by Jon Farmer
It's easy to be cynical when glossy greeting cards and slick ads make holidays seem like superficial excuses to spend money. But as much as consumerism strips the spirit of a holiday it's important to remember why we celebrate, especially on Mother's Day. We all literally owe our lives to our mothers but the commercial expectations of a North American Mother's Day can taint authentic gratitude. As we celebrate mothers and motherhood today, let a small dose of perspective be a suitable antidote.
Mothers are incredible. They carry developing fetuses for 40 weeks, then give birth to babies and nurture them. The mother's hormonal shifts and physical changes to her accommodate the pregnancy and culminate in a birth that requires a baby to exit its mother's body – one way or another. Our mothers literally bleed to bring us into the world.
Language is important here. Saying that a mother 'gives' birth should remind us that a child has received something through the process: life. Every other gift we ever receive is a bonus on top of that first one. But as a culture we take birth for granted. Readily accessible and capable healthcare, caricatured portrayals of birth in popular culture, and polite avoidance of health-related topics in every day conversations make birth seem normal and simple.Enough of that. Today we express gratitude because the price of motherhood is high and too many women around the world die just becoming mothers.
by Kimberley Love
So was the October shooting rampage at Parliament Hill an act of madness or an act of terrorism? The despised Bill C-51 has now passed. Both the Liberals and the NDP have grudgingly accepted that the Bill should be amended – not revoked – but it's worrying to see how a few unsettling incidents can provoke a clamping-down of the rights of citizens. The trouble is, of course, that it's hard to have any kind of rational debate about an event that threatened both lives that matter to us, and symbols we care about deeply.
But if we're prepared to talk about the so-called terrorist threat, then it's high time we also had a rational conversation about mental health. This is the 64th annual Mental Health Week for the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).
by David McLaren
Judging by how quickly the Harper Government's election budget disappeared from the pages and the airways of the media, you might think that the discussion is over. I'd argue it hasn't really begun. For budgets are more than a government's spending plans. They are more than re-election platforms. They are cultural documents about how we will be governed.
This is a budget for the vote-rich middle class. But, given the stats, you have to ask yourself how many of us are left in the "middle class."
Canada has the 3rd highest rate of working-age poverty among 17 similar countries. Inequality is rising more rapidly here than in most other G20 nations. We have lost over 300,000 good jobs in Ontario since The Recession and the economy has replaced them with poor-paying, part time, precarious work.
By Jon Farmer
I could tell it was going to be a good afternoon as I was walking up the steps. The murmur of conversations and laughter mixed with fragments of music and poured out of the St George's Hall. Inside, dozens of contra-dancers mingled while musicians tuned their instruments on the crowded stage. It was the last afternoon of the Country Dance & Song Society's Owen Sound event and I was there to find out about contra dance.
by Kelly Babcock
On May 8th at 7:30PM, the Owen Sound Singers in Accord (OSSIA) is inviting you to St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church to experience Spring Forward, their spring concert celebrating five years of singing. Local musicians Joachim Ostertag on flute, Keira McArthur on cello, Bob Menzies on djembe, and Fiona Evison on piano will join the choir and proceeds will go to the Men's Program and the Women's Shelter of Bruce-Grey.Tickets, available at the Bleeding Carrot, the Ginger Press, and at the door, are $10, plus a "give what you can" donation. For more information phone Louise at 519-371-8227.
Singer-songwriter Ken Dunn and his wife Anna are Gypsy Starfish and this delightful duo will perform at the Frog Ponds Café on Saturday, May 9th from 12-1:30pm. Canadian singer-songwriter Ken Dunn has performed his original, folk-inspired music across Canada, the U.S., and Central America at hundreds of venues over the past 25 years, including benefit concerts for Amnesty International and the Harry Chapin Food Bank. With themes ranging from love and world peace, to social justice, and environmental responsibility, his music has received international
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