Reena Virk

I didn’t know Reena Virk personally
She went to the other high school across town
One night she went a party
And a group of girls swarmed her
Beat her, broke her bones
Put cigarettes out on her dark skin
And drowned her in the Gorge

For a week, those who knew
Those who had been there
Said nothing

To reckon with the idea
That things like how pretty you are
Who your friends are or are not
The color of your skin or the shape of your body
Could turn you into a target, and end your life

Peer pressure
Competition to be liked
And to be popular
Can be the seeds of violence amongst girls

I didn’t know much about racism or sexism at the time
I didn’t know much about violence or hatred
But I knew a friend of a friend of the girl who killed Reena Virk
And that was too close to home to ignore

School yard social hierarchies were like mountains
And everyone was too afraid to move
We had created a culture of fear among us girls
That kept so many of us terrified and terrifyingly silent

I believe that by giving girls the tools of feminism
They can create allies
Because it’s far too dangerous to be enemies

Jerry Falwell Had The Good Decency To Die Today

Ah this man is finally dead. I don't normally feel good when people die, but this guy, let's just say I bet he's not in heaven. Next up, Phelps and Robertson.

Here's a few quotes from Falwell:

-I do not believe the homosexual community deserves minority status. One's misbehavior does not qualify him or her for minority status. Blacks, Hispanics, women, etc., are God-ordained minorities who do indeed deserve minority status.

-The idea that religion and politics don't mix was invented by the Devil to keep Christians from running their own country.

-Grown men should not be having sex with prostitutes unless they are married to them.

-It appears that America's anti-Biblical feminist movement is at last dying, thank God, and is possibly being replaced by a Christ-centered men's movement which may become the foundation for a desperately needed national spiritual awakening.

Spiderman: Fuck you! Do Your Own Laundry!

Here is a picture of a new "Mary-Jane" character doll for pre-pubescent boys to jack off to:




And here is tigtog's version of the same doll:

It's Friday Night

I don't feel good

for the last three hours i've had a creeping headache

my stomach is upset too

it couldn't have been the salmon and broccoli

I had for lunch could it?

I'm just complaining because i'm lonely

it's Friday night and i'm reminded that I am alone

but it's not so bad and I climb up to the window and perch.

I may have landed a job

which is really great because I have two dollars to my name

and May's rent to pay

and Bell

and Visa

and I owe my friends lots of beer and cigarettes

cause I drink and smoke theirs lately

and that's not cool to keep up for too long.

I'm really happy that all the leaves are out

on the trees and the humidity

feels really nice in the evening with my windows wide open.

I think it's going to be a good summer

and I'm still waiting for a call from my father

who may be in Alberta if he made it there alive

I don't know cause he hasn't called me yet.

I've been waiting for a few phone calls

lately that haven't come in yet

and i'm getting a little worried

that the world may be going by too fast

but then I remember that it's just an optical illusion

and it's just me spinning around my living room.

It's mother's day on Sunday

and i'm glad to be able to spend time with my mom

I love her so much

and sometimes I try to think about what kind of world it would be

without her

and I feel my tears well up and I feel like an idiot

for thinking stuff like that because i'm not living in the moment

and thinking positive like she wants to to do more of

and I try really hard to do that.

So my stomach is still kinda upset

and my head still hurts

but Stephanie called me

and we're all going to Caroline's place

which is one floor up from my place.

Hopefully I start to feel better

right now

and I'm going to go put on something

because I can't go wearing this.

Hearts and Minds

This is one of the saddest things i've seen.

Catherine & Antoine

Facebook? What The Hell Is That?

Tyra on Facebook

There are between 100,000,000,000 and 1,000,000,000,000 stars in a normal galaxy

there are 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 possible ways to arrange the squares on the Rubik Cube's six sides.

apeirophobia: fear of the infinite.

Something which is equal to the some of its parts.

a2 + b2 = c2.

I'm so there to shake that woman's hand

Rebuilding Trust in the Public Service - Sir John A. Macdonald Lecture
Category: Lectures
Date: Thursday, January 11, 2007

Time: 3:30 p.m.
Calendar: Carleton Event Calendar
Contact: admin
Event Location: Senate Room, Robertson Hall
Department: Arthur Kroeger College of Public Affairs

Complete Description:
Sheila Fraser, Auditor General of Canada, will be speaking on the topic of "Rebuilding Trust in the Public Service."

Stephen Lewis lecture

I've got two tickets for a Stephen Lewis lecture. Thursday Jan 18th, 7pm, Alumni Theatre Southam Hall. Who's coming with me?

It's Been So Long

I haven't been keeping up to date recently, the holidays are more like the holi-daze. I wanted to post a paper I like very much, but it turns out that I would have to retype the whole thing over again. I just might. It's a great paper. Honest.

So i'm at school, hanging out in the library, trying to find a book that the catalogue says is there but is not really there. Mother's in the Fatherland, by Claudia Koones. I'm writing a paper for Women's History on the experience of women prisoners in the Ravensbrück Concentration Camp for Women.

I've begrudgingly decided that it was in my best interests to work sometime this week and alas! I've only the eight to eleven shifts available to choose from. So here I go, Monday through Friday eight pm to eleven pm, getting home at midnight all week. Fun stuff really. I'll be spending a lot of time here in the library. Now you know where to find me.

Looking Your Privilege In The Eye

What I read and studied in college - women of color feminism, Black liberation struggle, Chicano/a history, colonialism from the perspective of American Indian history, labor history and organizing, queer theory, anti-racism from the perspective of immigrant and refugee women - had a profound impact on me. However, having people of color and women of color in particular grade me, instruct me and guide me was incredibly important to my development on psychological levels that I wasn't necessarily aware of at the time. Having people of color and women with progressive/left/radical politics leading my educational development was a subversive shifting of the power relationships that wasn't mentioned on the syllabus but was central to my studies.

- from Chris Crass "How Can I Be sexist? I’m An anarchist!”

December 10th 2006 Rally for the Status of Women

Thank you Julie for the awesome pictures

My Personal Response to a Few Comments on Garth Turner's Blog

just want to clarify that I am not against men…..how come every woman who defends woman’s rights are thought of as against men?

Well probably because there’s rarely any sort of even-handed, rational argument. You come off as militant and self-righteous. I doubt that was your intent, but frequently when debating emotionally charged issues such as this a “shoot from the hip” style can really be off-putting regardless if you have valid points to make or not. --By k2 on 12.11.06 10:55 pm

"rarely any sort of even-handed, rational argument" - I like this because it reminds me of how women have historically been labelled as hysterical when ever they express the slightest bit of anger. According to my gender role, I am not supposed to get angry, just terribly terribly sad (I am even allowed to cry...) but anger is unacceptable and labelled irrational. When men get angry about an issue, we call it passion, when women get angry, we call it militancy and self-righteousness.

"it can really be off-putting regardless if you have valid points to make or not" - This illustrates the expectation that a woman's proper role and behaviour should always be to sit-there-and-look-pretty. By being "off-putting" - whatever that means- devalues anything I have to say, and therefore no one (least not a man) should have listen to anything that I have to say at all.


“Turns out, I have a lot of work too as any university student. I find time because these issues are important enough to me to make time.”

Hmmmm…. let’s see…. we can compare the relative workloads of an engineering student (who will have a measurable impact on society post graduation) and a poli-sci student where they sit around navel gazing for 4 years trying to see how many ways they can add “patriarchy” in a paragraph or how best to come across as indignant and victimized no matter what the topic of conversation is. -- By jibjab on 12.11.06 9:55 pm

"A measurable impact on society post graduation" ? ? ? OK so when did we get to comparing each others degrees? This is not a locker room. What one person does with their degree varies from each individual. Two people with the same degree will no doubt go on to careers that may or may not have anything to do with the other's. I don't think comparing two different types of degrees in terms of their contribution to society is fair at all either.

We have to agree on what exactly is "measurable impact" before there can be any sort of comparison. Is this impact measured by how much money one makes and therefore contributes in a positive way to the economy. Or maybe utility. You make a bridge, I run a program that helps Aboriginal women gain access and to participate in Parliament. Who just made a better impact on Canadian society?? This is all hypothetical, but it shows you the problematic nature of comparing apples and oranges.....

And besides, you may have a nice fancy Engineering degree, but you may also go on to develop a chemical plant that pours millions of litres of pollution into our drinking water..........
Likewise, I may go on to rob Canadians out of millions of tax dollars........

Are You?

Are you a feminist? Your Result: You are a full blooded feminist! You believe in women's rights all the way and continue to be unhappy with the way things are right now and wish for more change. You are willing to take part in marches, boycotts and meetings that involve the amelioration of women's issues. You realize that society views feminists negatively but still are proud to call yourself one. You are appalled to see women who don't have a clue that "gender" is simply a term which the definition is 100% man made. If you feel a comment is sexist or makes you uncomfortable you speak up on it! You are always aiming to help others become aware of how much further women need to go and how society restricts them and predetermines their roles. You hate that feminists are so devided in themselves and believe that only if they are unified can they make a difference. We need more of you!
There is a strong feminist inside you! Let it out!
You are being held back by society's constrictions
Are you a misogynist!?
Are you a feminist?

Harper Wants Us Pregnant and Barefoot

According to the Conservative's women's rights are just not important.

Ckeck out these websites:

Status Report

The Women Are Angry

The Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action

Status of Women Canada

Rally and March for women’s rights, for equality, & access to governments and the courts.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
(International Human Rights Day)
1:30 pm
Supreme Court of Canada
301 Wellington Street, Ottawa

Why?
In the last several months, the federal government has:
- cancelled the provincial/federal child care agreements which would have provided much-needed quality child care
- announced that it will close 12 of 16 Status of Women Canada offices in eight provinces
- refused to introduce pro-active pay equity despite expert recommendations
- eliminated funds for the Court Challenges Program so women and other minorities can’t fight discrimination
- cut Status of Women’s operating budget by 40% and eliminated funding to women’s groups who advocate for equality
- disregarded an election commitment by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to improve women’s human rights in Canada
Our response:
Women will not go quietly back to the kitchen.
For more information:
Sue Genge
sgenge@clc-ctc.ca 613-521-3400 x 281

A Series of Bad Decisions for Women’s EqualityA Broken Promise to Respect Women’s Human Rights
During the federal election campaign in January 2006, Stephen Harper agreed “that Canada has more to do to meet its international obligations to women's equality.” He also publicly stated that: “If elected, I will take concrete and immediate measures, as recommended by the United Nations, to ensure that Canada fully upholds its commitments to women in Canada." (January 18, 2006, http://www.fafia-afai.org/en/node/68). In so doing, Prime Minister Harper recognized the significance of Canada’s commitments under UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the only UN Convention devoted to women’s human rights. Canada ratified this Convention in December of 1981, and 175 countries are now part of this Convention. In 2003, the UN Committee overseeing countries’ implementation of the Convention urged Canada to do more. It was critical of many of Canada’s policies, and directed governments to better address women’s poverty, pay inequity, discrimination against Aboriginal women, childcare, housing for women, and legal aid for family law, among other things. It also asked Canada to find effective ways to share resources between the federal, provincial and territorial governments so that women in Canada are guaranteed access to programs and services, regardless of where they live. The committee also noted that gender based impact analysis should be mandatory, and that non-governmental organizations be involved in a national discussion regarding Canada’s next report to the Committee. The recent changes made by federal Minister Beverley Oda, Minister of Status of Women, to the federal guidelines regarding funding for women’s groups will make this work very difficult. The guidelines ban all “domestic advocacy” with federal funds, limit the ability for groups to conduct general research, and share or promote a particular policy position. The goal of advancing women’s equality has also been removed from the guidelines. This may explain why the current government rejected the recommendations of a federal taskforce on pay equity to improve the current legislation, and have declined to adequately invest in the development of childcare spaces, and housing, among other things. The current direction takes Canada backwards, not forwards on its CEDAW commitments. The changes to the funding guidelines will jeopardize many women’s organizations and the advocacy they undertake on behalf of women. It will mean that women in Canada who rely on women’s groups to ensure that their rights are respected will be left to do this on their own. Years of consultations with women, research and knowledge will be lost. The Prime Minister has not kept his word to respect women’s human rights. The 25th anniversary year of Canada’s ratification of CEDAW on December 10th, which should be cause for celebrating, is now a year of struggle.

