1982 letter to Bill HIgginson re early Haiku Society of Canada meeting

 Oct. 29/82

Bill Higginson
From Here Press
Box 219
Fanwood, N.J.
07023 USA

Dear Bill,

              Delighted to hear from you!   Yes, it must be over a decade since
we corresponded, and it sounds as if a lot of water has passed under
both our bridges . . . hopefully our experiences can be incorporated
into our haiku and other poetry . . .

            It's funny but I never met a real, live haiku poet (other
than the occasional wanderer I pressed into authorship in my hippie
years) until 1979, when just for the hell of it I decided to attend
a meeting of "The Haiku Society of Canada" at Eric Amman's (sic) house.
I arrived with some trepidation and a 6-pack of beer, and surprise!
everyone present was a real, live writing haiku poet & even more
astounding - fairly normal human beings. I don't know if you have
ever met Eric, but he is a shy, self-effacing guy, sort of a
gnomish Woody Allen without the forced humour. George Swede was
a larger version of a hobbit (not as elfin as Eric - he's since
shaved his beard) - Margaret Saunders is everyone's aunt and granny
in one, Marshall Hryciuk is a big-bearded, big-bellied laughing
Buddha (too much acid? -) etc.  A very congenial group, esp. after
we polished off the beer, some saki, a few bottles of wine, etc.
Serious discourse was forced to give way to a round-robin haiku
reading, which eventually 'degenerated' into good natured bantering
about each other's occasional misadventures at authorship. No
blood was shed, the highest accolade I can give. Subsequent
meetings of the HSC and the more recent Toronto Haiku Workshop
have followed pretty well in this tradition.
               Anyway, a toast, welcome back to Haiku (for both of us)!

              The enclosed collections will  update you better (I hope)
than a long and boring letter about my life. Unfortunately, the most
recent work in the collections is about 2 years old, so as soon
as I gain access to a photocopier, I will inundate you with some
more current writing. If you have any available collections of your
work, let's swap!

            At his point I was dragged off to a Halloween Party in
my housing co-op - 3 or 4 beers and several hours later I'm back . .
you are of course most welcome to use any of my haiku in any projects
you have in mind .... I'll send you some more recent stuff here as well -
Thanks for the compliments about my haiku (you may have the only
extant copy of "Guest in a Garden", by the way) . . and thanks for the
offer to visit - it's inevitable that we meet - not sure of my status
regarding border crossings (haven't been in the States since '69) . .
I'll try to correspond more frequently than every decade in the future . .

POETRY POWER!!

Chris

no signature available on this carbon copy

and so this is christmas

 and what have we done???????????????????????????????????????

This is medieval barbarism in Gaza. At least let the innocents escape to get hospitalization.

Canada's complicity in Gaza terror

from World BEYOND War email today - apologies to WBW but my system can't post their pictures

Dear Chris,
 
20,000 Palestinians have now been killed in the Israeli military's attacks on Gaza. 8000 children are dead.   

I know that during the last two months many of you have joined us, every single week, in protests on the streets and at our MP offices. In blockades at weapons factories and rail lines. In sit-ins at government offices and consulates. In putting up posters and marching across your city and town. In vigils and film screenings and trainings and letter-writing sessions, over and over again.

This groundswell of resistance across Canada demanding an end to Israeli war crimes in Palestine is why the Canadian government finally voted for a ceasefire.

They are hoping we will be satisfied with this one non-binding UN vote, even as bombs continue to fall on Gaza killing hundreds every single day. Even as Canada continues to directly support the Israeli military's actions through shipping them weapons.

But we will not be satisfied until the violence ends. Instead, we need to ramp up the pressure. We need to continue mobilizing in high gear to do whatever we can to end the horrific violence decimating Gaza as we speak.

We're not slowing down. Here are some of the initiatives we've launched and built up in just the past week, and how you can get involved.
 

