martha stewart will do her time farther from home than she
had hoped, at a remote west virginia prison where inmates
sleep in bunk beds and rise at 6 a.m. to do menial labour
for pennies an hour.

the millionaire celebrity homemaker said that she has been
assigned to the minimum-security women's prison at alderson.

stwart, convicted in march of lying about a stock sale, had
asked to serve her five-month prison term in danbury, conn.,
close to her 90-year-old mother and her own home in nearby
westport.

but a source familiar with the government's decision said
that alderson was selected because it was more remote and
less accessible to the media than danbury or stewart's
second choice of coleman, fla.

stewart, 63, must report to alderson by oct. 8.

- the associated press

Exoneration as a Cottage Industry
The National Law Journal

The number of "innocence projects" has mushroomed to 35
nationally -- nearly half formed in the last four years
-- triggering a movement that has steadily altered
criminal procedures in dozens of states. Since the 1998
formation of the first Innocence Project at the
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York, the
programs have helped free 151 prisoners through DNA
testing. In many cases, law students do the bulk of the
investigating.
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1096473927263

Visit Law Students
http://www.law.com/jsp/students.jsp

--------------------------------------------------------


How Religious Must One Be To Qualify As A Religious
Worker?

Cyrus D. Mehta  writes "While a minister is defined as
an
individual duly authorized by a recognized religious
denomination
to conduct religious worship and to perform other
duties usually
performed by authorized members of the clergy, more
unclear is
the definition of "religious occupation."

http://www.ilw.com/lawyers/articles/2004,1005-mehta.shtm
http://www.cyrusmehta.com

---------------------------------------------------------------------

UN AND INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT SIGN COOPERATION
AGREEMENT
New York

The heads of the United Nations and the International
Criminal Court (ICC), the first permanent tribunal to
try war crimes, today signed an agreement to encourage
greater cooperation and consultation between them.

In a ceremony at UN Headquarters in New York,
Secretary-General Kofi Annan and
<"http://www.icc-cpi.int/home.html&l=en">ICC President
Judge Philippe Kirsch signed the agreement, UN
spokesman Fred Eckhard told reporters.

The agreement recognizes the status and mandate of each
organization and outlines that the two institutions
will cooperate closely on administrative and judicial
matters and consult each other on issues of mutual
interest.

Established by the
<"http://www.un.org/law/icc/statute/romefra.htm">Rome
Statute of 1998, the ICC is based in The Hague in the
Netherlands and can try cases involving people charged
with committing war crimes after 1 July 2002. As of 27
September this year, 97 nations have signed on as
members of the Court.

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at
http://www.un.org/news

Sheila Copps makes her acting debut in Steel Magnolias in Kingston
theatre


Canadian Press


October 7, 2004


KINGSTON, Ont. (CP) - Former deputy prime minister Sheila Copps made
her theatrical debut in a Kingston dinner theatre Thursday night with
a key role in the play Steel Magnolias.

She played the role Olympia Dukakis portrayed in the 1989 movie
version of the play, which is set in a beauty parlour in a small
Louisiana town.

"I always wanted to be in a play, it was something I had carried with
me since high school, I studied drama," Copps said.

Copps, however, admitted she experienced a little stage fright during
rehearsal, but added she's enjoying her newfound acting career.

"It's so much fun, and hey, you get paid for it so that's pretty good
too." said Copps, who is earning about $720 a week - plus benefits
and an RSP contribution.

She'll perform in five shows a week for a month.

Copps was forced out of federal politics this year after losing a
bitter nomination battle in her Hamilton riding with Liberal MP Tony
Valeri.

© The Canadian Press 2004

--------------------------------------------------------------------

insideeonline.com

[hard copy]

dish

strip search

as if life as a romanian peeler with a set of pasties and a dream
isn't hard enough, women wishing to enter canada to work as
strippers must now provide nude photos of themselves to qualify for
a visa.  immigration officers are poring over pictures of naked
ladies to keep "imposters" out of canada. in an unrelated
coincidence, sheila copps is considering a return to public service.

page 16

Jan. 7, 2003. 01:00 AM


Standards urged for justices of the peace
Top judge calls for formal appointments Attorney-general agrees to
discussion


TRACEY TYLER
LEGAL AFFAIRS REPORTER

Qualifications could soon matter more than connections when it comes
to being appointed a justice of the peace.

The judge in charge of one of Ontario's busiest courts says it's time
to consider a formal process for appointing justices of the peace and
spelling out qualifications.

There are currently 311 justices of the peace in Ontario, who make
decisions on everything from whether police should be allowed into
your home to conduct a search or if an accused person should be
granted bail.

However, the vast majority — about 95 per cent — come to the job with
no formal legal training. They are sometimes perceived as political
hacks enjoying the perks of patronage.

The current crop includes several former MPPs and mayors, ex-school
trustees and a former car salesman. JPs are appointed by the attorney
general.

At a news conference yesterday to mark the annual opening of the
province's courts, Chief Justice Brian Lennox of the Ontario Court of
Justice said his proposal for introducing standards into the process
of appointing justices of the peace is not intended as a criticism of
JPs now presiding in Ontario.

They do "a good job" of tackling an important and wide-ranging issues
affecting everything from people's liberty to privacy interests,
Lennox said.

It's simply the next logical step in the "evolution" of the justice
of the peace bench, which is naturally becoming better qualified as
more candidates compete for the job, he suggested to reporters at
Osgoode Hall in Toronto.

Lennox drew a comparison to provincial court judges, who, until 1968,
were mainly laypersons with no formal legal training.

"In this process of evolution of the justice of the peace bench, it
has now become evident that the issues of qualifications and process
of appointment need to be addressed," he said.

Attorney-General David Young has agreed to discuss the issue, he
added. Yesterday, Lennox declined to say what the appropriate
qualifications for a justice of the peace might be or whether the
appointment process should include a screening committee similar to
the one for judges.

He also stopped short of saying whether he believes JPs should hold a
law degree.

But the Criminal Lawyers Association, which has been pushing for a
more open appointment process, including some minimum standards for
JPs, doesn't see that as an unreasonable request.

"In terms of qualifications, what's wrong with requiring that someone
who is making decisions on legal principles and applying the law have
a legal education?" said Toronto criminal lawyer Bob Richardson, who
heads the association's subcommittee on JPs.

Last summer, two justices of the peace were publicly criticized for
imposing publication bans that were later overturned by Superior
Court judges.

JPs salaries are listed as between $57,000 and $78,000 a year. For
reasons that are not clear, some have earned more than $100,000.


Toronto Star

              Mail this story to a friend      Printer friendly
version

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Search 'Ontario Marriage Act'
http://www.google.ca

Catholics cope with priest shortage
'Constant juggling act': Ghanaian imports, retired clerics filling gaps at
Christmas

Francine Dubé
National Post


Tuesday, December 24, 2002



The shortage of priests in Canada has become so acute that some churches are
cutting the number of Christmas masses being celebrated this year and retired
priests are being pressed into service.

Father Benoît St-Onge has been responsible for three churches in the Montreal
suburbs of Rosemère, Lorraine and Bois de Filion since August, when a fellow
priest left the fold.

Since then, Father St-Onge has met his obligations with the help of a
74-year-old retired Jesuit, but he has had to reduce the number of Christmas
masses at the three churches this year from 11 to nine.

"For sure that we can't do with two priests 11 masses, that would not be human,"
says Fr. St-Onge, who will lead five masses today and tonight.

The shortage of priests has also meant a reduction in services offered to
Catholics. Daily masses are no longer offered at any of the three churches,
though each one holds at least one weekday mass.

There are fewer than 10,000 priests in Canada today, down from 15,000 in 1970.
The number of seminarians has dropped from 2,645 to 550. The situation is so
dire that priests are postponing retirement and the death of a priest can sound
the death knell of a parish.

In the Northern Ontario town of Cobalt, there will be a Christmas Eve mass, but
Christmas Day mass has been cancelled.

In September, Father John Lemire, 33, of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in New
Liskeard, about 20 kilometres from Cobalt, became one of a growing number of
priests who have had to take on two or more parishes.

He has also had to cut the number of weekday masses at the Cobalt church from
five to one.

"There's only so many places I can be in at one time," he says.

"It is a constant juggling act trying to maintain a balance between the two
places."

About a dozen people used to attend the Christmas Day Mass in Cobalt, in
addition to the Mass on Christmas Eve. Fr. Lemire says if the Cobalt church
still had a priest, there would be a Christmas Day Mass.

Catholic residents of Mackenzie, B.C., have been without a priest for about six
years, according to Father Rodolfo Manaloto, of Christ Our Saviour Parish in
Prince George. Fr. Manaloto is one of two priests from Prince George who make
the 90-minute drive to Mackenzie once a month to celebrate Mass there.

Twice a month, the Sunday service in Mackenzie is led by a layperson.
Worshippers take communion, but wafers that were consecrated by a priest at a
previous service are used.

This Christmas, Mass in Mackenzie will be led by a semi-retired priest. There
will be one service only, instead of the two that are typically held in a parish
-- one on Christmas Eve and one on Christmas Day.

"We're just glad we have the one," says Sister Germaine Rosenberger, an Ursuline
nun from Saskatchewan who acts as pastoral life director for the parish.

There will be no priest in the parish to celebrate Mass on New Year's Eve or New
Year's Day.

In central Newfoundland, the Catholic Church will be able to meet its
obligations, but barely. Bishop Martin Currie will leave his cathedral in Grand
Falls this afternoon to drive 140 kilometres to a neighbouring parish to conduct
a Mass, then drive back to Grand Falls in time to prepare for Mass there at 11
p.m.

The central Newfoundland diocese has 18 priests serving 30 far-flung parishes --
on a weekend, some of the priests travel as much as 500 kilometres.

Four of the priests have been brought in from Ghana, but importing priests is
not a permanent solution, says Bishop Currie. The Ghanaian priests will have to
return to their country one day -- their bishop has permitted them only a
two-year sojourn in Canada.

Meanwhile, Bishop Currie's diocese has graduated only one seminarian in 13 years
-- last May.

"I have no one studying for the priesthood right now. What the solution to the
problem is, I don't know," Bishop Currie says.

On the west coast of the island, a priest from the cathedral in Corner Brook
will travel to Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in Benoit's Cove to celebrate
Christmas Mass with Catholics who have been without a resident priest for three
years.

"Last Christmas they had a priest who was studying up in Ottawa and he just
happened to be down here visiting some friends for Christmas and he filled in
down there, so they were lucky," says Father Bernard Buckle, of Sacred Heart
Parish in Corner Brook.

Father Pat Lafleur of Nativity of Our Lord in Timmins, Ont., says that with the
death this month of Father Les Costello, Catholics who had booked marriage
ceremonies at St. Alphonsus Church for next summer have had to reschedule with
other priests, and in some cases have had to pick new wedding dates.

A priest has come out of retirement to work part-time at the parish until
January, but no one has yet been found to take over duties full-time.

"We don't know what we're going to do. We don't know if we're going to take that
parish and split it among the other priests, or if we're going to say, 'I'm
sorry we just can't manage this parish anymore.' That's the kind of thing we're
facing," Fr. Lafleur says.

fdube@...

© Copyright  2002 National Post

interfaith

in 1996, the government of ontario granted the hac
permission to perform legally recognized marriages.
plans are being made to offer humanist weddings and
funeral ceremonies throughout canada. the first
funeral service conducted by an hac celebrant was
held in march 1995, the first hac wedding ceremony
was held in august 1996, and in june 1998, hac
performed its first naming and undoctrination
ceremony.

http://canada.humanists.net


A Humanist Officiant is licensed by the province of Ontario for the purpose of
performing marriages. He or she is required to be a member of the Humanist
Association of Canada, provide five references (three of which must come from
Humanists), and pass a course developed and offered by the Ceremonies' Committee
of the board of HAC. Collectively, our officiants have performed many hundreds
of ceremonies.
He or she pays an annual licensing fee, and is fully responsible for all costs
incurred by providing the service (ex. advertizing, office supplies,
correspondance, etc.). There is no salary nor pay from the HAC for this work,
and the officiant is welcome to keep the honoraria offered by clients.
The officiants have no legal relationship with the local association (in our
case, the Humanist Association of Toronto).

Superman star and spinal cord research advocate Christopher Reeve
dies at 52

Jim Fitzgerald
Canadian Press


October 11, 2004



Actor Christopher Reeve accepts the 1996 National Courage Award given
to him by the Courage Center, in this Oct. 27, 1996 file photo,
recognizing his service as an advocate for persons with disabilities
at a ceremony in Bloomington, Minn. (AP/Andy King, File)



MOUNT KISCO, N.Y. (CP) - Christopher Reeve, the chiselled, strapping
Superman of celluloid who became another kind of hero as a force for
spinal cord research after a devastating horse-riding accident, has
died. He was 52.

Reeve, a quadriplegic for the past nine years of his life who vowed
that he would one day walk again, died Sunday of complications from
an infection caused by a bedsore.

His wife, actress Dana Reeve, issued a statement thanking "the
millions of fans from around the world who have supported and loved
my husband over the years." His mother, Barbara Johnson, told the
syndicated TV show The Insider: "I'm glad that he is free of all
those tubes."

"The world has lost a tremendous activist and artist, and an
inspiration for people worldwide. I have lost a great friend," said
actor and comedian Robin Williams.

After winning worldwide fame as Superman in four films from 1978 to
1987 and struggling to "escape the cape" with later roles, Reeve
suddenly became the face of spinal cord injury after his May 1995
riding accident.

The injury left him without the use of his arms or legs; he could not
breathe without a ventilator. He was still dealing with the horror of
his injury six months later when he decided how he would spend the
rest of his life.

