News Update

Another week has rolled beneath our wheels, and we are nearing the shore of Lake Superior and my home town. We begin the week in Round Rock in the after glow of Jon & Jennifer's wedding. We wish them well as they honeymoon in Hawaii and begin their married life. We head off early Sunday morning for San Antonio and thus continue our journey of warm reunions and refreshed memories. Thank you Verner & Linda, Viggo & Nancy for hosting us in Dallas. Thank you Jon & Jennifer for bringing so many others together for the wedding. It was great to see Tom & Mariette, Gayla and her mom, and to meet so many new connections. We take along memories of our times spent with Luc and Jason as well. It was a great week, and this week continued the theme. Heat in the 30's greeted us in San Antonio and Abilene, but as the week progressed and we moved northward, the temperatures declined to the zero range in Lawrence and to -20's in Minneapolis.

We met up with Bern, Alicia & Logan at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio. Lynn & Carolyn hosted us for lunch and another batch of remembrances. We enjoyed two days with family–shopping, site-seeing, navigating, car-shopping, playing. Tuesday found us moving on to Abilene to visit with Shepherd, Ruhtt, Miguel, Melina & Manuel. A special joy was catching up with Renée, Chris, Kaden & Kaleb—it was so wonderful to hear and see how they are doing. We finally got our tour of ACU! Another precious time, more teary remembrances, another fond farewell. Much time was spent talking of Zambia and dreams. On Thursday we drove up to Oklahoma City and an unexpected reunion—as we drove into the parking area at OCU, we came upon Stan & Blair. Not only did they refresh our spirits, they provided us a parking space! Then Kresten found us, so we enjoyed a visit with him. After that we continued to Lawrence where Marti & Helen hosted us for Thursday and Friday nights. Actually, Helen abandoned us for sunny California! We hope she had a good time at the wedding.

This morning, I had the special privilege of helping Marti introduce TinkerPlots to her supervisor from Kansas University. Then, we headed north into snow and colder temperatures. Once again, the ditches were filled with cars and accidents abounded in the early going. Fortunately, the snow petered out in northern Missouri, and the roads were good after that. We're spending this night in Minneapolis and planning to complete the tour back to TBay tomorrow.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has rolled by, and we have been far from the shore of Lake Superior, my home town! The week has been spent in Texas, where we have enjoyed the hospitality and celebration of our family culminating in the marriage of Jonathan and Jennifer.

We moved in with Verner & Linda upon our arrival in Texas. Thank you for taking care of us so generously! We enjoyed family days all week long. Wendy enjoyed much shopping, and exploring (unintentionally) most of northeast Dallas! It seems she got lost every time she went for a drive!

I got out for two golf games. The first, in Dallas, was with my brother, Viggo, at a course ominously named Waterview! I viewed a bit of water courtesy of my snap hook, and ended with a score of 88. After correction for two triples, this score actually helped my handicap–dropping it to 15.0. Then on Friday afternoon, Viggo and I joined our nephews, Jon & Luc, for a game at Round Rock. I didn't play well at all, and ended with a 98! That did not help my handicap, as it must have pushed one of my better scores out of consideration and my handicap rose to 15.3. But, I certainly had fun, and got more practise than most!

Saturday was the wedding day. It was a joyous affair (read: many tears were shed!), and we wish Jon & Jennifer well in their life together.

We have had email and VOIP contact with the crew back in Thunder Bay. All seems to be going well. Fresh snow has fallen while we've enjoyed our +20 climes in Texas! Kristian had his CT Scan on Friday, but we don't have any results to report yet.

And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

Another week has rolled by and we have rolled far from the shore of Lake Superior. On Monday, we got the news confirmed that, yes, the shifter linkage was broken on the car. We ordered repairs and began our wait to see when we could actually head south. I had a bit of follow up work from the conference last week, and also worked a half-day in support of the Territorial Student Program. Late Wednesday, we got the call that the car was operational again, so we picked it up, and packed for a Thursday morning departure. I booked an appointment with the Apple store in the Mall of America in Minneapolis as I wanted some attention paid to some cosmetic damage on my laptop.

The drive south was uneventful and we arrived in Minneapolis two hours before my appointment, so I settled in a nice chair in the corridor, logged into Apple's Wifi, and caught up on my computer time! Wendy caught up on her shopping time, buying two pair of shoes! Then while Apple repaired the laptop, we went out to supper. After picking up the renovated laptop, we found a hotel and retired for the night. Wendy managed to score us a senior's discount on the handicap room, so with senior throne and everything it was almost as good (as Erica observed) as a theme room at West Edmonton Mall!

