Jordan's Blogarama

My Response to the VOCM Poll "The federal opposition parties say they will topple the Harper Government over its' economic update."

2008-11-29T06:04:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone, here is my response to the VOCM Poll titled " The federal opposition parties say they will topple the Harper Government over its' economic update. Do you think they should? Why or why not?"

Link: http://www.vocm.com/survey.asp

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" Bill, to be clear, the conservative do not hold a majority of seats. (This is why the Conservatives are in a minority government) The Conservatives simply have a plurality of seats (the most of any parties, but less than when you add the seats of all 3 opposition parties plus the 2 independent MPs)

Just thought i'd clarify that.... As a result, if the Liberals head a coalition with the NDP having some Cabinet positions, and the Bloc props it up, they would have 10-12 more seats combined than the Conservatives.

That is one of the effects of ABC in this province. If harper had won every seat in Newfoundland and Labrador, he'd have a majority right now. Why? Because when you subtract 7 seats from the opposition (165-7=158) and then add 7 seats unto government side (143+7=150) you've just narrowed the gap from 22 seats in the difference to a 8 seat total in the difference.

In other words if that had happened, Harper would only have needed to convince 9 opposition MPs to cross the floor, in order to get a majority.

But because of the effectives of ABC in NL, there is no way Harper will be able to get 23 opposition MPs to cross the floor at the same time to give him a majority.... In other words, this opposition coalition government could be fact be quite stable.

For example, the 3 opposition parties created an amended "Clean Air Act" in committee, which could be re-introduced as it was beefed up by all 3 opposition parties in committee, and pass one of the most comprehensive pieces of environmental legislation swiftly...."

The Real News Network

2008-11-21T17:18:00.000-08:00

This is a video called "The West Owes Afghanistan", which can be viewed at

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They're basically a non-profit, donation driven news network, being independent of corporations, lobbyists, or the government

My Comments on Ryan Cleary's Campaign Blog Entry: "

2008-10-18T20:48:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
having worked on Greg Byrne's campaign (he was the Newfoundland and Labrador First Party Candidate in the Federal District of St.John's South Mount Pearl in the 2008 Federal Election) as Campaign Manager and Official Agent, I find myself sympathizing with Ryan Cleary's statements that working on a campaign that can one of the most difficult, yet rewarding jobs/tasks someone can take on. (Of course, social workers, nurses, manual labour jobs,etc... definitely match, if not outstripe the amount of work, time, and energy, compared to campaigning... But ya, it would make for an interesting case to make).

As you may be aware, the 2008 Federal Election Results in the Federal District of SJS-MP (as MP-elect Siobhan Coady likes to call the district of St.John's South-Mount Pearl likes to call it) are as follows (Source: Introductory page of http://www.votecoady.ca)

Liberals [Siobhan Coady]: 14,930 votes

NDP [Ryan Cleary]: 13,883 votes

Conservatives [Merv Wiseman]: 4,324 votes

Greens [Ted Warren]: 643 votes

NLF (Newfoundland and Labrador First) Party [Greg Byrne]: 485 votes

Independent [Terry Butler]: 179 votes

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Either way, I must say that the quality and credentials of all 6 candidates who run in this riding were stellar. With the exception of the Independent Candidate Terry Butler, I got to speak to each of the candidate in this riding at least once in person. This mostly occured at venues such as the NDP Town Hall on September 15th 2008, and CFS-NL (Canadian Federation of Students- Newfoundland and Labrador) Candidates Debate (October 9th 2008).

That being said, I found Ryan Cleary's Campaign Blog ( http://www.ryanclearyndp.ca/blog/ ) to be quite remarkable. Below, you can find the comments I posted on his blog entry titled "51st State" (Posted October 1st,2008---> I'll verify that)

" Hello Mr.Cleary,
all I can say is Wow! Glad to see that more prospective politicians are using use of blogs. I believe Garth Turner, former Conservative-turned Independent-turned Liberal MP has one at http://www.garth.ca

As a Social Work Student in my 3rd year out of a 5-year Bachelor of Social Work program, i'm glad to see a politician who's using a blog to not only campaign for change, but to educate the public about the massive inequalities that exist within our society.

From my conversation with you after the NDP Town Hall on roughly September 15th,2008, before, and just after the CFS-NL (Canadian Federation of Students- Newfoundland and Labrador) debate, I can see that you're a "Fighting Newfoundlander [and Labradorian]". I must say, the fact you were able to come within 950 votes of becoming the NDP MP for St.John's South-Mount Pearl is rather remarkable.

This is especially so, considering the fact that this is Siobhan Coady's 3rd-time running. So ya, here's to hoping that she takes note of the observations you've made on your blog, in the debates, and through the campaign lecture. Even though I ended up working on Greg Byrne's Newfoundland and Labrador First Party MP candidacy, I must say that I saw yourself and Siobhan as being the main contenders.

That being said, other candidates such as Mr.Wiseman, Mr.Warren, and Mr.Butler did raise important issues on the campaign trail. I'm sure all the candidates running in this district did so, because they have a vision of how they'd like to see politics change. I remember Mr.Wiseman telling me how difficult it is for local farmers and fishermen to make a living, given the fact that 90% of the food consumed in this province is imported. (A great portion of which is done through Marine Atlantic).

He told me that more money needs to be spent on developing sustainable fisheries and agriculture. I also spoke with Mr.Warren after the CFS-NL Debate, and he told me how shocked people were that he campaigned on a bicycle. I had mentioned the shock Greg said he saw in people's faces when he campaigned on a Metrobus Route or two that passes through the riding! The issue of social, economic, and environmental sustainability is key, and groups like FEAST (Food Education and Security St.John's) could tell you all about that.

Either way, here's to hoping you decide to maintain a blog, even after the Election Campaign is over! Also, best of luck on any future career you pursue, be it in politics, journalism, or otherwise.

Sincerely,
Jordan Lester"
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Another memorable moment in the campaign was when I was out one Sunday dropping off Greg Byrne (NL First Party) brochures in every 3rd mailbox or so from Hopeall Street, down part of Canada Drive, on Markland Street, and part of Frecker Drive, was this:

While I was doing so, I noticed two Siobhan Coady canvassers just across the road. Not thinking too much of it at first, I went on with the campaigning. However at one point, I decided to cross the road, in order to put a brochure in the sme mailbox two of Ms.Coady's campaign workers had just visited. About a minute ago, I walked over to introduce myself as they were exiting the ladder-like front porch (no joke, the porch was 3-4 feet off the ground, connected to the sidewalk by a 10-15 foot ladder-like wooden plank bridge with guard rails).

The dialogue went something like this:

' Myself (Jordan Lester): "Hi, how's the campaign going?"

[Siobhan Coady]Campaign worker(s): "Oh hi.... (confused look)So who's campaign are you working on?"

Myself:"I'm actually working on the campaign for the Newfoundland and Labrador First Party candidate in this riding."

[Siobhan Coady]Campaign worker(s): And who would that be?

Myself: That would be Greg Byrne.... i'm actualy his campaign manager

SCCW's: Ah, so you must be doing what we're doing...... going door-to-door [on his behalf], that is]

Myself: Ya, I must say, it's not every election that have you 6 candidates running in a riding. It certainly makes things more interesting (they nod in agreement)

SCCW's: (look of surprise) Would you mind if you give me a copy of one of his brochures? (I give him one) Because honestly, i've never seen one of his brochures before. This will help give me an idea of what he stands for, as his brochure is the only one [running in this district] that we don't have.

Myself: Sure thing, I mean it's only fair that you know what he's running on. After all, things such as this help keep politicians and prospective politicians honest.... Would you mind if I exchange this [NL First Party] brochure for a Siobhan Coady one? Although i've seen some of her brochures before, it'd be nice to see if she's added any new details in her new ones....

SCCW's: Either way, we need to get back to campaigning....

Myself: Same here...

SCCW's: It was nice talking with you, and seeing Greg's Brochure. Either way, good luck on the campaign

Myself: The Same to you....

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When time permits, i'll have more to write about the 2008 Federal Election in general, but these were the SJS-MP (St.John's South-Mount Pearl) highlights!

My response to the CBC story " 'Loser' Layton laughs off NDP candidate's prior critiques

2008-09-12T12:44:00.000-07:00

So here are my comments."I also was that that Town Hall Meeting. There must have been at least 100 MUN (Memorial University of Newfoundland) student there's, ranging from Polsc (political science) students to student leaders, Social Work students (me),etc... Jack Layton came across as a charismatic, informed, humourous, and visionary leader. The guy nailed the issue of how developments like Hebron are going to make it harder for working families to get affordable housing.

In addition, current Affordable Housing funding expires in March of 2009. So unless something is done soon by the new Federal Government, you could see large numbers of people losing their homes. In other words, they'll have a job, but not a house. When I asked him about introducing a National Poverty Reduction Strategy, based on the Quebec and NL models, he said and I quote, "The short answer is yes, and i'll be making an announcement tomorrow in Toronto about that, and the details, so stay tuned'! (the Town Hall lasted from 12:30-1:30p.m)"

After this, I watched as Ryan Cleary (former Editor of the NL [nationalist] weekly The Independent, and nominated NDP St.John's South- Mount Pearl Federal Candidate), Jack Harris (the former MP for St.John's East, former Provincial NDP leader for almost 16 years,etc..), and Jack Layton (Leader of the Federal NDP, whose home riding is in Toronto-Danforth, and who is the first NDP Leader to have been born in Quebec... Guelph, Quebec to be exact!) take part in a press conference.

There, not only was Cleary criticized for previous comments, but some of the national media were accusing him of being a separatist, a nationalist,etc... He basically explained that he believes the province of NL has and isn't getting a far cry, and I quote "It's time the people of Newfoundland and Labrador woke up, and realized we're not getting a Fair Deal. We have to work within Canada to reform the Reform, because right now, it's just not working!" (this is an approximation as it occured about 4-5 hours ago!) He had said this when asked why his position from being a Nationalist who might want NL to separate from Canada (around January 1st,2 006, the reporter claimed) to a soft nationalist (when he won the nomination last Thursday). He replyed: "I make no apologies for the comments i've made in the past as a journalist. I said what I said at the time because I believe it's time for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador to wake up, and realize we're not getting a Fair Deal. But rather than getting out, we've first got to get in. I'm a proud Canadian, but we need to press for reform within the system."

In a nutshell, he (being Danny Cleary) looks like the best chance for a NL soft nationalist/reformist MP within a national party, being second only to a Newfoundland and Labrador First Party St.John's South-Mount Pearl candidate!

I also spoke with him about working on his campaign in the district, but only on the condition that he realizes it's because the NL First Party doesn't have a candidate in St.John's South-Mount Pearl at the moment. Should that change, I make it clear to him I would need to shift my support to that other candidate. I suggested that hosting a Town Hall meeting in St. Matthews Elementary School would be a viable way to press his case for reform within the Canadian system, since all three major parties used that school to host a Town Hall on Education issues(i.e. Establishing a West End High School) during the 2007 NL Provincial Election Campaign.

He seemed to like the idea, and said he'd get in touch with me again. (Hint: This campaign manager is Ivan Morgan, the former Columinist for the NL Weekly "The Independent", and with Ryan Cleary serving as his editor). Before the start of the Town Hall, Ivan Morgan told me about how 'in journalism, you're not going to be popular. The key thing is that you keep writing....' When I mentioned my interest in The Muse (MUN newspaper), he said, "don't just think about it, do it. To be honest, that's where I started out! So if you're passionate about it, go for it!" (Time permitting of course, since i've already got alot on my plate).

In addition to this, I have 5-6 30-second audio clips of what 1. Jack Layton said about Honouring the Atlantic Accord, and Ryan Cleary's responses to (a) accusations he was a separatist, (b) that he was only running because he needed a job given the dissolution of "The Independent",etc... Either way, that and so much more coming soon!

Also, i'll be heading out to the OLP (Our Lady Peace) concert tonight at Mile One Centre, where i'll be taking 30-second videos and photos (I hope Anne gets to see them on Facebook)! So once I get the chance, i'll be uploading that all as well.

If you're looking for more readings about the Federal Election, check out the following:

1. "'Loser' Layton laughs off NDP candidate's prior critiques (CBC News, Friday, September 12th 2008)

Link: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2008/09/12/layton-cleary.html?Authorized=1&AuthenticationKey=1_34_7760cfbd-c4d6-4ab2-aceb-63e3e6d2f4fd.pakhplgbjmkljl]

2. "Hey, 'losers'! Journalists-turned-candidates haunted by political critiques (Wednesday, September 10th 2008:CBC)

Link: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2008/09/10/journalist-politicians.html

3. "Journalist wins over NDP supporters for St. John's South nod " (Thrusday, September 11th,2008:CBC)

Link: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2008/09/11/cleary-ndp.html

NDP Petition I Support: "Stop the text message cash-grab"

2008-07-08T15:50:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone, there is the Petition I support... "Stop the text message cash-grab"...

2008-07-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

" Federal apology will ring hollow: Labrador Inuit " -CBC News

2008-06-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I was shocked to learn that not only are the Labrador Innu not recognized as Aboriginals and First Nations, they aren't recognized. Plus, since the school in Central and Northern Labrador was run by the Roman Catholic Church of Canada, with the consent of Premier Joey Smallwood (according to a documentary I saw in Scwrk. class), then Premier Williams will need to be pressured to start an NL Provincial "Truth and Reconcilation Commission".

Why is that? See this CBC Story- " Federal apology will ring hollow: Labrador Inuit
Last Updated: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 | 9:06 AM NT Comments16Recommend17CBC News"

Link: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2008/06/11/labrador-apology.html

Here are the comments I posted on the article:

" In order for the Labrador Inuit to get healing, the Roman Catholic Church of Canada will need to apologize. Why? Because the Provincial Gov't under Joey Smallwood gave the Roman Catholic Church permission to open up schools not only in Central Labrador, but also Davis Inlet. Sounds like it's time to demand Premier Williams set up his own "Truth and Reconcilation Commission", but on a provincial level!"
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(june 12/11th 2008)

This is my response to the story " PM cites 'sad chapter' in apology for residential schools " found on CBC News at the following

link: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/06/11/aboriginal-apology.html?Authorized=1&AuthenticationKey=1_3_96371ce8-b5e0-42d9-a1e0-7f7265fd7e95.8041751

' This statement isn't correct. There were Residential Schools in North-West River, Labrador, and in Davis Inlet. Unlike other provinces, when NL (Newfoundland and Labrador) joined Canada, the provincial gov't remained responsible for the administration of such schools, with the Roman Catholic Church actively administering them, with the sanction of the provincial government. As a result, an formal apology (in the same spirit as Mr.Harper's) must be made, as the Labrador Innu are the only group to've not received an apology now.

My evidence? " Inuit React to PM's Apology
June 12, 2008"- VOCM News

Link: http://www.vocm.com/news-info.asp?id=29317

The Labrador Innu Leader said they feel more excluded than ever, since they've yet to be acknowledged for what they've gone through, so it rings hollow from them until the provincial gov't issues a similar apology. Why? Because Premier Williams only apologized for the 2 aboriginal resettlement programs that Premier Joey Smallwood did in the 1950's, NOT what came after that!'

"Your Interview: Truth and Reconcilation Commission"

2008-06-11T07:40:00.000-07:00

Here are my comments on "The Truth and Reconcilation Commission"( Comments (10)
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 | 11:05 AM ET) (Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourinterview/2008/05/truth_and_reconciliation_commi.html )

Original segment of the article.... ' The Canadian government recently announced that Justice Harry LaForme would lead a federal commission that will dig through and hear personal stories from survivors of the residential school system.

The five-year commission will give voice to victims and take steps towards healing for those who suffered through the schools' systemic abuse.

On Thursday, May 8 Justice LaForme took your questions on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Read his answers below.'

Comments leading up to my own...

(1) " Garnet Angeconeb

Reconciliation is a process that is ongoing in terms of making lasting social change. Once the mandate of the TRC is over, what measures will be place to ensure the process of reconiliation continues?

Justice LaForme: In general terms, the work of the TRC includes deciding or making recommendations regarding this important issue. Of course reconciliation is only possible if there is a collective desire to do so. At the least, it will include education (e.g. a rewriting of the history of Canada ); perhaps some form of research/commemoration facility; and continued healing.

In the end, we expect that the answer to this question will flow from the truth and reconciliation process itself."....(Source: cbc.ca)

(There are 9 others, but I won't post them, in order to avoid copyright infringement

' " It has been mentioned that New Brunswick, P.E.I., and Newfoundland and Labrador weren't part of the Federally Funded "Residental Schools Program". I had remembered learning in a Social Work Documentary that the program in NL was run by the Roman Catholic Church, especially in Davis Inlet and Sheshasiu. In what way did the NL (Newfoundland and Labrador) program vary from those in provinces such as Alberta and BC?"

My comments on "[CBC News'] IN DEPTH: Truth and ReconciliationFAQs: Aboriginal Truth and Reconciliation Commission FAQs about the federal commission"

2008-06-10T18:16:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, here are on comments on... http://www.cbcnews.ca " IN DEPTH:
Truth and Reconciliation
FAQs: Aboriginal Truth and Reconciliation Commission
FAQs about the federal commission on aboriginal residential schools in Canada
Last Updated: Friday, May 16, 2008 | 11:34 AM ET Comments17Recommend19CBC News "

(Original Story Link: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/05/16/f-faqs-truth-reconciliation.html )

These comments were posted in response to those made by CarolLois

" The mandate of the TRC is already troubling enough - it has no power to subpoena, to lay criminal charges, to bring perpetrators to justice - but recently extra rules were added:

1. No-one giving their testimony to the TRC is allowed to name the names of perpetrators, or any staff member at a residential school.

2. Any statement given before the TRC is owned by them, ie, survivors' testimonies becomes copyrighted and controlled by the government.

3. No-one can use anything given to the TRC in a lawsuit or any action against the government or the churches.

These three rules alone mean that the TRC actively undermines the rights of residential school survivors, and effectively silences them. The TRC is in fact one huge legal gag order on the survivors."

CarolLois, before you go judging the Commission, consider this. Did it ever occur to you that the only way for the wounds of the systematic abuse and genocide of Aboriginals in Residential Schools is to do so in a way sensitive to Aboriginal culture. Aboriginals have a history of 'Healing Circles', where everyone approaches as equals, and can speak freely. It's only in setting up the Commission this way that not only will Aboriginals have a chance to mourn publicly, to expose what happened,etc..., but to showcase the 'restorative justice' model that Aboriginal perfected.

If us North Americans and Canadians took the time to respect the unique values, aspirations, and goals of First Nations people and other National Minorities in Canada, Canada wouldn't be as divided as it is today. The biggest flaw of Canadian Federalism is its excessive centralism. I may disagree with PM Harper on alot of things, but on that point I agree.

Now's the time to give Aboriginals the self-government, Aboriginal Charter (see Nunaviasut, a self-governing Innu Territory in Northern Labrador and Quebec, consisting of 1-2 million Innu), etc... If people would stop seeing things from a 'Euro-centric/ neo-Euro-centric' view, injustice in North America would be greatly diminished.'
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3-4 Weeks ago, I was glad to attend the 2nd Annual "[MUN] Aboriginal Solidarity Breakfast", in conjunction with the National Aboriginal Day of Action.

Here are the highlights:

1. Melissa Penney, MUNSU (MUN Student Union) Director of Campaigns spoke out about her experiences as an Aboriginal. (She was formerly the MUNSU Aboriginal Rep., and became the only woman to be elected in the 2008 MUNSU General Election out of the 5 Director Positions)

2. Yvonne Jones, NL (Newfoundland and Labrador) Leader of her Majesty's Royal Loyal Opposition. Not only did he detail the failure of Previous and Current Provincial and Federal Governments to deal with Aboriginal Issues concerning Land Claims, she explained the plight of the Labrador Innu, even referring to the injustices of Davis Inlet. (Patty Pottle later pointed out not only is Ms.Jones the first woman leader of a provincial political party in NL, but also the first Aboriginal Woman Leader of a provincial political party.)

3. Patty Pottle, Provincial Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, spoke about the accomplishment of the Williams Gov't since 2003 on Aboriginal issues". She revealed that she is the First Innu Woman to be included in a Provincial Cabinet, and explained her business expertise in Hopedale, NL (Labrador), her place of birth

(a) The 2005 Innu Land Claims Agreement, thereby creating Nunaviasut (Innu for "our land") in Northern Labrador and Quebec,a self-governing region of 1-2 million Innu, and a smaller number of other Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal groups)

(b) Investing in Restorative Justice Initiatives

(c) Dealing with Metis Hunting and Fishing Rights,etc...

(I got the impression that Ms.Jones and Ms.Pottle, despite being on opposite sides of the House of Assembly, respect each other not only as fellow NLers, but also as fellow Aboriginal Women)

4. The Aboriginal Solidarity Breakfast, featuring:

(a) Fish cakes (it had peas, fish, rice,all within a bread shell. By far the best fish i've ever eaten!)

and other great meals

5. The Aboriginal Thought-singing, and Dances

(a) The Thought-singing was amazing, with Innu (and some Metis?) men and women (some in Traditional wear, others in urban wear) performed together. Although I couldn't understand the lyrics, they first sang "The Ode to Labrador" in English, and then sang it in Inuktatut (I apologize if I spelt it wrong!). They also performed songs about love, work,etc... During most of the songs, the singers burst into laughter at the end. In fact, they had to sing some songs 2-3 times, due to spontaneous laughter of their own making breaking their focus. They must really love their culture, and it certaintly was breath-taking

(b) the Drum dancers... Some in traditional wear, and others in urban wear, used plastic drums, with caribou hids (or was it musk-ox hides) to drum the beat. Not only did they move in unison,but they moved the drum was as much art as a batton. In fact, they even had drum solos, with one woman averaging 5-6 beats a second at maximum speed.

Overall, I left 2-4 weeks ago at 9:30a.m (it started at 7:45a.m, but the ceremonies didn't start until 8:30a.m... I guess they weren't expecting such a large turnout rate!) with a new appreciation for Innu culture, having left the CEGEP de Trois-Riviere,Quebec (Explore Programe) bursary 3 summers ago with the same feeling. I recently felt the same way after attending a fundraiser for the MUN IIA (MUN International Indian Association), where tickets were 10$ for students, and 15$ for adults.(It was located @ the Hindu Temple on the East End of St.John's... I didn't know St.John's had such a temple with 600 members, until this past sunday!) What did we do? We got to eat a 'West Bengali'-style meal, heard the organizers speak about the expansion to the only School for children with Disabilities in Herora, India (it's about 16km from Calcutta, India, made famous by Mother Theresa's work). Having started as a one-floor, three room school with 25-35 students, it is currently being turned into a two-story building, which can will be able to accept 30-60 new students.

Not only will they learn to read and write, but they'll learn vocations such as carpentry, farming, construction,etc..., allowing them to live a more independent and/or interdependent lifestyle. Having been conditionally accepted into the MUN School of Social Work, this is becoming an amazing summer!

The John Manley report: my initial response to the media coverage, skimmed over the intro. of the report and 1-2 blogs on it....

2008-01-23T08:52:00.001-08:00

Here is the response I posted on the website URL:

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=33178934&postID=8238926825245363249

Or if you'd prefer to track it down yourself, see "Blogger: the Scott Ross".... URL:
http://thescottross.blogspot.com/

(see the ' Tuesday, January 22, 2008
The Manley Panel Plagiarized, And Possibly Lied' )

" Hello Scott Ross, this is a pretty serious accusation you've brought up here.... I think what it shows is that this report CANNOT be taken at face-value: it needs to be analyzed [further]

I honestly think that the findings of "The John Manley Report" on Afghanistan should be submitted to the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and/or the House of Commons Committee on Foreign Affairs for further analysis.

From what i've read of this report and having glanced at its introduction, i'm unsure where to stand on it. At best, the report will help clarify the history of Afghanistan, corruption in the governance of both the former Taliban government AND the current government of Afghan President Karzi, with some clarification of where Canada should go!

At worst, this report is simply another attempt to use a former Liberal Foreign Affairs minister as a tool to play him against the current position of the Federal Liberals under Stephanie Dion.

Either way, only the combination of public scrutiny, Senate and House of Commons committee studies, a full debate in the House of Commons (and then the Senate) on this matter will even begin to do true justice to what Canada needs to do (or not do) to do what is in the best interests of Afghans, Canadians, and the world community. [And in hindsight, I should've added, and what is in the best interest of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians serving in Afghanistan, who know much more about the mission than we do!]

In closing, the trouble of Afghanistan is part of the trouble of both globalization and the after-math of the Cold War: do we simply stay in Afghanistan until we deem it as stable (as the current Conservative and former Liberals said), respect the sovereignty of the current Afghan government by ending the combat mission in February 2009 and focus on reconstruction, aid, and development (as the current Liberals, and the 2nd choice position of the federal NDP and Bloc), or do we withdraw from Afghanistan altogether now or in 2009? (the 1st choice of both the Federal Bloc and NDP|)

The Need for a Two State Solution... and a helpful sermon I found on this topic!

2008-01-17T05:21:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, with the likes of the US and others is underway.... With any hope, they'll advocate a 'Two-state solution' which ensures a just homeland for the State of Israel (and Jews), while at the same time giving Palestinians the homeland that should be a gift to them in the name of Biblical (and social) justice.

Here's an article on found on Sojourners, which was written by a Christian Jew on this topic. (It deals with how incorrect biblical interpretation have been used to deny the Palestinians justice by some of the most Conservative Christians, and a better alternative to that!)

Link: http://blog.beliefnet.com/godspolitics/2008/01/how-should-christians-relate-t.html

Anyways, I hope this helps create a new dialogue on the Palestinian-Israel conflict!

A much needed update on my life..... my mother's dealings with 2 Cancer Tumours in her brain and much more!

2007-12-17T15:47:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, i'm terribly sorry for neglecting my personal blog so much: things have been pretty hectic lately. Between exams, projects, and many other tasks, it's been hard to make the time to keep this blog up to date. anyways, here's an excerpt from an update I gave to one of my friends that sums things up pretty good......

"By the way, my mother is doing much better now, having been able to go back to work in March/April/ May2007 and all.... However when she was on a trip to Australia with my Step-dad, during her 5th week, she had to go to the nearest Australian Hospital. The result? They discovered she had 2 Cancer Tumuours in her brain. But fortunately, they were able to stabilize the cancer while she was in Australia.

Upon arriving home in St.John's, she has to be rushed to the Health Sciences to get an MRI done... and this past Friday, she had both Cancer Tumours removed.. However, she still needs to get radiation done tomorrow, in order to ward off any cancer that may be undetected.

On a more random note, my mom converted to Roman Catholicism, after some experiences she had with "Our Lady of Fatima", during the early days of her cancer.... So ya, God has made her faith grow tenfold in the last year or so! I'm terribly sorry to have neglected my personal blog, but things have been going pretty fast lately."

On a more personal note, i've struggled with loneliness lately, seeing as i've been single since May 2007 and all. Despite having crushes on quite a few girls I know (and even trying to ask some to spend more time with me), my love life doesn't seem to be really going anywhere. Even though I aim to trust God in these things, I really have my doubts sometimes as to whether i'll ever find someone who'll ever want to go out with me! Sometimes I feel like i'm on the verge of giving up on 'more than friends' relationships all together!

Other than that, I really need to get back to reading the Bible more often, and praying more. I reject having spent too much time socializing this semester, and not enough time volunteering and studying.... But hey, i'm not alone in feeling alone sometimes, but I realize that university can be a pretty ambivalent place: both a place full of memories of new friendships, learning,etc... But large universities can seem impersonal and distant sometimes. Were it not for smaller groups like MUNCF (MUN Christian Fellowship), MUN Rights and Democracy and other groups, it'd be easy to become anti-social in university.

It can be so easy to just let our frustrations with this life get us down, but I was uplifted by a message I heard at Pathway Community Church in Mt. Pearl this past sunday. The message was about Joseph, the wife of Mary in Jesus' time. It is written that Mary became pregnant with Jesus by means of the Holy Spirit, as was prophesized in the Old Testament. Despite being a man of God, Joseph struggled between earthly feelings (wondering who get her pregnant, wanting to secreting divorce her, feeling she betrayed him, she's as they were engaged). But instead of allowing Mary to be stoned to death (the punishment for pre-martial sex and pregnancy in Jesus' time), Joseph was visited by an Angel of the Lord. As a result, he realized that Mary had done no wrong, and this was all part of his plan.

In the message given by the Pastor at Pathway, they pointed out several points...

(the following is a reposting of the message given at Pathway)

" The Courage of Joseph... Matthew 1:18-25

1. Joseph was a Man of Moral Courage

a. Joseph was an ordinary man

b. Joseph lived a morally upright life (Matthew 1:18-19)

Joseph was a man of morals, integrity, and God-fearing love

2. Joseph was a man of manly Courage

a. Joseph courageously restrained his anger and treated Mary with love

b. Joseph resisted societal pressure ( Instead of allowing Mary to be stoned to death, which is what societal custom caleld for, he'd planned on divorcing her in private. But after a visit from an angel of the Lord, he realized that a virgin birth was to fulfill the prophecies of old given by the prophets in the Old Testament. Despite the trials and temptations, he trusted God and helped raise the Son of God during his time on Earth!)

c. Joseph obeyed God and took Mary home to be his wife (Matthew 1:20-25)

d. Joseph courageously protected Mary and the child whenever his life was in danger (Matthew 2:13-23) ( Joseph had to go against everything he was taught by his culture)

() When you say yes to God, you never know the magnitude of what God is asking you to do.

Principles to Learn:

I. Courage is required when we most need it.

II. Courage is cultiavted by learning that God can help us overcome anything.

III. Children need Courageous Dads!

IV. Wives Long for Courageous Husbands!"

Other than that, i'm just amazed at what God is able to do with 'Average Joe' people sometimes. I guess we all just need to remember that it's not about whether God can use ordinary people. but it's whether we're willing to trust that God is capable of doing extraordinary things with ordinary people who humbly serve Him, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. And of course, thanks to Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection on our behalf!

My response to the VOCM question 'Should government do more to make living conditions more affordable for seniors? If so, how?

2007-11-09T15:17:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, here's my response to the following question,'Should government do more to make living conditions more affordable for seniors? If so, how?
(I start by quoting Diego...) (Can be found at http://www.vocm.com/survey.asp?comments=1 )
Question Date: 11/12/2007
Total Votes: [1241]': " Date: 11/9/2007
Name: Diego kinda has a point (somewhat)
Comments:
Yes, I think seniors should have better care and better living conditions, in reality it's going to be us one day, and they shouldnt have to fight tooth and nail to get some support. I wouldn't go as far as saying seniors are lazy but as you get older your body becomes more frail and your limited to what you can do, so I guess the old saying "once an adult twice a child" is really true. I do agree with Diego though when he says about keeping the criminals comfortable, enough is enough, you're in jail not the spa...they have warm beds, 3 meals and top of the line facilities, CUT IT OUT, Yes feed 'em but don't go out of the way to provide leisure activities, they could do all of that if they were civil. As for social assistance, I believe that you should be made every 90 days to provide to your case worker that you have searched for work, i.e, put out resumes and went for interviews and whether or not you were sucessful in finding employment(have employers fill out forms) and in all reality social assistnance should have collected a resume from all who is on Assistance (welfare)go to all employers and say when you have an opening coming let me know and i will forward you appropriate resumes for screening for possible job interviews and employment."

Hey Diego, even though I appreciate the fact that you're trying to build on this dialogue, I have a few concerns to raise. First of all, you suggested that we cut services to in-mates, in favour of seniors. Under this assumption, you're assuming that "getting tough on crime" will solve everything. But in fact, for Youth Criminals, such an approach will not only harm them but also their development.

Studies used in the MUN Child Development II Psychology course point out that if young people don't become attached to a caregiver, they won't develop properly. In other words, such an idea of "getting tough on crime" would have to focus more on rehabilitation for young people, seeing as the way society negatively views teenagers is what leads to some losing a sense of community. Once that happens, they may hang out with the wrong crowd, leading to a life of crime.Once in jail, these young people lose many of the few community connections they have, making them more likely to re-offend! But to fix this, let's follow Andy Wells' example. When a 18/19 year old was on summary convinction for Vandalism, Andy Wells proposed an alternative to spend 6 months in jail: get him to clean up the graffiti himself, and put him on a "Working Graffitti Prevention Team". In this way, he's now meaningly employed by the city, righted his wrong, and can help the city be more proactive in tackling the issues of inequality that often lead young people into a life of crime, be it petty or serious!"-Creative and Energetic Youth (my code name!)

