tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87410942435266229622024-03-05T16:20:20.279-05:00life amongst the limestonebrenda slomkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16492929562926045754noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741094243526622962.post-45572289229737925162012-11-24T15:44:00.003-05:002012-11-24T16:02:27.962-05:00thougths for #yyj and #yyc <span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hello Victoria and Calgary, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I got the idea in my mind for this post about two weeks ago when I was considering how I can do my part to share my story, my narrative and have a small bit of influence when it comes to the by-elections going on in Calgary and Victoria. It’s just been in the last day that I really found what I wanted to say. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I believe that when we share our stories we give each other space to be more ourselves, to ask questions that we might feel are silly at the time and to know that other people are also figuring it out. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am someone who<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">is a first generation university student<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">is a daughter and sister<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">thinks buying second hand clothes is a good idea<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">likes systems and org charts<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">loves biking and hiking <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">enjoys a good pant suit every now and then <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">appreciate budgets and being accountable with
money<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">loves board game parties<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">plans training and meetings with chart paper,
markers and brainstorming bubbles<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">would rather walk than drive because it allows
me to hear and see humanity up close<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">appreciates thoughtful debate <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">values collaboration <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">believes we are stronger together than we are
apart <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">knows that a political party can’t address
everything I believe<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">speak to issues, not against people<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">enjoys strategic planning<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">thinks ice cream should be its own food group<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">wants to live in a healthy community in which we
consider more than just money as a definition of success<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">AND, I am someone who is a member of the Green Party!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have been since October of 2011 when I decided to that I needed to define what I wanted to be for in regards to our Canada. Many of my friends would find it surprising that I haven’t been a
member of a party, ever, until then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was the Green Party that captured me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
are some of the influencing factors that gave me freedom to choose to be green.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Holistic policy that was clear<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Current issues are being addressed <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Long term planning is being considered<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Isn’t just environmental policy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thoughtful pieces of policy that show care for
quality of life<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">6.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Overall, smart and thoughtful people connected
to the party <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">7.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">MPs and MPPs speak for their electorate not for
the talking points they have been given. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">8.</span><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
The processes used to contribute to democracy just make sense to me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Why does this matter? Why am I taking time to post this? I
think it matters because I believe that some of you reading this can identify
with me. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maybe in some small way you and I share some similarities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maybe you have always been involved in the political process
here in Canada but have never been a member of a political party …….</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maybe you don't know if political parties really do make a difference</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maybe you have felt that you can contribute more but you
don’t know which party to join…….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maybe you happen to be at a place in your heart and in your
head where you see what is happening in Canada and you can’t reconcile just being politically aware and voting as enough…..<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maybe you are thinking that you want to get involved but you
are not sure how that might affect your relationships with family and friends and with those you work with …….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maybe you are trying to reconcile personal beliefs with
which party can best advocate for what you feel is important. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maybe you question how getting involved in a more significant
way really does matter. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p>Might you accept my words suggesting that it does matter. And that I have seen in my short time as a member of the Green Party that people do have the power to make a difference and that when leaders honor the people they are working for and go about their job with a dedication and commitment to always work for you, things happen that make us a better community, that make us the Canada we know we can be. </o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And so, to those in Victoria and Calgary who don't have
party status, or who don't think this vote really matters, would you do me
a favour and would you take a moment to read through Donald Galloway’s
(Victoria) web page </span><a href="http://donaldgalloway.ca/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://donaldgalloway.ca/</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
and Chris Turner’s (Calgary) web page </span><a href="http://turner4yyc.ca/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://turner4yyc.ca/</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And, would you know that on Monday Nov 26<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> you
have an opportunity to make a huge statement that would benefit your ridings, and the rest
of the country as we consider the influence 3 Green MPs will have for our quality
of life, for our Canada. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thank You. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
brenda slomkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16492929562926045754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741094243526622962.post-55865517027659633542012-09-29T09:04:00.002-04:002012-09-29T09:25:44.603-04:00I'M ALL IN.....for saying NO to a Casino in Kingston.<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is a copy of the letter that I am sending the Kingston Whig Standard in hopes that it will get published. I'm addressing it to City Council as they are the key decision makers in the next step of the process. </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Kingston City Council; <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span class="bodybold"><span lang="EN-CA">It is with a deep sense of urgency that I write this letter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I believe that as a citizen it is my duty to voice my concern around issues pertaining to governance, quality of life, and legacy.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I attended the City of Kingston’s Public Form on the Casino Wed August 8<sup>th</sup>, 2012. I was encouraged and not the least bit surprised to hear a number of people speak so insightfully to issues of concern pertaining to the potential of a casino in our city. Values of care and accountability for each other were captured passionately at this meeting. Moreover, comments that were made were, in many case, supported by evidence; and those that were of a personal experiential<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>nature reminded us of the need to focus this decision by giving priority to the whole person, and how they are able to find quality of life here in Kingston. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I spoke to the area of governance and legacy. I said that the prospects of a casino seem to fly in the face of our Strategic Plan. I suggested that the idea of a casino does not align with the environmental, cultural and social pillars of the plan. The downtown business association suggested that the idea of a casino does not align with the economic pillar.<br /><br />For this reason, I do not understand why it is that the casino conversation is still on the table. If the goals of this plan is community betterment, surely a proposition which <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it will require that we make decisions that are for the benefit of this community. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I respect that there are many competing forces at work. I respect that it has taken time to gather more information. And I respect that time has been needed for reflection and considers. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I will not respect a response from council that suggests that developers and investors take priority over citizens – especially in light of the strategic plan. I will not respect the notion that the revenue generation from a casino is so significant that it could provide supports and programs to counter the harm the casino would create. I will not respect that fact that you are comfortable to let organizations, like the OLG, pervert your vision for the city. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #353535; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Winston Churchill once said that “The price of greatness is responsibility”. If this is true, as I believe it is, I charge you with the call you to greatness. I charge you with the call to consider the legacy you will leave with your choice. I charge you with the call to be courageous: to speak for our city –its economic, environmental, social and cultural health. I charge at such a crucial time</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> all in regards to the pending casino decision.</span></span><span class="bodybold"><span lang="EN-CA"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-CA"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Brenda Slomka</span></span></div>