Sometimes I Feel Like I'm Walking In Circles...But Am I?

I love the idea of this experiment, I should try it before setting out on a nature hike. Never know when you need to know your dominate foot.

For instance, a man's body has been found in Oregon after walking eight miles to get help for his stranded family. Turns out he only was one mile from his car when police found his body....tragic...but makes you think.......how does one maintain direction?

RCMP commissioner resigns over Arar testimony

RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli has submitted his resignation a day after admitting he gave conflicting testimony on the Maher Arar affair to a Commons committee, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Wednesday.
His resignation came after Harper expressed "concern" over Zaccardelli's testimony and pledged a full investigation into the apparent flip-flop.
On Tuesday, Zaccardelli admitted he got his facts wrong when he testified before a House of Commons committee in September about when he first knew the RCMP had passed erroneous information about Arar to U.S. authorities.
An inquiry concluded that the information, which suggested the Ottawa computer engineer had ties to al-Qaeda, likely led U.S. authorities to deport him to his native Syria, where he was held and tortured for months.
Opposition critics have been demanding Zaccardelli's resignation.

Canadian Society, September 11, and the Muslim Community in Canada

Our plural society with its diverse ethnic population and our distinct cultures should be respected by, and reflect, the policies of the state. According to the 1988 Multiculturalism policy the Government of Canada is committed to ensuring the equal treatment of Canadians under the law, as it is stated in section 3e, "[this policy will] ensure that all individuals receive equal treatment and equal protection under the law, while respecting and valuing their diversity" (Multiculturalism Act, preamble). In our post-September 11th response to terrorism, this concept of equal treatment under the law has been called into question in regards to the focus placed on Muslims in Canada as possible threats to our national security. A challenge we now face is reconciling our multicultural values of equality and social justice with our national security concerns over terrorism, and in particular Muslim extremism. With a raising Muslim population in Canada due to recent Muslim immigration in the last 15 years, the importance of exploring the problems associated with the stereotype of "Muslim terrorist" will become greater (Statistics Canada 2006).

Immigration is a key indicator of the diversity of our population. Who is granted citizenship and who is considered Canadian is not separated from our historical discriminating immigration practices. The Government of Canada has long been the agent of Canadian identity through its Immigration program, administering citizenship to some and rescinding it from others. Canada’s nation-building project was constructed to make Canada a white-European nation where British subjects from white countries of the commonwealth were encouraged to settle (Kruger, Mlder, & Korenic, 73).

In our national history one can trace a pattern of changing perspectives regarding inclusion and tolerance, from the overtly discriminatory practice of our Immigration Act set out in 1910 to our seemingly objective "points system" created in 1967 and still used today (Kruger, Mlder, & Korenic, 73). Prior to 1967 qualifications for citizenship depended largely on racialized criteria and often discriminated against people of colour. Reasons for not being eligible for citizenship included things such as ones " national ethnic group, occupation, lifestyle, unsuitability with regard to Canada’s climate, and perceived inability to become readily assimilated into Canadian society" (Kruger, Mlder, & Korenic, 73). This overtly racist immigration policy was rewritten in 1967 to exclude the racist criteria and replaced it with the points-system. This new system was made more objective and less discriminating by introducing categories such as "educational attainment, occupational skills, and financial resources" where points were given to the applicant for meeting these requirements (Kruger, Mlder, & Korenic, 74). Increased need for labour resources for a booming economy and pressure from various social movements during the post-war period demanded that changes be made to who had access to citizenship in Canada (Kruger, Mlder, & Korenic, 74). Seemingly, the more points one has, the great likelihood citizenship will be granted. The focus has shifted from its previous purpose of granting citizenship to those who could easily assimilate, to what has now become a more individualistic search for the person best able to contribute to our society and economy (Forging Our Legacy, Chapter 6, para. 20).

The "Report on the Demographic Situation in Canada 2003 and 2004," by Statistics Canada, indicates the increasing level of ethnic diversity in the population (Statistics Canada 2006). The target range set by Citizenship and Immigration Canada for the number of immigrants admitted has remained steady over the last few years and up to 2006. A majority of the 225,000 to 255,000 immigrants coming to Canada originate from non-western countries (Statistics Canada 2006). The face of the nation is truly becoming more and more diverse. Muslim Canadians accounted for 2% of the population in 2001, totaling 579,600 people (Statistics Canada 2001). While the Muslim community within Canada may have common threads such as religion and culture that tie them together, this does not imply that it is a hegemonic community without varying identities. Muslims in Canada originate from various countries and cultures that vary greatly from each other, therefore my analysis will remain broad using generalities to create an overall picture of their treatment.

September 11th 2001 changed the way North Americans thought about our place in the world and what that meant to the future security of our nations. On that morning at 8:46am a hijacked American Airlines flight flew into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. At 9:03am the South Tower was hit, at 9:37am the Pentagon, and by 10:28am both towers had fallen killing 2,992 people not including the 19 hijackers onboard (9/11 Commission, 285-311). In Canada, the response was of shock, dismay and grief for those who lost their lives, which included 24 Canadians (CBC, para. 1). The Canadian government responded very quickly to create a cohesive policy for dealing with terrorism. In legislation passed by the House of Commons following the attacks on September 11th Canada’s criminal code was updated to combat terrorism. What became known as the Anti-Terrorism Act, or Bill C-36, is the central piece of legislation that outlines the criminality of terrorist activities. In the Preamble to the Act it is stated in paragraph seven that Parliament is dedicated to providing national security measures to protect Canadians, while continuing to protect our civil liberties entrenched in the Constitution (Anti-Terrorism Act 2001, s. 3). The balance between national security and civil liberties is absolutely necessary in an open and just society.

This legislation changes the way in which terrorism is handled by police and enforcement agencies such as the RCMP and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. Before Bill C-36 Canada’s enforcement agencies and the judiciary branch placed emphasis on investigating and punishing crimes that had been committed. The Anti-Terrorism Act refocuses their activities to be more "preventative" in nature, stopping terrorist attacks before they occur (Arar, July 19th evidence). With the increased focus on trying to prevent a terrorist attack, law enforcement agencies now investigate people, and not crimes. Peter Mackay, a Conservative MP and now Foreign Affairs Minister, argued in the House of Commons debate over this Bill that the danger of a terrorist attack legitimates the increased powers of the police to arrest individuals "on reasonable suspicion as opposed to reasonable grounds" ( Debates, 6176 ). Police and Intelligence agencies may look to the Muslim population as possible suspects because the discourse around terrorism centers on Western/ Middle-East relations as the source of conflict. We as a society may dangerously begin to think that Canadians with Middle-Eastern origins are more inclined to identify themselves as Muslin and possibly support the cause of Islamic extremism.

After the attacks the United States increased their security measures to ensure that something of that magnitude could never happen again. The terrorist were identified as Al Qaeda, and described as Islamic extremists devoted to jihad and the killing of innocent Americans in their holy war (9/11 Commission, 145).This new war specifically targets Middle-Eastern Muslims because of their beliefs about religion, which are seen as inherently violent and extreme by Western powers. Even though only a very small minority of Muslims practice extreme Islam this stereotype persists largely because the media predominantly portrays Muslims as terrorists . At least according to the media’s over-representation of Muslim terrorists it seems that no other type of terrorists exist. Since September 11th the United States has taken military action against two Muslim countries, Iraq and Afganastan. This has had a significant impact on Western / Muslim relations and how each side is perceived by the other.

The need to address the issue of racial profiling has become more important in light of our national security and terrorism policies. In a report entitled "Paying the Price: The Human Cost of Racial Profiling" written by the Ontario Human Rights Commission, racial profiling and its impact on the lives of Canadians are examined. According to the commission racial profiling is defined as "any action undertaken for reasons of safety, security or public protection that relies on stereotypes about race, colour, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, or place of origin rather than on reasonable suspicion, to single out an individual for greater scrutiny or different treatment" (OHRC, para. 1). The treatment of Muslims in Canada may involve acts of racial profiling following the events of 9/11 because of the stereotypes associated with Muslims as violent terrorists. The increased security measures at the Canadian/U.S. border increases the risk of young Muslim men being targeted by racial profiling. Racial profiling negatively affects the Muslim community by instilling fear and worry that their every move and action could be met with suspicion from those in positions of power who are claiming to have the interests of national security in mind (OHRC, para. 9). The suspicion cast over the community causes detrimental affects on the communities collective psyche, and may become internalized. Racial profiling may also have life threatening consequence for those being targeted as in the case of Maher Arar.

Maher Arar is a Canadian citizen who was detained by U.S. officials in New York on his way home to Canada from a trip Tunisia in 2002 because they had information that he may have connections to a terrorist organization. Arar was born in Syria and moved to Canada at 17 years of age (Maher Arar Timeline, para. 1). When U.S. officials detained Arar he held dual Syrian-Canadian citizenship, but because of the suspected connection to terrorism the U.S. did not send him back to Canada, but rather rendered him to Syria to be tortured and held without warrant from October 2002 until his release in October of 2003 (Maher Arar Timeline, para. 2). When Arar returned to Canada claiming that he was an innocent man who was wrongly deported and tortured, the Canadian public was shocked that something like that would have ever happened. When the United States sent Arar to Syria, despite his dual citizenship and the fact that he resides in Canada, the judgement made by U.S. officials was that he was more "Syrian" or Muslim, then "Canadian." Arar’s case can be used as an example of the prevalent stereotyping by government officials to assume that Muslim-Canadians, and in particular, those who have Middle-Eastern origins are more Muslim than Canadian. The lack of diligence on the part of Canadian intelligence officials speaks to the concern that Muslim-Canadian’s are viewed different and experience citizenship differently than Western, white Canadians. One can assume that had Arar not been of Middle-Eastern descent, the outcry would have been immediate. Since Arar’s return there has been a public investigation into the rendition by U.S. officials and Justice O’Conner has cleared Arar of any connection to terrorist groups.

In Canada the perception that immigrant communities are attractive havens for terrorist activity permeates into the governmental discourse surrounding national security concerns. But this perception is contested by the Canadian public, especially after the public inquiry into the treatment of Maher Arar (Kruger, Mlder, & Korenic, 78). Canada’s increased focus on border security has framed the threat of terrorism as something that comes from outside of our country; terrorism is "imported" (Kruger, Mlder, & Korenic, 78). According to two Ipsos-Reid polls taken over the summer of 2006 when the Arar Commission was expected to conclude, Canadian’s do not perceive immigrant communities as threatening, even though they are targeted by intelligence agencies at the governmental level. When asked, 75% of Canadians indicated that immigrants are having a good influence in our country. (Angus Reid, 2006). When Canadians were asked, "[g]enerally, do you think immigrants are more likely to be involved in criminal activity than people born here, less likely, or isn’t there much difference," 73% responded no difference (Angus Reid, 2006). There appears to be a strong understanding and respect of diversity among the Canadian public which reflects our Canadian ideal of a tolerant society.

