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Friday, May 30, 2008
Mother F@&M^#!
I learned something interesting today.
Seems there are some people out there (not saying who) who have made an important life decision upon meeting me.
Me, of all people.
They've decided against having children.
After meeting ME.
Seriously. They actually said: "No. It was after meeting her."
Jed tried to make me feel better by saying I've really done the world a public service by influencing this particular decision, but I'm still a little raw. Do I give motherhood a bad name?
Thursday, May 29, 2008
What yesterday taught me
The universe is a joker. It's a little like that kid you always ran into in high school as you were running to fourth-period Earth Science. Remember him? He was the one carrying not a single book, and yet he'd always manage to step right into your path. You tried to avoid him but you'd end up sidestepping as he eased into the same collision course again.
He'd smile a satanic grin just before saying: "Shall we dance?"
Eventually you'd end up spilling the leaning tower of school books you balanced in your arms anyway. You'd hear his laughter dissappear down the hall as you picked up your things. Alone.
He is the Universe conspiring against you. You hate him.
But underneath all false starts and bad vibes, there's still no denying that jackass of a universe has a secret crush on you.
Perhaps yesterday the universe was just trying to tell me something: "The light at 8 p.m. is just so much better the light at 8 a.m. anyway."
Thanks universe. Now how about tinkering a little with that Check Engine light?
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
It slices, it dices, it juliennes ... but it can't turn off my Check Engine light
It's been busy, busy, busy here at the house of toyland.
We went to a party on Sunday for which we were to bring a sidedish, and for which I impulse purchased a Zyliss folding mandolin while we were buying produce at the grocery store (so, as it turns out, I could more easily make mass quantities of tasteless au gratin potatoes AND slice a little skin off my left thumb.
Good times.
Monday -- because I have this amazing device that drastically reduces prep time for thinly sliced root vegetables -- I made a cucumber salad for our family picnic outing. But since Jed has decided he only likes sweet things made of chocolate, and informed me the sugared/vinegar dressing really didn't do much for him, I suggested he hold the slices firmly on his ass ... and stop talking to me.
Good times.
After we cleaned up and
dragged took the kids on a lovely hike through the woods, he dropped me off at the auto repair shop where the mechanic had finally figured out why the Check Engine light was in constant party mode on my dashboard. Last year around this time the same mechanic fixed something, turned off the light, slapped an inspected sticker on the windshield, I paid him, drove away and two hours later the damn light was back on.
Being the
lazy person I am I chose to ignore it for the next twelve months.
This time the mechanic pin-pointed a rusted out valve in the gas tank, fixed it, changed the oil and slapped on a new inspection sticker.
Finally. Good to go. Whew.
So I absconded with my recently injected, inspected, detected car (using my extra set of keys) and left a note saying I'd gladly pay him Tuesday.
Tuesday was its own disaster waiting to happen.
Everyone had the holiday weekend hangover, so we were already slow on the get-up-and-go. I was further delayed because after dropping off the kids at the babysitter's house I had to go back home and return the breast milk -- that I'd taken out but forgotten to bring to the baby sitter's when I'd dropped off the kids -- to the freezer.
Since I was already late decided I might as well:
1. Pay the mechanic for fixing my car. Dropped off a check.
2. Take the dog to the vet despite Jed saying he'd do it -- but never did even though the vet is two minutes from our house and he works near home and I work 45 minutes away and take the kids to the babysitter for a lovely two and a half hour commute each day -- but I'm not bitter. The dog needs surgery to remove a tumor on her leg. Shite. Scheduled that.
So so late now, might as well stop at the apple farm and buy some donuts for the people at work who are probably already picking up my slack.
Get back into the car and see the flashing lights of police cruisers ahead on the highway. Oh man, they're checking inspections (which I just had, hello ... mechanic and $375 worth of work to be inspectable) but the registration expired and still tentatively hanging on the windshild because I haven't yet peeled it off and replaced it with the one in the envelope that is stuffed in my bag. Have to go back and get Jed's car because I am NOT paying another fine for non-affixed registration thankyouverymuch.
Take a left out of that driveway and go back home. Run up the stairs to switch car keys, grab my gear from my car and transfer it to his, turn on the ignition and head for the highway.
Get into work, only to find out the jedster can't pick up the kids. Grrrrrrrrrreat! Never thought I'd get here now I have to hurry up and leave.
Of course, there I was wishing I could scrub that day right off the face of the calendar, when THIS day rears it's ugly head. Woke up to find that I'd forgotten to put the milk I'd pumped into the refrigerator. Dumped it down the sink. No shampoo left. Annabel's deciding she's too tired to get up. Drag her out of bed. Silas is throwing food at the dog, who is taking it an burying it in the couch. And Oh-look-at-the-time. Already running late.
While Jed gets Annabel to eat her cereal, I take the boy out on the porch and take a few (ok ...more than a few) pictures of him in his cute hand-me-down yellow jacket from the baby days of Annabel.
Got milk. Got lunches. Getting going. This day is going to be better.
We get to the sitter's house with not moment to spare. I make the transfer and off they go toward preschool and the rest of their day.
I'm still sitting there in the driveway, just trying to collect my wits, when I reach for the camera. I just want to take a quick peek at the boy in his yellow jacket before I hit the road again.
Damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn damn DAMN!
And that's when it happened, folks, I kid you not. ...
The Check Engine light, as if on cue, blinked back on.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
The other woman
She loves her brother. Sometimes a little too much.
Sometimes we have to exile her to her room for a little while so she can do a little reflecting on pushing him with her feet (until he falls).
"I was just trying to tickle him."
Sometimes we have to break up their hugs (before she squeezes the last breath from his little body) ...
"I was just trying to kiss him."
All this loving comes with lots of admonitions:
Please don't hold him back. Please don't take ALL his toys. Please don't try and pick him up. Please don't crawl on top of him. Please stop yelling at him. Please don't pull on his clothes. Please stop grabbing at him. ...
"I was just wanting to play with him!."
I've tried explaining to her that he won't be little for long. One day he may even be taller and bigger than she is. She doesn't believe me.
She puts growing older and growing bigger in the same category. ...
"How old are you going to be on your next birthday? ... I bet when that birthday comes you won't even be able to fit in your car!"
No. She doesn't believe me that he could ever be bigger than she is since he will never be older.
She can't imagine (the way I can) that her brother may some day wrestle her to the ground and hold a droplet of spittle an inch from her nose before she screams for mercy and he sucks it back into his mouth like a strand of spaghetti.
All she knows is that when he pulls her hair or scratches her arm, instead of reminding her that he's a baby we are now telling him to be gentle.
She beams whenever he is told to be easy on his sister.
With all these little talks about how it's going to be as he gets more and more mobile -- more and more independent and interested in finding out what makes things work -- you'd think that I'd have been preparing myself for the end of his existance being so mommy-centric.
You'd think it wouldn't have come as a complete shock to me when I awoke this morning to the scratchy nails of the son clawing over my face to flop down in the arms of his sister.
I couldn't help but smile when he settled right down in and started snoring again while she shifted a little but never woke up.
There's never been any doubt in my mind that she loves her brother. Now there's no doubt he loves her right back.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Trying to play my cards right
Jed and I are tripping over ourselves trying to witness our second child's firsts.
Last weekend, my hulking husband scrambled to his feet after playing on the kitchen floor with his son and roughly three thousand plastic containers and lids.
"He took his first steps."
Without even looking past the countertop, where the boy is hidden from view, I tell him "No. He didn't. What he's doing is called 'crusing.'"
"Well, I know what I saw, and this kid took a step."
"No. He didn't."
"Yes. He did!"
"No. He didn't."
"Yes. He did!"
"No. He didn't."
"Yes. He did!"
"Ok, this is getting us nowhere. I appreciate that you think Silas has taken a step, and that you want to be the first to witness this event, but I assure you he has not, in fact, started walking."
If I remain calm and collected, say my piece and turn back to what I was doing, I win. This, in poker terms, would be what they call a bluff.
Really, it's not fair that I get to witness all the firsts. I realize that. It's not fair that milestones in my babies lives don't actually happen unless I am there to witness them.
That old conundrum, "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it; does it make a sound?" Well replace that old hunk of wood, root system and leaves with a chattering, wobbly boy baby, who has whole 'nother existence while his mommy's at work, and one can unequivocally say: "Nope. Not a sound."
Daycare providers all know that firsts happen first at home (even if they don't). They know that any telling of a first happening elsewhere will result in the one of the following responses:
"You're fired."
"Oh, I forgot to mention, he started walking yesterday at 4:30 in the morning while I was trying to change his diaper and figure out that world peace thing."
A wordless response might also result, wherein good ol' delusional mom turns into a puddle of heaving, sobbing Jell-O right before the caregiver's eyes.
Most daycare providers understand that we working moms can be
an irrational a fragile set, so they wait until the mom comes in the next day and announces the kid's new skill.
No matter what game you're playing, this is known as a brilliant strategy. And a strategy that should be noted as being separate and apart from the ones we, as parents, are employing to ensure we triumph in the name game race ...
ME: "Who am I? MAMA. I'm MAMA."
HIM: "Hey Buddy, can you say DADA? Go ahead, say 'dada'."
ME: "Mama?"
HIM: "Dada!"
ME: "Mama?"
HIM: "Dada!"
ME: "Mama?"
HIM: "Dada?"
ME: "Mama?"
HIM: "Dada?"
CHAMP: "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"
ITTYBIT: "I think he said 'Annabel'."
And that, dear friends, is what's called a trump.
** Yes, and for the record, the boyo took two steps last evening into his father's arms ... in my presence. He also says mama, dada and dog ... but never when we ask.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Who's on first?
Jacob: Have you ever been to Subway?
