Gender Inequality – In So Many Words…
On the George Stroumboulopoulos Show, this week, @Strombo referenced some statistics, regarding Gender Equity and Equality in Canada.
Talking about how we were behind progressive Nordic Countries like Norway and Sweden… but also some Third World Countries.
I Googled: “Canada Lags+Gender” and got this Globe & Mail report, which, in part, talks about:
– Earnings gap in Canada being estimated at $28.3 K for Canadian Women , compared to $40 K for Men.
– Women comprise 50% of the population, but only 22% of Canadian Members of Parliament.
There are many other stats that support the point of view that Canada, as a society “devalues” Women.
Perhaps not as much as Pakistan or Afghanistan… but enough that we are not anywhere close to being a world leader.
As I thought about this, my mind suddenly flashed to a short but brilliant Blog Post I had come across during the summer.
I thought I had bookmarked it, but I couldn’t find it… so I started searching… and searching… and finally coming up with it.
It was a brilliant piece, written by Alix Wright on CanucksHockeyBlog.com
Off Season Thoughts: Gender Insults in Hockey
I’ve been thinking on this for a while and the off season seems a good a time as any to raise it. It infuriates me that hockey players are so frequently tagged with the “women” insult. Hank and Danny get called the Sedin sisters by rival fans. Sidney Crosby gets called Cindy Crosby or terms for female anatomy when he dives or complains to the refs. WHY? Why is that an insult? Why is it still OK to stereotype a woman as weak or whiny or emotional? I feel the same way about how gay insults are thrown around but that could be saved for a whole new post. I know the hockey world can be an old boy’s club in many ways but it’s juvenile and unoriginal and frankly I think hockey fans can be better than this. Hockey as a whole can be better than this.
I can’t remember the specifics, and again, I can’t find a record of it… but in my own experience, I have written e-mails to CKNW after Neil McRae made repeated remarks on air, drawing a parallel between NHL players and feminized names, in one instance… (Cindy Crosby… Sedin sisters) …and in another instance to a TV Station (I think it was SportsNet Pacific) after John Garrett literally showed an NHL playoff goal, and then played a clip of a Women’s World Cup Hockey goal, and made a disparaging remark about how the level of intensity in the NHL was not reflective of the level of skill in Women’s Hockey.
I wrote e-mails to both. Neither offered me the courtesy of a reply. apparently neither felt it was inappropriate.
Hockey is Canada’s Game.
It is one of the Tent Poles of our Society, by which we stake our International Reputation.
We are one of the best places in the World to live, according to many reports.
Why is it acceptable to subjugate and diminish 50 % of our population… or worse, to use that 50% as an insult ?
I agree with Alix… We are SO much better than this.
Fall Fraser Valley Bead Show…
I have written before about this event, and it is back this coming weekend.
October 22 – 24, at the Cascades Casino in Langley, the Fraser Valley Bead Show is here again !!!
For those of you surprised that I get excited about beads…
(I recently commented to someone that I’m not really a “glitter glue” kind of guy)
…but, both Lorie and I make lampwork beads……….. when we have time. 🙂
Anyway, the admission is $7.00
According to the Fraser Valley Bead Show website, there are 48 vendors, and lots of different stuff:
Bling Dynasty, Barrie Edwards, Red Room & Maebeads (just to name a few)
In addition to the Vendors, there are classes you can attend.
Hope to see you there !!!
Bob Blah Blah…
Friedrich Nietzsche said it best.
“I am one thing, my writings are another matter.”
I started the BobSongs Blog, because I wanted to write, and talk about my music.
However, life… (messy as it is) …got in the way.
Things sometimes tick me off, and affect me, and I feel compelled to write and explore my feelings.
So, (for instance) when news that convicted pedophile Graham James had received a pardon from the National Parole Board, and the Federal Government (tough on crime ???) knew nothing about it… I was ticked.
When I was plucked from amongst other volunteers, to run with the Olympic Torch, I wrote about it.