Friday morning found us heading south toward Lawrence KS where we planned to visit with Marti. Last year when we came through here the ditches were filled with snow and vehicles. Today, not a trace of either! I wonder what the moisture issues will be in this area. As we drove into Iowa, we ran into a fierce snow storm and soon began to observe that the ditches were collecting plenty of both snow and vehicles. We saw a few spectacular pile-ups–man, you have to avoid those drivers! Here was a semi jack-knifed and in the ditch. There was a four-vehicle pile up, complete with a U-Haul trailer. Yikes! We avoided everyone, made up for all those vehicles that has passed us in the last two days, and as we got into Missouri and approached Kansas City, the snow changed to rain. We rolled into Marti's just after 6pm. A lovely steak supper (thanks, Marti) and a session of TinkerPlots later, we called it a night.

This morning, we headed further south for Dallas and Verner & Linda's place. The day was long and we drove through a few showers but we finally got to there place about 7:30. Verner had a nice pot of chili waiting, so that was a warm welcome. It will be nice to settle down and stop the travelling for a few days.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

A busy week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in my home town. February Conference was the dominating feature, and as I had three half-day workshops, I found it very engaging! I had a half-day with the school secretaries, and since it bodes to be my last session with them, I was trying to tie up all loose ends—some knots remain to be tied! Then, I had a full day with the principals as I tried to take them from the yawning jaws of ignorance into the wonders of TinkerPlots data explorations! All sessions seemed to go well, so I felt good about that. I've continued to fight a cold all week—that didn't help. The extra $1500 does help!

The car went down again tonight. Trav was out with it, and after stopping for a train, it wouldn't shift back into drive. It seems the shift linkage must be broken, so, it is towed to the mechanics' place and we'll see what they say next week. We're hoping to head south some time next week, so this is not a good development.

Wendy seems to be getting over her cold. She has been keeping busy driving a friend around to various medical and other errands. Louise had angioplasty last week, so is not allowed to be driving on her own yet. Besides, she likes the company. Wendy has also been back to the gym a few times now that she is feeling better.

Erin, Kristian and Travis have continued with their usual schedules of work, school and day care.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior. The weather has been quite nice, with only a little fresh snow today. I have spent most of my work time on the data project and preparing to present three sessions at the conference next week. I also have turned in two service proposals for the Boards to consider. These could provide some additional work over the next six months if they are accepted.

I have spent some additional hours in bed trying to short-circuit a cold that has been making the rounds of our household. Kristian brought it home, and ended up missing a couple days of work (day-care). Wendy got a bad dose of it and eventually had to visit the doctor and get some antibiotics. I've been fighting it for the last few days of the week, but I'm coughing a bit and was fighting that as I performed a marriage this afternoon. Dean & Kelly Haskayne were married–a lovely and short ceremony! And I did break down and wear a suit and tie for their occasion—the sacrifices I make!

Otherwise life continues, and we are no nearer determining what the next stage will bring. We do have a few options, but we aren't feeling particularly attracted by (or attached to) any of them.

Trav is part way through his final semester now, and with his light load is also managing to get quite a few hours in at work, so that's going well.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior in the Precambrian Shield. We have enjoyed mild weather for the most of the week that allowed us to get the driveway cleared, and melted off. It's turned a bit colder for this weekend with a bit of additional snow.

I've spent the week in my common work pursuits. Most of the time was spent on the new data project, but that's nearly complete now. I've also continued to field calls for OnSIS, and got another school signed off. Only three schools to go and they're all in one community, which means I only have one secretary to work with. Unfortunately, that also means that the one secretary I have to work with is a bit of a problem! (where bit means large and unassailable!)

Wendy has continued to find job opportunities and make applications. She has begun work on the wedding cake for next Saturday. And she has been shopping for wedding duds for me; she's convinced that a suit and tie are required for the minister! I haven't owned such in many years! The last suit I bought was in 1980, and whenever the next one comes, it'll be too soon!

Tuesday was a diversion for us, as we spent many hours in front of the tube watching the inaugural goings-on from our neighbours to the south. I am certainly relieved to see Dubya head off into the sunset, although I continue to hope that someone will have the courage and initiative to bring several of that administration before war crime trials. It is disheartening to see the Republicans hold up the installation of the new attorney-general because he won't sign-off on that very notion. It's even bemusing to hear the lament over the announced closing of Gitmo as Republicans try to play their usual fear card over "the worst of the worst" (Rumsfield's words) returning to the battlefields. It appears that less than 5% of those released have been found to "return" (some are going for the first time after being traumatized by years in Gitmo!) to terrorist activity. You'd think that these same politicians might view this as a major triumph compared to the reported 65% of American prisoners who return to a life of crime after being released from prison! You'd think that... but you'd be wrong!

