BOCA INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

I wanted to write about monuments and other related things today. It is something that seems to identify people down through history. Some like those of the kings of shame in this world, like the dictators known as Edie Amin, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Saddam Hussein, and a whole bunch more were largely statutes raised in toast by the leaders to themselves. When deposed or when their reign ended by death, the statutes became the targets of those who hated them enough to destroy the monumnet in place of the person who they could not reach. I say that is great and it should happen that way. At the same time, we tend to forget that the monuments that were raised by our grandfathers to people of their era had a much similar meaning but the adoration came from the people and not the individuals themselves in most instances. Those statues still remain  where they were once placed where everyone could see them as they passed and to remember the person and what he did for the world, the country, the province or state, the city and in some cases, just for a cause that caught the eye of the world. The statue to Terry Fox was such a statue. I am speaking in partucular about the statute that stands along the Trans Canada highway near Thunder Bay, Ontario in a beautiful spot on a slow rise hill with the expanse of Lake Superior behind it. I could not think of a more fittiing memorial to a man who has done more for the world in raising awareness and funds for cancer research than any other individual or organization. Even today, some 30 years after his death, he is still spoken of with heart. In some 60 countries in the world his name is connected to cancer research and fundraising events to support it. Schools, parks, playgrounds and a whole variety of other buildings bare his name. There are also many other monuments to him across Canada and he will not soon be forgotten. It is one name that no one will ever be able to disgrace for even the memory of him will live on in other forms. Until her death, his values live on in his family and their control of the foundation set up to distribute the funds as he would have wanted. Sure, they probably lived well because of it but there is little that could ever match the legacy he left the world in the way of support for cancer research. It takes money to make money but it also takes money to give it away.

Now I will talk to you about "the other things." There are those creatures of the wing whose security in the big  city is only guaranteed by the presence of a statue. Yes, I am taking about the pigeon, *&#$%[email protected] They are leftovers from who knows where, birds that have no fear of the average human and tolerate their presence in parks, on the street and wherever they can settle and poop. I know all about poop and the pigeon. I had one build a nest on my air conditioner in 1988 before I knew it. I did not find it out until I went looking for the chirping sound I kept hearing and found two little fellows had hatched in the nest. At that point, I did not have the heart to push the nest away. Instead, they continued to poop until I eventually had to get rid of the air conditioner. Oh well, it was an old one anyway. Now, talking about poop, what about all of those statues around the city that no one cleans up on a regular basis. Should we have the city do it or the people who support the idea of monuments? Poop is a never ending problem and the only successful thing that keeps it away is the presence of hawks trained to go after the pigeons. I have seen them at work and they do a great job. If they don't scare the pigeons away, they catch them and eat them. Now I also know there are people who love feeding the pigeons...well I do too but I don't because it just encourages them to stick around. The humane thing to do would be to catch them and take them to......eh?........to......eh?.......to ANOTHER BIG CITY. That way the streets would be clean for at least a few days until someone caught on at the other end and brought them back. So what, it would give us a break.....let's see, which other city do we hate the most?........... hmmmmm. Besides,. it would soo tell us which were city pigeons and which were homing pigeons, wouldn't it?

As I leave your with this to think about all I can say is that there is another bird in Canada that is part of our history. I am talking about the Canada Goose. It is much like the creation of the pigeon, another bird, but it is God's monument to the Canadian people and what ever other  country they frequent. I say that because they land before they poop. Thank God for thinking that one out! I wonder if Dr. Oz could explain that one?....hmmmmm