If people do not think there is a war against women, think again.  Brian Vallee’s book, The War on Women, is still compelling in light of recent events on our “domestic battlefield.”  In the last two weeks, Ottawa has been the scene of two fires at two women’s residences. The first, occurred on Nov. 8, 2009 at the Cornerstone women’s shelter, killing a 61-year-old woman.  The second, on Nov.

I recently saw George Ryga’s “The Ecstasy of Rita Joe,” a play about an aboriginal woman lost in a big city’s legal and social system. I was struck by its depiction of a contemporary situation – how people treat each other when there is no personal connection. Once I realized the play was first performed more than 40 years ago, I was shocked that what the artist was bringing attention to still needs attention. I was saddened that little has apparently changed in how we treat fellow human beings.