War and Pestilence

War and Pestilence

mist covers the water
i swim forward, hoping for the shore
mist parts, shore appears
there stands death

waiting

the water turns to blood
deaths outstreched hands grab for mine
unseen hands pull me back
a voice echos softly in the silence
not yet, not today...

i awake
my parents still dead
my younger siblings counting on me
the oldest surviving member of my family
we need food
water
shelter

we need

i struggle through the day
lie awake in my makeshift bed
not wanting to sleep
i know what dreams await
i know my future

i am 14 years old






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Wish I could remember what I was listening to on the radio a week and a half ago or so that inspired the above words. If I did, I'd link to the news article.

I do not know who to attribute the picture to as I received it in an e-mail. Sorry.

Taser Critics are, well...stunned.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2009/03/27/mtl-quebec-taser-recall-0327.html

The Quebec government will have tasers in the province tested and will discard those out of spec. Finally, some reasonable thoughts about tasers. Hey, they are electronic equipment, maybe they need to go in for a yearly calibration and calibration?

Taser critics are applauding it. Myself, I don't get taser critics. Get rid of tasers, they kill people, sometimes. Yes, and use what - a gun? They kill, most times. Why do taser critics even have so much of a voice these days? It's policy and politics by misinformation I think.

For instance, take the current big case re tasers in Canada at present. Robert Dziekanski. An irate guy in an airport, armed with a stapler (where are the stapler critics? Silent, they are, in all of this). Yes, he was in the wrong, all agitated in the airport throwing things around, but was tasered right after several RCMP officers arrived. No, not just once, no several times. Then he died.

I'm thinking if it were me, Mr. average citizen, it wouldn't be an inquest into the death, but rather my murder trial. After all, I think it was 4, maybe 5 RCMP officers who arrived to face off with an irate man armed with a stapler. Not even one of those heavy duty industrial staplers, no, just a desk one...

Say it was myself, alone. Yes I'd be worried about the irate man with the stapler. Worried, but not panicked. Just worried. Very worried.

Myself and a buddy. This ones easy. Buddy, you go for the arm with the stapler, I'll go for the throat. We'll pin him down.

Myself and 2 buddies. Same as with one buddy, but with an insurance plan. Hardly fair really.

Myself and 4 buddies. We'll leave it as three on the attack, with the fourth calling the authorities on his cell phone. No need to be stupid about it.

Highly trained RCMP officers grossly outnumbering him....taser him again...again...again...again....more. Offer help/assistance/CPR? No, let him die.

Stupid, negligent and criminal in my view. Yet it spurns a debate, and drives policy. I still think it's quite simple. Taser a person he might die. Likely no, but he could. Shoot a person they will likely die. They might not, but probably yes. In this light, tasers make lots of sense. Using them pointlessly or just because, well, deal with those individuals (idiots) on a case by case basis. Bad employees they are, so get rid of them. Sounds harsh, but really, should I applaud them if they have no taser and only a gun to shoot off just because they couldn't learn some simple guidelines? Hell, do I want them to have/use a gun if they can't follow guidelines on taser use? Really.

By the way, the role of the press in this whole matter absolutely disgusts me. Pump the hype. Sell the headline no matter what the cost. What was the cost? Objectiveness. Integrity.

I wish I'd kept the link, but not that long ago (months) someone was shot in Toronto. He wasn't tasered, as there was not a proper ranking police official available to authorize the use of a taser. Can't use a taser, as it might kill, but go ahead, use your gun. Policy by press. Makes no sense at all.

And to the taser critics? Well, if you were in a situation where someone has to taser you or shoot you, which would you pick?

(Cowards)

Enough said.

Courage, Strength & Hope

Courage, Strength, Hope, ....and a whole lot of respect. That's what I'm reminded of whenever I see the colour violet. Why? Simply as the colour and a friend share the same name. A friend who's lived through more and endured more than I've ever had to. Than most people. Than anyone I know. More than I'd ever want to. More, I fear, than I could live through. I hope to never have to live through such things. A friend whose heart has stopped so many times I'm amazed she is still here. A friend who continues to amaze doctors and everyone she comes in contact with. A friend presently in a serious showdown with cancer.

