I am dog sitting for family from church this week. This morning I was out at 5:30 walking the dog before I left for work. It was still dark, cold and very quiet. It snowed almost 5 cm over night and the dog and I were the first to walk through it. The quiet crunch crunch crunch of my footsteps broke through the stillness, but in that muted way that happens when everything is covered in snow - like it absorbs all the world's noise.
Since it is New Year's Eve walking through this fresh blanket of snow put me in a reflective mood. I had a good year in 2008. It was full of adventure, friends, comings and goings. I left some friends, made new ones and reconnected with old ones. I learned a lot about myself, the world, God, my family. It was a good year. Now 2009 stretches before us, not unlike the fresh blanket of white snow. It has yet to be disturbed and we don't know what it hides. I'm looking forward to seeing what God has planned for the next year although I am hesitant to leave the comfort of this past year. Today is my last day with WV- at least as far as I know. My contract is over and there isn't the budget to renew it. There are a couple of opportunities on the horizon but nothing definite and everything is a maybe. More on that another day. So 2009 holds a lot of the unknown for me. It is a little scary and nerve wracking but I have learned from the past that God has a path and he is leading me on it. At the moment it is covered in snow so I can't see where it is leading but I trust that He knows and that it is Good.
Wishing you all a Year full of blessings and peace.
Laura
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Big Brother is watching - Shout out to Maria...
Short post because I think its funny. I use a service called blogpatrol that keeps track of how many people have looked at my blog and how they found it. Now, I realize that I am not a hightraffic blog so I don't check this very often but it is neat to see how people are finding my blog and where they are from. Most people who read my blog use firefox instead of Internet Explorer and I have had people from Italy, Turkey, the UK, the US, Rwanda, South Africa and of course Canada look at my blog. They have used google searches for "mushanana dress", "african skies" and "Canadian Politics" which have led them to my humble little blog. Most of the time I have no way of figuring out who is looking at my blog when and from where. I just don't pay that much attention, but twice now my friend Andrea's name has been used in a google search to find my blog using the same IP address. Maria is that you? Hope things are good in Otown! See you at Christmas!
Snowflakes that fall on my nose and eyelashes
... These are a few of my favourite things!
1) Baking. I haven't done much of this recently since when you bake something, someone needs to eat it and I no longer have roommates or people on my floor to eat what I make. Today I have already baked two batches of bread and I'm starting some biscotti and it is only 10:30 am!
2) Christmas. It is almost here! Advent at much church this year has been great and I am loving all the snow and lights and music. Last weekend at my small group Christmas party we ate good food, sang carols and then listened to a David and Marley Christmas story from Stewart McLean. Also, Christmas gives me an excuse to do lots of baking!
3) Checking things off my 'To Do' list. Sometimes I put things on my list I have already done, just so I can check them off. Today I didn't need to cheat as the list is long enough all by itself. In addition to baking I am doing Christmas cards, finishing a project for work (yes, in all of this I am still doing my job...)and I need to sharpen my skates and I am meeting a friend for 'coffee' over my lunch break.
4) Fridays. This doesn't really need any explanation. Fridays mark the end of the work week and the beginning of the weekend. I had a really good week, got lots of work done, spent time with friends and didn't get stranded anywhere or have any car problems. This weekend is going to be super busy with three Christmas parties, a family reunion and my regular weekend things like cleaning the house and going to the market.
5) The market. I go to the Kitchener Farmer's Market almost every weekend. It is like the St Jacob's market only smaller and there aren't as many touristy things. I can be in and out with all my fresh produce, meat and bread needs for the week met in about 30-45 minutes. I buy local, organic when possible and it is a fun place.
1) Baking. I haven't done much of this recently since when you bake something, someone needs to eat it and I no longer have roommates or people on my floor to eat what I make. Today I have already baked two batches of bread and I'm starting some biscotti and it is only 10:30 am!
2) Christmas. It is almost here! Advent at much church this year has been great and I am loving all the snow and lights and music. Last weekend at my small group Christmas party we ate good food, sang carols and then listened to a David and Marley Christmas story from Stewart McLean. Also, Christmas gives me an excuse to do lots of baking!
