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One of the "benefits" of being a graduate student is the ability to sign most books out of the library for a year at a time. All books come due on September 30th of each school year (unless recalled) -- and September 30th would be TODAY.
I'm almost embarrassed to admit how many books I've got checked out -- and I've been delaying my renewing of them because I knew I was going to take back half of them. Of course, other things have gotten in the way, and my bag o' returns is still sitting in my home office, gathering dust.
I'm just glad I remembered to log onto my account and renew those bad boys. I shudder to think what the fines woulda been.
(this blog post is part confessional, part community service announcement for any other grad students who need to renew things TODAY.) |
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From a forwarded email (that was actually funny, and not "inspirational" or a scam):
Donald Rumsfeld is giving the president his daily briefing. He concludes by saying: "Yesterday, 3 Brazilian soldiers were killed in an accident." "OH NO!" the President exclaims. "That's terrible!" His staff sits stunned at this display of emotion, nervously watching as the President sits, his head cradled in his hands. Finally, the President looks up and asks.......... "How many is a Brazillion?" Maybe it's funnier because we could all see this actually happening. |
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Rude awakening
After spending most of the afternoon/evening last night cleaning out our old place (and boy, did it look clean -- way cleaner than we received it), I snagged a couple hours of sleep and woke up bright and early today with yet another full schedule of things-to-do.
I decided to first check my bank account to confirm my paycheque deposit. I've been eagerly awaiting this cheque since -- oh, the month of May. I haven't had a job since then, and I was sincerely looking forward to seeing our account in a color other than red.
I logged onto the website, and scrolled down to the entry. Payroll deposit, check! Amount I was expecting, nope! There was exactly half of the amount of the monthly salary I was promised, in writing.
This poses an immediate problem.
We've been counting on this particular amount -- and we've got student loan payments, insurance, and not to mention our first month's rent -- all coming due on the first of the month.
After many transferred calls and placed-on-hold waits, I was finally told that due to an "administrative error," my 4 month contract was being paid over 8 months -- and they'd rectify the problem by the next pay period, October 31st. That's a long way away from today, and I'm about 700 dollars short of making my bills for the month, but that's all they'd tell me.
Anyway, long story short, it was rectified -- awkwardly and temporarily. The result of it all was that my morning plans were blown, and I felt inwardly exhausted by 10AM -- and it's carried over all day.
I just don't know how the University expects its employees to function when they have to live in fear that they won't be receiving their paycheque in a timely manner. A similar error happened to me this time LAST year, and without the generous help of strangers, the two of us would be in a whole lot of trouble right now. |
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It's that time of the year again -- Banned Books Week. I'm not a fan of the banning or censoring of books -- I'm sure that'll come as a huge surprise to many of you (most likely not).
I was surprised to read that book burnings STILL take place today. Whenever I see people burning books, I shudder.
Here are the 100 most challenged books for 1990-2000. I've bolded those I've encountered:
1. Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz 2. Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite 3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou 4. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier 5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain 6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 7. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling 8. Forever by Judy Blume 9. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson 10. Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor 11. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman 12. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier 13. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger 14. The Giver by Lois Lowry 15. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris 16. Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine 17. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck 18. The Color Purple by Alice Walker 19. Sex by Madonna 20. Earth’s Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel 21. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson 22. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle 23. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous 24. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers 25. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak 26. The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard 27. The Witches by Roald Dahl 28. The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein 29. Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry 30. The Goats by Brock Cole 31. Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane 32. Blubber by Judy Blume 33. Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan 34. Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam 35. We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier 36. Final Exit by Derek Humphry 37. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood 38. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George 39. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison 40. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras 41. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 42. Beloved by Toni Morrison 43. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton 44. The Pigman by Paul Zindel 45. Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard 46. Deenie by Judy Blume 47. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes 48. Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden 49. The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar 50. Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz 51. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein 52. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 53. Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice) 54. Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole 55. Cujo by Stephen King 56. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl 57. The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell 58. Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy 59. Ordinary People by Judith Guest 60. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis 61. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras 62. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume 63. Crazy Lady by Jane Conly 64. Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher 65. Fade by Robert Cormier 66. Guess What? by Mem Fox 67. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende 68. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney 69. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 70. Lord of the Flies by William Golding 71. Native Son by Richard Wright 72. Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday 73. Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen 74. Jack by A.M. Homes 75. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya 76. Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle 77. Carrie by Stephen King 78. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume 79. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer 80. Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge 81. Family Secrets by Norma Klein 82. Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole 83. The Dead Zone by Stephen King 84. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain 85. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison 86. Always Running by Luis Rodriguez 87. Private Parts by Howard Stern 88. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford 89. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene 90. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman 91. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett 92. Running Loose by Chris Crutcher 93. Sex Education by Jenny Davis 94. The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene 95. Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy 96. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell 97. View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts 98. The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder 99. The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney 100. Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier 34 out of 100. How many have you read?