Annabel: I don't think so ... but I have been to a train station.
Jacob: NO! Not a train station. Subway is a place you get food.
Annabel: Well, I got a popsicle at the train station.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Because I am your MAUTHER!!!
Lately we've created a place in our house, which, if it were orbiting, lightyears away from an early Star Wars set, would best be described as fun-sucking void where no sounds of glee can be heard.
It's next to the refrigerator, between the kitchen and dinning room.
And I am the gatekeeper.
Now as gatekeeper, I have standards to uphold.
Whenever there is even the hint of an uplifted lilt in a tiny voice over the steam of peas or the froth of milk, I stand there, arms crossed, breathing with my loudest ujjayi breath, lording over the proceedings.
"THERE WILL BE NO MIRTH IN THIS HOUSE," I bellow. "I HAVE DECREED IT and I. AM. YOUR. MAAAAUUUUUTHER. LUUUUUUKE."
And the giggles just bubble over the edge of the dinner table, popping each other as they multiply.
Even Silas thinks Darth Vader is funny.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
She's not a follower
ITTYBIT: Papa and I went to the sheep farm today. Well, actually, we went with Elias and Mike. Mike drove. He told Elias to hold my hand but he put his hand in his pocket. I said he sometimes does that. It's ok. I don't mind.
The farm was really cool though. They had sheep and lambs and lots of things. The sheep have tags in their ears with their names on it; only they have numbers for names, which I think is pretty weird. They also get hooked up to machines and they milk them. They get a lot of milk. And then they make it into cheese and yogurt. I didn't like the yogurt though. Nobody did. The cheese was pretty good, though. I did like that. ... We had lots of snack back at school. We had grapes and honey dews, and the sheep cheese and crackers ... But it was funny. Elias didn't eat any snack ... not a bit.
MAMA: Well, what about the farm? Was there anything else?
ITTYBIT: Oh. Yeah. The farm. ... it was pretty great. Papa really had a good time. He even bought some blue cheese. He's going to leave it in our refrigerator. They showed us the cheese. It was in a thing and the blue cheese was at the top and the white cheese was at the bottom.
MAMA: Did you see any sheep getting sheared?
ITTYBIT: No. Wait. What does that mean? Sherrrrr?
MAMA: When sheep get their fur trimmed it's called shearing.
ITTYBIT: No. No. We didn't see that. But I did ask the farmer why that had a big fan in the barn.
MAMA: Well. What did he say?
ITTYBIT: 'You ask really good questions.'
MAMA: But what did he say the fan was for?
ITTYBIT: Oh, he said it just keeps the workers cool.
Monday, May 19, 2008
One month from today you will be a year old.
A. Year. Old.
Right this minute - exactly eleven months into your first year - you have two teeth (bottom), you are learning the joy of clapping and you still cry when a roomful of people (or even just one) sing 'Happy Birthday.' You make the sounds for "mama," and "dada," and "daw" (we think that's doggy). You've begun cruising around the furniture. You are standing up in the middle of the room, unassisted. You are crawling at sonic speed. You are also a thumb and forefinger (only one inch apart) from sleeping through the night.
You are getting so big.
Oh, but you are still such a sweet baby. Even if you poke me in the eyes, or claw at my mouth, or mash food into my nose.
Your sweet, crooked grin is still evidence that you have no ill intent. You are just finding out by poking around.
Some people (your amah) think you are just like me. Your appetite has been more along the lines of non-food stuffs, and you quietly go about your business without much fanfare. Visitors sometimes marvel at your calm demeanor.
I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "If he were my baby I'd forget all about him. It's like he's not here."
You are content to sit back and watch.
You can easily amuse yourself with rolling cars and wooden blocks.
You have found the shangrila that is your sister's room.
You can spend long periods of time putting smallish toys in plastic bottles.
You are even starting to learn that you must turn around before going down the two little steps between the diningroom and our bedrooms.
You are content. And we are content with you.
Until you splash in the dog bowl.
Or grab ceramic mugs off the table.
Or play with the toilet or in the tub or with the recycling.
Or fling food to the floor.
Or get screaming mad over not being allowed to play with sharp objects.
But even on the rare occasions when you DO get yourself into a little trouble; you're fairly low key.
Like last week when you discovered the fun little compartment in the VCR. It's perfect for sticking your fingers into. ... only when you do they don't come out. The more you pull the tighter it gets. The first time it happened you were afraid.
The kind of afraid that seemed to say: I may never get my hand back ever again. And I need these things to eat with. ... HHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEELLLLPPPP MMMMEEEEE!!!!!!
But that was about a dozen times ago. You've learned so much since that first frightening experience.
You still put your fingers into the slot, you still get them caught, but now when it happens you just stand there and wimper a little ... until we notice and rescue you.
My guess is by the time this time next month rolls around, you'll learn even more: like how many crackers can fit behind the flap.
Love and noisy kisses,
Friday, May 16, 2008
Freedom isn't synonymous with fairness
Jed and I disagree.
About a lot of things.
For instance: He likes chocolate-based ice cream flavors while I prefer fruit or coffee-flavored confections;
He hates fish. I love fish.
He prefers peaches in his yogurt. I like berries.
He thinks children who make hideous experiments out of food items in the pantry should be made to eat their creations. I think a little "Time Out" and a lot more supervision is a more humane and appropriate consequence.
He also thinks a woman in Missouri, who was indicted on charges in connection with a "cyber bullying" event that ended after a teenage girl committed suicide, should go to jail.
I don't.
Not that I think Lori Drew doesn't deserve to be vilified in the press, or spurned by her neighbors, or considered to be America's Most Immature Mother for the next fifteen minutes or fifteen years for that matter. She definitely earns that disrespect.
But to make Cyber Bullying (or any bullying for that matter) a crime, I think, endangers our freedom of speech.
Jed puts himself in the place of the parents. He sees a woman who victimized a teenage girl, who set her up to take a fall. Even if she didn't know the girl would hang herself in the aftermath, she is culpable and should be punished by the law. He sees an event that is deeply disturbing, and that, from all media accounts, seems to be burgeoning as more and more people avail themselves of the thin blanket of anonymity the internet provides.
I see the many of the same things, and yet I also see that such a visceral reaction has caused a rush toward making outright and low-down meanness a crime. I see the disparity of having laws that apply justice arbitrarily. Why have different laws for cyberspace? In the real world, if they had passed fake notes in the classroom would they be in the courtroom? It's not really a different world. Harassment is harassment wherever it is found, whether on the schoolyard or in the boardroom or on a web page.
We all need a lesson in dealing with jerks that doesn't end up with a phone call to the local precinct. We need our children to be strong enough to ignore; to rise above their petty peers. Not only because bullies will always exist.
But because if this keeps up, one day free speech may not.
Say your criticism of treatment by a doctor, or shoddy service at a store, or any number of things you have a right to say becomes something criminal because someone else says you made it up intentionally?
Really, this type of legislation could go anywhere and apply to anything.
What about that boy to whom you gave your virginity IN REAL LIFE? He's the one who told you he'd love you forever and who broke up with you the next day. What about him? Some of you are probably wishing he could get his comeuppance, too. Maybe if he broke your heart in an e-mail, you'd get your shot.
To Jed, and many others I imagine, it may seem as if I am defending this monstrous woman who antagonized a child in her skewed understanding of fairness and lack of any semblance of parenting skills. Everyone, it seems, wants an eye for an eye.
I want to teach my kids that jerks are jerks; and nobody -- not even a Real Boy who tells you lies or says mean things — is worth your tears. You are better than that. We should all be better than that. We can unplug. We can move on. And we should.
Let the bullies of morning news magazines take care of the public shaming. They're already on it.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Food for thought
Food has never been my favorite topic. As the old saw goes: Some people eat to live and other people live to eat.
I don't really fit into either of those little niches.
I'm the person who seriously considers (and sometimes actually manages to) pack a healthy lunch but usually just eats whatever my pocket change buys from the bank of vending machines in the cafeteria.
Sadly, I approach the kids' lunches with the same wistful enthusiasm and failure to follow through.
I search flickr for lunch ideas; I buy resuable lunchboxes and have adopted some of the tricks used by bento box afficianados. I think about all the pretty things I can send for the babysitter to feed my kids while I'm at work.
I bask in the glow of the multi-colored foods Annabel has eaten since she was a tot, and wonder exactly when her palate will pale. I soldier through the fact that Silas eats hardly anything besides breastmilk and graham crackers. I know eventually he will eat the beige menu of a normal childhood.
I even dream of the loving little notes I will put in the lunch boxes once the kids can read.
On Monday mornings the sitter laughs at me as I show up with the kids and a grocery bag full of that day's lunch offerings carefully placed in containers or bagged with colorful ribbons.
Apple slices, berries, three colors of peppers, chicken nuggets, corn, snap peas, carrots, bagels, yogurt, cheerios, oatmeal, soup, corn chips and cookies.
But my ability to continue the planning and procuring of such pretty packages is shortlived.
The downhill slide starts on Tuesday as I'm lucky to have remembered to bring the kids. By Friday, if it weren't for the sitter, my kids would be eating lint from the floor and drinking water from the toilet.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
She knows how to push buttons
It never fails. As soon as you get to where you are going the preschool set needs to use the facilities. Doesn't matter if you've gone ten miles or ten feet, nature's call has a strong desire to see the decor and smell the handsoaps.
If the place has anything interesting at all -- an automatic hand dryer for instance -- you are destined to make multiple trips to the lav during the course of your shopping experience.
Potty training does have it's price after all. You might as well put the savings you gain from skipping the diapers aisle directly into the unnecessary things you will buy so as not to look like a schnorrer whenever your kid needs to use the washroom at a store that doesn't legally have to provide them to patrons.