Regar

NDP MP Bill Blaikie's NDP Faith and Justice Caucus Address at the NDP Convention Quebec City September 9, 2006,and the Religious Left/Centre in Canada

2007-11-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, after having gone to a joint service at MUN held by the MUNCF (MUN Christian Fellowship ; Link: http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~muncf/ ), Chi Alpha ( a Pentecoastal Christian group on campus, ; link: http://chialpha.ca/links.htm ), and the SSAF (The Salvation Army Christian group on campus) all had a joint worship service from 7:30-9/10/15/30p.m. I really got into the worship and all, and it was great to have 3 Christian groups on campus worship together this semester, instead of just separately.

The event itself consisted of the following:
1. Worship Time (songs which Chi Alpha was able to access, which were copyrighted for their use)

2. The testimony of the past President of the MUNCF on God's saving grace during his time at a Christian school in Northern Pakistain in 2002. Extremism had begun to spread in Northern Pakistan, with the events of 9/11 having occured a year earlier. Essentially, 6 terrorists charged into that school and kied 6 security guards. Yet thankly, the children (including him) were spared. Amazing how things work. The Reading was Isaiah 44, I believe

3. A Female Salvation Army Pastor, originally from Lethbridge, Alberta, spoke about how to share the faith. She read from Acts 13/14: 12-45, about the Apostle Paul's witness to a Greek City in the 1st Century. He noticed 1000's of idols there, one of which was an idol "to the God we don't know." She explained that this was a way for the Greek to avoid offending anyone who worshipped a God, of which they forgot to mention. However, Paul spoke with some people in the street about Christ. After being invited to speak to a Committee of Philosophers in Greece (correct me if i'm wrong), he told him he was there to speak of "The God they didn't know" (the God of Christianity, the resurrection,etc..) When he did so, some laughed at him, some left in disbelief, while others wanted to know more. Then he told more to those who wanted to know more.

She used to make the following points about living one's faith:
(a) We need to 'run with' whatever opportunities we given to explain the faith in a straight-forward, but respectful matter.

(b) Some people will mock us, others will leave in disbelief, but others will want to know more. When we try to explain "The Good News", we'll meet these types of people. However, there are some people who'll want to know more: those are the ones we can tell more to.

(c) In order to explain the faith to anyone, we need to have a genuine, open, and respectful relationship with people. Without strong relationships, living and explaining the faith will be next to impossible.

,etc....

After that (9/9:15/9:30p.m), myself and a few of the MUNCF and SSAF crowd went to the nearby "Tim's" to eat, chat about MUN, life, philosophical debates,etc..., lasting until 15 minutes to 11pm. Then, I got a ride home, arriving home at 11:15p.m

On a related topic, I found the Website of the NDP Member Bill Blaikie, one of the few openly-professed Christians in the NDP who believe the "Social Gospel Movement" was part of the reason the NDP was founded. (There's truth to this, seeing as the 1st Federal NDP Leader was Tommy Douglas, a former Christian-Baptist Minister in Saskatchewan). However, he's written about the topic of the Religious Left/Centre within the NDP, using insights from the book "The Left Hand of God" by Prof. Ian McKay of Queens University.

Here the following links....

1. NDP Manitoba MP (and Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons) Bill Blaikie's Website:

Link: http://www.billblaikie.ca/

2. " NDP Faith and Justice Caucus Address
Notes from an address by the Hon. Bill Blaikie to the Faith and Social Justice workshop at the NDP Convention Quebec City September 9, 2006"

Link: http://www.billblaikie.ca/node/665

Personally, I felt it was important to post about this topic, seeing as the "Christian Socialism/ Social Gospel Movement", famously lead by Former Federal NDP Leader and Saskatchewan CCF Party leader Tommy Douglas has had a degree of inspiration on my political views. Among these, the "Red Toryism" tradition (which dates back to the 18th-19th Century in Canada to people such as John A. Macdonald, John Diefenbaker,etc.. in addition, to being professed to a great extent by NL Premier Danny Williams Today.) Red Toryism, according to the texts "Mindscapes: Political Ideology" and "An Introduction to Government and Politics" by Dickerson and Flanangan (standard Polsc.2000 texts for MUN Prof. Michael Temelini class, which i'm currently in), is a tradition of conservatism which combines "Burkean conservatism" ('organic conservatism', which views society as functioning like an organism: everyone has a role to play, and a certain amount of inequality is inevitable) on issues concerning the family,etc.., while remaining "neutral" on issues such as SSM, Abortion,etc.. (only a partial influence of mine). However on economic issues, Red Tories favour 'quasi-reform liberal' economic policies such as affirmative action, supporting the rights of persons with disabilities,etc.., although they still commit themselves to debt reduction, some taxcuts,etc... as necessary to be "fiscally responsible."

For most of my life, I thought I was "a Liberal." But looking back, I realized that from early life to Grade 6/7, my views we more liberal. However, post-9/11, my views shifted more towards that of "Red Toryism". However when I became a Christian ("for real") in the summer of Grade 9, I made a shift in Grade 10 to favour "The Religious Right/The New Right" a little more, seeing as there is a lack of a political party to represent "The Religious Left/Centre" these days. However part-way in Grade 11, Jim Wallis' (an American Christian Theologian and Social Activist) "God's Politics: How the Left doesn't get it and the Right gets it Wrong" lead me to question the agenda of "The Religious Right/ The New Right". As result of this book, the movie "Prairie Giant" (about Tommy Douglas' political life as leader of the CCF in Saskatchewan, the 1st Socialist Government leader in North America, and as leader of the Federal NDP), I shifted to adopt a modified version of "The Religious Left/Centre" view, which incorporated soft NL Nationalism, and Red Toryism as well.

Despite this, I was in favour of the Federal Liberal Party of Canada, but in favour of NL PC Premier Danny Williams when he got in in 2003 (despite disagreeing with some of his stances), although I made the mistake of sympathesizing with the US "Religious Right/ The New Right" under US President George W. Bush from 2000-2004/05, mostly due to lack of understanding of US Politics. But after reading "God's Politics", I yearned to see "The Religious Left/Centre" ally with "The Moral Centre" (of which Jim Wallis wrote of) in the US formed an alliance, changing the ways of the US Democrats and Republicians, hoping a new political party in the US would emergy on these principles. As of 2004/05 onward, I went from a GWB sympathesizer to a Bush criticizer. As for Canadian Politics, the revealing of "The Sponsorship Scandal" in 2004 (under the Federal Liberals), lead me to question the Federal Party, which I had identified with for years. As a result, I began to dislike all three federal political parties.

Yet, I was glad under The-Then-Leader of the Opposition Stephen Harper and Loyola Hearn convinced Former PM Paul Martin to sign and pass the 2005 Atlantic Accord with NL Premier DW. As of the 2006 Election Campaign, my allegiances shifted to the Federal NDP, although I wanted the Federal CPC to win a minority government, to do the following: 1. punish the Federal LPC for the Sponsorship Scandal, and make them reflect on 13/15 years of Federal Political Domination, 2. that the NDP would at least double (or triple) their seat count (it was 9 in 2000, 18/19 in 2004, but only went up to 35/36 in 2006), and 3. have a minority Parliament prevent PMSH from pushing his neoconservative ideology into the Government of Canada without any checks or balances.

So ya, in January 2006-December 2006, I viewed the Federal NDP as my first option, but the Federal CPC as my second choice (since I was disillusioned with the Federal LPC). I was glad to see some changes being made, even though I believed Harper failed on climate change/global warming, and other issues. But when Stephanie Dion won out the Federal LPC Leadership, I felt myself putting the Federal LPC as my first choice, while the Federal CPC/NDP were tied for second. Consequently, after following Garth Turner's blog from October/November 2006 onward, I came to like Stephanie Dion initially, leading to my membership in the Federal LPC in January 2007, although it only lasted for 3 days (it took 1-3 weeks for the Federal LPC to process my membership). However, i'd e-mailed the NLFP (Newfoundland and Labrador First Party), asking why the website hadn't been updated (as of January 2007) since January/February 2006 (the same time as the NLFP got provincially registered to have NLFP Leader (then also President) run out in the Placentia-St.Mary's by-election).

If you want more on how I came to join the NLFP, see my first entry on the blog I author "The Official NLFP Blog" (Link: http://www.nlfirstpartyblog.blogspot.com)

So ya, the rest is history: I choose to join the NLFP, because it incorporated my views better than the Federal Liberals, taking my "Red Toryism", "Religious Left/Centre", and NL Nationalistic beliefs with me in mid-January 2007. In March 2007, I was put on the Federal Registration Committee, being named "Director of Youth Organizations" within the NLFP also, a position I still hold to this day. Although the position of Executive-Youth was also absorbed into my current position, in addition to Student Rep. on the Executive Council (EC) of the NLFP (Newfoundland and Labrador First Party).

Anyways, i'm still enjoying my position in the NLFP, trying to change things from the inside, establish a Youth Wing of the NLFP at MUN,etc... In the meantime, i'm trying to get into Social Work this March coming (March 2008), and will writing my MUN SWAT (Social Work Admissions Test) in late March- early April 2008. Hopefully, i'll be into the MUN Scwrk. faculty by June 2008 (this is no guarantee, seeing as 50% or less of applicants can get in, due to heavy competition for limited spaces, and the need for high, well-rounded credentials).

I do apologize for rambling, but I just wanted to inform everybody of why I think the way I do politically. In conclusion, my political views have changed dramatically since my early years of hearing my parents talk about politics to 9/11 to post-9/11 to Federal LPC involvement to NLFP involvement. I see myself as both a 'political idealist' (see above: I have ideals, although I try to make them compatible with my Christian Faith), although I also have an element of 'political realism' (If I believe something politically that I later learn is outdated, wrong, and/or useless, i'll discard it for something that is more in touch with reality. This is a big reason why I like the NLFP: I can simply aim to advocate for what puts NL First, rather than simply an abstract political ideology).

Anyways, questions and comments anyone?!

MY Weekend, and a promo for my Friend Tamara's Music on MySpace

2007-10-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I do apologize for falling behind on updating this blog: i've been writing mid-terms for the last month, in addition to other assignments and studying at MUN,etc.. But regardless, I went to the MUN CF costume party friday night, helped out at the "I Love MUN Days" costume party on Saturday, and studied much of the rest of the weekend! But ya, I went to the MUN CF costume party as a 'crusader' ( I made the joke that my sword was "the bible", a pun that only those familiar with the Bible would get!)

On Saturday, I helped direct people to the different registration booths for the "Community Service Learning Day", took part in a flower bulb planting project at Pippy Park in St.John's, and went to Hatcher House afterwards to eat pizza with the people from the other groups. Here's the highlights:

1. 9-10 people from the MUN CF showed up the event, out of a total of 500 participants (not bad for a group of our size!)

2. the Executive Director of "OceanNet" (a group dedicated to "Instilling an Ocean Environmental Ethic) spoke at the opening of the event

3. The fellowship and reflection was great: I realized how something as simple as giving 1-2 hours of your day to plant flower bulbs can impact your community.

On another note, my friend Tamara does such a good job with her music, I thought i'd post this link to her music:
http://www.myspace.com/liayn

Basically, she tends to write songs whenever she feels down and out, or just wants to get something off her chest. Either way, there's certain feelings and themes she expresses that I believe many people can relate to. Other than that, i'll just let her music speak for itself!

My response to the VOCM question ' Should the province continue with fixed date elections?'

2007-10-13T06:16:00.000-07:00

I do apologize for not posting more often, but I was pretty busy with going to MUNCF (MUN Christian Fellowship) last night: we did a manuscript Bible Study of Romans 13:1-19 in the Bible, talked with a leader of IV (Inter-varsity) Fellowship, worshipped God together, socialized and ate snacks together.
Hello everyone, here's my response to the VOCM question of the day, ' Should the province continue with fixed date elections?'

"I agree with Labrador MAINLANDER when he said that the current FPTP (First-past-the-post) system is flawed: in labrador, 51.5% of the popular voted for political parties other than the PCs and yet 75% of Labrador (3 seats out of 4) are held by the PCs!

Personally, I think we need to maintain fixed election dates, while introducing three new measures: 1.Give voters 3 votes per ballot: one for which leader (or independent candidate) would make the best Premier, one for a political party list and one for an MHA; 2. maintain fixed election dates, but introduce 'recall' legislation. If an MHA is caught spending taxpayers money in an illegaly matter, allow for a 'recall by-election' to be called: the first part of the ballot asking whether that MHA should no longer be the MHA and which MHA candidate should replace him or her and 3. allow for re-broadcasts of House of Assembly proceedings up to 1-2 months after a session ended and extend coverage of the HofA proceedings beyond cable to include satellite dishes,etc.. This way, our MHAs every words and actions cab be up for public scrutiny."

What I did on Mid-term break

2007-10-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, it's been too long since i've written an article of a more personal nature, seeing as my political,academic, social and community involvement has increased threefold in the last year or so! On a random note, I was notified of this via the MUNSU newsletter:

" 2. Open forum for students who use Metrobus

This summer, significant changes were made to the Metrobus route schedule. This semester, many student bus riders have approached the Students' Union with comments and suggestions pertaining to the new bus schedule.

In light of this, the Students' Union is organizing an Open Forum for all student Metrobus users. This will be an opportunity for you to provide feedback and suggestions regarding the new Metrobus route system. We will then compile those suggestions and feedback and meet with Metrobus to review the new system. If you are a student bus rider, and if you have thoughts and feedback regarding the new bus system, we strongly encourage you to attend this meeting!
When: Friday, October 12 at 12:00noon
Where: UC-2001 (University Centre; MUNSU Board Room)

If you cannot attend this meeting but wish to provide feedback, please drop by the MUNSU office (UC-2000) and fill out a feedback form. Feedback forms will be available at the office Thursday, Oct. 11.
For further information, please contact MUNSU Director of Campaigns Stella Magalios at campaigns@munsu.ca"

Does the Federal Youth Criminal Justice Act need to be reformed? My take on it

2007-09-30T18:10:00.000-07:00

FYI, this post is a copy of the same post that I put up on the Official NL First Party Blog (authored by me), which can be viewed at http://www.nlfirstpartyblog.blogspot.com

Hello everyone, while listening to VOCM Night Line on Sunday, September 30th, I noticed that 5-6 people called in saying that it's time that we reform the Federal Youth Criminal Justice Act. Among some of the suggestions, it was mentioned that due to the amount of technology available to teenagers these days, youth criminals can get a large gathering of people together almost spontaneously.

Also, it was mentioned that if restitution/rehabilitation made up a greater part of the act, that would help curve crime. For example, one caller mentioned (and VOCM Night Line Linda Swain) mentioned that if someone was caught spraying graffiti on property, part of their punishment should be not only to own up to their mistake, but also to have to re-pay the victim of the graffiti for the damages and to clean it up themselves. Once again, as the Student Rep for the NL First Party and the Director of Youth Organizations within the Party, I know that when I went to my 1st/2nd session of the SJRYP (St.John's Regional Youth Parliament, a voluntary non-partisan way for young people to pass resolutions to be sent to government to pressure them to act on issues affecting young people), a proposal was put forward to abolish the Youth Criminal Justice Act, thereby treating young criminals like adults. However, as a member of the SJRYP, I amended it to say that instead of abolishing it, it should be replacd by another Bill to be written at a future date by the Federal Government. I also added an amendment to state that instead of treating young criminals as adults in the presence of other adults, they should be treated as adults in an institution that'd treat them as adults, but away from reoffenders who are adults. This is because a friend of mine who was a Pastor had told me that too many young people who've committed their offences (who are 18 years of age or older) end up getting even more criminalized by being around repeat offenders and becoming more criminalized when they leave prison.

So ya, anyone have any comments you want to make?

Also, NL First Party Leader Tom Hickey will be speaking with me shortly to better inform me not only about the Federal Youth Criminal Justice Act, but also the Provincial Young Offenders Act, what he did about it while in Cabinet under Former PC Premier Brian Peckford,etc... (more details to come)

Just as on a personal note, I do apologize for neglecting this personal blog of mine: maintaining 'The Official NL First Party Blog' has diverted much of the time I would've spent on this time to that one. But ya, for the last while, i've been going to MUN Christian Fellowship regularly on Friday Nights at 7:30p.m at the 4th Floor of the Engineering Building at MUN (so ya, feel free to check it out!) Also, I went to 'Pathway Community Church' (that hosts church services in the Mt. Pearl Square movie theatre on Sundays at 11am) 2 Sundays ago.

Other than that, i'm just trying to figure out whether i'm fit for Social Work and the degree program, trying to hammer our my back-up plan (a B.A. in Polsc. if I can't get into the very competitive ScWrk faculty right away and/or learn ScWrk isn't for me), trying to arrange to do some testing at MUN to learn what i'm good at and what i'm not good at,etc... So ya, may God be my guide on such matters!

Anyways, i'd appreciate some questions and comments on these 2 articles!

My First Time Speaking on VOCM Night Line: got to speak from 9:35/40 pm to almost 9:50/55 pm

2007-09-30T18:07:00.000-07:00

FYI, this post is a copy of the same post that I put up on the Official NL First Party Blog (authored by me), which can be viewed at http://www.nlfirstpartyblog.blogspot.com

Hello everyone, this is Jordan Lester here again. I do apologize for being slow to update this blog (i've been pretty busy with MUN). Anyways, i've been serving as the Student Rep. on the Executive Council and the Director of Youth Organizations since the last Executive Council meeting. In addition, i've begun to fill out an application for the Newfoundland and Labrador First Party to establish a Youth Wing Association on the St.John's MUN Campus. And ya, do check out http://www.nlfirst.ca and notice that the Facebook group I created called 'The NL First Party Supporters Site' is up and running.

Also, i'm looking for people to sign up either as a member of this Youth Association. Also, we're looking for people to put them forward to serve as the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer of the MUN Youth Wing association. Also, we're having an on-going debate about the new logo for the NLFP, working on hammering out some preliminary policies to put up on the website, a statement on the provincial wing of the party and why we're not running candidates in the October 9th 2007 Provincial Election.

Other than that, NL First Party Leader Tom Hickey appreciated that I told him this Friday (2 days ago) that he should call into open line to say that the NL First Party supports the Danny Williams administration in NL's promise to look for joint management of the fisheries should he be re-elected. As you'll see on the NLFP website, joint management of the fisheries and developing a plan to rebuild the cod fishery are two major pillars of the founding of the NLFP in late 2004.

Anyways, stay tuned from another update from myself and the party: we're but 40-45 members away from becoming a Federally Registered Political Party!

---------------------------------------------------------------------
My First Time Speaking on VOCM Open Line:

Hello everyone, after waiting from 8:32 p.m to 9:37 p.m to move up to Line 5 on VOCM Night Line, I addressed the following points:

1. Why many young people don't vote: the feeling that sometimes politicians put partisan affiliation first, rather than the interests of the province of NL and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador, the feeling that they agree with some points that every party addresses, but no party consistently puts Newfoundland and Labrador First in Ottawa. I also mentioned that many PC MHA candidates on their websites (such as Sheila Osbourne) have a list of the PC Party's accomplishments in government since taking office, but nothing about what she's accomplished since becoming an MHA. The VOCM Linda Swain's response, (and I paraphrase) 'Well, some candidates prefer to run on what they call "The Team Approach", whereas other candidates like to focus on their individual contributions since becoming from being re-elected in 2003 through 2007. Also, I highlighted PC Mount Pearl North Steve Kent's campaign as a great way of staying in touch with people: 1. he maintains his own personal blog,etc... I also mentioned that many young people today use blogs, Facebook,etc, which lead me to establish a Facebook group [forgot to mention it was called 'The NL First Party Supporters Site']. I did so to give people a way to communicate how they'd like to see NL get put first and to relay that information to the Executive Council. [Also, I forgot to mention that it's also to update people on what's been going on inside the party, upcoming events,etc..]

I also mentioned what I've discovered that most Political Parties set Youth Wing membership from 14-23/25 years of age.

2. How I came to join the NL First Party: an e-mail asking why the Party website hadn't been update from February 2006- January/ February 2007, a phone call from Tom Hickey, a meeting with James Upshall (the former Executive-Youth rep. on the Executive Council) and Ellsworth Penney (a former member of the Executive Council) and making the conversion from the Liberal Party of Canada to the Newfoundland and Labrador First Party in January 2007. I also mentioned that as Director of Youth Organizations and the Student Representative on the Executive Council and in the NL First Party, i'm trying to launch a MUN NL First Party Youth Wing association, mentioned that i've got 2 people signed up. (What I wanted to get to but ran out of time for: 1. that the NL First Party Youth Wing Association has been granted recognition status by the MUNSU, something I was informed for through an e-mail. Also, that we're looking for a President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer for the MUN Youth Wing Association.)

Also, I didn't have time to mention that we're looking to sign up members for the Youth Wing

3. I also mentioned that the NL First Party didn't [and isn't] running candidates in the Provincial Election because we agree with NL Premier Danny Williams' stance with Ottawa.

4. I also mentioned that the Newfoundland and Labrador First Party website has been updated and now has a new layout, a link to the Facebook group and the Official Party Blog.

And ya, they thanked me for calling in.....

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyways, any questions and comments on things I brought up? Also, does anyone else have any issues on their heart that I didn't have time to bring up?

The Next Executive Council Meeting and other events

2007-09-03T20:00:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody, this is another Preliminary entry I posted first on my own personal blog and i'll leave it up here. However, the contents of the following entry are still subject to approval by the EC for clarity, conciseness and content, as to ensure that executive confidentiality on private matters isn't breached. Once again, this is why I focus on trying to wait a few weeks before disclosing details of events that happened previous: by waiting a week or two to post an entry on a particular time period, it helps me to focus more on reflecting on it and writing more clearly, rather than being the subject of my own personal opionion at that moment (that is what personal blogs are for!)

Anyways, take a read through this entry and take the time to provide myself (Director of Youth Organizations, Jordan Lester) some feedback on the comments of this entry versus what you'd like to know. By doing so, I can run your requests by the EC, attempt to strike a balance and update the entry if a balance can be struck between ensuring the grassroots nature of this blog with the certain amount of confidentiality necessary for any executive to function...
Monday, September 03, 2007
The Next Executive Council Meeting and other events

Having returned from my family trip to NBS, i've got some long-needed updates to make:

1. The NLFP's (short for the NL First Party's) Next Executive Council Meeting is set for Thursday, September 6th 2007 at 7pm (If you want more of the details than that, you'd best leave a comment or contact me at guardianshadowknight@hotmail.com to do so). On the Agenda is the adoption of a new Organizational Structure for not only the Executive Council, but for how the Entire Party will function, research, make policies,etc.. (we'll also be aiming to fill any vacancies, shuffle people around as needed and fill new positions: more details to come after the meeting)

2. Fundraising is underway for the Walk-a-thon (nicknamed the 'Walk-a-town' by some members of the party), which is set to take place this coming Sunday, September 9th 2007: exact time and place TBA, as i'll be certain to ask for Clarity about this at the upcoming EC meeting

3. The Web Design Committee (of which I am a part) has been working diligently in not only changing the official party logo to be more inclusive of the entire province, but have been diligently looking through upwards of 20-30 different logo proposals, narrowing it down to 6 or 7, choosing the logo we like the most and in changing the layout of the website. (As of right now, the proposals are being stored in HTML format on a 'Under Construction' Site, which only those in the Web Design Committee knowing the address to it. This is because the committee consists of myself (Director of Youth Organizations, Jordan Lester), Steve Penney (Director of Communciations, who's considering becoming Assistant Director of Communications in favour of Wayne taking over the Dir. of Comm. role. But once again, this change is pending approval from the EC), two of his 'techy friends' (whom I won't name) and some of their close friends.

From what i've seen so far, the NLFP website is about to get a much needed facelift which is not only in touch with the origins of the NLFP, but I believe better reflects the NLFP. But once again, this is something for the EC to discuss in the coming days.

So ya, once i've attended the EC Meeting and verified what further details of these development can or cannot be public knowledge, i'll be updating this blog shortly. In the meantime, do take the time to view the Facebook Group "The NL First Party Supporters Site", as although it was founded by myself (a member of the party and the EC), it also allows for the discussion of how best to put NL First, current issues,etc.. This way even though we have yet to iron out policies on many issues, it allows people an opportunity to have their opionions seen, read and critiqued. This way when it comes time for Policy Formulation, we'll be able to draw on some of the insights that people give on this group, through links or documents they posted links to or otherwise. But more importantly, it also allows for a degree of online networking: helping to 'put a face' (if you will) to some of the names of the members of the EC, to get to chat with them in a 'down-to-earth' matter, to show people the NLFP is still alive, while allowing for a means of communications that far surpasses the telephone or e-mail in terms of response time to quick questions or requests!

Anyways, there's more to come shortly!

The Next Executive Council Meeting and other events

2007-09-03T19:45:00.000-07:00

Having returned from my family trip to NBS, i've got some long-needed updates to make:

1. The NLFP's (short for the NL First Party's) Next Executive Council Meeting is set for Thursday, September 6th 2007 at 7pm (If you want more of the details than that, you'd best leave a comment or contact me at guardianshadowknight@hotmail.com to do so). On the Agenda is the adoption of a new Organizational Structure for not only the Executive Council, but for how the Entire Party will function, research, make policies,etc.. (we'll also be aiming to fill any vacancies, shuffle people around as needed and fill new positions: more details to come after the meeting)

2. Fundraising is underway for the Walk-a-thon (nicknamed the 'Walk-a-town' by some members of the party), which is set to take place this coming Sunday, September 9th 2007: exact time and place TBA, as i'll be certain to ask for Clarity about this at the upcoming EC meeting

3. The Web Design Committee (of which I am a part) has been working diligently in not only changing the official party logo to be more inclusive of the entire province, but have been diligently looking through upwards of 20-30 different logo proposals, narrowing it down to 6 or 7, choosing the logo we like the most and in changing the layout of the website. (As of right now, the proposals are being stored in HTML format on a 'Under Construction' Site, which only those in the Web Design Committee knowing the address to it. This is because the committee consists of myself (Director of Youth Organizations, Jordan Lester), Steve Penney (Director of Communciations, who's considering becoming Assistant Director of Communications in favour of Wayne taking over the Dir. of Comm. role. But once again, this change is pending approval from the EC), two of his 'techy friends' (whom I won't name) and some of their close friends.

From what i've seen so far, the NLFP website is about to get a much needed facelift which is not only in touch with the origins of the NLFP, but I believe better reflects the NLFP. But once again, this is something for the EC to discuss in the coming days.

So ya, once i've attended the EC Meeting and verified what further details of these development can or cannot be public knowledge, i'll be updating this blog shortly. In the meantime, do take the time to view the Facebook Group "The NL First Party Supporters Site", as although it was founded by myself (a member of the party and the EC), it also allows for the discussion of how best to put NL First, current issues,etc.. This way even though we have yet to iron out policies on many issues, it allows people an opportunity to have their opionions seen, read and critiqued. This way when it comes time for Policy Formulation, we'll be able to draw on some of the insights that people give on this group, through links or documents they posted links to or otherwise. But more importantly, it also allows for a degree of online networking: helping to 'put a face' (if you will) to some of the names of the members of the EC, to get to chat with them in a 'down-to-earth' matter, to show people the NLFP is still alive, while allowing for a means of communications that far surpasses the telephone or e-mail in terms of response time to quick questions or requests!

Anyways, there's more to come shortly!

My response to Garth's blog post 'la lune'

2007-08-30T07:29:00.000-07:00

Once again, here is the comment I posted on Garth's blog titled 'la lune', posted August 28th, which can be viewed at http://www.garth.ca/weblog/ or http://www.garth.ca/weblog/2007/08/28/la-lune/ (the comment isn't up yet, but it will be soon!)

"'Being an East coast we understand the splendor of the country side. Your article was a litle self serving I think. I often wonder why you cannot write a sentence without involking the the character of the Prime Minister. The people from the east coast drift back and forth. The Liberals have purchased their votes over the years. They will vote for whoever offers them the most. For example just look at the abuse in the social assistance programs. This has been going on for years. As for Mr Dion, he may have a chance down East when he learns to express himself in english. It is pretty bad when Mr Williams will not be seen publicly with him. You guys went to NFLD because you hope to capitalize on the fued between the Federal and Provincial parties. Mr Williams was told by his party to cool it. I guess we also forget that he refused to fly the canadian flag when Martin was Prime Minister. So what else is new.

By David Halfkenny on 08.28.07 9:51 pm'

David, FYI, in our 58 years in Confederation, NL has been wronged from Federal Government after Federal Government (except when we had a strong Cabinet Minister, such as PC Cabinet Minister John Crosbie).

But ya, NL in my own opionion is just as much a 'nation' or 'distinct society' as is Quebec. After all, we were the last province to join Canada and had alternated between being a country and being a colony of Britain.

But ya Garth, if you Liberals want to do good in NL, do this: study the costs of removing RENEWABLE resource revenues from the equalization formula. If it's feasible and can be done, not only would it give an incentive for provincial governments (and the federal government) to develop alternative and renewable energy sources, but it'd also give provincial governments revenues to do so: pay down the debt (NL still has a debt of 11 billion dollars!!!), invest in sustainable infrastructure.

This way, you'd respect your 'PC' upbringing of wanting to strengthen the role of the provinces, more incentives for the private, non-profit and NGOs to play a greater role on the environment AND would help to REALLY reduce the 'fiscal imbalance' of which PMSH spoke of.

And hey, you'd be helping the environment, restoring fiscal balance AND leading the way towards a Green Economy! What do you think of that idea?! "

But once again, this is a matter i'd like the NLFP to look into. After all, we're all about putting NL First! And ya, what better way to put NL First than to put incentives in to invest in switching to a 'Green Economy' so that when the day comes that we run out of oil, we'll be ready for it (and it'll help us protect the environment and create jobs as well!)

My response to the VOCM question 'Do you think there should be stricter fines for pet owners who don't clean up after their animals?'

2007-08-29T06:07:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, here is my response to this VOCM question that was posted on the site Wednesday, August 29th 2007:

'Hey everyone, this discussion we are having now reminds me of the two 'theories of law' I learned about in my Law and Society 2000 class at MUN over the summer. According to my prof. (Ray Critch, a rather bright young prof. at MUN), there are two basic theories of why the law exists: emotive theory and rational theory (closely associated with rational choice theory: the basis of economics).

In the first theory (emotive theory), laws exists because people tend to act on their emotions and if the state didn't impose penalties on those who break the law, people might take the law into their own hands (this is something that often happened in tribal societies: does the term 'Family Feud' ring a bell, whereby one person does a wrong to another family member and it continues on generation after generation?)According to this theory, the solution to the problem of leaving dog poop where it doesn't belong is to increase enforcement of the visible fines, and if necessary, to increase the fines until the rate of these occurences decreases.Although, take a look at the following comment 'Date: 8/29/2007
Name: Rural Dweller
Comments:
Urban centres are quite capable of managing doggy doo without general input from everyone. Let's not have another frustrated bunch of city dwellers legislate that people in rural areas use plastic baggies to pick up environmentally friendly doggy doo using environmentally contaminating non-biodegradable plastic to do so.'

If i'm not mistaken, when the provincial government passes a law, it can make expections. For example, perhaps there could be a provision in the law stating that in order for the law NOT to take effect in a community, the Town or City Council would have to pass a resolution stating that they don't want this law to apply in their community and would rather use muncipal by-laws to curve the problem.

The second theory (rational theory/ rational choice theory) holds that since people are rational, before commiting an offence, people do a cost-benefit analysis of the benefits versus the costs: if the costs outweigh the benefits, people are more likely NOT to commit the crime. So in this case, the pain caused by the fines, the subsequent public humilation,etc.. would have to outweigh the benefits of not having to take a moment to scoop the poop up!

I really hope this comment helps inform the discussion!'

Oops, I guess I forgot to mention that reconcilation is also part of both theories: in emotive theory, reconcilation occurs when 'the punishment meets the crime'. In other words, when the punishment for a crime is equal to how offensive the public finds that crime. According to rational choice theory, reconcilation happens when the individual realizes that either they were acting irrationally, learned to think about the crime in a way that will prevent them from re-offending and realizing that the fines/punishment was in place to try to prevent them from offending in the first place.

Once again, it amazes me how doing a course at MUN such as Law and Society 2000 has allowed me to understand various legal and societal issues occuring in places like Canada!

