty pretty sight. As I write this, snow is falling again ever so softly, and it looks so fine. I'll take that all the time and I'll miss it if I ever go.

I was born in february after all.

peacelovefreedomjustice

-s

"this has been an extended weather report from the Free City."

Is Democracy Dead?

no.

Rather I see this as a triumph for democracy. Not just because parties whose ideologies that are much closer to mine may have the chance to govern. It is a triumph because the majority of the people could not trust an economist during a recession with a majority government. The majority of Canada supported the three other parties and I would put forth the rebellious notion that having the three opposition parties in power is perhaps the most democratic solution to this quagmire as it would support the interests of the voting majority.

This morning driving to work I was listening to the FAN590 and on the Gord Stellick "show" and the Mike Hogan bullpen they were all railing against this coalition saying it is shallow and sickening, undemocratic! send the people back to the polls!

I understand somewhat this vitriol. The probably voted conservative and having a lame duck leader like Dion make this power grab (because I acknowledge it is a power grab that came about at an opportune time) is unsettling. Yet none of them before the last election railed against Harper for breaking a law (his own) and setting an election trying to capture a majority. That too was a shameful power grab (one that came about at an opportune time). Now Mike Hogan was in his own words pissed and sickened this morning regarding these happenings. He talked poetic about how he is pro-canada, supports Canadian athletes and Canadian sport, does everything he can to promote Canadian talent on his radio show. The inference here was that this gave him license to say that as a Canadian this makes him sick and pissed and not very proud to be a Canadian. Well if someone has a radio show in Canada and does everything they can to promote Canadian talent then they've done their job and Bravo. This must not be confused with license to spit garbage about politics on a SPORTS SHOW! You are doing a sports show and yes there are political bumblings going on but if you want to talk politics, blog or get a new job talking politics in the media. Using the pulpit to convince people of your unwavering patriotism and parlaying that to convince people that makes you a bonafide pundit is something that makes me pissed and sick. I tune into sports radio to hear about sports and the politics of sport. If you want talk about how in sports some of the most democratic people and owners end up becoming entirely communist in how they run leagues, pay salaries and control personnel behaviour. If politics is interfering in sports or trudging the ground of sport (tax payer subsidies for stadiums for example or no allowing tobacco sponsorship of sports teams/franchises) then talk about politics as it relates to that aspect. If the above doesn't apply, stop being so damn grandiose about your "feelings." Get back to sports.

I have to believe though that Harper brought this on himself. Now asking the GG to suspend parliament is also a ploy of political gamesmanship and Harper is well within his rights to ask, so we may not see a new(old) government until February and I'm cool with that. Harper can bankrupt the tory coffers in the meantime through advertising how much of a undemocratic usurpation of power this is and that is fine. I don't like it but fine, well within his rights. This would not have happened if he had stuck to the principle of working within parliament for solutions since he has a MINORITY not a majority of seats. Harper said he wanted to wipe the slate clean, start fresh with the other folks on the Hill to solve the acrimony of the last parliament (which was his ludicrous excuse for calling an early election). Then he poisoned pilled an economic statement to bankrupt the other parties (something the alliance and opposition conservatives never considering putting forth as a motion) and made it a confidence vote. Now I don't buy the whole "there was not stimulus plan so we have to act in the best interests of Canada" excuse by the other three. That smells like horseshit no matter where on the divide you stand. They used it as an excuse to throw this Tory government down and establish a parliament that can work together and hopefully create an infrastructure that respects labour, manufacturing, infrastructure, the environment and of course the arts. All Harper was doing was doing his best to ensure that the next time he broke election laws no one could financially challenge him and he could end up with the majority he so desperately covets. So really who is doing the power grabbing? Harper was fine with coalitions 4 years ago as Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, was fine with it when he was merging the alliance and Conservatives and now all of a sudden the duty to protect parliament from dissolving is undemocratic? This also smells like horseshit no matter where you stand.

So we wait with bated breath (at least folks in the cities, Atlantic Canada and Quebec) to see who wins this chess match, but at least Canadian politics and the British Parliamentary System has become sexy again. This is so much fun to watch. 3/4 is better than 1/4 and a coalition of ideas and participation may be what this country and politics in general needs. So here's to working together. Let's hope it saves this country To the Democratic-Liberal Bloc, let's hope it saves the country.

I leave you with the words of Thom Yorke.

bring down the government

they don't...

they don't speak for us...

peacelovefreedomjustice

-s

"This has been a amusing musing from the free city."