Wendy has also been suffering with a cold, but she has no time to take care of that. Kristian has developed a cold as well, so he spent Friday (off work!) home with us. Otherwise, he continues to progress with his listening, speaking and raising our joy level.

Erin and Travis continue with their usual routines of work and university.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

A frigidly cold week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, but the weather has moderated toward the weekend. We experienced a couple nights in a row with the low temperatures plunging to -30—and I reflected that my Yellowknife friends would be laughing! And they were! I checked the weather in Yellowknife and it was warmer than we were! What's with that?

We spent the week around home. I'm busy with the data project, and still getting regular calls for the OnSIS hotline! The OnSIS deadline was December 31st—is any one concerned?! About half my schools were signed off in time, and three more got signed off this week. I found out this week that I've successfully registered with the CANADEM Civilian Reserve Roster and the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations for international peace-building opportunities, so we'll see if something comes of that! I hear there are opportunities in Gaza! Not surprisingly, many of their opportunities are listed as non-family postings. What a world we live in! However, I'm encouraged that the Obama administration will bring a hopefulness to such operations.

Wendy and I have both continued to consider work opportunities around here. I've had an inquiry this past week from further afield, so we'll see whether that gets my attention. I have a local opportunity, but it doesn't pay much and I don't want to spend all my time working and have no time for golfing!

Erin and Kristian are doing well. He continues to develop his vocabulary and tries to say a lot of other, well I guess we can't call them words, although he clearly thinks they are! We got out sledding with him one day before it turned cold—he seemed to enjoy it.

Travis is spending a lot of time at work and school these days. Must be more going on than just work and school!!

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior. We arrived back in TBay on Sunday evening to a large collection of snow in the driveway. Erin has been doing her best to keep a clear path for her car, but has not been able to use the snowblower, so there are heaping piles of snow congesting access for our car. The car has performed fine on its first trip with the new engine. Fuel consumption was very similar to what we were used to with the original engine—very good!

We enjoyed the visits with many of friends and family while travelling west, and it's good to be home again. I shovelled and blew snow for a couple of hours Sunday evening to get us parked, and Wendy and I have carried on throughout the week to almost have the driveway clean again.

I've continued looking for other work, and have applied on a job with the Independent Learning Centre to travel the northwest and supervise testing programs. I've also been working on the Data Project and spent a half day training the Territorial Student Program counsellor in a new data base for her students.

Wendy has applied herself to getting her house back in order, and doing some more baking so we don't lose our Christmas fat too quickly! It seems to be working! She mended my old blue jeans—ahhh, comfort! And she, also, has continued to apply on possible jobs in accounts.

Erin has delighted in having Kristian home again! He's back at Day Care and his speech therapy. He's considering the possibility of toilet training, but no so seriously as his mother is!

Travis is busy back at school, but has a fairly light load this final semester.

And that's about it for this week!

Happy New Year!

Another week has passed and we have been away from the shore of Lake Superior, out to the centre of the prairie. We drove out from Kenora to Regina on Sunday, a distance of about 800 km, and we have rounded out the week by returning to Kenora today. In between we have enjoyed time with family and friends in Regina, and had the special treat of a visit with our friends from Zambia! Fortunately, Saskatchewan saved a particularly wintry blast for them! A blizzard blew through on New Year's eve, and temperatures have generally dipped into the -20 range each night.

We stayed the week with Wendy's dad—thanks for putting us up, and putting up with us! Kresten and Ashley were there when we arrived, but Ashley headed off to Mexico to spend some time with her family there, and Kresten travelled with friends to spend New Year's in Manitoba, (returning just yesterday) but not before a memorable evening of Texas Hold'em where Kresten eventually emerged victorious! Dave dropped by from time to time, so we also got to catch up with him. We heard from Rich & Sue—now in Cape Town, and chatted both on the phone and on line with Bern & Alicia in Mexico. It was good to hear from many friends with year end letters, emails, newsletters. I am thankful to be kept in mind, and to get news of other's activities.

