Wanderings

New Blog!

2010-06-22T15:29:00.002-04:00

I have made a move from Blogger to Wordpress, which is hopefully a last and final move.

Lots of pluses over there - able to migrate both of my old blogs to the new site so everything is one place (all the way from 2006!), cleaner design, more of my own design than just a template, more features, etc...

So hopefully you'll check out the new blog and say hi! You can find it at:

http://ericswanderings.wordpress.com/

I'll be posting over there from here on in.

Toronto Island

2010-06-20T19:10:00.005-04:00

I'm a little behind on posting this but about a month ago we headed over to Toronto Island for the day with some friends of ours, taking advantage of some smoking warm weather.

A short ferry ride later we were picnicking like we were at some secluded park instead of in the city. It's a beautiful spot with a great vantage of the city, a quick reprieve from big city life.

It was a nice day full of friends.

A water park gave us some reprieve from the heat. As soon as we put Daija down her feet were in motion and she was tearing through the water with absolutely no fear! She loved it.

We hit the model farm where the little buddies checked out the horses, the pigs, and many other animals.

We passed on the clothing optional beach though....

And after a long day in the sun we arrived home happy, burnt and tired.

G20

2010-06-16T12:45:00.003-04:00

Next weekend Toronto descends into controlled chaos as the G20 world leaders arrive to ... well, we're not sure what they're going to do but it will likely involve a lot of talking... something I'm sure they had to do in person.... in downtown Toronto. I'm pretty sure it was the most logical place to meet.

In fact, the build-up to the meeting only proves that downtown Toronto was the most illogical choice for the meeting. Not that Harper cares one wit. The fence around downtown Toronto is up. Cell phones are ready to be jammed. Fake lakes have been built to highlight the best things about Ontario (which is clearly our fake lakes and Muskoka chairs...) While sitting around the fake lake, reporters will be wined and dined at no cost to them. Garbage cans, bus shelters, and mail boxes and anything that might hinder cops beating down protesters have been removed. Now, trees are being removed because protesters might rip them out and rush the meetings with a tree... Speaking of protesters, sound cannons have been bought and laid beside the normal tasers, tear gas and billy clubs. In light of this, businesses are shutting down. UofT has decided to close its doors and move all the students out of the area, including dorm students. Baseball games are cancelled, CN Tower closed, shows cancelled, festivals pushed out or in danger, epic gridlock, etc... etc...

I tell you, this all seems perfectly sane.

Except, it doesn't. And all at the price tag of an estimated $2 billion dollars which, for some reason, is far more than any other summit and is being called "the most expensive three days in Canada's history".

All for what? To market Canada? To show we have money to spend? To talk about economics and climate change while taking Lear jets and consuming mass amounts of just about everything possible? As some have said, G20 has never been more than "a really expensive dinner party".

I would love to get down there and check it out but to get inside the security gates I need a good reason... How does, "Because I'm paying for it" sound?

365 Days Later

2010-06-09T13:39:00.008-04:00

When we first moved to Toronto (a year ago today!), we moved into our house pretty much site unseen. We saw a few pictures but they were in the middle of renovating so it was hard to see what it actually looked like and a friend went and saw it for us. We thought it would do the trick and it was a decent deal but the one thing we wanted fixed before we moved in was the yard - it was a mess! Actually, I don't think 'mess' quite describes the disaster zone it was at the time.

Unfortunately, it didn't happen last summer so this summer we've been determined to have a yard we can enjoy and where Daija can plan. We've been working on it and now, 365 days later, we have a yard!

This is what it looked like to begin with (and this was already after we cleaned up all the junk back there...)

Nolana spent countless hours out there yanking weeds and tilling the soil and often Daija was out there helping.

Daija would collect the rocks, play with the worms so they didn't get lonely and keep Mommy company. Some of the time Daija wasn't so much 'helping' as just rolling around in the dirt...

Eventually, we got it to the point where it looked like this.

We sectioned off the one side for a little vegetable garden where Nolana is growing a few varieties of tomatoes, lettuce, aragula, some other salad greens, cucumber, beans, zucchini, sweet peppers and some snow peas that aren't doing so good at this point.

Daija loves being able to go out and help water the plants with her little watering can. Sometimes Mommy likes to be able to go out and water Daija....

Yesterday, I went and picked up a truckload of sod and dirt and Nolana and I got it all laid down. Now we have a yard!

While it's nothing fancy, we can now spend some summer evenings out there BBQing. Daija can run around and play (we're hoping to get a little sandbox) and it all feels just a little nicer than before. It only took us a year....

"Can Daija come out and play?"

2010-06-06T12:29:00.006-04:00

This weekend I was home alone with Daija as Nolana was away for the weekend at a ladies retreat. Saturday evening as I was preparing dinner, I heard the doorbell ring. Daija freaked out (she has a thing for doorbells...) and I wondered who in the world it could be; I wasn't expecting anyone. Must be a salesman or someone looking for donations I thought.

I opened the door and there stood the 8 year old boy who lives across from us. "Can Daija come out and play", he said. I kid you not.

It's pretty cute, he just loves her. And Daija thinks he's pretty cool too. He rides his bike around and she comes in after being out there with him asking me for a bike (she can sign both 'want' and 'bike').

I felt bad having to tell him that Daija couldn't come out right then because we were going to eat. I definitely felt way older than I am - kind of like the mom in the cartoon. I'm too young (and Daija's too young!) to be answering the door to my child's friends, asking if Daija can come out and play!

* Come to think of it, the boy kind of looks like the one in the picture too!

Procrastination

2010-06-02T12:02:00.004-04:00

A few random links that I've come across and feel like sharing.

Awesome cartoon from Matt Bors. I especially love the spill/not a spill. I think we're a little past calling it a spill.... time to think of something a little more accurate.

This month the first World Cup in Africa's history comes to South Africa. It's going to be crazy. Want to know how much African's love football? Watch this.

" The African Game" -- Documentary Film Screener from REDD Kat Pictures on Vimeo.

I remember being in Ethiopia and walking into the cafe/bar next door to our apartment when the Arsenal games were on. The place was packed and every eye was glued to the TV; the place would explode when they scored. (H/T to Africa is a Country)

I'm a bit of map lover. I like scoping out surroundings, plotting out locations, trying to remember every country in the world and being able to place it on a map.... that kind of thing. It's a disease. Which is what makes this link so cool. 10 Greatest Maps that Changed the World.

Ever thought of buying a prostitute? No really, some NGO's, churches, random white dudes out there seem to think this is a valid way of helping out. Sounds good in theory but check out this article which succinctly states why it's not at all a good idea. Lesson of the story: Good intentions are not enough.

Speaking of good intentions that ended up with less than savory outcomes, I am reminded of this cartoon:

All Thumbs

2010-05-31T08:00:00.006-04:00

Thumbs UP:

- for completing my coursework for the summer! Just one more paper to write and then some work on my thesis and writing/editing. Perhaps more time for blogging? Perhaps.

- to the hope that no classwork actually means free time and the chance to catch up on some personal reading.

- to the morning cool of a summer day. Especially when it's spent quietly with a cup of coffee. Except there's not much quiet in my house anymore....

- the smell of a good espresso bean. Every time I take my bag of beans (always Fair Trade!) out to grind them, I give them a good sniff beforehand.... I've taught Daija to do the same!

- for BBQing. A nice hickory or chipotle BBQ sauce and cooking on the grill can make anything taste good, I swear!

- to watching Daija tear fearlessly through the splash pads/water parks, loving the water so much that she can be shaking and teeth-chattering cold but she refuses to go home.

- to the garden my wife planted and the hope of fresh garden veggies at some point.

Thumbs DOWN:

- to the unfettered aggression of Israel towards the Palestinians and their territories. And to their backers, the USA and Canada, which allow them to flaunt their apartheid state with impunity.

- and to those who respond to such claims with uneducated cries of "anti-semitism". Palestinians are Semitic people too and Arabic is the most widely spoken Semitic language in the world. Get your facts straight and stop crying wolf to hide your oppression of others. Full stop.

- to still not knowing any further where my paths lead post-Masters. Sometimes wandering is not the easiest path to take...

- to the hottest May on record in Toronto. When it's too hot to go outside, it's too hot.

- to the Terrible Twos and a child who has found the joy of screaming, hitting and exercising her misguided free-will.... sounds like adolescence lite.

- to still needing to sod the back yard and to still just having a dust patch for a yard. Please hold off on the rain this week so I can get it done!

Birthday Cooking

2010-05-15T08:03:00.009-04:00

Normally for birthdays I get to request a special meal to be made for me; this year I did it a little differently. Instead, I asked to be able to whip up something and for Nolana to clean up after - the best of both worlds. I enjoy getting to play in the kitchen but the clean-up = not so much enjoyment. So, with the deal crafted we went down to St. Lawrence Market to browse around. Not only did I get my ingredients but I got a couple locally made mustards, a cranberry one and a maple one. Huzzah!

Then, once the little one was down for a nap I cracked a beer and set out to do some cooking. Here's how it turned out:

The main dish was a Chicken Satay with a spicy peanut dipping sauce - taken from Closet Cooking.

The spice combo for the chicken made my mouth water (love lemongrass, love cumin) and the peanut sauce was divine - sort of an Indonesian/Indian/Thai fusion dish.

I had picked up some mussels at the market and threw together a broth - beer, garlic, lime, onions. Turned out okay but I think I prefer a white wine broth, though I once had a great mussel dish using a dark lager.
Finally, I grilled up some zucchini with some spices and mixed up a vinaigrette for the salad using Pomegranate balsamic vinegar, oil, lemon juice and a dash of my newly acquired cranberry mustard. Turned out to be a nice birthday meal!

Breaking News on Breaking News

2010-05-13T21:14:00.004-04:00

You're not going to believe it.... They're going all CSI across the road! The news trucks were there, a mobile investigation truck, and a crazy looking man getting arrested - straight from the TV show kinda stuff. I bet they'll even solve it in under 24 hours....

You can read the news here.

Check the building where it's happening (view from our back yard).

And see the news truck (one of them - also from the back yard).

Apple Pie French Toast

2010-05-10T19:27:00.004-04:00

I think a pretty traditional Mother's Day treat is pancakes or waffles but I did one better this year: Apple Pie French Toast!

Caramel, apples, candied nuts, french toast - what's not to like! I got the inspiration from over at Closet Cooking (which is pretty much my favorite food site - the pictures and recipes are always mouth watering!), just added more apples (best part!), made a mix of candied walnuts and pecans, used a multi-grain loaf and substituted some of the water for maple syrup to make it thicker and a little maple-y. Super yummy!

Toque Tales

2010-04-27T13:12:00.003-04:00

Just a few quick pics from our little monkey who loves any hat she can get her hands on, especially if it's Mommy's!

Also, I've uploaded a bunch of pictures of her onto Facebook recently if you haven't seen them. Just click here.

Bacon Bomb

2010-04-25T12:24:00.003-04:00

Last night we had some friends of ours over for games, drinks, dinner, ... But this time, unlike others, we pulled out the stops and did everything in our power to clog our arteries from now until kingdom come! We decided to pair meat with... meat!

You can check out the original experiment here and where we got our inspiration - lots of great photos!

It's called Bacon Explosion and consists of melding 2lbs of bacon with 2lbs of sausage, mixing in some BBQ sauce and calling it dinner. I'm not joking.

It was quite the experiment and actually turned out really well, not nearly as fatty as I expected. I made a mean hickory, chipotle BBQ sauce for it, a good BBQ rub, slow cooked it in the oven first and then transferred it to the grill to crisp it up. Here's a picture of us men with our creation:

I only show a picture of the men because the women were grossed out by the idea of so much meat and fat.

As my friend said, I think there's a reason that women live longer than men on average....

Beer, Please Meet Scotch

2010-04-17T22:22:00.011-04:00

My loyal readers will know my affinity for a good beer. I also love a good scotch. What do do when you love both? Never fear!

Big beers are often aged in liquor barrels, especially bourbon. On occasion you can get a good beer aged in scotch barrels and Harviestoun Ola Dubh is one of those beers. It's a Scottish beer whose name means engine oil, and truth be told it kind of looks like engine oil!

Scotch is aged for various time periods in barrels to give them a distinctive flavour. The longer you age them, the smoother they get.... also the more expensive they get! Ola Dubh is aged in Highland Park scotch barrels which offers their product aged for 12 years, 16 years, 18 years, 30 years, and 40 years. I've had the pleasure of drinking the 12 year old Highland Park but the 40 year version is about 1,000 Euros a bottle so I don't imagine I'll be drinking that any time in the near future!

But I can afford to try the beers that are aged in Highland Park barrels. Ola Dubh is unique in that Harviestoun has aged the beer in each of the different Highland Park barrels, 12-40. I've had the pleasure of having the Ola Dubh 30 before on-tap and the other night I dug into the cellar to drink a bottle of the Ola Dubh 12 and the Ola Dubh 40 side by side. Drinking them beside each other allows me to see how the time in the different barrels has changed them in unique ways because the base beer is the same in both cases.

As you can see, they're pretty spiffy looking bottles. When a beer is aged in whiskey or bourbon barrels they pick up the characteristics of the liquor and the barrel; the longer they sit in there the more of the characteristics they pick up.

From what I remember of the Highland Park scotch, it has some very distinct peat and smoke flavors. When I crack the Ola Dubh 40 and 12 this is confirmed - smoke and peat. Here are my tasting notes from the Ola Dubh 40:

Pours a jet black almost opaque, just a glimmer of brown around the rim when held to the light. A finger of khaki head builds up on the pour and settles to a collar with a few swirling patches of bubbles.

Nose is much more subdued than the 12, earthier with a hint of peat and much smokier. Roasty malt, a hint of dark baker's chocolate, wood, a good dose of scotch.

Such a smooth sipper. Silky presence of the barrel - oaky wood with a hint of ash, vanilla, a touch of peat, smoke. All beside a nice roasty malt base, dark chocolate, a touch of bready malt, raisins, a hint of dark fruits, just a faint hint of alcohol and a light warming in the finish. Silky smooth, creamy mouthfeel; not overly full or robust but perfect for 8%, scary drinkable.

As you can tell from the picture, they look quite similar in the glass. The Ola Dubh 12 is a little fruitier in the nose, much less creamy in the mouthfeel, and a little less integrated. Using the Highland Park 40 year barrels has made the peat and the smoke more prevalent in the beer and had more of a mellowing effect: mellower scotch = mellower beer.

The Ola Dubh 40 is much pricier (aged in pricier whiskey barrels) but it's significantly superior in my mind. Can't decide between scotch or beer tonight? Ola Dubh should make that decision a little easier.

Fly By

2010-04-08T10:14:00.007-04:00

Just a quick update to the blog so that no one thinks I've forgotten it!

I am knee deep in what has turned out to be the busiest time of the year. Not only are my two final papers due this month (Using Indigenous Knowledges to Decolonize African Universities and Africa and the Black Diaspora: Crossing Borders through Senegalese Hip Hop) and not only do I still have the chapter in the book that I mentioned a while back, but I am now co-editor of said book which is a ton of work, I have another paper being turned into a chapter in another book, AND I have been asked to contribute a chapter to yet another book. Nolana's away in Victoria with Daija visiting it up and it's a good thing because I am putting long, long days in at school.

So, while I am off busy writing and editing here's a fun little link for ya.

The internets are abuzz over Mother Jones' map which covers celebrity involvement in Africa, otherwise seen as the "celebrity recolonization of Africa".

Clink on the link and see a history of celebrity involvement in Africa. The original map (not this screen grab) is interactive and you get to see who wrote a song about which country, who adopted a baby from where, and just how many celebrities go on "fact finding missions".

Miscellany links from/about Africa

2010-03-27T14:08:00.004-04:00

How to Write About Africa - genius!

An excerpt - "Among your characters you must always include The Starving African, who wanders the refugee camp nearly naked, and waits for the benevolence of the West. Her children have flies on their eyelids and pot bellies, and her breasts are flat and empty. She must look utterly helpless. She can have no past, no history; such diversions ruin the dramatic moment. Moans are good. She must never say anything about herself in the dialogue except to speak of her (unspeakable) suffering. Also be sure to include a warm and motherly woman who has a rolling laugh and who is concerned for your well-being. Just call her Mama. Her children are all delinquent. These characters should buzz around your main hero, making him look good. Your hero can teach them, bathe them, feed them; he carries lots of babies and has seen Death. Your hero is you (if reportage), or a beautiful, tragic international celebrity/aristocrat who now cares for animals (if fiction)."

Go read it it all, it's masterful.

The Economist on the chances of a fair election in Ethiopia (slim to none). Not only that, the current Zenawi government is propped up by US aid (one of the largest recipients) and Zenawi is championed among the "new breed" of democratic leaders in Africa. Uh huh.

Last election was also marred with violence and arrests, tampering, etc... In my time in Ethiopia I never met a single person in the city who had voted for Zenawi and many of my students had stories about older brothers being arrested, etc... A friend of ours remembers being quarantined to their compound and listening as gunshots echoed through the city. Most people are thinking/predicting this next election will be even more unfair and violent...

Musical Break! Malian Rokia Traore. Not sure if I love the video but I love her music.

I'm a big fan of South African Desmond Tutu, the man is not afraid to criticize just about anybody if they're messing up. That includes Africans who discriminate against gay and lesbians ("Hate has no place in the house of God") and South Africa's ally the U.S., calling the war in Iraq an "immoral war". Speak it brother!

Africa's entry in the "Uncyclopedia" - more genius!

'The only thing positive about Africa is HIV."

African exports include: Ebola, Madagascar (the movie) and "Apos'trophes t'hat s'erve no' purpo'se".