My comment on Garth Turner's Blog entry "Mother Stabber" (August 27th,2007)

2007-08-28T12:24:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, seeing as it's been ages since i've updated my own personal blog in the maintenance of the NL First Party official blog, I thought i'd post the comment I made at the end of the article "Mother Stabber" (August 27th,2007), which can be viewed at http://www.garth.ca

So here it is: "William Macdonnel, if you think that's bad, how do you think the province of NL feels? We've been part of confederation (i.e. Canada) since 1949 and what has become of our province:

- Federal mismanagement and exploitation of our fisheries
- NL now has less control over matters of the fishery than it did pre-Confederation (up until the mid 1960's, NL controlled its own fishery within the 3-mile limit. These days, we can't even control that: it's all done by the federal government)

- The Federal Government ripped us off by ensuring Quebec got most (if not all) of the benefits of the Upper Churchill

- Our Forestry industry is nothing compared to what it used to be, once again due to overexploitation.

Essentially not only has the Liberal Party (both Provincial and Federal) ripped us off from time to time (although there are exceptions, like when John Crosbie got Former PM Brian Mulroney to sign and ratify the 1985 Atlantic Accord into law and when NL PC Premier Danny Willians and former Leader of the Opposition Stephen Harper pressured Former Liberal PM Paul Martin into signing the 2005 Atlantic Accord into law), almost every resource we have has been exploited for the benefit of Central (and even Western) Canada.

But once again, things are starting to change, as NL Premier Danny Williams is standing up to everybody: big oil companies, the Federal Government, unions and big labour, the Opposition,etc... Essentially, NL Premier Danny Williams has gone more good for the province of NL than the Provincial Liberals did in the 13-15 years they governed previous to 2003.

But of course, NL Premier Danny Williams still has his baggage: he still hasn't delivered on getting the Federal Government to implement joint management of the fisheries between the federal Government and the NL Provincial Government, nor has he been able to persuade the Gov't of Canada to implement Custodial Management 'to the end and tail of the Grand Bank and Flemish Cape'.

So ya, even though Danny Williams is an awesome Premier, the guy still has his flaws.

On the plus side, a new Federal (and Provincial) Party called "The NL First Party" was formed in late 2004, was provincially registered in early 2006 and will hopefully be Federally Registered soon.

So ya, you can check out the following links:

1. 'NL First Party Official Website'

Link: http://www.nlfirst.ca

2. 'NL First Party Official Blog (authored by me, seeing as i'm Director of Youth Organizations within the Party)

Link: http://www.nlfirstpartyblog.blogspot.com

But ya, life is full of ups and downs, goods and bads, joy and pain. But once again, "living life to the full" doesn't happen in the absence of problems, but in spite of them.

I conclude by quoting the Late Tommy Douglas, former Provincial CCF Saskatchewan Premier and the First-ever Federal Leader of the NDP: 'Courage friends, it's still not too late to build a better tomorrow'!"

An all so important Update: we're halfway to being a federally Registered Federal Political Party and more..meant for the O.NL First P.B.

2007-08-07T10:37:00.000-07:00

Note: The following is a Draft copy of a post I plan on adding to 'The Official NL First Party' blog anywhere between tomorrow to August the 19th (Depending on how much spare time I have between studying for my Sociology 2270 (Families) Exam, between 'going on vacation' in Central NL with family and finishing up my MUCEP Job. The post you're about to read is NOT the final copy, which will be added to 'The Party Blog' and will still be subject to a certain degree of editing....)

Hey guys, sorry I hadn't updated the blog in almost 3 months: I was pretty busy with not only doing 2 courses at MUN over the summer, but I also had a MUCEP Job, a Facebook and Hi5 groups, both called 'The NL First Party Supporters Site' to maintain, in addition to executive meetings, a social life,etc...

Anyways, to view that Facebook group, you can view this link: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2230406030 (That is, provided you have a Facebook account, through which you can view the group.... of course, the group had some technical difficulties as of 3:11p.m, but oh well).

Just as an update, we've had about 3-4 Executive meetings over the summer: covering everything from progress of Federal Registration, organizing a Walk-a-thon to take place to raise funds for the party (something that was supposed to be ready for August, but got lost in the midst of other items and such), getting committees in place within the party to study various issues and other items (I can't say much else, due to executive confidentiality. But hey, at the next meeting, i'll make an effort to ask what I can reveal on this blog).

And just for the sake of clarity, the Executive of the NL First Party has passed a motion, along the lines of 'The NL First Party will not be running candidates in the October 2007 Provincial Election. However, we will maintain administrative and policy functions of the provincial wing of the party.' Essentially, this is because going Federal was the 'raison d'etre' of this Party's existence. (For those who don't know french, raison d'etre means 'reason in being/ reason to be')

But other than that, we've now added another new member to the executive, with 2 more soon to be included. In addition, the NL First Party has got approximately 125-155 forms ratified from Elections Canada, out of the 400 we sent to get the party ratified: we'll be needing to ratify at least 250 in total to get register. Luckily, we don't have to start over from scratch: we can just keep sending them until we reach the 250 mark!!

On another note, the next meeting coming up on Thursday will be a key one: we'll be dealing with the issue of the Organization of the NL First Party. (Essentially, what committees, sub-committees,etc... does the Party need in order to function, make policy, do research,etc...) Given how close we are to becoming a Federally Registered Party, now's the time to take a moment to visit http://www.nlfirst.ca to print off a Registration form, follow the directions in filling it out and mail it to the NL First Party HQ. (preferably with a note attached saying that you decided to do so because you seen this post on the Party's blog).

Last, we're currently in the process of updating the party's official website (with a blurb on the main site to say just that), in addition to trying to find a way to change our logo as to include the uniqueness of Labradorians and Rural NL more within the Logo. So ya, myself, a new member of the executive and a few of his friends have been tasked with drafting some new logo designs, with us going to make a decision on which one to choose shortly.

In conclusion, I know that this was a long post, but given the fact that it's been almost 3 months since i've updated this, this is only the tip of the iceberg of what's going on in the party: the rest of the happenings are governed by executive confidentiality, and can therefore only be disclosed with their permission.

Indeed, as is written under the official party logo on most of our executive agenda sheets, 'it's time!'

P.S., I just realized that although this was meant to be posted on 'The Official NL First Party Blog', perhaps it's best that it remains up on my blog (until I can know for certain whether my colleagues agree with its contents: consider this post a draft version of the more polished one soon to be coming to the website).

Disclaimer: the Following Information reflects my own personal notes and are not necessarily those of the NL First Party......

On a more personal note, my work as Director of Youth Organizations is what lead me to start the 'Official NL First Party Supporters Site' group on both Facebook and Hi5, in addition to 'The Official NL First Party Blog'. But more importantly, i've been trying to get around and figure out at what age membership in the Youth wing of the NL First Party should start (right now, it's looking like somewhere around age 14, 15 or 16, given that's the standard for all the other political parties), i'm still trying to determine whether the Youth Wing should be based on Districts (like the NL First Party will be within the 7 Federal Electoral Districts...we hope), regions or whether all Youth Wing members should be included as part of one large groups, with local Headquarters Scattered through the province (and hopefully one at MUN if James Upshall, the Executive-Youth member, gets all the proper paperwork together.)

The issues of abortion, the environment, Charter Rights and the problems of excessive Individualism

2007-06-02T06:39:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, I know it's been ages since i've updated this blog. But hey, I was busy being the Director of Youth Organizations within the NL First Party, doing 5 courses both in the Fall and Winter, doing 2 courses over the summer (in progress),finding a summer job (i.e. MUCEP),etc.. so please forgive me.

So ya, i've finally got another issue to talk about! The National Post recently wrote an article titled 'the "a" word' (Link: )

On this story, the article is about why people are so tight-lipped about the subject: 1. complacency, 2. the polarization of opioions,etc..

Anyways, here's the comment I posted in response to this article:

"Hello everyone, I think the main reason people don't want to re-open this debate in Parliament is because we live in a very individualistic society and with the advent of the Charter, some people argue that to restrict one's ability to have an abortion would be violation of section 7 of the Charter which reads, " Legal Rights

7.Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice."

However back in 1988, a Quebec man tried to argue that 'a feotus is a person, and should therefore be protected under Section 7 of the Charter.' And what did the Courts decide? They decided that the rights of the feotus are subject to the wishes of third parties (i.e. the parents,etc..) [the case is called "Tremblay v. Daigle, [1989], which can be viewed at ( )]

Yet, what many people don't know is that the preamble of the 'Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms"'and Section 1 of the Charter say this,

" Part I

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law:

Guarantee of Rights and Freedoms

1. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society."

In other words, the Rights within the Charter are not absolute: sometimes, the rights in this Charter can be overried "only to such reasonable limits... as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society."

To speak of the Law and Society 2000 course i'm doing over the Summer at MUN (Memorial University of Newfoundland), he told us that for example, the right to "freedom of speech" in the Constitution isn't absolute.

For example, when a man applied to the SCC (Supreme Court of Canada) because he felt that denying him the ability to use "freedom of speech" to spread literature denying the Holocaust violated this freedom of speech. Although the courts find it to be true, they found that denying him the right to spread such literature "can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society." In other words, they found that by forbidding him from doing so, they were protecting the rights of minorities (such as Jews) and the general public who could possibly be misled by such information.

So indeed, using this as a precedent, Canada could regulate abortion: but "subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society." In other words, if the focus of the Law was on REDUCING the number of abortions by 1.Reforming the Adoption System to make it a more humane and credible alternative, 2. Reform Social Assistance to help women-at-risk for abortions (such as single mothers, teenage mothers, low-income mothers,etc and conscious objectors to abortions who get caught up in a bad situation) who might otherwise opt for Adoption, but feel that due to the excessive bureaucracy in the process, their children would spend their whole life wandering from foster home to foster home.

Third, we need to realize that abortion isn't just a moral issue, but also a financial, social justice and demographic issue. Because some women only get an abortion because they lack the finances to care for their children, developing more accessible and affordable childcare spaces would help such women take care of their children instead of having to abort them or give them away. Also, because Canadian women abort 1000's of children a year and the birth rate is below replacement rate, there's going to come a point in time when they'll be few young people and therefore when the older people die off, the population of Canada will drop dramatically (unless of course, we want to rely on immigration, as right now, two-thirds of our population growth comes from Immigration, according to the Special Standing Committee on Aging".

Fourth, the main reason that abortion is such a touchy topic is that the "Sexual Revolution" in the 1960's marked a change in viewpoint from "No Sex before marriage" to "No CONCEPTION before marriage". So basically, with the advent of new technologies, people began to try to be able to have Sexual Relations before marriage (while trying to avoid the responsibilties and/or risks of unwanted pregnancy).

Fifth, the fact that the media phrases this debate as a 'pro-choice vs. anti-choice debate' shows how individualistic we've become: we currently live in a society that rewards self-interested individuals and does little to no to reward selfless and community-minded individuals. In many ways, this idea has its roots back in the Protestant Revolution of the 16th/17th century: with the ideas of the "Protestant work ethic" (the secular and modern version of it today is known as "meritocracy": the belief that those who work hard will get ahead and those who don't work hard deserve to be poor."

Of course, due to secularization in Canada over the last half-century, the checks and Balances contained within the protestant Work Ethic (such as doing your work to please God ) has been replaced with either serving the common good (a left-wing idea) or leaving self-interested individuals to do as they please: clinging on the Words of Adams Smith's "invisible hand", whereby he believed Self-interested individuals would spontaneously pursue interests that benefited themselves and the greater good.

Yet as he know, self-interested individuals DO NOT always carry out the greater good. To give an example from the Political Science 1000 text from the University of Calgary Titled "An Introduction to Government and Politics", under Part 2 of the Book on Ideology and within Chapter 15 of the book on Environmentalism, the issue known as "The Tragedy of the Commons" (see pg.219 of the text)(and no, this isn't referring to the House of Commons, but to public property, (i.e. commons), it lays out a scenario in which when individuals seek only to serve their self-interest.

The text puts it as such, 'Thus, you have an incentive to add livestock BEYOND the carrying capacity, and so do all the other owners. If all owners follow their incentives for private gain, the result will be the destruction of the commons through overgrazing. With ironical reference to Adam Smith, theorists cal this "the back of the invisible hand" [a play-on-words for a 'slap on the face']. In situations of common property, unregulated pursuit of individual interest produces collective loss rather than the common benefit that Smith described in "The Wealth of Nations." "

Now what does the idea of the environment have to do with the issue of abortion? The reason we have an issue in both disciplines is because we've taken Adam Smith's "The invisible hand" to the extreme of trying to deal with issues as self-interested individuals, rather than as selfless members of a larger society. Once again, this is why we often get the 'small government [Adam Smith's "invisible hand"] vs. big government [which recognizes "the back of the invisible hand" and hence a certain degree of social conservatism in restraining the ability of the individual to pursue their own self-interest for the greater good of society, or at least in theory].

Of course, no such debate includes 'a medium-size government' or 'a communally-enforced government', because we're so fixated on individualism.

As Mr.Monbiot in his book "Heat: how to stop the Planet from Burning" put it, we need to have "a revolution of austerity to change the meaning of freedom from the ability to pursue individual self-interest to the freedom to choose what is [environmentally] right."

Now I know this all seems like a big tangent and ramble, but i'm just trying to point out some observations that noone seems to have put in words in public so far!

June 2, 2007 9:36 AM "

"Welcome to the Black Parade" by MCR

2007-05-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

My Chemical Romance -- Welcome To The Black Parade Mp3

EnableContextMenu='1' ShowControls='1' ShowStatusBar='1' SRC='http://www.files.finalmofo.com/blackparade.mp3' WIDTH='300' HEIGHT='65'>

Music Codes by Mp3Raid.com

Update on my life

2007-05-20T19:22:00.000-07:00

So ya hi all, i've finished my 1st full year at MUN working towards Social Work and all. Other than that, i'm know the Director of Youth Organizations for the NLF Party.

In addition, I discovered this amazing song called "Welcome to the Black Parade" by MCR (My Chemical Romance):

My Chemical Romance -- Welcome To The Black Parade Mp3

EnableContextMenu='1' ShowControls='1' ShowStatusBar='1' SRC='http://www.files.finalmofo.com/blackparade.mp3' WIDTH='300' HEIGHT='65'>

Music Codes by Mp3Raid.com

An interesting Article I encountered on Sojonet (republished) but, with my comments added in!

2007-01-19T18:35:00.000-08:00

"Sojourners in the news" articles are from our archive of news clippings that mention Sojourners in any way - whether favorably or unfavorably. Though we provide the text on our site for your convenience, we do not necessarily endorse the views of these articles or their source publications.

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The Path to Power: Barack Obama lays down a grand challenge to his own party—and it may get him elected president one day
by Jacob Weisberg
Men's Vogue 1-01-2007

Early last summer, Barack Obama, the 45-year-old junior senator from Illinois, took the pulpit at the National City Christian Church in downtown Washington, D.C., to make the most important speech delivered by a Democrat since—well, since his keynote at the Democratic Convention in 2004. That earlier address, which set the political world spinning in Obama's direction, drew quietly on the religious imagery of "things not seen." This one confronted the problem of faith and politics directly. Looking out among the Sojourners assembly, a group that aspires to be a liberal answer to the Christian coalition, Obama began by recalling a moment in his 2004 Senate campaign. His Republican opponent—the blistering, possibly deranged conservative orator Alan Keyes—declared one day (and here Obama channeled Keyes's ranting staccato) that "Jesus Christ would not vote for Ba-rack O-bama!"

Forty points ahead in the polls, Obama shrugged off the comment at the time by saying that he was running for senator, not minister—and from the podium he disparaged his own words as the "typically liberal response." But the problem of religion in politics nagged at him. In a country where "more people believe in angels than they do in evolution," Democrats would never be able to reach their fellow citizens so long as they continued to insist that religion and politics don't mix.

In his remarks, Obama linked himself to literary and political figures who had God on their minds and in their voices. "If we scrub language of all religious content, we forfeit the imagery and terminology through which millions of Americans understand both their personal morality and social justice," he argued. "Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, William Jennings Bryan, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King—the majority of great reformers in American history—were not only motivated by faith, but repeatedly used religious language to argue for their cause. So to say that men and women should not inject their 'personal morality' into public-policy debates is a practical absurdity."

As a speaker, Obama does not strive for the soulful effect of an African-American evangelical. Nor does he conjure instant empathy with an audience, the way Bill Clinton does. He delivers his message with the understated charisma of a Midwestern news anchor. But when he writes or when he speaks, Obama does something no one else in politics does: He plumbs his own anxiety and doubt, and ties his life story to political problems that few elected officials dare to discuss so personally, including the disparities of race and class, drug abuse, poverty, and, of course, faith.

That afternoon, the senator recounted his own path from a secular, multicultural household to the spiritual home he found in the black church. As a community organizer in Chicago in the 1980s, Obama had put together demonstrations and registered voters alongside Christian leaders who honored the civil-rights tradition of social change. His faith-grounded fellow activists, he explained, "saw that I knew their Book, that I shared their values, that I sang their songs." But, he said, they also "sensed that part of me that remained detached and removed, that I was an observer in their midst." He continued, "In time, I came to realize that something was missing for me as well, that without a vessel for my beliefs, without a commitment to a particular community of faith, at some level I would always remain apart, and alone." Though Obama had long been skeptical of organized religion, he gradually came to embrace it "as a choice, not an epiphany."

Obama's spirited argument that afternoon had sprung from a less lofty concern: a looming book deadline, which he was on the verge of blowing. His speech emerged from months of late-night ruminations at his laptop, turning over the kind of big ideas that tend not to be part of the typical senator's day. His new book, The Audacity of Hope, is quite unlike most written by politicians—those arid, rhetorical manifestos, penned by ghostwriters to meet the needs of a pending campaign and an ascendant career. (Obama's closest political adviser, the Chicago-based consultant David Axelrod, distinguishes it from "the stone tablets kind of approach—the ten things we have to do to ensure the future of democracy.") Instead, the book follows the pointed yet bridge-building tone Obama has set throughout his young career. The pages I've read are conversational and serious-minded reconsiderations of subjects that include race, values, foreign policy, and economics. The larger theme: How someone can speak the truth—and be true to his own ideals—amid the superficiality, sniping, and sheer soul-sapping drudgery of politics.

The Audacity of Hope has a hard act to follow: Obama's 1995 memoir, Dreams from My Father, sprang from his small-scale celebrity as the first African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review. He sank years of his life and hours of self-examination into the writing project, and came back with a gripping autobiographical narrative. (The book was reissued in paperback in 2004 and spent 54 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list.) Obama is as much an American writer who has found his way to politics as he is a politician who knows how to write. "I kept a journal basically from my junior year in college until I went to law school, for a span of about five years," he tells me when I visit him in his Senate office, on the top floor of the Hart Office Building. As he continues, Obama speaks with the methodical care of prose composition. "Even though I hadn't written a book before, I had a sense of what it felt like to write something that rang true. When you start writing you are able to discern where you're being false, where you're using clichés, where you're manufacturing emotion that's not really there, or where you're shying away from something that isn't necessarily flattering."

The senator's tie is loosened, and he keeps his pin-striped jacket on while inside his formal office. The room looks barely lived in, the result of his spending nearly every moment when the Senate isn't in session on the road raising money for his Democratic colleagues, or with his family back in Chicago. Obama has just flown back to D.C., and he remains upright and alert in a straight-backed chair. His build is so lean and sinewy that he seems much shorter than his 6'2" stature. Despite the demands of his schedule, he manages to keep in shape with daily runs or workouts in the Senate gym. He also plays golf occasionally and basketball when he can, including once with troops in Iraq.

Behind him is a wall of historical and personal artifacts: a 1965 Life cover of the Selma march inscribed "Keep the faith" by Representative John Lewis, who was badly beaten at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, and an original program from the 1963 March on Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. There are also pictures of Lincoln, Gandhi, John F. Kennedy, Obama with Nelson Mandela, and family photos that look like Christmas cards from the post-racial future, with white, black, brown, and Asian relatives intermingled.

Obama says he wrote The Audacity of Hope on his own, as he does anything important, at his Washington apartment, late at night. "What I've had to do when I get home at eight or nine o'clock is start writing," he says. Why he puts himself through this toil is, at least partly, for the money, as one of his friends told me: Obama never really made much before last year. (Royalties from his first book enabled him to pay back the last of his student loans—fifteen years after he graduated from law school.) The $1.9 million contract he signed for The Audacity of Hope, and another as-yet-unannounced title, allowed him and his wife, Michelle, to move with their two daughters from their condo into a large, prairie-style house in Kenwood, an upper-middle-class, mixed-race neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. Facing a deadline may also explain why the senator has found it so hard to quit smoking, although the government buildings smoking ban has helped curb his on-again, off-again habit that began 25 years ago.

Of all of the assets that make Obama such an appealing figure to Democrats—his reflective intellect, his departure from the familiar paths of racial politics, his good looks and easy manner—it is his writer's voice that most distinguishes him as a political figure. Many of the nation's greatest leaders—Adams, Jefferson, Madison, and Lincoln—were of course men of letters as well as candidates and officeholders. But the demands of a modern political career—the fund-raising, the constant travel, the need to respond to a 24-hour news cycle—seem to preclude collecting one's thoughts in such a polished and engaging way. The Senate, in particular, breeds the kind of pomposity and egotism that ruins thoughtful prose. Senators publish a lot of books, but most are memorabilia, not political literature.

A few highbrow politicians—Eugene McCarthy, Mario Cuomo, and Daniel Patrick Moynihan—have managed to write seriously. But much of this body of literature conveys the message that the writers, whose careers never went as far as their admirers thought they could, are too good for the dirty business of politics. Obama seems determined not to fall into either trap—growing so infatuated with his own reflection that he can't succeed as a leader, or charging ahead so hard that there's no space left for his emotional and intellectual life.

"If you read Robert Caro's biography of Lyndon Johnson—I'm not Johnson, but I'm fascinated by him—there's a piece of him in me," Obama says, leaning forward. "That kind of hunger—desperate to win, please, succeed, dominate—I don't know any politician who doesn't have some of that reptilian side to him. But that's not the dominant part of me. On the other hand, I don't know that it was the dominant part of—" his voice suddenly trails off as he motions behind him to a portrait of Lincoln, the self-invented lawyer, writer, and politician from Illinois. "This guy was pretty reflective," he says, offering a sly smile.

The turning point in Dreams from My Father comes when Obama is helping to organize an anti-apartheid rally as a sophomore at Occidental College in the early 1980s. He describes his own involvement with the divestment movement as stemming from racial posturing, part of the "radical pose" he cultivated in those days, when he was trying to demonstrate his blackness. As he was drawn into the effort, Obama found himself giving a speech to classmates, who cheered him on. But after it ended in a bit of street theater—two white students dressed as policemen dragged the black protester away—he began to doubt his own sincerity. "Through my eyes, we suddenly appeared like the sleek and well-fed amateurs we were," he writes. "The whole thing was a farce, I thought to myself—the rally, the banners, everything."

At a party the night of the rally, a friend of Obama's named Regina—who made her way to college from a struggling African-American family in the Chicago ghetto—congratulated him. Obama snapped that he had no business speaking for black people, and that nothing he did would make any difference. Standing on stage and receiving applause was just a way to feed his ego.

"If anyone's being naive, it's you," Regina told him. "You wanna know what your real problem is? You always think everything's about you." Regina's words resonated, and helped Obama move beyond his sense of grievance, and commit himself to social change.

Up until that point, his search had been more inward, defined by the fact that he barely knew his father and that he grew up with black skin and a white family. His mother, Ann Dunham, was born in a small Kansas town, and could trace her ancestry to Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy. She moved to Hawaii with her parents, and, in 1959, while attending the University of Hawaii, met a charismatic 23-year-old exchange student from Kenya named Barack Hussein Obama, who was raised a Muslim and grew up during the heyday of anticolonial politics. They married, had a son, divorced, and Barack Senior, who specialized in econometrics and won a scholarship for a Harvard graduate degree, soon returned to Kenya to put his training to use. Though he kept in touch and made it clear that he expected great things from his namesake, the father remained mostly a heroic legend to his son, whom he saw only once more, for a month when the boy was ten years old.

Soon his mother found a new love, and for Barry, as she called her son, a new adventure. To begin a second marriage to an Indonesian man, Ann moved her six-year-old son to Jakarta, where the boy had to contend with street children—and the occasional water buffalo. But after three years, Ann sent her son back to Hawaii to live with her comfortably middle-class parents. She followed soon after with a new daughter, Maya. Even in multicultural Honolulu, Obama's complex racial heritage provoked conflict. At Punahou, an elite prep school, he was one of only a handful of African-American students. Obama searched for black role models and channeled his angry sense of racial displacement into drinking, drugs (pot and a little cocaine), and basketball—none of which prevented him from excelling academically. A voracious reader, he immersed himself in the classics of African-American literature—books by James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, and Malcolm X.

"At night I would close the door to my room, telling my grandparents I had homework to do, and there I would sit and wrestle with words, locked in a suddenly desperate argument, trying to reconcile the world as I'd found it with the terms of my birth," he writes. "I kept finding the same anguish, the same doubt; a self-contempt that neither irony nor intellect seemed able to deflect."

Obama moved to New York City, where he finished college at Columbia, and one day in 1982, he received a call from a relative in Nairobi, who told him his father had been killed in a car accident. Obama thought that as a result, half of his heritage would remain closed to him. But a few years later he found a soul mate in his sister Auma, his father's daughter who came to visit him in Chicago. The long last section of his first book describes a visit to Kenya, where, with Auma as his guide, he unearthed the reality about his father, who was in fact a polygamist and, toward the end, an embittered alcoholic. As Obama met his extended family and learned about the struggles his forebears faced, his disappointment faded.

After working as a community organizer in Chicago in the mid-eighties, the next logical step was a law degree. At Harvard he quickly made his mark and developed a close circle of friends who continue to function as his advisers. After his first year, Obama worked as a summer associate at a law firm, where he met a brilliant and attractive first-year associate named Michelle Robinson. The daughter of a working-class family from the South Side, Michelle had finished Harvard Law before Obama started, though as she is quick to remind everyone, he is older. "What do you do when you have a very assertive and confident first-year who asks you out on dates and then keeps asking and is pretty persistent?" she asks, recalling their initial involvement. "What you do is give in."

The courtship continued while Obama was working on Dreams from My Father, which Michelle says defined the first part of their marriage, before the birth of their daughters, Malia, eight, and Sasha, five. Now the vice president of community relations at the University of Chicago Hospitals, Michelle Obama appears to be neither a Nancy Reagan, pushing her husband's political career forward, nor an Alma Powell, holding it back. "Politics is a completely unappealing way to live your life," she says, with trademark bluntness. "There's nothing that makes this attractive to go through as a family. But I also know very deeply and much more intimately than anyone out there how truly gifted Barack is. Part of me looks at my children and the world that I want my kids and grandkids to live in and says, 'How can I stand in the way?' But I struggle with it everyday." She says the knowledge that her husband would walk away from politics without hesitation if she asked him to makes the sacrifices easier to handle.

"Michelle is definitely the grounding presence in his life," says Cassandra Butts, a close friend from Harvard who now works for the liberal Center for American Progress. "I don't want to make this sound stereotypical, because Michelle is an intelligent professional with her own career and instincts. But she provides a base of support that allows him to do all the things he wants to do in his career. She is his rock."

Passing up a prestigious clerkship and high-paying offers from firms, Obama returned to Chicago in 1991 to practice civil-rights law. At that point, friends say, his ambition was to be mayor of Chicago. But in 1996, he was elected to the Illinois State Senate and four years later, mounted a failed attempt to unseat Congressman Bobby Rush, the former Black Panther who brushed him off as "not black enough." In his new book, Obama recalls how the loss forced him to relax: "I spent more time at home and watched my daughters grow, and properly cherished my wife." He continues, "I exercised, and picked up novels, and came to appreciate how the earth rotated around the sun and the seasons came and went without any particular exertions on my part."

After an incumbent's surprise retirement, a Senate seat came open and Obama and his wife forged an "up-or-out strategy," as he reveals in the new book: If he didn't win the Senate race, he would find a career that would make for a more placid home life. Obama does not suppress his own qualms about public life, anymore than he hides his teenage dabbling with drugs and alcohol. Even today, he struggles with the burden his political commitment puts on him. "There's a big part of me that's pretty lazy," he says. "You know, I grew up in Hawaii and really liked going to the beach and talking to girls and playing basketball."

"I wasn't one of these folks who at the age of five said to myself, 'I'm going to be a U.S. senator,' " Obama continues. "The motivation for my work has been more rooted in the need to live up to certain values that, more than anybody, my mother instilled in me, and to figure out how you reconcile those values with a world that is broken apart by class and race and nationality. And so I guess I have on occasions had to push myself or I've been pushed into service, not always because I thought it was fun or that it was preferable to sitting down and watching a ball game, but because I felt it was necessary."

It was during his years as a community activist that Obama's social commitment began to be infused with the religious feeling he describes in the book. A spiritual inclination he attributes to his mother drew him, despite his "quarrels with God," to hang around the United Church of Christ, a community popular with black professionals. There he got to know the man who became his pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright Jr., something of an Ellison or Richard Wright character himself, who came through encounters with drink, Islam, and Black Nationalism before he learned Greek and Hebrew and received a Ph.D. in Divinity.

When I asked Obama whether he believed in God before joining the Reverend Wright's Church, something I wondered after reading his first book, he responded with a comment you'd wait a long time to hear from any other senator. He quoted a favorite line from a poem by Borges:

I offer you that kernel of myself that I have saved, somehow—the central heart that deals not in words, traffics not with dreams and is untouched by time, by joy, by adversities.

"I think Borges is talking to a mistress or lover," Obama said. "But that kernel that is untouched—that doesn't traffic in the trivial or the mean or the petty—that sounds like God to me."

Obama arrived in Washington focused on how to avoid being known as the guy who gave one great speech, at the 2004 Democratic convention. Following Hillary Clinton's example, he put together a first-rate staff, studied procedural arcana, got local jobs done, and deferred to his Senate elders. After his first year and a half in office, he can expound with authority on immigration policy, the post-Katrina government contracting mess, and nuclear proliferation, usually in the same bipartisan tones. Hardly ever does he lead the party's charge against the Bush?Cheney White House. Obama especially dislikes the vituperative intramural debate to which left-wing blogs have contributed. Last fall, he sent a 2,000-word e-mail to the Daily Kos—a widely read progressive Web site—defending Democratic colleagues who voted to confirm Chief Justice John Roberts, even though he himself opposed the nominee. This further enraged some of the "netroots" antiwar activists who first backed him, and who were already upset that he opposes a rapid pullout from Iraq.

His other notable splash came through the thankless task he undertook at the behest of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid: ethics reform, a topic that wins neither votes nor friends on Capitol Hill. After he became allied with John McCain, Senate Democrats compelled Obama to side with them rather than McCain's bipartisan effort, and the ornery Arizonan fired off a sarcastic accusation of double-crossing. More than anything else, the public denunciation indicated that the 70-year-old Republican front-runner, for whom 2008 will be a last shot at the presidency, sees the Democratic golden boy as a political threat. Ever the diplomat, Obama says that the spat is now ancient history and the two again get along well. "People see John McCain as a prima donna," Obama joked to the elites gathered for the Gridiron Club dinner this spring. "I think of him as a role model."

Obama usually deflects questions about his political future with this kind of self-deprecation. "I'm so overexposed, I make Paris Hilton look like a recluse," he likes to say. When Jon Stewart asked about his celebrity on The Daily Show, Obama responded, "The only person more over-hyped than me is you," convulsing the host with laughter.

The Democratic obsession—it is not too strong a word—with the possibility of his running in 2008 reflects a combination of concern about Hillary Clinton's electability and impatience with the notion that their biggest talent intends to sit out the race to marinate longer in the Senate. There's also the fact of his crossover appeal—in the 2004 Illinois race, Obama won an impressive 40 percent of the Republican vote. (And as the Daily Kos episode suggests, he's not afraid to criticize his own side, chiding Democrats in his new book for sometimes being "smug, detached and dogmatic.") Somewhat against his will, the force of his voice—and the truth that legislating veterans' benefits is not his highest calling—seems to be pulling him toward considering a run. As Joe Klein recently wrote in Time, the gossip in Washington is that Obama "isn't not running for President."

Obama is too candid to deny that he's thinking about the presidency. "Look, it was highly unlikely that I would ever be a U.S. senator, so it's very flattering for people to talk about a presidential race," he says. He recalls walking recently through a corridor of the Capitol Hilton, which is filled with portraits of all 43 presidents, and pondering their careers. "You go through and you think, 'Who are these guys?' There are—what?—maybe ten presidents in our history out of 40-something who you can truly say led the country? And then there are 30-odd who just kind of did their best. And so—I guess my point is—just being the president is not a good way of thinking about it."

