tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-158394022011-04-21T20:49:34.919-04:00When you're a rural telecommuter, being locked out is a lonely business.Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.comBlogger381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1143213945021133702006-03-24T09:54:00.000-05:002006-03-24T10:25:45.096-05:00

Some very good news, indeed.What a surprise it was to hear the phone ring at 6:00am Thursday morning and hear my friend Dawn's voice hyperventilating with joy. "They're free! The hostages are free! Jim's OK!"Over the last 24 hours, we have learned a few details. The operation was carried out by a multi-national coalition without the use of force, as the abductors were temporarily away from

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1133790988469715862005-12-05T08:50:00.000-05:002005-12-05T08:56:29.736-05:00

From Canadian detainees Mahmoud Jaballah, Mohammad Mahjoub and Hassan AlmreiElectronic Iraq 4 December 2005To the people holding James Loney and the other Christian Peacemaker Team Members in Iraq,In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious and Merciful,Our names- are Mahmoud Jaballah, Mohammad Mahjoub and Hassan Almrei, and we have been detained without charge for between four and five and a half

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1133743525517626082005-12-04T19:41:00.000-05:002005-12-04T22:37:57.563-05:00

Please take a moment to sign this petition in support of my friend Jim Loney and his colleagues on the Christian Peacemakers Team who are being held hostage in Iraq by a group calling itself The Swords of Righteousness Brigade.It is a tragic and terrible irony it is that these 4 men who went to Iraq to bear witness to injustice have been taken hostage and threatened with death. The hostage

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1133354872379763882005-11-30T07:42:00.000-05:002005-12-01T14:26:06.393-05:00

It was with great sadness, but not surprise, that I heard that Jim Loney was among the captives taken hostage in Iraq earlier this week. Jim is a committed pacifist who has chosen to put himself in the path of conflict in order to help those most affected by the aftermath of war, specifically the displaced and the grieving. The group he represents, Christian Peacemaker Teams, is founded on the

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1132954255881084232005-11-25T16:27:00.000-05:002005-11-25T17:01:56.240-05:00

Today was Buy Nothing Day, and I forgot (at least this year we didn't buy a house on November 25th, as we once did). My son Nate needed a winter jacket desperately. He grew about 5 inches since last year, and his jean jacket simply wasn't cutting it in the 50cm snow drifts that blew in on Wednesday. I took him to town, and after finding nothing second-hand, bought him something snug and warm

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1132667083363902732005-11-22T08:41:00.000-05:002005-11-22T10:51:56.990-05:00

Found at: Pocket LintSee also: MITMIT unveils $100 laptop to the world Posted by Stuart Miles 17 November 2005 - MIT has unveiled its $100 hand-cranked laptop computer to the United Nations technology summit in Tunisia and said that it hopes to make millions of the devices to give to the poorest people in the world.The lime-green machines, which are about the size of a text book, will offer

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1132594421873418222005-11-21T12:25:00.000-05:002005-11-21T12:33:41.890-05:00

I was amused to read this funny essay on Tom Kernaghan's Oakwriter blog this morning. Tom seems to have become enamored of a certain rare species of North Americans: those born in 1964.First off, let me make this clear: I was not born in 1964. But I was conceived in 1964, so I think I'm close enough to offer some insights. Not that Tom would expect me to, but what the hell.Being born in 1964

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1131727045473826602005-11-15T10:30:00.000-05:002005-11-15T10:30:14.570-05:00

Everyone that celebrates Christmas has some meaningful event that marks the beginning of the season: the first Advent, the lighting of the municipal tree, the Charlie Brown Christmas special on TV. Egg nog. The Canadian Tire flyer. Whatever.The annual CBC reading of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol has become the real beginning of the season for me. In years past, I've been a bit of a

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1131987918650801322005-11-14T12:00:00.000-05:002005-11-14T12:05:18.673-05:00

I just got a note from my producer, who is working in the CBC building today while I work from home.It seems that sometime since last Friday, there have been advertisements installed in the washrooms at the CBC Broadcast Centre in Toronto. Yes, even on the second floor, where much of "commercial-free" CBC Radio lives.So, this is how we're going to generate new revenues for the corporation? To

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1131625148385603052005-11-10T07:17:00.000-05:002005-11-10T07:19:08.396-05:00

It's snow.Hard little pellets of corn snow, freezing to the ground where they hit. Sigh.