Canada’s response to the terrorist attacks on September 11th has the potentiality of racial profiling and discrimination of Muslim-Canadians by government and law enforcement The new power given to police to investigate possible terrorists in Canada will put many Muslin people at risk of abuse and discrimination in their everyday lives. As the need for the government to protect our country from terrorist attacks becomes more of a priority, the likelihood that Muslim-Canadians will face the stereotypes associated with them increases. We must demand that the civil liberties of Muslim-Canadians be safeguarded against the increased powers granted to state. The balancing act between national security and civil liberties must be carefully achieved if we are to maintain our national identity of a tolerant, respectful, multicultural society.

Harper Meets Bush

no crystal stair

Mother to Son
by Langston Hughes

Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a-climbin' on,
And reachin' landin's,
And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark
Where there ain't been no light.
So, boy, don't you turn back.
Don't you set down on the steps.
'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.
Don't you fall now—
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.

Yes, mom it will get paid.

Thanks for looking at it, i know that it was a mistake, but it was wrong. Since i've started university it seems that finances have become more important than anything else. I know that it is a huge financial endeavor, but owing money doesn't have to rule my life. I feel as though i've done something wrong and though no one is mad at me for it, everyone is secretly tisk tisk tisking me.

I would like to think my world is not completely run by dollar signs....

But no its not. It seems as though money is everything. I know you have given me a lot of money in the last year and a half, and I really appreciate it more than you could ever know. But does that mean I should for one minute feel infantile? No.

University puts young students in a very vulnerable position. It stops their participation in the workforce almost completely. In a society which places job positions and salaries as the only measure of success in life, I inadvertently feel like i'm am somehow "failing" my "responsibilities." There is an emotional aspect to debt and poverty that crushes the spirit and creates self-hate. I cannot fall into such a cycle. I'm am trying hard not to internalize my debt. But it is very hard to do when your friends and family and the world around you cannot, or refuses to place the financial burdens of such an endeavor as the least important (though unavoidable) aspects of my higher education.

Im am not going to tell you that growing up poor has a part in how I feel today about my debt, you already know. But I can imagine all the tough financial decisions you must have made to raise children, like say, paying off your visa then having to rack it up again.

It seems as though as women it is completely acceptable to do anything for our children, yet we feel selfish if we do anything for ourselves. No one thinks twice about the financial endeavor of having a child, it is "natural" and "our duty" and "a natural cost we are ready to pay without shame." But to spend time and (a lot) of money on myself, I am met with a different response from everyone. Having a baby costs more than a university education. Especially the first lets say three years of a baby's life, but somehow mothers are not questioned and judged on the financial liability in their arms. We are socialized not to think of a baby as a financial choice made by a woman, but a natural possession and above scrutiny. I on the other hand do not have the "naturalness" to hide behind. I made a choice to go to school just as a mother makes the choice to have a baby (yes it is always a choice). But somehow, my choice to further my education is more of my "own doing" and therefore should be held accountable to the affordability of my decision. It' a double-standard i'm not going to be subjected to. I refuse.

They (everyone) just can't seem to put two and two together and realize their own biases. You're all blind to the female double standard. And i'm not going to pay emotionally for the ignorance of others. I'm just not.

And finally, I would just like to say that I only have a year and a half left of school. It will cost more money for sure. But I can honestly say that it has been the most stressful, self-hating thing I have done in years. I cannot spend my university career beating myself up and personalizing the costs. I'm am half done, and I feel as though I cannot fully appreciate my time there. This is my chance. I have years to go make money in this damn ego-driven-money-seeking-capitalistic-soulless world. I will be paying the price for these three years for a very long time. So with all due respect (the most I can have for any living person on earth) can you please shut up about all the money, and let me enjoy this exeperience while I still can?

Thank you for hearing me out.

Ty

The Greatest Democracy Ever

Last Years Paper - The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is the main constitutional document that gives Canadians our rights and freedoms in our democratic state. It reflects not only our democratic principles of a free society in which Canadians live, but the Charter goes further to demand that our highest ideals of equality and tolerance among a diverse peoples are protected. This essay will explore the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms by following the events of various social movements throughout Canadian history that were influenced by it, and the methods in which rights demanded by any individual or group can be achieved through this constitutional document. I will first explore the Canadian societal and cultural perception of rights, putting into contextual perspective our basic beliefs concerning rights and freedoms. Within this context of Canadian values and beliefs the history and events surrounding the creation of our Charter will be described. I will then continue by describing the sections and elements of the Charter itself and outline what I feel are the main sections that have been used by many within social movements in Canada to gain access to freedoms and protections as they apply to particular groups. I will examine three important social movements in Canadian history from the pre-charter era, through to today: the feminist movement, First Nations rights, and finally the gay and lesbian rights movement. These three social movements clearly illustrate not only changing social values in Canadian society, recognition of Canadian diversity and differing identity-based groups, but also some fundamental issues of the Charter itself, such as the “systematic discrimination” paradox of section 15(2) that covers Equality Rights, interpretation of enumerated rights, and judicial review.
Canada like many states in the Western world went through a cultural transformation in the 1960’s and 1970’s, which culminated in 1982 with the adoption of the Charter. Canada was becoming more conscience of social justice and the rights of citizens within a free democratic society. Issues like racism, sexism, and rights concerning personal freedom of private lifestyle choices were made increasingly political through social movements. As these movements grew and spread throughout the many regions of the country, Canadian values were changing to accommodate growing segments of the Canadian population that were involved with or identified with these, and other, social justice movements. Richard Gwyn, a well-known columnist for the Toronto Star, describes the social climate of Canadian society at the time of the creation of the Charter in 1982, stating that “[m]ore people… were [becoming increasingly] clamorous about their separate identities and were more urgently insistent that these identity rights be recognised and realized than ever before in Canadian history.” Women, gay and lesbian people, and First Nation’s people, came together as groups based on a specific identity, demanding the protection of rights that represented a vast number of individuals in society within those groups. A culture of rights developed as a result of the changing attitudes and values of equality and tolerance that Canadians felt were being incorporated into the Canadian national identity. Changes in Canadian society can be directly shown by an ever-increasing change of the face of the Canadian population. We were becoming a country of diverse racial, ethnic, cultural and religious peoples. As a direct result of this change, Canada changed its national identity and values to reflect that change, and in 1971, the federal government made multiculturalism official policy. Multiculturalism became a value that distinguished Canada from other countries. Embracing this ideal of multiculturalism meant that governmental policies needed to protect this ideal. Within this context of social change and social justice movements, Canadians values transformed to incorporate equality and tolerance as essential values to be cherished.
Many women’s organizations throughout Canadian history have gain rights through the legal process. The First Wave feminists of Canada achieved monumental legal rights such as the vote in 1918, fought by organizations like the National Council of Women of Canada. Even though women were granted the vote, it was denied to First Nation’s and people of Chinese origin, demonstrating the apparent racism in Canadian society at that time. Another women’s rights movement landmark is the Person’s Case of 1929, headed by the Famous Five comprised of Murphy, McClung, Parlby, Edwards and McKinney, which granted women political eligibility to hold office. The 1970’s saw a second Wave of feminism emerge. Many feminist groups were created at this time such as the Canadian Federation of University Women, which lobbied the Canadian government to create political forums for women’s rights to be addressed. This led to the creation of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women, which fought to include section 28 in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which specifically stated equality between the sexes in all Rights and Freedoms granted in the Charter. Women throughout Canada came together to participate in the Commission’s cross-country consultation to hear the concerns and demands of women in society. The Commission spoke to hundreds of women’s organizations and concluded its report with 167 recommendations referring to ways in which “women’s social political, and economic status could be improved.” Though only some of the recommendations made by the Commission were implemented, the women’s social movement vied for the “special treatment of women to help them overcome the adverse effects of discriminatory practices in Canadian society.” The recommendations were intended to create equality in opportunity and results between the sexes by empowering a particularly disadvantaged group, in this case, women. In fact, affirmative action policies that include women are protected by section 15(b) of the Charter. Not only has the women’s movement been able to entrench gender equality, but it has also led to the establishment of a federal Department on the Status of Women.
Other movements of this time were addressing race and ethnicity, and in particular to Canada, a First Nation’s movement was formed to combat oppressive governmental policies such as the 1867 Indian Act, which systematically subjugated Aboriginal peoples. In the Constitution of 1867, section 91-24, which states that First Nation’s “Indian status” would be determined though patrilineage and marriage, in effect stripped First Nation’s women status and the rights under the Indian Act if they married a non-status Indian. This was inherently sexist as since it targeted Aboriginal women and left intact the rights of Aboriginal men who married non-status women, with the implicit affect of assimilation. In 1951 women’s status rights were further limited when it “removed the status of women married out of their band” The loss of Indian status meant that women and their children were put at a disadvantage in society. In 1973 Jeanette Laval and Yvonne Bedard challenged this Act to the Supreme Court of Canada, which ruled that the pre-existing Canadian Bill of Rights “did not apply to the Indian Act.” Taken up by the United Nations Human Rights Commission in 1977, Canada was deemed to be in violation of international human rights “on the basis of sexual discrimination in 1981.” This was an important period since it was closely timed with the development of the Constitution Act of 1982, and this UN ruling greatly affected the inclusion of First Nation’s rights within the Charter. The Act which discriminated against Aboriginal women status rights was finally resolved in 1985, when Indian status was reinstated to those who had lost theirs through the Act. In section 35 of the Charter enshrined the rights of First Nation’s people to have their “treaty rights…recognized and affirmed,” even those that have yet to be acquired, and the right to participate in the discussion regarding any amendments to the Constitution Act of 1867.
Pierre Elliot Trudeau is the father of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Trudeau, after winning the 1968 election became Prime Minister of Canada, and set out to create a “just society”, with citizen’s freedom ensured and entrenched in a Constitution, and protection of the rights of people in society that are disadvantaged. The first effort made by the federal government and the provinces to agree upon the text of the constitution took place in Victoria British Columbia in 1971. Quebec opposed the measure because it felt that the demands that it made were not met, which sparked a separatist movement that resulted in a sovereignty referendum in Quebec in 1980 which was the stand that Quebec would continue to maintain. Pierre Trudeau managed to get all the other provinces to sign on to the newly written Constitution that “patriated the British North American Act, bringing the 1867 document home from Westminster” and entrenched the Charter of Rights and Freedoms into the Constitution Act, 1982. Quebec even though it had not signed the Constitution was non the less bound to it, though there was a real effort throughout the 1990’s under the Brain Mulroney government to have them sign on. The Meech Lake Accord of 1987 was unsuccessful at full agreement. Quebec did not sign on, and Manitoba and New Brunswick backed out of the Accord before the time limit of three years expired . The Charlottetown Accord was a success for the politicians but the Government of Canada was criticized that it was not consulting the Canadian people on such important decisions and could not claim that to have the support of Canadians. The solution was to put the Accord to a referendum vote at the end of 1992, which the population rejected. Brain Mulroney was not able to garner consensus, though the Constitution did go into effect, his reputation fell to “record lows” of support. Canada, with the creation of the Constitution and Charter of Rights and Freedoms, over the more than ten years from 1971 to 1982 entirely separated the colonial ties that linked Canada and Britain. The Charter in turn, gave Canadians the full guarantees of a just society that Pierre Elliot Trudeau himself had envisioned.
The Constitution Act, 1982 gave individual citizens fundamental rights and freedoms found throughout the Charter, and gave the judicial system the authority to interpret it as stated in section 24. The first two sections are the Guaranteed of Rights and Freedoms, and the Fundamental Freedoms of every Canadian. The first section sets out the parameters of ones Rights and Freedoms, in that they must be in “reasonable limits prescribed by law” . Fundamental Freedoms are listed in section 2 as: “freedom of conscience and religion, freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of association.” Section 3 to 5, Democratic Rights, outlines our Parliamentary government model; section six, Mobility Rights, grants us our freedom to move freely; section seven our, Legal Rights, outlines our legal rights and ensures the protection of our “right to life, liberty, and security of the person” as well as the right to due process within the legal system. Section 15, Equality Rights, is a very contentious section, as it lists certain categories of enumerated rights protected by the Charter. It states: “every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, or mental or physical disability.” Canadian values of equality of result, compared to simply the equality of opportunity are upheld by 15(2) stating that subsection 15(1) individual rights cannot prohibit any “law, program or activity” designed to improve the equality of groups that are disadvantaged. This is the fundamental justification for our affirmative action policies: the ideal of equal opportunity is second to equality of results. This priority of equality of results over equality of opportunity does not intentionally discriminate but has the effect of discrimination when applied in practice. This is what is known as “systemic discrimination.” Laws, and actions made with the intent of empowering a particular group that is disadvantaged in society may unintentionally discriminate other groups, but establishing a balance a equal rights, in a society that historically discriminates against its own citizens, involves some level of empowerment specific to certain groups.
During the 1960’s and 1970’s social acceptance for personal lifestyle freedom was becoming an increasingly important popular demand. The gay and lesbian social/political movement is fairly recent to Canadian discourse, but it is rooted from the sexual revolution that allowed for broader interpretations of sexuality to be explored and accepted. Canadian’s personal freedom and the right to live own life is an important value, elegantly expressed by Trudeau when he said, “the state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation.” As homosexuality became more and more socially acceptable, gay activists fought for recognition of parenting/family rights that include right to make health care decisions and last will and testament rights, employment benefits, and legal protections. Same-sex marriage is the most recent illustration of the power of section 15 in the Charter. With the hindsight of movements that came before, the gay and lesbian rights movements, through its legal networks were successful at gaining equal rights in the Marriage Act. The gay movement demonstrates the issue of enumerated and unenumerated rights in section 15 of the Charter. Section 15 protects Canadians from being discriminated against by virtue of “race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability,” but nowhere states sexual orientation as a category of discrimination. Sexual orientation is not explicitly mentioned in the Charter and thus, unenumerated, though the category of sex has been used to argue for same-sex marriage. The Marriage Act is in violation of the Charter by discriminating based on sex, due to it stating that only members of the opposite sex are permitted to enter marriage.
The Ontario Court of appeals in June of 2003 made the groundbreaking decision to “order Toronto City Hall to issues marriage licences to same-sex couples.” Since then the federal government has legalized Same-sex marriage in all provinces in Canada, after the Supreme Court of Canada concluded that it was a Constitutional right guaranteed by the Charter. Since section 24 of the Charter states that those who feel their rights have been infringed upon may take their compliant to the courts, the judicial branch has more powers than ever before in Canadian history.
The Constitution gave the courts the power to interpret Constitutional matters in regards to equality rights, unlike the pre-Charter era that did not include the Charter, and focused instead on the federal-provincial division of powers. “The Supreme Court of Canada has adjudicated important public policy issues” that are not decided by our elected Members of Parliament, but our unelected judges . This necessarily limits the sovereignty of Parliament and put the Courts in authority to deem Constitutional issues or rights. This is balanced with the ability of Parliament to enact the notwithstanding clause to section 2 (Fundamental Freedoms) or 7-15 (Legal Rights) of the Charter as it states in section 33, the Application of Charter. This has been politically important in the case of same-sex marriage precisely because public opinion is not taken into account in the judicial process, and politicians have used it as a ploy in Parliament to gain votes in recent general elections. Judicial review in the case of same-sex marriage rights could be viewed as a positive tool in the gay and lesbian movement, in that it protects rights from discriminating views of Canadians against gay rights (in particular right-wing politicians), and allows for a rational, legal analysis blind to emotional based bias. Concerning the judicialization of politics, Richard Gwyn states, “[I]t’s certain that ordinary Canadians didn’t understand this transformation in the nature of social and cultural decision-making. It’s questionable whether the judges involved fully understood it.”
Canadian society’s ideas of rights and freedoms have evolved over the last 35 years since the 1970’s early social movements initiated the call for the creation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Over time, Canada has created a national identity of acceptance, tolerance, equality and diversity. More than ever before in our collective national history has the rights of different groups based on identity been such a priority. Social justice movements like the women’s movement, First Nation’s movement, and the gay/lesbian movement outlined in this essay only represent a small number of social movements that are fighting to ensure the rights of minorities, and seeking the protection of intolerance and discrimination. The Charter entrenched Canadian citizen’s rights as individuals and as groups simultaneously, which does propose paradoxical theories, yet still maintains comprehensible. The Charter is criticized as being too open-ended, identifying more and more “distinct” groups in defined by section 15. We also have giving unprecedented powers of interpretation to the unelected judicial branch. Regardless of these issues, I believe the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms exemplifies Canada’s highest ideals of social justice and tolerance.

