No matter how we feel, think, or believe, there is unity in our diversity.  We just have to find that one thing that bonds us together.  Finding that one thing we all have in common is the first step to solving any problem.  No matter how far apart we are in our feelings, thinking or beliefs, finding that common ground enables us to come together and find a solution that we all can live with.  This is true in our personal lives as well as in politics.

Some years back I took classes in Family and Divorce Mediation.  I was planning on hanging out my shingle and helping people find solutions to their obstacles.  Learning and doing are not the same thing and I found it difficult to remain unbiased during the process.  My hat is off to those who can do it without having the training and skills of a lawyer.

What I learned, however, has not left me and it has served me well at times.  Mediation is not a win/lose process.  The mediator must find common ground that will enable the parties to eventually come to some agreement that they can both live with.  The mediator must take two parties who are angry, hurt, and suffering and guide them gently to a compromise.  This is not easy.

Having said this, I feel that the same process can be applied to almost any situation.  I have heard about neighbors who don’t get along.  This is so sad, since both have to live where they do and moving is sometimes not possible.   A lot of the time we are “right fighters”, as I’ve heard Dr. Phil say time and time again.  We decided that we have to be right and we will do anything to prove it.  In order to do that we have to go to any length to either prove the other person wrong or sway them around to our point of view.  Either way, the problems are bound to escalate.

Why am I bringing this up?  Every problem starts somewhere.  If we can go back to that first moment and understand the dynamics of the problem from the very first moment, we have a chance of stopping the problem before it becomes unfixable.

Both people often feel like victims.  At that point the problem solving goes out the window.  It takes two to fight.  Therefore, there are two victims and two perpetrators.  No one is at fault all the time.  Each person usually takes turns by making very bad choices which take the disagreement to a new level.

We want to feel vindicated.  We want our suffering to be acknowledged.  We want it to stop.  But what are we willing to do to be part of the solution?  If we are not part of the solution then we are part of the problem.  These misunderstandings are usually created when someone feels disrespected, snubbed,  their personal property damaged, or their privacy and autonomy in jeopardy.

So, what steps can we all take to start mending fences?  If you feel your rights have been trampled on in some way, what do you do first?

Step #1          Purchase a journal.  Start documenting those things that you find offensive.  Don’t just write down what happened, include details of how it made you feel and any expense that was incurred as a result.  Try to explain in as much detail as you can what you are objecting to.  Make it as precise as possible.  If you can’t explain it so you understand it, no one else will understand it and communication is important.   Make sure you write down dates, names, places, and everything you can think of.  Were there any witnesses?

Step #2        Sit down and go over your journal entries regularly.  Try to figure out why you are so angry.  Is it something from your past that you are reacting to in the present or is it a real problem that needs to be addressed.  Try to find the root of the problem and why you may be reacting so badly to the situation.  Sometimes it is simply that the other person is not taking responsibility for their actions or the actions of friends or family members, not to mention pets.  Knowing these things helps clarify it. But do your homework before you snap.

Step #3        If this is an ongoing situation that can’t be ignored, it is time to address your concerns to the other person.  Call and set up a time when both of you can sit down in a neutral place like a restaurant or other public place to discuss it.  It might be wise to bring along a friend and urge the other person to do the same.  Be nice about it.  Coming to the table angry will not serve your cause.

Step #4       Write down what you want to say.  Be prepared.  Ask the person to let you say what you need to say and then she can have her turn uninterrupted.  Explain that you want to find a solution to the problem that you both will be happy with.  Then be respectful when she speaks and try to understand her point of view as well.  This is the point when a solution is most likely to be found.  Make sure you look at how she sees the problem from her perspective and try to find some common ground to work from.  Allow her to be part of the solution and do not dictate the solution.  There are two sides to every story.  Ask questions about what is going on in their life as if they are your best friend.  Share with them those things that they might need to know in order to understand your situation.  Are you a day sleeper?  Have you had a recent illness?  Have you been going through some tough times and might be a little sensitive right now?  Anything that you can share could be potentially helpful.  anything they share can be something to ponder.

