I am not a hardcore biker and just bought a bicycle last summer after an over 30+ year hiatus from biking. While the weather has somewhat warmed up it is still not warm enough for me to get the bike out of my bedroom and hit the city roads again. Over the fall and winter I have been watching the Toronto bike-car wars and I have to say its quite discouraging that drivers in general refuse not only to share the roads safely but refuse to follow the rules of the road. Even more discouraging is the fact the Toronto Police refuse to enforce the traffic laws. Case in point – this Toronto Star article on the innate problems with the bike lane on Simcoe Street”
On Wednesday, a uniformed police officer ushered taxis into the centre’s parking lot. He didn’t chastise them for clogging the bike lane, or for idling, which carries a fine of up to $5,000. When the Star asked him to clear the bike lane, he said he’d “call someone.”
Why a Toronto Police officer couldn’t do it himself is beyond me. Who knew traffic law enforcement remains the exclusive purview of only some cops? The Toronto Star article goes on:
Minutes ticked by. A cyclist stopped to make the same request. “I’m pissed off and frustrated,” said the cyclist, Daniel Hall. On his way south to the ferry docks, Hall was attempting to use the lane for the first time. Instead, he found cars backed up all the way from Bremner Blvd. to Front St.
The officer finally said he’d notified parking enforcement. While waiting for them to show up, the Star chatted with a few drivers. When told it was illegal to stand in a bike lane, some said, “No it’s not,” and others, “It’s only for today.” Beck and Royal taxi dispatchers said they’d get their cars to leave the lane, but no one did.
Twenty minutes after the officer called for parking enforcement, no one had shown up. So, the Star called and was told a car would be sent out. Thirty-five minutes later, the lane was still full of idling cars.
Believe it or not there is a $60 fine for parking in a bike lane and if your car is idling the fine can go up to $5,000. The first time I rode south on Sherbourne from Bloor Street East in the designated bike lane I had to merge into fast moving traffic or hit a delivery van in front of the Sherbourne Medical Centre. Not only was the van in the bike lane he was strategically parked on the clearly marked “No Parking or Stopping Anytime’ sign. A pedestrian waiting at the bus stop just passed the parked van kept screaming at me “Lady don’t do it – just use the sidewalk for G-d’s sake. It wasn’t a one-off experience and the driver was parked there just after 4pm everyday I rode home. This year I am ready for him.
When news of Federal Conservative cabinet Minister Helena Guergis had her public tantrum at airline security officials in PEI hit the news I wasn’t among the almost the chorus calling her out for rude, boorish behaviour. Not because it wasn’t rude, boorish and at the very least unbecoming public conduct for a cabinet minister. It wasn’t even out of sense of sympathy for one who has many times been caught being rude, loud and obnoxious in public. I took a different view of the matter from most Canadians and thought she had a point – not in being rude but in objecting to not receiving ’special’ or ‘different’ treatment by airline security officials. She is a Canadian MP and a cabinet minister representing the highest level of government, and if a Canadian MP and cabinet official comes under the same insane intense scrutiny as a potential terrorist we are all in a great deal of trouble. It seems there is no place for common sense when it comes to the conduct of airline security officials which is why the government keeps raising airport taxes way beyond the actual threat level.
But I get why most Canadians were very vocal in their disgust of her public meltdown. Canadians like to think everyone gets treated the same and they like to see everyone without exception being treated the same by the government bureaucracy. Somehow it makes the indignity and foolishness of the matter far more palatable for the rest of us to endure with a measure of good grace.
Now there is a reason for our criminal justice system is conducted openly and members of the public are welcomed to attend almost without exception the sitting of any criminal court. Not only do we need to see justice being metered out but we also want to ensure that those who we entrust enforce and administer justice are not behaving in an incompetent or shoddy fashion and we need to believe all of us will be treated equally as well as fairly before the criminal justice system.
All of which brings me to the Rahim Jaffer matter and the general outrage by the public over the resolution which I also share. This backroom plea deal which saw a former MP and current spouse to cabinet Minister Helena Guergis charged by police with a DUI, possession of cocaine and a traffic violation. The Crown in this case worked out a backroom deal with the defense counsel which saw all the charges; including the very serious charges of DUI and possession of cocaine withdrawn in exchange for a guilty plea to ‘careless driving’ and a small fine.
