Winter Olympics Open Today - Surely Not in Texas?

Well, this is what East Texas looks like today. Here we have a young man who is finally able to get out into the snow and actually build a snowman! Yes, I know it is a little small, but, hey - this is what Hubby calls a "tropical area" and this is probably only the fifth time it has snowed since I arrived from Toronto thirteen years ago.

We will tape the Opening Ceremony from Vancouver being televised on NBC here. (Yes, I still scrapbook on Fridays.) I do recall the wonderful festivities with all manner of singing and dancing by so many different groups of Canadians at the Calgary Winter Olympics so I am expecting a wonderful show!

Canadians like to have the opportunity to show the rest of the world what Canada really is like and you will not be disappointed to see this ceremony. There will be dancers representing Canada's indigenous people. Canadians take great pride in showing you their country which is clean, expansive and rich in natural resources including friendly people.

(On the map, Canada appears huge and it is. Keep in mind, though, that about 80% of the population live within 200 miles of the U.S. border. There are many natural resources in the north, but it takes stamina to leave the hustle bustle behind and seek the riches of the north.)

The last figure I have for Canada's population is about 33 million, which is just about 10% of the number of people in United States. So get out your atlas and take a look where the games are being held. It is on the West Coast mainland and if you follow this blog, you know I came to Texas from the Toronto area which is pretty central - north of Buffalo, New York.

Hope you enjoy the games - especially the opening ceremony tonight - and we do hope the snow melts away from East Texas because we do not have the resources or clothing to handle it!

(Photo courtesy Denise Hoeffner, editor of Charm Magazine, Lufkin, Texas.)

CORRECTION FROM TOM BROKAW ON NBC AT THE OPENING TONIGHT:

Now, the figures are 90% of Canadians live within 100 miles of the US/Canadian Border!

Name Calling: Labeling of those different from ourselves

If you read my blogs - and really, most of my writing over the years - it is generally pretty kind, soft, gentle as it were.

Today, I feel the need to address an issue that just will not go away. If it was bad when I was a kid, it is much worse today.

What I am talking about is people labeling people who are different from themselves.

You know that when I was a kid, I was overweight - fat, I guess we should call it. So, I took some abuse there.

In Toronto in the 50s, there were some groups of ethnic people immigrating from other countries. I don't recall any name-calling of people from the Ukraine, but I do remember a general term for all people such as the Polish, who came to Canada for the fine fertile land, particularly out west. I also remember that these people were very family-oriented and hard-working.

The Italians came and many became the master builders with their trades of plaster and marble work. More hard workers!

We had a lot of Jewish people in Toronto and I think they were probably the most depressed group of people. They were "politely" banned from elite clubs and some fine housing. They, of course got back at everyone else by turning out a huge percentage of doctors and lawyers in the 50s and 60s.

After World War Two, in about 1944-45, many British came to Canada with Canadian military they had married. There used to be mean-spirited comments about them.

Many Hungarians came over during the uprising of 1957 and although they seemed to have their own strong community, I don't honestly recall them being sought out as different from a native-born Torontonian.

Also in the 50s, many people came to Toronto from the islands, particularly Jamaica which was a fellow country of the British Commonwealth. They actually integrated quite well.

I know that people saw these people as different from themselves and perhaps that is exactly why people resorted to name-calling. They do not understand someone who is a little different from themselves, so they call them names. It is a defense mechanism.

So, with that preamble, let me get to today.

Why are we - particularly in the Southern United States - still concerned with the color of a person's skin? Does each human being not have the same basic hopes and dreams for his offspring? Should we not be helping our fellowman to achieve his highest goals? Should we not give our neighbor's child a helping hand to graduate college and be the best he or she can be?

At a very basic level, one can perhaps forgive prejudices. I think prejudices arise from lack of knowledge. The point is, people do not stop to talk to the Indian from New Delhi who is operating the best bakery in town. People do not stop to admire the Hispanic's child at the supermarket. In the big city, I imagine a young white person is unlikely to offer his seat to an elderly Black person.

When my only two children were born with microcephalism, I bristled any time someone called another person "retarded". I knew that a microcephalic child's brain stops growing in the first three months of pregnancy. I had new respect for every person who had some sort of mental or physical disability.

What I cannot respect is people, elected by us and being reimbursed from our tax dollars for their endeavors with high remuneration resorting to name-calling. How is that for politically correct phrasing? Loose translation there would be people who were lucky enough to be well-funded and get elected to a job they just might not be qualified for in the everyday world.

When Sarah Palin first emerged in the lower States, a new mother with a special needs child, the way she and her family felt about that child radiated everywhere people saw the family. It was a breath of fresh air.

When Barack Obama was elected President, we thought we had broken some barriers. So, why do we still make references to his background? This is an educated, smart and witty man probably as well-qualified as any former president, so why are references to his lineage still being made?

This past week, twice there have been politicians use the work "retarded" with reference to people saying or doing something stupid. Unbelievable!

Notice that I have not even delved into the morals of any of the politicians? You betcha!