The Canadian Farm Writers' Federation annual meeting in Edmonton is just wrapping up and if attendees heard about anything these last few days, it was IFAJ - the International Federation of Agriculture Journalists.
It wasn't the only topic of discussion, but 18 CFWF members attended the IFAJ congress in Fort Worth, Texas last month. Many of us were at the CFWF meeting in Edmonton. As well IFAJ President Mike Wilson attended CFWF. So it was top of mind!
I attended as the recipient of the CFWF/Monsanto bursary. The $2,500 prize is awarded each year to a CFWF member who applies to CFWF -- independent judges review the application and use a point system to mark categories of the application.
more later,
Allison
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Class action suit settled
From PWAC
CTVglobemedia announced earlier this week that they have agreed to pay $11 million to settle the class action suit launched 13 years ago by Heather Robertson on behalf of thousands of freelance writers claiming their work was reproduced electronically without proper permission or compensation.
"The Professional Writers Association of Canada is thrilled with the news of the settlement. This has been a long ongoing process and we appreciate Heather Robertson taking the lead role in the battle for the protection of writers' rights," said PWAC President, Tanya Gulliver. "As freelancers we want to be fairly compensated for the work that we do, and want to ensure that publishers recognize the value of our work. This settlement, stemming from the Supreme Court decision in 2006 that supported our position that freelancers own control of their work unless otherwise agreed upon, is historic and a great achievement for the freelance writing industry."
PWAC and Ms. Robertson, a founding member of PWAC, are optimistic that the settlement will expedite a positive outcome in other pending lawsuits and set a precedent protecting creators' intellectual property rights and ensure fair compensation for digital exploitation of their work.
Ms. Robertson would also like to thank PWAC and the many individual members who have vocally supported her over the years and provided financial assistance to help cover her legal costs.
Ms. Robertson and her legal representatives will be publishing a full version of the settlement and a notice to claimants in the Globe and Mail and the National Post on Saturday.
CTVglobemedia announced earlier this week that they have agreed to pay $11 million to settle the class action suit launched 13 years ago by Heather Robertson on behalf of thousands of freelance writers claiming their work was reproduced electronically without proper permission or compensation.
"The Professional Writers Association of Canada is thrilled with the news of the settlement. This has been a long ongoing process and we appreciate Heather Robertson taking the lead role in the battle for the protection of writers' rights," said PWAC President, Tanya Gulliver. "As freelancers we want to be fairly compensated for the work that we do, and want to ensure that publishers recognize the value of our work. This settlement, stemming from the Supreme Court decision in 2006 that supported our position that freelancers own control of their work unless otherwise agreed upon, is historic and a great achievement for the freelance writing industry."
PWAC and Ms. Robertson, a founding member of PWAC, are optimistic that the settlement will expedite a positive outcome in other pending lawsuits and set a precedent protecting creators' intellectual property rights and ensure fair compensation for digital exploitation of their work.
Ms. Robertson would also like to thank PWAC and the many individual members who have vocally supported her over the years and provided financial assistance to help cover her legal costs.
Ms. Robertson and her legal representatives will be publishing a full version of the settlement and a notice to claimants in the Globe and Mail and the National Post on Saturday.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Earth Day
My daughter is an Eco Kid at her school. She's not much into sports, so I was thrilled when she joined the environmental club. They meet once a week, discuss ways to make the school greener and, from the sounds of her accounts of the meetings, share a lot of giggles. Shouldn't every Grade 4 event be like that?
To mark Earth Day, the Eco Kids and their faculty advisor organized a fair at the school, transforming the gym into a trade show and inviting local businesses to show off their green wares. I went in on Tuesday night to help set up. One of the booths was a spin-the-wheel trivia game for the students -- spin the wheel, answer a trivia question and, if you get the answer right, win a prize.
Thumbing through environmental trivia cards, I was truly disheartened that the game shed such a negative light on farming and made agriculture producers out to be ecological villains.
Lots of questions bashing genetic research, fertilizer use and pest controls. One questions asked: "what tools do farmers use that damages the earth?" (Answer: farm machinery, since it compacts the soil and therefore destroys vital nutrients.) No mention of drought resistant crops, no-till practices or pest resistant crops.