Bibliography
Gwyn, Richard. Nationalism Without Walls. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1995.

Abu-Laban, Yasmeen, and Nieguth, Tim. “Reconsidering the Constitution, Minorities and Politics in Canada.” Canadian Journal of Political Science 33 (September 2000) : 465-497.

Dickerson, Mark O., and Flanagan, Thomas. Appendix B, An Introduction to Government and Politics. Toronto: Thompson Canada, 2006.

Granatstein, J.L., and Norman, Hillmer. Prime Ministers: Ranking Canada’s Leaders. Toronto: HarperCollins, 1999.

Knopff, Rainer. “What Do Constitutional Equality Rights Protect Canadians Against?” Canadian Journal of Political Science 20 (June 1987) : 265-286.

Smith, Miriam. “Social Movements and Judicial Empowerment: Courts, Public Policy, and Lesbian and Gay Organizing in Canada.” Politics & Society 33 (June 2005) : 465-497.

Calixte, Shana L., Johnson, Jennifer L., and Motapanyane, J. Maki. “Liberal, Socialist, and Radical Feminism: Introduction of Three Theories About Women’s Oppression and Social Change.” In Feminist Issues, ed. Nancy Mandell, Canada: 3-34. Pearson Press, 2004.

Emily Carr

Five Times Fast

say this five times fast: my lovers lesbian landlord lives at this location

Examples of dealing with Attention Deficit Disorder

Guyome says:
Will you be my mystery wioman?
Staged Awareness says:
no....

Guyome says:
please..
Staged Awareness says:
what does the role entail?

Guyome says:
mystery

Guyome says:
to be mysterious
Staged Awareness says:
to be one both confused by the natural order and yet strangly inthrawed

Guyome says:
enthralled?


Guyome says:
strangely enthralled
Staged Awareness says:
yes thank you for correcting me
Staged Awareness says:
i love it when you do that

Guyome says:
strangly is murderous sounding
Staged Awareness says:
will i need to murder?

Guyome says:
if in the heat of jigsaw building, ..yes
Staged Awareness says:
you didn't mention anything about jigsaws, im in

Guyome says:
has the passion to take a bath subdued in you yet?
Staged Awareness says:
no and it shant
Staged Awareness says:
i shall see to it that that laborous task be completed

Guyome says:
or shall it forever be tranquil splash only a step away and a jog from memory
Staged Awareness says:
no...

Guyome says:
he who decides the present, will decide the past
Staged Awareness says:
i'm going to put this conversation on my blog

Guyome says:
he who controls the past, control the future

Guyome says:
the part about you going to masterbate will entice many viewers i am sure
Staged Awareness says:
i am sure as well dear friend

Guyome says:
dear friend?

Guyome says:
Thats what the main character said to the other in The Cask of The Amontillado

Guyome says:
you should get a web cam
Staged Awareness says:
i do not follow

Guyome says:
what part?
\
Staged Awareness says:
and why?

Guyome says:
lol why!?
Staged Awareness says:
yes....why?

Guyome says:
that is for my imagination and you to obey
Staged Awareness says:
get lost creep

Guyome says:
get lost creep?
Staged Awareness says:
i obey no man

Guyome says:
just like you say things for the sake of saying them even though they dont apply to you
Staged Awareness says:
yes, please apply within

Guyome says:
?

Guyome says:
are you busy or something
Staged Awareness says:
Tyra Inc is happy to take on new clients
Staged Awareness says:
busy doing what? im talking to you

Great Song

Original Response -Temporarlly Posted Awaiting Authorization From Author

thank you for sending me a delivery status notification. i feel special . thanks for the sam-witch and pum and dink'n box(that last one has double meaning,though not very tasteful i am proud like a pee-cock)

yours tooly
luc

Dear Valued Customer

My response to Luc's e-mail:
Dear Valued Customer,

On behalf of Tyra Inc. we would like to express our gratitude for being a loyal Tyra costumer and member of our team dedicated to the quality and performance of Tyra products and services. We here at Tyra Inc. value your continued support of this organization. Without members like you Tyra Inc. could not achieve the numerous successes that have made Tyra Inc. one of the National Capital Regions top performers in Personal Forms of Intimacy-Related Expressions of Friendship on a Non-Committal Basis Within and Across Various Time Frames and Periods Deemed Appropriate by Said Actors.
Here at Tyra Inc. we take very seriously the satisfaction of our customers in the services and products we provide, so we are delighted by your response that you had received the quality service that you have come to expect from Tyra Inc. Your satisfaction is of our greatest concern. If there is anything further that Tyra Inc. can do to ensure such satisfaction in our future dealings please do not hesitate to contact us.
From everyone here at Tyra Inc. we wish you continued success with all of your endeavors.

Signed,

Tyra, C.E.O, Tyra Inc.

