Cleaning up the cell phone

I was deleting some photos from my cell phone last night and it's interesting to see what images I felt I just HAD to take when I didn't have my camera with me. Some are of friends and family, others from shows I attended. And other, just curious images from the place I'm in at the time.





In hindsight, I should have been at a different angle to capture this awesome tree house in Nova Scotia. There's the tower with a bridge that crosses to a balcony that surrounds the tree. It was amazing. I bet that dad's a carpenter!







I was driving my daughter and her friend home from swimming lessons one night when I just had to pull over and take this shot of the atrocious spelling on this grocery store sign. I suspect it's a bilingual sign, combining Acadian and English. Whatever the reason, it made for a great discussion with two young, keen girls in the back seat.








This jacket was just too ugly not to record! I was at Value Village one day -- it never hurts to know what's out there! -- and found this jacket. It was the most curious piece of clothing I've ever seen. The ribbons, the satin applique -- yeesh. No wonder it was at Value Village.

Right to Know -- forgotten?

I received this news release today from P.E.I. Wouldn't it make more sense to send out a news release before Right to Know Week? And what about Right to Know Day -- why mention that when it was last week? Seems like someone forgot to say anything about our right to know...


October 2, 2007

ATTORNEY GENERAL PROCLAIMS RIGHT TO KNOW WEEK

CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI -- International Right to Know Day is recognized worldwide as an opportunity to raise awareness about the right of individuals to access information held by public bodies.
In recognition of International Right to Know Day, September 28, and planned local activities, Attorney General Gerard Greenan has proclaimed September 28 - October 5, 2007 as Right to Know Week in Prince Edward Island.
“I hope this declaration of Right to Know Week will help to raise public awareness about the public’s right of access to information,” said Attorney General Greenan. “Islanders expect their provincial government to operate in a manner that is both transparent and accessible. We are responsible to ensure Islanders know they have a right to request information held by government departments.”
The Minister said, in the past year from November 2006 to September 2007, provincial government departments have received 51 requests for information.
The Attorney General thanked Karen Rose, Acting Information and Privacy Commissioner, and the local Right to Know steering committee for organizing local activities in recognition of Right to Know Week. Activities include an essay writing contest, poster contest and public information forums.
More than 60 countries have legislation promoting access to information, and more countries are in the process of developing such laws. The Prince Edward Island Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act was proclaimed on November 1, 2002 to make government more open and accountable, and insure that Islanders’ personal information held by government is protected. The Act covers the records of provincial government departments, agencies, boards, commissions and crown corporations. School Boards were added under the Act in November, 2003.


Weblinks:
Right to Know Canada -
PEI FOIPP page
PEI Information and Privacy Office

Working the networking

Are you a networker?

I think for some people, the gift of gab comes easily, while for others, it's a chore. Plunged into a room full of business contacts, sometimes we don't have a choice but to strike up a conversation with the person beside us. It's better than standing over in the corner looking like a wall flower.

I attended a cocktail party in Ottawa once (sounds so glamorous!) and I noticed one man standing by himself for quite some time. Been there, done that, hate the unease of it all, so I went over and started a conversation. My journalism background probably makes it easier to jump into a conversation, but I wasn't asking any probing questions -- where are you from? What do you do? -- that kind of stuff. Turns out he was a politician (Ottawa, go figure) from Atlantic Canada. When I made that link with him, we began to talk about bars that we hung out in during college years. We were likely in many of the same places at the same time, it turns out.

Finding that one nugget of shared commonality is the key, I think, to opening someone up in these kinds of sitations. Do you work in the same field? Have kids ths same age? Play similar sports? Vacation in the same places? Asking the other person about their job and their passions is always a good idea, giving you the chance to let them do the talking.

The worst thing you want to do is walk away feeling like it's been a one-sided conversation and you've done all the talking.

I'm just back from a train trip from Belleville, Ont. The nearly 24 hour trips is excruciatingly long, but I'm glad I had a room to lounge in, pulling a bed down and night and allowing myself to be rocked to sleep by the trains movement along the tracks. I was also jolted awake each time the train came to a stop throughout the night.

Train travel gave me an inside peak at the outside world. I was detached and withdrawn from contact, unlike traveling in the car, where if I wanted to talk to the people we passed by, I could have simply pulled over and struck up a conversation.

As we pass by the back doors of houses along the way, I wonder what stories are inside. Lavish homes by lakes, dilapidated shacks by the tracks, farm houses away from the city and condos in the thick of down towns. Workers of the land, offices and homes, why do you live where you do? Why did you choose the train as your neighbour? Do you get along with your neighbour? What's going on in your life to bring you to this home? I hope the people living in the run down apartments and shacks can find the inner strength they need to find a better home. No one should have to live like that.




Before I booked my ticket, I debated over whether to get a room. I did, and, cocooned inside, I spread out my books, papers and clothes in my own little space.

Through the woods of Northern New Brunswick at dusk on the way to Belleville, I anticipated the chance to see some wildlife, but the closest I came was when the stench of a skunk seeped into my little room during the night. I guess it tried to outrun the train and lost. However, there was a certain comfort in knowing that air is being circulated in from outside, and not just recycling smelly feet air.