"No one was specifically saying, 'You could lead the charge on spinal
cord disorders,' but hearing from certain people helped me formulate
the idea,' " Reeve wrote in his 1998 memoir, Still Me. "I have the
opportunity now to make sense of this accident. I believe that it's
what you do after a disaster that can give it meaning."

He used his Hollywood fame to win attention and funding for
scientific study of disabilities like his and to lobby for looser
restrictions on stem-cell research.

"I consider myself a spokesman for people who can't call the
president or a senator or testify before Congress," Reeve said in a
1998 interview with The Associated Press.

Maggie Goldberg, spokeswoman for the Christopher Reeve Paralysis
Foundation, said: "Christopher took his celebrity and turned it into
a legacy."

"I'm only sorry that he won't be around anymore to benefit from it,"
said Henry Steifel, 39, of New York City, a quadriplegic since a car
accident at 17. "He wasn't there just to lend a name; he was there to
lead, to step out and challenge the accepted dogma of the time that a
paralysis cure was unattainable."

In 2000, Reeve gained the ability to move his index finger, and a
specialized workout regimen made his legs and arms stronger. Repeated
electrical stimulation of the muscles gave him sporadic sensation in
other parts of his body.

He did walk once - in a TV ad, set in the future, shown during the
2000 Super Bowl. Some were fooled by the special effects into
thinking Reeve had been cured. Reeve insisted the scene
was "something that can actually happen."

http://www.canada.com/news/topstories.html

sanandon turns down playboy

susan sarandon has been asked to pose nude for playboy -
at the age of 58.

sarandon is refusing playboy's lucrative offer because
she doesn't want to embarrass her children.

http://tor.sunpub.com

From:   shirley maclaine
Subject:   New News Oct 14, 2004

----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Hello

Filming Bewitched is going very well.  I am enjoying it
tremendously and my
costumes are out of this world.  But I have a few
important things I wanted to
share with you.

I wanted to let you know that I have a special guest
for IE Radio this week
and a special project that I hope we can all join
together to help along.

Our guest this week is Antonia Plemmons, or Tonia, as
she is called by her
friends. Tonia became a "left behind parent" due to
parental abduction in
1994. After the legal system failed in recovering her
family, she began, out
of necessity, an exhaustive private search for her own
children, which after
five years, she recovered.   Because of her experience
she has dedicated
herself to assisting other family members in their
searches for lost children
through Team Amber Alert, a non-profit charitable
organization that has helped
many families.  At any given time there are over 3
million children missing.
She has valuable information to share with us and is
providing a very
important service to families of the missing and the
missing themselves.  To
learn more about Team Amber Alert, please visit the
website:
http://www.teamamberalert.net/news and tune into IE
Radio this week.

Now - the special project.  All of you know how I feel
about animals... They
are a direct link to the Divine, as far as I am
concerned.  There is a
wonderful organization that is associated with Team
Amber Alert that is called
Canines for Kids, Inc.  Canines for Kids is owned and
operated by Mike Craig
and his partner, Linda Dunn, who train search and
recovery dogs.  Mike foots
most of the bills for the animals and the training on
his own and travels,
with the dogs, to areas where they are needed.  To
learn more about what Mike
does please visit his site,
http://www.caninesforkids.com  Heaven forbid any
of us need a service like this, but it is comforting to
know that Mike and his
dogs are there if we do.   He is doing a huge service
for many communities and
I think we should help him out.

I purpose a Help Canines for Kids drive.  There is
quite a list of things that
Mike and his fur people can use, but some of the most
important are:
1) Donations of gift certificates from Wal Mart or Sams
Club or other chains
to purchase needed supplies.
2) Dry Dog Food (Beef'n More from Sam's Club, preferred
Sports Mix or Pro Pac)
3) Canned Dog Food (Beef'n More, Pedigree or Alpo)
4) Dog Biscuits (Large) and Dog Treats (any)

These items, donations (please do not send cash), and
other doggie items can
be sent to:
Canines for Kids, Inc.
4581 B Tangle Ridge Trail
Burlington, NC 27217
(336) 578-8538
Mike's email is: info@...

All of this is tax deductible, but more importantly, it
is helping a very
worthy cause, fur people that provide a special
service, and a team that is
doing remarkable work.  If you can help out, it will
greatly appreciated by
Mike, Linda, and the dogs.

On another issue of importance... October is Breast
Cancer Awareness Month.
My Mother had breast cancer and as many of you know,
our own Bj is a breast
cancer survivor.  This is a subject of great
significance that affects women
of all ages and men, too.  Because of its importance, I
want to direct your
attention to an article by Cynthia Drassler, CEO of
Organic Excellence.  It is
on the history of natural progesterone and is very
appropriate for this
month.  You can access it directly from the home page:
http://www.shirleymaclaine.com  Or by going directly to
the page:
http://www.shirleymaclaine.com/healthaging/healthprogesterone.html
It is full of valuable information.  And... Ladies,
don't forget to do a
monthly self examination and give yourself a present.
Schedule a mammogram or
the newer technology of a thermogram.  Do it for you!

In Love and Light,
Shirley

in brief

gay marriage gets a boost in n.y.

same-sex marriages performed in canada are as valid to new
york state's largest public employee pensionfund as the u.s.
weddings of heterosexuals, state comptroller alan hevesi
said.

hevesi said new york state court rulings and a march 2004
opinion by state attorney general eliotspitzer dictate full
benefits be extended to the partner of a public employee if
the couple has been married in canada.

-24 hours news services
[printed]

--------------------------------------------------------

'a' pride on the rise as asexuals seek approval
study finds 1% of adults
by heather sokoloff

one percent of adults say they are not attracted to men or
women, but identify as asexual, according to a canadian
researcher who conducted an unprecedented study.

to reach his conclusion, anthony bogaert, an associate
professor and psychology researcher at brock university in
st. catharines, combed through a massive british public
health study that examined the sexual practices of 18,000
individuals.

the survey, conducted in 1994 as part of a study into sexual
practices, was one of the few that asked respondents if they
felt attracted to men or women - or had never experienced
sexual attraction at all.

dr.bogaert found that 1% of respondents agreed with the
statement: "i have never felt sexually attracted to anyone
at all."

some activists have already started campaigning to promote
awareness and acceptance of asexuality, 'new scientist'
reports in its upcoming issue.

one such group, the asexual visibility and education network,
has an online store selling t-shirts bearing slogans as
"asexuality: it's not just for amoebas anymore."

it also seels a thong that reads: "it's only underwear.
get over it."

dr.bogaert's research is believed to be the first that
attempted to find how many asexual individuals exist in the
general population.

similar studies have placed the percentage of adults who
identify as gay or lesbian at about 3% of the population.

"usually when people talk about sexual attraction, they are
talking about sexual orientation, either gay or straight,"
said dr.bogaet. "but some are not attracted to anyone at
all."

he cannot explain why some people view sex as exciting as a
visit to the dentist, but he suspects, as with sexual
orientations, both biological and social factors are at
play.

and he does not think asexual people are repressed
homosexuals or traumatized by some horrible event - in fact
he doesnot view their lack of sex drive as a problem, as
long as they are happy in other areas of their lives.

"at this stage, it seems to be a variation on sexuality that
is out there," he says. "i don't consider it to be a
disorder.

"it could cause some stress in romantic relationships, and
some asexual people may not end up being in romantic
relationships with other people."

his research was published in the august edition of the
journal of sex research, and will be reviewed in
saturday's new scientist.

"if asexuality is indeed a form of sexual orientation,
perhaps it will not be long before the issue of 'a' pride
starts attracting more attention," new scientist says.

dr.bogaert has done other research on the factors that may
influence sexual orientation, including birth order and
parental age.

national post, with files from agence france-presse
[printed]

N.Y. Judge Removed From Bench by Panel Split Over
Sanction
New York Law Journal

A deeply divided New York Court of Appeals on Thursday
removed from the bench a popular upstate city judge
accused of neglecting counsel rights and setting
outrageously high bails. In the end, Judge Henry R.
Bauer's stubbornness weighed heavily against him. He
demanded a rare public hearing, insisted he had done
nothing wrong, and accused the Commission on Judicial
Conduct of promoting an agenda of the American Civil
Liberties Union rather than the law.

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1097686258276

From:   "Diana Block"
To:   news@...
Subject:   [FBW-News] OUR VOICES WITHIN OCT 24!!

----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

PLEASE SPREAD AND WORD AND COME TO THIS EXCITING
CELEBRATION!!


OUR VOICES WITHIN: OUR JOURNEY

Free Battered Women presents "Our Voices Within:Our
Journey", honoring
incarcerated survivors of domestic violence. Sunday,
October 24th from
1:30-4:30 pm (doors open at 1:00) at The Women's
Building, 3543 18th St.,
San Francisco.  Celebrate the release of 10 women
prisoners this past year
and the passage of a new law which supports the release
of more women!
Testimony by former prisoners, silent auction of art
work, Youth Speaks,
Roopa Singh, Samsara and more.  $10-25  donation, no
one turned away,
wheelchair accessible.  Free childcare and Spanish
interpretation available
with advance registration.  For more information
contact Free Battered Women
at  415-867-9963,  jdh@... or check
out our website at
http://www.freebatteredwomen.org.

======================================================================


laughs aim to end hurt

the toronto chapter of ywca is taking a different approach to this
year's week without violence campaign.

this time, its members have decided it's better to laugh.

the inaugural laugh until it doesn't hurt event will bring togther
five female comedians for a show to support an end to violence
against women.

it is part of the international week without violence, which began
its ninth year yesterday, and is organized by the global women's
advocacy group ywca.

a meeting with canadian comedian jo anna downey inspired the toronto
comedy event.

"i know women who are survivors of violence and i admire their
strength and courage. the ywca seeks to empower women who have been
victimized," says downey, who will host the event. "for women in the
audience who are at the turning point in their lives, female standups
are strong, smart and powerful. i think that it is important for
women to hear women with strong voices."

but the event isn't for women only, said amanda dale, the director
of advocacy and media for ywca's toronto chapter.

"anyone is welcome," dale says. "all those who enjoy women's humour
and love standup, but especially those who are concerned with the
issue of violence, and want a place to have a relase,"

this is not a fundraising event, but an awareness-raising event."

violence can be an overwhelming issue, and it's difficult to raise
awareness when the public is either tired of hearing about it, or
are simply desensitized, dale explains. this is what makes laugh
until it doesn't hurt all the more imporant.

"laughter is also a great release of stress and tension," dale says.
"we thought we'd let everyone let off some steam."

laugh until it doesn't hurt will take place on wednesday, at spirits
bar and grill, 642 church st., (for those 19 and older), but ywca
kick-started its week without violence events last night with a girl
jam 2 at revival, 783 college st.

for more information, visit
http://www.ywcatoronto.org/get_involved/wwv.htm

kavita gosyne
for metro toronto

From: OCSJ <ocsj@...>
Subject: [ONR] FW: RISE UP! News & Events -
To: <ocsj-announce>,  <ONR-announce@>

There are a bunch of events happening!

Check them out.


--------
Kim Fry
Coordinator
Ontario Coalition for Social Justice
15 Gervais Dr., Suite #305
Toronto, Ontario
M3C 1Y8
PHONE: 416-441-3714
FAX: 416-441-4073
ocsj@...
kim@...
http://www.ocsj.ca

------ Forwarded Message

From: Anna Willats <awillats@...>
Subject: RISE UP! News & Events -

Hi everyone:  Feel free to share this newsletter with
friends and
colleagues.

Take care,
Anna


***************************************
***************************************

Catalyst Cafe
direct from New Zealand

Wednesday October 20, 2004 at 7:00 pm
A Journey From Sex Trade Worker to National Leader

Her Worship Georgina Beyer, M.P.

Direct from New Zealand, 'Her' Worship Georgina Beyer,
M.P. is of Maori
descent and a member of Parliament. As the first
transsexual in the
world
elected to national office, Georgina will recount her
path from a farm
in
Taranaki, through the streets and nightclubs of
Wellington and Auckland,
to the highest offices of power in New Zealand, from
transvestite to
woman.
She is a charismatic and spontaneous speaker known for
her oratory in
and
out of Parliament. Come and meet the remarkable
Georgina Beyer in person
at this special Catalyst Cafe.

CATALYST CAFE
Native Women in the Arts' Catalyst Cafes stimulate:
creative courage
civic engagement
appreciation of Aboriginal arts and culture
community cultural transformation

Cataylst Cafes are open to EVERYONE and are
Pay What You Can. Suggested Donation $10.

Please join us at Tallulah's Cabaret at Buddies in Bad
Times Theatre
12 Alexander Street (just north of College near Yonge)

General Seating. Refreshment and snacks are available.
Pay What You Can. Suggested Donation $10.

Co-presented by Native Women in the Arts &
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

With recognition of the generous support from:
Department of Canadian
Heritage, Canada Council for the Arts, Lesbian and Gay
Community Appeal,
Canadian Race Relations Foundation, Ontario Arts
Council, Toronto Arts
Council, Images Festival, 2-Spirited People of the
First Nations,
ImagineNATIVE,
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, U of T Lesbian Gay
Bisexual Transgender
Queer
Resources and Programs Office.

Please RSVP if you would like to attend this special
catalyst cafe
416-598-4078 or info@...
http://www.nativewomeninthearts.com

and ...

Wednesday October 27th , 7-9pm:
GEORGINA BEYER IN PERSON, Direct from New Zealand -
Film Screening of award winning documentary
"Georgie Girl" and a Q & A with Her Worship Georgina
Beyer, M.P.

WHEN:   Wednesday October 27th , 7-9pm:
WHERE:  Al Green Theatre (JCC Bloor, 750 Spadina Ave).
COST:   $15.

Everyone Welcome!
Call (416) 598-4078 or info@...

Co-presented by Native Women in the Arts and Images
Festival, in
association with ImagineNative Festival.

