tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38515145231039473122024-03-05T22:57:16.609-05:00Ink & Paint Creative Writing ServicesAn award-winning creative writing service specializing in web content writing, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) content writing and other custom writing services.Nava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.comBlogger201125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-78642995005151624082013-09-19T15:33:00.001-04:002013-09-19T15:33:33.359-04:00SEO is Dead<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,</div>
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Occasionally, I have to give props to my occupation, which, as I've feared for quite some time, has all but bitten the dust. Yes, ladies and gents, SEO is dead. Now, Social Media Optimization is what we have to practice. Well, we can choose not to, but if it comes down to capitulation or starvation, I'll choose capitulation. </div>
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The life of a freelance writer is sort of like riding a see-saw on a playground. You experience ups and downs, and sometimes, you land squarely on your ass. The death of SEO has put me squarely on my ass for the past month or so, as regular work has dried up because of the passing of this practice. I knew in my heart that it was only a matter of time, since the technology train we travel on moves very quickly; much too quickly most of the time. That speed is responsible for many crashes, and the latest casualty is the craft I've been practicing for a scant four years. </div>
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According to an <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/jul/22/seo-is-dead-long-live-social-media-optimisation" target="_blank">article</a> I found on the <i>Guardian </i>Web site, which links to this <a href="http://bgr.com/2013/07/09/google-search-results-advertisements/" target="_blank">post</a>, Google has all but murdered SEO by reducing the percentage of true, organic search results down to a meager 14 percent, while the rest of what appears on the screen is ads and garbage. I've been running Ad Blocker Plus pretty consistently on my Firefox browser, so I have not seen the ancillary garbage. I have, however, noticed the proliferation of sponsored links, which appear at the top of every SERP (search engine results page), and on the sidebar. I make it a practice not to click on these links, and their appearance has left me quite disconcerted. It seems that Google has decided to quash all efforts at honest SEO-ing, by giving preference to these ads, and not allowing prudent keyword placement in quality content to take precedence. So much for all the keyword research and quality copy writing I've done. It seems it's all been for naught. </div>
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The light at the end of the tunnel is Social Media Optimization, which involves raising your profile on Facebook and Twitter, along with other social media sites. This seems much more palatable than SEO, since there is no longer a need for keyword-stuffed content, written by third world hacks masquerading as competent scribes. I can't say I'm sad about bidding SEO good-bye, especially since for me, I learned the "skill" during a time in my life when chaos reigned, and peace of mind was on hiatus. I never completely believed in SEO, but before Google trotted out all its spam-killing algorithms, it did work when executed properly. Unfortunately, those who chose the route of proper execution were few and far between. The "black hat" practitioners ruined it for everyone. </div>
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The upside of leaving SEO behind, is that we will no longer need to write for robots and algorithms, but for humans. That's as it should be. I hope that optimization will fade in favor of optimism, and that social media will play a more positive role in how we humans search for information in the great electronic void. After all, how many more narcissistic selfies, cat photos, and emotional dramas can we endure? </div>
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Nava</div>
Nava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-62616211251696491922013-07-25T19:26:00.001-04:002013-07-31T09:09:01.598-04:00A Page Out of the Clintons' Playbook<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,<br />
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I was just looking over my <a href="http://inkandpaintcreativewriting.blogspot.com/2011/06/private-parts.html" target="_blank">blog post</a> from June 2011 that talked about Anthony Weiner's initial "sexting" scandal that cost him his congressional seat. Now that he's back on the political trail seeking to become the next mayor of New York City (what a surprise), should we really be that shocked by this week's revelation that he indulged in more unseemly online behavior as late as the end of 2012? What's more shocking to me, is how his wife, Huma Abedin is able to stand by him, yet again, in the wake even more inappropriateness.<br />
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Okay, the immutable fact is that no one is ever really sure what goes on in a relationship. Even best friends are never entirely certain what happens between them, and their spouses. The press has even less of a clue, especially when they quote "sources" that are close to their subjects. So, why is Ms. Abedin taking so much flak for standing by her man? The answer is simple: she's being coached by the champion loyalist herself, Hillary Rodham Clinton.<br />
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It's no secret that Huma Abedin has been associated with Hillary Clinton since 1996, and that she bore witness to Mrs. Clinton's humiliation during her own husband's sex scandal. She stood by him, and look how things turned out for her. It wouldn't be so crazy to think that Ms. Abedin is taking a page out of the Clintons' playbook by showing solidarity to her own husband. Millions of women, however, are wondering how an obviously intelligent, accomplished woman can tamp down her self-esteem so completely as to stick up for him not once, but twice.<br />
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It's all well and good for the media to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/25/nyregion/among-new-york-women-bafflement-at-the-loyalty-shown-by-weiners-wife.html?smid=fb-nytimes&WT.z_sma=NY_MNY_20130725&_r=0" target="_blank">poll women</a> about their feelings. You can say whatever you want on your lunch break when a reporter from the <i>New York Times</i> approaches you for a quote. But, in the privacy of your own home, and within the dynamic of your own relationship, you really have no idea how you would react if you were the one with the pervert husband. It's easy to have opinions about others, but when it's your life called into question, you realize the answers aren't always so black-and-white. And having children doesn't make the decision-making process any easier.<br />
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Although I have personally been party to spousal Internet philandering, I would never be brazen enough to tell Ms. Abedin (indirectly or otherwise) how she should handle her relationship. Sure, I, along with millions of other women railed against Mrs. Clinton for not spiriting her daughter out of the White House in the middle of the night and holing up in a painted cave in France for the rest of her husband's presidency. Even with Mrs. Clinton's subsequent political accomplishments, I don't think I could have stood by my own spouse through such abasement. Ms. Abedin also has a child to think about, albeit one who will have no recollection of what it was like for his mother to suffer through his father's improprieties. <br />
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If I were still living in New York City, Anthony Weiner would not get my vote for mayor. Politicians don't have the most stellar reputations to begin with, but how could anyone possibly trust the judgement of a man who is obviously incapable of stopping himself from such lewd, irresponsible behavior? If he cannot take into account the effect that behavior has on his wife and child, how could he ever assure millions of people that he wouldn't fuck them over?<br />
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NavaNava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-28307410292205911272013-07-16T15:42:00.000-04:002013-07-16T15:42:53.516-04:00Overloaded<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,<br />
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Since I last blogged, there have been a number of significant cultural events that have taken place. I am so weary of hearing/reading/talking about them that I don't even want to list what they are. What I will list, however, is why I am tired of hearing/reading/talking about them. I have gotten to the point where I posted, "I seriously don't know whether to shit or go blind" as a status update on Facebook, and I want to explain why I did so. I'm sure some of my friends think I have been struck by some exotic digestive ailment, but the problem is really in my head, not my stomach. Here's why:<br />
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<b>Opinions are like assholes; everybody's got one: </b>You'd think by now I'd be used to the prominence of Social Media in my everyday life. The truth is, I long for the days before this phenomenon existed. There was a time when the only opinions I was exposed to were the ones the neighbors expressed during loud conversations that were volleyed over respective porches. Growing up in an attached house was the precursor to Facebook groups and Google circles. Seven families bantered back-and-forth about anything and everything until one day, words turned into threats, and barriers went up between some of the porches. There's a lot of that going on these days, with many metaphorical barriers being erected.<br />
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<b>The media is a joke: </b>It has become almost impossible to differentiate fact from opinion in today's media. So many news outlets have let the "talent" run amok to the point where the news stories come in a distant second to the opinions of the talking heads. I just want to know what's going on; I am capable of forming an opinion without help from pseudo-journalists who allow their giant egos to dictate what they think I need to be aware of.<br />
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<b>Us vs. Them: </b>On the night of September 11, 2001, American lawmakers stood on the steps of the Capitol building and sang "God Bless America." They then declared that "there is no such thing as Democrats and Republicans, only Americans." Almost 12 years later, the exact opposite could not be more true. We, as a country, are so incredibly polarized on both sides of the aisle, that it isn't even about politics anymore. Whichever way we choose to live our lives comes under scrutiny by just about everyone. We take issue with everything from what we eat, what we drive, where we live, and what we do for a living. Nothing is sacred, not even our bodies or our privacy.<br />
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<b>We do not live in a "post-racial" society: </b>I recently came across the term "hipster racism," even though it has purportedly been in existence since 2006. What it means, in essence, is that it is okay to use irony and satire to mask racism. News flash: no one, no matter how hip or ignorant, is immune from expressing some form of racism. We are all guilty of it, no matter how hard we try to deny it. Paula Deen and George Zimmerman have been vilified for it in the court of public opinion, and there are millions of us who could just as easily find ourselves in the same scenario. In a world where we have countless options of self-expression open to us like 7-Eleven, it has never been more prudent to think twice before you act or speak.<br />
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<b>It is not all Barack Obama's fault: </b>Yes, we placed unrealistically high hopes on our 44th president. And, yes, he has fallen far short of many expectations. Government in general has become an unimaginably large boondoggle of corruption, patronage, hypocrisy, and, let's face it, outright lunacy and stupidity. There are no clear-cut answers to what it will take to raise us out of the muck we are drowning in. All we can do is hope for the best. If we don't, we'll all end up behaving like the worst caricatures of the most ridiculous individuals who make up the current landscape of American culture. Escaping them would mean parting with every electronic device we have come to rely so heavily upon. Trying to keep up with all the infuriating rhetoric they spew is nothing short of madness. I wish I had a better answer. In the meantime, I'm still trying to decide whether to shit or go blind.<br />
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NavaNava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-90143622993625359452013-05-15T15:40:00.001-04:002013-05-15T17:14:22.585-04:00The Sad Reality<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,<br />
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Over the past few days, the Internet has been abuzz with Angelina Jolie's <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/opinion/my-medical-choice.html?hp&_r=2&" target="_blank">revelation</a> that she had a preventative double mastectomy because she was at an 87 percent risk of developing breast cancer. Additionally, Ms. Jolie, according to sources, is planning on having her ovaries removed, because she is also at high-risk for developing ovarian cancer, the disease that her mother succumbed to at age 56. I commend Ms. Jolie for her proactive choices, particularly because she is a mother of six, but also because she made informed choices based on genetic testing. While we can never be sure of our fates, it is sometimes a good idea to not tempt that very fate by doing nothing.<br />
