And at the sound of the Bell; come out fighting!

Hillary Clinton surprised no one last night by not conceding the race for leader of the Democratic party. Rumours, yesterday morning, and a press release from the AP news service had many thinking that the former First Lady, was about to throw in the towel. Ha! What fools! Sources said she would announce the decision later in the evening following primaries in South Dakota and Montana. I was watching "The View" when Whoopi Goldberg excitedly read the breaking news story live on the air. Minutes later, a more subdued Barbara Walters chimed in, saying that it was only rumoured that Hillary would pull out of the race, and no official word was given by herself or any of her campaign people. So it goes on, and on and on...

The pundits expected her to win in South Dakota but to lose in Montana, on Tuesday, and it turned out they were right. Late in the evening, it was apparent that Barrack Obama had the nomination sewed up, by receiving more than the 2,118 delegate votes required for the nomination. However, a determined Hillary Clinton did not give in (that would be admitting defeat), as we know she's a fighter, and may only decide to pull out if she's offered the Vice Presidency, in my humble opinion. Of course there would have to be some secret negotiating going on, for that to happen, and with all the negative comments made about each other by both candidates, it seems highly unlikely they could get along under the same roof. Just ask Bill. Sorry that was unfair and uncalled for, as we know former President Clinton has been taking an awful lot of heat recently, by standing up for Mrs Clinton, and got himself in hot water by calling one reporter a "sleazy guy" (which he may be) after an article was released in the NY Times about Bill focusing more on the ladies while traveling instead of supporting his wife's campaign. A sensitive subject to talk about, as it is very clear that the wounds have not healed and may get even deeper if he remains in the spotlight, nearing the national election. I'm not expecting Mr Obama to invite Bill along for support on the campaign trail as having one Clinton to deal with is a formible task in itself.

Hillary has climbed way out on a limb by not choosing to pull out of the election last night. She could make herself look like a power seeking fanatic in the eyes of many Democrats, as we approach the Democratic convention this summer. To win the nomination, her only hope is some kind of miracle at this point, as it looks as if the majority of voters and super delegates have made their decision to go for Obama. Before it's too late, let's hear it for all those loyal people who still cheer her on and are asked once again to visit her website and offer financial suport to what looks like a doomed campaign. Who knows? we all could be wrong, as I'm sure most of us felt that John McCain's bid for Republican leader, looked hopeless, about this time last year, yet somehow it miraculously was revived. Perhaps that kind of scenario has Barrack a little worried. Stay tuned, this race which appears to be over, could get a whole lot more interesting, we'll just have to wait and see what happens next. Any guesses?

It isn't fair calling Quasimodo a Monster!

On Friday, a senior foreign advisor for Barack Obama's campaign resigned over a comment she made about Hillary Clinton. It's reported she called Hillary "a monster," during a newspaper interview. Before resigning she apologized sincerely to both the former first lady and Barack for her comments.

Here's my take on this. We know what she meant, because we aren't stupid. But if we were stupid, we could accept this plausible explanation. Here it is; not all monsters are bad. In fact some monsters are even lovable. Let's take the "Cookie Monster" for instance. That is one likeable monster that everyone loves; kids, parents, other Muppets, we all love the Cookie Monster, even though we may disagree with his food choices. Remember “Oscar the Grouch?” He was a monster who lived in a garbage can. Did we hate him? Of course not, he was a loveable monster, even though he hated just about everything.

Monsters aren’t all bad, so why all the fuss from Hillary. Is she getting a little thin skinned, or taking these comments too personal? Perhaps it’s the fact that most monsters are of the male gender that might be bothering Mrs. Clinton. She has been running on the model that she will be the first Female Candidate with a real chance of becoming President of the United States. It’s true that men have been giving her a hard time as she has been saying; especially white men, and black men, according to recent polls.

I think what I’m getting at here is; she needs support from another demographic besides older women and Latinos. Monsters; she could definitely use ground level support from monsters. Of course, it’s difficult to define who is and who isn’t a monster; just ask Quasimodo, the deformed bell ringer from the novel/movie; The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He may have been ugly and misunderstood, but was he really a monster? He turned out to be kind of a hero, attempting to save Esmeralda’s life. Of course Hillary is beautiful in comparison to the hunchback, and to anyone who isn’t a Republican, or Obama supporter. It’s just that unusual high pitched laugh or cackle (as some call it) we hear occasionally; “The bells, the bells!”

