the kat found out where we direct complaints about doctors. i think bean will be lodging one soon. this guy has all of us women hopping mad. 

holy gods! ...ok, you probably know of my unnatural obsession with all things trent reznor, right? of course you do. well, he's narrated a PETA video about the chinese fur industry. trent reznor and peta: two of my favorite, eh, things. 

*sigh* i can be such a pathetic creature.

she went in for her first ultrasound - ever. this fuck of an ob/gyn comes in does his bit, says, "hm. i can't find a heartbeat. it's probably dead," and walked out of the room ... without another word. he must have figured the nurse could handle a shocked young woman with a hundred questions.

i've heard similar stories about the imaging place at the Tawa Centre in Millwoods (on 66 St). if you're unfortunate enough to be sent there, be prepared. 

the thing that pisses me off is that it's fairly normal that a heartbeat can't be heard in the first weeks of pregnancy ... especially the first pregnancy. i don't know why, i'm not an ob/gyn ... but i am human and i know enough to treat other humans with some decency.  see? you *can* be educated *and* fantastically stupid. 

b�tard foutu! (right rae?)

   ...rae was teaching me swear words in french last night.

stupid humans...

How Many More Whales Must Japan Kill to Find Out 
What They Already Know They Eat?

By Captain Paul Watson 

The Japanese government and whaling industry have been claiming that their whaling in the Antarctic and in the North Pacific is necessary for the pursuit of scientific research on whale populations and behavior.

It is an argument that few outside of Japan give any credence to, especially the scientific community. 

Whale expert Nick Gales, from the Australian Antarctic Division in Hobart, said the information Japan is collecting from whales they kill is useless.

"We don't need that type of science data to manage whale stocks," Dr Gales said.

Institute of Cetacean Research in Tokyo councilor Dan Goodman claims Australia, New Zealand and other anti-whaling nations should "strongly support" Japan's commitment to scientific research.

Japan announced at last year's meeting of the International Whaling Commission that this summer it would double its slaughter of Piked whales to 935 and target 10 endangered fin whales. In 2007-08, Japan will raise its self imposed kill quotas to include 935 Piked whales, 50 fin whales and 50 humpbacks whales.

Mr. Goodman said Japan had to kill the whales because certain kinds of data - including how old whale populations are, how old whales are when they reach sexual maturity, how long whales live for and what they eat - cannot be obtained using non-lethal methods.

"These are the kinds of data required to improve management measures for the resumption of commercial whaling," Mr. Goodman said. "Of course the anti-whaling scientists don't believe this kind of data is required because they do not want to see a resumption of commercial whaling."

Dr Gales, who is also head of Australia's delegation to the scientific committee for the IWC, said after years of research the 
Japanese should have concluded by now that Piked whales eat krill.

"They're asking for support for science that has no support," he said.

The "scientific research" is yielding hundreds of millions of dollars in profit to the Japanese whaling industry. Without this profit, there would be no "research."

Japan is fooling no one with their lies. The only research they are doing is marketing research. They have not published a single peer reviewed credible paper on their so-called research. We know what the whales eat so how many more thousands of whale stomachs and intestines must they rip open to find out what they already know they eat? They could obtain all the DNA data they need from non-lethal tissue samples taken with biopsy darts. One of the most laughable "research" goals is to discover if whale populations are in decline. The answer is obvious - they are in decline because of Japanese "research". The only thing they are discovering with their mass slaughter of the whales is profit from the sale of the "research" materials to markets and restaurants. This is bogus science and it should be condemned by legitimate scientists in Japan because it makes a humiliating mockery of the Japanese scientific community.

Japan should do some DNA research in Japanese fish markets where endangered whales including Orcas and Humpbacks are being sold disguised as Piked whales. 

Next year, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society intends to return to the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary to do some research of our own. We need to research more effective law enforcement measures to shut down this criminal operation that is posing as a "research" project.

Next year the stakes are higher because Japan will target 40 more endangered Fin whales and 50 endangered Humpback whales in addition to another 935 Piked whales.