As you’ll read in this week's edition of AgriSuccess Express, out later today by email, we have a story about the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and other industry practices that continues to promote the good things producers are doing to care for the earth.
However, we need to ensure that each of us at an individual level is also doing what we can to share the news, so local schools, neighbours and our communities know that producers are the original stewards of the land.
To mark Earth Day, the Eco Kids and their faculty advisor organized a fair at the school, transforming the gym into a trade show and inviting local businesses to show off their green wares. I went in on Tuesday night to help set up. One of the booths was a spin-the-wheel trivia game for the students -- spin the wheel, answer a trivia question and, if you get the answer right, win a prize.
Thumbing through environmental trivia cards, I was truly disheartened that the game shed such a negative light on farming and made agriculture producers out to be ecological villains.
Lots of questions bashing genetic research, fertilizer use and pest controls. One questions asked: "what tools do farmers use that damages the earth?" (Answer: farm machinery, since it compacts the soil and therefore destroys vital nutrients.) No mention of drought resistant crops, no-till practices or pest resistant crops.
As you’ll read in this week's edition of AgriSuccess Express, out later today by email, we have a story about the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and other industry practices that continues to promote the good things producers are doing to care for the earth.
However, we need to ensure that each of us at an individual level is also doing what we can to share the news, so local schools, neighbours and our communities know that producers are the original stewards of the land.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Atlantic journalist wins international bursary
A past-president of the CFWF will represent Canadian farm writers at the 2009 International Federation of Agriculture Journalists congress in Texas this summer. Self-employed communications consultant and writer Allison Finnamore is the winner of the CFWF International Bursary. The bursary, sponsored by Monsanto, reimburses up to $2,500 of the winner’s costs to attend the congress.
A graduate of New Brunswick Community College, Finnamore began her career as a reporter in Grand Falls. That was followed by reporting for The New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal and The Fredericton Daily Gleaner.
Her freelance career has seen her work appear in many agriculture and specialty publications across Canada including: Farm Focus of Atlantic Canada, Country Guide, Nova Scotia Business Journal, Top Crop Manager, The Milk Producer, Canadian Poultry Magazine, Fruit and Vegetable Magazine, Country Life in BC, Farmers’ Independent Weekly, Manitoba Co-Operative, Canadian Cattlemen, Canola Guide, Farming A Journal of Northeast Agriculture, Atlantic Construction Journal and The Carleton Victoria Advertiser.
Today, she is the Editor of the weekly Farm Credit Canada AgriSuccess Express and Associate Editor of the bi-monthly AgriSuccess Journal. She also does contract communications work with business and government.
In addition, she has been a tireless contributor to the CFWF in leadership and volunteer positions. She spent five years as a board member representing the Eastern Canadian Farm Writers’ Association (ECFWA) and a year as CFWF President in 2004-05. She’s worked to organize national CFWF conferences, find judges for annual award competitions, and sponsors for events. She says she’s committed to welcoming international visitors to Canada when the Congress is held in Guelph in 2011.
“My volunteer work with CFWF and my freelance business offer me a broad understanding of agriculture throughout the country. The conference being held in the United States, a country with which Canadian agriculture has experienced many challenges and shares many commonalities (BSE, COOL, trade, farm labour, organics), heightens my interest. I relish the chance to be in the heart of American agriculture writers, editors and farmers. I am excited about the trip and look forward to sharing the Canadian experience with fellow conference attendees. I fully expect to stir interest and enthusiasm for attending IFAJ in Canada in 2011,” says Finnamore.
Finnamore says she’ll share her learnings with all who are interested through her already established blog and social networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
“I believe there are many more potential CFWF members in Atlantic Canada who may be drawn into the organization when they hear about my experience.”
A graduate of New Brunswick Community College, Finnamore began her career as a reporter in Grand Falls. That was followed by reporting for The New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal and The Fredericton Daily Gleaner.
Her freelance career has seen her work appear in many agriculture and specialty publications across Canada including: Farm Focus of Atlantic Canada, Country Guide, Nova Scotia Business Journal, Top Crop Manager, The Milk Producer, Canadian Poultry Magazine, Fruit and Vegetable Magazine, Country Life in BC, Farmers’ Independent Weekly, Manitoba Co-Operative, Canadian Cattlemen, Canola Guide, Farming A Journal of Northeast Agriculture, Atlantic Construction Journal and The Carleton Victoria Advertiser.
