Stacey Steele – The Voice

Thank You To Shannon Maguire

Stacey Steele — Wed, 14 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0000

We love to hear from you! Send your questions and comments to voice@ausu.org, and please indicate if we may publish your letter in the Voice.

Thank you to Shannon Maguire for giving a student perspective on the activities of the student union. I would like to address the questions brought up in the article. The following are personal observations and opinions and not necessarily the consensus of council.

1. Is the AUSU Council giving students enough information about their activities?
Right now, many provisions are being made to inform all of you about Council activities. Maybe there are some policies that you do not agree with, maybe you don’t even know what the policies are. Check them out on the home page under “AUSU Bylaws”. If you want to know what is happening within Council check out the online meeting minutes under “AUSU Council” or attend a Council meeting. It is not up to Council to decide if we are giving you enough information, it is up to you to decide. Check out all the documents available to you and make an informed decision.

2. Does the AUSU Council need to change the policy that states that motions of reprimand and/or removal are private documents?
Motions of reprimand and removal are serious charges. Should AUSU members be informed of the whole process? That is a difficult question. Again, review meeting minutes and other available documents and let us know what you think.

3. What is the impact of these events on the image of the AUSU Council?
AUSU Council is working on a continual basis to develop new services and improve on the current ones. That being said, how do you see the current Council? Do you feel free to criticize or make comments about council activities? Do you feel you are being presented with all points of view? If you feel something isn’t right, speak up! Complacency is never an alternative to criticism.

With elections coming up it is interesting to note that not one person on the current council was elected by the student body. Not enough people ran for Council to necessitate an election so whoever ran got on (other than Teresa Neuman, Ryan Wagner and myself, we were voted in by Council to fill vacant spots). Although Council does a great job serving the students, and AUSU offers vital student services, maybe it’s time a democratically elected council serve the students.

Stacey Steele
AUSU- Councillor

Please see this week’s Editorial Page for an opportunity for students to have input into this issue.

The Net Nerd’s Profiles

Stacey Steele — Sun, 04 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0000

Hate English classes, love English classes? Either way you’ll want to check out this site:.. http://www.poets.org

Shall I compare thee to an overdue English assignment; Thou art more frightening and annoying… Excuse me, I digress slightly. I have taken exactly one university level English course. Being a life-long reader I thought I might actually enjoy it. Ok, you can quit laughing now. The only good thing about that class was guessing which imagery the professor would link to sex. As it turned out, that was everything (that man could find something dirty in a Dr. Suess book, well in Green Eggs and Ham I think we all can). Upon happening onto this website, the memories of dissecting crappy and pretentious poetry began to haunt me. Until recently I haven’t been able to fully appreciate a good poem.

Poets.org is brought to us by The Academy of American Poets. Basically this site is everything poetry (of the American variety anyway). For the sake of simplicity (Or is it?-insert evil laugh here.), I’ll split up the main points of the site in terms of their appeal to different audiences.

If you are a student, here are some sections you may find useful:

“¢ “Find A Poet”- Just what it says, find a poet. Pictures, biographies and other information on over 450 poets. Concise and interesting biographies, plus links to other sources about a particular poet.
“¢ “Find a Poem”- I’m beginning to see a pattern here. More than twelve hundred poems. Go ahead and search them.
“¢ “Discussion Forums”- Didn’t check them out, sorry. But the forum is there if you wish to use it.

If you are a teacher (or want to be one) check out this section (my sister phoned me up the other day in a panic over a lesson plan for her teaching internship. After much discussion and research on this site, she is teaching one lucky class Gwendolyn Brooks’, “We Real Cool”.):

“¢ “Online Poetry Classroom(OPC)”- Most of this information is geared toward the high school level. But given the love affair high school teachers and university professors both have with poems like “My Last Duchess” and “Richard Cory” (took them both in Grade 11 and university and wish never to read them again), this section is good to check out for all levels. Some things included are: “OPC Workshops”, “National Poetry Map” ( an interactive map where you click on a state and find out all the poets, writing organizations etc. for that place), “Teacher Resource Center”, and “Curriculum Units and Lesson Plans”. Great poetry resources for educators and students.

If you are a really bored person with lots and lots of money you may be interested in these sections:

“¢ “Academy Gift Shop”-Couldn’t find a Maya Angelou limited edition ceramic plate (come on Bradford Exchange!), but stuff like books and National Poetry Month t-shirts are all for sale..
“¢ “Become a Member”- Give them money and get books, magazines and a poster.

Poets.org was actually a lot of fun. It was interesting to read the biographies of all the people who wrote such dull poetry (hell hath no fury like a bored university student scorned!). Ok, most of the poems were pretty good and there are a ton of contemporary poets and poems. So even if you aren’t taking an English class there is still a lot to gain from http://www.poets.org.

Neat Stuff: All the poet biographies and poetry searches are great. Tons of links and resources on individual poets.

Not So Neat Stuff: Not a lot of Canadian or international poets here. Well, what did you expect from a website brought to you by the Academy of American Poets?

Rating ****/5: I really like this site. Lots of content and well laid out. Who would have ever thought poetry would be interesting? For an entertaining evening at home, go through the poems and find as many swear words and “bathroom” words as you can. Play it as a drinking game, use it as an example of literary realism but take the activity for what it is: an excuse to act ten-years-old again. If you want more Canadian content try http://www.poets.ca, it’s not near as comprehensive but there’s a maple leaf on the page.