The Japanese are playing nations like Australia and New Zealand for fools. They are getting quite a chuckle I imagine, every time some foreign politician defends Japanese "research" or expresses political and diplomatic impotence at stopping it. 

oh god. i just heard my mother say, "i'm an economical person." the kat will probably laugh his butt off when he reads that. 

i was telling the kat the other day that i'm supremely annoyed that the number of seats won in parliament does not necessarily reflect the popular vote. look at this:

from Elections Canada

i highlighted the ones with at least 1% of the popular vote or at least one seat. now, honestly, there has to be a better way of divvying up parliamentary power. i don't know the answer, but if you've got an idea, you should let me know. *sigh* i'm not just saying this because the NDP got the short end of the stick.

for a more awful example of this, look at alberta. the conservatives took 100% of the seats, but only got 65% of the popular vote. *that* pisses me off. really, my fellow canadians: we're only 65% redneck and on behalf of the other 35% of us, i apologize. (more sincerely than you might imagine.)

another distortion? the conservatives were completely shut out of canada's three largest metropolitan centres. much like our sad neighbours to the south, our national policy is going to be dictated by a government with a decidedly rural focus. 

more plain talk for plain folk?    ... *shudder* 

i feel awful for the green party. they didn't get the magical 6% of the popular vote that results in national funding.  :\  

oh hey. do you like dairy? go here and click on "TV Spot." 

so what's your favorite version of "traditional marriage?" 

i *wish* my family had been more traditional and selected my husband for me ('cause i'm a stupid female, given to the vapours) and given his family a big, fat dowry. that would have been awesome - being my husband's property, without a care in the world or a thought in my head. *that's* a tradition worth keeping, i say. 

but, i've heard that steven's idea of traditional marriage dates back a mere 60 years or so. you know, a time that all those old bastards that bought the Great Conservative Lie can winsomely hearken back to. beaver cleaver and such. vacuuming in my crinoline and high heels? bringing my beloved husband a martini when he gets home after screwing his secretary? not *nearly* traditional enough for me. 

and, what exactly is steven's problem with polygamy? it doesn't get more traditional than that. polygamy is old-testament-traditional. 

geh.

i saw this minority government coming about a month ago. i didn't think the liberals were going to be trounced as soundly as certain pundits had predicted and i knew the ndp would increase their number of seats. (jack is truly the only one remotely in touch with canada's problems.)

for those leery of more ndp power, know this: *all* the parties planned to spend a lot of money. they're out to buy your vote for next year's election; the campaign started this morning. even those supposedly fiscally-responsible cons couldn't find the cash to pay for their promises ... their own hired economist said so. at least the ndp promised to send the money to people who need it, not multi-national corporations.

so the next year, maybe year and a half, will be an exercise in idiocy. steven's happy that he *finally* gets to wear the pants - his traditional right as a man. paul is stepping down (hmmm ... ignatieff anyone?) and gets to see someone else take the heat. jack's probably thrilled to have an additional 10 MPs at the parliamentary lunch table, including his sweetie pie. 

and me? i'm happy to have ample ranting material. yay.

i've such nonsense from people who don't plan to vote. but, for all of their excuses, it comes down to two things: laziness and apathy. 

youth complain that politicians don't care about *their* issues, however, most non-voters are under the age of 30. is it any surprise that our governments don't pay attention to issues related to youth, or that when they do, they come up with the most asinine solutions? 

the conservative solution to rising gun violence is mandatory minimum sentences. this is classic conservative avoidance of fundamental problems. rather than focusing on youth at risk (providing safe community recreational programs, increasing educational opportunities etc) they're going to try these kids as adults and throw them in jail. 

maybe this is their idea of increasing access to affordable housing. (which, by the way, they plan to do by giving private sector companies tax breaks in exchange for cheap housing projects ... and believe me, they'll be cheaply made, but hardly affordable.)

how about reducing tuition fees? tuition fees have risen 300% since 1990, but it's an issue that rarely affects people over 30. if you're a student, you ought to take an interest in this if you'd like to get your undergraduate degree with something less than $25,000 of debt. 

politicians won't care about youth until youth start caring about politics. 

i've also heard that there's no point in voting because all the parties are the same anyway. what a load of ignorance. getting to know the different party platforms will take some effort and at least a half hour of your time. there's 20-odd parties running in this election. my riding has six candidates to choose from: Liberal, NDP, Conservative, an independent, Green and Marxist-Leninist. sure, the line between the corporate whore Liberals and Conservatives has been blurred, but tell me how the Marxist-Leninist candidate is the same as the Conservative candidate. there really is something for everyone.

geh. at least the liberals say they're against militarizing space. star wars = a stupid idea ... but i digress.

i don't have time to ramble today, but i think i've made my point.

if you care about what politicians are going to do to you, go vote. *vote!* you don't get to bitch later if you don't. 

i'm sure i'll be bitching later...

last night i went to the NDP rally at the Bonnie Doon Community Centre and i had loads of fun. people from the edmonton small press association were there (those lefties i volunteered with last summer), as were edmonton's NDP candidates, our NDP MLAs and jack himself.

