Ontario rules force reporting of bullies

"Educators who fail to report serious incidents could face sanctions under the Ontario College of Teachers Act for failing to comply with the Education Act.The new law also mandates that those who deal directly with students, such as teachers and educational assistants, must respond to improper behavior, such as a sexist remark or offensive joke."
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/714128

To McGuinty, school boards and parents
I am going to say it again and again...

Bullying is a result of parents and schools failing to teach respect of each other. Though many will applaud this venture, this will not change the fundamental facts that parents and our education system are failing. The proof is in the pudding and as a society, we as adults become frustrated due to our neglect, we scream ban, ban, or demand that the state creates laws to punish those that we have failed to teach or direct. We focus on their actions rather than the cause; in this case, it will be someone's child....who we have failed; mostly because children have become a commodity, rather than recognizing that we have failed to nurture them...They are, what we have become, "bullies".

I am suggesting that bulling takes many forms, but the issue here, is how it's interpreted.Consider the fact that little children will bully each other when frustrated or want something that another child has.Also teasing can be considered bullying and to one time or another children tease one another, and true it goes too far at times; What is not taught are boundaries. With regards to,"not only from children but from adults" who is going to pay the price for adult bulling, a child? Bulling is a reaction of fear and and an attempt to assert power over an individual. This type of Behavior is predominate throughout our society and at this time we going to penalize the child? A more appropriate methodology would be to reinstate an etiquette classes beginning in Kindergarten.
In my opinion simply punishing these so called, bullies" will only instill in them a greater sense of lost autonomy and their behaviors will escalate. From my experience bullies have low self-esteem and self-confidence and by using authoritarian means to control their Behavior will only displace such behaviors. Having a mandatory course on etiquette where they can see and experience the effects of their behaviors would have a greater impact.Moreover, having a mandatory course on etiquette provides inclusiveness and as a result even the bullied have a greater understanding that such actions have little to do with themselves but rather the perceptions and needs of the bully; at the same time is offers the bully and opportunity to understand themselves and they may more readily accept the impact of their Behavior.

Do you think that is going too far...does this not smell like imperialism censorship, right out of Hitler-ism. Why not label all children at birth as criminals ....at one time or another they will be considered a "bully".

Province, Caledonia couple settlement
Hamilton Spectator CALEDONIA (Dec 31, 2009) -
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/697279

"The Ontario government has suddenly settled a lawsuit
with a family that was suing Queen's Park"

I disagree that such settlements should remain confidential;
In particular when it involves the tax payers monies. Moreover,
This situation  regardless of the pay out, the court should have
Made a ruling due to the facts that such is in the public's interest.
 
The facts in this case are a prime example of how the system
Avoids responsibility. A ruling would have clarified for the
Public what they are entitled  to when it comes to protection
From the state.  As things stand it seams that, the courts are
Feeding into political shades that supports, our protection
Services are determined based on political  reasoning rather
Than the fiduciary responsibility of the police act.

Thanks for your good wishes and Seasons greeting to you. Appreciate your comments and I do plan to revitalize more energy to this site. You may have noticed that It is now open to the public to register...There are far too many important issues that are never raised by the media. Therefore, I have decided to provide a greater open door for such; if you have any suggestions for new topics please PM me and I will address them.

Have a great year.

Don~     

Seasons Greetings and Happy New Year Don! I am delighted to hear from you since you haven't been posting much on the city blogs lately. I recently got together with some folks from the church Tracy and I attend and one of the couples, Bill and Kathy had a reunion at Christmas with the foster child they raised together with their own children for 13 years.

Foster care is important and I wish Mr. John Dunn and RACAS all the best.

I also hope that you will make a return to public discourse in 2010. You have inspired me to become involved in this arena and your presence there is sorely missed by everyone. Our opinions count Mr. Lester and even though we cannot see the affects of our involvement as clearly as we would expect, they are there, slowly fermenting, behind the scenes. Remember, IT sometimes only takes one pair of eyes and the touching of one heart to make a difference.

For your convenience and that of others who may read this post, here are the City of Hamilton blogs where I hang out in order of preference:

The Hamiltonian
http://www.thehamiltonian.net/

Raise the Hammer
http://raisethehammer.org/

Hall Marks
http://ideas.typepad.com/hall_marks_emma_reilly/

The SpecThread
http://thespec.typepad.com/specthread/

God Bless Us Everyone

A bicycle ride from Ottawa to Windsor Ontario in an effort to increase public awareness of the need for Transparency and Accountability of Children's Aid Societies through improved internal, external and ministerial oversight.