The graffiti along the route is amazing. Sometimes it’s right near the train station, on the backs of retainer walls or on the slanted sides of overpasses. Fat, round letters in black and white spray paint but there are many colourful ones to see too. At Dorval Station, vibrant blues, yellows and reds create words. I can’t make out what it says, but it doesn’t matter. I can instead admire the simple beauty of the artwork, knowing the white stucco was probably a very inviting canvas.



I changed trains in Montreal, leaving the wrapping of my private room to regular seats. I treasure solitary time, but human contact is interesting too.

In the seats, we're certainly closer together. Maybe even too close. The old woman beside me has fallen asleep. She's snoring softly and her relaxed arm is increasingly creeping into my space. I lean closer to the window just a bit.

The crying baby is finally asleep. I was getting tired of hearing other passengers heave sighs of annoyance, as if the mother was pinching the boy, keeping him awake and fussy on purpose.

Remember the little movie cards we has as kids? Hold the deck with one hand and flick your other thumb quickly through the edges on the outside. The fast movement makes the pictures on the cards come to life. I always loved the little “zip” noise as my thumb passed over the cards.

Corn fields flick by and their straight and narrow rows make me think of the movie card. There’s no movie, though, although I’m sure the farmer growing the corn has some fabulous stories to tell.

There are many stops along the route and it’s fascinating to watch reunions at the train station.

Happy children bound off to meet awaiting relatives, or run across the yard to greet disembarking grandparents. Middle aged husbands efficiently whisk luggage out of the hands of their wives or extend a friendly pat on the back to young men.

At one stop, several young adults, probably around 15 years old, were greeted with deep, strong hugs from who I presume were their parents. One girl gets off and nearly falls into her father’s arms and sobs. As she melts into her mother's arm, the older woman takes the girl's face in her hands and wipes away tears with her thumbs, smiling reassuringly to her at the same time. The young adults were hugging each other too. Long, compassionate hugs that clearly showed a strong bond between friends.

What’s going on? My only guess is they’re a sports team, but they don’t appear to have any equipment with them. I wonder if they won or lost. I search their faces for clues, but I really can’t tell.

The whole scene is gripping. Despite only being a few feet away, since I’m still on the train and they’re on the pavement outside my window, we seem worlds apart. I can’t ask them what’s happening and I can’t hear what they’re saying... it’s like watching a silent movie.

The hugging continues as the train pulls away and I turn backwards to catch a different point of view, maybe see a clue on someone else's face. It’s only after they’ve disappeared from sight that I realize I’m crying too. I’ve never seen such an obvious display of affection.

It was a long ride, but enjoyable. Peeking into the backyards of homes along the way, wondering about the people who live there and catching just a peak of another world.

I took some other photos, but they're on my cell phone, which I left on the train. I'll have to make another trip down to the station later tonight to pick it up.

Copyright

Folks in business of freelance writing for a living do more than just write. Sure, there are the interviews, filing, invoicing and other office tasks, but freelance writers also work hard on contract negotiations and copyright infringements. Sometimes these tasks seem to take up more time than the writing itself.

Here's the thing: just because a story is posted on the Internet doesn't mean it can be copied and reprinted someplace else.

It's very simple.

What most people don't realize is that before the last button was clicked and that story appeared on the World Wide Web, the writer and publisher likely went through a series of negotiations. And if they didn't they should have. An agreement should have been reached for fair payment for the work.

If I sell a story that's already been published someplace else, then it goes for less money. But if I write a story for one particular publication (called an "exclusive") and that publication is the first one to print it, well, they pay a higher price. Additional payment is due if publications are doing hard copy only, putting it on their website, storing it in their archives, translating the piece or planning to use the article in some way in the future, like a book. Publications can use articles in a variety of ways and each time it's used, the writer needs to be paid. After all, if it's good enough to print, it's good enough to pay for.

I've heard all of the arguments and all of the excuses. Top statements include how flattered I should be by the reprint, that they didn't know they weren't allowed to reuse an article without my permission or that if the article is on the World Wide Web, then it's public property.

None of these hold any water. The Canadian Copyright Act is law. My work is protected from being republished without my permission. Flattery does not pay the bills. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse.

Barbara Florio Graham, a freelance writer and media guru in the Ottawa area uses this brilliant analogy to explain reusing articles found on the web: I park my bike outside my house overnight, leaning it against the outside of the garage. You walk by and see it. You know it's not yours, but you also know that I'm not using it at the moment, so you take it for a ride. You know you shouldn't have taken in, but you do anyways. Overnight, you use my bike and then return it early the next morning.

I urge you not to take anything off of any website without the author's permission or permission of the website operator. It's not yours to take, even if you're just going to use it for a little while.

I should have been doing labels and links for this post and all of that fancy stuff, but I don't have the time right now. This is a subject I could go on for hours about, so I'm sure I'll have the chance to do that kind of stuff on another day.

Cheers,
Allison

Doggie Dementia

When friends ask us how old our dog is, we jokingly refer to him as our first born.

