Quiverfull Makes Me Quiver, And Not In A Good Way

Alright, have we heard about this movement? This was just brought to my attention today and I have to say I'm oddly fascinated and terrified at the same time.

Quiverfull essentially means that when two people (man and woman) are married then no birth control (Pill, condom, rhythm method, NOTHING) may be used. Have as many children as you have, each is a blessing, each is from God, etc., etc.

And it seems that this is catching on, in some areas of the world. Most notably in the US and now in Canada.

Hey, if you want to have tons of babies, by all means, go and procreate. It's really no skin off my nose.

However, please don't tell me that if you have 12 children you'll be able to spend as much quality time together. Or that you'll all be happy all the time. Let's be real. When you have a gaggle of babies (just as if you would only have one or none) nothing is perfect. I think this is the part that drives me the most insane. That everything is wonderful, everything is perfect, nothing is ever difficult and sleep is readily available.

For me, I find the most interesting conversation to be about this idea that more and more women are choosing (and in some cases I would use the word 'choose' loosely) this type of family planning.

The idea of a woman essentially being a vessel is a hard idea for me to accept, even if this is what they want. Call me a snob- but I am completely obsessed to know what the personal identity of those women are. Apart from the labels of 'mother' and 'wife', I wonder what they would classify themselves. I would love to pick apart their brain, although I imagine myself say "No, but really, what is your personal identity- without the kids. Because eventually the kids will leave and I want to know what you do for yourself. So tell me."

Then I stumbled over an article that spoke about Andrea Yates. If you don't remember her I'll jog your memory. She was the mother who drowned all five of her young children in the bathtub when her husband was at work. After she was arrested and found that post-partum depression played a large role even more evidence rolled in. According to reports, a couple of days previous to the horrifying deaths of the five Yates children, Andrea started to get pamphlets and visits from her Quiverfull-devoted church. And these visits were not the "how's it going" variety. It seems that people had heard about Andrea's desire to stop having babies and unhappiness with her role as mama.

Hm. Hopefully the lack of support was kept in mind when she was punished (which was deserved).

And then there's the fascination that media has, and in turn a large population of us. Television shows and specials are being massed produced (Duggars anyone?). And the ratings are fantastic. Which is good for them, feeding a brood of 13 children gets expensive. However I had seen some families be very resourceful with saving money (Tater Tots, making clothes, diapers and using all that free manual labour).

I may sound self-righteous about this, but I think my concerns are valid. Couple this with the fact that roles in the families are straight out of Leave It To Beaver (girls are in charge of cooking and sewing, boys in charge of outside maintenance), we should all be talking about this change in family makeup.

But again, I will stress that my mantra "My uterus, my decision, so keep your theology off my biology" swings both ways. So while I have warranted concerns, if the Duggars want to usher in baby number 20 after number 19 is born in January- by all means go for it. *Jessie shudders for Mrs. Duggar's vagina*

A Unique Experience?

Yes, last Sunday I entered my very first spa.

Not exactly something I saw myself doing- but kind of interesting.

Annie, Maggie, Gramma and I drove over the spa on Windermere.

It was very different stepping right in, and we started with colour selection for our PEDICURE. For me the selection was very easy. My favourite colour, the colour of my car and the colour of my political party was the first one I picked: orange.

For my family, it seemed more like a crisis. Choosing colours is not an easy thing for my sisters (or my gramma!) to do quickly. It was odd considering that most of the colours were just different shades of pink and red.

Before we knew it our spa people (what do you call someone who gives you a pedicure?) came up behind us. Each of them called out our name, and it was mildly reminisct of my childhood playground.

We were brought into the back and there were four seats that were very cushion-y. Strange...they were on a platform and this presented my first issue. How the hell do I get up there? First I had to take of my nasty flip flops...and I guess you'll first have to know about my philosophy about flip flops. I buy one pair a year (for about $20...the Airwalks are my favourite). And by the end of the summer (around this time) they are very odd looking and a bit rank. And considering that the ones I wore on this Sunday were the same ones I tromped around Australia with they are a bit weird looking. They have traveled over 30,000 kilometers, and they look it.

Anywho- I took those off (and praying that Yoanne didn't pick them up) and then had to figure out how to get up on the stair and in the comfy chair. After a little help, I got up there.

When we were all up, I had to test the water...and I did it with my hand. Big mistake. I guess you have to do this with your foot. Whatever. At least I didn't think the water was laced with Mr. Clean, as Annie thought.