brenda slomkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16492929562926045754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741094243526622962.post-91234568124369516042012-07-27T08:30:00.003-04:002012-07-27T08:44:33.505-04:00let the games begin<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I remember when the Olympics came to Calgary in 1988. I remember the mascots. I remember the red torch candles that we all bought and light when the torch came running by. I remember the glasses you would by at the gas station. I remember mom and dad talking to us about the different sports and competition. I remember learning about different countries, their traditions, their way of life, their hardships (thanks to CBC who covered the games at those times). I remember that while I cheered for Canada, I also loved seeing people just do their best. I remember elizabeth manley skating her best skate. I remember the idea that these athletes had trained hard, had worked hard, had given up much for work for this dream. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Since than I have grown up and I have come to see that there are many many conversations waiting to be had around the Olympics and I don't run away from these conversation; the idea of corporate sponsorship, the idea of access to the games for the public, not just the elite, the capital investment that could be going to other needed places of society, the countries that are waring, the role of women, pressure and expectation for gold. My heart at times is torn. I look for ways to make sure that I speak of these issues, these concerns. I make sure that while I celebrate that I don't pretend as if everything is nice and neat and tidy. I don't ever profess to have all the answers on how we can continue to have the games as they were meant to be now. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">and even with those conversations still being had, today, I'm wearing red and white. Today, I will sit in front of a TV and I will watch as country after country walks into an areas with garb that represents to them the country they deem to be home. Today I will probably tear up a little, thinking of my Vancouver 2010 experience, thinking of the pride of a country coming together to celebrate. Today I will consider dreams and determination and hard work. Today I will get excited about the number of times I will get to hear O'Canada over the next days. Today, I won't shy away from those hard conversation that need to be had, but I will celebrate. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The Olympics for me is about community and coming together. It is about sportsmanship and good competition. It is about the celebration of setting goals and reaching those dreams. It is about celebrating people like Clara Hughes who is a role model and ambassador of compassion, honesty and determination for our country. It is about seeing countries together, for the love of sport and the passion of the game. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">and yes, it is about getting to wear Canadian clothing as much as I want over the next days.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">GO CANADA GO. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiTVI9qVZtKWywt5Tv5pjqq6ilrwzG4bvDByZU7Bm_2nluwJD-PK0Jxnl8h3dwgMLky9We_o7oAX6mI9BE2V7sXaSicvpFvnE2oG2v1HyMeqQdkT69WT_uUo_FFfZFOXFwr4Dwj0j_Wo/s1600/IMG_3993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" sda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQiTVI9qVZtKWywt5Tv5pjqq6ilrwzG4bvDByZU7Bm_2nluwJD-PK0Jxnl8h3dwgMLky9We_o7oAX6mI9BE2V7sXaSicvpFvnE2oG2v1HyMeqQdkT69WT_uUo_FFfZFOXFwr4Dwj0j_Wo/s320/IMG_3993.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>brenda slomkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16492929562926045754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741094243526622962.post-9105739950519432282012-06-05T22:25:00.003-04:002012-06-05T22:47:35.755-04:00we stand on guard.........<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">dear Canada, </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I know that we are less than a month away from your birthday and I just wanted to take a moment to let you know that you have been very close to my heart in the last days. I feel as if you are tired. You shouldn't feel offended by this statement at all, for I know your determination, I know your conquering spirit, I know you ability to stay the course, I know of you commitment to press on. I just wanted you to know that you don't have to have it all together right in this moment. I wanted to let you know that there are many of us who are starting to take note of how you are feeling and are starting to find ways to stand up for you, to do some of the work that you need us to do for you. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">while i'm not a big birthday girl, i love celebrating others and July 1st is one of my most favourite days to celebrate (you should know as you've seen me in my red and white dress -without embarrassment) for it is a time to find those things that make one uniquely them. those traits and qualities that separate them from all others. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I've been reflecting on those traits that you posses in the last month and more specifically in the last days. i know that it hasn't been easy having to get up each day not even knowing what to expect--having to use all of your energy and time to deal with un-truth and scheming, having to deal with people whom you thought would act with the highest regard for your character. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I wanted you to know now and not in a month from now what you mean to me and that I'm not going to let you stand on your own. You have afforded me the greatest opportunities a little girl could dream up. The freedom to run barefoot on red sandy beaches. The freedom to climb up glaciers to summits of views un-definable. The freedom to sweep my paddle though pristine lakes while nature serenades me. You have given me access to education, to inquiry and research and reflection. You have given me access to culture, to learning from my elders, from our elders. You have given me road trips and adventures; moments to hear stories of regions and areas that I may never live. You have given me time to celebrate, to wear red and white with pride. You have given me courage, to speak for those who at times can't speak for themselves. You have given me time to consider peace and how we can work to contribute to keeping peace. You have given me a place that I call home. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I want you to know that I am more resolved in my heart than I have ever been to find ways, creative, captivating, courageous ways to stand up for you, to stand on guard for you so that we may continue to SEE THEE RISE. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">so my beloved Canada, know that while you may be tired, many of us are not, in fact with our GLOWING HEARTS we are fired up committed to standing on guard for you. </span>brenda slomkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16492929562926045754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741094243526622962.post-30359749824643418772012-05-11T10:19:00.001-04:002012-05-11T10:27:07.856-04:00if i put abortion in the title i'm sure you will read this........<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<em><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If you want me to have all the answers. I won’t</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If you want to tell me that you know better. Go ahead</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If you want to try to change my mind. I’ll listen</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If you won’t listen to me. Don’t engage.</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If you think that I’m weak in my faith. I am strong</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If you are unwilling to be challenged, intelligently. This won’t go anywhere. </span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If you are going to judge me. I’m okay with that</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">This blog is a conversation on paper. One that I would love to have in person, one that I’m sure I’ll start to have in person. In the last couple days I have been reflecting on my faith, legislation, public service and how much I really don’t know in regards to the vastness of this beautiful journey we call life. (note: I’m not having a crisis of faith, not reflecting on if what I believe is true or not, not doubting the values I live my life by). I’m just being honest. These are my feeling. My thoughts. My questions. </span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Yesterday on Parliament Hill there was a rally. An anti-abortion rally. </span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“People who call themselves Christians need to take another look at what Christianity means to them and what it means to life,” Ms. Kearney said, standing with her friends under a light drizzle and cloudy skies. The Prime Minister calls himself a Christian, she said. “I’m not judging him because I don’t know the man. But, if you call yourself a Christian, then you should believe in life from conception.”</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">And what if he does? What if he calls himself a Christian? What if he does believe life starts at conception?</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I believe in creation. I believe that there is a place for each of us. I believe that we are all broken. I believe that Eden was going to be perfect, we were perfect and than that all changed and since then there has been, is this huge void that we all fill with anything to try to make it right, to try to feel even just a bit of what Eden may have felt like. That complete-ness that love, that perfection. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As I type this, type my thoughts on a piece of paper, I’m not really scared – more preparing for the responses I’ll get back, being ready if you will for the conversation to continue. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Can I say this? Would you allow me the space to say this……that I believe that life begins at conception, that for each human being there is a plan for our lives. I look at the complexity of the human body and cant’ help but marvel at creation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also believe though that every single time that we suggest abortion is a sin or work so hard as to make sure that there is a punishable law, we seem to forget the people that are connected to – attached to the policy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We seem to ignore the fact that for some reason, (insert factor here - and yes one being the individual in question was just irresponsible and didn’t want to have a kid or maybe they felt scared to admit they messed up, maybe they didn't want to be judged) an individual given the free choice irrelevant of our definition of right and wrong – choose to have an abortion. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But all of these choices, for whatever reason, just show how broken we are and should evoke in us, those of us who say we live differently a response of love. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Why have we as the evangelical church taken to two issues so passionately when the Bible isn’t just a two issue book. I feel as though sometimes we are missing out on what our faith is about. I can’t help but try to reconcile that line Jesus spoke saying “you be the first to cast the stone”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe this can help: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tony Campolo suggested that “<span class="huge1"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Those issues are biblical issues: to care for the sick, to feed the hungry, to stand up for the oppressed. I contend that if the evangelical community became more biblical, everything would change</span></span></span><span class="huge1"><span style="font-size: 15pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">”……. And that’s what I want. I want to live differently. I want to extend grace. I want to honor my belief without dishonouring my neighbour. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Could it be that many of us just don’t have the words or even the assurance to enter into this conversation. <em><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Similar to the conversations going on in the USA right now about marriage, I am really curious as to why the debate only seems to be one way. </span></em>If we as Christians believe that God’s laws are not man’s laws and than why is it so important for us to change the laws now. And why is it that we ask for separation of church and state but only for certain issues? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another good quote that really captures my thinking: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“I<span class="huge1"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> don't know of many evangelicals who want to deny gay couples their legal rights. However, most of us don't want to call it marriage, because we think that word has religious connotations, and we're not ready to see it used in ways that offend us”<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">–</span></span></span><span class="huge1"><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tony Campolo</span></span></span><span class="huge1"><span style="font-size: 15pt; line-height: 115%;">. And this makes me look more deeply into the mystery of the love and grace that has changed my life, of what I believe. </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">These are things that I know to be true in my life</span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are created</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is purpose in this life</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I don’t have all the answers</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I want people to know that I care about their story</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I want people to know that I’m not better than them</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I want to live my life differently. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So for right now, while I ask these questions and engage in conversation and take each day to choose love over hate, I will choose what I will be for…..</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">"to work in the world lovingly meand that we are defining what we will be for, rather than reacting to what we are against" - christina baldwin.</span></div>brenda slomkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16492929562926045754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741094243526622962.post-68552863612243616772012-05-10T11:37:00.005-04:002012-05-10T11:57:25.531-04:00it's not easy being GREEN.......<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A very famous media icon once said “It’s not easy being green” and while that rings very true in many ways in relation</span></span><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">to the Green Party of Canada (GPC) and the Green Party of Ontario (GPO), I’m very quickly realizing that in so many ways it really isn’</span></span><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%;">t that hard either because of the amazing people connected to the work being done. </span></span><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The summer of 2011 was for me</span></span><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%;">,</span></span><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> one that saw me move (again?!). It was a bit hectic limit</span></span><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%;">ing</span></span><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> my time for rest,</span></span><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> required me to leave those beautiful connections that I made and re-integrate into community- </span></span><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>but for those of you who know me, what many may suggest is just the way Brenda does it. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I came back to Kingston, one of two cities in Ontario that have won over my heart (that other place being Waterloo) to start a new job and to reconnect in community</span></span><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%;">. L</span></span><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">ucky for me there was a provincial election waiting to greet me. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Since I can remember I have been connected to politics. </span></span><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%;">So many times when asked the question “why do you like this stuff?” or “how can you find this a good vocation?” my response was “there is just something that beats a bit faster in my heart when I’m about this work”. Time has allowed me to find the words to clearly articulate that for me politics is the place where we</span></span><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> weaves together the possibility of influence and change</span></span><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%;">, where we fight for those who at times can’t fight for themselves, where we create and invite others to thread together those values that define us as a community. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span class="huge1"><span style="font-size: x-small; line-height: 115%;">I’ve never had party status. I’ve watch every major party convention since I can remember, every leadership race. I was just not in a place where I was prepare to align myself and commit so intentionally…..at least until I started to feel (yes feel) and observe that I needed to stop sitting in the background and that I needed to get involved. I was realizing how quickly my beautiful Canada wasn’t the country that I had grown up learning about, how much of those core values that shaped this beautiful nation were being repealed without even a thought given. </span></span><span class="huge1"><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: x-small;">And so after some reflection, asking myself those questions that needed to be asked, and one last read through much of the party’s policies, I picked up the phone and called the local Green Party of Ontario office to tell them that I wanted to volunteer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: x-small;">I saw my heartbeat written in the pages of values and policy for the GPO and GPC. Of course, not 100%, for nothing is every that deeply connected, except for me, my faith, but it was those values of community - supporting local farmers, healthy food, local economic growth for the economy, smart jobs, creative solutions for energy and business. There was a chord of connection to the idea that people shape our policies. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: x-small;">I decided to, because of an invitation; use my leadership capacity to contribute to the Kingston and the Island Greens as VP this year. In this capacity I have listened to and been engaged in so many community conversation that re-affirm to me I am in the right place, right now – that being using my talents and energy to contribute to the GPO and GPC, to sharing with others why I’m okay with being GREEN. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: x-small;">and so, as I have just returned home from my first, of what I suspect will be many GPO AGMs (that was held in Niagara). I find myself reflecting on that experience. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was encouraged to keep company with so many caring, thoughtful, smart people who want something more. I was able to observe a leader who is redefining what politics will look like in this Province. I listened to, and engaged in thoughtful debate around policy that considers people first. I was thankful for time I had to develop new connections, to engage in meaningful conversation & to contribute to moving us forward. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: x-small;">And it’s that last piece, the idea of moving us forward that I’m more connected to right now. As I look at the actions of the government I am more resolved to stay in it for the long haul. I think George Bernard Shaw captures so eloquently my feelings and thoughts:</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. Life is no 'brief candle' to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to the future generations.” </span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana", "sans-serif"; font-size: x-small;">So I acknowledge that in many ways “it’s not easy being GREEN”, but I’m okay with not taking the easy road……..</span></div>
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<br /></div>brenda slomkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16492929562926045754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741094243526622962.post-9703461142739546932012-04-15T23:11:00.003-04:002012-04-15T23:21:45.840-04:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="huge">I walked into the room. I observed more people than I anticipated would be there. I was encouraged. I looked for my buddy Robb, President of the Kingston and the Islands Green Party. I looked for Fred and Ruth, two new friends I met in the pub while listening to the Gertrude’s on Thursday eve. I looked for Claire and Alex. I looked to see if there were any people that I meet at the National Farmers Union/CETA meeting on Tuesday eve past. I looked to see if there were others from work or city life or those whom I have bumped into at the market or at Sipps. I looked for my leaders. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="huge">On Saturday (April 14, 2012) at 3pm I attended a climate change discussion/forum with MP Stephane Dion and past leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, MP for Kingston and the Islands, Ted Hsu and Professor John Smol. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="huge">We spent the first bit of time allowing each speaker share for approx 10 minutes. We than moved into questions (which I sometimes label the comment section). </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="huge">This is where I struggle. I know that I’m going to post this blog to my facebook site. I know that I’m going to post this blog to my twitter site. I know that my fellow citizens are going to read it. I’m torn because I deeply care about people. I deeply care about making sure that I speak of the value of people and never, ever demean someone. I also though, believe that, sometimes it is important that we call out the leaders we have elected to be the ones to provide the context and the direction for moving forward – in essence – leadership. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="huge"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="huge">I am a leader. I’m also a learner and someone who keeps getting better. I don’t have it all figured out and if I act like I do, than please hit me over the head or call me out. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="huge">Here’s the crux of what bothered me and what is causing me much reflection and evoking a response of other questions. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="huge">Notwithstanding that we can have another conversation around systems, if we like them/don’t like. If they are broken/need fixing. If they are evil/good, this conversation is around leadership and those we elected into leadership roles. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="huge">I was so upset to see that only one City of </span><span class="huge">Kingston Councilor</span><span class="huge"> attended this forum. If you were in my head space (probably safer that you are not) you would hear me move between “it is a Saturday afternoon and people have lives” to “this is a huge issue, these are City Councilors AND we, the City of Kingston, are trying to be the most sustainable City in Canada – so where they heck are my leaders”……</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="huge">And this is what I come to. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="huge">It is a privilege to be elected a leader. It costs something (time, energy, re-prioritization of activities). I can’t say that it’s okay that out of a council of thirteen (13) elected City Councilors only one shows up. I value the person, but I’m not impressed with inaction. There is so much human capital in this room (said when I was actually sitting in the room) that can be cultivated and purposed, and, if nothing else, just show up to hear what we have to say – just show up to listen. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="huge">I hear the facilitator ask us what we can do. I hear responses from people who care. I reflect on the fact that i don't want our striving, and coming together to be in vain. I consider that part of the answer to the question is accountability. It is about accountability to the position that one has been given, by the people in their community. It is about using that position to maximize the human capital for good, for the long term so that we do not find ourselves out of time. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="huge"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="huge">I'm a smart young woman. I pay attention to current events. I try to learn about those areas of public service in which I don't naturally soak up. I don't know if I retained even half of the information - the numbers and stats - that were presented at the forum. BUT, I can tell you that I did retain the human capital present. I did retain the passion and desire that my fellow citizens have for wanting to be good stewards of this breathtaking bouncing ball we call home. I did retain that there is the potential to change the world. And, I'm just really sad that my elected leaders didn't get that same opportunity to feel it and hear it and than be moved to translate those feelings and those sentiments into action. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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</div>brenda slomkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16492929562926045754noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741094243526622962.post-2728959990437720392012-03-09T09:06:00.000-05:002012-03-09T09:06:52.651-05:00Because I've Had Enough.........<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">At six o’clock tonight, I’m going to walk in a slut walk. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I remember when I was a student at the University of Waterloo I attended a take back the night event in Waterloo Park. It was a small group of women and men from the community who came together to say that violence against women needs to stop. I heard about the event, the memorial if you will, and felt a tug in my heart to attend. I wanted to say that I stand with women who have been a victim of crime. I wanted to say that I will continue to walk beside these women, extending compassion, building trust and being a safe place to land. I wanted to express that I will look for ways to change attitudes and perceptions with my male friends, my brothers. It was important for me to be there to say that I care and that I will stand with these women. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I grew up in a home that gave me a lot of freedom, but that also had some rules. With three girls in the house there needed to be some order. One of these rules was around what we wore out of the house. My parents wanted us to learn as we were growing up that respect was important and that as girls/women, it was important to make sure that we respected ourselves. I want to be sensitive here to other cultures and to those I share community with recognizing that we all share different perspectives on this issue. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My parents didn’t control our creativity in what we wore, but there were rules around the length of the shorts we wore and tank tops and halter tops and those types of things. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Considering we spent most of our time at the farm running around in fields, playing in the garden with dirt, or trying to beat the boys at some sport, it’s not hard to understand why there was very minimal conversation around what we were wearing and why I can say that I didn’t really feel controlled in regards to what I wore as a young girl maturing into womanhood. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I don’t look back at those “rules”, if you will, around what I was wearing as a 13 year old girl as oppressive or limiting. They helped me to develop a sense of understanding that my body isn’t the only definition of who I am as a woman. I also understand that for young children as 13 years of age when so much is happening in regards to physical development, many parents are looking for helpful boundaries. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When/if I go out these days, you’ll mostly find me in jeans and a t-shirt. Comfort over style for me. BUT, there is another factor. I don’t want to be looked at, touched, the topic of conversation around how my butt looks in the skirt or how the tank top I’m wearing works on me. I want to celebrate the company that I am with. I want to dance and share conversation. I want to enjoy my time out. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">All of that to say I was in Edmonton when I heard the news. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On January 24, 2011 Constable Michael Sanguinetti spoke on crime prevention at a York University safety forum at Osgoode Hall Law School. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said: "I've been told I'm not supposed to say this – however, women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized." Out of this statement, co-founders of the slut walk in Toronto, the first walk to take place, Sonya Barnett and Heather Jarvis decided to use the word slut in their response. They observe that historically, "slut" has had negative connotations, and that their goal is to redeem the term. They write that women "are tired of being oppressed by slut-shaming; of being judged by our sexuality and feeling unsafe as a result."</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I stopped to think about what this statement, from a person in law enforcement meant for our society. I stopped to think about my assumptions about other women. I stopped to think about all the messaging that exists specifically for women so they can be safe. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I had to really check some of my bias. So much of this conversation asks me to examine my thoughts and assumptions first. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it’s a hard conversation to have as a women, culture, childhood upbringing, faith, workplace standards all of these perspectives influence me, yet, the one reoccurring thought that burns deep in my souls is that ASSULTING A WOMAN IS NOT RIGHT AT ALL, EVER. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">At six o’clock tonight, I’m going to walk in a slut walk. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m walking because I am a woman</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m walking because nothing, not the clothes I wear, not the comments I make, not how my body is formed gives anyone the right to rape or assault me. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m walking because I’m tired of having to justify why I’m walking in a slut walk. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m walking because I’m tired of everyone telling me to take friends with me when I go out so that nothing bad happens. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m walking because I want the men in my life to know that I will not accept anything less than the utmost respect. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m walking because I want the leaders in my community, in my province and in my country to start working to change policy and language around violence against woman. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m walking because I want to stand with those who have been victims, who are healing and are victims no more</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I'm walking because I want men to hold themselves and their other male friends accountable for this discourse. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m walking because all over this world women are told and made to feel that the rape, the assault is their fault and I’m sick of the lies. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">At six o’clock tonight, I am walking in a slut walk. </span></span></div>brenda slomkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16492929562926045754noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741094243526622962.post-46031557315589571172012-02-08T17:49:00.003-05:002012-02-08T17:53:21.691-05:00awaiting<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Creativity</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Awaiting</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The time, the space</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To evoke imagination </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Uninhibited</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Raw</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Free flowing</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hidden passions </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Awaiting </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The time, the space</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To awaken curiosity </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Safely </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Uninhibited </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Freely </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Depth of life</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Stirs me</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Awakening</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> vulnerability</span></div><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Vulnerability requiring </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Full disclosure</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Of my creativity<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Of my imagination<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Of my hidden passions</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Of my curiosity</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">awaken</span><br />
