In my folder I have defined this bird as"brown bird." The trouble is that it is a brown bird on a brown background...but it deserves some recognition.

I saw a headline in The Globe and Mail: Opening of specialized schools reignites fairness debate - The Globe and Mail. The move has reignited the discussion about whether alternative schools create unequal access to special programs in public education.

And I was reminded of Kurt Vonnegut. I haven't read him in a long time. I should return once I get my ereader. In Sirens of Titan he describes a society so bent on fairness that it handicaps those who are gifted. Thus a talented dancer would have to wear a huge bolder hanging from her neck. Heaven forbid we acknowledge that there are gifts other than those of the athlete. That wouldn't be fair.

We live in a country where parents who enrol their children in athletic programs get tax relief. Children whose talents lie in music or art or the theater are ignored. With budget cutbacks those programs are being eliminated in the public school system.

That's what I say!