Tuesday, October 23, 2012

A Friendly Compromise Leaving No One Satisfied


In April this year when MP Stephen Woodworth reopened the abortion debate, claiming that he wanted to the study the moment a fetus is considered a human being. He motioned that it was to modernize the 400 year old definition of a human being in the Criminal Code of Canada which states that “a child becomes a human being only at the moment of complete birth”. Woodworth assured everyone that this was in no way going to re-criminalize abortion. I beg to differ. The controversial issue was scheduled for debate and votes in September with very few wanting to reopen the subject, including Stephen Harper who is pro-life.
If the definition of human being has been around for that long then why change it if it works? Defining the term “human being” will somehow be a loophole for the conservatives to stop funding abortion. In Canada, abortion has been quietly legal since 1988 after decades of activist movement. The Tories today seem to think that those imposed against the bill are just afraid of finding out the true moment a fetus becomes a human being. Wrong, even some pro-life MPs are against Woodworth’s bills because they had promised in their campaign not to open the topic for discussion. Conservative MP Eve Adams has said that the debate is politically damaging for the party, “We did make a commitment in this election not to open this debate, that we wouldn’t go there, that this is a matter of personal conscience for women and something that they take their own personal counsel on. The fact that we’re engaging in this debate really speaks to a dinosaur era.” Her words the exact thought many women, myself included, agreed on.
By the end of September, the bill lost, 91 in favor to 203 against. Possibly the most alarming vote the bill got, was from the Minister of the Status of Women, Rona Ambrose. Her motion disgusted, disappointed, and dehumanized the women she stands for. Of all the MPs, women expected Ambrose to support the women’s reproductive rights regardless of her own views on the matter. However that is not a fair take says The Globe and Mail’s Tim Powers, “As Minister for Status of Women, many wrongly assumed based on their own personal predilections that she would be de facto opposed to M312.” Her mistake is not entirely in her side of the vote, but her lack of explanation to justify why she voted for the bill.
Bringing Bill M-312 up was a definite mistake, it has caused the Conservatives their platform, created pro-choice advocates uproar across the nation and questioned the integrity of our MPs. Although it is safe to say that those against the bill can breathe a little easier now, it has left a bad taste in them. It is no persons business to define the biologics of women’s bodies, or question the existence of a human at the time of conception. Bottom line, I hope that this is the last time we hear of any abortion-related debates for a long time, at least until technology stems and a human being will not be defined in a room of dinosaurs.

Monday, October 22, 2012

"Ride" by Lana Del Rey.



I was in the winter of my life, and the men I met along the road were my only summer.
At night I fell asleep with visions of myself dancing and laughing and crying with them.
Three years down the line of being on an endless world tour, and my memories of them were the only things that sustained me, and my only real happy times.
I was a singer, not a very popular one.
I once had dreams of becoming a beautiful poet, but upon an unfortunate series of events saw those dreams dashed and divided like a million stars in the night sky that I wished on over and over again, sparkling and broken.
But I didn’t really mind because I knew that it takes getting everything you ever wanted and then losing it to know what true freedom is.

When the people I used to know found out what I had been doing, how I had been living, they asked me why.
But there’s no use in talking to people who have a home.
They have no idea what it’s like to seek safety in other people, for home to be wherever you lay your head.

I was always an unusual girl.
My mother told me I had a chameleon soul.
No moral compass pointing due north, no fixed personality.
Just an inner indecisiveness that was as wide and as wavering as the ocean.
And if I said I didn’t plan for it to turn out this way I’d be lying, because I was born to be the other woman.
I belonged to no one, who belonged to everyone, who had nothing, who wanted everything.
With a fire for every experience and an obsession for freedom that terrified me to the point that I couldn’t even talk about it, and pushed me to a nomadic point of madness that both dazzled and dizzied me.

Every night I used to pray that I’d find my people.
And finally I did, on the open road. We had nothing to lose, nothing to gain; nothing we desired anymore, except to make our lives into a work of art.
Live fast - die young - be wild - and have fun.

I believe in the country America used to be.
I believe in the person I want to become.
I believe in the freedom of the open road.
And that motto is the same as ever.
“I believe in the kindness of strangers, and when I’m at war with myself, I ride, I just ride.”

