test blog #10

I haven't been watching the Olympics, and I don't follow hockey, and I don't care about medal counts. But it's still pretty cool that Canada beat the US for the gold medal in both men's and women's hockey. Beating the US is always sweet!

Impudent Strumpet recently asked the David Byrne-esque question, "How did we get here?" , later noting that her grandmother, who is probably around my mother's age, could choose not to have a pension because her husband's employment and retirement was so secure. Now, only a generation later, I am probably looking at working as long as I am physically able, then living in drastically reduced and possibly very scary circumstances in my old age. How, indeed, did we get here? How the economic prospects for working people deteriorated so much in so little time is a complicated story of globalization, conglomeration, deregulation and monetization of industry on the one hand, with its concurrent deskilling and devaluing of labour on the other. How we got here is unchecked capitalism: the Reagan/Thatcher/Mulroney/Chicago School revolution that has not been reversed or stopped or even slowed. Thomas Walkom talks a little about how we got here. Thanks to Accidental Deliberatio...

I feel like I should apologize to wmtc readers. I've had a marked up-tick in readership lately, for reasons unknown, and I especially feel I should apologize to those folks. Trust me, new readers. I used to write more. I used to write better. I used to have more interesting observations and things to say and stories I kept track of. Now I just struggle to keep up. That's how it feels, anyway. Before I started graduate school, I already lived with that constant feeling of a rush of information blowing by me, barely keeping up with the news stories and social issues that I care about, not to mention friends' lives and reading for pleasure, and my minimum daily requirement of brainless down-time. You know the feeling. There's too much of everything - too much information, too many options. I always feel like I'm only skimming the surface. I have my escapes. Baseball, movies, time with friends. Then baseball became another thing to do in front of the computer screen, an...

Some colleagues at my school put together an exhibit called "The First Time: The Book(s) That Turned You On To Reading" . They asked students and faculty to name a book that that began their lifelong love of reading. I didn't submit anything, mostly because I was too busy, but also because I could never choose one book. It will not surprise you to learn that I read constantly when I was a child, and preferred reading to almost anything else kids could do. I don't know what book started me reading, because I can't remember life before reading. Here, I'm stealing appropriating re-purposing their idea, and thinking of a few books that meant the world to me as a young person, books that I loved and believed in the way only a young reader can. These books did more than make me reader: they made me want to write. The first has to be Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck, the book that opened my mind to my two greatest passions, or compulsions, or curses: writing...

A few people suggested I post my recent paper for Intellectual Freedom and the Library. I feel a little weird sharing an academic paper, but this atypical assignment does seem appropriate here. In the first part of the course, we read various articles about the legal and philosophical underpinnings of freedom of expression. We were each assigned one article or book chapter, which we summarized and presented to the class for discussion. Next, we used those discussions in a paper, where we were asked to "develop an overall philosophical approach to intellectual freedom and freedom of speech", and specifically applied that approach to some situations that typically bring challenges in the library. A "challenge" in this case is a library user questioning the appropriateness of certain material for the library, and asking for its removal. Unlike most academic assignments, this paper could be written in the first person, as long as it developed a coherent philosophical re...

A while back, I posted " army suicides, prisoner "suicides": suffering on both sides of the barbed wire ". In that post, I mentioned a former US guard at the Guantánamo Bay concentration camp who contacted two former prisoners, and the relationship that developed between them. I didn't have a link to the BBC story at the time, but a reader kindly sent it: Part One: The Guard's Story and Part Two: The Reunion . Thank you, Frances!

The pioneers of a warless world are the young men and women who refuse military service. Albert Einstein

Another redsock guest post, with thanks from me as I alternate between buried and exhausted. - L. Just after New Year's, Laura posted a news article about troops in Afghanistan dragging innocent children from their beds, handcuffing some of them, and then murdering them at close range . Eight of the 10 victims were between the ages of 11 and 17. Surviving members of the family talk about the night of the assault here . At the time, "a senior NATO insider" claimed the night raid "was conducted against an IED cell that Afghan and US officials had been developing information against for some time". As soon as the story was reported, it was clear that the statement was horseshit -- and now NATO is admitting it was horseshit . Does NATO actually say it was a mistake? They are not sure. It was probably a mistake. Knowing what we know now, it would probably not have been a justifiable attack. No words could lessen the rage and hate and fantasies of revenge that I ima...