The Crown suggests this is the best possible outcome and there was a reasonable chance of not being able to successfully win a conviction for the more serious charges of DUI and possession of cocaine which is all very well and good – possibly even a realistic evaluation of the situation but justice was not seen to be done in an open and public manner and the public needs to know why there was no reasonable chance of conviction.
What we do know is there was a backroom plea bargain offered and accepted and public is left entirely out of the loop in a matter. Police are public servants and we need to know they are doing their job competently. We do know Mr. Jaffer was administered a breathalyzer test in which he did not pass hence to laying of a DUI charge. If there is a procedure loophole or the breathalyzer tests are somewhat unreliable – it is within the public interest to know. The police allege they found cocaine and the public needs to know the police are not setting up evidence willy-nilly but are operating in a fair and impartial matter within the bounds of applying the law equally to all. If the police officer(s) involved made procedure mistakes the public which foots the bills needs to know – we also need to be reassured that is nothing more than a one-off incidence. The public also needs to know there isn’t a two tiered justice system operating under our very noses and lady justice blindfold doesn’t slip depending on who appears before her.
If you want a better understanding of the subtleties or undercurrents in the modern Middle East you need to either know Hebrew or Arabic. Personally, I find Hebrew is far more useful given that the Israeli press has a great more latitude and freedom to publish than most Arab countries in the region.
Of course, it is my language of choice and although I am a long way from being mildly literate I can manage to negotiate simple things. All things considered, if neither is an option – spend the time learning how to effectively utilize Google’s translation tools so you don’t miss gems like this one from Ma’ariv. This way you can be the first in your ‘cybersphere’ to know three Iranians had been caught stealing passports from Israeli tourists via a neutral third country even before the Dubai Affair.
And who knew 15,000 Israeli passports are lost, misplaced or stolen every year?
The reason there are really not any new posts of earth shattering importance is simply this – I ran out of time. I got up this morning at 4am and turned on the coffeepot. Feed the cat and had a shower. When I was dried off and as respectable as I can be without coffee I recited my tehillim. Finally I poured my first cup of coffee and drank it while I cut up vegetables and meat for a stew for dinner to tonight.
Then I finished cutting out a pattern for a dress I am going to sew this weekend and put it away. It was at this point I saw that it was 5:30am and time was running from me and started making brown sugar cinnamon whole wheat muffins so when the boys got up they would have something quick and easy to bolt down before running out the door for school. I made a lunch and filled my thermos with coffee saving just enough in the coffee pot for later. While the muffins were baking I did my hair and make-up. Finally, the muffins were done so I poured my second cup of coffee and turned on the computer and started to go through my reader totally ignoring the email. I realized I only had ten minutes left to post before I had to leave for work for my 8am start.
So go vote to keep Joe Settler posting at the Muqata and while you are there take a long at the kind of damage those harmless rocks cause when thrown my Palestinian teenagers.
And no it has nothing to do with any Israeli action besides the fact that Israelis exist. Ha’aretz is reporting that the Palestinian Authority is seeking to ‘ban’ Palestinians from working for Israelis in the disputed territories:
The Palestinian Authority is moving to prevent Palestinian workers from taking jobs in settlements, as officials Ramallah repeatedly declare their refusal to resume direct negotiations until all Israeli construction in the West Bank is halted.
Palestinians vehemently oppose the settlements Israel has built on land they want for a future state. But with unemployment high in the West Bank, thousands of Palestinians work in settlements. Palestinians have been key to building homes for settlers and also work in factories. Economics Minister Hassan Abu Libda says he is drafting a law that will ban Palestinians from taking such jobs, which he expects to take effect this month.
More or less this would see a complete collapse of the Palestinian economy except Palestinian legislators have built in a ‘caveat’.
The Palestinian Authority will try to find alternatives for those currently working in settlements, but they will not be forced to leave, Abu Libda said. Palestinians working in settlements in the future would be breaking the law, Libda said, but would not discuss penalties.
So current ‘jobs’ are okay but not future ones and a ‘ban’ on labour also extends to ‘Israeli’ (code for Jewish) goods as well.