Planning a road trip? You cannot miss http://www.roadsideattractions.ca

This website is just what it says, a list of various roadside attractions in Canada. These are not of the heritage monument variety though, but more of the big, bold, “world’s largest” variety. Some may find them obscene and a waste of money, but this site celebrates them.

You can search the various roadside attractions by province, alphabet, and by type. What types of roadside attractions are out there, you ask? Animals, transportation, sports, people, and of course crustaceans. Yes folks, the roadside attractions of Canada much resemble an episode of Sponge Bob, Square Pants (actually I do mean that as a compliment).

In Alberta, you can see “Pinto MacBean” in Bow Island and the “Vulcan Tourist and Trek Station” in, of course, Vulcan. Travel to Ontario to see “Husky the Musky” in Kenora, “Ms. Claybelt the Cow” in the Township of Dymond, and all the fish and lumberjack statues you can handle. My favorite by far is the giant fiddle in Cavendish, PEI. Just a note to the people of South Dildo, Newfoundland: Having a giant whale head statue does not detract from the name of your town.

I’ve always wanted to plan a roadtrip, but didn’t know where to start. Now I’ve decided the journey will begin at the world’s largest bathtub in Nanaimo, BC.

This website honors the giant deer statues, grasshopper painted pump jacks, and cowboy statues that grace our noble country. Maybe it’s time we did too.

Neat Stuff: For every attraction, there is a picture that goes with it. For all the potato statues in Canada, it was nice to know that each of them have their own personality.

Not So Neat Stuff: It would have been nice to have a description of the roadside attractions, in particular why they have been chosen to represent a town or area. But I have to admit that some, like the giant Labatt Blue beer can in Edmonton, need no explanation.

Rating: *****/5: I really loved this site. It’s easy to navigate and entertaining. Please go to http://www.roadsideattractions.ca when you plan your next trip, to get a laugh, or if you want to embarrass your friends from Macklin, Saskatchewan (bunnock anyone?).

Invisible Women

Stacey Steele — Wed, 31 Dec 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Published on September 10, 2003 [v11 i37], Invisible Women targets an uncomfortable contradiction in Canada’s progressive reputation on the treatment of minorities, and violence against women. Falling between the cracks, ineligible for the special services reserved for immigrants, aboriginal women in Canada are frequently the victims of violent and sexual crimes, and yet little attention is paid to this alarming problem. Their stories are haunting:

In Canada we are educated about racism. There are laws protecting minorities and Canada is a role-model in international human rights issues. We are a multicultural and sensitive society who believe in equal rights for all, fairness and understanding, right?

Can you tell me who Eva Tasup, Calinda Waterhen, and Shelly Napope are? How about Yvonne Johnson? Helen Betty Osbourne? I’m sure not many can. How about squaw, chief, brave, Pocahontas, redskin or Indian? I’m sure almost all of you can tell me what those names mean.

The discrimination against North America’s First Nations people is rampant. You can see it in the justice system and all levels of government, through the abuses brought on by residential schools (the last one closed in 1996), through media and entertainment (either by culture co-opting or stereotyping), sports teams (would Atlanta rename themselves as the “Crackers”?), and mainstream North American misconceptions. But perhaps the lowest rung on the ladder of society is the Native woman.

In the fall of 2001, in the quiet farming community of Tisdale, Saskatchewan, a twelve year old girl was gang raped by three men in their mid twenties. In May of 2003, one of the men, Dean Edmundson was found guilty of sexual assault after three days of jury deliberations. He was not taken into custody and was free until sentencing in June. His lawyer, Hugh Harradance, expressed disappointment over the verdict. On June 27, 2003 the other two accused, Jeffrey Kindrat and Jeffrey Brown were found not guilty. Defence lawyers described the girl as a sexual aggressor who consented to the encounter and suggested she didn’t tell the truth in court (Globe and Mail). Shocking isn’t it? Outside of Saskatchewan, this story garnered very little publicity. In fact my local paper only gave it a few inches near the last page. The little girl was Native and her attackers were Caucasian. Although the obvious question is in everyone’s minds I will say it anyway: would the outcome have been different if the victims’ and attackers’ races were reversed?

There are some questions to ask about this trial. Why were there no aboriginal jurors? In fact the jury was comprised mainly of white males. Why was the girl’s history of abuse brought into evidence? And most appalling why would the jury accept Jeffrey Kindrat and Jeffrey Brown’s explanation that they gave her beer and then had consensual sex with her, although the child stated that they offered her a ride in a truck, plied her with alcohol and then raped her? The systematic stereotyping and victimization of native women was crystal clear in this case.

What about in February, 2001 when two aboriginal sisters (Corrine McKeown and Dorreen Leclair) were stabbed to death in their own home. Very sad, but it happens I suppose. But does it still just happen when 911 is called five times over a period of eight hours?

The following details come from a CBC News report (October 29, 2002) that detail the events from that evening:

The first call: The first time the women phone 911, the call is disconnected. When the operator phones back, one of the women says someone had been shot. Police are dispatched to the address, but Dunlop [the attacker] gives a fake name and McKeown makes no complaint.