For us, New Year's Eve was celebrated at Barb & Ed's in Regina, with several other of our Zambian connection friends helping Ruhtt, Shepherd and family enjoy a Canadian blizzard. Thursday found us at another gathering where Ruhtt & Shepherd made a presentation about their work in Zambia. Many reminiscences—not a few tears—a great time! Now we're back at Eric & Erica's in Kenora, and planning to complete the tour back to TBay tomorrow.

Erin reports a large dump of snow back there, and she's been shovelling away at that to keep her car available for daily trips to work. Kristian has been travelling with us, so there has been frequent call for video chats with mom back home in TBay. Today, as we drove to Kenora, we ran into more and more snow, so we'll have to dig out the driveway before departing for TBay.

Anyway, that's about it for this week.

News Update

Well, another week has passed and we have travelled away from the shore of Lake Superior as far as the shore of Lake of the Woods, on the edge of the prairie! We drove up to Kenora on Wednesday and have enjoyed the remainder of the week here with Eric, Erica and the boys. Travis, Erin and Kristian are here as well, so we are able to enjoy having the family together for Christmas. Tomorrow, we head our separate ways with Wendy and I heading west (Kristian is also travelling with us), Erin and Travis driving back to work obligations in TBay, and the remainder staying here in Kenora.

I have continued to do a bit of work over the holidays as some schools are still remaining to sign-off their October reports, and the reports are due this month! I also have received the good news that my data project has been approved, so I shall continue my work on that even over this holiday. Otherwise, I have been enjoying the season of sharing and eating! Both Wendy and Erica have assembled a daunting display of Christmas baking, and while we did it great justice, much remains to be eaten—although more was eaten than was good for us!

Today featured Eric & Erica's fifteenth (crystal) anniversary, so we enjoyed celebrating that with a number of their friends from Kenora.

And that's about it for this week!

Your Christmas Worksheet

At my recent office Christmas party, we were subjected to a worksheet of Christmas related items. I have taken the trouble to adapt it slightly, and share it with my family. Several answers they gave were particularly enjoyable, so I'm sure there are more good answers out there, just waiting to be uncovered or discovered or recovered! If you find some alternative answers, please make use of the Comment button to share them with the rest of us!

Spoiler alert: All suggested answers are at the end, so don't scroll down too fast if that would spoil your fun! If you wish to make use of this little quiz, you can just copy and paste it into a word processor document and print it for your own use. Please remember to give credit to the source of these, which as far as I know are anonymous! And if someone reading these recognizes them as his/her own creation, I apologize for sharing without your permission!

Your Christmas Worksheet

(featuring the most outrageous puns we could find—if you have others, we'll consider them!)

1. At the school the young elves learn the _________________.
2. The reason Santa has three gardens is so he can _________________.
3. The favourite breakfast cereal of snowmen is _________________.
4. When you cross a snowman with a vampire you get _________________.
5. A _________________ is the only bird that can write.
   
6. "__________________________________," sang the ghost to Santa Claus.
   
7. The favourite Christmas carol of parents is _________________.
8. The main difference between the Christmas alphabet and an ordinary alphabet is the Christmas alphabet has _________________.
9. At Christmas time the Mexican sheep sing "_________________".
   
10. If Santa goes down the chimney into a lit fireplace, you get _________________.
11. Which candle burns longer, a green one or a red one? _________________
12. Santa's little helper was feeling depressed because he had _________________.
13. People who are afraid of Santa are said to be _________________.
14. If you deep fry Santa you get _________________.
15. A large cat on a beach has _________________.

So, enjoy them, and for your enjoyment here are some of the answers we found so far!

1. At the school the young elves learn the elphabet.
2. The reason Santa has three gardens is so he can ho, ho, ho!
3. The favourite breakfast cereal of snowmen is Frosted Flakes.
4. When you cross a snowman with a vampire you get frost bite. Although, we now have additional answers of cold-blooded, and a cold-blooded killer.
5. A penguin is the only bird that can write.
   
6. "I'll have a boo Christmas with out you," sang the ghost to Santa Claus.
   
7. The favourite Christmas carol of parents is Silent Night.
8. The main difference between the Christmas alphabet and an ordinary alphabet is the Christmas alphabet has No L.
9. At Christmas time the Mexican sheep sing Felix Navibaaaa.
   
10. If Santa goes down the chimney into a lit fireplace, you get Crisp Kringle. A hilarious and popular suggestion tonight was chestnuts roasting by an open fire.
    
11. Which candle burns longer, a green one or a red one? Neither, both burn shorter.
12. Santa's little helper was feeling depressed because he had low elf-esteem.
13. People who are afraid of Santa are said to be Claustrophobic.
14. If you deep fry Santa you get Crisp Kringle.
15. A large cat on a beach has sandy claws.