So the pedicure started...and I'm realizing that someone is touching my FEET. It was bizarre.

And I had a lot of questions. Because as she started she opened up a sterile package of big metal tools. And those big metal tools were going straight for my size eleven wides...

My questions were along the lines of:

What is that?
What are you doing?
What's that for?
What am I smelling?

And my family was not kind.

Besides that, I had no idea what to do in the long silences. I would look over, and all three of them would be quiet or have eyes closed. How do you sleep when someone is messing with your feet? Anxiety begins for Jessie...

Meanwhile, my fear of kicking the poor woman because of my ticklish feet did not happen. Thank god. But when I did look over at Annie, she did have the jimmy legs...moving all over. Luckily, Marta (her pedicure-person) had a firm grip on her oddly shaped mini-feet (seriously, her toes are waaay stumpy).

About mid way through, Yoanne took a bag and put it on my foot. It was hot. I asked about 3 questions rapid fire. Turns out this was the wax I had heard about. Earlier that day Maggie and Annie had mentioned something about melted wax. And I was a touch concerned.

Me: They do what?!

I would love to know who thought of this little treatment with hot wax. How does that get discovered? Was it an accident? Who was the guinea pig for that? Someone still needs to explain the logic.

Well, this is what they do- they slip your foot into a bag filled with melted wax. An odd sensation really.

But when all was said and done, my feet were the cleanest they have been since grade 3.

And I think I actually might have liked it-just a little.

If anything, my toes are ready to vote NDP (that is if we get a candidate in this riding...).

Is This What My Dad Is Like At His Office?

Ok, so I'm temporarily obsessed with The Office, the US edition. Partly because of Steve Carrell and partly because I'm oddly drawn to Rainn Wilson's character, Dwight K. Shrute.

I think it's because Dwight reminds me of my dad and what he might be like to work with. Since I've never actually been to my dad's office (the whole security clearance thing is oddly Orwellian), I can only hypothesize that this is what it may be like. However, I only think my dad would be exactly like Dwight K. Shrute if he were not married to my mom and still living with his parents. Luckily my dad is a bit cooler than that. If he wasn't married and living with his elderly parents I do think that people would confuse him for a more portly and bald Dwight.

Enjoy, Annie.

Why Don't I Have Any Brothers???

Ok, so do we all know about this???

In Depth
Aboriginal Canadians

Chemical valley
Aamjiwnaang First Nation in Sarnia sounds alarm over toxins

By Mary Ann Colihan, CBC News

Members of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation in Sarnia, Ont., think their reserve, which recorded the lowest rate of live male births in the world (two girls born for every boy) and high rates of death, miscarriage and disease, is beyond the saturation point for exposure to pollutants, and the community is making a public plea for action.

The First Nation held a symposium on the issue, funded in part by Health Canada, from March 25 to 27 in Sarnia. Leading scientists and environmental groups from across North America made presentations at the event, which highlighted the First Nation's concerns about the health of the Aamjiwnaang and their neighbours in an area known as "Chemical Valley."

A sign for the Aamjiwnaang First Nation Resource Centre is located across the road from a chemical plant near Sarnia, Ont. (Craig Glover/CP)

Data from Environment Canada's National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) — the inventory of pollutants released, disposed of and sent for recycling by facilities across the country — show the reserve is ground zero for Ontario's heaviest load of air pollution. In 2005, 131 million kilograms of pollutants were released from 46 plants in Sarnia's Chemical Valley, the inventory says.

Chemical Valley plants also collectively emitted 16.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases in 2005, according to NPRI figures. This represents 21 per cent of the total for Ontario, and more than the entire greenhouse gas emissions of British Columbia.

More worrisome for the Aamjiwnaang, exposure to toxic pollutants for people in the region is the highest in the province. The report says that 60 per cent of the 5.7 million kilograms of toxic air releases recorded in 2005 were within a five kilometre radius of the reserve. These pollutants are known to cause cancer or are associated with reproductive and developmental disorders among humans.

According to a 2007 report by Ecojustice (formerly the Sierra Legal Defence Fund), Exposing Canada's Chemical Valley: An Investigation of Cumulative Air Pollution Emissions in the Sarnia, Ontario Area, some of the area's chemical, petrochemical and power plants pollute more than others.