Step #5        Assure the other person that they have been heard and impress upon them that you will take what you have heard home and think on it.  Then, really think on it in earnest.  Find the common ground.  Try to put yourself in their place.  Offer your help in some way that may take a burden from their shoulders or offer a solution they may not have thought of. But don’t back them into a wall.  They will come out fighting and that is not what you want.

Everyone’s situation is unique.  But, there will also be commonalities that you can use as a spring board.  What ever you do, have compassion and come at the problem from the point of view that the person may not even be aware there is a problem.  It probably is not a deliberate act against you.  And, there might be a good explanation that you can understand or you might lite on a solution that you can do to solve the problem for yourself.  I have always believed that good fences make for good neighbors.  It may be as simple as a good fence.  Don’t resent the other person for making this problem for you.  Your fence might just ease her burden too.

Chris

Please take the time to read the words to this popular Elvis Presley song.

As the snow flies
On a cold and gray Chicago mornin’
A poor little baby child is born
In the ghetto
And his mama cries
’cause if there’s one thing that she don’t need
it’s another hungry mouth to feed
In the ghetto

People, don’t you understand
the child needs a helping hand
or he’ll grow to be an angry young man some day
Take a look at you and me,
are we too blind to see,
do we simply turn our heads
and look the other way

Well the world turns
and a hungry little boy with a runny nose
plays in the street as the cold wind blows
In the ghetto

And his hunger burns
so he starts to roam the streets at night
and he learns how to steal
and he learns how to fight
In the ghetto

Then one night in desperation
a young man breaks away
He buys a gun, steals a car,
tries to run, but he don’t get far
And his mama cries

As a crowd gathers ’round an angry young man
face down on the street with a gun in his hand
In the ghetto

As her young man dies,
on a cold and gray Chicago mornin’,
another little baby child is born
In the ghetto

I recently heard this song on the radio for the first time a couple of days ago and it ripped my heart out.  Why?  You and I see a very similar picture every day. The only problem is that it wears a very ugly disguise, making it unrecognizable.  Perhaps it looks like this.

 You’re a teacher and you have that one child that grates on your last nerve. She requires constant attention and seems unable to grasp the very simple concepts that you are presenting. Her meer presence is a disruption to everything you are trying to accomplish.  Could it be that she is hungry?  Quite possibly hungry in the physical sense but could it penetrate deeper than her belly? 

The answer is a resounding YES!!  She is desperate for someone to notice her worth.  She longs to hear the words, “You are beautiful.” “You can be anything that you want to be.”    “You are worthy of love and I will give you mine.” 

Here is the catch.  If we don’t start waking up to this type of need, someone else will. There will be another hurting soul who will try and show her a better way.

She will hear the wonderful things that she has longed for but it will only be a ploy, drawing her into unhealthy relationships. A trick if you will. Her insecurities will be played upon to lead her down a path of even more emptiness. She will even give her body away just to feel that she has worth. 

When this leaves her feeling even lower, she will find herself leaping out of one abusive relationship to the next. Finally, she will struggle with an addiction that will nearly take her life because all she wants to do is drowned out the pain. 

The blind will lead the blind because those of us who see choose to wear a veil.  We filter out that which disturbs us.  We look at the behavior instead of looking into the broken heart. Never gaining a clear perspective of where the behavior is coming from.  

The song rings true. Sadness in a child’s heart breeds inconsolable anger.  As God’s people, we have to stop making excuses and start making a difference.  It is time to zero in on the target, taking clear aim at the need in front of us.

In looking at these situations, it looks overwhelming and quite frankly impossible but I am reminded of Moses and his staff.  Moses believed that delivering the Israelites out of oppression was unfathomable.

