We’re fond of saying that Toronto is not very representative of Canada as a whole. Sometimes it seems the city is barely part of this large land. So it is again as we hear that focus groups in Toronto concluded that the depiction of what appears to an Asian scientist on the new $100 bills was just fine. But in places like Quebec and in the New Brunswick capital of Fredericton, there was great discomfort that an Asian might appear on our currency. The Bank of Canada decided to get rid of the image and in the end, it was replaced by a figure which is said to look Caucasian. In isolation, there’s nothing wrong with this outcome. It isn’t essential to have a person of Asian appearance depicted on our bank notes. But the idea that it made people — presumably white people — feel uncomfortable is sad. Toronto is not Canada, and on some days those of us who live here will find that a bitter reality. Ottawa Citizen
The bi-annual flower carpet in the main square of Brussels is a thrilling feast for the eyes. It was created yesterday. The carpet is also backbreaking work. This year the design is inspired by Africa. Hundreds of thousands of flowers are used and about 120 volunteers put the carpet together in the City’s Grand Place every two years. The Telegraph has a stunning album of pictures of the flower carpet. It took almost four hours to make. The carpet will be on show until 19 August. Pictures
Members of the congregations of Manor Road and Leaside United Churches may be pondering tonight how the agenda of their national church sits with them. The Church’s General Council, meeting in Otawa, has declared itself — on behalf of all its congregations — against the idea of an oil pipeline to the west coast. They’re about to decide on a motion to boycott products from Israeli settlements. That comes Friday. Either way, the actions of the church mean very little to either the sale of such products or the reconciliation of the peoples living in that part of the world. It’s a bit like the motion to stop members from gossiping. Why. Ordinary awareness will tell us that gossip is usually true. Reporters call their work tidied up gossip. Surely what the United Church thinkers are saying to us is that we should avoid being mean or vindictive. Sometimes people are like that. But that has less to do with gossip than simple decency. If Mary has left her husband for the pool man, there’s nothing especially saintly in not talking about it. This motion seems oddly out of touch with the things that make us human.
