Mary Soderstrom's Blog, page 64
April 6, 2014
Sitting Out an Election: What's Happening to Volunteers?
This is the first provincial or federal election in years that I haven't worked hard for some leftish candidate. Usually I do a lot of telephoning, or some door to door, and occasionally I've even been on of the "back room boys and girls."
This time my various health issues--the shingles and the cataract surgery in the last couple of months--gave me a good excuse not to put a lot of time into campaigning for Edith Laperle, the Québec Solidaire candidate in our riding. (Didn't work for her in the bye election last December because I was in South America, but that's another story.) She's a fine young woman, a hard campaigner (this is the third time around), and definitely would be an good addition to the National Assembly. We contributed some money, put up a sign on the front porch and certainly wish her well.
But work? No, not really.
I've felt guilty, but it seems that I'm not the only stalwart who is sitting this one out. Le Devoir had a story on the weekend about how the volunteers which have until now been the backbone of a good, grass roots campaign are just not showing up. Vincent Marissol wrote a similar piece in La Presse last week: Where are the Militants?
Part of the problem is that the kind of work campaign volunteeers have done in the past just isn't as useful as it was. The number of people with landlines whose numbers are easy to reach has plummeted, making telephone canvassing less effective. Even when campaigns can come up with lists of sympathizers, harassing them to make sure they vote looks increasingly counter-productive. To be sure, door-knocking can still work, but it takes a lot more time than telephoning did in the old days.
But perhaps even more importantly, many folks are finding it hard to get enthusiastic about the people running. A sign of growing cynicism about the political process? Probably. This time around only Québec Solidaire seems to be running a campaign with clear cut stands on issues, and, in my view, is the only part worth voting for, even if I didn't do any work for it.
This time my various health issues--the shingles and the cataract surgery in the last couple of months--gave me a good excuse not to put a lot of time into campaigning for Edith Laperle, the Québec Solidaire candidate in our riding. (Didn't work for her in the bye election last December because I was in South America, but that's another story.) She's a fine young woman, a hard campaigner (this is the third time around), and definitely would be an good addition to the National Assembly. We contributed some money, put up a sign on the front porch and certainly wish her well.
But work? No, not really.
I've felt guilty, but it seems that I'm not the only stalwart who is sitting this one out. Le Devoir had a story on the weekend about how the volunteers which have until now been the backbone of a good, grass roots campaign are just not showing up. Vincent Marissol wrote a similar piece in La Presse last week: Where are the Militants?
Part of the problem is that the kind of work campaign volunteeers have done in the past just isn't as useful as it was. The number of people with landlines whose numbers are easy to reach has plummeted, making telephone canvassing less effective. Even when campaigns can come up with lists of sympathizers, harassing them to make sure they vote looks increasingly counter-productive. To be sure, door-knocking can still work, but it takes a lot more time than telephoning did in the old days.
But perhaps even more importantly, many folks are finding it hard to get enthusiastic about the people running. A sign of growing cynicism about the political process? Probably. This time around only Québec Solidaire seems to be running a campaign with clear cut stands on issues, and, in my view, is the only part worth voting for, even if I didn't do any work for it.
April 2, 2014
The View from the Other Side
Not much action lately because of various things, like cataract surgery on Monday.
But now I'm delighted to report that I'm seeing better than I ever have.
Anyone who's been nearsighted since birth can imagine how wonderful it is to look out the window and see everything in great detail.
The eye operated on was my worst one, and I'll need an operation on the other soon. This one did nothing for the problems of elderly close vision either, so perhaps I'll have to have "reading glasses." For the moment though, I just can't get over how well I see distances now, much better than I did before with my glasses.
But now I'm delighted to report that I'm seeing better than I ever have.
Anyone who's been nearsighted since birth can imagine how wonderful it is to look out the window and see everything in great detail.
The eye operated on was my worst one, and I'll need an operation on the other soon. This one did nothing for the problems of elderly close vision either, so perhaps I'll have to have "reading glasses." For the moment though, I just can't get over how well I see distances now, much better than I did before with my glasses.
March 29, 2014
End of Winter Blahs....
A combination of sick grandkids who share their microbes with their grandparents and my own interesting health sitautioin (cataract surgery on Monday) means that there haven't been much in the way of posts lately. Nor are there likely to be until the middle of the week. Why don't you go read a book!
March 26, 2014
Simply Because Thomas Loves This...
One of the joys of children is how they introduce you to new things. On this day when a winter hurricane is pounding Eastern Canada, they're digging out after a massive mudslide in Washington State, and some politicians seem to be rubbing their hands over the prospect of reigniting the Cold War, I find this video that Thomas love quite wonderful.
He's 18 months and just discovered the joys of dancing. His parents stumbled on the 24 video by Pharrel Williams and friends of the song "Happy, Happy" which has a catchy beat and lots of people dancing, some well, some not so well. Whenever there is down time, our Thom asks for it and grooves in front of the computer until called away to do something else.
Lots of fun, even for us old folks.