Obama is well aware of the obstacles he would face, including his limited experience in foreign policy, and Hillary Clinton's embedded position as front-runner. It's also not lost on him that much of the next president's job will be "cleaning up the mess," which is as close as he comes to trashing the Bush administration. "My attitude about something like the presidency is that you don't want to just be the president," he continues. "You want to change the country. You want to make a unique contribution. You want to be a great president."

It can't be easy being the repository for so many hopes—from Democrats, African-Americans, and both his parents. Obama sometimes quotes Lyndon Johnson's remark that every man is trying to live up to his father's expectations or make up for his mistakes. "I guess I'm trying to do both," he said in another interview. The greater influence is clearly his mother, who died of cancer in 1996. "She had this amazing sense of wonder about the world and this huge heart and huge sense of compassion and empathy for people—and a great kindness toward them," he says. In the introduction to the paperback edition of his first book, written with his Senate election in sight, Obama calls his mother "the single constant in my life." That passage, he says, is the one piece of his own writing he can't reread without breaking up.

For the most part, Obama appears to wear the burden of others' dreams lightly. They hang loosely on his shoulders, like the dark suits that compliment his slender frame. But beneath his open, companionable exterior, one detects a certain brooding quality, a concern etched into the sharp lines of his face about whether he's up to the tasks ahead.

His book will only add to the run-Obama-run! clamor, and the intensity of the pressure on him. But even as the Democratic political discussion grows and engulfs him, Obama is engaged in another more personal and historical conversation—with Wright and Ellison, with his parents, and with those two tragic and prophetic figures, Lincoln and King. Obama, of course, would never be so immodest as to compare himself to either of these men. But being clear-eyed, he must see what others do: that among American politicians, he alone has the potential to one day be mentioned in the same breath."

"What is Sojourners"/ (you may be asking): here's an explanation, courtesy of Sojonet

2007-01-19T18:26:00.000-08:00

You can check it out at:
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=about_us.mission

or, you can read below:

"Founded in 1971, our mission is to articulate the biblical call to social justice, inspiring hope and building a movement to transform individuals, communities, the church, and the world."

"Mission
Our mission is to articulate the biblical call to social justice, inspiring hope and building a movement to transform individuals, communities, the church, and the world.

In response to this call, we offer a vision for faith in public life by:

publishing Sojourners magazine, SojoMail and other resources that address issues of faith, politics, and culture from a biblical perspective;
preaching, teaching, organizing, and public witness;
nurturing community by bringing together people from the various traditions and streams of the church;
hosting an annual program of voluntary service for education, ministry, and discipleship.
In our lives and in our work, we seek to be guided by the biblical principles of justice, mercy, and humility.

History
Sojourners ministries grew out of the Sojourners Community, located in Southern Columbia Heights, an inner-city neighborhood in Washington, D.C. The community began at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, in the early 1970s when a handful of students began meeting to discuss the relationship between their faith and political issues, particularly the Vietnam War. In 1971, the group decided to create a publication that would express their convictions and test whether other people of faith had similar beliefs.

Over the years, however, Sojourners went through a variety of transitions. Slowly, the household communities gave way to an intentional community (with a common rule of life). Today, the community context has shifted away from an intentional model; rather we are a committed group of Christians who work together to live a gospel life that integrates spiritual renewal and social justice.

»Read more about Sojourners' history

Call to Renewal
Due to the extraordinary response to our work over the past few years, the sister organizations Sojourners and Call to Renewal have decided to combine their respective strengths. The boards of the two organizations decided officially in June 2006 to reunite, effective July 1, 2006.

The creation of this new organization will not just serve its own institutional goals. It has the particular vocation of seeking to build a movement that puts faith to work for justice. The particular mission of Call to Renewal in overcoming poverty will continue, and now even more strongly with the recently launched Covenant for a New America and a commitment to put poverty on the forefront of the political agenda by the 2008 elections. But we will also serve larger and broader purposes that, for more than three decades, Sojourners has stood for.

»Learn more about the reunification of Sojourners and Call to Renewal

Contact Us
General contact information:

Sojourners/Call to Renewal
3333 14th St. NW, Suite 200
Washington DC 20010
Phone: 202-328-8842 or 1-800-714-7474
Fax: 202-328-8757
E-mail: sojourners@sojo.net
Web Questions: webmaster@sojo.net

To arrange an interview, or to be added to our media list, contact:

Jack Pannell, Press Secretary
3333 14Th Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20010
Phone: 202-745-4614
Fax: 202-328-8757
E-mail: media@sojo.net "

Promotion of Sojourners/ A Call to Renewal continued

2007-01-19T18:16:00.000-08:00

So here's the website link where you can check this organization out in more detail:

http://www.sojo.net/

My promotion for Sojourners/ A Call to Renewal

2007-01-19T18:11:00.000-08:00

Here is my promotion of Sojourners/ A Call To Renewal: it's a joint organization led by a Christian living in the US who is a activist/Evangelist by the name of Jim Wallis who leads both of these organization. Sojourners is a faith-based organization that focuses on social justice, faith and peace, does investigate reporting on current US and Global events, writes articles and well as provides an alternative way to integrate faith and politics.

A Call to Renewal is an faith-based organization that looks to be faith of people, the community and politicians involved in reducing poverty.

Jim Wallis is also the author of the award-winning books "God's Politics: How the Left Doesn't Get it and the Right Gets it Wrong" as well as "Living God's Politics", "Voting God's Politics" and another book on how the Christian faith is Personal, but never Private.

The issue of equalization and the New Year

2007-01-19T17:36:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, I know it's been ages since i've updated my blog and in my opionion, it's been too long. So, i'll be updating it now.

On a first note, i'd like to post some posts I put up on Canadiansforchrist recently:

But first however, i'd like to re-post the response I got from my Conservative MP, Loyola Hearn(St.John's South-Mt.Pearl) when I raised the issue of equalization with him in Early January,followed by my original response:
Hearn, Loyola - M.P. (Hearn.L@parl.gc.ca)
To:
jordan lester (guardianshadowknight@hotmail.com)
Subject:
RE: What is your Stance on the issue of Equalization

January 5, 2007 11:03:20 AM

"Dear Mr. Lester:
Thank you very much for your recent email concerning my stance on the issue of equalization.

I have been very vocal on my stance on this issue for quite some time.

In fact, I spoke about this issue as late as last night on Out of the Fog.

Being the Newfoundland representative at the Cabinet table in Ottawa I will, and have, always made sure that Newfoundland is given the best deal on any issue that comes up.

On the specific issue of equalization I will again make sure that Newfoundland gets the best deal for us.

Along with my Provincial counterparts we have all worked hard to see the Atlantic Accord signed and we will not stop till we receive what we are due.

Thank you for your input on this issue and should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me again.

Sincerely,
Loyola Hearn

And this is what I wrote to him:

From: jordan lester [mailto:guardianshadowknight@hotmail.com]

Sent: Thu 2007/01/04 8:58 PMTo: Hearn, Loyola - M.P.; guardianshadowknight@hotmail.com

Subject: What is your Stance on the issue of Equalization?
Greetings, Mr.Hearn,
As you are probably well aware, the Telegram recently featured an article (A3 of the January 4th/2007 "The Telegram") stating that 5 of the 7 Federal NL MPS have responded to the letter that Premier Danny Williams sent to the Prime Minister before the last Election Campaign. I'm also aware that you haven't yet responded to this letter to state where you stand on the issue of possible changes to the equalization formula. As a member of your riding (St.John's South/Mt. Pearl) and a young man who's 18, i'd like to know where you stand on the issue of equalization and I ask that you make your position public so that every newfoundlander will be able to know where their MP stands on the issue of equalization and that your position be made public knowledge: after all, you are part of a Government that ran on the issue of Accountability!

So ya, i'd encourage you to go public about where you stand on the issue of equalization as soon as possible and that you take whatever measures necessary that fall within the rule of law in order to make it clear where you stand on this issue so that a real debate may begin. Sincerely,
Jordan Willis Lester, Age 18, citizen of the Federal Riding of St.John's South/Mount Pearl

Announcement:Aug.17th-plans for Aug.18th thru Aug.21st

2006-08-17T17:30:00.000-07:00

Attention: I will be getting off work at lunchtime tomorrow and getting Monday off for work because my boss ( the E.D: Executive Director) Melanie at the NLACL thinks I need the time off. So, if your going to try to reach me this weekend, PLEASE LEAVE A MESSAGE ON MY CELLPHONE!!( as I may be 'out of range' of the cellphone area, I dunno the # for Terra Nova Village, my dad's house Gary's 'at the foof of John's Pond' and some other locations yet to be decided ( And it doesn't help that me having my job caused my job to lose most of his 2 week August Holidays: which 'conflicted' with my summer job hours!!!!) and I probbly won't be anywhere near a phone for most of the weekend!!!)

( I think it had something to do with the fact that YEsterday ( Wedsday, Aug.16th), I was soooo tired from last-minute MUN preparation ( getting registered for orientation, the 'problems' that go with it, trying to get the material to study for my MUN MPT that I will do on Sept.5th/2006 ( As I thought in June that I was going to Acadia and therefore, didn't write the test: big mistake. SO, if you ever think your going away for university(especially for my younger newfoundland friends who are still in high school) REGISTER FOR BOTH MUN AND THE UNIVERSITY YOU PLAN TO ATTEND (as you may find out like me that to 'live on campus' at a university ' on the mainland' ( as we say here in NL) could cost anywhere from 10-30,000$ a year!!!!!! And well, it's best to 'fully register' for a 'Hometown university' as well as a 'Out-Of-Province' one: giving you the option to 'make up your mind over the summer: when things are usually ( and I mean usually) less crazy!

Back on my point, I took to take the afternoon off yesterday in order to get some 'r and r' as Melanie noticed that:

1. That I 'wasn't myself' at work that day ( Because I was tired and stressed from having too much to do for 2 weeks in a row!! and not enough time to get it all done!!)

2. That I 'had too much on my plate' and 'needed to rest' in order to catch up on Orientation Registration, Permit Studying and getting a nap ( I got home around 12:45 p.m: only to sleep for 2-3 hours, talk to Rhonda, my dad's 'maid' who cleaned the house 'Once a week': that's a longggg longgg story for another time ( as I don't know all the details myself!!!)

So ya, remember, if you want to reach me, leave a message at my cellphone # ( If you really really want to) If not, leave a message on me and my sister's line at my mom's house ( You should know it if you really need it. If not, using a phone book, some ;investigative skills' and where I live, you can 'isolate' my number and leave a message (or get my mom or Greg to tell you what my # is). And as for calling my Dad's house, that's not such a good thing as my Dad will be out of town as well: so, you'll just get his Aliant Message Manager.

So that's all I have to say: posting this took an extra 20-30 minutes ( as I accidentally exited out of the original and lost it: only to have to re-type it all out again!!!)

So ya, in summary, I won't be in town: so don't be surprised if i'm not home until some time on the middle-late Monday afternoon or night. If it's urgent or you want to reach me, call my cellphone . If i'm not there, leave a message and i'll get it when i'm actually 'in range'. If not, you'll need to 'wait patiently' for me to return on Monday and set aside planning things for the summer until that following week or weekend!!!! That's all folks for now ( It could be anywhere from 3-5 days before I check my e-mails, have a phone 'working around the clock', use the internet or anything like that, so expect a very slow and late reply...!!!!

Thursday, Aug.17th/2006: The Day of the Crazies 2

2006-08-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

As you can see, I was so busy with work, watching the news, eating supper, following the news, Watching Canadian Idol, doing the laundry, registering for my MUN orientation and studying for my permit test that I didn't even have time to get to what I did at work!!!!

Any, so as you know, I got up at 6:30 a.m to get ready for work: getting a shower, getting chnaged to my work clothes (business casual pants and shirt), eating breakfast, packing my lunch (and snacks to eat throughout work), getting my quarter for the daily newspaper and my 'fany pack' ( where I keep my bus pass and stuff) in order to get to the bus stop around 7:25/7:30 a.m. So ya, while waiting on Hemmer Jane in Mt. Pearl, I chatted up with a 'Mount Pearlean' about current issues, the news, my job, school,etc... so ya then at 7:40/45 a.m, my bus showed up to bring me to the Village ( it gets there around 8:00/8:05/8:10 a.m and the bus from there to my Work ( The NLACL, a.k.a the
St.John's headquarters of the non-profit Community Living in Newfoundland and Labrador on Pete St. at the Tara Building (formerly the Ashley Building) to get there around 8:50 a.m! (more details to come!)

So, I arrived at work at 8:50/55 a.m and had a chat with Brad, the NLACL coordinator ( for those of you who didn't read my earlier entires, the NLACL stands for the 'Newfoundland and Labrador Association for Community Living') about politics, the news and many other things that I won't get into details about ( as i'm too tired to remember!!!) So ya I was chatting with him until 9:20/9:30 a.m when Melanie got me to work on installing some scanner software ( which had like 5 different photoshop and scanner programs on it !!!). But ya, we weren't able to get it to work so on 9:30/10:00 a.m, I gave up on the scanner and let my co-worker Tabatha work on it instead! ( It couldn't have been as bad as yesterday when Melanie, the E.D ( the Executive Director) accidentally brought in the Software in Portuguese!!!: we need nooooooooooooooooooo idea of what it was saying.... sort of!) You see, my boss Melanie had lived in Honduras, South America for 2-4 months in her life. So, she learned a little bit of Spanish and Portuguese while she was living there working after getting a B.A (Political Science).. and stuff.

SO anywaysssss... then Melanie got me to organize a follow-up study on 'The Rights Futures Program' into chronological order ( It's about an 100 + page document that I organized and put together in about 10 minutes!!). So with that done, around 10:30 /10:45 a.m, I started reading up on the Government of NL's document entitled " Poverty Reduction: An Action Plan for Newfoundland and Labrador". So from then until 11:50 a.m, I spent the time reading through the ' Message from the Premier, Danny Williams ( also known as 'Danny Millions'! unofficially!!!!!) and the Minister of Human Resources Paul Shelley ( At first, I thought Paul Shelley was a girl because it sounds like a girl's name to me for some reason. But ya, I learned Paul's a guy!!!). And ya, I was reading through the 'Executive Summary' of it ( the first 10 pages of info. which is in roman numerals such as i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii,viii, ix and x) .But ya, my Dad showed up at 11:50 a.m to take me to do my Permit Test ( For the 3rd time) at Motor Vehicle Registration ( in Mt.Pearl) Here's my results:

- got 100% ( pass) on Part 2: Sign Recognition and the various Road signs

- got 6 wrong on part 1 ( Your only allowed to have 0-2 wrong in order to pass) So ya, me and my Dad were 'disappointed' that I didn't get my license and we both got a bit frustrated: (only to realize that they have 4 variations of the standard test and I had received the most difficult copy in circulation!!!!)

So ya, after eating my lunch in the car and the way there and getting all that done, I got back to my work at 12:30/45p.m: With about 15-30 minutes to spare before it was time for me to work again! So ya, I chatted with Brad and Melanie ( Is it just me or ever since Brad started working this week, i've cut back the mount of time I spend talking to Melanie) ( Sidenote: this morning, Brad sent me a e-mail from MUN about 're-vamping' and 'overhauling' the introductory psychology program at MUN ( and potentially the entire system!!!) and next wedsday, they're going to have a conference available to the general public in order to get feedback ( Where I did Psych.1000 and 1001 as part of my AP PSych. course and got credit for Psych.1001, i'm in a good position to 'critique' what changes need to be made to the courses) So then I talked to Melanie about my Driver's Permit, Bill C-2: The Federal Accountability Act, its implications,etc....., Politics, Lobbying, The CNDA/CNDS (Canada National Disability Act/Canada National Disabilities Strategy which was ' a Conservative Party of Canada 2006 Federal Election Promise'! which is in the preliminary stages,etc....

So yaaround 1:15/1:20 p.m, I got back to work on the 'Reducing Poverty: An Action Plan for NL' : taking 1-2 snack breaks, 1-2 bathroom breaks, 1-2 stretching breaks throughout the afternoon: Working on typing my notes I had written out on paper into a Microsoft Word Document at my Work I will eventually e-mail mysel a copy of those jot notes and quotes...) and I got through the Entire 'Executive Summary' and photocopied a 3/4 page summary Tabitha Boland ( one of my co-workers) wrote for the Fall 2006 Gateway Newsletter ( it'll be available at http://www.nlacl.com or http://www.nlacl.ca in the coming months. In the meantime you can check out previous Gateway E-Newsletters!)

So ya, I got my stuff ready at 4:10 p.m ( my lunch bag, this week's copy of "The Independent" and Today's Copy of "The Telegram" ( That I brought 'dirt cheap' on the Metrobus for a quarter instead of o.65 dollars (65 cents) and got on the bus to the village. Only, I was suppose to take the Route 1 to my mom's house. But, I missed the bus because I was talking about my Guitar Teacher, Chuck ( formerly at Strings n' Things, until that closed down due to a back location and never re-opened as finding a 'suitable' location hasn't been easy for Gary, the owner of Strings n' Things!) So, at 4:50 p.m, I decided to walk to Mom's house ( which takes about 15-40 minutes: 15 minutes if you run or sprint on a nice cool day or in this case, 30-40 when your 'power walking' in 20-25 degrees weather in a 'Black Dress suit and pants' , 'burning up',etc... so , I got home at 5:30/5:35 p.m: and so began the real 'craziness of today': Family, Extended Family, Step Family, Boyfriends and Girlfriend of Cousins, Aunts, my younger cousins,etc... ( about 15-25 people were at my mom's house from 5:00/5:40 p.m until about 8pm!!!!) So ya, this is what I had for supper:
-2 Hamburgers with Ketchup,Mustard and Mayo ( If it wasn't bad enough that I had a Balogna, Mayo, Lettuce, Pickles, Mustard and Ketchup Homemade Sub Sandwich for Lunch and a 'cholocate Pop-tart this morning!!!!"
- 1 bowl full of mild-medium chilly with beef, green and red peppers,etc...
-1 small plate full of salad
- some assorted fruit
and.... -2-3 glasses of Skim Milk Followed by one glass of 2% Milk ( I'm soooooo used to Skim Milk ,that I find 2% has 'too much fat' in it's taste and content:unlike from primary through grade 6, I found Skim Milk soooo gross that I drank 2 mouthfuls just so I could go into Mcdonalds: otherwise, the Tilleys ( who looked after me and my sister sometimes) told me I couldn't have Mcdonalds, but that's another story for another time!!!!)

So ya, then at 8pm, my step-dad Greg drove me up to Pearlview, Mt. Pearl , I got my 2nd pair of 'unhemmed dress pants' , 'marked' with a pin so they could know where to get them hemmed!, Learned how to wash dress pants: cold water on the 'delicate' setting for 5 minutes, dry for 20 minutes on 'delicate' and iron with an iron!!! So ya, then I talked to Felissa ( she's my girlfriend now : after '9 months of dating!!!' ( Who didn't see that coming?!?!?!??!?!?!) So ya, I spent the last 60-90 minutes updating this blog: from 8pm- 9:37 p.m. But hey, it was worth it!!!

The day of the Crazies- August 15th/2006

2006-08-15T17:12:00.000-07:00

So ya, what a crazy day: I woke up at 6:30 a.m to get ready for work: (after 'hitting the hay' at 10:30 p.m last night) to get ready for work. So ya, after showering and packing my lunch at 7:10/7:15 a.m

My Crazy Regatta Day: August 2nd/2006

2006-08-02T16:45:00.000-07:00

So first of all, I woke up at around 6:30 a.m ( I missed my chance to hear the 6am VOCM announcement as to whether or not the Regatta was going ahead..) And well, I got up and ready and got the 8:15 a.m Bus to the Village and got the Special bus to Stavanger Drive( The Regatta). And so ya, I walked around ( ran into some of my friends) a bit, looked at all the various stands ( non-profit organizations, profit organ. ,etc..) , got 2 slices of pizza at the Old Town Pizzeria at the Regatta, watched some of the Regatta races and read my copy of the Wedsday, Aug 2nd of ' The Telegram')

At around 11am, I decided to help the Anchormen Barbershop Chorus at selling 'Games of Chance' tickets at their booth at the Regatta (Because i'm an official member of their chorus) from thenon until 4 pm. At first, it was raining a little bit when I arrived at around 8:20/35 a.m, then it started to pour down, really pour down and it only continued to get worse with it 'letting off' a bit on occasion in a rather random fascion. Anyway, I was helping to sell tickets for '10 cents a ticket....!' ( and later ' 25 cents a ticket..!) Also, I was holding up some of the different prizes that could be won, moving them through the air in a rather silly way (ex. making a Bear Medium-sized plush toy and moving its arms to get it to wave at people) and shouting silly slogans to keep people to buy tickets ( I have Justin Foley to thank for that bit of inspiration. But let me give you an example... I once hold a medium-sized frog toy, mainpulated its front legs to get it around my neck in a nuise-like fashion and said, ' C'mon, buy a ticket, your killing me already!' and while waving a bear plush toy, ' C'mon , buy a ticket, it's more than I can bare/bear ( you'd have to speak it to yourself for it to make any sense!)

Other than the fact that the rain might've made some potential customers too busy trying to leave the Regatta ( or do other activities) instead of buying tickets to support the Anchormen Chorus, we all forgot to bring a pitch pipe ( Now, for those of you who aren't into Barbershop, it's a device you blow into in order to hear the first note in the key of the song you wish to sing (ex. A Flat) and each part tunes to that notes and then deviates up or down 1/3 and/or 1/5 to get their first note... and well without it, it's difficult to sing a barbershop song in tune) So ya, we sang on two occasions today ( Once in front of a camera although we were sometimes out of tune and I was the only barbershop 'tenor' ( who usually sings in falsetto))

So once 4/4:15 p.m rolled around, it was raining far, far too much in order to continue selling tickets, so like many other booths, we started to 'pack up and leave' ( Also, one lady went around offering a petition stating that groups that bought and/or rented booths for Regatta day ( which aren't cheap from what i've heard) that they should get a refund because the person responsible for choosing when Regatta Day was going ahead choose a day when it was set to rain the whole day and cut into everyone's margins of revenues for both profit, volunter and non-profit organizations with booths there.... but in my opionion, although this would be a good thing, it wasn't all bad and i've learned to try to make the best of these situations...ideally ( although I sometimes mess up)

Anyway at around 4:20/ 4:30 p.m, I bought myself 2 sausages on buns and a pepsi at the Regatta, put lots of ketchup, bacon bites and hot peppers on them, had a mid-afternoon snack and headed for the 'Special' metrobus going to the Village ( I also bought another copy of today's paper because my previous copy got 'soaked' by all the rain!) and then transfered to Route 1 to go home...

And well then, when I got home around 5:30 p.m, I spent the time continuing to read today's paper, we ( me , my mom and my sister) ordered pizza and garlic finger for supper and watched the movie, ' Last Holiday' ( with Queen Latifah in it) And well, the character Q.L was playing was a middle/ lower-middle class American working as a retail clerk in the cooking section and she founds out that she has ' Larkinson's Disease' and that she only has 3 -4 weeks left to live. So, she decides to 'blow' all her savings in order to go away to a fancy hotel in order to make the best of the last of her days. ( To avoid ruining the movie for you, i'll just tell you what I got outta it) Well, one of my cousions (I'm not completely sure which one) recommended that my mom watch this film as we all discovered last week ( I found out last Friday) that my mom has Terminal Cancer and that she probably has approx. 1 month left to live. And well, the movie for me showed that in such a situation, one should make the best of the time (i.e my mom and anyone else for that matter) and just try to spend more time with family and friends and fulfill some goals that we've always wanted to do

Yet for me, I know that ' living life to the full' isn't just some human idea. It also has its roots in the Bible. I can't remember exactly where but in the New Testament, Paul writes to his readers that we oughta learn to make the best of every situation, and in the book of John in the Gospels, we are told that Jesus came to ' give us life and life to the full' ( Now that mostly applyes to the spiritual side of life but it also extends into the social side too and well, not so much wealth). And the previous Sunday, Laws (spelled more like Lois H.) gave a message on 'The Kingdom of Moab" from the Old Testament and how the Moabites defied God and disobeyed him ( Much in the same way that Lob's two daughters defied god by commiting incest with their own father). And then , you have Job who was punished and tested by God even though he was innocent. So for me, it shows that suffering can serve two purposes in God's eyes: 1. To Punish those who've done wrong ( and to 'open their eyes' so they may seek God) and 2. To test the faith of the faithful and help their faith and relationship with God to grow.

So ya, other than that, i've just been typing on this blog and talking to my friend Sarah C. about how my mom got terminal cancer and about my day today.

Well, i'm going to probably check out Celena Boland's Blog, check my e-mails and that kinda thing. And that's all that I have to say... Until next time... feel free to post comments and i'll keep you posted ( to the best of my ability..!)

Promotion for the Newest Political Party in NL : The NL First Party

2006-07-11T17:52:00.000-07:00

Yep, I found out about this election when the Rural Provincial Newfoundland Politician Fabian Manning left his seat vacant to run in the Federal 2006 Canadian Election to represent the Avalon Peninsula ( Which he is now elected to do) As a result, a by-election was called and the competition was on as to who would replace Fabian Manning: Felix , The PC Party Candidate ( who was elected in that by-election) , a NDP Candidate, a Green Party Candidate or ( you guessed it) , a NL First Party Candidate: the first ever election or by-election to have featured a NL First Candidate.

Anyway, i'll let their official website speak for itself:

http://www.nlfirst.ca/faq.htm

and I believe the homepage is http://www.nlfirst.ca

FlyHighMinistries and MyCanada Promotion

2006-07-11T17:37:00.000-07:00

Here's a link to Faytene's Ministry MyCanada http://4mycanada.ca/Videos.html ( Well, a link that features 9 WindowsMedia and RealPlayer videos designed by this ministry on various issues and topics)

Here is the Homepage Link for MyCanada :
http://www.4mycanada.ca/

Here's the Homepage Link for FlyHighMinistries:
http://www.flyhighministries.com/
(This ministry was created by the same Faytene the wrote the amazing about Canada's Righteous History called "Stand on Guard" which I bought when she and others from her ministry visited the Revival Centre on Topsail Road in St.John's/NL!)

So ya, i'm just putting the links there instead of going into too much detail so that these ministries via their links can speak for themselves. Although if you wanna know more about any of these ministries or comment on them, feel free to post a comment!

TheCry2 Promotion

2006-07-11T17:28:00.000-07:00

Here's a comment I wanted to post on the Blog for TheCry ( But I couldn't because i'm not a 'team member' of the blog. Anyways, thought i'd share it with you all!

Hi Faytene, i've been a loyal fan of your ministry since Last Summer when you and some of your members of your FlyHighMinistries visited St.John's/NL ( Newfoundland and Labrador) at the Revival Centre...
Well, since then ,I bought your book, "Stand on Guard" ( Which I found to be totally amazing). I found it so amazing in fact that I donated a copy to the WEB church library! (WEB is short for a church in St.John's on Topsail Road called West End Baptist of which I am a member!)
Anyway, one of my friends Brad Norman had a ministry called CanadiansforChrist which was a Christian community on the interest where people could chat about God, The Bible , to develop christian friends from across Canada,etc..
My point being that the site is now up and running ( After being closed for several months) And well, i'd be honored if you would visit http://www.canadiansforchrist.tk/ and check it out ( And maybe even become a member as I think the two ministries could be complementary.
Anyway when I friend arranged a Gathering This July called X-Alt 2006 ( Which was an amazing event where God was lifted up in worship,praise, people spoke in tongues, We had a Guest Speaker from the Mainland and what not! And well at that ministry, I prayed for TheCry2! ( As did some other people there when they felt they wanted to pray about some things!)

The link for TheCry Blog is http://thecry2him.blogspot.com in case you want to check it out!

Also check out this link for a video about TheCry2 taking place July 16th in Ottawa!!!:

http://www.4mycanada.ca/Cry2/Cryindex.html

July 11th: The Day of the Social Research Assistant for NLACL ( Newfoundland and Labrador Assoc. for Community Living)

2006-07-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

So ya, where to start? So, I woke up at 6 am to get ready for work ( After going to the St. John's Anchormen Barbershop Chorus from 7-9 pm last night at the Aliant Pioneer Centre in Pleasantville: I must be nuts!) Anyways by the time I got ready, it was 7;10/7:15 a.m ( All dressed up in my black suit, Yellow Tie, Black Pants, Black Socks and Black Shoes: business formal for my first day of work at the NLACL ( Newfoundland and Labrador Association for Community Living: which i'll talk about in more detail later in this entry) on Pete Street in St.John's, NL to work as a Social Research Assistant) For breakfast, I had two slices of peanut butter toast and a glass of orance juice!

So ya at 7:30 a.m , I took Route 1 of the Metrobus to get to the Village and then Transfered to Route 25 to get to the Avalon Mall (only to discover it also goes by Pete Street) Anyway on the way there,when we stopped briefly at the Avalon Mall Food Court Entrance, I ran into Susan Strickland, a friend of mine who is a CONA graduate ( She got on my case sometimes jokingly about the fact I used to think she was a graduate from Academy Canada or something like that! lol..!)

So ya I arrived at work early (8am even though the job doesn't start until 8:30 a.m) Anyways from 8:30-9 am, I took a look around the office to familiarize myself with its format, some posters on the wall,etc...

Anyways, The receptionist ( I think that's her role) showed up at 9 am and gave me a huge binder called the "Board of Directors handbook/manual) So from 9 -10:00/10:30 a.m , I read section 1-4a of the 10 sections: Outlining the Constitution of the NLACL, the Format of how the organization is run ( Board of Directors, Support Staff, Committee,Members,etc....) So then I was asked to read through previous publications of the NLACL's quarterly newsletter The Gatewat ( which is now available online at http://www.nlacl.ca : the latest comingissue is due out in August!)

( I managed to read 15 pages out of 24 because I was taking notes on everything written in the Spring 1993 edition of the Gateway for my social research duties that will be going full-speed in a week or so!)

So ya then around 11 am or so, I took a break to have 2 slices of banana bread offered at the kitchen there. From then on,I either took a break for 20 minutes or I continued reading the Spring 1993 edition of Gateway. So ya , from 11:41- 12:05 p.m, I put my last bit of work in before walking down to Scamper's to get some Fish and Chips with malt vinegar and ketchup and I bought a copy of The Globe and Mail newspaper ( It's becoming a new favourite of mine: up there with The Telegram and The Independent!)

So ya at 1:34 p.m, after finishing my lunch and chatting with Melanie ( my Boss..sort of) while reading the Paper, I got back to work ( Throughout the day, I did some obb jobs that weren't in the job description: assisting with unloading the old printer of paper to move a 'temporary' new multi-function printer until the 'permanent' one is in stock, answering phones,etc...)

Anyways to avoid going into too much detail, we discussed some proposal ideas and decided that tomorrow, we are going to make our 'Five Priorities' for the next 6 1/2 -7 weeks of my mandate there as a employee, to set a time daily for some ' Feedback time' . So ya, I got off work at 4:00 p.m ( because i needed to catch the Metrobus home and to plan out my route). After running into Justin F. , a girl from choir, and many others friends, and getting stuck waiting for Route 1 for 45 minutes, I learned that the Route 1 towards Cowan Heights and broken down and I needed to go on an alternative route ( route 15 to the rescue... I think that's the one I got on) ... ( I also had some interesting conversations while waiting) Anyways, I got home at 6 pm and got changed into some more casual wear to tell mom and my Step-dad ,Greg all about my day and to enjoy some Pork (or steak...) and Potatoes, Read ' The Globe and Mail' , do some chores around the house, post on this blog, check e-mails quickly,etc..

( I started bloging at 8:30 p.m and its now 11:16 p.m and I needed to hurry through this to get to bed early enough to work tomorrow)

Hopefully, tomorrow's entry won't be so rushed!!!

By the way, Faytene Krysko ( I'm not sure about the spelling of the last name) has three main Christian ministries FlyHighMinistries, MyCanada and The Summer Ministry/ Gathering known as TheCry( July 15th is going to be the start of TheCry2).
Anyway, TheCry has a blog at http://thecry2him.blogspot.com/

Trust me, it's worth checking out if you wanna find out what their all about!

July 7th : The Day of The Metro, The Arts and Culture Library, The News and Reading,etc...