Musical Break #2! Do you know where Mauritius is? Most people don't and would never have heard music from there - but this last summer at Toronto's AfroFest, Menwar wowed me and here's a clip of him playing at Montreal's International Jazz Fest. We're already stoked about this summer's AfroFest!

Finally, I would be remiss not to mention one of the best blogs about the continent, as well as where I found some of the articles, Texas in Africa. Go check it out.

Free Speech in Canada

2010-03-23T15:27:00.003-04:00

Recent news out of Ontario is that American conservative speaker/writer Ann Coulter is here. For those of you who might not know her, she enjoys "stirring up the pot" through right-wing ~~rhetoric~~ racism. She wrote the book, If Democrats had any Brains, They'd be Republicans and has been notoriously anti-Muslim, advocating that no Muslim should be allowed to fly, instead they should take flying carpets. I am not joking, there is no way you could make this stuff up.

Of course you can guess my reaction to such a person. She uses racism as a tool to incite people, blatantly using ignorant, inflammatory comments to make the news and sell books, and ignores the power of what she says. In today's speech, when a Muslim student asked her about her "flying carpets" comment, nothing that she didn't have one, Coulter told her "to take a camel" instead. And she made the news.

Still, her vast store of idiocy is not what this post is about. What I want to do is relate this issue and Coulter's recent foray into Canada to something else I had previously written about here.

British MP George Galloway was denied access to speak in Canada at an anti-war protest due to his attacks on Israel and connections with the Palestinian Hamas (who Canada labeled a terrorist org.) which include being part of the Viva Palestina convoy bringing food to Gaza to promote peace. At the time I noted that we had allowed George Bush to cross the border to speak, why were we denying Galloway? My question remains: If we allow people such as Coulter across the border to spew her vitriolic rants why was a British elected official (Galloway) banned?

I think part of the answer stems from what Galloway represents - a critique of Israel. He highlights atrocities in Gaza, sides with Palestinians and Arabs as a whole and roundly denounces American foreign policy that supports such atrocities... policy that Canada seems to agree with. I know Israel is a touchy subject but his views are not welcome and even less welcome than the racist rants of Coulter? He's involved in initiatives to promote peace and equality for Muslim people's and Coulter advocates against Muslim people. We talk about free speech in Canada but this one exclusion (Galloway) and one inclusion (Coulter) speaks to what is allowed in Canada, what is deemed acceptable, and what is allowable to say.

Free speech in Canada... as long as you agree with our policies and don't like Muslims.

Barista-in-Training

2010-03-23T10:53:00.006-04:00

No, I haven't gone and acquired a job at Starbucks (though the free coffee is tempting!) Instead, I am training Daija to go work at Starbucks and get that free coffee for me! What else are children for?

It's actually quite cute, every time I go to make coffee she wants to help. She puts the filter in for me.

She knows where I keep the grinder and the beans.

She pushes the button on the grinder until the beans are all done and then signs "all done".

Then, she gets to push the on button.

We smell the beans and she imitates me, saying "Mmmmmmmm."

The ultimate goal is to get her to the point where I can wake up and tell her, "Daija, go make Daddy coffee and bring it to him in bed!" Now I just need to teach her how to fry up bacon....

Forgiveness

2010-03-22T14:37:00.002-04:00

An interesting thought for the day from French philosopher Jacques Derrida (On Cosmopolitanism and Forgiveness, 2001):

"Yes, there is the unforgivable. Is this not, in truth, the only thing to forgive? The only thing that calls for forgiveness? If one is only prepared to forgive what appears forgivable...then the very idea of forgiveness would disappear."

Tired Traveller

2010-03-21T18:47:00.006-04:00

When we moved to Toronto we sold our car and committed to using transit as our primary mode of transport (secondary if you count our feet) and we weren't sure exactly how it would go. Nine months in (I know, where did the time go?!) and we quite enjoy transit for the most part, the subway system is fairly easy to navigate and you get to avoid the massive traffic snarls that ravage Toronto every day. Sure, grocery shopping takes a little more co-ordination and a little more time needs to be scheduled in for transport but it's way cheaper.

The only hiccup is Sunday morning when regular service doesn't start until 9am which is too late for my lovely wife whose work shift starts at 7am. So one Sunday a month we book our Zipcar (amazing!) and I drive her to work. Today was actually the first day we had to do it due to sickness, etc...

All 3 of us got up at 5:30am and drove mommy to work. Which was a little too much for our little munchkin who, while peering over the couch this morning, simply fell asleep. Doesn't look like the most comfortable position but she was out cold on the back of the couch!

I wish I could sleep as well as she does!

Part 3: Racism in Canada

2010-03-17T18:58:00.006-04:00

Somehow the news just keeps revealing the deep-seeded racism that exists in leaps and bounds in our society, all coated over with a deep self-belief that we are somehow a tolerant and accepting society.

This quick blog makes for a the perfect part 3 of my trilogy on race and the construction of authenticity in Canada. Check out Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

A recent news article on CBC.ca sparked a massive wave of comments. It was in regards to a UofT student who was seen on a terrorist video from Somalia and has been rumored to have been killed in a battle with insurgents.

Off the bat, I am against violence, especially when done in the name of religion. Secondly, I am against the way the word "terrorist" has been used to construct the "bad guys" who are always Othered through race, language, religion, etc... Presidents and soldiers can senselessly kill people but they are never constructed as terrorists, put on watch lists or have their travel restricted.

Beyond this, I was appalled (though not really shocked) at the comments on the story. They speak powerfully to what I have already discussed in terms of creating "real Canadians" and "fake Canadians", all under the auspices of multiculturalism and tolerance.

One commenter says: I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm all for immigration but not including the following: Somalians, Tamils, Haitians and any other ethnicity that thrives on cultivating old battles on our soil. I know that not "all of them are radicalized" but enough of them are, and worse, those who aren't can and will be turned by others who freely enter our borders to do so.

He begins by stating his tolerance (he's "all for immigration") and then proceeds to spew one of the most openly racist and exclusionary statements I've heard in a while. He places violence in the hands of racial minorities, fueled by their hatred for others, disrespecting our soil. He tries to appear conciliatory by recognizing that "they" are not all "radicalized" but that so easily they'll all flip - like they're the 12 yr. old who will do anything if their friends tell them so. You want to exclude whole groups on the basis of.... violence? Exclude Americans then. Their gun violence is the highest in the world and they "cultivate old battles" in places like Iraq. Or how about any other nation that has had civil war (Canada can be included in this)? Oh, and for the record, my brother-in-law is Tamil - guess I should keep an eye on him in case he "turns"... it'll have to happen sooner or later.

In response to another comment that perhaps this man's experiences in Canada pushed him to extremism: WHAAATT!?!?!?! This is one of the most insane things I've heard. Canada has opened their doors and their hearts to allow these people into our country, many of them escaping a futureless life, poverty and persecution. How dare you make ignorant comments with a bite to the hand that feeds you.

Canada is constructed as the benevolent, gracious host who should be thanked. Not only did we "allow" certain undesirables to enter but we "opened our hearts" to all the Orphan Annies of the world, giving them a chance at a better life. They escape their "futureless life" (somewhere else) to come to Canada and a.... place where their credentials ignored, their job prospects truncated, their knowledge devalued... a futureless life? They escape poverty (somewhere else) to come to Canada and have.... poverty? They escape persecution (somewhere else) to come to Canada and.... face persecution? I'm certainly not trying to diminish the experiences of people who indeed have faced hardships in countries torn by war, famine, globalization, etc... but Canada is no walk in the park for immigrants (the article actually states that the subject of the story was born in Canada but most posters just assumed he was an immigrant - no way he was a "real Canadian"). Canada is loving and peaceful and people should thank their lucky stars to be here, subsequently showing their gratitude by never disagreeing with a thing, speaking English upon arrival, buying all their coffee at Tim Hortons and joining a local hockey or curling rink.

A final commenter stated: This man was not Canadian in any way shape or form. By calling him a "Canadian", CBC, you have degraded the word and yourself.

How do we define a Canadian? Born in Canada? Has a Canadian passport? Believes in peace, love and donuts? Speaks only English or French (preferably English)? Is White or at least acts as White as they can? Is being called "Canadian" some badge of honor that one has to win or earn? When a White soldier goes to Afghanistan and commits some crime do we question his nationality, wonder if perhaps he was never really Canadian to begin with? So many questions...

As a summary: Dionne Brand, a relatively famous Black Canadian writer, writes in one of her poems - "I don't want no fucking country". It's really not hard to see why certain individuals wouldn't want to align themselves with Canada, when in return Canada doesn't really want any part of them.

Your Friendly English Teacher

2010-03-11T10:45:00.007-05:00

In this age of Facebook communication, Twitter-pating, and txt msgs, proper usage of the English language seems to have gone the way of the dinosaur.

Bad English angers this particular dinosaur.

Here is my list of mistakes you will not make when communicating with me, please and thank-you.

Lose/Loose - You do not loose your ring. You do not loose track of time. Your clothing is not lose. Lose = to not win. Loose = to set free; not tight fitting. Correct usage: "I will loose the Hounds of Hell on you if you lose your ring because it is too loose." Wrong usage: "OMG, lol, like how in the world did i just loose my phone, now how can i txt my bfffe? (I saw this the other day, what the h*ll is a bfffe?)"

You're/Your/Yore - Your is possessive. You're is a contraction which is substituting for 'you are'. Yore is a long time ago. So it's, "No honey, those pants don't make your butt look big. You're beautiful." Guys especially, remember this.

To/Too - To is a preposition. This means it is a linking work for nouns, pronouns, etc... It does NOT signify 'as well'. As in, "No honey, those pants don't make your butt look too big. It's time to go." Guys especially, remember the grammar rule but strike any part of this phrase from your vocabulary.

There are others but I will leave it at this. I think you get the point. Never at any point are any of these interchangeable.

I feel better now.

Thumbs Out

2010-03-06T12:23:00.005-05:00

My friend Matt over at Bing Dynasty often does his quick summaries as thumbs up/ thumbs down so I am ripping him off (imitation is a form of flattery) and here are mine:

Thumbs up (a.k.a. Aaaahnold approved):

- Apple smoked old cheddar from St. Lawrence Market - so good.

- Daija cuddling with me when she wakes up.

- Organic, fair trade, dark roast espresso - more than one shot, please and thank-you.

- My momma coming out here again to visit. And by visit I mean coming out here to babysit so Nolana and I can go out

- Building towers with Daija's Mega blocks

- This, one of the freshest new music videos in a while. From Nigerian born Afrikan Boy. H/T: Africa is a Country

Afrikan Boy - Lagos Town from afrikanboy on Vimeo.

Thumbs down (a.k.a. Joaquin says you fail):

- not sleeping well. Life is just that much harder with less sleep....

- soft, stinky poo. Not mine, Daija's.

- PCs that start to crap out on you after 2 years. If only I could afford a Mac...

- Feeling behind at school and never having the time to catch up, or even better, get ahead.

- The Flames struggling just to make the playoffs with a GM who thinks getting Matt Stajan is the answer. Ha.

- Tim Hortons. I don't get the national obsession.

- Nolana and Daija going to Victoria without me again. Victoria is such a great place...

"Hey, I just said that!"

2010-03-04T14:10:00.007-05:00

Do you ever have those moments when you're reading or watching the news or talking with friends and you hear something that sparks a sense of deja vu? I was reading an article today by Canadian and UofT scholar (he's actually in my department) Rinaldo Walcott about multiculturalism in Canada and instantly thought, "Hey, I just said that".

And, indeed I had in this blog about "Real Canadians". It actually also pertains at least remotely to last my last blog post, the letter to Mr. Ignatieff.

Here's some of the article.

Walcott states "Official [Canadian] policies of multiculturalism... exacerbate the problem of belonging (89)

Walcott quotes Ignatieff's Massey Hall Lecture where Ignatieff describes Canadian multiculturalism as seeking to protect the cultural rights of as many people as possible. Sounds good right?

But where do collective rights fit into this Liberalist schema of individualism? What about the cultural groups whose identity is firmly embedded in the collective? Group rights pose a major problem for Canada's version of multiculturalism, denying any collective rights to groups.

Walcott goes on to examine how the English and French are excluded from these ideas of multiculturalism based on their status as "Founding Nations" - their identity is beyond question, beyond the need for 'protection' by multiculturalism policies - They are "Real Canadians". He quotes Eve Mackey who says, "Canadian-Canadians are assumed to be white, disinterested in seeking special status of any sort, and certainly their cultures (if they claim a culture at all) are neither funded nor supported by the government apparatus" (92).

Not only does this echo my previous post but show how government focus on funding multiculturalism creates more separation. "Real Canadians" don't need funding or special privileges.... mostly because we are already given these things anyways through other channels. Heritage becomes a specifically non-white discourse that needs to be enacted and re-acted through parades, national costumes, cultural celebrations, etc... Non-white Canadians are positioned as outside of Canada and are "allowed" into Canada through government multiculturalism.

Despite disagreeing with many aspects of his article, it's always nice to hear someone else voicing the same things you are - makes you think you're not alone in left field!

Despite these recognitions of cleavage in Canadian society, we as voters are presented with dismal options. On one side is Liberalism which champions multiculturalism as the way - except that their version is predicated on individual right which only seek to fragment cultural groups and assimilate them into a homogeneous Canada and which creates "Real Canadians" and "hyphenated Canadians"; and on the other side are the Conservatives who can't even be bothered to put on the facade of multiculturalism or inclusiveness in completely ignoring any issue that is not white, straight, upper class, and male. Uggggghh.

Especially after such national fervor that the Olympics inspired, it is hard to see how Canada or its people could be accused of racism - Hell, we let the Natives dance! Our medals has Native motifs and so did our hockey jerseys! It's easy to say that racism is in the past.

Dionne Brand says, "Only the brazen can say, "I was not here, I did not do this and feel that." One hears that all the time in Canada; about what they feel they are and are not responsible for. People use these arguments as reasons for not doing what is right or just. It never occurs to them that they live on the cumulative hurt of others. They want to start the clock of social justice only when they arrived. But one is born into history, one isn't born into a void" [italics mine] (A Map to the Door of No Return, 82).

Beyond this, not only is Canada built on the exploitation of others it still continues today in less explicit (sometimes) ways. It's impossible to choose impartiality or neutralism as a position.

Politicizing the Olympics

2010-02-28T10:45:00.007-05:00

Dear Mr. Ignatieff,

You don't know me and we've never met. I've read one or two of your books and voted for your party on occasion, although that was mostly due to lack of options and just to spite our current ~~President~~ Prime Minister.

I am writing this letter in response to a recent news article that appeared in the Toronto Sun which examined whether or not our esteemed Prime Minister was paying for all those prime seats at Olympic events that the average Canadian such as I would love to have but can't afford. It appears that 5 people were given all access passes to the Games, one of them being Mr. Harper and one of them being yourself (the others being Harper's lackeys).

Despite this, Mr. Harper has decided to take the high road, recognizing the privilege he has as well as the hard economic times that we're in, and has decided to pay top dollar for each event he attends. This happens to be as much as $1100 a ticket.

I understand the minuscule amount this number is when you take into account the billions of dollars that went into making sure we hosted such a ~~wasteful~~ prestigious event. Yet, it is the symbolic nature of the gesture that at least shows he is making an effort. Not only this, but his lackeys are paying for their tickets as well.

What was your response to this? What did you say when asked about your free pass to all the Games? You are not going to be bullied by Mr. Harper's gesture and will be most certainly using your pass because you, and I quote, "don't want to politicize the Olympics." I am befuddled. Who in their right mind actually believes that the Olympics has nothing to do with politics? You fashion yourself as an Academic (capital A) and have based this on holding positions at such illustrious institutions such as Oxford, Harvard, Cambridge, London School of Economics, and my current institution, the University of Toronto.

I presume after such a broad career at such a high level you would have come across at least one of the multitude of works that examine just exactly HOW political the Olympics are. I emphasize the 'how' because all of these writers start from the presumption that the Olympics ARE political. Everything about them is political from the funding $ to the selection of the city to the opening ceremonies to which events athletes can compete in.

You might have heard something about countries boycotting the Olympics in 1936, 1956, 1976 in Montreal (our country!), 1980, and 1984. There was also talk of boycotting the most recent summer Games in Beijing. You might have heard about how Hitler used the 1936 Games to promote White Supremacy, about athletes in Mexico who performed the Black Power salute on the podium, how 11 Israeli athletes were taken hostage and killed in 1972 (if you haven't heard of this one, there's a movie you can watch. Go to Blockbuster and ask for Munich. Steven Spielberg, Eric Bana, Academy Awards, is any of this ringing any bells?), how a bomb went off in Atlanta in 1996, or perhaps how Iranian athletes would rather withdraw than compete against Israelis. Each of these events has very little to do with athletics and almost everything to do with politics. Heck, even here in Vancouver we have people dressing up like it's Halloween and smashing windows. No doubt, the Olympics are political.

Make no mistake, I will still not be voting for Mr. Harper. His politics alienate me, his constituents enrage me, and his insistence on looking ridiculous confounds me. Nor will I vote for his lackeys which often enrage and confound me even more. Yet, your stance and subsequent statement strike me as petty politics, a low blow if we are to stick with sports talk. But your shot did not score, your trick did not fully rotate, you missed a gate... You looked foolish and little while your opponent made the right gestures.

This is what frustrates me most about your tenure as Liberal leader. Instead of making any substantive talk or, even better yet, any substantive action, you are content to mud wrestle with your opponent. If you were both young, attractive women this might be acceptable to a large percentage of the population but unfortunately you are both men who are many miles past young. What frustrates me even more, is having to admit that Mr. Harper was right on this occasion.