This Tuesday, March 2 , Colonel Ann Wright will speak at "Resistance Across Borders," co-sponsored by Code Pink Toronto , The Council of Canadians , Science for Peace and Voice of Women . Also speaking will be Patrick Hart, a US Army veteran and Iraq War resister. As you probably know, Ann Wright is a retired US Army colonel and US State Department official. After a distinguished military career, she publicly resigned her positions in protest of the invasion of Iraq in 2003. She now has a distinguished career as a peace activist . You may also recall that Wright has been refused entry to Canada on more than one occasion. We hope to see her in Toronto on Tuesday night. If border control won't lower the drawbridge, Wright will speak to the gathering via video link. Patrick Hart lives in Toronto with his wife Jill and their son. The Harts are one of several families at high risk for deportation if the the Harper Government continues to ignore the will of the people. Where: ...

I've been quiet on wmtc about the War Resisters Support Campaign lately, because I wasn't ready to tell the CIC what we're up to. But now it's time to reveal our plans and enlist your help. As you I hope you know, the current focus of our campaign is on Bill C-440 , the private member's bill that would allow Iraq War resisters to apply for permanent residence in Canada. Private member's bills survive prorogation, and it's possible C-440 may get a second reading in the next session of Parliament. Whether or not that happens, we want to make visible the very strong, broad support that exists clear across Canada for allowing US war resisters to stay in this country. To that end, we are on a massive postcard drive. (Find the typo!*) Through our supporters all over the country, we've already distributed 4,500 of these cards. While we wait to receive the signed cards in return, we're doing a second printing. Can you help? We're asking all our support...

I'm trying to focus on my school work, an endeavour at which I've had very little success for the past week or so. While I'm not creating original content writing, please read this librarian-related story from Salon . Jed Lipinski interviews Marilyn Johnson, the author of This Book is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All . Behold the stereotypical librarian, with her cat’s-eye glasses, bun and pantyhose -- a creature whose desexualized persona and desire for us to be quiet has fueled generations of wild sexual fantasies. But there's bad news for those of you with a shushing fetish; as Marilyn Johnson explains in " This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All ," the uptight librarian is a species that's rapidly approaching extinction. A new generation of young, hip and occasionally tattooed librarians is driving them out. They call themselves guybrarians, cybrarians and "information specialists," and th...

Hooray for progressives in the Netherlands! Canada's opposition parties, take note. You could learn a thing or three. Worldwide political strains over the war in Afghanistan claimed their first national government this weekend as the Dutch ruling coalition collapsed over the question of whether to withdraw troops this year. Conservative Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende of the Netherlands phoned Queen Beatrix to dissolve parliament yesterday morning after his left-wing coalition partner withdrew from the government in the wake of an all-night debate over a NATO request to extend the presence of 1,600 troops beyond 2010. Mr. Balkenende's Christian Democrats lost the support of the Labour Party, who have formed an awkward coalition for almost three years. The country's participation in Afghanistan has become an increasingly divisive issue in the coalition, and the Prime Minister's attempt to alter a promise to withdraw in 2010 became the last straw, opposition leaders s...

Angie the Anti-Theist talks about why she chose to terminate her pregnancy, and, perhaps more interestingly, why she decided to be public about it: here at The Friendly Atheist . Here's Angie's own blog. She's documenting her medical (by pill) abortion on Twitter, Facebook and through her blog. From the Friendly Atheist post: I’m an atheist, children’s rights activist, and happy momma of a 4-year-old boy who makes my world go round. But this week, I’ve been getting called a “killer” a whole lot. I found out I was pregnant on February 13th. It turned out the birth control I thought I was using didn’t quite work as planned (my IUD had apparently come out and we weren’t using condoms as regularly as I was pretending to myself we were). You can imagine how romantic our Valentine’s conversation was. (I think what I said was, “Let’s go for a twofer — I’ll get an abortion and you get a vasectomy.”) . . . When my son was born, I decided I didn’t want any more kids, in part because...

Can you guess what this is excerpted from? We are proud of and shall continue our far-reaching and sound advances in matters of basic human needs--expansion of social security--broadened coverage in unemployment insurance --improved housing--and better health protection for all our people. We favor a comprehensive study of the effect upon wildlife of the drainage of our wetlands. We recognize the need for maintaining isolated wilderness areas. [We call for...] A continuously vigorous enforcement of anti-trust laws Legislation to enable closer Federal scrutiny of mergers which have a significant or potential monopolistic connotations; Procedural changes in the antitrust laws to facilitate their enforcement. Stimulate improved job safety of our workers, through assistance to the States, employees and employers; Continue and further perfect its programs of assistance to the millions of workers with special employment problems, such as older workers, handicapped workers, members of minorit...