The second call: The women are instructed to phone the police directly.

The third call: The women report McKeown has been stabbed by a man violating a restraining order. The operator tells them to solve the problem themselves, and says they are partly to blame.

The fourth call: It’s harder to understand the sisters, although one can be heard saying “please help me.” The operator promises to send police, but no car is dispatched

The fifth and final call: When a 911 operator answers, faint sounds from one or both of the sisters are drowned out by barking dogs. The operator hangs up and dials the house. William Dunlop answers the phone and tries to convince the operator everything is fine. It is now believed that both women are dying, or dead, while he talks. The operator sends a car to the house, but the sisters succumb to their stab wounds before police arrive.

The sisters lived in Winnipeg’s north end, an area with a large aboriginal population. Some critics argue that this would not have happened if the calls were made from a more affluent neighborhood. It is also interesting to note that McKeown had a restraining order against Dunlop (an ex-boyfriend) that was supposed to be backed up with zero tolerance protection.

Who are Eva Tasup, Calinda Waterhen, Mary Jane Serloin and Shelley Napope? They are the victims of John Martin Crawford. In 1981, in Lethbridge, Alberta, he killed Mary Jane Serloin when he was 19. Her murder was vicious, with bite marks scarring her body. Crawford was charged with manslaughter and was given a sentence of ten years. In 1996 he was convicted of the rape and murders of Eva Tasup, Calinda Waterhen, and Shelley Napope and sentenced to life in prison. He had murdered four women and is the suspect in many other missing women/murder cases. At the time of his conviction, in the ranks of Canadian serial killers, only Clifford Olsen outranked him in the number of lives taken.

Calinda Waterhen, Mary Jane Serloin and Shelley Napope all had families who loved them. In fact, their families had reported them missing to the police and received no answers until the women’s naked bodies were found outside Saskatoon. So why would the second ranked serial killer in Canada get no attention from the media? Outside of Saskatchewan, the story garnered very little attention, and eventually became forgotten in that province too. Warren Goulding’s book Just Another Indian – A Serial Killer and Canada’s Indifference tells the story and offers insight into why the media and public at large has paid little attention to these murders. As for the book’s title, Mary Jane Serloin’s sister commented to Goulding that “It seems any time a Native is murdered it isn’t a major case. It’s just another dead Indian.”

Yvonne Johnson is the only Native woman in Canada to be convicted of first degree murder. She was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for twenty-five years. In giving her that sentence the justice system has her ranked with Paul Bernardo, Larry Fisher, and the aforementioned Clifford Olsen. Yvonne Johnson was charged in 1989 with her part in the beating death of Charles Swark, an alleged pedophile, in Wetaskiwin, Alberta. Along with her sentencing in 1991, her common law husband, Dwayne Wenger, received a sentence of ten years and another man, Ernest Jensen, the same sentence of ten years for their involvement in the beating.

Why is it that John Martin Crawford, just eight years earlier received a manslaughter charge and was sentenced to ten years for the brutal rape and murder of Mary Jane Serloin while Yvonne Johnson will be in prison until she is 52 years old (if granted parole), long after her children have grown up? A man died, that is the main tragedy, but another overlooked tragedy is that Johnson received a grossly unequal sentence compared to her co-accused. Her book, Stolen Life – The Journey of a Cree Woman, written along with Governor General Award winning author Rudy Weibe, highlights the life of a woman whose stature in society was prearranged even before she was born.

Nineteen year old Helen Betty Osbourne was abducted and brutally raped in 1971, near The Pas, Manitoba. The RCMP officers assigned to the case had concluded that four men were responsible, Dwayne Archie Johnston, James Robert Paul Houghton, Lee Scott Colgan and Norman Bernard Manger, though it wasn’t until 1987 that Dwayne Johnston was charged with her death. The other three men went free. It took sixteen years to bring some sort of justice for the Osbourne family. The story of the investigation and the town that covered up her death was made into a movie in 1991 called Conspiracy of Silence, in one of the rare instances any media has paid proper attention to the victimization of First Nations women.

So are we an enlightened, accepting society? If media outlets gauge their stories on the public’s appetite, then why aren’t they reporting on these gross injustices? It could be that the media and society at large are no better than hate groups such as the KKK. We hear what we want to hear, and ignore the voices that are striving to be heard. In not giving these stories and issues the coverage they deserve media outlets are breeding ignorance and fostering violence.

References

CBC News (October 29, 2002). Winnipeg 911 Murders. Online at:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/indepth/firstnations/winnipeg911.html

Globe and Mail (June27, 2003). Two acquitted on charges of sexually assaulting pre-teen. Online at:
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030627.wrape0627/BNStory/National/

AUSU Council member says use your Voice

Stacey Steele — Wed, 17 Dec 2003 00:00:00 +0000

We love to hear from you! Send your questions and comments to voice@ausu.org, and please indicate if we may publish your letter in the Voice.

[re: Editorial – Dec 10, 2003 – v11 i50]

Being distance education learners, AU students are at a disadvantage in certain areas. One of these areas is making your opinion heard and The Voice editor, Tamra Ross Low, addressed this in last week’s editorial.

