crazed monkey

I was lamenting to a co-worker today that Canadians, by and large, do not reflect much on the significance of Remembrance Day. For most, it causes no interruption. Should you happen to be on the subway which stops for the two minutes of silence, certainly. Otherwise, you might go through the day unawares. James Bow wonders whether more should be done:

As for the people going to work, the act of stopping work (and stopping all transit vehicles to work — any chance of doing that for all cars?) is a significant gesture that one is less likely to do at home.

The aforementioned co-worker told me that everything stops in Israel during the two minutes of Remembrance Day silence. Sirens wail about the towns and all traffic halts until the silence is over — a slight inconvenience compared to the lives and youth lost by those who went to war for our freedom.

I am of two minds in this matter. On the one side, everyone should remember. It is all too easy these days to run through the day without stopping for a few minutes of contemplation. Stopping all activity would only remind people to take a moment and remember the sacrifice of those who served during war. Two minutes is not much to ask. However, those who are inclined to take the time to remember will take the time no matter what, even if it isn’t at the eleventh hour. Those who would never take a minute or two to stop and reflect would only view an imposed silence as an annoyance or an inconvenience. They wouldn’t take the time even if they were given time.

Posted on November 12th, 2003 in politics, world - No Comments »

For me, the early days in November are some of the year’s most sorrowful. The first days of autumn have taken their course, felling the brown leaves from their trees, covering the green life of the grass and revealing death in the stark branches. The cold of the coming winter is in the air, but its cleansing snow has not yet arrived.

It is in these gloomy days that Remembrance Day comes upon us, filling our heads with grainy images of fallen soldiers and scarred battlegrounds. As if coming out of hiding, aging heroes reveal their presence, hoping to infuse the sacrifice of others in our memories for just one more year. But every year their numbers dwindle, and so every year our memories lessen.

In the days leading up to Remembrance Day I do what I can to remember. I remember the story my father would tell about how the door of his family’s farmhouse was once blown open by the explosion of a fallen V-1 flying bomb. (If a V-1 passed over your head still buzzing its horrid noise then you were safe. If one ever stopped making that noise, it meant that it was falling.) I try to picture my grandfather in his RAF uniform, thankful that he was able to return safely home to Britain.

I remember the various war-themed books I have read and movies I have seen, their images melting together to coalesce into a series of horrific montages of death and destruction. One can never get a true feeling for war by watching its movies. The content is too sterile, too polished for a wider audience, too detached from the experience. I feel that books give a more honest picture, a more detailed first-person account which movies can never replicate.

I remember those who have died and those who are still serving in recent conflicts, like that in Afghanistan, to remind me that war is not a long-forgotten thing. Every year brings more veterans, and more names to remember.

Sadly, this year the hour of remembrance passed by without my acknowledgement. However, Remembrance Day to me is always more than the mere two minutes of silence at the eleventh hour. It is two minutes of contemplation, of gratitude, and of sorrow repeated many times over.

Posted on November 11th, 2003 in politics, world - No Comments »

How long has Tom Jakobek’s campaign website featured a list of Toronto weblogs? (Specifically, how long has this weblog been on that list?) Many of the listed weblogs are pro-Miller, and not one of them supports Tom Jakobek’s bid. Did Jakobek’s team even take a few moments to read some of those links?

Oh well. Tom was never a contender anyway, although he gets a few points for recognising the weblog community.

Update: Tom Jakobek’s internet advisor responds, and rather nicely despite my being a complete ass:

As an internet advisor to Tom Jakobek I want you to know the reasons bloggers were included on www.tomjakobek.ca is because Tom recognizes the important role bloggers play in providing independant coverage of issues and a venue for dialogue. Yes the campaign has read the opinions expressed on the blogs and several have acknowledged the value of the policies and ideas Tom has put forward. We all want a better city, dialogue will help that happen.

Amen to that.

Posted on November 10th, 2003 in ontario, politics - No Comments »

I have been against the fixed link to the Toronto City Centre Airport from the start, thinking that it would lead to further expansion of the airport. According to John Barber’s column in today’s Globe And Mail, that was the plan all along. (Thanks to Andrew Spicer for that link.)

However, John Barber’s column is far from the last word on the topic of the island airport. Earlier today, the Globe And Mail posted a follow-up article on their website with a response from the CEO of the Toronto Port Authority:

According to the statement, Ms. Raitt noted “all three parties to the agreement have clearly agreed from the outset that there would be ‘no jets’ and ‘no runway expansion’ at the TCCA. We intend to keep that promise.

So now the question is, who are we to believe? Air Canada Jazz, who are pressuring the Toronto Port Authority into opening the island airport to commercial jet service, or The Toronto Port Authority, whose current CEO says that there will be no jets? One thing is for certain: CEOs can leave their posts, but corporate pressure to increase profits and break into new markets is constant.

Note: David Miller is the only mayoral candidate completely opposed to expansion of the Toronto Island airport, including the creation of a fixed link.

Update: Andrew Spicer has dutifully written a follow-up to the above article.

Posted on November 8th, 2003 in ontario, politics - No Comments »

Go forth and wish that curmudgeonly old man a happy 28 years. Do it now before he gets any older.

Posted on November 6th, 2003 in meta, person - No Comments »