"We see the same names over and over on the list of Top Five," says Elaine MacDonald, the senior scientist at Ecojustice, which is Canada's largest non-profit environmental law organization. The companies that lead in emissions of carbon dioxide, volatile organic chemicals, hormone disruptors and heavy metals include Imperial Oil, Nova, Shell, Suncor and Cabot, MacDonald says.

Dean Edwardson, general manager of the Sarnia-Lambton Environmental Association, an industry group that represents 22 of the largest chemical and petrochemical companies in Chemical Valley, says the NPRI data has limitations.

"Some of the information that gets reported is estimated and may not be based in reality," says Edwardson. "It is industry's best attempt at getting data and I'm not sure there is a better way, but NPRI is a snapshot."

Nevertheless, when research about the skewed birth ratio was published in peer-reviewed journals in 2005, scientists from around the world started to call. The Aamjiwnaang pushed Health Canada to help fund the symposium on the issue that was held at the end of March.

Symposium

The Aamjiwnaangs' objective was to address the evidence of injury to health from exposures to chemical pollutants. They invited scientists from Canada and the U.S. and environmental activists from contaminated communities across the globe to the symposium to examine the data.

Ron Plain, the aboriginal program co-ordinator for Environmental Defence Canada and a founding member of the Aamjiwnaang environment group, says a mix of racism and poor municipal land use contributed to the reserve shrinking to live in industry's backyard. Another health survey pegged the band's miscarriage and stillborn rate at 39 per cent, he says.

The Aamjiwnaang also want to prove that the negative health effects are not just being felt on the 850-member reserve. Isaac Luginaah, an associate professor of geography at the University of Western Ontario whose studies focus on the environment and health, compared London and Sarnia hospital admissions data from 1996 to 2000. General hospital admissions were 47 per cent to 90 per cent higher for Sarnia residents. The difference in admission rates for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in Sarnia were even more extreme — up to 300 per cent greater than in London.

Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley is among those calling for action on the health problems, saying they are urgent and regional in nature. He has criticized Health Canada for trying to exclude the Aamjiwnaang and the local occupational health clinic from ongoing talks about developing a comprehensive health survey for Chemical Valley.

"There is a price to pay and we have to be realistic," Bradley says. "But when we talk about alliance, there should be no one missing in action."

Jim Brophy is the medical director of the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers in Sarnia, a Workplace Safety and Insurance Board-funded clinic that provides occupational health services and information. Brophy documented the high instance of asbestos-worker mortality in Sarnia — the highest in Canada — and sees a parallel between the old denials that asbestos made people sick and the reluctance to face the mounting evidence of disease from pollution.

The industry Sarnia-Lambton Environmental Association also supports conducting a proper, comprehensive survey of the impact of industrial pollution on the health of residents. It recognizes the area was a hotbed of mesothelioma (cancer from exposure to asbestos), and says the concerns of workers and the public are of great importance.

"We want to see a health study that supports or refutes the link between chemical exposure and health," says Edwardson.

Looking for clues

Dr. Warren Foster, an expert in reproductive health at the Hamilton Health Sciences Centre, says Canadian researchers are not sure why the sex ratio of 106 boys to 100 girls in Canada is fairly consistent except in areas such as the Aamjiwnaang community. His research points to what he calls endocrine toxicants. These are endocrine disruptors — chemicals that mimic hormones like estrogen, and that are found in pesticides, organo-chlorides, heavy metals and plastics.

Children from the Aamjiwnaang First Nation near Sarnia, Ont., play basketball behind the Band Office, which is located across the road from a chemical plant. The people of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation have a birth ratio of girls to boys that is two-to-one, a scientific anomaly. (Craig Glover/CP)

Dr. Foster says in-vitro fertilization research at Hamilton's Centre for Reproductive Care at McMaster University raises another possibility.

"Maybe the male embryo develops at a faster rate than does the female embryo and, as a result, may be more sensitive to environmental insult," he says. "Thus we may be losing males before we move into a clinical pregnancy."

Dr. Ted Schettler, a physician with the Science and Environmental Health Network, a U.S. network of environmental groups, notes that children, from fetus onward, are disproportionately susceptible to contaminants. Early exposure for children, even in the womb, can be linked to diseases that show up later in life, and failure to conceive is part of this continuum, he says.

The birth ratio is a clear signal that something is very wrong in Sarnia, he says.