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Conversely, what Ms. Jolie has done is not an option for the vast majority of women. The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic testing she underwent costs more than $3,000, according to her <i>New York Times </i>op-ed essay. She did not mention whether or not the tests were covered by insurance, instead stating that those tests are an "obstacle" for many women in the United States. That obstacle is what I want to talk about.<br />
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Ms. Jolie has evolved since entering the public eye in the mid-90s. At first, she was the quintessential "wild child," but has since become a United Nations ambassador, and a dedicated humanitarian, who advocates for the populations of underdeveloped countries. She has adopted children from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Ethiopia. She has given birth to three biological children. She is an Oscar-winning actress, and an accomplished director. Oh, and let's not forget about Brad Pitt. But, what has she done to advocate for American women?<br />
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At first, you would think that American women do not need help from the likes of Angelina Jolie. But, the sad reality is, we do indeed. The United States might be the leader of the industrialized world, but we are sorely lacking when it comes to taking care of our health. While the women in the countries Ms. Jolie fights for have much less than we do, we are still woefully ill-informed, and dangerously unprotected when it comes to managing our health. That is something someone with a high profile needs to do something about.<br />
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It is very easy for celebrities, and people who are financially secure, to tell their stories about genetic testing, preventative mastectomies, and other procedures that will potentially save their lives. But, the sad reality is that the majority of the population in the United States does not have access to the same choices as the wealthy and influential. Why? Because those choices are not covered by your average health insurance policy. If a nondescript American woman in Ms. Jolie's position (a woman in her late 30s, married with children, and a history of breast and ovarian cancers in her family) wanted to make those same choices, you can bet that those choices would involve much greater financial hardship and sacrifice. It's all well and good to talk about it, but who is stepping up to the plate to do something about it? Yes, women in places like Haiti, Guatemala, Tanzania, and other parts of the world need help, but the sad reality is, so do women here in the world's richest nation.<br />
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It is very easy for me to sit here banging out blog entries to bring attention to this dilemma. But, the sad reality is, my influence does not stretch beyond a very small corner of the Internet. Someone like Angelina Jolie has a global voice; when she speaks, people pay attention. The same goes for other women who use their celebrity in ways that help people all over the world. Here in America, that help is forsaken, because it is assumed that we don't need it.<br />
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Here is what I would like to see happen: I would like Ms. Jolie, when she is fully recuperated from her surgeries, embark on a campaign to stop the healthcare insanity in this country. Someone needs to snap Congress out of its bipartisan bullshit behavior, as well as stop the insurance behemoths from denying coverage to women for the important procedures they need access to in order to protect their health. That is a monumental, almost insurmountable task, but it at least needs to be attempted. This country needs to learn to take care of its own, instead of indulging in rampant paranoia about having its rights compromised by the likes of "Obamacare." We need to stop paying astronomical insurance premiums for shitty coverage, and find some way to provide healthcare for each and every person in this country. Obamacare is imperfect; that is a given. So are the government healthcare plans in many other countries. But, the difference is, EVERYONE HAS ACCESS TO THEM. You don't have to live in fear of losing your insurance along with your job. And, from personal experience, I can tell you that is a great feeling. Unfortunately, that is something we know nothing of here in the U.S.<br />
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Since I returned to the U.S. from Canada, I have no health insurance. I have no access to the care I need, as a 46 year-old woman, to protect myself the way Angelina Jolie has done. As a freelance writer, I cannot afford to get a mammogram, let alone pay a visit to a general practitioner. Yes, as a Canadian citizen, I can still cross the border back into Canada to access healthcare, but why should I have to? Why should I have to leave the greatest country on earth to seek healthcare someplace else? Why should anyone? Why should it not be available to each and every person in this country? It's great that I am asking these questions, but really, who is listening to me?<br />
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There is much that needs fixing here in the U.S. and the healthcare system is one of the major broken cogs in American life. Hillary Clinton tried to fix it 20 years ago; Barack Obama is attempting to once again. Instead of working something out that will benefit everyone, politicians are crying Armageddon, while insurance companies are running scared, thinking that their multi-billion dollar policy scams might dwindle away to nothing. Pharmaceutical companies are terrified because they might not be able to charge $50 a pill for some of their best-selling drugs. Oh, the humanity. Yes, humanity is suffering because of all this.<br />
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I just re-read what I've written and noticed that I used the phrase "sad reality" a number of times. I thought about editing a few out, but I realized that from a health perspective, our reality is very sad. And that speaks volumes about what life in this country is really like. We might appear to be a shining city on a hill, but when you peel back the facade, most of us are really suffering. Some of us are even dying because we lack the wherewithal and the means to gain access to the lifesaving options people like Angelina Jolie have access to. We don't want to just hear about them; we want to use them as well.<br />
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Nava Nava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-26096377815175400692013-04-04T16:38:00.000-04:002013-04-04T16:47:02.171-04:00Our Cuban Missile Crisis? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,<br />
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The impression I would get of the image above, if it were not of North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong Un, would be of a young Asian guy who is most likely a college student, or a geek who sits in his bedroom in mommy and daddy's house coding Web sites 24/7. The cherubic face and affable expression belie the fact that this kid thinks he's going to initiate a nuclear holocaust and incinerate most of Asia and "strategic targets" in the United States. Oh really? Has anyone told him it's not wise to play a game of "chicken" if you don't have the goods to back it up?<br />
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Unfortunately, Kim, who is rumored to be about 29, doesn't remember what it was like to live through the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, if he is even aware of the historic significance of that event. Nor does he have any recollection of the Korean War, even though he is the grandson of Kim Il-sung. No one is really sure what exactly Kim is aware of, but if he considers Dennis Rodman a friend, it can't be much.<br />
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The reason I bring up the Cuban Missile Crisis is because that is the closest we've ever come to nuclear war. After the Bay of Pigs invasion failed to remove Fidel Castro from power in Cuba, Castro got on his sassy horse and gave Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev a few empty spots in which to park some nuclear missiles aimed at the United States. This action resulted in a very tense two weeks for Americans.<br />
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As anyone who lived through the cold war remembers, the Soviet Union was truly a force to be reckoned with. North Korea, however, we're not so sure about. At this point, we're not clearing out the old bomb shelters or dusting off the post 9/11 gas masks and duct tape, but we should be concerned. The so-called "hermit kingdom" of North Korea is more like a shy wallflower at the senior prom, despite all the bombastic rhetoric that's been spewing forth lately. Reports of legitimate firepower, juxtaposed with reports of rampant malnutrition among its people, make North Korea a nation to be pitied, rather than feared. The same might have been true of the Soviet Union, but it was a different time, and the United States was a very different place.<br />
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I get the feeling that the powers that be in Washington are laughing at Kim, rather than looking for a way to shut him up. We know our military might is legitimate, but we also have a dangerous amount of hubris to go with it. It took decades to achieve detente with the Soviets, because we knew what they were capable of. Now, however, it seems that all the years, lives, and money sacrificed trying to bring democracy to Iraq and Afghanistan hasn't taught us much. We still think we're capable of firepower and diplomacy, even though neither has worked very well in the recent past.<br />
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What should be done about Kim and his threats of annihilation? Well, if the United States was able to hunt down and kill Osama bin Laden for his acts of terrorism against us, maybe Kim deserves the same fate. It's been my own personal experience that when dealing with people who are a few cans short of a six-pack, swift, decisive action is the only way to shut them up. Reason; diplomacy; sanctions; anything short of a bold move, is worthless. And I'm sure you know what I mean when I say "bold move."<br />
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More Americans need to be aware how we are perceived by the rest of the world. Our isolationism has become our worst trait, by far. Make no mistake - we are not a hermit kingdom - we are an ignorant one. And that ignorance will be our undoing.<br />
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NavaNava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-78862537725145906082013-02-26T15:40:00.000-05:002013-02-26T15:40:30.870-05:00Clown Prince of Politics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,</div>
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The image above is of Beppe Grillo, known as the "Clown Prince" of Italian politics. The title is apropos, as he really is a comedian, and he wants to be Prime Minister of his country. </div>
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We could learn a thing or two from the Italians, and any country with a parliamentary system of government for that matter. Here in the United States, a clown prince of politics is someone like House Speaker John Boehner, who favors spray tans, and bungles his sentiments almost as badly as George W. Bush. I could easily add to the list of American political clown princes (in both parties), but I don't want to put off my readers. I merely want to explain the difference. </div>
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Italians went to the polls on Sunday to elect a new government. Voting in a country with a parliamentary government is even more important than voting in one that is a constitutional republic. Your vote actually counts, and is used to determine which party, if any, gains control of that country's parliament - the governing body. Unlike the United States, where our elected representatives merely promise to try to work together (a lot of good that promise is), parliamentarians must agree, officially, to form what is known as a coalition, in order to get down to the business of governing. The formation of coalitions is necessary when one party does not score a clear victory in a federal election. I've seen this happen repeatedly in Canada, and the result is what is known as a "minority government," where nothing of substance can be accomplished. The benefit of a minority government to the Prime Minister is one similar to a utility employee controlling a power grid in a large city: One flip of the switch and your neighborhood goes dark. </div>
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While I was living in Canada, I watched Prime Minister Stephen Harper control Parliament in a way similar to the metaphor I just used. He and his Conservative party presided over several minority governments before winning a majority in the 2011 federal election. Living under minority rule can be a bit unnerving for an American; the plug can literally be pulled at any time, which is something we are not used to. We are used to more order in our electoral process, with regular elections taking place every year, and set terms for our elected officials. Canadians, and citizens of countries like Great Britain and Italy are considerably less bothered by minority governments, but don't appreciate having to schlep to the polls every time the plug gets pulled. This is exactly what Italy is experiencing right now. </div>
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The Italian election, although not yet officially decided, looks to be heading towards a minority government. In this case, however, the number of votes cast have added up to virtual gridlock, and a coalition between the parties with the most votes might not solve the problem. Not only will the Italian government be hamstrung, it will be powerless with the country on the brink of financial ruin so dire, it could send the rest of Europe into a serious tailspin. </div>