3) Checking things off my 'To Do' list. Sometimes I put things on my list I have already done, just so I can check them off. Today I didn't need to cheat as the list is long enough all by itself. In addition to baking I am doing Christmas cards, finishing a project for work (yes, in all of this I am still doing my job...)and I need to sharpen my skates and I am meeting a friend for 'coffee' over my lunch break.
4) Fridays. This doesn't really need any explanation. Fridays mark the end of the work week and the beginning of the weekend. I had a really good week, got lots of work done, spent time with friends and didn't get stranded anywhere or have any car problems. This weekend is going to be super busy with three Christmas parties, a family reunion and my regular weekend things like cleaning the house and going to the market.
5) The market. I go to the Kitchener Farmer's Market almost every weekend. It is like the St Jacob's market only smaller and there aren't as many touristy things. I can be in and out with all my fresh produce, meat and bread needs for the week met in about 30-45 minutes. I buy local, organic when possible and it is a fun place.
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Extended Christmas Vacay for Parliament
I am disapointed in the Governor General. I would love to know what was said in that two hour meeting to convince her that proroguing a Parliament session two weeks after it started was a good idea. It was interesting to hear Harper's song change a little though when he addressed the media. He talked alot more about cooperation and working together than he has in a long time. I guess we have to wait until January to see if he is sincere.
I had the CBC news streaming on my computer this morning while I was working so I could listen to the commentary and listen in on such a historical event in our country's political landscape. It was very entertaining though to hear them commenting on the doors. The cameras were set up in front of Government House and were trained on the front doors waiting for the Prime Minister to come out.I had the video minimized so I didn't have the visual but was listening while I worked. It was comical. The doors are opening, oh now they're closingandthey're open again...now they're closed. They're open.Closed. And on and on for the better part of an hour.
I am looking forward to seeing what happens in January. As much as I am not a fan of the Conservatives, I don't want a coalition just for the sake of a coalition. Although it does liven things up. If Harper can work together with the other parties and can regain the trust of the House legitimately then let him continue as the government. I will continue to dislike the Conservative policies and approaches but if the man can do that then he deserves a certain amount of respect. However, if he won't cooperate, if he continues to spout lies and act in a divisive, partisan manner and does not start working for the good of all Canadians then I will welcome a coalition government and be very excited to support it. It has the potential to change the way in which our Parliament is run and the way in which the parties work in our country. At the very least it has the potential of getting on with the work that needs to be done.
I had the CBC news streaming on my computer this morning while I was working so I could listen to the commentary and listen in on such a historical event in our country's political landscape. It was very entertaining though to hear them commenting on the doors. The cameras were set up in front of Government House and were trained on the front doors waiting for the Prime Minister to come out.I had the video minimized so I didn't have the visual but was listening while I worked. It was comical. The doors are opening, oh now they're closingandthey're open again...now they're closed. They're open.Closed. And on and on for the better part of an hour.
I am looking forward to seeing what happens in January. As much as I am not a fan of the Conservatives, I don't want a coalition just for the sake of a coalition. Although it does liven things up. If Harper can work together with the other parties and can regain the trust of the House legitimately then let him continue as the government. I will continue to dislike the Conservative policies and approaches but if the man can do that then he deserves a certain amount of respect. However, if he won't cooperate, if he continues to spout lies and act in a divisive, partisan manner and does not start working for the good of all Canadians then I will welcome a coalition government and be very excited to support it. It has the potential to change the way in which our Parliament is run and the way in which the parties work in our country. At the very least it has the potential of getting on with the work that needs to be done.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Bring on the Coalition!
So much to post about! First, a note that World AIDS day was on Monday December 1. I will try to post more about this in the next couple of days but the political excitement gets priority in this post.
Anyone who know me well, or who spoke with me at all in the weeks leading up to the federal election in October, knows that I am not a fan of the Conservative Party of Canada. That may be putting it a little mildly. For many reasons I have disagreed with their policies and approaches in the past. I have held Prime Minister Harper in a certain amount of distain and looked at his policies with distrust. But never before have I felt such anger towards the Conservatives as I have in the past week.