You'll understand, and hopefully forgive me, if I tell you there's really no way I can vote for you either in any upcoming election. Not strategically to block Mr. Harper, not for change. I want change as much as the next guy but something tells me you're not really the kind of change I want.

I hope you enjoy watching the Closing Ceremonies, say howdy to Mr. and Mrs. Harper for me.

Sincerely,
Eric

Daija Days

2010-02-25T13:43:00.005-05:00

It's been a while since I update you on my little squirt and I know for most of you those are your favorite posts (don't worry, I don't hold it against you). She's also currently on my mind because instead of napping she has been crying in her crib off and on for the past hour (Go to sleep Child!)

She got her first ever pigtails and was quite fascinated with them.

She has some new toys that she likes playing with, like this train that she gets pushed around on and now she even pumps her fist as we go "choo-choo".

She's also getting really good at stacking her blocks up and has even more fun when I stack them up and she gets to knock them down!

Daddy's often gone long days at school so sometimes she gets to wait in the window for me to come home, which is always a nice surprise!

She's learning a bunch of new signs (or at least attempting them, sometimes it takes some creative guesswork! But you can tell she's trying to let you know!) such as car, hat, sun, horse, wait, toilet, etc...

She's also attempting to say alot more words though those take even more creative guesswork! Mostly it's just vowels with one of the few syllables she knows thrown in. She's got mama and dada down pat and is pretty good at papa (which sounds more like bubba).

She is also getting quite the will and is willing to test the limits at times. Still, she's a lot of fun!

Ready to go outside.

Singing a song that involves 'sleeping'.

I'll be able to Quote Myself

2010-02-19T14:03:00.007-05:00

I struggled with naming this post and thought of just calling it [Self-congratulatory Post] but thought that was a little less subtle than I wanted....

But the reason I might have for being so self-congratulatory is that I am getting published for the first time! And its not with one of those self-publishing places either where you pay to get ripped off. I know, I'm as shocked as you undoubtedly are. I guess someone out there thought that my thoughts were worth preserving for eternity (or at least until your dog eats the book) in a medium other than this blog (the internet is forever right?)

I am writing a chapter in a book that is tentatively titled "Spirituality, Education, and Society: An Integrated Approach." It's a collection of essays geared for educators and discussing how spirituality needs to be put into discussion with schooling and society; my essay will be based on a paper I wrote last semester on the power of collective spirituality to resist dominant norms within the classroom as envisioned through indigenous knowledges.

I'm thinking I will update you fine folks as I work through the process, simply because it is pretty much consuming my time at this point. I was given two weeks to edit and expand my essay within the given framework for the chapter and then send it back in for another edit/reading.

I'm obviously pretty excited as this is a great opportunity for me, though excitement has undoubtedly been dwarfed by worry as I edit and re-edit trying to figure out how I want my work to be represented (and how I want ME to be represented) in the academic/public sphere. I'm also pretty sure that, as this is my first publication, I will at some later point look back and laugh at how poorly written and inarticulate this article is, so I shouldn't worry about it too much!

I'm a little stressed about it all but knowing that when in fact it is done and published it will feel pretty rewarding.

Olympic Spirit

2010-02-18T10:37:00.008-05:00

As you likely have surmised by the over abundance of red mittens with a Canadian flag on the palm and the incessant commercials involving a Canadian flag, wilderness or beavers, the winter Olympics are currently happening. I have a strange ambivalence to such an event, something along the lines to how C.L.R. James describes Lucian, an early commentator on the Greek Olympic games, as both repulsed and unable to stay away at the same time. I love sports and yet fully recognize that sport is not something pure and detached from society at large: it reproduces inequalities, is intricately involved in cultural production and re-production, and fully participates in racist discourses.

Here are some of my early observations on the Opening ceremonies and the Olympics as a whole:

1. Why make such a big deal about the Native chiefs being late? Dignitaries are late all the time and slip in with little fanfare or notice, so why feed the narrative that First Nations people are always late, lazy, unaware of time, etc... I hope it was an act of purposeful resistance. It was either that, or they were held up by security on their way in and had their fingers tested for explosives residue....

2. The Native dancing was one of the most blatant displays of trying to 'write' Canada as a diverse, multicultural space while at the same time ignoring the historical reality of what the land means to First Nations people. The welcome also ironically echoed the many times First Nations people welcomed the first explorers only to be thanked with death, colonialism, reserves, and exploitation. I secretly hope that when they were talking in their native tongue that they were cursing out the Olympics.

3. I almost spit out my drink when after the dancing, when the nations were about to walk into the arena, all these people clad in white came out and started to encircle the dancing First Nations people. I thought perhaps they were indeed going to be historical and start shooting or rounding them up to move them to a smaller area....

4. I then actually did spit out my drink when, as Greece was the first country to enter, the commentator said something to the like of: "They should give Greece a gold medal for their contributions to civilization around the world." Uh, seriously? Not only is modern Western society a bastardization of Greek democracy but if we take that line, the contributions that Western society has made to the rest of the world include colonization, the Atlantic slave trade, mass-scale exploitation, the spread of misogyny, etc... If we're awarding medals for such "contributions" perhaps we should award the silver to Germany for their "contributions" during World War 2 and America the bronze for their "war on terror".

5. The whole ceremony was an exercise in narrating against history, specifically in narrating Canada as a diverse, accepting, polite, forward-thinking country. From the hybridity of the punk-rock Scottish fiddlers, to the commentators constantly highlighting the diverse communities in Canada "Listen to the crowd go wild for the Chinese team, there's a large Chinese population in the greater Vancouver area...", to highlighting the benevolence of Canadians to 'developing countries' (The community coming together to buy the poor Indian team matching costumes).

6. And finally, the gross exoticism of non-White nations (speaking of which, is there anywhere a Whiter gathering of sports than the Winter Olympics?). From the mystique of the "Snow Leopard" to the appeal of the lone Jamaican athlete, there was the pandering to the "underdog", the racial other.

I know this all seems quite negative and like I hate the Olympics, and I haven't even touched on the economic or regional impact of such a bombastic, self-aggrandizing, consumerism driven event (okay, maybe I just did...) Yet, like I said I am oddly drawn to watching the breath-taking speed of the downhill skiers, the mechanical determination of the speed skaters, the high-flying snowboarders, and the thrill of the crowd when hockey is on (except for women's hockey; 18-0 is hardly a competitive sport...)

It's here and I'm not going to don a mask and smash windows but at the same time I'm not going to willfully blind myself from some of the realities of what is going on.

Interestingly enough, the first Olympics in Greece were not only about sport but it was also a time for intellectuals to gather and share ideas, for drama and theater, etc... Instead of protesting in the streets perhaps we should call for an international symposium to gather every Olympics in the host city to share ideas on sport, society, culture, etc... Actually, even in the modern era medals were awarded for "events" such as architecture, town planning, and various forms of literature such as lyrical, dramatic, and epic. Perhaps Vancouver should award medals for protesting... ;)

Falsely Arrested?

2010-02-01T15:26:00.003-05:00

Just a short post, I don't want to rant and rave. It gets tiring.

You've likely heard about the 10 Americans arrested in Haiti for trying to illegally take 33 "orphans" across the border to the Dominican Republic. You may have also heard that they belong to a church group.

If you go to the church's website the first thing you see is an update telling you that the group has been "falsely arrested".

The leader of the group stated to press that they didn't think they needed approval to take the children out of the country, they were just trying to help.

Regardless of whether or not their intentions were good or or not, they were correctly arrested for breaking the Haitian law. You cannot legally take any children across any national border without paperwork, even if it were simply Daija and I going for a say trip to Detroit. This is common sense. Also common sense: when you break the law (intentional or not) you get arrested.

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions" or something like that. Whether I intend to break the law or not doesn't change the fact that the law is broken. Some are blaming the religious aid groups as a whole, some are citing the arrogance of Americans in flouting laws in another country, many are pointing to ignorance and stupidity, some are balling them all up into a maelstrom of epic proportions but, like I said, I don't want to rant and rave. Just wanted to say, this was not a false arrest. False arrest is when you didn't do anything wrong - they definitely did.

Real Canadians

2010-01-29T14:02:00.007-05:00

There are many cultural and national groups in Canada that are 'hyphenated' Canadians, Chinese-Canadians, Somali-Canadians, Afghan-Canadians, etc... I have no problem with them self-identifying as such, in recognition of their heritage, ancestry, etc...

The issue I take is with the rest of us 'un-hyphenated' Canadians turning around and calling ourselves 'real' Canadians, implying that the 'hyphenated' Canadians are somehow less Canadian or illegitimate in some way. There are NO real Canadians, unless we're going to talk about the First Nations groups and even then, in that context 'Canadian' implies a transplanted, colonial entity that stripped the First Nations of their land and their identity, forcing them to conform to 'Canada' as a European conceived nation-state.

There's a Wyclef (Haitian-American rapper) song that carries the line, "Your grandfather was an immigrant too" and that speaks to the heart of the matter - Canadians are an amalgamation of various immigrants joining in one place. It happened over time so perhaps some people feel that time somehow legitimizes them as 'authentic' Canadians but some of the first Canadians were not the white, Euro settlers who we imagine as 'real' Canadians, from the beginning there was a multiplicity of cultures and races in Canada - despite many of these early stories being erased from our national narrative or consciousness.

While many people would not come out and explicitly say that they are 'authentic' Canadians (though some do), implying that there are 'un-authentic' Canadians, this mentality is prevalent in many aspects of Canadian life, from the living rooms across the country, to the way government acts on behalf of its citizens. Recently there have been a couple of stories that illustrate this. Recently a Toronto woman was stranded in Kenya. The Canadian government not only did not offer assistance but aided in naming her an imposter (despite her holding a Canadian passport) and aided the Kenyan officials in imprisoning her, stripping her of her rights as a Canadian abroad. Oh yeah, she was a Kenyan-Canadian with a son in Toronto waiting for her. But she was not 'authentic' enough for Canada to bother helping.

Recently, a much more sticky issue has arisen with the imprisonment of Omar Khadr in Guantanamo Bay. Many have pressed the Canadian government to repatriate him (bring him back to Canada to be tried) rather than let him sit/rot/be tortured by the Americans. Just today the top courts in Canada ruled that, despite blatant human rights violations by the Canadian government, Khadr does not have to be brought back to Canada. Public opinion has been split, with many arguing that he is a terrorist who should have to rot, that he is not Canadian enough to have rights that would be assumed if it were a 'real' Canadian. He was 'only' born here, he lived in Afghanistan where he was arrested, etc...

If we believe in Canada as a political entity, as a country where each individual is given equal rights, there are no 'half-Canadians' or 'sorta, maybe Canadians'. There are those who hold passports and are 'legal' Canadians and those who aren't.

But he doesn't watch the Maple Leafs every Saturday night on CBC, he doesn't pay his taxes, he doesn't represent 'Canadian ideals', he doesn't speak English, he's not REAL. What a bunch of crap. If Khadr was white it wouldn't matter. If a white Canadian was stranded in Kenya he wouldn't be thrown in jail at the request of the Canadian government.

Another fine example of the racial disparity here in Canada and who is defined as a 'real' Canadian: I have a friend who is British. When he crossed the US/Canada border he was routinely hassled about his visa, British passport, etc... upon re-entry into Canada. He now has a Canadian passport and is accepted, he sails through the border like I do. My thesis supervisor is an internationally respected Kenyan scholar who has been a Canadian citizen for years. She tells me that without fail she is still hassled at the border. It is much harder to believe that, despite her passport, she is a 'real' Canadian.

I am a third-generation Canadian and you know what, both my grandfather's "were immigrants too" (and my grandmothers too!). I am still in the range to be classified as Dutch-Canadian but I don't identify that way. By identifying as Canadian I recognize that I am implicated in a history of genocide, state-sponsored racisms, and colonial endeavors in the past and today. And yet I believe that Canada can be more, a place where everyone can belong and where everyone at least has equal rights under the law (would it be too much to ask for more?)

Often it's too easy to blame the Government (capital G intentional) without realizing that the government represents us, its constituents. The government can't pursue racist agendas without the support of its populace. And in Canada today, it is still okay to separate the 'real' Canadians from the others.

Sign Me Up

2010-01-28T09:43:00.007-05:00

I can fully admit that when Nolana first discussed teaching Daija baby sign language I was quite skeptical and dismissed it. But Nolana was determined and in the past little while Daija has been learning signs at a rapid pace.

I can now also admit that it has been a really good thing. It has eased some of her frustration in being unable to communicate to us what she wants.

Here's a recent video of some of the signs she knows, though for some reason cat seems to evade her at this point! It's neat to see her learn and get excited to be able to communicate, she's so proud of herself sometimes!

Blessings

2010-01-26T22:37:00.004-05:00

I wanted to title this post: How a Cigar and a Fine Single Malt Scotch can Bring You to Prayer, but as you can see that's a little lengthy.

My father-in-law was recently in Cuba and gifted me a cigar that wasn't going to get any fresher and with no looming celebrations in the future and the days not getting any warmer I decided to celebrate the fine occasion of having a cigar.

I bundled up (it's only zero outside, so it's warm compared to the rest of Canada!), poured a drink and sat outside in the dark, smoking a fine Monte Cristo. I'm not a regular smoker but on occasion I enjoy a well-made cigar and this occasion made me think of the other times I've had the pleasure of enjoying one (it was rather contemplative by myself!)

The time the reverend (my Dad) surprised the socks off of me by bringing around cigars to smoke with him and my brother in celebration of Daija's birth. With a friend on our balcony on a low-key New Year's Eve in Ethiopia. On boy's/poker nights with good friends in Victoria. In the middle of the bush while working for Parks Canada.

And then I realized how blessed I am for the moments I've had, the experiences past and the possibilities present and future. I realized how blessed I was for the family that was sleeping soundly inside the house as well as the family that raised me, for the schooling opportunities and the chance to pursue something that challenges me and excites me, for the house, the friends, the cigar... and on.

It was much needed after a day with Daija when she was particularly whiny and I was particularly impatient - it was just one of those rough days of parenthood when you can't wait to put them down for the night. The days when you're not very appreciative of the blessings you have.

I remembered how I love my wife and need to remember to tell her how much I do. And it led to the parallel connection with how I need to remember to thank God for the blessings he has bestowed. Too often I am cynical and lacking grace when it is needed.

All of this brought on by a darkened yard, a random snowflake falling, a cigar, a scotch, and very cold hands. I am going to make sure I go in and kiss my baby again before I go to bed, tell her how much I love her, and then crawl in beside the woman I love.

Link It, or it never happened...

2010-01-25T13:18:00.006-05:00

A collection of various links and stories. From me to you. Enjoy.

The biggest news in Toronto: A Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) worker (he takes subway fares from people) is caught napping on the job. Why is it such a sensation? It's another straw on the fire as people are fed up with the horrible service, rude employees, and fare increases. Most of the ire is directed at the union whose job it is to protect the rude employees who make as much as Registered Nurses or other similarly skilled workers.

Official responses to the story: TTC promises an investigation, the union's only response is to blame the photo taker for not trying to wake their sleeping employee, and said employee actually says on the record, "God bless the Union." Toronto public respond by snapping more pictures of sleeping employees and employees watching videos in the booth. If I had a union who protected me from being fired I might sleep on the job and be rude as well. I for one have personally experienced the outlandish rudeness of said employees though have yet to see a sleeping one - though I often see them doing crosswords or reading the newspaper. Yet another reason that slowly pushes me from pro-union to anti-union...

Africa = AIDS. According to Twitter, it's true!

Remember a while back when I wrote piece on using images of Starving Children in Africa? What, you don't? Well, it seems to be the most viewed page on my blog. I also found a chap who works in Ethiopia that seems to agree with me and wrote a great post on Poverty Porn, check it out.

Want to know more about Haiti's history? Did you know it was the first independent nation in Latin America and the first black-led republic in the world? Check out these two books which I am in the process of reading, The Black Jacobins by CLR James and Avengers of the New World by Laurent Dubois.

I've been following a great blog by a photographer in Liberia. Great photos to check out at Scarlett Lion.

Big news today: Ethiopian Airlines jet goes down off of Lebanon. Despite this, they remain one of the best, safest, most reliable airline on the continent - I would gladly fly them again.

Mothers

2010-01-23T09:01:00.003-05:00

There's a lot to be said for Moms. We all have one to start with. And they do a lot of work for second thing. This I am finding to be true.

Nolana has resumed work and while it will be a part-time position so that we can juggle me doing my studies as well, her orientation is full-time.... for four weeks. So that means I am at home with the little pipsqueak, playing a little bit of Mom. I'm not nearly as proficient as the real Mom.

It's been a real experience so far (2 weeks in). I change diapers, I wash diapers (we do cloth), I shop for groceries, I shop for laundry soap, I use that laundry soap to wash more diapers, I make meals and most importantly - I try to stay sane.

Sometimes it's a real emotional roller coaster. We've had some really great times where I'm excited to be around her and get the chance to see the learning take place, to be the one who gets to report the 'firsts'. Sometimes she's laughing and giggling and playing games, giving me kisses and warming my heart. And then sometimes she wakes up at 5:30 in the morning and screams, or refuses to eat what I'm offering or demands her way all day.

I have much more respect for Moms who stay home and battle that day in and day out and still manage to come out on the other side with grace and sanity. It's no easy task.

We've had some great times and now she's a little more like her Daddy than she was before...

Is Tourism Good for Developing Countries?

2010-01-21T14:58:00.010-05:00

I've had this on my mind for some time now and it often seems to pop up in classes, readings, books, etc... Is tourism good for 'developing' countries? I have a lot of thoughts on the issue but I will try and keep them somewhat concise and try to focus on some solid examples.

