Roving Reporter-Writer, Storyteller and Bridge-builder

Religious leaders are using the texts of the Koran to promote conservation messages-An approach, which has proved a great deal more successful than government regulations.

The island of Misali is just a small dot in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Pemba in Tanzania. The coral reef surrounding it is home to a rich variety of fish and turtles.

Just a few years ago, this fragile island paradise was under serious threat. Destructive fishing methods were damaging the corals and harming species that lived there. Government bans had little impact.

The non-governmental organization Care International stepped in to persuade fishermen to take better care of their environment - through a scheme based on Islamic principles.

“People didn’t experience environmental destruction in their areas until very recently,” says Ali Thani, Care’s project director.

These fishermen have learned the benefits of fishing in a sustainable manner without harming the island’s bio-diversity.

After what they are experiencing, they feel that Islamic environmental ethics might be better to create awareness in the community to protect their environment says Thani.

Local religious leaders like Shehe Mlekwa Lissani Bambi are now highlighting Islamic teachings about conservation in their sermons.

The Koran is not widely known by many as a source of guidance on environmental and conservation. Therefore, this seem the first time the teachings of the Koran have been used in Tanzania to promote conservation.

Salum Haji has fished these waters for as long as he can remember.

“There have been a lot of bad things happening here,” he says.

“People have used dynamite and guns to fish here.” This has destroyed the coral.

“I am happy that now we have learnt that the Koran tells us to protect everything in this world, including the environment.

“I am more dedicated to protecting the environment now and a more committed Muslim as well,” says Haji.

The Indian Ocean islands of Zanzibar and Pemba lie off the east African coast.

The semi-autonomous territory maintains a political union with Tanzania, but has its own parliament and president.

A former centre of the spice and slave trades, present-day Zanzibar is infused with African, Arab, European and Indian influences.

Original SOURCE BBC

Study finds journalists’ perceptions and engagement with social media and blogs dissent based on their beat.

The study released on May 21 by Brodeur, and Marketwire, surveyed journalists from five different beats — politics, lifestyle, technology, healthcare, and travel.

According to executive vice president of Brodeur Strategies Jerry Johnson, over half of reporters surveyed said they spent more than an hour per day with online news sources and blogs. At the same time, a majority of these same reporters across all beats said blogs and social media were having a negative impact on the quality and accuracy of reporting.

“The results suggest that journalists have a love/hate relationship with new media,” Johnson said.

The survey based on five separate online surveys of reporters included 451 interviews across all five reporting areas — an average of 90 reporter interviews per “beat.”

Well over two-thirds of political reporters and half of lifestyle reporters felt that social media had a negative impact on the tone of coverage in their area.

Health care, travel, and technology reporters were more likely to say that social media had a net positive impact on the tone of coverage in their area.

Lifestyle reporters were also the most critical of social media’s impact on the quality and accuracy of reporting in their field. Over two-thirds 67 per cent of lifestyle reporters said that social media was having a negative impact on the accuracy of reporting in their area. About the same percentage 64 per cent said it was having a negative impact on the quality of lifestyle reporting.

“Quality of reporting is a subjective measure,” explained Johnson. “The survey highlights the conflicting influence of social media on journalism.

On the one hand, it has been a positive force in getting divergent views out quickly. On the other hand there are many journalists who think that has had a negative impact on the quality or tone of overall coverage in their area, he added.

“The results of this study absolutely reflect what we see with the thousands of journalists who tap into Marketwire’s online feeds for news and information,” said Jessica Strange, Marketwire’s executive director of media relations.

The survey also asked reporters to rank some of the most popular social media news sites in their respective field. Overall, the survey results suggested that in areas such as politics and technology, a handful of online news sites are emerging as key media sources.

