Cosmopolites' Kaffeeklatsch

Craving Quark

2010-02-25T16:29:00.004+01:00

Lately, I have been having a recurring craving for a freshly baked breakfast bun, lightly buttered and topped with German quark and blueberry jam. Fulfilling this urge, however simple it may seem, is quite the opposite.

I have yet to find high quality frozen breakfast buns (or any frozen breakfast buns, actually). For some people, the aroma of coffee brewing is a wonderful start to the day. Personally, I need that whiff of buns baking in the oven in the morning. And do not get me started on my search for quark. Any inquiries thereof just result in blank stares.

I am certain that if I lived in the city, my cravings would not go on unfulfilled for very long. The situation being what it is, I am back in the suburbs without a driver's license. I am not flexible in the least. Can anyone give me any tips as to where I may find a good bakery and, just maybe, some German quark in the GTA? I am hoping that with some solid tips, I can convince someone to drive/accompany me to where I need to go.

Auf deutsch, bitte!

2010-02-23T02:30:00.003+01:00

For the past 6.5 years, in an effort to raise our children bilingually, hubby and I conversed with them in our mother tongues - he in German and I in English.

This was simple for me. Not only is English my mother tongue, it is also spoken fluently by about half of hubby's family as well as most of our social circle in Berlin. I almost never needed to switch between English and German.

Unfortunately, neither did hubby. In addition to our predominately English-speaking home and social life, he works for a British company and, therefore, speaks English at work almost exclusively. As a result, he has endured years of constant reminders to speak to our children auf deutsch from his family, the school teachers, our pediatrician and random strangers - but mostly from me.

Now I am in Mississauga with the children, minus hubby. I have developed a newfound appreciation for the role he played during our time in Berlin as the sole German-speaking adult of the household. That role is now mine, and it is not an easy one.

There is noone in my daily life that I can converse in German with, save for our children. I find it extremely difficult instantaneously switching from an English conversation, to German, and back again whilst at the dinner table, at the grocery store, and so on. I have given up trying to help our children with their homework in German. It is so frustrating at time, I have all but thrown in the towel. If it were not for the encouragement of friends and family, I probably would have.

I am in the process of brainstorming ideas in coping with the constant language switch. All I have thought of so far is training our children to keep saying "Auf deutsch, bitte!" to me until I switch to German. Do any of you have more ideas?

That was easy! ...or maybe not?

2010-02-12T15:29:00.006+01:00

One thing I appreciate about Canadian bureaucracy is its simplistic nature. The lack of repetitive questions result in fewer forms to complete, sign and send in which, in turn, result in fewer headaches for me.

Accustomed to German bureaucracy, I was prepared with all possible paperwork on hand when I registered my kids at our local school in Mississauga. I was ready to answer the same question, albeit worded differently, over and over again. This did not happen. I walked in with my completed application forms, our official documents were photocopied, and I was sent happily on my way. With the exception of arranging for the kids' ESL assessments, there was nothing more that I needed to do.

The school registration process was nowhere as simple in Berlin. First, I had to register at our local school. Then I had to register for an official transfer to the bilingual school. That was followed by a medical examination by the child health authorities at city hall, which was later followed by a general language assessment. Then I had to return to the bilingual school for the second language assessment. And so on, and so forth.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered the process of removing your child from school in Berlin was relatively simple. All it took was a letter explaining the situation and essentially guaranteeing that we will continue our children's education in Canada. (NB - You are required by German law to send your children to school by the age of six. Homeschooling is illegal except in extreme circumstances.) We packed up, flew to our new home, and I thought to myself,"That was easy!".

Perhaps I should not have spoken so soon. Hubby received a telephone call from an office so specific, we did not even think that it existed - the emmigrant department of the school and sport office at Berlin city hall. They need some sort of official documentation that proves my children are indeed attending school in Mississauga.

My view that German bureaucracy is OCD in nature has just been taken to a whole new level.

While You Were Sleeping

2010-01-30T23:26:00.003+01:00

Both in Canada and in Germany, whilst in labour, I was asked if I would allow medical students to perform extra pelvic exams. I said yes. My answer would not have been any different if I was to be unconscious during said examination, along with 62% of Canadian women.

Unfortunately, all this is of no conequence in Canada. Apparently, it is routine for medical students to perform gynecological exams on women under general anaesthetics, without first receiving their explicit permission to do so.

I hate to say this, but does this not amount to rape? I understand that these students are our future dotors and that practial training is just as essential as theory. However, is it really necessary to perform these exams without the consent of the patient, especially when the majority of women do not have a problem with it?

Grrrrr.....

Yes, I've gone crazy...

2010-01-25T18:12:00.004+01:00

...and it is not because of the light-jacket-and-an-umbrella-will-suffice, spring-like weather we have on this mid-WINTER day. It is because of the constant ringing of our telephone. We receive at least 10 calls everyday from 1-800/866 numbers. Most messages on our answering machine are either hang-ups from telemarketers or recorded messages from scams like icor. No kidding. I am seriously considering changing our answering machine message to this:

Dear Telemarketer,
noone is this household is interested in changing our windows and doors, switching credit cards, or buying whatever product it is you wish to sell to us. We are also not interested in partaking in your fraudulent sales of telephone numbers to other telemarketers. We have left bags of old clothes outside our door so often for charities, that we have nothing else to give. Please leave us alone. Have a nice day.

Why can there not be a law against unsolicited calls such as these? In Germany, a company cannot legally call you unless you have personally given them your number. I miss my relatively quiet house phone in Berlin...

Am I crazy?

2010-01-15T17:05:00.001+01:00

When I stepped outside this morning to walk the kids to school, it was different. Very different. It was very green and mild.

I do not like it. I want it to get cold and very snowy again. I miss the crunch of fresh snow under your feet, the glare of the sun reflecting off of the snow, and swishing-noise of snowpants on each side of me. I want my Canadian winter back.

Am I crazy?

Hubby's debut as Santa Claus

2010-01-14T15:30:00.010+01:00

I have been so busy with getting things in order after moving back, that I have never had the chance to properly peruse our Christmas photos until now. As is always with children, we have many cute shots of the kids, but there is one particular picture that particularly made me laugh.

It has been tradition in Germany that my MIL's family spend Heiligabend (Christmas Eve) at my home for our dinner and Bescherung (exchange of presents). Santa does not leave your presents under the tree. He visits you after dinner and hands it right to you!

Such is the importance of Santa's presence on Christmas Eve, that there are rent-a-santa services available. Instead, my step-FIL has assumed the role for the past three years, and my children (except for Big M) have been none the wiser. They never recognised their Opa under the costume, nor did they ever question their Opa's absence during our Bescherung.

This past Christmas was different. We spent it in Canada, which meant that Opa was not available to play pretend. Hubby, being the token 'white' male in my predominantly Filipino family, had no choice but to take over.

After dinner, hubby and I rushed upstairs, dressed him in a Santa costume, stuffed it with a pillow and blanket, grabbed a duvet cover to act as Santa's gift sack, and proceeded to get hubby outside our front door before the kids could notice we were gone. I told hubby to count to ten slowly, shut the door, and ran back to the kids.

Ten loooong seconds later, there came three loud knocks from the front door. Surprised, the children ran excitedly to receive our new guest. And then came the funny shot:

Big M, being 10, already knew about our plan. She was integral in keeping her siblings occupied whilst Santa got ready. She still could not help laughing at the site of her Papa. Lil' M shrieked with joy. Big J's reaction in this picture is classic! He was genuinely afraid! I suppose it did not help that hubby's Santa looks nothing like the Opa Santa.

We welcomed Santa into our living room, where he asked us if we have all behaved, asked us to sing a song for him, and announced he had presents for us. Each of us took a turn to pose for the camera with Santa, who was growing increasingly rosy in his cheeks under the pillow, blanket, fake beard and cheap polyester costume. Then Lil' M and Big J started to ask questions...

Where is Papa?
He's upstairs, hon. But don't go up there! He's poo-pooing and it is reaaallllly stinky up there!

Why is Santa wearing Papa's shoes?
What?!?! Oh! You know how Lola and Lolo get really angry when you walk around with dirty outside shoes in the house? Santa left his boots outside and borrowed your Papa's shoes so that Lola and Lolo won't be mad at him! (Thank goodness the kids didn't go outside to check!)

Why is Santa's beard moving?
Oh look! Santa got you a nice remote-controlled car!!!

All in all, hubby's debut went well. The kids accepted my answers and distractions as such for the evening. I wonder if it is slowly becoming time to hit Lil' M and Big J with the truth?

Suspicious Junk Mail

2010-01-12T04:31:00.003+01:00

I opened my Canadian bank account not too long ago, and I am already receiving junk snail-mail.

I received a letter from RBC Royal Bank offering me 6,000 bonus RBC Rewards points if I apply for the RBC Rewards Gold Visa before March 31st. It was addressed to me using my maiden name. The only document/card anywhere that still uses my maiden name is my SIN card (Social Insurance Number), which I provided when I opened my bank account (with my married name, at bank other than Royal Bank). Everything else, my passport, health card, etc. lists my married name. Even my birth certificate was amended.

Can anyone explain to me how this happened? Because this is obviously linked to the sudden activity with my SIN, I feel like some privacy rule has been violated.

An expat in my home country

2010-01-10T07:25:00.004+01:00

I know I have not posted in a while. For anyone out there who still reads this, here is a short update:

I was visiting my family in Mississauga in October when my father was murdered.
Hubby and I have decided to move back to Mississauga.
My children and I have moved in with my mother. This was simple for me as I am a SAHM and have no job/boss to answer to.
Hubby helped me bring the kids to Canada, but is now back in Berlin because of work. We do not know when he can move back, yet.

In trying to cope with the stresses of grief and a sudden trans-Atlantic move, I have decided to try my hand at blogging again. I am not going to elaborate on the details of the murder - I do not feel ready to do so in such a public forum.

If you, my reader, are still there, I look forward to sharing my wacky experiences as an expat in my home country with you.

Why I Love Berlin – Part 2

2009-03-31T22:02:00.006+02:00

Today, for the first time since last October, we have had beautiful t-shirt weather here in Berlin. Luckily, hubby had a relatively short work day (he was back home by 2:30 pm) and we went out and took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy another aspect that I love so much about Berlin – namely, how green it is.

Berlin is the largest and most densely populated metropolis in Germany, although you would not think it at first glance. Unlike the concrete jungles familiar to North Americans, Berlin is an urban woodland blessed with an abundance of parks and forests, as well as having most residential and major streets lined with trees. I do not need to venture far from my front door to enjoy mother nature – and I live right in the city centre!

I will never understand the North American obsession with replacing trees in the city with concrete. It is quite sad, actually.

Inside the Sony Centre at Potsdamer Platz - a square built upon a former dead-man's-land. A perfect example of the German habit of incorporating nature as much as possible in new urban developments.

Unter den Linden - "under the linden trees" in English - is a grand boulevard in the city's core.

Inside Kranzler Eck, another example of the incorporation of nature in modern urban development. In the centre-left of the photo is a birdcage filled with exotic, colourful species.

Laughs of the week

2009-03-21T21:45:00.003+01:00

The only late-night shows I (loosely) follow are The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. After seeing these two clips, however, I might just add Jimmy Kimmel Live to the list. The first clip is Portia De Rossi's Prop 8 PSA, and the second clip, well, made me laugh until I cried and my stomach hurt. Enjoy!

Why I Love Berlin - Part 1

2009-03-17T02:26:00.010+01:00

The past few days have had their toll on me. Gastroenteritis paid our home a visit just as hubby’s two week break ended. Our laundry loads doubled and we lived off of electrolyte solutions and crackers as the kids and I quarantined ourselves from the outside world and waited for our guest to leave.

Today, with the smell of fresh laundry and orange-poppyseed cake wafting through our home and the satisfaction that there were no remaining traces of the stomach bug having visited us, I took the kids to Tiergarten for an afternoon stroll. (Tiergarten is to Berlin what Central Park is to New York City.) It was our first time outside for half a week and the kids were thrilled. So was I.

I mentioned earlier that my love of Berlin warranted a blog post of its own. I was wrong.

There is so much that I adore that a single blog post would be misrepresentative. Funnily enough, however, I can categorise most of what I love about Berlin in one word: choice. This post is centered on the choices I had today, literally, just outside my doorstep – public transport.

Berlin has an intricately dense web of buses, streetcars, U-Bahn lines (subways) and S-Bahn lines (light rail). I can get almost anywhere in the city within an hour, the few exceptions being the most desolate and obscure corners of Berlin that I would visit once a year, if at all. Just outside my doorstep, I have the choice between an U-Bahn line and two bus lines (four if you count the overnight routes). Within a two-minute walk from my doorstep I have an additional U-Bahn line and four more bus lines at my disposal. Within a fifteen-minute walk from my doorstep I have access to yet another subway line, at least five more bus lines, three S-Bahn lines and a number of Regional Express lines which take me outside of the city for a tiny surcharge.

Many people are hesitant to depend on public transport for their daily commute. I can confidently say, from six years experience, that the BVG (Berliner Verkehrs-AG, responsible for buses, streetcars, and the U-Bahn) and DB (Deutsche Bahn, responsible for the S-Bahn) are extremely reliable. An advantage to having two different companies running the different methods of transport is that the city rarely has a complete shutdown. When busses, streetcars and the U-Bahn ceased to operate due to striking workers last spring, the S-Bahn, run by DB, continued to operate and even increased their service to pick up the slack.

I have no need for a car. The opportunity cost is much too high to justify my owning one. Between the monthly car loan payment, gas, and insurance, my wallet would be around 550 EUR lighter every month – more than FIVE TIMES what hubby and I spend monthly on public transportation.

As odd as it may sound, I find travelling in the city with my kids on public transport easier than in the car. I never have to struggle getting impatient kids/babies buckled in or repeatedly fold and unfold my stroller. Hubby and I can freely interact with our children without having to concentrate on the traffic. Our oldest son is completely infatuated with anything train-like, so rides on the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, and streetcar are always a welcome novelty to him.

I have said it before and I will say it again – if you live in this city, own a car, and use said car daily, you are either lazy or crazy, or both. Berlin is a city in which you can live car-free. Sadly, I cannot say the same about the city of Mississauga, where I grew up.

Say what?

2009-03-12T22:52:00.010+01:00

Take a quick glance through FP's latest list, The World's Most Unexpected Crime Waves, and you run across the usual culprits: white-collar fraudsters, marginalised youths, disenchanted elderly, drug gangs...

Hold on a second there - did you just read senior citizens along with drug gangs in a list of crime waves? Yes you did. One in seven crimes in Japan has been committed by the over-60 crowd last year, the most common offenses being pickpocketing and robbery (a man robbed a grocery store in Nagoya and escaped with the aid of his walking cane). There has been a significant increase in assaults commited by the elderly as well. The problem is so bad that the government is spending 8.3 billion yen to build special senior wards - complete with walkers and support rails.