jack layton is so charismatic - i think he actually believes what he's preaching. yes - i feel good about voting NDP. i've got jill on board and i think rae is voting NDP as well (she's a member of the teacher's union).

the election day party at the transalta arts barn should be a good time as well. if you're interested, it starts at 6 pm and goes until the polls close - 10330 - 84 Avenue, Edmonton - and there's parking to the north of the building.

plus, there's snacks and a cash bar. who doesn't like snacks?

and, there's probably going to be chanting and clapping and camaraderie and all those things that make rallies fun. seriously. 

i'm not feeling very good today. *stupid fever*   so i think i'll head home for the afternoon. 

on the 27th i turn 27 years old. i think that counts as 'late twenties.' gods. time marches on. 

my mother was my age when she had me - a fact she brings up frequently.  more so since i broke the devastating news that i don't plan on having children. i rather like my life with the kat and the cats. i'll be an auntie and sometime babysitter. i think that will be fine. 

geh - i need to get to bed. 

mom has given me a bottle of Cold FX - the one hawked by don cherry. i hope it works. apparently, grapes takes it every day.

tonight, i'm going to see Hostel (the eli roth, quentin tarantino movie). i'll let you know how it goes. imdb provides the following plot outline: "Three backpackers head to a Slovakian city that promises to meet their hedonistic expectations, with no idea of the hell that awaits them." hedonists meeting a gruesome end - glory!  i understand there's some torture depicted in this one, so i'm guessing i'm in for a queasy evening.

speaking of torture, i read the conservative party of canada's 25-page platform outline, or, blue book, i suppose. is it really so difficult for them to *not* come across like a pack of sniveling malcontents? "the corrupt liberals, in collusion with the marxist ndp, did such-and-such, but we, on the other hand, love and support family/community/traditional values/security/veterans so we'll do something different." (ok - i'm paraphrasing there.)

i didn't see much love in their platform. i saw a lot of posturing and rhetoric - nothing that made me believe that they see canadians as anything more than assets whose effective maintenance consumes X-number of dollars ... unless the aforementioned canadians are low income, gay, pot-smoking immigrant women, in which case, a lot of attention will be paid to their personal lives and, if harper gets his way, they'll be thrown in prison for a mandatory minimum sentence where they'll pose no threat to traditional values.

ahh, traditional values. (except for the ones about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, ministering to the sick and attending to the needs of widows and orphans.) i'm *infinitely* tired of people who talk about values, but think the solutions can be as clean as tax cuts. a photo-op in a soup kitchen during a campaign, at best, means nothing, at worst, indicates genuine contempt for humanity.   ...spurious bastards.

if you've read my stupid blog at least once before, i'm probably preaching to the choir. i'll stop now.

momma-bean has decided to buy another car. she realized how difficult it will be getting mini-bean in and out of a car seat without a four-door vehicle. i'm trying to convert her to the glory that is Saturn. :D 

the office is absolutely silent except for the furnace fan next to my cube. no one's talking, the phones aren't ringing ... i must escape.

maybe i'll deliver things to the edmonton office and run errands... i'll leave my music going and i bet nobody would notice my absence.  ehh - if only i were so fortunate. 

hmm - hello ipod! wouldst thou deign to entertain me? 

i really need to stop typing. i was about to write the entire conversation i was having with the ipod. 

crazy client (ex-client, woo woo!) came in this morning to pick up the last bits of paperwork and to complain that he didn't understand his financial statements. or, more precisely, that he's never understood his financial statements. and, he's a business man so it must be our fault that he couldn't wrap his mini-brain around debits and credits or even the plain old lists of expenses and receipts. yes - our fault entirely. if only we'd written the statements in crayon.

you know, i seem to recall learning the difference between a cash flow statement and an income statement in 'Introduction to Canadian Business' ...thank you university for teaching me something useful. 

i'm thrilled to be rid of this guy, but i wouldn't wish his weekly dehumanizing onslaughts on anyone. 

in the end, he left the office amid smiles and handshakes. we're so professional.

oooh - i want to offer my public congratulations to miss tina on her new job: fancy-pants record exec.  :)  i'm so happy for you dear - you deserve it!  :D  (especially after all that slavery, er, internship)

or perhaps not. 

after all, canadians will get the government they deserve. the liberal party is only marginally better for canada, but only because their leader doesn't say that he'd solve homelessness by ... wait for it:

      giving the homeless extra gst rebate money.

i suppose the homeless will take their t4's down to h&r block come tax time a apply for their rebates and their cheques will be sent out to the *mailing address* they've provided. wtf. 

steven harper is either stupid or heartless, like the people who vote for him. (...but i really don't believe that harper is stupid.)

yes. canadians (except for the poor who have zero influence) will get the government they deserve. ladies, get ready for our very own version of fearless leader - a man who thinks you shouldn't have control over your reproductive system. 

in ways, i secretly hope that the conservatives get a big, fat majority government. let canadians see how quickly we ditch the Kyoto Protocol and any semblance of responsible resource management. let canada join the u.s. 'star wars' defense system and watch our social programs and economy crumble under the weight of exorbitant military spending. let canadians watch the middle class slip away while the poor get poorer and the rich get richer.  