*Georgina Beyer: A Testament to the Power and Potential
of Aboriginal
Women/

**************************************
**************************************

Planned Parenthood of Toronto
Invites you to the book launch
Of:

Hear Me Out: True Stories of Teens Educating and
Confronting Homophobia

Wednesday, October 20, 2004
7:00pm
Metro Hall 3rd Floor
55 John Street
Toronto, Ontario

Please come out and support the work and volunteers of
T.E.A.C.H.
(Teens Educating and Confronting Homophobia) who have
written down their
stories in an eloquent and moving volume.

Refreshments provided; Wheelchair accessible; ASL
Interpretation
Pending (Will let you know ASAP)

Contact: 416-961-0113 x246 for more information

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***************************************

XEXE Gallery
October 21 ? November 13, 2004
Opening Reception Thursday, October 21, 2004, 6 pm - 9
pm

XEXE Gallery is pleased to present Senescent, a solo
exhibition of oil
paintings
by Toronto based Brynley Longman. ??

Brynley Longman?s work can be found in private
collections across North
America and Europe.
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
??
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
??
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
??
??????????XEXE Gallery
624 Richmond St. W.
Toronto, ON ?M5V 1Y9
416-646-2706
www.xexegallery.com

XEXE (she'she) n. devotion to a diverse representation
of fine art.

****************************************
****************************************

The business of housing: Financing development,
financing operations
Friday, October 22, 2004 - 8.45 a.m. to 12.15 p.m.

How much does it cost to develop new affordable
housing? What are
some of the key concerns regarding financing and
development?

How much does it cost to operate affordable housing?
What are the key
operating and capital costs?

The Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario and the
University of Toronto's
Centre for Urban and Community Studies are
co-sponsoring this free
community
forum for anyone interested in learning more about the
costs of
developing and
operating housing. There will be two panels featuring
experts from
co-op, non-
profit and private rental housing - along with
development consultants.

There will be plenty of time to get answers to your
questions.
Confirmed presenters
include: Dino Chiesa of CAP REIT, Harvey Cooper of the
Co-operative
Housing
Federation of Canada, consultants Jon Harstone and Tim
Welch and Vince
Brescia
of the Fair Rental Policy Organization.? Other
panelists will be
confirmed shortly.

Housing issues are moving up the political and public
agenda. There is
an emerging
patchwork of funding for new affordable housing. This
community forum
will help
housing advocates and others to better understand what
we need to
increase the
supply of new, truly affordable housing. The province
is planning to
introduce new
rent regulation legislation to replace the disgraced
Tenant Protection
Act. This
community forum will help tenant advocates and others
to understand the
real
costs of operating existing affordable housing.

There is no cost to attend this forum, but space is
limited.
PLEASE RSVP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to:
michael.shapcott@....

Make sure to include your name, organizational
affiliation (if any),
contact
information (including e-mail, telephone and postal
address) and the
names
and number of people who wish to attend. You will
receive a
confirmation with
information on the location, the names of confirmed
panelists and other
information shortly.

I look forward to seeing you on the 22nd!

* * * * * * *
Michael Shapcott, Research Co-ordinator
One Percent Solution?project,
Toronto Disaster Relief Committee

****************************************
****************************************

THE INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS PROGRAM SPEAKER SERIES
PRESENTS

DEREK BAXTER
HOLDING CORPORATIONS ACCOUNTABLE: THE CASE OF COCA-COLA
IN COLOMBIA

DEREK BAXTER is Assistant General Counsel to the
International Labour
Rights Fund (ILRF) where he litigates cases to hold
multinational
corporations
accountable for human rights violations. Baxter is
co-counsel in a
lawsuit filed
in the U.S.A. against Coca-Cola by the ILRF and the
United Steelworkers
of
America on behalf of SINALTRAINAL (the Colombian union
representing Coke
workers) and some members who have been murdered,
tortured, and/or
unlawfully detained.

This case presents the issue of corporate liability for
acts of
subsidiaries or agents.
Prior to joining ILRF, Baxter worked at a legal aid
project in
Virginia, representing
migrant farm workers.  In the course of this work,
Baxter traveled
extensively
throughout Mexico, Guatemala, and the southeastern
United States,
representing
clients and conducting discovery. He also worked at a
labour law firm
in Washington,
DC.  Baxter is a 1999 graduate cum laude of the New
York University
School of Law.

Friday, October 22, 2004
4:10 pm - 6:00pm

Faculty of Law, Falconer Hall, 84 Queens Park
Solarium, Room FA2
(Museum subway station)

Beverages and snacks will be provided

and ...

KILLER COKE CAMPAIGN HITS CANADA!
(http://www.killercoke.org)

RAY ROGERS, Director of U.S. based CAMPAIGN TO STOP
KILLER COKE, will
be in
the Toronto, Hamilton, Guelph and London from Oct.
17th-24th 2004.

See Campaign update
(http://www.killercoke.org/nl1013.htm)
See Ray Rogers bio (
http://www.corporatecampaign.org/raybio.htm)

****************************************
****************************************

Three-day conference hosted by the Association for
Research on
Mothering:
Mothering and Feminism
October 22-24, 2004.

Friday from 7-9pm: Keynote Speaker: Ariel Gore, author
of "Hip Mama
Survival
Guide", "Mother Trip: Hip Mama's Guide to Staying Sane
in the Chaos of
Motherhood" and "Whatever, Mom: Hip Mama's Guide to
Raising A Teenager",
speaking on "577 per Month".

Tickets available for Ariel Gore at TWB, $10.
Where: Atkinson College, York University, Toronto
Conference Fee: Registration from $125-$325.

For more details: www.yorku.ca/crm or email arm@...
Look for the TWB booktable at the ARM conference on
Saturday October 23!

***************************************
***************************************

D&D Productions, invite all women, trans folks,
queers + our
queer pals to

OCTOBER 23
SAVOUR: the flavour
SATURDAYS (second to last Saturday of the month)

at SAVOUR's gorgeous, curvaceous and much-loved monthly
home
ANDY POOLHALL
489 College Street (one block West of Bathurst, at
Markham)

with
RESIDENT DJ
DENISE BENSON synchro. ckln 88.1fm ?mental chatter?. eye
classic, tech + sexy house. electro. dirty disco.
hip-hop. rock.
reggae

ALONGSIDE GUEST:

SAT OCT 23 . DJ SPINNER: Rewind Your Mind

A longtime Savour and SHE Saturdays fave, DJ Spinner
knows how
to treat a crowd. He?s been mixing it up since old
school was
new and people wondered if house music would last.

Spinner?s selections and super tight blends are fresh
and fun,
combining current R&B, hip-hop and reggae with classic
house and
more. Sweet!

$5 at door, 10pm ? 3am
licensed, 19+ events for women, trans folks, queers +
our
friends

mentalchatter@... (info and to join Savour's
email list)

***************************************
***************************************

CUPE ONTARIO YOUNG WORKERS COMMITTEE INVITES YOU TO

A MINI-CONFERENCE ON SATURDAY OCT 23, 2004
Sheraton Hotel, 123 Queen St. W Toronto, ON $20.00 cost
for the day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THIS IS PART OF THE CUPE ONTARIO HUMAN RIGHTS AND
EQUITY CONFERENCE
THAT TAKES PLACE ON OCT 22-24, 2004.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OPENING PANEL
9:15: 10:15 Panel: "Making Space, Strategies for
Survival". A
discussion on
women, unions and activism.

MORNING CONCURRENT SESSIONS PICK ONE OF THREE Workshop
10:30 -12
GLOBALIZATION, PRIVATIZATION & THE IMPACT ON
WORKERS
This workshop will provide an overview of
globalization, privatization
and draws
the links to how workers, non-unionized workers,
and
part-time/contract
workers are directly and indirectly  impacted by  the
changing nature
of work
and the erosion of services, and their rights.

GETTING ORGANIZED: Developing Roots for Campaigns and
Action This
workshop provides the basis and fundamentals of
grassroots campaigns
organizing and addresses the question of how to build
an integrated and
inclusive approach to campaigns work

UNION HISTORY: THE ROLE OF CUPE IN THE MOVEMENT Find
out about the
ins and outs of CUPE and the role the union has played
in building a
movement of workers.

AFTERNOON CONCURRENT SESSIONS
1:30 - 3pm THE RAE REVIEW: WHAT IS IT and HOW to FIGHT
it!
In response to public pressure, the Ontario government
followed through
on its
election promise to freeze tuition fees for two years.
While freezing
tuition fees is
an important first step in restoring access to college
and university,
Ontario
university tuition fees are frozen at the second
highest level in
Canada.  But
now Bob Rae is in charge of "advising the Premier" on
post-secondary
education
policy and it is becoming increasingly clear that Rae
intends use his
position to
continue his war on Ontario families by recommending
loan schemes that
will
accelerate tuition fee increases at colleges and
universities, and
further privatise
post-secondary education. This workshop will provide
info on the Rae
Review,
what's at stake for public education and how to fight
this government
and win.

CRIMINALIZATION OF POLITICAL DISSENT This workshop will
address the
criminalization of political organizing and dissent
both in the
workplace and on
the streets. Participants will learn about their
rights, how to protect
them, and
will strategize about how to do political organizing in
the context of
a broad attack
on civil rights. This workshop presents a political
overview of last 10
years in Ontario
to give context to the attacks on workers and civil
rights.

UNIONS 101: CREATING SPACE IN THE UNION Tips and tools
on how to create
space in the union, how to manage a meeting and break
through the
barriers to
find your space in the union. You put the U in
U-N-I-O-N.

3- 4pm CLOSING PLENARY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FOR MORE DETAILS ON THE CUPE ONTARIO HUMAN RIGHTS
CONFERENCE CHECK OUT
http://www.cupe.ca
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

***************************************
***************************************

Women?s shelter celebrates 25 years with dynamic
speaker series

Lanark County Interval House has a lot to celebrate.
Over the past
quarter
century, it has sheltered more than 5,000 women and
children and
provided
support to thousands more who have called its crisis
line or used its
outreach services.

To mark this significant achievement, four exceptional
women have
agreed to
come to Lanark County and share their knowledge and
fascinating
stories. The
Speakers Series, Crossing Borders, Opening Doors, will
feature author
and
feminist Jane Doe, the honourable Flora MacDonald, land
mine activist
Celina
Tuttle and police officer, Sgt. Isobel Anderson.

Jane Doe was sexually assaulted in 1986 by a man who
had already raped
four
women and was known to Toronto police as the ?Balcony
Rapist?. When she
discovered that the police had deliberately failed to
warn area
residents
about the danger, she sued the police and won. The
ordeal took more
than 10
years. Her book, The Story of Jane Doe, documents one
woman?s refusal
to be
victimized by the courts and the police. Jane will be
appearing October
26
at the Perth Studio Theatre.

On December 2, former member of parliament and cabinet
minister, Flora
MacDonald will speak at the Carleton Place Town Hall.
Since her
retirement
from the government, she has been an advocate for human
rights through
numerous national and international agencies.

At the Old Almonte Town Hall on January 25, 2005,
Celina Tuttle will
talk
about global efforts to eradicate the use of
antipersonnel land mines.
Very
active in the Mines Action Canada Coalition, she now
works for Geneva
Call,
an international humanitarian organization that works
at engaging armed
rebel groups to respect the ban on land mines.

On International Women?s Day, March 8, 2005, Sgt.
Isobel Anderson will
speak
at the Carleton Place arena hall. At 19, Anderson
became the first black
female officer in Rhodesia, South Africa. In 1994,
after immigrating to
Canada, she became the first black female officer hired
on the Ottawa
Police
Service. Since being stuck with a used needle during a
robbery, Sgt.
Anderson has worked tirelessly to have legislation
passed that would
require
criminal suspects to provide voluntary blood samples
for testing.

Tickets for the speaker series cost $50. Single tickets
are $15, $8 for
students, and available at Shadowfax in Perth, SCR
Music in Carleton
Place,
The Village Pump in Smiths Falls and The Miller?s Tale
in Almonte. All
presentations start at 7:30pm. For more information,
contact Fern
Martin at
253-3336 or 1-888-414-7321, ext.10.

****************************************
****************************************

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 27, TORONTO? -
READING AT SANDRA ALLAND'S BOOKLAUNCH

Performance poet and chapbook superstar  Sandra Alland
kicks off a
hot fall season of Toronto writers from McGilligan
Books with her first
full-length poetry collection, Proof of a Tongue. The
collection
eloquently
establishes Alland as a voice to be reckoned with in
Canadian poetry.

   Proof of a Tongue launches on Wednesday, October 27th
at 8:00 PM.
Joining Sandra Alland on stage at  Clinton?s Tavern,
693 Bloor West,
will be legendary icon of Canadian poetry bill bissett,
dub poet
d?bi.young
and the multi-talented Anna Camilleri.

*****************************************
*****************************************

"Notice of Public Meeting" to address concerns re.
the Police Complaints System on Oct. 28th from 6-9pm at:

Location:
Metro Hall
   55 John Street
   Room 308
   Time:  6:00 - 9:30 p.m.
   Date: Thursday, October 28, 2004

A list of presenters for each meeting will be set in
advance to
facilitate the
discussion and ensure that the meetings proceed in an
orderly fashion.
Presentations will be limited to five minutes each.
Therefore, if you
would
like to make an oral submission at any of these
meetings, please send
in a
request to present. Requests must be received three
days prior to the
meeting
and should include either the submission to be
presented or a short
outline.
It cannot be guaranteed that those showing up to
present without having
made a prior request will be able to do so. Requests to
present may be
sent to:

   The Hon. Patrick J. LeSage, Q.C.
   Police Complaints Review
   The Wicket, 777 Bay St.
   P.O. Box 46119
   Toronto, ON
   M5G 2P6

   Fax: (416) 326-2699
   Email:
presentationrequest@...