Being physically removed from student contact can be a deterrent in speaking for or against issues that affect you as a student. Some of these issues can also include your student government. Tamra raised some important issues about the role of The Voice in airing these concerns.

The Voice is an important vehicle for AUSU members (a member is any active AU student) to voice opinions and concerns about AUSU activities, whether negative or positive. At no time should anyone be concerned that their criticism won’t be printed or taken seriously. As Tamra pointed out, The Voice is funded by AUSU but is still an independent publication in the sense The Voice has autonomy over content. The Voice also is an acting “watchdog” for AUSU by being the medium that students can access and use.

I would like to stress that I am not speaking on behalf of council in this letter to the editor, but rather as an individual councillor (but I’m sure the rest of council will agree with the message). So as an individual councillor I would like to say: Please, please, and please feel free to critique council on their operations by using The Voice or even the message forums on the home page. To stay informed on operations and the current happenings please attend as many council meetings as you can (even if you can stay for only a portion of it) and ask AUSU councillors as many questions as you want. Speaking for or against council operations is common in other universities (the University of Lethbridge even has a councillor rating survey on their website!) and Athabasca University should not be the exception.

With elections coming up soon, now is even more important to brush up on AUSU’s current operations and projects. So criticize, suggest, support and ask away! Use all and any means available to you. This is what Athabasca University Students Union is here for.

Stacey Steele
AUSU Councillor

The Grass Is Always Greener

Stacey Steele — Wed, 17 Dec 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Weed, herb, grass, mary jane, blunt, dope, pot, joint, hoot, bowl, four twenty, and my all time favorite, “spliff”, are some of the two hundred slang terms for you know what: Marijuana, the common name for a drug made from the dried leaves and flowering tops of the Indian hemp plant Cannabis sativa. You can smoke it like a cigarette with rolling papers or blunts, light it up in a pipe or bong , boil it down for the oil, or bake it into cakes and cookies. Almost everyone I know has smoked at least once, I’m sure once you go down your list of acquaintances you can say the same.

Pot culture is at an all time high for visibility and medical use for marijuana is gaining more and more acceptance. It could also be in the near future that possession of personal amounts is decriminalized. All of this is good news for a lot of people, but is it right?

The active ingredient in marijuana is delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol, also know as THC. How THC works is it suppresses the neurons in the information-processing system of the hippocampus, the part of the brain that is crucial for learning, memory, and the integration of sensory experiences with emotions and motivation. In other words, you get stoned. THC is just one of the 400 chemicals found in marijuana, but the is the most effective. It sticks around in the body’s fatty tissue’s for up to 45 days (this is evident in the commercial boom of products geared for passing “piss tests”- the one that made me laugh the most : “the Whizzinator”, I swear it does exist!). The higher the THC level found, the better grade of dope. Apparently, the strength of today’s weed is ten times greater than thirty years ago. The Woodstock generation quit at the right or wrong time, depending on who you ask.

According to all the latest health research these are some of the common short-term effects of THC use: sleepiness, impaired short-term memory, dry mouth, rapid heartbeat, some loss of coordination and poor sense of balance, and slower reaction times, along with intoxication and we can’t forget about Old Dutch’s favorite, the munchies. Long term effects include impaired memory, lethargy, lack of concentration and obesity due to high consumption of Cheetos. According to http://www.theonion.com, marijuana is also linked to sitting around and getting high.

Although still an illegal drug, weed may be the most accepted yet misunderstood illicit drug in western culture today. Many civilized countries are now adopting medicinal use of marijuana as a legal form of medicating and some countries have embraced decriminalization of pot (the Liberal government is trying to pass this now- whether the new leader be Paul Martin or Shelia Copps, I predict a landslide victory for the Liberals next election). All of this aside, what do people really think of marijuana?

Marijuana is a gateway drug — Marijuana users don’t usually abuse any other drugs. This debate is often presented as a black or white issue, with both sides presenting statistics to support their claim. I think it’s a half a dozen on one — six on the other, type of issue. Maybe it’s predominantly marijuana users who abuse heroin and crack or maybe it’s mostly heroin and crack users who abuse marijuana. There is most likely a higher correlation between caffeine use leading to nicotine use, or alcohol use leading to solvent abuse, but we don’t see as many stats about that.

A popular argument in the medical community is the therapeutic value of pot. To me and many others this is a moot point. If a person is terminally or chronically ill, shouldn’t the best means of treatment be used for the individual patient? Persons in the latter stages of AIDS often smoke up to regain their appetite, people receiving chemotherapy smoke to alleviate nausea, and MS patients smoke to alleviate pain. Whatever the reason or illness, obviously the numbers are there to show that marijuana is an effective means of treatment. At least the Canadian Government thinks so.

Right now the laws in Canada governing marijuana possession are harsh (not by American standards though). A possession charge gives you a criminal record. The controlled Drugs and Substances Act was passed in 1986 by the Liberal government (the same party that is trying to reform these laws).

Here are some of the basics on this Act:

Greater powers of search: Essentially this means a search warrant for a property includes all people in that property. If you’re at a club, the police can do a mass search and arrest.

Widened Seizure and Forfeiture: This means that anything remotely related to the illegal substance can be seized (ie.cars, homes).