However, God asked him to throw down his staff. As the staff turned into a serpent and then back into a staff again, Moses learned in invaluable lesson.  Give God the most ordinary thing that you have in your hand and He will do the extraordinary with it. Even bring about deliverance for an entire nation.

That blows my mind! Our God is the same yesterday, today,and forever. We too can deliver an entire nation out of the hands of physical and spiritual poverty. In fact Jesus said, we would be used to do even greater things than He did if we would simply yield ourselves to Him.

When we start zeroing in, God will show us what the real needs are. We will have to get passed our ideas of what is proper and look deep. The secrets are always found in the details. Details only reveal themselves within the framework of relationship.  

More often than not, He will ask us to meet the physical needs before we ever begin to delve into the deeper issues. It’s about winning trust. Its how He rolls, if you will.  The only question left to answer is, will you let an extraordinary God use your ordinary life?

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ClimateGate breakout starting to come into view. Remarkably different patterns of interest in the US and UK. MSM damage-control (or blackout) seems mostly ineffective…

[Previously: Climategate/CRU-hack/leak post... MSM TV coverage... Search volume profiles for Climate Change / Global Warming memes.]

Lying appears to be becoming an acceptable means to an end.

Some weeks ago we watched the balloon boy hoax motivated by the desire for money and stardom. It didn’t much matter to the perpetrators the effect their stunt might have on other people.

They weren’t concerned about the mobilization and cost of resources and manpower. They were concerned about getting publicity, by whatever means necessary, in order to further their career ambitions and financial aspirations.

Ethics. Responsibility. Not in their personal dictionary of words to live by.

A few days ago we watched a couple  lie their way into the White House and shake President Obama’s hand, in the hopes that their stunt would catapult them into the fame and fortune of reality television.

Both of these events reflect a disturbing trend in our society, a downward spiral into hypocrisy, deception and self-absorption with a total disregard for the concerns of others, in order to further one’s own personal agenda, usually motivated by selfishness and greed.

And it’s now moving beyond promotional pranks.

Religious leaders are advocating breaking laws they don’t agree with. Radical militia groups are on the rise, encouraging Americans to arm themselves against the United States government should the time come when it’s somehow decided that overthrowing the government is in their best interests.

All of this is not particularly encouraging, especially at a time when the world needs truth,  compassion, empathy, responsibility, cooperation and commitment to ethics and ideals.

This is not a time for regression to greater lawlessness, chaos and violence.

So what do we do about it?

We need to discourage the abuse. Breaking the law to increase ratings and profit margins needs to be prosecuted, at the individual level and at the corporate level.

Most people are like little children who don’t stop bad behavior unless they are punished. They don’t care about the effects of their actions on others. They want what they want and they want it now.

Point being: Most people will not stop their bad behavior until it is in their best interests to do so. It won’t be in their best interests to do so until they see that there are severe consequences to actions that are illegal and unethical.

Boundaries, which are necessary to limit chaos and degenerate behaviors, need to be re-set, re-established and consistently reinforced. If we are to survive this century, it is critical that the wild west mentality which is brewing and stewing be dampened by individual and group commitment to democracy, justice, rules of law, and, above all, truth.

Which means that each us should look at the opportunities in our lives to speak out against lies and hypocrisy when it is staring us in the face.

Each of us should look at the opportunities in our lives to make choices in our daily transactions with others which better reflect our commitment to honesty, honor, integrity, fairness, and compassion.

The most important place for us to look for opportunities to nurture truth is in our personal relationships.

It is so very easy to bend the truth in order to make ourselves be perceived by others in a better light. This is short-sighted.

We make assumptions about the thoughts and actions of our partners, based perhaps on the way they’ve behaved in the past, on our harbored resentments, or on denials and misconceptions about ourselves. This is short-sighted as well.

If we are put off in some way by our partner, it behooves us to engage our partner in dialogue, to communicate our concerns, and to get clarification of motives and actions so that we don’t jump to conclusions, create new resentments and generate more barriers to connection and intimacy.

