Commitment (a multipart series)

Oh, what a crazy month April has been.  Life has been very full and a bit hectic and my head is overwhelmed with ideas of things to write here and this is the first time I've sat down to do so all month.  But rather than let my hands type out all these thoughts I'd rather focus on one at a time, because well, it seems more fair to you as a reader.  My next few posts will probably skirt around a theme that is coming up frequently this year.
Commitment and self-discipline.  April presented two opportunities to practice my commitment to the earth.

On April 12 our family attended the B.R.O.K.E sponsored rally against Kinder-Morgan's proposed pipeline expansion in our city.  There are dozens of reasons I am against this expansion but the first one is that our earth cannot sustain the practices of extracting fossil fuels.  This pipeline will transport oil across our backyard to buyers in foreign markets, navigating tricky waters with tankers that could spill and destroy wildlife and precious natural areas. We already live with the risk of the current pipeline's potential hazards let alone adding another.  This type of thinking about our environment as an extraction field needs to be stopped.

On Earth Day I visited Kyan's classroom and read "Earth Mother" by Ellen Jackson.  It is a wonderful story of the gentleness, power and wisdom of nature's cycles.  The kids were very engaged by it and we followed up with learning the first verse of The Earth is our Mother chant.  And to end the lesson we talked about what each of them could do to take care of the earth using this sheet.  I was happy that the kids responded as they did.  And despite being busy in other things I was glad to mark the day for the kids and myself.  I plan to do this each year as long as Kyan's (and eventually Elliott's) teachers are on board.  This work is about my spiritual path and in a future post I'll expand on where these values are building from.

Around home our interest in birds continues to be enhanced by our bird feeders.  Elliott built a nest for our little eggs one morning.  Spring brings forth so much life and newness that it spills over in the boys' faces.  The inspiration of it seems endless.

Looking deeper: Northern Gateway Pipeline

How does one begin to talk about the power of large corporations?  Their shear mass, their money to hire talented wordsmiths, lovely artists and fund projects with the "downtrodden" to distract us from what they are really doing.  After seeing this commercial I simply could not keep turning my head in disgust anymore.  Honestly, the capacity that Enbridge has to gloss over the reality of what they are doing is remarkable.  The details of what this means for the communities that will be impacted and the habitats that will be destroyed to make one pipeline to carry oil and another to carry condensation are just small blips in what they consider to be their "ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship, habitat remediation and protection."
Doesn't that sound lovely.  They destroy one habitat and then fund other groups that are working to protect other areas.  I guess as long as they don't need to build a pipeline there then it's a great place to conserve.
The nitty gritty details of this pipeline are as follows:
A 36" in diameter pipeline will be built from near Edmonton Alberta to Kitimat British Columbia.  This pipeline will traverse the Rocky and Coastal Mountain ranges, many communities and end up at the port in Kitimat where the oil would then be transported to Asia on tankers that will have to navigate through the narrow channels and fjords of the Great Bear Rainforest.
The oil is coming from the Alberta Oil Sands (often referred to as the Tar Sands).
The oil is going to be used in countries that are growing in their need of this non-renewable substance rather than looking harder for alternatives.  In the meantime the ecosystems that will be destroyed to build this structure can never be repaired.  Permanent damage for 560 permanent jobs and 525,000 barrels of oil per day for 30 years.
If there is an oil spill, leak or damage we can not count on Enbrige to responsibly clean up the oil.  Their reputation in this area is not sterling.  In fact it's as dirty as oil.  So the people of this province need to stand up and say no.  Of course our current government, sensing the storm of discontent already raining down about this project are now changing the rules left, right and center to prevent the people from having our say.  Apparently if it comes to Harper's precious oil tycoons all bets are off and the projects will be done whether Canadians like it or not.  The Northern Gateway project is one of three plans to bring more oil through our province.  The other two are another pipeline project run by Kinder Morgan (which just happens to literally run through my back yard) and CN Rail plans on taking oil by train to ports as well.  Does this sound like a country with a "demonstrated commitment to improving environmental standards" or a country that is being denigrated by corporate interests and short term dollar signs?
 I'll leave it up to you to form your own opinion as I have.
If you'd like to stand up to this you can check this out.
And if you'd like to see just what we stand to loose please watch the film below.