News Update

Another week has flown by here on the shore of Lake Superior. The blizzard held off until Sunday evening, but then gave us a big dump of snow. Wendy and I were shovelling and snow-blowing for a couple of hours Monday morning. The remainder of the week featured calm, cold weather with one day even dropping to -30—quite cold for here. It's back to a more comfortable -10 to -15 for the end of the week. And yesterday, we got our car back. It has a newer engine (only 84,000 clicks) and the price was $3389.38—just the neighbourhood he was talking about! Now, I have to check out whether this engine has the enhancements to overcome the previous problems—Google here I come.

I've been working with my partner, Wes, in revamping the boardroom at work into a virtual office. We installed the Smartboard, installed the data projector from the ceiling and adjusted the furnishings for the teleconference and the polycom. Wes also gave me a lesson on using the Smartboard, and installed the Smartboard software on my computer, so I shall try to build my next presentation with that facility. On Friday, we had the office Christmas party; that was a nice event as well. I have had a lot of calls for OnSIS assistance as the schools head toward the Christmas break.

Wendy has continued to battle her cold, and we think it's gradually getting better. I came down with the edge of a cold, myself, but have taken some extra rest and seem to have it beaten back. Wendy has kept busy with Christmas baking—shortbread cookies, butter tarts, lemon puffs, toffee, pumpkin loaf; I'm challenged to keep up with the eating of the same! Fortunately, she finally stuck the butter tarts in the freezer—I like them better that way!

Travis has completed his exams, but has kept busy working with one of his contractors on a store renovation that includes an office for Trav! He has been doing quite a bit of graphics work for this guy, and the prospects are now that it may develop into a business relationship as Trav finishes university next May. It's not an easy time to operate a business—let alone start one!

Erin continues with her work and care of Kristian. It's been a great blessing to be able to access the number of professional workers to diagnose his hearing issues, get him fitted for hearing aids, and provide training and support for his language development.

We've been enjoying hearing from many of you with end of the year newsletters as well as the regular updates. In one of those was a photo in celebration of our 38th Anniversary—thanks Tom & Mariette.
Eric and the boys come down on Friday evening to spend the weekend. It's nice to have them around. Erica has remained at home in Kenora to catch up on things there. She's also been working on roping me in to a duet with her on Mary Did You Know? for a Christmas Eve presentation. And that's about it for this week!

News Update

Another week has passed here on the shore of Lake Superior in the grip of winter. We got two good dumps of snow this week, so I've been able to exercise the snow shovels and the snow blower. Colder temperatures hit us in the middle of the week, but it's almost up to zero today–probably in line with the blizzard expected over night.

As mentioned last week, the car has been taken in for repairs. The mechanic called early in the week to confirm that the motor was needing to be replaced. He allowed that the cost would be in the three thousand dollar neighbourhood—not a place I was even thinking about visiting!

I have worked on a couple of small issues with my schools this week, and started development of the data project I hope will be approved later this month. Otherwise, it's been the snow clearing and the development of a small rink in the backyard for Kristian. It's now ready, and he got out for a short skate today—his first try, and I can't say that he enjoyed it a great deal!

Wendy has continued with Christmas preparations. Short bread cookies and Christmas cake are available in abundance, and the gander is getting fat! She finally managed to get a Wii, so that's one off the list. She also bought an artificial tree, so decorations have begun with that.

Of course the big story of the week has been Kristian's new hearing aids. He has taken to them very well, and we've delighted in his experimentation with lots of new words that he is hearing much better now. The ear inserts will need to be replaced every three to six months. Kristian chose the colours–a head-shaker for sure!

Erin's work continues; she has had to work around various appointments for Kristian's fittings and speech therapy.

Travis has now finished his exams for this semester, and is doing a bit of extra work on the advertising and promotion front with one of his employers. He has decided to end the pizza delivery for now. And, with his extra funds, he's contemplating a pay down of his demand loan.

And that's about it for this week.

News Update

Another week has passed on the snowy shore of Lake Superior, on the edge of winter! Christmas preparations are fully engaged; the old crow is still fat; EI (Employment Insurance) beckons.

The week has been quite busy. I have worked through a four-day conference involving three presentations. All have gone well, and I'm satisfied to look forward. Working with two colleagues, I have begun development of a data project. This is still awaiting approval, but indications are positive, and we have determined to go ahead with at least a model of it whether approval is granted or not! Then, if approval is not forthcoming, I shall present the model at the February conference, and apply for funding again. Fortune sometimes favours the persistent! I have completed my application for EI; my ship should arrive soon!