I suppose I could somewhat understand some of the choices on the list, but there are some big surprises -- How to Eat Fried Worms? Where's Waldo?! What could possibly be subversive in those?
Of couse a few of my favorite authors are on the list -- Judy Blume and Katherine Patterson were voices I read as I grew up. Are you there God, it's me Margaret was fairly pivotal for me when I was around 11. I still have my old Katherine Patterson books on my shelves. |
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Hurray! I can stay in Canada, after all.
With two whole days to spare (before my current visa expires), I've got my extension to stay until August 2006. Here's hoping that by that time I'll be a permanent resident! |
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And now for some news of the religiously weird:
Did you know that Pat Robertson can leg-press 2000 pounds! How does he do it? Where does Pat find the time and energy to host a daily, national TV show, head a world-wide ministry, develop visionary scholars, while traveling the globe as a statesman? One of Pat's secrets to keeping his energy high and his vitality soaring is his age-defying protein shake. Pat developed a delicious, refreshing shake, filled with energy-producing nutrients. Discover what kinds of natural ingredients make up Pat's protein shake by registering for your FREE booklet today!
There's also recipes for age-defying pancakes, a weight loss cookbook, and different plugs for the South Beach diet and GNC health stores
I suppose the old adage "truth is stranger than fiction" really can be true sometimes! |
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There are two distinct smells in the Engineering Building on campus:
Those who do not bathe, and those who do -- in cheap cologne, not water.
It's quite the bouquet. |
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Hey does anyone in town have a vacuum cleaner we could borrow for a day? We're vacuum-less, and need one to do a quick sweep in our old apartment in order to get our damage deposit back.
Anyone? Volunteers get an ice cream (or caffeinated beverage) of their choice. |
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I'm awake, now.
Perusing my usual blogs this morning, I came across Marc's post from last night: Many people deny that legalized gay marriage is the beginning of a "slippery slope" (a taboo term these days) for the institution of marriage. I couldn't tell you definitively whether or not this is the case, but I can say that the latest news from The Netherlands and Belgium doesn't come as a surprise. From the Brussels Journal: ...in the Netherlands polygamy has been legalised in all but name. Last Friday the first civil union of three partners was registered. Victor de Bruijn (46) from Roosendaal “married” both Bianca (31) and Mirjam (35) in a ceremony before a notary who duly registered their civil union. [EDIT: the following rant of mine is directed at the people who originally posted a link to this story, with the intention of showing how Canada is on a slippery slope to destruction because we're allowing all citizens the rights accorded in a marital relationship]
Of course, a story like that came from here -- one of the most hateful blogs you can think of, and proof positive why I'll never go (that) conservative in my belief processes again. This particular Saskatchewan blog is full of caustic sentiments against homosexuals, First Nations peoples, or anyone else who disagrees with them on an issue. I usually go to that site every once in a while just to raise my blood pressure. (my "favorite" quote is from this Spring, regarding a virus outbreak in Angola: "Is there a point where we are allowed to stop feeling sympathy for these people, seal off the borders and just let nature take its course?" link)
But back to the linked article above -- I really hate these "slippery slope" types of arguments, especially when it comes to allowing equal rights to all people groups. My favorite argument against gay marriage has to be that once it's legalized, people will want to (and will therefore have license to) marry animals. Now there's an argument that is more revealing than it initially lets on -- for a person to make that type of assertion signals to me their true opinions on gay people, equating them to something subhuman and therefore necessary to legislate against.
I have a really hard time with this issue, and how people can so blithely deny others from the rights that we all take for granted. I know that alot of the hate comes from ignorance, and that if many of these dissenters were to actually have a friendship with someone that was gay, they'd (hopefully) change their mind.