Limiting the limitless

A little rant of sorts has been drifting through my tired brain these last few weeks.  It was sparked by a dawning in my mind of an idea that isn't shared much in the crafty mama blogs that I read.  Searching for inspiration in blogland is not hard.  There are tons of smart and accomplished people out there doing what seems like it all.  Urban homesteading or moving to the farm, entrepreneurs, professionals, creative women making time to take classes or read and learn skills for making the everyday less consumerist and more handmade.
I am so inspired by this, often it lights a fire in this dreamer's soul and I accomplish things and have the courage to try.  And even if I don't try those specific ideas the fact that someone else is makes me glad and gives me a sense of accomplishment for the things I do make my own.
And that is what I wanted to share today.  How have I made the choices to "do" or "admire".  What criteria I have considered and why I think that limitations are really important, especially for mamas today.
Just to put some background on myself before I begin to list my limits: I'm neither a Type A personality nor a perfectionist.  I think motivation is often highly affected by these things.  Feeling compelled to "do it all" is more typical of those traits.  I have lots of laid-back, "good enough" in me.  That is both a blessing and a curse.  But knowing that about yourself can help you to set and not overreach your own limits.  Where do you fall in the spectrum in between master of all trades and master of none?
So setting the scene with me not being a master of all trades type I have chosen to work and become as proficient as possible at skills that resonate strongly with me:

Gardening.  Each year I plant.  I water, weed and tend.  I have had some success and lots of failure here.  There is little that I would pass on in terms of advice because I consider myself a novice at best.
My goal is to one day have a vegetable garden and hopefully a space that I could tend with Permaculture principals in mind.  For now I have a small front bed and my balcony.  I love flowers, herbs, fostering space for bees, birds and butterflies, and producing some food for the family.  I do not aspire to produce all or even most of our food, the level of skill, time and space that I would need for that is beyond my scope and desire.  An example of how I have set my gardening limit is by planting some edibles and flowers together, building on past success while still experimenting as well.  This year I'll plant more snap peas (which were our biggest success last year) a cucumber that does well in containers, have our first rhubarb harvest, and I hope to plant a raspberry bush in our front plot as well.  I'm going to give tomatoes a go again, despite two years of failure but I will research the variety better than I did before.
What I won't do or don't aspire to do is have chickens or bees of my own.  I support the efforts of those that do.  I think it is wonderful really.  But I don't want to care for any other beings right now.  And in the case of bees, chickens or anything other than a dog or maybe a turtle, I'm out.  I told Ky he could have a dog when he's ten.  By then he'll at least be able to care for it and the boys will be older and I'll feel more able to care for something that will have such dependence on us.

Food.  Glorious food.  Food culture, food politics, food accessibility.  Feeding us is a huge part of my life right now and will continue to be for many years to come.   Since I have committed to eating whole foods, organic and local as much as possible I feel learning to cook them to the best of my ability is important.  Not only cooking is high on my list, preserving food is also crucial to our style of nourishment.  So canning, freezing, and fermenting fall into this category.  That being said I'm sticking to learning about bread and meal prep as well as baking.  I won't be making mead, kombucha, or beer.  The main issue here being storage of large buckets, bottles and again the time involved.  Cheese and yogurt are possibilities in the future but more out of fun than providing for all or our dietary needs.  I also won't be making our soap, most cleaning products or many herbal remedies.  My reasoning here is that there are many local options for me to support others in these endeavors.  And again I don't want to store the supplies needed to make these things nor try to fit the tasks into our schedule.  Dave and I do have hobbies we share but he is not the ultimate do-it-yourself type guy.  We won't be spending our Saturday nights making soap though I applaud those that do and understand their motivations.