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</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"></div>brenda slomkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16492929562926045754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741094243526622962.post-39437028966987926232012-01-14T22:51:00.002-05:002012-01-14T22:58:13.392-05:00July Rush<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Have you ever laid your head back ever so gently to rest it on the grass as music from the symphony danced around you just like the ballet dancers in Swan Lake? Have you ever made photos with the clouds while Beethoven whispered in your ear? Have you cautiously peered around the trees wondering when the dinosaurs from Jurassic Park might want some companions? <br />
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The sky was cloudy but still blue. It was chilly, but not so cold that you wanted to run inside. It would have been nice to have a cup of hot chocolate instead of water, but you quickly forgot about the chill in the air when the music started to play. <br />
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And it was this experience, being outside with thousands of people, some sitting on the grass while some sat on their lawn chairs that gave me hope for our understanding of community. It was this beautiful picture of family and friends sharing space and time, celebrating the amazing talents and gifts that some of us are endowed in music that reinvigorated my passion for the arts. <br />
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Drama, music, painting, photography, dance, spoken word and poetry, short story writing and abstract ideas – they are all an opportunity for expression of our humanity, opportunity for us to view afresh the creative flavor of the human spirit, and to celebrate this together. <br />
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It was for me another reminder of how I need to advocate for those things in society that grow us and shape us and allow for community to pop up in unexpected places just like a coffee shop were people share their stories through poetry, or in a backyard where someone plays their guitar or on a field where students share their talents with each other as a way to spend a night. <br />
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The arts remind me that we each have a story to share, and it allows for those stories to find a voice. They remind me of how small I am, yet how much potential exists for me, for us, for community. They remind me to dream and create and dream again and recreate again. <br />
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<br />
“To create one's own world in any of the arts takes courage.”<br />
- Georgia O'Keeffe (American Painter, 1887-1986)</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMGnU0DbbrqQeYcDafpsEbcRzApz_8LOCtsspdbTUpp_eJZbEjdFRN7nDj9s1eKSyXFRSFEPvoI34sZQfSJwzAy3WdHY5-KIHTGLzblLhAumAZ0cP_PT63MSRhia456C6yQQWPEZrd1A/s1600/the+park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMGnU0DbbrqQeYcDafpsEbcRzApz_8LOCtsspdbTUpp_eJZbEjdFRN7nDj9s1eKSyXFRSFEPvoI34sZQfSJwzAy3WdHY5-KIHTGLzblLhAumAZ0cP_PT63MSRhia456C6yQQWPEZrd1A/s320/the+park.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
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</div>brenda slomkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16492929562926045754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741094243526622962.post-19816336300890598552011-11-29T23:28:00.001-05:002011-11-30T09:06:35.282-05:00Q in "Cultural" Kingston - My Letter to Jian Ghomeshi <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">Dear Jian,</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m scribing this letter in regards to your question re: why we think - culturally - our town is somewhere Q should come and celebrate. While it is my own thoughts and opinions, I hope that it will speak to and for others excited to welcome you and your team here. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">First of all let me say how amazing it is to consider that the other cities are formulating strong responses with examples of culture. I love that all of these cities provide opportunity for us to delve deep into the richness of our Canada in different ways. I am so grateful to call Canada home and to be afforded the freedom to celebrate and actively engage in our amazing cultural diversity.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I lived in Kingston from 2005 – 2008. I just came back in July of 2011. What I love about Kingston is the opportunity it presents to us, each of us to engage in the development of making our community better, and the challenge to see past the limestone structures to what is just below the surface. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Much of the conversation around Kingston’s Culture focuses on our buildings and the history we have in relation to the development of Canada as a Nation. Many of the pictures we have tweeted and posted of mini Jian have been connected to historical buildings. This is one of the reasons I love Kingston. However there is so much more. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">While some of these examples are ones that I posted on your wall two days ago, Kingston provides opportunity to talk about a) the prison farms and restoring communities. b) the Kingston writers fest and the value of local/community talent. c) island commuter communities: WOLFE island and how they are doing amazing things to enrich community. d) hockey and Canada...the first game of hockey in Canada was played here. e) fine arts program at Queens getting cancelled. f) awesome Kingston - $1000 grants for great ideas to better Kingston...........</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Moreover, we live out our celebration of culture through a significant number of culturally defined organizations. <a href="http://www.cityofkingston.ca/residents/culture/links/index.asp">http://www.cityofkingston.ca/residents/culture/links/index.asp</a>. The list is long. The list is diverse. The list is not complete. What is important to highlight that many of these organizations are supported by and impact our community (our thoughts, our perspective) because of volunteers, people who want Kingston to be about something more than just a City that hosted the first hockey game, was the 1<sup>st</sup> capital of Canada and was the 1<sup>st</sup> city in the province of Ontario.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A really strong of example of how we live out our culture is through the Kingston Multicultural festival. What I love is that the people of Kingston have creatively found ways to celebrate and express the vast cultures that make our city home. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/kmaf2011">https://www.facebook.com/kmaf2011</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://kingstonmulticultural.ca/festival/">http://kingstonmulticultural.ca/festival/</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJof8T3Pkks">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJof8T3Pkks</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I can list for you all the committees that we have, the buildings that some say define our culture. For there is a vast and beautiful list of artist that we have coming through Kingston some at the Grand Theater, some at Sydneham United Church, some in lecture halls on campuses, some in public libraries, some in the screening room and some wherever they can find a place to be heard. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I do however believe that this list will only be complete when you reflect on the sentiments that <span class="body">Mohandas Gandhi shared when he said that “A nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people”. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="body">And Jian, I believe that while </span><span class="body">Kingston</span><span class="body"> boasts amazing talents that have made their way to national and international levels, we also boast people who care deeply about sharing identities and values </span>with each other, who want to find space to display those identities and values. These are people who will continue to work together and live together who will never make it to the Grand Theater or to The Sound Academy or to The O’Keefe Centre but will be part of the story that gets told to our children, and to their children. This story will be about how ordinary, talented people with a passion in their soul for the arts and for culture continued to stay focused and committed to ideals in such a trying time when culture wasn’t to be a topic of conversation. It will be a story that says our Canada is creative and caring and diverse because of people who in cities like Kingston expressed the heart of their nation. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So Jian, come hang out with us here in Kingston and hear our stories, challenge our understandings and celebrate with us our amazing community and how we are making it better one day at a time. </div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="bodybold"></span></div>brenda slomkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16492929562926045754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741094243526622962.post-89463619616229487042011-11-23T12:02:00.000-05:002011-11-23T12:02:09.516-05:00letter to PM Harper .....and other leaders.<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Dear Prime Minister Harper, </span><br />
<div id="yui_3_2_0_15_1322059917934143" style="right: auto;"><br />
</div><div id="yui_3_2_0_15_1322059917934145" style="right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">I want you to read this letter. I am aware you probably won’t. I want you to hear these words. I am aware this may only be a hope. I want you to admit that the behavior towards our own people living in the Attawapiskat First Nation is unacceptable. I know this may not happen. </span></div><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">I write this letter so that I can say I did something. It will not be everything. It may not even be close to what I want to do, but it is a start. </span><br />
<div id="yui_3_2_0_15_13220599179341016" style="right: auto;"><br />
</div><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">I want this letter to clearly articulate my deep disappointment, sadness and anger pertaining to the lack of leadership and what appears to be ignorance from the Canadian government regarding the quality of life afforded to our Attawapiskat First Nation. Our people are living in what Charlie Angus; MP for Timmins-James Bay has said “</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">was like stepping into a fourth world”. </span><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"></span><br />
<br />