Since the news broke about the Liberals and NDP forming a coalition with support from the Bloc Quebecois the Conservatives have been scrambling to hold on to power. They are not scrambling to defend their policies, nor are they trying to come out with new policies. Not really, and not as a priority. This became obvious in the Prime Minister’s Address to the Nation last night. Instead they are scrambling to destroy and discredit. Typical politics you may say, and maybe it is, but the lies and tactics being used to cast suspicion on the coalition and on the parties forming it make me beyond angry. The way in which the Conservative propaganda is confusing the issues has me yelling at the radio/tv/computer so that those around me begin to question my sanity.
Most Canadians don't understand their own political system. We get so much information about the American system that a lot of people assume ours works somehow in a similar way. It doesn't. But this confusion and ignorance (sorry, harsh word but it is) has allowed the Conservatives to make accusations and that are unfounded and untrue but many people are accepting it as truth.
First of all, the Harper has called the coalition 'undemocratic' and 'illegitimate.' It is neither. Conservatives talk about their mandate to govern given to them by the voters. This is not how it works. We live in a Parliamentary Democracy. This means we elect members of parliament for our ridings and these members form the House. We do not elect a leader and if you vote with the leader in mind that is your issue. That is not how our system was designed. You elect your representative, the person who is supposed to represent your riding’s interests. The only mandate given is to individual MPs, not to any government. The Parliament forms the government - the government is not elected.
So when Prime Minister Harper talks about the mandate given to him by the Canadian People he is misrepresenting our system and how it works. The only people to give him a mandate are the members of his own constituency in Calgary. My own riding, despite my vote, went Conservative Party this time around. So my member of parliament is Conservative. He has the mandate of our riding to represent us as a member of the Conservative Party. That is it.
The second thing that Harper has been doing is over emphasizing the role of the Bloc in this coalition. He uses the word “Separatist” over and over. He is trying to play on the fear of English Canadians, especially in the west, and in the process is further strengthening the divide between East and West and between Francophone and Anglophone in our country. He seems to forget that the Bloc is a legitimate party who represents the votes of thousands of Canadians. He is also misrepresenting the nature of the relationship between the Bloc and the Coalition in order to spread fear. The propaganda is full of fear-mongering and divisive language.
The Bloc is not a part of the coalition. Thankfully the media is pointing out this misrepresentation but this does not stop the Conservatives from spouting off about a deal with the Devil and getting into bed with Separatists. The Coalition is between the Liberal Party and the NDP. This means that the Liberals and the NDP will make the decisions. The cabinet will be made up of members from these two parties. The Liberals and the NDP will fill the seats on the government side of the House. The Bloc will not have a seat in cabinet. They will not be on the government side of the House. No Senate seats have been promised and the Bloc will not have anymore power than it does now. All the Bloc has done is promised not to bring down the government in a vote of confidence for the next 18 months. This means that if the coalition is allowed to go forward and govern the Bloc will vote along with the coalition on the budget and other major pieces of legislation. This lends stability to the government and allows the Parliament to work on the business of the country. The Bloc can, and probably will, vote down other bills put forward in the House. The Conservatives have been quick to make accusations and call names but it has come out that they have proposed similar deals with the Bloc in 2000 and in 2006. I guess it was OK to make a deal with the devil when it was to their benefit, but now that it threatens their hold on power it is equal to treason or sedition.
Now, in about ten minutes, Prime Minister Harper is going to meet with the Governor General, presumably to ask for the Parliament to be prorogued. This essentially means that Parliament would be suspended but not dissolved until near the end of January. This would allow Harper to avoid the vote of non-confidence on Monday that would topple the government but it also means that nothing can get done. Nothing can be passed; no action can be taken. In “these tough economic times” to borrow a phrase from Opera, we can’t have a parliament with their hands tied. I would rather go back to the polls than have the parliament take what is basically an extended break. I hope the GG will go against the norm and not listen to the advice of the Prime Minister. He needs to either prove he has the confidence of the House or let someone who does go about the business of governing.
Anyone who know me well, or who spoke with me at all in the weeks leading up to the federal election in October, knows that I am not a fan of the Conservative Party of Canada. That may be putting it a little mildly. For many reasons I have disagreed with their policies and approaches in the past. I have held Prime Minister Harper in a certain amount of distain and looked at his policies with distrust. But never before have I felt such anger towards the Conservatives as I have in the past week.
