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    • Dona Nobis Pacem

    November 6th, 2006 she Posted in Popularity Contests 2 Comments »

    Donna Nobic Pacem

    Mimi Lenox asks

    Can we affect change by sending a silly graphic around the globe with childlike scribblings and paint-by-number glee? Will it really matter?

    I don’t know the answer to Mimi’s question, but I think it’s one that we need to consider – both from a sociological and informal learning perspective.

    Does what we write have an impact on others? I think that’s the whole point of writing – to suggest, convert, amuse, entertain or encourage others to view something from another perspective.

    The power of the Internet and it’s ability to generate social connections between people from opposite ends of the world has been touted for years. Usenet readers and mailing list subscribers were early members of social networks. We are starting to harness this with the advent of social sites such as Friendster (now defunct), MySpace (radically changed from its original form, thanks to the advent of Facebook and Twitter) and Yahoo! 360 (no longer a thing). Web 2.0 may bring this a step further into being.

    So, if social connections exist and what we write has power, why can’t a group of people posting a similar graphic calling for peace – whatever the word peace means to you – wield similar power?

    I’m joining Mimi in her quest today in the hopes that she will find answers to her questions. Perhaps along the way I’ll also find my own.

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    Thursday Thirteen – Supporting Our Troops

    November 2nd, 2006 she Posted in Popularity Contests, Those Who Volunteered 9 Comments »

    On Friday, November 3rd, there will be a rally in support of our troops in Churchill Square from 11:30am to 1:30pm. I’ll be in attendance. The topic of this week’s T13 will be 13 reasons I’m attending the Support Our Troops rally on Friday.

    Thirteen reasons I’m attending the Support Our Troops Rally.

    1. I’m a military spouse. My husband served in the Army before remustering to the Air Force in the mid 90’s. My father and grandfather served in the Navy. My great-grandfather served in the Army. Supporting our troops comes natural to me.
    2. Based on my conversations with serving and past members of the Canadian Forces, the men and women of our Canadian Forces believe in the mission and in what they’re doing in Afghanistan.
    3. For the first time in years, many Afghan women are learning to read and write. Through education, the Afghani people may learn there are alternate ways to resolve conflict and build freedom.
    4. I’m a woman who, through a fortunate accident of birth, has access to education, medical care, employment, and the freedom to wear whatever I choose, say whatever I want, vote, and do what falls within my values and morals. I believe all women, regardless of which country she was born in, is equally entitled to these items.
    5. Peacekeeping is only possible if there is an agreement between all factions to set aside their differences and work towards a peaceful resolution. Afghanistan isn’t at that point yet. We need to support their current actions in the hopes that all sides will be able to work towards a place where peacekeeping will be a viable alternative.
    6. President Hamid Karzai, the first democratically elected president of the country, visited the Canadian parliament and re-iterated his governments desire for our troops to remain in the country.
    7. It doesn’t often make the news in Canada, but our troops are working on humanitarian projects as well as fighting. They are working towards improving roads and infrastructure, helping support schools, etc. These are all things we can be proud of.
    8. The mission has UN approval and NATO support.
    9. The rally is co-organized by the group Married to the Canadian Forces of which I am a member.
    10. The previous government (Liberals) sent our troops to Afghanistan and the current government (Conservatives) expanded their commitment to the mission until 2009. If we’re going to allow our government to send our troops into harms way, then we need to show support for the men and women willing to put boots on the ground (I know, boots on the ground is a US Army saying, not Canadian) to complete the mission our government has assigned them.
    11. I believe every woman has the right to live her life without fear of being stoned to death.
    12. I believe that everyone should have the right to choose which religion they want to follow – or not follow as the case may be. Freedom of religion (or from religion) should be an inalienable right. Dhimmi’s are, by our western definition, denied equal status in society. I strongly disagree with the tenets of Shari’ah law and believe all individuals should be treated equally under the eyes of the law.
    13. I get to split my shift at work, travel on the LRT, dress up in my pretty red clothes, and possibly meet the DMB crew.

    Thanks to other Thursday Thirteen participants who viewed my list and left a comment: Caylynn, Silver, Bev, Melissa, N. Mallory, Momma Bee and Lynn.

    Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

    The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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    Thursday Thirteen – Airports I’ve nodded off in

    October 26th, 2006 she Posted in Popularity Contests 7 Comments »

    I love to travel and fly frequently. Work. Play. Doesn’t matter, I’ll always volunteer to hop on any plane and land at the opposite end of the country, continent, or earth. I’ve been booked on more red-eye flights than I can count on my hands and feet. My red-eyes were often canceled after I’d made my way through security and became colloquially known as the “Sheelagh special” around the office. Sometimes, the travel time would be more than 24 hours. Sometimes I found myself drifting off while waiting in airport lounges. You know the drill. Your eyes become heavier and chin drops towards your chest. Head bobbing, your eyes flash open and then you desperately pretend you weren’t sleeping.

    In honour of my love of travel, I’ve decided the topic of this week’s T13 will be Airports I’ve nodded off in.

    Thirteen Things about SHE. Airports I’ve nodded off in.

    1. Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP)
    2. Memphis, TN (MEM)
    3. Houston George Bush Intercontinental (IAH)
    4. Edmonton International Airport, AB, Canada (YEG)
    5. Seattle, WA (SEA)
    6. Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS)
    7. Toronto Lester B Pearson International Airport, ON, Canada (YYZ)
    8. Mumbai, India (BOM).
    9. Manila, Philippines (MNL)
    10. London Heathrow, United Kingdom (LHR)
    11. Zurich, Switzerland (ZRH)
    12. Winnipeg, MB, Canada (YWG)
    13. Tokyo Narita, Japan (NRT)

    Oh boy, I could have expanded this list to include at least 3 or 4 more airports where I have disctinct memories of nodding off (or even falling asleep for over 30 minutes). However, in the spirit of T13, I’m keeping the list limited to 13 airports I’ve either written about falling asleep in or told friends and family about falling asleep in…

    Thanks to other Thursday Thirteen participants who viewed my list and left a comment: Chelle, Caylynn, Stephanie, Norma, Trish, Stacie and Gabrielle.

    Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

    The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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    Friday recap of Thirsday Thirteen

    October 20th, 2006 she Posted in Popularity Contests No Comments »

    Yesterday was my first foray into the world of meme and Thursday Thirteen. I’ve been reading T13’s on other’s pages for a while now and finally jumped on the bandwagon. It’s an interesting project and I really enjoy reading other’s postings. I’d say it’s definitely working as designed – help building a social group through sharing of information – and the flexibility of being able to create any themed list the poster chooses makes it more appealing than completing other meme options. I also like the fact that if I continue with the T13 project, I’ll never be at a loss for something to post on a Thursday ever again. The only real constraint is having to post something each Thursday, which may be an issue down the road. For now, I’m gathering ideas on what to post next week.

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    Thursday Thirteen – Things my father taught me

    October 19th, 2006 she Posted in Friends & Family, Popularity Contests 7 Comments »

    For weeks now I’ve been bouncing in and out of people’s blogs on Thursdays and encountering Thursday Thirteen posts.

    Standard meme’s have a quiz like structure. Everyone posts their answers to the pre-specified questions. When I’ve encountered these meme’s in the past, I just haven’t been that interested in participating. Thursday Thirteen is different. It’s a weekly meme that let’s the poster set the topic.

    I’ve decided I’m going to give it a whirl. I haven’t yet decided if I’m going to make this a permanent addition to my Thursday postings, but I figure we’ll try it out for a month and see how it plays out.

    And now, without further ado, I present to thee my list of 13 things I learned from my dad.

    Thirteen Things about SHE. Things my father taught me.

    1. Multiplication tables.
    2. How to take pictures with a manual camera.
    3. Love of reading.
    4. The world does not stop spinning if you don’t get your own way. If you want something, you’ve got to earn it.
    5. How to use a computer (including programming) – Which I think highly influenced the fact that my first career was computer related.
    6. There are three sides to every story – yours, mine and the truth.
    7. True charity doesn’t require a tax receipt.
    8. Believing in something doesn’t mean blindly following all elements of a doctrine. It’s possible to have faith and work to be a good person without attending church.
    9. It’s possible to forgive the worst mistakes of your children – even if you never forget.
    10. Never to ask anyone to do something I am unwilling to do myself.
    11. Never hold anyone to a standard you are unwilling or unable to meet yourself.
    12. The more I learn, the less I “know�. Learning is continuous, never ending, and often cyclical and that’s ok.
    13. Never let a moment pass by where you can tell a loved one how much they mean to you. You may never get another chance.

    Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

    1. slacker-moms-r-us
    2. Alyson Noel
    3. Amy’s Random thoughts
    4. A Day in my Life
    5. Christina’s Shoebox
    6. Our Story
    7. Incoherent~ish

    Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

    The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

    If you’re interesting in learning more about non Thursday Thirteen online meme’s, you can visit Meme Central.Technorati Tags: , ,

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