Finally, I would like to think that if Senator Clinton had a sense of honor, she would insist that Senator Obama rehire Samantha Power since she has sincerely apologized for the Hillary monster comment. When I think about it, wasn’t the name Samantha used by Elizabeth Montgomery who played a witch in the 1970’s TV series “Bewitched.” Now I stand behind my observation that Samantha was a very “pretty witch.” Just ask Darrin or the other Darrin.

A day off yeah! Now I wish I had a job.

I hope many families are enjoying this day off. Sometimes I think that every day off is like a vacation from insanity. Not that there's anything wrong with working hard, but in modern society it seems we idolize the motivated worker who spends 60 or more hours a week away from their family. I just wonder how we can expect to have well adjusted kids growing up, if they hardly ever see their parents. Of course it is admirable for people to work hard and pay for a home and put money away for their children's college tuition. I'm just wondering, what effect their absence has on their children's emotional and mental health. It isn't getting any easier for children growing up in a society that puts more interest on developing new technology than it does on solving social issues.

As Bobby might say;
The times they are a changin.

Does money motivate you to write?

I can only imagine that being able to do something that you enjoy in life and getting paid for doing it must be the ultimate joy. Perhaps many authors would agree. I wonder if most successful writers enjoy writing so much, that when starting out, money was secondary in their mind. The love or passion for writing is the motivation and the rewards are recognition and financial gain. Although I haven't reached that point of success, I can tell you that being able to have time to write is one of the most satisfying experiences. There is a feeling, perhaps pride, that you experience after successfully writing a good article. I don't know how one defines it, but I see a successful article as one that fits together smoothly from sentence to sentence. It is easy to read, and keeps your interest until the end. I don't know if there is a formula to use (I doubt it) but I believe it does requrie hard work and concentration, because you realize that every word is important. Using the appropriate words and in a specific order, enables the reader to create an image, a story. If it is true what they say about; "a picture being worth a thousand words," then perhaps we could say, "a thousand words is like a painting."

It's Tuesday, what happened to Monday

Yesterday flew by and I can hardly believe it's Tuesday already. I spent most of Monday listening to a couple of seminars offered free by the provincial government. The first information and question session was three hours long and focused on Ontario employee's rights in the workplace. I found it interesting and learned some surprising facts. Before beginning the talk, the facilitator handed out a quiz with nine true and false questions, that we answered before getting started . I will share it with you, so you can do it for fun. The answers are at the bottom of this page. (BTW I only got 6 out of the 9 questions right).


1. The standard work week is 48 hours.....................T or F

2. Employees receive a minimum of 5 days
sick time per year...................................................T or F

3. You can be fired without notice for
misconduct on the job..............................................T or F

4. Men and women must be paid the same wage
for the same work in the same workplace..................T or F

5. Joining a union in your workplace is
always optional........................................................T or F

6. An employee is entitled to a safe
work environment................................................... T or F

7. After 12 months of employment, employees
are entitled to two weeks paid vacation......................T or F

8. Employees in stores have the right to
refuse to work on Sunday.........................................T or F

9. Employees are entitled to 1/2 hour break
every 5 hours..........................................................T or F

Answers:
1. T
2. F
3. T
4. T
5. F
6. T
7. T
8. T
9. T

Of course there are always exceptions to these rules, but there are minimum standards that employers must adhere to. It is worth the effort to learn about your rights. Who knows when an employer is unknowingly or deliberately exploiting them. What is most important is ensuring you are working in a safe and healthy workplace environment, and are confident enough to speak up if you are in doubt.

Yes, it's Friday!

Okay, maybe I shouldn't be excited about it being the end of the work week, primarily because I'm not working. Nevertheless there are many who are. I'm feeling happy for them. It's starting to snow heavily here; probably 20 or more centimeters or about 8 inches, of cold, white powdery flakes, by tomorrow. Winter; it's just too long.

China has had it's worst winter in fifty years. Millions are affected, and hundreds of thousands wishing to travel for the Chinese New Year, are stranded at railways with no trains running. Listen China; if your leader plans on making a New Year's resolution, he can start by paying a little more money out for snow removal then pay some more to the common worker. Anyway, best wishes and have a Happy New Year. Happy birthday to all you rats by the way, since I heard it's your year. How can being a rat be a good thing? I suppose it's a step up from being a snake.

Does it hurt to help?

"Every cloud has a silver lining." That's an inspirational saying. "It'll all be better in the morning," that's another inspirational comment, and how about; "it's always darkest before the dawn?" These comments have been used for ages, usually to try and cheer people up when they are feeling down. Do they really work? I doubt it, sorry to say. If a person is really depressed, these comments only have a fleeting glimpse of hope, that things will get better. All of us want to be happy, but the pressures of life can be overwhelming at times, and the fun is sucked right out of it. So what can we do?