In the creative department I sew and embroider.  Those are my art, my future plan of personal and professional  fulfillment.  They are areas that this non-perfectionist most needs to perfect if that makes sense. Building a technical skill base to make the ideas in my head manifest into pieces for other to see.  That being said I don't knit or crochet.  I don't do pottery, professional photography, or cross-stich.  I want to be really good at sewing, quilting and working in fabric.  Bringing knitting onto the scene would divide my attention.  That doesn't mean that I'll never knit, there may be lots of time for learning it in the future but for now I'm refraining from yarn.

In the interest of keeping this long post from going into overdrive I'll list the other areas that I put my time into (or plan to in the future).  I am enjoying how these things are revealing themselves to me as time progresses.  I'm sure the list will change, expand or contract depending on circumstances and you know, life as it unfolds.

Reading :: blogs, poetry, fiction and non-fiction
Writing my blog
Yoga
Paganism/spirituality
Outdoors :: hiking, camping, travel, environmental protection
Feminism :: woman's issues, politics and democratic rights, maternal health

Thanks for sticking with me here. I'm wrapping up I promise.  What this all means is that in the limitless world before me whether on the internet or not I have to stop my dreamer self from creating a world that is impossible to sustain.  I'd love to do everything well.  Most of the things I listed above that I don't/won't do are not for lack of interest but are more about prioritizing.  The wonderful women that I read about who pursue these skills are admirable and most likely have their own lists whether they are conscious ones or not.  We all prioritize and some things inevitably don't make the list.  And that is good.  They can always be tried later or celebrated through another means.  Let's avoid burn-out, feeling like we are not stacking up to those around us or comparisons.  For those that seem to do it all I am sure that they are not.  No one does.  We are all just doing our best to fulfill our dreams and master what is really dear to our hearts.

Book of the Month: July

I think I've mentioned before that I'm a Starhawk fan.  I haven't read all of her books but the ones I have read were important steps on my spiritual path.  The Fifth Sacred Thing Starhawk's first work of fiction remains a magical story to me.  It takes the reader on a journey into an ideal city that was so poignant to me when I read it 11 years ago that it has stayed with me.  I borrowed it when I read it back in university and just bought it because it will hopefully soon be made into a movie.  Starhawk is in the process of raising funds and putting together what must be a huge team of talented people to make this pagan work of fiction into a film.  Such a great endeavor and I can't wait to see it.  In the mean time though I'm going to read it again.  There are several places to visit to read more and help out:

Starhawk's blog

Kickstarter fundraising page (including a trailer for the movie)

Facebook page

 After reading this you should also check out the prequel called: Walking to Mercury

National Sweater Day Tomorrow

I wanted to encourage you all to join in World Wildlife Fund's National Sweater Day tomorrow, February 17th.  They are urging Canadians to put on a wacky sweater and turn the thermostat down 3 degrees.
I know many poo poo these actions as not making a real difference,  but I am of the mind that every little bit helps.  For those of us with busy lives these little steps help remind us of what's really important and it may even make us realize that we keep our thermostat too high and if we just wear a sweater in the winter we can save money on heating bills and consume less energy.  My boy is somehow anti-sweaters but I'll do my best to get him in one tomorrow (and today for a little photo session)
Here is the link to the event hope you will join in.

Angry doesn't even begin to cover it

The last time a political cause crossed this blog was in June when I shared my action towards having Bill-C311 passed by the Senate.  The bill was the Climate Change Accountability Act and it was an important step for Canada who is not living up to our potential in changing our impact on the earth.  I was horrified to learn that the Senate killed the bill in mid-November.  Without debate, without commitee meetings offering alternatives or alterations the Senate calculatedly waited until the Conservatives would have a majority and voted the bill down.


All the emails that I sent to those Senators fell on deaf ears.  The Harper government is a disgrace to this nation.  I can not find one redeaming quality that he possesses.  There is a UN Climate Change Summit being held in Cancun beginning today. John Baird Canada's minister of the Environment might as well stay here and go visit the oil sands...or go lounge by the pool at whatever Mexican resort he is staying at.   I am embarrassed by our country's leadership on this issue, probably the most defining moment in the 21st century is passing us by in a blur of oil soaked, greedy and shortsighted "leadership." 