Who are you?
Are you in touch with all your darkest fantasies?
Have you created a life for yourself where you can experience them?
I have.
I am fucking crazy.
 But.
I.
Am.
Free.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Lana Del Rey's "This is What Makes Us Girls"

Lana Del Rey has got to be this years best breakthrough artist; her voice is hauntingly hypnotic, her music is history rewritten and above all, she is absolutely breath taken beautiful! My favorite songs from her are "Video Games", "Born to Die", "Without You", "National Anthem" and this one. There is no actual full version edit on YouTube, there are parts in this video that are cut and paste. Still, just dauntingly amazing. Her videos are masterpieces.. check out National Anthem after!



Remember how we used to party up all night
Sneaking out and looking for a taste of real life
Drinking in the small town firelight
(Pabst Blue Ribbon on ice)

Sweet sixteen and we had arrived
Walking down the streets as they whistle, "Hi, hi!"
Stealin' police cars with the senior guys
Teachers said we'd never make it out alive

There she was my new best friend
High heels in her hands, swayin' in the wind
While she starts to cry, mascara runnin' down her little Bambi eyes:
"Lana, how I hate those guys."

This is what makes us girls
We all look for heaven and we put our love first
Somethin' that we'd die for, it's our curse
Don't cry about it, don't cry about it
This is what makes us girls
We don't stick together 'cause we put our love first
Don't cry about him, don't cry about him
It's all gonna happen

And that's where the beginning of the end begun
Everybody knew that we had too much fun
We were skippin' school and drinkin' on the job
(With the boss)

Sweet sixteen and we had arrived
Baby's table dancin' at the local dive
Cheerin our names in the pink spotlight
Drinkin' cherry schnapps in the velvet night

Yo we used to go break in
To the hotel pool, glimmer and we’d swim
Runnin' from the cops in our black bikini tops
Screaming, "Get us while we're hot. Get us while we're hot"
(Come on take a shot)

This is what makes us girls
We all look for heaven and we put our love first
Somethin' that we'd die for, it's our curse
Don't cry about it, don't cry about it
This is what makes us girls
We don't stick together 'cause we put our love first
Don't cry about him, don't cry about him
It's all gonna happen

The prettiest in crowd that you had ever seen
Ribbons in our hair and our eyes gleamed mean
A freshmen generation of degenerate beauty queens
And you know something?

They were the only friends I ever had
We got into trouble and when stuff got bad
I got sent away, I was waving on the train platform
Crying 'cause I know I'm never comin' back.

This is what makes us girls
We all look for heaven and we put our love first
Somethin' that we'd die for, it's our curse
Don't cry about it, don't cry about it
This is what makes us girls
We don't stick together 'cause we put our love first
Don't cry about him, don't cry about him
It's all gonna happen

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

The Law of Attraction

The positive energy that you put out will be what you can expect to receive. This great little pad of inspirations includes 365 incredible daily teachings to awaken your spirit. My Wednesday reads:

Whatever feelings you have within you are attracting your tomorrow.
Worry attracts more worry. Anxiety attracts more anxiety. Unhappiness attracts more unhappiness. Dissatisfaction attracts more dissatisfaction.
AND...
Joy attracts more joy. Happiness attracts more happiness. Peace attracts more peace. Gratitude attracts more gratitude. Kindness attracts more kindness. Love attracts more love.
Your job is an inside one. To change your world, all you have to do is change the way you feel inside. How easy is that?

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Vermicelli Salad

Made with fresh picked herbs from my garden.

Peanut dressing:
Equal parts of fish sauce, rice vinegar,
soy sauce
Triple parts natural crunchy peanut butter
Small drizzle of sesame oil

Nuoc mam:
3 table spoons each: brown sugar, rice vinegar & fish sauce
2 minced garlic cloves
1 bird eye chili pepper

Rice noodles, boiled and drained with a wash of cold running water.
Julienne carrots/ cucumber
I didn't have any bean sprouts, those would've been lovely. I snipped some perilla, mint and houttuynia (my favorite herb).
Toss everything together. Top with chopped scallions and shrimp, chicken would be better. And sprinkle peanuts of you have any.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Hot soup on a summers day

Crispy chicken pesto wrap, roasted garlic and mushroom soup, lemonade slushie

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Reluctance

"Ah, when to the heart of man
Was it ever less than a treason
To go with the drift of things,
To yield with a grace to reason,
And bow and accept the end
Of a love or a season?"

Robert Frost

My Favorites From Work

It's all about the quesadilla.

Bun Rieu