Those making a request to present should include a
daytime telephone
number so that they may be contacted regarding their
request.
Website: http://www.policecomplaintsreview.on.ca

***************************************
***************************************

Hiya Happy People!

THE L.O.F.T. Program is holding its Annual
Program
Fundraiser -
MiX n MiNGLE

on Thursday October 28, 2004 @ Tavern - 693
Bloor St. West

Mix n Mingle is a night of good music, good people and
good vibes!

We will have live performances, live Deejay, give aways
& a 50/50 draw!

Stay tuned for more info & the new L.O.F.T. website ..
just wanted to
get
the buzz out there!

Hope to see all of you there!

THE L.O.F.T. Program
peace, love & prosperity

***************************************
***************************************

Canadian Peace Alliance Convention
????????Building the Other Superpower! A pan-Canadian
peace conference
   ???????? ???????November 5-7th 2004
   ???????? ???????Ryerson University, Toronto

Organized by the Canadian Peace Alliance
   Partners:
   Toronto Coalition to Stop the War
   Canadian Voice of Women for Peace
   and the Women's International League for Peace and
Freedom Canada

   VOW and WILPF will be holding meetings at the same
time as the
   Canadian Peace Alliance convention

   Deadline to request billets October 1st 2004
   (you are strongly urged to make your request earlier
since billets will
   be allocated on a first come, first served basis and
we cannot
guarantee
   that everyone can be billeted)

   Early registration deadline October 1st , 2004
   Deadline to request a travel subsidy October 1st ,
2004
   e-mail <mailto:cpa@...>cpa@... for more info

*****************************************
*****************************************

CALL FOR CURATORS
Deadline Friday, November 5, 2004

   Inside Out, presenters of the Toronto Lesbian
Film and Video
Festival,
is now accepting proposals for curated programs to
screen at the 15th
Annual
Festival from May 19-29, 2005. The proposal has to be
submitted in
writing
and submitted by Friday, November 5, 2004

   The proposal should include a detailed description of
1-2 pages
stating the
theme of the film/video program or video-art
installation and include a
tentative
list of films and videos that you might want to screen
in the program. ?

   Please see our website for details.

   Please submit the proposal to Kathleen Mullen,
Director of
Programming, at
kathleen@... or send to 401 Richmond St. West
#219, Toronto, ON
M5V 3A8. Call me at 416-977-6847 if you have any
further questions.

*****************************************
*****************************************

WOMEN?S CONNECTION
FOR WOMEN WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES

Workshop facilitated by Fran Odette, well-known author
on issues
concerning
women with disabilities. She will address the issues of
body image,
believing in
you, a-sexuality and many other issues.
Saturday, November 13th from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
At Surveyor?s Point
111 Agnes Street, Mississauga.  Party Room, 1st Floor
(Located one Block North West of Hurontario and Dundas
intersection)  -
Buzzer # 219
Attendant services will be available as well as
refreshments.
For free registration, call France Tolhurst at (905)
755-5791 or e-mail
to
france.tolhurst@...
Your registration will be confirmed by phone or e-mail.

Organized in partnership by:  Trillium Health Centre,
The Coalition for
Persons with
Disabilities, Interim Place, Sexual Assault/Rape Crisis
Centre of Peel,
The Ontario
March of Dimes, and Transitional Support Centre.

*****************************************
*****************************************

Latinas on Leadership
Training on Violence Prevention

   Mujer has identified an increase in violence against
women and
children in the
Latinamerican community of Toronto.? Issues of violence
facing
women
are often a reflection of larger social problems.? It
is Mujer?s
intention to provide
a training directed towards Latinamerican women
on how to prevent
violence in their own relationships, provide support to
women,
and end violence.
     ?     Mujer is proud to present a training program
offered to
Latinamerican
women.
     ?     ?Committed to become an activist against
women violence?
     ?     Eight training sessions of four hours for
Latinamerican
women,
interested in learning how to prevent violence,
including that with
their intimate partner.

For information and a registration form, contact:
Lilian Valverde? 416 515 9413
info@...

****************************************
****************************************

CAPA (Coalition Against Psychiatric Assault)

Who Are We and What Do We Stand For? Formed in 2003,
CAPA is a
coalition of
people committed to dismantling the psychiatric system
and building a
better world. Radical and visionary, we are comprised
of activists,
psychiatric survivors, dramatists, academics, and
professionals. We see
problems in living which are currently pathologized as
largely created
by
sexism, capitalism, racism, ableism, and other systemic
oppressions. We
see
the very concept of mental illness as flawed. We object
to
incarceration,
electroshock, and the vast array of brain-damaging
drugs. We oppose the
violation of human rights which is endemic to
psychiatry. We see a
connection between globalization, intolerance, and the
mass marketing of
the mental health industry. The world which we strive
to co-create is
one
where people are not pathologized, where care is
neither commodified nor
professionalized, where choice and integrity are
respected, and where we
are all joined in caring and creative community to each
other and to the
planet earth.

What Do We Do?    Educationals and strategic
non-violent resistance

Who Is Eligible to Be a Member? Core members attend
regular meetings and
vote.  Eligibility for core membership is a rigorous
antipsychiatry
philosophy. By contrast, members-at-large need not be
antipsychiatry
though
should be critical of the system. While
members-at-large do not attend
core
member meetings, they can be intricately involved in
our actions and
help
to shape them. This is an inclusive organization. If
you are
dissatisfied
with any part of the psychiatric system, if you want to
combat human
rights
abuse, we need you-your skills, thoughts, and presence.
And you are
welcome
in CAPA.

Contacts:     Don Weitz (416) 545-0796; Dr. Bonnie
Burstow (416) 538-7103.

****************************************
****************************************

'Get Tough' Programs Are Ineffective, Panel
Says
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: October 17, 2004

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 (AP) - Boot camps and other
get-tough program do not prevent criminal behavior, as
intended, and may make
the
problem even worse, a new study has found.  ... SNIP

http://nytimes.com/2004/10/17/politics/17violence.html>

*****************************************
ONR

Jan. 7, 2003. 01:00 AM


Standards urged for justices of the peace
Top judge calls for formal appointments Attorney-general agrees to
discussion


TRACEY TYLER
LEGAL AFFAIRS REPORTER

Qualifications could soon matter more than connections when it comes
to being appointed a justice of the peace.

The judge in charge of one of Ontario's busiest courts says it's time
to consider a formal process for appointing justices of the peace and
spelling out qualifications.

There are currently 311 justices of the peace in Ontario, who make
decisions on everything from whether police should be allowed into
your home to conduct a search or if an accused person should be
granted bail.

However, the vast majority — about 95 per cent — come to the job with
no formal legal training. They are sometimes perceived as political
hacks enjoying the perks of patronage.

The current crop includes several former MPPs and mayors, ex-school
trustees and a former car salesman. JPs are appointed by the attorney
general.

At a news conference yesterday to mark the annual opening of the
province's courts, Chief Justice Brian Lennox of the Ontario Court of
Justice said his proposal for introducing standards into the process
of appointing justices of the peace is not intended as a criticism of
JPs now presiding in Ontario.

They do "a good job" of tackling an important and wide-ranging issues
affecting everything from people's liberty to privacy interests,
Lennox said.

It's simply the next logical step in the "evolution" of the justice
of the peace bench, which is naturally becoming better qualified as
more candidates compete for the job, he suggested to reporters at
Osgoode Hall in Toronto.

Lennox drew a comparison to provincial court judges, who, until 1968,
were mainly laypersons with no formal legal training.

"In this process of evolution of the justice of the peace bench, it
has now become evident that the issues of qualifications and process
of appointment need to be addressed," he said.

Attorney-General David Young has agreed to discuss the issue, he
added. Yesterday, Lennox declined to say what the appropriate
qualifications for a justice of the peace might be or whether the
appointment process should include a screening committee similar to
the one for judges.

He also stopped short of saying whether he believes JPs should hold a
law degree.

But the Criminal Lawyers Association, which has been pushing for a
more open appointment process, including some minimum standards for
JPs, doesn't see that as an unreasonable request.

"In terms of qualifications, what's wrong with requiring that someone
who is making decisions on legal principles and applying the law have
a legal education?" said Toronto criminal lawyer Bob Richardson, who
heads the association's subcommittee on JPs.

Last summer, two justices of the peace were publicly criticized for
imposing publication bans that were later overturned by Superior
Court judges.

JPs salaries are listed as between $57,000 and $78,000 a year. For
reasons that are not clear, some have earned more than $100,000.


Toronto Star

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Search 'Ontario Marriage Act'
http://www.google.ca

Catholics cope with priest shortage
'Constant juggling act': Ghanaian imports, retired clerics filling gaps at
Christmas

Francine Dubé
National Post


Tuesday, December 24, 2002



The shortage of priests in Canada has become so acute that some churches are
cutting the number of Christmas masses being celebrated this year and retired
priests are being pressed into service.

Father Benoît St-Onge has been responsible for three churches in the Montreal
suburbs of Rosemère, Lorraine and Bois de Filion since August, when a fellow
priest left the fold.

Since then, Father St-Onge has met his obligations with the help of a
74-year-old retired Jesuit, but he has had to reduce the number of Christmas
masses at the three churches this year from 11 to nine.

"For sure that we can't do with two priests 11 masses, that would not be human,"
says Fr. St-Onge, who will lead five masses today and tonight.

The shortage of priests has also meant a reduction in services offered to
Catholics. Daily masses are no longer offered at any of the three churches,
though each one holds at least one weekday mass.

There are fewer than 10,000 priests in Canada today, down from 15,000 in 1970.
The number of seminarians has dropped from 2,645 to 550. The situation is so
dire that priests are postponing retirement and the death of a priest can sound
the death knell of a parish.

In the Northern Ontario town of Cobalt, there will be a Christmas Eve mass, but
Christmas Day mass has been cancelled.

In September, Father John Lemire, 33, of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in New
Liskeard, about 20 kilometres from Cobalt, became one of a growing number of
priests who have had to take on two or more parishes.

He has also had to cut the number of weekday masses at the Cobalt church from
five to one.

"There's only so many places I can be in at one time," he says.

"It is a constant juggling act trying to maintain a balance between the two
places."

About a dozen people used to attend the Christmas Day Mass in Cobalt, in
addition to the Mass on Christmas Eve. Fr. Lemire says if the Cobalt church
still had a priest, there would be a Christmas Day Mass.

Catholic residents of Mackenzie, B.C., have been without a priest for about six
years, according to Father Rodolfo Manaloto, of Christ Our Saviour Parish in
Prince George. Fr. Manaloto is one of two priests from Prince George who make
the 90-minute drive to Mackenzie once a month to celebrate Mass there.

Twice a month, the Sunday service in Mackenzie is led by a layperson.
Worshippers take communion, but wafers that were consecrated by a priest at a
previous service are used.

This Christmas, Mass in Mackenzie will be led by a semi-retired priest. There
will be one service only, instead of the two that are typically held in a parish
-- one on Christmas Eve and one on Christmas Day.

"We're just glad we have the one," says Sister Germaine Rosenberger, an Ursuline
nun from Saskatchewan who acts as pastoral life director for the parish.

There will be no priest in the parish to celebrate Mass on New Year's Eve or New
Year's Day.

In central Newfoundland, the Catholic Church will be able to meet its
obligations, but barely. Bishop Martin Currie will leave his cathedral in Grand
Falls this afternoon to drive 140 kilometres to a neighbouring parish to conduct
a Mass, then drive back to Grand Falls in time to prepare for Mass there at 11
p.m.

The central Newfoundland diocese has 18 priests serving 30 far-flung parishes --
on a weekend, some of the priests travel as much as 500 kilometres.

Four of the priests have been brought in from Ghana, but importing priests is
not a permanent solution, says Bishop Currie. The Ghanaian priests will have to
return to their country one day -- their bishop has permitted them only a
two-year sojourn in Canada.

Meanwhile, Bishop Currie's diocese has graduated only one seminarian in 13 years
-- last May.

"I have no one studying for the priesthood right now. What the solution to the
problem is, I don't know," Bishop Currie says.

On the west coast of the island, a priest from the cathedral in Corner Brook
will travel to Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in Benoit's Cove to celebrate
Christmas Mass with Catholics who have been without a resident priest for three
years.

"Last Christmas they had a priest who was studying up in Ottawa and he just
happened to be down here visiting some friends for Christmas and he filled in
down there, so they were lucky," says Father Bernard Buckle, of Sacred Heart
Parish in Corner Brook.

Father Pat Lafleur of Nativity of Our Lord in Timmins, Ont., says that with the
death this month of Father Les Costello, Catholics who had booked marriage
ceremonies at St. Alphonsus Church for next summer have had to reschedule with
other priests, and in some cases have had to pick new wedding dates.

A priest has come out of retirement to work part-time at the parish until
January, but no one has yet been found to take over duties full-time.

"We don't know what we're going to do. We don't know if we're going to take that
parish and split it among the other priests, or if we're going to say, 'I'm
sorry we just can't manage this parish anymore.' That's the kind of thing we're
facing," Fr. Lafleur says.

fdube@...

© Copyright  2002 National Post

interfaith

in 1996, the government of ontario granted the hac
permission to perform legally recognized marriages.
plans are being made to offer humanist weddings and
funeral ceremonies throughout canada. the first
funeral service conducted by an hac celebrant was
held in march 1995, the first hac wedding ceremony
was held in august 1996, and in june 1998, hac
performed its first naming and undoctrination
ceremony.

http://canada.humanists.net


A Humanist Officiant is licensed by the province of Ontario for the purpose of
performing marriages. He or she is required to be a member of the Humanist
Association of Canada, provide five references (three of which must come from
Humanists), and pass a course developed and offered by the Ceremonies' Committee
of the board of HAC. Collectively, our officiants have performed many hundreds
of ceremonies.
He or she pays an annual licensing fee, and is fully responsible for all costs
incurred by providing the service (ex. advertizing, office supplies,
correspondance, etc.). There is no salary nor pay from the HAC for this work,
and the officiant is welcome to keep the honoraria offered by clients.
The officiants have no legal relationship with the local association (in our
case, the Humanist Association of Toronto).

