Former Hero dethroned
In the end it does not matter how much money you raise for a worthy cause if you do not live up to the standard of decency, it could be taken away from you as it was for the troubled Steve Fonyo, the BC native who completed the journey Terry Fox could not. He suffered from bone cancer that resulted in the amputation of his left leg.
Fonyo’s struggles with cocaine and alcohol addiction led to a series of assault, theft and impaired driving charges and even jail term. The government could no longer look the other way. It is sad on both counts, the stripping of his Order of Canada and his addiction struggles.
How fragile and fleeting success is. Sometimes it is the weight of the success that eventually crushes the ordinary human spirit because all of a sudden the ordinary person is portrayed as an extra-ordinary super-human a title that can prove overwhelming for some. Good luck Steve and thanks for all you have done. You’re still one of the great human beings and you’ve made a difference. You will be in my prayers.
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PETA Member pushes pie in Canada’s Minister’s face
A brazen 37 year old New Yorker, Emily McCoy, got up in front of everyone and planted a tofu pie in the face of Canadian Fishery and Ocean Minister, Gail Shea, while she was delivering a speech at the Canada Centre for Inland Waters to open the Aquatic Life Research Facility in Burlington, Ontario.
McKoy, a member of the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) was upset because of Canada’s position on seal slaughter. While PETA said they did not arrange this incident, they are totally in favor of it and claimed responsibility.
The minister said that the pie tasted like shaving cream.
What makes people go to these extreme measures to push their agenda? What makes them feel that they are right and everyone else is wrong? I think it is unfortunate when we resort to this kind of tactic to get our agenda on the table. These kinds of actions are similar to the Taliban.
We all believe in our rightness of our action and the credibility and urgency of our causes but we cannot and should not bully the system to get our ways. It is a slippery slope when we embark on this strategy going from pie to a gun or a bomb. There are more civilized ways to resolve conflict which we can put to use. No need for this sort of barbarism. I do not agree with it.
McKoy was charged with assault.
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The littles fundraiser
Seven year old Charlie Simpson is the toast of London for his creative idea to raise funds for the people in Haiti. After watching the desperate pictures on Television, he was moved to do something to help.
With his mother, Leonora’s help, he set up a website JustGiving and called for sponsors for his bike ride. His aim was to raise 500 pounds but he raised more money beyond his wildest dreams – no less than 130,000 pounds and counting.
This just goes to show how resourceful and caring people can be even children have the capacity for great compassion and understanding of human suffering. All the moneys raised went to UNICEF.
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The sad little rich boy
While old friends, room-mate and all who knew this young man feel betrayed and threatened by him, I think of his father who must watch his baby boy spend agood chuck of his most important years in jail and in disgrace. How can a family make sense of this when they have given him every material thing he could want. What was lacking in this boy’s life. What were his demons that drove him in the arms of terorists? No one saw it coming. Is there a lesson here? As parents do we see problems and hope they will go away?
Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, a former minister and chairman of First Bank in Nigeria (Father)
Jasper Schuringa (Dutch citizen hailed hero for stopping Abdul)
Umar Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab
is said and done may the best team wins. Good luck y’all.