As FP rightly said, it is difficult not to laugh at the visual of a man, who can barely walk, threatening a cashier with a knife. Amusement aside, however, this is a serious problem. The reason that so many seniors are turning to crime is because their world has been ruined by a combination of Japan's "stagnant economy and the breakdown of the traditional family structure" (emphasis added by me). In other words, besides their country's economic woes, many seniors enter a life of crime to make ends meet because they do not have enough younger family members to support them.

Oh, how I hope and pray that the pro-lifers do not get the idea to use this to support their opinions. I would not put it past them. Remember the Krispy Kreme Abortion Doughnuts and Elisabeth Hasselbeck using Ashley Judd's PSA against aerial wolf hunting as a segue to pro-life ramble (you can watch that craziness below)?

The View: Elisabeth Hasselbeck On Wolf Killings
by TheDlisted

Mariecel's silence, explained.

2009-03-11T20:15:00.007+01:00

Of the blogs that I follow, many have had recent posts either of an apologetic nature, or simply to ascertain that the blog is not completely abandoned. This is one of those posts.

I was going to name this post “I’m back” but decided against it because, in truth, I never really left. I have not gone on vacation, or have had a prolonged absence from home that would have made it impossible for me to sit in front of the computer and type. So what has come between my blog and me?

As I already mentioned here, I have been reading books again. A lot. Which is, in itself, not helpful because a) the only time I have to read is after I put the kids to bed, b) I usually have a very hard time putting a book down until I have finished the chapter/book, and c) I have become a very slow reader. For the past couple of months I have been living off an average of 3-4 hours sleep each night.

To fight off the yawns, I spend as much of my time with the kids as I can outdoors. Nothing wakes you up more than a nice breath of cold, fresh air, which leads me to one of the reasons I love the city of Berlin so much: There is always something to do here, with or without kids. The city enjoys not only an abundance of beautiful parks and forests but also of museums, theatres, and other culturally stimulating venues for when it becomes too unpleasant to stay outdoors. But I digress. My love of Berlin warrants a post of its own.

What keeps me from posting is not a lack of something to say but a frustration with, and sadness because of, the likes of Jonathan Krohn, the Vatican, and the current recession, to name a select few. By the time I finish reading the news I am so worked up that any post I start to compose in my head just ends up an almost incoherent rant of all the things going wrong in the world today, which results in a frustration at my frustration at whatever set me off that day and, ultimately, the discarding of my post. Wow – it is frustrating even just reading that sentence!

Luckily the plethora of updates on the horrid shooting in Winnenden was interrupted by a short report on CNN about the “feud” between Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer/NBC. I am grateful to have seen this report, as it granted me access to a good dose of humour to counter the sadness I feel for those affected by the shooting. People such as Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have a wonderful way of bringing controversial points of view to light, and encouraging the discussion thereof. In case you have not seen it, here is the segment that ignited the quarrel (Stewart's latest clip is embedded in the article linked to above):

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

CNBC Gives Financial Advice

All in all I wish to let you, my reader, know that I have learnt my lesson – namely, to search out humour when my mind is abuzz with frustration – and that I am still here. I hope to see you here again soon =)

The Magical Meme

2009-02-13T13:02:00.005+01:00

I have not written on this blog for a while, and it was not for a lack of things to write about. Perhaps it is the normal winter slump, the nasty cold that I have, or my Fernweh that is keeping me away from the keyboard.

There is something special about this facebook meme that is getting people to reveal random facts about themselves; even people who normally do not take part in this tagging game. It is that special something that finally got me out of my slump. I won't bother tagging anyone, as most of you have done this already! (Don't let that stop you if you have not done this yet, though!) Here goes:

I love cooking with offals. Unfortunately, what offal I cook and when I cook it depends on hubby. He enjoys liver and oxtail, so I can cook those whenever I wish to. I save recipes with tripe (“Eck! Even my mother’s dog refused to eat that!”), and my favourite, chicken heart and gizzard adobo, for when he is away or when I am especially annoyed with him.
Since high school, I have justified impulse purchases of sale items by means of the number of chocolate bars I could have purchased with the money I saved. (“Look! I bought this shirt for 20 bucks less than the original price – that’s 40 chocolate bars at the dollar store!”) The only time I do not feel the need to do this is when I purchase books. Books are always worth the expenditure.
When I start humming loudly for no obvious reason, it is often a sign that I just relived an embarrassing memory. Hubby knows this and exploits it to no end, and I love him for it =)
I do not own a driver’s license, and plan to get one only when it is absolutely necessary.
Scotland Yard is my favourite board game, followed closely by chess (even though I am horrible at it).
The only movie I have seen where the dubbed German is better than the original English is “Ice Age”. Otto Waalkes outshone John Leguizamo as the voice of Sid.
I can roll my Rs using the front end of my tongue, but not the back end. Hubby tried to teach me numerous times but I usually just end up coughing.
I am a city-gal through and through. The only way I will voluntarily move back to suburbia is if it is extremely well connected to the city. My own car would not hurt either.
I do not have a middle name. I kind of wish I did. In Germany, middle names do not exist – they are counted as another first name that you are free to use when you like.
I love the cut-and-paste nature of the German vocabulary.
I think Tyler Connolly has a sinfully sexy singing voice.
I think Colin Firth is sinfully sexy. Period.
I am the black sheep on my side of the family. On hubby’s side I am the foreigner, which always makes for interesting get-togethers =)
My favourite beer is Erdinger’s non-alcoholic Weißbier. Very yummy and safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women to drink. It gives you a nice boost of vitamin B and folic acid.
During my last pregnancy, all I wanted to watch were violent and gory movies. Dramas and rom-coms bored me.
I do not understand how someone can be politically apathetic, even though I used to be exactly that.
I received a pot of orchids (my favourite flower and VERY difficult to maintain) for my birthday two years ago. It seems to have awakened the plant-whisperer in me as it is still alive and blooming. I am proud.
When I can, I purchase from the bakery and butcher downstairs. I love that community-feeling you get, the kind you can’t get from the large, generic grocery stores.
I never knew that homosexuality was taboo until I was about nine years old and my mother shushed me for mentioning that my aunt is lesbian.
I don’t care if my children end up being homosexual, as long as they give me grandchildren!
Sometimes I wake up with a very deep voice, especially when I am sick. I like to scare hubby with it, and make him think that he just spent the night with another man.
My favourite household chores are the ones I was never forced to do when I was a child – scrubbing the washroom clean and the laundry. I tend to drag my feet when cleaning bedrooms.
My singing ability makes William Hung’s voice sound like that of Luciano Pavarotti.
I like to sing. A LOT. I feel sorry for my family.
I have a Filipino accent that creeps in when I talk with my mother, or when I am flustered. Hubby finds it charming. It embarrasses me.

Joe the Delusional

2009-02-05T16:47:00.002+01:00

Every now and then someone comes along that makes you slap your forehead in complete and utter disbelief. Joe the Plumber is one of those people. This man, after exposing himself as a liar and a tax cheat, has the gall to say “I don’t know if the American public deserves me”. If anyone is suffering from a delusion of grandeur, he is. That is all.

My Rediscovered "Vice" - Books

2009-02-05T15:18:00.006+01:00

With the exception of the daily news, I have not watched television since Christmas. My DVD collection has remained undisturbed. I have neglected my blogs, the number of undeleted junkmail in my inbox grew, and my memory card is full of photos that have yet to be transferred to the computer, let alone edited. I have reverted from baking time-consuming, complex cakes and pies to quick and easy muffins and cookies. At fault is my passion for reading, which rekindled once my youngest learnt to sleep the whole night through.

I have always been a bookworm. Whilst other children snuck money from their parents to buy candy and toys at the local convenience store, I snuck money away from my lola (grandmother) to buy books from the book fair. Receiving my first library card at six years of age felt much more liberating than getting my driver’s permit at 18. Even after my mother profusely blamed my sudden need for eyeglasses when I was eleven with my nightly routine of reading for hours with the assistance of a measly 25 watt bedside lamp, I never stopped flipping those pages and devouring the words. Never mind shoes and handbags – the bookstore is the most dangerous threat to my wallet.
NB - This also happens to be a trait shared by hubby and his mother, who alone has over 3000 books and, whilst house-hunting, had to have specialists assess if the structure of the prospective new home was strong enough to support the weight. Throwing away/selling our books is unheard of in our family. In my opinion, owning a book possesses a certain seductive quality that owning, say, a Kate Spade handbag does not.

Oftentimes I found myself with a growing pile of unread books that I picked up on the sale tables of Dussmann and Hugendubel (or Chapters and Indigo if I happened to be in Canada), which resulted in a recurring New Year’s resolution to read them all before buying more. 2008 was the first year that I followed this through, which probably explains the number of books I received from hubby and his mom last Christmas.

Within the next month I had already devoured all four of them, plus one of the books that hubby received from his mom. (It may not seem like that many, but I read much more slowly in German.) On the next available opportunity hubby I packed up the kids and went on my first visit to Dussmann in months, where we made a lovely discovery – a riveting, growing book series that covers very nearly everything from Anarchism to The Meaning of Life to Wittgenstein: Very Short Introductions from Oxford University Press. I fear that I will find it impossible to restrain my purchases until I own the complete series!

Another recent discovery of mine is shelfari.com, a website that combines the social networking of facebook with the concept of the book/reading club. My initial attraction to the website occurred during my search for a library-like widget for this blog. A nice spillover effect from joining this site is that it enables me to be genuinely surprised on my birthday again. By compiling and maintaining an online wishlist, I need never be pestered about my birthday/Easter/Christmas wishes again (I hate dictating to people what I want to receive, which is especially tiresome in a family that refuses to give gift certificates on principle).

CUPE Local 3903 vs. York U and McGuinty

2009-01-28T22:09:00.001+01:00

It is no secret that strike action is France’s national sport of choice. It seems that this sport is gaining in popularity. One particular strike that has especially caught my attention is the York University strike in Toronto.

Hubby and I have been following the York University strike since we have first heard of it from our dear friend Melissa. It sparked many memories for hubby, as he lived through an almost identical strike during his last year at York.

I normally try to stay neutral. Hubby is usually found leaning toward the opposing side of unions’ negotiators. Hubby’s recollections in regards to York’s labour relations have made me lean starkly toward CUPE. The recent actions of York, McGuinty, and the police have cemented my position.

Retrospectively, York’s conduct in this conflict has been strategic at its best, and appears as bad faith negotiations at its worst. Their presence at meetings appears to be nothing more than a guise of a supposed intent to negotiate, whilst they waited for McGuinty to step in. It seems they never wanted to collectively move forward, disregarding the cost to enrolled students and academic employees. (Historically, York was always more pugnacious than its GTA competition. With the ascent of Lorna Marsden to the office of the University Presidency, however, these inherent tendencies developed a new quality.)

McGuinty’s conduct has been counter-productive and seems to be driven by blatant populism instead of good policy sense. In my opinion, by introducing the back-to-work legislation he more than merely pushed on boundaries. He has obliterated them with implications that have set worrisome precedence.

BTW-legislation brands a workforce as an essential. However, it appears that what constitutes an essential service is virtually un-scrutinized by the public. As it stands, any striking workforce can suddenly become an ‘essential’ service if they annoy a large enough number of people.

Unlike elementary- and high school, attendance at a university is not required by law. The university has a set of paying customers (the student body) who can freely decide to take their business elsewhere if they find the labour relations eradicate the opportunity cost of not attending an alternate choice. Despite its grave impact on the quality of education (less bang for buck), I see no reason for the government take legislative action in this conflict.

The police’s conduct as ‘keeper of the peace’ during a recent street demonstration of striking CUPE members has been mind boggling. (Not to be misunderstood, I am in favour of the use of tasers and similar non-lethal tools when a situation dangerously spirals out of control.) I believe the police, in their handling of the striking individuals, did not maintain impartiality and acted on public displays of pre-supposed, private opinions. I can easily imagine that there were some disorganized attempts to antagonize traffic flow for the purpose to making a bigger impact but that does not justify open threats to use tasers and excessive police force against people exercising a constitutional right. I doubt that anyone in that crowd fit the profile of a potential violent trouble maker and that the described police action was warranted.

In short; the “negotiators” at York have been stubborn, antagonizing, stonewalling arses. The police have been bullies and thugs. McGuinty and his back-to-work legislation have blown the ideal of collective bargaining back to the stone age. My sympathies go out to the TAs, GAs and contracted faculty at York University. All this seems extraordinarily un-Canadian.

The Right to Privacy and the Right to Smoke

2009-01-23T00:21:00.004+01:00

I feel as if I am in a bit of a moral pickle. Or, to be more precise, lawmakers in Ontario (and Nova Scotia) should feel as if they are walking a fine line. In these two provinces, it is illegal to smoke in your car whilst carrying passengers 16 years of age and under.

Please do not misunderstand me. I am a non-smoker, vigilant in my efforts to minimise the amount of smoke that my children are exposed to. I have gotten into shouting matches with people who have the audacity to blow smoke into my children’s faces in designated non-smoking areas. The few members of my family who still smoke know better than to do so whilst in the company of my children.

Where I feel uncertain is in this new law’s über-intrusive nature. In essence, this law prohibits you from partaking in what is otherwise considered an acceptable act whilst in the confines of your personal, privately-owned space.

Now that this law has passed, why not take it a step further? Why not fine the pregnant woman who failed, or even worse, refuses to quit smoking? Why not ban smoking in the company of children altogether? It does not matter whether you are in a small space, such as a car, where the concentration of cigarette smoke is higher, or your living room, where such concentrations are not as strong. Either way, you are exposing your child to toxins.

Furthermore, what of the people who smoke regularly at home, in the presence of their (grand-) children? They are doing much more harm to the children than the cigarette-smoking taxi drivers who are likely to never see the children again.

My question, however, is how much privacy can be surrendered in the interest of a greater good. Where does it stop? And who is making sure that it stops?

Obama turned me into an emotional chameleon

2009-01-20T20:25:00.006+01:00

When Wolf Blitzer announced over the beautiful performance of Air and Simple Gifts that it was already past noon and Barack Obama officially became the 44th President of the United States, I sighed. It was a sigh of relief, hope, and happiness. Being the sap that I am, I also shed a couple of tears.

When President Obama stumbled on the oath, I laughed. I have no doubt that there are those ridiculing him on it, but I took it as an unintended gentle reminder that he is human, just like the rest of us. I found it quite endearing.

As President Obama gave his inaugural address, I was entranced. It was very well written and equally well delivered. I only spoke once during the speech. After Obama said "...we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist", I breathed the word wow. I think that is my favourite phrase from the speech. It is so picturesque.