Minimum Sentencing: Possession of over 30 grams of Marijuana – Indictment is five years less a day (no trial by jury), summary conviction for a first offence is six months and/or a $1000 fine, a second offence is one year and/or a $2000 fine. Possession of under 30 grams – Summary conviction is 6 months and/or a $1000 fine, second offence one year and/or a $2000 fine. A summary conviction is still on a criminal record. Those are the current laws in Canada. Once marijuana possession is decriminalized, a fine will be imposed and the one fined will not have a criminal record.

Every once in a while the newspapers and television will report another person arrested or protesting for medicinal marijuana or the decriminalization of pot. One of these persons is Calgaryian Grant Krieger. Despite the fact that MS sufferer Krieger was granted the right to grow, cultivate and possess his own marijuana for medicinal use in December, 2000 by Alberta’s Court of Queen’s Bench, he is still continually arrested and charged by Calgary police for possession of the drug he uses to assuage Multiple Sclerosis symptoms. These many arrest and court dates have cost the terminally ill man thousands of dollars. Why? So that he could be made an example of. Is this effective policing procedure by the Calgary City Police, or just a witch hunt?

So the million dollar question is: is the decriminalization and the medicinal use of marijuana right for Canada? In an interview with the Winnipeg Free Press on October 3, Prime Minister Jean Chretien defended his new marijauana bill, that would replace criminal sentencing with fines. He said, “It is still illegal, but do you think Canadians want their kids, 18 years old or 17, who smoke marijuana once and get caught by police, to have a criminal record for the rest of their life? What has happened is so illogical that they are not prosecuted anymore. So let’s make the law adjust to the realities. It is still illegal, but they will pay a fine. It is in synch with the times.” Our insightful PM perhaps summed it up for all pot users far and wide with this quote, “I will have my money for my fine and a joint in the other hand”.

SOURCES:

Calgary Sun, June 09, 2002 , “Leave Grant Krieger Alone”, by Licia Corbella, Calgary Sun Editor http://www.cannabisnews.com

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/protection/marijuana.html “Medical Marijuana”
http://www.marijuanaparty.com
http://www.marijauna.com/myths
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/protection/marijuana.html

“It’s Because He Loves Me”

Stacey Steele — Wed, 26 Nov 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Amanda Stamp was dragged kicking and screaming at knifepoint from her apartment in Richmond Hill, Ontario on November 13. The perpetrator is her ex-boyfriend. The same ex-boyfriend who abducted her seven week old baby in April, 2003. The same ex-boyfriend who was released from a Niagara detention center despite an outstanding warrant for his arrest (the warrant was for uttering death threats to Amanda Stamp). A mere few hours after his mistaken release, Amanda’s life became in danger and she spent more than three days held hostage by the man she had a child with. On November 19, Amanda’s quick thinking had perhaps saved her life. She had a cell phone hidden from her assailant and used that to call 911 which led to her rescue (for the full story go to http://www.globeandmail.com). The emotional trauma she has endured will be with her for the rest of her life. May Amanda find peace after this experience. As for her captor, may God have mercy on his soul and may the justice system none at all.

Domestic violence and stalker laws have come a long way yet they still have more to do. To put this in perspective let’s take a look at the Criminal Code of Canada. There are no specific laws against harming a family member but rather they are under the general headings like assault. Some of the things that an abuser can be charged with are: assault, assault causing bodily harm, sexual assault, sexual assault causing bodily harm, sexual assault with a weapon, criminal harassment (also known as stalking), uttering threats, mischief, intimidation, forcible confinement, attempted murder, and murder (please see the link http://www.violetnet.org/info/imp-1.htm for more information on these charges or visit http://canada.justice.gc.ca for more information on the legal processes).

There have been several revisions to these laws to address domestic violence. One example is Bill C-15. This bill proposed to amend the maximum penalty for criminal harassment from five to ten years. Bill C-27 made a murder committed while stalking a victim a first degree murder charge. So there is some progress being made by the lawmakers and courts of Canada.

But to what degree to they actually protect the victims? Can a woman press charges just for feeling she is in danger? Does something actually need to happen before action is taken? Most importantly, why do these women not press charges when they are violated?

Assault charges are the most common types of offences in domestic violence. Any of these are applicable to warrant an arrest: “applying intentional force to another person; trying or threatening to apply force to another person; causing another person to believe reasonably that the abuser has ability to carry out a threat of assault; whilst wearing or holding a weapon openly (or something that looks like a weapon) the abuser accosts a victim” (taken from http://www.violetnet.org/info/imp-1.htm). Surely if this were happening a woman would take the proper steps to press charges, right?

Unlike the Amanda Stamp case, usually the one force that can really protect the victim is the victim herself. But why do victims of domestic abuse (women in particular) stay? Much has been made on the so-called “battered woman’s syndrome,” particularly in regard to Karla Holmoka’s criminal defense strategy, but is it real? Does a woman become so acclimatized to violence that it becomes a part of her everyday life? The answer is yes. But sometimes it is up to family and friends to help the victim because they cannot help themselves. We also need to remember it is not only women in straight relationships that are victims. Children in particular are vulnerable victims of abuse. Same sex relationships are also prone to domestic violence issues, but many may not speak out because of social stigmas.