Today, she is the Editor of the weekly Farm Credit Canada AgriSuccess Express and Associate Editor of the bi-monthly AgriSuccess Journal. She also does contract communications work with business and government.
In addition, she has been a tireless contributor to the CFWF in leadership and volunteer positions. She spent five years as a board member representing the Eastern Canadian Farm Writers’ Association (ECFWA) and a year as CFWF President in 2004-05. She’s worked to organize national CFWF conferences, find judges for annual award competitions, and sponsors for events. She says she’s committed to welcoming international visitors to Canada when the Congress is held in Guelph in 2011.
“My volunteer work with CFWF and my freelance business offer me a broad understanding of agriculture throughout the country. The conference being held in the United States, a country with which Canadian agriculture has experienced many challenges and shares many commonalities (BSE, COOL, trade, farm labour, organics), heightens my interest. I relish the chance to be in the heart of American agriculture writers, editors and farmers. I am excited about the trip and look forward to sharing the Canadian experience with fellow conference attendees. I fully expect to stir interest and enthusiasm for attending IFAJ in Canada in 2011,” says Finnamore.
Finnamore says she’ll share her learnings with all who are interested through her already established blog and social networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
“I believe there are many more potential CFWF members in Atlantic Canada who may be drawn into the organization when they hear about my experience.”
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Canada's Worst Driver makes Moncton casting call
Help to Make Moncton Roads Safer!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Toronto, Ontario (March 2, 2009) - The record-breaking Discovery Channel series Canada’s Worst Driver is on a mission to make Moncton streets less dangerous by rehabilitating the worst drivers in the city. But finding these drivers isn’t easy, so Proper Television, the company behind the show, is enlisting the help of Moncton residents. People in the area are being asked to put forth their Canada’s Worst Driver nomination for the fifth season of the hit show.
To submit a nomination, email driver@propertelevision.com or call 1-866-598-2591.
Every single nomination from the Moncton area will be reviewed immediately. Producers have scheduled a trip to Moncton early in April to meet with the worst of the worst. Final selections for the program will take place shortly after. Drivers bad enough to make the cut will earn a coveted spot at the nation’s most intense training hub, the Driver’s Rehabilitation Centre.
The idea of the program is to resolve the serious and dangerous behaviour of these drivers through a series of challenges based on core driving skills. As each driver shows improvement, they graduate back onto real roads. At the end, one of the eight candidates will be crowned with the dubious title of Canada’s Worst Driver.
“At the end of the show, someone will be given the title of ‘Canada’s Worst Driver’ but more importantly, a handful of the country’s worst drivers will be exposed to skills that they can use in everyday situations,” says Andrew Younghusband, host and writer.
Why would anyone want to put themselves forward for such a title? The training is unlike any driver’s training in the world. The challenges and courses have been designed to improve the driver’s core driving skills by mimicking real life situations on a grand scale.
“The training is truly extraordinary, especially when it comes to helping those who need a more than just a refresher course behind the wheel,” says Guy O’Sullivan, Executive Producer of Canada’s Worst Driver. “Whether it’s a relative, neighbour, colleague or friend, we have the resources to help.“
To give the bad driver in your life an opportunity to learn from the country’s best at a state of the art driver’s rehabilitation centre, email driver@propertelevision.com or call 1-866-598-2591. Filming is slated for June 2009.
For more information and to view past episodes of Canada’s Worst Driver, you can visit www.worstdriver.ca.
Interviews and high resolution stills available upon request
Canada’s Worst Driver is produced by Proper Television, a Toronto based indie headed up by ex-BBC director Guy O’Sullivan. Proper specializes in factual entertainment and specialist factual programming, and has been named among the Realscreen Global 100 indies for 2008.
Media Contact – high resolution stills, information and interviews:
Meredith Veats, Proper Television Inc.