Just today this article graced the front pages of cnn.com, Haiti Cruise Draws Ire, Support. A cruise company has built a small enclave in Haiti that it has used for some time now, essentially just a beach and a tourist 'experience' for those who want to say they've been to Haiti - a beach, hair-braiding, a straw market. Now with the recent earthquake (you've heard of this, yes?) people are questioning whether or not it is okay to holiday in Haiti while people are dying on the other side of the island.

NOW they're questioning it? Seriously?

Beyond that, the article goes on to quote from an organization called Sustainable Travel International, an organization I am guessing created to prop up the travel industry on the prickly ethical questions it might face. STI (interesting acronym to choose...) states what has been stated since the beginning of time - tourism brings money into the country which means it is good for the country.

Except that study after study shows this to be false: Western based corporations take the largest cut ("Welcome to Puerta Vallarta, Thank you for flying Northwest airlines", "We hope you enjoyed your stay at the Hilton..." ), nations take very little revenue and even less of that "trickles down" to the "common person". You say tourism gives people jobs, I say tourism exploits the neediest, forcing them into positions of servitude and exploitation.

The most succinct quote I have come across to date is from Carol Davies' book Black women, writing and identity:Migration of the subject. It states:

"So, if we are clear that tourism never really brings economic prosperity, the multinational corporations who own the industries take their made-money away, the tourist installations often destroy the environment and displace many people, the people are denied some of the most beautiful areas of their country because of tourism, that the local people are constructed perpetually in positions of service, then the link between tourism and invasion is not far fetched..."

I want Sustainable Travel International to tell me exactly how sailing with this cruise company is going to help those stuck under rubble, needing water right now, or needing medical attention.

I struggle with this; I desire a warm beach, daiquiris all day and a waterfront bungalow as much as the next person and yet I know that such 'high-end' tourism is neither sustainable for the host country nor equitable. It feeds our Western need for consumption and luxury at the cost of others.

The article ends with a person who they interviewed deciding to go on the cruise anyways, justified by the fact that it will help Haiti in the end and with the disclaimer that she "won't enjoy that day in Haiti", as if somehow this absolves her from the guilt she's obviously feeling.

I feel like this is the answer we/I usually take: find a convenient out and hold onto it in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, find a way to make that vacation seem okay - "I need this break", "I give lots of money to charities already", "It helps the country I'm visiting", etc...

We can and should question if it is right to vacation in places like Haiti after such a disaster but we should also be questioning if we should be vacationing in places like Haiti to start with. After all, if it is dying people you are worried about, people die in Haiti everyday from things like disease and malnutrition.

Carol Davies, in the book I quoted earlier, talks about the difference between luxury tourism and finding ways to make "meaningful encounters". She doesn't seem to be against learning about new cultures, meeting new people or visiting new places - she seems to be more against taking from new places, disadvantaging new places, exploiting new places, and making servants of new people. There's obviously a fine line sometimes between these two sides, many a "meaningful encounter" has been exploitation under the guise of a humanitarian intervention or cross-cultural exchange.

This is something that directly affects me and something that at times I've ignored. I enjoy traveling and the onus is on me to find ways to make meaningful encounters when I travel rather than feeding my own need to consume at the expense of others. I also battle my inner self who just wants to forget that people are suffering and sit on a beach, under an umbrella by the pool side bar. There's no quick and easy answer to this. Sometimes, struggle is the beginning and we need to be content that we're on the journey. Still, I don't see myself booking any vacations to Mexico/Hawaii/Dominican/Thailand/Haiti anytime soon....

Don't they have tigers in Angola?

2010-01-14T10:45:00.008-05:00

You may (or may not have) heard but there was a recent attack in Angola that left a number of members of the Togolese national football team dead. I won't ask you where Togo is.

Normally this might be a mere footnote in the Western news cycle but this year is also the World Cup in South Africa which has led to nations wondering if their teams will be safe in South Africa.

As the head soccer honcho in South Africa states: "If there is a war in Kosovo and a World Cup in Germany, no one asks if the World Cup can go on in Germany, everyone understands the war in Kosovo is a war in Kosovo."

Angola is hundreds of miles from South Africa much like Kosovo is hundreds of miles from Germany. Yet another example of how Africa is lumped together as a lawless, violent place that everyone fears.

Coming soon: The World Cup in the land of Nelson Mandela...

Winter Wonder

2010-01-14T09:12:00.004-05:00

After an extremely mild November and December that yielded a total of 3cm of snow over the two months, January finally brought some real snow (though the forecast calls for rain today so we might not have the snow much longer...). I've been anxious to take Daija out in the snow, thinking she would love it.

So one afternoon that Nolana and I were both home we bundled her up and took her out to the small 'parkette' behind our house. She wasn't so sure about being bundled up and put in the sled but as soon as I started pulling her, her eyes lit up and she loved it!

I actually kind of like the snow. It's been a long time since I've had any real snow in winter and it reminds me of all those winters growing up on the Prairies and the tons of snow we had.

Joker meets Jamberry

2010-01-08T10:46:00.006-05:00

My little Joker:

My Baby likes berries.

"Buried in berries
What a jam jamboree!"
- from Jamberry, one of her little books

Top 10 of the past 10: Beer

2010-01-04T10:19:00.004-05:00

I had originally planned on doing a few more of these lists, especially since I figured I would have some time over the holidays but after finishing my papers I found I had little inspiration to waste time! I had a couple lists written down beforehand waiting to post so there are a few more for all of your eager ears. Then it will be back to regularly scheduled programming - and with school officially starting back up today (I know! How was the break that short?) I'm sure I'll have need for a blog when I have assignments due....

Without further adieu - Top 10 Beers I've had in the past 10 years (click on the links to find out more!)

1. Deschutes Brewing - The Abyss (Russian Imperial Stout) - Released once a year from Oregon, this big stout has lots of "roasty" malt, vanilla notes from barrel aging, milk chocolate, molasses, and hints of licorice. Hands down the best I had.

2. Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery - Masala Mama (India Pale Ale) - Stopped in Minneapolis specifically for this beer when I was hauling our belongings cross-country. Smells like tropical and citrus fruits, lots of hops makes this bitter, yet a sweet caramel malt body gives balance. Like a glass of grapefruit juice - bitter and quenching. Only on tap in Minneapolis so you have to get it there!

3. Founders Brewing - Canadian Breakfast Stout (RIS) - A one-time brew (they just announced that they'll be doing a 2nd run) that I stopped for in Grand Rapids, MI when moving. Huge, thick imperial stout aged in maple syrup barrels makes this a true dessert beer. Sweet maple notes mix with vanilla and chocolate, enough roast from the malts and a hint of oatmeal and coffee to balance. Tastes like maple oatmeal with a cup of coffee - breakfast!

4. Brasserie Dieu de Ciel - L' Aphrodisiaque (Stout) - When we went to Montreal this summer Nolana let me take an afternoon off to visit this, the best Brewpub in Canada! This one is their stout made with vanilla beans and cacao. A rich, decadent dessert beer, rich chocolate and vanilla - I've had it in the bottles too and it doesn't compare to how great it was on tap.

5. Brasserie Dieu de Ciel - Peche Mortel (RIS) - Number 4 and number 5 on the list - it was a good afternoon! This is their coffee stout, tastes like someone threw a couple shots of high end espresso into your beer! If you don't like coffee, you won't like this beer. I happen to love coffee and love this beer. Highest rated beer in Canada.

6. Bear Republic Brewing - Hop Rod Rye (IPA) - A traditional citrusy IPA from California but, whereas most beer is brewed with barley, this one adds some rye to the mix and gives it a nice spicy, earthy backdrop. Very tasty!

7. Founders Brewing - Kentucky Breakfast Stout (RIS) - Same beer as the one aged in maple syrup except this one is aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels which makes it taste like bourbon (obviously), vanilla, as well as giving it a drier, earthy finish.

8. Brooklyn Brewing - Local 1 (Saison) - Spicy, dry Belgian styled beer. Lots of lemon, peppery, fruity, carbonation almost like a champagne. So satiating and perfect for summer.

9. New Glarus Brewing - Raspberry Tart (Fruit Beer) - Only made and sold in Wisconsin, this equally tart and sweet fruit beer is made with over a pound of fresh raspberries per bottle. It's almost like drinking raspberry lemonade - even Nolana loved it!

10. Moylan's Brewery - Hopsickle Imperial IPA (Double IPA) - If you think an IPA is bitter, try this one! Called a triple IPA by the brewer this is loaded with hops which makes this probably the most bitter beer I've ever had, feels like it's stripping your tongue clean of your taste buds - those Californians know how to do hops! Wickedly good.

Bus Crash

2009-12-21T11:34:00.002-05:00

This last Friday I went to Buffalo for the day with a friend. We took the discount bus (Megabus) and it was a good time. Yesterday, that same bus crashed for the 2nd time in two weeks...

Neat-o eh?!

Top 10 of the past 10: Songs

2009-12-20T15:21:00.013-05:00

What makes a good song? A lot of this lies in personal taste and in choosing this list each of these songs seem to connect with me in some sort of way. I dig songs with meaningful lyrics and some on this list mirror that. I dig songs that convey a particular emotion especially well, some of the songs on the list reflect that. I also dig songs with a groovy guitar rhythm or layered, dense instrumentation and some of the songs reflect that. Pretty hard to pick 10 songs from 10 years of music listening (my online music stats tell me I've listened to over 50,000 tracks in 3 years....) There's no rhyme or reason but here's my top 10 songs released in the past 10 years.

If you click the link you can hear the song over at Grooveshark! Except for #8 :( Sorry.

1. Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy, Jr. - Illinoise (2005)

Lyrical snippet: "He dressed up like a clown for them/ With his face paint white and red/ And on his best behavior/ In a dark room on the bed he kissed them all/ He'd kill ten thousand people/ With a sleight of his hand"

Sounds Like: Poetry, meet history. History, meet song. Song, meet greatness.

Off the award winning disc Illinoise, this track is based on the life of Chicago's 1970s serial killer John Wayne Gacy Jr. He killed a couple dozen young men/boys and buried them under the floorboards of his house. When he was discovered the neighbors were in shock because they all loved him and thought he was a swell chap because of the great block parties he would throw where he would dress up as a clown for the kids. This track is powerful in its sparse storytelling poetry detailing the serial killer's exploits but the whole song hinges on the last lines which state: "And in my best behavior/ I am really just like him/ Look beneath the floorboards/ For the secrets I have hid". The song speaks to the inherent evil of man, how we sensationalize certain crimes, and how we all have things hidden which we don't want exposed. The way he weaves the storytelling, the music, and the message is masterful and is hands down my favorite song of the decade.

2. Iron & Wine - Such Great Heights - Such Great Heights EP (2003)

Lyrical snippet: "I am thinking it's a sign/ that the freckles in our eyes are mirror images/ and when we kiss they're perfectly alligned/ And I have to speculate/ that God himself did make us into corresponding shapes/ like puzzle pieces from the clay"

Sounds Like: Heartbreakingly sparse guitar meets deep whispery vocals that hit all the right notes.

It's not even Sam Beam's (the man behind Iron & Wine) song but it's the perfect fit. It's a remake of the Postal Service song and appeared on the same disc and ended up blowing the original out of the water. It's the equivalent of Johnny Cash taking NIN's "Hurt" and owning it; Sam does the same. It has a soft, aching feel that emphasizes the beautiful (though slightly cheesy) writing. Sam has a ton of other good songs but this one just seems to be one I keep coming back to and listening to over and over again.

3. Josh Ritter - Girl in the War - The Animal Years (2006)

Lyrical snippet: "You gotta rock yourself a little harder/ Pretend the dove above is a dragon and your feet are on fire"

Sounds like: Anti-war protest song mixed with biblical and romantic imagery

What the heck is this song about? Is it about the guy who has a girl in the war who has "eyes like champagne" and who he wants back? Who are these Pete and Paul guys who are talking back and forth to each other? Who is the dove above and why does we need to pretend he's a dragon?

Can't say I am sure but I love this song! I see it as a call to action: from the beginning where the biblical "rules" are the firs to go to the call to "rock yourself a little harder" it seems to call for action rather than simple faith, and I dig that. Besides, who wants lyrics that simply tell you what the message is. Beyond the lyrics the music is simple yet elegant, it seems more like a love song than a protest chant.

4. Sufjan Stevens - You are the Blood - Dark was the Night (2009)

Lyrical snippet: "You are electricity and you're light/ You are sound itself and you are flight"

Sounds like: Pure, unadultered epicness.

I know, when I started I thought to myself that I wasn't going to put two tracks from one artist on the list but I couldn't help it. In fact, I struggled to not put more of my Sufjan favorites on the list! But this one is different from the others. First, it's new. Sufjan hasn't released a regular full-length album since Illisnoise in 2005. This song off the "multiple artists" album is the newest release from him. It's also different in that there's not many lyrics - it's mostly music.

And it's the music that brings it to this list. It's an epic 10 minutes and 14 seconds that soars and then drops, rises and then falls. It explodes in a cacophony of sound to work down to the bare piano. It mixes folk, indie pop and symphony music with a background electronica beat. Every time you listen to it something else comes out. It's brand new so it hasn't stood the test of time that the others on the list have but I'm just digging it so much right now that it had to make the list - It's brilliant.

5. U2 - Yahweh - How to Dismantle and Atomic Bomb (2004)

Lyrical snippet: "Take these hands, teach them what to carry/ Take these hands, don't make a fist/ Take this mouth so quick to criticize/ Take this mouth, give it a kiss/ Yahweh, Yahweh/ Always pain before a child is born/ Yahweh, Yahweh/ Still I'm waiting for the dawn"

Sounds like: A song all church worship teams should learn.

It's one of U2's most explicitly faith-based songs and normally I prefer a little more guesswork and artistry but, lucky for me there's that too. It's a call to action but it's also the call of a questioning soul who looks to the pain and the dark and asks 'Why?' with the knowledge that the answer is not there but will be revealed in due time - the pain before the child is born. We sang it at our past church in Victoria and I loved it because even though it's more explicit and didactic than most of what I listen to it still has nothing on your average church song!

6. Bright Eyes - Land Locked Blues - I'm Wide Awake It's Morning (2005)

Lyrical snippet: "And there's kids playing guns in the street/ And one's pointing his tree branch at me/ So I put my hands up and say/ "Enough is enough/ If you walk away I'll walk away/ (and he shot me dead)"

Sounds like: A long winded, rambling lament abou the state of the world.

I've been told you either love or hate Conor Oberst (the man behind Bright Eyes) and his slightly whining, wavering voice but I think I'm somewhere in the middle - though this song I love! It's the images that he pens that draw me. The image of kids playing and mimicking grown-ups, the image of what he calls a "televised war", playing "musical graves", etc... It's a protest song for GWB's "televised war" and a cry for some sense to made of the world. As Oberst states though, there's no sense to be made. I often feel that way and this song taps into that.

7. Wilco - Jesus, etc... - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002)

Lyrical snippet: "Tall buildings shake/ voices escape singing sad sad songs/ tuned to chords strung down your cheeks/ bitter melodies turning your world around"

Sounds like: Private musings penned at night while in a particularly introspective mood.

Another song that I don't or can't pin a particular meaning to but every time I hear it the images and words strike me. It's both sad and soft and speaks of longing to me. I can dig that. I guess you just have to hear it to understand...

8. Jeremy Fisher - Lay Down (The Ballad of Rigoberto Alpizar) - Goodbye Blue Monday (2007)

Lyrical snippet: "Let my eye be the jury and the judgement/ Let my gun be the one to set the score"

Sounds like: News report meets ballad.

Another song that tells a story, this time the one of Rigoberto Alpizar, a Costa Rican American who was shot down in Miami airport because security thought he had a bomb. Turns out he didn't. It's a bit of a protest song against the powers given to people to identify certain bodies as threats and has a more modern, practical tie-in in light of the recent taser death in the Vancouver airport. Ironic because is Jeremy Fisher lives in Vancouver and the song was released right before the Vancouver incident.

9. M. Ward - Sad, Sad Song - The Transfiguration of Vincent (2003)

Lyrical snippet: "Oh I went to the whale, I said killer whale please/ what do you do when your true love leaves?/ He said, I only have but one trick up my sleeve/ I sing [a sad song] over and over 'til she comes back to me"

Sounds like: A lilting, shuffling sad, sad song.

No real lyrical significance to this one but I love the shuffling groove that this song has. It follows a pattern as the singer asks various figures how to deal with losing his true love. It just progresses nicely, feels so sad and almost feels like a modern take on a sort of ancient chant.

10. Dave Barnes - Love in the Remains - Three then Four (2002)

Lyrical snippet: "I can't tell you how this hurts me so/ See, without you I'm half of me/ So with the same mouth I used to put you down/ I offer up this apology"

Sound like: A boy at home trying to say sorry with just his guitar and his raw emotion.

Just Dave and his guitar. Nothing else. Nothing too fancy here but I relate to the emotion, the realization that you screwed up and there's simply nothing you can say to make it right in that moment. Yet, there's love in the remains and the song ends saying "It takes two to rebuild". Yep, been there.

So that's my top ten songs released in the past 10 years. Honorable mention goes to:

Ryan Adams - Desire; Belle & Sebastian - The Blues are Still Blue; Monsters of Folk - Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.); and at least a half dozen other Sufjan songs.

Top 10 of the past 10: Moments

2009-12-16T14:53:00.004-05:00

Since it is nearing the official end of the decade (2000-2009) and since I am a bit of a geek and like compiling lists and stats (and since I still have one paper due and am looking for ways to waste time), I have decided that over the course of the next few weeks I will post some Top 10 of the Past 10 lists. It's a great way to remember and a great way to sum up what was a crazy decade for me!

