Quebec is following suit on the anti-veil sentiment, alongside a number of European nations. France has gone so far as to pass a law that if a woman wears a niqab she will be fined 150 Euros or have to take citizenship lessons. If a man forces a woman to wear the facial covering, he will be fined 30,000 Euros …
Make it socially irresponsible for people to chuck their butts in public
Dropping your cigarette butt on the ground is littering … and I want it to stop. For some reason, buttchucking (or filter-flicking) seems to be the only remaining acceptable form of littering. We would frown or comment if someone tossed their Timmy’s to-go cup on the ground in front of us, but the butts seem to drop without issue. I …
Allow children to take safe risks, but protect them from great harm
What would you do if your young teenager asked you to let him or her sail around the world? Me, I’d say no. Recently, we heard of a 16-year-old girl who had to be rescued from her attempt to navigate the globe alone, at a great cost to perhaps everyone except her parents. Now, a 14-year-old has been given the …
Shaking the salt habit is much harder than I thought it would be
I’ve taken on a significant battle — I have launched an assault on the salt in my diet. Our bodies need some sodium, but excess sodium raises your blood pressure, which can result in heart attacks, strokes, and kidney disease. Admittedly, I prefer the studies that say salt is not bad for you, but they are strongly in the minority. …
Has the concept of truth in advertising gone up in smoke?
Where there is money to be made, there are unethical business practices. Unfortunately, there is a lot of money to be made in tobacco sales. Yes, where there is smoke, there is fire. There seems to be an ongoing awkward dance between the government and tobacco companies. Government tries to limit the advertising, use, and sale of cigarettes, and tobacco …
Exercise can replace all new-fad gadgets to sculpt and tone your booty
We’re being encouraged to focus on our bottom lines lately and we should perhaps all be happy to note that assets are firmly on the rise. Although I could be talking about the economy, I’m referring to the number of products focused on accentuating a woman’s buttocks. Seems I can’t turn on the television or Internet without seeing an advertisement …
Remember our fallen soldiers and focus on peace, humanity and unity
This week, we are asked to remember. The Veteran’s Affairs ( www.vac.gc.ca) website says to remember the First World War, Second World War, and the Korean War. There is nothing there about Afghanistan — yet so many have died there. Do conflicts not count? Do the families of those killed there not deserve to have their kin remembered on Nov. …
Perhaps the handshake should go the way of the Dodo bird
Please don’t shake my hand. It isn’t that I don’t believe in social pleasantries. It isn’t that I’m not happy to make your acquaintance. I simply don’t want your germs. I am not a clean freak, nor do I use antibacterial soaps or cleansers in my house, but I don’t want to expose myself to germs unnecessarily. I would prefer …
Maybe an expiration date is needed
Are your tires tired? Check the date of manufacture to know for sure By looking at the calendar, taking off my snow tires seems long overdue. However, Mother Nature appears to be taunting us, especially those in southern Ontario. Several weeks ago, I pulled my tires out of the shed, but the snow ast week I walked past the pile …
NHL has a duty to protect: could fisticuffs on the ice lead to handcuffs?
Employers have a duty to protect: could fisticuffs in the NHL lead to “handicuffs”? Those who oppose fighting tend to do so on moral and civil grounds or legal grounds. Like matters of taste, levels of civility and morality are much more variable than I had realized, thus difficult to argue without sounding righteous or patronizing. Criminal law and employment …