"Oh, mama. Can you pick me up? I can't reach the sink. Look! The walls are purple. And they have that blowdryer thing on the wall. I want to push it again ... and again ... and again. Just one more time? Pleeeeeeeeeeeese oh Plaaaaaaaahhhhhhzzzzzz."
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
You can't stop progress
But that doesn't stop me from trying.
I watch him struggle to his feet in the tub. It is with confidence and authority that I tell him to "sit down." Standing in the tub is not advisable for the less ambulatory among us. So many unnecessary accidents happen in the bathroom.
He struggles to his feet in the livingroom, gripping the sofa with both hands. I don't want him to walk. Not yet. He's still a baby; my baby.
But I can't really tell him to sit down.
Not with Jed sitting nearby with his one eyebrow raised anyway.
So I laugh, and tell him in unskilled French: "asseyez-toi, si vous plait."
It doesn't hurt any if he doesn't know what I'm saying, right?
Monday, May 12, 2008
How was your Mother's Day?
From our room at the Mirror Lake Inn I schlepped down four floors to the restaurant and (charging $9 to our tab) got two tiny boxes of cereal, a banana, a juice box and coffee so we could have breakfast in bed.
It was a good morning.
Friday, May 09, 2008
I would have said ... 'see you tomorrow' ... but I didn't want to jinx it
Did you miss me?
It's ok if you didn't. It's only one day. I know you all have busy lives that include
I had an opthamology appointment: The kind in which they dilate my pupils to see the inside of my eyes.
For me it's an annual thing.
You see, I have a "freckle" located somewhere on my left eyeball, (how's that for sharing?) and the doctors like to keep a watch on it to make sure it doesn't change into something that begins with the Latin form of BAD.
I learned of the mole about five or six years ago, probably two decades after my previous opthamologic appointment.
"Has anyone ever told you that you have a mole on your eye," the doctor asked.
"Uh. no."
"It's really not that uncommon. You are a freckled person. And you can get freckles and moles anywhere on your body."
During that visit I also found out I had "convergence," a condition in which the muscles of one eye aren't as strong as the muscles of the other eye."
"Did you have a lazy eye as a child?"
"Um. No. ..."
"Well. It's really no big deal. But it will get worse if you let it go. The good news is there are simple exercises you can do that will strengthen the muscles."
"Well could it be related to the massive amount of computer work I do?"
"Um. No."
Anyway, It was quite a shock that first appointment years ago. I had scheduled it first thing in the morning and had gone to work afterward, not realizing I wouldn't be able to SEE anything like WORDS on this here COMPUTER SCREEN for nearly three hours. Even with reversal drops to counteract the dilating ones, it was a long stretch of close-up blindness.
But all of that is really beside the point.
The point being: I am neurotic.
And this mole -- this TINY, TINY FRECKLE, as the doctor describes it -- is on my EYE.
And, as a consumate worrier, that just nerves me up.
So I go in there are hold my breath until they tell me it's all beautiful and stable and see you next year.
Which they did, luckily, before I turned blue.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
You know where this is going, right?
This little pea stone is going right in the boy's mouth.
No hesitation. No awkward fumbling over fingers and thumbs.
Right in.
He doesn't eat more than a thimbleful of genuine food items in any given day.
A bit of banana here, a taste of yogurt there.
He'll gum graham crackers until they are a taupe-colored paste and he'll share most of his Oatio's with the dog. Then he squirms to get down and prowl the kitchen for leftover cracker crumbs and pieces of dog kibble.
So why am I surprised that out on the playground these little rock morsels wouldn't seem like a delicacy?
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Ice, Ice, Baby
I had to leave work early today.
I had a problem with one of my mammary glands. The left one.
Took me by complete surprise. Ten months with the little guy and nary a hint of trouble. (Not like the last time where every four days I was dealing with something that looked like an alien life form inside my nursing top.)
I self diagnosed a caked breast ... basically a bunch of clogged milk ducts that made the whole thing swollen and painful. Nothing was coming out. Not even a trickle.
I checked in with Dr. Google, who recommended the same thing that the folks I fork over increasingly larger co-pays to did four years ago: hot compresses, warm showers, rest and plenty of nursing. The baby, they say, is the most efficient declogging agent.
Baby drain-o.
But guess what?
They are WRONG. WRONG. WRONG-O.
Now I know babies are efficient little suckers. And Silas was getting something alright, but he was jumping around like a chimp trying to get it. And even then it wasn't enough.
The breast still felt like a brick.
Moist heat? Sweartogod, the four times I had this with Annabel (two of which led to the need for antibiotics to get rid of mastitis) heat never did anything.
And then I thought. What about ICE? To stop swelling most SANE people recommend ice.
Guess what?
Six minutes after four cubes of ice in a Zip-Loc back were applied to general area, Silas nursed without any acrobatics and the clog got noticeably better. In an hour it was feeling back to normal.
So please, tell all your lactating friends ... Hell has frozen over and most doctors don't know or just don't believe. ... Ice, Ice, Baby
Monday, May 05, 2008
I wouldn't stand too close to me today
I'm feeling randomy. And not in a good way.
I've been pretay angray latelay.
Like the kind of angry one feels when they feel attacked. Or misunderstood. Or slighted. Or maligned. Even if no one else really thinks those things have happened to you at all. It's the kind of angry that turns into sadness.
I hate not being able to talk about it.
... But I'm not gonna talk about it.
I'm also pretty ticked at Hillary Clinton. Her insistance that a lifting of a gas tax will do anything to help the American people (regardless of who pays for it) is nothing more than pandering in my estimation. And really? I'm over it. We need to pay the piper and get used to big price tags at the pump. We need to use less energy all around and not just make our rampant consumption affordable.
... But I'm not going to bother you with that noise.
Speaking of Hillary. I'm seething a little over this and I really don't know why.
A lot about the piece bothers me, but for some reason what stands out most is this passage:
Old-guard feminists, for their part, seem not yet aware—or prepared to believe—that the younger generation is coming around. "Young women take a lot of things for granted," Geraldine Ferraro told me. "We sometimes joke, 'If you don't get it, give it all back.' We don't want to say, 'Look how bad it was.' But they don't know their workplaces are better because of loudmouths like me who said, 'This is not how society should be run.' " Linda Hirshman, author of Get to Work: A Manifesto for Women of the World, said she thinks the feminist movement, even the third wave, may have seen its final days. For another movement to reach critical mass, she said, women in society may need to experience what she calls "an accretion of insult." But with the inequities highlighted by Hillary Clinton's presidential bid reminding us of the inequities we experience on a regular basis, the insults may have, well … accreted.
I huge part of me wants Hirshman, and Ferraro for that matter, to take a big giant leap off a steep, rocky cliff. I know it's been two years since I wrote this but I still feel pretty much the same way. We women need to stop beating each other to a bloody pulp and stick together, yet I don't think that means we should just toe the line.
... But I'm done with the big mouths and their causes.
Perhaps I'm also just done with the numbers. I'm done with the idea that feminists are disappointed in me. Done with people telling me what I, as a FILL IN THE BLANK, should do.
I'm done with the talking heads who pose as independent journalists sneaking in their agendas. Hell ... I'm kinda over agendas. I'm over insecurites. I'm over political correctness. I'm over the whole "you are right but you should have done it this way" arm-chair quarterbacking.
I know that lots of us just don't get along, but I'm really beginning to think that moving forward really isn't feasible because NO ONE CARES ABOUT MOVING FORWARD, we only care about moving in a direction that we've picked. We just call it forward. And that, to be quite blunt, sucks.
I suppose therein lies the lesson. My way or the highway is over.
I want to move on.
And I am moving on.
I am moving on.
I'm moving forward.
I'm moving backward.
I don't even care if I bump into to things along the way.
See, we bought some pre-owned cars over the weekend. But my conscience is in the clear. These babies are compact and cost a fraction of their original sticker price. Best of all they use no fossil (or even biofuels) to operate.
They are Plasma Cars ... and they rock the house.
And you know, I don't care if I'm just going to the other side of the house, I'm going to drive from now on. Forget walking.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
The Second Act
Some virtual friends of mine are having seconds.
They've bellied up to the bar of motherhood once, drank down the sweet (and sometimes sour) nectar of the gods, and asked the barkeep for another shot.
Didn't matter that the first one may have given them swollen ankles, horrible heartburn, morning sickness or any number of uncomfortable ailments forty pounds of water, blood and baby (not to mention an entire new organ we women grow to sustain this new life) can cause. Still they came back asking for more.
I remember what this time felt like: the weeks and days before we were to meet Thing 2. It was just 10 months ago. I had wanted him SO much, and yet there I was worried about the change it would mean to our family.
*Could I love him as much as I loved his sister?
*Was I short changing her?
*Was I short changing him?
*How was I going to juggle another being when I felt I was dropping so many balls with the one already here?
Those questions were never answered in a way I can explain. I suppose I have no advice.
We women are all so different. Our children are, too. I don't know the people you are bringing into this world. But I do know that you can trust yourselves to know these new people when they arrive. Easy or challenging, you will figure it out together.
A very wise woman once told me that the first child comes into your life and turns it upside down. Turns it into a circus. The second child seems to sneak in quietly during an intermission. And when the show starts again you almost forget this new being wasn't there -- a part of the family -- right from the beginning.
Friday, May 02, 2008
Light at the end of the tunnel
Thursday, May 01, 2008
What's that sound?
I hear the scritch-scritching of a bristle brush against the nap of the canvas
The tinkle of metal against glass
The tap, tap, tapping of rims.
She had asked me to outline a princess that she could paint.
I took the canvas and a pen and drew something unremarkable.
After I was done she thanked me and was silent.
More tinkling of brush to glass. More scritch, scritch, scritching of paint on canvas.
Her color slowly obliterates my line.
Tinkle, tap, scritch, scritch ...
This is the sound of growing up.