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1130883808425759362005-11-01T17:18:00.000-05:002005-11-01T17:23:28.436-05:00

I was distressed to read the article by Guy Dixon in the Globe and Mail today about the new CBC Radio One afternoon schedule. This quote from host Kelly Ryan about the new program "Freestyle" leapt out at me:..."we're playing lots of music. Music that doesn't normally make it on the CBC," such as Madonna, Elton John and Top 40, Ryan added. "This is the kind of show you can have on in the

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1130865711944475342005-11-01T12:17:00.000-05:002005-11-01T12:21:51.956-05:00

Last Tuesday, a team of researchers from the University of Waterloo came to my house and spent a couple of hours testing my brain. This was a follow-up to the on-line synaesthesia study that I mentioned in earlier posts. My own type of colour-number association is not as vibrant as some peoples' synaesthesia in which seeing or hearing a specific digit or letter causes the person's visual field

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1128635627021855202005-10-06T17:36:00.000-04:002005-10-06T17:53:47.036-04:00

It's over. Well and truly done, save the ratification vote. (If you think there's any chance this won't pass, I've got some lovely "wetland" on the Saugeen River I'd like to show you...).I had a bit of a cry today. OK, I teared up at least 3 times in the last 24 hours. I guess I didn't realize how much tension I was holding in my body until I let it all out. Glad that's done.I still don't

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1128376351516708572005-10-03T17:41:00.000-04:002005-10-03T17:52:31.530-04:00

Maybe I should be blowing those balloons up after all.At first blush, this looks amazing:"WE HAVE IMPROVED RIGHTS FOR CONTRACT EMPLOYEES AS FOLLOWS: - Contract employees who have been on contract for four years will be allowed to convert to staff if they wish. Any contract employee who has four years of service on ratification will be allowed to convert immediately.- The approximately 90

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1128365704228417362005-10-03T14:41:00.000-04:002005-10-03T14:55:04.240-04:00

Fssssssssst. There goes one party balloon.I think this quote from the latest CMG note answers my question about retroactivity regarding staff conversion for fixed-term freelancers:"People who have been on contract for four years can convert to permanent status, including employees working in Arts & Entertainment who have been denied that right since 1996. That provision is ongoing, so that

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1128361580503221502005-10-03T13:42:00.000-04:002005-10-03T13:46:20.510-04:00

Sorry to those of you on the T.O. line who've been anticipating the Tuesday tomatoes. We're just about done for the season.But we do have APPLES! Lots of them! I've just come back in from picking. Highlights include one wasp sting, a few Newtonian bonks on the head and one brief downpour of biblical proportions (10 minutes later and the sun is struggling it's way through the thinning clouds,

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1128342180831741362005-10-03T08:18:00.000-04:002005-10-03T08:29:15.110-04:00

I'm overwhelmed by the news that we have an agreement in principle. Finally. And from the looks of what few details we have to go on, this is not a "settle for" deal but a best case scenario, at least for my small sub-catagory of workers.I'm awaiting the details on the elimination of the freelance fixed-term contract catagory with guarded enthusiasm. I wrote about my experiences with this

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1128091467517952722005-09-30T10:39:00.000-04:002005-09-30T10:49:20.056-04:00

I froze my hard, increasingly skinny ass off doing my circles on the pavement yesterday. I'm beginning to have anxious fantasies about huddling around burning barrels if this goes on much longer. Guessing when this will be over is a mug's game. Now that there's a news blackout on the negotiations going on in Hull, I've only got 2 factoids to go on:1 - apparently Susan Marjetti and Rob Renaud

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1127747086974933912005-09-26T10:59:00.000-04:002005-09-26T11:04:46.976-04:00

Today I gear up again for another 3 days away from my home and family in order to walk the picket line in Toronto. Herein lies the irony: my actual work for CBC requires about 2.5 days per week and one trip to studio every second week. The lock-out requires 3 days (and 2 nights) per week in Toronto - and that I spend money to be there, of course.Last week, I calculated that it cost me roughly