At the end, I gave into the tide of emotion and cried. In the time frame of about half an hour, my children curiously watched their mother sigh, gently cry, laugh, watch the television zombie-like, returned to life to breathe a single word, turn back into a zombie and, finally, cry once again. They must think I am crazy!

How about you? How did you feel during the swearing-in and the address? Did it turn you into an emotional chameleon?

A bittersweet day...

2009-01-20T14:26:00.004+01:00

...Not because Bush is leaving office, though. That's the sweet part of the day. The only thing bringing my mood down today is the burial of my mother-in-law's dog, Bijou. Even though she was not our dog, we all still loved her as a part of our family. As much as this hurts us, today is not the day to blog on the loss.

Like much of the rest of the world, my home is filled with the voices of reporters covering Obama's inauguration: depending on where I am, CNN on television, and NPR on the radio. My poor toddlers are confused as to why they are denied their daily time playing on Kids' CBC (confused, but not upset - they happily went to their rooms to play with their legos). I am as excited today as I was when Angela Merkel was sworn in as the first female German Chancellor. Now, if you would kindly excuse me, I have got to get the rest of my chores and errands accomplished in time to witness history in the making!

English-English: Hash, Gash, and Stone

2009-01-10T20:39:00.003+01:00

As every Bridget Jones fan (such as me) would attest, North American-English differs quite a bit from English-English. You know; washroom vs. loo, trunk vs. boot, and so on. Knowing this, I was still mollified by the sheer diversity when I moved to Germany, where the English of choice is of the British variety.

I received my awakening shortly after the move, when I needed to leave a message on hubby’s cell/mobile phone. I got the usual spiel: “You have just reached the O2 voice mailbox of (…) After the tone, record your message. To end, press hash, or hang up.”

What hubby would later hear is my short message, followed by some cursing whilst I pressed several random buttons. The problem was that I did not know what the hash key was. Was I supposed to look for a button on the telephone with a hemp plant on it? Or perhaps a button with a hash brown on it? Turns out that what I knew as the pound key is called the hash key by the Brits. Am I the only person in world that calls it the number sign key?
NB – I realise that the pound key would have been the logical choice. My mind, however, was at the time fried from the information overload familiar to amateur expats everywhere.

My next lesson on English-English came from hubby, who told me you do not call garbage garbage in the UK. You call it gash. Is that not a large, bleeding, cut wound? Not in the UK!

Then there is the measurement of weight in stone. Do bathroom scales in the UK tell weight loss in brimstone or granite? I was always tickled by this. We are living in the digital age, yet the Brits give the impression that they still hang out with Fred Flintstone. In fact, I purposely did not learn how that system works, so as to not lose the image of Wilma standing on a digital scale...
Fred: Honey you look great!
Wilma: Thanks, but I didn’t lose 4 stone like I hoped… I only lost 2 stone and 2 pebbles…

My Family

2009-01-06T21:58:00.009+01:00

Whilst browsing my cousin's baby blog, I ran into this cute family sticker widget. Allow me to introduce the stick people version of my family to you =)

Puppy Love

2009-01-06T16:24:00.004+01:00

In Langenhagen, Mika and Anna-Lena are in love. Following the overwhelming emotion pouring out of their hearts, they decided to elope. What better way to celebrate your love is there than to get away from the record low temps in Germany and tie the knot in Africa? Along with Anna-Lena’s sister (the planned witness to their wedding) they packed their bags for time under the sun and started to make their way to the airport.

Oh, and the betrothed are five and six years old. The witness is seven years old.

Aw. If this is not puppy love, I do not know what is.

As always, there are those grumpy sourpusses who claim that the parents of these children are irresponsible. After all, how could they let their children get out so easily during the night?

I think those sourpusses have not been loved enough. In this instance, I think it is safe to say that the children live in a very loving household; unlike this four year old that shot his babysitter for stepping on his foot. Children often reflect their parents’ attitudes and habits. Having said that, hubby and I should probably spend more time explaining that we hug and kiss a lot because we love each other, and that we do not do that with random strangers. Here is my little Romeo in action:

I cannot speak for those sourpusses, however I would much rather have my children piece together a somewhat cohesive plan to elope than violently attack their babysitter.

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-05T19:29:00.007+01:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

I hope you all forgive me for my extreme tardiness. As you may gather from my previous post, our then-current circumstance promised a chaotic Christmas. And chaotic it was.

It all started on the 23rd. Shortly before lunch, hubby’s cell phone rang. He was needed in the UK and had only an hour and a half to make it to the airport. It was not certain if he would be able to fly home in time for Christmas.

I have prepared for birthdays and Christmases without hubby before. I thought I could handle it. I did not expect that our littlest one would slow me down so much. By mid-afternoon, I had no other choice. With a heavy heart, I called my mother-in-law for help. After a little bit of phone-tag, it was decided that we would celebrate Christmas at hubby’s aunt’s home. All I had to do was show up with our Santa Claus costume. That evening, I snuggled on our couch with a bag of pfeffernüsse and a steaming pot of Christmas tea and watched Love Actually. It was my calmest December 23rd in years.

On the morning of the 24th, I still had not found our Santa outfit. (Our attic remains an enigma to me. I may have packed the boxes, but hubby is the one who arranges the attic. I do not consider myself claustrophobic, but I cannot stand the small, dark, damp and dusty space.)

Around lunchtime, things started to look up. Hubby called to say that he was already waiting on the airplane. His flight would be 80 minutes delayed, but he would make it in time for Christmas and that was what mattered. Hubby’s aunt solved my Santa dilemma – she had an oversized red bathrobe. I just needed to stop by the drugstore to buy some cotton wool for Santa’s beard.

Then arose the battle of the sisters. About 30 minutes after my conversation with hubby’s aunt, my mother-in-law called saying that she was also just called by her sister and their conversation developed into a shouting match. Hence, she was now asking me to cancel Christmas Eve at her sister’s and hosting them myself. This was followed by a lot of he-said-she-said (or, rather, she-said-she-said). Eventually, all communication was done through me, as the sisters no longer wanted to speak with each other.

What Santa left outside our front door.

End result? I hosted Christmas Eve anyway. Hubby made it home on time. My mother-in-law contributed to dinner, as I had done no preparations. Santa did not make his traditional personal appearance, but rather knocked on the door and left the big sack of presents outside our front door. Our four- and five-year-old kids were confused by Santa’s quick getaway, but were satisfied with the explanation that Santa was especially busy this year and couldn’t stop by for long.

Dinner at my mother-in-law's on First Christmas Day.

Because my mother-in-law came, hubby’s aunt refused to come. She also skipped on First Christmas Day hosted by my mother-in-law who, in turn, skipped on Second Christmas Day at hubby’s aunt’s home. Oy vey.

Dinner at hubby's aunt's home on Second Christmas Day.

Thank goodness that our visits with my father-in-law’s side of the family on the 27th and 28th went smoothly. Spending time with our adorable niece makes me miss having a large family, and wish that she did not live so far from us.

Another victim to hubby’s sudden departure on the 23rd was our night at the opera on the 27th. We cancelled because we were not sure if he would make it back on time. Instead of The Magic Flute, at the end of this month we are going to see The Bat (I realise that it is not an opera but an operetta, but I’ll still count it as my first opera.) Hubby has warned me that it is a modern interpretation which he generally does not find enjoyable (apparently modern interpretations do not have the same general appeal that classical staging does), but for a night away from our army of children, we are open to anything.

We spent New Year’s Eve at our friends’ house, who themselves have a son who is four years old and a daughter who is two. It was an evening of firsts for me. This was the first time we truly celebrated New Year’s Eve in four years. They live outside of the city, so it was also the first (somewhat-) quiet New Year’s Eve in four years. I had my first raclette dinner ever, which I learnt is a popular New Year’s Eve dinner choice in Germany.

My first raclette dinner - yum!

The next morning I woke up to a blanket of snow! It was very thin, but a blanket nonetheless. The kids kept fighting over the shovel and broom.

What a wonderful start to the new year. I cannot wait to see what 2009 brings. My kids are already begging for our traditional January trip to the aquarium with Oma.

Now that I am all caught up, how about you? How were your holidays?

Last-minute Christmas jitters

2008-12-24T12:05:00.006+01:00

Just one last post until I disappear until after Christmas...

I may be procrastinating, but our elusive Santa Claus costume, hidden somewhere amongst our boxes of Christmas wares, is driving me bonkers!

The fact that hubby might not make it home on time for Christmas is driving me bonkers!

My kids insisting that we get dressed and leave for hubby's aunt's house (seven hours early!) is driving me bonkers!

The fact that I am facing my FIFTH green/snowless Christmas in a row is driving me bonkers!

I hope you all have a wonderful, stress-free Christmas!

Parallel-parking 101

2008-12-19T22:54:00.005+01:00

We have all seen it before; the driver with absolutely no sense of how big their car is. It can be especially annoying when you are stuck on a narrow road because someone is having a hard time parallel-parking their huge car.

I usually give the driver the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps they are driving a rental, or they have newly purchased the car, and have yet to adjust themselves to the dimensions of it.

Drivers such as the one in the clip below, however, just make you want to scream how much room there is – never mind the fact that they are driving a Smart, the car that practically fits into your pocket!

Bush's secret service detail

2008-12-18T21:42:00.006+01:00

I am certain that everyone knows about the Iraqi reporter who threw his shoes at Bush. Jon Friedman posted these insightful questions for the secret service on 236.com:

1. Shouldn't you have jumped in front of that shoe?
2. Shouldn't you have jumped in front of that second shoe?
3. Second shoe = the one thrown after being removed from foot after first shoe was thrown.
4. Let's say people had three feet. Would you have allowed a third shoe to fly unimpeded?
5. While the shoe was in the air, were you like, "Oh, its just a shoe."
6. Same question about the second shoe.
7. Do you think this is funny, "Throw a shoe at me once, shame on--you. Throw a shoe--you throw a shoe, you can't throw a shoe again."
8. Is there not "protection training" for lunatics launching objects?
9. Let's say there isn't training for that--but do they tell you that if someone does throw (or shoot) something to be on the alert in case they want to repeat this behavior?
10. Where were you?

BONUS QUESTION: Do you think the Iraqis want us there? (Hint: their journalists are throwing their shoes at Bush)

My guess is that the secret service detail found the sight of shoes being hurled at Bush so funny that they forgot they were on duty. Then they had kind of an "Oh f*ck! I was supposed to stop that!" moment, and figured that an ambush overkill would compensate for their momentary absence.

If I had the time, patience and skill...

2008-12-18T21:05:00.005+01:00

...I would definitely prepare Bento like this for my kids. It would sure circumvent the all-too-familiar battle my rugrats over finishing their food. These wonderful Bentos are created by Anna the Red, who made her first “kyaraben-ish” bento for her boyfriend not too long ago. On her blog, she gives wonderful step-by-step instructions and how-to photos. I think I will give it a shot when hubby has time off work next month.

Adultery = Criminal in South Korea

2008-12-17T23:29:00.004+01:00

Upon first reading this article, I had to double check which Korea it was about. It may be an over-simplification, but when one thinks of how the two Koreas are different, it can be said the North is backwards and the South is more forward, like the US.

But wait – in parts of the US, adultery is still punishable by law, which leads me to ask: Should an extramarital affair be deemed criminal?

Of course not. The only time adultery should ever be considered in a legal proceeding is whilst negotiating a divorce settlement, as the adulterer did break his/her oath. Anything past that is ridiculously outdated in the western world.

Can the same be said about South Korea? I am not in a position to confidently say that revoking the Anti-Adultery Law would be ‘damaging to social order’. Taking the circumstances in which the law was originally enacted into consideration (namely that it happened in 1953 and only applied to married women), I think the main question becomes: Does South Korea consider itself a forward-oriented country?

Image source: blinkbing.blogspot.com

I feel sorry for Adolf Hitler…

2008-12-17T15:15:00.005+01:00

...and that is surely not an easy thing for me to say. I am actually referring to Adolf Hitler Campbell. He is a three-year-old boy who was denied his name on a birthday cake at ShopRite. (I would have refused to inscribe the cake as well.)

I feel sorry for him and his two sisters, JoyceLynn Aryan Nation and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie. As long as they keep these names, these children will be branded by their parents’ small and hateful minds. Whether or not they believe in Nazi ideology in their adult lives, they will be equated with one of the world’s worst hate crimes.

You can be sure that these children will never have a chance for a decent job. Just imagine: A newspaper headline “Adolf Hitler new Director of Communications at XYZ Inc”. How about your child running home from school saying that their new history teacher is Adolf Hitler?

I sincerely hope that these children will have the chance to grow past their parents’ limited mental capacity. For Pete’s sake, they could not even get Himmler’s name right (for Adolf’s sister)!

Photo source: AP

Playboy apologises

2008-12-15T13:49:00.003+01:00

Are you offended by this magazine cover?
I am not. All I see is the typical Playboy cover; a suggestively clad woman with enough exposed skin to be scandalous, yet enough covered skin to be permissibly printed on the cover.

I do not see the need for Playboy Enterprises Inc. to apologise. Is not every single Playboy cover offensive to a group of people? Why single out Mexican Catholics as worthy of an apology?

Realitätsfremd

2008-12-09T00:04:00.003+01:00

“It could have been worse.”

That is how John Thain, CEO of Merrill Lynch, defends his request for a $10 million bonus for 2008. Under his watch, the company’s stock performance burnt through billions of investors’ money. Under his watch the company needed to sell itself to Bank of America to ward off a Lehmann Brothers-like scenario. Goldman Sachs, not nearly faring as poorly as Merrill Lynch, will not pay out bonuses to senior management. And yet Thain feels he deserves the moolah because it could have been worse.

I was dumbstruck.

English has, by far, the largest vocabulary amongst the European languages. Despite that, you occasionally are at a loss of words when confronted with an outrageous situation, such as this.

I scoured my mind (and thesaurus) for a single word that encompasses the delusion that Thain must be experiencing. Initially, I thought that it was my being sick, and not a lack of words, that stopped me. Then hubby saved the day…

Realitätsfremd – German. Out of touch with reality, in the sense of being estranged from reality. Marie Antoinette-esque delusion.

I could have simply used the word delusion, but there is a marginal, yet significant, difference in meaning. Thain seems to find his success in how much more of a failure he could have been.

Sad. Very sad.

A musical you don't want to miss!

2008-12-05T12:59:00.001+01:00

Love it!

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Rick's Rant

2008-12-04T14:02:00.002+01:00

One of the lovely things about living with kids is the certainty that once once person gets sick, it is only a matter of time until everyone else at home is sick as well. Having said that, I have been busy taking care of my sick hubby and kids, awaiting my turn to share in the "fun".