Demanding an arms embargo, mapping the Canada-Israel arms trade, and blockading weapons factories:
 
Every week we've updated our map of companies across Canada involved in supporting the Israeli military. And we've organized blockades at many of the locations on it from coast-to-coast to interrupt the flow of weapons to Israel and impact the bottom-lines of the companies arming and profiting off of Israeli military violence in Gaza. Between us and our allies' efforts more than 30 Canada Stop Arming Israel direct actions have taken place across the country in the past two months. Here are two we organized last week:
 
 
We just launched a new campaign with Ontario teachers to stop their pension plan from funding and profiting off of the slaughter of Palestinians:
 
Please make sure Ontario teachers and pension plan members across the province get a chance to join in this brand new campaign. Help spread the word on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
 
Inviting tips, leaks, and other information on the ways in which Canada is aiding Israeli military violence
 

If you are a public servant, member of the Canadian Armed Forces, private contractor, or anyone else with relevant information about Canada’s involvement in arming Israel, or its support to the Israeli military or commercial defense and surveillance technology sectors, we invite you to share it with us safely and confidentially.   
 

Can you help spread this callout far and wide so the right people see it?
 
 
 
The Canadian government just announced it intends to spend $2.49 billion on its first fleet of armed military drones, a fleet of MQ-9 Reapers
 
This week, after Parliament adjourned for the holiday season, the Canadian government quietly released plans to purchase their first fleet of military armed drones for both domestic surveillance and attacks overseas. They're hoping we won't notice their sneaky announcement.

Canada is already selling drone parts to Israel, including the engines for the IDF's Heron TP (Eitan) combat drones currently used in Gaza. The last thing we need is for the Canadian military to begin purchasing its own fleet of armed drones to wreak terror around the world.

Take action to cancel this planned purchase here.
 
A few more snapshots of our recent Palestine solidarity work
See many more updates on our work across Canada over the last few weeks here.
 
 
 
In solidarity,
 
Rachel Small
Canada Organizer, World BEYOND War
 
P.S. We operate on a shoestring budget – the way we fund our work taking bold action to resist militarism across Canada and mobilizing powerfully in solidarity with people experiencing violence all over the world is through individual people who believe in what we do, giving what they can. Can you chip in?
 
World BEYOND War is a global network of volunteers, chapters, and affiliated organizations advocating for the abolition of the institution of war.
         


World BEYOND War | PO Box 152, Toronto PO E, ON, M6H 4E2 Canada

letter from William J. Higginson, editor Haiku Handbook etc., Nov. 1982

 Typed letter from William J. Higginson, "haiku godfather" who edited seminal English language haiku books including The Haiku Handbook (McGraw-HIll) and Wind in the Long Grass (Simon & Schuster).

On From Here Press letterhead, Fanwood, New Jersey
4 November 82

Ah, Chris

Good to hear from you! And to have the books, and the info on yr
past", as they say. Sorry it's unlikely that we'll meet  in the States, but thoroughly understand.

I like to tell the p/r people
"The Air Force made me a poet." And in a way it's quite true. But
though I had a top-s clearance for most of the four years I worked
in USAF, I shortly had my pictures in FBI files for anti-war activi-
ties in the New Haven area, late sixties. I was a bloomin' campus radical,
and like many of the breed, a little older than most of the kids in
school then. Anyway, a friend of mine who had the audacity to declare
himself a C.O., - - with substantial corroboration from several ministers
of the cloth (he was really a classical religious C.O.) - - spent two
years in Ft. Leavenworth. Really a useful way to treat sane, talented
people.

Right now trying to dig in for the long haul, self-sufficiency in
suburbia, and all that. We've started gardening, Penny (Harter - - my
wife), and I. Organic. Just learning, and not enough time for all
that's to be done. But it's clear that we must stop the pillage of
mass farming, as big a threat to humankind and a lot of other kinds
as nuclear war, etc.  Ah, well, enough pontificating.

Listen, thanks so much for the books. Delighted to have them. I'm
enclosing a couple of things from this end for your perusal. I don't
think you have thistle brilliant morning, and sure few up there
have seen PATERSON PIECES, though Eric may have a copy.

Gonna get this off, as pressure's on for various projects and bed
too calls. But great to hear from you, and I do look forward to
a meeting, perhaps in the great north, north american homelike nation.

Be well!

Bill

p.s.(handwritten)
Do you get funding for readings at Libr? I'll  maybe have a book or so, with Canadian
distr. if that's a help. I can probably
put together something at U. Buffalo, on the way.    