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Into the middle of all this comes Beppe Grillo, who, in America, would be compared to someone like Ralph Nader, Ross Perot, or Ron Paul. Except, Beppe Grillo isn't a consumer advocate, a wealthy businessman, or a doctor. He is a comedian. Yes; imagine if George Carlin, were he still alive, wanting to be president. That's who Beppe Grillo is. His Five Star Movement party has captured the hearts of many Italians who are fed up with their mainstream politicians and want change. Unfortunately, Grillo's party did not get enough votes to govern; instead, the people who voted for him have deadlocked the two mainstream parties, the ones headed by former philandering, conservative-leaning Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and his opponent, the more liberal Pier Luigi Bersani. The one positive thing Grillo and his followers did accomplish, is they made their feelings known about how disappointed they are with Italy's history of corruption, which has lead the country down the same path as Greece and Spain. If austerity measures are not enacted, Italy's economy will fail, and will have to be rescued. In an effort to avoid this, Italians might have to go to the polls again, and start from scratch. A minority government that cannot form a viable coalition under these circumstances is unacceptable. </div>
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As ruinous as American government is, and as intractable as both political parties are, I would not want to be an Italian citizen at this point in time. Don't get me wrong, I love everything about Italy, but right now, the country is in the midst of a political pickle I want no part of. Comparisons of Silvio Berlusconi to Benito Mussolini are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to describing what has actually gone wrong. And, don't for a second believe that the United States doesn't own a few kernels of responsibility for the sorry state of the European economy. Hello? Mortgage-backed securities? Toxic debt? </div>
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As far as Beppe Grillo is concerned, I would love to see a comedian become Prime Minister of Italy. I've always been a firm believer in truth disguised as comedy. Remember, if you will, the Shakespearean fool: he might be the clown prince of court, but his humor disguised the truth. Beppe Grillo has shown us that humor rings truer in politics than the best stump speeches given by the most articulate politicians. Sometimes, it takes a fool to help us see things clearly. </div>
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Nava</div>
Nava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-17888161148415362772013-02-14T20:02:00.000-05:002013-02-15T00:38:55.583-05:00Cruise Vacation? Hell, No!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,<br />
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When I was a kid, my next-door neighbors in Brooklyn were semi-regular cruisers. I remember once going to the west side of Manhattan to see them off on a cruise aboard the Oceanic. I don't remember where the ship was headed, but I do remember how glamorous and sophisticated they seemed, setting sail on a big ship to an exotic locale. Back in those days, a cruise was not considered a commonplace vacation.<br />
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I've been on two cruises in my life: the first one, a Disney cruise, which ironically turned out to be aboard the very same Oceanic, only this time the ship was painted bright red. It didn't seem quite as big to me in my early 20s, as it did when I was younger. The stateroom I was in was so tiny, I had to go out in the hall to change my mind. The voyage was incident-free, unless I count the traumatizing experience of getting groped by someone dressed up as a giant chipmunk. <br />
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The second cruise I took in 1997 was my honeymoon. It was on a Royal Caribbean ship that sailed to Bermuda. I got married on the ship, and my now ex-husband and I sailed with another couple.We had a great time, save for a bunch of passengers who interrupted the tail-end of our reception, helping themselves to the hors d'oeuvres and cake that were meant for our guests. That and a minor, non-fiery engine malfunction were the only black marks on that trip. <br />
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The cruise industry has changed greatly since Kathie Lee Gifford did all those excessively perky ads for Carnival cruises, touting the company's "fun ships" as affordable, casual vacations. Lines like Holland America and Royal Caribbean wanted to hang on to the glamor and sophistication by requiring formal dress during dinner, and set times for all activities. Carnival introduced what became known as "freestyle" cruising to the world, scaling back the formality of their cruises, and in effect, cheapening the experience both literally and figuratively. As someone who was glued to "Love Boat" every Saturday night during the late 70s, going to dinner on a cruise meant getting all gussied up, not wearing the same clothes I had spent the day in. I always envisioned a cruise exactly as it was depicted on that show; the Carnival experience never appealed to me.<br />
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Fast forward through the millennium to cruising becoming one of the most affordable, sought-after vacations you can take. Dedicated cruise junkies will set sail several times a year, looking for the best deals on vacation packages. Some lines even offer what are known as "repositioning" cruises, which visit ports on the way to a different location from the one the ship departs from. Add to that the number of ports these gargantuan boats now leave from, you can catch one in so many places, it often does not require an additional plane trip to get to them. But, with convenience and a good bargain, disaster often accompanies the experience, as the unsuspecting passengers on the Carnival Triumph found out this week.<br />
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What happened on the Carnival Triumph is nothing new in the cruising industry. For years we've been hearing about outbreaks of norovirus and other illnesses due to the less than sanitary conditions aboard some of these vessels. When the Costa Concordia ran aground off the coast of Italy, killing 35 passengers, many people stood up and took notice of the dangers of cruising. But, the story, although major, did not impact the cruising crowd that sets sail on the fun ships. Today, for less than $500, you can embark on a 4-day jaunt on one of these floating hotels, and expect to have the time of your life - until the boat malfunctions and you're stuck relieving yourself into a trash bag.<br />
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After a few cheesy vacations taken in my early 20s, including the voyage on the mouse boat, I've always liked to research my vacation destinations/travel options before embarking on something as potentially disastrous as what these people have been through. Sure, things can go wrong on planes, and in trains and automobiles, but when you're being held captive on a floating hotel out at sea, the experience can be even more torturous and perilous. After all, a plane crash can kill you instantaneously; five days stuck on a debilitated cruise ship with raw sewage sluicing though your midst, little food, water, and no power, not only has the potential to kill you, it might actually drive you insane.<br />
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So, the lesson we learn from the Carnival Triumph, and all the other cruise ship cautionary tales out there in the great electronic void (I'd start with <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/13/opinion/walker-cruise-ships/index.html?hpt=op_t1" target="_blank">this one</a>), is: do your homework. And always keep in mind that if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.<br />
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NavaNava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-33924280374137293322013-02-06T19:09:00.002-05:002013-02-08T06:46:47.456-05:00Deprived of the Telly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,<br />
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Ever since I traversed the world's longest undefended border in a southerly direction, I've been catching up on all the "premium" television I missed while living up north. It is a sad fact of life that Canadians pay larcenous amounts to cable, satellite, and mobile phone providers, making channels like HBO, Showtime, and Turner Classic Movies unaffordable luxuries for many; myself included. Now, I have access to all the television I could possibly want, so much so that I have forsaken books for the time being to stream shows like "Boardwalk Empire," "Downton Abbey," and others that I had no access to because I refused to choose between the occasional sushi supper and the boob tube. Sushi won out because spicy tuna rolls give me more pleasure than forking over my hard-earned money to thieving entities like Rogers Communications.<br />
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"Downton Abbey" and "Boardwalk Empire" have kept me riveted to my laptop in my spare time; especially "Boardwalk," since it is "The Sopranos" re-imagined with Tommy guns and lots of liquor. Steve Buscemi's Nucky Thompson is every bit as evil as Tony Soprano, with the added bonus of spot-on period backdrops. It's not so easy to re-create Atlantic City of the Roaring 20s, but Terence Winter and his HBO cronies do a fantastic job. He must long for the days when location scouting consisted of trolling Teaneck, West Orange, and Garden State Plaza, as opposed to having to create a genteel version of Atlantic City that no longer exists. The New Jersey of "The Sopranos" is still pretty much the same; Nucky Thompson's Atlantic City might as well be the underwater island of Atlantis. <br />
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The same goes for Julian Fellowes' addicting World War I British period drama, "Downton Abbey." I've always been a sucker for British television (hello "Absolutely Fabulous" and "Monty Python's Flying Circus"), so this was a no-brainer for me. And even though "Downton" is hopelessy soap operatic, it goes where "Upstairs Downstairs" never did. The characters are extraordinary; who doesn't love Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess Violet Crawley? And Elizabeth McGovern as Lady Cora Crawley, the lone American in a group of stuffy Brits? Amazing. I literally spent an entire weekend watching all the previous episodes, so I would be ready for the eagerly anticipated third season. So far, it does not disappoint.<br />
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In case you haven't figured it out, HBO is the channel I missed the most. Besides "Boardwalk," most of its original programming, save for a few stinkbombs like "The Comeback" and "Flight of the Conchords," is stellar. What cemented that for me was the original film "Game Change," which stars Julianne Moore as Governor Sarah Palin, Ed Harris as Senator John McCain, and Woody Harrelson as creepy used car salesman -er, senior campaign strategist, Steve Schmidt. Julianne Moore's portrayal of Sarah Palin was at once brilliant and downright scary. Even though I didn't want to believe that she could be <i>that</i> dumb, it would have been an unmitigated disaster had that woman accompanied John McCain to the White House. No other broadcast entity would have had the balls to portray Governor Palin in all her blockheaded glory than HBO. And big, big kudos to Julianne Moore for the brave performance that snagged her Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe awards. She is one of my all-time favorite actresses.<br />
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I must admit that I feel enormous guilt over forsaking the written word for so much television, but hey - it's not like I'm spending countless hours watching Honey Boo Boo or the Kardashians. If that were the case, I'd gladly undergo shock therapy and a full-frontal lobotomy if necessary. For me, the best check-your-brain-at-the-door activities are ones that still make me think. It's when the thinking stops that I begin to worry.<br />
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NavaNava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-14927705852207351762013-01-14T12:27:00.000-05:002013-04-28T11:49:41.532-04:00How Old Are We, Really? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,<br />
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In my first post of the new year, I shared the fact that I am turning 46 this year, and mentioned that I neither feel nor look my age. This morning, it dawned on me that looks can be deceiving. Many people can look or act older than they actually are, and for even more, the exact opposite holds true. While many of us strive to look our best no matter what the date of birth on our drivers licenses, we are sometimes guilty of acting much younger than we are. And that, more often than not, can be a very bad thing.<br />
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When a person attains the age of 40 or older, one of the most oft-lamented sentiments you hear is how glad that person is to be so far removed from the high school-stage of life. I've uttered that statement many times, even though my high school experiences left me relatively unscathed emotionally. My most traumatic experience from that era occurred when I was 16, when I had to watch my older brother marry a woman who, to this day, most likely still thinks I am the same 12 year-old girl she met in late 1979. Other than that, I was fortunate to not have to endure many of the traumas most teenagers must experience. I believe those experiences used to be referred to as "rites of passage." Today, they're known as bullying.<br />