2006-07-07T14:37:00.000-07:00

So ya today, I woke up at 8/8:30 a.m and was dressed and ready to go by 9 am. Yet, it wasn't until somewhere between 9:15-9:30 a.m before I was ready to get on the Metrobus to go to the Arts and Culture Centre A.G Hunter Adult Library. I arrived at the Library around 10/10:30 a.m and from then until about 1:45/2pm, I read the Friday, July 7th/2006 edition of " The Globe and Mail" , read 2 articles in the 2004 edition of the " Canadian Journal of Political Science" on the 2004 general election results , why they occured the way they did ( with heavy analysis). The second article touched on a study that looked at the influence of the state of the economy on the way citizens of Canada vote provincially and federally: they tend to vote for the incumbent ( present) government when the economy is good and vote for an opposition party when the economy is or has been bad for a while!

Also, I rented out three books on Beaumont Hamel ( In order to fully reflect on July 1st more fully after the fact and because I love history!) , A Marvel Comic titled " Combat Zone: True Tales of GIs In Iraq", a movie about Beaumont Hamel called, "I Remain, your Loving Son" produced by CBC and a book on leadership based on the example of Jesus Christ called, " Lead Like Jesus: Lessons from the Greatest Leadership Role Model of ALL TIME". ( They're all due back on July 28th/2006 in case any of you want to rent it out!)

So ya around 1:45/2pm ,I cued up my search through the library for some books ( I even glanced at some reference books on such topics as 'restoring accountability' a book from the Gomery Commission on the Sponsorship Scandal: What happened, How , its findings and what can be done to make sure it doesn't happen again. I also noticed that the library stocks up reference books on International Laws such as UN ( United Nations) laws, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms,etc....) Afterwards, after having missed my bus, I walked over to the Nearest Marie's Mini Mart near the Library and discovered that the building had been bought by a group of people looking to eventually convert it into an Asian restaurant: I offered my affirmations of such an idea and had a chat with one of the people who worked there named Lindy ( or sumthin like that...) about the University i'm going to and what not. At this restaurant, I had a BLT( Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato) toasted sandwich on whole wheat bread and a Dole Mango Fruit Drink ( I had originally planned to have a Strawberry Banana Smoothee. However, the blender was broken so I settled for less) While eating there, I took the time to read the 1st ever issue of the new Newfoundland Alternative FREE newspaper, the Scope: which featured local news, entertainment and music news!

Then at 2:45 p.m, I started walking to the Metrobus stop in front of Churchill Square in order to get a bus back home ( I nearly was unable to found my 10-use metrobus pass and nearly wasn't able to get on the bus. However, I found it just in time to get on the bus and not miss my ride home!) So while on the bus, I payed my 25 cents to get a copy of the Friday, July 7th/06 copy of "The Telegram" ( It's part of the metrobus 'read and ride' program that they offered that gives you a 50 cent discount off 'The Telegram' sunday through friday if you decide to ride on The Metrobus and a 25 cent discount on Saturdays ( 1$ instead of $1.25)) So ya at around 3:45 p.m, my bus dropped me off about 20-3 feet from my house to be greeted by my mom and step-dad ( Greg) who were 'cutting' down some unneeded branches and trees in our front lawn.

After that, when I finally got in my house and settled my books from the library and other stuff in my room , I got back into reading the paper for 5 minutes only to start getting supper ready ( which was a Delisso pepperoni pizza that me and my sister each had a 1/2 of!) So ya by around 5:20 p.m, we had eaten our supper ( I had a large glass of orange juice to go with it!) So then, I cleaned up and headed down stairs to finish reading the 'A' Section of the newspaper and by 5:45/5:47p.m, I had turned on the tv to check out CPAC's ( Canadian Public Affairs Channel) coverage of the re-broadcasting of the June 5th/06 meeting of a House of Commons committee on Human Resources, Social Developments and the needs of those with Physical Disabilities. Around 5:57 p.m came along, I switched over to the Friday edition of the NTV evening news hour! ( One interest story to note was today was the 2nd day of the Governor General of Canada, Michael Jean's , visit to the province of NL today as she was reported to have visited a 'grassroots' organization dedicated to addressing violence among young, seniors and women: she expressed her desire to help co-ordinate a national conference on these issues as she said she helped do similar work in her home province of Quebec ( where she has lived since her departure from Haiti at the age of 9) She also went to the Left-tentint's Governor's Garden Party as well!)I watched the NTV news fully from 5:58- 6:32p.m

At 6:32 p.m, Felissa called me up and we had a chat and confirmed that i'll be attending her sweet 16th birthday party at her house tomorrow form 6-11:30 p.m with many of her other friends ( I also have Guitar Lessons tomorrow!) And we stopped talking at 7:05/7:15 p.m ( Since she was watching a French Game Show on TV and I wanted to update my Blog!)

Oh well, it's been a rather fun day so far ( Yet, I need to pick up my Dress Pants and Socks sometime soon for my Job as a Social Research Assistant with the NL Association for Community Living in St.John's : which starts in 4 days time!)

Anyway, if I feel the need to, I may or may not update this entry later on today ( as I want to read that comic on the War in Iraq by Marvel Comics, read some of my other books and/or watch the 4th ;Harry Porter' movie and/or practice my Guitar and/or practice singing Falsetto Tenor in order to prepare for the St.John's Anchormen Barbershop Chorus practice Monday night
That's all for now and if you have any comments or questions, post them in the comments section under this entry or e-mail me! ( This entry was last updated at 7:41 p.m on Friday, July 7th/2006...)

July 5th Entry:update on my life since my last Entry- The end of my search for a summer job and more!

2006-07-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

So ya, as the title states, my search for summer employment has ended because yesterday (July 4th/06) , I found out that I was accepted to be hired as a social research assistant for the Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) association for Community Living Starting Next Tuesday, July 11th at 8:30a.m til 4/ 4:30 p.m!

Also on another note, I did some chores around the house: taking and putting up clothes on the line, going to Home Depot with my mom to renovate our gate to the backyard,etc...

In case you want to know, the NL association for Community Living is an advocacy group for people with mental and/or physical disabilities. It fulfills this goal on three levels:
1. It researches government funding programs focused on people with disabilities
2. It advocates (lobbys) the government ( both federal and provincial) to change their policies, practices and what not towards people with disabilities ( sometimes, they develop proposals that the subsequent government/s can turn into an act or law or what not!)

3. They educate the public on mental and physical disabilities such as Celebral Palasey, Down Syndrome, Autism,etc.....

You can find more information on their website at http://www.cacl.ca/english/provteracls/#nf

Also , at http://nl.snis.ca/view/?organization_id=407

And their official website is at http://www.nlacl.ca/

Having said that, there is another topic i'd like to talk about. A long while ago ( a year or so at least) , I had bought a book called "God's Politics" by Jim Wallis about how " The Left doesn't Get It and the Right gets it Wrong" and what not.

For more information check out www.sojo.net ( For Those who don't know, Jim Wallis is the author of a christian magazine known as Sojourners which deals with issues of politics, faith ,culture,etc... , the role of faith in politics, the public square,etc..

Anyways, i'd like to quote what the 'Library Journal' has said about " God's Politics" :

" In an attempt to identify a unifying Christian response to the current political situation, Wallis, founder and editor of Sojourners magazine, argues that the Left has ignored and dismissed the value of religion in politics, while the Right has interpreted it too narrowly. Both sides, he maintains, have lost awareness of the unifying social aspects that biblical religion once provided for American culture: "Religious people must refuse the ideological categorization and actually build bridges between people of good will in both liberal and conservative camps." Wallis outlines his own understanding of a middle way that would be traditional or conservative on issues of family values and personal responsibility but liberal on issues like poverty, racial justice, and ecology. He seeks to forge a link between personal ethics and social justice, arguing that "God is personal but never private." Wallis provides a refreshing alternative voice to the polarizing rhetoric currently popular. Those who find themselves uncomfortable in either camp will welcome his approach, even if they disagree with some aspects of his solution. " (emphasis added)

The reason I bold this is because even though I am a New Democrat ( NDP) / Liberal on social and economic issues, I am a conservative on 'moral' issues such as the role of the family, same sex marriage, abortion, accountability, personal responsibilitybut not on also 'moral' issues which many conservatives leave out: the environment, a constant sanctity of life ( holding all life was being sacred and therefore should be safeguarded beyond single issue voting)

Also, I have on several occasions thought of writing Jim Wallis telling them that I would love to write a sequel to his book called " God's Politics: Canadian Edition" to apply many of the principals that he outlined to Canadian Politics. Mainly, how the Conservative Party of Canada makes the same mistakes as the Republician Party of the US because our Prime Minister Stephen Harper Looked to the Right-wing movement in the US for its inspiration in the Reform Party and still does when the Canadian Alliance ( the new name and form of the party after the Reform Party was destroyed in 2000 by its sunset clause: failure to secure a sweeping majority government by the year 2000 would result in the dissolution of the Reform Party, as outlined in the book " Stephen Harper and the Future of Canada")

Basically on issues such as the environment, War, the military,etc..and many others, Stephen Harper and his Conservative Minority Government take a similar stance as President George W. Bush and therefore, some of the points Jim Wallis made about Bush and what he needs to do to be in line with Prophetic Politics is valid. However, Stephen Harper has moderated his views somewhat to be more right-of-centre in order to get elected ( or he has been genuinely influenced by the turn of events since the 2004 election)

On the other side of the coin, the NDP ( New Democratic Party of Canada) is much like the Democratic Party of the US in that they are both parties of the left and advocate left-wing social policies on issues such as human rights, social justice, morality, the rights of workers, belief in the effectiveness of big government where the government provides for the needs of the people and what not. Yet once again, the comparison is not perfect as the NDP is overall left-of-centre instead of far-left like the Democrats in the US who Jim Wallis believes practise 'Soulless Policies' by ignoring the influence of religion in American History and Society. Although the NDP does not take this ideal position that Jim Wallis outlined, The NDP leader Jack Layton speaks of Canada as being part of the ' Post-Christian Era' and how the Religious Left was once a huge player in Canadian Politics as reflected by Tommy Douglas, the first leader of the NDP who was a Baptist Minister before going into politics and used the language of faith to address moral, social, economic, ecology and many other issues. So ya, in Canada, we too have had time periods in which such a vision was fulfilled. Yet, Jack Layton basically said in a 'Faith Today' magazine interview prior to the January 23rd/06 Election that a Canadian Government cannot simply argue the validity of its policies solely on arguments of faith. This point has merit but it shows how unlike American Politics, Canada is a much more pluraistic nation and anyone who trys to use the language of faith ( let alone favoring one faith over another) could basically allienate secularists, agonists, and people of other faiths. Yet in my opionion, this should not stop the NDP from having members of all faiths in their party who can come together and use both policies based on faith and logic and argue for their policies based on faith and reason.

So ya, the NDP has shifted from a party of the Religious Left while welcoming the Secular Left to being a party of the Seculiar Left that still acknowledges what its previously more Religious overtone did for establishing the basic rights we enjoy today: State Medicare, Free K-12 Education, the right to vote at the Age of 18, the Right to Unionize and to Collective Bargaining among many others ( Just do a search on ' Tommy Douglas' and you'll find plenty on what the NDP has done)

So for me, my dream job would be to be elected as a NDP MP for St.John's South/ Mt. Pearl presenting a vision similar to Jim Wallis' . Only, adapted to the political landscape of Canada: Conservative on moral issues, personal responsibility and the family while Liberal/NDP on social,economic ( the belief that the economy should serve the common good rather than people being 'slaves' to the economy as Tommy Douglas conveyed), the environment,etc.. Basically, it would to practice Prophetic Politics/Religion which blends the best of the left,right and centre and adds in Respect for the religious foundings and founders of Canada outlined in 'Stand on Guard' by Faytene Krysko ( I Think that's how you spell it) , a Canadian Adaption of ' God's Politics' and combining the NDP's Religious Left past with its Secular Left Present

For information on Faytene and her Fly High Ministries and MYCanada ( the Canadian Equivalent of ' God's Politics' and Sojourners run by Jim Wallis), see these two sites:

1. http://www.flyhighministries.com/ Fly High Ministries

2. http://www.4mycanada.ca/ MyCanada

(Both of these ministries were founded by Faytene)

And last but not least, a link with details on her book called 'Stand On Guard' by Faytene
http://www.flyhighministries.com/Books%20and%20Audio/Stand%20On%20Guard.html

One last detail i'd like to address in this book is The Liberal Party of Canada and how they represent the Centre /Left-of-Centre that is a middle ground between these two parties which American Politics lacks. Yet, the Liberals are suffering from corruption since the Sponsorship Scandal, the NL House of Assembly scandal involving all 3 political parties,etc... And basically, they need to recover their credibility and use this as an oppourtunity to get a new leader who'll return them to be the 'natural governing of Canada' by returning to the Prophetic Politics of our Forefathers.
Also, I would mention the influence of the Bloc Quebecois, a party that looks out for the province of Quebec's interest and advocates separating from Canada.

Last, the influence of smaller parties like the CHP ( Christian Heritage Party), The Green Party,etc..

Anyways, enough about politics , and that's my blog for today!

June 24th: June 19th-June 24th summary

2006-06-24T05:03:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 19th/2006:
- I missed the bus ( I wanted to help with Yearbook at Bishops)
- Ms.Westin e-mailed me back telling me they didn't need my help with yearbook

So basically, I took the day off and basically did alot of recreational activities such as walking the dog and what not......

Oh right , and the best part is, I was able to go to the St.John's Anchormen Barbershop Chorus ( They practice at the Arts and Culture Center) for the first time since 3-4 weeks! ( Because, I was then studying for exams and with exams over, the only thing that would stop me would be my summer job... if i'd had one at the time!)

Tuesday,June 20th/2006:

The highlights being that I finally went into school to work on the yearbook for the first time since friday ( and to clean out my locker...!? or was that Wedsday?!) . And basically, they were going to get me to type up some more quotes to be inserted into the yearbook. However, they found out they didn't need them.
In breaking my chronological order, before that, I had talked to Haylee ( a friend of Jill Peddle) and Tim C. ( a old friend/acquitance of mine) for a bit before they wrote their world geography exam.
Anyway, getting back on track, by about 9- 9:15 a.m, I was no longer needed to help with yearbook. So, I got a cab home and hanged out around the house, watched tv and what not..... ( the details are really fuzzy right now...)
I think on that day, I had started printing some more resumes like crazy and dropping them off at every business I could find in order to find a summer job.

Also, I think this tuesday was the last voice lessons I ever had at rock city : ( ( Because i'm going to Acadia University in september and even if I was close enough to go, I would probably be too busy with university anyway!).... hopefully, some more of the details will come back!

Wedsday,June 21st:
Once again, I had the day off as I had no exams on this particular day ( as I had finished on Thursday of the previous week!). So basically, I kept passing out more resumes and if memory serves me correct, I had dropped some off at the Irving near Cowan Heights Dental and at many of the stores and restaurants in the Avalon Mall ( Sadly, I haven't heard back from them of them!) So ya, I spend my day doing the fundamental basics of life, walked around , walking the dog,etc....

(Anything else I did I have definitely forgotten for now or all together!)

Thursday, June 22nd :
Basically, I got up around 6:30 a.m to get ready for the last day of high school ever for me! So ya, I got on the bus at 8 am as usual and arrived at Bishops around 8:15 a.m . So ya, I spent the time talking to Joey, Jessica Guy ( Or one of the other Jessicas from choir!) So ya basically, we then had our awards assembly from 9-11/11:15 p.m with the highlight being that alot of my friends (Fred, Sarah Dinn,etc..) won quite a few awards. Although I didn't win the award for Perfect Attendance ( due to 1-2 h.living fieldtrips, some choir outings and missing a class or two to go to my grandmother's funeral on my dad's side), I came 10 away from having perfect attendance. But ya, I also got awards for my contribution to the yearbook ( i.e The Last Will and Testament and typing up some good quotes to be used in the yearbook!), an award for my recognition in Applied Music ( Guitar) and an award for Student of the Month in February! So ya after that was over at around 11-11:15 a.m, I went and got my report card ( I had an overall average of 86: meaning I was 4 percent off from prinicipal's list!) But ya, my lowest marks were in AP Psych. (75), Math(74) and Bio. (64). After that, me,joey,mitchell and andrea w. walked down to No Name Pizza and had lunch ( I had 2 huge slices of pizza ,root beer and a slushie). So basically, we hung out and chatted before deciding to walk down to Andrea's at 1pm .... ( Which consisted of Mitchell T. and my cousin Joey C. of taking turns doing solos and what not on the drums while me and Andrea W. took turns playing on her electric guitar.. I had way too much fun seeing how fast I could play: looks like practising those 7 modes on the C scale might've improved my finger co-ordination and reaction time quite a bit) . But ya, I drove joey up the wall by improvising and not actually playing any actual songs ( that and trying to see how many different chords I could randomly make and then bend the string to make very high pitched screeching sounds)...
After that, me and Joeywatched Andrea W. and Mitchell T. take turns playing The Legend of Zelda: the 4 links on Nintendo Gamecube !
So ya at around 2pm, Joey's mom picked me and joey up to bring us home. After that, I hanged out around the house for a bit... ( I can't remember exactly what I did...) But ya, I visited Felissa in the Janeway ( She was in the hospital for 5 days on a EEG machine to see if they could get a picture of her having a seizure and figure out how her brain reacts before, during and after having a stress-induced seizure: but she never had one at the hospital).

So ya, me ,Jenine ( Felissa's sis.) and Felissa played ' Sorry!', ' Craxy 8's' and ' Crazy 8 Countdown'.... So ya, I had only intended to visit for 1 hour from about 3:30-4:30p.m. Yet in reality, I stayed around 3:30-6:30 p.m! Afterwards, I believed I either took the dog for a walk or did something else!

Friday, June 23rd/06:

Basically, I woke up around 8/8:30am or so and was up and on the go by around 9 am or so... Then, I basically had breakfast ,watched CPAC (the Canadian Public Affairs Channel: Public Affairs is another way of including politics as well as public issues) for a hour or so. Then, my mom drove me out to the Service Canada Centre for Youth St.John's Office at the Prince Charles Building ( There, they provide tips on resume and cover letter writing as well as some handy interview tips. They also have booklets full of post-secondary information, job information, summer job postings,etc...) So ya from about 10:30-12 pm, I worked on re-formatting my resume and writing a cover letter for a 'recreation co-ordinator' summer job position with the easter seals of NL ( I e-mailed it to the contact). Then, me and my mom ate a buffet at the nearest pizza experts for like an hour. Then, from 1-3:30 p.m, I modified my resume slightly and wrote a new cover letter for a 'Researcher' position that was posted at the SCCYE (Service Canada Centre for Youth Employment) and had both faxed off . As well, I acquired the website on which all these jobs are posted: http://www.jobbank.gc.ca

Other than that, I got home around 4pmish and watched a bit of CPAC,(almost forgot that I listened to my Barbershop CD in the car while my mom was driving), among other things. I also checked my e-mails ( at around 6pm, we had supper. But, I took the dog for a 40 minute walk from 5-5:40 p.m before supper only to discover a white dog that had somehow got off it's leash: I learned that the dog had escaped out the screendoor of someone's house and phoned the number found on the dog's keychain. Just as I was heading back, I ran into some of my neighbours whom were watching their dogs and I went to make sure the owner had gotten their dog back)and such until around 8 pm or so...: when I stopped because the computer didn't really work that great!

From 8:30pm-1:30 a.m, I made many attempts to get the computer working and watched my sister play Kingdom Hearts 2 on the PS2 ( and helped her with some mini-games within the game)

Today, June 24th/2006:
- Basically, I was pretty tired and slept in til 8:00 a.m or so:even though I 'doozed off' again while listening to the radio. Basically, I got up, had breakfast, updated my blog, listened to some 80's music my mom had on Galaxy while I read the June 17- 23 issue of ' The Economist' ( A magazine that I read as soon as it gets in as it covers political, economic, social and other news stories!) Other than that, I haven't been up to much so far. Although, it's lunchtime and i'm off to walk the dog and get some lunch at home afterwards ( My Guitar lessons didn't go ahead because he was busy the last 2 saturdays!!!) Oh well, i'll update soon!

June 16th/2006: my first day of having no exams and what I did today

2006-06-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

So ya, from 9am-3 pm, I was at Bishops College trying to find the Teacher Sponsor for the yearbook commitee, filled out a scholarship application form for scholarships that will be given out at the Cap and Gown Ceremony for graduates in December 2006 and worked on the Yearbook. Basically, they got me to find quotes on the internet to be put unto the bottom of each of the pages in the yearbook. But, I had to do alot of cutting as I focused too much on sayings some people had rather than inspirational quotes. Then, once I had gotten a few, I was asked to organize them into categories: Sports, Music, Humour, Good advice,etc... ( me and two former Bishops College: Amanda M. and Julia W. worked on the yearbook as most other people were still studying for exams!)

So then at 3:15 p.m, my cousin Joey offered me a ride home. Yet, he got the idea for me to go up to his house and as a result, we rented two movies and one video game to keep us occupied ( the movies were Stealing Harvard and some other one and the game was Super Smash Bros. Melee for the Nintendo Gamecube!) But first, we spent the first 10-15 minutes watching my "Rock City Master Band Performance June 4th/2006 DVD" ( It was performed and recorded at Club One) Indeed when I look back on it, i'm so glad that Joey convinced me to join Rock City in December because it was one of the greatest musical experiences i've ever had in my life: getting to perform three modern songs : " Give it Away" by Red Hot Chilli Peppers, " Desire" by U2 and "Limelight" by U2 was so amazing! Yet, it was so funny when I paused between the first two songs saying, " Hold on a second" ( So I could chug 1/2 a bottle of water: turns out that it wasn't half of what I needed as I started to get a raspy voice from the harsh vocals in "Desire")
So ya, we spent 2-4 hours playing S.S .B .M : earning the various characters, battling each other and what not. Then at 9 pm , I had to walk home as I needed to get home to get settled away. To make up for missing my chores earlier today, I had vacuumed both flights of stairs and the third floor of the house. From that point on, i've been checking e-mails, checking out political websites and trying to contact some of my friends......

and ya, I might be going to see a movie with Felissa tomorrow: so i'm looking forward to it!

My reflections on Nova Scotia Votes 2006 Election Results

2006-06-15T13:13:00.000-07:00

First of all, to get the facts clear, here's some links provided by CBC and other media:

1. http://www.cbc.ca/ns/story/nsv-green20060614.html

2. The story on the election titled, " Tories win minority, lose two seats"

http://www.cbc.ca/ns/story/nsv-elxn-night20060613.html

3. " NDP reach record high but remain in Opposition"

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/features/decisionnovascotia/story.html?id=4d214435-11bc-478e-b1d4-21263f434e84&k=9719

4. " NDP Gains Five Seats"
http://www.cbc.ca/ns/story/nsv-seats-turned20060613.html

5. "Races To Watch" (June 13th/2006)
http://www.cbc.ca/ns/story/nsv-races20060613.html

6. "Dexter promises to work constructively" (June 13th/2006)
http://www.cbc.ca/ns/story/ns-dexter-win.html

June 15th/2006: My last day of High School Exams.......ever! and the rest of my relaxing day! and more....

2006-06-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

So ya, I wrote my Math 3204 public exam from 9-11:30 p.m ( I finished 20-30 minutes early!) Then, I chatted with some of my friends about university and their plans for university since it was on my mind. Then, I walked from Bishops to the North Atlantic Corner Store and bought a large pizza sub, nacho chips with salsa and cholocate milk for lunch. Then, I wrote my last exam which ran from 1-3 pm ( however, I finished it at 2:05 p.m). Then, I stayed around and chatted to Meagan and Mitchell for 45 minutes before :finally getting home at 3 pm. Then, from 3:05-3:45/50, I talked my step-dad's dog molly on the local cowan heights trail. Then, I talked to my cousin tyler for 20-25 minutes and walked down to Cowan Heights park to feed the ducks. Since then , I ate a pear as a snack, watched my' Rock City Master Band June 4th,2006 performance' ( The band I was in was called 'Veto Power', which is a medium length story to explain) Then, i've been listening (and watching) the proceedings of the House of Commons on CPAC ( channel 56 or 57 on cable in newfoundland) ,checking e-mails and the news...... So ya....to be continued!

Basically, if any of them friends (who are finished their exams) want to make plans with me to hang up and/or catch up with me, give me a buzz. If those of my friends whom still have exams left to write, those interested in making plans for us to hang out should give me a buzz ( for both cases, either by e-mail, dropping a reply on here, by telephone or in person!!!!)

So ya as for tomorrow, i'm going into Bishops to help work on the yearbook ( we only have 4 of 84 pages done!!!!!) So ya, I basically got 7 days to go whatever I want other than yearbook. But ya, how much time I have to put into that is conditional on how many people show up, how many computers are working and how long each individual is going to be able to do some work on it...... so ya, there's more to come.....

Also, I could be going out to my cousin's cabin on Saturday night to visit him and I might stay the night before into early Sunday morning or so.... But ya, otherwise, i'll be at church for the first time in awhile ( due to youth parliament in april 30-may 1st, various choir concerts, studying for exams, my rock city performance on June 4th ( which is a sunday) among other things...)

So ya, I want to officially announce that i've been conditionally accepted to Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia and MUN ( Memorial University of Newfoundland) in St.John's,NL. However, i've already made the down payment on my residence and my tuition for Acadia University, so on September 1st,2006, "I'll be leaving on a jet plane, I don't know when i'll be back again.....(i'll be back here for christmas break in december : including for my Cap and Gown at Bishops College to officially receive my High School Diploma, attend the various ceremonies and to get to catch up with many of my high school friends : some of them i'll never see again, other i'll see in may, others i'll see but not for a long time, others i'll keep in touch with but not see....")

So ya, i've applied for the Arts Core program of a Bachelor of Arts Degree in the following 5 subjects:
1. Political Science ( I'm so excited to get to study this!)

2. History ( Another one i'm excited for)

3. Psychology ( I did AP Psych. 4220 this year,so, i'll be doing the same course for the 2nd time. But, i'll be doing it in university not in a high school, there'll be a discussion lab once a week and the scheduling will be different)

4. English ( it's mandatory as part of an Arts degree for at least the first year)

5. Basic French ( In order to fulfill my mandatory 1 year of a 2nd language, to make up for not doing french in high school, to take another 'stab' at becoming bilinguial , and just to see how it goes....)

Also, three careers are coming into focus as careers I possibly want to pursue, being:

1. Social Work ( or some other form of career that relates to Psychology)

2. Teaching ( this is a back-up plan)

and (my favourite back-up)

3. Politics ( either as a municipal councillor, Provinicial MLA, federal MP, a Political Science professor or some other related field)

So ya, this post is intended to provide information on today, my plans from Sept 2006- May 2007...

So ya, comments people!

June 9th , June 10th/2006 and June 11th entry

2006-06-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

Written on June 10th/2006: started at 4:45 p.m ..continued on June 11th/06

So ya, on friday June 9th/2006, I got out of bed at 8 /8:10 a.m ( pretty crazy ,huh? : I was suppose to be up at 7 am. But, I slept in!) So ya, I had missed the bus to school and needed to get my sister up and get on the go ( fortunately, my exam started at 1pm , so no worries). So I had my favourite two slices of peanut butter toast with milk for breakfast and I left the house after having packed my lunch at 8:50/8:55 a.m to go to the school to study. So, I arrived at 9:15 a.m and I walked all the way up to the LRC ( Learning Resource Centre in order to study, as my last day of classes was on Thursday, June 8th/2006)

After doing so, I began to study for my AP Psych. exam that was going to take place that afternoon.. So ya, I managed to get 50 minutes before I needed to get some recess ( which took 30 minutes) and then I went up and got another 30 minutes in or so. By 11am, I walked out to the North Atlantic Corner store with Mitchell, Andrew and Joey in order to get some lunch for them.So ya, then I hanged around with 'em for 30 minutes or so ( I probably should've spent the time studying). Then at 11:50 a.m, I walked over to booth: only to spend the next 50 minutes watching Sarah (Justin F.'s girlfriend), Mitchell and another of my friends play Tarot cards (another bad decision: I should've went to the library to study!) So ya from 1-3 pm, I wrote my AP Psych. 4220 exam which consists of 125 multiple choice and 2 long answer questions ( I thought it was a three hour exam but that was a misunderstanding due to the way the schedule was written!)

So ya afterwards,I got home and read part of the latest issue of "The Economist" ( a international british economic magazine that is available around the world that also deals with the political,social issues of the day while incorporating economics... basically, it's independent news as well on a weekly basis!) So around 7:30 p.m, I headed over to the Sutherlands ( Gordon is the pastor of West End Baptist (WEB) church and Sandy is the senior high sunday school teacher, I am and was part of that class even if I was too busy to go since october!)

Basically, it is a very formal dinner with about 4 tables set out with white old-fashioned tables, designated seating with a appetizer, main meal and a dessert to celebration the graduation of 4 members of the Senior High Youth Group and Sunday School ( in alphabetical order): Jared Osmond, Jennifer Emberley ( my 2nd cousin), Me ( Jordan Lester) and Katrina Dezeeau.
So ya, the appetizer was bread buns with butter and cranberry juice.
The main meal was carrots,potatoes with corn flakers on the outside, among many other things ( steak or some other form of meat went with it), rice,etc...

Then, they asked each graduate what their plans for september are: Jared said he's going to MUN to do 4 subjects and hopes to do engineering, Jennifer said she is applying to go to the MUN school of music,
I'll be going to Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia to do my arts core : consisting of Political Science, History, Psychology, English and Basic French ( I never did french in high school, so, I haven't done it since grade 9: as I need to do at least 1 year of a 2nd language as part of my degree. So, it might as well be french and to make up for my regret over not doing french in high school after already choosing not to do so in my 1st year and so on!) So ya, I told them i'd be living in residence and all.
I am doing this because at Acadia, there are no general studies and in the first 60 credit hours I do ( the first two-three years), I have to do at least one year of english, a 2nd language, and some other subjects from 3 different short-lists.

So ya, then they put toasts to the 4 graduates. Some memorable ones that I had to me was from Gordon, who said that he believes i'm going to enjoy Acadia because he himself had lived on the campus there when he was sitting at their Acadia Divinity College! Also, Sandy put a toast to me that she hopes I will enjoy the nature and beautiful trees in Wolfville and the Annapolis Valley!

So afterwards, we played this version of Tic-Tac-Toe called "Celebrity" . In this game, one team is team Hugs (X) and the other team is team kisses (O). Basically, the 4 graduates, three of the youth group leaders ( Sherry, Rebecca and Trevor), the pastor Gordon and his daughter laura formed 3 rows of 3. Then, Team X asks one of the nine people one of the pre-determined questions. That people that was asked then responds. That team must then talk amongst themselves to decide whether that person was telling the truth or lieing. If they guess right, the person they ask will turn over the symbol that matches their team (X in this case). Yet,if they get it wrong, then the other team gets the point. The idea is to get 3 in a row: horizontally, vertically or diagonal. The first team to get three in a row wins! So ya, we played two rounds of that before we stopped.

By then, it was 10pm and I used the time to chat with Sandy and Gordon. Basically, I talked to her about Acadia University, where she was from ( she lived in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick before moving to Newfoundland: that's why my mom noticed that she had an accent. Yet, i'm used to it by now and didn't notice as much!) Basically, I told her about what i've been up to since we last chatted about 2 months ago: getting ' Rookie of the Season' at St.John's Regional Youth Parliament and what not... So ya, by 10:35 p.m, I left to go home to rest. Yet, I talked to Janet on the phone for the first time in months before finally going to bed at 11:15 p.m!

Due to lack of time, I am going to summarize June 10th and June 11th ( Today)

June 10th/06:

-Had early guitar lessons from 11am-12pm in which I learned how to play all 7 modes on the guitar in the key of c!

- I took the Dog for a 30-minute walk around the block ( the dog belongs to my step-dad, whose name is Molly and is a Golden Receiver)
- I read part ofthe Saturday edition of " The Telegram"
- read pg.50-90 of the novel "Waiting for Time" by Bernice Morgan as English 3201 exam prep. for Tuesday, June 14th!

-I practiced my guitar

among other things...

Today, Sunday, June 11th/06:

- Read 1/3 of the sunday edition of "The Telegram"
-practised my guitar

- read pg.90/95-135 of "Waiting for Time"

As for my exams, I got my English 3201 public on tuesday morning, I believe ( either that or tuesday afternoon), I got a Math 3201 public on Thursday morning and another exam in the afternoon.

- Did 30 minutes of practice on my Math for my public exam

-watched the first 40 minutes of the public records broadcast of The 1st of the 7 Liberal Leadership Convention Debates on CPAC ( Cable Public Affairs Channel- it's channel 57 in newfoundland if you got cable!)