Alvar trail at Callaghan's Rapids Conservation Area

I decided to visit Callaghan's Rapids Conservation Area today. The Christmas holidays aren't my favourite time of year, and it's been a bleak, almost snowless December so far. Visiting the woods and river always lightens my mood and spirit, and this walk was no exception. As it was overcast, there was no reason to take a walk where there was more possible sunlight exposure, so I chose the back trail, or as I'll now call it, the alvar trail.

Last winter Doug and Marc took me for my first snowshoe hike on this trail. I've previously walked it annually by myself for several decades, and I'm sure most years there have been no other hikers, as the trail was gradually being overgrown and obscured by brush and dead fall trees. There was still a trace of the one recent light snowfall, and the temp was below freezing last night. The first test was to see if the large puddle at the start of the trail was frozen. A large dead fall tree from the many climate change windstorms blocked the start of the trail, so clambering around the tree meant I was able to avoid the puddle, frozen or not.

The walk was counter clockwise, while usually I walk it clockwise, starting by the rapids. Marc had chain sawed several large dead falls to clear the trail, and I used my trusty maple walking stick to knock dead limbs off some others. Marc has helpfully cleared a short trail to the alvar which we visited last winter, as I wasn't sure of its exact location. An alvar is a rocky, swampish patch of barren land in the middle of thick surrounding pines and hardwoods. It's maybe one or two acres in a circular shape. A fox's delicate trail led the way when I entered the alvar, and I stood at the far side and reminisced about last year's visit. On the way back to the main trail I carved my shaman sign on a tree for future reference, a silly habit like the soldiers who scribbled "Kilroy was here" during World War Two.

The visible trail ends just before reaching the Crowe River bend, and I had to go cross country for a few hundred yards through a field of thorny scrub. I reached the haunted den woods, with underground streams and caves everywhere. It's always dangerous going through this rocky and hilly section, with dozens of sinkholes as well as many small den caves. I followed the river back to where I usually start the trail by the main falls. A friendly sight greeted me there:

solstice snow cap
on small secret inukshuk          

Elder Abuse: Right Before Our Eyes (from Joyce Wayne's blog, "retirementmatters)

Warning Signs of Suspected Elder Abuse
 

Published on December 17, 2023
8 min read
By Joyce Wayne

The belief that elder abuse is an issue that only happens to others, far removed from our lives or the lives of our loved ones, is a comforting assumption. However, the reality is that it can and does happen close to home. Elder abuse is more pervasive than I ever imagined, and it’s everywhere, among the wealthiest and the poorest. In rural and urban environments, it’s often unfolding right before our eyes, and it takes serious concern and knowledge about the signs of elder abuse before it can be remedied.

Allow me to share the story of a person I’ve known most of my life. He was a doctor, an investor and an ardent golfer. Last year, his life took an unexpected turn as he began experiencing falls during his daily constitutional. One fall led to another. Eventually, he was diagnosed with dementia. He lives with his wife of six years in a gorgeous apartment. They have everything they need to be happy. But my friend has entirely lost his agency. He has no control over his daily life, finances, and even basic communication with whom he sees or speaks with on the telephone. He became fearful of one of the significant people in his daily life.

I began to notice the problem when I couldn’t speak with him on the phone after months of trying. My birthday card went unnoticed, and his other friends and family began reaching out to me, saying they’d phoned him, but to no avail. He could not be reached.

Last week, at my wit’s ends, I boarded a train to visit him, a six-hour ride from my home near Toronto. In certain respects, his situation is dire. While he receives care most days, enjoying three meals a day and having someone to watch over him, not all days are the same. Recently, he took a tumble and hurt his head, the wound, which he showed to me to illustrate his troubles.

At times, he is quite lucid, and we can talk openly about his plight. Other times, he repeats himself endlessly, one of the surest signs of dementia or any form of cognitive impairment. Before arriving at his home, I made sure to call an Elder Abuse helpline, something I never imagined I would do for my brilliant and accomplished friend. The social worker at the other end of the line was enormously helpful, asking pointed and comprehensive questions. I answered as best as I could. By the conclusion of our calls, she clearly said that my friend is a victim of elder abuse, physical, mental and financial.