Rant off. For now. |
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You are a Social Liberal (65% permissive)
and an... Economic Liberal (15% permissive)
You are best described as a: Socialist

Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid
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viaI've been really political lately -- most of my examples today in class were Bush related -- interesting, considering the topic was ethics in communication and the use of propaganda. |
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"Bush is keeping track of Hurricane Rita as it hits his home state of Texas. That's Bush's worst nightmare: an electric chair with no power." --Jay Leno - "Hurricane Rita is supposed to make landfall in Texas, which is good for Barbara Bush because she can insult survivors closer to home." --Bill Maher - "Yesterday President Bush made his fifth visit to the area that received the most damage from Hurricane Katrina. In other words, the White House." --Conan O'Brien - "The president believes the government should be limited not in size, Jon, but in effectiveness. In terms of effectiveness, this is the most limited government we've ever had." --Daily Show correspondent Rob Corddry - "Now here's some sad information coming out of Washington. According to reports, President Bush may be drinking again. And I thought, `Well, why not? He's got everybody else drinking.'" --David Letterman
via Kos. |
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From this week's Real Time with Bill Maher:
Guest George Galloway (British MP):
"I believe, myself, that George Bush is no kind of Christian -- he's pretending to be a Christian. He's not found God, he's found the party of God -- 17 million people who could propel him to power. I always put it this way: Christians believe in the prophets, peace be upon them. Bush believes in the profits, and how to get a piece of them." It was a good show this week, find the transcript and take a read. |
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Bush's Crisis Itinerary at Mercy of Weather, Even Nice Weather
SAN ANTONIO, Sept. 23 - President Bush was supposed to land here on Friday afternoon on the first stop of a tour intended to make clear that he was personally overseeing the federal government's preparations for Hurricane Rita's landfall. But the weather did not cooperate.
It was too sunny.
[...]
At the Federal Emergency Management Agency's command center in Washington a reporter asked him: "Sir, what good can you do going down to the hurricane zone? Might you get in the way?"
Mr. Bush quickly shot back, "One thing I won't do is get in the way." After explaining the purpose of his trip was to make sure federal, state and local officials coordinate well, he added, "We will make sure that my entourage does not get in the way of people doing their job, which will be search and rescue immediately."
But clearly someone at the White House reconsidered the President's impact. When Mr. McClellan announced that the president had scrapped his trip, he said that with the search-and-rescue team preparing to move with the storm, "we didn't want to slow that down."
Another White House official involved in preparing Mr. Bush's way noted that with the sun shining so brightly in San Antonio, the images of Mr. Bush from here might not have made it clear to viewers that he was dealing with an approaching storm. |
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NBC Gets Religion -- Sort Of:
["Three Wishes"], a tear-jerking combination of Oprah and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," sends Amy to make the "hopes and dreams of deserving people" in small-town America come true. In the first episode, Amy "grants" wishes to an injured young girl in need of expensive surgery and a lovable young boy who wants to surprise his stepfather with an official, public adoption ceremony. Later in the show, an Astroturf field not only brings joy to Sonora, California athletes, but to a cancer-stricken coach, too.
Some reviewers criticize the show's overt product placement and its nauseating sappiness, but the Times Ned Martel digs a bit further to uncover religion as an issue as well. Grant is trying play God in her show, and Martel is the only one bold enough to call her out on it. In his cleverly titled article, "Manna from Hollywood: Charity Begins on TV," he argues that "'Three Wishes' operates like a traveling ministry, with revival tents pitched in a different small town each week." He goes on to describe the masses of "unhealed souls" -- including Catholic nuns -- lined up with the hope of "Grant Herself" answering their prayers. From The Revealer, an interesting article on "crossing over" evangelicalism with pop culture. I'm not one to stray from sappiness, but this show seems a little over the top, even for me. |
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Every other day Every other day Every other day Every other day of the week is fine (fine), yeah So far it's been a Mama Cass sort of day.
I did find out that the CFUW book sale in Saskatoon will be running October 13-16th. (not that I need any more books, as evidenced by the stack of boxes in the middle of my living room and my aching back from moving them this weekend) I do so love this booksale.
Our new place is still in a bit of a chaos, and I'm struggling to find the energy/motivation to finish packing and settling in. We're still phone-less, but have internet access (priorities, I guess). And I'm lovin' that it takes me less than 10 minutes to walk from my front door to the Engineering building.
