I'm on vacation this week, home with the dogs. Mark will be off next week so this week I've been puttering around the house and doing some reading.
Just got back from a walk with the dogs and thought I'd put a movie on while I sorted out some papers in my office. "Eat Pray Love" was available on demand. Started to watch it, got about 9 minutes in before I had to shut it off. Admittedly, I have not read the book. I'm not big on things that have "pray" or "prayer" in the title (unless it's A Prayer for Owen Meany). I find that if I can't care about the main character in a movie after 5 minutes, I'm probably not going to stick with it. I gave this one 9 so that's four extra minutes. Generous of me huh?
Partly I blame documentaries. We've been watching a lot of them lately and after a spell of them, I find it tough to go back to movies. I may just have to put some music on while I sort and shred and declutter my mess of an office.
Hard to figure out how I will accomplish that without disturbing the dogs who are sleeping under my chair right now. They love a walk but they crash hard after it's over. I may just let them sleep for a little while before I dig in. Looks like it's going to rain today anyway, so I'm in no rush to get through it all.
Found this a few weeks ago. Forgot how awesome Fernwood Tonight had been. The added bonus of a young Tom Waits is extra fun.
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Dirty Tricks in Kingston
Our federal election is on Monday. This election, our riding is actually in play and as a result, I have voted (we voted at the advance polls last weekend) strategically rather than the way I would have preferred to.
Things are getting REALLY nasty in our riding and I received the following email tonight about just how nasty it's getting. If you're in the Kingston & the Islands riding, or have friends and relatives here, please share this with them.
Received this tonight via email:
I am writing to warn you about a new and especially dirty political tactic that has already been used to target other Liberal candidates in various parts of Canada and is now being used against the Ted Hsu campaign here in Kingston. Residents are receiving rude phone calls, often in the middle of the night, by people fraudulently claiming to be working for our campaign. This is a classic Republican-style dirty trick that is obviously intended to anger those who would otherwise vote for Ted in the hope of turning them against him and/or discouraging them from voting. People who have been woken up by these calls report that they apparently originate from a call centre in the 701 area code in North Dakota, effectively putting them out of reach of Canadian law.
Kingston police have been notified, Elections Canada is already investigating previous incidents and our campaign co-manager, John Clements, has issued a media release. Since Monday is election day, however, it is likely that too few people will hear the truth about this outrage in time to offset the damage that has already been inflicted, and will likely continue over the weekend.
This is where you can make the difference. By forwarding this message to as many people as possible in your circle, you can enable them to direct their outrage against the perpetrators rather than Ted should they be or have been woken up in the middle of the night by such a call. It is clear that someone is paying this American call centre good money to disrupt Liberal campaigns here in Canada, money that Canadian law would require be declared as an election expense (but I would wager never will). In the absence of hard evidence, I won’t make unfounded accusations but also can’t ignore the obvious fact that it is the Liberal candidates in close Liberal-Conservative races who are being targeted in this way. You can draw your own conclusions.
As Liberals, we believe in democracy and respecting voters. We attack what we see as bad and unfounded policies, not people Sadly, our Conservative opponents have emulated their Republican mentors by importing nasty, divisive and very personal attack policies into Canada, which hurts our country, divides us and distracts from the very real challenges that we should be facing together. The Alicia Gordon campaign’s large attack ad in last Saturday’s Whig is a classic case in point in that it grossly distorts Ted’s positions by compiling out-of-context snippets from serious articles he wrote many years ago in an obvious attempt to mislead enough voters to serve their ends. Such cynical and manipulative tactics have thoroughly poisoned US politics, but are still being used because they fool enough of the people enough of the time. The only way to stop them becoming the norm here in Canada is for enough of us to reject those who employ them in the one way that really counts ... at the ballot box.
This is likely to be a close race and, sadly, the tactics discussed above could make a difference. The reality is that by the end of the day on Monday, either Ted Hsu or Alicia Gordon will be our next Member of Parliament. Now is the time to redouble your efforts to ensure that it’s Ted by getting everyone you know out to vote if they haven’t already done so, and by impressing on them the critical importance of voting for Ted.
Best regards,
Ron Hartling
President, Kingston and the Islands Federal Liberal Association
PS. If you receive one of these calls and have sufficient patience at whatever hour it occurs, I would appreciate your leading the caller on in conversation to elicit as much information as you can about who is calling, what they are representing themselves as and why, take copious notes and send those to me. By compiling more evidence, perhaps we can contribute to putting a stop to them.
Things are getting REALLY nasty in our riding and I received the following email tonight about just how nasty it's getting. If you're in the Kingston & the Islands riding, or have friends and relatives here, please share this with them.
