Archive for December, 2009

Canscene, Vol 9, No 12, December 2009

Sunday, December 6th, 2009

Black History Month Theme: THE TIME IS NOW!!

Saturday, December 5th, 2009

OBHS-SWAY-BHM-AD-2010
Click to image enlarge

Reserve tickets now for the BRUNCH JAN 24th, 2010.
416.867.9420

The OBHS is supported by the Min. of Culture & the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
www.blackhistorysociety.ca

Back to the original

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

(Canscene) — Sickened by the publicity being showered on the Twilight series romanticizing the vampire, I turned to my well-thumbed copy of Bram Stoker’s original.
lugosiBela Lugosi, iconic film Dracula
It was literally amazing to find how well the story was told, each diary insertion by one or other of the leading characters moving the narrative forward to a thunderous climax, suspenseful to the last page.

What’s more, it’s surprising to find humour in these horrendous pages, for Stoker rendered Van Helsing’s narratives in “broken” English that often proved amusing.

Jonathan and Mina Harker, Arthur Holmwood and Lucy Westenra, John Seward and Mr. Renfield and above all without any redeeming virtues, the evil Count — it was good to be with you again!

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OMNI Documentaries

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

(Canscene) Outcasts: a Love Story
(Canscene) –Under the OMNI-TV Independent Producers Initiative, more than 100 60-minute documentaries have been financed 100% by the program, many of which have already been seen on OMNI stations in Toronto, Alberta and Vancouver. One such is Outcasts: a Love Story already screened last month but certain to be re-shown again and again

This is no cliché-ridden, sugary attempt to define love but a film of great depth and significance. Outcasts: a Love Story explores how passionate love between a man and a woman evolves over the years.

The film was 100 percent financed by OMNI-TVs Independent Producers Initiative and has already been seen on OMNI stations but its subject matter guarantees future repeat screenings.

Susan Papp, a seasoned producer of documentaries has created a film which in the space of one hour tells a poignant story that moves us to some surprising endings. (more…)

Scadding Court receives City award

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

(Canscene) — An innovative Annex-area community centre has received the City of Toronto’s 2009 William P. Hubbard Award for Race Relations.

Named in honour of the city’s first African-Canadian councillor from 1894 to 1913, the award recognizes outstanding contributions to race relations in Toronto.

The Scadding Court Community Centre, which is located in the heart of downtown near Bathurst Street and Dundas Street West, (more…)

Canadians left out says Trudeau

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

Canscene) — The Harper Conservative government has left Canadians with language barriers to fend for themselves without sufficient information about the current H1N1 flu pandemic, Liberal Critic for Multiculturalism and Youth Justin Trudeau said recently.

jtrudeau Justin Trudeau: Immigrants shortchanged on H1N1 info.

“The Harper government has failed in its duty to protect all Canadians from H1N1 by neglecting to provide clear information, responsible planning or adequate funding support, but this failure is magnified for many Canadians who have difficulty understanding English or French,” said Trudeau, MP for Papineau. (more…)

Where’s Wheezy Rider now?

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

(Canscene) — From time to time, we’ve been carrying the latest news on the world circling motorbike trip by Pete Sever and his partner Thao.

chart

You’ll find the latest news and pix at http://www.wheezyrider.com.
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But a president?………No!

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

Two of my greatest friends (one unhappily no longer with us) have had deep philosophical views of Canada as a constitutional monarchy.

charlesA future king of Canada?

The reigning monarch, they believed, had ultimate authority as ruler of a nation — a system shared by other countries such as The Netherlands and Norway. True this power was only exercised ceremonially but it remained in the case of urgent need to settle more profound issues.

Now, a recent survey by Angus Reid Strategies indicated that 53 percent of Canadians wanted Canada to drop the monarchy.

Support for severing ties was highest among men, and among French speakers, while women, and those earning more than C$50,000 a year, were most likely to support the current system, the survey of 1,032 adults found.

To my mind there’s no doubt that in the not so far off future we’re going to see a showdown on the continuance of Canada as a constitutional monarchy. What, I ask, is the alternative for a head of state?

Certainly not a president which could lead ultimately to a complete usurpation of power.

But a governor? Yes.

The current office of a governor general, with a dedicated residence and other trappings of authority could readily be transformed into an elected office without a general and costly upheaval. Or is this too simple a solution for bureaucrats to grasp?

The combined cost to Canadian taxpayers of the Camilla-Charles tour in 2009 and the Queen’s forthcoming visit is estimated to be close to $6 million.

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A despicable act

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

(Canscene) — A great stir has been caused by a government financed flyer mailed to residents in ridings that contain large Jewish populations. This document is absurd in its implications that the Liberal opposition is engaged in anti-Semitic activities

One accusation, that Canada sent a delegation to the first Durban conference in 2001 in the knowledge that it supported anti-Semitism is totally inaccurate. It was at the conference itself that the predominance of anti-Semitism came to the fore. To have expected Canadian delegates to have walked out would have been to have condoned an act of cowardice under fire.

Previous to the conference, there was a session in Toronto at which various ethnocultural groups were asked to discuss the forthcoming event. At the invitation of the Honourable Hedy Fry, then minister responsible for multiculturalism, I attended and although some anti-semitic sentiments were raised, I detected no sign that the conference would erupt into the fracas it did in Durban.

The big stir at the Toronto session was raised when a delegate of Afro Canadian origin heard the “n” word spoken out loud by a Palestinian delegate. Taking the statement entirely out of context, she ranted and raved for half an hour, declaring the conference was anti-Black, and resigned from the proceedings despite all efforts to placate her.

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The Last Word

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

(Canscene) — By the famous Richard Dawkins, quoted by Sam Harris in his book The End of Faith.
“The human psyche has two great sicknesses: the urge to carry vendetta across generations and the tendency to fasten group labels on peoples rather than see them as individuals. Abrahamic religion gives strong sanctuary to both and mixes explosively with both. Only the willfully blind could fail to implicate the divisive force in most, if not all, of the violent enmities in the world today. Without a doubt it is the prime aggravator of the Middle East. Those of us who for years have politely concealed our contempt for the dangerously collective delusion of religion need to stand up and speak out. Things are different now.”