'Sides that, not much else is going on. How's your Monday? |
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Happy Monday. |
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[phone rings] JERRY: hello. Oh, hi. What's happening? what? oh um, sure, um, yeah, okay, uh. I'll see you then. Yeah, yeah, Bye. ELAINE: Who was that? JERRY: That was Keith. ELAINE: What's going on? JERRY: He wants me to help him move. ELAINE: Help him move? Move what? JERRY: You know, furniture. ELAINE: So, what did you say? JERRY: I said yes, but I don't feel right about it. I mean I hardly know the guy. That's a big step in a relationship. The biggest. That's like going all the way. ELAINE: And you feel you're not really ready for,? JERRY: Well we went out one time. Don't you think that's coming on a little too strong? [Kramer enters] KRAMER: What's going on? JERRY: Keith Hernandez just asked me to help him move. KRAMER: What? Well, you hardly know the guy. What a nerve. You see wasn't I right about this guy? Didn't I tell you? Now, you're not going to do it are you? JERRY: I said yes. KRAMER: YOU SAID YES!? Don't you have any pride or self respect? I mean, how can you prostitute yourself like this? I mean what are you going to do? You're going to start driving him to the airport? JERRY: I'm NOT DRIVING HIM TO THE AIRPORT! KRAMER: yeah yeah JERRY: hey Kramer do me a favour. KRAMER: What? JERRY: Don't mention it to anybody. KRAMER: I wish you never mentioned it to ME. [exits]
Seinfeld, "The Boyfriend, Part 2"
Oy my aching everything! What a day. Of course, as with everything important in our lives, Jerry and I procrastinated to the last minute in the packing/readying to move.* We couldn't bring ourselves to live with boxes cluttering up our little apartment any longer than necessary. This just meant we went from 8pm last night until about 4pm or so this afternoon, pretty much nonstop.
But, we're in (!!) -- thanks to the superhero help of Jerry's family (mom, dad, & two brothers), Scotty, Mabel, Alison, and Jadon. Wow, you guys (and grrrls) amaze me. We almost had to hold them back from working too hard. You know you've got a good crew when it takes longer to wait for the pizza to arrive than it did for the actual moving part of the day.
To say that we're glad to be in this place would be the greatest understatement to appear on this blog. It's amazing how much of a difference we've already experienced, and we've only been here a matter of hours. It's quiet, peaceful, private -- and now we've got an amazing yard (with actual grass and trees that are changing colors!). The only grass we really had in our old place was the stuff our neighbor across the hall excessively smoked.
Now all that's left for us to do is to settle ourselves in, and make it our own. We're halfway there already, and the real fun part is just beginning. Stay tuned for details -- I've already got some ideas for pictorial comparisons of the two dwellings.
[*Well, come to think of it, we don't procrastinate on the areas that are the most important -- for example, no one could accuse us of procrastinating on getting married! (unless you think 2 months is time enough)] |
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If I weren't buried in boxes and 2000 miles away, I'd be marching today.
Antiwar Rally Will be a First for Many:
"This demonstration will reflect, by far, the most diverse group of antiwar protesters since before the war began," said Brian Becker, national coordinator for the ANSWER Coalition, one of the event's sponsors. "We have people coming from all political persuasions, including a very large number of people who have never before been part of the antiwar movement or protest activity." Officials with ANSWER and other sponsoring groups say they expect more than 100,000 people at the protest, which will include speeches at the Ellipse, a march around the White House and an 11-hour concert featuring Joan Baez, Steve Earle, Thievery Corporation and the Coup, among other acts. More antiwar activities will take place Sunday and Monday. Speaking of which, you MUST watch this clip of Donohue vs. Bill O'Reilly, talking about the upcoming rally -- Ain't nothin' like watching O'Reilly bested at his own game! (via) |
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Packing all day today.
Moving tomorrow morning.
"Settling in" all weekend.
back later with a photo essay of the NEW place (yay).
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The next Worship Freehouse will be Sunday, October 16th at 7:00 p.m. in the hall above McGuires on 8th Street. The theme for the next three Freehouses will be "Exploring a Global Faith" and on October 16th we will be looking at global and local poverty and our response to it. There will be some corporate worship, time for reflection, interactive stations, and if you want any food or beverages, McGuires will be staffing our room. If you want to help, fire off an e-mail to thefreehouse@gmail.com.
It's been a while since the last Freehouse, so I'm looking forward to getting together with everyone again. We met to help plan some elements of it, and it looks to be an interesting night! |
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Autumn's Here by Some guy who once called me "cute"
You can tell by the wind By fresh cut wood All stacked to dry That autumn's here And it makes you sad About the crumby Summer we had
With pine trees creeking The raven's screeching Just like the story my grandma tells About when a bird Hits your window And someone you know Is about to die
Autumn's here It's ok if you want to cry
Find a sweater And you'll be better Until the kindling is tinder dry We can be quiet As we walk down To see the graveyard Where they are now I wonder how They brought their piano To haldane hill From old berlin Be hard to keep it Well in tune With winters like the one That is coming soon Auntumn's here It's time to cry now
I think that ghosts like The cooler weather When leaves turn colour They get together And walk along These old back roads Where no one lives And no one goes With all their hopes set On the railway That never came So no one stayed I guess that autumn Gets you remembering And the smallest things Just make you cry.
