To celebrate Storytelling Month, I’m going to tell you at least one story per week in February. These are all true stories. Every day at noon, the bells in the fire hall in Climax (the town in southeastern Saskatchewan that was home to my mum, and to me every summer, Christmas,
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Politics, Re-Spun: Who Cares About Fixing Poverty in BC?
Well, it’s the Poverty Reduction Coalition! One of their many activities is to send recommendations to the government when the government deigns to ask people for their ideas. The Finance Committee is an all-party committee of the legislature, so the government usually ignores their recommendations. As citizens, we need to
Continue readingTrashy's World: Bring on 2015!
Like any year, there were ups and downs over the past 12 months. However, 2014 was unfortunately a bit more about downs, than ups. On the positive side (cuz I like to mention good things first): First, and most importantly, the kids are thriving. My eldest is working full-time in
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Entitlements? What About Understanding UNentitlements?
Punishing irony. OK, I’m fine admitting it. I focus on entitlements a lot. I’m often trying to encourage people to examine our unexamined entitlements: race, age, economic class, gender, sexuality, etc. But one way to understand entitlements is to understand how unentitlements work. I’m guilty of overlooking this. Until today.
Continue readingcentre of the universe: Believe it or not, walking on air
I was tagged by Julian (@saskajules) to post five pictures in five days. Today is #TheNipper’s birthday party. He wanted to come to the giant warehouse full of trampolines. The WAREHOUSE full of TRAMPOLINES. And because the parts of my brain that process fun are stuck in the 90s, I’m
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Who Are the Main Caregivers for People with a Parkinson’s Diagnosis?
It’s women, of course, who pick up the slack when our healthcare system neglects people. It’s either picking up the slack or being the excuse for systemic neglect. The main informal caregiver was typically a woman (62%), lived in the same household (72%), and provided assistance on a daily basis
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Canada: The Eternal Rebuilding Project
Personal relationships enrich us, work makes us feel useful, and goals give us purpose via Lecture 1 – Belonging: The Paradox of Citizenship | Ideas with Paul Kennedy | CBC Radio. Adrienne Clarkson speaks in this Massey Lecture about belonging. The first peoples were here first. They established a sense
Continue readingcentre of the universe: R-E-S whatever
And then #TheTeen saunters in to the room with his hands jammed down his pockets and a scowl on his face in the best inadvertent impression of Reggie Mantle I’ve ever seen. Keep in mind this is after an evening of which the highlight was sitting down at the dinner
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: If You Read But One Thing About Universal Childcare This Week
Line them up here. In this one section of universal childcare analysis by one of the smartest people in the country, Michal Rozworski, we see a number of significant policy issues addressed: affordable childcare. universality. feminism. including mothers in the workforce more effectively. a better shot a living wage for
Continue readingcentre of the universe: Post-graduate paper
This morning, #TheTeen and I got into a bit of a tiff. Mornings are chaotic, and as much as I have really enjoyed #TheTeen’s company this summer, when school starts up again and we’re under pressure, something eventually has to give. Here’s some background, although actually, the deets aren’t all
Continue readingcentre of the universe: It’s been nine long years
Not really. Not really long years. Nine ridiculously short years. Nine years that feels like days. Nine years that passed in the blink of an eye. Your brother was in his stroller. I clutched my go-mug of coffee with one white-knuckled hand and the stroller with the other. We took
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: The Film ‘Boyhood’: Reflections on Holding On and Letting Go
A date night with my husband Jim doesn’t happen often. We have fallen into our habits of cooking dinner together, followed by reading or watching a British television drama. Sometimes, though, a movie or play catches my eye and I peek out of my turtleshell long enough to organize an
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: TFWP: How Racist is Canada?
Here’s one way to tell how racist a person/nation is. Have them read this excerpt and see if they fly into a rage about “those” people, or just come up with economic arguments to keep “them” out. Hopefully, everyone you know will nod and say, “obviously!” Since this is a
Continue readingLaw is Cool: Choosing a Path in the Legal Field While Balancing a Personal Life
By: Ashlin Kenuck My biggest weakness that I will completely take full responsibility for is my own poor time management skills. Coming into the field of law I knew that this was going to be one of the biggest obstacles I would have to overcome. Time management in the legal
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Slut Shaming, And Other Idiocy
Welcome to the cusp of spring-summer. Now that the weather is turning, the slut shaming and attacks on women’s clothing choices will ramp up. In Labrador, 28 girls were sent home from school because their clothing contravened the dress code. They also sent home two boys whose shirts bared their
Continue readingBlast Furnace Canada Blog: Arkansas sees the light; who next?
Four states in the South (via the courts) have now recognized gay marriage: Virginia, Texas, Oklahoma … and now Arkansas. The latter three are actually quite conservative, which is one thing; but what makes the Arkansas ruling interesting is that the court didn’t use “strict scrutiny” to strike down the
Continue readingPostArctica: Community
My generation from Verdun grew up With Fathers who worked in factories and Mothers who, if they worked were in retail or service low paying respectable jobs. To do better was a challenge in many, many ways these were awesome people of incredibly principled standards but fun loving people they
Continue readingPostArctica: Community
My generation from Verdun grew up With Fathers who worked in factories and Mothers who, if they worked were in retail or service low paying respectable jobs. To do better was a challenge in many, many ways these were awesome people of incredibly principled standards but fun loving people they
Continue readingTrashy's World: It’s National Siblings Day!
And, according to the centuries old tradition, all younger siblings must pony up the equivalent of 6 gold sovereigns to the eldest sibling. That’s about a grand in today’s coinage If you’re the eldest of 6, ching-ching!!! Only child? – yeah, too bad. Hey, I’m only repeating the rule! I
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Poor Kids, Poor Families and Shame
“When Centennial’s students found out Seymour couldn’t hold a pyjama day because many students didn’t have pyjamas, they fundraised to buy every Seymour student a pair last Christmas.” – When the Field Trip’s Too Pricey, Students ‘Self-Exclude’ BC’s disgusting and preventable child poverty crisis. Let’s stop coddling the rich! When
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