Dusty adopted us in the spring of 1993, right around now, come to think of it. We were married in October and knew we wanted to expand our family just a little bit. I hadn't had a dog since I was a pre-schooler. Dale had one growing up too, but not that we were settled in our own home, we decided to take on some responsibility. Just a little bit.

My office at the time was on the main floor of the house. In the winter, Dusty would spend his time under my desk. If he heard the approach of a snow plow on a stormy day, he would make a wild dash for the back door, race across the snow drifts and along the fence, barking as he chased the snowplow. I often wondered what he would do if he actually caught the plow.

During the summer, he would go outside when Dale left for work and spend the whole day lazing on the deck -- early mornings in the sun, late morning in the shade by the cedars and hot afternoons under the deck in a custom dug hole in the dirt to keep him cool.

Things changed a bit when Olivia was born. Doesn't it always for the dog? Remember Lady and the Tramp? They maintained a relationship of indifference unless food was involved, then Dusty became Olivia's best friend. They're pals, though. Same goes with Mark.

Since we've moved to Moncton, Dusty doesn't spend much time outside anymore. Our yard isn't as big. Snow plows aren't as easily accessible. He's not under my desk anymore because my office is in the basement and he finds the stairs hard on his back hips. He knows there's safety down here during a thunder storm, though, or when the wind is blowing hard.

When we purchased a tent trailer last summer, Dusty rediscovered his love of the outside. On most camping trips, we had to pick him up and carry him inside at night. He was happy to spend the entire day outside, lazing in the sun, sitting in the shade, walking through the woods or at the beach or curled up by the campfire.

Over the last few weeks, Dusty has started having accidents in the house. It doesn't happen every day, or even at the same time of day when it does happen. But it's been increasing in frequency. I've tried preventative measures, like putting him out and making sure he stays out, but that doesn't work -- 10 minutes after he's in, he's done it again.

Yesterday, I called the vet just to see what they thought and whether I should bring him in for a check-up. The vet told me that Dusty may have some kind of a parasite in his digestive system or he may be seeking attention, especially if we've had a major change in our house lately. Yes, we renovated our kitchen, but this started before that mess. Nothing else out of the ordinary at all. Then, the vet suggested something so shocking that I'm finding it funny -- Dusty may have Alheimer's disease!

I had no idea there was such a thing as doggie dementia. One of the symptoms is failure to respond to his name -- I thought he was just ignoring me! Other symptoms, like getting stuck in corners, is something I've seen Dusty do, but never realized exactly what it was he was doing. Accidents inside, even after he's just gone out, is another symptom.

Here are a couple of links: Doggie Alzheimer's Disease and CDS in dogs

Snow?!

There's a snow storm on the horizon for my part of the province tomorrow. Forecasts say there is 20 centimetres on the way! Today, temperatures are slated to reach 11 C.

How crazy is this weather?

Easter morning was thrown into an upheaval when we had about 25 centimetres fall in the area -- I think it was the largest snowfall we've had all at once all winter.

I had hoped to take photos of the kids in their spring-like Easter clothes -- crisp, leafy greens and sharp, sparkling white. Instead, they're in their snowsuits, sitting on a snowbank. Hard to believe the grass was greening up just the day before.

Weather forecasting is a fine art and the meterologist who do this work have a tough time. But technology is improving. At the same time, meterologists are letting the general public know that their work is not an exact science. There are many variable with weather forecasting and what falls, or doesn't fall, from the sky is something that none of us can control. The scientists can only make their best educated guess.

Environment Canada has teamed with weather forecasters in the United States and Mexico to develop a broader spectrum of weather outcomes. It's called ensemble forecasting and uses weather prediction computer programs to develop 16 possible weather outcomes in Canada for conditions like cloud cover, surface wind speed, precipitation and surface air temperature.

But why?

Is this information really useful or does it just create an environment of information overload?

Well, for farmers, the more useful information like this, the better.

Ted O'Brien is acting manager of the National Service Office, Agriculture Meteorological Service of Canada with Environment Canada. He says a wider window of possible weather outcomes gives producers more information to determine weather predictions for their own farms.

Let's face it, there are no cut and dry answers when it comes to predicting the weather. With ensemble forecasting, we can see a range of possible weather conditions.

If the weather forecast indicates a high probability of rain, for example, producers have more information to base their field work priorities like planting, spraying or harvesting. The ensemble forecast system also provides other other information such as cloud cover and the liklihood of obtaining a range of surface temperatures.

“Producers are dealing with risks and probabilities all the time,” O’Brien says. “They’re factoring in what the forecast is saying, what they’re use to seeing and the condition of the crop – how wet it is – and trying to decide when to harvest, when to cut, when to seed. Providing a little more information so they can factor in better how weather is going to impact their operation is what we’re doing.”

For ensemble forecasting that can be tailored to your community, click here. But don’t let the complex-looking graphs scare you! A detailed explanation on how to read the graphs is located here. Other results of ensemble forecasting can be found here. Click on the “information” link at each page for instructions on how to read the maps.

Stay dry!