- played the demo for a game called, ' Prime Minister forever' from 9-10 pm

- Took Molly for a 30 minute walk this afternoon ( 4:45-5:15 /5:20 p.m)

So ya, in summary, I ...
((oops on Friday, at the Graduation thing my Youth Group and Sunday School had at the Sutherlands, the 4 graduates ( including me) received a copy of "My Utmost for His Highest" Updated Graduate Edition by Oswald Chambers which has a 1 -page devotional for each day of the year all 365 of them ( I dunno what they'd do on a leap year, but oh well) It also has a 10-page blank space in which you can write journal entries, a subject index on what devotional for what months and days deal with certain issues (ex. Depression,etc...) ,a Scripture Index ( telling you which entries of the 365 day entries quote certain books of the bible) and recommendations and descriptions of other books by Oswald Chambers)))

So ya, as I was saying, I had a relaxing weekend while still getting a moderate amount of studying in.... and I still got to do something fun on Friday night! This marked a hallmark/milestone for me as this is going to be the last weekend that I ever have to study for a high school exam or do homework over the weekend for high school as I finish the last of my exams on Thursday, June 15th: meaning starting June 16th, i'll be helping Jillian Peddle and the rest of 'em finish the Bishops College yearbook on the 6 days that I would otherwise be home-free...

I know it's been a long time since I made a entry. But, I hope this 'wets for appetite' for what i've been up to. Also, I dropped off a resume at Teletech in Mt.Pearl today for a Summer job ( as my SWASP grant was lost when the feds. ( federal government) decided in their review of the Federal Grant program that the Peter Pan Lawn Bowling association doesn't 'qualify' for a grant!!!)

So ya, that's all for now as it is 11:11 p.m and I plan on going to school on the bus at 8am in order to spend the day at school studying!!!!

If you have any comments, suggestions or anything else, feel free to use the comments below (if you have a Blogger account,please log in BEFORE posting a comment unless you want to be anonymous!)

follow-up thread on ' Religion, the media and not-so-divine coverage' article

2006-04-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

So ya, for those who would be interested in viewing this article, check out :

http://www.cbc.ca/news/about/burman/20060411.html

Also, I leave this section of the thread open for debate, clarification and so forth: anyone is free to post a reply to my initial thread and/or this follow-up one. If anyone posts anything that I feel needs to be highlighted on this issue, I will considering editing this follow-up thread to quote anywhere from part to all of what that individual said and I may or may not encourage you to post your remarks on the comments feedback section provided at the end of the article.

My comments on the cbc articled titled, 'Religion, the media and not-so-divine coverage'

2006-04-18T10:43:00.000-07:00

I am glad to hear and see a greater willingness in society to discuss religion, its applications and the way it can be used for great good, great evil or someone in between. I thought that this was a good quote from your article, " Covering religion — or debating it in newsrooms — doesn’t come easy to many of us in the media. We are trained to park our religious beliefs at the door. To leave them at home. We don’t often openly engage among ourselves in the type of religious debate that is probably commonplace to many in our audience." From what I understand, I would believe this to be true. And yes, with increasing coverage of religion and religion-related newsstories, we run the risk of offending someone, providing misinformation and fueling prejudice. However, the media, should it take the time to make the proper investment of time, money, energy and in an attitude of humility admit its' shortcomings on its ability to deliver a news story, the media could prove to be a tool to help the public become more aware of what atheists, agnostics, and peoples of religious faiths believe: an understanding of what people believe and the realization that almost every religion has a common underlying message: to ' love your neighbour as yourself' ( your neighbour being anyone with a need and everyone else)
Yes, I agree with April Gustavsen when she said, " I found this article on religion an interesting one. I am not sure how I would feel about the media covering religion. I am not sure how unbias or fairly this topic would or could be covered. I see the media now as already showing a huge bias in favour atheism and humanism, and a bias against Christianity in particular" But going back to what I quoted earlier, I think this exists because within our school system, our government , our media and in the general public, we often lack the understanding of religion necessary to actually discern what religious-based ideas are far-fetched and which ones are not. I think part of the solution is to increase the general knowledges public of religion by not only educating people on the religion itself ( it's rituals and practices), but the way one's religion influences the way those who follow any given religion will act whether it be politics, the media or some other job) but also how it will affect their morals, interpretations of world events and their political views. Recently, I read an article from 'Faith Today' magazine entitled ' Church, Conscience, Corruption and the Conservatives: what were the forces behind a "C" change in Canadian politics in 2006" In this article, it offers some statistics for polls taken among Catholics, Protestants and all canadians and what party they would vote for and display the correlation between one's faith, church attendance and what party they said they would vote for. Although slightly off-topic, the magazine said this of english canada, " Canadians who live outside Quebec can be divided into one of four schools of thought on the federal vote, a special analysis of reasons for voting revealed... And it uncovers a fascinating picture of the ecistence of a religious left as well as a religious right in English Canada. " The article named four views: Religious Moderates ( " community minded, attend church regularly and vote Liberal or NDP in support of healthcare for all, social programs and Canadian unity.......") , Religious Conservatives ( " voted for Harper because they feel Canada is headed in the wrong direction-with Liberal corruption and same-sex marriage serving as red flags. They hoped for a Conservative majority and tend to oppose same-sex marriage and abortion" ), Anti-Harper Progressives ( " These non-churchgoers are concerned about healthcare, the economy and social programs and are comfortable with the current laws on same-sex marriage and abortion" ) and Economic Conservatives ( " hoped for a Harper-led majority government, because they feel Canada needs to get back on track. They are bothered about corruption, the economy, taxes and crime. These unchurched and more well-to-do Canadians are generally in favour of the current abortion law, but many would like to see same-sex civil unions rather than marriage for gay couples") ( "Faith Today" , March/April 2006, www.faithtoday.ca, 'Church , conscience, Corruption, and the Conservatives' ) To summarize, I consider myself a blend of the Religious Moderate and Conservative positions as I am a christian who lives christianity as a relationship not a religion, I choose to follow God's instruction from his word because I consider him my friend not because I am forced to from above and I am a religious moderate on issues of healthcare for all, social programs and Canadian unity yet I am slightly religious Conservative on issues of morality such as abortion and same-sex marriage. As for abortion, I believe the best higher ground between all 4 viewpoints is initiatives to address the issues of poverty, unprotected sex, and other issues that lead to unwanted pregnancy to reduce the number of children who are aborted before they have the chance to live, I sponsor adoption as an alternative to abortion and refuse to buy into the judgmental attitude that many people of faith have and/or are stereotyped as having. To conclude, I believe that the media is a place to inform people on what is going on in the world,a source of information, public discussion and my last request would be an increase in the number of jobs available in the media for those with some form of religious education from many faiths and perspectives among with the journalistic training that these people need to tell the stories that we as canadians and global citizens rely on.

prayer request for a friend April 1st /2006

2006-04-01T10:29:00.000-08:00

So ya anyone who likes or wants to pray, here's the prayer request, "remember i told u that tiffany was in the hospital on valentines day for that bump on her back? Apparently, its now a high risk of cancer.So ya, can you pray about that?

My weekend so far :march 17th and 18th

2006-03-18T09:09:00.000-08:00

March 17th/2006:
So ya after school today, I had a summer job interview with a representative of the Peter Pan Lawn Bowling Association to get a job with the SWASP program. Basically, i'd work 35-hours a week for eight weeks, get a $75 salary a week and get a $1400 tuition voucher for any recognized post-secondary instituition. So ya, I basically filled out some forms and was interviewed for 30 minutes. Basically, she said she'd recommend me for the position but i'll just have to wait and find out what happens!
Then, I went over to Booth for the Bishops/Booth Club Debate Club extra preparation for the provinicials debate tournament. Unfortunately, two things happened that caused it to become cancelled: 1. they announced at bishops that'd be on thursday 2. not enough people showed up on friday at booth to practice the 3-on-3 parliamentary world-style debate. So ya, then I went home, got on msn, checked my e-mails ( cnn.com updates, various newsletters,etc...) Also, I checked out the political party websites of the NDP ( my favourite party of all the political parties!), the conservatives ( currently my 2nd favourite party until the liberals have some time to 'clean up their act' and get a new leader!), the liberals ( just to see where they stand on current events), the green party ( just to see if they even updated their websites) and the upcoming bloc quebecois party in ontario ( apparently, it's trying to get registered as an official party to be on the ballot for the upcoming ontario elections... more details on that to come!) So ya, here's the url for the various political parties:
- the bloc quebecois party of ontario : http://geocities.com/cdhl_nethockey/bienvenue.html ( don't worry, it's a mostly -english/bilinguial site!)
- the ndp: ( the new democratic party)
http://www.ndp.ca

- the conservative party of canada
http://www.conservative.ca

- the liberals
http://www.liberal.ca

and - the green party
http://www.greenparty.ca

For information on other existing or past political parties, check out http://home.ican.net/~alexng/can.html for more details!

Also, I went to a hockey game at Mile One Stadium that lasted from 7- 8:30/9 pm or so ( but we arrived at 7:45 p.m because Joey had a Master Band Practice at Rock City. Which reminds me, next sunday, March 26th there will be a Rock City Master Band Showcase at Club One.... confirmation of this and the hours it will start and end to come...) So ya, the hockey game was between the St.John's Fog Devils and the Halifax Moose ( i think, it was a QMJHL game: that is Quebec Major Junior Hockey League as opposed to the old AHL: american hockey league!)

My Day Today:Mar.16th/06 i.e Our Concert/Chamber Choir Performance at the salvation army citadel!

2006-03-16T17:34:00.000-08:00

So ya , I woke up 6:15 a.m in the morning ( because something woke me up:whether it be a dreak or sumthin: I dunno) So, I was up and mostly ready by 7 am! So ya, I managed to get to school at 8am for concert/chamber choir practice for our performance today at the salvation army citadel near my school! So , we practised "Danny Boy" ( we didn't use it for the performance after...)" Hitch a Ride", " the Handsome Butcher" and " Song of the sea".So ya, first period, I had good old AP Psych.: we were oing mod. 45: personality and dissociative disorders ( that'd be multiple personality disorder,etc...) Then second period, I had applied music guitar ( I just practised my two rifts for guitar lessons next saturday). Then halfway through second period, the chamber /concert choir warmed up by practising all our songs again! Then around 10:45, we make our way over to the S.A Citadel to warm-up one last time until 11:05 p.m: when we started to perform " Hitch a Ride", " The Handsome Butcher" and "song of the sea". To finish, the chamber choir did a girls-only song called " Flim-flam Sauce"! ( we finished at 11:30 p.m: all the while missing math 3204!)

Then, the Salvation Army Brass Band from Ontario stepped up to the plate.They basically started with some amazing jazz pieces and worked their way to some religious pieces such as " Daniel", " To God be the Glory" ( with a high tenor/ soprano male doing the vocals) and the tribute " God be with you until we come again" ( in which they surrounded us and played giving the effect of 'surround sound':literally. So ya they finished at 12:00 p.m. However, I stayed and chatted with them ( and got in a picture they took!) for 20 minutes ( I even got 2 of their msn and i added them)

So ya 4th period, I had good old Healthy living: in which we played badminton. Then, i stayed for math help, practised " Heaven on their minds" from the musical Jesus Christ Superstar for voice lessons, had supper ( chicken,rice and salad),watched the news, edited my resume, called a person to schedule a summer job interview and worked on AP Psychology studying!!!1 that's all for today ( and canadiansforchrist.tk is died now..... so you won't be able to visit it now!)

My amazing weekend: mar.10th-12th summary

2006-03-12T11:29:00.000-08:00

Yep, so this is how my weekend went down..
Mar.10th: - Went to our youth group/ WEB's variety show to raise money for the Kenya Mission Team going to Kenya in August 2006! The show was absolutely amazing from everything from irish songs to gospel songs to broadway . Also, there was a wide range of performers: anywhere from elementary school to mid 50's! Also, there was some comedy skits and a mock open line where people 'phoned' in on different issues: from brad gushue's goldmedal to the mccartney's stance on the seal hunt, to recommending paul mccartney receive a map of canada so he can tell what province he is in (lol) and a book of manners for his wife heather mills who constantly interrupted danny williams on larry king live a few weeks ago.
- Afterwards, most of the youth went to dairy queen to get something to eat and just chat!
Mar 11th: - I had guitar lessons at strings n things from 12:30-1:30 p.m
- went to see ' A Date Movie' with Felissa ( my advice: DO NOT go see it as the humour is half crude and half funny) and then I had supper with her at the mall. Afterwards, I showed up late for youth group at one of the youth group leaders houses in paradise for our boys night/girls night ( the boys occupied the basement while the girl took the main floor!) Also, we had chinese floor for supper ( i split a order with one of my cousins) and then we all watched " the Legend of Zorro"
Mar.12th: - stayed home and practised for guitar lessons and voice lessons ( I'm learning " Heaven on their Minds" from the Jesus Christ Superstar musical!) - did/doing homework among other things!

The Seal Hunt: is it Justified and was the Larry King Live debate from 10:30- 11:30 p.m fair?

2006-03-03T20:12:00.000-08:00

This also comes directly from the debate forum on http://www.canadiansforchrist.tk ( which i posted!)

"
Is the Seal Hunt justified?
« on: Today at 01:55:30 AM »

So ya with the upcoming debate on the seal hunt on Larry King Live between Paul Mccartney and his wife vs Danny Williams: premier of newfoundland and labrador coming up in 6 minutes ( it's 10:24 p.m newfoundland time), I want to ask this question: do you believe the seal hunt is justified? If so, why? Also, are the various celebrities basing their campaign on the truth or on misinformation? ... my view will follow!"

Re: Is the Seal Hunt justified ? Was this debate on L.K.L Fair?
« Reply #1 on: Today at 03:39:03 AM »

" After watching Larry King Live, I was very very disappointed with how unbalanced and unregulated the debate was. First of all, the Mccartney's were allowed to speak for 20-30 minutes and they were given the dignity of not a single interruption from anyone else unless it involved a question. Then when Danny williams finally begins to speak, the first 5 minutes are uninterrupted. Then for the remainder of the program, the Mccartney's but into his time by re-stating facts that they already stating and interfering with Danny William's ability to articulate the other side of the issue! Then when Danny Williams tried to show how their views on the " inhumane practices" of the seal hunt could also be applied to the slaughter of children, pigs and cows. Yet, we don't see these celebrities stopping these industries. Also, I was shocked to find out that " The Humane Society Of the United States" had actually convinced the U.s Government to implement a boycott of part of the canadian fishery: mainly the snow crabs. When he tried to answer their questions, they kept going on about how Canada would benefit from the boycott being lifted if they would end the seal hunt. First of all, there is no written document from the U.S Government saying they would do such a thing. Second, they are using Power Politics , the power of celebrities , the power of sensations ( pictures of seals being slaughtered) and relying on feelings rather than a solid argument. However, I think this issue goes even deeper: I think there is a hidden agenda. What does the Seal Hunt in Canada have anything to do with the United States. As the Mccartney's said, the seal hunt only makes up 8% of the fishery. So why are the americans so concerned about closing such a small industry? I think the real agenda has to do with the fact that the organizations that led the McCartney's to end the seal hunt think there is something else to be gained for him or someone else than the end of a seal hunt. In some ways, I think the Americans are using their power to bully us into conforming to their views of the seal hunt. Yet, they made a second plea: could the government compensate for the loses of the seal fishermen if the industry were to close? Also, could the industry be converted into a eco-tourism industry in the same way that the whale hunt was turned into a whale tourism industry? These are good questions. Yet in my opionion, seals are not whales: how can we be sure that we there is any interest in a seal tourism industry? The only way to find this out in my opionion would be to conduct a independent pole and research into the fisability of such an industry. Also, Danny Williams stated that the United Nations actually backs the seal hunt in canada because it helps to control the seal population. The figures he quoted was in that in the 1970's, there were 2.8 million seals. Today, that number has nearly tripled: to around 8.4 million. If their number continue to grow with nothing to keep it in check, these seals could very well starve to death due to lack of food ( such as cod which seem to be depletting). So if the seal hunt ended and the seals run out od food and start to die off, than they end up dying anyway, nobody can benefit from " the furs, the meat, the omega-5 that can reduce heart attacks, strokes,etc...) To conclude, I admit that this issue is very controversal and that the debate they had on live television did not due this debate justice due to the fact that the Mccartney's are celebrities and Mr. Williams is a politician: arguably both having an agenda of some sort. But what I believe Mr. Williams was trying to tell the Mccartney's is that the UN and other organizations already has a verdict on the seal hunt: that it helps control the seal population. Also, that the reason why the Mccarney's were there is because they are being used by the humane society of the U.S, greenpeace and others organization to possibly benefit those who are members of these organizations. Also, the Mccartney's stated that " the majority of canadians when asked straight out in independent polls whether or not the seal hunt should continue say that it should end" . Do the canadian people feel this way or has this statistic been a case of misinformation, supporting their argument and/or a result of biased polling? Last if canadians seem to have such a strong stance on this issue, why doesn't the government declare a referundum on this issue: If 55% of canadians or more vote in favor of the seal hunt continuing, it shall continue. If 50-54% or lower vote in favour of the seal hunt, it can be either ceased or further debate can continue... So yes, I know that my argument may sound like a rant but i'm just calling it like I see it. First of all, go ahead and correct me, clarify or expand on any points that you believe I may have missed ( by all means). Second should you do so, my response shall be based on this debate and the the way it is presented on Larry King Live. In conclusion, I believe that there is more to this issue than is being presented to the public... any comments, questions,responses,etc... Please post them in this debate forum! "

Re: Is the Seal Hunt justified?
« Reply #2 on: Today at 04:07:36 AM »

Here's a link that CBC produced a story on the Larry King Live debate in summarized form: - http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060303/Seal_hunt_060303

enjoy!

March 3rd/06 Highlights

2006-03-03T20:09:00.000-08:00

This is taken off http://www.canadiansforchrist.tk ( a post I made earlier today)

"
Went to a Fog Devils Game at Mile One with my youth group and my cousin
« on: Today at 01:51:29 AM »

Yep, the youth group arrived at mile one stadium at 6:30 p.m for the Fog Devils Game between the Fog Devils and the Tigers. So ya, basically me and my cousin got our complimentary tickets 2 rows up from the youth group ( my cousin has connections!). Amazingly enough, one of our youth leaders (Al) caught a puck that flew between the mesh and over the boards! Also, someone 2 seats down from me and my cousin won 'fan of the game' because she readingly cheered and waved her pom-poms! Also, the Fog Devils won 6-2! ( 4 out of 6 of the goals were on powerplays: with each causing a person to won a free cordless phone from Aliant)! Also, me and my cousin ate the following at the My Brother's Place during the 1st intermission- most of 2nd period: Me: - 1 pound of medium hot wings - mountain dew Him: - buffalo chicken burger(?) - nachos ( we shared them) - mountain dew So ya, it was amazing and now it's 10:20 p.m Newfoundland time and the debate between Danny Williams and Paul Mccartney on larry king live is coming on in 10/9 minutes!"

Please check out my custom station on yahoo launch!

2006-02-17T18:32:00.000-08:00

Yep, it's Feb.17th/06, mid-term exams are long over and Stephen Harper is thenew prime minister of Canada.

But ya, please check out my yahoo launch station at :

http://ca.music.yahoo.com/launchcast/member.asp

and scroll down and search for JWLchristian or christianboy152000...)

then, click on the listen button next to my ID....enjoy!

My Christmas Summary

2005-12-28T19:03:00.000-08:00

Hello all, I haven't posted on here in awhile. Well, these were my favourite christmas gifts:

1. A new electric guitar ( its red and white) with a red amp!

2. " Knights of Honor" for the PC!

3. 2 music staffs ( to put my music on when i go to practice)

Also, I started to get back into listening to yahoo launch and i updated my yahoo station... the url for my yahoo launch station to come!

Here it is: http://ca.music.yahoo.com/launchcast/station.asp?u=1599583211

My day today: Dec.17th.05

2005-12-17T18:29:00.000-08:00

So ya the first thing I did that was fun this morning was to get showered, dressed and have breakfast. Following this, I went out with my dad to get a christmas tree: where we in for a treat! He take me and mr. Keeping up to a old rocky road in Pearlview where someone cut down 4 trees and just left them there. Basically in under 30 minutes, we got it in the truck, ot home, trimmed it down, into the house, stood up and watered! And we did all this for free: and it's a "newfie tree" as my dad would say!

more to be posted...

Next, I practised my guitar and then I had lunch and headed off to guitar lessons at strings n' things. My guitar teacher, Chuck showed me "silent night" and " O christmas Tree" on guitar and the rest of the intro. for "one " by metallica ( there are plenty of good tab sights for guitar!)

So ya afterwards, me and my dad kinda run some messages, and headed towards Rock City. Basically, we inquired about taking rock vocals there , when i could start, what day, what time, how long and how much: I start rock vocals on tuesday! (Farewell Take Note: thanks for helping me with my Voice Lessons for the last 6 and a 1/2 years but it's time for me to move on!) Then after playing for it, I got my Rock City t-shirt!!!!!!

Afterwards, we browsed at some gifts for my sister and what not!

So ya, then I got home, talked with one of my sister's friends about school and life in general and practised my guitar for guitar lessons. Other than that, I listened to some modern music, talked to Kristina N. ,chatted on the phone,msn and studied for my AP Psych. test on Mod.23-27 on memory and the m.c will be on mod.1-27!!!

As for tomorrow, I dunno if i'll have time to go to church or not: it's been 8 weeks (maybe going on 9 weeks) since i've went!!!!
Basically, it depends on how much studying i need to do tomorrow and other homework as well.

On an interesting note, me and kristina chatted while i practised playing christmas carols on the guitar. And well, she noticed that I had changed since i'd last talked to her: she agreed that i'm less conforming, more active and outgoing and a more all-or-nothing kind of guy, more confrontal and more in touch with reality while still keeping a relationship with god: despite my lack of time for reading the bible!

Also, Justin F. invited me to his Christmas party for thursday. Also, I gotta memorize "goodbye to romance" by ozzy osbourne for the talent show and get it down flat: otherwise fred and dean will be on my case! ( But they just want us to do the best we can at the talent show) Also, Mitchell is gonna be doing a stand-up comedy tribute for the talent show and said me and him should jam sometime!

Plans for Monday, Dec.12th/05 so far..

2005-12-11T17:17:00.000-08:00

So ya, i'd figure I might as well tell in a very general way what i'll be up to tomorrow ( in case you wanna know or ask me for more details...)

1. Choir /chamber choir in the morning...

2. Badminton from 3-4:30 p.m

3. Bishops College Christmas concert at the Salvation Army citadel ( near the school)

That's all for now! ( write a comment or e-mail me on msn if you have any more questions!)

My weekend so far: Dec. 9-11th

2005-12-11T17:08:00.000-08:00

The highlights of my weekend:
Friday,Dec. 9th
- Stayed home and practised on my electric guitat for guitar lessons
Saturday , Dec.10th - Had Guitar lessons: got taught a classic rock guitar rift and the beginning guitar tabs for " one" by metallica - Went to see Scrooge at the Arts and culture centre ( it was amazing!) I realized that the play really goes to show what can happen if you let anything become all-consuming in your life to the extreme...
- practised guitar some more
Sunday, Dec.11th - Relaxed and read the acknowledgements and foreword of " economic possibilities for our time" with a foreword by Bono - Went to watch my cousin play in one of 8 master bands at the master band showcase at club one from 1-3:30 p.m - at the concert, the last band was all the music teachers at rock city in one band: they were amazing!
Unfortunately, can't say I spent as much time studying as I should've!

First day of chamber choir and others things to come up

2005-11-18T16:43:00.000-08:00

So ya, I woke up 6am this morning in order to get a shower, get dressed and to finish my study guide for module 21 ( Myers in Modules: AP Psych: equiv. of one semester of psychology at MUN) and to get ready for chamber choir. Then, I grabbed 2 pieces of peanut butter toast and water with me as I left before 7:45 a.m ( in order to be on time). Finally, I show up to chamber choir: me and my cous. joey were the only tenors there! So ya, we worked on the songs, "Mary, Mary" and "rocking (nativity)". Chamber choir so far is totally amazing: even if I occasionally mess up ( miss is really excited about the chamber choir this year).

Then chamber choir ended and school began! So ya first period, I had healthy living 1200 ( one of my electives) so we had the period to work on our Activity 2 and 3: one on a fitness product and on a career ( I choose the slamman and a firefighter)! Anyhow 2nd period , I had biology 2201 ( I know I should've done biology 2201 in grade 11 instead of chemistry but hey, live and learn!) in which we did a Dichomious Key for the teachers at our school ( I used the cat.: gender, height, glasses, hair color and mustache... these are dot-jotes: don't want to kill you all with the details!) Then we had recess: I ate a slice of pizza and a cholocate milk. 3rd period, I had math 3103 and we did section 3.6( the last section before we have a test in 2 weeks time... hopefully not sooner!) At lunchtime, I went to the YAC meeting.
These is what we did:
- a spokesperson for Oxfam Canada came in to do a presentation of poverty, fair trade and what we can do about it! ( it all happened when I tried to get the YAC: youth action committee involved with packing the shoeboxes into boxes to be eventually sent to Third-World Countries at Christmas time and ya, I didn't have enough details and gave her Oxfam Canada's number: she discovered O.C.C has nothing to do with O.C ( no, that it not the O.C!... ) But ya, she ended up asking something to do a presentation) The presentation was well done and he gave us 3 bits of info.:
1. Article done by Oxfam Canada concerning their work in the past ( From their air to tsunami relief ( in Sri Lanka last christmas to now; in Kashmir, Pakistan,etc... to helping third-world countries escape poverty
2. Information on how the Rich are causing the poor to be poor: unfair trade laws, "dumping" of cheap goods into third-world countries ( so they end up unable to sell their products)
3. A double postcard: one to send to the P.M of canada: Paul Martin ( to encourage him to pressure other politicians to take action against this injustice), another to get information about the progress of Make Poverty History.

Some startling facts about poverty:
1. 1.8 Billion live on less than a $1 a day ( 1.6$ billion is the most recent figure)
2.2.2 Billion live on less than $2 a day
There are approx. 6 Billion people in the world: so 2/3 of the world lives in extreme poverty ( not including poverty just below/at rich countries poverty line,etc...)

Then, I had english class at which he read the first pages of Antigone ( pg.126-130 : prior to Creon's entry). Last period, I had AP Psych. ( we were suppose to hear lecture on Module 21 : Operant Conditioning. Yet, there was an assembly at booth: a free period for the students from my school!) So ya instead, I worked through the study guide on Module 21 ( That I wasn't able to finish: I came extremelly close to finishing it that class!)

Then , I went to my dad's house and we talked about stuff: I told him I wanted to get my guitar strings re-aligned. So dad took me down to Strings n' Things ( apparently, they offer guitar lessons) So ya, the guy said he'd fix it plus other problems for a decent deal: 50$ ( they also nice electric guitars, drums,amps,etc...) And ya, the guy really knew his guitars, music theory ( to some degree) and his motorcycles ( they also have billards...fun! something else is gonna be happening but i'll keep it secret until it happens.) Then, I updated my blog.)

Plans for the weekend:

- going to my youth group's Cafe Night ( i'm inviting my cousin Joey to come along)

- possibly do some AP Psych. studying tonight (I got a test coming up next Wedsday on Mod.10-19 plus m.c from mod.1-19!) and do some other homework

- Go help pack shoeboxes into boxes to O.C.C

- maybe going to church ( depending on the amount of homework, time it takes plus how much I get done before sunday!)

others details to come...

On another note, I know there is another poverty in the world:spiritual poverty. Many people in the world are looking for something bigger than themselves yet many can't explain what. For anyone who got that feeling right now, you might wanna stop by http://www.canadiansforchrist.tk : the crowd there are very open even if you don't share their views! Ya, more to come everyone ( it was about time I updated my blog!)

July 3rd: the day of travelling to my 5-week bursery!

2005-07-03T20:02:00.000-07:00

July 3rd , 2005

For starters, I woke up at 4 am to ready to head out to my bursery. So ya and got showered and made sure i had all my bags and headed for the airport at around 5 am! So ya, my flight left at around 6:20 (slash) 6:30 a.m newfoundland time: i got at the airport around 9:30 a;.m newfoundland time ( i barely got any sleep on the plane!) So ya from 8:12- 9:30 a.m quebec time ( thats 90 minutes behind newfoundland time by the way), I waited and looked for my suitcases. Then from 9:30-10:30 a.m quebec time, i chatted with 8 other bursery students! From 10:40 -12:10 p.m ish quebec time we travelled from Montreal to Trois Riviere! From 1-2pmish, i walke up to the nearest subway ( using a map of course: how else!!!) and got myself a sweet onion chicken teriyaki! Following this, I went back and changed into a pair of shorts ( i was too warm!) Following this from 2:30 - to 4:00 p.m, me and a girl went to the mall and looked around in some different stores at the nearest malll: fun fun! Following this, we hanged around the cafeteria for 15-20 minutes and chatted in english ( while we`re stilla lowed) so ya, from 5-6 pm, i had supper which consisted of:

- chicken nuggets and fries

- cholocate pudding

,etc..

I also checked in and registrated, chatted on msn in english ( while im still allowed) and updated my blog...thats all folks!

Summary of Thursday, Friday and Saturday; June 30th, July 1st and July 2nd respectively

2005-07-01T20:43:00.000-07:00

( originally started on July 1st ,2005: i had it all finished but it came up error before it could be published... lesson learned; put my blog one paragraph at a time!)
Thursday, June 30th

First of all, I slept in until 10/11am/12pmish: I had stayed up too late the previous night

- I chatted on msn

- Make any late-minute preparations for packin my bags

- hanged out around the house

- maybe took the dog for a walk..

( its all a blur it happened like 4-5 days ago!: not much happened)

Friday, July 1st:

We woke up early in order to try to leave at 8 am. However, we never got on the road until 10 am. By the time we got to northern bay sands, it was close to 12; 1pm

Anyways, here`s the highlights ( I don`t wanna kill my memory straining to remember what happened!)

- picked keys to the rented cabins at random
- packed our stuff away
- went swimming from 2-4 pm
- came back and had supper which consisted of:
Chicken Burger, Hamburger with ketchup, mayo and mustard

- watched Comedy network 20th anniversary celebration of the best of comedy network

etc...

Saturday , July 2nd

I slept in until 11 am : greg had woken me up.... so ya, i relaxed and got a shower until 12 pm. From 12- 1:30 p.m, i watched jumanji! ( an amazing movie about a boy that finds a boardgame in his dad`s dactory or an old house ( not sure which of the two!) and basically, the game is like possessed or sumthin and like when you roll the dice, your given a riddle and an animal appears and the only way to get rid of it is to finish the game!

Anyways from 1:30 -2;30 p.m , i got changed into my tuxedo ( yep thats right,, i got lots of photos!). From about 3 pm to about 4é5 pm, the wedding ceremony took place! Here is a summary of the ceremony:

- the lighting of 2 small candles

- a prayer for the two being wed ( my mom and my soon-to-be stepdad!)
- 2 songs were played `` lean on me`and ``I swear`` which was accompanied by a guitar and sung by one of my female cousin ( sorry, have to keep this anonymous...you`ll have to ask for more details!)

- the wedding vows and exchange of weddings rings

- the lighting of one big candle using the two little ones

,etc..

from 4 or 5 to 7 pm, i was around for the following events:

- the preparing of food

- dinner of which i chose to eat:
() fish sticks ( balls)
() shrimp tarts( didn`t like them)
() and other great food ( i`ll probably remember after im done writing this blog!)

- speeches by my uncles, aunts, a short one by me, the wife and the husband,etc..

- lots of toasts ( although i refused to drink any wine!)

- dancing ( everything from slow dances to newfie style jigs)

At around 7:30 p.m, Jacob T. came to pick me up ( we didn`t leave til 8 or 8: 30 p.m due to needing to get changed, get our bags put away,etc...)

So ya from 9- 10:30 p.m, we were listening to the Live 8 concert in Johannesburg via radio including the following bands:

-limp bizkuit

- linkin park ( an old favourite of mine)

- linkin park and jay-z duo

and many more!

and then, i had to give the rabbit its medication and i got to bed at 12pm!

( i changed the thing to july 1st because that is when it was suppose to have been posted!)