The warmth of the coming holidays dulls the anger slightly for me, but I could not let this issue that I have been writing about for many moons now go by without a word of outrage.  Other than embarrassment and anger I simply urge anyone out there to remember that we can vote these people out of government.  Harper is not doing his job to any degree that I consider acceptable.  If you feel the same way please put your feelings out there and vote them out of power a.s.a.p.

Progress with Climate Change Legislation

Today I stand up to applaud the opposition parties in Canada for dragging Steven Harper and his Conservative cronies kicking and screaming into the reality of climate change.  On May 5th the third vote on bill C-311, The New Democrat Climate Change Accountability Act passed in the House of Commons by a vote of 149 to 136.  Finally Canada is not lagging behind in implementing legislation to deal with climate change and its inevitable effect on our country.  The David Suzuki Foundation, Greenpeace, Sierra Club of Canada and Climate Action Network have all worked towards this bill passing and support the measures it introduces.   Some of the measure that this bill puts forward:

• Cuts greenhouse gas emissions – 25% below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80% by 2050
• Mandates the government to set regulations that ensure targets are met
• Punishes polluters who break regulations
• Ensures government accountability with publicized 5 year target plans
• Establishes independent reviews to ensure government measures reach targets

The work is not over though.  This legislation now has to pass a Senate vote.   This is a crucial time in the process since in 2008 the Senate was set to debate and vote on the bill just before Harper called an election which killed it in its tracks.  It is so important that we keep a watch on this because the Senate has 105 seats 51 of which belong to Conservatives, 49 Liberals and 3 Independent/others.  If the Conservative Senators all side with Harper and they have just 2 Liberals or others on their side this could not pass.  The House of Commons and the Senate must "agree" on legislation for it to pass.  Here is a list of senators in Canada I urge everyone to contact any and/or all of them to get action on this bill.  I will be letting my voice be heard on this issue.  I feel that it is my duty as a mother and a human living on this good earth.

Democracy lives here.  Let's make sure it's working!
And if you'd like to devote 8 minutes of your life to watch democracy in action take a look at this.




 

Getting back on my Soapbox

Lately as I was thinking of my posts for this month I realized that I had not done many political commentary writings in the last few months. When I looked at my records I saw that I haven't written any political commentary since Blog Action Day which was in October, so a two and a half month break I've (unconsciously) taken but I'm going to get back at it.

There is an important place for politics and social issues in my life and being. I believe the adage that the personal is political. What my government does, what people with power in society do effects me. Their decisions can change the course of my life and that of the ones I love. That is why I write about what is going on in my town, country or the world. My intent is not to appear as an expert but to share information that I feel is important and to give others some resources to search out answers for themselves.

Chasing Domestic Bliss is about many things and I think that makes it hard to attract readers but I write from a deep place and one that is as complex as my personality. I can't compartmentalize myself or subdue my passions to exude a certain feeling that may attract more readers. So I hope that if my political rants are not your thing that you will just skip them and come back when you feel compelled to read. I am very grateful for everyone who posts comments and for the people that read here, this blog has come to mean a lot in my life and I am so grateful to have this avenue in which to share.

During the months leading up to the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit that took place in December of 2009 there was an electricity in the air that held hope for environmental activists. I first heard about it when listening to Treehugger Radio's podcast with Bill McKibben. McKibben turned a scientific discovery into a global movement with the website 350.org
The importance of this number is that scientists have determined that in order for life (humanity) to be sustained on this planet we can not exceed 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide. The science in more depth can be found here. 350 ppm is the safest place for the levels of carbon in our atmosphere to be and right now they are at 387 ppm. That means that climate change is happening faster and that is not a positive thing for countries living at sea level who face the possibilities of losing their homes altogether.