I'd say she still clings onto life, but I think the truth is that really, life still clings on to her. Not wanting to let her go. Let her leave. Life would miss her here.

I'm with life. There's lots to amaze about in terms of her medical history, as well as her medical present, but none of that is what comes to mind when I think of her.
It's not the unbelievable medical history that draws people to Vy. No, It's Vy herself. When I think of her, life is what comes to mind. Life in all it's glory. Life in a no matter what, embrace the day, embrace the time, carry on and live for those who have passed before you. Live your life. Find love. True love. Friends. Happiness. Embrace the moments, hold them and let each one fight to pass. Be yourself, and let yourself shine through to the world. That dim light you think you shine might be a whole lot brighter than you think!

Yes, the colour violet reminds me, silently but with the voice of a lion, to embrace each day. Start the day happy as I'm awake. Alive. Mobile and fed. To breath in blue skies. To delight in raindrops. To wonder at the moon and the millions of stars. To remember to smile in the face of adversity. To get up, dust oneself off, and to carry on when tough times strike.

This knowledge is a priceless gift. Worthy of kings. Quite a gift from someone who I'm simply happy to call friend. Not all things in life need to be involved, complicated, or difficult. Sometimes the best things are just that, simple and easy. They just flow.

I hope life and Vy get to roar together again. In the mean time, take a look around and find something to be thankful for. There's lots, if you are looking. Relax, grab a moment, and enjoy your life.

Early Spring?

The last few days have been a sudden blast into warmth. Sometimes having a hard time believing the thermometer and leaving my coat at home.

With the warm weather comes a reminder. A reminder that perhaps I'm not as active as I should be in the winter months. Sure I skated a bit. Hiked a bit. Walked here and there, but as the fact that I no longer need to wear a belt with some pants, maybe not as much as I should have. Today this was very apparent to me. Why? Well, yesterday I went to a short walk/hike with a friend and people from the Running Room. Yes, they have runs too, but for those who don't run, walks. Picture a walk on a beautiful day. Actually, picture a walk. Now picture a faster walk. Faster. A bit faster. Picture walking at a speed where if you went any faster you would be running. Yes, pushed me it did. Felt great, but my calves are stiff today!

Happy St Patty's day all!

Six Words

Heard a piece on CBC today. In it, the presenter had heard of a different challenge somewhere, and had applied the challenge to people in Toronto. The Challenge - describe Toronto in only six words. It was neat listening to the different entries.

Thought I'd try one of my own. Describe life in six words:

Raindrops
Teardrops
Kindness
Smiles
Sunshine
Peace

Go ahead, give it a try.

Water

The older I get, the more of this I drink each day. Desperately trying not to dry out? To turn to dust? To dissolve and fade away? I don't know, but I drink enough of it. Great stuff. Water.

Could you imagine a world without water? Clean water? To cook with? To bath in? To drink? Already a lot of our world is like that. People struggle in these conditions from day to day. While we, here, in other places, take clean water totally for granted.

It's human nature, isn't it? So many things we take for granted. Things that have always been there. Things that are plentiful. Things that are easy to get. It's only when these things are taken from us that we remember, we realize, we understand how precious they are.

This post isn't really about water. It's more about a couple different things that are on my mind. The bottle of water on my desk just struck me as an interesting parallel. A reminder. Look around in your life and see, remember, realize, understand what it is that is important.

Let the rest pale.

Blue Skies

I love sunny blue skies. Yesterday was a great one. Today looks like a great one too. If you'd listened to the hyped up weather reporters on Friday, one would hardly dare venturing out yesterday, due to the cold and the severe wind chill.

What wasn't there yesterday? Wind. No wind, plus the sun factor. What was it? Warm. The sun is getting much stronger here now as winter draws to a close. It was a great day for a hike. I actually had to lose my hat, and at times, my gloves as I was getting too warm. Only issue, after the rain last week followed by the deep freeze, was ice. Lots of very icy sections along the trail.





As you can see, the path was mostly ok. This one starts close to where I live and ends close to Dupont street. For a change of scenery on the walk home there's an Irish pub called The Pour House (Irish stew and a pint of Boddingtons makes a great lunch) and going back via Spadina brings you right alongside Casa Loma