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What strikes me about people my age is how reluctant we are to share our experiences with those who came after us. We are, after all, the last generation to grow up without computers, cell phones, flat-screen televisions and the Internet. When I was a kid, I had a black-and-white TV in my bedroom, and my brother had an 8-track tape player as part of his integrated stereo system. Making long-distance phone calls to Canada was still frowned upon, so I wrote letters to my cousins. I wore Buffalo sandals with my Faded Glory jeans, and for my tenth birthday, I received a powder-blue t-shirt with an iron-on decal of John Travola as "Vinny Barbarino," which promptly peeled off the first time my mother washed it. My friends and I sometimes referred to each other as "flat-leavers," and one of our favorite things to do was to go to the corner candy store two blocks from my house to buy copies of <i>Tiger Beat</i> magazine and Goldenberg's peanut chews. That right there pretty much encapsulates my childhood.<br />
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Today, I sometimes feel like I am enduring a second childhood. Unfortunately, this soon-to-be-46-year-old childhood does not include such innocent treats like peanut chews and <i>Tiger Beat</i>. It consists instead of juvenile behavior from my contemporaries I can honestly live without. Instances of perceived backstabbing, "flat-leaving," and the forming of clique-ish factions of friends are the things I was hoping were gone for good from my life. While these modes of behavior are expected of children, another expectation is that said children will eventually abandon them. That, sadly, is not the case. I am acquainted with some people who are shining examples of how not to behave in your 40s and 50s. And, what strikes me as really ironic about that, is their adolescent behavior is exponentially more vicious now than it likely was when it was somewhat appropriate to act that way. Experience is supposed to accompany age; part of that experience should be learning from past actions so as not to repeat the ones that can potentially hurt others. Instead of gaining the necessary maturity we need to thrive during the post-adolescent stages of our lives, we regress, finding infinite ways to hang on to the adolescent angst we should have left behind years ago. Technology hasn't helped on that front; with its assistance, we are now able to inflict ourselves on others with a degree of cruelty unmatched by previous generations. <br />
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If a genie were to appear (virtual or otherwise) before me, my one wish would be to eradicate this behavior in all who feel they must cling to it so late in the game. I'm not naive enough to believe that those older than I are not capable of it as well - I once met someone who worked in a nursing home who playfully referred to it as a "high school with wheelchairs" - but I do find myself easily exhausted by watching those my age who are stuck in perpetual adolescence. If I'm this exhausted now, it will certainly be interesting to see how I'm feeling 30 years from now.<br />
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NavaNava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-34011594738759751232013-01-08T20:22:00.000-05:002013-01-09T10:36:03.101-05:00The Sickness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,<br />
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The writer Marcel Proust once said (when he wasn't too busy eating cookies), "<span class="huge bqQuoteLink">Three-quarters of the sicknesses of intelligent people come from their intelligence. They need at least a doctor who can understand this sickness." </span><br />
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<span class="huge bqQuoteLink">I consider myself an intelligent, reasonable person, but when it comes to sports, I abandon all reason and morph into a sheep, guided only by my instinct to follow the rest of the herd. In my case, the herd I follow is made up of other mostly intelligent people who can't help themselves when confronted with football, basketball, soccer, baseball and hockey. We might as well be drooling vegetables in the presence of our chosen poison. </span><br />
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<span class="huge bqQuoteLink">After enduring yet another National Hockey League work stoppage, the realization has never been more apparent that being a sports fan is a sickness. Anyone who must stop the world to turn on a baseball, football, basketball, or hockey game has got some major issues. Further, anyone who spends thousands of dollars every year in the form of season tickets has a few screws loose. And, any individual with the financial resources to actually purchase a professional sports team should take that money and donate it to a worthwhile charity. Supporting unionized, professional athletes in today's world is like giving candy to a blind, diabetic amputee. </span><br />
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<span class="huge bqQuoteLink">Early Sunday morning, the NHL announced that its labor issues have been resolved, and it will soon embark on an abbreviated season. My head told me to ignore the news and get on with my day. My heart, however, was rejoicing with the knowledge that there would soon be hockey to gnash my teeth and bite my nails over. That is my sickness. It has been with me since childhood, and it won't be going away any time soon, despite my level of intelligence. </span><br />
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<span class="huge bqQuoteLink"> Speaking of intelligence, one of the most intelligent athletes to ever play professional hockey, former Montreal Canadiens goaltender Ken Dryden, put down some very astute <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/nhl-and-union-finally-realized-they-needed-a-season-most-of-all/article7025743/" target="_blank">words</a> about the NHL lockout for Canada's <i>Globe and Mail </i>newspaper. I've always admired Mr. Dryden for his intelligence - he became a lawyer after retiring from hockey in 1979 - but he never achieved great success as a front-office hockey guy, or as a politician (he was my Member of Parliament for a short time when I lived in Toronto). Maybe his calling was to be one of the greatest hockey players of all time; maybe he is an above-average lawyer; maybe, just maybe, he is as stupid as the rest of us, waiting for the puck to drop on the first game of the 2013-2013 season. </span><br />
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<span class="huge bqQuoteLink">Nava </span>Nava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-5684803089454508322013-01-01T16:44:00.001-05:002013-01-04T15:41:37.201-05:00Superstitious New Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,<br />
<br />
I'm sure I'm not the only one who is slightly (who am I kidding - it's way more than slightly) superstitious about the dawning of this particular new year. The number thirteen is a symbol of bad luck to some; myself included. I try to avoid it when I can, and when I can't, I shudder with fear of what havoc this offensive number might wreak on my life. These thoughts, on what should be a propitious day of new beginnings and resolutions, have instead lead me to take stock of what it is I am afraid of, and what I might be able to do to quell those fears, as I have no choice but to live with the number "2013" for the next 364-and-a-half days. Here goes:<br />
<br />
<b>Fear of Running Out of Gas: </b>The vehicle in my possession at the moment has something of a "sticky" gas gauge. I've noticed that when the needle gets close to the "E" side of the display, it engages in a bit of wiggling, causing the gas tank image to light up, when in fact there is at least one-quarter of a tank of gas left. It was quite worrisome at first, but when I realized the multitude of gas stations in my midst, I will never be too far from one even if I do actually drain the entire tank. The price differential, I'm afraid, is another fear factor; The price per gallon varies about 30 cents depending on where you go to fill up. Ponderous.<br />
<br />
<b>Fear of Aging: </b>In five months time I will celebrate birthday number 46. Where the hell have all those years gone? I don't feel 46, nor do I think I look 46, although I will never look as good as some famous women my age or older. Admittedly, if I had the financial means to have a personal trainer, chef, and top-flight plastic surgeon at my disposal, things might be different. But, reality says I have to make do with what I have. That means not thinking about the number of my next birthday, but how I feel instead. I have a lot of work to do on that front, and it's time I got cracking.<br />
<br />
<b>Fear of Being too Zen: </b>The digital lifestyle I find myself living has made me think about all the material possessions I used to have that are now superfluous. I don't have any records, CDs or DVDs in my home at the moment (all those items are in storage), because I've finally realized that all I ever want to watch or listen to is housed in an electronic device. All my music is on my laptop hard drive or in my phone, and any movie or television show I want to watch can be accessed online. I literally sleep with my laptop instead of falling asleep to the sound of the television. I am afraid that one day, the extent of all our possessions will be reduced to a few pieces of necessary furniture and a handful of electronic devices. The presence of a console television and a rack stereo system would be such a comfort to me.<br />
<br />
<b>Fear of Not Being Heard: </b>In April, I will be writing this blog three years. I appreciate each and every one of my readers, even though I sometimes feel this is just another byte of unnoticed bandwidth in the great electronic void. Someone very special in my life keeps reminding me how important it is to write for myself. I promise to try to keep that in mind and focus more on writing what I want to, instead of just writing what I have to.<br />
<br />
<b>Fear of the Future: </b>With all the recent events of destruction and violence, both natural and man-made, I fear that the future will be darker, rather than brighter. I don't want to feel this way, but sometimes it's unavoidable. I want to be positive and hopeful, but when I witness things like destructive weather events and unspeakable acts of murder, I worry. Will tomorrow really be better, or are we kidding ourselves? I sincerely hope not.<br />
<br />
<b>Fear of too Much Visibility: </b>There are countless cautionary tales about people who have gotten burned online. I've come to the conclusion that the Internet is both a blessing and a curse, and it is up to each one of us to choose how much or how little we share on it. There are literally no secrets anymore, hard as we try to keep them. My only hope is that the mistakes I made in my past will stay there, and the things I hope to achieve will be celebrated. I must also toughen up and realize that all of this is completely beyond my control.<br />
<br />
Happy New Year, friends; and try very hard to be healthy, prosperous and happy, despite the lousy number.<br />
<br />
NavaNava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-7874528251144112072012-11-02T16:17:00.002-04:002012-11-02T16:29:25.372-04:00Weather, Sports, and Politics: A Friday Mixed Bag<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,<br />
<br />
When you envision the New York City skyline, it is usually as a tableau of lights and impressive skyscrapers, not the metaphorical black-and-white cookie seen here: one dark half mingling with a light half. This image is the least of what "superstorm" Sandy inflicted on my hometown. I'm sure most of us have seen enough horrific pictures of coastal New Jersey, Queens, and Staten Island to leave indelible images on our hearts and minds forever. <br />
<br />
Right now, it seems like the good people of the East Coast of the United States will never recover from Mother Nature's wrath. They will eventually. It will be long, hard, and painful, but it will happen. It is not fun to wake up one day to find life as you know it changed forever. It's happened to me, and to countless others. From my own personal experience, I know it sometimes doesn't seem possible to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move on. But, it was possible for me, and it will be possible for the thousands who were impacted by Sandy. True, life will never be the same, but eventually, it will begin to brighten. There will be a new normal, and life will go on. <br />
<br />
In the meantime, we could surely use a distraction from the devastation. Here are two topics that have been distracting me since before Sandy, the dreaded "superstorm," materialized:<br />
<br />
<b>Pucks and Padlocks</b>: Well sports fans, it's no secret that labor disputes have become a fact of life for those of us unfortunate enough to be afflicted with the sickness known as fandom. This year's lockout marks the third major interruption of a National Hockey League season in the past 18 years, and it looks like it's going to be every bit as lengthy as the last one in 2005. Today, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the cancellation of the Winter Classic, the outdoor game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings that was supposed to be played on New Year's Day in front of about 100,000 people. <br />
<br />
The bullshit -er, rhetoric, associated with this latest work stoppage has been even more vitriolic, particularly on the part of the players. They do in fact have much to lose, but for every middle-sized North American boy who dreams of lacing up a pair of skates to risk jarring his brain loose on a sheet of ice, there is no league other than the NHL in which to attempt that. So, guys - all of you - please cease the threats of not coming back if your salaries are cut and your contracts are capped at six years. Just please concentrate on putting your jellied heads together and sorting this all out. Then, when you finally do, members of both sides should have to kiss the hairiest asses of the fans who will flock back to the arenas to see you play. Remember: all is fair in love and lockouts.<br />
<br />
