Category: Oh Canada

Affect Or Effect

Affect is usually a verb, and effect is usually a noun. To affect something is to change or influence it, and an effect is something that happens due to a cause. When you affect something, it produces an effect.

Say these sentences out loud:
“What was the ‘ffect of leaving the door open?”
“It is important to take cause and ‘ffect into consideration.”
“An early frost will ‘ffect the garden.”
“How ‘ffected are you by this lesson?”
“The integrity was ‘ffected when the elastic in the strap broke.”
“The man was very ecentric and his ‘ffect on his house was eclectic to say the least.”
“The lightning ‘ffected the electric panel in the basement.”
“How elaborative was his description? But, was it ‘ffective?”
“When the moon has the earth’s shadow cast upon it, the ‘ffect is called lunar eclipse.”
“The number of destroyed ballots obviosly ‘ffected the election.”
“The ‘ffect was to lessen the efficiency of the structure.”
“The contests ‘ffected the results by eliminating last place at various points along the way.”
“The attempt to ‘ffect the flow of effluent and its resulting affluents inland will ‘ffect settlements upstream.”
“Only the elite will be ‘ffected by the elimination of tax ‘ffects on income.”
“You can take an elixer to effuse the ‘ffects of your cold.”
“Queen Elizabeth was not ‘ffected by the elaborate display of egression.”
“Who else was ‘ffected by the elusive oft-times elevated eluviation?”
“How many elements did they take into account and did it ‘ffect the outcome?”
“He was emasculated by the ‘ffect of the eleventh grade ordeal.”
“She was ‘ffected by a feeling of ennui.”

Irregardless of education or job many people, TV hosts especially, pronounce many “e” words incorrectly mostly pronouncing the “e” as “ah” as in “election” many say “alection” or “alectric”, acentric, alaborate, aclipse, afficient, alimination, alixer, Alizabeth, alusive, amasculated, aleventh and the word few get right, “ennui” pronounced “on’wee”, meaning listlessness, boredom. Perhaps she should change her purscripshun – and by the way, “Irregardless” is not a word.

Very few people pronounce “Effect” and “Affect” properly, or for that matter few really knew the difference between the two. -and by the way, I was terrible at english in high school, it ‘ffected my grades.

Climate Change- It’s All Politics

Approximately 80% of the worlds people are witnessing first hand that the weather patterns effecting them are changing. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) scientists are more certain than ever of the link between human activities and global warming. More than 197 international scientific organizations agree that global warming is real and has been caused by human action. Ice is melting in both polar ice caps and mountain glaciers. Lakes around the world, including the Great Lakes, are warming rapidly – in some cases faster than the surrounding environment. Animals are changing migration patterns and plants are changing their activity patterns, growing less and seeding earlier.

The average global temperature has increased by about 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degrees Celsius) over the past 100 years. In 2014, 2015 many cities across North America, Europe and Australia had the warmest summers on record. A report by the World Meteorological Organization said that deaths from heat increased by more than 2,000 percent over the previous decade.

“The Government of Canada is committed to the adoption of an effective climate change agreement at COP 21 that promotes increased ambition over time. We will work with international partners to lead the transformation towards a low-carbon, climate resilient global economy.” The agreement is to provide a collective vision to keep global temperature increase to below 2°C over 1990

Prior to COP 21 the government released this statement, “The Government of Canada will provide national leadership and join with the provinces and territories to take action on climate change, put a price on carbon, and reduce carbon pollution. Together, we will attend the Paris climate conference, and within 90 days will formally meet to establish a pan-Canadian framework for combating climate change.”

As we all know by now, establishing a ‘pan-Canadian framework for combating climate change’ has already been shuffled off till later. Prime Minister Trudeau has promised a pipeline to tidewater enabling export of oil sands bitumen, the most carbon intensive form of oil. Obviously hoping to have the cake and take a big bite as well. BC Premier Christy Clark has committed to a massive increase in LNG production of which methane is the main by-product. Yes they are reducing CO2 but methane is 7 times the GHG than CO2. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley is committed to expanding the oil sands developement and begged for an export pipeline despite the NDP’s national commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and leaving bitumen oil in the ground. Newly re-elected Premier Brad Wall says Canada-wide climate initiatives should have to undergo rigorous ‘economic impact assessments’ and refuses to sign on to any National plan. In other words, “do nothing”.

Nowhere have we heard any commitment by any level of government to end Canada’s importation of foreign oil replaced by domestic oil.

It is all politics. Talk a good game but, in the end give in to the lowest common denominator, the easiest path to the next election.