Since the news broke about the Liberals and NDP forming a coalition with support from the Bloc Quebecois the Conservatives have been scrambling to hold on to power. They are not scrambling to defend their policies, nor are they trying to come out with new policies. Not really, and not as a priority. This became obvious in the Prime Minister’s Address to the Nation last night. Instead they are scrambling to destroy and discredit. Typical politics you may say, and maybe it is, but the lies and tactics being used to cast suspicion on the coalition and on the parties forming it make me beyond angry. The way in which the Conservative propaganda is confusing the issues has me yelling at the radio/tv/computer so that those around me begin to question my sanity.
Most Canadians don't understand their own political system. We get so much information about the American system that a lot of people assume ours works somehow in a similar way. It doesn't. But this confusion and ignorance (sorry, harsh word but it is) has allowed the Conservatives to make accusations and that are unfounded and untrue but many people are accepting it as truth.
First of all, the Harper has called the coalition 'undemocratic' and 'illegitimate.' It is neither. Conservatives talk about their mandate to govern given to them by the voters. This is not how it works. We live in a Parliamentary Democracy. This means we elect members of parliament for our ridings and these members form the House. We do not elect a leader and if you vote with the leader in mind that is your issue. That is not how our system was designed. You elect your representative, the person who is supposed to represent your riding’s interests. The only mandate given is to individual MPs, not to any government. The Parliament forms the government - the government is not elected.
So when Prime Minister Harper talks about the mandate given to him by the Canadian People he is misrepresenting our system and how it works. The only people to give him a mandate are the members of his own constituency in Calgary. My own riding, despite my vote, went Conservative Party this time around. So my member of parliament is Conservative. He has the mandate of our riding to represent us as a member of the Conservative Party. That is it.
The second thing that Harper has been doing is over emphasizing the role of the Bloc in this coalition. He uses the word “Separatist” over and over. He is trying to play on the fear of English Canadians, especially in the west, and in the process is further strengthening the divide between East and West and between Francophone and Anglophone in our country. He seems to forget that the Bloc is a legitimate party who represents the votes of thousands of Canadians. He is also misrepresenting the nature of the relationship between the Bloc and the Coalition in order to spread fear. The propaganda is full of fear-mongering and divisive language.
The Bloc is not a part of the coalition. Thankfully the media is pointing out this misrepresentation but this does not stop the Conservatives from spouting off about a deal with the Devil and getting into bed with Separatists. The Coalition is between the Liberal Party and the NDP. This means that the Liberals and the NDP will make the decisions. The cabinet will be made up of members from these two parties. The Liberals and the NDP will fill the seats on the government side of the House. The Bloc will not have a seat in cabinet. They will not be on the government side of the House. No Senate seats have been promised and the Bloc will not have anymore power than it does now. All the Bloc has done is promised not to bring down the government in a vote of confidence for the next 18 months. This means that if the coalition is allowed to go forward and govern the Bloc will vote along with the coalition on the budget and other major pieces of legislation. This lends stability to the government and allows the Parliament to work on the business of the country. The Bloc can, and probably will, vote down other bills put forward in the House. The Conservatives have been quick to make accusations and call names but it has come out that they have proposed similar deals with the Bloc in 2000 and in 2006. I guess it was OK to make a deal with the devil when it was to their benefit, but now that it threatens their hold on power it is equal to treason or sedition.
Now, in about ten minutes, Prime Minister Harper is going to meet with the Governor General, presumably to ask for the Parliament to be prorogued. This essentially means that Parliament would be suspended but not dissolved until near the end of January. This would allow Harper to avoid the vote of non-confidence on Monday that would topple the government but it also means that nothing can get done. Nothing can be passed; no action can be taken. In “these tough economic times” to borrow a phrase from Opera, we can’t have a parliament with their hands tied. I would rather go back to the polls than have the parliament take what is basically an extended break. I hope the GG will go against the norm and not listen to the advice of the Prime Minister. He needs to either prove he has the confidence of the House or let someone who does go about the business of governing.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Canadian Politics just got interesting....
I am at work so I can't post much, but I feel like a child on Christmas morning. I am so excited about the possibility of a coalition government! This is the most exciting thing to happen in Canadian Politics since.... well for a long time!!! People should pay attention and get informed so they understand what is happening. Agree with it or not, I don't care, but get informed and have an opinion people!
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