So, without further adieu,
The Top 10 Best Moments of the Past 10 Years

1. My wedding day (Nov. 12, 2005) – Pretty hard to top this, especially in light of its life-changing effects. A rather brisk November day greeted us and made pictures outside a little chilling. My bride looked stunning walking down the aisle as she tried to hold it all together (she didn't). We had a small celebration with friends and family and then I got to take my new wife out for the fanciest dinner we have ever had and to the most awesome B&B we’ve ever stayed at. Awesome.

2. Daija is born (Nov. 10, 2008) – Pretty life-changing as well! I remember how nervous I was as contractions started, how calm Nolana was at home dealing with them, the late night trip to the hospital, the craziness and fatigue of labor and then the absolute overwhelming of emotion as Daija came out. Awesome.

3. I get accepted into UofT master’s program (March 2009) – After a few attempts at applying for another degree I decided I needed to go back and re-take some undergrad courses to boost my marks and experience. This was THE shot at doing what I wanted and I was pretty nervous as people kept asking if I had heard. When the letter finally came I was on Cloud Nine.

4. We arrive in Ethiopia (August 2007) – It was night, the airport was small. We were met and trundled into a pick-up which promptly dove into the night and the massively pot-holed roads. I thought for sure we were in the countryside but it was the middle of the city. A lady begged on the deserted midnight streets. We arrived at a small hotel, finding out we actually didn’t have a home yet. It was quite the start to what was the best adventure of our lives.

5. Scuba diving in Sipidan, Malaysia (July 2007) – I managed to get a one-day dive pass to this world famous dive park and it was worth it when I dropped down and was instantly surrounded by massive schools of fish coloured every shade of the rainbow, swam parallel with sharks, and had massive sea turtles sail above me. Best. Dive. Ever.

6. Christmas scooter ride and sunset (Dec. 25, 2006) – We were on the remote Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc, only a few hotels and one small village on the island. We rented a scooter to navigate the red dirt roads and try and find some deserted beaches to relax and swim at. On the way back we caught the most amazing sunset we have ever seen. I am pretty sure it will not be beat in my lifetime. It was a great way to celebrate Christmas with the woman I love.

7. Baseball in Japan + free beer + monsoon = good times (July 2006) – We had gone to Hiroshima, Japan and were staying with friends of Nolana’s mom. The wife took us to a Japanese baseball game. It was an awesome experience. Perfect humid summer evening where everything glows and the sweat runs down your back. To counter the heat, our tickets included all you could drink light Japanese lager as well as a goodie bag of Japanese snacks such as dried squid. The crowd sang and chanted and cheered. We were minor celebrities and were interviewed for the team’s website (we had our pictures on the site the next week!). And then the muggy night turned into a monsoon that flooded the field and the concourse causing mayhem. It was awesome!

8. Roadtrip to Calgary with my ‘girlfriend’ (April 2005) – Nolana and I, only having been officially dating for a few months took a road trip together to Calgary where we both had family. We loved our time together and I think that was probably one of the points that helped us realize that we had something great. We visited my grandparent’s farm and her grandmother’s grave, met cousins, and on the way back stopped at an awesome hostel in the Okanagan, staying in a converted railway car, doing a sweat/sauna, canoeing the river... Awesome.

9. Graduating with my B.A. (April 2006) – 5 years after beginning I didn’t think I had it in me to finish, I was tired of school! Somehow I did it. To be done was sweet bliss. And now I’m back in school....

10. Catamaraning and snorkelling Boracay, Phillipines (Oct. 2006) – We had made it to what was called one of the world’s best beaches. We hired a catamaran for the afternoon to take us out sailing and snorkelling. It was so beautiful and so relaxing we did the exact same thing again the next day. Bliss.

It's Just Not Christmas Without You Here

2009-12-15T16:55:00.005-05:00

This has felt like quite an odd holiday season. We are used to being without family, being the last 2 Christmases in Korea and Ethiopia but we've realized that it's just different here in Toronto.

In Ethiopia and Korea there wasn't much Christmas celebration around so you didn't feel like you were missing out. In both places we had friends who were in the same family-less state and wanted to spend Christmas with you. We didn't have Daija.

So this Christmas has felt somewhat barren and we've missed having our families close by to spend time with - like, really missed them. But we've tried to do a few things so far with Daija to make some of our own traditions and make it feel a little more like Christmas. Here they are:

Last year all Daija could do was watch as we decorated the tree. This year she got to help!

Mommy helped Daija set up Daija set up the Swedish angel chimes.

Daija helped Daddy put snowman stickers on the window.

Daija had friends bring her presents even! Our friends Rob and Julie came over and brought her a stuffed cat which she has really taken to and cuddles and sleeps with (though the wrapping was the best part of opening it!)

And Daija took time out of her busy schedule to stop and cuddle and share family time with Mommy and Daddy, which is probably one of the best parts about Christmas.

Islam and Franklin Graham

2009-12-11T11:08:00.007-05:00

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Exhale.

First off, I have to say that I have the utmost respect for Billy Graham, I perceive him to be a Christian leader who was uncompromising in his love and faith for Christ. Not only that but, despite being in the public eye, he maintained an unwavering stance of love and integrity.

As for his successor, his son Franklin, I have been mildly bemused as he takes on a post-911 stance on the US, the war in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Islam. Today that bemusement turns to amazement at his ignorance. I hate to be so harsh but in all honesty that is the only thing I can attribute his recent statements to - ignorance.

This recent interview with CNN's Campbell Brown, in the first 4 minutes pointedly pushes him to define his stance on Islam as a religion and he doesn't waver - "I find Islam to be a very violent religion."

Let me break down the video by his main points.

1.) When asked if the war in Afghanistan is a religious war, Franklin stated: it is for them, but not for us. They see us as a Christian nation, that we are all Christians, it is a religious war for them but, of course not for us.

So Americans are much more open I guess. We can distinguish between a religion and say, a country; we can see the diversity that they can't. Which is probably why after 9/11 Sikhs in turbans got beat up. It's probably why one of the explicit images of the war is the 'freeing' of Muslim women from the hijab. Of course Americans view Iraq or Afghanistan as a Muslim nation! Franklin himself, in a later answer referred to Afghanistan and Iraq (as well as Saudi Arabia) as representing Islam... so does that mean you see them as a Muslim nation? Let's not kid ourselves, this war has many aims and they are all mixed up - economics, religion, politics, culture, imperialism....

2.) "True Islam cannot be practiced in this country (USA)." Why? "You can't beat your wife, you can't murder your children if you think they committed adultery". Brown aptly questions him on this - "And that is true Islam for you?"

'True' Islam is beating your wife and killing your kids? This is the kind of sensationalist images that the American media has been feeding to the American public and Franklin picks it up and touts it as if it is true, he says "If you study Islam" you see this is true! This is the equivalent of saying that 'true' Christianity is assassinating abortion providers (which some do) and supporting Jewish extermination (which some did/do).

So how does Franklin prove that Islam is an "evil religion"?

3.) "When you see countries living under Shari'a law, trust me Campbell, girl, you don't want to live there." (I'll even pass up slamming his condenscending sexist language... alright, so maybe I just did that...)

Franklin points to Saudi Arabia and later Southern Sudan as examples of the killing and murder that goes on under the name of Islam. When Brown pushes him in saying, "Well not all Muslims practice to such extremes", Franklin glibly replies "Well, they all want to get out... but if you're Muslim you cannot change."

First, Sudan is probably the worst example he could have picked of "Islamic murder" for these reasons: The 2 million Christians he quoted murdered in Southern Sudan, most of them are 'Christian' only in location, in that by residing in the South the West perceives of them as Christian, when in reality most of them are "animist" or practising indigenous religions; secondly, they killing in the South, much like the war in Iraq or Afghanistan, is motivated by much more than religion. In fact it has way more to do with "divide-and-rule" tactics implemented under British colonialism, resources and economics, and how to get part of the international aid that is coming in.

Second, and more serious is the idea that countries under Shari'a law represent true religion. When religion and politics are mixed, the resulting ideologies can hardly be claimed to represent the true religion. Christianity has its own striking examples in Munster during the Reformation when Anabaptism when political and created a city where those who resisted were killed, the 'godless' were thrown out or killed, and polygamy was enforced because too many women seemed to be "wearing the trousers". Or look to Calvin in Geneva who hoped to create the perfect Christian city by burning heretics and creating a police state. Is that true Christianity?

Neither Saudi Arabia or Shari'a can claim to represent Islam and those who look to them as "true Islam" are those who refuse to study beyond the images that are portrayed in the Western press, images of the bomb carrying Jihadist, images of the veiled wife who gets beaten at home for wearing lipstick. This is not true Islam.

As for the "they can't change" and "all moderate Muslims want out" comments, I won't go on. As a Christian, I understand how frustrating it is to me when Christianity is mis-represented or when its more unsavoury aspects are highlighted as "true Christianity". Why should it by any different for Islam? For a Christian leader to distort, stereotype and be generally ignorant about the world about him (despite his claim that he's worked in Muslim countries for 50yrs which would have made him 7 years old when he started....), this is not the Christianity that I strive for or that I wish was represented in the media. It's not the kind of Christianity that seeks to bring love and peace.

For those who might be interested in actually doing some study into the religion of Islam I recommend an excellent introduction called "No God but God" by Reza Aslan.

(Not So) Subtle Ironies in the News

2009-12-09T14:11:00.003-05:00

A closed meeting on openness.

A Nobel peace prize winner who sends more troops to war to fight for peace.

The media and public focus on Tiger Woods and his sexual life while largely ignoring a bill in Uganda that would sentence homosexuals to life in prison or deat h - even if they don't live in Uganda.

The Ugandan bill has drawn the condemnation of a few "Left leaning" American Christian leaders and a puzzling non-response from a well-known "Right leaning" American Christian leader...

Black South Africans may have gained political equality in their country (you may have heard about this) but they still don't have economic equality with the per capita for Blacks being 32 599 rand, while the per capita for whites in SA is 135 707 rand (you won't hear about this).

Though, when I stop and think about, not much of this really comes as any big surprise.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

2009-12-07T13:46:00.002-05:00

For the first time in 162 years, this November in Toronto was snow-free. Seriously, it's been that long.

Today, the first flakes started to slowly float down and I joyously ran outside. It's especially joyous because the temperature is still a degree above zero! We've had a balmy winter (for Toronto) and are thankful for the gentle re-introduction to what real winter feels like, but now.... let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

On a side note, why I was likely so eager to run outside was the fact that I have been cocooned in my office working on final papers for what already seems like forever. It's nice to see a finished product come together (at least for some of them) but I'm ready for a break!

Career Training

2009-12-05T19:15:00.001-05:00

When I am done this master's degree I hope that my new credentials will lead to some sort of career beyond serving coffee at Starbucks or checking baggage with WestJet (though those two do seem to be some pretty swell jobs!) Just in case it doesn't work out for me, I've realized that being a parent has uniquely qualified me for a few more jobs I had never thought of.

Hair dresser

Lifeguard - I watch my child in the bath!

Quality control caller for Bell, Rogers, or any major bank - I now have the patience of a saint!

Party clown

Maid

Hopefully this master's thing works out for me!

Barley Wine

2009-11-30T15:51:00.001-05:00

As some of you may or may not know, I am a bit of a beer fiend/geek. I have a fairly extensive cellar of bottles aging, some of which are fairly rare.

This last Saturday 7 of us guys who are into beer in the same way got together, pooled together some of our collective beers and had a giant tasting within a particular style - barley wines. The average beer drinker won't know what a barley wine is so, since I am looking for ways to procrastinate on my final papers, and since I just feel like educating you all, here is a little bit on some of what we drank and a little about barley wines.

First, one of the bottles that I brought - just because it's just so darn cool looking and I was pretty proud of it.

The bottle on the right is Olde Bluehair from Big Sky Brewing in Montana. I picked it up on my trip through the States when I moved here to Toronto.

It is a barley wine which sits at 8.75% alcohol and is aged in oak bourbon barrels for at least 3 months. It is also bottle conditioned which means active yeast is added to the bottles which helps the beer evolve over time within the bottle. A quick summary of my review says, "Nice woodiness and vanilla from the barrels, very faint hints of bourbon, still a faint hop bite in the finish, raisins, plums, apricot, candied sugar, caramel, light alcohol burn in the finish as well."

It is special because it is only one of 1800 bottles ever made and each bottle is hand numbered by the brewery; this was bottle #1575.

This was one of the bottles we tried. We also had a couple verticals of particular beers there. A vertical is the same beer but each one is from a different year. Barley wines are typically higher in alcohol (8% - 14%), much like wine, and can be aged much like wine. So we had a 5yr vertical there of a British barley wine, from 1998-2002; the 1998 version was also the oldest beer I've had to date though many barley wines have been aged successfully for upwards of 20-40 years under the right conditions (cool and dark). As they age, many of the flavors (especially the hop bitterness) mellows, the flavors meld together to form a more cohesive unit, and the alcohol bite sometimes found in these high alcohol beers, subsides.

My cellar is still quite young and the oldest beer I have is a 2005 Belgian Dark Ale aged in Bordeaux wine barrels. So, while you now think I am an uber-dork, if you ever come to visit us here in Toronto (hint hint) I'll pull something out of the cellar to celebrate and you won't be worried about getting my leftover, too-old beer!

Emotions are a Funny Thing

2009-11-28T11:37:00.000-05:00

People always tell you that when you become a parent, things change. What I always took this to mean was that you have less time to yourself, your house always looks like someone picked it up and shook it, and you learn how to change a poopy diaper while talking on the phone and making dinner at the same time. What I didn't realize, is that becoming a parent would make me appreciate things differently.

There have been a couple things over the past week that have made me take notice of this change. First, was the story of the 15 month old Toronto boy who fell to his death at the airport. Second, Nolana and I watched the movie My Sister's Keeper. I found myself on the verge of tears both times as I thought of having to go through losing a child, either slowly through cancer or quickly in a fall. Normally, I would have thought to myself, "Man, that is sad" or "That sucks" and probably sloughed off a movie such this one as emotional kitsch. And while I can still recognize the cheeseyness of a movie such as the one I mentioned, there is something there that touches me as I realize how heartbroken I would be if we lost Daija.

I guess as I 'mature', I'm getting a little softer in more areas than just my gut. Emotions are a funny thing.

Run, Don't Walk

2009-11-27T11:23:00.000-05:00

5 tracks you should probably check out now. As in drop what you're doing (unless it's holding a baby) and go to iTunes now to preview (and don't pretend you're one of those people without iTunes either...)

1. Sufjan Stevens - You are the Blood - Dark Was the Night

2. Andrew Bird - Not a Robot, But a Ghost - Noble Beast

3. Fionn Regan - Hunters Map - The End of History

4. Fleet Foxes - Mykonos - Sun Giant EP

5. The Decemberists - The Bachelor and the Bride - Her Majesty, The Decemberists

Consider this my good deed for the day.

Edit: My good deed has been trumped by Matt over at Bing Dynasty who recommends Grooveshark for full song previews. I checked it out: easy to use, full downloads - go listen there!

No Way Through

2009-11-21T12:50:00.001-05:00

Palestine. Israel. Regardless of your thoughts, this video is worth watching.

Via: Africa Is a Country

4 Years

2009-11-12T13:17:00.000-05:00

4 Years ago I made what was undoubtedly the best decision of my young life: to marry that gorgeous lady in the picture above. In those 4 years we've traveled and lived in Africa and Asia, moved across Canada, and had our first little munchkin. Through everything she's been there for me and it's pretty hard to imagine that I'd be where I am now without her. It would be pretty hard for anybody to honestly argue that marriage is easy but I can undoubtedly argue from my experience that marriage, despite its difficulty, is totally worth it.

Honey, I love you more now than I did the day I married you and look forward to learning how to love you more over the next 4 years, and then the next 4, and the next four, and on. I love you!

1st Birthday!

2009-11-10T14:11:00.001-05:00

It's hard to believe that one year ago we welcomed our baby girl into the world; crying, screaming and that was just me! Now, a year later, she confidently walks from room to room, has learned a few sign language words, knows what sound a cow makes, loves being chased, and bring so much joy to our life (along with so much frustration!)

Time flies when you're having fun!

This morning we woke her up with party hats and brought her downstairs to streamers and balloons. I'm at school all day today so the festivities will continue tomorrow with gift opening and hopefully some cake (if I can convince Mom!)

Happy Birthday baby girl!

Scattered Leaves

2009-11-05T10:45:00.000-05:00

Some miscellaneous.

Fall is here and this is what it looks like from my vantage point on the 12th floor. Wish my office had a window...

I've finished my first assignment and presentation and got my feedback/grades - suffice it to say that I am pleasantly surprised at how they have been received. Brag brag brag. Now back to work.

Daija is still not eating and the pediatrician has ordered us to reduce her breast feeds in order to "encourage" her to eat. This makes for a grumpy girl. Which makes for grumpy parents.

New album out (well, out last month) from the folk super group Monsters of Folk. Made up of M. Ward, Connor Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes fame, and Jim James of My Morning Jacket this is a diverse, pleasant album. Check it out.

We are realizing our jackets, clothes, etc... from Victoria are simply not going to cut it here (and it's not even really cold yet!) Time for some shopping.

I am now officially 2/3 completed my semester - where did the time go and wow, those final papers are coming up fast!

Being the season, we've been making some pumpkin recipes. Pumpkin pie milkshakes and Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecake Turtle Bread both from a local food blogger, Closet Cooking. Next up, Pumpkin Butter and Pumpkin Pie French Toast!

