Today is the 17th anniversary of the massacre at Ecole polytechnique in Montreal. Each year on this date the country seems to slow down as we take the time to mourn those murdered. We mourn 14 women who’s names are rarely known by anyone other than their immediate friends and family. We are inundated by stories and we remember the women – not for who they were or could have been, but the legacy of their deaths.

It’s an important time to pause and reflect on what has and hasn’t changed in the past 17 years. The long gun registry spawned from this event has done little to stem the rising tide of gun related violence in the country. It seems to be making criminals out of hunters and farmers while doing nothing to slow down the sale and usage of illegally obtained weapons.

As I read news articles and catch snippets on the TV news, I’ve noticed that many of those interviewed are using today as a soap box to decry the recent cuts to federal funding of the Status of Women. I’m happy to see the funding to this department cut – as long as the money previously allocated is designated to support grass routes programs to improve the lives of all Canadians.

In situations such as the Dec. 6 massacre in Montreal, it is facile to dismiss horrific incidents such as this as a men’s issue (as violent perpetrators) or a woman’s issue (as the victim). That this event occurred should never been considered the fault or responsibility of one gender over another. To do so limits the personal responsibility of the perpetrator for his actions that day. Neither gender has a lock on the roles society has deigned to assign them.

I’m tired of the culture of victim-hood that my gender has adopted in the last few years. Why are we, in 2007, focusing on splitting things down the lines of gender? Why should violence against women be more important than violence against men? Why aren’t we doing something to decrease violence on all fronts? Children learn what they live, violence often perpetrates violence, and I would argue that we are all equally responsible for the continued escalation of violence in society.

Trying to break this tragedy down the lines of gender is a slippery slope. Violence to resolve conflict (verbal, emotional or physical) is a learned behaviour. If men are more likely to commit violence against women, then wouldn’t their behaviour be the direct result of what they learned in their childhood and the actions of those who raised them?

The following statistics on child abuse would likely shock many of the same women complaining about the discontinuation of some funding to the Status of Women. Biological mothers are more likely (50% as opposed to 38%) to physically abuse their children (reference – pg.52). Biological mothers are also more likely to neglect (83% as opposed to 38%) or emotionally abuse (63% as opposed to 45%) their children (reference – pg.52). Fathers are only 4% more likely to sexually abuse their children (9% as opposed to 5%) but are 3x more likely to expose a child to domestic violence (73% as opposed to 27%) (reference – pg.52).

Do I know how to resolve the violence epidemic? No. As usual, I have many more questions than answers.

What I do know is that today should be about mourning the loss of young lives.

It should not be used for political maneuvering or whining that one gender’s issues are being ignored over another’s. It’s been my experience that the only remaining politically acceptable gender to slander, ignore, deride and degrade is the male. You’d think my gender would have realized long ago that you don’t make things better by dragging others below you as you stop over their heads on the way to greatness and so-called equality.

Technorati Tags: Montreal massacre, Status of Women, SOW, violence, gender bias, Ecole polytechnique

You are The High Priestess

Science, Wisdom, Knowledge, Education.

The High Priestess is the card of knowledge, instinctual, supernatural, secret knowledge. She holds scrolls of arcane information that she might, or might not reveal to you. The moon crown on her head as well as the crescent by her foot indicates her willingness to illuminate what you otherwise might not see, reveal the secrets you need to know. The High Priestess is also associated with the moon however and can also indicate change or fluctuation, particularly when it comes to your moods.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

This year I’m participating in Zoe’s Xmas Read-a-ton of books contest. I’ve started looking through the second hand book stores to find things I’d be interested in reading. If I find myself falling into the world of the written word, I can spend all night reading. This isn’t such a great thing when it comes to being awake and ready to handle my work day, but I’ll have a few days off between the 20th and 31st to get some long evenings of reading in.

The contest doesn’t begin until the 10th, so I have a few days to get my books in order. Unfortunately, I can’t imagine a day without reading, so there will be some books that I’m reading that won’t make the cut. I’ve just finished a collection of short stories titled Dracula in London, this week. Prior to that I was reading Kathy Reichs’ Deadly Decisions.

Neither of these books will make my qualifying list since it’s not yet the 10th. Maybe I should be tracking how many books I read between the time I first learned of the read-a-ton and when it begins?

So far, the list of books I’m planning to read is pretty short. I expect I’ll be adding to it every few days.

