Over-Compensation?

    The City of Calgary alderman and mayor are the among the highest paid councils in Canada.  Now don’t get me wrong, I love my city and do believe that it is one of the greatest places to live in the country.  My problem with the salaries of our elected officials is that they have decided that they will get automatic pay increases each year, regardless of our economic situation.  They also receive numerous perks and privileges that further increase their take home pay, such as a vehicle allowance, a generous pension plan, benefits and the ability to expense a variety of items, including top notch seats to a Flames game and even iPads.  I do believe that our council does have an important job to do.  But I also believe that my job is important, and that my time is valuable.  If me and my colleagues got together, and decided that we deserved a 5% raise, my boss would probably laugh, and say, well you know where the door is if you are not happy.  When I do have to travel for work, I am compensated on a per kilometer basis, but if I were to say, hey, you should be paying my monthly lease as well, I would probably get laughed at.  During council meetings, meals are provided.  When I go to work for 8.5 hours a day, I know that come lunch time, I will be hungry.  Does anyone provide me with lunch?  Not usually. I just cannot understand why we, as taxpayers, need to pay for our council to eat a well prepared meal at every meeting.  One councilor last term expensed not one, but two brand new iPads.  This just seems ridiculous to me.  In supposed tough economic times, we are allowing them to purchase toys… Interesting.  There are numerous other examples that I could ramble on about, but in the end, it really doesn't matter.  Council will continue to do whatever they want, and only have to answer to the constituents every four years.

Where is the Light Travelling?

     “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” is a quote that has been used countless times.  I am somewhat narrow-minded in my opinion of beautiful artwork.  What some people would call art, I usually miss the meaning and would call junk.  The piece of artwork installed along 96^th Ave a couple of months ago would be in the junk category.  The huge blue ring with two little sprouts on top named “Travelling Light” cost a head scratching half a million dollars.  The City of Calgary has a policy mandating  1% of capital project budgets be allocated to art.  I just can’t understand how no one at city hall looked twice at this piece and said “hey, maybe there is something more worthwhile we can spend that money on”.  How is it that our elected officials can continue to spend taxpayer money on anything and everything that they want.  Taxes seem to increase year over year, with no end in sight.  Now I know that $500,000 for this metal loop is not what is going to make or break our City’s budget, but I think that it is just a prime example of the wasteful spending going on at City Hall.  The citizens of Calgary usually have no say about these art projects, and are only told the costs after they are installed.  I would argue that if there had of been a survey before “Travelling Light” was selected, that there would be no way that it would have ever been considered. But hey, who am I to judge right?   

The $52 Million Dollar Question

       Politics affects every citizen in this city, whether or not they care.  The mayor and aldermen keep the city functioning and running as they see fit.  This last election had just over 200,000 people turn out to vote.  In a city of over one million people, I feel this number is painfully low, and just goes to show how many people really do not care about who is running our city.  If you look around local news sites, you can see numerous people who have made it their life’s goal just to criticize and bash our city and council.  And I can honestly say, that I feel the same way about most of the issues!  The major issue that has a lot of people fuming, is the $52 million in Provincial taxes that were not taken by the province,  that the City of Calgary has claimed as their own.  To me, I just have a hard time understanding why the Alberta government would claim that they have to reduce funding to education, and then turn around and say there is all this money that they don’t need.  I have felt from the beginning that the City should put that money towards the post-secondary institutions that were short-changed by Ms. Redford. 

Writing My Way: 101

The thought of not being able to see what I just wrote down is unfathomable to me.  The fact that Helen Keller could not see the words on the pages of the books she wrote is heartbreaking to me.  The more that I think about writing, the more I realize just how particular I am about it.  I have no idea where or why I have picked up certain writing habits.  All I do know is that it bothers me right down to my core to use a pen not suited to my tastes.   

First off, I will only use black ink to write almost everything, and I cringe when I have to use a blue pen.  When I write notes, the color pink is strictly for definitions.  Light blue is for important or key words.  Purple is for headings, and green is for examples.  I have many more colors, all with specific uses and meanings that only I will ever understand. 

Color is not the only factor for me when selecting a pen.  The ink must flow smoothly and effortlessly across the page.  Smudging is not an option, so I need a pen whose ink dries rapidly.  The pen cannot be too heavy, too fat, or too skinny.  A comfortable grip is also an added bonus. 

Maybe because I can see, I am losing the meaning of what I am writing.  Perhaps not being able to see would allow me to focus more on what I am actually writing and not as much on the aesthetics. Hopefully will never have to experience being blind, but I will cross that bridge if I get there.  For now, I will continue on with my odd OCD behaviours, as midterms are coming up and there is no time for change!

No Laughing Matter

     Online anonymity has produced a double-edged sword.  It has allowed for more open and honest opinions that some would not express otherwise.  It has also opened the door for people to unnecessarily attack others, with minimal repercussions.  I am going to address the particular area of hatred towards women, and feminists, although the same is true about different ethnicities and religions.  I feel that online anonymity has increased and radicalized the hurtful and hateful comments made towards women in online forums.  Anonymity has made it so that people can continue to harass anyone they choose with little to no real-life consequences.   There are some people that do post their genuine and constructive negative opinions, and I would argue most of these commenters wouldn't be shy to have their name known.  The ones that I have a problem with are the people who are saying rude and vulgar comments just because they get some sick enjoyment out of hurting others.