<b>Politics</b>: I picked the perfect time to skip back across the border into the United States: three weeks prior to the presidential election. I've tried like hell not to listen to all the rhetoric - er, bullshit, but some of it is unavoidable, particularly the stupidity that's been spewing out of the mouths of certain Republican congressional candidates. Abortion and a woman's right to do what she chooses with her body should never be politicized, but it seems this year, there is no avoiding it. Morality and religion aside, you have no right to tell me how to stuff a ballot box, let alone tell me what to do with an even more personal box. That's crude, I know, but so is saying that a child conceived during an act of rape is a blessing from God.<br />
<br />
Watching New Jersey Governor Chris Christie smooch President Obama's buttocks for federal disaster relief money this past week has been almost as distasteful as listening to the right wing nuts go on about abortion. So was watching CNN politicize an unfortunate weather event. Mother Nature has some pretty ironic timing, and I think her message is very much in keeping with what Joan Crawford told the Pepsi Cola board when she took over for her deceased husband, CEO Alfred Steele (that is, if the dialogue in the movie <i>Mommie Dearest </i>is historically accurate): "Don't fuck with me fellas, this ain't my first time at the rodeo."<br />
<br />
Have a great weekend.<br />
<br />
Nava Nava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-27973350698280390462012-10-19T17:39:00.000-04:002012-10-19T17:42:46.156-04:00Back In the U.S.A. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,<br />
<br />
If there is anything I've learned over the past three years, it is to never count on anyone but yourself. As much as we would like to believe that there are family members and friends who will be there for us no matter what (sometimes they might be), the majority of the time, we are our own best friends. It's a tough lesson to learn, but thankfully, I've not only learned it, I've lived to tell about it.<br />
<br />
Without going into copious detail about why I'm glad to be back living in the United States, I will say, however, that I did appreciate what Canadian life had to offer me during the time I spent there. I learned some new skills, gained some valuable insight, and finally made peace with the fact that my Canadian family is nutsy-fagan-batshit-crazy. That's a technical term; I found it in the <i>Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders </i>(DSM).<br />
<br />
I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to live in my mom's birthplace for a few years. For a very short period of time, I truly felt like I belonged there. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a huge mistake for reasons beyond my control. I beat myself up about my decision to move there for a long time, and now that I'm back below the 49th parallel, I can say with complete honesty that that mistake lead me to something even better than I could have possibly imagined. Life is not easy, and the journey it takes you on is not always pleasant. Sometimes, you have to endure a hell of a lot of unpleasantness to get to a place where things start to get better. I thought Toronto was that place for me, but it wasn't. The place I am in now is that place.<br />
<br />
I am deliberately being vague about my current location for reasons having to do with the nutsy-fagan-batshit-craziness I had to endure during my time in Canada. I will, however, say this: To those who might read this (and you know who you are), you can no longer hurt me; you can no longer control how I live my life; you can no longer inflict yourself and your insanity on me; you will never see or hear from me ever again. And lastly, I want to say that I feel sorry for you; it is your loss that I am no longer in your life.<br />
<br />
Now that I've gotten that out of the way, it's on to bigger and better things. I will look back on my time in Canada as a pit stop I needed to make in order to get to where I am. I am grateful for the experience, however horrible and painful it was to endure, but I am even more grateful for where it has lead me. And, I am happy to say that I still have the ability to experience the joy and happiness it has brought me.<br />
<br />
Have a glorious weekend.<br />
<br />
Nava Nava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-48809245702886155412012-09-03T15:25:00.003-04:002012-09-03T15:25:14.624-04:00Labour vs. Labor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,<br />
<br />
Labour/Labor Day is here, and instead of bemoaning the 8.3 percent American jobless rate, I want to talk about another topic that is uniquely Canadian: hockey.<br />
<br />
Why am I choosing to discuss hockey on a day meant to honour hardworking Americans and Canadians? Well, for those of you who are unaware, the NHL's collective bargaining agreement with its players is set to expire on September 15. Once again, and for the third time in Gary Bettman's tenure as commissioner of the sport, the NHL is poised to lock out its players because of a labour dispute.<br />
<br />
I have always maintained the stance that professional athletes should not be allowed to unionize, but that idea is about as well-received as asking Donald Trump to get a decent haircut. Instead, every few years the owners and players like to play a game of "chicken" with their sport, while the fans wait to see who flinches first. This might not be big news in the States right now, what with the Democratic National Convention set to begin this week, and millions of Americans waiting to see how President Obama will respond to Clint Eastwood's "empty chair" speech at last week's Republican National Convention. Americans have many more pressing matters to attend to than wondering if a metaphorical padlock will once again be slapped on the second-rate sport of hockey. Granted, millions breathed a collective sigh of relief last year when the NFL avoided that scenario, and still more gleefully tuned in when the NBA started its season late after settling its labour dispute. But, the NHL subscribes to the "go big or go home" way of doing things, so chances are, hockey fans are looking at yet another lost season.<br />
<br />
The first time the NHL tossed an entire season (2004-05), I had a vested interest in the outcome: I was a season ticket-holder of the New York Islanders. Now, I hold no such status other than that of a somewhat interested bystander. I amuse myself by reading <a href="http://www.ottawasun.com/2012/09/02/nhl-lockout-makes-absolutely-no-sense" target="_blank">impassioned pleas</a> from Canadian sports writers to team owners to make "smart business decisions," rather than "putting hockey teams in places where 12-year-olds knew they couldn't survive," and <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/story/2012/08/31/spf-nhl-nhlpa-hockey-twitter-labour-reaction.html" target="_blank">tweets</a> from fans attempting to convince themselves that they won't have a Pavlovian response to the first <i>Hockey Night in Canada </i>game that airs post-lockout. Come on people, at least fess up to caring. We can't help it; we're sports fans. As I've said previously, being a sports fan is an affliction there is no cure for.<br />
<br />
As the deadline looms, and things continue to look bleak, I can't help but think about the people who will really get hurt by all this labour strife: the individuals who work for the teams and the arenas in which they play. That list includes vendors, ushers, maintenance people, office staff, and others who rely on much smaller salaries than the players and owners enjoy to support their families and live their lives. These people are the ones who really get lost in the shuffle; the ones who have to worry about finding alternate employment if the worst case scenario materializes. The players will be fine. The owners, better than fine. It's the labourers no one ever hears about that suffer the most. Maybe Donald Fehr and Gary Bettman should think about those people at their next meeting. Chances are, they won't.<br />
<br />
So on this Labour Day, think about those who are struggling, and those whose hearts are heavy with the worry of imminent struggle. The wealthy enjoy the privilege of success from the sweat of others. Sadly, professional athletes are no different.<br />
<br />
NavaNava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-76010236923284994132012-08-21T12:55:00.001-04:002012-08-22T11:43:18.260-04:00It's My Body, Damn It! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Greetings Friends,</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Okay, I admit that my use of the image of a wire hanger might be puzzling (I "borrowed" the idea from the <i>Huffington Post</i>), but it certainly grabs one's attention.<br />
<br />
For the past few days I've been listening to anyone with a voice and an electronic device communicate their disdain for the comments Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) made about a woman's decision to seek an abortion in the event she becomes pregnant as a result of being raped. They are as follows:<br />
<br />
<b>"From what I understand from doctors, that's really rare. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let's assume that maybe that didn't work or something, I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be of the rapist, and not attacking the child."</b><br />
<br />
Before I read these comments on CNN.com on Sunday, I had never heard of Rep. Akin. Since then, I have learned that he is a "longtime hero" to the antiabortion movement, one of many evangelical Christians who believe that "during a rape, the trauma sets in motion biological blocks so a woman cannot conceive a child." Oh really? That sort of thinking might encourage other biologically ignorant people to believe that the "trauma" of a woman's first experience with sexual intercourse might trigger similar "biological blocks" that would prevent her from getting pregnant if she is not using some form of birth control. Funny how so many young woman wonder how they get pregnant after having had sex only once. As the saying goes, "once is all it takes," whether the sex is consensual or not. It is a biological fact. These "blocks" evangelical white men speak of, simply do not exist. But, how would they know that? They are, after all, men.<br />
<br />
A woman's legal right to seek an abortion has been in place since the 1973 landmark Supreme Court decision, <i>Roe v. Wade</i>. The court decided that a Texas statute forbidding abortion unless it became necessary to save the life of the mother, was unconstitutional. The justices arrived at their decision by stating that, according to the Constitution, a woman's right to an abortion is a private matter. They did however, include the following statement in their decision:<br />
<br />
<b>"State regulation protective of fetal life after viability thus has both
logical and biological justifications. If the State is interested in
protecting fetal life after viability, it may go so far as to proscribe
abortion during that period, except when it is necessary to preserve the
life or health of the mother."</b><br />
<br />
What that means, in plain English, is that a particular state can make it very difficult for a woman to obtain an abortion, if it chooses to do so. And that's what many American politicians, including Todd Akin, have devoted their careers to doing for the past 39 years.<br />
<br />
In 1973, I was 6 years old. I have effectively lived my entire life knowing that it is my right to have an abortion if I choose. I cannot begin to imagine what life was like for women when abortion was considered a criminal act, performed in secret, and often to the physical detriment of the woman. Granted, I don't believe the decision to have an abortion is one that should be made lightly, but I do, however, believe that I as a woman, have every right to make that decision for myself. A group of men, white, black, blue, purple, or any other colour, have no right to make that decision for me, regardless of the circumstances. And, to further muddy the waters, said men have absolutely no right to define rape as "legitimate" or "illegitimate," or to make nonsensical statements about a woman's biological ability to become pregnant. <br />
<br />
I could go on for pages about how evangelical Christians and other religious groups choose to ignore science by making ridiculous claims about biological blocks and other issues that have no basis in fact. That has been done and will continue be done as long as humans walk the earth.<br />
<br />
What I will say, however, is that the right to free speech should be cherished and not perverted by individuals who seek elected office to gratify their own egos. Todd Akin and his brethren are not interested in protecting women from themselves. They are nothing more than narcissistic agenda-pushers who attempt to bully people into believing in their skewed vision of a perfect world. Sorry, gentlemen, but there is no such thing as a perfect world. We women have the right to govern our bodies as we please, just as you do. That is one biological determinism that you and God can't do a damn thing about.<br />
<br />
To women of my generation who might not realize how infuriating this is, do a little research about what risks were involved in obtaining an abortion before <i>Roe v. Wade</i>. I ain't spoon-feeding this to you, ladies; this is something you must make an effort to be aware of. <br />
<br />
Nava</div>
Nava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-74301197188184829702012-08-16T17:20:00.002-04:002012-08-21T11:39:17.948-04:00Hands Off the Milk and Gas! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,<br />
<br />
I'll be the first to admit that a trip to bulk-behemoth Costco is never a pleasant experience, but for things like toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent and various other products, I'm willing to suck it up and brave the crowds every few months. For some people, though, Costco is Mecca, the place where they shop for outsize configurations of groceries, cheap clothing, gas, and just about anything they can stuff into their vehicles.<br />
<br />