The reason that Copenhagen was filling so many with hope was that this was a chance for the leaders of the world to come together and create change. A global day of action was held on October 24th 2009, people from all over the world (181 countries) came together to say we need this dealt with, this is the issue of our times. But when the summit rolled around in December skepticism crept into me. As each day passed and I listened to the news I became more convinced that nothing was going to happen. Political maneuvers, jargon and the bureaucratic ridiculousness that grows like bacteria in most world politics took over and we were left with a non-legally binding accord and a bunch of men in suits shrugging on podiums. For more details of why the summit did not reach a solid agreement you can read more here.

I think the reason that I did not write about this until now is because of how pessimistic I feel about it. I prefer to share positive ideas and thoughts and look at issues optimistically. What makes me angry about this is that science has proven a number and people are still apathetic. There are even those who still question that climate change is even happening despite mountains of evidence. When I look at my son and think of the future I am sometimes paralyzed by the way we can all be so naive and take this earth for granted day after day while life as we know it gets closer and closer to extinction. I do some things to change this and I need to do more. What do you do?

Blog Action Day 2009

Well here I am...several hours into Blog Action Day and just getting to my post. This morning was not the easiest as Ky was in quite a mood. So despite a to-do list the length of my arm and the breakfast dishes (now joined by lunch) still on the kitchen table we headed out the door for a walk. My intention was to ground both my little earth sign and myself and write some notes while he played at the park. As we walked, Climate Change this year's topic, swirled through my head and was reflected in many different things. My son's delight as he saw transit trains and buses bringing people from place to place. A homeless woman's smile at Ky in his pumpkin hat while she ate cold food out of a tin can. She had spent the night on a slab of concrete beneath the bicycle bridge leading to the park. The Styrofoam container floating in the creek we crossed over which is a salmon habitat. The beauty of fallen leaves, a warm overcast day, and the sound of birds in the trees. And now I sit here to write about something that I am ashamed to say I barely knew about a few months ago. Something that is a Canadian issue with climate, oil and how we interact with the natural world.

Several months ago I listened to Sierra Club Radio's podcast from 2008 about the Alberta Oil Sands. They were trying to lobby Hilary Clinton to prevent a pipeline being built to pump the oil from Alberta into the United States. I had heard of this before but I did not know the extent of the actions that our provincial neighbours were taking to extract this oil. In their March 2009 issue National Geographic published an objective and well written article on the oil sands entitled: The Canadian Oil Boom: Scraping Bottom. This article presents facts that are important for all Canadians and Americans to know about this oil. Here is a sampling:

-"The U.S. imports more oil from Canada than from any other nation, about 19 percent of its total foreign supply and around half of that now comes from the oil sands."

-"Oil sands production uses enough natural gas daily to heat more than 3 million homes."

-"The oil sands are still a tiny part of the world's carbon problem-they account for less than a tenth of one percent of global CO2 emissions..."

Despite the obvious reasons that I would object to this method of extraction which can be explained more in the above link to the National Geographic article, I feel the underlying issue for me is the effect of this type of oil refining on the earth. On the Government of Alberta's website they say regarding the oil sands:

"Through ongoing research and technology work continues to find new and improved ways of recovering this significant resource and reducing the environmental footprint."

My question is how is that possible? The environmental footprint from this practice is HUGE. The means is not justified by the end. In the long term the area where this extraction is taking place is being destroyed. Again quoting Robert Kunzig from The Canadian Oil Boom:

"No where on Earth is more earth being moved these days than in the Athabasca Valley [Alberta, Canada]. To extract each barrel of oil from a surface mine, the industry must first cut down the forest, then remove an average of two tons of peat and dirt that lie above the oil sands layer, then two tons of the sand itself."

This oil is the result of the Athabasca River eroding away billions of cubic yards of sediment that once covered the bitumen which is eventually made into oil. This process took millions of years. How long will it take for this part of the Earth to regenerate from this horrible process? The key to this issue is to stop extracting "dirty oil" and work towards alternative fuel methods. The oil sands employee thousands of people many of whom have traveled from other provinces in search of work. I feel for these people and yet I believe that the oil sands must stop. Our climate, our Earth, our health and the health of wildlife in Alberta is at stake here. Sustainability is what we must work towards and this method takes too many resources and creates too much damage to ever be worth the oil to me.
If you live in the United States I encourage you to contact your local officials and let them know that you do not wish to buy oil from the Alberta Oil Sands. Here in Canada I hope you will all voice your displeasure with their existence as well. Here are some more links with relevant information.