He's 18 months and just discovered the joys of dancing. His parents stumbled on the 24 video by Pharrel Williams and friends of the song "Happy, Happy" which has a catchy beat and lots of people dancing, some well, some not so well. Whenever there is down time, our Thom asks for it and grooves in front of the computer until called away to do something else.
Lots of fun, even for us old folks.
March 25, 2014
The First Birds of Spring, and Moas
Most years the first red-winged blackbirds show up by the end of March around here. Usually there is open water at the edge of swamps, ponds, streams. Many times we've driven in the country and heard the birds' distinctive call as they perched on cattails standing high above frigid water.
Not this year, I'm sure. Too much snow and ice to encourage the first northern explorers finding a place to pause in their search for good nesting. Even though the days are longer and the sun is higher in the sky, much of the tasty things that birds want to eat are still covered up.
The New York Times has an intersting little article today about the wintering habits of robins. Not surprisingly, studies have shown that food and the absence of snow cover makes a difference in whether they winter-over in an area. I haven't noted the usual arrival time for the first robin here, but it's clear that this year it will be awhile.
What this unusual winter means in the great scheme of things is unclear, except that it's probably linked to erratic weather patterns brought on by climate change. Lest we be lulled into thinking that our actions really don't have that much effect on our feathered friend, though, check out another NTY story, this one definitively linking the extinction of the moa in New Zealand to the arrival of humans.
Not this year, I'm sure. Too much snow and ice to encourage the first northern explorers finding a place to pause in their search for good nesting. Even though the days are longer and the sun is higher in the sky, much of the tasty things that birds want to eat are still covered up.
The New York Times has an intersting little article today about the wintering habits of robins. Not surprisingly, studies have shown that food and the absence of snow cover makes a difference in whether they winter-over in an area. I haven't noted the usual arrival time for the first robin here, but it's clear that this year it will be awhile.
What this unusual winter means in the great scheme of things is unclear, except that it's probably linked to erratic weather patterns brought on by climate change. Lest we be lulled into thinking that our actions really don't have that much effect on our feathered friend, though, check out another NTY story, this one definitively linking the extinction of the moa in New Zealand to the arrival of humans.
March 23, 2014
Saturday Photo: Enough Already!
March 20, 2014
The Debt That Writers and Readers Owe to Heather Robertson
Very soon the Electronic Rights Defence Committee may finally distribute the settlement it received from Postmedia: I spent part of the weekend writing resolutions that will be needed to set up a post office box and the like. They will be considered on Monday at the ERDC's annual general meeting.
The ERDC's class action over electronic reproduction of articles written by freelance writers in The Gazette has been going on since 1996. The way has been up and down, but what success we've had, we owe to a class action started about the same time (and successfully finished two years ago) against the Thomson press empire by Heather Robertson.
She forged ahead, pushing her legal team on behalf of freelance writers to pursue the matter all the way to the Supreme Court. The 5-4 decision in favour of writers is a landmark one, and has meant both money in writers' pockets and the reaffirmation of the principle that copyright lies with creators unless expresssly ceded.
This may seem like unimportant technical stuff to readers, but it has wide implications. Given the changing information model, it allows writers to make a little money from their work thus encouraging a professional corps of news gatherers and analysts. Without them no democracy can operate.
The ERDC's class action over electronic reproduction of articles written by freelance writers in The Gazette has been going on since 1996. The way has been up and down, but what success we've had, we owe to a class action started about the same time (and successfully finished two years ago) against the Thomson press empire by Heather Robertson.
She forged ahead, pushing her legal team on behalf of freelance writers to pursue the matter all the way to the Supreme Court. The 5-4 decision in favour of writers is a landmark one, and has meant both money in writers' pockets and the reaffirmation of the principle that copyright lies with creators unless expresssly ceded.
This may seem like unimportant technical stuff to readers, but it has wide implications. Given the changing information model, it allows writers to make a little money from their work thus encouraging a professional corps of news gatherers and analysts. Without them no democracy can operate.
March 17, 2014
Everyobdy's Nightmare: The Disappearance of Malaysia Airines Flight 370
I keep thinking of Orson Welles'
War of the Worlds
as the days pass since the Malaysia Airlines plane went missing. Things like this don't happen, planes don't just disappear. There surely is an explanation....
March 16, 2014
Saturday Photo: Paris As It Should Be
Whenever we've been in Paris, we've had mostly lovely weather with clear blue skies. This photo was taken on our last trip in May 2007 at the Jardins de Tuillieries on a lovely, hot spring day.Friends there have been senidng dispatches about this year's warm spring, making all of us stuck in this long North American winter more than a little jealous.
But now comes the news of the smog covering the center of France. What a shame. Blue skies are what you should have when you visit.
March 12, 2014
PKP's House Bis
My friend Zvi Leve, who daughter was a friend of one of PKP's kids when they were day care age, points out that PKP's house actually does have a Street View, but it's the wrong address: 644 Dunlop instead of 636 Dunlop (the address listed on the Montreal property tax roles.) Here's the link.
I'm told that Street View sometimes gets addresses wrong. Whatever, it's weird.
I'm told that Street View sometimes gets addresses wrong. Whatever, it's weird.
