Something Stinks

Dear Madonna,

1. a garbage strike in Canada (Toronto)
2. a military coup in Honduras
3. a dengue fever outbreak in Mexico
4. a bubonic plague outbreak in North Africa
5. military rule and extortion in Thailand

Those were the news items - in order - covered in a recent World Travel Watch article in the San Francisco Chronicle. Now, I know all publicity is supposed to be good publicity but I wonder how Calgarians and Haligonians feel about being tarred with the same brush, so to speak, as my erstwhile squeaky clean city.

It's a bit unsightly, and even shocking, and to see litter overflowing from the garbarge recepticals around the city. Personally I'm not affected by any unpleasant odours - the one benefit of not having a sense of smell. It does make you look at all the trash created by places like fast food restaurants, though, as virtually all the litter you see are empty drink cups, plastic forks, and paper bags from doughnut, burger, and submarine sandwich shops.

I remember being in Cuba years ago and going for a 'caha' (literally a "box"): rice and beans, cheap, cheap served in a little cardboard box with a real metal fork. You ate your caha right there in the alleyway then returned the fork to be cleaned and re-used for another customer. Seems like a much better way.

Ciao,
Julie