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Collie muzzle is a wire basket muzzle for dogs comfort, that allows dogs breathe free, pant, and even drink water muzzled. The Collie muzzle for dogs walking, training, vet visiting, socializing combines the best features of wire dog muzzles. Collie muzzle is made of strong and light, nickel-plated wire, soft padded in upper nose area. Basket muzzle for dogs is reliably fixed with strong and soft, reliable leather belts.
Click on the pictures to see bigger image
The Best Collie Muzzle for Dogs, for Multipurpose Use
Collie Muzzle for Dogs Individual Snout Shape and Size
Key features of this Collie Muzzle:
Intended use of this Collie Muzzle:
Size #6 dimensions:
Size #7 dimensions:
If the sizes of your dog differ from the mentioned, do not worry. This model of muzzle for dogs is produced in the range of 20 sizes. In any case, fill in the options at the top of the page while ordering and our specialists will help you to choose the best fit size for your dog.
To see more precise instructions how to measure your Dog - Click here

subset: commoncrawl


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A charming ring by Finland's Hannu Ikonen. These are part of his famous "Renmoosblüte" or Reindeer moss series which in many ways perfectly embodied the new Finnish impulse in jewelry making in the 1970s because of its sculptural quality and its modern interpretation of a natural theme. Reindeer moss, also known as Iceland Moss, is traditionally used in funerary wreaths however there is a certain joy in Ikonen's interpretations. The design is punctuated by a bright enamel detail. Size: Adjustable (size 7 by default)Condition: Unworn.
Learn more about Hannu Ikonen For a full condition report, enquire via our Contact page.


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R. Kelly Accused of Holding Women in a Cult, 'Against Their Will'
R. Kelly has been accused of holding several young women against their will in what is being called an abusive "cult," according to a new report from BuzzFeed.
Reporter Jim DeRogatis, the man who years ago broke the story about the R&B singer's videotape that allegedly showed him having sex with a 14-year-old girl, is now reporting on this new story.
Three sets of parents have come forward saying that they brought their daughters to R. Kelly to have him help with their music careers, but that he brainwashed them. Several people who are former associates of the singer are supporting the claims.
"It was as if she was brainwashed. [She] looked like a prisoner – it was horrible," one of the parents told BuzzFeed News. "I hugged her and hugged her. But she just kept saying she's in love and [Kelly] is the one who cares for her. I don't know what to do. I hope that if I get her back, I can get her treatment for victims of cults. They can reprogram her. But I wish I could have stopped it from happening."
R. Kelly is reportedly holding the women at his homes in Atlanta and Chicago, makes them call him "daddy," films sexual encounters with them, forbids them from contacting their families, and abuses them, all according to the article.
Police have made welfare checks to the homes, but these did not lead to any charges.
R. Kelly's lawyer released a statement to BuzzFeed in response to the claims.
"We can only wonder why folks would persist in defaming a great artist who loves his fans, works 24/7, and takes care of all of the people in his life," Chicago-based lawyer Linda Mensch wrote in her statement. "He works hard to become the best person and artist he can be. It is interesting that stories and tales debunked many years ago turn up when his goal is to stop the violence; put down the guns; and embrace peace and love. I suppose that is the price of fame. Like all of us, Mr. Kelly deserves a personal life. Please respect that."


text: I have a friend living in the Middle East trying to get VoIP to work, not easy and the incumbent monopoly has blocked everything. Using a VoIp provider that allows VPN connection, we've managed to get a softphone on his PC to work and successfully make and receive calls. The instructions on the website are: Download OpenVPN 2.0.9 from OpenVPN web site. Download prebuilt Windows installer or source distribution for Linux/Unix and Mac OS X platforms and compile it yourself. Create file C:\Program Files\OpenVPN\config\openvpn.ovpn (/etc/openvpn/openvpn.conf on UNIX platforms) with the following data: Lots of line of the file content follows, most important of which is # SSL/TLS parms. # See the server config file for more # description. It's best to use # a separate .crt/.key file pair # for each client. A single ca # file can be used for all clients. ca ca.crt cert ACCOUNT.crt key ACCOUNT.key In the configuration file replace ACCOUNT in key file names with your 10-digit long account number. Login into your account to request a temporary key files (valid for 2 weeks), or purchase a 1 year key. Put the files to the same directory where openvpn.ovpn file is located. Start OpenVPN client with command "openvpn --config openvpn.ovpn". The client will print several lines on the screen, the last line should be "Initialization Sequence Completed". If you get this line, you're 99% done! Check the connection. From another command prompt window run "ping 10.39.0.1", you should get responses from the server. Install Xten softphone, configure it as shown on Configuration page, but in "Domain" field enter "10.39.0.1" Enjoy SIP calls worldwide over blocked network The VPN will provide an access to our SIP server only and nothing else, you will not be able to access other SIP providers over our VPN link. " Now that we know it works, he is looking at using a hardphone (phone or ATA) connected directly to the router to free himself from a PC mic and speaker. Before I ask him to invest in a new modem and router, I want to be sure the VPN mod of tomato can acheive the same that he did on the PC, e.g would we be able to copy the key files over to the router?. I would appreciate if one of the gurus can answer this. Once confirmed, I can start trial and error to get it working. Thanks. Riz


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Lucky is the alpha dog at Shelter 17. He is a mostly calm, laid-back dog who is usually kind to other dogs, especially puppies. Although he is kind, he is also firm in his orders, which the team typically obeys without question. He has the final say in all matters at Shelter 17. Lucky is voiced by Eric McCormack.
Love IntrestEdit
Throughout the series, it has been hinted that Lucky and Cookie have secret crushes on one another. Neither side has professed this love to the other though, and both remain oblivious to the other's feelings.


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"As long as my insurance and tax dollars continue to pay for there [sic] diabetes, and heart disease, I'll continue to feel justified in telling every overweight person I see that they need to lose weight. Shame is powerful and there [sic] fat is costing me real money"
Shame is powerful–okay! Then my being the Proper English Police should shame every nimrod who writes like this into using the proper word (THEIR) in sentences!
I only pull the "spelling police" card with people I consider to be irredeemable idiots. I do not pull it with everyday people who might happen to not have the best skills in this area. Not everyone has the same strengths.
Yes, please, fat bashers, show us the proof that fat people "cost more." On a personal level, I have not called in sick to work in several years. I go to the doctor once or twice a year, and I pay for it out of my own pocket. The last time I was in the emergency room turned out to be for wax pushing against my eardrum causing me to have vertigo. Excess ear wax is not a problem that only fat people endure.
My hypertension is not entirely under control at this point–hypertension being a problem that many people of all sizes pushing fifty have to deal with. It is spiking at times–this in spite of the fact that I exercise more now than I did during the past five years and eat far less meat and more vegetables. I'm doing lots of things right, but because I'm fat, it's obviously all my fault, although there are many fat people who aren't dealing with hypertension.
Our bodies aren't all the same. One cannot put all persons with the same body type into one category.
With this body type, I'm also supposed to have diabetes. I don't. I'm also supposed to have heart disease. I don't. I do have a mitral valve prolapse, which is not a disease, it is a structural malfunction. Mine is minor and does not require surgery. The worst complication from it is the heart palpitations, which vary depending on other factors such as the amount of rest I've had.
Both the hypertension and the mitral valve prolapse appear to be hereditary. My father wasn't fat, in fact he was something of a healthist. Yet his life was devastated by a major hemorrhagic stroke at the age of 68. He ended up developing congestive heart failure and dying at the age of 74. His cardiovascular system was a mess. At the end, his body was bloated with fluids from the CHF.
My mother, who falls into the "slightly overweight" category on the BMI chart, also has hypertension and a mitral valve prolapse.
I am desperately trying to avoid the problems that my father (who again, was NOT fat) had. I do not want to die the way he did.
There are those out there who would say that all I have to do is lose weight and I will somehow, magically, live forever. Yet one of the nurses at the place where I work, who was a very tiny woman, recently died.
Doctors need to treat the patient, not their body type. As a wise EMS instructor said, "treat the patient, not the chart."
End of rant.
"As long as my insurance and tax dollars continue to pay for there [sic] diabetes, and heart disease, I'll continue to feel justified in telling every overweight person I see that they need to lose weight. Shame is powerful and there [sic] fat is costing me real money"
So I read when I broke the cardinal rule of being fat on the internet and read the comments.
First of all, when someone brings this up I typically demand to see their list of things that their tax dollars pay for, broken down into things that they want to pay for and things that they don't, and the interventions in which they are participating for each of the things they don't want to pay for. Nobody has ever produced such a list – I think that's because this really doesn't have anything to do with their tax dollars, it's simply a…
View original post 1,146 more words


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Cabinets Bathroom
Wooden Cabinets To Accessorize Your Bathroom
Nowadays bathrooms are no longer a small corner of your house that is specified to serve a purpose and that is it , Nowadays bathroom are given so much more importance and concentration while decorating them and in return they give so much more pampering and retreats for the house owner . It is much easier nowadays to find accessories that are specially manufactured to adorn the bathroom and make it have a fancy effect on the eyes . For a lot of people the most relaxing spot of their houses is considered the bathroom where they enjoy a warm bath and fragrant soap that help them to clear their minds and recharge their energy level . In this article…Read More »


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Air Patrol - Product Launch
Air Patrol, a bb eyelid cream, was a new type of product that women didn't know they needed. My approach for this campaign was to educate about the daily stressors eyelids face every day. I created a series of videos and photogrpahy to communicate the need and benefits of the product.
Photography example here were shot by me and were used on Instagram and other social channels.


text: Joshua Rice Designs and Jason Pautz collaborate on Frisco patio Filed under Life at Nov 2013 Get Daily Dallas News Headlines Sign Up Don't miss a story. Like us on Facebook. Like Dallas News' Facebook Page Get Unlimited Digital Access Your first month is less than a dollar. $0.99 for first 4 weeks Subscribe Now View Comments