Telephone 416-598-2500 x224 Fax 416-598-2550 Email meredith@propertelevision.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Toronto, Ontario (March 2, 2009) - The record-breaking Discovery Channel series Canada’s Worst Driver is on a mission to make Moncton streets less dangerous by rehabilitating the worst drivers in the city. But finding these drivers isn’t easy, so Proper Television, the company behind the show, is enlisting the help of Moncton residents. People in the area are being asked to put forth their Canada’s Worst Driver nomination for the fifth season of the hit show.
To submit a nomination, email driver@propertelevision.com or call 1-866-598-2591.
Every single nomination from the Moncton area will be reviewed immediately. Producers have scheduled a trip to Moncton early in April to meet with the worst of the worst. Final selections for the program will take place shortly after. Drivers bad enough to make the cut will earn a coveted spot at the nation’s most intense training hub, the Driver’s Rehabilitation Centre.
The idea of the program is to resolve the serious and dangerous behaviour of these drivers through a series of challenges based on core driving skills. As each driver shows improvement, they graduate back onto real roads. At the end, one of the eight candidates will be crowned with the dubious title of Canada’s Worst Driver.
“At the end of the show, someone will be given the title of ‘Canada’s Worst Driver’ but more importantly, a handful of the country’s worst drivers will be exposed to skills that they can use in everyday situations,” says Andrew Younghusband, host and writer.
Why would anyone want to put themselves forward for such a title? The training is unlike any driver’s training in the world. The challenges and courses have been designed to improve the driver’s core driving skills by mimicking real life situations on a grand scale.
“The training is truly extraordinary, especially when it comes to helping those who need a more than just a refresher course behind the wheel,” says Guy O’Sullivan, Executive Producer of Canada’s Worst Driver. “Whether it’s a relative, neighbour, colleague or friend, we have the resources to help.“
To give the bad driver in your life an opportunity to learn from the country’s best at a state of the art driver’s rehabilitation centre, email driver@propertelevision.com or call 1-866-598-2591. Filming is slated for June 2009.
For more information and to view past episodes of Canada’s Worst Driver, you can visit www.worstdriver.ca.
Interviews and high resolution stills available upon request
Canada’s Worst Driver is produced by Proper Television, a Toronto based indie headed up by ex-BBC director Guy O’Sullivan. Proper specializes in factual entertainment and specialist factual programming, and has been named among the Realscreen Global 100 indies for 2008.
Media Contact – high resolution stills, information and interviews:
Meredith Veats, Proper Television Inc.
Telephone 416-598-2500 x224 Fax 416-598-2550 Email meredith@propertelevision.com
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Feb. 12 is Food Freedom Day
On Feb. 12, the average Canadian will have enough income to pay his or her individual grocery bill for the entire year.
In observing Food Freedom Day, farmers across the country will celebrate their role in providing consumers with one of the safest and most affordable food supplies in the world.
Food Freedom Day is occurring slightly later in 2009 due to the recent rise in the price of food. This bucks the trend of recent years, where the disposable income of Canadians rose significantly faster than the cost of food. However, thanks to farmers, Canadians still get the best deal in the western world for their food dollar.
In many parts of the world, the cost of food is significantly higher. Member countries within the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), on average, spend 8.3 per cent more of their disposable income on food than Canadians. Australians spend 12.7 per cent more, the Japanese spend 35.7 per cent more and Mexicans spend over 125 per cent more of their disposable income on food than Canadians.
In 2008, while prices in some agriculture commodities soared, Canadian farmers continued to take only a very small percentage of the consumers' food dollar at the grocery store.
In 2005, a grain farmer received $0.07 for the corn in a box of Kellogg's Corn Flakes and $0.11 for the wheat in a loaf of bread. Even with a doubling in the price of commodities, those costs would then become 14 cents and 22 cents, certainly not justifying the significant retail mark-ups which many consumers complained about.
Given the processed nature of many consumer foods, it is far more likely that an increase in the cost of energy played a much larger role in the retail price increase.
Canadians continued to receive high quality food produced at the highest food safety and environmental standards. To ensure that consumers are able to identify Canadian food products and support our agriculture sector, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture will continue to advocate for effective ingredient-based 'Product of Canada' guidelines that are both informative to the consumer and practical to the agri-food industry.