June 29th/05

2005-06-30T01:14:00.000-07:00

For starters, I woke up at 10/10:30 a.m . Then , I got a shower and got changed.At arounf 11am, two jehovah witnesses showed up at the house i decided to do the polite thing: to hear them out. They basically went on interpreting different verses to refer to the physical kingdom god will set up on the new heaven and earth. However, sometimes they were using verses that were referring to other things and saying the bible has "loop-holes" when it didn't: goes to show that if you see "loop-holes" in the bible, you might be looking at it from the wrong view! Following that, I decided to try to read the bible for a bit... while in the middle of my reading, I had noticed my mom was upset.When I asked her what was wrong, she did that I hadn't done some chores I said I did done,etc.. So from then (11:30/12p.m to about 12:30/12:45p.m) , I decided to help around the house. From 1-1:50 p.m is a blank to me?( I really need to start going to bed earlier!) At 2pm, me and mom left to get me to try on my tuxedo which fit but that was some problems:buttons were missing in the vest,etc... After having turned all the stuff on ( shoes, tuxedo, vest,pants,etc..), we managed to fix all the problems and then we were on our way! (sorry guys, can't remember the details that well from this point on: too much halo 2 has made me lose my memory!) Sorry guys, all else i can remember is that someone came by and dropped off a gift for my mother. From about 8-9 p.m , I was on msn chatting! From 7-8;9pm-1am, I played halo 2 ( badddd idea!) Ya, and I was extremely irritable afterwards.... I learned my lesson: never play the game for longer than 30 minutes and stick to it! (Also at some point during the day, I took a break from the game to do chores:vacuuming , putting stuff away,etc..) ( At one point, I also took the dog for a walk~)

June 28th/05 : the day of sleeping in

2005-06-28T23:49:00.000-07:00

So ya for starters, I slept in until 12/12:30 p.m ! So ya upon waking up , I got a shower and then had pizza pops for brunch ( can't quite remember which order i did them in!). After that, I probably went to vacuum the house ( I kinda had a headache from staying up late and/or the sounds in the house).However, I ended up having to give the rabbit its medication first . Next, around 1pmish, I was given my Trois-Riviere pamplet and told to go through to see if there was a list there of stuff to bring...(anything I had, I checked off and/or wrote down: anything i needed was recorded on a separate list!) Around 1:45/2pmish, we headed out to dad's house to drop the rabbit off up there and check if anything we needed was up there( I managed to find an eraser...lol)Anyhow afterwards, we headed out to the mall to shop for stuff we couldn't find. I managed to find:

- a new pair of swimming trunks (black with orange and white stripes!)

-a new pair of shorts

-a new sports top
,etc...

By the time we left, it was around 4/4:30 p.m! Afterwards, I think we went to give the rabbit its medication again? ( or we were supposed to) Following that, I had to go home and I helped put away some stuff that we managed to buy/get from dad's. Some time after that, I went on Halo 2 ( I might've went on the game before going over to bring the rabbit over?) from approximately 6-6:45p.m. Shortly after, I was about to go on the game but was told that me and my sister needed to get the clothespins and clothes off the line before supper! After accomplishing the previous task, I started to make a pile of books that I no longer needed (by request of mom ). Finally, I had supper at around 7/7:15 p.m: which consisted of cod fish and a hamburger bun with peanut butter on it and a glass of some drink mom mixed up .( I dunno what its called!) Upon completion, I went to get ready and left to go to closing SNAC at the westera by foot! Fortunately, I managed to get there at 10 minutes to 8 pm.
(This lasted from 8-11pm) Here's a summary of the stuff I did:

- watched aaron play Counterstrike on Xbox live!

-Played Halo 2 with aaron and others ( capture the flag, teams,etc..)

-walked back to my mom's house (from 8:30-9pm) to get a better controller

-Played some more Halo 2 afterwards!

-sat back and talked briefly to kristina and listened to jennifer play the piano

The highlight in my playing of halo was when me, david (and someone else) were teamed against aaron in capture the flag. At first, the game was a huge stalemate. However due to lack of co-ordination and carelessness ,aaron took our flag back to his base while we noticed when it was too late! ( I accidentally did friendly fire and nearly became it!) So ya, then we were on the offensive... to make a long story short, aaron get killing anyone who came near him.However, I managed to backdoor him when he was focusing on killing my other two alles: I grabbed the flag. So I basically dashed across the field only to notice 50 feet from the base that aaron had his tank in front of our base and was attacking my other two allies. When I got 20-30 feet from the base, aaron finally realized his mistake: he didn't pay enough attention to me! So ya, he basically turned to get into position to shot me down.However, I hid behind the hills, some rocks, did alot of jumping and running and make it into the base by the tip of my skin: from then on, it was a stalemate...so we quit!

Last, I started to walk home at 10 to 11pm ( only to notice I forgot my controller!). So, I headed back , got my controller and started to head back home: I finally got homeat around 11:20 p.m (Not bad: updated this blog in 28 minutes!)

If you wanna know more or wanna comment, post one!

June 27th/05

2005-06-28T01:18:00.000-07:00

For starters, I slept in until 10 am.... ( deja vu....joking!). After this, I got up and had some breakfast ( 2 whole wheat toast slices with peanut butter!) . After that even though I couldn't find mom I got to work on the lawn around 10:30 a.m until 11:30 a.m. Then, I took a break and played halo 2 for 20-30 minutes. Next, I had lunch (2 pizza pops?). Following that, I mowed the sports of the lawn I had missed earlier that day, trimmed the glass around the fences and carried a bag of soil over( I did so until about 2/2:05 p.m). At this point, I reminded mom that I wanted to go to a multicultural event at St.John's City Hall at 3pm. They told me they wouldn't drive me: I was gonna have to find my own way to the event! ( At first, Greg was a bit upset about me going when they would've highly appreciated my help around the house! I talked to Jillian P. about it and ya, I let my frustration go and moved on) At 2:20 p.m, I realized there was no way the metrobus would get me there on time: tenille advised that I take a cab ( so I called up Valley Cabs...). Turns out, the cab driver get me there 10 minutes before the event started and even drove me up to the door!

Before it started, I looked around at some of the booths they had up that gave more information about each respective country: my eyes were drawn to the U.N table they had set up! From this point, I talked to the people who represented India and took a seat to chat ( I told them my name ( this is obvious), the school I went/going to (Bishops College),etc...) Then, the event started: here was the planned run-down (emphasis on planned!):
-Welcome:Donna Jeffrey,Executive Director (RIAC) ---- this is the Refugee Immigrant Advisory council

-Overview of MCAP-- this is the multicultural community awareness program : Lyodetta Quaicoe, Coordinator (MWONL)-- Multicultural Women's Organization of NL

- Greetings: Andy Wells, Mayor, City of St.John's ( He was unable to show up due to a prior commitment!)
Jane Rutherford, Senior Program Manager, National Crime Prevention Strategy
Sgt. Paula Walsh, RNc Training Section, Royal Newfoundland Constabulary

-World Refugee Day : Jose Rivera, Community Representative
Leo Massaquoi, Youth Representatibe

-Country Profiles : Celebrating Canadian Multiculturalism Day

-Book Launch : HuaLin Wong, St. John's Liason, UNAC -- united nations association in canada

-Appreciation and Recognition: MCAP Facilitatord and Participants

-Vote of thanks : Nick Summers, President
Canadian Council for Refugees

Here is my summary of the highlights:

-At the overview of MCAP, we were told how this program came about: from a series of conferences back in Dec./04
- She felt this was necessary because they felt they couldn't have fitted all the information from a one day session
-She told us this program was designed as a celebration of the success of the program

- We were told that the National Crime Prevention Strategy was to try to resolve the issues that often cause crime and that this project was funded by this strategy in part
- This Strategy came into effect a year and a half ago ( I didn't know this before!)

-The RNC officer (Walsh) said how she was glad that the RNC helped fund this project
- she said how its important to de-spell the myth that immigrants have of police that are not always positive due to the fact police in the immigrants ' home countries may have abused their power
- She said how the RNC wants to help make the community a better place and how this project has also helped the RNC

-I learned that today was World Refugee Day ( Sounds like its something YAC at bishops should promote next year!)
- They basically explained that this day was designated by the U.N as a day to focus on refugees: the challenges they face,etc..

-Massaquoi spoke about how he has felt free since he moved to canada ( he remembers exactly how many days he has lived in this country)
-He said how he felt humane again when he moved here and how he didn't feel that way were he had previously lived

Big Highlight: Country Profiles:
-Starting, two young girls in traditional Indian Clothing performed an Indian Dance: it was rather cute and entertaining
- Two groups of people each did a different Colombian dances: they used wide use of props such as roses, hats, scrafs,etc.. It was very humurous since the male was usually circling the female uttering phrases in the Colombian tongue : it was very funny and entertaining ( it produced quite a few laughs!)
- A group of African Women did a Showdown style freestyle in which each girl in different African fashions did their own solo "strut"
,etc...

Book Launch:
- This book according to the display is a must for activists, soon-to-be activits, those involved in immigration,etc.. ( I signed up for it... i'll tell you more about it in time and if you ask!)

It was a wicked show!
Things I did before/afterwards:
-Talked to people of different faith groups, countries,etc..
-Picked up lots and lots of information forms/ packets ( I took the table,eh...(inside joke!))
After the thing:
-Sampled some Indian , African and Belrusian food
-Talked to a fellow from Colombia and a lady from China ( we talked about politics, history, China in general,etc...)
-Looked at all the displays for the respective countries

So ya at around 5:30/5:35 p.m, I called a cab to come pick me up in front of St.John's City Hall to go back home... ( while I waited, I read a pamplet I picked up on the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights" ( from the U.N of course!)

Upon getting home, I put all my pamplets away and found out supper wasn't gonna take place for another 10-20 minutes ( In the meantime, I read through the cultural profile on China!)

For supper, me and tenille had Chicken burgers with mustard, mayo and ketchup ( Makes you want one right now,huh?)

So ya afterwards, I got ready to vacuum.Yet in waiting for "orders" from mom, I played halo for 10-20 minutes. Next around 6:15/6:30 p.mish, we headed up to dad's house to drop off the rabbit, its stuff and to get the garbage bags we got filled up with clothes ( we're gonna be both leaving for our respective trips in a matter of days!)

So ya by the time I got home, it was around 7 pmish (maybe 8/9pmish if my memory is failing me?) now I had to get through hanging up my my clothes with the hangars in the closet ( me and sarah c. had been talking ( I had my cellphone on) since I got in the car to head back to mom's from dad's!) I now that the conversation ended around 9:40 p.m.Yet, sarah was told she was only allowed an hour on the phone ( can't recall what i did with the time between the two: mustn't have been that important!) Me and her had a really good chat ( despite her flu and my lack of sleep). I also found out that we both eat our cereal dry yet will sometimes have a glass of milk (this is getting crazy!). So ya, from 10:15- 11:00/11:20 p.m, I played Halo 2 on Campaign ( Yes, I did spend alot of time on Halo 2 today!: I nearly finished 3 or 4 levels today!) After that, I went on msn for a bit, checked out Hi5, canadiansforchrist,etc.. After 12/12:20 p.m, I decided to work on this blog.... I finished at 1:18 a.m!

Plans (perceived and definite ) for the rest of the summer!

2005-06-27T01:40:00.000-07:00

Perceived:
Today (Monday , June 27th/05)
-I go to a multicultural event at the foran room at St.John's City Hall from 3-4:30 p.m

-mow the lawn!

Tuesday, June 28th/05
- Go to closing SNAC at 8pm at the Westeras!

Thursday, June 30th/05
- head out around the bay?

Friday, July 1st
-Canada Day celebration (T.B.D!)

Definite:

Saturday , July 2nd
- going to my mom's wedding!

Sunday , July 3rd
- I leave for Montreal,Quebec. Gotta get a bus from Montreal to Trois-Riviere

July 3rd- August 6th/05
Bursery in Quebec including:
- doing two sports in french
- two workshops in areas like culture,theatre,etc... in french
- learning french 20 hours a week in a classroom setting
- practing/homework 1-2 hours a day
-sightseeing and other stuff on saturdays
-sundays are off: free to do as we wish ( with limits of course)

August 6/7 - 20th/21st
- on my dad's time (T.B.A)

Last week before school starts
- wind down and get ready for school!

Note: ( especially for those who wanna make plans with me to hang out) I would prefer you plan to do so in the last week of summer. This is the time where I will be most flexible and will least likely disrupt pre-made plans...perceived plans to be updated in separate posts as seen necessary!)

June 26th/05

2005-06-27T01:18:00.000-07:00

For starters, this computers keeps locking up in the middle of my blog. So ya, I planned to wake up 9 am in the morning . However, I went back to bed and slept in until 10 am! (Funny how that works!) Then, I got a shower and got dressed. Following that, I had Nesquick cereal with a glass of orange juice ( and also a glass of milk!) More to be added this was done at 11:21 p.m ( the point is, i'm trying to talk on msn and will tell you about the rest of my day then...msn locks up my comp. if explorer is running too!) (Yep,i'm focusing on this blog: i get 10 minutes in then it locks up!) So ya, the pulp from the orange juice mixed into the milk ( i used the same glass...d'oh!) . To solve the problem, I cleaned it out with water then had a glass 0f milk! Moving on, I decided to start reading the bible before I went to church (Ephesians 5 to be exact) However before I could finish, it was time to leave for church: the environment was so much different than usual! For starters, there was barely any youth there: my first hint as to why was that Aaron W. told me there was gonna be a family survival camp. Indeed, it was approved to be true at the beginning of the service ( alot of adults were gone too!) Second of all, the Pastor and his wife was not there ( they were probably gone to the family survival camp with their kids) Filling in for him was one of the deacons: maynard k.
By the way, here was the structure for today's service:
-Welcome
-Praise Time
-Presentation of Tithes and Offerings
-Offertory
-Children's Hymn
-Birthday Celebration
- Pastoral Prayer
-Ministry of Music
-Message
-Hymn
-Benediction
Adding to the change in atmosphere was the fact that they began to question whether or not children's church was even gonna go ahead due to the lack of kids. However at the last minute, someone told the congregation they were off to watch a movie ( I commented " talk about improv!" (quietly of course!))
Next of all, the deacon leading in the absence of the pastor called us to prayer before or after the normal prayer time about the bill about same-sex marriage: he informed us that the bill could be passed as early as tomorrow and that this may be the last oppourtunity we get to pray about it before a vote takes place. ( I found it to be rather crazy) He also mentioned that only 7 votes needed to be swayed in order for the bill to pass (anyone who wants to make comments on this blog or the issue of same-sex marriage can go right ahead!)
Adding to the changed atmosphere was the fact that less people could be heard singing than usual and the voices that could be heard were the adults and older members (usually, there is an even number of people singing from each age group:so, the sound produced was different!).
Also, the deacon asked the congregation what to pray about and joted it down on pen and paper ( Usually, the pastor has prayer requests decided before it even starts: unless someone raises their hand and speaks). I found this to be a very practical way to handle the issue: I was impressed! Adding to the list, was how the deacon kept the message shorter than 20 minutes : short and to the point ( there was no pun intented,right susan s.?).It was basically him reading out the story of the women at the well that jesus encountered as accounted in John 4:1-29;39-41..he basically gave a history of the well:here are the main points I recorded:

-This was (probably) the same well that Jacob dug thousands of years ago
-It was passed down from generation to generation: from Jacob to Joseph,etc..
- some people were buried in/near it and other events
-people in those days would've came from far away to go to that well
- The well still exists today and has become quite the tourist attraction

Here's some key background information he stated:
-There was bad blood between the Jews and Samaritans
- This was because when the Jews were in exile, some of them decided to disobey god and intermarry with the local people
-The Samaritans got their lineage from what these Jews would've called "Half-breeds"

Here are the main message points:
-Alot of things about this encounter were unusual
-Jesus was a Jew talking to a Samaritan ( That would've been looked bad upon in those days)
-Jesus was a man speaking to a women ( they were viewed to be of lower status in those days than men)
- The women had come to the well at high noon( the hottest time of day) instead of coming during the morning while things were cooler to draw water
-Jesus made use of what he had to work with to portray spiritual principles to the women
(He often was recorded as doing this: as well as telling parables!)
-Jesus offered her living water: a water that would be able to quench her spiritual need: a condition all of us as humans commonly possess
(the deacon uses these references to back-up that living water is a common theme in the bible:
- Jeremiah 2:13 -Psalm 36:9 - John 7)

- Jesus lacked condemnation of her sins ( being with a man without them being married)

-Jesus was able to see right through her and know everything about her!

The women used three tests to determine how Jesus could've been able to see-through her:
1. The test of easy answers (John 4:17)
2. The test of religious talk (John 4:19-20)
3. The test of scripture

-After she realized he was the messiah (that the first five books of the Old Testament tesfied of), she witnessed of how he told her everything she ever did

The main lesson of this passage is that she was an unlikely witness

The main application being that since often calls the most unlikely witnessed, we don't have to ever think that we can't be used by god

He also noted that her witness avoided:
- Other people's conclusions

- "threats of hell"

- answering questions not asked

He begged the question, " Are you afraid to be a witness because you are not a theologian?" ( he also begged over questions that i can't remember word-for-word!)

-He ended by stating , "The best definition I have ever heard of witnessing is , ' One beggar telling another beggar were to find food!' "

Those are most of the main points!

Moving on after church, Dad took me with him on errands to Costco ( to fill up a propane tank and to get some lunch: 2 sets of pre-cooked chicken wings (hot and ready to go) and to Kent ( to get stabilizers for the basement at the cabin in terra nova, to get a new eavesdrop installed and to weigh the cost of putting in new flooring! ) ( I managed to tell him how the bible talks about the importance of weighing the cost before getting into something: it related directly because jesus used the image of building a tower and dad was weighing the costs of putting in new flooring: both are building-related!)

Afterwards, we finished off the wings at dad's house(around 2/2:30 p.m) , feed the rabbit its medication and food and packed up to go to mom's house. Next off, we arrived at mom's (at around 4/4:30 p.m?) Next, I played halo for 40 minutes ( instead of 30 minutes). From 5-5:30 p.m, I took Molly for a walk around the block. After that, I got some water into my system ( and other stuff) and walked down to bowring park: it was about 6/6:15 p.m by the time I got down there. I then realized I should try out Sarah C.'s idea: to read the bible in the park! ( I looked around and managed to find the perfect spot people who live in newfoundland, take note of this!) It is under this huge tree that hangs over a green picnic bench a few feet away from Red Oak Catering in Bowring Park: it provides enough privacy and shelter that one can read ( or eat) in the cool and enjoy nature for what its really like! At around 6:20 p.m, I left to head back home ( Sarah C. called me on the way home: I told her about my day and we ran outta time before she could tell me about hers!) However, I got back home at 7:05 p.m: mom was not impressed. (We were supposed to have been at my Aunt Linda's in downtown at 7 pm). So, I had to try to make up for lost time by getting a shower, shaved and changed A.S.A.P ( It was 8pm by the time we got there!) From 8 to about 10/10:30 p.m, we did the following:

-hung out

-chatted
- had supper ( pizza and soft drinks: although some people had alcohol...not me though!)
- had 3 "toasts" : 1 to Greg, 1 to Mom and a special toast to mom that Alexis called!
- some great convos. about basketball, improv, video games,etc..
- Watched some world players poker ( i think thats what its called?)
- told them about my plans (some definite, some perceived)for the summer
( accounts vary depending on what individuals decided to spend their time doing: this is more like what i did!)

Anyhow, we got back around 10:30/11 pm. (Since then, my computer has locked up 5 times!) So i've done the following upon getting home:

-talked on msn
- skimmed over one news story on the heat waves going through canada
-updated my blog

I made two major errors today:

1. Failing to respect deadlines by walking too far away from home and being late for getting to Aunt Linda's

2. Failing to open the door for tenille when we stopped at linda's

(Its getting too late to finish reading Ephesians 5: I guess i'll finish the analyzing today: at least its 1/2 way done!)
For more details, ask me.... comments/ commentaries please!

June 25th/05

2005-06-25T23:38:00.000-07:00

First of all, I woke up at 8 am. Then, I got changed and rushed down to mom's house to get my work clothes. However, I had to wait in the car for like 5-10 minutes ( The fundraiser tenille was at for her europe trip ended up being booked the same time as another group!). So ya, I got to work at 9:15 a.m and worked up 3 pm ( I was allowed to leave early because it was slow going! I mostly did oil changes and typing info. unto the computer). Afterwards, I got home and changed out of my work clothes into casual clothes. So ya, I spent from 4-6 pm on msn, yahoo,etc... (chatting , checking e-mails,etc..) Afterwards, we packed up to go to mom's house : to my surprise, she wasn't home. So, me and my sister waited it out and put some pizza in the oven for supper. So ya when I realized the sunshine was starting to end at 7pm , I went for a walk until 8:25 p.m ( from cowan heights to bowring park and back.. i was kinda tired and stuff.) Following that, we stopped by at blockbuster and I picked up the movie "Hotel Rwanda". The movie pretty much shows that people can make the best out of any situation...its based on a true story about a hotel manager that saved the lives of 1250 hutu and tutsi refugees during the genocide in rwanda.... thats all for now!

June 24th 2005

2005-06-24T23:10:00.000-07:00

First of all, I slept in until 12 pm ( which means this entry will be shorter than the most... hurray for people who hate long blogs....jkk). So ya first of all, I got dressed and got ready to have brunch. However , I ended up having chicken wings from the supermarket when dad bought some mayonaise, mustard and peanut butter ( funny how things happen!). So ya afterwards, I had a sandwich with the following ingredients:

-white bread
-pre-cooked chicken ( i zapped it in the microwave!)
- coronation red pepper rings ( nice and spicy!)
- mayonaise
- mustard ( both from kraft miracle whip...yep, that's right, kraft now makes mustard!)

So ya afterwards, I helped tenille get ready to feed black beauty with a saringe ( For those of you who don't know, 2 or 3 days ago, our rabbit had to do to the sunrise vetcare clinic..i think thats what its called. Turns out we were giving the rabbit the wrong diet ( pellets only)) : turns out the rabbit was suppose to get 50% hay and 50% pellets along with water ( of course!) .So ya, now we gotta give it 1 and a half millilitres of medication twice a day to get those lazy bacteria working again... ( whats next, they go on strike?...jkking). After wards, I decided to read Ephesians 4: I realized the writer of Ephesians quoted 2 verses from 2 different chapters in the old testament: Psalm 4r and psalm 66. So I figured, "Why not study these 2 chapters as well in order to see what the writer (God, the co-author but still in total control of what he wrote via the holy spirit...you get the drift...if not,ask!) So ya, I started at 1:20 p.m ( After writing down stuff i need to get done afterwards but didn't wanna forget) : I ended up reading it until 3:30 p.m in the afternoon. Following that, I decided to go on the computer;chatting on msn, yahoo, checking e-mails,etc... Next, I decided I wanted to go biking starting 5:30 p.m ( but i ended up staying on the computer until 6pm). So ya, I first tryed to explore the Sunrise trial ( which is 8kn through scenic Old Mount Pearl!) But when I got to O'Donel I got lost ( I only payed attention to the map for about 30 seconds....not a good idea!). So, I ended up going back to the beginnning of the trial ( Next to the Bool Closet in Mt. Pearl!) and going through the trial down to Bowring Park. By this time, it was around 8:27 p.m ( I stopped the 2nd time for 15 minutes waiting for Dad to bring me some water to fill my water bottle: my plan was so spontaneious, I forgot to get some water...lol!) Then , I talked on my cellphone to some of my friends in town like Kristina,Sarah, Amanda,etc... (and a random person about school down by the duck pond in bowring park....) So ya, my dad pickjed me up at around 9 pm and i got home at 9:20 p.m . Thereafter, I logged on msn again (and got on the computer,d'uh!). then, Sarah C. called me from Alberta: we talked for 20-30 minutes about how my day went and how hers went. (Shes in Alberta babysitting from like 7am in the morning to like the afternoon/early evening but has weekends off?....: as you can tell, shes doing more payed work than me this summmer!) Anyhow , I had to get off the phone because the ribs were cooked ( and the rice... i found this out later). Just after that, I went back on the computer again..., (updating this blog, msn, installing realplayer etc...) Anyways, I'm off to get a bath in the jacuzzi ( fun fun) and then i'll be off to sleep.....(zzz zzz: writing that in a blog/letter was inspired by Sarah C. : it adds humor!). off I go to get washed up and get to sleep! Later all and please please, post some comments?!
Possible plans for tomorrow:
( Ya, im working from 9am -4pm tomorrow at my dad's shop in mt. pearl: Lester Lube: the coles notes version, I need lots of sleep).

-Might be hanging out with one of the exchange students

June 23rd/05: the last day of Grade 11 for me

2005-06-23T19:54:00.000-07:00

Yep, I got to bed about 12:30 p.m last night... I then woke up at 6 am but went back to sleep until about 6:30/6:50 a.m.Then, I got out of bed at 7:10 a.m and got a shower and had breakfast ( 2 slices of peanut butter toast and orange juice). I arrived at school around 8:50/5:55 a.m. At around 9:10 a.m- 11 am, they had a very long awards assembly. Then afterwards, I got my report card (i got honours yet a 87% average overall including my 1 credit courses!) Then, I chatted a bit and tried to figure out what courses i might need to drop and the such. I got home at 12:30 p.m and had some pizza and orange juice for lunch...yum! Then, I talked to mom about my report card and played halo 2 for several hours from about 1-3:30 p.m... I plan on going to my dad's at 5 pm...more details to come!Next, dad came and picked me and sister up ( we both showed him our report cards!) Anyhow, we then headed out to Uncle Brent's house so dad could drop off a folder to him. Then, we headed back to the house... I got on msn, checked e-mails. Then around 7 pmish, I had chicken and rice for summer....yummm... more details to come!

June 22nd/05: What I did today so far!

2005-06-22T23:46:00.000-07:00

First of all, I woke up at 10am and got a shower and the such. Secondly, I started to vacuum the living room and dining room. Third, I got myself 2 slices of peanut butter toast and a glass of orange juice for brekafast...yum! Then, I went on msn and chatted to Dave (the one I met at marine pursuits) about my World History Exam and my level of involvement ( preferring to socialize more and do less) while he has the approach of doing more stuff and socializing with people while working.

Afterwards, I got back to vacuuming downstairs and the mats in various rooms.

and chatted on msn some more!
Thereafter, I go myself 2 pizza pockets for lunch with some more orange juice.... ( not sure about the orange juice!)

and some other stuff!

Afterwards, I took my dad molly for a walk from 2 - 2:45 p.m. Along the way, I talked to Celyeste ( shes 21 and used to cover over afterschool to watch over me when I was younger) as did her sister. I chatted to her about how im gonna be done Grade 11 soon and how i'm considering guidance counsellor. I also listened to a recording of a voice message i made to myself to help me learn the memory verse I mentioned earlier!

Lastly, I noticed Amanda Barrett outside when I was walking the dog: we talked about biology,sexuality, the flaws of the school system,morality,etc.... It was a rather good combination because i did 1 laps going from hopeall to canada through markland (repeat 4 times) and a good conversation out of it.... I figured that since I gave a more serious entry earlier on a topic, i'd let everyone know that my life hasn't been all "doom-and-gloom" recently.....

Afterwards, I came inside and chatted on msn some more.After that , I played Halo 2 on solo campaign on heroic difficulty ( approx. from 3-5pm!)

Next, I got picked up by my dad and got brought to the vet... turns out black beauty hadn't eaten in 5 days... we where waiting until 6:15 p.m when we were told we'd have to come back at quarter to 8 pm. However, black beauty when on her back and barely moved... we asked if we could go in on a emergency basis right away: they accepted!
Turns out, we were given her the wrong diet : we were feeding her only pellets when it was suppose to be 50% hay and 50% pellets ( turns out katrina D.'s dad was the doctor who checked on the rabbits condition). After analyzing the rabbit ( and giving us a free chemistry/ biology lesson on rabbits....overexaggeration), he told us that the bacteria that break down the remainder of the food stopped working and this was causing the rabbit to refuse to eat. We were given a medication that we have to give in a volume of 1.5 millilitres twice a day then , we have to blend hay, water and pellets into a mash and force-feed her!

After getting back around 7/8 pm, we went to see the movie ," Herbie" at Mount Pearl Square.... it was both cool and humourous. Funny how the fact that the car is alive and drives itself could make a good analogy for what the christian life is like: we often try to take the credit for the things god truly deserves. Tomorrow, I get my report card!
comments please!

My Disappointment about not doing french in high school and a formal apology to anyone i was too hard on in this topic ( you know who you are)

2005-06-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

To give you a idea of my disappointment, it was a similar feeling as to when I didn't make the basketball team in Grade 10 and I was so sure that I was gonna make it, that I wiped out the possibility that I wouldn't make it and then I didn't: I was bitter about it for weeks even months! But ya, this time it was different: I thought I couldn't do the thing I wanted to do (french not because of a lack of effort) but because of a lack understanding of the way the french courses in high school worked. See, I thought there was a 1st year french course but ya turns out, I found out halfway/ at the end of this year that its possible to do semestrized science and then do french in your 2nd and 3rd year and because I didn't do it this year, I can't do it next year ( well, i'd have to start at a 2nd year level....)

So ya, it caused me some bitterness and someone I was talking to earlier told me how she too went to Trois-Riviere at my age and said how unless you stay in a french environment, most of what you learned will fade away. I need to formally apologize to that individual.... I am so sorry that I took my hard-to-answer questions out on you.... I deeply regret doing that! I need to pray to god about it and if this individual reads this message, I need to apologize!

I thought I had a verse that related to my experience(i'll look it up on biblegateway.com!)
I couldn't find one so here's something to think about..

Its a search I did on bible gateway on Evil Desire... here is the url if your interested

http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=%20evil%20desire&version1=31&searchtype=all&limit=none&wholewordsonly=no

I also did a search on envy on biblegateway ( in the bible of course) : http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=envy&version1=31&spanbegin=1&spanend=73

Especially note James 3:14 and James 3:16.

"But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth." James 4:14 (NIV)

"For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice." James 4:16 (NIV)

And last, on bitterness: http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=bitterness&wholewordsonly=yes&version1=31&spanbegin=1&spanend=73

Especially note:

" For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin." Acts 8:23 (NIV)

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice." Ephesians 4:31 (NIV)

I feel I need to memorize Ephesians 4:31 ....: if you have any advice on this matter, was moved by anything you learned in this post or just wanna comment on it, feel free to do so!

June 21st: the day i finished my last exam for grade 11!

2005-06-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

For starters, I got up at around 7 am ( then went back to sleep til 8 am), got a shower,etc... Then, I got a cab at 8:35 a.m to go to bishops college. From 9 am to about 12:35 p.m, I studied, took breaks and help explain some concepts/events in world history to some people.

From 12:45 p.m til about 3:00 p.m, I was writing my World History exam. It consisted of:

- 48 mandatory multiple choice

- 2 differing m.c based on who was teaching you ( each history teacher in my school choose 1 of the 2 optional units: you had the choose the ones that you covered)

- 7 mandatory long answer questions (one of the 7 mandatory long answers was the exact same question with an identical visual we had to incorporate into our answer on our mid-term!)
- 1 differing long answer depending on which optional unit you did

Afterwards when I finished and called for a ride home, my dad took me down through downtown st.john's, bowring park and back home on a toma gold wing motorcycle! ( I was on the passenger seat on the back of course!)

Then, I went for a walk from about 4:45 p.mish to about 5:30/5:45 p.m. Along the way, I talked to Jacob T. ( He used to babysit me when I was in elementary school!) And ya, I told him about how high school was doing, what i was involved, what i hope to be involved in next year , about some of my courses ( like how i find World History easy because i like it yet find Chemistry difficult because its just difficult!) I also told him how i was considering guidance counselling as a career,etc..

I also did some other stuff.

Upon getting home, my cousin Alexis showed up with her friend Ondre who came along. And ya, we hung around and talked ( Alexis did my mom's hair and was excited to see my mom wear the wedding dress she'll wear on July 2nd!) So ya, me and ondre played halo 2 on co-operative (approx. 6/7 pm( starting at the first level) and got up to the end of level 2 which we finished at like 8/8:30 p.m. We also watched a random thing on discovery channel about how the steam hydraulic pumps on aircraft carriers propel jet fighters forward.

Since then, ive been chatting on msn and updating my blog.... fun fun!

June 10th and June 11th/05 summary

2005-06-11T23:01:00.000-07:00

He is a summary of yesterday's key events:

- I wrote my English 2202 exam: it wasn't too hard but parts of it required some deep thought.. it took me 2 hours to get finished

- I had a Chemistry 3202 field test...which took me 3 hours and 15 hours! It was brutally difficult...

- I went to see Star Wars episode 3: Revenge of the Sith. A very good movie but it was the darkest of the series i had seen so far

Today:

- Got my hair cut

-got my measurements for my tuxedo taken and tried on the brace ( I think thats what it is called!)

- took Molly (the dog) for an hour and a half walk!