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Jassy - short for Joselyn - is being forced. It isn't...
Modeling In Love
- by Lizzeloves1D
- Rating:
- Published: 18 Oct 2013
- Updated: 7 Nov 2013
- Status: In Progress
Adelaide "Lai" Henderson is one of the most well known models. So it's no surprise that she runs into One Direction at a party, or to be more specific, Harry Styles. The rest of the boys are there all right, but Harry stands out. Certain she won't see them again, she plays around with Harry. But she happens to be the girl in their next music video. Uh-Oh. She runs into Harry and pretends not to recognize him, till Simon decides that since Harry has been getting to much bad press about being a ladies man, he needs a girl to pretend to be Harry's girlfriend and well, she'll be on a contract of course and he'll know, so will his family. But do things escalate when feelings start to develop? What happens when the contract ends and they're forced to part ways, possibly for good?
Join MovellasFind out what all the buzz is about. Join now to start sharing your creativity and passion
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GodisaGeek: "And that's why PES 2013 is so bloody good. It's not often you get to say you scored a goal that stirs the mind, body and the loins; a visceral strike breaking from the attacker's toes that makes the net bulge, and to a football fan, what's better than that? We've only talked about gameplay here today – and to be honest, we've barely scratched the surface – because that's the fundamental factor that makes a football game great; there will be a time to discuss aesthetics, a time to discuss licences.
It's already clear at this stage that steps have been taken to make sure that Pro Evolution Soccer 2013 is the best current-generation Pro Evo title to date. The strides Konami have taken forward are worthy of any discerning football game fan's interests. Unparalleled fluidity mixed with total control that takes time to master, people should be very much looking forward to later this year, because Jon Murphy and Co have stepped up their game."


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Am currently loving these two beauties from magpie collections.
Posted by Molly in fashion, jewelry | Permalink
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It really was love at first sight.And I am not a huge jewelry person.I like to keep things simple.But now....
I have fallen in love with Karel Jewelry Designs. Her jewelry is simply breathtaking. Each lovely is delicate + feminine + colorful + fun, all combined to make the perfect piece of jewelry at a reasonable price. Karel, the brilliant lady behind the company, designs and handcrafts each piece herself! She is constantly striving to keep her designs "fresh and innovative".
"Everyone deserves to feel unique and beautiful. It was always important
to me to express my individuality through fashion, but I often found it
difficult to find unique, quality pieces of jewelry that I could afford.
That's how this company was born...I thought, if I can't find it, I'll make
it myself."
This probably sounds a bit silly but I do feel pretty when I slip a piece of her jewelry on. I somehow transfer from mom to a woman ready to be taken out on the town, even if just for a moment. It is that last special piece to your outfit that will take it up just a notch more. Although some of you may find the prices just a touch high, trust me when I say that the quality is superb. The gemstones used are absolutely beautiful and the pieces never feel too heavy or awkward. It was like they were meant to be worn, by you of course. My favorite piece, okay well two favorite pieces are the Aussie Princess necklace and the Chrysalis earrings. What is your favorite piece?
Posted by Molly in fashion, jewelry | Permalink
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ContemporaryHandcraftedDesignerJewelryby Wendy Culpepper.
Her style is unique, her design is simple yet intricate. Each of her collections has a fun story of inspiration behind it, which I found fascinating. Wendy describes designing jewelry as an art, and truly it is. I found myself being drawn to the Flower of Life collection. I loved the simplicity of the shapes and lines and how they all intertwined together. The fact that most of her pieces go with my every day attire is a definite plus. They are just enough to spice up my wardrobe of fossil tees and buckle jeans. Besides designing gorgeous jewelry, Wendy also gives back. Her "ignite" collection was designed to support three different charities depending on which stone you choose.
Rhodolite = Susan G Komen Breast Cancer FoundationPeridot = American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsBlue Topaz = Parkinsons' Disease Foundation
Her price range runs from affordable to a little bit out of my league but really you are paying for art. It just so happens to be art you can wear. So what collection is calling your name?
Posted by Molly in fashion, jewelry | Permalink
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I am totally digging this fabulous line of jewelry, Dogeared! Their designs are simple + stunning. I would love to receive one of these for mother's day. I spotted them at Nordstrom's not too long ago and was excited at how reasonably priced they are. My favorites are the karma, pixie and four leaf clover. What are yours?
I am very excited to announce the giveaway for today! Kiki & Lele are back! I talked about them here and am still in love with my hand stamped necklace. I can honestly say I wear it most days. It is simple + lovely!
Kiki & Lele was created by two friends, Kacey and Leslee. They are wives, mothers, sisters, friends and more importantly designers of gorgeous jewelry. I know, as a mom, I like to feel pretty even in the midst of getting spit up on and changing diapers. Although my typical attire is jeans and a tee, that doesn't mean I can't add a little something extra. Kiki & Lele give me just that. That extra little something that helps me feel like me. They have beautiful custom jewelry or if you don't feel like being a part of the creative process, you can choose from there fabulous line. Their pieces are simple yet still have a statement all their own.
"This is a company that started out with a simple conversation. We are
moms, sisters, daughters, friends. We're just like you. We both have
the type of life that we like to describe as "happy chaotic." We both
have toddlers and Kacey has twins as well, need we say more? .
want to create jewelry that inspires you, because when you are inspired
you can do amazing things. When you have a fire of inspiration beneath
you, it is contagious. We would be honored if one of our pieces gave
you that type of energy, or at the very least, just made you feel
really good every time you wear it."
On a daily basis I may not do anything amazing except make it through another day but I do love wearing my necklace with both my boys' initials on it. Mother's day is right around the corner, and what woman doesn't like being given a lovely piece of jewelry. Be sure to tell your husbands to check out their darling little etsy shop. The prices will not break the bank, so there really is no excuse.
But today one of my lucky readers will have the chance to win a custom piece of jewelry. That means you get to pick exactly what you want or you can choose from one of their stunning designs. But either way, you get to pick. Simply fabulous! All you have to do is follow the simple giveaway rules and then check back Friday for the winner! A big thanks to Kiki & Lele for there generous donation!!
Giveaway Rules:
*enter a comment on this post *please enter only once*currently
we cannot ship internationally [maybe you have a good friend with a
domestic address, who can then ship it to you, if so join in the fun
and leave a comment]*contest expires Thursday, May 1st at midnight (CST)*one random winner will be announced Friday, May 2*the winner has 48 hours to claim his/her prize or a new winner will be chosen
*this giveaway is now closed*
Posted by Molly in fashion, giveaway, jewelry | Permalink
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I think every woman likes a bit of glam; something to make her feel pretty. Sadly I have come to realize I am not a big jewelry person. My boys are still young and their tiny fingers always seem to wrap around necklaces and pull at the beads. I have actually had a couple broken and have watched the beads fly and scatter. Although I do not wear a lot of jewelry, I like simple pieces that are versatile. That is why I was excited when I was introduced to a new up and coming jewelry boutique, Kiki & Lele.
Created by friends Kacey Randolph and Leslee Phillips, the company is based on their shared love of jewelry. The pieces are fresh and inspiring. Each piece is handmade and can be personalized with your own special message. If you would rather not come up with something of your own, check out the lovely designs they feature on their blog. The messages are sweet and simple and most hand stamped tags can be adorned with a fresh water pearl charm. Kiki & Lele also have a beaded collection if you are more partial to that style.
I love mine and have found that I can wear it with just about anything and everything. It is delicate and a sweet reminder of my two rambunctious boys. I chose to have my sons initials stamped on the tag, along with a delicate charcoal fresh water pearl dangling beside it. It is quite lovely!
Kacey and Leslee not only design charming jewelry but have also decided to give back. Now each time you purchase a stunning piece you will know you are helping out in a small way.
"A major component to our company is our commitment to charity. A
portion of our annual proceeds will go to benefit our local Neonatal
Intensive Care Unit....In addition to the local charity that is close to our heart, we have
also made a commitment to buy products that benefit a charitable cause
to incorporate into our designs. Keep a look out for our designs that
feature Acholi beads. Refugees living in the Acholi Quarters slum in
Uganda make Acholi Beads. As they struggle to rebuild their lives, the
sale of Acholi Beads provides a vital income that supports their
families. These designs will be coming soon!"
Keeping in mind that Mother's Day is just around the corner, be sure to check out their lovely new collection focused on mothers and love. Happy shopping!
Posted by Molly in fashion, jewelry | Permalink
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Love these cute little charms at shop parcel. Mine says mom. What would your charm say?
Who doesn't like baubles on rings + necklaces + earrings? I love throwing on something flirty and fun for a night on the town with my hubby. It is a nice change from the typical "mommy" clothes {tee + jeans} that I usually wear. I la la love this cocktail ring by kuo ting. It is a bit out of my price range but a girl can dream, right?