Between the US health care debate fiasco and the Vancouver Olympics, Canada has been in the US news more than usual. Seldom does the US media really "get" Canada, and most Canadian mainstream sources don't know the US any better. But there's a difference in the misunderstanding. Mainstream Canadian media is likely to take the US at face value, like they've swallowed a press release. Thus in the Bush era, the Democrats were the beleaguered liberal opposition, who would build a peaceful, liberal society if only someone would give them the chance. Now the country has solved its racial issues, abortion rights are safe and sound, and the only threat to this lovely liberal vision in Sarah Palin. The mainstream US media, on the other hand, invents and re-uses its own stereotypes of Canadian society. So you're likely to see phrases like "slow-motion health care system" and "sky-high taxes," and lots of references to arctic, tundra, sled dogs and m...

While combing through old posts for a "best of wmtc 2009," I came upon my reports on my acupuncture experience. The first time I tried acupuncture , it was with a physiotherapist who was using it for deep-muscle trigger-point stimulation. The effects were good, but they were very localized - it only effected the one trigger point she stimulated. The treatment was very time-consuming and painful, and turned out to be too impractical for something as generalized as fibromyalgia. But my second experience with acupuncture was very different. I saw a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine, right in my own neighbourhood. Treatments were quick, painless - and very helpful. Reading these old posts reminded me what excellent results I had. I didn't have a reduction in pain or tenderness, although the doctor thought I would eventually. But I did experience a huge increase in mental clarity and ability to concentrate. It was like having my old brain back again. (It also rem...

...that when I got home from work tonight, Cody was completely back to herself. She's up and down stairs, scampering in the backyard, the works. The bed is even rumpled and gritty where she was on it - lying cross-wise on our pillows, I believe. There's just no stopping this girl.

Did you know Allan and I are ... Fucking hippies, thinking they're so smart and all by being anti-everything except promiscuos sex, indie music and converse sneakers. oh and leftist lesbian poetry too. ...? I've never been much for poetry, but I do like leftist lesbians. Never owned a pair of Converse sneakers. The author of this portrait of yours truly says: I have never been so tempted to troll...but I am afraid of failing hard at it. I lack the antipathy. Also the ability to comment here. Sorry, I think it would be unwise to supply a link. You'll have to trust that I found this through Statcounter and am copy/pasting it verbatim.

A fascist hatemonger crosses the border , a renowned Mexican chef cannot . That's Stephen Harper's and Jason Kenney's Canada for you. Don't miss Dr. Dawg on Canada's selectively (im)permeable borders . For added context, see this old wmtc post: who comes to canada and who does not .

We are all home, happy and tired. Thanks for all your great love and support. Hooray for great vets, hooray for Cody!

Do you need any more proof that "security theatre" - the appearance of increased security measures, which do nothing to make us safer - is out of control? That airport security and border control are merely opportunities for power-mad brownshirts to have fun at our expense? Philadelphia TSA screeners forced the developmentally delayed, four-year-old son of a Camden, PA police officer to remove his leg-braces and wobble through a checkpoint, despite the fact that their procedure calls for such a case to be handled through a swabbing in a private room. When the police officer complained, the supervising TSA screener turned around and walked away. Then a Philadelphia police officer asked what was wrong and "suggested he calm down and enjoy his vacation." Ryan was taking his first flight, to Walt Disney World, for his fourth birthday. The boy is developmentally delayed, one of the effects of being born 16 weeks prematurely. His ankles are malformed and his legs have lo...

When I saw the new "Google Buzz" icon in my Gmail, I was curious, so I clicked. Much to my surprise, 13 people are already following me. (This is different than following wmtc. 61 people are now doing that, and 135 people have wmtc on their Google Reader feed.) All but one of my Buzz followers are either readers of this blog or "IRL" friends or both. It seems harmless enough, but do I really need another social-networking tool? I bought into Facebook with great reluctance, and still don't (won't!) live there. I don't do Twitter. Or any others. Yet... when you see people following your feed, it's tempting. We know that. They know that. Here's something you might not know about Google Buzz: unless you change your default privacy settings, a list of your most-emailed Gmail contacts may be made public. Google in bed with the NSA , Google using invasive default privacy settings... it doesn't bode well. The launch of Google Buzz has set various pa...

Yay and hooray! The surgery went quickly and easily - they got the whole mass with the famed clean margins - and Cody is doing fine. Whoo-hoo!! She's been moved from ICU to "wards" and is sleeping it off now. They've even given her extra meds in anticipation of pain as she wakes up. They have to manipulate the dog's body while they're under, and with arthritis and hip dysplasia, that can cause quite a bit of pain later. But they're very pro-active with pain management, and will do everything they can to keep her comfortable. And now I can breathe again! Allan was confident that all would be well, but I was not. Tala seems sad and subdued. But she'll be happy in a few days, too.