From:   "UN News Service"
To:   <news@...>
Subject:   WOMEN STILL FACE OBSTACLES IN REACHING SENIOR STAFF
POSITIONS AT UN - REPORT

----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

WOMEN STILL FACE OBSTACLES IN REACHING SENIOR STAFF
POSITIONS AT UN – REPORT

The United Nations has given itself a mixed report card
for its efforts to reach the General Assembly's target
of equality between the numbers of men and women in
professional and managerial staffing.

A report from Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the
Assembly says although the proportion of women at those
levels in the Secretariat, with contracts for one year
or longer, rose 1.7 percent last year to 37.4 per cent
on 30 June of this year, "the analysis of the
longer-term trends portrays a picture of uneven
progress in women's representation at all levels."

The reasons cited include unacknowledged biases among
hiring managers who are not being held accountable.
Another cause relates to expectations that managers
must "work long hours and always be available," thereby
fostering imbalances between work and home life.

In addition, jobs for spouses of UN employees are not
always easy to find in UN host countries and permission
to work is sometimes slow in coming, making transfers
impossible for some families, the survey adds. The UN,
however, has become the second largest client of
partnerjob.com, a non-profit agency which aims to find
jobs for spouses of transferred staff.

The annual growth rate towards the 50/50 goal is
expected to rise by only 0.4 per cent in professional
and higher categories for appointments of one year or
more, the report says.

It recommends some three dozen measures to deal with
all the obstacles to women's advancement that have been
found so far while suggesting a deeper examination of
other obstructions that are more difficult to analyze
because "barriers to career progression for women
become more informal and, thus, harder to identify,
particularly at the more senior levels of the
Organization."

An accompanying chart shows that on June 30 of this
year women formed 83.3 per cent of staff at the lowest
professional level, the P-1, but 16.7 per cent of the
highest staff level, the Under-Secretaries-General.

For positions filled according to geographical region,
women make up 42.3 percent of staff and the ratio is
growing by 1 per cent per year, the report says.

Meanwhile, "the Secretary-General fully shares the
views of the General Assembly regarding the issue of
creating a work environment in the United Nations
system that is free of harassment, especially sexual
harassment, and remains firmly committed to a
zero-tolerance policy in this regard."


________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at
http://www.un.org


-------------------------------------------------------------

medical amnesty

UN. Eighty-five heads of state and government have signed a statement endorsing
a U.N. plan adopted 10 years ago to ensure every woman's right to education,
health care, and to make choices about childbearing.

http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/9910587.htm


--------------------------------------------------------------

martha trying to raise the bars on prison cuisine
devises 'creative' recipes while in jail
subject to strip searches, lack of privacy

new york - martha stewart is using her prison time to figure out
"innovative ways to do microwave cooking" to share with fellow
inmates and is being treated with respect, her lawyer said.

"she's making the best of what's necessarily a difficult
situation," lawyer walter dellinger said on nbc's 'today'.

"there is no freedom. it's regimented. she has no privacy.
they are subject to strip searches. but she's so resilient."

stewart is in the first month of a five-month sentence at the
minimum-security federal women's prison in alderson, w.va.

she appealed her conviction late [last] wednesday.

because inmates can only use a microwave to do their own cooking,
stewart is working with fellow prisoners to "come up with some
creative recipes" based on the limited number of ingredients
available at the prison commissary, dellinger said.

"she has a group that is cooking," he said.

"she is trying to figure out innovative ways to do microwave
cooking which is all they have," he added.

"what she likes best about it, i think, is how much she likes
the fellow inmates and the people who run the prison facility
at alderson, and the respect that they al seem to have for each
other," dellinger said.

dellinger, who visited stewart in prison oct. 13, also said she
performed sanitation chores, such as cleaning toilets.

stewart spends up to three hours a night writing on a prison
typewriter with ribbons purchased at the prison store, he said.

the lawyer said he did not know what she is writing, but stewart
has suggested since her conviction that she might write a book
about her recent experience with the legal system.

associated press
toronto star

canada's stars say 'no' to star wars

an open letter to prime minister martin:

canadian involvement in u.s. missile defence would undermine
decades of canadian efforts to rid the world of nuclear
weapons. it would represent our acquiescence and willingness
to become an active participant in a permanent nuclear
future. as such, it would directly collide with the wishes
of the canadian people, who have expressed overwhelming
support for nuclear disarmament.

true security can only be achieved by establishing
relationships of mutual respect and co-operation, free of
exploitation, with nations and peoples throughout the world.

that is what we, as canadians, have always believed and
proudly stood for. and that is the kind of canada that we
want now and in the future. mr.martin, we implore you -
and all canadians - to keep canada out of missile defence.

bryan adams
sarah mclachlan
margaret atwood &
graeme gibson
steven page &
james raymond creeggan
of the barenaked ladies
bruce cockburn
matthew good
june callwood
robert bateman
lloyd axworthy
shirley douglas
alexandre trudeau
naomi klein
mel hurtig
benjamin butterfield
maude barlow
michael byers
paul moist
deborah bourque
chantal kreviazuk
stompin' tom connors
pierre berton
david suzuki
susan aglukark
robert munsch
"raffi" cavoukian
fred penner
stephen lewis
anton kuerti
michael ondaatje
linda spalding
john polanyi
linda mcquaig
avi lewis
lois wilson
joy kogawa
james orbinski
jennifer simons
buzz hargrove
jack layton

to support the campaign...

...make your donation at http://www.ceasefire.ca
or mail a cheque to the polaris institute, attn.
stars against star wars, 312 cooper st., ottawa on,
k2p 0g7.

see the full letter and list of signatories, and
add your name at:
http://www.ceasefire.ca


seven in ten canadians don't want canada to join the u.s. missile
shield. (ipsos-reid)


toronto star weekend

From:   <amnestyonline@...>

Subject:   Global Write-a-thon


SIGN UP FOR THE 2004 GLOBAL WRITE-A-THON

Thousands of Amnesty International members and friends
around the world come together every year on December
10, Human Rights Day, to help free prisoners of
conscience during the organization's annual Global
Write-a-thon. Bring Amnesty International's message of
hope to your community this year. Sign up to
participate today!

Sign up now:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=494029&l=10483

There are a number of ways to get involved in this
year's event. You can:

- participate as an individual
- hold a private gathering among friends
- organize a public letter-writing event
- help raise money to support Amnesty's lifesaving work

This year's Write-a-thon focuses on violence against
women in conflict and post-conflict situations. Every
day, women and girls around the world are threatened,
beaten, raped, and even killed with impunity. It's time
to recognize that violence against women is a global
human rights scandal that affects us all. This event
will help us make women's human rights a reality.

All registered participants will be given a
step-by-step organizing kit with all the tools to be
part of this global effort.

About December 10, Human Rights Day

On December 10th, 1948, the United Nations adopted the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It declared that
the "recognition of the inherent dignity and of the
inalienable rights of all members of the human family
is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the
world." It could arguably be called the birth of the
modern human rights movement.

Be part of this year's celebration. Sign up today!
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=494029&l=10483

- - - - - - - - - - - -

TAKE ACTION

Atefeh Rajabi, a 16-year-old girl, was executed in Iran
in August for "acts incompatible with chastity."
Reportedly, she was publicly hanged on a street.
According to reports, she did not have legal
representation during her trial and the judge is said
to have severely criticized her style of dressing. It
is alleged that she was mentally ill both at the time
of her alleged crime and during her trial proceedings.

ACT NOW:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=494029&l=10513

- - - - - - - - - - - -

EVENTS IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Join with other Amnesty International activists at a
regional conference this Fall.  These conferences offer
opportunities to learn, strategize, network, celebrate
and continue to strengthen our movement.

Find out more:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=494029&l=10514


- - - - - - - - - - -

TAKE ACTION

Stop violence against women! Find out what you can do
right now to make a difference.

Learn more:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=494029&l=10492


- - - - - - - - - - -

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

The Death Penalty

Alicia says: "...The idea of the death penalty as
revenge is wrong.  ...The fact of the matter is that
the death penalty is inherently flawed and thus must be
abolished."

Share your thoughts on the death penalty:
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=494029&l=10515

U.S. v. MARTHA STEWART (Oct. 20, 2004)
    Martha Stewart Appeals Her Federal Criminal
Conviction, Following
    Her Imprisonment In West Virginia

    Brief For Defendant-Appellant Stewart [PDF]

http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/mstewart/usmstewart102004aob.pdf

Superseding Indictment (U.S. v. Stewart, Bacanovic)
[HTML]
http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/mstewart/usmspb10504sind.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
-

Letting Children Witness Abuse Not Ground for Taking
Them
New York Law Journal

A battered woman's failure to prevent her children from
witnessing her own abuse does not automatically give
protective agencies license to remove the child, the
New York Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday in a
groundbreaking decision. The court, in response to
three questions posed to it by a federal appellate
panel, said domestic violence can indeed result in a
child's removal, but only after thorough examination
and specific evidence of physical or emotional danger.

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1098804613361

From: "Barbara Anello" <anello@...>
To: <ow-watch-l>,
<DAWN-Ontario>,
	 <pub-par>

Subject: [ow-watch-l] Social Services question from
Michael Prue

Subject: Social Services question from Michael Prue


October 28, 2004

MANY ON SOCIAL ASSISTANCE EXCLUDED FROM 3% INCREASE

QUEEN'S PARK-NDP MPP Michael Prue says that many
Ontario Disability
Support Program and Ontario Works recipients are
unfairly being denied
the 3% increase in their payments that was promised to
them last spring.

"This is completely unacceptable," says Prue. "These
are the most
vulnerable people in Ontario, and the McGuinty
government won't even give
them a miserable 3%."

The 3% increase was scheduled to take effect on July
1st, 2004 but, due
to an outdated computer system, will not be added
directly to assistance
cheques until February 28th, 2005. To cover that
interim period, the
Ministry of Community and Social Services is giving
recipients two lump
sum cheques. The cheques are issued September 30st and
November 30th for
ODSP recipients, and October 1st and December 1st for
OW recipients.

However, more than 7,700 people who were on assistance
for part of the
interim period, but went off before the cheques were
issued, are being
told that they are not entitled to even a portion of
the money to reflect
the months in which they received benefits. Likewise,
people who begin
receiving benefits after the cheques are issued, but
before the increase
is implemented, will see none of this money either.

"These people might have moved off of social
assistance, but that doesn't
mean that they've moved out of poverty," Prue says.
"Many of them have
moved onto OAS, or into low-wage jobs, and still need
any financial
assistance that they can get. Yet the McGuinty
government is denying them
the help they deserve."

One of Prue's constituents received ODSP benefits in
July and August
before she turned 65 and moved onto Old Age Security in
September. Her
share of the cheques would have been about $55.

"That may not sound like a lot of money," Prue says,
"but for a senior on
a fixed income, it makes a big difference."



Media Inquiries: Laurie Orrett (416) 325-1303


--__--__--

From: Catherine Manson [FLEM] <mansonc@...>
To: ow-watch-l
Subject: [ow-watch-l] Social Assistance Rates Question
from Michael Prue -

Please forward to all contacts - Michael is to ask the
question today in
Question Period


October 28, 2004

MANY ON SOCIAL ASSISTANCE EXCLUDED FROM 3% INCREASE

QUEEN'S PARK-NDP MPP Michael Prue says that many
Ontario Disability
Support Program and Ontario Works recipients are
unfairly being denied
the 3% increase in their payments that was promised to
them last spring.

"This is completely unacceptable," says Prue. "These
are the most
vulnerable people in Ontario, and the McGuinty
government won't even give
them a miserable 3%."

The 3% increase was scheduled to take effect on July
1st, 2004 but, due
to an outdated computer system, will not be added
directly to assistance
cheques until February 28th, 2005. To cover that
interim period, the
Ministry of Community and Social Services is giving
recipients two lump
sum cheques. The cheques are issued September 30st and
November 30th for
ODSP recipients, and October 1st and December 1st for
OW recipients.

However, more than 7,700 people who were on assistance
for part of the
interim period, but went off before the cheques were
issued, are being
told that they are not entitled to even a portion of
the money to reflect
the months in which they received benefits. Likewise,
people who begin
receiving benefits after the cheques are issued, but
before the increase
is implemented, will see none of this money either.

"These people might have moved off of social
assistance, but that doesn't
mean that they've moved out of poverty," Prue says.
"Many of them have
moved onto OAS, or into low-wage jobs, and still need
any financial
assistance that they can get. Yet the McGuinty
government is denying them
the help they deserve."

One of Prue's constituents received ODSP benefits in
July and August
before she turned 65 and moved onto Old Age Security in
September. Her
share of the cheques would have been about $55.

"That may not sound like a lot of money," Prue says,
"but for a senior on
a fixed income, it makes a big difference."



Media Inquiries: Laurie Orrett (416) 325-1303


Thank You - Catherine Manson

Community Legal Worker
Flemingdon Community Legal Services
49 The Donway West
Suite 205
Don Mills, Ontario    M3C 3M9

(mansonc@...)
Tel: (416) 441-1764, ext 31
Fax (416) 441-0269
http://www.flemingdonlegal.com


--__--__--


From: "Clayton Dignard" <resist.ca>
To: "OW Watch Listserv" <ow-watch-l>,
	 "Pub_par" <pub-par>,
	 "Homeless_Strike"
Subject: [ow-watch-l] XPress Article: Where's the
leader of the poverty movement?

http://www.ottawaxpress.ca/news/news.aspx?iIDArticle=4470


Where's the leader of the poverty movement?
Julie Fortier

City has budget for a new co-ordinator, if only it
would hire one

As the Rheostatics put it, it's a bad time to be poor.
First,
Homeless Action Strike protesters are kicked off the
Human Rights
Monument site in the wee hours of the morning. Then
homeless people
selling Dominion newspapers point out that they are
being ticketed
for, well, being poor, while squeaky-clean university
students are
allowed to aggressively beg for money for their causes.
Now it has come to light that one of the most active
anti-poverty
coalitions operating out of Ottawa has all but
disintegrated. Not
because of a lack of funds, the money is right there,
but because of
neglect and mismanagement by the City.