I'm not a qualified therapist, nor would I want to be one (except for the salary part of it) but I think any one of us can help others, even if we haven't been, so called "trained" in that field. I really believe that people natually want to help each other. Perhaps it goes back many thousands of years, when we had to survive in groups (I didn't want to use the word "packs") and protect ourselves from wild animals, that could tear us apart if we were caught off guard, and alone. We are instinctively drawn to help each other out, although nowadays people have become wary of helping others out and for ligitimate reasons. One being that we can get sued or even hurt if we do the wrong thing. An example of each would be when offering to help out an injured person who has been hurt in an accident. An unethical person along with a immorale and sharp witted lawyer could sue your pants off. Another example would be trying to break up an argument between a couple. I've heard stories of a well intentioned person getting severley beaten when the arguing couple turned their anger on the "meddling" intruder.

So naturally when we wish to help out anyone in distress, it is vitally important to be aware of the risks. I'm not trying to discourage anyone from helping others out, in fact I encourage it, however, you must remember that your welfare comes first. If everyone would help each other out, no matter how much they dislike the other person; the world could be changed overnight. Do you agree?

No News is Good News

It's morning here, and the sun is trying to break through the clouds. It's not too cold, (around -9 degrees C or 16 degrees F), but the wind is making it feel much colder.

Sadly, early this morning, a terrible accident here in Ottawa killed three young people and seriously injured two others. All five were driving in an SUV which ran into a city OC Transpo bus around 2 a.m. Two women and one man were killed and one female is still in critical condition. The bus driver and one passenger were released after being checked by paramedics. It's hard not to be affected by a tragedy like this, even not knowing the victims or their families. The cause of the accident is still being investigated this morning. It sure makes one realize how quickly a life can end. Even as bad as it can be sometimes, I wonder if we should appreciate life more.

In some odd news from overseas, it is reported that people are posing nude and having sex around the famous Vimy memorial in France. The monument was built by a joint effort between Canada and France to honour thousands of Canadian soldiers who were killed defending France from the Germans during the First World War. It's an unusual place for men and women to expose themselves and indulge in sexual acts. I'll bet that none of the people engaging in these public sexual activities were even living at the time the monument was opened by King Edward VIII in 1935 (Oh God! I hope not!).

Waiting for the UPS Guy (or Gal)

I waited all of yesterday for a digital cable box to be delivered to my son's place by UPS. The reason is, that for a couple of days, I missed their first couple of attempts to deliver it and the final notice card was issued on Tuesday, I think. After my son called them on Wednesday night to see what the status of the deliver was, we were told they could deliver it yesterday (Thursday). It never showed up. That's annoying, and what is more annoying is they won't give you any idea of what time they deliver. It's a generic answer; any time between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m I was told. That's twelve hours of apprehension, not knowing whether to take the garbage out or even talk on the phone, for fear of missing the precious package's arrival. I'll have to give them credit that their policy doesn't allow them to deliver 24 hours a day, or I would be very apprehesive about getting to sleep, fearing the door bell might ring at three in the morning. Anyway, I called them this morning to ask what was going on with the mystery package. The woman I spoke with was helpful, and told me at first, that it was being held at the UPS counter, then upon further investigation she said that it wasn't. It started getting complicated from there, and I was a little put off when she said "Would you like me to reschedule the delivery for Monday?" "Well, that would be disappointing," I said to her (calmly and nicely),"because I was looking forward to having the digital box for the weekend." She asked if she could put me hold on while she looked up some more information. I said,"Sure, no problem." I think she might have forgotten to press the hold button, because I heard her say something in French, which sounded like she was swearing to herself. However I couldn't understand the words, as I don't speak the language. All I could sense was she sounded frustrated. She came back on the phone and apologized for making me wait, and I said not to worry, it wasn't a problem. Then she said the parcel was supposed to be delivered today. That's when I said, "Well I waited all day yesterday, and that's the day I was told it was supposed to be delivered." She asked me to hold on again so she could talk to someone to find out more information. When she returned, she apologized again for making me wait and told me that they received a call last night (Thursday) and it would be delivered today. I told her, we called Wednesday night and were told it would be delivered yesterday. She said she understood that, but they have a cutoff time around 7 p.m. and calls after that time, are counted as the next day's calls (I think that's how she explained it). It was very confusing, and still is, but she said the package would definitely be delivered today (Friday). She also apologized for not being able to tell me what time it would be delivered. She said that there was no way for her to tell what time the truck would be delivering in my area. All this new technology is wonderful, but it would be so much easier if the delivery guy could just give me a quick phone call before coming. Would that be asking too much from them? I mean; the guy has missed me three times. Wouldn't that save them time and money also, especially with the price of fuel today. I'm convinced that electronic communication is great for computers, but spoken words are much better for people.