For further information:
http://racas.wetpaint.com/

For further information on this subject visit:
http://fostercare.proboards.com/index.cgi?

Don, your dour oh dear is superb. I'm only gonna comment on this one thing you well put:

"As far as the, 'sky is not falling' it's just another term to create a false sense of security while the
powers secure a tighter grip on stronger chains that bind us to their reality....once we are convinced
we will bend to their will and accept a heavier load.."

Kinda reminds me of II Chronicles (not of Narnia) 10:6-15 or was it I Kings 12:6-11? The counsel of the "old men" (and women, God bless Hazel) has been forsaken by leadership in favor of the advice of the "young men" (or maned young lions). And folks like you or I, we're simply the "middle-agers" who should just shut-up and move quickly into old age, with unforeseen bills and a regiment of pills, that combat the ills which tinkle into the tills over stress riddled conflicts incognito instills.

Here is a PRIME example of how misbehaving, spoiled little BRATZ influence a bad daddy's decisions:

Libya 'to pull Swiss bank assets'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7662856.stm

Gaddafi in Russia for arms talks
(the headline has since been changed)
Gaddafi seeks Russia energy pact
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7702488.stm

The world is full of these flippant aristocratic characters who drag us all into their personal quagmires of discontent.

If you don't see my inelegant prose around the halls, having my say, it only means I'm focusing on my homepage http://wrcu2.static.golden.net/ where I've abridged current events day by day. Because as you say regarding have your say: "they are issues that seem rather trivial...and are more inline with keeping one distracted...form real issues..."

When I stop in there the next time, I'll be sure to try and swing the trivial into a travail. TheSpec really should have a comment section for EVERY news byte it prints, like theBBC or theCBC or even like theStar. The deeper I get into the Hamilton Spectator, the more shallow it becomes by far.

Blessings...

Yes I am still around, as to commenting in "have your say" they are issues that seem rather trivial...
and are more inline with keeping one distracted...form real issues...

When it comes to the Arctic, the last frontier, it will be propagated and divided amongst the wealthy
while the average person will continue to carry the burden of slavery, like mediaplexis,
great ideas that are breed to hold us all in ball and chains while poverty increases. The doorway to
world government; while local governments will justify their positions of taxation with the folklore
that they have no control on world markets.

As far as the, "sky is not falling" it's just another term to create a false sense of security while the
powers secure a tighter grip on stronger chains that bind us to their reality....once we are convinced
we will bend to their will and accept a heavier load..

With regards to the "October Posting"
"in the near future is understanding that many of the people who you thought would be true blue
to the end will fall by the way side"
Perhaps  it's already a fact...we don't even know who our neighbors are any more...friendship has
become use and abuse...and when they have served their purpose you discard them and on you
go to the next....a little like marriage....When it comes to God....as far as the majority is concerned
He is there to bend to their will...They have become Gods, unto themselves...perhaps as Milton in
Lost Paradise quoted Satin as saying, "It's better to reign Hell than to serve in Heaven."

Peace!

I Got the "new post" notification email today. Glad to see you're still around Don, I've missed your comments in "have your say." (Oh, and greetings MSR & MSN by the way)

Stand back from your newsreader proxy for a moment, far enough away to take in a whole bunch of news bytes from the past thirty days or so. Chilling isn't it? I mean you'd have to be standing outside to take it all in. Imagine how it's gonna feel in Iceland this winter. US and Prussian big chiefs meeting in Finland gets you thinking. As does US, Canadian and French chefs cooking in the Adirondaks autumn twinkling. There's lot's to eat and C-rank stink about when you're old farts like us, EH Don? It's always big business when the bean counters are kissed round the fire at clamp David's butt.

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Russia_To_Set_New_Border_Line_In_The_Arctic_999.html

The Arctic will become an interesting place in the coming years. The respectable Lords and Ladies know this and we should pay attention to these stories as they emerge like a timid poof, betwixt a French maid's cheeks as she's dusting (off) an armoire's dear delicate glib glass. Canadian officialdom has been mute lately and there's a wait-n-smell attitude coursing through the muscle of the mediaplexis too. Folks are consumed or should I say, consumers are per-fumed with the news of global finances lately. The last I heard from Mark Carney was a "have no fear" message to the liberal chicken literals:

'Sky is not falling:' bank boss Carney
http://thespec.com/News/Local/article/454607

Maybe we shouldn't be looking towards the sky? Maybe we should be bowing our heads in prayer. Maybe it is the ground which is rising, with the rubble of our crumbling system. Our family, friends and neighbors either riding the heap or beginning to lose traction and slipping into the crack. Everywhere you look there's Henny Penny's back or a sing-a-long quick equity Quack.