I’ll admit, it was not the answer I expected nor wished to hear. Yet, by the time we finished our conversations, and in the weeks that followed, I understood how elder abuse can be camouflaged by those surrounding the victim, or even by misunderstandings, or by the inability or desire to help. In my friend’s case, isolation was a huge issue. He was cut off from everyone he knew, with no means to contact his own family. Other people ran his banking and investments, and he seemed to have little or no idea where his money was going. He cannot write a cheque or move money between bank accounts. He has no access to his funds unless he asks permission from a self-appointed committee composed of his wife's family.

Last June, as reported by CTV News, the Montreal Police paid a visit to thousands of Montreal seniors in an effort to prevent elder abuse. The “Visit a Senior” operation, now in its fourth year, involves police officers, CIUSSS representatives and community workers reaching out to individuals who may be abused or need health and social services, according to a statement from the Montreal police. During this year’s operation, over 300 people went door-knocking to visit over 4,800 people—3,000 of whom were aged 65 and above. Depending on the situation, they offered food aid, access to a helpline, friendship services, and help to get to appointments, among other supports.

A 2019 provincial report on elder abuse revealed that nearly 6 percent of seniors living at home in Quebec reported being mistreated in the past year. “With the aging of the population set to accelerate over the next few years, elder abuse is a major public health issue that needs to be tackled collectively,” said Marick Bertrand, regional coordinator specializing in the fight against elder abuse at Montreal Public Health. Last month, the province began deploying the Elder Mistreatment Helpline (LAMAA) in all regions of Quebec. The line serves as a gateway for anyone who is experiencing or witnessing abuse and wants to be directed to the right resource.

The telephone service is available seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., at 1 888 489-2287.

During this holiday period, when you visit family and friends, I urge you to be aware of signs of elder abuse and to contact a helpline in your city or region to try to correct the situation.

The Government of Canada website is an excellent source of information. It discusses who are the abusers of older adults, who are at risk, and how to recognize elder abuse, plus many other topics related to the abuse of elders.

I was particularly interested in the section about “Warning Signs,” which includes:

Warning Signs of Suspected Elder Abuse


If you suspect abusive behaviour, look for:

Controlling behaviour:
Not allowing older adults the right to freely make decisions and choices
Refusing to allow them to visit with anyone alone
Isolating them from friends and family
Using the “silent treatment” to control them
Not allowing them to use the phone
Disregard for their privacy
Locks on the outside of the bedroom door
Reading or withholding their mail
Handling all of the money
Blaming the older adult for the abuse: “It’s your fault that I pushed you!”
A strong sense of entitlement: “I can do what I want! You owe me!”
Treating the older adult like a child: “Do what I tell you!”
Frequent arguments, name-calling calling or threats
Leaving a dependent person alone for long periods of time.
I witnessed or heard about many of these signs when visiting my friend. In this instance of elder abuse, I’m trying my best to help, along with the authorities in his city of residence.

For more information: For more information

To learn more about what the Government of Canada is doing for seniors or to find services and support in your province or territory, visit programs and services for elderly or call 1-800-O-Canada (1-800-622-6232, TTY: 1-800-926-9105)


retirementmatters.ca by joycewayne
96 Nelson Street, Unit 18 Oakville, Ontario L6L3H* Canada
Sent to zenriver@sympatico.ca — Unsubscribe

the catscan diet (fasting): eliminating type 2 diabetes

 
When I went for my first annual cancer catscan checkup in early June the technician was a chatty guy. He was thin and bounced around with energy, so it was surprising to learn he'd been obesely overweight until recently. He confided the secret to his weight loss and now obviously healthy body was a fasting diet. I was probably twenty pounds on the wrong side of the scales. The cancer operation, which removed a foot of my colon (large intestine), and the enforced  hospital diet had reduced my  usual weight to  186. Still   not a good  BMI (body mass index) for  an old guy (75) hovering at 5 feet 6 inches  ;  )

A pair of outdoorsy friends, Doug and Marc, who follow a casual fasting diet told me about their regimens. Another friend, Michelle, who worked as a nurse before retiring, loaned me a book by Dr. Jason Fung* about the relationship between obesity and diabetes. The universe kept telling me something I needed to hear. I was already in double overtime for life expectancy, having survived the right hemicolectomy and then serious dog bite wounds on both my shins (ironically on the same date as the cancer op a year earlier).