In summary: In order to rebuild the ethical foundations  of our institutions so that they will stand the test of time and fear, we must rebuild the ethical foundations of our personal relationships.

We must re-infuse our relationships with truth and integrity by communicating verbally, non-verbally, and by our actions a renewed commitment to mutual respect, consideration, empathy, and generosity, with a focus on nurturing peaceful, cooperative solutions to conflicting needs for the greatest good of all concerned.

               When you experienced your problems, you want to give up everything you’ve started – but if you step back and take a look at what you’ve done so far, you would say why can’t you just walk through it? For all the things you have done, why stop it now?

              “BUT”! When you come across a problem, do you have time or feeling or sense to step back and think objectively about your case? No, not all of us can do that, and that’s why we need counseling, we need to let it out – the problems have to be out to be evaluated objectively by others, confidentially (if you like it that way.)

                Telling somebody your own problem does not mean that you’re not as intelligent as your counselor or you cannot deal with your own problems. It does not mean that you’re weak. It means just the opposite. You need to address your problems in order to let everyone else learns from your case and it could help them in some ways in the future.

               People are connected. We need connection, conversation, and inspiration.

                I’ve been thinking of how to be connected with the people like me – to get to know more of them, more of their problems, to get to know that I am not alone. Now I realize that it is time for people of my kind to welcome to my life!

               Before you decided to pull the trigger or attempt to hurt yourself, just e-mail me – tell me your problems. I am not saying that I will definitely save your souls, I am not that special. I just want to know you and your problems and I will decide later what I will say to you.

Le romancier Jonathan Safran Foer vient de faire paraître Eating Animals, un curieux voyage au cœur de notre assiette.

«Et si on allait bruncher à Brooklyn ?». C’était dimanche matin. Comme d’habitude, je m’étais réveillée trop tôt, et je n’avais pas encore ce blog pour me tenir occupée jusqu’au dîner. Notre vol de retour était prévu pour la fin de l’après-midi, on avait amplement le temps. Vegan+Brunch+Brooklyn dans Google. Nous voilà en route pour The V Spot. On nous a proposé une grande table au fond, bien éclairée. Martin a sorti le New York Times. «Tiens, tu vas être contente, c’est le Magazine spécial alimentation». Et c’est à quelques pas de chez lui, en buvant un soy latte que j’allais découvrir Jonathan Safran Foer et Eating Animals.

Ma première impression sur l’extrait paru dans le NYT Magazine (dont je parle ici), c’est qu’enfin, on racontait l’alimentation. Parce que Singer, Pollan et compagnie, ils sont bien articulés, faciles à lire et tout, mais ça reste des essais, des faits. Et Safran Foer, lui, bien sûr, il parle aussi de l’élevage industriel et de la souffrance animale, mais il raconte. Ses souvenirs, ses impressions. Et c’est écrit, bien écrit. Quelques semaines plus tard, quand j’ai lu le livre, c’est la même impression qui est demeurée – ne manquait que le Scrambled Tofu du V Spot et j’aurais pu faire durer le plaisir de ce dimanche matin-là encore une semaine. Réussir à donner du plaisir à lire en écrivant sur les abattoirs, c’est déjà pas mal.

Jonathan Safran Foer a déjà publié deux romans qui ont été assez bien reçus (et que je n’ai pas encore lus), Tout est illuminé, l’histoire d’un jeune juif américain qui part à la recherche de la femme qui a sauvé son grand-père du génocide. Plus récemment, Extrêmement fort et incroyablement près, raconte la quête initiatique d’un jeune new yorkais après le 11 septembre. Bien que ne soit pas un roman, on peut situer Eating Animal comme une autre quête, celle-là à la rencontre de notre rapport à la nourriture. Depuis son enfance, Jonathan Safran Foer a toujours été sensible à la question des animaux qu’on mange et a été végétarien à quelques reprises, avec plus ou moins de conviction, maintenant un régime «inconsistant mais conscient» parfois simplement «pour se rapprocher des poitrines des activistes». Et c’est lorsqu’il est devenu père qu’il s’est demandé, sans doute comme tous les parents, quelles valeurs il souhaitait transmettre à son enfant et comment il allait le nourrir.