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Chief executive office of the United States. In contrast to many countries with parliamentary forms of government, where the office of president, or head of state, is mainly ceremonial, in the United States the president is vested with great authority and is arguably the most powerful elected official in the world. The nation’s founders originally intended the presidency to be a narrowly restricted institution

Photo by Khalid Magram

Originally filed for Toronto Observer on April 25, 2008

BY KHALID MAGRAM

Following a short chase, Gary Bintsis reluctantly abandoned his pursuit of Alex. After all, Gary could not fly. And on this misty spring day, Alex was determined to test-drive his unclipped wings in an open sky. In the matter of minutes, the bird was out of Gary’s sight.

“He is not like a dog,” Bintsis said. “Soon he was somewhere up in the trees.” He then had to call his wife, Polly Bintsis to break the sad news he knew she would not take lightly.

“I was crying, I was dying,” Polly said. “We had so many people helping us look for him.”

Losing a pet is distressing and knowing where to look, who to contact and how to find your pet can be very overwhelming.

The Bintsis’s 1-year old male, African Grey Parrot, named ‘Alex’ flew away from couple’s shop located at Danforth Avenue just east of Victoria Park Avenue. They were completely devastated and unsure how they would ever cope

“You get so attached to your pet, you feel like it’s your child,” Polly admitted. “So I felt depressed and anxious.” “She was determined, as any mother would be, to find her child and even went so far as to acquire the help of a pet psychic.”

Luckily, after three days of stressful and sleepless nights, and a search that seemed relentless, the Bintsis’s found Alex.” The bird had flown into a back yard of a house in the Main and Gerrard Street in Beaches/ East York area. The homeowner took the bird to the local Humane Society’s animal shelter.

Bintsis said that it was not until Polly contacted Rob, who had lost his female parrot Amy. She learned Toronto Humane Society has a bird she was describing to Rob.

Shortly after, the Bintsis’s were reunited with their bird.

“Life had returned to normal once we got Alex back,” Bintsis said.

According to the Toronto Humane Society, a non-profit organization separate from City of Toronto’s Animal Services, every year thousands of much-loved pets, become missing pets in GTA including some here in East York. Many are never seen again by their owners—a heartbreaking experience.

In most cases however, a few precautions can spare pet lovers the distressing experience of searching for their lost pet.

Technological advances such as pet microchip identification and registering a pet with organization such as Humane Society can help. Keeping record of your pet’s veterinary bills, proof of purchase and pictures/video of you, and your pet can free you from hassle of proving proof of your pet’s ownership.

“We did not have any veterinary bills, registration receipts just few pictures so it was a hassle,” Polly said.

For further information on how to find or report a missing pet, please visit the Toronto Humane Society’s website:

http://www.torontohumanesociety.com/lostandfound/default.asp

BY KHALID MAGRAM

When he was a teenager, GTA resident Yaseen Poonah faced a difficult problem.

“When I was in high school there was no one I could talk to comfortably,” “I couldn’t talk to my father, imam or anyone,” Poonah said.

In Jan 2008, Yaseen Poonah, 28 co-founded the first GTA Kids Phone Help for Muslim teens. The objective has been to provide a channel for Muslim teenagers who want to speak with somebody anonymously and comfortably about range of issues including, peers pressure, domestic conflict, and cultural/religious issues.

The phone help line Idea came to him because he thought it would help Muslim teens to have some place to vent normal teenage angst.

The new hotline based in Mississauga is called Naseeha (meaning ‘advice’ in Arabic.) Four female and four male counsellors age 18 to 25, have backgrounds in social work and psychology. They run phone help line for Muslim youths nightly from 6 to 9 p.m., Monday to Friday.

There is some debate amongst Muslim and non-Muslim youths on some online forums that Naseeha runs the risk of excluding Muslim teens from mainstream Canadian society.

Donna Hansplant, Vice President of the Kids Phone Help counselling services commented on the nature of the services. “Usually we don’t integrate within our services,” Donna Hansplant said. “We can only put organizations on our website for referral.”