And, for over a hundred Blog posts… whatever the fallout, I wrote about it.
I’ve had some folks pile hate on me… a couple of them, to the point that I had to block them.
But overall, the response has been positive, or it has (in some cases) inspired a debate… and that is good.
At its best, discussion brings together different viewpoints, and when done properly, is an inclusive process, showing us that we are more alike than different.
At worse, it allows me to vent, to bring to light something that I am proud of, or think deserves a bit more prominence.
There have been a LOT of very varied topics… but my original intention was to have my Songs and Songwriting featured, but my BobSongs Blog evolved into a lot of other things.
Thus, I’ve been looking for another Blog name, that encaptures the “everything else”-ness of my writings.
Driving down the highway, in Washington on Friday, my sweetie and I were talking about it, and…
Bob… Blah… Blah…
was born.
This will be the home of “What’s In Store”, Caught on the Web, Musings and other NON-Music posts.
Thanks for checking it out, and I hope to see you back here, soon!!!
Building A Cabinet…
A while ago, my wife and I found an antique mailbox.
(The link to that post is here…)
I wasn’t sure how I was going to design a case to hold it, so it took longer than I thought it would… but such is the way of life !
I knew that I wanted the cabinet to be “rough looking”, so I went on the hunt for some rough hewn wood.
A few years ago, I had found a place on Westwood Street in Coquitlam that sold wood salvaged from old buildings. When I went back, this time, the fellow only had a few bits left, as he just wasn’t able to find a constant supply, and so had shut down the business. He had about 15′ of 1″ thick barn boards made from old growth Douglas Fir, and 10′ of Douglas Fir Tongue and Groove. The Barn Boards were wonderful old wood, with knot holes, nail marks and although I wasn’t sure there was enough wood, I grabbed it for the $30 he was asking!
Over the next few weeks, I kept looking at the wood, and measuring the cabinet, and finally figured a way to make it work. The boards were 12″ wide, and so I made my own rough tongue and groove planks, 5.75″ wide, and joined them together to make the 16″ deep cabinet I needed.
What I DIDN’T think about, was that because the wood was so old, so dry, and slightly warped… not all the planks wanted to go into place, and so a few splits showed up while I was forming the sides… but I just added some biscuit joins, and clamped it back down again.
The real test came when I was trying to custom fit the slots and wires that were on the side of the mailbox assembly, and create notches and grooves for all the “sticky-outy bits.” Took a while, but we got there.
Assembly day, and turns out the cabinet is 25″ wide, and I only have 24″ clamps. Fortunately, my Father-In-Law has a workshop full of tools, and he was happy to loan me some clamps that were big enough.
Between the sides and the shelves, the “big” chunks of wood were all gone, and at this point, I wasn’t sure how I was going to make the doors, but I thought I would see if the cabinet frame worked first, and cross that bridge when I got there.
I supported the mailbox on a piece of 3/4″ plywood, with a 2″ strip of Fir on the front (to make pretty) dado cut into the sides.
The top was fastened with a biscuit joiner to the top of the sides, exposing the T&G top, and showing some of the nicer wood “character”.There were a ton more steps, and the doors were a challenge, because I had to make them out of three different small chunks of wood, because I didn’t have enough large pieces left… but in the end it is done (other than, from the back view, you will see that we have some re-wiring to do.)
It has been a bit of a challenge, and a large puzzle to wrap my brain around… but that is the sort of project that I find VERY engaging.
As I look at it, I am quite pleased with it, and once the cables are tidy, I’m sure I will like it even more.
In the meantime, I thank you for your patience, because I have not been posting to my Blog, as often as I normally do… because I’ve been working on this.
And…
Because I’ve been working on this, and it is nearly done, I thought I would post it to my Blog!
Kateslem Walk To Protect Kids…
This coming Friday, in Coquitlam, an after school program will be taking to the streets, to raise funds and awareness of their program.
Kateslem is an after school program that tries to ensure quality learning opportunities for vulnerable youth.