What a relief! Cody is having surgery tomorrow morning and her prognosis for a full recovery - cancer-free - is excellent. Here's what happened. We went to Guelph this afternoon. For those not in this area, the University of Guelph has a huge veterinary college and teaching hospital with an excellent reputation. It's the kind of place people travel great distances to for; we're fortunate that it's only an hour or so away. We brought both dogs, as we always do, for everyone's comfort and moral support. We met with doctors from the oncology service, who took a full history, did a physical, and also had the results from our own vet. They explained various options, and confirmed what we already knew: a lot would depend on whether or not the cancer had metastasized, and whether or not the tumour seemed operable. The first would be determined by blood work and chest x-rays, the second by a surgeon. They also said the surgeon would probably want to do an ultrasound and pos...

One of my classes this term is Intellectual Freedom and the Library. It's absolutely terrific, and I thought I'd share some of it with you. The class is an elective, but I honestly think it should be required for the i-school's library stream. I think without it, I'd be missing a crucial part of my library education. The purpose of the class is to build a well-defined, well-defended personal philosophy of freedom of expression in the library, so when there are challenges in your library - when outraged library customers want a book banned, or a film removed from the catalogue, or more filters on the internet - you know how to deal with it. In Canada and other non-US countries, intellectual freedom in the library comes with a twist. The American Library Association bases its position on freedom of expression on the First Amendment of the US Constitution, a nearly absolutist position. (We're talking theory here, not practice.) The Canadian Library Association, Ontario...

This is Reading Week. I have no idea what Reading Week is. I never heard of it before. Last week, my profs announced there'd be no class next week because of Reading Week. Classmates asked me, What are you doing for Reading Week? I thought, What am I doing? I guess I'm not going to class. It appears that Canadian universities and colleges give students a week off to catch up on studying, but most students - a lot of people, anyway - treat it as a vacation. Both my classes are on the same day this term, so that means today I have one extra day to stay home. A nice little break. It's especially good timing since Allan and I worked a holiday overtime yesterday, and tomorrow is our appointment in Guelph with Cody. So I have a day in the middle to stay home and do schoolwork. But everyone is making such a big fuss over it. I keep wondering if I'm missing something.

Everyone gapes in shock and horror because some idiots in Vancouver broke some stuff. OMG destruction of personal property! I find it much more significant that a full 1,000 people - and that's the mainstream media's count, so you know the crowd was really much larger - cared enough to greet the Vancouver Olympics with protest. B-b-but they broke stuff! They were running around screaming! Oh the humanity. Meanwhile our taxes have been used to torture human beings and are being used every day to occupy another country, for oil and drug profits. If I saw half, no, a quarter of the outrage over Afghanistan as I do about a bunch of anarchists in Vancouver, I'd know we were on our way to getting Canada out of the war. If Canadians were half as concerned about our Prime Minister shutting down democracy as they are that all the protests are peaceful - gotta be peaceful, don't wanna disrupt the lovely peace - we'd have a different government by now. This disconnect remi...

Many factors combined to send me to graduate school and a career change; I needed the change on many levels. But the biggest incentive has been my unsated wanderlust. With our current income and lifestyle, we don't have enough money to travel. And I just can't stand it. You know that I consider myself extremely fortunate; I'm very aware of my privilege . In general, I have a very good life, and I know it. But... But as much as I keep that perspective, we want what we want, and when we don't have something that feels integral to our happiness, it chafes. This doesn't feel like a want. It feels like a need. Apart from the people and dogs in my life, there's nothing I love more than travel. And we simply can't afford to travel as I would like to. "As I would like to" doesn't mean a fantasy of a year-long trek around the world or my lifelong dream of cruising North America with no fixed address. All I mean is one good trip each year - a two- or thr...

Not long ago, I blogged about yet another disturbing statistic that illustrates how soldiers and former soldiers carry the burden of war: the increase in among 18-24-year-olds . I later learned from a war-resister friend that soldiers who attempt suicide but survive can be charged with crimes and punished for the attempt. My friend said: "Kristofer Goldsmith, IVAW member, got in quite a bit of trouble for trying to kill himself, and from what I recall he didn't receive psychiatric help when he got out of the hospital either." He sent me this link from Winter Soldier II, where you can see video of Goldsmith's testimony. Goldsmith saw the World Trade Center towers collapse on September 11, 2001. He enlisted in the Army and went to Iraq in 2005. In Sadr City, he witnessed abuse of Iraqi civilians. He was assigned to take pictures of Iraqis found in a shallow grave, ostensibly for intelligence purposes, but they were only used as trophies by those who received them. Aft...