Now you're up to date and I've successfully procrastinated for 10 minutes!

When God Shows Up

2009-11-02T13:25:00.000-05:00

How many times have you heard the phrase, usually after some intensely emotional church event, retreat, camp, worship night, etc..., "God showed up tonight" or "I love it when God shows up, it was awesome!"? When I hear this it grates on me. God showed up? Like a party guest, he knocked on the door, waited for you to let him in and then ate all your pretzels? Or was it more like the Aladdin genie who, with a rub of the lamp, popped out ready to give you your heart's desires? What do we mean by this?

Certainly there are times in scripture that give us some basis of this "showing up" phenomenon. There was the Holy of Holies in the temple where God permanently crashed, there was God talking to all sorts of people in the Old Testament (Moses in a burning bush, Elijah in a cave, Gideon, etc...), he arrived in tongues of fire at Pentecost. So let's not dismiss that perhaps God does indeed "show up" at times. What strikes me though about these examples, is that they are all to some extent physical manifestations of God (as long as we read the stories literally). Voices, bushes, flames - God showed up in ways that were direct, physical and validated in a sensory manner.

Is this what we mean when God shows up at the latest worship night? I hesitate to argue the point, but most likely no one saw any physical manifestations of God (unless someone spotted his outline in a grilled cheese...) The intended meaning is usually something akin to "I felt God's presence." Again, nothing wrong with this, that's a powerful feeling to be in the presence of the divine.

Yet, this statement feels to me a little juvenile, perhaps based too much on emotion. I think it feels this way to me because I believe God is everywhere. I know with every breath I take he is the sustainer, with every bud that grows that he is the creator, with every relationship built that he is the glue, with every trial faced that he is the healer. The idea behind the Pentecost was that that God left his spirit here to do his work among us, not just in prayer meetings or church services or summer camps, but in everything.

Perhaps, what really happens in settings such as church is that we are finally able to remove the multiplicity of distractions that close our eyes to God around us. In those moments we become aware of the closeness, the intimacy of our relationship. Perhaps it is not that God "shows up" but, in fact, we who "show up". The party has been going on the whole time, God has been in the house eating pretzels all the while, and finally we took time to stop, look around, knock on the door and join.

So when we say, "God showed up" it seems to me that the onus is on God to make an appearance - as if once in a blue moon he takes to the red carpet and graces us with his presence. In fact, every moment of every day he is there. The onus is on us to realize it, to see grace in the day to day, to interrogate what it is that is closing our eyes to it. Perhaps it takes a worship night to lead you to that place, maybe it's a quiet walk in a park while the leaves fall, it could be a the feeling of belonging as you tuck into turkey dinner with your family, perhaps a pint at the pub with great conversation and chicken pot pie. Whatever it is, God is there - it's up to us to see him.

Hart House Farm

2009-10-27T16:06:00.000-04:00

This last weekend I had the chance to get out of the city for a 24 hr. retreat with people from my program. As we're all from different departments and different specialties I don't often meet or run into them so it was nice to gather, meet some new people, talk shop, get into the country etc...

We went out to a university owned property north of Brampton. First day was a foggy mess but we had fun tromping through the wetness. Here are some pics.

I think the caption for this one should read something akin to - "I think there's supposed to be trees around here somewhere... we just can't seem to find them

The next morning was clearer and it was nice to get out, play some frisbee golf, etc...

Ontario is actually pretty in the fall, you just don't really notice it in the city. Often I go my house, subway, my office, subway, my house - I just don't get the chance to see much besides buildings and streets. So it was a nice escape. And then it was back to the real world and an impending assignment....

P.S. For those of you not on Facebook, I posted pictures of Daija and you can see them here.

My Education in Education

2009-10-22T10:47:00.000-04:00

A number of people have asked me what I am studying here in Toronto and when I give them the 4 word answer they stare at me rather blankly and I know I've failed to convey what it is I'm doing here. So, here's the full-meal deal of what I'm doing for those who are interested or have time to waste and so my wife can read this and know what I'm doing as well! Ha. As well, I find the more I have to explain what I am doing, the more I refine exactly what it is I'm doing!

I am enrolled in the Ontario Institute for the Study of Education (OISE) in the department of Sociology and Equity Studies in Education (SESE). Within this I am enrolled in the Comparative, International, and Development Education (CIDE) program which is a collaborative program involving all the departments in OISE.

I am taking 3 classes this semester and completely neglecting any thought on a thesis - though in all reality the research projects I am working on in these classes are part and parcel of where I want to head with that.

Foucault and Research in Education and Culture: Discourse, Power and the Subject
This course examines the writings and theories of Foucault with an eye to how they can be used to challenge current thinking in educational research and practice. Foucault was a French thinker who looked at how we view history, how discourses are created and used, and how institutions (such as schools) have been created by these discourses. For my research paper in this class I am looking at how indigenous oral traditions have been devalued by the dominant discourses of rationality and logic and how we can re-center them for use in a critical pedagogy.

Indigenous Knowledge and Decolonization: Pedagogical Implications
This course looks indigenous and marginalized forms of knowing and how we might use them for educational and global change. The idea is to look at how we validate certain forms of knowing and to challenge how, not only have we devalued forms of indigenous knowledge, but also appropriated and commodified certain values or techniques as our own. The purpose then of using indigenous knowledges is for decolonization on a variety of levels. For this research paper I am still somewhat undecided (which is not a good thing!) and am considering looking at how we might use indigenous knowing as a methodology rather than merely as a topic of study.

Spirituality and Schooling: Pedagogical Implications
This is in the same series of special topics on pedagogy as the last class and looks at how we might inegrate spirituality into the classroom and research. It looks as spirituality as a vital part of the individual's lived experiences and looks to ways that we can include that in the classroom in hopes to create an environment that engages the learner in a more holistic way. For this paper I am going to look at how in Western cultures we have created this idea or discourse of spirituality in response to the hegemony of organized religion but in the process we have individualized the concept and forgotten the collaborative/communal nature of spirituality, and in doing so limited the power of transformation.

This hopefully gives you a loose idea what in the world I'm doing here. I am working with indigenous knowledge forms and all that entails to see how we can integrate them into school systems as to reflect the lived experiences of the students, the connect their experience to the schooling process.

That said, all this is bound to change to some extent as a I wrestle it down to a thesis question and then try and grapple with the thousand aspects that need considering.

Wilco @ Massey Hall

2009-10-17T17:56:00.000-04:00

This past Thursday I had the chance to attend a concert at the venerable Massey Hall in Toronto. For those not in the know, Massey Hall was the first theater in Canada built specifically for music performances in 1894, has held and had recorded some of the greatest shows in Canadian history (Bob Dylan, Dizzie Gillespie, Gordon Lightfoot, Oscar Peterson, etc..) as I learned by browsing the plaques/posters in their lounge. It also clued into me that this is the home of the Massey Lectures, of which I am a big fan of Stephen Lewis's 2005 lecture, Race Against Time.

It's quite an impressive venue, high vaulted ceilings with a real classic feel to it.

One of the posters from the 1940's I believe talked about how Massey Hall was THE place to be seen and last year's ballgown was just not good enough!

Now it holds a more modern audience and more modern shows and I was there in my jeans to see one of my favorite groups, Wilco. If I had a list of Top 5 concerts to see they would likely be on it - and it did not disapoint. I had a sweet seat as well, center 1st balcony half way up.

There's a good write up of the show, pictures, and video here at BlogTO - livewire opening act of Liam Finn from Australia, all the favorites from Wilco who rocked out (man, when they get all 3 axes going there is some serious rockin' going on!), special guest appearance by TO native Feist to perform her duet of You & I - it lived up to my expectations.

I had read a review of Wilco's first show the night before and it mentioned something along the lines that Wilco was now "dad-rock", which slightly shocked me seeing as I don't view myself as quite that aniquated. At the show I took the time to look around and realize I was certainly in the younger half of the audience and much to my chagrin there certainly were a good number of dads there. I guess I am no teenage rocker any more, no college rocker any more, just a lover of good ol' "dad-rock"!

Russian Imperial Stout Cheesecake

2009-10-02T13:34:00.000-04:00

With Nolana gone (almost done week 1 of 3!) I took the chance to make something she wasn't all that appealed by - Russian Imperial Stout Cheesecake. Though I'm not sure why it wasn't appealing - what girl doesn't like a rich, chocolaty, cheesecake?

For those of you not in the know, Russian Imperial Stout is an old English style that was made extra strong for export to the Russian courts. It typically has rich chocolate and roasted malt characteristics. It's ultra dark and ultra big, often weighing in near the 10% alcohol mark.

I found this recipe over at BC Beer Blog and I used Green Flash's Double Stout. Normally I find Green Flash a little on the hoppier side of stouts but this had about a year of age on it and had mellowed considerably. For those in BC or Alberta, North Coast's Old Rasputin would work or Phillips The Hammer when it comes out in January, or any other Imperial Stout.

First step is degassing the beer which involved pouring the beer between 2 containers to get all the carbonation out.

Next main ingredient was the dark Belgian chocolate which was melted in a makeshift double boiler and was super tasty!

Everything was then blended into the cream cheese, and all onto the Oreo cookie crust.

Into the oven, and out comes an amazing chocolate cheesecake. All the while, the best part of cooking with beer is that there's usually leftovers!

For serving it I held back a few chips of the Belgian chocolate, melted them and drizzled it over the cheesecake and then just slivered some white chocolate on top.

It was fan-frickin-tastic! Decadent, rich chocolate flavor - can't tell there's beer in there. We paired it with Great Divide's Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout which was terrific. It's also suggested that you can garnish with a fruit and then pair it with a nice fruity lambic which would work in my opinion. If you could get your hands on bottles of Wisconsin's New Glarus Raspberry Tart or Belgian Red, those would be phenomenal with this.

After all this, I'm saving a piece for Nolana and I to share when she gets back - I'm pretty sure she'll love it.

2 Weeks Down, X to Go

2009-09-26T16:44:00.000-04:00

All my good intentions about regular blogging hit the wall called Grad School and I can tell you now, the outcome wasn't pretty.

Two weeks into my studies and more often than not I feel overwhelmed. Though there have been lots of good moments when I feel I can show my profs that I belong, etc... More so, it's really trying to settle in my own mind that I belong, that I can do work at this level, and that I can excel. It's more the peripheral stuff that's overwhelming. Research grants, papers, ethics reviews, orientations, getting office space, late Friday evening discussion groups, thesis proposals, supervisors, review boards... all this stuff that it seems I'm supposed to know about!

Though in 2 weeks I do feel I've progressed in determining my path here... which only muddles more things. Going into my degree the program was all coursework with an option for a theses and I think I'm going for that option. My meeting with my advisor went something like, "Yeah, that sounds great (after hearing my loose proposal), lots for your thesis there, don't waste time on your Masters, get it done and get into your PhD and that's where you'll really get into the research you want." PhD? Ha.

Anyways, aside from school, Nolana has left today for 3 weeks of cross the country visiting of family with Daija, leaving me to fend for myself for that time. We'll meet up for a day in Calgary in the middle for sister's wedding but, other than that, flying solo for 3 weeks. That's a long time.

Daija is growing up like crazy. First teeth are coming in, finally. She's been wanting to learn how to walk recently but no dice there yet, only a lot more spills. Heck, but who knows what she'll be doing in 3 months time.

I put pictures of her up here on Facebook, you can check them out even if you're not a Facebooker.

I'll check back in over the next few weeks so you all know I'm still alive.

The Big City

2009-09-11T09:51:00.000-04:00

My Dad was in town yesterday, just a brief visit before some meetings he had in the city. So I took the chance to get out with him, do a few things in the big city. Always lots to do here.

First stop was the Royal Ontario Museum downtown. Cool building with the Michael Lee Chin Crystal as the front. Our stop was with a purpose, we were here to see the famous Dead Sea Scrolls which are on exhibit until January (in case you're planning on popping by). It was neat to see in person what is perhaps the greatest archaeological discovery of the past decade. Most interesting was how they were found, the lengths that have been gone through to preserve them, the sect that hid them in the caves, etc... Being an archaeologist would be cool if you could discover something as cool as this, say, every month. Otherwise it seems kinda dusty and kinda less fun.

Then we went off to the CBC building downtown to sit in on a pre-taping of The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos.

He's doing a bunch of pre-tapings because the TIFF is in town and so are all the actors (I haven't seen George Clooney or Drew Barrymore yet but supposedly they're here in town).

So we got to see interviews with 3 guests: the experimentally funny A.J. Jacobs (seriously, check him out - ridiculous stuff such as a month of doing whatever his wife told him, a month of saying whatever his wife told him to do, a month of saying whatever came to his mind, a year of living biblically (literally), outsourcing his life to India, etc..); actress Isabella Rossellini (who I can't say I knew); and author Douglas Coupland (whose book we got given free!).
(commercial break with Coupland)

It was a neat experience to see how it all works ("We're going to shoot that ending again") and, heck, it was free to do! Always lots to do in the big city.

Starving Children in Africa

2009-09-09T21:03:00.000-04:00

There’s something within me that breaks every time I see a picture a starving African child. It’s normal, I guess, to feel guilt, shame, shock, horror, etc... when I see such pictures. That’s the typical reaction among us ‘decent’ White folk.

This feeling, though, has to be reconciled with the other feelings I feel when I typically see these pictures - disgust and anger towards people or organizations who exploit the stereotype or the image, those who use it as a means to an end.

I’m truly not sure about how to process this reaction and synthesize it all into a coherent response. The images depict an actuality – people die from starvation. There is little doubt of this. And yet there is something more than the picture, something sinister. Images carry meaning beyond what is explicitly presented. Susanne Langer (an art philosopher) said, “A symbol is understood when we conceive the idea it presents.” Much like the symbol of a cross, for example, can mean many things to different people (faith, Christianity, salvation, oppression, death, life), the image of a starving child is more than ‘the truth’. It has come to represent many things: the collective guilt/responsibility/shame of the affluent Western nations (I feel sorry for them), the wealth of the West (you see pictures of people who are obviously not you), the pride/elevation of the West (we have the resources to help), etc...

Not only does the image no longer simply represent starving children around the world (perhaps it once did, meanings change with time), but it has been co-opted by people and agencies as a tool of manipulation and, sometimes, even deceit. In the book, “Road to Hell” a former aid worker documents how the NGO Save the Children markets child sponsorship to the masses, uses false advertising, and spends a large percentage of their budget figuring out how to do it. It’s wilful manipulation.

They know the power of the image, it’s not accidental misuse. A quote I just took off of the World Vision website calls for donations: “It would be shameful to wait to see images of starving children stalked by vultures before taking action.”

We can even be threatened with more images, it appears. Whatever the case, it works. Money is spent on research to show this, ad agencies or directors are hired, million dollar campaigns initiated. I can accept that not all agencies are perhaps as wilful in their manipulation but it is manipulation nonetheless.

Now, I understand the argument that goes something like this: We all “know” that children are starving and yet we go about our Western lives, purchasing $5 lattes, $50 meals, $150 shoes, etc... The pictures don’t give us any new information but rather bring home what it is truly like to be starving, or at least what it truly looks like to be starving.

And the truly sad thing in all of this, beyond the purposeful exploitation of emotions, beyond our Western-centric approach, is that there’s truth in this argument. Not in the fact that it is inherently true – I don’t think seeing pictures makes us any more aware of what it’s really like to starve or be around starving people (much like a 30hr famine doesn’t really show you how starving people feel). It’s true in that it does prompt response. The whole grand scheme of exploitation depends on you and me, on our feeling guilty enough to send money, to respond in the right way. A recent quote from Geez magazine has an NGO advertising agent say, “Call it McMarketing; it’s all about supply and demand. You want it I need you. I package it. You buy it. I send you another picture for your fridge that reminds you how good you are. I’m happy to oblige....just remember, I’m only the messenger, and I know how you like it.” Images of starving African children work. Studies show it. People have jobs as advertising directors (and salaries paid by your donations) to manipulate images and words in such a way to provoke a response. Not an intellectual response but an emotional one.

And this is the final thing that frustrates me. The only appropriate response to such an advertising campaign, we are told, is to donate money. $40 feeds a child for a month, $100 sends him to school, $50 buys a sheep. Donate now! This approach ignores why the children (and the rest of the people!) are starving. It ignores the globalization of trade, the subsidies paid to Western farmers to ensure we can buy sugar, bread, coffee, etc... for cheaper prices, the increased costs of production because of the introduction of Western fertilizers and pesticides. It ignores the exploitation of the disadvantaged. It ignores the system in favour of treating the symptoms. For however much Bono campaigns for debt relief, for however much organizations raise for disaster relief or fresh water (and it’s not to say that these aren’t good things) – for however much we donate – it ignores the bigger issues.

Not only that, our donations seem to exempt us from having to confront these issues; it assuages our guilt enough to help us continue with what we were doing before. We need to stop blindly submitting to the propaganda (harsh word, I know) and actively question the systems that we are a part of, the system of domination and exploitation, the systems that lead to people starving. But this system of images and donations stupefies us, silences us, and renders us immobile. Our donations are so insignificant in the scheme of things. Governments give more than what is privately donated through NGOs. Remittances (relatives sending money back home) bring more money into Third World nations than Western governments. Trade brings in even more than this. This is my frustration: the images are part of a system that satisfies us with cheap, easy answers without solving anything.

These issues are huge; the books written about them could fill a library and a blog post can’t even begin to summarize them (even if it is a long one like this one!). An image is never just the picture, never just the revealing of a moment of time, never just what you see. It can’t reveal everything (it’s limiting) and yet it has endless possibilities through symbolization. It’s powerful.