For more information Food Freedom Day calculations is here
More Food Freedom Day facts are here .
In observing Food Freedom Day, farmers across the country will celebrate their role in providing consumers with one of the safest and most affordable food supplies in the world.
Food Freedom Day is occurring slightly later in 2009 due to the recent rise in the price of food. This bucks the trend of recent years, where the disposable income of Canadians rose significantly faster than the cost of food. However, thanks to farmers, Canadians still get the best deal in the western world for their food dollar.
In many parts of the world, the cost of food is significantly higher. Member countries within the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), on average, spend 8.3 per cent more of their disposable income on food than Canadians. Australians spend 12.7 per cent more, the Japanese spend 35.7 per cent more and Mexicans spend over 125 per cent more of their disposable income on food than Canadians.
In 2008, while prices in some agriculture commodities soared, Canadian farmers continued to take only a very small percentage of the consumers' food dollar at the grocery store.
In 2005, a grain farmer received $0.07 for the corn in a box of Kellogg's Corn Flakes and $0.11 for the wheat in a loaf of bread. Even with a doubling in the price of commodities, those costs would then become 14 cents and 22 cents, certainly not justifying the significant retail mark-ups which many consumers complained about.
Given the processed nature of many consumer foods, it is far more likely that an increase in the cost of energy played a much larger role in the retail price increase.
Canadians continued to receive high quality food produced at the highest food safety and environmental standards. To ensure that consumers are able to identify Canadian food products and support our agriculture sector, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture will continue to advocate for effective ingredient-based 'Product of Canada' guidelines that are both informative to the consumer and practical to the agri-food industry.
For more information Food Freedom Day calculations is here
More Food Freedom Day facts are here .
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Words to live by
"Interestingly, koi, when put in a fish bowl, will only grow up to three inches. When this same fish is placed in a large tank, it will grow to about nine inches long. In a pond koi can reach lengths of eighteen inches. Amazingly, when placed in a lake, koi can grow to three feet long. The metaphor is obvious. You are limited by how you see the world." -- Vince Poscente
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Prince Edward Islanders with a special interest in the work of the local international-development NGO Farmers Helping Farmers are invited to an orientation and information session on Saturday morning.
The session is part of the organization’s semi-annual meeting. Farmers Helping Farmers started in P.E.I. over 30 years ago. It maintains an ambitious and highly successful program of community-based projects, primarily in support of small-scale women farmers in Kenya.
The meeting will be held in the basement meeting room at St. Pete's Church Hall, All Souls’ Lane (off Rochford St.), Charlottetown from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
For more information, contact Harry Baglole at 675-4134.
The session is part of the organization’s semi-annual meeting. Farmers Helping Farmers started in P.E.I. over 30 years ago. It maintains an ambitious and highly successful program of community-based projects, primarily in support of small-scale women farmers in Kenya.
The meeting will be held in the basement meeting room at St. Pete's Church Hall, All Souls’ Lane (off Rochford St.), Charlottetown from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
For more information, contact Harry Baglole at 675-4134.
Wine and Cheese in Nova Scotia
Wine and cheese -- sounds like the perfect way to pass the time during this deep freeze in Atlantic Canada.
And just because there's a chill in the air doesn't mean you should hibernate. The annual Sheffield Mills Eagle Watch is coming up and Fox Hill Cheese House in Port Williams, N.S. is extending its hours during the Eagle Watch. Sunday, Jan. 25 from 1 - 6 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 1 from 1 - 6 p.m.
Bird lovers can drop in to Fox Hill Cheese House and pick up some of cheese, yogurt or gelato; admire the eagles perched in the tall trees en route!
www.eaglens.ca
Also coming up at Fox Hill Cheese House is the Ice Wine Festival, Feb. 12 - 22.
Velvety, Luscious and Sweet - Tempt your tastebuds with Foxhill Gelato drizzled with Icewine from local wineries
February 14 & 15: Foxhill Gelato with wines from Domaine de Grand Pre
February 21 & 22: Foxhill Gelato with wines from Gaspereau Vineyards
Time: 2 - 4:00 p.m.