Autumn's here. I gotta get outside and take me some pictures -- the colors of the leaves this year are amazing.
Happy Equinox! |
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 Poolside Originally uploaded by becky b..
Welcome to Green Gables -- a photo set of our first apartment, complete with all of its "charms."
Incidentally, we just got a notice from the building manager. She apparently quit her job, due to frustrations with the crazy landlord. Part of her letter to the tenants: "I would like to apologize for any repairs or issues that were not dealt with in my time here."
Saturday, new place to live, here we come!
(I'll be adding pictures of the algae-ridden pool to the set tomorrow, in case you're aching for a swim!) |
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Teaching: exhausting & exhilarating.
One or the other -- sometimes both. Today it was the latter. |
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I'll come out of the silence just to post this, via Christy:
 (found on a busy Saskatoon street)
Heh, I love it. |
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I'm going on a self-imposed blogging mini-fast this week. (how's that for hypenated words?)
I'm gradually finding myself more and more buried with schoolwork, lesson planning/teaching/ marking assignments, and (extreme lack of) thesis writing. I'm using this week to get myself on track with my schedule, and hopefully I'll have some accomplishments to report by the end of it.
I'm also supposed to be meeting with my thesis committee sometime soon. When they ask me what I've done since I saw them last (over a year ago), I can mention moving three times, getting married, applying for two different immigration statuses (PR & Student Visa), hosting visiting family, having a wedding reception, oh -- and writing about 3 drafts of chapters for my 6-7 chapter thesis. So not looking forward to the possibility of certain things hitting the fan after this meeting.
Oh, and between all this, I'll be packing and moving for the fifth time (in Saskatoon) this weekend.
So if things run a bit slow here, that's why. Of course, if there's any big news I need to comment on, or if I feel the need to rant -- you know I'll be back.
But in the meantime, move along, nothing to see here. |
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Mark one up for the Davids of the corporate world: Ex-Wal-Mart Workers Win Court Battle
Quebec — The Quebec Labour Board has ruled that the closing of a Wal-Mart store this year amounted to a reprisal against unionized workers and has ordered the company to compensate former employees.
The labour board concluded that Wal-Mart Canada, Inc., failed to prove that the closing of its store in Jonquière in April was "real, genuine and definitive" as required under the Quebec Labour Code.
The board will determine the "appropriate remedies" for the former employees later. As many as 79 of the store's 190 former employees filed for compensation under the labour code.
During hearings, the board was told that the retail giant has yet to rescind a 20-year lease on the store building and has made no effort to sublet it. This led the labour board to conclude that the store could reopen and that, under the province's labour code, it was closed as a sanction against employees who were exercising their right to unionize and negotiate their first collective agreement.
[...]
In a separate ruling, the labour board rejected Wal-Mart's request to have access to the names of all employees who signed up to unionize in some of their stores.
The company said it needed the list to defend itself against the union's claim that the Jonquière store closing was an anti-union practice because it substantially reduced the number of employees who supported the unionization drive in Quebec.
The board ruled that, under the province's labour code, the names of persons who sign to become part of a labour organization during union certification proceedings must be kept secret to prevent reprisals. |
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Leaders Who Won't Choose by Fareed Zakaria
Adversity builds character," goes the old adage. Except that in America today we seem to be following the opposite principle. The worse things get, the more frivolous our response. President Bush explains that he will spend hundreds of billions of dollars rebuilding the Gulf Coast without raising any new revenues. Republican leader Tom DeLay declines any spending cuts because "there is no fat left to cut in the federal budget."
This would be funny if it weren't so depressing. What is happening in Washington today is business as usual in the face of a national catastrophe. The scariest part is that we've been here before. After 9/11 we have created a new government agency, massively increased domestic spending and fought two wars. And the president did all this without rolling back any of his tax cuts—in fact, he expanded them—and refused to veto a single congressional spending bill. This was possible because Bush inherited a huge budget surplus in 2000. But that's all gone. The cupboard is now bare.