I was at church the other night and we were shown a video. The background narrative was a sermon on taking action, on going into the nations. The images, every single one of them, were of African children. It carefully placed images of starving children at the right times (to make a point about how bad things were) and juxtaposed them with pictures of happy, smiling African children (to make a point about how good things could be).

People starve the world over. Gypsies in East Europe. Elderly in Latin America. Mothers in Africa. Children in North Korea. And yet, they are not shown. They don’t carry the same weight, the same meaning, as African children. We all (and please note, I certainly include myself in this) accept this barrage of images as the norm, accepting guilt and pity as the best we can do. The system continues on. Pictures flood the TV. Every week more mailings arrive with pleas for aid. The pictures are like currency, you can bank on it. What are we going to do?

Tooth Terrorist

2009-09-06T09:55:00.000-04:00

Every child grows up learning about the magical tooth fairy who takes your teeth away and, in their place, leaves such magical things as quarters, candy (to help you lose the rest of your teeth!), etc... When you lose your first tooth you excitedly and gently place the bloody mess on the bed, gently position the pillow over it, lay your head down (imagining you can feel the tooth lying there underneath your head) and try and stay awake long enough to see the tooth fairy, slowly drifting off into fairy dreams. When you wake up the next morning, within seconds you are diving under the pillow to collect your booty.

What you don't learn as a child is that the tooth fairy has an evil step-sister called the Tooth Terrorist. Her job is the opposite one of the fairy: she brings teeth to little children all over the world. She also bring weeping, wailing and the gnashing of teeth (mostly to parents). She turns sweet little cherubs into raging, war-waging, bomb-making little terrorists in the process. She's not a very nice apparition.

At the tender age of 26 I have learned about the evil step-sister and am passing along the knowledge to you. Forgive the possible incoherency, it's early and I've already been up for hours with my very own cherub-turned-terrorist.

Rapid Fire

2009-08-30T08:19:00.000-04:00

Ummm, so I pretty much took the summer off of blogging and didn't tell you in advance. My bad. But after some not so subtle hints from my delightful sister I have returned. The task just seemed too monumental, there's so much that's happened in the past month and a half - so this post will be all the things you've missed, rapid fire, point blank.

- In July we went to Afrofest here in Toronto, 2 days of great African music in the park, delicious African food, late nights, tons of fun. We loved the vibe, we'll definately be back next year!

- We also went to Montreal for 5 days in July. Loved the city, spent lots of time wandering around the Old Town, hiked Mont Royale (we made it!), found some great places to eat, spent some time at an African music festival there (wasn't nearly as good as Afrofest!), and enjoyed our first family vacation. Took the train up from Toronto, barely escaped getting stuck due to a Via Rail strike. You can see pictures here.

- Daija has learned to crawl. She moves fearlessly around now, conquering the house...except for the newly installed baby gates, baby locks, baby booby-traps, etc...

- We bought a BBQ. Man, I love grilling, nothing beats it. Haven't done anything crazy on it yet (though I did grill my first corn, Dad) but just getting my legs back.

- Daija has learned to climb stairs. We looked over one day and she was 2 stairs up! Now she can conquer the whole flight and loves doing it just for fun. Unfortunately, the corresponding down skill has not developed yet... You can see pictures of her here.

- Nolana has finally gotten started on some of her scrapbooking that she has been wanting to do for, oh, since we got married.

- I have been spending 4-8 hours a day for the past month plus, reading and getting ready for classes. I get nervous sometimes, anxious others, excited on occasion; I feel humbled, proud, scared, interested, like I finally am studying something worthwhile! It's been a rollercoaster... I feel like I understand females better because of it!

- Daija loves giving wet slobbery kisses. Equal parts gross and endearing.

- At the beginning of the summer we got free passes to the Royal Ontario Museum and to Casa Loma... we still haven't used them

- School starts in 2 weeks.

- We had a week of ridiculous hot, humid weather. Highs of 40, lows of 32. No A/C. Regretting that decision.... Though now it's back to a much more reasonable temp. Almost fall-ish.

And that is the quick, nitty gritty news flash of how our summer went. We're adjusting to Toronto, our place is feeling a bit more like home (though I'm sure Nolana will argue not really!), meeting a few people. I'll be back to blogging more regularly. Keep checking up here, hope I didn't lose anyone over the summer!

What Matters More?

2009-07-10T18:18:00.000-04:00

Love or being straight?

Warning: This post might be slightly offensive to certain people. Proceed with caution.

There are few Christian artists who I support these days (and by few I mean one) and that one artist is Derek Webb, formerly of the band Caedmon's call. His first album created a stir with the song "Wedding Dress" and the lyrics,

"i am a whore i do confess
but i put you on just like a wedding dress
and i run down the aisle
i’m a prodigal with no way home
but i put you on just like a ring of gold
and i run down the aisle to you

so could you love this bastard child
though i don’t trust you to provide
with one hand in a pot of gold
and with the other in your side
i am so easily satisfied
by the call of lovers less wild
that i would take a little cash
over your very flesh and blood"

The "naughty" words in the song got the album pulled from a number of sellers despite the message's clarity and honesty.

With future releases he kept at it with the messages but kept the albums toned down language wise. Until now.

Derek has just released the new album "Stockholm Syndrome" on his website. Well, the explicit version of the album. His record label refused to distribute it without some changes so a "clean" version will release in fall minus the song, "What Matters More". I promptly went and bought the version off of Derek's site.

Here's the lyrics to "What Matters More":

"You say you always treat people like you like to be
I guess you love being hated for your sexuality
You love when people put words in your mouth
'Bout what you believe, make you sound like a freak

'Cause if you really believe what you say you believe
You wouldn't be so damn reckless with the words you speak
Wouldn't silently conceal when the liars speak
Denyin' all the dyin' of the remedy

Tell me, brother, what matters more to you?
Tell me, sister, what matters more to you?

If I can tell what's in your heart by what comes out of your mouth
Then it sure looks to me like being straight is all it's about
It looks like being hated for all the wrong things
Like chasin' the wind while the pendulum swings

'Cause we can talk and debate until we're blue in the face
About the language and tradition that he's comin' to save
Meanwhile we sit just like we don't give a shit
About 50,000 people who are dyin' today

Tell me, brother, what matters more to you?
Tell me, sister, what matters more to you? "

And a link to hear it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5pBXY2AkeY

I find it telling that the album is named after a confusion syndrome, where people don't know where their true feelings should lie, aligning themselves with those that hurt them.

As for the song, I can see why the label thought it a little controversial and yet love it that there is someone like Derek bringing issues to the table, issues that no one else in Christian arts would dare to do. He uses his medium to add to the dialogue. I'm not going to discuss my stance on homosexuality because that's not what Derek's doing either. He's not advocating for homosexuality but for an increased love for everybody by Christians. That's a message that is dead on Christ-center.

As for the language, I'm pretty sure that you and I and every Christian artist out there has said worse so why judge? Love matters more.

Jazz in the Park

2009-07-02T14:43:00.000-04:00

Last night we celebrated Canada Day by going to check out Jazz in the Park, a weekly free performance in a park not too far from us. This first week was a little Indo-Jazz as we learned about the tabla drums of Northern India. Pretty funky sounds.

It was a nice cool evening and Daija enjoyed the tunes. I think we'll be back to check it out on a weekly basis as they focus on different styles of Jazz. Because it was put on by a local business association it's not affected by the strike.

As we were about to leave I spotted a small commotion caused by the arrival of local MP Jack Layton. I was tempted to join the crowd and shake his hand, pull him aside for a quick word, etc... but what would I say? "I voted for you!" sounds kind of lame, "But I don't think you'd make a great Prime Minister" sounds perhaps a little too harsh... every time I've seen him though he comes across as very down-to-earth.

On the topic of parks, we went for an evening walk in the ravine right next to us and it's quite a nice walking/bike path down there (aside from the slight sewer smell) that can take you meandering through the city right into the heart.

We're slowly getting out and exploring our new city and all it has to offer.

Strike Out

2009-07-01T10:05:00.001-04:00

This picture is but a small glimpse at what Toronto looks like these days. Garbage piles up on the streets. Parks, rinks, and baseball diamonds have been requisitioned as temporary garbage dumping sites and bags pile ten high as they fill the rink. As you pass certain alleys or dumpsters you smell the sweet, putrid aroma or decomposing food scraps. Welcome to the Centre of the Universe.

While the strike doesn't affect us as strongly as it does others in the city (being part of an apartment management company we have private contractors for our garbage), there are many other aspects of the strike. We found where the nearest swimming pool was to take Daija only to have it closed the next day due to the strike. Daija has been having some trouble eating so we called the public health line only to be told to call back - don't we know there is a strike happening? Today, I have time to write a blog because all Canada Day festivites have been cancelled. Daycares are closes, summer camps cancelled, parks neglected, etc...

Normally, I withhold my minor frustrations with unions because I know their historical importance in fighting for rights I now enjoy. While I argue that they have lost their way and have pervertyed their original goals, I can still see the spirit is there. Unfortunately, this strike seems to have turned all union supporters to the other side. I think it would be hard to find a soul in Toronto (outside of the union) who feels this is a reasonable strike.

Comments on CBC's message boards read something like this: "SHAME...SHAME...SHAME...
..Nothing but organized extortion", "disband the union, contract privately....it's that simple
DO NOT HOLD THE TAXPAYING MAJORITY HOSTAGE", "This is absurd, unions are becoming more and more like cartels holding the public hostage".... and on and on. And this is from a normally far-left audience.

The main quibbles in this dispute seem to be over the ability to bank sick days and cash them in, a perk the union "earned" last contract dispute. The city argues that in this economic climate they simply can't afford some of these bonuses any more.

To this I say: Fire the striking workers; pull a Ronald Reagan. In a time when the private sector is cutting jobs and costs how can the public sector be unaffected? Be happy you get to keep your job! You're striking and making the people suffer because you want to bank sick days? You've got to be kidding me. These guys start at $20 an hour, have great benefits without much training/education - and you want to bank sick days? This has to be the most ill-timed, poorly thought out strike to date. There is zero public support and for once the majority is telling the city to take a hard line with the strikers and I hope they do.

The union gambled, chose a strike date around the summer and Canada hoping to add extra pressure to the city, and has now struck out. It's time for them to gracefully bend and hope that, when their contract comes back up in however many years time, they play their cards better. It's either that or privatization. Job or no job.

Moving is Never Boring

2009-06-27T16:37:00.000-04:00

We've survived the heat. Didn't think we were going to when we woke up the next morning and at 9:00 am the Humidex was reading 38 degrees already! But that afternoon all the humidity brought a thunder/rain storm that cleared the air and has brought temps back to a reasonable 25-30ish. Feels great.

Our little girl is making some serious progress on the moving front too. She has been able to get up on her hands and knees and rock back and forth - crawling is coming soon! She also has started moving like crazy even in her sleep, resulting in some odd contortions.

I've been able to meet some great "beer guys" here and have been treated to some amazing goodies that they've been able to stockpile. Last week the highlight was this beer, The Abyss from Deschutes in Oregon.

Rated currently #4 in the world on Beer Advocate. Difficult to find (re: limited release). Silky smooth with a viscous body. Lots of roasting malts and dark chocolate - just insanely good.

Not only that but I've been able to get some great bottles for my cellar so when the peeps come visit something special can come out. Now if that's not incentive to visit us in Toronto, I don't know what is!

Lastly, and perhaps least boring of all, was this afternoon. We were out working in the tragic mess that is our back yard and we found these little gems hiding in between the fence slats near the house.

The last owner's security system? Neighborhood boys stockpiling for gang wars? Last owner was an accomplished knife-thrower who misplaced a couple? Guess we'll never know...

Extreme Heat Alert

2009-06-24T14:11:00.001-04:00

Toronto has issued it's first extreme heat alert of the summer and the CBC website tells me that, with the Humidex, it is now 34.7 degrees. I am now telling you that it is friggin' warm here. Luckily, our house is mostly shaded or we would be toast (literally) without A/C.

To top it off, the city is on strike and places such as swimming pools, splash pads, garbage pick-up, etc... aren't happening.

Welcome to summer in Toronto.

Baby in the Big City

2009-06-21T19:19:00.001-04:00

First update from the recent Torontonian-ites (that's what they call themselves, I swear!). Nolana and Daija arrived last Friday night, late, and I rented a car to go pick them up (cheaper than a taxi). I carried them both across the threshold of our new abode with all their luggage in the other hand. The past week has been a crazy one unpacking, moving furniture around and finding places for everything - all compounded by the fact that we are now moving with a little one who demands attention.

But we're adjusting. The place is now livable for the most part, lots still to do though. We've walked around our area and have been scoping out the good places to shop, the Canadian Tire, and finding out that we can buy injera (Ethiopian flat-bread) at the corner store! Nothing's perfect but after a week here we're definitely a week ahead of where we were last week - which is pretty amazing.

Here's some random shots of our babbling, bouncy baby and facts about the big city we'll be calling home for the next while.

Extra boxes are great for playing in... though somehow Daija still manages to get all tangled up!

We had one day without water (some sort of maintenance - kind of felt like Ethiopia!) so Daija had her bath in a mixing bowl.

In Toronto they have recently just made it law that all retailers have to charge at least 5cents for all plastic bags - a great idea to promote cloth bags! But then, instead of recyclable jugs for milk you buy it in bags (which aren't recyclable)!

Reminds me of days gone by.

Today was Father's Day so we walked down Danforth through Greektown and down through a couple big parks; about 3 hours of walking in the 30 degree heat. We're a little nuts. But we got this shot of our new city - "The city within a park" as all the park signs say.

Can We Choose Family?

2009-06-12T00:35:00.001-04:00

At some point, I am sure, we have all heard the expression, “You don’t choose your family.” It’s meant to imply that you might as well learn to live with them, learn to love them, and regardless of how it all works out – they’re still your family.

Often we refer to the Church as a body or a family but somehow we rarely seem to apply this idea of not choosing your family. As Nolana and I move to a new city we hope to enter into a new faith community and I am struck with the dilemma of how to “choose” a church for our family. Often people look for good programs, welcoming people, lively worship, a dynamic speaker, convenient location or times, etc, etc.... And I am struck by the way we often shop around to choose a church that seems to fit us. This isn’t how I got stuck with my family!

I think most people find, that like with family, when you become active and involved in a church – when you give of yourself sacrificially – this is when you feel connected and rewarded by community. Before I left I had a good chat about this with a friend whose challenged heart I admire and we discussed in great length what it is that church should be about. Often, when we look for a church, we look for something that fits us and that fits what we define as church. We want to worship with like-minded people who like drums or calls to worship or liturgical prayers. We want what is safe and what we know.

So as we go about figuring out where to call home I am struck by the question: should we just show up one Sunday morning to our local place of worship and, as long as they’re grounded in biblical truth, call it home, choose to make it family, and then stick with it regardless of worship styles or if they have lots of little kids for Daija to play with?

This seems to be along the lines of family. And yet, there seems to be things that I value that I want in a faith community: missional focus, community and social justice minded, built in the scripture, etc... I wonder if some of these are merely selfish desires and if I should be working as an advocate for these things in whatever family I land in? Sometimes it’s hard to separate our wishes, even when they sometimes seem so spiritual, from those of the Father.

Pictures taken from the hilarious site: http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com

Eastern Wanderings 2009 - Day 6 and beyond: Arrival

2009-06-10T21:35:00.000-04:00

I traversed the last couple hundred miles from Grand Rapids to Toronto. No problems crossing the border again and upon arrival I broke out into "Oh Canada".

Coming into Toronto I caught the tail end of rush hour(s) traffic but it wasn't so bad. Until the part where I missed my exit and ended up in the heart of downtown Toronto with my 24ft truck. Drove right past the Hockey Hall of Fame! Tight streets down there but I made it out and found our place. Spent the night on the floor because there was no way I was opening the door of the moving truck that night!

Next day I started unloading in the afternoon and a couple guys came and helped in the evening. Both I had never met and both, despite this fact, generously offered to come help. You might remember the post a while back where I told you about the beers I traded; well, Rob was that guy and he came out to help move and Troy from Great Canadian Pubs and Beers was the other - great guys. We got all our stuff in the house and it all looked in pretty decent shape (minus the things that had fallen out!). After we had the chance to share some great beers I had brought back.

So everything is in the house, Nolana and Daija fly out to join me Friday night and then the fun of unpacking and making a house a home happens! Can't wait to see my girls again!

Eastern Wanderings 2009 - Day 4-5: Driving Truck Isn't Much Fun Any More

2009-06-09T10:49:00.000-04:00

Vital Statistics:

Miles: 648.9m, Minneapolis, MN to Grand Rapids, Michigan

States Traversed: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan

Hours I spent driving around Minneapolis lost: 1.5 (I don’t like Minneapolis very much anymore)

Time of day I passed through Chicago: 3am-4am Sunday morning (there was still busy traffic!)

Deer road kill I have seen before today: 1 (complete with someone’s bumper lying next to it)

Deer road kill I have seen in the past 36 hours: 17 (the Eastern states are a bad place to be a deer. I’m actually getting a little tired of seeing deer bits and massive blood smears all over the road. I’m starting to wonder if perhaps there are not some weird ritual killings going on...)

Today I relaxed in my hotel a bit and left Minneapolis around 11. Well, I left my hotel at around 11 but didn’t leave Minneapolis until a few hours later. There was construction on all the exits that I was planning on taking to the highway and I got majorly lost, so lost that at one point I ended up driving through a cemetery (picture my U-Haul trucking through your last funeral procession) Stopped to ask directions and I’m pretty sure the guy had no idea what he was talking about even though I asked him clearly, “Are you sure?” Finally, after about an hour of following bad leads, I stopped at a dumpy hotel and asked the guy there, despite the sign outside that said No Direction Given. He was friendly and showed me on his spider-web cracked iPhone the map and how to get back to the highway. Kind stranger again.