"I think there is an enormous problem with not considering the cumulative nature of the emissions," says Schettler. "Some contaminants released are known carcinogens. When you mix them together in this complex soup that people regularly breathe here, the toxicology of that mixture is far more complicated than if we think about these single chemicals by themselves."

Calls for action

Michael Gilbertson recently completed his PhD thesis, a forensic audit of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, a 1972 agreement that commits Canada and the U.S. to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the lakes. The thesis is based on his 34 years with the Canadian federal government, including 16 years with the International Joint Commission, which resolves disputes relating to the use and quality of Canada-U.S. boundary waters. He says we know enough about risk factors and now political activism is more important.

"We have to form a new social movement," Gilbertson says. "We heard the stories from other communities that have been highly exposed. Now we have to organize to bring about political change."

Getting polluters to cut emissions is a challenge. Ecojustice says only 11 per cent of Chemical Valley plants reported to the federal government that they planned to reduce emissions in the 2006 to 2008 period, and 30 per cent of plants that are listed in the NPRI said they would increase emissions.

But SLEA thinks these statistics may not tell the full story. Edwardson says improvements require capital, and companies can be leery of making promises to the government that might not be kept.

"The problem with those numbers is that they are projections," he says. "There may be a reluctance to make improvements if you don't have the money in-house. Companies are always looking to make process improvements here."

Dr. Devra Davis, author of The Secret History of the War on Cancer, spoke at the symposium of communities like Reveilletown and Mossport, La., that were contaminated by chemical industry and where people chose to move away en masse. "We lost the ability to document the nature of the problem," Davis said.

Ron Plain wants the Aamjiwnaang reserve to stay where it is.

"Aamjiwnaang could be a model for the world, where a community and industry can work and live together prosperously," says Plain. "But industry has to take that initiative to begin to implement the best available technologies and lose their excuse that it is not economically viable."

Creepy...

They Won

Well, I haven't updated in a while...but here's what I've been doing:

- 8 hours of hockey at the John Labatt Centre
- New Years at my place
- Meeting relatives
- 2 weeks of vacation (sleeping, hanging out, traveling!)
- Bought a new iPod Classic...80GB of storage...10,000 songs capacity
- Playing with my new crock pot
- Checking out Aussie flights and packages
- Thinking about the next job


Now, check out this video of the boys of Ontario enjoying their trophy. More on the hockey games later...

Hmmm...

What is she doing?

I hope she never finds this page.

Hello There

Hello-

Yes, it's me. And yes, it has been a while.

Where have I been?

I don't have to justify myself to you people.

I'm a busy woman. Or just lazy.

Yes, it has been quite some time since I've ragged on anyone, but what can you do? It's not that I haven't had people annoy me.

No, no.

I've just been busy.

Sooooooooo....

Work's been crazy...between next week and the first week in February I will be speaking with over 2,400 kids in grade 6, 7 and 8. Yeah, I've been a little crazy lately.

What else?

Annie and I went to go see Dane Cook at the ACC. Interesting evening, lots of fun. Lots of popped collars, backwards baseball caps and smug reflections.

The videos are popping up on YouTube.com, so I'll upload a few.

What else?

I went to the Royal Winter Fair last week with my Dad and my grandparents. Fun times, that mostly had me in the middle. Literally. Most of the day had my dad going in one direction with his camera positioned at any thing that moo'ed, nay'ed or clucked. And then Papa went off in another direction. And grandma would follow Papa, so she wouldn't lose him.

About the Royal Winter Fair. I have some suggestions.

1. Lower prices. Come on. It was way too expensive, and when my dad pays my ticket I feel a slight indignity is being done to him. Slight.

2. Get rid of the stupid booths. Do you need a rhinestone pantsuit? Perhaps a crappy oil painting of a sheep dog? Or maybe you want the newest booklet on a Ford truck? No? Then maybe some figurines? No? Ok, some coupons? No? Just take the coupon. Seriously, it's good for a year. I DON'T WANT YOUR DAMN COUPONS I JUST WANT TO SEE A FREAKING HORSE.

3. Ban strollers, except if there's a child in it. And if you have a kid put them in the damn stroller. That's why you have a stroller. To confine your kid. Not walk slowly in front of me. That makes me want to punch you in the back of the head.

4. Maps. Could you make those available? Please. It was ridiculous.

5. Stop selling food by the piles of cow dung. The only thing that was more disgusting than that is the thought of eating fast food next to a pile of crap. Although I did chuckle when I saw the little girl petting the pig with one hand and eating the hotdog with the other. Hahahaha.