Feeding my child is not like feeding myself : it matters more. It matters because food matters (his physical health matters, the pleasure of eating matters), and because the stories that are served with food matter. These stories that are served with food matter. These stories bind our family together, and bind our family to others. Stories about food are stories about us – our history and our values.

Pour écrire Eating Animals, Safran Foer a passé trois ans a enquêter sur nos assiettes. Il a visité des abattoirs, s’est infiltré la nuit dans des poulaillers, a aussi visité des fermes “humaines” et biologiques. Il décrit la réalité avec une réelle objectivité et son récit est remplit de faits vérifiables sur les conséquences de la production industrielle de viande et sur les faiblesses du bio. Des faits qu’on connaît, d’autres qui m’étaient nouveaux. Mais la force d’Eating Animals, c’est justement que ce n’est pas une succession de faits mais bien des faits placés dans un contexte, un récit qui leur donne tout leur sens. Il laisse parler les producteurs, les employés d’abattoirs. Il observe, il observe ses propres réactions, ses doutes, ses peurs. Après avoir visité Paradise Locker Meats, un abattoir familial reconnu pour sa sensibilité aux animaux, il se fait offrir de goûter aux produits de la maison, on lui tend un morceau de porc:

I don’t want to eat it. I wouldn’t want to eat anything right now (…). Maybe there’s nothing wrong with eating it. But something deep inside me – reasonable or unreasonable, aesthetic or ethical, selfish or compassionnate- simply doesn’t want the meat inside my body. For me, the meat is not something to be eaten. And yet, something else deep insde me does want to eat it. I want very much to show Mario my appreciation for his generosity. And I want to tell him that his hard work produces delicious food (…). Nothing -not a conversation, not a handshake or even a hug – establishes friendship more forcefully as eating together. (…) The food – how it tastes, the function it serves- either does or does not justify the process that brings it to the plate.

Et c’est ce processus, longuement étudié, qui l’a amené à conclure que la consommation d’animaux était difficilement justifiable. Mais Eating Animals n’est pas tant un plaidoyer pour le végétarisme qu’un plaidoyer contre l’élevage industriel:

We know at least, this decision (arrêter de consommer de la viande produite industriellement) will help prevent deforestation, curb global warming, reduce pollution, save oil reserves (…) decrease human right abuses, improve public health and eliminate the most systematic animal abuse in world history.  (…) We don’t need the option of buying children’s toys made with lead paint or aerosols with chlorofluocarbons, or medicines with unlabeled side effects. And we don’t need the option of buying factory-farms animals.

Et pour Jonathan Safran Foer, nous sommes tous acteurs de cette histoire. Chacun de nos choix alimentaires a une influence, sur notre vie, sur celle des autres, et sur celle de nos enfants. Maintenant que nous savons, qu’allons-nous faire?

Ressources complémentaires

Eating Animals a un site, qui n’a rien de la finesse du livre, mais qui mérite une visite.

Eating Animals a également reçu une très large couverture de presse et semble avoir contribué à relancer le débat sur l’agriculture industrielle et la production de viande aux États-Unis (on ne compte plus les articles sur un vegan Thanksgiving). On peut consulter le LA Times qui en fait  un bon résumé. On peut aussi lire une critique plutôt intéressante dans le New Yorker et un article qui permet de situer Eating Animals parmi les autres essais sur la question dans le New York Times. Finalement, le Vanity Fair nous permet d’écouter un extrait lu par l’auteur lui-même.

Chez nous, The Globe and Mail en a aussi fait une bonne critique et Christiane Charette en discute avec Sophie Durocher, Stéphanie Bérubé et Jordan Lebel. Mais comme les dindes d’élevage, ça ne vole pas très haut.