The 1999 community and regional Task Force on Poverty
convinced the
municipal government to set aside $70,000 a year for a
public
participation program designed to give a voice to poor
people. This
meant anti-poverty volunteer groups from all over
Ottawa could meet
in one location, the Somerset West Community Health
Centre, to
discuss projects and action.

One of the more active groups that benefited from this
initiative
was the Somerset West Action Network, or SWAN. The
organization
gained notoriety with help from the program with
initiatives such as
its Feed the Kids and Pay the Rent campaign in which it
lobbied the
provincial government for liveable social assistance.
This work all
but came to a halt when the co-ordinator left.

"When he (the program co-ordinator Fred Sadori) left,
he left
recommendations on how to hire a new co-ordinator and
what to do in
the meantime
to keep the organization running. None of the
recommendations were
followed," said SWAN member Clayton Dignard.

Dignard says one of the recommendations was to have
volunteers pick
up the slack until a new co-ordinator could be found
and have the
$70,000 divvied up among the volunteers. The Somerset
West Community
Health Centre did not do this, but instead have sat on
the money for
almost seven months and, some claim, even discouraged
volunteers
from trying to keep things running.

Diane Holmes, city councillor for the Somerset Ward,
said that the
money is not going anywhere. It is sitting with the
City until a new
co-ordinator is found.

Cliff Gazee, a former chairman for the City's advisory
committee on
poverty, has been active with the project from the
beginning. He is
now on the hiring committee for the new program
co-ordinator, but
said the process has been slow and the ad was not
widely circulated.
But, he said, the plan is now to hire someone soon. He
said
volunteers are still able to work out of the Somerset
West centre.

"There have been volunteers who have been keeping parts
of it
running, but strictly on a volunteer basis," he said.

The centre's executive director, Jack McCarthy, agreed
and said it
has played a vital role in supporting the public
participation
program. "We would always encourage volunteers to come
in and
participate. The only concern we would have would be a
lack of space
for the volunteers."

That was not the experience of SWAN volunteer Bob
Busby. He led
campaigns such as Justice with Dignity, in which a
busload of
protesters went to Sudbury to attend the coroner's
inquest into the
death of an eight-month pregnant woman who was under
house arrest
for accepting welfare while collecting student loans.

Although he too did not want to blame the Somerset West
centre, he
did state that he was made to feel "unwelcome" and was
discouraged
from working there. "But what's really important here
is that we
just get this project back up and running ... we just
want to see
something done about this."

The glaring lack of objection from SWAN and other
anti-poverty
groups when the Homeless Action Strike protesters were
so kicked out
and arrested, is evidence that the group is lacking in
leadership.

"Their mentality is that these are just poor people and
they don't
really know what they are doing," says Dignard about
the Community
Centre. He wanted to stress that although the centre
could be doing
more to make sure that SWAN keeps running, "The
community centre is
ultimately accountable to the City. It is the City that
is using
taxpayer's money for this project and it is the City
that is
allowing this to happen."




--__--__--

-
OW-Watch:
Workfare Watch Project:
http://www.welfarewatch.toronto.on.ca/
-

[if link is broken, please cut and paste into browser:]

A change was detected:


To be directed to the page, click (or double-click)
here:

http://www.ChangeDetection.com/page.html?p=6&id=3vg2zbp76bqxf

ignored yearly cost of living rent increases since 2001

medical transportation cut with children's services piracy
of senior disability files (not in with ohip)

mandatory two year audits with temporary family services
detectives on single long term disability

phone and website takeovers leading to citizen's bureau
office which is overthrowing marriages, divorces, birth
certificates, etc. in ontorio

welfare fraud entrapment scams on permanently disabled
odsp recipients

subsidized building takeovers with youth services
creating eviction threats to frail elderly long term
residents; preschool programs for single adult women

From:   "UN News Service"
Subject:   SENIOR PEACEKEEPING OFFICIAL URGES MORE INVOLVEMENT OF
WOMEN IN UN OPERATIONS

----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------
SENIOR PEACEKEEPING OFFICIAL URGES MORE INVOLVEMENT OF
WOMEN IN UN OPERATIONS

Although the male-dominated world of peacekeeping is
opening up to women, they still make up just a fraction
of senior officials in the field, the United Nations'
top peacekeeping manager said today.

All 18 UN humanitarian coordinators are men, and
Secretary-General Kofi Annan has only two female
political envoys worldwide, the Under-Secretary-General
for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Marie Guéhenno, told
a press briefing in New York.

"We certainly need to do better on that front," he said.

Women make up just 1 per cent of military personnel and
5 per cent of civilian police in UN missions, he said,
pointing out that this is a reflection of the
composition of forces contributed to the UN.

"The empowerment of women is a key part of any peace
process," the Under-Secretary-General said. "The
mission leadership are much more sensitized to the
issues than they used to be but certainly more needs to
be done."

Mr. Guéhenno also discussed the issue of reported
sexual abuse perpetrated by peacekeepers themselves.
"Obviously when we deploy in a country, in a society
that has been broken by conflict, the least that one
could expect is that one would do no harm."

Mr. Annan's zero-tolerance policy must be upheld, he
declared. "As long as there is one case of sexual
exploitation we all need to be very unhappy."

The UN is training staff and troop contributing
countries to implement strict standards of behaviour.
"We are working hard on a broad front so that all
allegations are pursued and all misconduct and crimes
are punished."

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at
http://www.un.org/news

=============================================================


Subject:   [women-rights] Despite promises violence against women continues
unabated, Amnesty says

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Public Statement
AI Index: ACT 77/078/2004

Amnesty International welcomes the open debate in
the UN Security
Council to assess implementation of Resolution 1325 on
women, peace and
security. The organization urges all governments, the
Security Council and
the UN system as a whole to take concrete steps to make
real the promises
of Resolution 1325 for all women living in conflict
affected situations.

Adopted in 2000, Resolution 1325 calls for increased
protection of women
during armed conflict, for an end to impunity for
gender-based abuses
during and after conflict, and the participation of
women at all levels of
decision-making related to prevention, management and
resolution of
conflict. Yet, notwithstanding modest progress in
mainstreaming gender
considerations in peace-keeping initiatives, violence
against women and
girls in conflict affected situations continues
unabated and most acts of
violence are never investigated nor are the
perpetrators brought to
justice.

The Security Council has before it the first
Secretary-General's report on
the state of implementation of Resolution 1325. Amnesty
International
welcomes this report and in particular its emphasis on
preventing and
responding to gender-based violence in armed conflict.
Amnesty
International shares the Secretary-General's concern
that "thus far, the
international community has not been able to prevent
acts of violence
against women from occurring during armed conflict".

Earlier this year, Amnesty International launched a
global Stop Violence
Against Women campaign, which aims to highlight the
responsibility of the
state, community and individual to take action to stop
violence against
women and girls and end impunity for perpetrators of
such violence. Our
research to date shows no reduction in this phenomenon.
Rather, we are
currently witnessing horrific levels of gender- based
violence committed
with impunity against women and girls in many conflict-
affected
countries, which the UN Secretary-General said "has
reached almost
epidemic proportions".

Amnesty International believes that the Security
Council and UN system as
a whole must do more to integrate the provisions of
Resolution 1325 in
their work. Since the adoption of Resolution 1325 in
October 2000, less
than 20 percent of Security Council resolutions include
language on women
or gender. Together with other NGOs, Amnesty
International is urging the
Security Council not only to call on the
Secretary-General to establish a
comprehensive UN-wide action plan, but also to
establish a focal point and
expert working group in the Security Council to ensure
further integration
of Resolution 1325 in all relevant areas of its work.

Amnesty International also welcomes the
Secretary-General's
recommendations on gender-based violence, and urges the
Security Council,
member states, and United Nations entities to take all
necessary measures
implement his recommendations:

* to apply increased pressure to parties to armed
conflict to cease all
violations of the human rights of women and girls,

* to end impunity for genocide, crimes against humanity
and war crimes,
including sexual and gender-based violations, and

* to conduct gender-sensitive investigations and report
findings
systematically to the Council.


---
"women-rights"

=============================================================


From:   Barbara Bourrier-LaCroix <clearhse@...>

Subject:   [CWHN CDN-WOMEN] Event - Toronto

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
The Centre for Feminist Research Presents,

Migrant Women's Quest for Social Justice: A Conference
on Gender, Race,
Health and Citizenship.

November 12, 2004

Founder's College, York University
Toronto, ON

All are welcome!
We encourage you to register in advance. For
registration and programme
information please go to:
http://www.yorku.ca/cfr/events/events.htm

Many Thanks,
Centre for Feminist Research
York University
cfr@...


Barbara Bourrier-LaCroix, BSc, MLS
Information Centre Coordinator / Coordonnatrice du
centre d'information
Canadian Women's Health Network
Réseau canadien pour la santé des femmes
203-419 Graham Ave.
Winnipeg, MB  R3C 0M3

Tél.: (204) 942-5500 ext/poste 15
Fax: (204) 989-2355
Toll-free: 1-888-818-9172
TTY/ATE: 1-866-694-6367
URL: http://www.cwhn.ca; http://www.rcsf.ca

_______________________________________________
CDN-WOMEN


===========================================================


  ===================================================
     Exploring Karma - Tales of a Universal Principle
===================================================

High in the reaches of Mount Kailasha is the abode of
Shiva, the
Hindu god of destruction. One evening Vishnu, the god
responsible
for preserving the cosmic order, came to see Shiva. He
left
behind at the entrance Garuda, the half-man, half-eagle
composite, who served as his vehicle.

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/product/EA11/aff10199

Garuda sat alone, marveling at the natural splendor of
the place.
Suddenly his eyes fell on a beautiful creature, a
little bird
seated on the arch crowning the entrance to Shiva's
place. Garuda
wondered aloud: "How marvelous is this creation! One
who has
created these lofty mountains has also made this tiny
bird - and
both seem equally wonderful."

Just then Yama, the god of death who rides a buffalo,
came
passing by with the intention of meeting Shiva. As he
crossed the
arch, his eyes went over to the bird and he raised his
brows in a
quizzical expression. Then he took his eyes off the
bird and
disappeared inside.

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/product/EA35/aff10199

Now, in the ancient thought of India, even a slight
glance of
Yama is said to be the harbinger of death. Garuda, who
had
observed Yama's action, told himself, "Yama looking
intently at
the bird can mean only one thing - the bird's time is
up. Perhaps
on his way back he will carry away the bird's soul with
him."
Garuda's heart was filled with pity for the helpless
creature.
That it was oblivious of its own impending doom further
agonized
Garuda and he resolved to save the bird from the
clutches of
death. He swooped it up in his mighty talons, rushed to
a forest
thousands of miles away and left the bird on a rock
beside a
brook. Then he returned to Kailasha and regained his
position at
the entrance gate.

Soon after, Yama emerged from inside, and nodded to
Garuda in
recognition. Garuda greeted the god of death and said:
"May I put
a question to you? While going in, you saw a bird and
for a
moment you became pensive, why?"

Yama answered him thus: "Well, when my eyes fell on the
little
bird, I saw that it was to die in a few minutes,
swallowed by a
python, far away from here in a forest near a brook. I
wondered
how this tiny creature would traverse the thousand of
miles
separating it from its destiny in such a short time.
Then I
forgot. Surely it must have happened somehow."

Saying this, Yama smiled and went away. Did he know
about Garuda'
s specific role in the matter? Nobody can know for
sure. Garuda
sat perplexed, mulling over the surprising turn events
had taken.


Karma, and its Consequences:

The word karma is derived from the Sanskrit root 'kri,'
meaning
'to do,' implying that all action is karma.
Technically, the term
incorporates both an action and its consequence. Thus
Garuda's
karma consisted of the act of carrying away the bird
and also its
consequent snatching by the cruel hands of destiny.
Hence, a
deed, pure in its content, led to an apparently
unfavorable
outcome. Through this subtle tale, we are made to
confront a
dilemma which constantly recurs in our own lives,
namely, the
relative impurity and purity of an action. Is an action
to be
deemed positive or negative solely on the basis of the
result it
generates? Or, is there some other criterion? Indeed
there is.
What determines the nature of the karma is the will or
intention
behind an act. As is mentioned in the Buddhist text
Anguttara
Nikaya, published by the Pali Text Society, "It is will
(chetana), that I call karma; having willed, one acts
through
body, speech or mind."

Indeed, an action is right or wrong as the motive is
right or
wrong:

"One who acts with the best of intentions, does not get
the sin
of the outward consequence of his action." (Yoga
Sikha). For
example, a doctor is not responsible for murder, if the
operation
per chance ends in the death of his patient. In the
above tale,
Garuda's duty was not to protect the bird, but rather
to try and
protect it.

"Even if a man does not succeed, he gets all the merit
of doing
his duty, if he strives the utmost to his capacity."
(Mahabharata: Udyoga Parva 93.6)

"Some undertakings succeed and others fail. That is due
to the
divine order of things. If a man does his part of the
work, no
sin touches him." (Mahabharata: Santi Parva 24.30)

It is the psychological impulse behind an action that
is 'karma,'
that which sets going a chain of causes culminating in
karmic
fruits. Actions then must be intentional if they are to
generate
karmic fruits. This Buddhist belief is slightly at
variance from
that of the Jains, and for the Buddhists, accidentally
treading
on an insect does not have such an effect as the latter
believe.
Thinking of doing some bad action is a bad karma,
however,
especially when one gives energy to such a thought,
rather than
just letting it pass. Deliberately putting down such a
thought
down is a good karma. In the same vein regretting a
past bad
action, and resolving not to do it again lessens its
karmic
result as it reduces the psychological impetus behind
the act.