Upon visiting the website http://www.shelternet.ca, I found definitions and examples of what constitutes domestic violence. Physical and emotional abuses were listed as well as others I hadn’t previously considered like financial abuse and negligence. Upon reading this list I was stunned. Typically we think of abuse in extremes. Hitting, punching, name calling and rape all come to mind when we hear the word “abusive.” On this website the forms of abuse cited also included using credit cards without permission, accusing a spouse of cheating, not respecting privacy and denying sex. Are these all forms of abuse? Is this not what goes on regularly in Canadian homes? The answer to both of those questions is yes. Abuse needs to be taken into context, it can be subtle as well as bold.

Often media downplays or doesn’t offer realistic solutions to domestic abuse. Take for example the movie Enough. Jennifer Lopez plays a traumatized and abused woman whose wealthy husband is psychotically obsessed with controlling her physically and mentally. So she calls up her estranged, billionaire father who sets her up in deadly hand to hand combat training so she can confront her abuser and ultimately kill him so he doesn’t kill her. Yeah, that’ll work.

The Hollywood myth of an abuser being easy to spot is quite plainly BS, as are the easy solutions offered in fairy tale movies (don’t even get me started on Pretty Woman – a man keeps a street prostitute in his hotel room for days. Isn’t that romantic.). If your friend or family member is in an abusive relationship you may not recognize it and chances are likely they are too scared or ashamed to confide in you. So read the definitions of abuse on http://www.shelternet.ca and educate yourself and others.

Amanda Stamp went through the proper channels. She contacted police and charges were laid so she could be safe. Unfortunately, glitches in the system, the same system she and others use to protect themselves, were the very things that caused her kidnapping and emotional imprisonment. What happened in this case was serious negligence and obviously a mistake. Is it just an anomaly within the justice system and Canadian society? All too often women and children are forced to literally flee their homes with the clothes on their backs and assume new lives and identities in order to escape the daily terror in which they live. What happened to Amanda Stamp can and does happen daily in Canada and abroad. Sometimes it is up to family and friends of the abused to step in and help. Reach out to those who need it so the woman across the street doesn’t become the next Amanda Stamp.

REFERENCES

Just The Facts, “Understanding the Legal Implications of Partner Abuse”, http://www.violetnet.org/info/imp-1.htm, August 2003, University of Alberta
Woman Abuse, “Are There Different Kinds of Woman Abuse?” http://www.shelternet.ca (go to Questions and Answers, then click to Woman Abuse)

RESOURCES

http://www.shelternet.ca -Has the option of “hiding” so the site does not show on the internet history. Abuse, safety and escape plans plus also shelter information are found here.

http://www.violetnet.org -Tons of legal information.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hppb/familyviolence/index.html -Government website, National Clearinghouse on Family Violence lots of legal and practical information.

http://www.hotpeachpages.net/canada/index.html – Searchable list of shelters in over 60 languages.

For the Canadian Press news story on Amanda Stamp go to the link below. Do a search on “Amanda Stamp” for more news items. :http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031119.wabduc1119/BNStory/National/

Hochzeit

Stacey Steele — Wed, 22 Oct 2003 00:00:00 +0000

As I write this, I’m looking forward to the September 27 wedding of my older brother and his girlfriend of seven years. Weddings are always a big thing in my extended family, since out of eighteen cousins only two have gotten married so far. So, weddings are still a bit of a novelty for us. I still remember some of my aunt’s weddings. At my Aunt Elaine’s I stood on the stage where the band was playing and lifted my dress over my head. Suffice it to say my behavior at weddings hasn’t changed much over the years.

I am looking forward to this wedding, because almost all of my extended family will be there. We are a very noisy group that likes to sing, drink and eat a lot. You can always count on my Uncle Bert to sit in with the band and sing “Suzy Q”, and I’m crossing my fingers that my cousin Brett will get drunk enough again to sing “House of the Rising Sun.” The usual dances — the Butterfly, lots of polkas, and of course the Bird Dance — will get people off their feet. And we can’t forget the reason why most people will be there, the food.

Sure, the celebrity weddings and the Martha Stewart decorated ones look nice, but are they fun? A friend recently went to a wedding where a four-piece string orchestra greeted the guests and a fountain that ran chocolate was available for dipping your strawberries in. But he didn’t say if he had a good time. I mean a real good time. The trend in weddings is to have everything look like it walked off the pages of a magazine. But isn’t the real meaning of a wedding to celebrate with family and friends?

My grandparents’ families were Germans who immigrated to Russia then to Canada. They knew how to celebrate. The wedding was about the people, not flower shops, caterers and photographers. Here, in her own words, is my Grandma’s account of the traditional wedding celebration.

3-DAY WEDDINGS (HOCHZEIT)

First Day Wedding Celebration

Spring weddings started after lent, usually on Easter Monday. A typical wedding began with a “Boller Ouvent” (noisy evening). It was a dance on Monday evening for the young people. The next morning, the wedding took place at 10:30 at the church. After church, the guests gathered for dinner at the bride’s home. The bride and groom were escorted into the house with a march played on the accordion. The dinner consisted of chicken noodle soup, hamburgers, an assortment of pickles, bread and for dessert, apple pie and usually jello. Also, the chicken that was used to make the soup was fried with onions.