Made it through into Illinois and stopped at the info centre, planning to stay the night in the truck there. I nestled in with my Subway sandwich and watched Slumdog Millionare on my laptop in the cab of my truck. Then I fell asleep for a few hours and woke up at 2:30 ready to take on Chicago. I wanted to go through Chi Town when it wouldn’t be busy, this seemed perfect. In fact, while it wasn’t Chicago busy (the traffic was still moving at the speed limit) there was a fair amount of traffic for 4am on a Sunday morning. The 6 lanes each way can be daunting but it’s done now.

Along the way there were ton’s of fireworks billboards, firework outlet stores and firework warehouses (these Americans like their fireworks!). Some of them even advertised “Buy 1, Get 6 free!” That’s a deal. I’m actually surprised more crimes aren’t committed with fireworks (Give me your cash or I’ll put this Roman Candle through your stomach. What, that doesn’t scare you? I’ve got 6 more where that came from)

On the other side of Chicago I stopped and slept for another hour, then spent some time writing up the blogs and uploading the pictures at a picnic table at a rest stop. Feeling pretty exhausted so there’s going to be some rest time in Grand Rapids. Sitting, eating, sleeping, and driving in the truck seems a little old right now. Have to say, not as much of a fun adventure as I saw it playing out in my mind. More along the lines of mind-numbing driving, crappy eating habits, crappy cups of truck-stop coffee, and not enough sleep. I must be getting too old for these kinds of shenanigans.

Eastern Wanderings 2009 - Day 3: #1 IPA in the World

2009-06-08T21:22:00.001-04:00

Vital Statistics:

Miles: 526.3 Dickinson, ND to Minneapolis, Minnesota

States traversed: North Dakota, Minnesota

Pro-life billboards I’ve seen: 5

Pro-choice billboards I’ve seen: 0

Hours I spent walking around Minneapolis lost: 2

I slept in a bit (if you call 7:30 sleeping in and hit the road again. The target was Minneapolis where Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery and their #1 I.P.A. in the world awaited me. The drive was quite uneventful (which I have learned is a blessing, not an assumption) aside from the billboards. I guess the life side is more into propaganda but I have to say some of it wasn’t very subtle (“Abortion? You’re parents had you didn’t they?” – the logic there astounds me. Maybe my parents abused me too [they didn’t for the record] should I do that as well?) I arrived to my hotel which overlooked the city and the Metrodome (where the Twins play). And just to the right of that was my patio with my beer. I had dinner and the IPA and it was quite fantastic, brilliant, refreshing, and quest worthy.

After dinner I decided to take a walk and seek out a beer store that I had seen online carried a beer I was looking for. I had the general location, the address and the name of the place and I started off. Google maps said 35 min walk but thought I saw a shortcut. Lesson of this story – listen to Google maps. I ended up wandering through a neat historic park call Mill Ruins Park right on the Mississippi River, the University of Minnesota, Dinkytown, etc... that area has a cool vibe. After getting directions from a couple of people I made it – only to realize it was not a beer store but a beer bar and I had looked it up wrong. Phooey. So I walked back. 2hrs later I has blisters on my feet, was sweating like a pig, and had some crazy swelling/water retention thing going on in my hands.

At least I got some exercise.

Eastern Wanderings 2009 - Day 2: Settling Back In

2009-06-07T23:08:00.001-04:00

Vital Statistics:

Miles: 725.8, Just inside the Montana border to Dickinson, North Dakota

States traversed: Montana, North Dakota (Montana’s a big state!)

Sign that most made me want to stop: The hotel that advertised “jumping pillows” – sounds interesting!

American custom that needs to be explained to me: The old fellow driving his pickup truck alone with a hand-written “Just married” sign on an 8 ½ x 12 sheet of paper. I’m thinking “Just Married” means something different down here...?

Buffaloes seen: 1

After the eventful Day 1, Day 2 seemed like a breeze! The roads were straight (though Montana had some crappy roads in spots), the sun was shining, and all the stuff stayed in the truck!

By just after noon I had made it to Billings where I had hoped to stop at a small brewpub, that supposedly made a mean peppered Elk burger, for lunch. As I followed my directions I realized I was in the middle of downtown Billings (which really is not too crazy) and was immersed in narrow one way streets, which with a 24ft. Moving truck is not all that fun. After almost getting hit (how do you not see a massive U-Haul truck!) I tried to extricate myself minus the elk burger and got mildly lost. Once I found my way back to the highway, instead of elk burger, it was Arby’s and orange Powerade for me. Though it did allow me to stop at a neat rest stop where I climbed to the top of the bluff and ate lunch.

I also made a quick stop at Teddy Roosevelt National Park in the badlands of North Dakota (where I saw the buffalo) before arriving in Dickinson. I got a cheap hotel that supposedly had wi-fi (if you call 20min of spotty reception wi-fi) and relaxed with some Moose Drool.

Eastward Wanderings 2009 - Day 1: Mountains and Valleys (of the Shadow of Death)

2009-06-07T20:37:00.000-04:00

Vital Statistics:

Miles: 580.5, Victoria to Just inside the Montana border

States/Provinces Traversed: British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, Montana

Times I ran out of gas within sight of a gas station: 1

Times our belongings were strewn across the road: 1

Times I cursed the day I thought driving our stuff across the country was a good idea: 70

Creepy trucker who followed me to the bathroom twice: 1

Times I’m joking about all of this: 0

As you can see, my first day on the road was a rather eventful one – and not in the good sense of the word. The day dawned sunny and I started out early to catch the 7am ferry off of the island. I just barely caught it which I took as a good omen. I said goodbye to the beauty of the BC oceans and took off for the U.S. border. I had been a touch worried about crossing over but after a 30 min wait and a quick inspection of the cab they waved me through (thanks to me having a bunch of extra paperwork with me [lease, acceptance letter], Thanks Matty B!)

I cruised down the interstate, waded through Seattle traffic and then disaster struck. I had been keeping an eye on the fuel gauge, not too sure how quickly I would go through a tank. It was reading ¼ full so I thought I would wait until I was through Seattle to stop and fill up. Just as I was exiting Seattle all of a sudden the needle dropped to empty and the light came on. I thought, I guess that means I should pull over for gas. I waited until the next exit, signalled, started going up the ramp and then.... nothing. I ran out of gas on the exit ramp, with the Shell in sight. No jokes. Crappy fuel gauge. Someone stopped and went to the gas station to get a jerry can so I didn’t have to leave the truck. Now I have a new jerry can. And now, as soon as the gauge reads half I stop at the next exit to fill up.

With that behind me and being a little shaken I decided to take a pit stop at beautiful Snoqualmie Falls. I stopped for lunch in town and then proceeded a mile over to go see the actual falls. They were quite stunning but then, as I was leaving the parking lot, disaster struck again (curse you Disaster and your big stick!). Somehow the back door of the truck had come loose and was open, unbeknown to me. As I turned out of the lot, the door opened and stuff came tumbling out. No joking again. The padlock was still locked on but somehow the door opened. I turned back to the dismal sight of a pile of our stuff laying there and a gaggle of strangers standing in wide-eyed shock. Thanks to the immense kindness of Connie and her 2 kids and the 3 guys in their SUV, I got most of it back in the truck (tough because everything had shifted) and only a few things were damaged beyond salvaging. Their kindness was probably the only thing that kept me from losing it and sitting beside the road and wailing.

As I resumed my trip I began to prepare for my impending death. I figured that with my day, that was the next step. The immense number of blown-out tire shreds on the side of the road seemed to suggest to me that would be my way to go: blown tire. I also at a number of stoplights ran back to check the door because I thought I heard something (I was a little spooked) But nothing so calamitous befell and I made it to my goal of Spokane. I tried to sleep in the truck but it was a freezing cold night (and my blanket was locked away in the back – there was no way I was opening that door again!) and there was the creepy trucker dude, so I drove on through the night into Montana and spent a few fitful hours in the truck there.

All in all, it was a trying day - To say the least. But it gave me an appreciation for kind strangers and for a God who made sure I was safe through it all. As for the stuff, it’s just stuff – right, honey?!

Eastward Wanderings 2009 - Day 0: Goodbyes

2009-06-02T13:21:00.000-04:00

Well, the day is nigh, the truck is packed, we say goodbye to our dear house and car today, and tomorrow, bright and early, I drive out on the beginning of a new chapter.

Yesterday was busy. Thanks to the totally rock-star-amazingness of the people who came and helped us move, not only did we get it all done, but we managed to fit everything we needed into the truck (and let me tell you, that was no minuscule feat!) while somehow not having room for that bookcase of Nolana's I've been trying to get rid of for 3 moves now ; Andy and JL, Steph, John, and especially you Mr. Chris Dawes, I applaud you.

Today we are finishing up some errands, cleaning the house, etc... while we stay at Nolana's parent's place. Then tomorrow I take off for a journey that will have to scratch my traveling itch for the time being. Nolana and Daija are spending some time with her parents and then flying out to meet me on the other side. I'm planning on keeping the blog updated with pictures as much as possible as I go along (come on free wi-fi!).

Lastly, some good-byes. I really am terrible at them even though I've had to do so many through-out my lifetime. Maybe that's why. I feel I need to keep some distance, not let myself get down by recognizing that many amazing people are slipping through another chapter of my life. And yet, I know that I will miss them and want them to know that I truly appreciate their friendships and the time they've invested into it. So, instead of leaving it at that awkward hug and promises to keep in touch -

For all of those who I've had the pleasure of sharing good food, good beer, good conversation, and good company with (you know who you are), I'll miss you. Thanks for the good times, the fellowship, the community, and for the encouragement; there will always be a room in Toronto for you. I know people don't tell you this enough - but I appreciate you.

That said, onwards!

Media/Advertising

2009-05-31T10:25:00.000-04:00

The popular media often catches a lot of flak for their shameless self-promotion, their focus on consumerism, their use of sex to sell, their ignorance of justice issues, etc...

Which is probably why I truly love to see a great ad campaign, one that bucks the trends and uses images to send a truly powerful message. The medium is not the fault, simply the message.

So I pass on to you an interesting ad campaign via one of my regular reads, Africa is a Country.

You can check it out here and the blog is titled, "History is written by the winners."

Lil' Peanut

2009-05-27T23:22:00.000-04:00

Life has been crazy busy for the Ritskes'. I finished up my job with Elections BC this week and in 5 short days we pack the moving truck and start the trek out East. I am looking forward to it as much as one can look forward to nearly a week of driving a rather large truck and will most definitely keep the blog up to date as possible as I make my Breweries of America tour!

But before that even, in 3 short days my sister becomes a married woman! Should be a fun weekend.

Just thought I would also update you all on our little peanut as well, who's growing up so fast. She's sitting and rolling around, babbling away and in general just a real busy body! Some last pictures of her from Beatiful British Columbia.

Laughs with Grandpa.

Opening presents from Auntie Janis.

Tuckered after a long day.

Our Lil' peanut.

Helping us move.

The World Needs Women

2009-05-26T16:04:00.001-04:00

This picture is from an ad for Health Care services and makes me chuckle whenever I see it.

But it's true as well, not only from a beauty or reproductive point of view.

In Africa and other developing countries there has been a push to target aid initiatives towards women because, not only are they often marginalized in their locations, but also they are much more adept and using the aid to assist their family and sustain development.

I guess the world does need women! (Really not much of a shocker from my perspective.)

Darfur vs. Congo

2009-05-15T16:08:00.000-04:00

An excellent comparison article over at FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting) over the level of coverage of crisis' in Africa. You've all heard about Darfur - but do you know what's happening in the Congo? The article is here. And an excerpt:

“… The most recent survey [by the International Red Cross] estimated that 45,000 [Congolese] people are dying each month from conflict-related causes (primarily hunger and disease), nearly the same shocking rate as during the war itself. And with the recent flare-up of violence in Congo’s volatile east, things don’t seem to be getting any better. To put the death rate in perspective, at the peak of the Darfur crisis, the conflict-related death rate there was less than a third of the Congo’s, and by 2005 it had dropped to less than 4,000 per month. The United Nations has estimated some 300,000 may have died in total as a result of the years of conflict in Darfur; the same number die from the Congo conflict every six and a half months. And yet, in the New York Times, which covers the Congo more than most U.S. outlets, Darfur has consistently received more coverage since it emerged as a media story in 2004 (Extra!, 1–2/08). The Times gave Darfur nearly four times the coverage it gave the Congo in 2006, while Congolese were dying of war-related causes at nearly 10 times the rate of those in Darfur.”

It's interesting to wonder at why some things get the coverage they do. I guess they just catch our attention and once they do the media wants to feed us what we know about. I remember thinking the same thing when the pirates in Somalia caught the world media attention. They've been hijacking boats for years and then all of a sudden, for some reason it became a big story that everyone was talking about. The media is a monster that we feed.

There's no reason to not know what's going on in the world around us. If you want to know more about what's happened in the Congo, an good book to check out is Howard French's A Continent for the Taking which focuses a fair bit on his experience in the Congo in the late 90s.

Zinger

2009-05-10T15:36:00.000-04:00

Who said politicians can't be witty.

From CNN: "Obama even took on former Vice President Dick Cheney, who wasn't in attendance: "He is very busy working on his memoirs, tentatively titled, "How to Shoot Friends and Interrogate People."

Zoom, zoom, zoom.

My Brush With Death (x2)

2009-05-09T10:08:00.000-04:00

It's been an eventful week. Full of events.

First I get rear-ended while driving to get my wife a cookie. She has this thing for Portofino cookies that they sell at the Red Barn Market. Mocha almond or something. So, on my way home from work I take a detour to pick one up for her. The sleek black Mercedes in front of me stops to take a left, I stop to allow it to take a left and the little Honda behind me failed to see us stopping. Crap. Nothing too bad, I'm fine minus some shaking up, some scratches and dings and a trunk that doesn't like to close. She was a real nice gal and called ICBC first and claimed responsibility and it's another thing to add to the to-do list before we move: take car in to get fixed.

Then I had my own real, live brush with the famous Swine Flu. No jokes. Okay, it kinda seems like a joke when you hear about it. Supposedly a school in Victoria had a dozen or so kids come down with swine flu. Just so happens that the mother of one of said kids was working next door in the office I had been in and out of a handful of times the past 2 days. She gets sent home, we all get put on Neon Purple alert (it's the new alert color for flus), she gets tested.... and she doesn't have it. Whoooooosh. Exhale. And then this makes the CBC news. The kids didn't really have it either. Talk about being close to near death!

But I am okay, despite the many mishaps. Busy busy but not too busy to head out to a local pub with a friend and taste the coolest named beer to ever come out of BC (Crannog's Backhand of God Stout). And to possibly cheer for the Canucks to lose. Just can't bear to see the enemy triumph. I know it makes me a smaller man but I've come to grips with that. Go Blackhawks!

Of Pearly Whites and Swine

2009-04-30T23:52:00.000-04:00

The WHO, for 2004, summarized that in Africa:

405,000 died from TB
182,000 died from measles
69,000 died from tetanus
1,417,000 died from respiratory infections
27,000 died from iron-deficiency

And yet, somehow, we are in a state of emergency over a flu that has killed no one in Canada yet. The lesson is learned: all you have to do is threaten a white, affluent North American and every precaution will be taken. Threaten to kill thousands of Africans and the world sits on their hands.

Life Updates

2009-04-26T15:27:00.000-04:00

A few updates from the Ritskes'

The move is still on, despite a few breakdowns and stressful moments. We haven't found a place to live yet but we've had a few possibilities and one we're hoping on. Once that falls into place one of the major stresses is gone.

Daija has had a ton of firsts. First time swimming. First swing ride. First time eating solid food. First time we almost sold her to gypsies.

She's been teething and just generally not a happy camper. The day consists of 45min-hour of fighting to get her to eat and sleep, 30min-45 min of sleep, 30 min of happiness post-sleep and then an undetermined period of time of grumpiness until we start the cycle again. It's fun.

I've put pictures of Daija up on Facebook, you can check them out here

On other news, Nolana and the gospel choir she was in had a rocking final concert last week. It was a lot of fun and she did great; Daija and I are very proud of her!! Some pictures.

Aman Iman (Water is Life)

2009-04-25T15:25:00.000-04:00

Just sharing a short documentary on one of the most impressive African groups around, Tinariwen. They are made of Touareg nomads and have melded an electric American blues style with traditional Touareg rhythms. They bring real life events to their music: rebellions, human rights issues, etc... and still sing in the traditional Touareg language. They are certainly not mainstream but, for those who are into great music, they hold some serious cred (Chris Martin of Coldplay acknowledged their influence on Viva la Vida). Their most recent release is Aman Iman (Water is Life) and is a great album.

The clip is 17 minutes long, but well worth the watch. Enjoy.

Olympic View

2009-04-20T22:04:00.000-04:00

I would love to rant about the injustice of the upcoming Olympics in Vancouver but rather, I am choosing to take this time to marvel and appreciate.

I have recently started working for Elections BC in one of their district offices. It requires me to drive each day up the Saanich peninsula, which is really only like a 25 min. drive. On the way home the traffic is always heavy (especially today with the accident spread across all three roads) and it takes longer. But, there are a couple stretches of the road where you crest a small hill and are able to look out over the city of Victoria with the majestic Olympic mountains spread over the city (see photo). The sky is blue, the mountains spectacular, the air warm - and it is in these brief moments that I am thankful; when I remember how lucky I am for the many blessings in my life and the beauty that is all around me.