Of course, all this happens during a very interesting week for Canadian politics. Oh yes, those Canadian politicians have worked themselves in such a frenzy that CNNI actually dedicated some air time during their hourly world news report to the mess, and when CNNI reports on it, you know it's got to be interesting.

I am a little too preoccupied at the moment with my sick family to dedicate any significant depth to this post, so invite you to watch this clip, where Rick Mercer sums up what I think many Canadians are thinking...

Word of the day

2008-12-01T21:44:00.004+01:00

irony

• noun (pl. ironies) A state of affairs that appears perversely contrary to what one expects, as in 'Bush receives International Medal of Peace'.

'Nuff said.

Democracy: US vs. Canada vs. Germany

2008-11-30T02:46:00.008+01:00

But our perfect democracy, which neither needs nor particularly wants voters, is a rarity. It is important to remember there still exist many other forms of government in the world today, and that dozens of foreign governments still long for a democracy such as ours to be imposed on them. – Jon Stewart

With Obama’s overwhelming success in America’s recent election, Jon Stewart echoes an inspiring point. But is the American “democracy” really that enviable? How about other democratically elected governments in the western world, such as Canada’s directly representative House of Commons and Germany’s proportionally representative Bundestag?

The American Electoral College system has a few drawbacks. Primarily, criticism centres on the possibility of electing a minority president, one without the absolute majority of the popular vote. This system also has an inherent tendency to suppress voter turnout due to its indirect nature. You do not vote for the presidential candidate you want to be in power; you vote to show a third person, the elector, how you want them to vote for you. This, in turn, leads to another potential problem: the faithless elector. There is no guarantee that the elector will follow the democratic majority of his electoral district whilst casting his/her vote in the Electoral College. Sounds confusing? I certainly think so.

Furthermore, the American system gives way to a bipolarisation of the political landscape. The winner of any state will take all electoral votes of that state. This prevents any significant showing of a third or independent party candidate. On the other hand, the system gives way to a strong, limited term presidency, wherein a democratically elected president is free to implement politics as he/she sees fit, provided congress plays along. That strength allows for major political shifts with the election of a new President.

The Canadian direct representation offers a bit more accountability. Each member in the House of Commons is elected by a plurality of popular votes in separate constituencies (ridings). The party that gains most seats in the House (parliament) fills the position of prime minister. The advantage of this system is that members of parliament (MPs) needing to vote on any bill can be subjected to direct scrutiny and influence by voters in each riding. If voters pressure their MP to take a specific stance there is a good chance that this MP may vote faithless to party lines – there is a long standing history of voter influence in ridings in Canada.

The disadvantage is, however, the possibility of a minority government such as the current conservative government. This article details very nicely some of the perils of a minority government. Also, similar to the American system, there is a good chance of over- or under-representation in the Canadian parliament. As an extreme example: if in every riding a member of the Conservative Party won a marginal majority, they would fill 100% of the seats in parliament (one of my worst nightmares), thus starkly skewing the make-up of popular political preferences.

Finally, looking at the German version of proportional representation in parliament, the plurality of political representation in the Bundestag makes a seductive first argument in favour of such a system. Similar to Canada, the party gaining an absolute majority or majority coalition may fill the Chancellor’s seat. Any party gaining five percent of the popular vote (barring minor electoral adjustments) will gain the same proportion of seats in parliament. This system, installed by the allies post WWII, has proven immensely stable and truthfully reflective of the popular political fabric.

There can, however, be made an argument that a voter will quickly feel disenfranchised as the impact of his or her vote is not immediately apparent. The plurality of political platforms and virtual impossibility of a majority government by a single party forces the government to negotiate for virtually every aspect of daily business, leading to perpetual compromises. This prevents the occurrence of bold moves and frequently bogs governmental business down in trench wars.

Which system is best? The short answer is very political: it depends. It depends on your set of priorities and political affinities. For me personally, the Canadian one suits best. It allows bold moves within reason. It limits US-like bipolarisation without the paralyzing effects the Bundestag frequently endures. Either way I look at it, any of these systems, no matter how skewed or imperfect they are, supply the best answer to our current political challenges. It is the plurality of ideas – allowing for more than just one idea to be right - that will win the struggle against tyranny and totalitarianism that some people unfortunately have to endure.

As Winston Churchill put it, “Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried”.

Comebacks to use this Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T11:18:00.006+01:00

For those of you not looking forward to conversing with the "Righteous Right" during Thanksgiving, 236.com has taken it upon themselves to make sure you enter Thanksgiving equipped with a list of comebacks sure to put Obama haters back in their place. For example:

The "socialist" takeover of America's banks happened on Bush's watch.
The "Democratic" Senate has been working with a one vote majority, and that vote is Joe Lieberman. If they get to the "Magic 60," that sixtieth vote is still Joe Lieberman.
The majority of rich Americans voted to have their wealth spread.

Click here for the complete list. Happy Thanksgiving America!

A cause for concern?

2008-11-26T21:18:00.002+01:00

What do you see happening in this video?

Do you see child abuse? Perhaps snake abuse? Many people commenting here and here certainly think so.

I would exercise caution before coming to those conclusions. I believe this all to be a matter of clashing cultures. In this video clip, I see a curious baby toying around with what seems to be a family pet. It is just a little difficult for those in western countries to watch, due to the wild difference in culture. I would even go as far as to compare this to my eldest daughter’s former habit of trying to pull our cat’s tail when she was still a toddler.

Let’s get it on… Let them eat cake!

2008-11-26T00:02:00.005+01:00

Let’s get it on…
I know this is another article about pastors and sex, but I could not resist commenting on Reverend Ed Young’s advice. Simply put, Rev. Young believes it is time to “put God back in the bed” by means of a week of “congregational copulation”.

Before you call up your fellow parishoners and set up a holy orgy, I should clarify that the reverend’s advice is intended to help promote and improve monogamous marriage (sorry Utah). He delivered this message in front of and on a large bed. To really bring the point home, his wife was with him in jeans and **GASP** knee high black boots.

In all earnestness, the message is not completely silly. I do believe that a healthy sex life is vital in any relationship. The key in it, however, is that the sex should be fun and spontaneous, not forced. If you need orders from a reverend to have a reason to want to have sex with your partner, then you have issues that a week of pastor-prescribed fornication most likely will not solve.

Let them eat cake!
Unsurprisingly, this advice is aimed solely at married members of the congregation. I think it is a safe bet that one could extend that description to heterosexual, married members. The reverend went all Marie Antoinette on everyone else. His exact words:

I don’t know, try eating chocolate cake.

Er, excusez-moi? He did not just compare sex to chocolate cake, did he? Oh, yes he did. You hear that Lindsay Lohan? When you get an urge to do the mattress mambo, head to the kitchen for some chocolate cake instead.

Tackling young and novice drivers, con't.

2008-11-25T12:55:00.007+01:00

In light of the young and novice driver rules the Liberals in Ontario are pushing forward, here is a thought: instead of limiting the freedom of responsible drivers, take a page out of Germany’s book.

Raise the minimum age from 16 to 18.
Two years may not seem like a big difference to some, but the adult mind is much more capable of fully realising the responsibility that comes along with operating a vehicle. At 18, with the end of high school and beginning of university/work life, comes a sense of social responsibility. And the hormones are not quite on the rampage any longer.

Penalties for speeding and drunk driving.
From my understanding, there are already harsh fines and penalties in place for speeding and impaired driving in Ontario. More should be invested into the enforcement of these rules. As I mentioned here, I am in complete agreement with the alcohol ban for young and novice drivers – although two years is the requirement here. This rule should not be seen as an intrusion to one’s freedoms, but rather as a practical way to combat impaired driving habits.

Make the attendance of driving school mandatory.
In order to pass driving school and qualify for a driver’s exam in Germany, one must fulfill certain requirements such as x number of hours of successful nighttime driving, driving in rural areas (for those who live in the city), city driving (for those who live in rural areas), and driving on the speed-limit-free sections of the autobahn. All in all, there are around 14 theory classes and at least 12 driving sessions. Theory is taught alone at first and then parallel with the practical lessons, so that students learn the rules and how to apply them. This ensures drivers with a well-rounded experience.

What if the whole process of getting a license costs an arm and a leg (anywhere from 1000-2000 EUR)? Driving is a privilege, and there is no reason against making people work for the opportunity to do so. Paying that kind of money will result in people taking care to drive within the confines of the law. (And think of the jobs that will be created with the implementation of mandatory driving schools!)

In short, teach the population to treat their driver’s licenses like gold, and harshly punish those who do not. This is how, despite being the country of beer, Germany sees relatively small amounts of drunk driving.

Read more on the controversy here and here.

Weekend Summary

2008-11-24T12:44:00.012+01:00

I am almost finished Christmas shopping, which means I am on schedule. I always start Christmas shopping in September and try to have it all finished before the first Sunday of Advent. That way I can relaxedly bargain-hunt at the Christmas markets in December. All I have left to shop for this year are the two most difficult: my dad (who never asks for anything) and step-fathter-in-law (who has very specific tastes).

Other than Christmas gift-shopping, I normally ban anything Christmas from our home until the first Sunday of Advent. Miraculously, the kids remembered where I hid the Christmas DVDs, and begged me to help them retrieve the films. The kids won in the end, mainly due to our second daughter's ability to bend Papa to her will by putting on her sad face. Works every time.

Does anybody know a good recipe for edible playdough that you bake into cookies once they are shaped and does NOT include peanut butter? Last week I bought a wonderful premix from the grocery store. The kids had so much fun watching their creations bake in the oven and eating them afterward that I would like to make it a weekly activity, but I find the premix a little overpriced and I am sure it costs less than half to make it yourself. Unfortunately, all I can find are recipes that either include peanut butter, chocolate, or are not to be baked into cookies.

Nick Jr. held a 24-hour Spongebob marathon. I do not think I need to explain the squabbling that ensued between parents and children when we tried to get them away from the television for lunch, our trip to the park, shopping, bath time and dinner.

I have a gift certificate from last Christmas that I was not yet able to redeem and is only valid until the 31st of next month. We were finally able to find a show that agrees with both hubby's and my step-mother-in-law's work schedules, thank goodness. Barring any unforseen obstacles, we are going to the opera to see Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) on December 27th! Yay!

Open to anything but sex

2008-11-22T02:05:00.004+01:00

The Catholic Church is not always behind the times. In fact, it has a history of reversing aspects of its doctrine to keep up with the zeitgeist. It renounced usury in the 16th century, slavery in the 19th century and capital punishment in 1995.

When it comes to matters concerning sex, however, the Church shows no indication of budging. Be it marriage of members of the clergy (after having been ordained), homosexual marriage and intercourse or artificial contraception, the Church says NO.

Mandatory celibacy was not always a must for those wishing to dedicate their lives to the Church – it was made universal Church law only by the Second Consilium of Lateran in 1139. Despite that, there are exceptions. Men who are married before entering priesthood can do so and maintain their marriage. Is the devotion of an unmarried, celibate priest worth more than that of a married one? With fewer men entering into priesthood whilst the global Catholic population grows, will allowing young priests to marry not help to stop this shortfall? The Church says NO.

I am sure that there are those who will quote scripture forbidding homosexual marriage and intercourse. To them I say – I am sure many scripture-quoting individuals have coveted a neighbour’s wife. Amongst all the adultery, murder, lying and stealing, why pick the homosexuality guideline to stick to so closely? Is it not more Christian to grant everybody a legal relationship of mutual love, care and affection? The Church says NO.

Even more pressing is the rejection of artificial contraception. The Church cannot ignore the physical suffering from the AIDS epidemic in Africa, or the uncontrolled population increase in the Philippines, where it still has an overwhelming influence on daily politics. The means to limit the effects of either dilemma giving rise to a more hopeful generation are so simple. And yet, the Church says NO.

Flip-flopping on Bush

2008-11-21T23:09:00.002+01:00

Bush was apparently snubbed at the G20 summit. Or was he?

Nobody shook his hand.

BUT, he already greeted them personally at the White House. He made such a big show of it that it unsurprisingly became fodder to Jon Stewart and his brilliant comical wrath. Technically, nobody needed to shake Bush’s hand again.

BUT, is it not proper etiquette to acknowledge someone when they enter the room? This can be done with eye contact, a quick nod and a smile. Technically, Bush snubbed everyone except Gordon Brown, and everyone except Brown snubbed Bush.

BUT, everyone had their spot for the photo shoot marked on the floor. We all know that Bush is not the brightest of the bunch. How could we all have expected him to make eye contact with the other world leaders and look for his mark AT THE SAME TIME? Bush is not smart enough to realise that he was snubbing almost everyone. Technically, he was just avoiding bumping into the man in front of him.

BUT, he is known to procrastinate. Taking an extra second to acknowledge the other world leaders would not have killed anyone. It is highly unlikely that all the other leaders are equally as inconsiderate/dimwitted as Bush. Eventually, someone would have noticed that Bush was silently greeting them. Technically, Bush snubbed almost everyone.

So was there snubbery or not? If so, was it mutual? You be the judge:

On Bishops, Politicians and a tiny bit of bread

2008-11-21T00:04:00.009+01:00

I recently came across this article about the aggressiveness coming from the Catholic Church in the Philippines (an overwhelmingly Catholic nation) against the proposed family planning bill, which would require the government to promote artificial contraception.

I could write about the irony. How the Church, who cares for all of the Lord’s people, would allow them to dig themselves into an even deeper hole, instead of allowing legislation to pass that might help provide desperately necessary population growth control. I could write about the families left in abject poverty due to the Catholic abstinence-only dogma. I could write about the deeper problems with the church’s insistence on over-stepping the constitutionally prescribed separation of church and state.

Instead, I would like to address the bishops’ threats of refusing the Eucharist to politicians who support the bill. It seems to be the common Modus Operandi for meddling clergymen.

In Catholicism, one cannot accept the Host whilst in a state of mortal sin. Doing so would compound the transgression, causing eternal damnation. The theological process of transubstantiation gives weight to the argument. In refusing to serve the Host, the clergy is saving souls. Hence, they believe it is their duty to refuse. If this were the full extent of the refusal, all would be well.

Unfortunately, more appears to be at stake. Taking my previous thought further: if said sinner were to go to confession before mass and receive absolution, theoretically he/she cannot be refused communion.

How can anyone then refuse the Eucharist if absolution is already granted? The Church already knows that if any of the involved politicians receive absolution, they are fully eligible for the Eucharist, making this threat unenforceable. So what is it about?

These bishops are entering dangerous ground. Are they spitefully inducing the wrath of God to prevent this bill from going through? Is the Catholic Church prepared to play for politics and influence on the backs of impoverished and malnourished individuals? I certainly hope not.