In addition to the existing help line Naseeha has, a Second Line of Contact (SLC), which seamlessly connects the youth with a doctor or a psychologist. If the need arises for religious interpretation from the Quran, Muslim’s holy book, young callers are connected to a Muslim scholar.

The Muslim Canadian Congress founder, Tarek Fatah has criticized the hotline’s name as sounding too Arabic and that ‘Naseeha’ is not fitting name for organization based in Canada.

“People fail to realize that there are other phone help lines,” Poonah said, “But again anything Muslims do people ask what is this all about.” Naseeha is urging those ‘critics’ call anonymously to find out what the hotline is about, he added.

The hotline number for Naseeha is 1-866-627-3342

Resort of Last Resort Donwood Institute surrounded with tall trees and with a symbolic bridge at the main entrance for welcoming drug and alcohol patients who go for treatment. A cul-de-sac CAMH’s 9.5-acre health-care infrastructure on 175 Brentcliffe Rd. is closing its doors come the end of March.Photo by Khalid Magram

By KHALID MAGRAM
The Donwood Institute, located at 175 Brentcliffe Rd., just north of Eglinton Avenue, has been a destination of last resort for many people struggling with addiction, since Dr. Gordon Bell founded the drug and alcohol rehab centre in 1967.
Now as part of Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s (CAMH) restructuring and the Queen Street redevelopment project, Donwood is closing down its doors forever and moving to a new and modern facility downtown by the end of March 2008. However, for some in the mental health community and for other stakeholders including the north Leaside community, the amalgamation of CAMH, and moving services downtown is contestable.
Doug Smith, a manager at Toronto East General Hospital’s Withdrawal Management Centre does not know what to expect of the Queen Street location.
“It is a wait-and-see game,” said Smith. “It can be a good thing, or it can be worse.” Nevertheless, starting next month the TEGH’s Withdrawal Centre has to refer its clients to new downtown facility.
Currently TEGH’s Withdrawal Centre, located in the Danforth Avenue and Donlands Avenue area, works with clients who want help overcoming their addiction. It does so by referring them to Donwood’s intensive drug and alcohol program, one of the best and most successful addiction programs in the country.
According to Dr. Bell’s daughter, Linda Bell, president and CEO of Bellwood Health Services, Dr. Bell’s vision was to offer a comforting setting for those who some health-care professions and society treated poorly and often stigmatized. The north Leaside location, on the edge of a ravine and surrounded by tall trees, with walking trails and breathtaking green space, seemed until now a perfect spot for Dr. Bell’s pragmatic endeavor.
Marlon Marrero, a former TEGH Withdrawal Centre’s addiction councillor and community youth worker with St Stephen`s Community House, Augusta Centre, also has concerns regarding the new location.
“I don’t like it,” Marrero said. “Downtown location is a bad idea.”
Often enough some communities resist having a drug and alcohol rehab centre amidst their community. This is contrary to the north Leaside community. It has embraced Donwood wholeheartedly in its backyard.
Now area residents are concerned by what they see as the hasty disposal of the Donwood facility by CAMH, that, according to the North Leaside Residents’ Association, is planning to sell the site as part of the organization’s plans to create a new service centre on Queen Street. Area residents want other health-care institutions to assume the Donwood facility. They are afraid the site is going to be turned into a new residential division, adding to the community’s already overburdened schools and roads in the area.
Jackie Campbell, walking her dog Chico on the Donwood grounds, did not know if the place is closing down by the end of this month.
“We’ll probably see 500 condos built in here,” Campbell said.
In 1998, Donwood, together with the Clark Institute of Psychiatry, the Addiction Research Foundation and the Queen Street Mental Health Centre came together to become part of CAMH. During that time, according to the North Leaside Residents’ Association website, taxpayers committed $8.5 million to renovate Donwood.
Now as part of yet another CAMH restructuring and with the initial phase of the Queen Street redevelopment project due to begin patient intake by the end of March, the last curtain is about to fall on Donwood.
Last year, when the North Leaside Residents’ Association learned about CAMH’s decision to sell Donwood, it successfully tried to make Donwood a provincial election issue. They distributed lawn signs to area residents that said ‘Stop The Health Care Waste’.
Soon CAMH halted its plans to sell Donwood and assured residents the site would not be on the market for about another five years.
Residents got positive results at the time in part because Kathleen Wynne, Ontario’s education minister and MPP for Don Valley West and her political rival, Conservative candidate John Tory, both supported the residents’ association’s efforts to make sure Donwood remained in public hands. The two prominent politicians also promised residents in the riding at the time that Donwood would be operational until 2012.
However, CAMH has already made its decision to move out of North Leaside by the end of this month and there is no clear answer on the fate of the 9.5-acre health-care facility.