Received this tonight via email:
I am writing to warn you about a new and especially dirty political tactic that has already been used to target other Liberal candidates in various parts of Canada and is now being used against the Ted Hsu campaign here in Kingston. Residents are receiving rude phone calls, often in the middle of the night, by people fraudulently claiming to be working for our campaign. This is a classic Republican-style dirty trick that is obviously intended to anger those who would otherwise vote for Ted in the hope of turning them against him and/or discouraging them from voting. People who have been woken up by these calls report that they apparently originate from a call centre in the 701 area code in North Dakota, effectively putting them out of reach of Canadian law.
Kingston police have been notified, Elections Canada is already investigating previous incidents and our campaign co-manager, John Clements, has issued a media release. Since Monday is election day, however, it is likely that too few people will hear the truth about this outrage in time to offset the damage that has already been inflicted, and will likely continue over the weekend.
This is where you can make the difference. By forwarding this message to as many people as possible in your circle, you can enable them to direct their outrage against the perpetrators rather than Ted should they be or have been woken up in the middle of the night by such a call. It is clear that someone is paying this American call centre good money to disrupt Liberal campaigns here in Canada, money that Canadian law would require be declared as an election expense (but I would wager never will). In the absence of hard evidence, I won’t make unfounded accusations but also can’t ignore the obvious fact that it is the Liberal candidates in close Liberal-Conservative races who are being targeted in this way. You can draw your own conclusions.
As Liberals, we believe in democracy and respecting voters. We attack what we see as bad and unfounded policies, not people Sadly, our Conservative opponents have emulated their Republican mentors by importing nasty, divisive and very personal attack policies into Canada, which hurts our country, divides us and distracts from the very real challenges that we should be facing together. The Alicia Gordon campaign’s large attack ad in last Saturday’s Whig is a classic case in point in that it grossly distorts Ted’s positions by compiling out-of-context snippets from serious articles he wrote many years ago in an obvious attempt to mislead enough voters to serve their ends. Such cynical and manipulative tactics have thoroughly poisoned US politics, but are still being used because they fool enough of the people enough of the time. The only way to stop them becoming the norm here in Canada is for enough of us to reject those who employ them in the one way that really counts ... at the ballot box.
This is likely to be a close race and, sadly, the tactics discussed above could make a difference. The reality is that by the end of the day on Monday, either Ted Hsu or Alicia Gordon will be our next Member of Parliament. Now is the time to redouble your efforts to ensure that it’s Ted by getting everyone you know out to vote if they haven’t already done so, and by impressing on them the critical importance of voting for Ted.
Best regards,
Ron Hartling
President, Kingston and the Islands Federal Liberal Association
PS. If you receive one of these calls and have sufficient patience at whatever hour it occurs, I would appreciate your leading the caller on in conversation to elicit as much information as you can about who is calling, what they are representing themselves as and why, take copious notes and send those to me. By compiling more evidence, perhaps we can contribute to putting a stop to them.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
straighter than narrow
This past weekend, I got a text from my brother telling me that he was watching a Harry Nilsson documentary on Netflix. In short order, I found "Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)?" and we started to watch.
It was so good, a really lovely tribute to a completely under-appreciated artist. I was introduced to Harry Nilsson as a very little girl. We lived in a bungalow on Murray Place in Amherstview and shared our front porch with a very cool young couple named Mike and Jan. Mike was British and probably a bit of a hippy (this was the very early 1970's) and he introduced me to "The Point." Instantly, I fell in love with the song "Me and my Arrow" and would hum it for days. Much like the Beatles, Harry Nilsson was definitely a big part of the soundtrack of my early childhood.
Watching the movie, hearing all of those old wonderful songs again, made me realize just how big a part it was. I don't think any kid who grew up in the 1970's got out alive without singing about putting the "Lime in the Coconut" The current crew of little kids should probably listen to more Harry, he was a brilliant guy who was taken from us far too young.
It was so good, a really lovely tribute to a completely under-appreciated artist. I was introduced to Harry Nilsson as a very little girl. We lived in a bungalow on Murray Place in Amherstview and shared our front porch with a very cool young couple named Mike and Jan. Mike was British and probably a bit of a hippy (this was the very early 1970's) and he introduced me to "The Point." Instantly, I fell in love with the song "Me and my Arrow" and would hum it for days. Much like the Beatles, Harry Nilsson was definitely a big part of the soundtrack of my early childhood.
Watching the movie, hearing all of those old wonderful songs again, made me realize just how big a part it was. I don't think any kid who grew up in the 1970's got out alive without singing about putting the "Lime in the Coconut" The current crew of little kids should probably listen to more Harry, he was a brilliant guy who was taken from us far too young.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
rest in peace Mr Rafferty
I meant to post this yesterday when I first heard about the death of Gerry Rafferty but the day got away from me before I could do it.