Oxymoron of the Year

2008-11-19T21:10:00.004+01:00

For the past few months, it seemed that Bush, a.k.a. Procrastinating Destructor Supreme, was playing catch-up to actually accomplish something positive. According to Tina Brown, that is no longer the case. All that is on Bush’s mind is his library.

Bush? Library? Does something not sound off? Are those two terms not mutually exclusive? I think it should be called the “George W. Bush Presidential Lie-barry”. Yup, that sounds much better. Underneath the library name it should read a play on Brown’s description – House of Horrors and Half-Truths.

Tackling young and novice drivers

2008-11-18T20:11:00.006+01:00

Young drivers (21 years of age and younger) and novice drivers in Ontario may soon face new laws in regards to alcohol consumption and the number of young passengers with them in the car. I have mixed feelings about them.

The new rules require young drivers to have a zero blood alcohol level whilst behind the steering wheel. This will also apply to novice drivers of all ages for their first year of driving. I am in agreement with this aspect of the proposed laws. Germany already has such laws in place, with the difference that novice drivers must adhere for two years instead of one.

What I disagree with in the limit set upon the number of youth in a car, which makes it illegal for young drivers to drive with more than one passenger 19 or younger with them in the vehicle. Don Forgeron, the Insurance Bureau of Canada’s Ontario vice-president, rightly says that saving lives is of more importance than inconvenience. They are, however, essentially making it illegal for young people to carpool to work, or to drive their two younger cousins to their swim class. This also affects the responsible party-goers – the designated driver will no longer be able to chauffeur their friends home. This inconvenience is utterly unnecessary.

This limit comes as a result of a fatal crash that occurred on the south shore of Georgian Bay. Five teenagers died, three of which were not wearing seatbelts. According to police, alcohol did not play a role in the crash. Speed and road conditions likely did.

I do not understand how that crash would lead to the limit proposed. Instead, I believe that higher fines for speeding and failure to wear seatbelts are in order. Significant speeding should also warrant immediate license suspension.

How appropriate!

2008-11-17T16:03:00.010+01:00

This week is International Babywearing Week. According to an email sent to me by Beate Uhse online, it is also National Climax Week.

I find this hilarious! Participation in National Climax Week this year would likely cause you to join International Babywearing Week next year. =P

Only in Continental Europe would you have a week dedicated to orgasms. And maybe, perhaps, also in Japan.

Language in the Canadian news media

2008-11-17T13:41:00.005+01:00

One of CBC Toronto’s current headlines reads “Toronto Zoo wants to turn poo into energy”. Perhaps I am being a little nit-picky, but the use of “poo” really irritates me. It makes the headline sound like one that you would read in the Toronto Sun instead of the Globe and Mail, or something you would hear from Kevin Frankish instead of Peter Mansbridge.

One can argue that the reporters at CBC, as Canada’s national and most substantial news source, should present the news adhering to a higher standard. I would almost understand if they used the word to be witty. It appears to me, however, that the author was simply too lazy to pick up a thesaurus. After all, it is possible to be eloquent and witty whilst appealing to the largest possible readership. As a suggestion, they could have used instead:

From feces to fuel at Toronto Zoo
Experimenting with excremental energy
Toronto Zoo’s manure manoeuvre

I know that I am not the most eloquent person. I, therefore, particularly enjoy reading news articles with a linguistic prowess.

Weekend Summary

2008-11-16T21:33:00.013+01:00

I survived my first single-mom-marathon after the arrival of baby #4! Needless to say, I am very tired; hence I am tapping my inner list-freak to summarise my weekend.

What put a smile on my face this weekend:

Pleasantly surprised concierges - I always make a point of saying thank you. I suppose that does not occur often to a hotel concierege.
A shortened single-mom-marathon - Hubby surprised me by catching an earlier flight home!
As is tradition, he brought me home some yummy cheese and foie gras from Pa-ree.
Baby said "mama" - I know he still does not associate the word with me, but it still makes my heart melt.
Hubby's mom and step-dad - Always good for a nice kaffeetrinken.
We went out visiting museums and random exhibits in the city. Upon seeing a case filled with crowns and tiaras, our younger daughter proclaimed to anyone who would listen that they belonged to mommy and papa because they are a king and queen.
At no point did the children become uninterested or impatient in the museums and exhibits.
Hearing that Bush claimed his favourite childhood book to be Eric Carle's "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". (The book was first published when Bush was in his twenties.)

What did NOT put a smile on my face this weekend:

The Eurozone officially entered recession.
My stores of Tim Hortons coffee are now completely depleted.
Hubby's horrible hotel experience - First the hotel left him waiting outside the airport for the shuttle which was going to arrive "in ten minutes". It took over an hour for the shuttle to arrive. Secondly, he was first placed in a smoking room - despite his request for a non-smoking room. This mistake was very reluctantly rectified. Thirdly, there was patch of mould, about 75cm in diameter, right next to his bed. (All this at a four star hotel!)
Dishonest people who cannot read - Upon hearing that he might be able to catch a delayed flight back home a day early, he spent between five and ten minutes away from his hotel room, at the front desk, to negotiate a free cancellation of his second night in person. He made sure he hung the do not disturb sign on the doorknob before leaving. When he returned, his bed was made up, and a 50 Euro note that he left on his bedside table was missing. The housekeeper was no where to be seen. Unfortunately, hubby could only place a formal complaint by risking losing the courtesy late check-in window that the airline offered him as an exception, so he left it as such.
I forgot to recharge my batteries and had to leave my camera at home.
The weather - I do not mind cold weather, but I do despise strong gusts of wind with spitting rain.
An arrogant waitress - I do not care if you are having a bad day; you NEVER let it show to a customer!
Hubby's aunt - She is completely oblivious and/or condescending to everything that does not interest her or conflicts with her priorities.
CNNI - Enough with Tomb 33 already! It was interesting the first two times it aired, but that was weeks ago and it now seems to be aired with increasing frequency. Wait another six months and I will happily watch it again.
Our planned road trip to the Harz Mountains - We had to postpone it for mid-December.

(Photo from AP)

Missing Hubby

2008-11-14T22:44:00.004+01:00

Hubby is often away on business, and even though we’ve been married a while, we still have a hard time falling asleep alone. Yes, we are a cheesy couple.

Today, for the first time since our youngest was born in May, our home is Papa-free for more than his usual working hours. I have been feeling a little down all day, which is silly because he is flying back in two days.

Even when he is not out of the country, he still spends a lot of time at work. He, however, usually manages to be here for either breakfast or dinner, and he helps out around at home as much as he can. Now that our little army of rugrats has increased by one, there is so much more housework to do. I have not properly appreciated that fact until today, when hubby is not here to give his helping hand.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and makes our home seem bigger.

I suppose another reason that I feel crummy, other than the gloomy weather we had today, is that I wish I was in Paris with him. It appears I have adopted the need to travel several times each year – a trait integral to the collective German mentality.

I probably will not have the time to do much more than read a few blog posts and the news headlines as this single-mom-marathon continues. What is keeping me sane is our family road trip to the Harz Mountains on the 22nd. That and the cute little number I picked up for hubby’s visual pleasure; my way of saying thank you for all the help and support he has given me this past turbulent year.

Obama planning world's biggest harem

2008-11-12T17:48:00.005+01:00

If there is a positive that comes out of all the nonsensical fear-mongering from the GOP, it is that they have provided a goldmine for satirists worldwide. Here is a clip ridiculing some of the claims made about Obama during the election campaign.

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

And the fear-mongering continues...

2008-11-11T20:51:00.004+01:00

Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) fears a possible implementation of a “Gestapo-like security force to impose a Marxist dictatorship” by President-elect Obama. It never ceases to amaze me how dominant the ultra-right’s obsessive-compulsiveness lets them visualise the big red dog digging in their backyards.

Obviously Clifford is not the dog that they fear - but their fear is just as infantile as the toddlers who love those books. A small amount of political education and open-mindedness would allow anyone to see how Obama is NOT even remotely tending towards Marxism. It is an entirely different cup of tea. The only Western world leader to invoke near-Gestapo-like security and surveillance is the only unelected President in American history - George W. Bush - by means of the Patriot Act.

Is the radical right genuinely this unenlightened, or are they indirectly trying to elevate the fear-mongering to mobilise mentally unstable individuals like Lee Harvey Oswald or these two skinheads? Do they not realise that the irresponsibility and the divisive consequences of their actions are inherently anti-American? (Sorry Michele Bachmann, but you opened a Pandora's box.)

"This is about the human heart"

2008-11-11T19:37:00.005+01:00

**sigh**

He is still after my heart. There once was a time when given a choice between Colin Firth and anyone else, there was absolutely no question that I would have selected Firth. Now that I have started watching Olbermann's commentaries, I am not so sure.

Here is his response to the passage on Prop 8 in California - the banning of gay marriage. He is so eloquent and decisive... and that deep voice...

The almost-plane-crash

2008-11-10T11:03:00.006+01:00

This video left me awe-struck. At first glance I thought that this must have been a fake. Hubby, however, being the flying guy that he is, explained to me how this landing could have been possible with 90% luck and 10% skill. Apparently the pilot made as sure as humanly possible that the nose of the aircraft was pointing upwards. Utilising maximum thrust the fall was, to a limited extent, controlled. With all environmental factors coming to his aid (i.e. - no change in wind, etc.) the pilot managed to swing the aircraft body around using maximum vertical trim, and what he's got left from the ailerons.

Can you imagine what it would have been like in the cockpit? I would have gone into full panic, spluttering out an endless string of expletives like #*$% ^&#& $##@$ *@&*#*$ @##@*... enough to make George Carlin squirm in heaven. And I am sure that the pilot never wants to do that again.

The love-hate affair between Germans and their rules

2008-11-10T01:05:00.010+01:00

When I made the decision to move to Germany, someone “warned” me that Germans are, among other things, inflexible and in love with rules (or something similar to that – it was almost six years ago, so I paraphrased it). The warning was only partially correct. It is more accurate to say that Germans are inflexible and in love with rules, as long as those rules do not interfere with their comfort levels.

For example, two Deutsche Bahn conductors, in two separate occasions, essentially left two young teenagers stranded in rural areas far from home because they forgot their tickets at home. I understand that there will always be those who free-ride and ruin it for the rest of us. On these two occasions, however, an exception should have been made. The conductor could have taken note of the teenager’s address and DB could have clarified the situation afterwards – similar to the procedure when charged with a speeding ticket. I, myself, would also be infuriated if my 13-year-old was left stranded almost 50 kilometers away from home by an inflexible, rule-hardy conductor. At least one of the conductors have since been suspended, in addition to an apology from DB.

On the flip-side, you have the one rule that many Germans love to break: the non-smoking rule. It does not matter where you are – a subway station, restaurant, etc. – there will be someone smoking. What’s worse is that those people will argue the life out of you if you decide to point out that they are in a non-smoking area, which I often do. My favourite stand-off occurred inside an elevator on the way up to the train platform. Just as the doors closed, some nutcase lights up a cigarette and breathes out smoke into the faces of two of my children, both of whom were sitting in their STROLLER coughing! I pointed to the big non-smoking sticker on the wall beside him, and asked him if he really needed to blow cigarette smoke into the faces of my then one- and two-year-old children. He shrugged and said that it doesn’t matter because we were going to be in open air in a matter of seconds. I reminded him that the smoking ban also applied on the train platform. That was when I crossed the line. “Why do you people always try to take away our right to smoke!” he bellowed, before he huffed and he puffed all the way to the other end of the platform. Funnily enough, he continued smoking beside another non-smoking sign.

NB – Smoking is a passionate subject for Germans. They used their veto power in the EU to prevent a smoking ban from coming through. The non-smoking ban has been reversed for traditional Kneipen (corner pubs).

Yes, Germans can be very inflexible. I want to make it clear, though, that it is a stereotype, and that not all Germans are that bad – thank goodness!

Gay Gay Gay

2008-11-07T13:00:00.010+01:00

Gay TV
All I seem to be running into today is news linked to homosexuality. A new gay television channel called Timm was launched last Saturday here in Germany. It struck me as odd that Germany, a country seemingly more accommodating towards it homosexual population than countries such as the US, launched a channel created specifically for them later than the US. What particularly piqued my interest is the channel’s slogan – “Wir lieben männer”, which translates to “We love men”. Whatever happened to lesbians? Are they not gay as well? If the induction of such a channel was done in the interest of general inclusion in the world of television, I believe that should have been reflected in their slogan.

Gay on TV
My enthusiasm for Grey’s Anatomy has been wavering this past season, but I was happy when the show introduced homosexual relationships into its storylines. Portraying normal, ordinary people in homosexual relationships on screen is a wonderful way to counter the obtuse belief some have that homosexuality is an aberration. For that reason, I am annoyed that Brooke Smith has been written off the show. (Her character, Dr. Hahn, was exploring her homosexuality with Dr. Torres, played by Sara Ramirez.)

The official reason behind her dismissal is that the character was not received well by the majority of the viewership. Many people believe this to be a prevarication and feel the producers have submitted to the will of homophobic America. Whatever the rationale, I mourn the exit of a storyline that finally entered territory that is, for the most part, woefully unexplored on mainstream television.

Gay in Real Life
Arizona, California and Florida have taken a big step forward with America in the election of Barack Obama for President. They, however, have taken a big step back when they became part of thirty states that ban same-sex marriage. Arkansas has also passed a measure banning parents in homosexual relationships from adopting children.

This has been called a victory for religious conservatives. That very description exemplifies why such bans should not even be pursued at all - the propositions were put forth by religious conservatives, who appear to enjoy scorning the principle of the separation of church and state.

I do not agree that issues surrounding homosexuality should be left to be dealt with separately in each state. I believe politicians take this stance with the sole purpose of avoiding disapproval in certain states. There should be a country-wide acceptance, not intolerance, of homosexuals, and because the rejection claims it roots in religious belief, there should be no place in the law for such discrimination.

Obama won. Now what?

2008-11-06T20:34:00.006+01:00

Now that I have had a couple of days to let the words “Obama is the President-elect” sink in, my feelings of elation have given way to those of concern and worry.

Yes, Obama is the first African-American President of the US. I do not mean to detract from the significance of that. What worries me is the high expectation that America, and the world, now have of him. His predecessor has done an absurdly effective job destroying America. The damage incurred is of such colossal magnitude that the road to recovery will likely be painstakingly long. Obama inherits an America that has lost a fair share of its friends and most of its respect internationally.

It is imperative that we remember Obama is also human. He cannot work miracles, which is what people seem to expect of him. Mistakes will undoubtedly be made. One can be certain that these mistakes will be magnified to ridiculous proportion by the opposition (and Fox News) – you only need to look back at McCain’s election campaign to see that.