- took the day off work to study ( even though i only got an hour in due to circumstances: some out of my control and some decisions i made to get urgent tasks over with!)

- read and underlined stuff in the first 7 chapters of the book "Christians Wisdoms of the Jedi Master" by Dick Staub

- checked my e-mails, Hi5 and canadiansforchrist

- did lots of talking on my phone and cellphone!

Thats all for my summary.... anyone who wants to know more details can ask!

A post to remind of what i did on may 24th weekend

2005-06-04T22:50:00.000-07:00

Yep, its probably one of the easiest "My Adventure" topics to post about.. : May 24th weekend. Ya well this weekend, I left on thursday afternoon after school to head out to Terra Nova Village. We stayed there for the night and got to meet Lev (a Russian-Canadian who moved to newfoundland from siberia (i think) 2 years ago), my cousin Brian, uncle John, Mr. Hanley,etc... We basically hung out and stuff that night. The next morning , I think uncle John might've showed up (or yesterday?) and we had breakfast. Then, we started to pack our stuff in the sub-urban and trailer to go into the woods: it was raining. Meanwhile, me and tenille ( my sister) looked around my cousin Alexis half-brother and half-sister: I tossed a orange pillow with them,etc... then after 2-3 hours of driving through the woods, we got to lake St. John. Then, we had to load the stuff unboard the small boat. Then, the 15-20 minute boat ride began.... ( me and my sister played rock, paper,scissors slap to pass the time!) Then we arrived... (the rest of the trip with the exception of monday , the entire days where spent around the cabin area) This is but a sample of the things i did: - Went fishing at the lake just a few seconds walk from the camp - went on a fishing trip further downstream - took care of Shae-lynn and micheal ( my half-cousins?) : i played hide-and -seek with them, go-fish, 7-up,crazy-8's,etc... - drove the argo around the beach ( its like 1/4 - 1/2 kilometres long (including the beach not near our area but ive never actually measured it though!) - Helped using the automated wood cutter which ran on gas and oil - socialized with everyone else Today, we got up at 10 am and tried to get ready: it wasn't until 10/10:30 p.m that i got home! ( on the way back, i studied for my World History test and read the 2nd chapter of "God's Politics" coming up on wedsday!) -(whenever possible at night), I went away to read the bible, write a journal my day and read some books i brought on different topics with biblical backing - watched some tv on the satellite dish etc.

Today, we got up at 10 am and tried to get ready: it wasn't until 10/10:30 p.m that i got home! ( on the way back, i studied for my World History test and read the 2nd chapter of "God's Politics" coming up on wedsday!) any questions? just ask!

A post to reminds others what i did on may 24th weekend

2005-06-04T22:49:00.000-07:00

June 4th/05

2005-06-04T22:37:00.000-07:00

Yep, this is what i did today:

- I woke up at 10 am and got a shower

- went to look for some of my mid. term notes at my mom's house ( couldn't find them)

- had breakfast

- studied from 11 am until 3/3:30 p.m ( of course, i took a break for lunch and a 5 minute-break for every 20 minutes of studying!)

- from 4-6 p.m, played paintball at frontline paintball for the finale of youth group for this school year... I got hit quite a bit , cornered many times and kinda caught off-guard many times. Fortunately, I haven't found any bruises... Anyways afterwards, we payed for the paintball and then headed to the Kenway's for a bbq: i had 1 hamburger and 1 hotdog. Other than that, we just chatted, hung out and talked about some prayer requests, the 2006 mission trip to kenya,etc.....

And thats my day in a nutshelll....(if you need to know more details, just ask.... After all, I have the nutcracker (pun intended!))

May 28th/2005 my day today!

2005-05-28T23:09:00.000-07:00

First of all, I woke up at 7:45 a.m to get ready for work. First, I had a shower, got into my work clothes (steeltoe boots, black pants, black lester lube t-shirt and a gray sweater!), had breakfast, packed my lunch, got my work boots on and headed for work. I worked my 6th Saturday ever at lester lube (it would've been my 7th but i took the saturday on may 24th weekend off!).Also when I got home, I got yet another shower, got changed, and had cod and potatoes for supper! Not to mention, I went on msn and talked to my friends. I also told kristina n. and dave ( i met him at marine pursuits) about how i received news on friday that i'm going to quebec for 5 weeks this summer on a bursery! (from july 3rd or 4th- august 5th) I also talked to kristina nurse on the phone about some stuff I'm gonna try to be involved in next year such as:

- the improv team

- The Youth Action Committee (Y.A.C)

- voice lessons (thats a given!)

- maybe choir

- Quest possibly
,etc..
Not to mention, I read chapter 3 of a book called "God's Politics". This chapter talks about how , "God is personal but never private" (I haven't had the chance to make notes on it yet!)
From 7-10 :30 p.m, I was at the CFC event: X-Alt. Three bands played there:

1.Abandon

2.WEB praise team

3.Pheobus Levene

The speaker was Wanda Fost ( she talked about the need for reconcilation in the land of Canada between: 1. the french and the english, 2. the english and the native and 3. parents and their children) She got the help of the drama team to illustrate an analogy about a boy tossing a ball in the air then trying to hit it: he kept missing. His dad told him he was soory for not teaching him to hit it. His son said to him, "No, I just strike the batter out three times: i'm the pitcher not the batter." He used this to make the point we need to be who god wants us to be.

Mike R., Blake B ,Brad Norman and Wanda Fost shared their testimonies. (I voluntarily shared mine!)

And so concludes this blog entry!

My day today, May 25th/05

2005-05-25T22:46:00.000-07:00

For starters , I learned / did the following things at school:

Period 1: I had Theatre Arts... we talked, watched a scene from a play and watched a clip from the anime-style movie, "Waking Life": a movie with very intense philosophy

Period 2: I had World History Class... we learned about the roles the U.N has played in the last decade or so in world affairs such as their failed attempt to stop the genocide in Rwanda for example, we learned about former yugoslavia and how much ethnic cleansing took place there in much Muslims and Catholics were driven out of states of the former yugoslavia,etc..

Period 3: I had Economics.. we learned about the Global village: how multi-national corporations , reduced trade barriers and a system connecting about 100 world banks that trades billions to trillions of dollars a day in lightning speed.... sir gave us a history lesson about how technology exposed what was supposed to be a secret u.s military operation in somalia: CNN was reporting live and showing the troups landing: the war-lords had satellite tv , so they saw the americans coming and ran, so the americans had trouble finding them for the first couple days. Yep, got assigned my first bit of homework due for tomorrow

Lunch: I socialized with Jillian Peddle and the crew... for a good 20-30 minutes. I had a slice of Pizza and a small cholocate milk

Period 4: Nutrition Class: people gave powerpoint presentations on everything from the digestive systems to obesity!

Period 5: We learned about faradays law in chemistry class and was told we actually gotta memorize facts about rechargeable and nonrechargeable batteries in our own time on top of work sheets and final exam review and test prep.!

What I did afterschool"
I had 3-5hours of homework today:

I spent 2-3 working on getting visuals and explanations of them for my project on the American Civil War

Spent 30-40 minutes practicing statistics for my math quiz tomorrow

spent 20 minutes going over World History notes

spent 40 minutes talking on the phone with Sarah C.

spent 40 minutes doing economics homework

spent 60-70 minutes on the computer (msn, posting on cfc and writing up this blog)

As you can tell, I am starting to get very busy lately

This is what my weekend might look like:

Friday, May 26th:

- get home and focus on homework for the most of the night and probably, read the bible

Saturday , May 27th:
- Work at Lester Lube from 9am-4pm

- spend time reading the bible and doing homework instead of going to a movie!

- go to the CFC concert at West End Baptist at 7pm (free admission)

Yep, thats all i have to say for now

May 24th weekend

2005-05-24T18:22:00.000-07:00

( this was posted on June 4th/2005 but i have to put it down as May 24rth/05 in order to get it to show up!)

Yep, its probably one of the easiest "My Adventure" topics to post about.. : May 24th weekend. Ya well this weekend, I left on thursday afternoon after school to head out to Terra Nova Village. We stayed there for the night and got to meet Lev (a Russian-Canadian who moved to newfoundland from siberia (i think) 2 years ago), my cousin Brian, uncle John, Mr. Hanley,etc... We basically hung out and stuff that night. The next morning , I think uncle John might've showed up (or yesterday?) and we had breakfast. Then, we started to pack our stuff in the sub-urban and trailer to go into the woods: it was raining. Meanwhile, me and tenille ( my sister) looked around my cousin Alexis half-brother and half-sister: I tossed a orange pillow with them,etc... then after 2-3 hours of driving through the woods, we got to lake St. John. Then, we had to load the stuff unboard the small boat. Then, the 15-20 minute boat ride began.... ( me and my sister played rock, paper,scissors slap to pass the time!) Then we arrived... (the rest of the trip with the exception of monday , the entire days where spent around the cabin area) This is but a sample of the things i did: - Went fishing at the lake just a few seconds walk from the camp - went on a fishing trip further downstream - took care of Shae-lynn and micheal ( my half-cousins?) : i played hide-and -seek with them, go-fish, 7-up,crazy-8's,etc... - drove the argo around the beach ( its like 1/4 - 1/2 kilometres long (including the beach not near our area but ive never actually measured it though!) - Helped using the automated wood cutter which ran on gas and oil - socialized with everyone else Today, we got up at 10 am and tried to get ready: it wasn't until 10/10:30 p.m that i got home! ( on the way back, i studied for my World History test and read the 2nd chapter of "God's Politics" coming up on wedsday!) -(whenever possible at night), I went away to read the bible, write a journal my day and read some books i brought on different topics with biblical backing - watched some tv on the satellite dish etc.

Today, we got up at 10 am and tried to get ready: it wasn't until 10/10:30 p.m that i got home! ( on the way back, i studied for my World History test and read the 2nd chapter of "God's Politics" coming up on wedsday!)

any questions,just ask!

May 18th/05

2005-05-18T17:09:00.000-07:00

Yep, yet another day of school. When i got outta school, I went down to the new Dominion with my dad to get groceries and we got to used the automated under 20 item checkout (super cool!) . Then, I helped cleanout the rabbit and bird cages.I also talked to Sarah C. for 2 hours ! ( We talked about some cool stuff...indeed) Also, I studied for my World History on may 25th, talked on msn, posted on CFC and Christianchapel. I also wanna read exodus 6 today...very soon!

My Weekend May 13th-15th/05

2005-05-15T21:36:00.000-07:00

Yep, this was definitely an interesting weekend....here's a good recap of friday and saturday.

Friday: I was home all night! I surfed the net a bit, talked on the phone,etc... it was a very laid-back night.... I need not get into any more details as i didn't keep a journal on that (so thats i can remember of it!)

Saturday: Well as usual, I was working at Lester Lube from 9am-4pm! (Things at work went alright and as usual...)

For those of you who have no idea what the usual at Lester lube is..... I help do the following:

- Putting oil back into the cars during a oil change

-get information off customers that is entered into the computerized file!

- sometimes, I help with other random tasks and/or help in the tire bay... which involves taking off tires, the weights off tires, weighing them , putting the weights on the new tires and putting the tires back on!

Then, I had a shower when I got home (its necessary after working there! By the way, this was my 5th saturday working there!) Then, I talked on the phone ( I can't say who... I still need more time to get to know this person better before i am ready to talk about them!)

And well, I chilled mostly and the such ( no descriptive details available)

Today (Sunday):

Today, I got up at 8:30 a.m to get ready for Sunday School/ Sr. High Classes... today, the jr. and sr. high classes were combined for the 2nd sunday in a row ( last sunday, the president and vice-president of ABU: Atlantic Baptist University did a presentation on the university, its purposes, facilities,etc...)! Today as an activity, we have to come up with an invention that would help people, think of a way to advertise it, hoq much it would cost and tell the class... it was a rather humuorous activity as some people came up with very bizarre stuff (such as andrew sutherland's idea for a suit that would turn sweat into water...yuck!).Anyways, Ms. Sutherland related this to how God has a gift that he wants everyone to have: a personal relationship with god, the cost for free (for us : it cost Jesus his earthly life!) and she asked the question as to how we are yo advertise it... personal relationships seemed to be the main one, but there are others too.

The morning service was amazing: my dad showed up! (he rarely goes to church), the worship was great, the ministry of music was amazing ("Father's Eyes") and the message moving: it was on 2 Corin.:1-11.... then, the pastor made a altar call (of sorts ) at the end of the message... my dad went up!

Also, I had chem. tutoring today, i talked on the phone again (to the same person as on friday!) and I did lots of research on the american civil war.... talk about a alright yet crazy weekend!

May 6th/2005

2005-05-06T15:52:00.000-07:00

Well ya lately, i've had the flu or cold for 3 days in a row ! ( probably the first time all year for me) . And ya, I had to wake up 6 am in the morning to finish a research paper ( boy, I need to improve long-long- time management!) on churchill falls hydropower.... yep I have no idea what i'll be doing this weekend ( I should probably check my e-mails for starters!) Indeed... more details to come!

May 6th/2005

2005-05-06T12:19:00.000-07:00

Yep, so far ive had the flu or the cold (and some headaches and stuff) Ya like this morning, I had to wake up 6 am to finish a research paper on churchill falls hydropower! ( Boy, I still need better time management) I have no clue what i'm doing today ( checking e-mails is a good start!) And well saturday, i'lll be at my job again. I guess me and jesus have one more thing in common: at some point in our lives, we worked for our earthly father!..... more details to come!

This week

2005-04-15T17:33:00.000-07:00

Yep... quite a bit has happened this week (I'd need my journal in front of me to remember it all , well, at least it'd help) Indeed, I had a make-up voice lessoon from 4-4:30 p.m at take note music school! ( to make up for one Ms.Angela cancelled when she got sick a while ago) Yep, I finally got the song im working on ( in voice lessons on tape): its called, "If I can't love her" from the broadway style of the Beauty and the Beast. Yep, I've been on my dad's computer at work for nearly an hour now! In 2 hours time, WEB's cafe night will start (what fun!) Also tomorrow, i'm looking forward to getting some valuable work experience at my dad's garbage: Lester Lube ( This and other past details to come) : stay tuned!

12:10 a.m :
For supper, I had sirloin and potato(yum!)
This is how the WEB cafe night went:
we did the following:
- playing board games and other sorts of games . Here is a list of the games played :
> Twister
>Catch Phrase
> Risk
> Jenga
>Life
,etc.

These are the ones I played:
>Catch Phrase
>Jenga
>Risk

We also played bible games : 2 cross-words and 1 word find
- our group won the 1 crossword and 1 word find

So, we got to play a bonus game for another prize for one person in the group: - a book on beating fashion for girls or a christian sports shirt for guys.

The game went like this:
-Blake read out different clues

- we each tryed to guess the name of the city

- repeat until someone gets one right

( I won a t-shirt and the game : it was the birthplace of King David:Bethlehem!)

Yep, interesting day!

Highlights of some other cool things ive learned over the past few months

2005-03-19T00:46:00.000-08:00

Here they are ( some of those are old news while others are brand new):

- I am considering guidance counselling as a career : in response to this, I have signed up to take AP Psychology next year!

- I want to tryout for the improv team next year ( for reasons already stated in a late feb. post of 2005!)

- I want to do some volunteer work: ( I have it narrowed down to 4 possible positions : one of two public speaking positions, info. booth attendant or a general assistant)

- I am considering joining / looking into the Toastmasters club ( which helps to improve communication and leadership skills: Ideal for a guidance counsellor in 2 ways: its volunteer work and developed some skills necessary for guidance counselling) and it'll also possibly serve if I so choose to join it, to make either one of the two public speaking positions more realistic to apply for)

- We have completed up to sessions 3 of the 7 sessions of Quest of 1 of our 2 plan run-throughs of the quest program ( that doubles of 7 sessions for anyone to wants to do the math= 14 sessions to supervise with in total

- I sent an application in to go to live on campus or with a french family for 1, 3 or 5 weeks during the summer to learn better french oral and written communication skills, learn french through activities such as cultural activities, sports, music,etc...etc... I've heard that to go on one of those in terms of learning is the equivalent ( if not more than) an entire year of core french ( due to the fact you are getting so much exposure to french) . I mean you even get burseries offered to you to pay for this!

- Within the school, I am making some strong friendships that have the potential to become platforms from which to tell and live out the gospel and to discuss spiritual issues

This is a handful of the useful lessons i have learned and things ive learned i may be interested in in the last few months and/or law few years!

Mar 18th/2005: the ultimate friday (well close enough!)

2005-03-19T00:08:00.000-08:00

Ok so school today went rather welll: (as the 'appetizer' for today's course) I got to watch a movie in world history, got to study practice for upcoming tests in 2 subjects, worked on a magazine cover as if you'd expect one of today's magazines to look back in 44 b.c and( as the 'pre -main meal' for today) In theatre arts: getting to tye together the final knots on our play we will perform on monday : " All I need to know I learned in kindergarden"

( as the first part of my main course,) These were the marks I got back today:

100% in a math quiz

and 94% on a economics test (woot woot!)

( as the 'second half of my main meal'( I am speaking figuratively here !) ) Then you know, I got home and had a brief yet great two-sided discussion with my sister on random topics from greek mythology to christianity to things going on at I.J to other random topics. To top that off earlier that day, I had stayed behind in order to get in a 'juicy' convo. with morag and my economics teacher: we talked about everything from economics to how people have different learning styles to psychology to biology ,etc..etc... ( Yes, it did last 30 minutes and we had another that lasted 30 minutes as well! ) ( Yes I am a social animal.... joking) Not to mention having a early supper of chicken tacos with zesty ranch sauce....yummy!
(and other great events which I lack time to mention)

(As the 'dessert' for today's course) We started off with our boys night out/ girls night out ( I being a guy) I got to go to wall nuts at 8 pm to go wall climbing until 9:15 p.m

This is my highlights:

I managed to climb 2 different walls back-to-back!

3 Other major attempts to climb the wall where I got 2/3 of the way up the wall but got too tired and had to come down

many blopped attempts for me to even to the half-day point.

But thats not all ( for this 'dessert') I went back to the Kenways with the other guys ( in my reservish looking camou . sweater: but thats another story in itself and how I got it!) and we talked, listened and/or played guitar or piano, played a 15-game air hockey tournament were ' 2 strikes and you're out so to speak' ( each strike being a air hockey match played to 3 points with the exception of the first game i played which went to 5: i lost 4 to 5 against andrew s.) Then of course, I was in the 'losers round' in which( 'the winner of the losers' would finally play against ' the winner of the winners' and yes that is funnt wording!) to lose even once more would eliminate you from the tourney: it happened I lose 2 to 3 to kevin G.

The favourite part of this being when mike vokey and andrew sutherland was playing: Andrew S.'s first goal was the most hillarious I have seen in air hockey so far! : Mike attempted to do the move in air hockey nicknamed ' suicide' ( because it is usually performed when the puck is in the dead center of the air hockey rink: the user flicks their hitter in order to hit the puck in hopes that the 'inconceivable' speed of the puck ( will hopefully) be combined with someone who knows how to aim properly and an opponent caught off-guard) In order for Mike Vokey to order to deliver a decisive 1/3 victory (1 goal is 1/3 of the goal necessary to win: 3 goals) , mike vokey performed suicide at what seemed like the most ideal time ( One major flaw had happened though) when in a matter of seconds, the hitter moved faster than the puck and the hitter got ahead of the puck: leaving Mike Vokey defenseless. Andrew Sutherland notices this and stops Mike Vokey's hitter and nails it with his own and sends mike vokey's hitter on a collision course with the puck: allowing Andrew Sutherland to score by getting mike's hitter to nail the puck back at the net , one problem for mike though: he has no hitter with which to defend against this embarrasing 'onslaught'! : leaving him wide open. The result: mike vokey's 'suicide' move failed, allowing Andrew to use Mike V. own hitter to deflect the incoming puck away from himself, towards mike's net. This time however, the puck moved faster than the hitter. By the time Mike Vokey got the hitter back it was too late, Andrew Sutherland had already scored.
If this wasn't bad enough, this would come back to haunt mike vokey: andrew sutherland beat mikley vokey 3 to 2 : one of andrew's 3 goals was mike's embarrasing ' suicide' backfire!

This would haunt him even further: the losing of this game later put him in danger of being knocked out of the tournament before the semi-finals ( or at the semi-finals) : it happened when David got a decisive victory over Mike V. ( Knowing how tall Mike Vokey is , you could say it was a modern-day David and Goliath situation.... pardon the pun)

And well, thats the highlights of today's day

This entry was started on 12:08 am, march 19th/2005 and finished finished 12:34 a.m, march 19th .2005

( And yes i am a detail person!)

Feb.25th ( feb. 26th in 15 minutes!)

2005-02-25T23:54:00.000-08:00

Yep, alot has happened between when i posted last and now: i got my report card back (85 average overall). Which isn't bad considering my Chemistry mark! Well, i'm figuring I oughta try out for the improv team based on the following facts:

- Charlotte Genge encouraged me saying she thought i'd be good at it ( or to at least try out)

-I had an interest in it back in grade 7 ( but never made the team) then from grades 8-9, basketball had my attention and grade 10 and this year, i was trying to figure some important stuff out

- I would have 2 years of Theatre Arts class and 2 or 3 1 week theatre camps "under my belt": giving me the much needed understanding to make the team

-Most ( if not all) of the Current Improv Team would have Graduated by the end of this year!

Moving on, I haven't been reading the bible quite as frequently as i would've liked. However, I did get to practice " Ludy be a LAdy" for voice lessons (an upbeat broadway-style song) and i tried singing in the hall at lunchtime yesterday ( or the day before): once again the hall went more and more silent as i sang!

All the same, our youth group (West End Baptist) had a Games Night tonight : we played Yahtize ( the game you were you roll the dices and try to go for different combod and add up the points) and other games: we also play some circle-style volleyball and I brang driven for gamecube. (Driven is a racing game, I even brought the wheel and brake and gas pedals yet no one used it... where's jared, tim and aaron w. when you need them? lol)

Oh well, I should end this post before i start to ramble!

Feb.26th (12am) update on last weekend's youth winter retreat!

2005-02-25T12:03:00.000-08:00

Well for starters:

- The most of the retreat was focused on two things:

1. The book of Phillipians (in the bible)
and
2.Characteristics of a Godly Servant

I really enjoyed this retreat quite a bit ( despite my worries I wouldn't have enough time to complete my homework!)In the end, I got the bare minimum of my homework done but God kinda allowed my math quiz to be pass ahead...twice. Funny how God works at times!

This was the highlight activities for me:

- Lots of good Large and small group bible studies

- two to three speakers on Short-Term missions:what they are all about, what they're like, the ups , the downs and what you'll need to be ready to go on one ( plus a recount of their experiences)

-Fun games: air hockey, this version of soccer where you use marbles to deflect the soccer ball into the net,etc..

- Building a snow trench ( when everyone else was tubeing)

- personal bible studying: like how i learned in Acts 10 that Peter still struggled with trying to keep Jewish laws when Jesus had already fulfilled them and made new ones ( such as Peter being hesitant towards being around non-Jewish people)

- random moments of fellowship

Overall, it was time well spent...

Feb. 12th/2005 (At the beginning was in my my opionion my favourite part about yesterday)

2005-02-12T11:37:00.000-08:00

Yep, the highlight of last night was definitely going to the Improv Competition at Rabbittown Theatre just down the road from Bishops College ( and the Improv champs: bishops college improv team) were the ones competing.

Here's how the rules worked:

- The host picked the type of game played and who would be in the scene ( at random) and sometimes give suggestions

- The improvers would improvise the scene to the best of their ability. If they wanted help in the scene, they could throw out a red card which would signal the guest improvisert to join the scene

- After the scene is finished, the host would signal ratings from 1 to 5 on his hands :1 being the worst rating , 5 being the best
- The audience would cheer for the rating that they believed the improvisers in that scene deserve ( for that scene) . Whatever one got the most cheering/clapping was what was awarded
- Every now and then, the host would announce its time to eliminate someone: whoever has the lowesr score is eliminated from the competition. However if there is a tie for last place, then they must either do a tie breaker improv game or they must plea for 10 seconds why they shouldn't be eliminated. Then, the audience would decide

- The last improver left standing wins

In this case, it was Charlotte Genge.

Well today, i got up at around 10 am, got a shower and had brunch.

Then, i got on msn at around 11 am and: - checked my e-mails - talked a bit,etc..

(Sometime in the afternoon, our youth group is doing something)
Well, thats all for now : i'll update this later in the day

2005-02-12T07:21:00.000-08:00

This is me at the bowling night we had at Plaza Bowl with Youth Group

Something to check out

2005-02-07T17:08:00.000-08:00

Lookup a word or passage in the Bible
Include this form on your page

Bible Gateway is great: thought i'd share this;

here's the link http://www.biblegateway.com

Quiz thingy

2005-02-06T13:32:00.000-08:00

WOULD YOU DO IF:

I committed suicide:
I said I liked you:
I kissed you:
I lived next door to you:
I started smoking:
I stole something:
I was hospitalized:
I ran away from home:
I got into a fight and you weren't there:

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MY:
Personality:
Eyes:
Face:
Hair:
Clothes:
Mannerisms:

[1] Who are you?
[2] Are we friends?
[3] When and how did we meet?
[4] How have I affected you?
[5] What do you think of me?
[6] What's the fondest memory you have of me?
[7] How long do you think we will be friends or enemies?
[8] Do you love me?
[9] Have I ever hurt you?
[10] Would you hug me?
[11] Would you kiss me?
[12] Would you dance with me?[
13] Are we close?
[14] Emotionally, what stands out?
[15] Do you wish I was cooler?
[16] On a scale of 1-10, how nice am I?
[17] Give me a nickname and explain why you picked it.
[18] Am I loveable?
[19] How long have you known me?
[20] Describe me in one word.
[21] What was your first impression?
[22] Do you still think that way about me now?
[23] What do you think my weakness is?
[24] Do you think I'll get married?
[25] What about me makes you happy?
[26] What about me makes you sad?
[27] What reminds you of me?
[28] What's something you would change about me?
[29] How well do you know me?
[30] Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't?
[31] Do you think I would kill someone?
[32] Are you going to put this on your journal and see what I say about you?

Feb. 6th/2005

2005-02-06T11:39:00.000-08:00

Yep.... I woke up 8/8:30 a.mish this morning. I got a shower then headed out to sunday school. We had a cool activity monday in the sr. high class: we had to write on our left hand a characteristic we like most in friendship, make a fist then get something to open our hand ( I couldn't get Jared's hand open: talk about an iron grip). By the way, I wrote honesty on my hand. And well,Ms. Sutherland told us about how we get to know our friends and asked us to apply it to getting to know Jesus : the best friend one could ever have. And well afterwards, I went to the morning service ( my dad even decided to go!) .Then , I helped serve the spagetti lunch ( with a bunch of other youth). Tonight, i'll be going to the Super Bowl Party at our church..... fun times!

Feb.5th/2005 continued

2005-02-05T23:45:00.000-08:00

Yep, I went to pick up my buddy shawn d. Next, me , him, my sister and my dad went to Ponderosa for supper (yummm!) Then, we dropped tenille off and we headed for the game.... (between the hamilton bulldogs and st.john's maple leafs: the game was tied at 3:3 at the end of the 3rd period.... then , it went into overtime... still no broken tie... then it became a shot off... it tied 2 to 2 with only 2 people (1 per team) left to shoot... the last hamilton shooter didn't score. But when the last st.john's shooter scored and carried the day for st.john's!

My first blog ever!

2005-02-05T16:49:00.000-08:00

February 5th/2005

Today was a interesting day: slept in until 11 am and stuff. ( And skiing at White Hills with the youth group was cancelled....bummer) Anyways, I talked on msn, had brunch, watched stuff on national geographics, a program on the purpose and progress of the U.S Special Forces and soon i'll be off to pick up one of my best friends to go out for supper and go watch a hockey game downtown!!!!

Jordan's Blogarama

My Response to the VOCM Poll "The federal opposition parties say they will topple the Harper Government over its' economic update."

The Real News Network

My Comments on Ryan Cleary's Campaign Blog Entry: "

My response to the CBC story " 'Loser' Layton laughs off NDP candidate's prior critiques

NDP Petition I Support: "Stop the text message cash-grab"

" Federal apology will ring hollow: Labrador Inuit " -CBC News

"Your Interview: Truth and Reconcilation Commission"

My comments on "[CBC News'] IN DEPTH: Truth and ReconciliationFAQs: Aboriginal Truth and Reconciliation Commission FAQs about the federal commission"

The John Manley report: my initial response to the media coverage, skimmed over the intro. of the report and 1-2 blogs on it....

The Need for a Two State Solution... and a helpful sermon I found on this topic!

A much needed update on my life..... my mother's dealings with 2 Cancer Tumours in her brain and much more!

My response to the VOCM question 'Should government do more to make living conditions more affordable for seniors? If so, how?

NDP MP Bill Blaikie's NDP Faith and Justice Caucus Address at the NDP Convention Quebec City September 9, 2006,and the Religious Left/Centre in Canada

MY Weekend, and a promo for my Friend Tamara's Music on MySpace

My response to the VOCM question ' Should the province continue with fixed date elections?'

What I did on Mid-term break

Does the Federal Youth Criminal Justice Act need to be reformed? My take on it

My First Time Speaking on VOCM Night Line: got to speak from 9:35/40 pm to almost 9:50/55 pm

The Next Executive Council Meeting and other events

The Next Executive Council Meeting and other events

My response to Garth's blog post 'la lune'

My response to the VOCM question 'Do you think there should be stricter fines for pet owners who don't clean up after their animals?'

My comment on Garth Turner's Blog entry "Mother Stabber" (August 27th,2007)

An all so important Update: we're halfway to being a federally Registered Federal Political Party and more..meant for the O.NL First P.B.

The issues of abortion, the environment, Charter Rights and the problems of excessive Individualism

"Welcome to the Black Parade" by MCR

Update on my life

An interesting Article I encountered on Sojonet (republished) but, with my comments added in!

"What is Sojourners"/ (you may be asking): here's an explanation, courtesy of Sojonet

Promotion of Sojourners/ A Call to Renewal continued

My promotion for Sojourners/ A Call to Renewal

Recent Posts I made on CFC (CanadiansforChrist)

The issue of equalization and the New Year

Announcement:Aug.17th-plans for Aug.18th thru Aug.21st

Thursday, Aug.17th/2006: The Day of the Crazies 2

The day of the Crazies- August 15th/2006

My Crazy Regatta Day: August 2nd/2006

Promotion for the Newest Political Party in NL : The NL First Party

FlyHighMinistries and MyCanada Promotion

TheCry2 Promotion

July 11th: The Day of the Social Research Assistant for NLACL ( Newfoundland and Labrador Assoc. for Community Living)

July 7th : The Day of The Metro, The Arts and Culture Library, The News and Reading,etc...

July 5th Entry:update on my life since my last Entry- The end of my search for a summer job and more!

June 24th: June 19th-June 24th summary

June 16th/2006: my first day of having no exams and what I did today

My reflections on Nova Scotia Votes 2006 Election Results

June 15th/2006: My last day of High School Exams.......ever! and the rest of my relaxing day! and more....

June 9th , June 10th/2006 and June 11th entry

follow-up thread on ' Religion, the media and not-so-divine coverage' article

My comments on the cbc articled titled, 'Religion, the media and not-so-divine coverage'

prayer request for a friend April 1st /2006

My weekend so far :march 17th and 18th

My Day Today:Mar.16th/06 i.e Our Concert/Chamber Choir Performance at the salvation army citadel!

My amazing weekend: mar.10th-12th summary

The Seal Hunt: is it Justified and was the Larry King Live debate from 10:30- 11:30 p.m fair?

March 3rd/06 Highlights

Please check out my custom station on yahoo launch!

My Christmas Summary

My day today: Dec.17th.05

Plans for Monday, Dec.12th/05 so far..

My weekend so far: Dec. 9-11th

First day of chamber choir and others things to come up

July 3rd: the day of travelling to my 5-week bursery!

Summary of Thursday, Friday and Saturday; June 30th, July 1st and July 2nd respectively

June 29th/05

June 28th/05 : the day of sleeping in

June 27th/05

Plans (perceived and definite ) for the rest of the summer!

June 26th/05

June 25th/05

June 24th 2005

June 23rd/05: the last day of Grade 11 for me

June 22nd/05: What I did today so far!

My Disappointment about not doing french in high school and a formal apology to anyone i was too hard on in this topic ( you know who you are)

June 21st: the day i finished my last exam for grade 11!

June 10th and June 11th/05 summary

A post to remind of what i did on may 24th weekend

A post to reminds others what i did on may 24th weekend

June 4th/05