Greenpeace Stop the Tar Sands

Sierra Club BC Minister: Climate Plans in Peril

Find your Member of Parliament to send an Email

Earth Hour and Pesticides in Canada

Tonight marks the global movement of Earth Hour. My original grand visions of a get together were lost into thin air...so tonight will be simple and hopefully relaxing. There have been some opinions circulating on the web about how "green" Earth Hour really is. That burning paraffin candles is not good for the climate since paraffin is a derivative of crude oil. (You can read more about paraffin candles vs. soy candles here.) That people may only participate to be "trendy" and not because they really want to make a difference. While it is very true that paraffin wax is bad and everyone should be educated on the truth of what is in these candles, I think those that are putting down this movement because of candles are missing a very big point. The scale of Earth Hour in the very short time that it has been happening is amazing.

"Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness." (from earthhour.org)

In a mere two years look at how this has changed things. This is about spreading the word. Talking, sharing and learning from each other. For some of us who are doing our best to make our global footprint smaller this day is not huge in terms of our everyday impact. What it is for us all is a chance to unite in a simple way. Unplugging your life for a hour is not rocket science. Anyone can do it. If all you have are paraffin candles then burn them. If you can afford more eco friendly candles then more power to you. If you do this because your best friend or a celebrity says it's the cool thing to do...who cares? You are still doing it. And the earth regardless of an hour's tiny contribution in the grand scheme of it's life span will thanks you regardless. I thank you. Thank you.
Please turn off your lights, unplug your appliances and feel thankful that at 9:31pm you have power to turn back on. You will not be alone. Earth Hour: tonight 8:30pm to 9:30pm. In all time zones, all over the world.

In other earth activist news please head on over to the David Suzuki Foundation website and fill out a quick form letter to send to your governmental representatives regarding the work towards banning pesticides across Canada. Ontario and Quebec have already banned these harmful chemicals and more work is being done to extend this ban across Canada. This is an easy and effective way to let your elected representatives know that we want these chemicals gone. You can make a difference. Hey, I'm a the glass is half full kind of gal.

Burning the Midnight Oil

Montreal at night, 2006

Two nights ago I collapsed into bed after working until midnight. The rise of the sun that morning had coincided with the rise of my son which of course meant that I was awake for the day. He was in bed and asleep about two hours after sunset and that was when I started my other job. With the help of artificial light, I was able to work about 5 and a half hours past sundown.
As I lay in my bed, trying to silence my brain and relax my body in the light of my bedside lamp, I had an urge to be in the darkness. My body was sending a loud message to me. I need darkness. That was the first time in my life that I've actually considered the need that humans have for dark.
In an article entitled Our Vanishing Night by Verlyn Klinkenborg, National Geographic thought the facts of light pollution and our need for darkness important enough to put it on their November 2008 issue's cover. As the world deservedly concerns itself with global warming and it's repercussions, one rarely contemplates how so much artificial light affects us. Our biological urge to rest in darkness is as primitive as the rotation of the Earth itself. We can not see in the dark for a reason.
I can't help but wonder if our drive to fill up the night with street lights is not rooted in a fear of the unknown, an aversion to being still, quiet and to potentially being vulnerable. Humanity has declared: here we are, time does not slow, we will make light last 24 hours. Our minds will think perpetually, our systems will go full speed ahead, nothing can stop us.
I was curious to find out the origin of the expression "Burning the midnight oil" and found that way before we had electricity we were pushing these boundaries.

The English author Francis Quarles wrote in Emblemes, 1635:

Wee spend our mid-day sweat, or mid-night oyle;
Wee tyre the night in thought; the day in toyle.

