St Jean Baptiste... Hour Quebec

Bonjour, Salute!!
Today we celebrate La St. Jean Baptist. Why, well for a few reasons...
While the orgin of the holiday in France was the pagan celebration of the summer soltice; a celebration of light and a symbol of hope. In the reign of the French King Clovis, the annual event was Christianized and became a religious celebration of the birth of John the Baptist, who is known as the Precursor of Christ, the light of the world thus the link with the soltice and the bonfires. Also, French residents in the St. Lawrence River area formed a chain of bonfire lights from village to village. Even in the late 20th Century, more than 15,000 of these fires could be seen on 24 June. And..After the conquest of New France by the British, the celebration of St-Jean Baptiste lost some of its importance. It was just over two centuries later on 24 June 1834 when Ludger Dunvernay, a newspaper editor, and about 60 people decided during a banquet to turn that day into an event that would unite all French Canadians.

Now for my part... Every year Phenix Productions hold a St. Jean Baptist Party. We call it St. Jean, Hour Quebec. We offer, Free food, drink and entertanment. Watch over the next few days and I will post pictures and maybe even a story or two...

It's been a few days since I posted anthing... I have a good excusse... There's not much going on. I have BIG plans for the weekend, so keep an eye open Monday for new posts and pictures. After that, it's Canada Day and they I'll be on my way North to visit the in-laws and out-laws ;)

Burglary Screwdriver Stabbing

An Ottawa man has been charged with attempted murder and other offences after a burglar stabbed a homeowner in the chest with a screwdriver in the city's west end on Sunday evening.

James Pilon, 44, is to appear in court Tuesday to face charges of attempted murder, break and enter, possession of a dangerous weapon, breach of conditions and uttering threats, said an Ottawa police.

The owner of a home on Richardson Avenue in Ottawa's Carlingwood neighbourhood received superficial stab wounds.The suspect allegedly had been trying to break into the home, and stabbed the homeowner several times in the chest area before police arrived.

I have not made a comment on anything for a bit because I thought the posts would say enough. But today, I think it time to say something. I have no answers, only questions.
Why is there so much violence? Is it because there are more of us in one place with a good communication base that we hear about more.
Or is it because our world is becoming more violent again and we are heading for a 'war' of some sort on a massive scale. Unlike we have ever seen before.
I know how hard it can be to get along with everyone we meet, but jeez people, try at least. If you don't make an effort to get along with others, why should anyone make an effort to get along with you?

Fourth Murder in Ottawa

Residents were shocked on the weekend when their neighbour Deborah Frankel-Howard was found dead in her 1735 Gage Cres. home, and when police later issued a Canada-wide warrant for Aaron Howard, her 19-year-old adopted son, as the suspect in her first-degree murder.

There has never been a problem on the street, agreed Stefano Marcantonio, who lives several houses down. Marcantonio has lived in the neighbourhood for four years and said Frankel-Howard and Howard have lived in the house for about three years.
“I know that because my cousin lived in the house before him,” he said.
He remembered when Howard first moved to the neighbourhood.
“He’s a quiet kid,” said Marcantonio. “He used to ride his bike to baseball in his uniform. I always said ‘Hi’ and he’d say ‘Hi’ back. He seemed like a normal kid.”

Police say Aaron Howard was last seen in Ottawa around 8 p.m. on Thursday. He was carrying a black-and-red suitcase. He is described as a black male, 5-foot-10 to 5-foot-11, of medium athletic build, with long, dreadlock hair. Anyone with information can contact Ottawa Police at 613-236-1222, ext. 5493.

Child obesity an epidemic, Ottawa told

This next article that I want to quote from is something that affects me. I understand why this is such a problem, and really, there is no quick fix. As long as we sit to play on the computer, or gaming consoles, we will never change. The children in the rural areas are affected just the same as urban and inner city children. The more convenient the world becomes the less we need to work to achieve a goal as simple as eating. This is the first true generation of the technical era. We know the error of our ways, now the question is; How are we going to fix this?