In fact, the radical conservative revolt has already begun. They are composing “Obama Administration Survival Guides". They are advising people to transfer money offshore for fear of being robbed by the government. They are calling for the impeachment of Obama, and this man has not even been sworn into office, yet! One statement in particular affronted any sensible political awareness:

“There are a lot of Americans out there that do not fully understand the concept of Socialism or Communism which is why they’ve elected Obama as president.”

Obviously the authors of the ignorant statement do not fully understand the concept themselves. (If you follow my blog, you know how much the misuse of the “S” and “C” words infuriates me.) They continue to call for Obama’s impeachment because of his support for “various unconstitutional programs such as the assault weapons ban, universal healthcare, and various schemes for wealth distribution”. Obama wants to elevate American society and Americans’ social responsibility to the 21st century! Oh no! Run for your lives! Candidly speaking, we are no longer in the Wild Wild West, where everyone needs guns to protect themselves from the unpredictable, potentially around the corner, savages.

I am veering off point. In this post I am trying caution Americans of the danger in raising their hopes too high. The groundbreaking, history-making outcome of this year’s US elections must not overshadow the reality-based possibilities in policy-making. It is easy to become exuberant and maintain exuberance about someone’s accomplishments when there were low expectations. Disillusionment can set in very quickly, and unjustly, when expectations are as high as they are of President-elect Obama.

OCW a.k.a. POCC

2008-11-06T12:41:00.007+01:00

This is a public health announcement. There is currently a condition quickly spreading through America: OCW - Obama Campaign Withdrawal, also known as POCC - Post Obama Campaign Confusion.

The Onion has released the following report identifying the symptoms. If you know anyone experiencing them, please bring them to the doctor yourself. They will not go of their own accord as they believe they still need to campaign!

Will the real John McCain please stand up?

2008-11-05T23:30:00.010+01:00

I think he finally did last night, when he gave his concession speech. It is a shame we lost him when he accepted the Republican nomination. I highly doubt he expected to get pulled into a campaign as filthy as his turned out to be.

I remember breathing out a sigh of relief, along with hubby, when it became apparent that McCain would be the GOP’s presidential nominee. He had, in my opinion, the most substantial and well-rounded ticket of the pack. Barring the entry of Sarah Palin into the scene, I would not have minded a McCain administration - even though I was an Obama hopeful.

His true failure was not having been the “maverick” he claimed to be. Had he fought against the negativity that his advisors essentially forced him to embrace – positively stand apart from his colleagues as a maverick does – he would have truly earned the title.

It was a nice surprise to see him bow down with that long absent touch of class. I hope that he will practice what he preached in regards to unity with the new administration. I hope he will put Country First.

(photo from nytimes.com)

Yes we can!

2008-11-05T22:03:00.003+01:00

Congratulations America!

History is made!

2008-11-05T05:03:00.010+01:00

Practically every news network is now projecting an Obama victory, and I cannot help but get all emotional over this. I have the same happy feeling that I had when Angela Merkel became the first female Chancellor of Germany. The election would have been ground-breaking regardless of the result as Palin would have made history by becoming the first elected female VP, but I would have received those news with angst rather than joy.

Now I do not need to resort to my "The West Wing" DVD collection for my Democrat-President fix! Woo-hoo!

I really should be getting back into bed, but I am dying to see if Obama snatches Florida for the landslide win!

Poking fun at the GOP's campaign one last time

2008-11-04T21:15:00.008+01:00

Just a quick thought before I go to sleep...

The Redskins (by way of their game against the Steelers) predicted that Obama will win tonight's election. If they turn out to be correct, does that make them anti-American?

**lol**

UPDATE:
LeftLeaningLady: "Nah, it makes them the Blueskins."

Ha! Brilliant!

ACORN and the perils of the uninformed vote

2008-11-04T15:06:00.009+01:00

Kaffeetrinken with my in-laws always comes with the guarantee of a fun-filled discussion about politics, religion, the economy and/or ethics. (Well, perhaps not always fun-filled, but definitely interesting and passionate.) Today’s get-together did not disappoint.

My step-father-in-law, like most Germans, used to be crazy for everything American – the food, the buildings, the culture and, yes, the politics. Blinded by this love, he zealously shot down hubby’s doom-filled predictions for US economy and foreign policy after “Dubya’s” reelection. “Bush may not be the smartest, but the GOP would never allow for the decline of their country,” he said confidently.

He is now so turned off by recent American political events, that he followed this past election campaign without his usual level of interest. Among other things we had to explain all about “that ACORN business” – which solicited this question: Why would anyone court the vote from the uneducated, uninformed and uninterested?

ACORN’s aim to “get-out-the-vote” is fundamentally a noble one. Theoretically, the more people vote, the more democratic the outcome. The alleged “potential election fraud” by false vote registration cards was nothing more than a political manoeuvre. I would pay to see Mickey Mouse to show up at the polling station with valid identification in order to make use of that “fraudulent” registration. Hence, there is no way these false registrations will have any effect on the outcome.

With some of the recent, outlandish remarks by likely voters, my step-father-in-law raises an interesting aspect. Why is it beneficial to a democracy for people to cast a vote, and therewith influence the course of politics potentially substantially, based on utterly uninformed opinions and/or currently less central or irrelevant issues such as:

Obama is a one-man terror cell.
Obama is a Muslim.
Obama is anti-American.
Obama is a Marxist.

(I tried to find equally bizarre rumors about McCain, for balance. I was unsuccessful. I am not surprised.
UPDATE: LeftLeaningLady supplied me with a few; they are listed in the comments section.)

Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice
The fact that Obama would be the first African-American President
The fact that Palin would be the first elected female VP
The fact that one candidate fought in a war and the other did not
How many homes a candidate owns
A non-American middle name

It disconcerts me that in the current economic climate some voters, such as Kevin Sheen, are solely centering their vote on abortion. I respect that to some people this is a very important issue, but I find it difficult to understand why this issue is so heavily weighted against the economy and foreign policy. Such debates find their roots in religious belief, and should stay there. For that very reason did the Founding Fathers of the US insist on the separation of church and state.

An uninformed vote adds no value to a democracy; in fact it subtracts, regardless of the political affiliation of said vote. But who would get to choose which vote is informed and which is not? The aim must be to educate, as comprehensively as possible, eligible voters of the political platforms out there. Desisting from perpetual attack ads one way or the other would be a first step. Instead, entering into an in-depth, respectful debate is far healthier and democratic than fear mongering.

The message should be: Get-out, get-informed, then vote.

Favourite Election '08 Videos

2008-11-04T10:04:00.008+01:00

Here are a few funny Election '08 clips to help calm down the election day jitters:

Only the Japanese...

2008-11-04T02:51:00.007+01:00

...would come up with a toy/commercial like this. This is a commercial for those electronic pets taken to the next level.

WARNING: Not safe for work!

The contents of the video are not explicit, so to speak, but you might want to lower the volume if you do not want others around you to think you are watching Japanese porn. =P

How the world almost came to an end for Hubby

2008-11-03T23:15:00.012+01:00

Hubby found out earlier today that he’s flying out the morning the election results are revealed, which sent him into an almost panic attack. He’s pulling out all stops to make sure he gets his election fix…

Honey?
Yes?

You bought me Burger King.
Yes, honey.

You never buy me Burger King.
Yes, honey.

You also bought me maple-glazed doughnuts.
Yes, honey.

You know I’m on a diet, right?
Yes, honey.

You’re not supposed to give in to my cravings.
I know, honey.

I’m trying to get back into my pre-pregnancy pants.
I know, honey.

And why did you buy a Colin Firth DVD?
I know you love him, dear.

And why did you get a foot-cooling lotion?
Because you’re always complaining how tired your feet are, and I think you deserve a nice massage.

Honey?
Yes?

Are you trying to bribe me?
Is it working?

What do you need?
Could you wake up and watch CNN early on the 5th, so you could tell me on my way to the airport what the election results are?

Ah…. A foot massage, eh?
Yes, dear.

Will you add a nice neck and shoulder massage?
Yes, dear.

Can we go out shopping for a new coat for me when you’re back?
Of course, dear.

Will you let me buy you and our boys matching outfits for this year’s Christmas photo?
**cringing** Yes, dear.

You’ve got yourself a live updater election morning.
I love you.

Love you too, dear.

(image from newsin3d.com)

I feel the Brillante-love!

2008-11-03T16:21:00.012+01:00

I started blogging just under a month ago, mainly because I was fed up with the new facebook layout. I wanted another way of keeping in touch with friends and family around the globe. I approached this nervously, as it was the first time I have written anything longer than a short blurb in a long while. I suppose it is similar to that feeling you get when you slip into a sexy negligee for the first time after losing your pregnancy chub.

It is nice to know that people out there enjoy, and even look forward to, reading what I have to say. And with that I thank Christina G. for awarding me the Brillante Weblog. It may be another one of those tagging, chain letter-like posts, but I think it is a nice way of showing others that you enjoy their blogs. Here are the rules:

1. The award may be displayed on a winners’ blog.
2. Add a link to the person from who you received the award.
3. Nominate up to 7 other blogs.
4. Add their links to your blog.
5. Send a message to each of those you awarded to tell them about the award.

Here are my choices:

Melissa's Miscellany: I've known her since high school, and she is the one who introduced me to the world of blogging. I think her blog is mainly a way of keeping friends and family up-to-date, but she also posts funny videos, like this commercial featuring her cousin, once in a while.
Tatiana von Tauber: Another expat blogger in Germany, whose writing and photography is nothing short of beautiful.
Mama Duck: I love reading about her experiences in parenting.

Is there a jinx that comes with this award? Just as what happened to Christina, my baby is starting to fuss as I write this, so I'll leave it at those three.

Getting Punk'd by Canadians

2008-11-03T09:41:00.012+01:00

Wow - a couple of days away from the news and so much happens! As SWC correctly guessed, I found this prank very amusing. 'Ustler's Nailin Palin - Hahahahahahaha!!!!!

Hmmm... A Republican being pranked by Canadians with a joke involving foreign leaders. Does that remind you of someone else? Watch the video below - he makes his appearance starting at 1:53. Huckabee and Gore also get pranked, and I love the kid at the end of the clip!

(For non-Canadians, Rick Mercer is a Canadian political satirist, similar to Jon Stewart, only he has been at it for much, much longer. Poutine is not the name of a Prime Minister, but an inherently Canadian specialty consisting of Fries topped with cheese smothered in gravy. Delicious!)

The Muppet Felon

2008-10-31T12:15:00.010+01:00

I am not sure how this works elsewhere, but when you see a quick, small flash of red on your right whilst driving in Germany, you have been photographed speeding. Within the following six months you would receive a letter outlining your fines and/or points of Flensburg (home of the national database of traffic violations), complete with your picture and a form you can send in if you believe that the person in the picture is not you. Hubby received on of these in September. He is pictured quite clearly, scratching his nose **lol** . I was sitting beside him, but I was blurred out.

Someone driving a British car in Bavaria has had a bit of fun with these speeding cameras. A life-sized Muppet doll (most likely Animal) was placed on the front passenger seat - the driver's seat in continental Europe - and was caught driving 155 kph in a 120 kph zone of the autobahn.

I initially found this funny, but apparently the driver has done the same thing for several traffic cameras. This showed that the driver knew the authorities cannot pursue him/her because of the foreign license plate. Potentially endangering others on the road for the sake of a joke - not funny.

Sexiest. Commercial. Ever.

2008-10-30T20:54:00.009+01:00

I am not sure if this spot aired in North America, or even if Rondnoir is sold there, but I think it is the sexiest ad ever. I could not find it in German, but it does not matter. Italian sounds so much sexier than German anyhow. =)

Just listen to that voice! "Una perla, mille piaceri"... Ohhhhh take me now! **lol**

More from the Not-So-Straight-Talk-Express

2008-10-30T14:57:00.011+01:00

During my midday news headline check I came across this headline from MSNBC that made me laugh: "McCain: Racism will barely affect election."

Of course racism will not affect the election very much **end of sarcasm** - which is why it was made into such a big deal. For those Republicans out there who will shout at me otherwise: watch videos of the mobs screaming that there is no difference between Barack Obama and Osama bin Laden. Notice how half-heartedly the McCain camp counters these cries. Now try to convince the rest of us that the candidates themselves did not contribute to the racist frenzy in this election and that it will not affect the outcome. You can't.

Perhaps McCain should have been more specific. Racism against blacks did not play a large role in his election campaign. That kind of racism is sadly reliant with a small percentage of Americans. The GOP did not need to play on that racist aspect, as that small percentage will categorically not vote for somebody black.

Aside from that, "classic" racism against blacks has become something of a political taboo and, if mentioned out loud, is most likely a political suicide mission. The majority of Americans are no longer afraid of black people, per se. This fear has been replaced with an irrational fear of anything Arabic by association. Note how important it is to McCain's campaign to link Obama to terrorism - unfortunately viewed as an Arabic prerogative in the current, collective American conscience. Hence racism, in that sense, plays a central role in the GOP's campaign.

It is apparent that McCain's statement is really the GOP stepping back from the milk they helped to spill, so that it does not question the legitimacy of their potential election victory.

What I think Americans need to ask themselves as election day nears is whether they want a President who has platitudinal experience but has been divisive from the start, or a President who has very atypical qualifications but fought as inclusively as possible.

(bottom image from perrspectives.com)

Lions and tigers and...

2008-10-29T11:00:00.005+01:00

...pot smoking, gay loving Canadians! Oh my!

(cartoon from mapleleafweb.com)

Making money by not having any sex/babies

2008-10-29T01:16:00.010+01:00

No Sex

In Georgia there is currently a marriage contest in progress. An engaged couple can win $10,000 provided they open their wedding ceremony to the public, live separately before getting married and undergo premarital counselling. Oh, and they have to abstain - as in no premarital sex. Supposedly the goal of the contest is to promote marriages which will "really last a lifetime". That some people actually think preventing premarital sex is preventing divorce is beyond reason.

The contest is run by a non-profit organisation called MATURE - Marriage Appreciation Training Uplifting Relationship Education. (I wonder how long it took someone to come up with that?) Since 2006 they received yearly federal grants of $455,510, which will continue until 2011. What a preposterous way to spend tax revenue. Given a choice of having their tax dollars spent on health care or teaching abstinence, I believe most Americans would choose health care.

So how many couples have signed up for the opportunity to replace premarital sex with premarital counselling?

Zero. Shocker.

No Babies

A Louisiana legislator has suggested paying $1000 to women on welfare and food stamps if they have themselves sterilised. This is just WRONG. Never mind the fact that this is a lawsuit of discrimination against the poor waiting to happen. Dangling money in front of the poverty-stricken is not the way to go. They will make the decision based on the fact that they need the money, not thinking of possible future consequences.