Cost: $5 per serving
2009 Nova Scotia Winter Icewine Festival
And just because there's a chill in the air doesn't mean you should hibernate. The annual Sheffield Mills Eagle Watch is coming up and Fox Hill Cheese House in Port Williams, N.S. is extending its hours during the Eagle Watch. Sunday, Jan. 25 from 1 - 6 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 1 from 1 - 6 p.m.
Bird lovers can drop in to Fox Hill Cheese House and pick up some of cheese, yogurt or gelato; admire the eagles perched in the tall trees en route!
www.eaglens.ca
Also coming up at Fox Hill Cheese House is the Ice Wine Festival, Feb. 12 - 22.
Velvety, Luscious and Sweet - Tempt your tastebuds with Foxhill Gelato drizzled with Icewine from local wineries
February 14 & 15: Foxhill Gelato with wines from Domaine de Grand Pre
February 21 & 22: Foxhill Gelato with wines from Gaspereau Vineyards
Time: 2 - 4:00 p.m.
Cost: $5 per serving
2009 Nova Scotia Winter Icewine Festival
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Ontario food marketing support ramped up
Ontario is boosting grassroots marketing efforts for Ontario foods and
strengthening rural economies by encouraging more residents and businesses to
buy locally grown food.
Ontario is initially investing more than $850,000 in 15 projects,
including, such as:
- A media awareness campaign to raise the profile of Ontario apples.
- A "Nothing Tastes Like Home" mobile educational trailer to market and promote "buying local" through cooking demonstrations and tasting opportunities at industry, community and school events.
- A Grey/Bruce county project to encourage growers to participate in the local food market, and to demonstrate that using local food is a viable option for area institutions and restaurants.
strengthening rural economies by encouraging more residents and businesses to
buy locally grown food.
Ontario is initially investing more than $850,000 in 15 projects,
including, such as:
- A media awareness campaign to raise the profile of Ontario apples.
- A "Nothing Tastes Like Home" mobile educational trailer to market and promote "buying local" through cooking demonstrations and tasting opportunities at industry, community and school events.
- A Grey/Bruce county project to encourage growers to participate in the local food market, and to demonstrate that using local food is a viable option for area institutions and restaurants.
Eating – Is there a solution to the confusion?
Dr. Joe Schwarcz, the Director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society, is set to cut through the confusion when he addresses the annual meeting of the Saskatchewan Fruit Growers Association on Friday, Jan. 16 in Saskatoon.
Conventional or organic? Local or imported? The confusion mounts when virtually every day brings news about some “miracle food” that we should be gulping down. One day it's tomatoes to prevent cancer, then flaxseed against heart disease or soybeans for menopause. Then there are the worries: genetic modification, pesticide residues, aspartame, MSG, the safety and efficacy of dietary supplements. We need proper science to guide us through this nutritional maze.
Attendees will learn the proper science behind nutrition which will better enable them to dispel some of the myths driving various diet trends.
Schwarcz writes a weekly newspaper column in the Montreal Gazette entitled “The Right Chemistry” as well as a monthly column in Canadian Chemical News. He was the chief consultant on the Reader’s Digest best sellers “Foods That Harm, Foods That Heal” and “The Healing Power of Vitamins, Minerals and Herbs.”
Conventional or organic? Local or imported? The confusion mounts when virtually every day brings news about some “miracle food” that we should be gulping down. One day it's tomatoes to prevent cancer, then flaxseed against heart disease or soybeans for menopause. Then there are the worries: genetic modification, pesticide residues, aspartame, MSG, the safety and efficacy of dietary supplements. We need proper science to guide us through this nutritional maze.
Attendees will learn the proper science behind nutrition which will better enable them to dispel some of the myths driving various diet trends.
Schwarcz writes a weekly newspaper column in the Montreal Gazette entitled “The Right Chemistry” as well as a monthly column in Canadian Chemical News. He was the chief consultant on the Reader’s Digest best sellers “Foods That Harm, Foods That Heal” and “The Healing Power of Vitamins, Minerals and Herbs.”
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Working Weekends
When I first started to work from home, I would spend my days goofing off. These were the times before blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and even email, so I really have no idea how I wasted so much time. At least now I have an excuse!