New Year, New Resolutions....well, almost

Wow, is this year flying by! Hard to believe that January is half over and I haven't had time to think about making New Year's resolutions. On the positive side of things, for me, probably the vast majortiy of people, who made resolutions at the beginning of the year, have already broken them by now. Maybe my first resolution this year should be to make my 2009 resolutions on time. That's a start. Okay, now that was easy and painless, so maybe I can make some more, right now, to keep the ball rolling.

Let's see.....Okay, here's one; I will get more exercise and lose some of that belly fat that's been accumulating over the years. Yah, that's a good one. I will lose some unsightly stomach fat. That shouldn't be too hard. I just need to do some situps or stretches or walking, jogging or biking. The only drawback to the walking, jogging or biking idea is the fact that it is cold outside. I really hate going outdoors in the winter. There's all those extra clothes to put on, and boots to lace up, and a scarf and hat to put on. Unfortunately, no matter how many extra pieces of clothing I have to put on (including long underwear) they're never enough to keep me warm and comfy. If I don't go outside to exercise, I will have to do some indoor activities. I'll start by stretching and doing some situps in the living room. Yah that's what I'll do; some stretching and bending. I can picture myself doing those stretches even as I type these words. I can visualize myself doing exercises. This seems to be working. Well, now I have to get up from the keyboard and do some actual physical work. Great idea! I'm going to sign off for now (I'll think of some more New Year's resolutions later) and get up and do some actual physical movements that will burn the extra calories off. My first action will be....? Let me think for a second. Yes that's it; I'll walk around the apartment to limber up. Good idea! I'm getting up and heading off now. I'll start off by briskly walking to the kitchen for a quick snack. (Oops)

Writing to myself

Writing is sort of like talking to yourself. The words are often the same with the difference being you aren't making sounds others can hear. I don't know if this makes sense because I am up pretty late (almost 3 am EST) and what seems to be making sense to me, might be complete gibberish to someone reading this.

How often have you heard someone say "I must be going crazy because I'm talking to myself." People say this, I think, because they want someone else to reassure them that they aren't going crazy, by saying something like " Hey! we all do it at some point," or "Don't worry, unless you start answering yourself." Wouldn't it be interesting to have some fun with someone's insecurities? What would happen if you made a comments like; "Ya, I was beginning to think you were a bit crazy, but now I know for sure." That might drive some folks over the edge, so you might want to be careful when dealing with someone who is sensitive to criticism, especially if they are crazy. They say laughter is the best medicine, so doesn't this mean that laughing at someone is good for them? It's like you're doing them a favour, right?

Writer's Strike

Most of us know the Writer's Guild (I'm not sure what a guild is, but it must be important) of America has been on strike for some time now. We're in January 2008 now and the question must be asked; how much longer can we exist without fresh new entertainment? Sadly the truth is; we can live a long time without new television programming. How do we know? Well the truth is, there hasn't been any medical or scientific studies to confirm this as far as I'm aware, so no one probably knows one hundred per cent for sure. However, using the common sense approach to this probably works best. Let's assume you were to turn the television off right now and leave it off for, let's say one whole day. Do you think your life would be better or worse off? I might be going out on a limb here, but I'm guessing you might just be a little better off mentally and physically. Unless you are so depressed that you had to sleep for twenty four hours because repeat shows were being broadcast over and over again, then you might find yourself doing something physically rewarding like taking a walk or a jog or something. Chances are that would be healthier than staying couped up and hypnotized in front of the boob tube with a remote control glued to your palm. And if you found things to do that you've been putting off because you would rather watch your favourite soap (daytime drama, sorry), it might just be the motivation you were looking for to get more done around the home. Although I sympathize with the writer's and their families for the loss in wages, this strike might be just what the rest of us captive television audience needed to get in touch with the real world again.

News to me

Hi all,

Blogging gives everyone an equal opportunity to express opinions and commentary, and in that sense it is very useful. Unfortunately, I'm sure much of what is written is never read by anyone else. Well, I can only speak from personal experience.

Since this is my first post as "Bloggerstool," I would like to make it interesting, which means keeping comments short and focused. My point here is; the more I write, the less interesting you will find it. I can almost guarantee that. Also, I will promise to write without using swearing, ranting, anabolic sterioids, or any illegaly banned substances. Call me square if you like, but I've read where the brain shrinks as we get older and dead brain cells are never replaced. That means I have to work with whatever I have leftover from the sixties!

KM