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International Markets are selected and prioritised on their significance in the international music calendar, their ability to showcase live music and their proven ability to attract the world's most influential decision-makers.
Internally, the types of showcase events on offer are catagorised in to the following;
Examples: The Great Escape (UK), CMJ Music Marathon (USA), Canadian Music Week, (CANADA), Reeperbahn Festival (GERMANY), Nokia Music Connects (INDIA) Music Matters (SINGAPORE)
Examples: SXSW, MIDEM
Examples: Folk Alliance International, Americana, WOMEX (World Music Expo), ECMA's (East Coast Music Association), Showcase Scotland/Celtic Connections
Examples: Liverpool Sound City (teamed with TGE), Culture Collide (teamed with CMJ) THE AUSSIE BBQ Sideshows (See below – Los Angeles, New York, London, Berlin etc)
Examples: A2IM Indie Week for Record Labels/Distributors
Examples: Primavera Sound (Barcelona), Nouvelle Prague
It is important and critical to note, that under no circumstances is SOUNDS AUSTRALIA responsible for selecting the artists that are invited to each of the international music events, including SXSW (Austin, TX), The Great Escape (Brighton, UK), Music Matters (Singapore), CMJ Music Marathon (NY), Liverpool Sound City (UK), Canadian Music Week (Toronto), Americana (Nashville), Folk Alliance International (Memphis) and MIDEM (Cannes).
We categorically refuse to be involved with recommending Australian artists to event Directors, so as to deliberately remain effective and impartial in our ultimate representation of the Australian contingency.
Artists that are interested in showcasing at the different events apply themselves through the different mechanism each event uses. Many engage Sonicbids to manage this process and others have an application system set up directly on their websites. We have tried to list these links on the respective festival pages on this site, as well as publish them on our social media outlets as they arise.
Spend time researching the market event you are interested in. Ask other delegates and artists who have attended them previously for any tips or reasons for choosing a certain market.
Seek advice from industry and government personal involved with export activities. Not only about the various international export music markets, but also information about what State and Federal export funding grants might be available.
Cost the entire initiative out first with funding assistance and without. (Don't forget to budget in the correct currency).
Use the website and social networking offerings from the event to set up meetings in advance or just find out who is heading along. (SXSocial, Midemworld)
Spend time researching travel options in advance. One can save a decent amount of money pre-purchasing.
Google and be thoroughly informed on those key folk you are wanting to or planning on meeting with.
Develop a pitch, but be prepared to tailor it to different people and for different occasion. It's not something that's a one size fits all and will create more of an impact if of relevance. For instance if you are referencing artists, you might need to amend these depending on where the person you are talking with comes from. Make the examples meaningful to them and especially with respect to their territory.
Get a hold of and thoroughly examine an old conference/showcase program, so as to familiarise yourself with the event. How each day will run, where the venues are, when are the networking sessions etc. Especially good to get a tangible feel for the enormity and intensity of some events.
Do your research on required working/entertainment/cultural VISAS (see below).
Take out all necessary insurances for both people and gear.
Effective networking is a learnt skill. Take yourself out of your comfort zone and practice. Use domestic events to hone your abilities.
Given the severity of VISA decisions we always encourage all to seek professional advice from a qualified and reputable VISA agent. There are too many changes and interpretations to the process (especially in the US) and these agencies have all the latest information.
Here are some VISA agents that we recommend, based on feedback from Australian artists that have used their services in the past.
More info can be found at the Artists From Abroad site here
Tamizdat US
Matthew Covey
Mobile: +1.646.327.0885
P.O. Box 20618
New York, NY 10009
RAZCo Visas
Ron Zeelens
119 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor
New York, New York 10003
tel 212 757 1289
fax 212 586 5175
email firstname.lastname@example.com
Global Access
Brande Lindsey
+1 323 936 7100
Tina and Steve Richard
E – email@example.com
E – email@example.com
W – www.tandsimmigration.demon.co.uk
One of our main aims is to provide additional showcase opportunities for Australian artists whilst participating at international market events.
Every act is awarded an "official play" by the event and where possible we look to maximise the amount of times Australian artists are able to be seen on top of this. There are also numerous other day parties and evening showcases that artists are encouraged to pitch for that are presented by labels, agents, brands, blogs and other festivals.
Please be aware that an invitation to perform at a SOUNDS AUSTRALIA produced event is not a given, nor guaranteed. At almost every international event now where we undertake support activity there are more acts showcasing than there are available performance slots. As resources and funding permits we are constantly looking for ways to increase these performance opportunities, however whilst the demand is higher there will be always be acts that we physically can't program.
There is no formal process that needs to happen to make yourself available for any of these showcases. You do not need to apply at all and by virtue of your "official" selection, you are automatically being considered. The selection of the artists to perform at any of these showcases rests entirely with the SOUNDS AUSTRALIA team. For some events, the Bookers of the respective Festivals will also be actively involved with these decisions. The curation of every event is approached with both a creative and commercial remit and the ultimate goal is to encourage key international delegates to attend, watch and network with the Australian showcasing artists. Where possible a geographical and genre spread will be considered, along with the investment stakeholders needs, however none of these variables will impact on the final line up decision.
Please note that the invitations to artists to perform on SOUNDS AUSTRALIA produced events will only be issued once all official artists have been selected by the Event and more importantly have confirmed their attendance.
We are mindful that "Non-Official" artists also attend international conferences. When made aware of their presence we will certainly include and promote them in all our marketing and promotional collateral, however with respect to showcasing opportunities Official artists will always be prioritised.
Regardless of whether your act is showcasing or not, the SOUNDS AUSTRALIA produced shows are created for everybody to attend and to take advantage of the delegates being in attendance. Just because your act isn't up on stage doesn't mean you can't benefit – when not performing you can really use the event to network and meet key international industry.
Since 2009 SOUNDS AUSTRALIA have built an arsenal of activities and a suite of events that include THE AUSSIE BBQ, Sound Gallery, Beat Pie and 2 For The Showcase.
There isn't a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to successfully navigating the different types and sizes of the events around the world. SOUNDS AUSTRALIA has spent six years developing tailored platforms that can be replicated at different showcasing festivals around the world.
Showcasing at international music market events can offer valuable opportunities for artists and businesses to secure international performance, touring and festival slots, label or record company signings, distribution deals, promotional opportunities, media relationship building, song placement and synchronisation offers, co-management and management deals in overseas territories, not withstanding general global networking and relationship building.
SOUNDS AUSTRALIA's guiding principle and purpose is to assist artists in achieving outcomes as listed above and to help build and sustain their international careers by developing and expanding the resources and services offered to exporting artists.
As every international market offers its own unique platform, married with a new contingent of Australian acts, we produce all our events on a case by case basis.
All our events are promoted through our SOUNDS AUSTRALIA app.


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There are three things in life that are absolute certainties: death, taxes and another annual FIFA instalment. So there were few surprises when EA announced FIFA 14 this week. Sure, EA are getting a lot of flak at the moment and another football sequel is never going to win them any new fans; but if we are all honest, it must be quite hard to re-package and improve what is essentially just a football game, and usually they do pull it off.
Apparently there are 65 million games of FIFA played each week, so they must be doing something right. A petition to EA recently called for FIFA 14 to feature female players, so it will be interesting to see if there is an official response now they are in full rebuilding image mode.
Couple of things I would like to see in the new fifa:
1. The manager patrolling the touchline, getting animated at decisions etc.
2. Dubious decisions - how many times in footy does something unfair happen? That's what makes a lot of the drama sometimes - a disallowed goal, offside wrongly given
3. Some sort of "rage meter", where you can dispute dodgy decisions - Not happy with the offside? pound the buttons but run the risk of a card
4. Rivalries with key players on teams
any thoughts??


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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be the stand out re-make in 2012 and 2013 – Mama Says So! With a fall TV series this year, a movie, webisodes and a lot of Nickelodeon support, the pizza eating turtles should do well with a new generation.
In the movie remake category, Warner Brothers' Man of Steel looks to be a fantastic and edgy remake of Superman. Warner Brothers seems to be taking some cues from the Marvel playbook and it looks like Man of Steel will be followed by other DC Super Heroes culminating in a Justice League "Avengers-esque" movie about 2015. Smart move!
Disney has been cautiously promoting a Cars Spin off / re-work called "Planes" for about a year. Up until the licensing show I had not been particularly impressed with the effort. But they showed some really cute footage, and I have to admit, I think there will be a lot of little boys playing with Dusty The Crop Duster Toys. Winx is the girls' property that worked so well in Europe, and struggled here in the US. Jakks and Nickelodeon are teaming up to re-work these teen-age /superhero/fairies into an American success story They are sort of trampy looking versions of the Disney Fairies, but that should play well in the US. Right?
Last but not least – the first half of 2013 will be dominated by Disney's Monsters Inc! The original movie returns to the theater in January followed by the Monsters Inc. DVD release in the Spring. In June the pre-quel, Monsters University, hits the big screen as one of the hot summer remakes. There will be months of Sully and Mike, so prepare to scream. Monsters University is certain to be a movie success, but I am a little puzzled at Disney's intent to position the merchandise for boys vs preschool. I think that the big winner for Monsters Inc was the plush Boo doll. But what do I know?
Tomorrow let's talk about the tried and true properties at the Licensing Show.