Photos by Khalid Magram

Originally filled on March 14, 2008 for East York’s Observer

By KHALID MAGRAM
It is March and the massive piles of snow from the February snowstorms have scattered all over the grounds of Shoppers World’s parking lot, as an agile, little 18-seater Orion II style bus steers its way to its regular stop. The bus slogan is ‘It is for everyone’ and is one of the prominent features at the busy strip-mall on the Danforth.

The bus service route, links to Toronto East General Hospital, Woodbine Avenue, Stan Wadlow Park clubhouse, East York Acres, Eastdale Avenue, Gower Street, True Davidson Acres, Crescent Town Circle, and Victoria Park Subway, before stopping at Shoppers World at Danforth Avenue and Victoria Park area.

The East York Community bus # 404 has been ferrying East York residents from Shoppers World’s on the Danforth to other locations within East York, hourly between 9.30 a.m-5.30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

However, for the bus driver Rob DeClerck and for many of his regular passengers, the TTC’s East York Community bus is much more than a convenient means of transportation. It is an opportunity for residents to get out, meet, and interact with people in neighborhood.

“It is a bridge for many in the community,” DeClerck says. “Especially, for those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to go out at all.”

East York resident’s take the community bus for doing grocery shopping, banking, and on trips to meet friends among other day-to-day errands in and around East York. Passengers show hospitality, converse humorously with each other and with the driver, on their short nevertheless pleasant journey.The East York Community bus also bestows feeling of nostalgic in the community. “I know everyone’s name, and their stops and they know me, of course,” DeClerck says,
DeClerck, who lives in East York, has been driving the East York Community bus for more than three years now. However, he is on a medical leave for now so the drivers keep changing often.
“Sometimes the new drivers miss the stop,” says Raganathan Sivanesan “when that happens we have to wait an hour.” Sivanesan, who was teaching in high school in Nigeria, usually takes the bus from Dominions at Shoppers World to Crescent Town Circle. Therefore, DeClerck, despite being on a medical leave, he comes in just for the first trip to train new drivers to get familiar with the route.
Every week day morning, he picks up the bus from the garage where it sleeps, meets the other driver and two of them drive to Toronto East General Hospital, the starting point of the community bus route.
The East York Community bus picks up passengers at any point along its route, at all regular TTC stops, and at the major centers, along on its route map on request. If requested, driver will even assist passengers on and off the bus. “It is for everyone,” DeClerck says.