The program is currently being run out of Banting and Como Lake Middle Schools.
You can find out more about the program on their webpage: Kateslem.com
The Walk starts at Banting Middle School at 4pm.
(Banting Middle School is located at 820 Banting Drive, Coquitlam)
It will proceed along North Road to Austin, up Austin to Como Lake Middle School.
(which is on the corner of Gatensbury & Prince Albert)
It sounds like it will be a fun event, and I hope you can attend… or support their program with a donation.
Here is a PDF, with the details.
Come on out, it’ll be a great afternoon for a great cause!
Ridge Meadows Terry Fox Run…
This morning I got up early, got ready, and headed over to the Hammond Community Centre for the Terry Fox Run.
Stop…
Stop laughing !!!
I was volunteering… not running.
But, on a serious note, it was the 30th Annual Run… (but I’m ashamed to say) …my first one.
Sandy Wakeling, a friend on Twitter, and I had been “talking” during the recent Stand Up 2 Cancer broadcast, about our HATE for Cancer.
(Usually, HATE is too strong a word… but with Cancer, I’ll make an exception.)
He asked me if I was participating in the upcoming Pitt Meadows/Maple Ridge Terry Fox Run. I said no, but I would love to help if he knew where I could volunteer. He did, and so it was that I found myself, just before 8 am on a drizzling Sunday morning, headed across a parking lot to find out what I could do to assist the folks who were there.
We set up tents, carried juice boxes, unloaded t-shirts… all amid a crowd of smiling folks.
Met some awesome folk: Joanne, Betty, Hank, Tami, Barry and a couple of Bruce’s. (There were more folks, but I’ll do better with names next year !)
As the race got closer to being underway, I was asked if I was okay with directing traffic, and sent out to guard and guide traffic and pedestrians at the intersection of 114 & 207.
The Run was broken down into three distances: 1 kilometre, 5 kilometres & 10 kilometres.
When I got to 207th, Officers from the Ridge Meadows RCMP detachment were already there, and waiting to help control traffic… so our jobs became the more joy-filled purpose, of simply cheering the soggy runners on.
Shortly after 10 am, the run started.
… and so did the rain.
It started with gentle showers, and progressed to a monsoon-like deluge.
I have never been outside in such a downpour.
And from the smiles and grins on the face of the runners… you would never have known the sun wasn’t shining.
The crowd was (reportedly) bigger than ever, and I can’t remember ever volunteering at an event, where so many people were so happy to be there.
And then the light show started !
Lightning and thunder… pretty close to overhead.
Those participants holding umbrellas and those of us holding Stop signs, gave a gulp of surprise… shook off the rain, and kept going.
There are many stories that I came across today… those of Cancer survivors, and some folks who came in memory of someone who had lost their fight…. but none touched me as much as the lady who about 9:40 came along, and asked me if she was going the right way.
Many people had been asking directions to the Community Centre, where the start was, as it is buried in the midst of a residential neighbourhood… so I started to give her directions to the start, and she interrupted me, and explained, they had already been there.
This was her 30th year doing the “Run“, and every year, it was taking her a little longer to get around.
So, because she didn’t want to hold anyone up, and to avoid being jostled by the crowd… she and her companion (maybe a daughter ?) had started early.
They came across my intersection again… which means they did at least the 5 km route… close to the end of the crowd, as the Run was winding down.
Soaked through, but grinning from ear to ear, you could tell she was pleased that she was close to completing another year’s Terry Fox Run.
I wanted to take her picture… but the rain was lashing down, and my Blackberry was already soaked through (along with the rest of us) so it will have to wait for next year, when I’m sure I shall see her again !
Thanks to all the cheery people who came out on a rainy day to play in the big puddle the roads turned into… the volunteers who laughed in the rain… and the one special lady who reminded me that sometimes to just complete the race, is its very own reward.
Here is a link to a Video on Youtube, done by ESPN in tribute to Terry Fox.