“Don’t think of how far behind you are. Think of how much more blogging you’ve done this month compared to last month. Just keep at it.
And don’t forget, you are awesome!”
My Biggest Fan
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Author Archives: trasie
31 Days to a Brand New Blog Day 4
(or “what we really should be talking about”)
The challenge for Day 4 is to write a list post that relates to my purpose statement. As my purpose statement identifies politics as an area of focus, and as we’re now 64 days away from the Calgary General Election, here’s my list of the top five posts I’d like* to write before election day:
1. The Peace Bridge
The Peace Bridge is the most controversial and misunderstood projects undertaken by the city, and it’s also the lightening rod that many candidates are using to rally support.
2. Plan It
Like many CivicCampers, I spent time last fall in council chambers as the council listened to presentations on Plan It, the document that would guide our city’s growth for decades to come. And, like many CivicCampers, I felt betrayed by a last-minute backroom deal that made developers’ interests more weight then that of citizens.
3. FCSS
FCSS Calgary (Family and Community Support Services) is a municipal/provincial program that funds nonprofits that do a variety of things (including Bow Cliff Seniors). If the FCSS stat re: social return on investment (that for every dollar spent on prevention the city saves six to thirteen dollars in other costs) is true, why aren’t we putting more into prevention? The city has two roles here: increase the dollar amount it funds (currently required to fund 20%, they actually fund 25% of annual budget) and they can lobby the province for additional funding for the entire program.
4. Transportation for All
Better transit – not just trains. “Next Bus” real time technology. (Come on, even Winnipeg has this one!) Smaller buses and routes that come more than once an hour during “non-peak” hours – and redefining “non-peak” hours to be more then “when people aren’t traveling downtown to work”. Resources for Access Calgary so it can provide more services (especially as the population needing their services grows). And, of course, an obligatory “carsharing rocks” moment.
5. Housing options
Obviously the city needs to get its act together on secondary suites. But I’m sure they can also find ways to support non-marketing housing options (like co-ops and cohousing) and develop more TOD (transit-orientation development) projects that include mixed-use and mixed-income housing. Again, the aging population will be a critical factor to consider: changing needs, increased population and a need for greater community involvement should all play a part.
—
* That’s not saying I will, but I’ll likely be tweeting about them!
31 Days to a Brand New Blog: Day 14
31 Days to a Brand New Blog: Day 3
competing for my soul working to resolve the issue.
Welcome! If you’re new to the witch-ways experience, don’t worry. All you need to know is that I’ve been online and involved with technology, website development and training in the nonprofit world since 1994.* (I also work with women in small businesses to give them a “helping hand”.)
I’ve got a lot of projects on the go, and most are listed on the sidebar. Contact info’s also on the sidebar aussi.
I’m not into posting rates, but if you’re interested in learning more about technology and nonprofits, drop me a line. I’d love to work with you!
Radical Feminist Witch, Geeker Girl, Single Mom, NonProfit Director/Consultant, Board Member (Calgary Carshare, Project Ploughshares), Masters Student and more!
31 Days to a Brand New Blog: Day 2
Why do you blog?
My second blog post jumped right into my three favourite topics (according to my tags list): politics (38 posts), witch(craft) (26 posts) and feminism (24 posts, with an additional 13 labelled ecofeminism). The personal is political, especially to a radical feminist witch like me, and it’s what I do best. Blogging about things can also help me re-centre, re-claim lost ground and re-inspire me as I work through the next stages of the game plan.
What do you want to be known for through your blog?
31 Days to a Brand New Blog: Day 1
Happy August! And Happy 2010! Yes, I haven’t been blogging in over a year now. Instead I’ve been putting my time into other things, like:
- starting my Masters’ Degree (MAIS) at Athabasca – two courses down, ten to go.
- single parenting – how did my kid get so big?
- politics – hey, there’s always an election just around the corner!
- and Twitter, my new source of all things new and notable.
But when I ran across the 31 Days to a Brand New Blog challenge on Twitter, I thought it was time to get back to blogging. So, here I am with today’s challenge: Analyze Your Blog’s Traffic by installing Google Analytics.
But first, I had to deal with the ignored emails – specifically, the ignored emails that told me Blogger was discontinuing their FTP program. After a bit of work, I’ve think I’ve got the blog publishing again (we’ll see for sure once I hit “Publish Post”) with the code for Google Analytics in place. Cross your fingers!
Hand Made with Love
My family is full of crafty folks. My mom owned her own craft store (Virginia’s Variety) in the 1980s, which was a great place to gather in our small town.
I’m crafty too – crochet and cross-stitch, mostly, but some minis and other things occasionally.
