Homelessness

In my city, as in probably all cities, there is a reality of homelessness.

A lot of people are a little bit freaked out by it, and avoid the issue completely. It is frightening, the juxtaposition of those who have nothing with those who have warm homes, just streets away.

But it's there.
They are there.
So the question is, now what?

Who are these people? How did they find themselves in their situations? Should we really be afraid of them?

I took some time during the summer to walk around downtown with some friends. We handed out about eighty sandwiches, and found just as many stories.

As it turns out, there are a multitude of ways to become homeless. Buisnesses falling apart, the death of a spouse, sickness, abuse, and yes, substance addictions. Sometimes there are combinations of reasons. It depends on the individual you talk to.

Because they are individuals, each with talents and dreams and pasts and futures and relationships and fears and needs and opinions and quirks... you get it. They are all different.

And I don't think it's fair to put them all under one label. They are not all drunks or stoners or lazy. Many of whom I met are more hardworking than the teens I interact with at school.

For example, take Crazzy Dave, the homeless poet. He has been on the streets for years, and he's made an art out of it. He collects old pieces of cardboard and writes amazing poems on them. He sells them, and from what he tells me, a single one can make anywhere from two dollars to forty dollars. He'll even write you an original on the spot, given a topic. With the help of more fortunate friends, Crazzy Dave now has his own book of poetry published. He's the kind of guy I'd love to spend a whole day with, just to learn.

It's great that there are a lot of organizations trying to address the very real issue of poverty and homelessness, but many of these people have been burned by institutions before, and I belive it is a need that will best be met through the average citizen. People taking time to help each other.

More than that, to understand one another.

The Future of Journalism

http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=71&aid=93527

I just finished reading Steve Klein's piece, My Take. As a journalism student, I think he has something really important to say.

We do our journalism for an audience, not simply for the fun of it. Because of this, we must always concern ourselves with whatever it is that audience wants. It's a fact, I'm realizing more and more every day, that we are the generation of on-demand everything. We are a generation that wants everything at our convenience. And we have the technology to accomplish this.

Print journalism is becoming less and less appreciated. No one wants to wait to get the paper in the morning and have to read through it in hopes of finding an interesting story when they can simply search online and find a host of brief stories on any topic imaginable.

Sad as some may find it, this is what our audience wants.

The newspapers that are still successful today have realized it. They have branched out and run websites with podcasts and videos. This is just the way our world is changing. It doesn't have to be bad. I believe that there will always be a need for journalists, but that the form our work takes must change with our audience.

Two Charges of Homicide

As I previously stated, there are many concerns regarding Bill C-484. Just one on the list is the worry of charging someone who has killed a pregnant woman with two homicides. The argument behind this is that it implicitly gives personhood status to the unborn, which is not applied currently under Canadian law.

As it turns out, this, at least, is a misconception. For the killing of the mother, the murderer would be charged as is normal under law presently, but there would not be a second charge of homicide for the unborn. The second charge would be a lesser charge, applied in the case where the killer knew (or should have known due to the obvious shape of the woman) that the victim was pregnant. Ken Epp, the creator of the Bill, also says that his Bill should only apply in the case of a wanted child, one whom the mother has decided against aborting(http://www.kenepp.com/issues/insidepage.asp?ID=92).

Bill C-484: What is it REALLY about?

The first issue I'd like to follow is the proposed Bill C-484, the Unborn Victims of Crime Act.

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this Bill because of the abortion debate, and many on the Pro-Choice side of the issue feel it is a back-door way of criminalizing abortion in Canada. Is this a real threat?

Bill C-484 was introduced by Kenn Epp. The summary states that "This enactment amends the Criminal Code by making it an offence to injure, cause the death of or attempt to cause the death of a child before or during its birth while committing or attempting to commit an offence against the mother." (from http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Docid=3127600&file=4 , I would encourage you to read the Bill in its entirety)

I can see why those for abortion take issue. At first glance, this Bill seems to be implying that the unborn child is a person, which would most certainly be problematic in the case of the termination of a pregnancy.

Through the course of the following couple of weeks, I hope to investigate this further and explore the real intentions of Bill C-484 with you.

The Who Who Says The What

Just a little intro to who I am...

I am a grade 12 student in a Journalism course, the reason for which I am currently typing this. I've given my blog the title "I Want You To Know" because my writing is going to centre around issues that I find important, and information I want to make known.

As I hope you'll learn, I hold many opinions. I do not mean to offend anyone, ever. However, this is my blog, and I will be posting my own views. They are for your consideration or interest; I respect any differing ideas you may have.