(Dis)Ablitity

Our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states that every person is equal under law and entitled to equal protection against discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability. We are a country that expects that our rights to live our lives to the fullest extent possible are respected. Our national identity is one of diversity and a testament to our inclusive society that respects difference. Mental and physical disability equality rights are entrenched in our Charter, however there are some real impediments for Canadians living with disability to participate as full members in society. This paper will discuss the issue of disability and examine the arguments made in the three articles "We Are Who You Are: Feminism and Disability" by Bonnie Sherr Klein, "Canadian Disability Policy: Still a Hit-and-Miss Affair" by Michael Prince, and finally, "Thumbs Up! Inclusion Rights and Equality as Experienced by Youth with Disabilities" by Catherine Frazee. I will examine the issues of disability identity in Canada and systems of inclusion and exclusion on the individual level as well as the larger governmental and societal levels.
Bonnie Sherr Klein came to speak to Carleton University students on October 25th of this year where she presented part of her new film "Shameless: The Art of Disability" and to talked to us about her personal experience and artistic work as a disabled person and feminist. Bonnie Sherr Klein talks in her article "We Are Who You Are" and in her lecture on "Shameless" on coming out as a person with disability and the empowerment of self-identification to that community. Klein spoke to us about the long journey it had taken for her to start to direct a documentary film again after her stroke 19 years ago. Klein states in her article that her identity as a film maker and feminist, and the power and agency those roles provided to her self identity had been important factors in the acceptance of her disability (Klein, 29). Like the other articles by Prince and Frazee, she describes the system of inclusion and exclusion which posits persons with disability as the differentiated group of the "Other" against the "normalized" able-bodied population in society (Klein, 28). She describes how she resisted to being categorized as the Other by becoming active in disability movement groups such as DAWN ( the DisAbled Women’s Network, Canada) and building a network that supported both her disability and feminism. As a long time film maker, feminist, and activist, Klein drew from her past experience and reached out to the disabled community in a personal and political act of solidarity (Klein, 29). Klein argues that by "coming out" and identifying as a person with disability and joining the disability movement is empowering because it raises awareness and builds solidarity within the disability community and society as a whole. For Bonnie Klein, her work in film making, feminism and disability activism has allowed her to continue her life’s work, which is an integral aspect of one’s sense of self-worth and belonging. Her ability to surpass her limitations as a person with disability and participate in and contribute to Canadian society in such a poignant way demonstrates what all three articles declare, which is the desire and necessity of our society to not only remove the obstacles that exclude persons with disability from participating, but to value the wonderful gifts they contribute to Canadian society.
Michael Prince in his article "Canadian Disability Policy: Still a Hit-and-Miss Affair" presents the issues of disability in Canada using the institutional discourse of governments, unlike the Klein and Frazee articles which primarily focus on the personal narrative and experiential aspects of people with disabilities. Prince argues that the governmental approach to disability is and always has been fragmented by the focus on individual programs and polices that may be given high or low priority depending on the political environment at any given time (Prince, 6). Here, Prince brings up several important issues. First is that governments tend not to view issues of disability as a encompassing issue that affects all government programs and policies, but rather as considerations or add-ons to "mainstream" initiatives or separate initiatives such as educational support and physical access to public spaces (Prince, 6). Again we see the process of viewing people with disabilities as a marginalized group separate from the able-bodied majority. Prince describes this way of responding to the needs of disabled people as the conventional perspective, in which programs and policies are seen as separate and compartmentalized from other "mainstream" programs and polices, rather then what he describes as the disability perspective where issues of inclusivity and equality are accorded consideration in all areas that impact and affect peoples lives, goals and aspirations (Prince, 5). The fact that governments view disability as a separate issue that affects a separate segment of society and furthermore categorizes disabled people differently depending on their disabilities, they inadvertently perpetrate the system of exclusion they are trying to end (Prince, 5). Prince contends that governments need to approach disability issues in two ways: first governments must view existing "mainstream" programs and policies through a disability lens and incorporate disability considerations into all government programs and services. Second, the government must provide supplementary programs and services that focus on the special needs of those with disabilities to achieve greater equality and belonging in Canadian society (Prince, 21).
Another important issue that Prince addresses is the power of government in their role as an active agent for change, for they have the authority to ensure that the inclusion within society, and rights of people living with disability are respected (Prince, 5). Because the government has often prioritized issues of disabilities differently depending on the government in power and the economic condition of the country, reforms have not manifested into real change (Prince, 19).
In Catherine Frazee’s article "Thumbs Up! Inclusion Rights and Equality a Experienced by Youth with Disabilities" the use of the personal narrative of youth on their understanding of inclusion illustrates the experiential nature of inclusion, and the fact that inclusion and a sense of belonging is not simply an intellectual concept but the way in which human beings relate to each other (Frazee, 108). Inclusion for Frazee and the young people she interviews is about personal belonging to community and how we experience our relationships within social groups, organizations and institutions that bring people together (Frazee, 106).
Frazee argues that in order to create equality and inclusion of people with disabilities the issues must not be based solely on the legal discourse of rights and equality, but must include the social interactions of people who practice inclusion through their relationships with others. Viewed from the experience of youth, inclusion is rooted in the way in which we treat others: with compassion, understanding, acceptance, and connection (Frazee, 107). Catherine Frazee describes the limitations of legal rights discourse in creating equality for all people with disabilities when equality and inclusion is based on the individual right to belong and participate in society because it is an intrinsic right in itself and not based on the specific conditions of one’s disability and their ability to conform to or act within the able-bodied standard (Frazee,121).
In all the readings the issue of social sites or spaces, such as schools, organizations and institutions are addressed when talking about systems of inclusion and exclusion. For Bonnie Sherr Klein the ability to identify and belong to a community of disabled people allowed her a space where she shared common experiences, struggles, goals, aspirations and solidarity with others that are disabled. Catherine Frazee focuses primarily on creating an inclusive environment within "mainstream" or able-bodied society that allows for the ability of those with disability to act within that mainstream. Whereas Klein emphasizes the empowering ability of identifying one’s self as a disabled person and the importance of a separate space for people with disabilities to unite, Frazee emphasizes the right of disabled people to achieve those same ends within society as a whole. Neither perspective is wrong, in fact it is important that both areas are available as it is essential for people with disabilities to have both separate spaces in which to belong to and a sense of belonging to society at large. Michael Prince demands that government not only allow for the ability of disabled people to participate and be included in existing programs and policies by evaluating policy through a disability lens, but also support the supplementary programs that deal exclusively with disability issues and needs. Klein herself in the lecture on October 25th offered such a response by quoting feminist and activist Kay McPherson: "When in doubt, do both."
Canadian society and our national identity resides in a strong understanding and need for inclusivity to unite a diverse population with diverse identities, needs, desires and aspirations. People living with disabilities in Canada have the same right to belonging and participate in society as anyone else. Along with governmental action, we must at an individual level create an inclusive environment where those with disability can achieve their dreams and goals.

Pieces of Parts

Henry and June

Everybody says sex is obscene.
The only true obscenity is war.



I'd believe only in a god...



who understood how to dance.



Isn't that something?



Nietzsche says that at the same time...



the Huns and Germany are gearing up,
perverting, what he says.



We're given this gift:
The ability to understand.



Yet no one wants to understand.



We're given the ability to read.



Read Nietzsche, Thomas Mann...



read Spengler, Joyce, Rambaud.



Read fucking Alice in Wonderland.
Huh, Osborn?



Everything's out of whack.



People just worry about money
and deny their inner self.



What is money, anyway?



There's an old Portuguese saying...



"If shit had value,
the poor wouldn't have asses."



Money. Money.



They walk through the night crowd
protected by money...



lulled by money, dulled by money.



No single object anywhere
that is not money.



Money everywhere and still not enough.



Then no money or little money
or less money or more money.



But money. Always money!



If you have money or don't have money,
it's the money that counts.



And money makes money.
But what makes money make money?



I say, what the hell!



We gotta die to the world
like the clowns. Right, clowns?

Sylvia Plath - On Love No Less

Pursuit - Sylvia Plath


There is a panther stalks me down:
One day I'll have my death of him;
His greed has set the woods aflame,
He prowls more lordly than the sun.
Most soft, most suavely glides that step,
Advancing always at my back;
From gaunt hemlock, rooks croak havoc:
The hunt is on, and sprung the trap.
Flayed by thorns I trek the rocks,
Haggard through the hot white noon.
Along red network of his veins
What fires run, what craving wakes?

Insatiate, he ransacks the land
Condemned by our ancestral fault,
Crying: blood, let blood be spilt;
Meat must glut his mouth's raw wound.
Keen the rending teeth and sweet
The singeing fury of his fur;
His kisses parch, each paw's a briar,
Doom consummates that appetite.
In the wake of this fierce cat,
Kindled like torches for his joy,
Charred and ravened women lie,
Become his starving body's bait.

Now hills hatch menace, spawning shade;
Midnight cloaks the sultry grove;
The black marauder, hauled by love
On fluent haunches, keeps my speed.
Behind snarled thickets of my eyes
Lurks the lithe one; in dreams' ambush
Bright those claws that mar the flesh
And hungry, hungry, those taut thighs.
His ardor snares me, lights the trees,
And I run flaring in my skin;
What lull, what cool can lap me in
When burns and brands that yellow gaze?

I hurl my heart to halt his pace,
To quench his thirst I squander blood;
He eats, and still his need seeks food,
Compels a total sacrifice.
His voice waylays me, spells a trance,
The gutted forest falls to ash;
Appalled by secret want, I rush
From such assault of radiance.
Entering the tower of my fears,
I shut my doors on that dark guilt,
I bolt the door, each door I bolt.
Blood quickens, gonging in my ears:

The panther's tread is on the stairs,
Coming up and up the stairs.

Never try to trick me with a kiss - Sylvia Plath

Never try to trick me with a kiss
Pretending that the birds are here to stay;
The dying man will scoff and scorn at this.

A stone can masquerade where no heart is
And virgins rise where lustful Venus lay:
Never try to trick me with a kiss.

Our noble doctor claims the pain is his,
While stricken patients let him have his say;
The dying man will scoff and scorn at this.

Each virile bachelor dreads paralysis,
The old maid in the gable cries all day:
Never try to trick me with a kiss.

The suave eternal serpents promise bliss
To mortal children longing to be gay;
The dying man will scoff and scorn at this.

Sooner or later something goes amiss;
The singing birds pack up and fly away;
So never try to trick me with a kiss:
The dying man will scoff and scorn at this.

Mad Girl's Love Song - Sylvia Plath

I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;
I lift my lids and all is born again.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

The stars go waltzing out in blue and red,
And arbitrary blackness gallops in:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed
And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

God topples from the sky, hell's fires fade:
Exit seraphim and Satan's men:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I fancied you'd return the way you said,
But I grow old and I forget your name.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

I should have loved a thunderbird instead;
At least when spring comes they roar back again.
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)"

Ted Hughes

Lovesong - Ted Hughes


He loved her and she loved him.
His kisses sucked out her whole past and future or tried to
He had no other appetite
She bit him she gnawed him she sucked
She wanted him complete inside her
Safe and sure forever and ever
Their little cries fluttered into the curtains

Her eyes wanted nothing to get away
Her looks nailed down his hands his wrists his elbows
He gripped her hard so that life
Should not drag her from that moment
He wanted all future to cease
He wanted to topple with his arms round her
Off that moment's brink and into nothing
Or everlasting or whatever there was

Her embrace was an immense press
To print him into her bones
His smiles were the garrets of a fairy palace
Where the real world would never come
Her smiles were spider bites
So he would lie still till she felt hungry
His words were occupying armies
Her laughs were an assassin's attempts
His looks were bullets daggers of revenge
His glances were ghosts in the corner with horrible secrets
His whispers were whips and jackboots
Her kisses were lawyers steadily writing
His caresses were the last hooks of a castaway
Her love-tricks were the grinding of locks
And their deep cries crawled over the floors
Like an animal dragging a great trap
His promises were the surgeon's gag
Her promises took the top off his skull
She would get a brooch made of it
His vows pulled out all her sinews
He showed her how to make a love-knot
Her vows put his eyes in formalin
At the back of her secret drawer
Their screams stuck in the wall

Their heads fell apart into sleep like the two halves
Of a lopped melon, but love is hard to stop

In their entwined sleep they exchanged arms and legs
In their dreams their brains took each other hostage

In the morning they wore each other's face

ee cummings

because i love you)last night - ee cummings


because i love you)last night

clothed in sealace
appeared to me
your mind drifting
with chuckling rubbish
of pearl weed coral and stones;

lifted,and(before my
eyes sinking)inward,fled;softly
your face smile breasts gargled
by death:drowned only

again carefully through deepness to rise
these your wrists
thighs feet hands

poising
to again utterly disappear;
rushing gently swiftly creeping
through my dreams last
night,all of your
body with its spirit floated
(clothed only in

the tide's acute weaving murmur

Harper is a big dick

How much longer will we let Harper be PM? God don't give him a majority!