Earlier this week I spotted a <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/08/12/bc-bellingham-costco-canadians.html" target="_blank">story</a> about the Bellingham,Washington Costco location being overrun with Canadian shoppers (Bellingham is right on the Washington/British Columbia border), and locals getting pretty steamed about being invaded by their neighbours to the north. Especially industrious residents on both sides of the border have even set up duelling <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BellinghamCostcoNeedsASpecialTimeJustForCanadians" target="_blank">Facebook</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BellinghamCostcoNeedsASpecialTimeJustForAmericans" target="_blank">pages</a> to rail at each other about the store's overcrowding, fast-disappearing pallets of milk, and long lines at the gas station. I won't even get into the parking lot issues because I have no idea just how awful B.C. drivers are. I can, however, go on for hours about Quebeckers and their proclivities behind the wheel. That's a topic for another day.<br />
<br />
This Costco scenario got me thinking: all my life I've been listening to my nutter-butter Canadian family members wax rhapsodic about how much better they think life in the United States is. I've mentioned this on several occasions, but when it comes to cross-border shopping, my family is not unique in their stance that Americans have no idea how lucky they are when it comes to endless retail options. Another story I read confirms this: the CBC <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2012/08/09/us-retail-canada.html" target="_blank">reports</a> that Americans enjoy 23 square feet of retail space per person, while Canadians have only 14 square feet per person. This is actually not too bad considering that Canada has only about one-tenth the population of the U.S. But, Canadians being Canadian, it's one more reason to bitch about living in the shadow of the U.S.A.<br />
<br />
Americans, on the other hand, should be grateful that their northern neighbours are willing to put up with annoying border crossings and other inconveniences to contribute to the ailing U.S. economy. In all the times I've cross-border shopped in my life, I never heard anyone in the Buffalo, New York area complain about Ontario residents "invading" their space. There are a plethora of retail establishments located within scant minutes of the Peace Bridge, which connects Buffalo with Ft. Erie, Ontario, and I've never once read anything about people in the Buffalo area wanting to ban Canadians from their stores. If anyone has, I'd sure appreciate hearing about it.<br />
<br />
Going to Costco, as I've mentioned, has never been particularly enjoyable. The locations are always crowded, the shopping carts big and unwieldy, and the patrons are a bit, shall we say, overindulgent. I'm not suggesting that anyone should pass up great deals on staples like milk, eggs and bread, but when you're buying cheese in blocks the size of Toyota Corollas, it might be time to reconsider just how much of it you really need. I can't say the same for toilet paper, because I am a staunch advocate of having no less than 36 rolls in the house at all times. <br />
<br />
The lesson we should take away from this international "incident" is that Americans and Canadians, while we look the same for the most part, have wildly varying points of view when it comes to our cross-border relationship. This is yet one more example of how ignorance can cause a shit storm, albeit one that could have easily been avoided.<br />
<br />
Nava<br />
<br />
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Nava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-27810817445848156192012-06-29T14:38:00.001-04:002012-06-29T17:24:07.621-04:00The Ignorance Epidemic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,<br />
<br />
Yesterday, my Facebook news feed was moving at light speed after word hit the great electronic void that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld President Obama's mandate that approximately 30 million uninsured Americans should be required to purchase health insurance. The 5-4 decision by the high-and-mighty judges is a major victory for Americans, but unfortunately, too many of them are too ignorant to understand why. This landmark decision puts into place one of the most important social programs in decades, and will effectively eliminate many of the bonehead insurance practices that prevent many people from obtaining health insurance (pre-existing condition, anyone?).<br />
<br />
If you want more about the details of the decision, I suggest reading this <i>Washington Post </i><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court-to-rule-thursday-on-health-care-law/2012/06/28/gJQAarRm8V_story.html">article</a> and checking out some of the related links. What I find most infuriating is this <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/people-moving-to-canada-because-of-obamacare">amalgamation</a> of Tweets and Facebook conversations by Americans who claim they want to move to Canada because of this decision. Reading them should have made me laugh, but instead, I had to shake my head at the abject ignorance on display by clueless people who think that moving to Canada holds the promise of a better life - at least from a health insurance perspective.<br />
<br />
Well, here's some news, my fellow Americans: Canada has had a government-sponsored healthcare system in place for 50 years. While it is a far from perfect system, Canadians have been living with it, and for the most part, thriving. The earth hasn't opened up and swallowed anyone up, nor has Parliament spontaneously combusted during the ongoing debates about how to improve it. And here's the kicker: three men, Tommy Douglas, John Diefenbaker and Lester Pearson (the latter of the three are former Prime Ministers), each with diverse political ideas, managed to come together to create the system that is still in use today. That much cannot be said for American politicians; Democrats are celebrating the decision, while Republicans are crying in their tea over it.<br />
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To all the Tweeters who want to move to Canada, the joke is very clearly on you. There have been many knee-jerk reactions to various American policy changes by legions of political ignoramuses and the solution always seems to be, "I'm moving to Canada!" There were times when I agreed with that sentiment, but this particular trumpeting of "life is better in Canada" is at best laughable, and at worst, an indication of just how stupid some Americans really are. Yeah, the American public school curriculum doesn't teach its kids all that much about their neighbours to the north, but with all the access to technology we now have, a simple Google of "Canadian Health Care" would have made many of these moronic Tweeters refrain from posting their threats of flight. And, before any more of you start calling the United States of America the "USSA" (United Socialist States of America), I suggest doing a little more research on Canadian politics. Canada in no way resembles the old USSR, but it does have significantly more social programs in place to benefit its citizens. And that's with a conservative government in place, mind you.<br />
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The heath insurance issue will never be one that is not fraught with controversy. I applaud President Obama and the U.S. Supreme Court for taking the necessary steps to make life better for all Americans, but I soundly boo all Americans who think moving to Canada is the answer to escaping these so-called socialist policies. Do your homework, people; reading about your ignorance is giving me a headache. And before you go shooting bullets in my direction, I have an Ontario Health Insurance Plan card in my wallet, and I am a citizen of both countries.<br />
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Have a great weekend, a happy Canada Day, and God save the Queen.<br />
<br />
Nava<br />
<br />
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<br /></div>Nava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-52434246788684173962012-06-15T13:20:00.001-04:002012-06-15T13:20:46.660-04:00All Happy Families Are a Load of Crap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
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Anyone who has slogged their way through Tolstoy's <i>Anna Karenina </i>is familiar with the line, "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way<i>.</i>" Anyone who is of my generation and grew up watching "The Brady Bunch," "Leave It to Beaver," "Father Knows Best," and the rest of those happy-go-lucky family shows, and wished they had June Cleaver or Carol Brady for a mother, knows exactly what I'm talking about. Once the masses tired of the Carol Brady/June Cleaver unattainably perfect mom hooey, we were given shows like "Eight is Enough," "Family," and my personal favourite, "Dallas," to sink our teeth into. I bring this up because the re-boot of "Dallas" premiered this past Wednesday, and at first glance, Larry Hagman's J.R. Ewing has lost not a lick of his implacable cruelty, which is comforting in a sense, but deeply disturbing in other ways.<br />
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When I was younger, I had many illusions about the sanctity of the family. My own was a pretty frightening amalgamation of deeply flawed characters who were always hell-bent on tweaking one another utilizing the most vindictive forms of behaviour even the most talented fiction writers would have trouble conjuring. As I aged, I attempted to bury the abject dysfunction of my own lot in favour of observing the dysfunction of others. I loved playing <i>voyeur </i>and watching other families rip themselves to pieces at a distance. The ones I was privy to made me feel better about my own; I took comfort in knowing that I wasn't the only person who grew up in a loony bin. I was still on the lookout for that seemingly perfect, supportive, unconditionally loving group of people that would tolerate just about anything. If they're out there, I still haven't found them. If you happen to know who they are, please let me know so I can halt my ongoing search.<br />
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The resurrection of "Dallas" is proof to me that despite the attrition of the generations, there are certain patterns of behaviour instilled in every family that are about as hard to eradicate as fleas, lice and termites. They are passed down genetically as well as learned, and no amount of outside influence can disabuse these individuals of their destiny. Yes, they are actors re-creating iconic television roles, but they are also depicted as having adapted to the changes that have taken place over the decades. That holds true for fictional families as well as real ones, in particular my own, since none of the deeply flawed characters who are at this moment still drawing breath, seem to have learned anything from their personal histories. And, as with re-booted television series, new characters have been added that deepen the intrigue, and add to the lunacy.<br />
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Watching the first episode of the new "Dallas" brought on an epiphany that made me feel both lighter and unbearably sad. Lighter in the sense that life does indeed go on, but sad because those who were once malevolent and vindictive will always continue to be so. Even if they can manage to convince the world that their facade of decency and altruism is genuine, those who have the misfortune of knowing another side of these individuals will always be privy to the truth. What you do with that knowledge has everything to do with shaping the person you were, the person you are, and the person you want to become. You can either wallow in destiny, or you can take the necessary steps to distance yourself from it. Do you want to be a victim of nature, or do you want to nurture yourself beyond that to which you were born? The choice is yours; and it is one many of us struggle with.<br />
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I hope those of you who are members of similar familial loony bins have taken comfort in these words. As for those of you who come from a mythical, perfect family, please identify yourselves. I'd so love to be disabused of my cynicism.<br />
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Have a wonderful weekend.<br />
<br />
Nava <br />
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<br />Nava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-59104085888323721502012-06-06T12:45:00.000-04:002012-06-06T12:45:20.037-04:00The Sacred Canadian Right to Bitch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,<br />
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As both an American and Canadian citizen, I feel I am uniquely qualified to debunk some of the myths Canadians believe about Americans and Americans believe about Canadians. I have been traveling across the "great undefended border" all my life, and have been living in Canada full-time for the past three years. I can say with complete honesty that neither country has life all figured out; in fact, they both have a lot to learn about what makes them so different from one another. Mud slinging, name calling, and righteous indignation solve nothing. Ignorance seems to trump all, even from the Canadian media, which I always thought was a tad more credible than its American counterpart. Boy was I wrong.<br />
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This morning, while perusing CBC.ca and sipping my milked and sugared mug of tea, I came across an astounding load of bitch-crap, courtesy of one of those supposedly credible Canadian journalists I used to somewhat admire. CBC's Senior Washington Correspondent, Neil Macdonald, penned a "thank you Captain Obvious" editorial titled <i><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/06/05/f-rfa-macdonald-american-obesity.html">The sacred American right to overeat</a></i>. Gee Neil, had you not enlightened us to the fact that millions of Americans suffer from obesity and related ailments, I would have thought all these specimens with "[b]ellies hanging down over belts, rolls of neck fat, faces so bloated they’re losing their original appearance, huge rear
ends and breasts (on men as well as women), curtains of fat hanging off
the undersides of arms, and thick, heavily veined legs muscular from
