Ashes, ashes, everywhere
What if the volcano doesn't stop?
Marq de Villiers, Port Medway, N.S.
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The volcanic disruption of life reminds me of a headline that appeared in a London newspaper several years ago - Fog in Channel: Continent Cut Off.
Edward W. Barrett, Montreal
Retired teachers selfish?
Re Ontario School Boards Squander $16.7-Million By Hanging On To Retirees (April 19): A principal hires an experienced retired teacher to provide a smooth continuation of program for students. This is "squandering"? A teacher retires early, creating a job for a new teacher. This is "squandering"?
Retirees are providing a double service to the education system: They have given up their jobs so new teachers can work, and they're continuing to provide occasional excellent service based on years of experience to schools in need. Squander? No, you get what you pay for.
Lynda Langdon, Thornhill, Ont.
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Having been a supply teacher (an oxymoron in itself) in my younger days, I soon learned that the job was more crowd control than actual teaching. So how does this aspect of the job make a retiree more qualified than a novice teacher who is the future of the profession. And why does a retiree need an income of close to $100,000 while our best and brightest are forced to go overseas.
Cam Bolt, Waterloo , Ont.
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I'm a retired secondary school teacher - for nearly 12 years now - and I take issue with retired teachers who go back and double dip. I disagree with the retired teacher quoted in your article who said she'd have had to delay retirement if she couldn't continue to supply teach because of the huge drop in pay. That's utter nonsense.
Before I retired, I calculated that most teachers would receive between 60 per cent and 70 per cent of their pre-retirement income (depending on years of experience); they would be paying less income tax and no CPP deductions. They also would no longer have the commuting expenses or the need for new clothes to look nice while teaching. So it's the expenses that drop dramatically, not the pay.
There's nothing wrong with retired teachers "volunteering" with extra-curricular activities. I'd like to see how many would continue to supply teach if they were just doing it for the love of children.
Murray D. Lumley, Toronto
The big Thai picture
Your editorial Call A Free Election (April 17) reflects a misunderstanding about the role of Thailand's principal institutions in politics, particularly that of the Thai monarchy.
The monarchy is above politics and does not take sides. Successive Thai constitutions contain clear stipulation as regards the monarch's role, which the King has always conscientiously observed. Unfortunately, certain political groups in Thailand have tried to draw the monarchical institution into the political fray by claiming royal support. Foreign media should not make misguided suggestions about the King's constitutional powers.
As for the courts, Thai law does provide for their role in adjudicating certain cases relating to wrongdoings committed by politicians and parties. These include election fraud and conflict of interest. In such cases, the judiciary operates independently and on the basis of the law.
With regards to the current political situation, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has made it clear that a political solution must be worked out, with views from various groups, including the grievances and political demands of the demonstrators, taken into account. He has already indicated his readiness to call a general election well before the due date in late 2011. The issue has thus to be agreed on through dialogue, given that there are also people who oppose the idea of an immediate dissolution of the House of Representatives.
What is crucial is that the rule of law must be respected. Those instigating havoc and exploiting innocent demonstrators must be brought to justice. This is the pressing task the government is now working to tackle.
Cherdchai Chaivaivid, counsellor and head of chancery, Royal Thai Embassy, Ottawa
Taxing our reality
According to letter writer Yves Leduc of the Dairy Farmers of Canada (Supply Management Works - April 19), all the virtues of supply management have been achieved "without costing taxpayers a dime." I would remind Mr. Leduc that protectionism for his members has "taxed" me, my family and every other Canadian through the artificially high prices the government allows dairy farmers to impose on consumers each and every day.
Roy A. Derrick, Vernon, B.C.
Hug the Saudis? Forget it
I read with astonishment Brian Mulroney's call for a closer relationship between Canada and Saudi Arabia ( Saudis, Our Friends And Business Partners - April 16). Is this the Saudi Arabia where women don't have the right to vote, drive a car, move around without a male escort or leave off their hijab? The Saudi Arabia where an adult Canadian citizen is currently being held against her will by her father, who has the right under Saudi law to prevent her from travelling? The Saudi Arabia where a 75-year-old widow was recently sentenced to 40 lashes and four months in prison for having two young men deliver bread to her?
Saudi Arabia is one of the last nations on Earth we should have a close, friendly relationship with, and it offends me as a Canadian woman that it was even suggested.
Lisa Matthewson, Vancouver
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While we've always considered Brian Mulroney a great friend of the Jewish community, he has erred in prematurely rushing to judgment in his endorsement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - a totalitarian state whose wealth serves as the lifeblood of radical Islam and terrorism across the globe. The country also ranks among the lowest in the world with respect to its human-rights record, especially as it relates to women, and continues to discriminate against non-Muslims. In a global economy with scores of nations with which to co-operate and expand relations, we suggest there are much more appropriate partners than the Saudis.
Frank Dimant, CEO, B'nai Brith Canada, Toronto
The student life
Sarah Pelton is our hero ( 29 Years Of School And Counting - Facts & Arguments, April 19). As a fellow grad student approaching 30, I feel as though she has put words to the behaviour of spending entire days in PJs seeking academic enlightenment. She has validated my secretly smug delight in pursuing this less conventional path, making my own schedule, and having the freedom to progress and explore in my own creative rhythm.
Ms. Pelton has also pushed the boundaries of grad-student procrastination by taking the time to compose an essay for The Globe and Mail. Bravo!
Elizabeth Dawson, Waterloo, Ont.
Hair-raising epiphany
How do you know you're too old to be watching the Junos ( Here's Looking At You, Kid - April 19)? When you're watching the baby-faced Justin Bieber with his wraparound hairstyle and you start to think it's that young Anne Murray from her Singalong Jubilee days!
Glenn Kletke, Kanata, Ont.
The foot's on the other hand
Thanks to Lysiane Gagnon for translating the volatile world of Quebec politics ( Jean Charest, Under Siege - April 19). But describing someone as "a political gadfly who's been considered for years a loose cannon with an axe to grind" may have mixed a few too many metaphors, n'est-ce pas?
Richard Bachmann, Burlington, Ont.
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In her review of the book Oprah ( Grand Ole Oprah - Books, April 17) Margaret Wente uses the expression "worked like dogs." A typical scene in our household: As we leave the house, Bennie, our Lab/shepherd mix, who is stretched out on the sofa, opens one eye, closes it, then goes back to sleep. Several hours later, when we return, he's still in the same position. "Worked like dogs"?
Michael R. Conrad, Vancouver
Long arm of the lawn
So police in Tennessee have charged a man on a motorized lawn mower with driving under the influence, saying he "smelled of alcohol and failed a sobriety test" ( Man On Lawn Mower Gets DUI - Editor's Picks, online, April 17). Couldn't they just have arrested him for driving while on grass?
Ken DeLuca, Arnprior, Ont.