One of the most significant instructional references to
karma
comes from the Bhagavad Gita, which says:

"You have the right only to work, but not to the fruits
thereof."
(2.47)

Significant here is the fact that we are entitled only
to act,
and have 'no right' over the ensuing results. This
profound
assertion is not mere discourse, but rather loaded with
sound
practical advice, which can act as a sensible strategy
for
whatever we set out to achieve. This is because the
outcome of
any enterprise is not solely dependent on our
individual efforts
but is bound to numerous other factors over which we
may or may
not have influence. Thus why worry over something on
which we do
not have control? Also, detaching ourselves from the
burden of
anxiety over the impending result frees us from mental
stress,
and enables us to devote ourselves with calm
concentration to the
matter at hand.

Mill has very forcibly pointed out that the best way of
getting
happiness is to forget it: "The conscious ability to do
without
happiness gives the best prospect of realizing such
happiness as
is attainable."


The Question of Good versus Evil:

In medieval China there once lived an old farmer, who
had a weak,
ailing horse for ploughing his field. One day, the
sickly horse
ran away to the hills.

The farmer's neighbors offered their sympathy to him:
"Such
rotten luck!" they exclaimed.

"Bad luck? Good luck? Who knows?" mused the farmer.

A week later, the old horse returned, bringing with it
a herd of
wild horses from the hills. This time, the neighbors
swarmed
around the farmer and congratulated him on his good
luck. His
reply however was the same: "Good luck? Bad luck? Who
can tell?"

Sometime later, while trying to tame one of the wild
horses, the
farmer's only son fell off its back and broke his leg.
Everyone
thought this was bad luck. "Bad luck? Good luck? I
don't know,"
said the farmer.

A few weeks later, the king's army marched into the
village and
conscripted every able-bodied young man living there.
The farmer'
s son, who was laid up with a broken leg was let off,
for he was
thought to be of no use to them.

Now what was this? Good luck or bad luck? Who can tell?

Things that seem adverse on the surface may actually be
good in
disguise. And something that seems to be attractive and
'lucky'
may actually be harmful to our best interests. The
learned ones
often leave it to a higher power beyond the material
world to
decide what is best for them.

Good and evil are not constant - they change according
to time
and circumstance. For example, an arrow is good if it
penetrates
its object; an armor is good if it is impenetrable by
an arrow.
In the heat of summer, coolness is good; while in
winter, heat is
beneficial According to Zen, saying that what is evil
includes
the good is not to assert that there is no difference
between
evil and good, just that the traditional dualisms need
to be
replaced with an understanding of the unity of being
According to
Zen master Suzuki: "All forms of evil must be said
somehow to be
embodying what is true and good and beautiful, and to a
contribution to the perfection of Reality. To state it
more
concretely, bad is good, ugly is beautiful, false is
true,
imperfect is perfect, and also conversely. This is,
indeed, the
kind of reasoning in which indulge who conceive the
God-nature to
be immanent in all things."

Kahlil Gibran puts it thus:

The selfsame well from which your laughter rises was
oftentimes
filled with your tears.

And how else can it be?

The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more
joy you
can contain.

Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that
was burned
in the potter's oven?

And is not the lute that soothes your spirit the very
wood that
was hollowed with knives?

When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you
shall find
it is only that which has given you sorrow that is
giving you
joy.

Some of you say, "joy is greater than sorrow," and
others say,
"Nay sorrow is the greater."

But I say unto you, they are inseparable. Together they
come, and
when one sits alone with you at your board, remember
that the
other is asleep upon your bed.

You cannot separate the just from the unjust and the
good from
the wicked;

For they stand together before the face of the sun even
as the
black thread and the white are woven together.

And when the black thread breaks, the weaver shall look
into the
whole cloth, and he shall examine the loom also.

Verily all things move within your being in constant
half
embrace, the desired and the dreaded, the repugnant and
the
cherished, the pursued and that which you would escape.

These things move within you as lights and shadows in
pairs that
cling.

And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily
miracles of
your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than
your joy.

You would know the secret of death. But how shall you
find it
unless you seek it in the heart of life?

If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open
your heart
wide unto the body of life. For life and death are one,
even as
the river and the sea are one.

We read in the Bhagavad Gita again and again that we
must all
work incessantly. There it is also mentioned that all
work by
nature is composed of good and evil. We cannot do any
work that
will not do some good somewhere and indeed there cannot
be any
action that will be free of any harmful residue. Every
work is
thus necessarily a mixture of good and evil; yet we are
commanded
to work incessantly.

Swami Vivekananda puts it succinctly:

"There is a thorn in my finger and I use another to
take the
first one out. When I have taken out the first, I throw
both of
them aside; I have no necessity for keeping the second
thorn
because both are thorns after all. So any negative
tendencies
plaguing our minds have to be counteracted by the good
ones. But
what after that? Even the good tendencies have now to be
restrained. The idea is to renounce attachment to any
ideal -
good or bad - and work, but let not the mind be unduly
anxious
about the results. Let the ripples come and go, let
huge actions
proceed from us, but let them not make a too-deep an
impression
on our souls. Work as if we are a stranger in this
land, a
sojourner, this is the amount of detachment that is
required.
Doing the duty, which is ours at any particular time is
the best
thing we can do in this world, and such a karma is our
dharma.
Never will unhappiness or misery come through work done
without
attachment. Work incessantly, but give up all
attachment to work.
Do not identify yourself with anything. In the ocean we
cannot
raise a wave without causing a hollow somewhere else."

If we want the reward we must also have the punishment.
The only
way to get out of the punishment is to give up the
reward. The
only way of getting out of misery is by giving up the
idea of
happiness, because they are but two sides of the same
coin. On
one side there is life and on the other death. The only
way to
get beyond death is to give up the love of life. Life
and death
are the same things looked at from different points.
This ebb and
flow, this rising and falling, is the world's very
nature. It
would be as logical to hold otherwise as to say that we
may have
life without death. Such an assertion is unjustifiable,
because
the very idea of life implies death and that of
pleasure pain.
The lamp is constantly burning out, and that is its
life. If we
want to have life we have to die every moment for it.


Emerson's Law of Compensation - Or Why Welcome
Hardships in Your Life?

After a grueling five days, you are looking forward to
a peaceful
weekend. On Saturday night you set out with your loving
wife
seated next to you and your adorable kids lodged
comfortably in
the back seat. The family is all set to dine out in
their
favorite restaurant. You have been starving yourself
the whole
day preparing for the impending feast. Suddenly, the
car starts
swinging to one side and you realize that you have a
flat.
Swearing, you get down and open the boot. Shockingly it
dawns
upon you that the spare wheel too is punctured. Ruing
your fate,
you realize that the much-awaited dinner is now not
possible.
Then suddenly you compose yourself and thank god for
the small
inconvenience he has subjected you to. Your family
stares at you,
wide-eyed in astonishment.

There is a harmonious law of adjustment and
compensation to which
all natural processes are subject. It plays a balancing
role in
our lives. This is an order in which, according to
Emerson,
"Every excess causes a defect, every defect an excess,
and all
seem governed by the deep remedial force that underlies
all
facts." Indeed, it all works out with absolute
exactness. Every
sweet hath its sour, every evil its good. Every
faculty, which is
a receiver of pleasure has an equal penalty put on it.
As a
Danish proverb has it, "After pleasant scratching comes
unpleasant smarting." Every advantage has its tax. For
everything
you gain, you lose something, and for everything you
have missed
you gain something else.

Emerson's doctrine that every thing has its price - and
that it
is impossible to get anything without paying a price
for it - is
not less sublime in the columns of a ledger than in the
budgets
of states, in the laws of light and darkness, in all
the action
and reaction of nature. Indeed, punishment is a fruit
that ripens
unsuspected within the flower of pleasure, which
conceals it. If
we escape one part we are tormented in another more
vital part.
Hence, let us all welcome the small trials,
tribulations and
discomforts which life offers us during our everyday
existence.
Totaled they will amount to much, and hence save us
from the
single, more damaging stroke which nature would
otherwise subject
us to.


Manipulating Karma - Or How to Put God in Our Debt

"There is a silent third party in all our bargains. If
you serve
an ungrateful master, serve him the more. Put god in
your debt.
Every stroke shall be repaid. The longer the payment is
withholden, the better for you; for compound interest
on compound
interest is the rate and usage of this exchequer."
(Emerson)

Perhaps this is what Jesus Christ had in mind when he
said: "If
any man take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak
also,"
(Matthew 5:40), because:

Woe to you that are rich, for you have received your
consolation.
Woe to you that are full now, for you will hunger.
Woe to you that laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for so did
their
fathers to the false prophets. (Luke 6:24-26)

And further:

For whosoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and he
that
humbles himself shall be exalted. (Luke 14:7-14)


Karma Yoga, or Work as Worship

"Your daily life is your temple and your religion."
(Kahlil Gibran)

"Our daily activity is the anvil on which all the
elements must
pass and repass in order to be purified and refined."
(Sri Aurobindo)

"Work done in the true spirit is meditation." (The
Mother)

The word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit root 'yuj,'
meaning
'to yoke' or 'join'. Thus, yoga is the science that
yokes 'the
finite' with 'the Infinite', or 'the finite spirit'
with 'the
Supreme Spirit'. Connecting ourselves with the
universal will
through work is known as Karma Yoga. Ancient scriptures
call it
the 'highest kind of yoga,'

Karma yoga is a means for seeking divinity in action
and life
itself, and not in some far, beatific and abstract
beyond. It is
therefore the discipline for finding and uniting with
the divine
through our day-to-day actions, thoughts and works. Or
it can be
referred to as the way, which confers to our ordinary
human
actions a divine status.

Truly, every act is sacred since we are not the doer
but a higher
reality is acting through us. We intuitively understand
that
everything comes from the divine and we have to offer
it back to
its source. When we realize this, then even the
smallest aspect
of our lives to which we usually do not pay any
attention or care
ceases to be trivial and insignificant; it becomes full
of
meaning and opens up a vast horizon beyond. According to
Aurobindo:

"What would you say if a temple, built according to the
design of
some great artist, were to boast: "Admire my merits; am
I not
beautiful, well-built, solid and durable? Truly I am
worthy of
all praise!" - just as if it were the author of its own
perfections. We would find that very silly and
ridiculous, and
yet that is what we are doing constantly. Because we do
not
perceive the labor of the Sublime Worker, we ascribe
the merit of
the work to ourselves."

Karmayoga is the consecration of one's life to the
divine. It is
to work with the feeling that the divine force is
working behind
our actions and leading us at every moment. Indeed, if
we have
succeeded, it was probably because the divine forces
were there
to help us, otherwise we would not have been able to
achieve even
what we have. We must not forget our limitations. Man
proposes,
and some one else disposes.

When we look upon work as worship, we offer up all the
fruits of
our work unto the divine. Our karma is offered as a
sacred
offering to the highest reality. Truly, this is the
reason why
the goddess Kali wears a girdle made up of severed
hands; these
signify the total sacrifice of the fruits of their
karma by her
devotees, offered at her feet in worship.

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/product/WC09/aff10199


Understanding Karma - Towards an Ethical Way of Life

"Trickery succeeds sometimes, but it always commits
suicide."
(Kahlil Gibran)

The Dhammapada is one of the most sacred and best-loved
of
Buddhist texts. It points out the method of
self-realization, by
the way of moral conduct:

Like garlands woven from a heap of flowers,
Fashion from your life as many good deeds.

The text further enlightens on the nature of the karmic
fruit:

For while the fool's mischief
Tastes sweet, sweet as honey,
But in the end it turns bitter.
And how bitterly he suffers!

Fresh milk takes time to sour.
So a fool's mischief
Takes time to catch up with him.
Like the embers of a fire
It smolders within him.

A fool is happy
Until his mischief turns against him.
And a good man may suffer
Until his goodness flowers.

But as dirt thrown against the wind,
Mischief is blown back in the face
Of the fool who wrongs the pure and harmless.

Nowhere!
Not in the sky,
Nor in the midst of the sea,
Nor deep in the mountains,
Can you hide from your own mischief.

Never speak harsh words
For they will rebound upon you.
Angry words hurt
And the hurt rebounds.

But the fool in his mischief forgets
And he lights the fire
Where in one day he must burn.

He who harms the harmless
Or hurts the innocent,
Ten times shall he fall
Into torment or infirmity,
Injury or disease or madness,
Persecution or fearful accusation,
Loss of family, loss of fortune.

Wilfully you have fed
Your own mischief.
Soon it will crush you
As the diamond crushes stone.

As iron is corroded by rust
Your own mischief will consume you.

If you kill, lie or steal,
Commit adultery or drink,
You dig up your own roots.

You are the source of all purity and impurity.

What you give to him
Will be given back to you,
And more.

For whatever you do, you do to yourself.

Finally there is what is known as the Golden Rule where
Confucius
argues that the central principle of ethics is not to
do what you
would not want to have done to yourself:

'Tzu-kung asked, "Is there one word which may serve as
a rule of
practice for all one's life?" The Master said, "Is not
reciprocity such a word? What you do not want done to
yourself,
do not do to others."'

The Bible too guides us to right action:

"All things whatsoever you would that men should do to
you, do
even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."
(Matthew 7:12)

We are responsible for what we are; and whatever we wish
ourselves to be we have the power to make ourselves. If
what we
are now has been the result of our own past actions, it
certainly
follows that whatever we wish to be in future can be
produced by
our present actions; so we have to know how to act. Why
should we
do good to the world? Apparently to help the world, but
really to
help ourselves.