My husband would come home from his office job and reality kicked in -- I still had a pile of writing to do. Yet he was at my office door wondering when I would be finished, if I wanted to go out, what I wanted to do with the evening. "Sorry," I had to say, "I've got work to do. Can't."
I did that maybe twice.
Working 9-5 isn't always possible, especially with laptops and Blackberries and iPhones keeping us connected. It's even harder, I think, when we work at home, since you're always "at the office." Even if you don't work from home, that Blackberry tends to keep humming right through the weekend.
Still, I do my best to watch the clock and keep somewhat regular working hours. I've gotten pretty good at it too -- except this weekend, where procrastination has lead me to my office and leaves me sitting at home working while everyone else is out for dinner.
I guess it's been a while since the fun left me behind at the computer and I needed a reminder. I'm lucky to have family who understands.
But dare I hope my family's dinner host tonight will send a doggy bag home for me??
My husband would come home from his office job and reality kicked in -- I still had a pile of writing to do. Yet he was at my office door wondering when I would be finished, if I wanted to go out, what I wanted to do with the evening. "Sorry," I had to say, "I've got work to do. Can't."
I did that maybe twice.
Working 9-5 isn't always possible, especially with laptops and Blackberries and iPhones keeping us connected. It's even harder, I think, when we work at home, since you're always "at the office." Even if you don't work from home, that Blackberry tends to keep humming right through the weekend.
Still, I do my best to watch the clock and keep somewhat regular working hours. I've gotten pretty good at it too -- except this weekend, where procrastination has lead me to my office and leaves me sitting at home working while everyone else is out for dinner.
I guess it's been a while since the fun left me behind at the computer and I needed a reminder. I'm lucky to have family who understands.
But dare I hope my family's dinner host tonight will send a doggy bag home for me??
Friday, January 09, 2009
Prince Edward Island potato farmers and other industry members are invited to attend the upcoming United Potato Growers of Canada seminars on Tuesday, Jan. 13 at the Delta Prince Edward Hotel and Wednesday, Jan 14 at Credit Union Place in Summerside.
The day-long seminars will provide excellent information.
- what’s happening in agriculture worldwide
- financial/risk analysis for potato growers
- how fiancial/risk analysis can be impacted by the decisions made on individual farms and as a province or country
- the U.S. approach to managing the potato market (as growers working together)
- what’s been happening on the Canadian side of the border in terms of better understanding potato market dynamics
- the latest developments in processing contract negotiations in North America.
The association says top-notch speakers from across North America will deliver this information, and, they say, the event will be extremely valuable as producers consider their plans for 2009.
The day-long seminars will provide excellent information.
- what’s happening in agriculture worldwide
- financial/risk analysis for potato growers
- how fiancial/risk analysis can be impacted by the decisions made on individual farms and as a province or country
- the U.S. approach to managing the potato market (as growers working together)
- what’s been happening on the Canadian side of the border in terms of better understanding potato market dynamics
- the latest developments in processing contract negotiations in North America.
The association says top-notch speakers from across North America will deliver this information, and, they say, the event will be extremely valuable as producers consider their plans for 2009.
Cities are eating up our prime farmland at the rate of two acres per minute 24-7-365. This loss of farmland leads us to ask…
How can we save enough farmland to maintain our food chain? (#619)
This Saturday at 9am Pacific, Michael Olson’s Food Chain Radio hosts Ellie Kastanopolous from Equity Trust and Jody Bolluyt from Hudson Valley’s Roxbury Farm for a conversation about holding on to farmland.
Listen on your radio, computer or IPOD: www.metrofarm.com.
Topics include whether enough privately-owned farmland can be saved to maintain the nation’s food chain; what alternatives exist to private ownership of farmland; and what results to these alternatives yield?
How can we save enough farmland to maintain our food chain? (#619)
This Saturday at 9am Pacific, Michael Olson’s Food Chain Radio hosts Ellie Kastanopolous from Equity Trust and Jody Bolluyt from Hudson Valley’s Roxbury Farm for a conversation about holding on to farmland.
Listen on your radio, computer or IPOD: www.metrofarm.com.
Topics include whether enough privately-owned farmland can be saved to maintain the nation’s food chain; what alternatives exist to private ownership of farmland; and what results to these alternatives yield?
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