May
27
Who is to be believed in the Ruby Dhalla case of alleged caregiver abuse?
The more the days pass, the less clarity is brought to this story, which is thus far only being played out in a fuzzy she-said/she-said arena that’s light on proven fact-based persuasion.
Dhalla’s lawyer pointed weeks ago to a conspiracy, a political frameup. But who on Earth would be so motivated to take Dhalla, the former Liberal critic for youth and multiculturalism — hardly a power-broker in the political sphere — down?
Now comes news that the gentleman who first employed nanny Magdalene Gordo and brought her to Canada in 2007 will speak at a media conference to say that he was victimized by the nanny’s supposedly bogus claims.
Can anyone tell me: How properly is this mess being investigated?
An astounding 9.8 million viewers tuned it to watch Monday night’s season premiere of Jon & Kate Plus Eight, presumably to bear witness to the disintegration of a marriage. It was dark, very dark, to see the fatigued husband and wife barely interacting at their sextuplets’ birthday, and Jon slurring his words alarmingly in some scenes, face flush, while visibly squirming as if he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole.
“Someday my kids will Google me,” he said. Absolutely right. Get them off TV before more damage is done.
Apr
29
At 5 feet 11 and 108 pounds, 19-year-old Stephanie Naumoska, the painfully thin Australian beauty-pageant contestant, says that she lives a “healthy” life — that she has “never been anorexic or bulimic” and has “never been malnourished or underfed.” I highly doubt that is true.
But I have to agree (for once) with The View co-host Elisabeth Hasselback who said the other day on her show that we must stop attacking women like Naumoska with taunts and insults.
Too many people reacted to Naumoska’s appearance in the media by saying, in effect, that she should “eat a cookie!” As if it’s that easy.
The problem of body-image distortion, the sickness of eating disorders — these must be addressed without assaulting the victims.
Apr
29
I am loving the Girl Guides of Canada’s new Love Yourself Challenge badge, which the century-old (yet progressive!) organization will launch on May 11.
Developed with the help of the National Eating Disorder Information Centre, the badge features three figures of various sizes and shapes. Girls can earn one through a variety of tasks, for example by crafting a thing called an Awesome Alien.
“They create a funky alien that may have three eye balls or two right hands,” says a Guides spokesperson. “It’s about celebrating differences.”
Apr
20
I’m a little Susan Boyled-out at the moment, to be honest with you, but a person can hardly turn grinch at the latest development in the story of the never-been-kissed Scottish singer.
Turns out that Elaine Paige, the British stage star and Boyle’s idol, is proposing a get-together.
“It seems her performance has captured the hearts of everyone who saw it, me included,” Paige writes on her website. “Perhaps we should record a duet?”