Reduce Global Warming? Never significantly happen – there’s not a politician anywhere, especially in Canada, with enough guts to do right by GHGs and carbon emissions, they know they cannot win an election by doing so. Who is to blame? Bigger question – who is going to pay the final price? Sorry kids.

Assisted Death or Hospice

Yesterday several bombs blasted in Brussels. Today a carillon rang out with the tune to John Lennon’s “Imagine”. Designed to bring hope and peace to a beleaguered city – in reality it serves just the opposite. John Lennon was just as the song says, a dreamer, one who lives apart from reality. No god “no heaven”, “no religion too”, “Nothing to kill or die for”, “no possessions”, “No need for greed or hunger”, by John Lennon’s own words – No Hope.

Over the past several decades this has become society’s mantra; “Imagine all the people Living for today…” Forget tomorrow, it doesn’t get any better. You are right and nobody has the right to tell you differently. They are the ones “wrong” about the way of life, wrong about God. This is your reality. “You have it all”. Except – you don’t and you know it but, there is nothing better, “that’s what the man says”(Paul McCartney), in other words there is “No Hope”.

Over the past several decades suicide rates in Canada have increased by 60% overall, but for some segments of society it is becoming epidemic. Why? There is “No Hope”. Attempted suicides have increased three fold and only by medical intervention has the actual suicide rate not gone higher. Most suicides have “attempted” several times before achieving death, suggesting a cry for help rather than a real wish to die. Has society, then failed these people? Failed to give them hope, something to live for? But society can’t and won’t counsel against its mantra.

Over the next several months Parliament is bound by the Supreme Court to pass a law on doctor assisted suicide. Call it what you prefer, Assisted Death,, Euthanasia, End of Life Law, it all amounts to the patient dying before the natural course of death. It all amounts to bringing on an end where there is no hope. When we consider the man who recently lost his job, his house, his wife and kids and has now drowning his sorrows in booze and thinks of suicide for his relief, is his life’s future all that different than the one who is terminally ill?

Where is the hope among Aboriginal people and communities where there are serious concerns about mental illness and social ills such as substance abuse, addiction, violence and suicide. European culture is an imposition to indigenous culture and imposes the loss of lifestyle and self-determination and is seen as a major cause of health and social problems within the indigenous population. What is the vision for hope among many Aboriginal youth? What is their future?

There is still much hope for the terminally ill – it is called Hospice. Doing all we as society can for the patient to bring a peaceful and comfortable end of life most often at home with family and friends. The problem with hospice, it costs money and therefore seen as an intrusion on society in general. “Can’t afford it” is the budgetary cry of all institutions. Assisted Death is the less expensive option. Most medical institutions and doctors have introduced the “Living Will” to protect themselves and suggested the patient voluntarily restrict ‘heroic’ medical measures in severe cases.

What does it say for our government to condone, to pass a law making legal the nu-natural end of life measures of  Physician-assisted Suicide. Does it not say to members of society in distress, “Society expects you to do the right thing, end it” after all, as we have said all along – there is NO HOPE.

Dominion of Canada

Back in 1864, when the fathers of confederation met in Charlottetown to draft the papers officially forming our Nation, Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley of Prince Edward Island was the originator of the term “Dominion of Canada”. The Fathers of confederation had been discussing what to prefix Canada with and during morning devotions, Tilley read Psalm 72:8, which states “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth”. It was the ambition of the founding fathers to stretch the new nation of Canada to the Pacific Ocean and from the St Lawrence River all the way to the North Pole so this Biblical inspiration worked perfectly.

The term “Dominion” was first used in the Bible in Genesis 1:26, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” KJV

The word dominion means “rule or power over.” God has sovereign power over His creation and has delegated the authority to mankind.
With the authority to rule comes the responsibility to rule well – to properly manage. There is an inherent accountability in the command to “subdue” the earth. Man has a duty to exercise his dominion, be the steward of, only under the authority of the One who delegated it.

It was the Liberal government of Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent who eliminated of the term “dominion” when referring to Canada. On November 8, 1951 he declared: “I can say at once that it is the policy of this government when statutes come up for review or consolidating to replace the word ‘dominion’ with the word ‘Canada.'” The last “Dominion Day” celebrations were held on Canada’s centennial July 1, 1967.

canadian_flag_smallThe prefix “Dominion” fit perfectly for Canada back in 1867. We will be celebrating Canada’s 150 year 2017 and along with the importance of environmental stewardship combined with the phrase every politician uses, “from sea to sea to sea” it seems very fitting to return the moniker “Dominion” even if only for Canada’s sesquicentennial celebration.