<div id="yui_3_2_0_15_13220599179341743" style="right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Mr. Harper, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 25 states:</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 12pt 10pt 24pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="" name="a25"></a><span lang="EN" style="color: #300906; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">(1)<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #300906; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 12pt 10pt 0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #300906; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Notwithstanding this Universal Declaration, as a nation we must be accountable to our most vulnerable and to those in need. With the resources that we have there is no reason for lack of action. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">I believe that there are creative, thoughtful individual in the government of Canada who can quickly find ways to move money around so that we can get our people what they need, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">what is their right to have access to. </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 12pt 10pt 0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";">The Children of Attawapiskat First Nation do not have a school. How is this acceptable? </span></div><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Mr. Harper. I don’t care if the paint is wearing off our planes. I don’t care if there is gold on business cards. I don’t care (and don’t agree) that we are building more prisons. I want my Canada to be on the world stage for our commitment to caring for our people. I want us to honor and provide a quality of life to each Canadian that shows to the world Canada is a country of opportunity. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">I understand the province of Ontario also has a responsibility. I will write them as well. I understand you have ministers who are in charge of this area and I am copying John Duncan into this letter. That being said, this emergent issue requires more than just a provincial response. This is about leadership. This is about accountability. This is about service. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Do you reflect and consider that as leaders, as those granted power and authority, we are accountability for direction and setting a course for our country? At the national level the action we exhibit and the policy we create must clearly articulate who we are, where we are going and the values that move us forward. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">This is not happening at the national level under your leadership. I wonder how you reconcile this. Let Attawapiskat First Nation flourish; allow them to have the same opportunities that are afforded all Canadians. Do not be silent on this matter. Lead this country with dedication to the people not the forces of power and pride. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Mr. Harper, I didn’t vote for you in the last election. I won’t vote for you in the next election. I will work as hard as I can and use the influence that I have to challenge others to consider how they will vote. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe in this moment while you lead a party that has the majority of power you don’t care but I know that you are aware of how close the margins are right now. I believe that you watch those numbers. If this letter draws attention to the lack of leadership and compels even one person to not cast a vote for you, then I will have done some good. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Mr. Harper, let us not forgot that the very origins of our Canada comes from Kanata, an Iroquois Aboriginal word that means village, a group of people living together in community. Recommit us as a country to live out those sustaining values of care for our neighbors and of citizenship. May it be that those values keep us working to ensure each of us; every Canadian has the best opportunity to flourish and to be an active participant in our Canada’s future. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Respectfully, </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Brenda Slomka</span>brenda slomkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16492929562926045754noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741094243526622962.post-7946113116947307042011-11-17T12:32:00.004-05:002011-11-17T12:36:27.266-05:0010,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 .....blast off<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You have to watch this first: </span><a href="http://movieclips.com/2nUGx-apollo-13-movie-go-for-launch/"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Calibri;">http://movieclips.com/2nUGx-apollo-13-movie-go-for-launch/</span></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There’s this guy coming to speak at Queen’s tonight. Queen’s has a lot of people come and speak, a lot of alumni who they can pull from to show how successful they are and the great students they graduate. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Before I get to what this blog is about, I’ve had the privilege to work with and learn from a number of Queen’s students who might never come back to their campus to speak, but who are changing and influencing their community right where they are. This is an amazing testament to the other alumni around the world, and those of us not Queen’s grads. It’s the idea of these everyday ordinary people using their education and opportunity to change their communities, our world for the better. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">So back to the reason for the post. The guy coming to speak at Queen’s tonight is an astronaut. Dr. Drew Feustel. I have night class so can’t go, but would love to. Ever since I can remember, my mom would always get us to watch the different space shuttle lift offs'. I think I get some of my passion for exploration and dreaming big from my Mom. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I remember watching these men, mostly men until we saw Roberta Bondar go to space, get into their suits and walk towards the space shuttle. I remember seeing them wave to the camera and then get into the space shuttle. I remember watching the shuttle break away from those bridges that the astronauts walked on just before. I remember hearing the news team and those in the launch area speak those famous words “we are go….in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1”…..</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is something about the idea of going to space. There is something about knowing that in eight and a half seconds you can break the orbit of the earth. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John Gillespie Magee wrote the following poem that so eloquently expresses my thoughts when it comes to space. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">"High Flight"</span></span></b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth<br />
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;<br />
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth<br />
of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things<br />
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung<br />
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,<br />
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung<br />
My eager craft through footless halls of air....<br />
<br />
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue<br />
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace.<br />
Where never lark, or even eagle flew —<br />
And, while with silent lifting mind I have trod<br />
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,<br />
- Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I wonder when you are up there, what you would think of. I wonder when you look through the small window of the shuttle and see earth below and the moon beside what goes through your mind. The idea of reflection about how small we really are. The questions about how we shall care for the earth, our home. Consideration of what matters, truly. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder what changes while you are up there looking out at the vast mystery we call the universe. I think about exploration and innovation and if it really does tell us something, or if it shows us that we still have so much more to learn. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I sometimes dream of going to space, and then I realize that I again would be reminded of all that I don’t know and would come back (hopefully) with a passion and hunger to be about learning and exploration and innovation all of my days. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I leave this clip because I feel that it best represents all that which is important. I can’t help be consider how quickly perspective and value and importance change, and how changing moments remind us what matters. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><a href="http://movieclips.com/jGERc-apollo-13-movie-re-entry/"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Calibri;">http://movieclips.com/jGERc-apollo-13-movie-re-entry/</span></a></div>brenda slomkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16492929562926045754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741094243526622962.post-57922759477181906602011-11-10T15:39:00.004-05:002011-11-10T16:19:45.972-05:00i will remember, i will honor, i will fight......<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span class="messagebody"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">In the next days, over the radio, on the news, in the newspaper & at a Remembrance Day service (I deeply hope), we will be focused on those men and woman who gave themselves to stand for those who couldn't stand for themselves. We will be reminded of those who are still standing so that others might, to this day, know the great joy of freedom.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">I don’t support war. I don’t support the idea that countries with more money and more educated people seem to suggest they are the powerhouse and have the right to take control, storming into places and communities in which they have no jurisdiction. However, with that being said I also don’t support bullies. I don’t support those people who think they can control and oppress others and I want to fight against bullies. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">There is a scene in the movie A Few Good Men. Two soldiers are on trial for the death of another soldier. The soldier who has died was trying to get off/out of the base that he was serving on. The basic summary is that the court is trying to prove that the base had something to do with the death. In the end when the verdict is read out loud, the soldiers, while not found responsible for the soldiers death are still given a sanction or discharge from the army. One of the soldiers says to the other one “I don’t understand-- what did we do wrong? I don’t understand, we didn’t nothing wrong”. The other soldier says back “Yeah we did. We were suppose to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves, we were suppose to fight for Willy”. This quote might also summarize my sentiments properly: </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must - at that moment - become the center of the universe.” - Elie Wisel </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">It’s that idea of standing in the gap. It’s the willingness to stand for someone else and to be willing to pay the price. It’s that picture I see in my mind of soldiers standing in front of those without weapons saying “before you get to them, you have to get by us”. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">When I travelled Europe two summers ago, I had the very great privilege of visiting Normandy – more specifically Juno Beach where our history books tell us of the loss of many of our Canadian Soldiers, and where we also are reminded the great bravery and dedication and passion for freedom that our Canada is (should be) about. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">I think a lot about our Veterans, and how I hope they know how thankful I am, not only for the freedom I have, but for the fact that they took a stand and they said they were willing to be counted. I think about our current soldiers who are going and coming from places all over this vast bouncing ball called earth and I hope they know that I support them for their willingness and bravery to stand and support and speak for those who can’t speak for themselves. I think about those wanting to serve, those young women and men training and already willing to give and I hope with all my heart that we will see that day when we can lay down our arms and until that day comes I will honor those who fought for justice. I will honor those who continue to fight for justice, who desire to work for peace. Let us not forget that "Unselfish and noble actions are the most radiant pages in the biography of souls" - David Thomas</span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"></span></span></span> </div>brenda slomkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16492929562926045754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741094243526622962.post-61052142139076410122011-10-28T17:01:00.002-04:002011-10-28T17:08:29.948-04:00occupy hopeI used to think that I was someone who had a good understanding of what was going on in my community. I used to think that I was connected to issues and concerns. Maybe on a national level and provincial level I am connected, or think I am based on what is getting reported in popular media. In all my thinking that I'm aware and connected I can admit that I've been wrong.<br />