  ...but only if canadians see the deterioration and get mad enough to do something about it. 

the kat says i'm an anarchist. i don't know. i think i'm just angry. 

america has seen all of that happen and we're well on our way to joining them. 

you people had better vote. or else ... geh ... i'll be mad. 

(btw, don't think for a minute that you're 'voting strategically' if you vote liberal. they're fucking corrupt. the liberal technocrats are desperate to hang onto power and will acquiesce to conservative demands in a heartbeat. there's more to responsible governance than what the liberals or conservatives are offering.)

we're going to have a completely organic garden. i really don't see the point of ruining our vegetables with poisons. mm mm mm ... i haven't had a garden since we moved to the new place. this is going to be fun. and, probably, exasperating. 

the kat and i went to the roost on saturday. things seemed kind of dull.  bleh. but i had a new bustier and shiny boots to wear. again, i got the bulk of my compliments from drag queens. *sigh* actually, the boots made me about as tall as them. i rather enjoyed being 6'4" ... 

i also (finally) wrote to all of our company's foster parents plan kiddos in the dominican republic. i've been neglectful for many months now. i'm never sure what to write. so much of our north american life must seem ridiculous to people who *actually* have problems. geh. i wrote about where edmonton is located, said that we think of them and that we enjoy receiving their notes and i enclosed a group photo of our staff. that should be ok ... the last thing i wanted to do was seem falsely sentimental. (even though i really do think about them every day.)

i'll make an effort to write at least a few times in the next year.

provided i'm still with our company in a year's time.

i'm on the lookout for that light-haired leo, sagittarius or aries woman who's supposed to open a "big door" for me this year. even though i believe in all that metaphysical stuff, i'm constantly surprised by my psychic's abilities. she knew about bean's baby and several other specific things. i guess i shouldn't be amazed if this woman comes along.

i miss the coast and the trees. ever since the kat and i started reminiscing a month ago, i haven't been able to get it out of my head. someday, we'll go back. 

a friend of mine is running a bisexual discussion group. if you'd like to join us, go here. it just started this month and we'll be looking for volunteers  :D  

so the holidays have come and gone. in some ways i feel recharged and ready to face work once again. in other ways ... not so much.

xmas, jill's birthday, the office xmas party and new year's didn't leave much down time for me. i know i didn't post anything this past week, but i'm sure most of you had better things to do than read my drivel.

so here's a run down on my activities/discoveries/musings: the kat and i made xmas eve dinner for the family. we went to my mom's place for xmas day dinner. i got plenty of nice things from the kat - he's such a sweetie. jill turned 21 on boxing day and, again, the kat and i hosted the family. hum - i have a pregnant sister and i'm not certain how i feel about it - it's a mixture of anticipation, worry and annoyance that i'm losing a primary partner in crime. *sigh* what else? my mom hosted the office xmas party at her house and the kat got to see his most favorite person in the whole, wide world - that french woman who insists on hugging him while telling him that americans are pigs. nice. two of our friends split up and i feel awful that their long slide into divorce culminated during the holidays. very sad. and - finally - we went to a friend's place for new year's eve and i was, reliably, socially inept. well, the degree of my ineptitude relies considerably on your definition of socially acceptable behaviour. ;P in any case, i feel badly that my inflexibility and reserve thwarted a friend's attempt to make the evening fun ... on the other hand, i'm simply uncomfortable with party games that require me to lay bare all my innermost thoughts.

did you actually get through that mess of a paragraph? i'm impressed.

i'm back at work. i'm taking on a new role: paperwork nazi. i'm certain to annoy people, but i cannot allow people to do things as they have before. oh yes ... there are forms and procedures and policies galore. i hate myself.

ehh - i don't really, but this arbiter of all things administrative role is not fulfilling and, decidedly, thankless.

i must return to my policy writing. i have a mere 8 months before i lose bean to motherhood and begin training a new employee.