In 1623 there was even a verb in the english language for working by candlelight: elucubrate

Henry Cockeram defined that in his The English dictionarie, or an interpreter of hard English words, 1623: "Elucubrate, to doe a thing by candlelight."

On my family farm in Quebec you can see the stars. They shine out in glory. The darkness there is deep and wonderful. Farmers also work into the night but there is a limit to what they can do and for how long. There is a kind of surrender to the darkness in this type of life, as there is to the weather. In Africa the sun is so hot at mid-day that the animals rest. They hunt or roam in the early morning, evening or of course at night. We have no real nocturnal abilities. We are vulnerable without our flashlights, lamps and fires. But if we surrender, truly let ourselves be in the dark, the silence....what is there to be afraid of?
A hope I have for humanity is that we can embrace the dark, cover ourselves with the blanket of quiet peace it brings and let go of our urges for dominion over the stars.

Canadian Political Debate

I was invited to blog on the Voteenvironment.ca website which was set up by The David Suzuki Foundation. I registered but have yet to receive my registration.......so here is my view of the debate last night.
Over all I felt that each candidate was well spoken and kept to the issues. The moderator is of course the one to thank for that. The top issue to me in this election is the environment.
The Greens, NDP and the Liberals believe that working towards stopping the destruction of our life source does not have to send us into debt. Its a matter of shifting our priorities. I agree. The problem that the average Canadian has with "left" thinking politics is that they believe that socialists spend money like there is no tomorrow and have no cares about driving the government into deficit. That may have happened in the past, but I for one am a practical socialist. We can't spend money we don't have, but we don't have to. Shifting the money to reflect our new priorities is all we have to do. What good will paying down the National debt have if in 50 years we can't breathe? Obviously we can't increase the debt, we must live within our means. In my home if we don't have the money we don't get it.
After watching the film The 11th Hour where the panelists recommend that taxing pollution and lowering income tax is the key to making a cleaner environment without incurring debt, well that is what these parties are saying they will do.
Secondly the arts funding cuts. I thought Jack Layton made my main point when he told Steven Harper that his $500 tax credit for parents enrolling their children in Arts and Culture programs was no good for the average person working in the arts sector. The average income for an arts sector employee is $10-12,000 a year barely enough to live on. Another great point that Jack Layton made was that poverty is the key reason for crime. If we dealt with poverty we would not have the desperate petty criminals robbing homes and stealing cars. So putting young kids in jail and having their identities public (as the Harper government wants to do) will do nothing to help or stop crime in our country.
The last point I consider important when anyone is deciding on who to vote for is this idea of strategic voting. Splitting the "left" leaning vote, is in some people's opinion bad. They urge us to vote for the party that has the greatest chance of beating the current party in power. Who cares if they have run the country for more than a decade with little to show for it? At least they are not the Right wing guys... Well I do not agree with this way of voting. I'm not going to vote for the people who have the biggest chance of beating the ones I don't like, I'm going to vote for the person/party that I feel represents the values and goals I strive for in my country. Democracy is about casting your vote in your interests and value set. If the rest of my riding or the country does not agree, then I have to go along with the majority. I can still fight for what I believe in and stay active and participate for the causes I care about. But I will not vote for one party in the hopes that they will eek out a win, the polls are still saying the the Conservatives are in the lead. In my riding we have a NDP representative. So I feel confident that at least my riding will not go from left of center to right in one election span.
Thursday night we watched both the Canadian and American debates. I felt so proud to be participating in the democratic process and informing myself on the choices at hand. Both outcomes are going to be really interesting to see, especially with our current economic situation. Whether we you decide to go Green, Orange (NDP), Red (Liberal), or Blue (Conservative) (Blue really??? Are you sure???) democracy is happening now, have your say.
What is everyone feeling about the election race and possible outcomes? Do you feel that your options represent your values?

Women supporting Women

I've been out of the blog world for the last week. I was preparing my best friend's Blessingway. For anyone not familiar with the term a Blessingway is a special ritualized party celebrating the passage from maidenhood to motherhood or the next phase in motherhood. It is a more mother focused event and not as gift oriented as the traditional baby shower. I will post a specific entry about the party at a later date. But in the essence of supporting women I wanted to post about two organizations that I came across this week.