<br />
I find it hard to put into words my thoughts at this moment. I want to say that "this week afforded me the opportunity to see a new", but then I become bothered by the idea that it is an opportunity for me to relearn, the fact that I'm learning from someones painful experience. might I say it this way: this week has provided for me a real reminder of the world that we live in, how much division exists between the rich and the poor, how much opportunity there is to work for something more than myself". <br />
<br />
I have been in two systems this week. the educational system and the judicial system. I have seen people working to make these systems better. I have seen people working to satisfy their selfish desires through the system. I have seen people try to understand these systems. I have seen brokenness and pride and stubbornness, really in the most simplified way of putting it, a bunch of broken people just trying to make it through. <br />
<br />
I believe that much of this is causing me reflection, causing me to write because I think about what I'm doing with my time and talents. I'm thinking about the next degree I want to do. I'm thinking about all those people that give of themselves for others. this isn't a pity party. it is honest writing about these moments, right now and holding myself to accountability.<br />
<br />
I hear comments on the radio program I listen to as I wake up in the early morning. I hear people say about those occupying (insert city name here) how much of a waste of time it is and the fact that nothing can come of their sitting in streets and waving signs. It makes me think of all the times in which there have been moments where people have banded together to change the course of history because they wanted for more. <br />
<br />
It's been a while since I've felt sadness that makes my heart hurt the way it has hurt this week. Yet, in these moments of sadness there is a reminder that comes in the form of a teacher who chooses to show up to their classroom even though it will be chaos in motion and seem as though there is no purpose. there is a reminder that comes in the form of a family member who supports and cares, even when the sanctions and penalties are given out. there is a reminder that comes from people saying they won't accept others having less than what they have, and that they will fight for justice, even for those who can't fight for themselves. <br />
<br />
and I am reminded that as Elie Weisel said "Just as despair can come to one only from other human beings, hope, too, can be given to one only by other human beings". i reflect on the gift of time and talent and passion and hope. i refocus again, and with the sadness that I feel, get excited about what I can do here, in my community to occupy hope.brenda slomkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16492929562926045754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741094243526622962.post-48292321403092592072011-10-18T17:46:00.000-04:002011-10-18T17:46:17.870-04:00Oh. Canada.(this is the start of a post that I was writing in June of 2009 when I was travelling Europe). I have walked miles and miles over the last days. I have seen palaces where royalty lives. I have seen cathedrals where many worship. I have seen beautiful farmland where men and woman work the land. I have seen almost pure white sandy beaches where people sell their talents. I have climbed summits. I have heard voices of young children sing as though we were amongst angles. I have watched the sun set in numerous different countries and while each of these experiences was a moment to remember, none of them were close to home, close to what Canada has to offer. <br />
<br />
CANADA. it's not hard to see how this country becomes part of the very fabric of our everyday living. some say it is our pioneering spirit. some say it is the diversity we share. some say it is the freedom we know. some say its our love for social change. some say its the passion we have. I say it is all of this and so much more. It is what we can't put a name to. It is the vast prairie sky that beckons us to dream big. It is the reminder of our smallness when we conquer the summit of a mountain on the west coast. It is taste of the work of our farmers when we eat from our land. It is the feel of the ocean on our face when pulling in lobster and fish nets. It is the curiosity that deepens watching the tide come in and out on the east coast. It is the chimes that ring from the clock tower on the hill reminding us of the grandeur of the moments we have lived, here in CANADA.<br />
<br />
Today, I had another opportunity to hear a MP speak. I try to hear as many politicians and community leaders speak. I might not agree with all of them, but it helps me to reflect on why I choose to be for and why I choose to be against certain ideas, certain policies. While at times I wasn't completely taken with this MP, I was encouraged to hear him speak to bigger themes and ideas for our Canada. It was between various questions that I got to thinking about the times that I've watched leadership races for the various parties, usually on the CBC. I got to thinking about why this stuff interests me. It does help that for a good amount of the time our country is cold, so being inside watching a leadership race doesn't really count as a wasted day when you are told to say inside. Being connected to politics it about something more than myself. It is about all of those people who have conquered something more. It is about the progress that we continue to have opportunity to carve out for future generations. It is about the expectation to be more for those countries who can't be more for themselves right now.<br />
<br />
Agnes Macphail once said "Patriotism is not dying for one's country, it is living for one's country, and for humanity. Perhaps that is not as romantic, but it's better" and this is the way my heart beats right now. I want to hear us speak of this country with passion and connection. I want us to be compassionate and focused on growing the community around us where we celebrate each other and work together and dream big dreams. I want it to be the place where exploration and the potential for limitless boundaries exist. I want this for you and for me.brenda slomkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16492929562926045754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741094243526622962.post-53746664328045590252011-10-11T10:28:00.000-04:002011-10-11T10:28:30.662-04:00restoring our systems<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">There’s a lady on the other side of the radio whose husband’s crime of rape and assault against two women have left her to endure the consequences. The security and trust that was her stability came crashing down around her as she was told that her then husband confessed to two violent crimes against two women. Her name is Shannon. She is from Ontario. She was a teacher, a connected community member and a wife. She was happy, planning to have a family and in a matter of moments her life changed. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Shannon so calmly explains about how her position at school was taken away, how she became a widow, how her family was forced to reconcile perspective and how she was forces out of her community. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s her voice that captures my attention more than anything else. She is calm, honest and exhibits compassion as she speaks. She is honest about her story and she speaks to issues that we as a caring compassionate society should be committed to. She shares from her heart how she aches for those women. She shares how she has been a victim of the system. She challenges us to consider the systems we are living in and how we can work change them, to make them effective. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">She shares about having dialogue with her then husband in jail and how that played a role in her healing. She shares about how much of a struggle it was for her to go when so many people would say that “for you to visit must mean that you still love him”. I am moved by her ability to respond by saying “of course I loved him and I went to visit was to get closure and to hold him accountability”. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">She speaks to rehabilitation. She challenges us to consider those who we are releasing back into community, and asking the question if we have rebuilt trust. We need to really understand what are going on in our prisons. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shannon goes on to state that some of the people we are putting in jail, are learning to become better criminals. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">As I’m listening to this interview, this story being shared, I have just been brought to tears as Shannon shares about moments of reconciliation and forgiveness. More specifically she shares about victim impact statement day in court. She shares about powerful, life changing moments happening in the cold, institutionalized wall of the court system. She expresses how these moments in court were so of the most real, healing, sacred moments. Then, at the end of the day the judge said “you go to jail” and “the rest of you go home” and how for her, that was more harmful than the 2 years of the whole court case. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I should stop writing because I don’t come close to even articulating the powerful message that Shannon is sharing about forgiveness, about hope and about needing to change the systems we live in. I know that I’ve always been different. One of those people that see life as only I can. Today, listening to Shannon share her story refocused me to hear what beats in my heart. It was for me, a reminder that our systems are merely a challenge that we have to change, an opportunity for us to see and call out of ourselves a higher commitment to care and compassion. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ll post the interview when it goes up but for now here is some information on Shannon: http://www.shannonmoroney.com/</span></div>brenda slomkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16492929562926045754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741094243526622962.post-61210542455928587042011-10-07T22:11:00.000-04:002011-10-07T22:11:50.442-04:00freedom expressed.