According to the law of karma, the action one has done
cannot be
destroyed until it has borne its fruit; no power in
nature can
stop it from yielding its result. If I do an evil
action, I must
suffer from it. Similarly, if I do a good action, it is
bound to
bear good results. Can there be a higher motivation for
an
ethical existence on this planet?

Indeed, the law of karma is the best motivation we can
have for
right thinking, right action and right living. Karma
however, is
not god's code of punishment. It is not passive or
defeatist.
Rather, it puts men and women at the center of
responsibility for
all that they do and all that is done to them. Thus is
it rightly
said:

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

Nature's dispensation is simple. Each of us has been
given a
field of life. We are free to sow whatever we want in
this field,
which is our karma-kshetra. In other words, we must eat
the
fruits of our own harvest. This is identical with the
biblical
idea that "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also
reap."
(Galatians 6:7)

Many of us usually equate karma with evil and sin. This
is
probably because we become aware of karma only when we
are
hard-pressed with difficulties, taking for granted all
good
things in our lives. The fact however remains that:
"Men are not
punished for their sins, but by them." (Elbert Hubbard)

Understanding karma is getting to know the knowledge of
the
secret of work. We see that the whole universe is
working and is
perpetually in a state of dynamic flux. Why? Because it
is the
only way in which we can justify our existence and
residence on
this earth, and go on actively creating and fashioning
our lives.
According to Vivekananda: "The world is a grand moral
gymnasium
wherein we have all to take exercise so as to become
stronger and
stronger spiritually."

  Put in the immortal words of Kahlil Gibran:

"You work that you may keep pace with the earth and the
soul of
the earth.

For to be idle is to become a stranger unto the
seasons, and to
step out of life's procession that marches in majesty
and proud
submission towards the infinite."

===========================================
This article by Nitin Kumar.
===========================================

References and Further Reading:

Audi, Robert. The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy:
Cambridge,
2001.

Byrom, Thomas. The Dhammapada: London, 1979.

Chatterjee, Jatindra Mohan. Panchadasigita: New Delhi,
1998.

Chopra, Deepak. The Seven Spiritual laws of Success:
New Delhi,
2000.

Elbaum, Susan. The Kammas we Create: Bangalore.

Gibran, Kahlil. Complete Works of Kahlil Gibran: New
Delhi, 2003.

Gideons International. The Holy Bible: Tennessee, 1978.

Hanson, V; S. Nicholson and R. Stewart. Karma Rhythmic
Return to
Harmony: Delhi, 2001.

Harvey, Peter. An Introduction to Buddhism: New Delhi,
2004.

Hiriyanna, M. The Essentials of Indian Philosophy:
Delhi, 2000.

Leaman, Oliver. Eastern Philosophy Key Readings: New
Delhi, 2004.

Leaman, Oliver. Key Concepts in Eastern Philosophy: New
Delhi,
2004.

Mehra, Ameeta (compiler). Karmayoga Perfection in Work
(Selections from the works of Sri Aurobindo and the
Mother): New
Delhi, 2000.

Parrinder, Geoffrey (compiler). The Wisdom of Jesus:
Oxford,
2000.

Radhakrishnan, S. The Bhagavadgita: New Delhi, 2004.

Satwalekar, Shripad Damodar: Commentary on the Bhagavad
Gita (4
vols. in Hindi): Valsad (Gujarat), 1998.

Shrimad Bhagavad Gita with Word Index and Shankara's
Commentary
(Hindi): Gita Press, Gorakhpur.

Vaswani, J.P. What You Would Like to Know About Karma:
New Delhi,
2004.

Vivekananda, Swami. The Complete Works (Vol. 1):
Kolkata, 2003.

Zimmer, Heinrich. Philosophies of India: Delhi, 2000.

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Warm regards,

Nitin Kumar
Editor
Exotic India


=======================================================================


beyond borders (2003, romance/drama)
angelina jolie, clive owen

a married teacher joins a doctor in his humanitarian ventures in
war-torn countries.

airs nov. 3, 8, 13, 18, 23, 28
the movie network

http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0001BPRNS/internatio088-20

GAY MARRIAGE LEADS SIDE ISSUES ON STATE BALLOTS
Voters in 11 American states voting on proposed
constitutional
amendments to ban same-sex marriages turned thumbs down
on the practice
Tuesday, while Californians approved a plan for stem
cell research.
FULL STORY:
http://cbc.ca/stories/2004/11/02/gay_marriage041102



DETECTIVE JEOPARDIZED RCMP INVESTIGATION WITH COMPUTER
SEARCH
A detective with the Toronto police force admitted on
Tuesday she had
used police computers to search for a name without
authorization and
jeopardized an ongoing RCMP investigation.
FULL STORY:
http://cbc.ca/stories/2004/11/03/toronto_cop041103



PRINCE CHARLES SNUBS GODSON'S WEDDING: REPORT
Prince Charles will not attend the wedding of his
godson because he
refuses to be seated apart from his companion, Camilla
Parker Bowles,
according to a newspaper report.
FULL STORY:
http://cbc.ca/stories/2004/11/03/charles_godson041103

____________________________________________________________

© Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Aging Supreme Court Considers Rights of Older Workers
The Associated Press

Note to lawyers: It's probably best not to bring up the
infirmities of the elderly when arguing an age
discrimination case before the white-haired members of
the U.S. Supreme Court. Attorney Glen Nager tried it
and got a cold reception Wednesday as justices debated
standards for on-the-job age discrimination lawsuits.
At issue was a subtle form of discrimination involving
job policies that appear neutral but that actually have
a disproportionately harsh effect on older workers.

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1099217143724

Jan. 7, 2003. 01:00 AM


Standards urged for justices of the peace
Top judge calls for formal appointments Attorney-general agrees to
discussion


TRACEY TYLER
LEGAL AFFAIRS REPORTER

Qualifications could soon matter more than connections when it comes
to being appointed a justice of the peace.

The judge in charge of one of Ontario's busiest courts says it's time
to consider a formal process for appointing justices of the peace and
spelling out qualifications.

There are currently 311 justices of the peace in Ontario, who make
decisions on everything from whether police should be allowed into
your home to conduct a search or if an accused person should be
granted bail.

However, the vast majority — about 95 per cent — come to the job with
no formal legal training. They are sometimes perceived as political
hacks enjoying the perks of patronage.

The current crop includes several former MPPs and mayors, ex-school
trustees and a former car salesman. JPs are appointed by the attorney
general.

At a news conference yesterday to mark the annual opening of the
province's courts, Chief Justice Brian Lennox of the Ontario Court of
Justice said his proposal for introducing standards into the process
of appointing justices of the peace is not intended as a criticism of
JPs now presiding in Ontario.

They do "a good job" of tackling an important and wide-ranging issues
affecting everything from people's liberty to privacy interests,
Lennox said.

It's simply the next logical step in the "evolution" of the justice
of the peace bench, which is naturally becoming better qualified as
more candidates compete for the job, he suggested to reporters at
Osgoode Hall in Toronto.

Lennox drew a comparison to provincial court judges, who, until 1968,
were mainly laypersons with no formal legal training.

"In this process of evolution of the justice of the peace bench, it
has now become evident that the issues of qualifications and process
of appointment need to be addressed," he said.

Attorney-General David Young has agreed to discuss the issue, he
added. Yesterday, Lennox declined to say what the appropriate
qualifications for a justice of the peace might be or whether the
appointment process should include a screening committee similar to
the one for judges.

He also stopped short of saying whether he believes JPs should hold a
law degree.

But the Criminal Lawyers Association, which has been pushing for a
more open appointment process, including some minimum standards for
JPs, doesn't see that as an unreasonable request.

"In terms of qualifications, what's wrong with requiring that someone
who is making decisions on legal principles and applying the law have
a legal education?" said Toronto criminal lawyer Bob Richardson, who
heads the association's subcommittee on JPs.

Last summer, two justices of the peace were publicly criticized for
imposing publication bans that were later overturned by Superior
Court judges.

JPs salaries are listed as between $57,000 and $78,000 a year. For
reasons that are not clear, some have earned more than $100,000.


Toronto Star

              Mail this story to a friend      Printer friendly
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Search 'Ontario Marriage Act'
http://www.google.ca

interfaith

in 1996, the government of ontario granted the hac
permission to perform legally recognized marriages.
plans are being made to offer humanist weddings and
funeral ceremonies throughout canada. the first
funeral service conducted by an hac celebrant was
held in march 1995, the first hac wedding ceremony
was held in august 1996, and in june 1998, hac
performed its first naming and undoctrination
ceremony.

http://canada.humanists.net


A Humanist Officiant is licensed by the province of Ontario for the purpose of
performing marriages. He or she is required to be a member of the Humanist
Association of Canada, provide five references (three of which must come from
Humanists), and pass a course developed and offered by the Ceremonies' Committee
of the board of HAC. Collectively, our officiants have performed many hundreds
of ceremonies.
He or she pays an annual licensing fee, and is fully responsible for all costs
incurred by providing the service (ex. advertizing, office supplies,
correspondance, etc.). There is no salary nor pay from the HAC for this work,
and the officiant is welcome to keep the honoraria offered by clients.
The officiants have no legal relationship with the local association (in our
case, the Humanist Association of Toronto).

Catholics cope with priest shortage
'Constant juggling act': Ghanaian imports, retired clerics filling gaps at
Christmas

Francine Dubé
National Post


Tuesday, December 24, 2002



The shortage of priests in Canada has become so acute that some churches are
cutting the number of Christmas masses being celebrated this year and retired
priests are being pressed into service.

Father Benoît St-Onge has been responsible for three churches in the Montreal
suburbs of Rosemère, Lorraine and Bois de Filion since August, when a fellow
priest left the fold.

Since then, Father St-Onge has met his obligations with the help of a
74-year-old retired Jesuit, but he has had to reduce the number of Christmas
masses at the three churches this year from 11 to nine.

"For sure that we can't do with two priests 11 masses, that would not be human,"
says Fr. St-Onge, who will lead five masses today and tonight.

The shortage of priests has also meant a reduction in services offered to
Catholics. Daily masses are no longer offered at any of the three churches,
though each one holds at least one weekday mass.

There are fewer than 10,000 priests in Canada today, down from 15,000 in 1970.
The number of seminarians has dropped from 2,645 to 550. The situation is so
dire that priests are postponing retirement and the death of a priest can sound
the death knell of a parish.

In the Northern Ontario town of Cobalt, there will be a Christmas Eve mass, but
Christmas Day mass has been cancelled.

In September, Father John Lemire, 33, of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in New
Liskeard, about 20 kilometres from Cobalt, became one of a growing number of
priests who have had to take on two or more parishes.

He has also had to cut the number of weekday masses at the Cobalt church from
five to one.

"There's only so many places I can be in at one time," he says.

"It is a constant juggling act trying to maintain a balance between the two
places."

About a dozen people used to attend the Christmas Day Mass in Cobalt, in
addition to the Mass on Christmas Eve. Fr. Lemire says if the Cobalt church
still had a priest, there would be a Christmas Day Mass.

Catholic residents of Mackenzie, B.C., have been without a priest for about six
years, according to Father Rodolfo Manaloto, of Christ Our Saviour Parish in
Prince George. Fr. Manaloto is one of two priests from Prince George who make
the 90-minute drive to Mackenzie once a month to celebrate Mass there.

Twice a month, the Sunday service in Mackenzie is led by a layperson.
Worshippers take communion, but wafers that were consecrated by a priest at a
previous service are used.

This Christmas, Mass in Mackenzie will be led by a semi-retired priest. There
will be one service only, instead of the two that are typically held in a parish
-- one on Christmas Eve and one on Christmas Day.

"We're just glad we have the one," says Sister Germaine Rosenberger, an Ursuline
nun from Saskatchewan who acts as pastoral life director for the parish.

There will be no priest in the parish to celebrate Mass on New Year's Eve or New
Year's Day.

In central Newfoundland, the Catholic Church will be able to meet its
obligations, but barely. Bishop Martin Currie will leave his cathedral in Grand
Falls this afternoon to drive 140 kilometres to a neighbouring parish to conduct
a Mass, then drive back to Grand Falls in time to prepare for Mass there at 11
p.m.

The central Newfoundland diocese has 18 priests serving 30 far-flung parishes --
on a weekend, some of the priests travel as much as 500 kilometres.

Four of the priests have been brought in from Ghana, but importing priests is
not a permanent solution, says Bishop Currie. The Ghanaian priests will have to
return to their country one day -- their bishop has permitted them only a
two-year sojourn in Canada.

Meanwhile, Bishop Currie's diocese has graduated only one seminarian in 13 years
-- last May.

"I have no one studying for the priesthood right now. What the solution to the
problem is, I don't know," Bishop Currie says.

On the west coast of the island, a priest from the cathedral in Corner Brook
will travel to Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in Benoit's Cove to celebrate
Christmas Mass with Catholics who have been without a resident priest for three
years.

"Last Christmas they had a priest who was studying up in Ottawa and he just
happened to be down here visiting some friends for Christmas and he filled in
down there, so they were lucky," says Father Bernard Buckle, of Sacred Heart
Parish in Corner Brook.

Father Pat Lafleur of Nativity of Our Lord in Timmins, Ont., says that with the
death this month of Father Les Costello, Catholics who had booked marriage
ceremonies at St. Alphonsus Church for next summer have had to reschedule with
other priests, and in some cases have had to pick new wedding dates.

A priest has come out of retirement to work part-time at the parish until
January, but no one has yet been found to take over duties full-time.

"We don't know what we're going to do. We don't know if we're going to take that
parish and split it among the other priests, or if we're going to say, 'I'm
sorry we just can't manage this parish anymore.' That's the kind of thing we're
facing," Fr. Lafleur says.

fdube@...

© Copyright  2002 National Post