Gerald Williams, 72, takes the community bus 3-4 times a week. “It is so much easier for me to take the community bus,” he says. It is very tough when you have a cane on one hand, pushing the shopping cart with the other, and take a regular bus. Williams would otherwise have to take a regular TTC bus from Eastdale Avenue where he lives, to the Main Subway Station, transfer to 113 Danforth bus to get to Shoppers World, where he often uses the laundry mart and meet his friends.
The community bus is also Captivating East York resident’s imagination to the times when East York use to have its own bus service.
According to the East York Historical Society’s archives, The Hollinger Bus Line served exclusively the East York community and its surrounding area before and during the depression era. Hollinger’s routes were conveniently located for resident’s daily commute. Routes included Woodbine Avenue, moving commuters along O’Connor Drive, Broadview Avenue, Gardner’s Road (Now Mortimer Avenue) Pape, Sammon, Leslie (now Donlands Avenue), and Cosburn Avenue, before coming to a brief halt at Coxwell Avenue. The TTC took over Hollinger in 1954. Almost forty-years later with introduction of the TTC’s Community bus service in 1992. Once again, East York residents would come close to experience a rare community travel ambiance with their own community bus.
“In my opinion this is an excellent service for the residents in the area,” DeClerck says. “I hope they like my service.”

Soon the spring will sprung here in East York and the thawing process will begin melting all the snows. The perky 18-seater Orion II style will be even busy criss-crossing the streets of East York. Just a reminder ‘It is for everyone.’

Originally filled on Feb 22, 2008 for East York’s Observer

BY KHALID MAGRAM
While political turmoil continues to create havoc in many parts of Kenya, Kenyans who live and work in East York are worried for their friend and family’s safety in violent-stricken East African country. They are also actively working on finding ways to help and support those affected by violence including raising funds to help those affected by mayhem.

Since most of Kenyans who live here in East York, are in school, or tied up with other commitments, they are finding other means and ways to communicate, including meeting on the internet with one another here, in Kenya and with Kenyan Diasporas elsewhere.

“We meet on Yahoo forums, with each other whenever we can, to give support and discuss the situation back home,” said Jane Etharia, who sits on the board of KCO (Kenyan Community in Ontario), an Ontario-based not-for-profit, non-political and non-denominational organization promoting the settlement and development of all Kenyans in Ontario.

“We also held a fundraising for people affected, last week at Mel Lastman Square,” and “We would like to do more,” to help the situation back home. Etharia said.

Kenya, a favorite tourist destination for many holiday seekers from Canada and around the world, erupted into chaos and violence soon after disputed presidential election on Dec. 27, 2007. The unpleasant images of death and destruction transmitted daily out of Kenya and viewed around the world on TV and on the internet have been upsetting and horrifying for many.

In the capital city Nairobi, more than 600 Kenyans including children have so far lost their lives in the ongoing violence. Disorderly mob have looted or torched number of local businesses, hundreds of people forced out of their homes and remain homeless, seeking refuge in churches, police stations and other places of worship.

Violence has directly affected Jane Etharia. Her family in Kenya was caught-up in the initial stages of the conflict, which is ongoing for a month now. “Some of my family members had to seek protection in a police station.” Etharia said.

Shiraz Kara, a prominent member of Ismaili community’s Don Mills congregation located on Overlea Boulevard near Don Mills Rd. said, many in the East York’s Ismaili community have family members and friends directly affected by the chaos and instability in Kenya.

“Some have been airlifted to the neighboring countries.” Kara said.

The International community; including Canada has ever since the unrest been urging Kenya’s political parties involve in political dispute to find a peaceful solution in ending the crisis.

Mediation by other African heads of state and former U.N Secretary General Kofi Anan is underway to bring about peace between the dissenting parties in the crisis.

According to KCO there are 5000 registered Kenyans living in East York and in the immediate surrounding area of GTA. Many still have relatives and friends living in violent-hit parts of the country.

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Photo By Khalid Magram

Students from Gateway Public School in Flemington Park taking part in the fourth annual province wide Live It Up Challenge. The Live It Up Challenge celebrates active, healthy living and encourages healthy eating and physical activity within the whole school community.

By Khalid Magram

Originally filed on February 22, 2008 for East York’s Observer

Several long rows of school children strolled excitedly into their school gym last Tuesday afternoon about to take up a special challenge - The Live It Up challenge. For 20-minutes Flemington Park’s Gateway Primary School pupils danced to the tunes including ‘shake your body,’ jumped around, jogged at the spot and got a pep talk from experts on how important is to be active and eat right.