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1127753581854294622005-09-26T08:39:00.000-04:002005-09-26T12:53:02.716-04:00

This morning, I received a letter from Professor Phil Merikle in the Department of Psychology the University of Waterloo. He is leading the research on synaesthesia I mentioned in an earlier post. Here's some of what the letter said:Dear Philly,Thank you for completing both the SYNAESTHESIA SURVEY and the COLOR ASSESSMENT TEST on the Synaesthesia Research Centre website.As you may have guessed

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1127485845579415602005-09-23T10:27:00.000-04:002005-09-23T13:25:30.550-04:00

Those of us on the line hear a lot of talk about who is and who isn't winning the public relations war in this lockout. Consensus has it that the public sides with workers and the CMG, and that CBC management looks like an exclusive club for inept, bullying goons. The assumption is that the public actually understands the issues, perhaps because we're getting a lot of great support from print

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1127158813378989122005-09-19T15:32:00.000-04:002005-09-20T20:05:51.543-04:00

Yes, I've been quiet. Both a head cold and a gastro-intestinal thing swept through the house over the past 4 days. I'm happy to report we're all better now. I'll be on the line in T.O. Tuesday aft, late Wednesday aft and a good chunk of Thursday. FYI - I'm bringing colourful basketsful of cherry tomatoes from our laden vines - watch for them near the CMG trailers. (Please eat them. Please.

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1126879816656102572005-09-16T10:07:00.001-04:002005-09-17T23:05:23.616-04:00

Since I was a child, I've been aware that I don't sense things in the same way most people do. I am mildly synaesthegic, which means one sensory input can trigger, in me, a perception from a completely different sensory organ. For some people, music triggers colour. For others, numbers or letters trigger smell. For me, colours trigger numbers in decimal place (and vice-versa). For example,

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1126873593874461062005-09-16T08:22:00.000-04:002005-09-16T08:26:33.933-04:00

Breaking news about the Terry Fox 25th anniversary broadcast segment from St. John's can be found at John Gushue's site this morning.

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1126824033093449382005-09-15T18:33:00.000-04:002005-09-15T18:40:33.096-04:00

HERE'S THE OFFICIAL RELEASE:September 13, 2005MEDIA ADVISORYEND the CBC Lockout!An Evening In Support of Public BroadcastingTORONTO - Prominent speakers and well-known entertainers will join forces on Wednesday, September 21 at 8 pm to show their support for public broadcasting, and to encourage an end to the CBC lockout. This public event will take place at Massey Hall in Toronto and admission

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1126725134227310622005-09-14T14:50:00.000-04:002005-09-15T02:09:23.513-04:00

As you might have guessed from my previous posts, this week I'm not doing picket-line duty. My husband is away for the week on his long-anticipated annual canoe and camping trip, this year in Temagami. Living (as we do) over 2 hours from Toronto, I can hardly nip down to the city for a quick shift on the line while the kids are at school. My requests for remote duty lock-out tasks seem to have

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1126637199939237292005-09-13T14:44:00.000-04:002005-09-14T16:55:14.126-04:00

OK, Workerbee, I've risen to the challenge. You dropped the gauntlet (or was that an oven-mitt?) and I've picked it up.This is not easy, given that I'm a very intuitive cook and rarely use recipes. Thankfully, friends liked these enough that they asked me to write this one down.These cookies never fail. They are studded with intense bursts of candied ginger, the applesauce keeps them chewy

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1126579004413545162005-09-13T08:00:00.000-04:002005-09-13T08:01:16.186-04:00

I might as well continue with the only vaguely content-related references to pop songs from the 70's...Here's an observation I forgot to note last week: I actually wore the nail polish off my toes doing the picket stroll. The polish rubbed clear away in the middle, making my toenails look like little buff-and-bronze picture frames, or TV screens, if you prefer.The lock-out tee-shirt I made last

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1126546140685385662005-09-12T13:23:00.000-04:002005-09-19T14:06:43.536-04:00