Doug explained that he only eats in a 4 hour period every day. He said he can eat whatever he wants, but then he has to forgo any food or snacks for 20 hours. It sounded daunting, but then I often went for 12 hours from my evening meal to my mid morning breakfast. In July I got serious about following the fasting routine, although I didn't go to the extreme of going one day a week with no food. I began eating my larger meal at 1 pm and then my smaller evening meal at 5 pm. Within two months my weight had dropped from 186 to 172! I plateaued at 172 for many weeks, then dropped to 170. Another month of the "diet" and I am now plateauing at 168. 165 was my usual weight for most decades of my adult life, and if I decide to push the limit just a bit more, I'll reach that goal eventually.

It's obvious that our society is eating too many over processed meals and junk food snacks. Our ancestors had to forage to eat, and they were probably lucky to eat one substantial meal a day. Our culture fetishizes 3 squares a day, and our modern sedentary lifestyle just doesn't need us stoking away all that unnecessary food. In addition to the fasting diet I've maintained and increased the daily walks and hikes I've enjoyed since I was a boy. The increased walking has probably helped with the weight loss, and I usually walk at least 1 1/2 hours to 3 hours daily now, with as much energy as when I was in my twenties.     

 

Dr. Jason Fung: *The Obesity Code, The Complete Guide to Fasting

check out his youtube vids

      

Amnesty report: government violence against Wet'suwet'en land defenders

Dear Christopher,

Later today, I will join Indigenous land defenders in Vancouver to share a story of oppression, resistance, resilience, and hope.

Amnesty Canada has just issued a research report in which we document and condemn a years-long campaign of violence, harassment, and racial discrimination inflicted upon the Wet’suwet’en Nation in British Columbia (B.C.). The land defenders at today’s press conference have faced a litany of human rights violations and abuses at the hands of the Canadian and B.C. governments, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and fossil-fuel companies – simply for defending their Indigenous rights.

The Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline cuts through the heart of the Wet’suwet’en Nation’s unceded ancestral territory, threatening to sever their profound connection to the land. The Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs, the Nation’s traditional authority, have refused to grant their free, prior and informed consent to the project – as is their right under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

When Wet’suwet’en land defenders peacefully defended their lands and waters from the CGL pipeline construction, they were met with violence, intimidation, and unlawful surveillance.

Informed by two research trips to Wet’suwet’en territory and dozens of interviews with land defenders and other eyewitnesses, our report sheds light on tactics used by the RCMP. During four militarized raids, officers stormed onto Wet’suwet’en Territory with semi-automatic sniper rifles and police dogs, while helicopters and surveillance drones buzzed overhead. Land defenders reported arbitrary arrests, damaged property, and assaults by masked officers who refused to identify themselves.

Our research also reveals a persistent pattern of intrusive surveillance, harassment, and intimidation, accompanied by racial discrimination and gender-based violence against the land defenders, the majority of whom are women.

But our report goes beyond the pipeline. It’s about the ongoing colonial violence that Indigenous Peoples in Canada have endured for far too long. And it must end today.


YES, I SUPPORT THE WET'SUWET'EN NATION!
I ask you to join Amnesty International Canada in urging Canadian officials to:

End the harassment, intimidation, surveillance and criminalization of Wet’suwet’en land defenders and their supporters.

Drop the charges against Indigenous land defenders criminalized for opposing the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

Stop the construction and use of the Coastal GasLink pipeline until the free, prior, and informed consent of the Hereditary Chiefs is obtained.

Our collective voice is stronger than this injustice. Speak up with me, speak up with Amnesty International, and most importantly, speak up and show your solidarity with Indigenous land defenders.

In hope and solidarity,

Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General

Amnesty International Canada

P.S. If you want to learn more, watch our live press conference on our Facebook page at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST. On our interactive Digital Report page, you can explore firsthand accounts, compelling photos, and gripping videos. You also can read the full PDF Report by clicking here.

LEARN MORE