Well today is Canada Day, the 149th anniversary of our independence from Britain.  While the American separation from Britain, which is celebrated on the 4th of July annually, was a bloody one, such was not the case for Canada.  The British North American Act, which was "…passed by the British Parliament, created Canada as a new, domestically self-governing federation, consisting of the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec, on July 1, 1867."  Perhaps the Americans taught the British a lesson — don't mess with the colonials — which meant no revolt.  Around my community of Port Moody, BC, we are celebrating Golden Spike Days which mark the completion of the trans Canada railway in Craigellachie, BC.  The actual western terminus is Port Moody.  During construction in the 1870's and 1880's, one section started in Port Moody working east, while the largest section started in Montréal and worked west.  It was on the 20th of July in 1871 that the Colony of British Columbia joined Canada, and it was the promise of a railroad and money that motivated them.  Eastern Canada was afraid that BC would join the US so they really sweetened the money component.  Even now we hear little rumbings that the west coast, or more accurately, the territories west of the Rocky Mountains in both Canada and the US should form their own country potentially named Cascadia.  If you'd like to read a bit more, check out Building the Trans-Canada Railroad.  Thanks to the Napster (Lona) for the emoticon, a Mountie stetson and a moose, both very evocative of Canada.

Short Takes

CBC — Among the thousands of people gathered on Parliament Hill to celebrate Canada Day, some were there for the very first time, celebrating the start of a new life in Canada.

The Toubehs — mother Wejdan, daughter Aziza, 11, and sons Wessam, 17, and Ward, 22 — have been in Canada since December after fleeing Syria's civil war.

Their father, a welder, did not make it to Canada. He was killed in an industrial accident while working in Lebanon as the family waited to gain refuge.

When I see the negativity in the US that surrounds refugees, I will read this story to remind myself that the whole world is not like that.  We have a choice to embrace people in need, or not. I will embrace my neighbours!  I rejoice with this family and the others that have escaped war and uncertainty for a new life in Canada.  I was very happy to see PM Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, meeting with the Toubeh family at the Parliament Hill Canada Day celebrations.  This is a new start for the Toubehs after so much tragedy.  Trudeau is correct when he said to diverse crowd: "This is who we are.  This is what we believe in.  This is Canada!"

Foreign Policy — The first time Yiech Pur Biel boarded a plane, in 2005, it was to escape the war-torn corner of southern Sudan where he grew up. He has lived in a refugee camp in northwestern Kenya ever since. If all goes as planned, the second time he boards a plane, in just a few weeks, it will be to make history. Biel is slated to compete in the 800-meter track and field event at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro as a member of the first-ever Refugee Olympic Team.

In the face of unprecedented global displacement as a result of war, despotism, and poverty, the famously apolitical International Olympic Committee (IOC) has made an unprecedented political statement. It has created a team of 10 refugee-athletes from Syria, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ethiopia who will compete not just for individual Olympic glory, but for the dignity of the world’s 65.3 million displaced people. Their very presence in Rio is a call for peace in war-torn nations and acceptance of refugees elsewhere in the world.  …

“It saved my life,” Biel said of Kakuma. “Most of the people, when they’re being called a refugee, they feel ashamed.” But he says the refugee camp not only saved his life; it helped him become who he is today — a high school graduate who is about to compete against the world’s best sprinters in Rio.

“Where I’ve reached now, it’s because of being a refugee,” he said.  …

For his part, Biel is most interested in calling attention to the experiences that he and his new teammates share in common — both what they have had to sacrifice and what they still hope to achieve. “We shall meet as refugees, the 10 of us,” he said, ahead of the games. “We become one team. We are the eyes of the refugees.”

Please, make a point of reading the entire article.  It is truly inspirational.  My ESL student, Lucia, is a refugee from South Sudan.  She and her husband fled South Sudan to a refugee camp in Uganda where her two oldest children were born.  After 7 years in the camp under extremely difficult circumstances, a pregnant Lucia, her husband and two children were accepted to come to Canada as refugees.

Lucia has nothing to do with this Olympic team, but they share something — HOPE! … and a dream!

CBC  — A new GMO labelling law in Vermont is sending ripples through the North American food industry.

Starting July 1, processed foods sold in the state that contain genetically engineered ingredients must say so on the label.

Similar laws exist in countries across Europe, but for now, genetically modified organisms don't have to be labelled in the rest of the U.S., or in Canada.

David Zuckerman, an organic farmer and Vermont state senator who pushed for the law, said people in his state want to know where their food comes from. The new law will allow them to decide whether or not they want to buy GMO foods.

"With a labelled product, consumers can make that decision," Zuckerman said. 

Kudos to Vermont!  It would be great if other states and countries would follow suit.  However to be sure, the likes of Monsanto and the food conglomerates will oppose such moves solely on the basis that labelling GMO's might interfere with their profits.  Of course they won't tell consumers that.  Here is another related article.

food & water watch — You’ve heard the controversy about genetically engineered foods (GMOs) and whether they’re safe to eat (and the question of safety is nowhere near settled, despite what the companies that create GMOs would like you to think). But the rest of the story about GMOs is far more complex: for biotech companies, the real purpose of GMOs is power and control over the food supply, and ultimately it’s about profits. The undeniable fact is that GMOs are bad for our environment, our food system, and the people in it.
You can help: tell your members of Congress that you support labeling of GMO foods.

Here are five reasons why everyone should be concerned about genetically engineered foods:

4. GMOs and organics can’t coexist

Trying to keep a farm GMO-free is harder than you might think. Some GMOs don’t stay put where they’re planted. It’s quite common for them to contaminate neighboring farms, or even farms many miles away when pollen from GMO crops drifts on the wind. Seed supplies can be contaminated with GMOs, too. In 2013, an Oregon farmer found GMO wheat in his field – an unapproved crop that hasn’t been field tested since 2005. This is a serious problem for organic farmers, who are not allowed to use GMOs.

Check out the other four points.  It should be up to consumers to decide if they are willing to ingest GMO foods, not companies whose sole focus is profit and power.

My Universe —

Trying to get rid of the dawg smell!

Keep your moneygrubbing paws off my stash!

And lastly, the cuteness overload!