As promised, here's some information about events of interest to world music enthusiasts. At this point I'm just going to cover Toronto-area events,but if this lock-out stretches on, I'll try my best to tap into dates across the country. here goes:On September 21st, there will be a free event at Massey Hall in support of public broadcasting. The evening will be produced by locked-out CBC

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1126275175248664322005-09-09T10:10:00.000-04:002005-09-09T10:19:48.133-04:00

my hips hurt.I managed to get some time on the picket line at the TBC this week - 7 hours on Wednesday and 9 on Thursday, to be precise. If the calculations are to be believed, I walked roughly the equivalent of a marathon each day. this may be nothing new to those of you who are now into week 4 of the holding pattern, but it is still a novelty to me. By the end of this, we lock-outs will be

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1125840933708363792005-09-04T09:31:00.000-04:002005-09-04T11:45:05.710-04:00

Bafflegab.I am the only one who finds the number-slinging by CBC management disingenuous and self-serving? I see the recent mail-out from CBC says that only 5% of current employees are on contract, INCLUDING (my emphasis) fixed-term freelance employees, of which I'm one. If memory serves, the actual ratio of workers on contract to CBC without permanent employment status is closer to 30%.

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1125720612426089982005-09-03T00:12:00.000-04:002005-09-03T00:13:04.403-04:00

my computer is an anachronism. You know, back in the day, a G3 was considered pretty hot. now it's likely to show up on the Antiques Roadshow. I can't run the browser platforms I need to be able to properly maintain this blog, ergo the lack of finesse. Combine that with a blazing dail-up speed of about 28800 and blogging is about as much fun as watching paint dry - without the benefit of

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1125679237636126862005-09-02T12:30:00.000-04:002005-09-02T12:40:37.653-04:00

OK. the promised "hard" content will come to the blog soon... but this is still supposed to be my vacation time, so I'm waiting until next week to knuckle down. with this unexpected gift of time stretching out ahead of me, my aim is to do all those little things I've been putting off for weeks, months, or in some cases, years. As long as I don't have to spend a dime on them, of course.since

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1125660706528980572005-09-02T07:28:00.000-04:002005-09-02T10:52:38.923-04:00

Ugh.I have two invoices that have gone missing somewhere in the CBC. One is for expenses accrued when I did some out-of-town business travel. The other is for shows I wrote for the upcoming season, recorded before the lockout. Normally - even under these abnormal circumstances - this shouldn't be a problem. I have an organized and competent colleague on the inside who is trying to help me. I

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1125516931814533432005-08-31T15:30:00.000-04:002005-09-02T07:44:28.566-04:00

It is discombobulating for those of us who are locked out to hear our old shows being played at odd times in the schedule, or in my case, on a different network altogether. At least they are identified as repeat programs.I feel for the summer replacement hosts whose shows are being heard for the 1st time during the lockout. It sounds as if they've crossed the line to produce them. We who work

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1125434972717446712005-08-30T16:47:00.000-04:002005-08-30T18:48:32.206-04:00

let's all pray that cooler heads prevail and the hyperbole is kept down to a dull roar when everyone returns to the table tomorrow.My fantasy world includes a scenario in which I don't have to spend $40 on gas to drive to the city and sleep on a sofa so I can do picket duty next week. actually, that's not entirely true - I want to get down there and see it for myself once the kids are back in

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1125416500086868412005-08-30T11:25:00.000-04:002005-09-03T11:44:44.890-04:00

Last week I wrote a feature about life as a long-term contract worker for the CMG's CBContheline website (see link, right - it's archived at "your stories"). The piece will be excerpted in upcoming flyers and print ads.Today I'm making the most of being home with my son, who starts grade 1 next week, while his sister is away at camp. He made 2 funky cardboard-box dioramas (a winter scene and an

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15839402.post-1125342064497701332005-08-29T16:17:00.000-04:002005-08-30T16:33:18.046-04:00

I won't bother to use a psuedonym. if you recognize my name, great. and if you don't, that's no problem... someday when the CBC website is back online you can google me and find out for yourself. FYI - I'm a host on a weekly specialty music show.In June and July, I worked extra hours to get a much anticipated vacation in August. But instead of enjoying myself soaking up the sun on the beach, I've

Philly Mhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17571149126601668818noreply@blogger.com4