        Recently, I came across an article about Caroline Criado-Perez, a feminist in Britain that petitioned to have Jane Austen on the £10 bank note.  The amounts of disgusting, cruel and hurtful comments left on her twitter account were astonishing.  These trolls think that they have the right to say that a woman should die, that they deserve to be raped or tortured, and actively encourage the assault on feminists.  I feel that for the most part, nasty comments should just be ignored.  However, there are certain topics that I feel you cannot turn a blind eye to, things like rape, murder or pedophilia, as these are not laughing matters.  Saying that a woman deserves to be raped just for voicing her opinion in unacceptable.

        One commenter in particular was actually held accountable for his anonymous posts on Caroline Criado-Perez’s twitter, with the Scotland Yard confirming his arrest.  Just because something has been made public by the author, people do not have the right to say whatever they want and not have any repercussions.  You should not be allowed to harass somebody online, under a fake name and email account, just like how you cannot harass somebody in real life, where there are more legal options available to prevent such conduct.  The attack on women online has to stop, as it seems to be a never ending circle of abuse that is generally accepted in the mainstream.    

        Now I’ve never been a target of bullying, whether it is cyber-bullying or in the more traditional, physical sense, but I can imagine how traumatizing it must be to receive this constant barrage of comments made by some schmuck sitting by themselves at thier computer, whose only pleasure is to harass others.  I believe that you shouldn’t be allowed to hide behind some made up name and email address, and that if you have something to say, why not let everyone know who you are.  I think that it would make the internet a lot friendlier place, allowing for more meaningful discussions and debates.

Why Won't My Sidewalk Grow?

                Every morning, I look out my front window to see massive puddles surrounding all of the sidewalks and walkways around my place.  Was there a thunderstorm last night?  No.  It’s just the sprinklers giving the sidewalks their daily soaking.  The sprinkler system is set to go off every day, whether or not it is needed.  I have yet to figure out exactly what schedule they follow, as it seems almost random, day and night.  What I am sure of, is that I will have to jump and leap around the puddles just so I don’t get my feet wet.  

                Now I am not a fanatical “save the earth” type of person, but I do believe in being responsible and not wasteful.  I like a nice luscious green lawn as much as the next person, but is it really necessary?  I feel that other than on the golf course, it does not really make a difference if grass is thick and green or not.  But, my real issue here is the completely useless and unnecessary sprinkler system that is installed for all of the houses on my street.  There is one sprinkler that seems like it’s only purpose is to see how high up it can shoot.  It is not directed at any particular area of grass, just shoots straight up in the air about 10 to 15 feet high.  Another one reminds me of a nice water fountain that you would see in a small backyard pond, just gushing and bubbling out in one flow, creating a nice pool of water right at my neighbor’s front step.  The ones right outside my door sure do a fine job of watering my sidewalk, as the two sprinklers seems to be directed right at the concrete. 

                I have an issue with the sprinklers around the back of my house because they seem to go off at irregular times, but always between 1:00 am and 5:00 am.  This wouldn’t be an issue, except for when they turn on, it sounds like my house is coming under siege by an army of fire hose wielding soldiers.  They are so loud, that if I was able to fall asleep somewhat early that night, I will definitely be woken up. Half asleep, startled and perplexed, it will take a moment or two to realize that I am not under attack.   

                The lawns in my area look okay, not great but not brown and dying.  But I just can’t seem to see any difference in my sidewalks!  They just don’t seem to be responding to all of the lovely water that they are given daily, and definitely haven’t grown thicker or stronger.  Even though October is just around the corner, the sprinklers are still going off, just to make sure the grass is still being nourished.  I think it is about time to turn off the system for the year.  The grass surely will turn brown soon, and I would love to be able to sleep through the night, and not have to avoid all of the puddles on a daily basis.   

Big Earl

      You would think that two over-sized men, one dressed as a horse and the other a unicorn, barreling down the street towards me with scantily clad women throwing flower petals in tow, would have been the strangest encounter of the night, but little did I know this evening had quite the adventure in store for me.  A few beverages later, scenes from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas start flickering off in my head.  What have I gotten myself into?

      I had stumbled upon a street festival, unlike anything I have ever seen in my home town. Not one for the arts, crowds or anything out of the ordinary for that matter, you have to understand how truly unusual this was for me.  There were people in costumes everywhere, from dancers, to entertainers to people who I am sure just like to be different. Contortionists bending in ways I never knew possible.  Flame throwers, knife wielders, even bubble blowers. There were fortune tellers offering up everything I never wanted to know.  There were masseuses willing to rub me down.  Flashy jewellery, tattoos, pieces of what some might call art, random animals walking about, just so much to take in!  A woman in a fuzzy housecoat, slippers and curlers came up to me, wanting me to pay to play Truth or Dare in a small tent with strangers.  I declined the offer promptly.  “Hey you, you want the Big Earl?”… I’m sure a look of pure horror, confusion and bewilderment froze on my face as I quickly darted in the opposite direction, as I neither wanted to know what the Big Earl was, or find out who it belonged to.  

      What started off the same as any number of business trips I have taken over the years, quickly turned into one that I will never forget.  I was talked into “living it up a little” and going on an adventure to see a city I have been to so many times, and yet have never really seen.  What I did experience is a city that embraces the arts, quite unlike the city I call home.  It will be a night that I will never forget, and perhaps, next time, may even look forward to.