“The problem is TransFair can’t limit the usage of ‘Fairly Traded.’ They can & rightfully do frown upon...” 
“Just for your information “Fairly Traded” and “Fairly Traded Certified” are two different things....” 
“Bevans, I think you need this plugin http://wordpress.org/extend/pl ugins/time-machine/ It lets you do hourly.” “First off, I love you and your plugin, it’s been a huge time saver. I’m using it on 5 blogs now! 
I have two...” 
“you don’t have a clue unless you’ve went through it or know some one who has.My daughter was 7 of age when she...” I really enjoy living downtown because I get to “know” certain characters around the neighbourhood. Being a computer programmer, I make a point of avoiding eye contact and conversation with these people, but I kinda like watching them, and making up stories for their lives.
The day I got back from California, I noticed that Centretown had acquired a new resident. At a distance, she looks like a very attractive, urbane, lithe woman, with a distinctive bright red hair pulled into three points. Each time I’ve seen her, she’s been wearing fairly conservative (but feminine) attire. Of course, I wouldn’t be telling you this unless there was a punch-line: notably that she appears to have started life out as a man (she’s betrayed by her body and facial structure). She also has the wary look that I associate with cross-dressers who are open about their calling1.
It must be a rough life being an “out” cross dresser2. I occasionally wear a Utilikilt. If I’m feeling anything other than confident the occasional hoot or sneer is enough to make me hang it up for months on end. It’s not that I’m embarressed about wearing a kilt (I really do appreciate the breeze), it’s just that I don’t like confrontation or attention. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to have that kind of confrontation about something that is an integral part of one’s persona.
I hope the cross dressing woman keeps it up. She looks good. I hope that she avoids being worn down, and that my part of town treats her with the respect she deserves.
The RA Photo Club will be holding an open house next week. Sadly, I’m going to be away that day, so won’t be able to make it out, but it sounds like it should be a fun night. I’m kind of kicking myself: reputable sources have told me that the RA Photo Club is a great place to improve one’s skills behind the lens. See their website for more information.
With all this talk of the federal Green Party, the provincial Green Party has gotten short shrift. If you’re in Ottawa Centre, and you would like to get involved with the provincial riding association, come out to their next meeting. The meeting will be heald at Dalhousie Community Centre 755 Sommerset St. W.
As I was going through my email, I discovered this gem from the Ottawa Citizen’s editorial board. Essentially they’re saying that the Green Party has lots of opportunities, now that we have a new leader:
There are other policy areas in which the traditional parties have not kept up with the electorate. On foreign aid, both Liberals and Conservatives have been disingenuous. Farm policy too has been a mess for years. The Green party, though, has a wealth of agricultural know-how. Smart food policy appeals to many constituencies, not just rural families but university students concerned about global poverty and urban parents trying to keep their children healthy.
The Green party must speak with a distinct voice on these issues. Forget about bashing Americans, or dismissing the war on terrorism. We already have a federal party that specializes in that, the NDP. And, in recent months, the Liberal party too. Life in opposition has brought out the anti-Bush, anti-military voices from the Liberal party. If Ms. May wants to fight over that ground, she’ll be fighting the NDP and many Liberals for a few measly inches on the moribund left. Instead, the Greens could be drawing voters from across the spectrum. Ms. May has often praised the environmental record of the Mulroney government. She knows there is an environmentalist camp within Canadian conservatism, made up of folks who believe that the West’s dependence on oil has abetted illiberalism in the Arab-Muslim world. She should also know that dismissive soundbites about the Bush administration will not help her win blue-green voters.
Our opportunities don’t lie on a particular side of the political spectrum. If we try to make ourselves look like a more environmentally friendly NDP, we’ve wasted our time. Similarly, we if parrot the Conservative’s line on neo-conservative militarism, we’ve wasted our time. Instead, we have to pick out our principles, decide what we’re going to stand for, and then stand. The examples given in the editorial are good: farm policy would be a good place to start, as it jives with health (a concern of Canadians), and self sufficiency (a concern of traditional Greens).
The editorial goes on to refer to the Left as moribund, and, it might be right. We shouldn’t play the Dance of Rage with NDP/Liberals over Afghanistan, our troops should be providing humanitarian aid, if they aren’t, the public is being misled. The answer is not to pull out, but to make the Afghan mission live up to the spin being provided at home. I’m not suggesting that we dance to the neocon tune of the US, I’m suggesting that we stand up for our principles. Principles that include improved foreign aid, cuts to agricultural subsidies (with the appropriate tariffs on foreign imports, if need be), publicly run medical research, and lessened subsidies to business.
In my experience, the worst part about vacations is cleaning up when you get home. I mean cleaning one’s living space from the explosive rush of packing; cleaning out one’s email inbox of all the cruft that arrived while one was away; and cleaning up the accumulated debt on one’s credit cards. But there are occasional laughs, like when people get your name confused for someone else’s name:
Is this Erigami from [Some highschool in the US]? I hope it is. Well. My name is [deleted] and I also attend [Some highschool in the US]. The reason I’m writing is because I’ve heard many good things about you. I’ve heard you have quite an amazing voice. I really want to hear you sing. Do you have any recordings at all? If you do. I want to know how I can get one. Thank you.
I would send my secret admirer a copy of “Erigami Sings the Green Party Hits” or “MiniPosts Mean She Loves You,” but my singing voice sounds like an asthmatic being tortured, so I won’t subject him to that.