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Pamela Brandon
Pam Brandon is a Structural Engineer, Project and Commercial Manager and LEED® Accredited Professional. Over the past 28 years, 22 of which were spent at the international design and consulting firm Arup, she has served as the project manager and structural design engineer on many and varied projects such as performing arts buildings, medical buildings, university buildings, laboratories and corporate buildings.
Ms. Brandon began her career in the London office of Arup under the wing of the late Peter Rice, working on the new Lords Cricket Ground Mound Stand. She subsequently moved to San Francisco in 1986, where she helped grow the tiny 6-person Arup San Francisco office into the multi-office Arup Americas region it is today. Pam led teams as Project Manager and Structural Engineer on many large multi-disciplinary projects, some with international teams. From 2001 to 2008 she was the engineering Project Manager for the New California Academy Of Sciences Museum, in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, responsible for the coordination of 10 engineering and consulting disciplines. From 2007-2008 she was the Project Manager for the Dubai Towers project in Dubai, leading an international structural design team spread over five time zones.
Pam holds a Civil Engineering professional license and is a California registered Structural Engineer. Her analysis and detailing skills cover a variety of materials including steel, concrete and timber. In addition to skills in structural engineering she has design experience in other building design disciplines such as electrical, mechanical and lighting engineering and can contribute positively to a multi-disciplinary engineering approach. Her knowledge and experience extend through every phase of project work from concept design through to construction administration services.
Pam was educated in the UK at Leeds University (with an exchange year at Pennsylvania State University) and holds a Master Of Engineering degree in Architectural Engineering. She is member of both SEAONC (Structural Engineers Association of Northern California) and the Project Management Institute.
Adjunct Professor, Architecture
Physics for Architects


text: Check out these Hampton Gel-Grip Urethane Dumbbells. What makes these dumbbells special is that they have the Gel-Grip urethane handle that prevents your hand from moving during your workout. It does not collect germs or bacteria like conventional knurled handles do. The Hampton Gel-Grip Urethane Dumbbells are available from 5-lb. to 52.5-lbs. in 2.5-pound increments and 55-lbs. to 130-lbs. in 5-pound increments. [Product Page]


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Road bikes are designed mainly for cyclists who want to learn how to ride on the road for leisure but as well for cyclist who some day want to become an expert and join some competitions.
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Rich Lowry reports that "rumors are flying that John McCain and Lindsey Graham have cut a deal with the White House to put off consideration of Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the lame-duck, in exchange for their active support of New START."
I'll be delighted if DADT receives no more consideration in the lame duck session. But I don't like the idea of horse-trading when it comes to approving important treaties. If McCain and Graham believe that New START is worthy of their active support, they should actively support it regardless of what the Dems do or don't do with DADT. If they don't, then they have no business actively supporting it under any circumstances.
As Lowry notes, however, the rumor in question is only that. Would President Obama really risk the ire of gay activists with this sort of a deal? Would John McCain really be this irresponsible about consideration of an important treaty?
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"Arise and take our stand for freedom as in the olden time." Winston Churchill
"Proclaim Liberty throughout All the land unto All the Inhabitants Thereof." Inscription on the Liberty Bell


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Useful and expedient wedding favors- fans
Thinking at what can be your wedding favors idea the first thought will be related to having something representative for your wedding so part of the concept and something to remain as a remembrance, to be a symbol for the event. But decorative things are usually the choice and so nothing surprisingly will be for the guests to see and expect to receive.
Stylish, coming in a wide range of options as colors hand fans wedding favors can be one of the greatest ideas. The prices are affordable, depending on the fabric used and design. But you can handle the situation. Will this be your one and only choice?
With advantages but disadvantages at the same time you get to ask yourself in what measure will hand fans wedding favors be suitable. Why?


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Click onto the red block with jump over it:
Move the red block avoiding crash with the blue ones.
Don't touch the black edge.
If you can reach more than 18 seconds, you are a genius.
It is said that the pilots from the US air force are forced to reach 2 minutes.
Go, call your friends to challenge this game.


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It is not known who these wise men were. Their names and dwelling-place are alike kept back from us. We are only told that they came "from the East."
Matthew 2:1-12 shows us that there may be true servants of God in places where we should not expect to find them. The Lord Jesus has many "hidden ones" like these wise men. The grace of God is not tied to places and families. The Holy Spirit can lead souls to Christ without the help of many outward means. Men may be born in dark places of the earth, like these wise men, and yet like them be made "wise unto salvation."
These verses teach us, that it is not always those who have most religious privileges, who give Christ most honor. We might have thought that the Scribes and Pharisees would have been the first to hasten to Bethlehem, on the lightest rumor that the Savior was born. But it was not so. A few unknown strangers from a distant land were the first, except the shepherds mentioned by Luke, to rejoice at His birth.
These verses teach us, that there may be knowledge of Scripture in the head, while there is no grace in the heart. Notice how king Herod sends to inquire of the priests and elders "where the Christ would be born." Notice also what a ready answer they return him, and what an acquaintance with the letter of Scripture they show. But they never went to Bethlehem to seek for the coming Savior.
The conduct of the wise men described in this chapter is a splendid example of spiritual diligence. What trouble it must have cost them to travel from their homes to the place where Jesus was born! How many weary miles they must have journeyed!
It would be well for all professing Christians if they were more ready to follow the wise men's example. Where is our self-denial? What pains do we take about our souls? What diligence do we show about following Christ? What does our religion cost us? These are serious questions. They deserve serious consideration.
Last, but not least, the conduct of the wise men is a striking example of faith. They believed in Christ when they had never seen Him - but that was not all. They believed in Him when the Scribes and Pharisees were unbelieving - but that again was not all. They believed in Him when they saw Him a little infant on Mary's knee, and worshiped Him as a king.
Adapted from The Gospel of Matthew by J.C. Ryle (Chapter 2).


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Every year for the past five years, the art world has set its watch by Design Miami's global forum for the best in design. For its sixth edition, Design Miami relocated to Miami Beach, adjacent to Art Basel. The result was an even deeper communion between the art world, the design world and collectors and followers. Under this year's innovative tent structure, designed by Moorhead & Moorhead Studio, the international design community gathered to honor Konstantin Grcic as Designer of the Year. His hammock-like installation at the entrance, "Netscape," was an interactive vehicle for visitors and a complement to the studio's tent design. For Las Vegans, it is important to look toward Design Miami as an indicator of all that will be hip and cool in the year to come. Throw out a few of these names for some great cocktail conversation.
"Phantom": a limited-edition table by GRAFT for stilwerk
Representatives of GRAFT Architects from Berlin say they are interested in "playing with an enhanced and amorphous vocabulary of shapes." And so GRAFT designers created the "Phantom" table, a nine-piece glass-fiber structure, in order to ask the question, "What constitutes the perfect table for you?" With the table, they also answer the question with the adage: A table's existence is validated by its occupants, not its materialism. When the designers were asked "How did the idea for a table emerge?" they explained that "A table essentially symbolizes our being together."
Zaha Hadid, "Console de Rangement"
This unique fiberglass composition, presented by Perimeter Art and Design, Paris, displays the investigative tendencies of designer Zaha Hadid. Her visual tradition, mostly based on the study of curves and their complexity, can be seen in the design for this storage console. Hadid, the first female architect to be awarded the Pritzker Prize (in 2004), is known for taking the ordinary into the realm of the extraordinary.
Renate Müller TOYS+DESIGN, presented by New York's R Gallery
For more than 40 years, Müller has been designing and hand-making a series of jute and leather toys, primarily animals, in the same tradition taught by toymakers in Germany since the 1800s. These toys are both fun and functional. They debuted at the Leipzig Trade Fair in 1967 and continued annually. Each year Müller adds animals and objects to the collection. In 1990, she took over the rights to her designs and today continues to hand-produce very limited quantities of new and classic styles.
Carpenters Workshop presents Random International's "Swarm"
"Swarm" is an experimental and interactive light installation with a real, collective consciousness that subtly reacts to the viewer's audible presence. It is comprised of 9,000 LEDs, polished brass rods, 3,000 custom circuit boards, custom driver software and hardware, a behavioral algorithm, sound sensors, computer and interface. But don't let its complicated construction deter you from witnessing its beauty. These 3-D grids of lights react to embedded microphones that pick up nearby sounds. The result is a "swarm" of light guided by the influence of the viewer.
Dimitri Vangrunderbeek's "Folded Figures"
The artist, in collaboration with D&A Lab, has produced a cabinet made from thin sheets of steel. Atop the cabinet are cutout silhouettes of men that cast shadows over its surface. The cutouts, which are placed in various directions, create the effect of motion using their shapes and the variations of their shadows. The designers used a special technique to craft these little forms from the thin steel sleeves.
David Bielander, "Hot Dog" Jewelry
Swiss-born Bielander completed his goldsmith's apprenticeship in Basel, Switzerland. He studied at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts before establishing his own studio and workshop in Munich, where he still resides. His jewelry is a perfect balance of creativity and humor.
Troika's "Falling Light," presented by Swarovski Crystal Palace
An intense and beautiful sensory experience like no other you have witnessed, "Falling Light" projects LED light through custom-cut Swarovski crystals onto the gallery floor. The central idea of this exhibit by the London-based-trio Troika is that "science does not destroy, but rather discovers poetry in the patterns of nature." "Falling Light" presents a cinematographic interplay between crystal prisms and the preternatural experience.


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Netflix has revealed it's doubling down on the amount of original programming it produces next year, led by shows such as Daredevil season 2 and Luke Cage. Head of Content Ted Sarandos said the streaming service has plans to produce 31 original shows in 2016, up from 16 in 2015.
It's unclear how the full lineup will breakdown, though we already have an idea of what to expect (a few shows were mentioned above). In addition to the promise of 31 shows, Sarandos said the service also wants to introduce 10 new movies, 30 kids shows, about a dozen documentaries and 10 stand-up specials. With such a robust lineup, Netflix is very quickly becoming the premiere leader in original content, and a major competitor to traditional cable.
Sarandos said Netflix's shift into original programming was spurred in part by licensing deals to get existing content. Rather than deal with that headache, Netflix can create its own terrific content and own the rights at the same time. The service has already proved it is a force to be reckoned with with shows such as Daredevil, Master of None, and Unbearable Kimmy Schmidt; Beasts of No Nation, its first original movie, was also a critical success.
Although Netflix doesn't share information about who is watching what through its service, Sarandos said, "Our shows are among the most-viewed on television."
In addition to comments about more programming, Sarandos also expressed interest in Netflix launching its own sports league. It won't provide content from existing leagues themselves, but perhaps its own league. That's probably many years in the making, but it's one possible avenue Netflix could move into beyond TV and movies.
If you're not a Netflix subscriber now, you might want to reconsider as we approach the New Year.