6. Move to damn butter sculptures to an easier location to find and put up signs. You people know that one of the only reasons I go. So I can see a dairy creation. When we asked 'Information' where there were they said we were '...like the 19th customer to ask'. Well, if there are so many people who don't know where it is...MAYBE THAT'S A CLUE, DUMB ASS.

All in all lots of fun.

Yea Royal!

I'm Melting

Well, I usually don't like talking about my elders behind their backs, but today it seems that the man is giving me no choice.

Now that you know it's a man, people would assume that it's one of two people.

My father or Andrew Johnson. They generally are the two guys who drive me crazy most of the time.

They are bugging me, but for separate reasons (Dad for being irritating last night with the damn wooden wind chime, and Andrew for disregarding the sanctity of Turkey weekend).

But that's not my main annoyance.

No, no. That goes to the patriarch of the Rodgers, Tim Rodger.

The man is trying to smoke me out of his bungalow.

It started yesterday with my grandmother's wise, wise decision not to roast the turkey in the house seeing as how we are experiencing global warming at it's best with record temperatures.

So hot.

But temperatures inside rival those outside. Now my grandparents do have air conditioning. It's installed and it does work. I sensed my grandfather's resistance immediately when I politely suggested that he may think about turning the air up a touch seeing as we were about to be 11 in the house.

He didn't change it.

After several attempts to convince him that 75 degrees is unacceptable I found that I was losing. Badly.

Even my grandma was on my side, but the stubborn man refused to touch the thermostat.

And living with my father has only taught me that touching the thermostat is like committing murder.

In short, last night was hell.

Worst sleep ever.

Then I find out this morning that my grandfather closed the vent in the guest room I was staying in.

CLOSED THE VENT.

GAH!

He's lucky I love him, or else we'd have a really big problem.

A House For My Uncle and Aunt In Australia

So I apparently am rubbing it in when I show a floor plan of my 650 foot apartment in Wortley Village when it comes to my cursed family in Australia.

Catherine and Colin are house hunting in Oz, which is about as easy as trying to understand the Australian accent, I'm told.

Keeping that in mind I took it upon myself to find them a house in Jerrabomberra. I'm trying not to giggle when I say that, but I find it funny that the name of their neighbourhood rhymes.

Here it is!

It's got 6 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and something called a 'rumpus room'.

It also has a pool. Because air conditioning is not something that is standard in Australian homes. Which I think, for a lack of a better and more politically correct word, is retarded. When I eventually go and visit I want to be comfortable.

The only draw back is the double garage. As I understand this means more potential for "'Roo Poo" droppings around the vehicle.

This whole package can be theirs for a measley $685,000.

Now before my lovely Auntie gives me a lecture on the responsiblity of home buying and the ridiculous-ness of this property I will say...um...get over it and get it. I want to stay in a fancy house in Jerrabomberra (more giggling) when I finally get to the bottom of the world.

Besides, I'm sure Colin could rake in a few extra bucks...he fixes helicopters...How many people know how to fix helicopters? All I'm say is maybe he forgets to screw in the last screw. And maybe that last screw is worth something to someone...all I'm saying...

SHE GRADUATED! W00T!

Yea! Maggie graduated last weekend and it was FANTASTIC! She got a medal and everything.

Back To Work!

Alright, so after some nice time off at home I, as well as Tracy, are back to our regularly scheduled lives.

Happily, Tracy was in London last week and had an angioplasty. It went well, the surgery, that is.

If you don't know this woman and are ever in charge of making sure she stays put long enough to recover, here are some tips:

1. Keep Her Hydrated: This is a helpful tip whenever anyone is in recovery, however, be warned of frequent trips to the bathroom.

2. Sugar Levels: I learned last week that your optimum sugar level should be at a 7. Let's just say she was working her way towards that figure.

3. Bruises: I don't know what it was with this woman, but she likes to show me her bruises. That was a little much. So if you're helping her out, please be warned that she might gross you out.

4. Keep Her Down: This woman has an uncontrollable urge to get up and try and help out. This is annoying. Keep her down. I did this by lacing her tea with a sedative.

5. When She Starts Getting Loud Take This As A Sign: Alright, when she starts talking loudly, making me uncomfortable, bringing up my career aspirations from my childhood I know that she's doing better.

Feel better!!! And stay off your feet!!!