1. Mistral’s Kiss – I’ve already pre-ordered this book. It’s due out from the publisher on the 12th and I’ll be dropping whatever I’m reading to pick it up the minute it arrives.
2. Book of the Dead – If this book shows up in the house, it’ll be on Christmas morning. I expect some bribery will need to come into play if Santa gives it to the hubby instead of me. I do read faster than him, so maybe I’ll get lucky and he’ll let me have first dibs. It’s been a while since I read the first two books in this series, so I expect I’ll re-read Brimstone and Dance of Death before Christmas morning arrives.
3. ISD from the Ground Up – I got this book a few weeks ago, but haven’t had a chance to read it. I’ll definitely get to it over the next few weeks.
4. American Idle – I’ve heard this book is a fun and easy read. I’m looking forward to a few hours of basking in chic lit.
5. Something written by Ian Rankin – both of my parents used to read his books. I figure I’ll finally sit down with one and see what the hullabaloo is all about.
6. It’s time to catch up on my Terry Pratchett – I have Monstrous Regiment and Going Postal in my office that I haven’t read yet. He’s also got a number of other young adult books in the series that aren’t on my bookshelf yet that I’m going to try and hunt down. If I can find them before the new year, they’ll be added to my reading list as well.
7. Goal Analysis and Preparing Instructional Objectives – My New Mager Six Pack arrived last week. I don’t expect to get through every book in the series, but I’m definitely planning on reading these two books in the series in the next few weeks.
8. On the Run – I know that she’s written newer books, but I tend to read this semi-series when it’s out in paperback. It’s easier to get a used copy at a second hand store in paperback than in hard cover.

Technorati Tags: books, read-a-ton, reading

One of my favorite parts of the Christmas season is the traditional gift giving. Sure, it’s great to give and receive gifts from family and friends, but what I really love is our sponsor a family program we participate in at work. Families in need self-identify and we put together care packages with food and gifts based on the size of the family and the ages of any children in the family.

It’s always fun to see what people bring in to fill the baskets with. There’s a standard list of food that is always included, but it’s the little extras each person brings in to add to the baskets that make me smile. You can learn a lot about the people you work with by what they bring to share with others. Who’s a vegetarian, who’s got an addiction to which type of crackers or cookies, who’s a chocoholic, who never grew out of children’s luncheon snacks and who prefers desert over the main meal…

To raise funds for Christmas presents for the children in the family we hold coin collecting contests (bragging rights go to the department that raises the most money), bake sales, book exchanges (donations welcome), and raffle off gift baskets containing items donated by the salaried staff. Extra funds are used to buy presents and items to donate to local children’s charities. Extra food items are sent to the local food bank.

I’ve been participating in the program for 8 years (have I really been working at the same place for that long?) and it’s one of the reasons I haven’t yet been motivated to move to a different company. You can measure a company and its people by the type of work it does in the community and the type of things that it gives back to its employees. The Christmas program supporting internal employees is one of the best examples of sharing with others that I’ve ever experienced.

Another favorite Christmas tradition we have in our small family is charitable donations in place of Christmas presents. The hubby and I started doing this a few years ago when my dad complained that he didn’t need anything to add to the clutter at home. Rather than not sending a gift, we decided to make a donation to charity on behalf of our friends and family members. It was a hit with dad, since he got a tax-receipt for the donation (Scots are notoriously frugal – I wonder why it never rubbed off on me). We pick a charity that has meaning for the recipient – diabetes research, cancer research, etc. It seemed to go over well, so we’ve continued it for the past few years. Mom has pointed out that there is a downside to donations – there’s nothing to unwrap from open under the tree.

This year, I think this year we’ll find something small to send along with the donation…we’ll see what the budget allows.

Technorati Tags: Christmas, gift giving, sharing, donations, charity

Zoe over at Bubbles In My Head is running a blog contest I can sink my teeth into. She’s challenging her readers to a contest designed to determine who can read the most books over the next few weeks.

The contest will begin on the 10th of December and last till the 31th. In those the 21 days all participants are to try to read the most.

I’ve got a few days to gather up some books and get ready to read. Zoe is planning on posting an update on her blog every 4 days. I expect I’ll be posting updates as I finish each book. I’m an avid reader, but I don’t know how much actual reading I’ll be able to complete once my mom arrives on the 19th. Since she’s staying through to January, I may only manage a few books a week.

One of the cool things that Zoe has added to her challenge is the requirement that we leave a comment on her blog with our updated list of books read and a little snippet of thought upon each, including a rating or why we did or didn’t like the book. This will slow my reading down, but gives me a good break point to sneak in some blogging.

If you’re interested in joining the read-a-thon head on over to Zoe’s site and sign up.

Tonight my mission will be to pick out the books I’d like to read over the next few weeks.

Technorati Tags: reading, books, review