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Data File 3 - The Canadian Seal Hunt.
(photo courtesy of AP Photo/IFAW, Stewart Cook, HO)
A 'raggedy-jacket' harp seal pup shot by a seal hunter.
Harp seal pups start with white fur and molt over a period of a few weeks. This pup is so young, it is only just beginning to molt. It is illegal to hunt 'whitecoat' pups but the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans allows pups just starting to molt to be killed (12 to 14 days after they are born).
The Canadian Seal Hunt is a thinly disguised effort by the Canadian government to excuse subsidising the politically powerful Canadian fishing community. It also negatively impacts on the economic benefits which should be available to sustainable First Nation hunting.
The pro Seal Hunt lobby have picked up on the new trend by commercial operations and their supporters of attempting to 'greenwash' unsustainable harvesting of natural resources. This is achieved in part by using the disingenuous propaganda that the commercial industry are performing a vital 'environmental' service to protect one or more 'really' endangered species, supposedly 'threatened' by the species they are exploiting.
Needless to say this kind of propaganda is a complete fabrication and has no scientific basis. It also usually disguises the fact that the commercial industry in question is the real culprit for the 'really' endangered status (by unsustainable over harvesting) of the species they now claim to be trying to 'protect'.
This 'greenwashing' theme will recur in other Data Files, notably my Whaling Data File (when I have completed it).
The Seal Hunt lobby have disingenuously tried to 'greenwash' their operation twice over.
First, by blaming harp seals for the lack of cod in Canadian waters; however it was the Canadian commercial cod fishery not seals that caused the decimation of cod populations in Canadian waters. Even the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans has officially stated that the Seal Hunt is not a cull to protect cod stocks.
What do harp seals eat?
In the St. Lawrence River they eat capelin from December to February, prior to the pupping season. Lactating females and moulting harp seals feed infrequently, although mothers forage intensively on capelin in the St. Lawrence River after weaning their pups.
Atlantic cod, including the northern cod stock, is a minor component of the annual harp seal diet.
- Wallace, S.D and J.W. Lawson. 1997. A review of stomach contents of harp seals (Phoca groenlandica) from the Northwest Atlantic: an update. IMMA Technincal Report 97-01. 99pp.
The pro Seal Hunt lobby's second 'greenwashing' allegation is that harp seals are outcompeting walruses for food. This propaganda is as false as the claim about cod.
(photo courtesy of Geek Philosopher)
What do walruses eat?
Walruses prefer molluscs, mainly bivalves such as clams. They suck bivalve animals from the shells. Walruses also eat many other kinds of benthic invertebrates including worms, gastropods, cephalopods, crustaceans, sea cucumbers, and other soft-bodied animals. Walruses may occasionally prey on fishes such as polar cod.
Walruses may eat the remains of young seals when food is scarce.
There are some rare but habitual seal-eating walruses. Their diet consists mainly of ringed and bearded seals. These are usually male walruses, recognizable because they are usually larger than other males with powerful shoulder and chest muscles. Their skin may become grease-stained from the blubber of the seals.
So the allegation that harp seals compete with walruses is clearly untrue.
To return to the cod allegation, here are the comments of Doug Sweetland a Canadian Inshore cod fisherman, who is still a politically active lobbyist for the Canadian Inshore cod fishing industry.
'Doug Sweetland is even-handed in dishing out blame. "Everyone contributed to the decline of the cod. The main culprits were the draggers because of high grading".
High Grading is where fishermen keep catching fish and throwing away the ones they don't want until they have achieved a hold of premium-size fish.
"The plant in Catalina employed 1,500 people. They were getting so much fish in the mid-1980s that they said 26 inches (65cms) is the smallest fish we want. You know where the rest was going - over the side dead. That destroyed a million pounds of fish to get 400,000lb (180.000kg)."
Doug remembers how quickly the end came.
"In the winter of '92 there was good cod. Within three months there was nothing. The offshore fishery had shot itself down."
- Doug Sweetland, Newfoundland cod fisherman refering to the Canadian Cod Fishery between the mid 1980s and 1992, from The End of the Line by Charles Clover.
Readers will notice that Doug Sweetland doesn't mention harp seals at all.
The false allegation that seals are a threat to fishermen continues to hound them, even when the seal species in question is a seriously endangered one.
'Furthermore, I am reminded from my work on endangered Mediterranean monk seals that as long as seals and fisheries overlap, someone will want to remove seals from the system. Today, only some 500 Mediterranean monk seals exist in the Mediterranean and in the Northeast Atlantic off the coast of Northwest Africa. They are one of the most endangered of all seal species. Yet fishers in the Mediterranean still kill them because they perceive them to be competing with them for their livelihood.'
- David Lavigne, PhD
Common sense points out that for thousands of years before industrialised commercial fishing methods were introduced (in the 1950s) there was clearly no threat to what where vast cod stocks from their natural predators; who actually demonstrate what genuine 'sustainable harvesting' means.
(illustration courtesy of NOAA)
Why is the Canadian Seal Hunt so important to the Canadian fishing industry?
Very simple, for political reasons the Canadian government only requires people in the fishing industry (which includes Seal hunters) to work for 14 weeks of the year to qualify for employment insurance benefits, other Canadians have to subsidise them for the rest of the year. Individual seal hunters only earn approximately $1000 from the Seal Hunt itself.
Larry Tremblett - Ex Inshore cod fisherman,
'He makes enough in the 14 week spring season for crab to qualify for employment insurance...which the government pays for the rest of the year.'
Doug Sweetland - Ex Inshore cod fisherman,
'catches crab. lobster, and lumpfish to qualify for his EI.'
Ransom Myers - Ex Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans,
'With employment insurance it is not inconceivable that a couple can make C$60,000 (£25,000) a year, spending 14 weeks catching or processing crab or other fish.....for fishermen all business expenditure is allowable against tax........' Myers says you won't hear a peep of criticism of this state benefit system coming from the DFO's big, modern building in St. John's. 'For an academic in Newfoundland to say anything against employment insurance is totally unthinkable. It's not even discussed'.
- first person interviews from The End of the Line by Charles Clover.
St. John's, Newfoundland - 'Former employees in Harbor Breton haven't worked for more than two years, except for projects to extend their employment insurance claims.'
- Tara Brautigam, The ChronicleHerald, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 22nd May 2006
"It's sad to say when you [have] to talk about EI with a million-dollar boat, but you know, that's what's in the fleet, people with million-dollar enterprises just looking to break even,"
- Dwight Spence, fishes from Port au Choix for shrimp and snow crab
CBC News. 24th April 2006
Canadian Employment Insurance (EI) Fishing Benefits -
'EI is especially important in the Atlantic provinces, which have higher rates of unemployment. Many Atlantic workers are also employed in seasonal work such as fishing and go on EI over the winter when there is no work. There are special rules for fishers making it easier for them to collect EI.'
- Wikipedia
'The purpose of the proposed regulation amendment is to put in place a pilot project designed to test the labour market impacts of DECREASING (my capitals), for new entrants and re-entrants to the labour force who have access to employment programs established under Part II of the Act, the number of hours of insurable employment required in order for them to qualify for benefits.'
'The Government of Canada will increase the duration of parental benefits'
(hooded seal illustration courtesy of NOAA)
To give readers an idea of the large number of voters in receipt of these benefits and therefore the massive sums involved -
'fishing benefits paid $217.0 million' - 2000
'fishing benefits increased 8.6% to $235.6 million' - 2001
'fishing benefits increased by 4.8% to $246.9 million' - 2002
Interestingly in 2003, 2004, 2005, someone in the Canadian government appears to have decided that providing the fishing benefits figures so straightforwardly in the Executive Summary was politically imprudent and so it stopped doing so; however the figures are still there, just better hidden.
Fishing benefits paid $274.3 million - 2002 to 2003
Fishing benefits paid $298.1 million - 2003 to 2004
Fishing benefits paid $293.2 million - 2004 to 2005
- Canadian Department of Human Resources and Social Development,
2005 Monitoring and Assessment Report, Annex 2
The Pro Seal Hunt propaganda suggests that the hunt is only designed to keep Harp Seal numbers at their existing levels, this is also untrue.
"When such hunting pressure last occurred, the harp seal population declined rapidly by over 50 percent," said Harris. "Given seals only reach breeding age at about five to six years old, it could be too late to intervene by the time the impacts of current hunting levels are understood."
- Professor Stephen Harris of Bristol University
'Harp seal populations in the northwestern Atlantic: modelling populations with uncertainty'
'Harris notes that the current DFO population estimate for harp seals relied on a very small sample size. Less than two percent of the breeding site was evaluated to extrapolate the population.
Harris points out that several other Canadian fisheries, such as the cod fishery, have collapsed over the years as a consequence of many variables, including environmental change and mismanagement. The harp seal management plan does not apply a precautionary principle, Harris says, and so threatens the survival of seal populations.
The 2006 hunt quota of 325,000 harp seals, as well as 10,000 hooded seals and 10,400 grey seals (the TAC over the last 4 years are the highest kill levels since the 1950s) depresses the value of the additional 10,000 allocation to aboriginal hunters but that does not appear to be a genuine concern for anyone benefiting from the welfare subsidies available through taking part in the larger hunt.
While Greenland has a seal hunt, the Greenland government ordered its publicly owned tannery, Great Greenland, to stop buying Canadian seal pelts as of January 1, 2006 because of its opposition to the Newfoundland seal hunt.
- Environmental News Service 28 May 2006.
(Grey seal photo courtesy of Erik Christensen)
The Pro-Seal Hunt propaganda likes to points out that these seals are not 'endangered'.
Sustainability is about making sure that animals do not become endangered, not waiting until they are!
The Canadian fishing industry (like many other nations' fishing industries) has had ample opportunity to join forces with environmental NGOs to highlight the unsustainable nature of modern industrialised fishing practies and to lobby for improved fishing practises and draconian legislation efficiently enforced, to protect their fish stocks.
That the Canadian fishing industry prefers to create another unsustainable industry to assist them in qualifying for welfare benefits, informs readers exactly how little some of these communities value their traditions and culture.