Wendy continues to be engaged with her various home businesses, and her constant home busyness. An extra feature of the season is baking—just in case this old crow begins to fade away (fat chance!). She also has been scouring the stores in search of this season's illusive gift–the Wii. No luck so far, but she does have a couple of rain cheques. With the temperature ranging from -5 to -15, I don't expect any rain!

The big news this week was about Kristian. He has finally submitted to what the doctors feel is a somewhat legitimate testing process and they have a diagnosis. They have confirmed what we have long been telling them—the boy doesn't hear much! (And we don't even know how much he listens!) The testing showed next to no transmission of sound signals through the cochlea. Now, I know he does hear some things, so I hasten to reassure that his disability is not as bad as 'they' say, but it is certainly a problem. And now that 'they' agree, he will be fitted with hearing aids next week, and we're looking forward to the difference. Naturally, most of us (not including Kristian) are more than a little unsettled by the situation.

Other distressing news of the week concerned our car—actually, it concerned us; our car couldn't care less! Some funny (we're talking fun as in dysfunctional) sounds began emanating from the motor! It was probably instructive that when I typed 2.7 into Google, a number of suggested searches arose! Sure enough, Chrysler has some known issues with the 2.7 engine. These engines are known for timing belt problems; well, we knew about that one. My brother in Medicine Hat had advised on that one, "Replace the timing belt about 150k; it's going to fail." Well, we hadn't, and we're now pushing 200k. But my recollection of timing belt failures was that no sound emanated from the engine! So, on to issue number two–"There is a tendency for sludge to build up, and starve the engine of oil." This is due to a design flaw, according to my mechanic who was well (and perhaps too happily) aware of it. Chrysler continues to fight the class action lawsuits, "That's not a bug, that's a feature." Any way you slice it, it is not good. The car is now with the mechanic; we await word concerning our loss!

Travis is in the throes of semester end tests; that should be completed next week. Otherwise things go well with him.

And that's about it for this week.

Sauce for the Goose

Many foibles in our elected leaders are forgiven; others are mocked, ridiculed, parodied and soon forgotten, but hypocrisy is often viewed as the unforgivable sin. And thus we come to the current state of affairs in Canada. Our fearless leader has apparently failed to read the newspapers, nor attend to radio and television and is thus unaware that the economy is struggling. Echoing the fickle words of US candidate McCain, our prime minister and his feckless Finance Minister have assured us that, “The fundamentals of the economy are strong.” (Again, if they were students of the media, they would surely have chosen other words!) And therefore, while the economy drops 71,000 jobs in November (the worst showing in twenty-six years), the TSE drops below 8000 (my pension was starting to look possible a few months ago when the TSE was above 14,000), and the dollar drops to 77 cents US (yes, it was at par in July,) our government has decided that nothing need be done. And, since they're afraid that the opposition parties may actually have a plan (to do something!), they have determined that parliament should go on a two-month holiday!

All this may be written off as bad strategy, lack of planning or foggy thinking, but then the politics begins to get played! The opposition parties have not only sensed that the fundamentals of the economy are not strong, but that this misstep by the governing party represents an opportunity. Now politicians are, if nothing else, opportunists, so they've tried to jump on this opportunity. They have held their back room discussions and determined that the iron is hot enough to strike! Collectively, they have written to the Governor-General offering to take over since the current government is not wanting to do anything. Ah, and the response by the Prime Minister is harsh in its ridicule and stern in its judgement. “This is a threat to the country;” blasts Mr. Harper, “the evil separatists are at the gates!” Therefore he has considered the situation and determined to avoid parliament and the confidence vote that could end his appointment as PM. Perhaps, he thinks, by the end of January the economy may have improved, or at the very least, we may be able to come up with some sort of a plan! In the meantime, he has decided to hide from accountability to parliament and take to the political battles in an attempt to defang the beasts across the aisle.

How things have changed in just a few years! Back in 2004, it was Mr. Harper who was leader of the opposition in a minority parliament. At that time, it was he who was arguing that that parliament must meet. "If the government wants to govern, it has to come to Parliament and it has to show that it can get the support of the majority of members," opined the Stephen Harper of 2004, when the shoe was on the other foot! [http://www.cbc.ca/sunday/harper.html] Back in 2004, it was Mr. Harper who organized a coalition among the opposition parties and wrote to then governor-general Clarkson offering to take over and run her country for her! And it was Mr. Harper who co-signed with the NDP and the Separatists (say it ain't so, Steve!) [http://bondpapers.blogspot.com/2008/11/taking-power-without-election.html]

The press has briefly flapped over Mr. Harper's forbear, Mr. Day, and his dalliance with the Bloc back in 2000, but that never amounted to anything as Mr. Day had the good fortune not to put his name to paper. It will be interesting to watch as the scribblers get off their duffs and dig up the juicy details on this little bit of hypocrisy!

