just percolating...
How does a recent graduate stay hopeful? The unemployment rate for youth climbed to 14.9 per cent in May, says Stats Can. One in five young adults have moved in with a friend or relative, says Maclean's. Most are suffering from recession anxiety, says the Calgary Herald. If you're graduating soon, recently graduated or a parent of one of the former, I hope you'll take heart with this "Letter from South Korea" post. Below, you'll find Part 1 of … [Read more...]
"I realized the power writing has, and it has also helped me deal with my rage ... It gave me a lifelong commitment not to be afraid to speak out about injustice." -- Dominick Dunne … [Read more...]
I'll be the first to admit, I haven't been out to the movies much in, say, oh ... the last seven years. Yes, coincidentally, since I've become a parent. So, I might be wrong here, but the movie Julie & Julia was the first movie that I know of with blogging as a central focus. Even though I couldn't care less about Julia Child, and cooking in general for that matter, I was excited to see this movie. And that had everything to do with the … [Read more...]
More breaking news to add to the "do not host a party where you intentionally hope your children catch an illness of pandemic proportions" that I reported on last night. This time ... okay, are you ready? Here it is: moms have power. Gee, moms rule the nest? Who knew. Okay, in all seriousness, I do think the article is note-worthy even though I already know that I am all-powerful. Here's why: it suggests that online marketers are not tapped … [Read more...]
Breaking news from the CanWest News Service: Experts warn that hosting a swine-flu party for your children is NOT a good idea. Geez, NOW they tell me. I spent all last night preparing the kids' goodie bags for this weekend. I guess I can save them for the next pandemic party circuit. In case you choose to ignore the experts, the Pig Party Deluxe Pack shown here is available from Birthday Express! … [Read more...]
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I'm old. There's just no denying it anymore. Three things happened in one day to slap this fact right into my face. First, my daughter comes home yesterday singing "School's out for summer!" She starts to repeat this refrain, and I join in with her. She goes quiet and looks at me with surprise. "How did you know the words?" It is hard to explain that these lyrics are far older than she is. That once, a long, long, long, time ago, Mommy … [Read more...]
I found it curious that last Saturday two of our national newspapers had below-the-fold cover stories on the topic of suicide. Suicide is something that rarely gets discussed among family members, let alone in our mainstream media. In this case though, both stories covered the suicidal deaths of soldiers. The Globe and Mail investigated the death of Major Michelle Mendes, who killed herself in Afganistan at the age of 30. The Ottawa Citizen … [Read more...]
Kevin Jungel did what many of us will never do in our lifetime: move to a foreign country. He moved more than 6,000 kilometres from home. Into an environment with a different culture, a different language -- heck, even a different side of road to drive on. He moved from Germany to Canada to establish a North American headquarters for WEICON, a manufacturer of specialty products used in industrial production. That was 2008. We all know what … [Read more...]
Full-day kindergarten is the big news for us parents in Ontario. A summary article on this report and its rec's can be read here. Here's some interesting persepectives on this issue: The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario The Pilot Program of Full-day Kinder National Experiences Margaret Wente of the Globe & Mail Local Blogger DaniGirl Another Blogger A Little Bit of Momsense … [Read more...]
One of the most enjoyable parts of working in communications is the opportunity to meet members of Canadian industry. Recently, a writer I work with asked me to help him interview and write a series of success stories on investing in Canada. One of the companies I spoke with was Phostech Lithium, based in Quebec. The most interesting tidbit I have to share with you on this company is that they have developed an advanced lithium-ion battery that … [Read more...]
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