Again, this is potentially a waste of tax revenue. $1000 is not going to take the destitute off of welfare or eradicate the less fortunate. This money is better spent on education.

I. WANT. THIS. BRA!!!

2008-10-28T19:16:00.011+01:00

I have had four babies in nine years, and in all that time I have not found a nursing bra that exudes sexiness and sophistication. Until now. Gourmandise is a French lingerie company. But of course it took the French to manage catering to the raison de femme - practical AND sexy. English and French speakers can find the bra here, but only the ivory version. German speakers can find both the black and ivory versions here (they are launching their English site soon).

I normally refuse to spend extravagant amounts of money of items of clothing that will serve its purpose for a relatively limited amount of time, but this is worth every cent. Thank you Christina G.! Now I know what I want from my hubby for Christmas.

And now from one form of practical to another, here is the cleavage caddy:

I would never wear one of these, but the idea is funny.

Finding Mommy a new Man

2008-10-28T17:30:00.007+01:00

On hubby's flight back home from Switzerland today, he sat a couple of rows away from a mother travelling alone with her two sons. As hubby passed them on the way back from the toilets, the older son, who looked about seven or eight years old, started to converse with him.

The conversation was typical small talk until the mother went to the toilets. The young boy then pulled out a piece of paper, wrote his home number on it and handed it to hubby saying: "My mommy needs a new man, so here's our phone number. Please give us a call if you like".

Hubby was understandably flabbergasted and managed to tell him, before his mother returned, that the mommy of his own kids might not like that. He told hubby to keep the number anyway.

I wonder if this child did this of his own accord, or if his mother gave him the idea somehow. In either case, he has a terrific sense of character. And he really cares for his mother.

Awwwww...

(photo from inmagine.com)

Cooking Lessons from a Convict

2008-10-28T12:58:00.016+01:00

This past Saturday we finally had our belated Thanksgiving dinner (or, for the American readers, rather early). Growing up in a Filipino household, we did not observe this holiday as such - for my siblings and me it was like any other P.A. day. We either took our time doing our homework or spent all day playing with our Atari, Nintendo or Super Nintendo (God I am so OLD!).

When I met my husband, I was introduced to the wonderful smells of Thanksgiving. Turkey and potatoes and other "white people food" (I was a naïve child who grew up in a passively, mildly racist home) were such a wonderful change from the usual rice with ulam, and we have stayed faithful to the holiday ever since.

Having discovered the inner-housewife in me, I love to feed people until they need to roll all the way home. So, naturally, I invited our friends who knew what Thanksgiving was along with hubby's family. So far, so good. Then the pressure started - hubby's family and our German friends despised pumpkin. A couple other friends are vegetarian. Our American friend expressed that he was very excited to experience his first true Thanksgiving dinner in a long time. Yikes.

Hubby already knew how to make an awesome turkey with stuffing and gravy. The potatoes, corn, broccoli, etc. were simple enough. I turned to my trusty collection of Donna Hay cookbooks, where I found wonderful recipes for pumpkin and apple pie; easy to follow for a pie-novice such as myself. We adapted certain dishes to create a second that was vegetarian-friendly. All that was missing was an appropriate starter. I searched one of my favourite websites - recipezaar.com - and thus began my "cooking lessons from a convict", as an honourary uncle so graciously described it.

End result? Everyone loved everything! Hubby's turkey was amazing (as always), the pies were delicious (you can never go wrong with Donna Hay), and the convict delivered. Our American friend said it tasted as a true Thanksgiving dinner should. My biggest triumph, however, was that hubby's family and our German friends loved the pumpkin dishes, including hubby's carnivore step-dad who is allergic to most fruits and vegetables (too many vitamins!) and hubby's aunt who hates parsley. (I know hate is a strong word, but that is how she truly feels.)

I have been receiving lovely remarks on the pumpkin soup from friends. Here is the recipe (if you still are clueless as to who the convict is, you will find out now). I replaced the chicken stock with vegetable stock and used five cloves of garlic, and it still tasted heavenly.

Biden got owned by Barbara West?!?!?

2008-10-27T19:17:00.006+01:00

Any sane person who watches the video in my previous post would conclude that West was very droll (in the I'm-going-to-make-a-fool-out-of-myself-by-spewing-out-a-mix-of-McCain's-stump-speech-points-and-an-inaccurate-reference-to-Marxism kind of way) and that Biden came out on top.

It is, however, no surprise that things are not the same in bible-thumping Republicanland. Here are some of the comments from those nutheads regarding the West-Biden interview:

Go Barbara West!! Please keep asking the tough questions! Don't back down. It's about time. - dudehead08 (dudehead? What kind of alias is that?!?)

The backlash against the radical left elite media has started! Looking forward to the McCain/PALIN landslide! - AtlasObjectivist

This lady should run for congress and take over as John McCain's Campaign leader. - sah0620

And the absurdity goes on and on. You can read more of that delusion here.

Barbara West happened to interview McCain earlier this month. Her bias was already apparent in the way she lovingly mirrored his stump speech. What a brown-nosing groupie. Watch this video for a comparison:

Barbara West gets owned by Biden

2008-10-27T09:10:00.006+01:00

Biden: “Are you joking? Is this a joke? Is that a real question?”

I kept thinking the same thing whilst watching this video. Normally Barbara West’s careless use of the word socialist would infuriate me, but she was so ridiculous that all I could do was laugh at her harebrained and biased conduct.

How in the world did Sweden become part of the interview? How can she portray it to be a worse-off country? I suppose nobody told her that Sweden consistently ranks higher than the US in multiple quality of life indices. This is reminiscent of McCain mentioning Canada and the UK during the health care segment of the third presidential debate.

Thank you modern mommy for starting my day with a laugh =)

Tagged!

2008-10-26T14:00:00.012+01:00

I was tagged by modern mommy and now I have to share seven random things about me. Here we go:

Hubby's dad and step-mom call me the 'meat-girl'. (When I first moved to Germany, I was not accustomed to having the fourth meal - kaffeetrinken - and found it to be nauseatingly sweet. I used to top it off with some salami, a ham sandwich, or anything meaty to settle my stomach.)
I still have my high-school kilt.
My alias - deunadiana - is a contraction of deutsch, canadian and filipina.
I am in the process of trying to convince hubby to get a eurasian (dog - not mistress!) when our children are grown up and have moved out.
I am agnostic.
Bargain-hunting is my sport of choice.
I live in the same building that hubby's great-grandfather lived in 1905. We discovered this whilst perusing through hubby's grandfather's postcard collection.

That's it for me. Time to tag seven others:
Melissa's Miscellany
Tatiana von Tauber
an american expat in deutschland
Stepford Wife Chronicles
The Humble Pen
My Musings
muudie

Does anybody miss Chretien?

2008-10-24T21:37:00.004+02:00

I certainly do. That man had his good share of hilarious moments. Remember his press conference with Clinton on April 8, 1997?

Q: Sir, this is a question for both of you. The records show that there are far more drugs coming over the border from Canada into the United States now than ever before. Can you look into that and maybe do something about it -- both of you.

CHRETIEN: It's more trade. (Laughter.)

Q: More drugs coming in from Canada to the United States.

CLINTON: More drugs, she said.

CHRETIEN: More drugs -- I heard "trucks." (Laughter.) I'm sorry.

CLINTON: I'm glad we clarified that, or otherwise he'd have to delay calling the election. (Laughter.)

How about this gem?

Sigh. You'll never get that kind of stuff from PM Harper and his creepy eyes.

A Look Back at Bill and Bush

2008-10-23T23:34:00.006+02:00

WARNING: Not safe for work!

I always endeavour to end my day on a happy note. Thanks to Smashed Frog, who posted the video below on their blog, I was able to do just that.

And this blog is rated....

2008-10-23T19:55:00.007+02:00

...R?!?!?!?!? All because the word sex is mentioned ten times, the word kill five times and the word gun one time. Does that make sense to any of you? This must have been created by someone in the US because based on their criteria, this blog would not be rated R anywhere here in Europe. Except maybe at the Holy See.

You can have your blog rated at this website. What do you think? Does my blog deserve an R rating? What is your blog rated, and do you think it is accurate?

Neiman's + Saks vs. Gap + H&M

2008-10-23T13:54:00.008+02:00

The current buzz surrounding Sarah Palin is her designer wardrobe and the amount of money spent on it. Quite honestly, I am not bothered by this at all.

When Palin entered the scene, very few people knew who she was. We all know that a good first impression can do wonders and a bad first impression can be equally detrimental. There was a lot of pressure on the GOP to present her as someone substantial and established; someone worthy of a chance at becoming VP. What better way to do so than splurge on her appearance? She certainly needed that boost to cover up her stumbling ineloquence, which she revealed after the RNC.

On the flip-side, you have the Obamas who spend much, much less on their wardrobe and yet always manage to present themselves as substantial and established. This has been character revealing for all parties involved, no?

This works against the hockey mom image Palin has been trying to push forward lately. Despite that, I do not think it would be helpful to adjust her wardrobe now. Picture this: Palin dressed accordingly beside Obama. Now listen to them speak. Ouch for Palin!

As far as McCain goes; it is funny that he spent $5500 on a makeup artist when his party criticised John Edwards for spending $400 on a haircut.

"No, I am not an American!"...

2008-10-22T16:35:00.012+02:00

...is something I am sure every Canadian in Germany has had to explain. I realise that with Canada being in North America, Canadians are, in a sense, American. Following that thought, however, would lead to the assumption that one can call everyone in North, Central and South America an American, which we all know nobody does. I am referring to the seemingly widespread interchangeability of Canadian with American.

I can see where this might stem from. The US has played a big role in recent German history. From the installment of the Marshall Plan up until the departure of the Clinton administration, the US was seen as a shining beacon and as THE ideal to be emulated. With all that PR, I am not surprised that Canada was viewed as not much more than 'the neighbour to the north'. I already foresee disagreements with my children's future world history teachers over things like the War of 1812 (if I am not mistaken, it is also known to non-Canadians as the American-Indian War).

Bottom line? Stating that a Canadian is practically an American is something you do not want to do, just as you would not call the Scottish practically English, or the Austrians practically German. For a crash course on what Canadians are proud of, please watch this brilliant commercial:

(Photo from freefoto.com)

The Good Guy and The Mad Guy

2008-10-22T13:59:00.008+02:00

I am a proud mama.

I was in a bookstore with our younger daughter and baby today when we came across a selection of books written by or about Obama. (For those of you who do not know us personally, we have four children: a nine-year-old daughter, a five-year-old daughter, a four-year-old son and an almost five-month-old son.) Our younger daughter picked up one of the books, walked over to the pram and showed the book to baby proclaiming:

This is Barack Obama. He's the good guy on tv!

A salesclerk and several other shoppers smiled. Out of curiosity, I picked up a book with a picture of McCain on the cover and asked what she thought about him...

**frowns** He's mad on tv.

...to which she received some free candy from the salesclerk.

I am a proud mama. =)
(photos from senate.gov and washingtontimes.com respectively)

A Man after my Heart

2008-10-21T23:50:00.005+02:00

I just read that Michele Bachmann is trying to back away from what she said during her Hardball interview. Huh. After a little more research at this nifty blog, I found out this isn't the first time she has tried to back out of controversy.

But this post isn't going to be about her. I don't need to say much, because Keith Olbermann said what I think most Americans (and most of the world, for that matter) are thinking. Le sigh. Right now, he is a man after my heart.

If I had a top five list of men, like Lainey's list, Olbermann would definitely be on top. Yes, even beating my dear Colin Firth, for now. Watch this oh-so-eloquent rant and enjoy =)

Is Michele Bachmann the new Joseph McCarthy?

2008-10-21T13:30:00.005+02:00

I have never heard of Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) before today, and already I am deeply disturbed by her. In an interview on MSNBC's Hardball, she essentially equated the terms liberal, leftist and anti-American. Therefore, in her eyes, if you have a left-leaning opinion, you are anti-American. Period. She also called for a probe of Congress for "anti-American views".

She wants to bring back the McCarthy witch-hunts! I swear to God, this woman is McCarthy reincarnate, and I hope that Americans are as equally disturbed by this as I am. Once it starts, where does it stop? In America's super-Orwellian surveillance state there is already easy access to all phone calls, emails, chats, etc. And perhaps more importantly: why is a slightly left-leaning idealism inherently anti-American? Isn't an individual's critical nature a sign that they care? The thought of suppressing critical voices has a bitter aftertaste reminiscent of Stalinism - and who wants to go there?

There are others who have probed their government and populace for anti-nationalistic views and opposing ideologies: the Communists. I highly recommend those in favour of Bachmann's probe to watch The Majestic and, even better, The Lives of Others, and decide if they want their lives scrutinised in the same way.

I suppose the silver lining in all this is that it seems the Republicans are desperate enough to continue this "Obama is anti-American" campaign route. It is absolutely mind-boggling how someone with such outlandish thoughts, such as Bachmann, can even become a voter's choice. Where is the America that held dear the universal ideal of freedom?

You Have Two Cows: US Elections '08

2008-10-21T10:10:00.010+02:00

Here is an abstract description of the US political landscape, courtesy of those two beloved cows...

Republican:
You have two cows. Your neighbour has none and is hungry. So what?

Democrat:
You have two cows. Your neighbour has none and is hungry. You vote people into place who address this basic inequality. Taxes are raised here and lowered there, revenues are rearranged, until you have a cow and a bull. You hire your neighbour to milk your cow, giving him the prospect of saving up for his own cow and bull. You feel righteous.

Reform:
You have two cows. You don't know that you have a neighbour who has none and is hungry. You get tax breaks from which you soon have 5000 cows, by which time your neighbour has died from hunger.

Green/Peace and Freedom Party:
You have two cows. Your neighbour has none and is hungry. You increase taxes until you have only one cow left and your neighbour got the cow you had to surrender for your tax burden.

You Have Two Cows: Politics and Social Principles Simplified

2008-10-20T19:57:00.011+02:00

This is one of those jokes that I got forwarded to my email. I do not remember who sent this to me, but I thank them nonetheless.Politics Simplified
Feudalism:
You have two cows. Your lord takes a significant share of your milk.

Pure Socialism:
You have two cows. The government takes them and puts them in a barn with everyone else's cows. You have to take care of all the cows. The government gives you as much milk as you need.

Bureaucratic Socialism:
You have two cows. The government takes them and puts them in a barn with everyone else's cows. They are cared for by ex-chicken farmers. You have to take care of the chickens the government took from the chicken farmers. The government gives you as much milk and eggs as the regulations say you need. You go hungry.

Fascism:
You have two cows. The government takes both, hires you to take care of them and sells you the milk.

Pure Communism:
You have two cows. Your neighbours help you take care of them and you all share the milk.