HUMBOLDT ST, Brooklyn: Thanksgiving was yesterday. If you have ever wondered what a vegetarian (vegan in my bf’s case) eats on a day basically devoted to eating turkey… here you go:

prepping baby butternut squash for baking…

the spread…

asparagus pan seared with onions and bacos (YES bacos are vegan – soy and engineered bacon flavored chemicals! yum!)

oven roasted acorn squash with a red wine garlic vinaigrette glaze…

baby butternut squash and baked stuffing (stale balthazar bread, onion, green pepper, home grown tomato, garlic, vegetable stock…)

fingerling potatoes, prepared with olive oil, salt and pepper – boneshaker’s infamous fries recipe. served with veganaise of course…

and tofurky! fried deli slices with vegetarian gravy! perfection!

For any of these recipes, please email me – igrewthis@gmail.com

Also check out what the new york times has to say about a vegetarian thanksgiving:
Going Veg for Thanksgiving

Don’t forget about dessert! Stay posted for an in depth post on baking this apple pie:

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Unusually, Paris-based dissident economist, financial pundit and gonzo broadcaster Max Keiser spends much of his latest podcast [mp3] speaking in a faux-MSM accent — discussing subjects as diverse as YouTube comments critical of his voice, “Peak Marijuana”, ice hockey tactics, Anderson Cooper’s reptilian heritage — and even a possibly-sincere endorsement of this blog (!).

Perhaps better known to media-watchers in Europe (PressTV, Russia Today, BBC, and Al-Jazeera), Keiser and Stacy Herbert currently create two half-hour international TV shows and 120-mins of podcasts per week, in addition to other projects and occasional Euro MSM. Recent appearances on France-24 have been explosive, and scored well online — the French producers seem to be having fun picking lettuce-leaf academics for him to debate:

Hard to categorize — he once described himself as a “financial anarchist” — Keiser could possibly be described as a “progressive libertarian” of the sort emerging in the West these days. [A demographic without proper representation: Business-lobby-libertarianism dominates political branding in this area: e.g. Ron Paul, ACT Party NZ, etc.]

The last eighteen months have also seen the dramatic rise of a handful of pundits — let’s call them “The Brat Pack of Doom” — who are marginalized in US MSM for their criticisms of financial propaganda and the financial-political nexus.

[I know, I know: Faber is too old to be a "brat", he and Taibbi aren't shut-out of MSM, and Celente isn't a financial journalist. You could even include other non-financial dissidents like Wester Tarpley or Wayne Madsen.]

Keiser in Amsterdam, 2007, speaking about user-financed
filmmaking and Kinooga — now PirateMyFilm.com

In 2005, a Guardian hack attacked Keiser as “Mad Max” after he teamed up with Zac Goldsmith to “pursue a fantastical scheme for making money by shorting Coca-Cola stock and distributing the proceeds to ‘victims of Coke’s business model in places like India and Cambodia’“. [KarmaBanque.] “What is it about the off-spring of the super rich?” the columnist asks, and suggests a reasonable penalty for class-traitors: “Trial without a jury, no right to silence and an unlimited fine at the end of it.” (This is the Guardian, remember!)

The most inaccurate slur is that Keiser is “anti free market” — as he and his guests frequently attempt to expose market manipulation, and Keiser often speaks to the effect that there is nothing fundamentally wrong with markets as price-finding mechanisms. By contrast, he appears to take umbrage with things like fiat currency, fractional reserves, bankster shenanigans, infinitely-leveraged zero-risk trades, profit-driven ecocide — and what he terms the “casino gulag economy“.

American Policy Center founder Max DeWeese wrote a column attacking Keiser as “a new kind of terrorist”, saying: “Keiser and his ilk hate business and they hate free enterprise and are using these tactics to redistribute wealth and cause chaos in the market place.” (Four years later, such a statement made openly would easily draw the addendum “…just like Goldman Sachs.”)