Whatever his other accomplishments, Bush will go down in history as the most fiscally irresponsible chief executive in American history. Since 2001, government spending has gone up from $1.86 trillion to $2.48 trillion, a 33 percent rise in four years! Defense and Homeland Security are not the only culprits. Domestic spending is actually up 36 percent in the same period. These figures come from the libertarian Cato Institute's excellent report "The Grand Old Spending Party," which explains that "throughout the past 40 years, most presidents have cut or restrained lower-priority spending to make room for higher-priority spending. What is driving George W. Bush's budget bloat is a reversal of that trend." To govern is to choose. And Bush has decided not to choose. He wants guns and butter and tax cuts. That's only the first 3 paragraphs -- read the rest of it here. |
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It would appear that this weekend is my weekend to reminisce where I've come from -- and where I'm going -- spiritually.
I couldn't believe how productive I was being on this beautiful Fall Sunday. By the time 9:30AM rolled around, I had breakfast with the hubby, dropped him off at work, and squeezed in an appointment with my trainer at the gym (oy, my aching leg muscles).
On the way home from the gym, I noticed that a United church down the street from our house had services at 10AM. I rushed home, made myself (fairly) presentable, and actually went to church! It's been a while for me, but I've been curious about trying out different faith traditions.
I really liked it. Me, liked it?! I'm still in a little bit of shock over the experience. I enjoyed the liturgy of it all -- liked singing the hymns (versus the sappy love-praise songs I was accustomed to), and I actually spent the sermon time listening and learning -- rather than composing a list of the different things I don't agree with.
But the clincher for me came at the prayer time. The minister (a woman!) prayed for several things that caught my attention -- the elections taking place in Germany and Afghanistan this week, the hurricane victims, the people of Iraq who are being killed by terrorist bombs (!!), farmers waiting for crops to dry, etc. I'm not used to hearing eloquent prayers (and yes, read aloud) -- I'm more familiar with the extemporaneous religious-filler-words-that-drag-on type of prayers. I really enjoyed having a prayer time that was composed and direct.
Anyway, I had a good time -- and I may be back. It's only 2 blocks from our new place. I checked out the United Church of Canada's website -- and I really fit in with them, in terms of their call for social justice and spirituality. They sum up their doctrinal standards with the words: continuity, context, and diversity. This morning I was surrounded by people of different races and age groups (along with some elderly people) -- and for once, I felt like I wasn't the lone "liberal" out there in the crowd, crusading for a cause or a right of someone.
And then later this afternoon, I had another flashback of my past spiritual life -- on the way to the store, Jerry and I passed by an old group of friends I used to go to church with. They're good people, but I don't think I ever really "fit in" with them, or their (fairly fundamental) beliefs. Word has spread there that I'm married now, and I'm sure some of them were surprised to see my drive by with my dashing husband beside me!
Looking back, I'm glad I'm not there any more -- or stuck (in any sense of the word) when it comes to my spiritual life. Nowadays I feel a freedom to pursue my heart, and my relationship with God, in the way that best works for me.
It's only taken me 27+ years to get to this point, but there's just no going back. |
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About a year and a half ago, I made a collage at my first Freehouse. Here's what I wrote about it:
Tonight we were supposed to be "creative" and explore our relationship with God via the unspoken word. Here's what I came up with:
Everything in my collage is taken from National Geographic magazines -- which felt sacrilegious enough, ripping beautiful pictures from an almost sacred anthropological source.
I'm not exactly sure how to explain what all is going on in my picture -- there's images or words of doubt, reassurance, memory, solitude, and comfort.
My favorite part of the collage is the picture of a rear-view mirror with the image of an old-timey church in the reflection. It reminds me that no matter where I go, or what path I choose in life, there's an aspect of my faith that will always follow me.
I've hauled this piece of cardboard with its pasted torn pictures to all the different places I've lived here in town (three, soon to be four different dwellings). Since that time, it's gotten a little more battered and worn -- but if anything, I value it more because of what it represents for me.
Looking back on my time here in Saskatoon, I can see all the coincidences that have helped me along my journey. I stumbled across the Freehouse's site after finding it listed here. I was brave enough to meet those crazy people at a pub, and became good friends with her, him, and him (who quoted a line from my website as he introduced himself) and a whole bunch of others. Later, through his efforts, I started going to a house church -- which eventually led me to find my soulmate.
And this is all from a girl who started out 2500 or so miles away, in Savannah, GA.
Pretty remarkable stuff. But, back to the collage -- a week or so ago we went to a craft store and got it professionally framed (at 50% off, yay). I'm looking forward to hanging it up at our new place, and in the future, having the opportunity to explain its specialness to anyone who asks. I've got quite the story to tell, and I've only just begun! |
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