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior. It's been quite busy, as I've been working another contract as Territorial Student Counsellor all week. The weather has been varied, with a few skiffs of snow, followed by melting temperatures. A little snow that fell on Friday still lingers, partially masking the dying lawns.

I have been completing two assignments for the Territorial Student Program. I have been working as replacement counsellor for twenty days now, and I've been developing a data base of all students in the program to help the regular counsellor operate the program more effectively. Both tasks are now complete, and my final paycheque has been issued. I have my Record of Employment (ROE), so I now qualify for Employment Insurance. I plan to work my way through those regulations next week! Of course, I have continued to field questions as part of my old job as MISA coordinator as the first set of report cards for the year won't write themselves!

Wendy has been disappointed to find out that she didn't get the accounting job she applied for—we were both expecting a positive answer there after we found out her references had been called. She continues to search, and I have applied on a couple of jobs as well. Otherwise, she has undertaken a major house-cleaning—it's not spring, so this must be a Christmas cleaning! She is running a home-based sales enterprise this weekend with Pampered Chef (cookware), Tupperware (plastics), PartyLite (candles) and Mary Kay (cosmetics) covering every available horizontal platform in the dining room, living room and hallway. I retreat to the bedroom or my office!

Erin had Kristian to the audiologist again. Kristian cooperated more with the testing, so they're starting to get some confirmation of a hearing loss. He'll be back for further testing next week, and a consideration of remedies. He continues to be a delight, and is particularly devoted to his Cars movie. I think I've seen it three times this week!

Travis celebrated his twenty-seventh birthday on Thursday. He continues to do well in his work and his education. One of his contracting bosses took him out for lunch this week.

And that's the kind of week it's been.

The Obamabots are Coming!

While the President-Elect is busy assembling his cabinet and has yet to lead/rule a single day, many among the Reichwing are expressing fear and trepidation reminiscent of the pinko-Russki-red-baiting days of fifty years ago. Even as the Republican campaign raised negative emotions by playing the fear card, the race card, the security card, even the religion card...
"He's pallin' around with terrorists."
"He's different than we are."
"He wasn't even born in America."
"He's anti-American."
"This is the real America." (i.e. the part that supports me!)
"He's a Socialist."
"I wish you would investigate our politicians and find out who are anti-American."
"He's a wealth redistributor."
"He's a Muslim."

Now we see how it has given licence to the neo-Nazis, the KKK, the white supremacists... and we hear the chants from the campaign trail "Traitor" "Kill him" echoed and raised in the chants "Assassinate Obama" that even school children have been trained to express. It is truly a sad state of affairs when the rhetoric descends to this level purely on the basis of bias since the poor man hasn't even had a chance to do anything!

Meanwhile Barack Hussein Obama (some lament that his middle name wasn't Roger or Robert... so we could call him BRO!) works to manage the transition, strategizes for clearly needed changes and chooses his cabinet members. And here, we see many supporters express their concern and chagrin over the names of candidates the transition team carefully leaks to the blogosphere and the news media. The progressive side of the Democratic party wrings their collective hands over the prospect of candidates too far to the right in the political spectrum.
"He's too pro-Israel."
"He's too pro-business."
"He's not for net-neutrality."
"She's a DINO (Democrat in name-only)"

Some call for patience as they point to the best-managed, best-run campaign in history and express their confidence that the man who has coalesced their hopes into a successful Whitehouse run will also express their dreams in his governance. Many others on both the left and the right (as if such a thing as left actually exists in American politics!) express their doubts that Obama will achieve their wildest dreams, or their fears that he will achieve their wildest nightmares!

Dubya's Legacy

The American government is in transition stage, and the Bush administration appears to have determined to see how much damage it can inflict before their January 20th departure. With economic and foreign policy misadventures in full bloom, one wonders about the scope of the mess Dubya is leaving to his successor.