The song "Baker Street" always brings a particulary sweet childhood memory back to me whenever I hear it. I recall going on an errand with my dad in our 1974 Dodge Dart. I think we had to go Canadian Tire, the long-gone one down on Rideau Street. I was probably 10 or 11, it was either spring or summertime and I waited in the car while dad ran into the store. On this particular trip, he'd let me pick the radio station (which was a huge deal to me at the time) and he left the radio on for me while he was in the store. While he was gone, I remember both "Baker Street" playing on the radio and "Reminiscing" by the Little River Band. For whatever reason, hearing "Baker Street" always triggers something in my head and I'm back on Rideau Street, happily sitting in the Dodge Dart, waiting for my dad.
I was saddened to hear about Gerry Rafferty's death and about his struggles with alcohol. Thanks to you Mr Rafferty, for the music and the memories.
The song "Baker Street" always brings a particulary sweet childhood memory back to me whenever I hear it. I recall going on an errand with my dad in our 1974 Dodge Dart. I think we had to go Canadian Tire, the long-gone one down on Rideau Street. I was probably 10 or 11, it was either spring or summertime and I waited in the car while dad ran into the store. On this particular trip, he'd let me pick the radio station (which was a huge deal to me at the time) and he left the radio on for me while he was in the store. While he was gone, I remember both "Baker Street" playing on the radio and "Reminiscing" by the Little River Band. For whatever reason, hearing "Baker Street" always triggers something in my head and I'm back on Rideau Street, happily sitting in the Dodge Dart, waiting for my dad.
I was saddened to hear about Gerry Rafferty's death and about his struggles with alcohol. Thanks to you Mr Rafferty, for the music and the memories.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Do you think they meant to say hungry man?
I still haven't finished my post about the Roger shows, I likely will get it done sometime but am not sure when.
Procrastination seems to be my middle name these days. I had many great plans and long to do lists to get through this weekend. The plans went by the wayside. I spent the weekend doing my normal weekend things, errands, laundry, minimal housework, much playing with the dogs. Overall, it was a great weekend. As far as my mental to do list, it was a miserable failure.
I'm okay with that though. To do lists can wait, playing with the dogs cannot. The puppy playing is even more of a priority when there is an extra dog in the house. We're looking after the beautiful Bella again this year for our wonderful artist friends who are at a big art show and sale for 2 weeks. Bella is a doll and she gets along well with our guys. The first couple of days are always a little weird. Sam is fine but Gracie is a jealous little thing, does not like having another girl dog around. Gracie really likes being the only "good girl" in the house and who can blame her!?
Part of my puttering this weekend was to include massive reorganization of my office. We bought some furniture (small pieces) at IKEA last weekend during a quick trip to Ottawa. The purchases have me thinking about how to make the most of my office space here at home. When I get my act together, I'll have a permanent spot for my sewing machine. It'll be so much easier (I keep telling myself) to do mending and stuff when it's set up full time.
The only thing I accomplished from my post-IKEA list was to wash the new set of purple sheets I bought and put them on our bed. They look lovely and I'm sure will feel good tonight when we get to sleep on them for the first time. They are a really dark purple. White dog fur will likely stand out really well against them, I have no doubt.
I must say, I have no complaints about getting less done than I'd hoped to because you just can't complain when three dogs are sleeping on the floor around you. With all of that cuteness to experience, complaining is just downright dumb.
Procrastination seems to be my middle name these days. I had many great plans and long to do lists to get through this weekend. The plans went by the wayside. I spent the weekend doing my normal weekend things, errands, laundry, minimal housework, much playing with the dogs. Overall, it was a great weekend. As far as my mental to do list, it was a miserable failure.
I'm okay with that though. To do lists can wait, playing with the dogs cannot. The puppy playing is even more of a priority when there is an extra dog in the house. We're looking after the beautiful Bella again this year for our wonderful artist friends who are at a big art show and sale for 2 weeks. Bella is a doll and she gets along well with our guys. The first couple of days are always a little weird. Sam is fine but Gracie is a jealous little thing, does not like having another girl dog around. Gracie really likes being the only "good girl" in the house and who can blame her!?
Part of my puttering this weekend was to include massive reorganization of my office. We bought some furniture (small pieces) at IKEA last weekend during a quick trip to Ottawa. The purchases have me thinking about how to make the most of my office space here at home. When I get my act together, I'll have a permanent spot for my sewing machine. It'll be so much easier (I keep telling myself) to do mending and stuff when it's set up full time.
The only thing I accomplished from my post-IKEA list was to wash the new set of purple sheets I bought and put them on our bed. They look lovely and I'm sure will feel good tonight when we get to sleep on them for the first time. They are a really dark purple. White dog fur will likely stand out really well against them, I have no doubt.
I must say, I have no complaints about getting less done than I'd hoped to because you just can't complain when three dogs are sleeping on the floor around you. With all of that cuteness to experience, complaining is just downright dumb.
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