Russian Communism:
You have two cows. You have to take care of them but the government takes all the milk. You go hungry.

Cambodian Communism:
You have two cows. The government takes both of them and shoots you. You would've been hungry, but you're dead.

Libertarian/Anarcho-Capitalism:
You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull.

Social Principles Simplified
Dictatorship:
You have two cows. The government takes both and drafts you.

Pure Democracy:
You have two cows. Your neighbours decide who gets the milk.

Proportional Representation Democracy:
You have two cows. A panel reflecting your neighbours' views argue at length who gets the milk and comes to no agreement. Months later, a compromise is drawn up where everyone gets orange juice.

Direct Representation Democracy:
You have two cows. Your neighbours pick someone to tell you who gets the milk.

Bureaucracy:
You have two cows. At first the government regulates what you can feed them and when you can milk them. Then it pays you enough to milk them. Then it takes both, shoots one, milks the other and pours the milk down the drain. Then it requires you to fill out forms accounting for the missing cows.

Pure Anarchy:
You have two cows. Either you sell the milk at a fair price or your neighbours try to take the cows and kill you.

Surrealism:
You have two giraffes. The government requires you to take harmonica lessons.

See? SEE? Even the cynic who penned this joke knows there is a difference between socialism and communism!!!

(photos from farmpower.com and tlarson.com respectively)

Gay Nader Fans for Peace

2008-10-19T19:28:00.006+02:00

Mr. Murphy and his law strike again. My mother-in-law took our older kids for the day to take some stress off of our shoulders, and what happens? I get sick. Ick. I did not get that nice (calm) stroll in the woods with Hubby and baby as we planned, but on the up-side we could catch up on tv shows we like without worrying that one of the kids sneak up behind us and ask why that "ugly man is naked on a table with his tummy open". I also found that I can watch whole episodes of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report in high quality. No more spike.com with their low-quality clips for me!

Last week I stated that the US Democrats are not left-wing on the world scale. I, unfortunately, was not able to find a chart shown to me ages ago that conveyed my point well. Turns out I did not need it. Here is Jon's take on Harper and the Tories:

Stephen Harper, of course, the leader of Canada's Conservative Party. Now, Canada's a relatively liberal nation. Their Conservative Party is the equivalent of our Gay Nader Fans for Peace.

A little exaggerated? Of course! He does, however, display my point from last week - erm - très magnifique! You can watch the clip below, or the whole episode here. I find his choice of clip at the end curious. It is obvious that he refers to Dion's accent, but is he perhaps also slipping in a comment on the Canadian notion of good government? What do you think?

"I'm not Bush!"

2008-10-18T11:39:00.007+02:00

Really Senator McCain? Your dance ability begs to differ. =)

(photos from news.bbc.co.uk and news.yahoo.com)

Sex or No Sex?

2008-10-18T01:43:00.016+02:00

Ahhh, yes. The fountain of youth. The secret to longevity. Who doesn't want in on such hot news?

Apparently the secret lies in sex, but that's where it gets complicated. I ran into this article about Clara Meadmore, a 105-year-old virgin in the UK. She claims her long life is a result of complete, untainted celibacy. This made me think of Harvard Professor Walter Willett, who stated in 2002 that the key to a long and healthy life is Greek cuisine and plenty of sex.

Personally, and I am willing to bet that almost everyone is with me on this, I prefer option b. A life without Greek food and sex? Scary.

Who are you more inclined to believe - the 105-year-old virgin who is still living her long life, or the Harvard Professor with all of his research? What is the key to longevity - sex or no sex?

(images from flybenji.org, teamsugar.com and menumagazine.co.uk)

What Kind of Nerd Are You?

2008-10-17T19:01:00.023+02:00

I found this cute quiz on Modern Mommy's blog. Hubby and I always knew we were nerds, but now we know what kind we are...

Me:

Social Nerd: You're interested in things such as politics, psychology, child care, and peace. I wouldn't go as far as to call you a hippie, but some of you are tree-huggers. You're the type of people who are interested in bettering the world. You're possibly the least nerdy of them all; unless you participate in other activities that paled your nerdiness compared to your involvement in social activities. Whatever the case, we could still use more of you around.

After that, in decreasing nerdiness, I'm a:
Science/Math Nerd
Literature Nerd
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Musician
Drama Nerd
Anime Nerd

Hubby:

Literature Nerd: Does sitting by a nice cozy fire, with a cup of hot tea/chocolate, and a book you can read for hours even when your eyes grow red and dry and you look sort of scary sitting there with your insomniac appearance? Then you fit this category perfectly! You love the power of the written word and its eloquence; and you may like to read/write poetry or novels. You contribute to the smart people of today's society, however you can probably be overly-critical of works. It's okay. I understand.

After that he's a:
Drama Nerd
Social Nerd
Science/Math Nerd
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Artistic Nerd
Anime Nerd
Musician

How about you? Take the quiz here.

(images from m3moore.wordpress.com and roeseann.blogspot.com respectively)

Rich Russians in Denial - Excessive Luxury Craze Continues

2008-10-17T15:44:00.006+02:00

Russia is perhaps the most affected by sinking crude oil prices and general financial instability. The rich in Moscow seem to not only have lost their understanding of an average life, but also their perspective related to their own wallets.

For the meager sum of approximately 300 Euros an hour, you can hire a luxury taxi. The one pictured is a Maybach 62 equipped with every conceivable luxury. Even if you cannot understand German, watch this clip. Near the end, the woman cannot find her stowaway desk and recruits the help of the driver to do so. That is how loaded the fleet is. She also scuffs at the contention that the financial crisis will have impacts in Russia. Denial much?

Meanwhile, Russian oligarchs need to return major stakes in Western European corporations for lack of funding. What a world.

(photo from russiafun.net)

Mariecel vs. A flamingpoodle - Round 2

2008-10-17T14:20:00.016+02:00

I'm happy to say that flamingpoodle, a.k.a. Garg the Unzola, has continued the interesting exchange of standpoints. For his original rebuttal, click here and scroll down to comments. Here we go!

In fact, taking the Hippocratic Oath is no longer a requirement to become a doctor.
The oath is no longer a necessity in the US? Interesting. This speaks of a sad change in the culture of the US medical community, but is also very telling. In a quick search I was not able to find support for your statement. Would you mind providing it?

Give it a try. Claiming that there are logical fallacies in my statement and actually indentifying them and pointing them out to me are two different things entirely.
Perhaps you did not notice that I indeed address and rebut every position of your statement. But far more interesting is that you ignored a good portion of my points. Perhaps, somewhere deep down, you agree?

You are assuming that someone who suffers from cancer would necessarily be reliant on a social health care system and won't be able to afford private health care.
Either you are ignoring selective phrases or I recommend for you to take a class in logic. I do NOT assume that the patient would not be able to afford private health care - this is indicated with the use of the word 'should' in conjunction with 'on the basis of financial ability'.

By your logic, it is entirely acceptable for me to get a yacht by virtue of the fact that I can't afford it. Or for me to have someone do my accounting for me free of charge, by virtue of the fact that I can't afford an accountant. Where do you draw the line between a fundamental human right and a privilege?
I draw the line where the issue at hand no longer directly affects my physiological and mental well-being. As I said previously, long hair will not kill you, but a cancerous tumour will. Not having a yacht will not kill you, but untreated diabetes will. Not having an accountant will not kill you, but untreated heart disease will.

Are the fundamental rights of those who can't afford health care not the same as those who are qualified to provide health services? If they are, then you can't say the doctor has to provide his services to someone who can't afford them any more tha you can deny me a haircut because I can't afford it.
Yes, I believe they have the same right to health care. That does not mean, by any standard of logic, that I can therefore force my hairdresser to cut my hair. You cannot equate the right to life with a wish for comfort.

Even though I think everyone has the same right to health care, I do not think everyone has the right to the comfort of private hospital rooms or medical practices that are not necessary to the physiological and mental well-being of the patient, such as medically unprompted cosmetic surgery. In most of continental Europe, general health care does not pay for your random nose job, unless it has become medically necessary, i.e. due to an accident.

If they aren't, then all are equal, but some are more equal.
We should all be equal with respect to basic, universal access to health care that treats medical ailments in full according to best practice.

It is a matter of basic equality that anybody, regardless of their financial background, who is in need of a specific medical treatment ordered by a doctor (be that dialysis or a simple break away from stress factors), should have access to said prescribed remedy. If you are lucky enough to be affluent, you can add comfort factors, such as private rooms and exclusive attention from the head doctor of the department, at your own cost.

That's all for now. =)

(images from i-hostels.com, bluebuddies.com, and cartoonstock.com respectively)

My Night with Obama and McCain...

2008-10-17T01:33:00.010+02:00

...wasn't as explosive as I hoped. I even popped some popcorn, ready to throw once McCain got into his condescending groove. It's almost 2am - yes, I missed the rerun of the rerun. Thankfully I could watch the whole debate on cnn.com. Here are a few, sometimes trivial, points of piqued interest:

No pin on McCain! I suppose Palin's pin was big enough for both of them.
There was Obama looking all presidential with his nice tie and pin, and then there was McCain looking like... a director of a funeral parlour about to give a eulogy.
Too many mentions of Joe the Plumber - by my count (by name) 15 from McCain and 5 from Obama. Oh, and it wasn't just Joe for McCain, it was "My old buddy Joe the Plumber". If Obama mentions my name 15 times, can I be his old buddy?
McCain didn't mention "middle class" at all. But then again, that really shouldn't come as a surprise, eh? After all, they are the most important consumption factor in the US today, and are generally neglected by the GOP.
Obama was a little flat at the beginning, but picked up later. If you weren't sure this was the case, McCain emphasised it with his visibly increasing irritation, negative and angry body language, constantly interrupting Obama, increased stuttering and change of topic when he ran out of things to say.
Glad to see that Obama was no longer reduced to "that one" who "doesn't understand".
"I'm not Bush" was a brilliant rebuttal, but leaves me wondering who he is. He's changed his position several times on some issues, which made this statement lose a little punch for me.
McCain referred to his campaign as "truthful". WHAT?!?!?
It's Obama's fault that the Republicans went extremely negative on advertising, as he refused to do more town hall debates. Boo-hoo!
Obama spent an unprecedented amount on attack ads. He stole the GOP's modus operandi and beat them at it. Boo-hoo!
It seemed that every time Obama started to paint a vision, McCain interrupted. Maybe because he lacked his own vision?
McCain on health care: "If you like that [Obama's plan], then you'll like Canada and England." So? Is he implying that's a bad thing? Canada and the UK (albeit their systems not being perfect) are both ranked higher than the US on WHO's ranking of health care systems, so I'm inclined to believe that's a good thing.

Good night and good luck.

(photo from nytimes.com)

Welcome to the Twilight Zone!

2008-10-16T14:33:00.010+02:00

All the household chores are done. I've been to the doctor, went shopping, had lunch and now the kids are letting their imaginations loose on legos whilst baby naps happily. I managed to do everything but WATCH THE DEBATE RERUN!!! I was so surprised when my cell-phone calendar started ringing, reminding me of my doctor's appointment. I hope I don't forget about the next rerun at 6pm.

Today is such a beautiful autumn day, and I think it's lifting everyone's spirits. Perhaps it was just coincidence, but every person I encountered for more than a few seconds jovially chatted me up - very odd in a country that is so often characterised by its inwardly-oriented population. And just when you think I've hit the peak of obscurity - wait for it - nobody asked me where I'm from! **cue theme music from The Twilight Zone**

This experience of being treated as a fellow German as opposed to an immigrant has yet to happen to me in the former East. The former West is much more in tune with a culturally diversifying Germany. I always knew this, but it really struck home for me today.

(photo from stern.de)

From the Canadian to the US Election (nur auf englisch)

2008-10-15T22:00:00.013+02:00

I'm not happy with the result of the Canadian election. The first words to come to mind are "waste of time". All that money spent on an election that pretty much resulted in maintaining the status quo. It's a shame the Green Party did not win a seat in Parliament - I was really rooting for May.

I'm sure that there are Conservatives celebrating the win. They now have more seats in the House of Commons. They believe that Canada is becoming ever more conservative. What do they have to say about the all-time low voter turn-out? It speaks to me of the population having lost its confidence in government and none of the major parties having the right answers for the problems at hand. It is possible that the same number of people voted Tory this year as in 2006.

Let's put everything into perspective: The Tories won 37% of the votes of 59% of registered voters which are 69% of the population. That means that 15% of the population supports Harper and 85% does not. (I hope the math makes sense!) Neither do the majorities of the three major urban centres. That is Harper's "mandate".

Oh well. What's done is done. Time to move on to the US!

I'm glad that CNNI runs repeats of the presidential debates. This third one is going to be interesting. The two candidates are going to be sitting down at a table with the moderator - similar to the Canadian Federal Leaders Debate earlier this month. As I said in this post, knowledge of key issues and communication skills will be much more in the spotlight. This might work against McCain, especially with all the name-calling ridiculousness that has defined his campaign as of late. It is much more difficult to insult your opponent whilst you are sitting down with him/her at the table than not facing him on a stage.

McCain needs this win against Obama. What can he do? Hubby suspects that he is going to try to pull off what Reagan did in his 1984 debate against Mondale. He was also trailing in the polls going in. In his closing statement, he did not summarise his plans should he be re-elected. Instead he went on talking a letter he wrote several years before, fondly remembering the beautiful California surroundings whilst he wrote it. He emphasised that the actions of the present will form the world that the people who open the capsule live in. He spoke of destructive powers, preserving freedom, and the "blessed planet called Earth". He used sentences like "...what they will say about us 100 years from now depends on how we keep our rendezvous with destiny", which mean nothing whilst sounding like something. It was sappy. It painted a beautiful picture. It spoke to the populace. And even though he was cut off, it was perfect. He was re-elected.

Reagan was the perfect candidate to deliver such a speech. He had all the training he needed from acting. He knew how and when to control his voice and mannerisms. McCain does not strike me as someone who can pull a similar stunt off. Take a look at this clip, watch McCain saying "Enh? Enh?", and I think you'll be inclined to agree. In either case, if this turns out to be his strategy, it will be interesting to see it unfold.

Now I'm off to bed, so that I can catch the debate re-run tomorrow morning.

Conservatives Win and Colin Mochrie Apologises (nur auf englisch)

2008-10-15T18:02:00.012+02:00

No, Mochrie doesn't apologise for the election outcome. This day is just full of bad news and silly comparisons for me (and to top that off I think I caught the bug going around from my hubby) that I needed some cheering up.

So for all of those mourning over Mr. Creepy-Eyes Harper's victory (and for those cheering it, because in the end we're all Canadian), here is Colin doing what he does best - bringing us joy and laughter.