Over here near Ottawa, between the farmer's markets both north and south, we feel blessed in this city, this country, this "land." We harvested a double bumper crop of raspberries this season and the female mulberry produced exquisitely grand. Even going all the way back to spring I recall a brilliant sensual display from the lilacs around May. The corn stretched around Hamilton as you travel into the sticks, is as tall as a wall like some vetch illusionist tricks.

But I digress, I'm back to watching the pirate drama unfold out there near Somalialand. But it keeps popping off my radar and I can't seem to find the zoom button whenever there's a blip. The latest I seen was the US Navy was offering $7 million to examine the mysterious 7 sealed containers. One of which has allegedly been breached and was apparently quite fatal:

16 pirates died after handling substance on captured Iranian ship
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2008/me_iran0630_10_22.asp

Even Israel is more than a little bit curious as to the contents.

Here are some words from a genuine "rocket scientist" that he posted this past week. He frowns upon the pasting of his prose, but these words touched me. I recently purchased a small quantity of uncorrupted corn kernels from him of the dent variety that I will attempt to propagate next season for seed stock. This is his website:

http://www.jmccanneyscience.com/

"October 25, 2008 posting ... one of the hardest things that you are going to have to face in the near future is understanding that many of the people who you thought would be true blue to the end will fall by the way side ... people you thought "had it together" and really understood what was really going on will just not be there ... when the real BS comes down ... you do not need people who are fare weather cheer leaders and mouth pieces ... you will soon discover ... when things get rough ... that there are just a few ... a VERY FEW people that count ... it will surprise you who they are ... people who you would have never guessed were REAL will come out to be leaders and contributors ... and people who you thought were on the top of your list will fold like an old worn out suite ... yes ... the most difficult thing you will face is turning from people who just do not get it ... and understanding that you have been preparing not only with physical means ... but vastly more important ... mentally AND SPIRITUALLY ... these are things that do not come over night ... you have to maintain YOUR STANDARDS ... but i have a little thing that will help you through the toughest of times ... something that was taught to me by an old man once up in the canadian wilderness when a large group of people were struggling to survive ... it was brutal ... not fun ... but what i learned was that when you cannot figure out where to go or what to do ... when things are too big and you are too small ... sit down and ask the big guy up there to help you ... sometimes things are just too big for any of us to imagine ... but the big guy will help you .. if you ask ... just remember that ... when things get really out of reach ... you take the high road and i'll take the low road ... and i'll get to Scotland before you ... i know ... i do it all the time ... few of you have to deal with the issues that i do ... take it from an old Israelite ... jim mccanney"

Don't be a stranger my old farted friend
In wafting just thoughts that off blend

Greg..
My reading of this and other remarks by Dmitry Medvedev are posturing...but trying to persuade the Us to keeps it's nose out of what
they feel is not the world's business, Georgian.

Russia is well aware of the US costs that it has occurred in war over the past years and including the state of the US economics on the home front.
Perhaps a little like Harper recognizing that the Liberal party was broke and economically things were going to get worse...consequently a call for a
election on the balance would automatically give him a 50% advantage...

Medvedev  vagueness I think was intentional...but I think it was just political rhetoric, as I don't think Russia has the resources or the will of it's people
to go in that direction...

Just thoughts..


     
 

Interesting developments in the world these days include US and Canadian elections
and thoughts of deep gloomy recessions, depressions or new IT inventions. But is
anyone actually paying attention to what local news most often don't mention?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/27/russia

The Guardian article has these words by Dmitry Medvedev:

"Just recently we had to rebuff aggression unleashed by the Georgian regime. As we
discovered, a local smouldering conflict - even occasionally a frozen one - can flare up
into a genuine war," Medvedev said, addressing Russian troops.

What does Medvedev really mean by "A Frozen One?"

A cold war frozen in time?

A conflict in the arctic?

A dead Russian on ice aboard a Ukrainian cargo ship off the coast of Somalia
containing Russian armaments being held by "pirates?"

Or is it something altogether different? (Note: Nuclear Winter is not an option)