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The Problem With The Court Challenges Program
One of the promises made by the Liberals in the first stages of this election campaign is to restore -- and then double the previous level of funding for -- the Court Challenges Program of Canada. This comes as no great surprise, given that the Liberals started the program in 1994, and were critical of the current government when it announced it would terminate funding of new cases as of 2006. As well-meaning as the Liberals surely are on this issue, the party's proposal to resurrect the program is misguided.
David Asper, National Post, September 12
Earlier: Christian advocacy groups welcome budget cuts
Philanthropist delivers
The boardroom for Frank Giustra's global empire, on the top floor of a tower in downtown Vancouver, has the luxurious-yet-antiseptic quality of most corporate offices, despite its panoramic view of the North Shore mountains. But Giustra, head of Endeavour Financial, livened up the typically dull boardroom this week as he talked about his adventurous personal, business, philosophical and increasingly philanthropic life -- which he hopes will give a more human face to capitalism.
Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun, September 13
The soul of South Africa
It is midweek, and a special service is being held at Regina Mundi Roman Catholic Church in Soweto, South Africa to bless a group of high school students who are prepping for final exams. Neatly attired in navy blue school sweaters, the students, accompanied by the church choir as well as African drums, belt out a hip-swaying rendition of Amazing Grace. The service is a sign of how far Soweto, famed as the heart of the anti-apartheid movement, has come.
Roberta Staley, Vancouver Sun, September 13
Celebrating Ramadan on the home front
In communion with more than a billion fellow followers of Islam worldwide, Calgary Muslims are midway through their religion's holy month of Ramadan. In thousands of local homes, the cycle of daily life revolves around fasting from dawn to sunset and cultivating a heightened emphasis on personal spirituality and generosity.
Calgary Herald, September 14
Earlier: Stories about Islam and the West
Pope preaches 'power of love' at Lourdes
Pope Benedict XVI promoted the power of love here yesterday at an open-air Mass to more than 150,000 pilgrims, including a small clutch of flag-waving Canadians. He was speaking on a field directly across the River Gave where a young French peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous, experienced 18 Vatican-recognized apparitions of the Virgin Mary in 1858 at a now-legendary grotto.
CanWest News Service, September 15
The spirit that helps Klassen skate through hard times
Scoff if you will (What does the most decorated Olympian in Canadian history have to be anxious about? Doesn't she already have six Olympic speed-skating medals and some big-name sponsors?): The truth is, the past five years have been a relentless, emotional grind for Ms. Klassen, full of highs and lows, all of which have deepened her resolve and her beliefs.
Globe and Mail, September 16
Earlier: Stories about Lisa Klassen's accident
Sect denies medical ban
The religious sect at the centre of a case in which a mother was arrested for removing her baby from a hospital does not prohibit members from seeking medical treatment, a local leader said yesterday. The 22-year-old woman who is accused of refusing treatment for her malnourished baby won release yesterday. Family members said the woman, who cannot be identified because her 11-pound, nine-month-old son is now in the care of Children's Aid Society, grew up in a Methodist Christian home. Last year, she began meeting with members of the Moorish Science Temple of America, which has about 30 followers in the Toronto area. The movement was founded in 1913 in Newark, N. J., by Timothy Drew, who took the spiritual name "Prophet Noble Drew Ali."
National Post, September 16
Financial giants collapse: A culture of lying grows
Trust is gone. The collapse of Lehman Brothers and desperate rescue of AIG -- only last week widely referred to as "venerable" companies -- raises serious questions about the way the business world has become accustomed to what basically amounts to lying by the heads of some of the world's most powerful corporations.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, September 17
September 18/2008
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