The legislation also bans the sale of West Bank settlement products in
Palestinian shops, he said. He estimated the estimate of annual sales of
settlement goods to Palestinian businesses at between $200 million to $500 million .
In recent months, Palestinian security forces have begun intercepting shipments of settlement goods to West Bank markets, he said, but would not say how much merchandise has been confiscated. The Palestinian Authority announced earlier this year that it would deposit $150,000 every month into a new fund whose goal is to remove all products made in West Bank settlements from the Palestinian market. The PA Economics Ministry spearheaded the creation of the fund, which it said aims to “cleanse the Palestinian market of products from the settlements and encourage local products.”
All of which is the Palestinian right to do whatever – although it does start pushing the concept of ‘peaceful co-existence’ into the realm of existential fantasy. Imagine the hoopla if Israel decided to draft legislation banning all forms of ‘Palestinian labour or products’ – Under five seconds would be my guessitmate for all the usual progressives screaming ‘racist’ and denouncing Israel but turnabout is fair play.
There was rioting at the Temple Mound in Jerusalem today and by all accounts it was the most violent seen for some time. Over 60 Palestinians were injured as well as over 20 Israeli police officers and an unknown number of Israelis. Ynet News:
The Jerusalem Police view Friday’s clashes in Jerusalem’s Old City, which left 20 policemen and 60 Palestinians injured, as extremely severe. Police sources told Ynet on Friday evening that “the police will judge the rioters severely and take a firm hand against any attempt to cause disturbances at the Temple Mount complex. According to the police sources, the Palestinian youths took advantage of the decision not to restrict the age of the worshippers so as not to harm the freedom of worship.
Mahmoud Abbas, chairman of the Palestinian Authority was quick to come out with a statement which is probably the most revealing statement the PA has issued for some time – and I quote the YNet Translation:
The Palestinian Authority, on the other hand, pointed a finger at Israel. According to a special statement released by the office of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, “Today’s events were aimed at damaging the chances of resuming the peace process and Israel is crossing all the red lines – after the Arab League’s monitoring committee recommended that the negotiations between the sides be resumed.”
The statement also said that Abbas, who was being updated on the events in Jerusalem, had called on the American administration to “stop the adventure which may ignite a religious war in the region” and demanded that the international community “take responsibility and stop the Israeli recklessness, which may have serious implications on the entire region and on peace and security in the entire world.”
While it is all while and good for the PA to point fingers and blame Israel for today’s riot in reality there is very little Israel could have done to prevent today’s riot on the Temple Mound other than issued orders for religious Jews praying at the HaKotel to lay down and accept being stoned to death by Palestinian youths throwing boulders above the Western Wall. Ynet News
Police forces on Friday raided the Temple Mount to stop youths hurling stones at passersby at the Western Wall after their weekly prayers. Dozens of police officers and worshippers were injured.
The Palestinian Authority once again seeks to blame and demonize Israeli authorities for acting to protect the lives of praying Jews from a blood thirsty mob of Palestinian ‘youths’ but I really do have to wonder who laid up the rocks for the youths to throw and suggested the optics were good to go Jew hunting? All of which makes me suspect that today’s events aimed at damaging the chances of forcing the Palestinian Authority to resume the peace process.
Israelis have an international reputation of being rude and/or pushy but it appears that Australian Federal Police have their own form of rudeness with little sense for common decency. Arutz Sheva:
Australian Federal Police (AFP) agents in Israel for the purpose of investigating the Dubai assassination are alleged to have hit-and-ran a female Israeli bicycle-rider in Tel Aviv. The Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) reports that an ABC employee witnessed the AFP car, with Australian embassy license plates, striking the cyclist and failing to stop.
It occurred only hours after the agents arrived in Israel to investigate the suspected misuse of Australian passports in last month’s assassination of Mahmud al-Mabhuh, a top Hamas terrorist leader, in Dubai.
The cyclist was relatively unharmed but the bike wheel needs replacing. Maybe Israel should send a team to investigate the driving standards of Australian police to see if it meets international standards and I cannot help but wonder if the driver of the embassy car even have a valid license to drive in Israel?