Says Keiser’s web page, “Karmabanque describes its audience as ‘Activists, Anarchists, and Hedge Funds.’ It’s a stock exchange of sorts, but with a brilliant and maniacal twist: it trades on the strength of boycotts.” To put it in the simplest possible terms, Keiser targets companies that are vulnerable to boycotts, such as Coca Cola, which relies heavily on daily consumer buying. Once the boycott has begun, Keiser tells his minions to buy options on the targeted company’s stock — options betting that the stock price will go down. As the boycott drags down the company’s stock, Keiser and his followers make a quick buck on the options.

Clearly projecting, DeWeese only sees self-interest in Keiser’s activism. Kinda reminds me of St. Augstine’s “City of God” story about Alexander and the Pirate, which goes something like this…

Once upon a time, a famous Pirate Captain was captured by Alexander the Great’s navy, and brought before him — and Alex is all like: “Hey dude, what’s your problem? Why do you think you own the seas?” And the Pirate Captain goes: “Why, the very same reason you lay claim to the entire motherfucking Earth! …I get my conquest on with a little ship, and you call me a “pirate”. But you do it with armies, corporations, banks and bureaucrats — and you’re called Emperor! …I’d like to speak with my legal counsel now.”

MILWAUKEE, USA: Earlier this week, CNN ran a short “Solutions” feature about Will Allen and Growing Power. Watch the video here.

Purpose of CCMC: CCMC has been assembled by Métis citizens, eligible as per the MNBC Citizenship Act, under Article 10 of the MNBC Constitution to ensure MNBC leadership administrative and governance decisions protect the long term sustainability of the MNBC programs and services for all Métis citizens. The coalition is not at this time seeking MNBC political offices and CCMC volunteer Métis citizens, unless persuaded otherwise, will discontinue the CCMC assembly once MNBC leadership addresses the identified issues for all of the Métis citizens in British Columbia. CCMC believes that no Métis citizen should be subject to arbitrary or unlawful interference with their privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to unlawful attacks on their honour or reputation when addressing legitimate concerns. CCMC believes that Métis citizens have the right to information and that MNBC has a fiduciary obligation to be accountable to the Métis citizens in British Columbia.

Who are we: CCMC is an adhoc coalition formed in September of 2009 to address specific concerns expressed by individual Métis citizens which to date have not been addressed by the MNBC pursuant to MNBC governance processes. CCMC is concerned that Métis citizens raising legitimate common sense questions are being met with disrespect and disregard by the MNBC.

Vision Statement: To ensure the Métis Nation British Columbia is accountable and transparent to Métis citizens in British Columbia.

It’s morning. 7am. It’s raining hard outside. Kari has “uteskole” (outdoor school) today. Something hot in a thermos would do well. I make hot chocolate, pour it into the Hannah Montana thermos and put it in Kari’s backpack. She then announces that the bottle is broken and she can’t get the hot chocolate out of it. After some investigation I realize she’s right. I look outside. It’s insane how wet and cold it is. The kid needs a warm drink. What to do? I didn’t have another kid sized thermos because Julia doesn’t drink anything warm… In the back of a kitchen cabinet I find:It’s only about 5 inches tall so it’s a good size for a little kid. It can handle hot liquids. However, it’s metal so it will get burning hot if I put hot chocolate in it. What to do?

A Norwegian saying says: “Nød lærer naken kvinne å spinne” (Need teaches naked woman to weave). I’m married to a man who has taught me to think outside the box. He comes up with the most amazing solutions sometimes. My mind racing I ran upstairs and dove into the leftover-single-sock-drawer. I found a fluffy sock that doesn’t necessarily look like one. So scissor in hand I cut the foot off the sock, pulled it onto the thermos and voilá:

Kari LOVED the purple fluffiness. She didn’t realize it was a sock until she came home from school and found the foot part in the bathroom trash bin, lol.