Give Me That Immunity Idol Damnit

" Avoiding prosecution under the War Crimes Act has been an obsession of this administration since shortly after 9/11. In a January 2002 memorandum to the president, then-White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales pointed out the problem of prosecution for detainee mistreatment under the War Crimes Act. He notes that given the vague language of the statute, no one could predict what future ''prosecutors and independent counsels'' might do if they decided to bring charges under the act. As an author of the 1978 special prosecutor statute, I know that independent counsels (who used to be called ''special prosecutors'' prior to the statute's reauthorization in 1994) aren't for low-level government officials such as CIA interrogators, but for the president and his Cabinet. It is clear that Gonzales was concerned about top administration officials. " -Published on Saturday, September 23, 2006 by the Chicago Sun-Times

Barbie

Researchers at the University of Bath have been analyzing the effects of product branding and marketing on more than 100 children aged seven to 11.They found that, of all the products tested, Barbie provoked the most violent emotions. "The doll provoked rejection, hatred and violence," said Agnes Nairn, who teaches marketing in the university's school of management. She said that regardless of age or school, children "gleefully" reported maiming the dolls.

Hot

The subconscious at work

Do you see it? Look behind the woman....at the figure in orange......

Sudan man forced to 'marry' goat

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, DAMN FUNNY I TELL YA

Colombian gangsters face sex ban

Taken From the BBC article:

Studies found that local gang members were drawn to criminality by the desire for status, power, and sexual attractiveness, not economic necessity, Colombian radio reported.

One of the girlfriends, Jennifer Bayer, told Britain's Guardian newspaper: "We want them to know that violence is not sexy."

Is This Fashion? Or Is This Gang Rape?

Vogue Italia

Last Day At Transport

When I Need A Good Laugh I Look To This Guy

Bush Aims to Kill War Crimes Act

Bush's Performance Has Been Poor, But His Packaging is Exemplary

By Gary Younge

War is Not a Solution for Terrorism

A very good article by Howard Zinn

Soccer Moms Accused Of Smoking Pot At Kids' Practice

FREAKING FUNNY! ALL I HEAR IN MY HEAD: BAD MOM VERY BAD MOM. I MEAN COME ON PEOPLE....

You Know Its Killing Me Not to Call

I tried calling you these last few weeks. One time I actually did, bad timing I guess. Kills me you know.
That 250 is still a hard time zone to get a hold of.
what are you doing? are you happy? are you having fun? I miss you you know. I think about what it would be like seeing you once more really soon.
Please hold out and pick up.

Yeah, I loved you, so what?

And who are you now, and who were you then, that you thought somehow you could just pretend? That you could figure out the mathematics of regret. It takes two beers to remember you and five to forget that I loved you so. Yeah, I loved you, so what? Yeah, I loved you, so what?

How many times undone can one person be as they're careening through the facade of their favourite fantasy? You just close your eyes slowly like you're waiting for a kiss and hope some lonely little power will pull you out of this. But none comes at first and little comes at all and when an inspiration finally hits you it barely even breaks your fall.

Sept.1st, 2003

Sept.1st, 2003

So this is my labour day weekend. I went out to the Heart and Crown of Friday coz Deirdre’s cousins were out from Ireland and that was their last night out. It was a blast. I got spilled with beer three times. Once it was my fault, walking out on the street with a glass of beer in my cleavage. Deirdre worked a miracle that night and got us beer in Styrofoam cups to go! There’s something great about two women sitting in an ally drinking b&^%^ smoking p^%##$ and reminiscing about our first periods til three in the morning. Deirdre had a great plan to go to this guys house and keep the party going, she didn’t know him of coarse and that why maybe we’re good friends, it’s the 14 years old factor.But alas, he disappeared and the plan fell through. Probably for the best I guess. Foolish things that seem irresponsible yet totally possible and worthy of our time, foolish things.
Troy came over on Saturday night, we just stayed home drank b#%^%$^ and smoked some more p$#%^%^, watched movies and T.V. I didn’t feel like going out. So I’ve mostly stayed at home by myself and cleaned up a little. Washed my dishes, vacuumed, looked at my laundry thinking that I didn’t have enough money to clean them let alone enough for my bus pass. Oh well, I’ll figure it all out or just wait it out until next payday which is two weeks away but oh well.
I’ve been working day shifts and piling up hours so next pay will be nice, I’ll save some money to go to Halifax this Christmas.
On an unrelated note I think I’ll have rice tonight for dinner. On second thought, maybe those aren’t unrelated after all. Ha. I’m sick of pasta. And I want to save my chicken for a curry chicken dinner.

Former Conservative candidate kicked out of party for being ‘embarrassment’

Green Party's New Leader Elizabeth May

Undergraduate tuition fees outpace inflation rate

Girl Talk - Remeber the Zits?

Girl Talk Game

"A Game of Truth or Dare." The dares include:

Name a boy you'd like to date
Describe the perfect prom dress
Tell each player her best & worst features
Put an ice cube down your shirt and let it melt.
Failure to attempt a dare results in the player wearing a Zit Sticker for the rest of the game (they were missing). Successful completion of the dare results in points and ultimately in fortune cards in four categories:

Career - "An interest and a flair for modeling will lead to cover layouts in five major fashion magazines"
Marriage - "The boy who is last, alphabetically, on the roll call list at school will become your future husband"
Children - "The total of odd numbers in your phone number indicates how many children you will have"
Special Moments - "You will decorate your future home using your school colors"
Compared to a brown and orange color scheme, zits don't seem such a bad option.

Here’s What You Get
Game Tray, Spinner Knob, 2 (two-sided) Stunt Discs, Top & Bottom Board, 96 Girl Talk Girl Cards, Zit® Sticker Sheet and these Excellent Instructions.
You Might Want to Have These Things Handy...
Radio, Hairbrush, Makeup, Book, Telephone. (Before you grab the phone, ask your Mom if it’s OK. No ask, no use.)
How to win and what you get
You know how people say that everyone is a winner? Well, that’s not true in this game! There is only ONE winner, and when you win, you win BIG.
With each spin of the ultra-cool spinner, you have the grand opportunity of landing on a stunt space. (Don’t worry — we’ll get to the other spaces later.) Each stunt is assigned a point value. If you accept the challenge and perform the stunt correctly, you win that number of points. The first player to win 25 points is the official big time winner of Girl Talk! Now, you don’t win a car or a college scholarship, or even a set of steak knives, but what you do win is even better — INFORMATION.

Throughout the game, all players will be landing on and collecting Girl Talk Girl cards. These little gems say things like, “Bubbly Personality,” “Loves to Gossip,” or even “Wiggles When She Walks” Players give these cards, facedown, to the players they think match the cards. Here’s the catch — the only person allowed to turn her cards over at the end of the game is the WINNER. Wouldn’t it be cool to find out that someone thought you were super-intelligent?

Boring stuff before you start
1. Put the stunt disc, spinner knob, and top and bottom boards together as shown. Use one disc for now. Later, after you’ve played lots of games, you can add the second disc, and it’ll be like a whole new game.
2. Press out the Girl Talk Girl cards and discard the waste. Divide the cards into four equal piles, and place them facedown in the corners of the gameboard. DON’T READ THEM NOW. Trust me. You’ll want to save them for the end of the game.
3. Take the Zit Sticker sheet and have it handy.
4. Grab a piece of paper and a pencil and give them to someone who can count. She will be the Point Princess.
5. Choose one player to go first. Don’t fight about it. Just pick!

Go for it
Spin the spinner knob. When the spinner stops, you will land on one of three things:

• A crazy stunt or a deep (for sure!) question.
• A “Make Up Your Own Question or Stunt” space. (This could be a little off-the-wall. But fun!)
• A “Take a Girl Talk Girl Card From Each Corner” space. (Pretty self-explanatory, don’t you think?)
1. If you spin a stunt or question space, you must either perform the stunt, or answer the potentially embarrassing question.

There are time limits for some stunts. Stick to ‘em. If you ace the stunt or question, you win the number of points listed on the space. Make sure the Point Princess is tallying points correctly.

If you can’t do the stunt, or if you do it so poorly that your fellow players think you blew it, well then, you blew it. No points for you.

Now, if you’re on the timid side, and you don’t think this stunt is for you, or if you’d be mortified by answering the question, fine...be that way. But now you’ve gotta take a BIG, BLAZING RED ZIT STICKER. Put it ON YOUR FACE FOR THE REST OF THE GAME.

IMPORTANT: Some of these stunts and questions are pretty wild and wacky. If you run into one that doesn’t seem like it’s your thing, or if you might be uncomfortable going through with it, no sweat — skip it. (You won’t be the only one with a Zit Sticker!)

2. If your space says “Make Up Your Own Question or Stunt,” then you might be in trouble. This means that all of the other players have a short, secret pow­wow to make up a question for you to answer or stunt for you to perform. Be quick about it, girls — no one likes to wait all day. She’s your friend, right? So keep it safe! If you answer or perform the stunt, great, you get the points. If you don’t, look for a Zit Sticker to land on your face in the immediate future.

3. When you spin the “Take a Girl Talk Girl card” space, you take one card from each corner of the board. Read the cards to yourself, then decide who among your fellow players best fits the cards you’ve drawn. Making sure that NO ONE can see, place the cards facedown next to the player(s) you think best fits the cards. You may think that one player should get them all. Maybe they should be spread out among all the players. You may even keep the ones that you think describe you. It doesn’t matter, it’s your call. Just remem­ber, no peeking until the end of the game.

If the Point Princess is doing her job, she will know when a player has won 25 points. That player is the official winner of Girl Talk. In addition to being able to gloat over being “The Best” at Girl Talk for this particular game, she is the ONLY player allowed to read her own Girl Talk Girl cards. (The other players should immediately put their cards, facedown, back into the piles on the gameboard. NO PEEKING!)

You may expect to hear reactions like, “Wow, someone thinks I have great hair?” or “Hey, I can’t believe someone thinks I’m a flirt!” from the winner. The neat thing is, even the winner won’t know who the Girl Talk Girl cards came from...cool!

Now you can be sure that everyone will want to play again. Especially the players who didn’t win. So, shuffle all of the Girl Talk Girl cards, separate them into four equal piles, and place them in the corners of the board. After you’ve played four games or so, flip the stunt disc, or use the other disc to get some new stunts in the game.

Days Like Today, Make You Pray

Thank you God for today, but I've had enough of it. I can't wait to see whats in store for tomorrow. It'll be better than today for sure.

Very Good, Now Go Sit Down

Transport Canada Records Office Tuesday Aug. 29th 2006

8:00am- I started my day off well. Did some clean up work left over from the day before: putting transmittal notes here, sending the file out there and what not. went for my coffee and bagel about tens minutes ago. Got back just in time to boycott the mail. You see in this office, there are communal office procedures such as sorting and opening mail which usually comes in at about 8:45 (about now). But in this office some people are exempt from this activity, why I donno. But out of three casuals hired for the summer, one, Cheryl, who I've never really gotten to know is not, no, NEVER asked to sort mail. It is simply not necessary for her or whatever. But I (and Laura) on the other hand, are required by Records law to be there square. I however am boycotting this procedure like I said. They wanna make something out of it, they can explain why they have not applied the rules across the board. They're probably talking about it right now. Which is another reason I don't want to sit around a table with these $#%*!%^, their combined hatred culminates into one localized area and a black hole forms and a time portal opens up and they collectively tear the fabric of the time space continuum, which I get sucked into only to emerge feeling a little light headed and strangely itchy.