years of hauling around all that extra tonnage," were dropped from alien crafts to live among us and Hoover up all our natural resources. How nice of you to enlighten us Canadians to the fact that it is a "sacred right" we Americans have to indulge in endless gluttony whilst expecting our brethren to pick up the tab for our excesses. And there are no obese Canadians roaming the land mass north of the 49th parallel consuming "over-processed, high-sugar, ultimately toxic food?"<br />
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As you can see, I am pretty steamed by Mr. Macdonald's choice of topic. While I used to think he did a somewhat decent job of communicating the ins-and-outs of American politics to Canadians from his perch inside the Beltway, he has now lost all credibility with me. Not only did he choose a topic that is one of the hottest of hot buttons in American culture, he forgot to acknowledge that his fellow Canadians suffer from the same penchant to overindulge and all that goes with it. But since it has become <i>de rigueur</i> to poke fun at Americans for practically any reason, Neil decided that to kick us while we're down was something he could do to fill up his downtime before the Romney vs. Obama heavyweight bout gets underway.<br />
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Don't get me wrong; Americans deserve to be made fun of; so do Canadians for that matter. Unfortunately, the world listens when Americans are made the butts of countless jokes. Fortunately for Canadians, you can joke about us from now until the Rapture and the world will not bat a collective eyelash. Why? Because on the world stage, Canada is an inconsequential nation that rides on the blubbery coattails of the very fat United States. Much as Canadians claim to love and and admire Americans, the fact is they are pea-green with envy. They are so jealous of Americans they can barely see straight. Personally, I don't feel Canadians have much to be jealous of, but to attempt to disseminate that opinion would result in some jiggly belly-laughing by the majority of the population. Canadians have their own mountains of dirty little secrets the world has no clue about. We have our share of obese citizens inflicting themselves on the government sponsored healthcare system, due to the same gluttonous tendencies Americans possess. The difference is, nobody cares. The spotlight of the world has always been on America, with Canada glowering in the background like a group of homely girls who can't get dates for the prom. The rest of the world may believe that Canadians are a group of nice, polite do-gooders, but the truth is, they're sometimes mean-spirited and jealous as hell of the United States. And that's not very neighbourly.<br />
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Macdonald closes out his editorial by stating, "[W]ere I an American, I'd rather not help pay for Rush Limbaugh's bypass surgery, once he qualifies for Medicare." Guess what Neil? The tax dollars you pay to the Canadian government are footing the bill four countless bypass surgeries for your fellow citizens. Worry about them, not some blowhard right-wing American pundit who is the reason why you have a job.<br />
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Nava <br />
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<br /></div>Nava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-1354348578754850562012-05-28T15:27:00.001-04:002012-05-28T15:27:26.914-04:00Memorial Day Mash-Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,<br />
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Happy Memorial Day to everyone south of the 49th parallel! Here in Canada, it's only Monday, but it is a day worthy of remembering those who serve, and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defence of both great countries. Keep that in mind as you grill your burgers and dogs and enjoy a day off from the grind.<br />
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As for me, I'd like to share another one of my lists. Along with a killer sinus headache (blasted humidity), I've got some topics rolling around inside my cranium that are just itching to get out. Hope you like them.<br />
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<b>Skinny Jeans and Stilettos Will Bring You Down</b>: Back in my Sassoon, Sergio Valente and Jordache jeans-wearing middle school days, I don't remember anyone bitching about how tight their jeans were. They were and you just dealt with it. Add to that the fact that my mother insisted on having mine dry-cleaned, so not only were they tight, they could stand up and walk away on their own. Today, I have to read about <a href="http://www.hlntv.com/article/2012/05/25/skinny-jeans-are-bad-you-amelia-parry-frisky?hpt=hp_c2">fashionable skinny jeans </a>being bad for your health. According to some, too much time spent in skinnies can cause <i>meralgia paresthetica</i>, a condition that compresses the nerves in the outer part of the thigh, causing numbness, tingling and discomfort. Add a pair of towering heels to that mix that cause your pelvis to tilt, and you're putting even more pressure on those nerves. Folks, let's keep in mind that most of today's jeans have a percentage of Lycra in them that makes them a hell of a lot more comfortable than their truly torturous predecessors. As for the ridiculously high heels, a broken ankle can cure you of them right quick.<br />
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<b>BlackBerry Going the Way of Betamax</b>: It seems the once ubiquitous BlackBerry, or "CrackBerry," has lost much of its clout with all the iPhone and Android smart phones in use now. According to one <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/05/28/rim-blackberry-layoffs.html">report</a>, Research In Motion (RIM) is preparing to announce more layoffs this week in light of their shrinking global market share, which as of this writing is down to a meagre seven percent. Sony managed to recover from its Betamax tape fiasco, but I'm not holding out much hope for the BlackBerry. As a devout iPhone user, you'd have to rip it out of my cold, dead hands before I'd consider an alternative. I'm very certain I'm not the only one who feels this way.<br />
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<b>Evil Penguin</b>: Last month, Google, otherwise known as the "Evil Empire," unleashed its latest algorithm update, affectionately known as "Penguin," on the SEO community. According to what I've read, it was not supposed to affect English language Web sites all that much, but those that are written in "highly spammed" languages. I don't know which languages they're referring to, but I know of a few English language sites that got slammed. Burgess Meredith's "Penguin" character in the <i>Batman </i>series was never this evil. Anyone up for an "Occupy Google" sit-in?<br />
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<b>Are <i>You </i>Mom Enough? </b>When I got an eyeful of <i>Time </i>magazine's May 21 cover, showing a woman breast feeding a little boy who looks old enough to chew steak, I thought to myself, what's wrong with this picture? Don't get me wrong, I am a strong proponent of breast feeding babies (even though I don't have kids of my own), but all these "extreme" parenting trends are a tad much for me. I'm all for raising healthy children, but "attachment parenting" that leads to "helicopter parenting" spells disaster for an entire generation of young people who will most likely be unable to function independently as they age. Unfortunately, I'm not a <i>Time </i>online subscriber, nor do I have any desire to pick up the print edition of the magazine, so I have not read the article. You can, however, view the cover by clicking <a href="http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,20120521,00.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />
And lastly,<br />
<br />
<b>Thank You Pinners! </b>I've picked up almost 50 new Ink & Paint fans since I joined <a href="http://pinterest.com/">Pinterest</a>. Thank you for your support.<br />
<br />
Now, go forth and grill.<br />
<br />
NavaNava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-45999803657788460412012-05-21T20:02:00.000-04:002012-05-31T15:05:45.177-04:00Have a Conversation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,</div>
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There isn't much on television these days that blows my skirt up, so when I find a program that does, I want to let everyone know about it.</div>
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My latest discovery is "The Conversation with Amanda de Cadenet." I stumbled upon a link to the show's <a href="http://www.theconversation.tv/">Web site</a> and was riveted to the two episodes I was able to stream. You can catch the show in the U.S. on <i>Lifetime</i>, which surprises me since that channel has been the home of "Movie of the Week" type dreck for as long as its been in existence. From what I've seen, "The Conversation..." is the anti-Oprah, with de Cadenet conducting thoughtful interviews with strong, outspoken women like Jane Fonda, Diane von Furstenberg, Melissa McCarthy, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sarah Silverman and others. Watching it was indeed a revelation. </div>
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For years I've been hating on Oprah because I believe her message to the women of the world is that it's okay to be weak. The message of "The Conversation..." is the polar opposite. The show depicts women who aren't afraid to go after what they want, and aren't afraid to admit that they've made mistakes. They don't rely on men for happiness and they believe that strength and independence are two of the most important things women should have. Most importantly, they believe that a woman should not fall victim to societal stereotypes about perfection - both physical and emotional. </div>
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There was once a time when strong, outspoken women were considered scary feminists. Now, post-Oprah, it seems we are more willing to accept the role of a strong female in society. I find it ironic that Oprah's <i>OWN </i>network is floundering on the brink of implosion in the face of this one little show that has the guts to talk about things like titties, and a plethora of topics that matter to most women; not to mention favourite sexual positions and things you would tell your 14 year-old self if you could. I found the candour refreshing after years of watching Oprah cackle and screech about all the things that were important to her, as opposed to what is really important to women in general. When you make it to the pinnacle of your own media empire, it's only a matter of time before you become so insulated that you lose touch with what's important to the masses. The chickens have come home to roost in Oprah-land and for the first time in a long while, she's going to have to own up (pun intended) to a potential failure.</div>
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While I must admit to some degree of <i>schadenfreude</i> about Oprah's current boggle, I would love to see "The Conversation..." succeed beyond the limits of a home on a whiny little cable channel to something more along the lines of, say, Charlie Rose, or even Bill Maher. Women have valuable things to say and we need strong outlets for our voices. The show is a bit too <i>risqué </i>for the comfort level of the networks, but I'm hoping that despite its venue it manages to survive. I am committed to regular Internet viewing, and I'm hoping my readers will follow my lead and check it out. Men too; you might just learn something. </div>
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Nava</div>
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<br /></div>Nava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-490436078388254402012-05-07T17:05:00.001-04:002012-05-22T17:06:11.065-04:00Fifty Shades of Bad Writing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,<br />
<br />
Early on in my second career as a student, I encountered a somewhat jaded classmate who told me something to the effect of, "The more degrees you obtain, the less you will enjoy the books you read. When you get your Ph.D you're bound to hate everything." Well, I stopped at a Masters degree, only because Ph.D programs in English Literature are now about as hard to get into as a keyhole, or those trendy night spots that have bottle minimums that run into the thousands of dollars. Unless of course if you're James Franco, then your celebrity opens every door with a smile, even the doors to Ph.D programs in literature.<br />
<br />
I admit to being a book snob, even during my downtime. The thought never occurs to me to pick up a mass-market paperback by one of those churn 'em and burn 'em serial authors, or indulge in any of the latest crazes like <i>Twilight</i>, <i>Hunger Games</i> or Stieg Larsson's <i>Millennium</i> trilogy. None of that remotely interests me. Give me literary or historical fiction, a good memoir, or the latest by one of my favourite authors, and I'm more than happy. So, what was it that drew me to the<i> </i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fifty-Shades-Grey-Trilogy-James/dp/B00802JMPO/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1336420557&sr=1-10"><i>Fifty Shades of Grey</i> trilogy</a>? Read on...<br />
<br />
I had a <a href="http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/home/">Chapters Indigo</a> gift card burning a hole in my wallet since Christmas, and last week, I happened to be in one of the stores. I was perusing the stacks when I encountered a display containing all three books in the <i>Fifty Shades</i> trilogy, and thought, what the hell - these aren't books I would normally pay for so why not use the gift card? And before all you library-hounds get on my case, no - it didn't even occur to me to borrow them.<br />
<br />