After dinner, the couple and their guests were again escorted with music into a granary, where the wedding dance began. The bride received money that was pinned to her dress each time someone danced with her. Also, the guests would put coins into a bowl to pay for the band. Dancing usually happened in three shifts, because of the lack of room. The young single people made up the first shift, while the other guests strolled outside and visited or were busy inside the house preparing for the supper meal. When there wasn’t any more money to put into the bowl the band would stop playing, signaling a shift change. Then, it was the young married couples’ turn to dance. After that, supper would be served. A typical supper would be hamburger, hot potatoes, lots of smoked sausage, liverwurst, cold sliced ham and vegetables. For dessert, there would be the cake and canned fruit. When the meal was over, it was back to the granary for more dancing. This time it was the older couples’ turn. Finally, the women danced together and the men served them wine and kept an eye on them from the sidelines while they visited.

At the end of the evening, the wedding guests “sang off” the bridal wreath. The bride and groom sat on chairs side by side with the guests surrounding them. The songs they sang were, “Holy God We Praise Thy Name” and “Der Goldenen Rosen Krantz” (the Golden Crown).

They dismantled the veil from the bride and took off the groom’s boutonniere. This signified that the celebration was over and that the couple would now begin their married life.

Second Day Wedding Celebration

The bride and groom usually would slip away the night of their wedding and the guests would come out looking for them on the second wedding day. They would pick them up with a hay rack complete with a mock wedding group followed by a mock band. The guests then performed a mock wedding in honor of the bride and groom. Another full-fledged dance would begin. For dinner there would be sauerkraut soup, spare ribs, mashed potatoes, lots of sausage, hamburgers and left over desserts.

Third Day Wedding Celebration

The third day of the wedding was the celebration for close family and a chance to clean up and let loose. There was always lots of singing. Decorations were kept simple with a few crepe paper streamers and paper wedding bells.

Now doesn’t that sound like fun? As I’m writing this my husband theorized that these weddings were the reason the divorce rate was so low, “After all that work, they couldn’t get a divorce.” Anyway, as you can see weddings used to be about celebrating, not about storybook brides, twelve tiered cakes and imported orchids. That’s why I’m looking forward to my brother’s wedding. Not because I can see what dresses the bridesmaids have, or critique the decorations, but to have a good time with people I don’t see often enough. And of course, the food.

Stacey Steele is currently finishing her B.A with a major in Psychology/Women’s Studies. She won the most improved math award in Grade 8 and $50 on a scratch and win once. She lives in Southern Alberta with her husband, two children, two mali uromastyx lizards, and a family of mule deer that live across the road.

Invisible Women

Stacey Steele — Wed, 10 Sep 2003 00:00:00 +0000

The following details come from a CBC News report (October 29, 2002) that detail the events from that evening:

References

CBC News (October 29, 2002). Winnipeg 911 Murders. Online at:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/indepth/firstnations/winnipeg911.html

Globe and Mail (June27, 2003). Two acquitted on charges of sexually assaulting pre-teen. Online at:
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030627.wrape0627/BNStory/National/

The $3.50 Pencil Challenge

Stacey Steele — Wed, 03 Sep 2003 00:00:00 +0000

Yesterday was a balmy 17 degrees here in Southern Alberta. After three months of shorts, capris and anything cool it was time to scour the closet for a pair of jeans. I admit to a little vain streak when it comes to my jeans, although I don’t have what some call a “wrangler butt”, I can hold my own in a good pair of Mavi’s. But something strange happened, nothing went up past my hips. Ok, something’s very wrong here. I tried on the recent “hand-me-ups” my younger long-legged sisters gave to their older short-legged sis. Right on, they’re on all the way, now if only I can do up the buttons. Jumping, lying down, and crying couldn’t budge any of them. Cursing like a sailor, which would help my old Chevette start, wouldn’t scare the jeans onto me. Even the jeans with a touch of lycra made me look more like Peter Fonda than Bridget Fonda.

Three months ago I quit my labor intensive job at a greenhouse to be with my kids and to go back to school. Since then, so the scale claims, I have put on ten pounds. Ok, more like twelve. Fine, I have gained fifteen pounds and I can guarantee it’s not muscle. The “freshmen ten” is a common problem with new students. But what happens when the freshman is not eighteen years old anymore? I know weight loss and healthy living is a result of a well balanced diet and regular exercise. But what diet and what exercise will work for me? After questioning family and friends, and combing the internet and library, I came up with a few diet and exercise options.

The South Beach Diet http://www.southbeachdiet.com

This diet was developed by cardiologist Dr. Agatston. It claims that you can lose 13 pounds in the first two weeks and “belly fat” goes first (I prefer to call it my “winter storage”). You can lose this weight by not counting calories and portions through three phases (info taken directly from web page).

Phase 1 – Detoxification. Banish your cravings for sweets and starches. You’ll lose between 8 and 13 pounds in the first two weeks.
Phase 2 – Reintroduce Carbs. Gradually reintroduce “good” carbs into your diet. You’ll lose 1 to 2 pounds a week, until you reach your ideal weight.
Phase 3 – Maintenance Continue eating good carbs and fats, and maintain your weight for the rest of your life.