9:00am- I should introduce to you all my co-workers.......
Laura: About my age, sits next to me. She does a lot of work/scanning for Lynn Carriere, so she has patience like Job. We share a printer. She's very smart, attends Queen's University in Kingston. Happy to be heading back to school as well. Nothing too much on Laura because she's golden.
Cheryl: The other casual mentioned above. Works for Line Armstrong and I think Jane. Doesn't make conversation with us at all. Nor do we. She's our age too, I don''t know if she attends school, maybe. Happy to please.
Jane Finn: Nice lady, likes cats. soft spoken, sits beside Line. I like her. Jokes along with us sometimes. Comes every time Lynn calls for a smoke break.
Line Armstrong: Looks like a mouse. I think he was a school teacher...maybe not. He ignores me, doesn't look into my eyes. Creepy in a way. Puts down a lot of his clients when they request something or need a problem fixed. He showed me the scanning procedure which I haven't applied. He reads the newspaper from 3:15 to 4:00, usually, I thinks he's actually reading it now. Sits right behind the divider between our desks. Jane and him jump up every time a siren goes off to watch the firetruck/cop car etc. go by....
Jon Coulson: The office manager, kind of. The guy who hired me. The same guy who's hiring for my position when I'm gone. Its a "equal opportunity" hiring. Yeah. Here. In this racist sexist environment I know...Kinda goes along with the crows here. Accepts a lot of behaviour he wouldn't from his children. Middle-aged. Doesn't want to be here apparently, didn't want the job. Good laugh. Goes back to Tower C a lot to hang out with Cathy and Dave. Apparently says a lot of bad stuff to impress the group. maybe he believes it. I donno.
Liette Boucher: Has her desk at the front by the door. Very nice. Polite. Does a lot of work around here, especially for Jean-Yves. All good things about this woman. Deserves better.
Harvey Sampson: It says on the telephone directory pinned up by my desk that this man is our Commissionaire, has a shirt he changes into everyday that says Commissionaire. He also works as a classifier, airports I think. Nice man. Doesn't talk much, except to Andre, which he probably spills the beans to. Seems nice enough. Older man. Red (orange) hair. Plays the banjo.
Andre Papineau: Big guy, seems tough. Works in the back hidden behind boxes. Heads over to Tower C a lot to gossip with Cathy. Never sure if he's out to get you. Seems nice but use caution, he will spread talk around like it was the flu.

10:00am- Not done my intros yet. Did the couple of requests that came in, order a file from storage. Finishing off the file transfer that has come in from Dorval. I have to locate a file that has been lost en route to a client. Still waiting for files from other regions that have been a long time coming...

Christine Viau: They put her down in the basement to work because she had enough of the talk and yelled at Line Armstrong. There's more to that story but that's for another day. Christine has been here as long as the others but they don't like her so they torture her everyday. Talking behind her back, whispers, to outright comments made about her. They try to keep her down but this brod is the real shit. She tells it like it is. No fear. You go girl!
Georgette Paquette: The office "team leader" my boss, the person who answers my questions. She's on vacation. She's nice, knows her job. Goes for naps behind the shelves. Doesn't intervene on any of the bullying or hateful comments made around here. Not sure she even realizes its this bad.
Lynn Carriere: The bully. the office know-it-all. The Bitch. I dislike her immensely. She is rude to me. ignores me when I say something or ask a question. I was sick one morning and everyone was at the mail table, I told her I was going home, and she didn't even turn around to look at me. Ignored me. I had to "Lynn do you understand? I am going home". That's the way she is. She belittles people around her. Makes others seem dumb for no reason. Her sister is the boss of the branch, so this women acts with impunity. Because Georgette is on vacation, Lynn has taken over, and she has really taken over. Not so much the work, the POWER. This woman feeds off it. One day into he new boss position and she decides to take issue with an aspect of my job that has been delayed waiting for a naming convention: scanning. Long story about scanning, I'll spare you from it, regardless to say that Lynn went over to Tower C to her sister to claim I wasn't doing my job. Pure bullshit! Lynn had no idea was I was actually doing until two days before she was crowned office overlord for three weeks. Now she knows everything about everything enough to come to a complete and accurate judgment of my work habits. And given her connections (Transport is like the mob) Francine (her sister) believes her. Pure bullshit I know! Anyways enough about Lynn, she's just a bitch I can forget about soon enough.
Jean-Yves Lebrun: This man is our token racist. Transport doesn't care what he says. I can't tell you what he says because I do not want to even have those thoughts on my blog. trust me though, this man is hateful. Everybody: Minorities, immigrants, women, gay people, the usual crew. he's not afraid to say these things, cause no one tells him its wrong. They actually agree with him. He may be a born-again, I heard. Has a funny laugh, and honestly I am nice to him because he acts nice to me, even though I know the monster is inside.

11:00am- Lunch is coming up soon. I'm heading over to Tower C to see my mom at 12pm. Not very busy today (hence the posts). I just tried to see how easy it would be to to google this blog. Its easy. I'm interested only because my fellow co-workers walk by and maybe they look and read the title, maybe they google it, and then they see their name with a description of my observations. That would be funny. You're not immune to gossip suckas!

11:45am- New pilot applicants have come in, time to make Licencing folders (all right, party time!). Spoke with my buddy Jon who's coming over tonight to trade the couch he gave me for another one. He's such a great friend that Jon kid. Thanks Jon! I'm leaving to go to see my mom very soon. It's good to get outta here for a bit.

1:00pm- Back to work. I have to create six pilot files in iRIMS, DAPLS and then create the folders themselves. Actually its my favourite part of my job, arts and crafts. Had a good lunch with mom. Went to buy Subway Sandwich and learned that I had forgot my wallet at my desk. Christine helped me out. She walked by and offered to pay. I'm meeting her for lunch tomorrow. Thanks Christine you rock! Went to the Park of the Provinces with mom. She gave me two new pairs of pants. Thanks mom! Spilt mustard on my white skirt. Oh well, I'll bleach it out tonight. there Lynn goes coughing up her lungs again. (See mom, every two minutes for thirty seconds).

2:00PM- Finished creating new pilot files. Listening to Al Frankin (Franklin?) of Air America. Went downstairs and got a Crush grape soda which I LOVE! Lynn still coughing, must be time for a smoke break.

Mike Boland: Very nice man. He sits at the back of the office and I don't get to speak with him very often (since I've boycotted mail sorting). I won't say much except that I think he may be sick and I hope very much that he gets healthier soon.
Albert Duperre: Nice man, once again he sits in the back with Mike so I don't get to speak to him very often. Last week we were recruited by Francine to go to Tower C and scrape pen's to see if the ink rubs off. Took us better half of the morning and afternoon. We got to talk about a lot of different subjects, from family to politics. I felt that my opinion was respected and listened to. Albert's a number one guy. Real sweet. Good Luck man.
Francine Carriere: The boss lady who started all of this. She originally hired me back in 2005. She's Lynn's sister. Francine's official role in Transport is: Manager, Information Management Systems.Unofficially it's Mean Scary Lady (or at least that what I call her).

2:34pm- My break. Listening to the podcast of Matthew Good's last show in Vancouver. Its awesome. I've finished my Grape Crush. It was excellent. There's an atlas at my desk. I'm looking at Israel. I thought it was Tel-Aviv not Tel Aviv-Yafo.....interesting. There's a place in Tanzania called Ujiji, it's on the Tanzania Congo border.

3:00pm- One more hour to go. Some transfers to do. It's a slow day, not a lot of requests for files.....

3:45pm- Twenty more minutes to go. Made some more folders. I write a Public Service Commission test tomorrow. Fun. Then I have to run to Carleton, get something signed, then run to the bank and get something signed and then head home finally.

So I've introduced the co-workers I've been putting up with since May. I'm going to write more about my experiences here as I end this job and get back into school. There's some interesting stories, and I've got a great letter to put up as soon as i'm done on Sept 6th. Stay tuned.

3:55pm- Fuck it, I'm out.

Biography of Difference

In our society there are systems of oppression that we all take part in either consciously or very often, unconsciously. These structures are built on inequality among various groups differentiated by categories of race, sex, class, and age. It is through the categorizing of ourselves in a society that discriminates based on our differences that we learn from such a small age that we are all different, and those who are different from us are left out. These are some of the key points found in the articles, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack by Peggy McIntosh; Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference by Audre Lorde; and finally, Towards a New Vision Race, Class, and Gender as Categories of Analysis and Connection, by Patricia Hill Collins. In examining the issues presented by these articles I will argue that the key to dismantling the system of oppression we face is the understanding of how each of us as women participate in the role of both the oppressed and oppressor, and move beyond the barriers of difference to form better understandings of our experiences of oppression.
The article White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack by Peggy McIntosh, states that a key but often unrecognized form of oppression is the awarding of unearned privileges that one will or will not receive by virtue of the colour of their skin, creating a system of oppression that makes participants of us all (McIntosh, 264). The often unseen, unspoken result of racism is that white people have an unearned advantage in society and this advantage comes at the price of people of color. (McIntosh, 264). She argues that society is dominated by white mainstream culture, and so, grants white people with an automatic position of domination, subjecting those people who do not "fit" into white culture to the margins of society (McIntosh, 266). McIntosh claims that much of this happens unconsciously and we often fail to recognize that we are oppressing people by domination (McIntosh, 264). McIntosh urges us to stop the denial of our oppressive nature and dispel the myth that our society works in a framework of meritocracy (McIntosh, 265). I think that though we may be the oppressors in one form of categorization (eg race-white), we may at the same time be categorized as belonging to a group that is oppressed (eg sex-female). By examining our participation in both the role of oppressor and oppressed we will be able to relate to each other in important ways to bridge these gaps.
In the article Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference by Audre Lorde,argues
that we tend to look at differences through dichotomies of opposition such as dominate/subordinate and superior/ inferior. She states that we have been brought up to respond to difference with fear (Lorde, 267). I completely agree on this point. There is an institutionalized rejection of difference in our society. From an early age, children in our society learn that we are different. Girls are different from boys, children from adults, white people from black people. We are taught overtly by parents and teachers all the ways that we are unique and special, but there is also a legion of other messages that we only observe through our experience. We learn that being different can put us at an advantage, like being a pretty girl, and other differences that put us at a disadvantage, like being a tomboy. It is very often the school yard that teaches us about the consequence of being different. Any variations from what other children consider normal can mean being ostracised by our peers, and any difference in others should therefore be met with suspicion. If that is what we learn as children it is presumable to conclude that this is something that we will carry over into our adult life. As women it is especially carried over into our adult lives because, as adult women, we understand that by being on the subordinate side of the dichotomy we have been shut out from curtain aspects of society. But Lorde goes on to argue that we need to expand our awareness to include the many other forms of oppression we experience: age, race, class and sexual preference (Lorde, 268). In the multitude of ways that we divide ourselves up into different camps based on race, class, sex, and age we are fundamentally creating an environment of exclusion, fear and oppression. Recognizing our differences and opening up our definitions of female experience are the key factors in ridding our society of prejudice and oppression. Lorde defends the need for open dialogue by offering three important reasons for discussing our different forms and experiences of oppression. Firstly, we need to recognize our differences because by not doing so we will not understand the different problems and pitfalls facing women (Lorde, 269). Second, that if women do not identify and embrace difference, our unity as a movement is threatened (Lorde, 268). And last we need to come together to simply share our energies, experiences and talents unique to each of us (Lorde, 268).
In Towards a New Vision Race, Class, and Gender as Categories of Analysis and Connection, Patricia Hill Collins, describes how we can take an active stance and make a conscious effort to build connections between our differences, be they class, race, or sexual preference. Collins argues that though each of us lives within a hierarchal system of power and privilege, we can come together and foster open dialogue (Collins, 62,63). Like McIntosh and Lorde, Collins maintains that there are various levels of oppression along race, class, and sex, and though we may fall under different levels, and find ourselves in one moment the oppressor, in the next the oppressed, we should not turn away from learning about someone else’s experience (Collins, 63,64). Collins contends that we must acknowledge common causes we share and develop relationships that foster the sharing of different points of view (Collins, 63). To foster these relationships that bridge our differences, we need to build empathy for others and become truly interested in the different circumstances that they face (Collins, 63,64). We must talk honestly about how one aspect of your identity is advantaged by domination, and that other aspects put you at a disadvantage, or however each of our own "biographies" play out within the paradigms of oppression. We have to look honestly within our selves to see our own shades of oppression if we are going to start to change these social structures.
The key arguments of these articles are that we operate in a hierarchical system that splits up our different identities such as race, class, age, and gender into categories of dominance and oppression. We find ourselves caught up in a labyrinth. Only when we accept that we are complex individuals with many qualities and attributes, that accord us many levels of power, privilege and influence, only then will we be able to open up society to embracing difference. We can turn our differences into connections, and our connections into equality.

