Lifestyle

Dear Editor, On June 4 the Ottawa Citizen reported that your Government Operations Centre (GOC) sent an email to all federal departments—presumably including Parks Canada—seeking assistance “in compiling a comprehensive listing of all known demonstrations which will occur” either in the department’s geographical area or which may touch on its mandate. This is of concern to many of us as we are acutely aware that Parks Canada faces a difficult situation. Due to funding cuts by your government, the positions of more than 50 staff were cut in Jasper National Park in the last two years, making it almost impossible for the few remaining staff to deal with everything from minister’s briefing notes to bear-jams. This will make it very difficult for the agency to take on the extra file of...
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Dear Prime Minister: I am writing you and offering my sincere public and personal apology to you as a person. In a recent letter to The National Post, I made the mistake of roundly (and, I thought, soundly) criticizing you as a leader; and the dramatic changes in federal policy introduced by the federal Conservatives over the past ten years. The rebuttal was swift and brutal. Despite the fact I have never belonged to a political party in my life, I have been branded as a socialist. In today’s Google universe, I could be forced to carry the crushing burden of this distasteful label for the rest of my life. Thus, I wrote to apologize to you and your family, in hopes that your supporters would better understand me, instead of resorting to profanity or accusing me of cheating on...
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Dear Prime Minister, It gives me great pleasure to report that our 90-90-90 Target will be further considered as the strategy for the global control of HIV/AIDS, as part of the agenda on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) this September 27th, at a Special Session within the 2015 UN General Assembly (UNGASS) in New York City. The 90-90-90 Target, based on the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS-pioneered Treatment as Prevention® model, was formally embraced by Secretary General of the United Nations Mr. Ban Ki-Moon at the 2014 UNGASS. The 90-90-90 Target calls for at least 90% of all people living with HIV (PLWH) to know their sero-status by 2020, at least 90% of all PLWH to have access to high quality antiretroviral therapy, and at least 90% of those on treatment to have...
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Dear Premier and Prime Minister: We have had the privilege of visiting Gros Morne National Park and World Heritage Site and were captivated by its spectacular natural beauty, its welcoming communities, and its vibrant culture. Gros Morne National Park is one of the national treasures that make us proud to be Canadians. We were shocked, therefore, to learn about a proposal in 2013 to conduct oil drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) activities next to the park, considering the threat that this would pose to its ecosystems, its pristine natural beauty, and the thriving local tourism economy. We were pleased to hear that this threat has been temporarily reduced, with the declaration of a moratorium on fracking in Newfoundland and Labrador, and the petroleum exploration license...
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Dear Kamlesh Tiwari, I heard that you have made derogatory remarks against a person who is revered by more than 22 percent of the total population of this world. O noble Indian, what would you get by cultivating hatred among your own countrymen? A few votes here and there or may be a political post. However, I don’t put the blame on you Sir! You might have not gone through this man’s life and times or it might be that political compulsions have forced you to say what you had said. I know deep inside your heart there is no room for hatred as you’re a true Indian and ours is the nation that has welcomed every faith with open arms. It’s human to err. You might have said that out of ignorance. I demand no apology from you. The entire blame is upon us, Muslims; we kept the message...
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Today is World Alzheimer’s day, which is dedicated to raising awareness of the most common form of dementia and its symptoms. It’s also a day for people to tell their stories about the disease and how it has affected their lives and the lives of their friends and families. 20 year-old Dubliner Laura Byrne is one such affected person. Her grandmother, Julia Carmel Byrne, has had Alzheimer’s for 11 years and is now unable to feed herself, speak or walk. Julia turned 80 last week and it was a very emotional time for her family, whom she no longer recognises. Coming up to her grandmother’s birthday, Laura decided to write an open letter, giving heartbreaking insight into what it is like to care for someone with the condition. She posted the letter online, where it has since been...
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Hi Aamir, It's been a while since I saw you. When I last heard from you it was all about how all the religions had misinterpreted the teachings and were trying to cash in by fooling the common masses in the name of God. Funny though, that your main antagonist in the movie was a Hindu baba. There were a few customary protests, the educated class raised an eybrow towards those protesting and life moved on. Your movie made crores by the way. Kind of ironic you made a movie about people looting people in the name of god and then you made crores of it in the name of god isn't it? I hear you have been feeling the rising intolerance in India. The same India that made you the superstar you are. You said your wife suggested leaving India. I think you should take her to the US, I hear...
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Dear Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Re: Urging Action by Indian government to Safeguard Freedom of Expression in Great Britain As a writer committed to protecting and defending freedom of expression around the world, I am extremely concerned about the growing intolerance towards critical voices who challenge orthodoxy in Britain. As your three-day state visit to the United Kingdom kicks off, I am urging you to engage with Prime Minister David Cameron both publicly and privately on this crucial issue. Please speak out on the current state of freedom of expression in Britain, urging Mr Cameron to stay true to the spirit of the democratic freedoms enshrined in British history, from the Magna Carta to the Levellers to John Stuart Mill. As you will no doubt be aware, Mr Cameron’s...
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Dear Kamlesh Tiwari, I heard that you have made derogatory remarks against a person who is revered by more than 22 percent of the total population of this world. O noble Indian, what would you get by cultivating hatred among your own countrymen? A few votes here and there or may be a political post. However, I don’t put the blame on you Sir! You might have not gone through this man’s life and times or it might be that political compulsions have forced you to say what you had said. I know deep inside your heart there is no room for hatred as you’re a true Indian and ours is the nation that has welcomed every faith with open arms. It’s human to err. You might have said that out of ignorance. I demand no apology from you. The entire blame is upon us, Muslims; we kept the message...
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Dear Indian cricket team, Ouch, that hurt. There was once a time when fans of Indian cricket team laughed at Bangladesh cricket team fans at their inability to win games against the big guns. Turns out, the tides have changed. Right now, the collective laughs of millions of Bangladeshis, as well as other India-cricket-team-loathers, can be heard echoing through the walls of eternity. Why? Because you lost to South Africa at home, something which Bangladesh cricket team didn’t. If you recall properly—which, of course, you do, given that just a month prior we made you taste sand—then you will know that we beat South Africa at home despite being 1-0 down after the first game. Since you fail to do what we handsomely did, and managed to give away 438 runs in one game in the process, it is...
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