Reasons I Love My Grandma

There are few people in the world that are like my grandma. In fact, I would dare to say that she is an original.

Here are some of the reasons that my grandma is like no other.

1. Two words: Class Act.

2. Extremely Clean: This could make some feel weird, but in her house it is very welcoming.

3. Great Memory: She doesn't forget anything. Anything.

4. Great Estimator: If you ever dare to watch "The Price Is Right" with my Grandma, be warned- she'll kick your butt.

5. Yummy Food: If you ever get to have food at my Grandma's house I strongly suggest trying the Frozen Raspberry Pie. And if you ever see her baking a Carrot Cake BACK OFF. It belongs to me (it really is amazing, it has pineapple in it).

6. Her smell: She smells good. Like peppermints and perfume. And a bit of cigarette smoke. And since smell is one of the most memorable things a person can have, it's very important.

7. Mental Stability: She has five kids, and trust me they could test the sanity of anyone. But somehow she is has kept it together. And for people who know her oldest three, she should be given a medal.

8. World Traveller: Alright, despite her admission that she likes to stay close to home, my Grandma has been everywhere. She's seen a lot.

9. Risk Taker: Many reasons to be a risk taker. She's travelled to Australia (very cool), held a koala (and those things can be as vicious as they are stupid). Also, see #7.

10. Zen Like Quality: She's married to a serial wanderer yet she always knows where my Papa is...It's like she has Grandma GPS.

11. She's Quick: Tonight my dear Grandmother tricked me. Told me she was going to Chicago, did I want to go? Yea! Totally! Why are you going Grandma?..."I've got tickets for Oprah."

12. She Can Be Evil: See #11.

All in all, she's cool.

And now she knows that when she crosses me, I will blog about her.

At the King Eddy

This was our big ole room in Toronto...

Missed you Mags!

It was a lot different from the Motel 6 in Georgia...

Snow Day!

Better Than the Motel 6?

The four of us arrived at the King Edward Hotel on King St. later than we expected.

Between picking up Annie from Guelph, getting out of London on time and Toronto rush hour traffic (it's not that bad) we arrived at our hotel at 5PM.

It was noticable to say the least that Annie was satisfied with our accomodations for the evening. She was practically buzzing when she saw the valet parking, smiling from ear to ear when she saw the door man and levitated when entered into the lobby of the hotel. For some reason she liked it better than the Motel 6 we stayed at in Georgia.

We went up to our room then started to get down to it- Dad and I got ready for our Rick Mercer Report taping at the CBC and Mom and Annie got ready to descend onto the Eatons Centre.

We were able to do this because our room was GI-NORMOUS.

An Update

Hello All,

Just thought I'd give you all an update on my crazy, busy life...

What's new, you might ask? Well, not a whole lot...still working away at the Gen. R. Dallaire Genocide Institute, and still having a good time.

Dad returned from his scotch filled tour of Scotland with Papa, Kevin and Bubbles, and from the pictures it looks like they had a merry old time in Scotland. In addition to drinking copious amounts of alcohol they did devote some time to finding our Scottish roots. It seems our ancestors, the MacIntosh-es, were a violent clan. Besides that it seems that the matriarch of our family was a general. Annie and I will have to keep this in mind when we travel to the SOA Protest in two weeks. However, it appears that the skills of the MacIntosh clan leave something to be desired. This meaning our clan was virtually (I say virtually because someone had to have survived to travel to Canada) were wiped out in, I kid you not, a massacre. That's right, my family in ancient times, were massacred. And even worse than that, their demise was the result of us following another clan into battle. A hard lesson to learn about being a follower.

Other than that the parents went off to Montreal, came back and then Mom went out to the East Coast for a conference and to see Mags.

Annie is spending longer chunks of time on the farm, oops, I mean University of Guelph.

And I'm getting ready to go off to Toronto next week to start preparations for the 75th Anniversary of the Ukrainian Famine (2007), when we plan to hold a scholarly conference. Very exciting, if forced famine and Stalin float your boat.

Other than that there is the very exciting trip to SOA that is coming up. Annie will be joining our group this year as we travel to Columbus, Georgia for the big protest. I think the most amazing thing about this year's trip is that people are horrified to learn Annie's going, but there's virtually no concern pour moi. I'll chalk that up to my experience and ability to protest and not to the fact that people like Annie better. Right, Grandma?

p.s. The above picture is of a singer I'm feeling at the moment, K.T. Tunstall, from Scotland!