Suitably, the physical activity followed by a fruit snack, an orange.

Gateway also received a 2007 winter activities award from Parks and Recreation Ontario representative at the celebration, the fourth annual Live it Up challenge, which was taking place at many elementary schools in Ontario on Tuesday January 29, 2007.

Since Gateway started participating in the Living School program in 2005, healthy living has been a big issue at School. They organize indoor and outdoor games, intramural games, healthy breakfast program, and have health classes for students to learn the importance of good nutrition, which includes eating right food such as fruits and vegetables. Students are also encouraged to be active at recess by participating in recreation activities. Teachers at Gateway are also hoping student will apply and take home what they learn about healthy living.

“We are trying to be role models for student, by developing these programs,” Gateway’s principle, Erik Khilji said.

“When children see something on the table at home, we hope they can recognize if it is healthy or not so healthy to eat.” Khilji said. “And that we hope can change eating habits.” He added.

Among students, staff and visitors at Gateway were several special guests, amid them the Education Minister and Don Valley West MPP, Kathleen Wynne, who herself appeared happy and excited to get a rare midday workout.

“It is extremely important that our schools develop healthy living programs,” said Kathleen Wynne, who also acknowledged Gateway’s outstanding achievement. “There has been a real commitment on Gateway’s part,” She said.

Live It Up challenge is crucial first step towards preventing diabetes and other serious health problems in school age children. Part of Living School, Live It Up challenge is a groundbreaking initiative by Ophea (Ontario Physical and Health Education Association) a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting school communities that brings together entire communities to work together to support and enhance active, healthy living for children and youth within the whole school community.

According to the Ontario Health Promotion, a weekly newsletter for people interested in health promotion, obesity costs the Ontario economy between $2.2 and $2.5 billion or 0.7% to 0.8% of the province’s total annual Gross Domestic Product.

Photo By Khalid Magram

Aileen Williams was presented with an Ontario Senior Achievement Award by the Lieutenant Governor, the Hon. David Onley.

Originally filed Feb. 27, 2008, for Toronto Observer(online edition)

By Khalid Magram

When Aileen Williams of Toronto received a letter from the Queen’s Park recently, she was very surprised. “I never thought this would ever happen to me,” she said. Aileen was among 26 Ontarians receiving the province’s highest recognition for senior.

The Ontario Senior Achievement Awards recognizes those people over 65 who have made significant contribution to their community through voluntary or professional activity. Williams, one of the pioneers in creating Calypso Carnival and the first celebration of Black History Week, was astounded.

She is also one of the founding members of Toronto-based Canadian Negro Women’s Association (CANEWA). “When you go about doing these things, you don’t stop to think about rewards,” she said.

For Williams it all began in 1940 when she joined a social club known as the Dilettantes (later became known as Canadian Negro Women’s Association). The young women took turns meeting in each other’s homes to discuss and find ways to help the black community in Toronto.

CANEWA granted scholarships to deserving black students, did fundraising and other community activities. In 1957, CANEWA organized Canada’s first Negro History Week, later known as the Black History Month, celebrated every February in Toronto.

CANEWA grew in numbers and in 1973, organized the first National Congress of Black Women in Toronto, assembling 200 women from across Canada.

As CANEWA’s first president, Kay Livingstone encouraged the other members to take up service projects, approach government officials and acted as an advocate for others in the community. She organized the Calypso Carnival (now Caribana Festival). Livingstone died in 1974.

Williams said Toronto in 1940 was a very different place especially for African Canadians and for immigrants. “We never used to have any voice back then,” she said. “Things have improved a lot.”

Williams feels there should be more consultation on the idea of Africentric alternative schools. “I think we have to get more opinion from the families that are involved,” she said. “My personal opinion is that I am undecided on the issue.”

The Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, presented the awards in front of the Grand Staircase at Queen’s Park