Christmas Shopping

When I buy Christmas presents I keep the following quotation in mind: "Approach gift shopping as an opportunity to honour the people you really love." I enjoy attempting to buy the perfect gift for the people on my list. The item may or may not be on their Christmas list but it is something I know that they will love it. This is the challenge of my holiday shopping.

As we get older Christmas becomes less about getting and more about giving. I count down to the big day, but this is for the excitement of seeing others open my gifts to them. I watch anxiously as they unwrap their gifts to see if I was correct in my gift selection. I hope I am accurate this year!

Merry Christmas!!

Human Rights Day - Part 2

In just fifteen minutes I can save a life, release a prisoner of conscience, or reverse a government policy. This is the power of letter writing. I will validate this by providing some information on the letters I have written this past year.

I wrote ten letters during the 2009 Write-a-thon and four resulted in action:

In Nepal, workers and clients at the Women’s Rehabilitation Centre were encountering abuse and violence for their work in supporting women victims of violence. They now have an improved relationship with police and better police response as a result of pressure from last year’s Write-a-thon.

In Greece, the Minister of Citizen Protection of the Hellenic Republic promised a swift, impartial investigation into the assault on Konstantina Kouneva, a trade union secretary.

In the Ukraine, Belarusian opposition activist, Igor Koktysh was released and sent home after being detained for two and a half years.

Kareem Amer was released from prison in Egypt just weeks ago. He had been jailed for criticizing the president’s religious views on his blog.

Of the 28 letters I wrote this year three resulted in action: the release of Abdollah Sadoughi in Iran, the release of six doctors in Sudan, and President Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso committing to lifting all financial barriers to emergency obstetric care and access to family planning, as part of a strategy to fight maternal mortality in the country. In addition, Yusak Pakage was released from prison in Indonesia, a case from the 2005 Write-a-thon.

This represents only the cases I have undertaken. Dozens of others prisoners have been released this year, countries have taken steps toward abolition of the death penalty, and governments have improved human rights because of the pressure created by thousands of other AI members worldwide.

My success rate usually averages around 15%. However, during Write-a-thons this increases to 30 or even 40 percent. The power of the pen!!

Please take time to write a letter. Cases and letter writing tips can be found here.

Human Rights Day - Part 1

December 10^th is a celebration of the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Amnesty International commemorates this occasion by engaging in an annual Write-a-thon. Amnesty members take action to stop the abuse of human rights outlined in the declaration, by appealing to governments (and others) for these violations to cease. We campaign to free prisoners of conscience, abolish the death penalty, protect refugees, and to end political killings, "disappearances", and torture.

Tens of thousands of people from over fifty countries take part in this event. In 2009, participants sent 730,000 letters and online signatures to stop human rights abuses.

On Friday, December 10th the Regina Amnesty International Community Group is hosting a Write-a-thon evening at the Cathedral Neighbourhood Centre - 2900 13th Avenue - beginning at 7pm. We invite you to listen to free local musicians Ink Road, Devon Floyd, Regan Hinchliffe, and the Local Onlyz and write a letter or two for those in need. We look forward to seeing you there!

Regina Amnesty International Community Group 91 website

Regina AI Write-a-thon event Facebook page

AI Canada Write for Rights website

98th Grey Cup

Nearly one year ago I predicted that the 2010 Grey Cup would feature the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Montreal Alouettes. On Sunday that prediction came to fruition.

Let’s see how the teams match up statistically. Riders QB, Darian Durant finished the regular season with a 61% completion rate, 25 touchdowns and 22 interceptions; virtually the same as last season. Anthony Calvillo had a 68% completion rate, threw thirty-two touchdowns and a league low seven interceptions. Montreal is first in the league with 315.3 average yards passing a game with Saskatchewan right behind them at 313.6. Montreal was sixth in average rush yards a game - 103.6 and Saskatchewan fifth in rush yards per game at 106.8.

On defense, Saskatchewan let up an average of 261.8 yards passing a game (3^rd best) and a horrific rush defense average of 137.4 yards a game – worst in the league. Montreal was seventh and first respectively in those categories - 291.4 passing and 96.6 rushing. In the turnover battle Montreal was +18 in giveaway/takeaways (best in the league) while the Riders were fifth with -6.

Montreal is not as dominating a team as they were last year. Nevertheless the Riders still need to strategize against a determined Montreal team:

First, Saskatchewan should implement a double running back threat the way Calgary has established this season with Reynolds and Cornish. As Hugh Charles is still on the injured list; Stu Foord or Neal Hughes should be brought in every third running play (or so) to add a different running style, mess with Montreal’s defense, and to rest Cates.

Secondly, the Riders must continue to improve on their run defense. They held Burris to just one yard rushing and the rest of the team to 85. Against the Alouettes, Saskatchewan will have to keep Avon Cobourne similarly contained.

Mentality. One of the reasons I love this team is because of the way they work as a team. They are no hot shots just individuals focusing on a win for their team. Like last Grey Cup, Durant’s attitude and leadership will help settle himself and his team; allowing them to complete plays with confidence (see History in the Making – November 2009). Regarding the upset last year, Coach Miller shared some wise words “Revenge…[is] a very poor motivator…We would much rather think about what lies ahead of us and what we need to do as opposed to what happened to us.”

