thought for today

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

With respect to the number of deaths, arms manufacturers are charitable institutions compared to cigarette manufacturers.

Silvio Garattini, doctor, researcher, professor, and founder of the European Organization for Research on Treatment of Cancer (b. 1928)

And, I will add without mincing words, both are the scum of the earth.

Another lovely day, sun out, though cold. Great excitement - I went to the brand new Loblaw's in the Maple Leaf Gardens building and saw the great Wall of Cheese. It is indeed a fabulous store. I ate three different free samples of warm bread from the Ace bakery on site, went to Joe Fresh clothing upstairs and could not resist an inexpensive workout top, and then wandered the aisles of the vast store below, dazed. It sells just about everything, including cosmetics, all kinds of kitchenwares, tons of prepared food and many gourmet luxury goods. Quite overwhelming, in a fun way. I can certainly see myself popping in on the way home from U of T or the Y.

Really something new, for Toronto - a destination grocery store. People going food shopping, because it's exciting to be there. How times have changed. Long ago, I saw a great night of rock'n'roll on that very spot, for - Africa, was it? with Bruce Springsteen and Sting and K.D. Lang. And much later, with my teenaged daughter, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. And today, Mimolette cheese, Swiss biscuits and raspberries.

Went to a wonderful evening yesterday - my friend Mary took me to a fundraiser for Amistad, a Canadian organization that raises money to help the Mexican people, specifically in San Miguel de Allende. We saw a documentary called Migrant, about a Mexican sculptor who made more than a thousand life-sized statues, to honour the people in his village who had emigrated to the United States and never returned. A professor from York spoke about the migrant situation, considerably worse now after 9/11, except for one thing - cell phones have enabled families to remain in much closer touch than before.

Good to hear some good news, with the papers full of more devastating city cuts - swimming pools and rinks! - and dreadful financial news from Europe and the U.S. And from Canada - the shocking neglect of the people of Attawapiskat, living in squalor, ignored by their government. Perhaps the fundraisers of Amistad should concentrate closer to home.