In an ironic twist, ABC news Australia is carrying a report in which the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade questions the ‘whole hit and run’. Of course, if you never bother to stop to check……
I have decided I have a soft spot for scientists who toil away in their labs seeking either a better understanding of our physical world or improvements for the quality of human life. Where would we be without them? I shudder to think. I may enjoy reading and learning about life without modern science but it doesn’t mean I want to live in a world without the benefits of modern science. Anyway, I found this article and sent it to my daughter to inspire her… Ars Technica
New research shows that ingesting oxygen-enriched alcoholic beverages can help the body metabolize them faster than normal drinks, without affecting how well or quickly the body absorbs the drink in the first place.
The current drawback:
While the process might produce a less-intense hangover, oxygenated drinks that dissipate more rapidly won’t exactly help customers get their money’s worth.
If these scientists actually find a solution and a ratio mix which satisfies all drinkers; I think they are far more worthy of a Nobel than the Viagra guys but if it isn’t too much trouble can we have a solution before the next Purim?
Please.
This very well may be one of those theories which no one can definitively prove beyond a doubt but I am utterly entranced with the idea it was religion which spawned not only civilization but art. Newsweek:
Standing on the hill at dawn, overseeing a team of 40 Kurdish diggers, the German-born archeologist waves a hand over his discovery here, a revolution in the story of human origins. Schmidt has uncovered a vast and beautiful temple complex, a structure so ancient that it may be the very first thing human beings ever built. The site isn’t just old, it redefines old: the temple was built 11,500 years ago—a staggering 7,000 years before the Great Pyramid, and more than 6,000 years before Stonehenge first took shape. The ruins are so early that they predate villages, pottery, domesticated animals, and even agriculture—the first embers of civilization. In fact, Schmidt thinks the temple itself, built after the end of the last Ice Age by hunter-gatherers, became that ember—the spark that launched mankind toward farming, urban life, and all that followed.
Göbekli Tepe—the name in Turkish for “potbelly hill”—lays art and religion squarely at the start of that journey. After a dozen years of patient work, Schmidt has uncovered what he thinks is definitive proof that a huge ceremonial site flourished here, a “Rome of the Ice Age,” as he puts it, where hunter-gatherers met to build a complex religious community. Across the hill, he has found carved and polished circles of stone, with terrazzo flooring and double benches.
Maybe there is more to this ‘god’ gene business than I originally gave any credit to. But a standing stone temple being built 7,000 years before the pyramids – it boggles the mind…with endless possibilities and even more questions. I swear having only one life to live is just too damn short for the endless possibilities which the pursuit of knowledge offers.
In what feels like another life time ago I was a law clerk in a criminal practice in downtown Toronto. There are only a small number of cases which I worked on which have remained paused in my memory. One of them concerned an accused father who had chained his 16 year old daughter to a poll in the basement of the family home for weeks. She was given a bucket and a bottle of water daily. In a testament to her father’s love and concern a small plate of food was brought to her in the evening. She had to sleep on the concrete floor of the basement chained to the poll.
The father was genuinely outraged when police charged him with a variety of offences. He considered this the ultimate infringement of his parental rights and for the life of him he simply could not grasp the nature of the crimes he stood accused of. Why this case stuck so seriously in my memory was the father’s outrage.
He really had no idea the extreme measures he took to discipline his ‘wayward’ daughter was never allowable or justified under Canadian law. I have no idea how the case was ultimately resolved and for my purposes – it doesn’t much matter. Although, what does matter is that immigrants to this country fully realize we are a wide, diverse place and while there are obviously similarities in civil or criminal code offences between Canada and the so-called ‘motherland’ (think theft/robbery) there are also potentially a number of what may be unique rights granted in Canada to children, women, wives, minorities and gays/lesbians.
And yes, I do think it’s of paramount importance to mention rights granted to gays and lesbians in any documents prepared for immigrants to understand and discover Canada. Considering the vast majority of the world’s countries do not extend or grant the most basic legal protection to homosexuals. In fact, as long as there are countries which still consider homosexuality to be a criminal violation punishable by death; I’d say it is of the utmost importance to emphasize this potential difference between an immigrant’s ‘motherland’ and his adopted land. All of which makes me emphasize another reason why I feel Stephen Harper’s government is still not ready for prime time nor able to adequately safeguard and protect the rights of all citizens of Canada.