The first I read about at Crunchy Domestic Goddess. Amy wrote about a recent party/meeting she attended in which the Moms discussed their efforts in raising children and living green. The EcoMom Alliance was founded by Kimberly and is "a grassroots, global movement propelling a sustainable future and helping to reduce the climate crisis". The website is great with lots of ideas for gathering Mom's together to work towards a positive eco footprint. I joined the online group and am looking forward to sharing this with Moms in my area as well. I do believe that if Moms everywhere united on this issue, we could change the world, because frankly moms can do anything!
The second organization is called Women for Women International. Many of you may have heard of this group before as they have been featured on Oprah and 60 minutes. I think they are worth a deep look for anyone interested in the empowerment of women and how women(and their children) are affected by the ravages of war. They "mobilize women to change their lives through a holistic approach that addresses the unique needs of women in conflict and post-conflict environments". Writer and activist Alice Walker narrated this heart wrenching but wonderful ad which I would recommend all to watch. Many of these women were raped as a war act. The stories of their survival are incredible and give any North American woman insight into the misogyny and in-equality that is rampant in the world today. Currently I do not have the funds to sponsor a woman, but it is something I will do in the future. Both sites have blogs which have great information as well.
Mothers, grandmothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, cousins and friends, what happens to one of us touches each of us...our souls are part of the collective of this planet. We can make a difference together, united we are unstoppable.

A Squirrel and Stephen Harper

I currently have two pet peeves in my life, the squirrel that keeps stealing plants from my garden and Stephen Harper's "Use it or Lose it" philosophy. I can't be too upset with the squirrel because it is just following its primitive urge to store food for the winter, Stephen Harper has no excuse. The Conservative government announced today that they are going to "geo-map" Arctic resources. There is gold, gas, oil and diamonds just waiting to bring Canadians bounty or as Harper says: "Canada's share of this incredible endowment will fuel the prosperity of our country for generations". I wonder if Mr. Harper has his head under some big rock somewhere. Generations? Why not spend 100 million dollars on something that will really last generations...sustainable energy, technologies for the future, or cutting green house emissions? While local government officials in the Arctic welcome the idea of development I am very skeptical that these resources can be removed in a sensitive environmental manner. Eco-systems are so fragile. Do we really need more diamonds to add to the stockpile that already exists? Diamonds are not even rare they are horded to make their value stay high. The only reason that we are rushing to do this is to quell the political debate over ownership of the north. Or as our government so lovingly refers to it "sovereignty". Here is the full article I read on this announcement. Hearing about this today really set me onto a negative path. The current government really has no mandate that I can relate to. It really makes you want to yell at the t.v or computer screen...(which I did and my son gave me a funny look and he's only 8 months old).

My other issue is one that I'm trying to evolve my thinking with. I love my little garden. It has been my spring/summer project this year. I will post a more detailed write-up about it in the future. I have tried really hard to make it interesting and fun. I planted it with the intent of making a Fairy Garden, which I did do to some extent, but I planted other plants that don't specifically appeal to the fey. One of the none specific plants is a very hardy and plentiful Hen & Chicks succulent. I've had the Hen for years now, and this plant has grown from one small pot to two and I bordered my garden with them this year. For some reason a black squirrel living here loves to pull the chicks out of my garden and take them to his home. As a pagan I am trying to go with nature on this one. The squirrel is only fulfilling his primitive urge to store food. Who am I to deny his survival this winter? But my pride says: hey squirrel those are mine! I planted them with love and have watered them in dry weather, I've moved three times carrying them with me. Leave them alone. I have thought of only one solution to this problem, leave something for the squirrel that is more appealing than my chicks...chestnuts? breadcrumbs? apples? I have no idea what he'd like more. And to be honest leaving anything else might attract more attention so I have to resign myself to sacrifice my chicks. Farewell.