Hello everyone,
I've been thinking about it and I decided to revive the blog. Not sure why now, but here goes. Last weekend we went Ginger Goodwin in Cumberland BC.

This is a weekend of labour history and activism. Ginger was a pacifist, a trade unionist, socialist and activist. He was shot in the back by a police constable and his death prompted the first general strike in Canadian history.

Looking back at '07

So it has been a busy year. Many things happened and I missed New Years since I was flying to Australia so 2006 and 2007 were sort of the same year. But some highlights include:
- Finishing my masters
- Traveling around Australia, seeing the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, Sydney, Great Ocean Road and the rest.
- Seeing friends in Montreal
- Going to London with my mom
- Working in Welland
- Coming back to Canada and seeing the old man and the dog again
- Going to Victoria and seeing my friends and family
- Snowshoeing on boxing day
- Having John Howard lose
- Seeing a wombat in real life

Some lowlights were:
- Fighting with DIC (Department of Immigration and Citizenship)
- Going to Mr. Lube to get the car fluids replaced and having them not put transmission fluid in. Then it took a month to get my car back while they had to rebuild the engine

If you have another one, let me know.

I Really Want John Howard to Lose

You know when there are things that annoy you so much you can't look at them or hear their voice without getting angry. I feel that way about stupid evil John Howard (the Prime Minister of Australia. With the election coming I really hope that he loses, and not a small loss; but a big, giant, whopping, mega-slap-in-the-face, Australian-people-hate, me-asking-god- why? loss. He is a racist, misogynist, environmentally destructive leader.

We'll see what happens. It's hard when you're not there to know what is going on, but good luck to the Aussies who are working to keep him out.

Back at it

So it is weird coming back. I opened my boxes with found all my old stuff. I wondered why I had wanted to keep a lot of it. I found things written in own handwriting but they are now meaningless (who is Keith and why do I have his phone number?).

Also, here I feel older. I keep getting called ma'am. In my absence did I become such a thing? I did not receive a memo, nor am I using it as a title on my bank statements. I usually use the title of Captain, I think that is way more fun than ma'am. Although I keep waiting for someone to ask me what I am a Captain of. At RACV (the BCAA of Victoria, Australia) I was using professor and got asked what I taught....

So since my return to my home and stolen land I have been to a number of cities and things look busy, dirty and on the move. There is more poverty here than Australia. Perhaps not more poverty, but a greater gap between rich and poor. The poverty on the streets of Welland, Toronto, Vancouver and Victoria is confronting. People begging, sitting on the streets, ripped clothing, no teeth....

I met some people from Manchester, England on the Victoria - Vancouver ferry and they said they were thinking of migrating here but would not because of this gap between the haves and the have-nots. We discussed where to go. What magical land exists that deals with racism, poverty, violence, sexism, homophobia in a progressive way. We could not think of one. But I guess that is the point of being an activist, to create that land.

Back In Canada

So being back in Canada is a bit hard. I am in a small, what use to be industrial, town in Southern Ontario. Due to NAFTA (North America Free Trade Agreement, with the US and Mexico), many of the factories have closed. So the town is older, mostly white, very suburban; strip malls and highways.

Some comparisons, between Australia and here:

• People have the same accent as me.
• Lack of discussion about 'Australian' values, although racism is alive and well. It is expressed here 'that if people don't like it, they can leave.' Unlike Australia, white Canadians are not concerned with what it means to be Canadian, but those who don't like it, apparently can leave and not really encouraged to point these things out.
• In Canada, there are people of colour on television, and unlike Australia there are many television channels. The TV in my hotel has over 30.
• I can find poutine, but no street sushi or curry.
• There are lots of people who speak French, also the packaging on items is in English and French.
• Elections are different, you have to make people go out and vote, where in Australia they get fined if they don't.
• People in Canada move faster, are fatter and seem more worried about money. They need to relax. It is annoying. Although, unlike Australia they aren't dogfuckers, which could be more annoying. At least people here work and don't sit around complaining all day about how hard work is (I wish it was everyone).
• The beer here stinks. There is no Coopers Green. Don't worry, I will remain vigilante in my search for a good beer.
• The nice lattes available in Australia, in Melbourne they are everywhere. Here Tim Hortons is everywhere with its drip coffee and donuts. It's not as nice as a latte.

So on the whole, I do miss Australia. The people, the food.... but not stupid John Howard, and the whinging people.

Goin' Home - Part 1

Hello there,

Sorry I have not written for a while. Since the visa has still not been granted, I am returning to Canada on Sunday. It is happy and sad. Happy that I get to see people there, sad that it is going into winter.

My friend that waited for his visa for six years, got it last week. He suggested that I be patient and wait for another five and a half, I don't think I have it in me.

Anyway, I thought I would list some of the things that I will miss here:

• My lovely friends (some Australian, although heaps of international students)*


• the wine and Coopers Green


• the street sushi


• the diversity of food and people in Melbourne


• the tram (especially seeing the elephants when I go past the zoo, route 55) and the Hope Street bus


• the architecture, gardens and lovely buildings

* Please note the use of Australian slang with 'heaps'.

Review of the 457

So the visa that I applied for is a 457. These visa types are currently under review. I like to say it is the same kind that Dr. Haneef had. He is now back in his country. Like I ask many people now that I am leaving here. Do you want my sim card?