And I love to support crafty folks. That’s why I’m taking the pledge!
Let Them Stay!
Have you sent your letter in support of the War Resisters Campaign? Time is running out for Kimberly Rivera and her family, due to be deported on Thursday, March 26. 2009.
The Hon. Jason Kenney
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
House of Parliament
Ottawa, Ontario
minister@cic.gc.ca, Kennej@parl.gc.ca, kennej7@parl.gc.ca
Dear Mr. Kenney,
On June 3, 2008, the Parliament of Canada passed a motion calling on the government to stop all removal proceedings against U.S. Iraq war resisters, and to implement a program to allow them to apply to stay in Canada as permanent residents. As recently as February 12th of this year, the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration reaffirmed this motion.
This motion is supported by a majority of Canadians, including myself. Despite this nation-wide support, Stephen Harper and yourself, as Citizenship and Immigration Minister, have refused to implement this motion. Instead, the minority Conservative Government of Canada continues to deport war resisters, including the recent order that Kimberly Rivera and her family leave Canada by March 26, 2009, or face deportation.
Kimberly Rivera was the first woman U.S. soldier to seek refuge in Canada. She was deployed to Iraq and, while home on a leave, decided she could no longer participate in what she considered to be an illegal war. As a result, she came to Canada with her husband and two young children in January 2007, and their family was further blessed with a daughter born here in November 2008.
Although the Riveras had requested that their deportation date be postponed until June so the children can complete their school year, the Immigration Department has decided to ignore this plea. They have also refused to see the impact that sending Ms. Rivera back to the United States, where she will face certain imprisonment, will have on her husband and children. As a mother myself, I know it took incredible courage for Ms. Rivera to choose this path as the best option for her family. I would hope, as Canadians, we honour that courage by following the will of Parliament and allowing her to stay.
Sincerely,
Tracey Braun
cc: The Right Hon. Stephen Harper, pm@pm.gc.ca
The Hon. Jim Prentice (MP, Calgary Centre-North), Prentice.J@parl.gc.ca
Maurizio Bevilacqua (Liberal party immigration critic), BevilM@parl.gc.ca
Olivia Chow (NDP immigration critic), chowo@parl.gc.ca
Thierry St-Cyr (Bloc Québécois immigration critic), StCyrT@parl.gc.ca
Poetry for Brigid
It’s that time again! Here’s my entry for the Fourth Annual Brigad in the Blogosphere Poetry Slam. Happy Imbolc!
*****
Beatrice Cenci was a young Italian noblewoman executed in 1599 (with her stepmother and elder brother) by the Pope because she was involved in the murder of her father, who had imprisoned and abused them.
Alimitra David wrote a poem, Beatrice of the Cenci, that takes place on the eve of the execution. In it, Beatrice calls out to her mother (who died shortly after her birth). As it is a long poem, I am only sharing the first and last stanzas. The entire poem can be found in Impulse to Fly (1998).
*
I don’t ask
that you
come to me here
to hold me and
cry as Lucretia and I
have done for
years I
don’t ask you to
come and be as
we are a
voice against his
will like my
smallest finger
against the
stone gate of
the courtyard
Mother I don’t
pray you back to
this place only
sing to me
strong
from wherever you are
oh sing to me Mother
I will climb your voice
hand over hand
high over these
robed men who
curse me
sing tonight
for tomorrow they
will cut me loose
at last to fly from this
motherless place
this place of
fathers and
fathers and
more fathers
*
Mother do you
love me do
you love me
broken as I am
do you love my
feet my hands
my face do you
love me when I
hear you and
do you love me
when I can’t
listen when I
float
blind and deaf
in water with
no current was
it your voice in
my dream was it
mine calling names I
don’t remember when
awake
this night will
become morning
I have heard
rumors of
morning of
sunrise and
figs ripening
Mother I call
to you not to
come to me here
only sing for me
strong
from
wherever you are
Visioning and Re-Visioning
Ms. Magazine has a list of quotes from prominent women, Vision for Change, about what they would like to see happen under an Obama administration. My favourite?
LET THE SURVIVORS LEAD. The violence-against women movement has to, once again, become a movement and not just a network of social-service providers. Violence will only end when survivors are seen as potential organizers on their own behalf, rather than simply clients of social workers, lawyers, judges or medical personnel. —ANDREA SMITH, PROFESSOR OF AMERICAN CULTURE AND WOMEN’S STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN; COFOUNDER, INCITE! WOMEN OF COLOR AGAINST VIOLENCE
There is so much change that needs to happen within the VAW movement. We need to reclaim the feminist analysis and address the root causes and systems that create, sustain and encourage violence against women!