For first time, Canada's younger generations are expected to live shorter lives than parents

More Canadian children are overweight and for the first time the country's younger generations are expected to live shorter lives than their parents because of obesity, says a new Commons committee report made public Committee MPs said they were "shocked" to learn about the increase in overweight children, from 12 per cent to 18 per cent, and obese children, from three per cent to eight per cent, between 1978 and 2004.
That makes about one in four Canadian children overweight or obese.The report said most Canadian children spend too much time in front of TV and computer screens; don't get the expert-recommended 90 minutes a day of exercise; eat too much fat and junk food; consume too many sugary drinks and don't eat the recommended five daily servings of fruit and vegetables. The committee also reported the"distressing" and "most alarming" number of 55 per cent of First Nations children living on reserves, and 41 per cent off reserves, are overweight or obese.There is so much poverty among First Nation and Inuit people that many people cannot afford nutritious food, especially in remote northern communities, the report said.
New Democratic Party MP Penny Priddy said by chronicling links between poverty, poor diet and lack of exercise, the report busts a myth that overweight children all sit around playing on computers and watching TV. She cited the example of children in poor families being fed Kraft Dinner instead of going to bed hungry.

The report waswelcomed by the Heart and Stroke Foundation, which has long warned "fat is the new tobacco."

Summer weather: more than a conversation starter

No longer just something to talk about, the weather seems to be a cause for real concern — especially when U.S. experts are predicting seven to 10 hurricanes between now and the end of November.
Three to five of the predicted hurricanes are estimated to be comparable to or even more unrelenting than hurricane Katrina, one of the most devastating U.S. natural disasters.
"For 2007, we're predicting a high probability of an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season," explained NOAA forecaster Dr. Gerry Bell. "We're in an active hurricane era that started in 1995, and while we can't say for sure how long this era will last, historically other eras have lasted 25 to 40 years."
A normal hurricane season is generally predicted to have 11 named storms, with six becoming hurricanes, and two of those being major.
This year, the outlook is 13 to 17 named storms.

WORD FROM THE STREET Ken MacLaren

Against All Adversity
The determination and resolve of our street friends to pick up and carry on – usually in the face of adversity – never ceases to amaze me the stories I hear each week are almost overwhelming.

Steve's Story
I often connect with my Inuit friend Steve at our Wednesday drop-in. He has experienced many troubles throughout his life, we have built enough relationship that he now confides in me.
He has two children that he doesn't see often enough because his ex-wife has gone back North. More than this, he carries a tremendous amount of pain that is the result of residential school abuse and several traumatic incidents that he experienced as a child.
He tells me that he feels locked into a life that he cannot escape.

Hardship and Pain
Outside the drop-in Steve told me of his niece who took her live in Iqualit. She hung herself in the school cafeteria. She was thirteen.

He told me this story and stared at me. The depth of his pain was so evident. He sought desperately for understanding, empathy – anything so as not to be alone.
What to say? What words could adequately convey any sens of understanding? Who could speak to this?

Never ending Troubles
Next week I saw Steve again. He drew close to me and whispered, “Can we talk when you have a minute?” His breath smelled of alcohol. “It happened again. My nephew's gone. Same place. Same way. He was fourteen.”
I could not believe my ears. How could such trouble compound itself over and over? “Let's talk now,” I said. “Come over here where we can be alone.” He told me his pain and troubles. Even though we talked for quite some time, I still felt inadequate to respond.

The Scriptures Speak
Proverbs 31:6,7, speaks to us; “Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish; let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more”(NIV)
We do not condone the abuse of alcohol, but at least we can understand how people use it to try to deal with life's pain. I can't adequately answer Steve's questions, But I can listen. I can support him in times of trouble, I can point him to a God that understands pain, and who really dose care.

Real people, with real needs.
It really is so much more than 'Please don't feed the pigeons'