arduousness
ruination
harlot
monomania
abatement
pomposity
glib
knave
din
obdurate
transience
manumit
dejected
undertone
draughty
condonation
poignant
disencumber
equanimous
verisimilitude

Being and Nothingness

Being and Nothingness


Being and Doing: Freedom

Freedom and Responsibility

What this freedom means for human destiny:

- Man being condemned to be free carries the weight of the world on his shoulders he is responsible for the world and for himself as a way of being (309)

-this responsibility is overwhelming

‘He’ is the one by whom it happens that there is a world.
‘He’ is the one by whom it happens that there is his self.

Therefore: Whatever may be the situation ‘he’ finds himself in, the for-itself must assume this situation with the proud consciousness of being the author of it, for the very worst disadvantages or the worst threats which can endanger ‘my’ person have meaning only in and through ‘my’ project.

-Everything which happens to me is mine.

Absolute responsibility is not resignation; it is simply the logical requirement of consequences of our freedom.

I am always equal to what happens to me qua man, for what happens to a man through other men and through himself can only be human--there is no non-human situation–

The situation is mine because it is the image of which my free choice of myself, and everything which presents to me and symbolizes me.

Is it not I who decide the coefficient of adversity in things and even their unpredictability by deciding myself?

To say ‘’I did not ask to be born.’‘ is a naive way of throwing greater emphasis on our facticity.
I am responsible for everything, in fact, except for my very responsibility, for I am not the foundation of my being.

Everything takes place as if I were compelled to be responsible, I am abandoned in the world, unable to tear myself away from this responsibility for an instant, For I am responsible for my very desire of fleeing responsibilities.


Under theses conditions since every event in the world can be revealed to me only as an opportunity (an opportunity made use of, lacked, neglected, etc.), or better yet since everything which happens to us can be considered as a chance (i.e., can appear to us only as a way of realizing this being which is in question in our being) and since others as transcendence-transcended are themselves only opportunities and chances, the responsibility of the for-itself extends to the entire world as a peopled-world. It is precisely thus that the for-itself apprehends itself in anguish; that is, as a being which is neither the foundation of its own being nor of the Other’s being nor of the for-itself which form the world, but a being which is compelled to decide the meaning of being- within it and everywhere outside of it, The one who realizes in anguish his condition as being thrown into a responsibility which extends to his very abandonment has no longer anything but a freedom which perfectly reveals itself and whose being resides in this very revelation. But as we pointed out at the beginning of this work, most of the time we flee anguish in bad faith. (313).

Everything went black like the night as I leaped out from the quite calm of my inner cave into the storm of those arms of yours. I wonder if I could even if I wanted to take back all those words and whispers and moans and screams. I wonder if they are complete in purpose and therefore serve their due cause.

My indiscriminate weapon of choice. Oh yeah. Hell yeah. Damn straight.


So long it took just to get to this dead end road. Circles and circles. In the softened light of your embrace and the look on your face. And the room grows smaller and smaller until it just includes you and I. And time goes by in the darkness like tomorrow is just around the next twist, like how my face hits your fist. It’s the smack down, slack off.

All this history. Writing that couldn't wait for the the wall, is telling the story about us. About all the fuss.

Good thing we haven’t accounted for all this. Great that we haven’t had to own up to our digressions, our imperfections so clearly illustrated right here in front of us buzzing in our ears as we try to come to so sort of resolve.

Between the sheets of yesterday, when you were in my bed and tomorrow, when you will be in my heart, will always lay a piece of you and I that crawls out in hope of something unburdened. And with whatever life hands you, let it be something you can hold. And with every tear you’ll almost cry, let it be something that can make you marvel.
Your handsome face with all of it’s secrets are not without the ugliness of life’s tragedies, though the heaviest heart could melt in your smile. I always felt safe in your embrace, and always felt elated in your persistence. I wish you could see the way you love and the way you touch with gentle hands. Those sweet nights laying next to your warm body. I cried as you held me. In pain that I hadn’t felt yet. In embarrassment that you understood. You did not laugh at my humility and you did not disown your contribution. You simply turned over the mattress.
No promises. Tomorrow knows not of today as much as yesterday knows anything of the day before that. Everything is now. Everything is as real as it will ever be.
So what I mean is yes, though I’ll never tell you. And that will be my secret.

Antilamentation - Author Unknown (To me)

Regret nothing. Not the cruel novels you read
to the end just to find out who killed the cook.
Not the insipid movies that made you cry in the dark,
in spite of your intelligence, your sophistication.
Not the lover you left quivering in a hotel parking lot,
the one you beat to the punchline, the door, or the one
who left you in your red dress and shoes, the ones
that crimped your toes, don't regret those.
Not the nights you called god names and cursed
your mother, sunk like a dog in the livingroom couch,
chewing your nails and crushed by loneliness.
You were meant to inhale those smoky nights
over a bottle of flat beer, to sweep stuck onion rings
across the dirty restaurant floor, to wear the frayed
coat with its loose buttons, its pockets full of struck matches.
You've walked those streets a thousand times and still
you end up here. Regret none of it, not one
of the wasted days you wanted to know nothing,
when the lights from the carnival rides
were the only stars you believed in, loving them
for their uselessness, not wanting to be saved.
You've traveled this far on the back of every mistake,
ridden in dark-eyed and morose but calm as a house
after the TV set has been pitched out the upstairs
window. Harmless as a broken ax. Emptied
of expectation. Relax. Don't bother remembering
any of it. Let's stop here, under the lit sign
on the corner, and watch all the people walk by.

Canada A Terrorist Hub? Don't Let Them Scare You

Americans say we are a hub for terrorists. But I think they hate the fact that we are a multicultural society that cannot and will not turn on select groups of citizens with fear and hatred in our hearts like those bloody Americans. American instiutions like the FBI the CIA and the Executive amoung others would like us to fear eachother like its American citizens do. Because then they have a reason to exist and get millions of the federal budget, and most importantly the excuse to subjicate groups they find offensive (read non-white christians).
But this is not how Canada is going to handle globalization. We should stand behind our values and respect for difference, even if that means we might make the US a little scared. They should be worried about what they can do in their governmantal policies to ensure that people (all people) are not drawn into "terrorist activities". Instead they look around and try to point the finger everwhere else without looking at their own responsibilty, their own guilt.
I will not let my country become like them. I will not buy it. I will not hate and fear monger. I will demand justice and not just the illusion. I will tolerate difference and diversity and I will respect others who share their with me in this country. I will not scapgoat, for I know that life is filled with complexity. I will not blame without looking really hard in the nirror. I promise to help in anyway I can the freedom of all people. I just don't buy the fear you Americans are selling at discount price. Cause like our Seakings, it just won't fly, nor should it.

The Cat Has Been Found!!!!

I went out again looking for the cat, so I head over to the side of the building where I had looked five times before, and under this old dishwasher I see little grey fuzz. Oh My God its her! Then I had to reach in and pull her out. Thank God I found her. I was getting really upset. Thank God Thank God Thank God!

Happy Birthday Mom

It is my mother's birthday today, so I would like to wish her a Happy Birthday, I love you and miss you and hope you're having a wonderful trip to PEI. Hugs and kisses.
Tyra

Bad Mom

I lost one of my cats today. I woke up and there was one a right beside me, so I get up and take a look, can't see the other one..."here kitty kitty kitty." Nothing. Funny the balcony door as open. Oh shit! Holly is nowhere to be found. Panic! I went outside to look, nothing. All around the apartment building, nothing. Come back. Yell at other cat. Look again around my apartment. Go back outside. Nothing. I'm going to die I think to myelf. its raining outside, its cold and its wet and she hasn't gotten her shots. Fuck! I feel like a bad parent. My only hope is that she gets hungry fast. I'm going to die....
I even took my other cat out to look for her, and nothing!
Holly girl, things are not looking good for you my dear. what can I do? Fuck I mean what the fuck do I do? I'll tell ya, I'm having a gadw damn beer that's what.
I have to go to work tomorrow, i'm not taking the damn day to look for a cat who jumped off the damn balcony three stories high.

Viral Gastroenteritis

Yep that's right! And its all mine for the next day or two. Yesterday I actually tried to go to work, and succeeded in getting to the sixth floor, and to my desk, but not without barffing into a garbage can on Kent street. Its terrible. When I finally got home I crashed and literally slept all day and all night. Then I got to come back here to work, with all the lovely people I so desperately hate.

"Gastroenteritis means inflammation of the stomach and small and large intestines. Viral gastroenteritis is an infection caused by a variety of viruses that results in vomiting or diarrhea. It is often called the "stomach flu," although it is not caused by the influenza viruses.
The main symptoms of viral gastroenteritis are watery diarrhea and vomiting. The affected person may also have headache, fever, and abdominal cramps ("stomach ache"). In general, the symptoms begin 1 to 2 days following infection with a virus that causes gastroenteritis and may last for 1 to 10 days, depending on which virus causes the illness."

So at least I'm getting it out of my system.

I hate the people I work with. Not all of them, there are a few co-workers I do really enjoy, but the rest, they can rot in hell. Living on my own I don't get to see a lot of people, but everyday I get to walk into this office and share my time wit these people. I need to be around people whom I like and who like me because this is depressing. Spending all of our time with people who are out to see you fail or fall. People who don't mind talking badly about you behind your back. People that I should be able to defend myself against. But that's the problem, I can't I have to be on my best responsible adult behavior. This growing up shit sucks. I should have beaten up every gawd damn brad on the school yard while I had a chance, because you definitely can't stick up for yourself in "the real world". And is this really the "real world"? This is the reality known as "real". People are lying to you kids when they say shit like that.
If I had the gumption I would get up on my desk and tell these bastards that their nothing but no good racist, sexist, pricks and they should be ashamed of themselves behaving like this, didn't their mother teach them better?" I would say. "Don't you have any sense of humanity in you? How can you come into work everyday and make it the soulless hating forum which is Transport Canada? OH I WENT THERE!!! THREE MORE WEEKS AT THIS JOB SUCKERS! AND IM CALLING YOU OUT. TRANSPORT CANADA IS A RACIST, SEXIST WORK ENVIRONMENT AND NOBODY CARES BECAUSE EVEN THE MANAGERS ARE LIKE THAT.