The DOW had fallen below 8000 and no one is predicting that the bottom has been reached. It hasn't often happened (one other time–as Hoover brought on the Great Depression!) that a president has presided over a net loss in the DOW over the course of an eight-year administration, but Dubya looks like he can fall to the ignominy of that achievement. He took over a booming economy from Clinton and has managed to run it into the ground, turning a budgetary surplus into record deficits where he manages to beat his own record of futility year after year. In recent weeks we have seen the remarkable hypocrisy of the Republican administration presiding over a multi-trillion dollar (current estimate: not the 700 billion that often gets in the media, but 7.67 trillion) taxpayer payout to businesses while their campaign decries the Democrats as wealth redistributing socialists! It appears that the bastion of free enterprise will soon complete the nationalization of their financial system.

Meanwhile two incredibly ill-managed wars continue in the Middle East. As a result, the armed forces are stressed to a breaking point, and are markedly overburdened by the large-scale, long-term deployments. The recent agreement with Iraq allows US forces, for the first time, to be subject to the justice systems of foreign jurisdictions. That alone will be a remarkable burden for the new president. Finally, they have the culture-wars at home. These have been inflamed by the campaign rhetoric of the Republicans and are widely evident as racial tensions arise in many locations throughout the country. There have been over two hundred hate crime incidents since the election, including cross-burnings, hangings-in-effigy, and assassination betting pools. Meanwhile in view of his criminal administration, Dubya prepares pardons for his friends (even for himself!) by issuing blanket pardons for torture while maintaining they didn't torture! And he tries to embed his cronies into job assignments, while relaxing environmental protections as favours to his business buddies.

What a legacy for a disastrous presidency! There are reasons why his administration is considered among the worst in American history, and why he is challenging Nixon for the lowest end-of-term presidential-approval ratings on record.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior. The weather has turned decidedly frosty, and we even have a skiff of snow. However, it's a little warmer again, so the snow seems to be disappearing again. We've spent the week around TBay, but have kept busy all the same.

I have continued with OnSIS work and Maplewood support—mainly helping schools get their report cards set up and running in the current school year. I had a teleconference with our principals on Tuesday—just giving them an update on my project work—and worked two days with the Territorial Student Program. Actually, I worked an extra half day there, so I'll finish that contract next week. As a result of these small contracts, I have now qualified for an extra pay day, so we'll celebrate that next Thursday! I have finally made an application for a new job; it's a part time job with a franchised adult education provider. The advertisement and the website leave me with plenty of questions about what the job would actually entail, so that was probably part of the appeal! One special feature of the week is that my registration to perform marriages in Ontario came through—so Dean & Kelly will be able to get married after all! And I'm preaching tomorrow, so I've had to spend some time getting that ready!

Wendy continues to wait on developments over her job application. We feel it is delayed because the operation is currently on strike. Perhaps, she's on strike and hasn't even started work! At the same time, she continues to search out job opportunities for both of us. She tore the old wood paneling off the end wall of the living room one day, and that surely brightened things up in there. The whole room looks larger; maybe we won't have to change the flooring!!

Erin continues with work pretty much as per usual. Kristian is continuing to develop his vocabulary and his interest in communicating. He is a regular delight!

Travis is also carrying on with same ol' same ol' school and work and hockey.

And that's the kind of week it's been.

News Update

Another week has passed on the shore of Lake Superior, where the women are strong, the men are handsome, and all the children are above average. I have spent part of the week in Toronto at a conference. That, like most conferences, was a mixed bag. Some sessions were good, a couple even great, while others couldn't even convince me to stay in the room!

I also continued (possibly completed) the work on the database project for the territorial student program. I'll be installing and using that next week. I have a couple of small projects yet to do, but my official work is completed and my final paycheque was this Thursday! Now, I will take my ROE (Record of Employment) to EI (Employment Insurance) and try to collect back some of all those fees I've paid over the years! Wendy (and certain other family members) have dedicated themselves to finding me a new job and thus preclude my receipt of EI Benefits!

I got most of my stitches out on Wednesday before heading to Toronto, and then had to return to the doctor this morning to get the final one out. The wound seems to be healing up appropriately, although since it is in the middle of my back, I can't really give an authentic opinion on that!

Wendy has continued the employment process throughout the week. Her references are being called, so we're encouraged to think that this is progress. She also has been caring for Kristian most of the week as he's been kicked out of day care for having conjunctivitus (pink eye). He seems to be well again, so should head back to day care on Monday.

Erin and Travis have continued with their usual responsibilities and interests.

Eric/A and the boys are here this weekend, so we've taken the option of celebrating Kristian's birthday again this evening. It makes for a boisterous household!

Anyway (anyways as they say in TBay—Yikes!), that's about the kind of week it's been.