<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">consider</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">freedom</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">in the form of</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">piece of paper</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">names</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">attached </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">to values</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">to hope </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">to fears</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">to change</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">approach </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">freedom </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">in the form of </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">expressing </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">wants</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">desires</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">ideals</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the future</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">honor </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">freedom </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">in the form of</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">tribute</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">to those unable to </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">express </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">or consider</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">or approach</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">hopes, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">wants, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">dreams, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the future</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">a, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">piece of paper</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">expressing your, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">expressing my, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">expressing our </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">freedom</span></div>brenda slomkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16492929562926045754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741094243526622962.post-66701715773055543602011-10-03T12:38:00.000-04:002011-10-03T12:45:57.677-04:00pov·er·ty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-acdNWQ_0qMU/ToR9QmbMDdI/AAAAAAAAACU/BWzoC1oEoqI/s1600/poverty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" kca="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-acdNWQ_0qMU/ToR9QmbMDdI/AAAAAAAAACU/BWzoC1oEoqI/s320/poverty.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've always wanted to work for and raise awareness of the challenge of poverty here in our Canada. When I first lived in Kingston, I remember biking downtown to stand at City Hall with The Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul who to this day continue to host a silent vigil at City Hall to remind us this is something we need to be aware of. I remember starting to hear about a number of programs that are run to feed children before they go to school, and to provide food and support after school. I am conscious of the number of people that continue to feel afraid and embarrassed to ask for help because we've created, you and I, we have created space that makes it hard to ask for help. We have set tiers in this society that places value on status and wealth and we have forgotten that we should be investing in human capital, especially the young. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I walk the streets of this city and meet people like Ron and Andre who because of some hard times, a couple bad decisions and the loss of jobs find themselves calling the streets home. I share conversation with them, a good breakfast meal and hear of some of the other places they have called home. I hear them tell me about jobs they have had, where they have gone to school, the families they miss and hope to reconnect with, and the fact that they are ashamed. I hear a lot of families talk about how they are one paycheck away from being homeless or unable to buy food. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we anticipate the upcoming election I am struck with the fact that there are so many important issues relating to poverty that we are not talking about. Moreover, these are issues that we have rarely heard our candidates talk about. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In doing some research for my city, I found a briefing paper published on Feb 1, 2011 from the </span><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kingston Community Roundtable on Poverty Reduction</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the section on Job Security and Economic Recovery there are some really eye-opening facts that we need to be aware of. We know that part-time employment is on the rise, and in fact growing more quickly that full time work. This information we find in the latest Labour Survey results from Statistics Canada. We also know that "An unemployment rate that rose from 6.5% to 8.1% from early 2010, coupled with an alarming, and ongoing, trend toward part time and temporary work, dictates that the 2011 budget should focus on job creation. We need to be able to provide secure full time employment for Ontarians"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ontario already has a highly competitive corporate tax system. We do not need to </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">reduce Corporate Income Tax. We will already collect less from corporate profits due to the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">recession. Government investment and spending on physical infrastructure, an educated </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">workforce and quality programs such as health care have a stronger economic impact than tax </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">cuts. Also, our corporate tax rates are already competitive. The 2010 </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Competitive </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alternatives </span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">study by KPMG showed that Canada has lower overall corporate taxes than any of </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">our key competitors except Mexico.</span><br />
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</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We also know that the income gap between the top and bottom 10% of Ontario has been steadily </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">widening over the past three decades. The top 10% now enjoys incomes 75 times higher than </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the bottom 10%. The current provincial income tax system, with a maximum rate at less than </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">$75,000 in annual income, aggravates rather than alleviates the growing inequity. Introducing </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">levels of taxation for annual incomes of $100,000, $150,000 and $250,000 respectively would </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">generate new tax revenue in the order of a billion dollars a year. This would mean an honest </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">shift towards reducing the ever widening income gap. <strong>summary: take from the rich and share with the poor. </strong></span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial;">My hope is in my writing to draw attention and not condemnation. My hope is to challenge us to ask ourselves what we are working for in our society. My hope is that maybe asking questions that make you defensive, might give pause for some reflection on this issue. My hope is that this becomes a conversation about how each of us has a responsibility as citizens to care for those around us. My hope as well is that if you feel this conversation is stupid and nothing that you should give your time to, that somehow it will be something that you reflect and consider as you go about your days, even as you walk by some of those lovely, talented people who just need us to fight for them. </span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">there is no conclusion to this post. I wish there could be, but for now, I hope that it may raise awareness and cause us to consider what matters to us as we get ready to vote this week. </span>brenda slomkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16492929562926045754noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8741094243526622962.post-25281850755427704432011-09-28T15:26:00.000-04:002011-09-28T15:26:23.065-04:0078 days of kingstonThese words are part of a story. A story of coming home, of leaving home. A story of continuing. A story of starting over again. A story of engagement in community. A story of passion. A story of relationships and those core values that keep up working in relationship. A story of purpose. A story of dreams and ambition. A story hopefully full of risk and joy and passion and abandonment. <br />
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I have no idea for how long I’ll call Kingston home this time, but until it is no longer home, it will be the place where I leave my mark, where I learn from others, where I let go of those inhabitations that I hold onto, the pride that I live with. It will be the city that I get to re-explore. <br />
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I always remember leaving waterloo after five years, the first city that I called home that wasn't home. I remember going back to the city to visit friends and campus. I remember the difference. I remember relearning a place that was so familiar to me. I remember thinking about how quickly things change, but how at the same time some things stay the same. Similarly, I remember leaving Kingston because my heart beat for change and for a new adventure. I am now reflecting on coming back again to a place that was home to me for three years. <br />
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I am reflecting on how in the last 78 days I have bought my first place in a matter of 20 days. Started a new job with new responsibilities. Re-connected with friends and community. Welcomed new community. Have paid more money for everything because of provincial taxes and in essence left the west coast of this breathtaking country, a place that allowed me to live in some of the most beautiful scenery of the world with people who have forever changed me. <br />
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In this time as well I’ve joined a curling league, started my application to volunteer with local marginalized youth, signed up for a night class, set a goal to complete a triathlon (I just need to learn how to run), volunteered with a local campaign, attended the Kingston writers fest where out of my desire to get a ticket met some people with whom I will volunteer, attended community events where I’ve made connections that will last a lifetime. I’ve picked up my camera and have tried to capture life amongst the limestone in the last 78 days. <br />
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So the posts that will come here after will be honest, hopefully thought-provoking, funny, deep, passionate and real life. You are welcome to come along with me, to continue along in this beautiful, unknown, rich story right here, right now amongst the limestone<br />
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</div>brenda slomkahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16492929562926045754noreply@blogger.com0