So, home I went with these "erotic romances" in my hot little hands, anxious to read what all the fuss was about. I put aside the tome I was currently about 100 pages into thinking I would read about 20 pages of <i>Grey </i>before I gave up and carted the books down to my building's laundry room for my neighbours to fight over. Seven days later I chewed through all three volumes, just over 1,500 pages of what had to be the most insipid, formulaic drivel I ever laid eyes upon. Even the S&M-laden sex scenes became boring after about the first two. The "suspense" was predictable and the main characters were vapid and self-involved. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why I stuck with all three volumes until I polished off the last one (no pun intended) yesterday afternoon. Then, it hit me.<br />
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At some point right before I re-entered academia, it dawned on me why I love to read so much: reading a good novel is a challenge; the author's imagination and his or her ability to weave a tale that captures yours is what makes reading worthwhile. An author who writes many successful novels that stand on their own is supremely talented, in my opinion. An author who engages in the churn and burn, like many of the most financially successful ones do, relies on a tried-and-true formula that the average reader never ceases to tire of: sex/romance/suspense. Before <i>Fifty Shades</i>, I can't remember the last formulaic novel I read. It had to be something by Danielle Steel (gasp!) way back when I was in high school. I had high hopes for John Grisham when I read <i>The Firm</i>, but he amounted to nothing more than a churner and burner; mass market authors are little more than tree-killers.<br />
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As for E.L. James and her trilogy, I believe she is the latest in a long line of financially successful authors who are guilty of making the great literary talents resort to mewling and begging for publishing deals; that is, if mewling and begging even works. In the world of sex/romance/suspense, at least in the one conjured by James, writing about mewling and begging equals a huge payday. It's sad that talent still must starve, and formula is the perennial glutton at the smorgasbord. <br />
<br />
NavaNava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-32508969213635331302012-04-27T18:09:00.001-04:002012-04-27T18:16:20.642-04:00The Great Canadian Hockey Crisis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,<br />
<br />
As of last night, there are no Canadian teams in this year's Stanley Cup playoffs. After the Vancouver Canucks lost a shocking 5 game series to the Los Angeles Kings, and the New York Rangers dispatched the Ottawa Senators in a seven game nail-biter, there is no hope for a Canadian team hoisting the Cup for yet one more year. In fact, no Canadian team has lifted Lord Stanley's hardware for 19 years. The Montreal Canadiens were the last to do it on June 9, 1993 when they beat Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings.<br />
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There are many theories as to why there has been such a long drought of Cup victories north of the 49th parallel. Logic dictates that the likelihood of a Canadian team winning is less because there are many more American teams. Emotion dictates that hockey is Canada's game and a 19-year drought is inexcusable. I'd rather swallow a hockey puck whole than debate either scenario with anyone, particularly a Canadian hockey fan. When it comes to sports, there is no logic or reason; nobody, I don't care how talented a prognosticator, is capable of coming up with a cogent explanation why 19 years have passed without a Canadian team achieving glory. <br />
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The longer I live in Canada, the more I come to realize how different this country is from the United States. On the surface, Canadian life looks almost identical to American life, but when you start digging, you uncover many differences - some subtle, some not so subtle - about what makes Canadians Canadian, and Americans American.<br />
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One of those not-so-subtle differences is the Canadian attitude toward professional sports. Sure, Canadians love their football, basketball and baseball. They even follow the European soccer leagues more closely than your average American. But, those all fall by the wayside when it comes to hockey. Canadians are obsessed with it; not just the NHL, but hockey at every level. They live it, breathe it, wear it, celebrate it in every way possible; the only American pastime that comes close to the way Canadians feel about hockey is how a large segment of the American population feels about football. Even with that comparison, there is something even more profound about the Canadian love of hockey. People aren't generally born sports fans; Canadians, however, seem to have hockey woven into their DNA at the moment of conception. That's an extreme take on it, I admit, but the more I think about it, the more I believe it's true.<br />
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With Canada now bereft of a rooting interest for the remainder of this year's playoffs, there's a strange stillness in the air and a sense of loss permeating the collective psyche of the population. People seem a tad snappier today than they normally would be on your average Friday, and the only reason I can think of is that, as winter turns to spring, visions of hoisting the Cup on Canadian soil have once more been dashed. As the saying goes, there's always next year.<br />
<br />
For those Canadians still intent on watching playoff hockey, you can consult this <a href="http://blogs.canada.com/2012/04/27/nhl-playoffs-who-do-canadians-cheer-for-now/">handy guide</a> to see if you can stomach choosing (gasp!) an American team to cheer for.<br />
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Have a great weekend.<br />
<br />
NavaNava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-25219691195177475072012-04-23T12:30:00.000-04:002012-04-23T16:17:22.987-04:00Emotions in Motion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,<br />
<br />
I can't believe it's going to be 30 years in July since Billy Squier released his album "Emotions in Motion." I was a huge fan of Billy's back in those days, mostly because I liked his music, but also because the guy was pretty damn cute. Feel free to snort your coffee, guffaw or just outright giggle at me. I stand by my choice - it was as close to hair band-lust as I ever got in the 80s. Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, Dokken, Poison, etc. just never blew up my skirt.<br />
<br />
I chose to title today's post "Emotions in Motion" for a completely different reason, however. This past Saturday, I had an emotional outburst on Facebook that so shames me, I feel the need to spill my guts. Here's why:<br />
<br />
Everyone I know (and likely millions of people I don't) has an infuriating story or two about their dealings with their cable TV/satellite/Internet/phone provider. I had my share when I lived in New York, and sadly, those experiences have crossed the border with me. My service provider here in Toronto is Rogers Communications, which, unfortunately, is even more of an evil empire than my former favourite target: Cablevision. <br />
<br />
I had a horrific run-in with Rogers over a billing/payment SNAFU that was clearly not my fault, and despite "the customer's always right" edict you would expect to get from a company raking in billions (yeah, right), I received zero satisfaction. Said SNAFU ended up costing me a good bit of time, plus extra money this month to straighten out the incompetence of a Rogers' employee, which is not how I expected the situation to resolve itself. In my high emotional state, I took to my Facebook page and wrote a short diatribe about how if I had access to automatic weaponry, I would have "gone postal" in my local Rogers store, where the SNAFU occurred. I left the post up on my page for about 10 minutes before I re-read it and promptly deleted it. In this world of electronic instant gratification, not to mention the fact that you never know who or what is watching your every move online, I felt such a degree of mortification at what I did, I still can't get past it more than 48 hours later. Yeah, I didn't post naked pictures of myself or anything equally as compromising, but implying that I wanted to "go postal" in a public place is not exactly a smart move, either.<br />
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At the beginning of the month I posted about drowning in ineptitude. I had a sense of humour about it on that particular day, but on Saturday, my sense of humour took the day off. I was incensed; infuriated; angry as a hornet that just got kicked out of the nest. It makes no sense to me why what we have come to rely upon as basic services, have to be so difficult to procure and maintain. Using a mobile phone, and having cable television and Internet access are things we rely upon in our daily lives; unless of course we want to engage in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-Luddism">Neo-Luddism</a> and pitch every electronic device we own. Unfortunately, my livelihood prohibits such a move, unless I decide I want to join a Mennonite colony and become a full-time quilter. I should mention I'm not very proficient with a needle and thread with the exception of having to sew on the occasional button. So, I have no choice but to put up with the abuse from an entity like Rogers Communications, which could give a toss about how it treats its customers, and laughs all the way to the bank. And that pisses me off.<br />
<br />
Still, regardless of my degree of "pissed-offitiude" I have to suck it up and endure the shitty treatment. The only other choice would be Bell Canada, and the services I need are not available where I live. So, in effect, Rogers is not only the evil empire, they are the only game in town for me. And that gets my emotions in motion.<br />
<br />
The lesson I learned from this is to keep my emotions to myself. The last thing I need is for anyone to think I am truly capable of such a heinous act. The only thing I can do is hope that the bastards get what they deserve. And that goes for many more outfits than just Rogers.<br />
<br />
NavaNava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3851514523103947312.post-87443205025322244482012-04-09T16:24:00.000-04:002012-04-09T19:04:55.686-04:00Two Years of Blogging: A Few Thoughts From the Writer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Greetings Friends,<br />
<br />
On April 6, the <b>Ink & Paint Creative Writing Services</b> blog turned two years old. Most blogs fall by the wayside long before they hit this particular milestone; many others become such vainglorious sources of drivel that you'd sooner stick needles in your eyes rather than read what the scribe has to say; still more are just middling wastes of bandwidth. Which category does this one fall into? I'd like to think that those who read my "etchings" appreciate my candour, sense of humour, and interpretations of the subjects I choose to write about. If not, there's always the "Next Blog" key you can click on at the top of the page. The choice is yours. The words are mine.<br />
<br />
Here are some thoughts about what I've learned from working as a freelance writer for the past two-and-a-half years. Be forewarned: some of it ain't too pretty.<br />
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<b>It Is Possible to Hate Your Job: </b>The writer who tells you they love their job 24/7 is as full of shit as those "you've won the British lottery" e-mails that clog your Spam file. Just because we get to make our own hours and dress in the"Freelance Writers' Union" uniform (the rattiest t-shirt and sweatpants you would never want to be seen wearing in public), doesn't mean we're happy and peppy and bursting with joy all the time. Sometimes, we become burned out; we want to smash our laptops against the wall; we want to stare mindlessly at the television watching hours of the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" until our brains turn into oatmeal.<br />
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<b>I Miss the Luxury of Getting Regular Paycheques: </b>You never realize how nice it is to get that paycheque every other week until you don't get it. Doing your own billing is tedious; having to hustle to do as much work as possible before the end of every month turns something you love to do into a giant albatross around your neck. Still, I'd rather do this than attempt to co-exist with an office full of inept sociopaths.<br />
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<b>Yes, This Is a Real Job: </b>Contrary to popular belief, being a freelance writer is a "real" job. Many people tend to think that unless you have a publishing deal that pays you six figure advances and allows you to doodle from your Eames chair in your well-appointed wood-paneled study, you don't actually work for a living. News flash, folks: this is as real a job as any I've ever had. If you don't believe me, read my blog.<br />
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<b>The Internet is a Blessing and a Curse: </b>If it weren't for the Internet, I would likely be working either as an English teacher wishing I could indulge in corporal punishment, or as a lackey in one of those aforementioned offices full of inept sociopaths. Alas, the Internet allows me to do what I do and get paid for it. The flip side, however, is that I have to endure proving my worth to clients who believe that cut-rate Web site content written by computers located in the Philippines and India is much more cost-effective than my services. <br />
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<b>Google is My Rabbi: </b>And, like any 12 year-old soon-to-be-Bar Mitzvah boy, I am subject to a thorough metaphorical ass-kicking at every possible turn.<br />
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Despite all of the above...<br />
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<b>I Wouldn't Trade This for Anything: </b>So what if I don't have J.K. Rowling or Stephen King bucks in the bank? I have skill, integrity, and heartburn that could bring down a rhino. It's all good.<br />
<br />
NavaNava Brahehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07213329295847704771noreply@blogger.com0