Sharp play calling. Coaching staff must take advantage of Durant’s mobility. He finished the season first in pass (5,542) and rush yards (618) amongst all quarterbacks. Initially, plays should be short ten, fifteen yard passes mixed with rushing plays (by RBs and QB) to allow Durant to warm up and get into rhythm. Afterwards the playbook should be open. Quarterback draw plays, screen plays, long bombs, double reverses will exploit Durant’s ability and keep Montreal anxious.

Go Riders!! Bring home the Cup!!

Game prediction: Saskatchewan 31 Montreal 27

Buy Nothing Day - November 26th

Once again I will be participating in Buy Nothing Day, the annual event where you don't purchase a thing for an entire day. For me the concept of BND brings out your willpower. It is about taking time and reflecting on your consuming ways. Buying provides us with pleasure but pleasure is temporary.

Please join me on November 26th and help save our planet.

Remembrance Review

In honour of Remembrance Day I am reviewing Michael Jones' Leningrad: State of Siege. The 872-day blockade of Leningrad during World War Two had been on my "to-read" list for a while so I was quite excited.

Jones begins by setting up the siege, how the German war machine was able to march rapidly through unsuspecting and unprepared USSR. The Wehrmacht was professional and possessed highly experienced generals, and the attacking advantage. High morale and Nazi race propaganda against the Slavic Communists aided their aggressive thrust toward Leningrad.

The Red Army on the other hand was nearly the complete opposite. The Soviets had little effective leadership thanks to Stalin's purges. The army was disorganized, ill-prepared, poorly trained, and lacked any form of coordination. The commander of the Soviet North-Western Front was incompetent and only in position due to his loyalty to Stalin.

By September 1941 Leningrad's nightmare had begun. Jones incorporates information from archives, interviews, and diaries to describe in detail the ravenous, frigid, distressed, and disheartened daily life of the citizens. Over the next six months the people of Leningrad experimented with alternative food sources: domestic animals, joiner's glue, wallpaper paste, and leather belts. In addition decreasing bread rations, frequent bombing raids, and gang activity wreaked havoc on the citizens. By January there was no running water, heat, or electricity. During these appalling conditions thousands of people died each day. Corpses accumulated in the streets and cannibalism became more common. In February a new threat emerged in the city - a dysentery epidemic.

First-hand accounts of life during the siege reveal how people survived such horrific circumstances. Thousands wrote journals as an outlet and to document their situation. Others developed a daily routine which kept them preoccupied. Citizens also sustained hope through music, a desire to help others, poetry, simple physical exercises, or devotion to loved ones or the city. The warming weather and the improving efficiency of the "Road of Life" in the spring of 1942 also contributed to the health and hope of citizens.

I felt that the author lingered on certain issues and events longer than others. The first six months of the siege takes up half the book while the last twenty-two months are wrapped up in under seventy pages. I understand Jones wanted to illustrate the worst of the siege and the extent of human suffering but it makes the book repetitive in some chapters. I believe the abundance of quotes were unnecessary or at times irrelevant.

Nevertheless, Leningrad: State of Siege, provides the reader with great context to the siege, a concise overview of the blockade, and a new appreciation for life. I'm sure there are more extensive and superior books on the subject, but I still found this book worth reading.

Birthday Blog!

WOW! The big 3-0! Time sure flies by. In honour of my thirtieth birthday I have compiled a list of thirty quotations. These proverbs represent and summarize what I have learned in those thirty years:

"Man is the artificer of his own happiness." - Henry David Thoreau

"To venture causes anxiety; not to venture is to lose oneself." - Soren Kierkegaard

"The only way to have a friend is to be one." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Never underestimate your capacity for change." - Nathaniel Branden

"Fear is only as deep as the mind allows." - Japanese proverb

"You can do hard." - Bo Lozoff

"Put your hands up high 'cause you never know how long ya gonna live 'til you die." - Michael Franti and Spearhead

"Love each other or perish." - W.H. Auden

"Invest in experiences, not just objects."

"Nothing can bring you peace but yourself." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos." - Thich Nhat Hanh

"The wisest mind has something yet to learn." - George Santayana

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter." - e.e. cummings

"Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit and reign yourself to the influences of each." - Henry David Thoreau

"Respect yourself and others with respect you." - Confucius

"A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug." - Patricia Neal

"All major religious traditions carry basically the same message; that is love, compassion, forgiveness. The important thing is they should be part of our daily lives." - Dalai Lama

"We belong to the whole world, living not for ourselves but for others." - Mother Teresa

"I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within. It is there all the time." - Anne Freud

"The secret of success is to experience unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings every single day." - Christopher Hansard

"Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavour." - William Cowper

"Wilderness...is a spiritual necessity, an anecdote to the high pressure of modern life, a means of regaining serenity and equilibrium." - Sigurd Olson

"Knowledge is learning something every day. Wisdom is letting go of something every day." - Zen proverb

"Give yourself time to consider what you most want to contribute to the world."

"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier." - Mother Teresa

"Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot." - Hausa people of Nigeria

"He who knows he has enough is rich." - Lao-Tzu

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." - Anne Frank

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." - Buddha

"Goodness is the only investment that never fails." - Henry David Thoreau