Pakistan needs a different breed of planners than what the world is producing at the moment. All the discussions on planning forums these days is about the cutting edge;  more specifically technology. I agree that technology has a role to play in our lives but somehow we are getting a bit carried away. No longer are our discussions about how people live their lives or about better understanding the underlying human truths. Pakistan still has a long way to go before we can start adopting the technologies that make life better in the west. From water pumps that can be turned on and off through sms to cattle being traded online during Eid-ul-Adha there are far more important planning topics to be discussed than how technology can make the life of a poor farmer living in Chichawatni better. Rather than looking at the outside world for inspiration and forcing it on our society we need an indigenously developed think tank which operates inside-out. Our problems are unique to us and our society unlike any other. I feel that however much the world creeps towards becoming a global village, the niches, the differences would never cease to exist. However much our future converges towards a single race, we can never take away the differences of our past, our unique history which still identifies our DNA, something embedded deep within our soul never to be taken away from us.

As planners, if we look back, we have very little to work with in terms of things that we can call our very own. There is very little research to go around and not enough studies done to understand our consumer, his/her motivations, likes and dislikes. Whatever little that there is available is mostly true for the urban customer reflecting more often than not, the personal experiences of the planner himself. Nevertheless, all is not lost, there are still brands out there who invest in figuring out the changing needs and lifestyles of their customers. From pearl dust mapping out the regional sindhi customer to PTC, nailing the consumer profile for gold flake, it is these people who can bring about a planning revolution in Pakistan. If only, they can be inspired to gather on a single forum and present their customer to the planning community in the most vivid picture possible.

I wanted to display just the year of a DateTime column of SharePoint. I created a calculated column and set the formula to Year([MyDateTimeColumn]). The result I got was 2,009 ; 2,008 etc. which offcourse incorrect for year. After searching through internet, I found a good article solved my problem.

The correct formula is TEXT(YEAR([MyDateTimeColumn]),”000″)

I recently took up belly dancing – I’m not any good at it, and I completely love it. Most of you don’t know me very well, but believe me when I say; this is out of character for me. When my friends and family learn that I am belly dancing – the response is a weak smile and a quizzical look. Am I going through a mid-life crisis? Maybe, but that’s another article. What I have come to realize is that belly dancing is a metaphor for life.

Shimmy!

In order to shimmy in belly dance, you have to allow your legs to work like little pistons. You start by moving them with your intellect. Up, down, up, down, faster, faster. But, at some point, your brain cannot move as fast as your legs need to go. You have to let go of the brain and let your muscles take over. Much like roller skating or riding a bicycle. In life we do this too. We finally have to let our intuition take over. We have to trust ourselves. Where can you let go of intellect and allow intuition to take over today? Shimmy!

Undulate

Okay, the hardest thing for me about belly dancing is finding (never mind controlling) those tiny abdominal muscles that were not only stretched to their limit during three pregnancies, but have not been significantly used since. My instructor is endlessly patient, as I try to identify the muscle at the very top of my abdomen, up under my chest bone. Once I do that, she tells me, I will be able to work on rippling my muscles downward. HA! Then we will work on what the hips do during this process. HA HA! When I look in the mirror at my awkward attempts to tighten and loosen my muscles at will, I find myself either embarrassed or on the edge of hysteria. But here’s the interesting part – I am actually learning something new. I’m not used to this. Most of the time, I am doing things I am either competent at, or expert. Even if I am learning, I am learning something for which I have a natural talent. There is a letting go that is required when we do something we are not already good at. This is a muscle I am strengthening, along with that little muscle between ribs 2 and 3.

Twist

There are many twists and turns in belly dance. Where can you create a twist for yourself? What is something you can do that is out of character for you? How might you stretch and grow? Where would it lead? Who might you meet? Maybe you would just have some fun? How cool is that?

Maybe coaching would help you find that twist or undulation in life? If you want to learn more about it, contact me at tenzer@lifeworks4ucoaching.

Shimmying in Los Angeles…