This diet seems to work on the same premise of another well known diet, Atkins, (discussed below) of high protein and low or no carbs. Sounds interesting, makes sense, but why do I have to sign up to the website at $34.95 for the first six weeks and $6.95/ month thereafter? I know the difference between a carbohydrate and protein.

The South Beach Diet makes a lot of claims and I’m sure a lot of people have found success with it, but I like “bad carbs”. It seems a little restrictive that one can’t eat pasta or bagels for the rest of their life. I also couldn’t find a mention of regular exercise on their website. I think I’ll pass on this one.

Weight Watchers http://www.weightwatchers.ca

My favorite out of the multi-billion diet industry. Weight Watchers stresses healthy living and gradual lifestyle changes. No “lose weight fast” claims, and no mention of “belly fat” anywhere on the website. Weight Watchers’ weight loss plan involves points. Anything that can go into your mouth and be digested is allotted a certain number of points. An individual is then given a number of points they can eat in one day, based on their goal weight. So go ahead and eat that Big Mac, chocolate cake or whatever, just don’t expect anything else that day.

Weight Watchers claims success because of peer-support meetings (also available online for those who cannot attend in person), complete with weigh ins and motivational speeches. The problem is that to join costs money and then a monthly fee (unless you have a nice friend who will photocopy all the point sheets for you). I personally know several people who have lost substantial amounts of weight with Weight Watchers, and have kept it off, so this diet is more credible for me. Also, they stress cardio and strength exercise as an integral part of healthy living. I like the Weight Watchers plan, but it does seem like a time consuming process figuring out points.

Atkins http://atkins.com

Cut out sugar and carbs and eat bacon and eggs everyday, three times a day if you want. Yummm, sounds like my kind of plan. Like South Beach (or rather South Beach is like Atkins), this diet plan emphasizes a low or no carb diet. It also introduces phases as a way of eliminating carbs and losing weight. Like Weight Watchers, Atkins uses points, but these points are based on the amount of carbohydrate in a particular food.

The Atkins plan looks good because of their emphasis on overall health and well being rather than strictly weight loss. They have lots of scientific data to back their claims and articles. A good friend of mine has just started Atkins and claims to feel better than she has in months. They also put great importance on the role of exercise. This could be an option, but like the South Beach Diet, I don’t think I could stay faithful to it for very long, but the high protein/ low-carb idea seems to be a recurring theme. It’s worth a second look.

Body For Life Challenge http://www.bodyforlife.com

I now have a new favorite in this multi billion dollar industry. Bill Phillips has introduced a weight loss plan in the form of a contest. He started this program by offering his own Lamborghini as a prize in the first challenge. Take a before picture in your underwear or swimsuit, follow his plan for twelve weeks take a picture, send it in and you could win your share of one million dollars. The before and after photos of past winners is inspiring, the nutrition portion seems easy and non-restrictive and the fitness component is easy enough to do at home.

The diet is easy to follow. From Monday to Saturday eat six meals a day each consisting of a carb and a protein (on the “approved” list), and eat as many vegetables as you want. Stay faithful to this and on Sunday eat whatever you want. The fitness component relies on intensity rather than duration. Three times a week do twenty minutes of cardio at varying degrees of intensity. Weight train for the other three times a week.

All of the information (nutrition, training programs etc.) is free on his website, plus you have the opportunity to enter his contest. Sounds great, no ulterior motives here. Wait a minute, what is all this talk about supplements, power bars, shakes and vitamins? And what is EAS? Bill Phillips also apparently owns EAS which is a supplement company. The use of supplements is heavily emphasized in the Body for Life program, so my guess is that this is where the money is made. My suggestion is to go on the website, get all the free information and ignore the supplement ads.

So there it is, four of the most popular diet programs in North America. It is up to each of us to research what will work best in our families lifestyle, but I have a challenge of my own for all you who are not 18 year old freshmen but who have still put on ten or twenty pounds. Here is the

Body For Right Now challenge:

Step 1- Give away the clothes that don’t fit and may never fit.
Step 2- Eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and have that piece of cake.
Step 3- Get outside everyday with your kids, spouse, dog or iguana and run around for a while.

That’s it, that’s my challenge. Follow it for twelve weeks or eight weeks or however long you want. If you’ve lost weight, that’s fine. If you’ve had fun with your family and friends and don’t care if you’re not a size 6 or 12 or whatever anymore, even better. Send in your story and you could be the challenge winner. The prize isn’t a foxy $100,000 Lamborghini, but a really cool mechanical pencil from Staples I got for $3.50 (that’s all I can afford, but it is really cool). Good luck!

Will Work for Food – What can an arts degree really do for you?

Stacey Steele — Wed, 27 Aug 2003 00:00:00 +0000

We’ve all heard the cliche: What can you do with an Arts degree? Professional burger flipper. If other BA students are like me, they are constantly fending off questions from well-meaning (I’m assuming anyway) friends and relatives who ask, “What can you do with that degree?” This question is often asked with a mild look of contempt or not so mild note of sarcasm. Up until recently I often answered the question with either “ahhhh….lot’s of stuff” or “you know… things”, reinforcing their belief that any schmuck can go to university.

Why should we go to university anyway? We all know people who have gotten Bachelor’s degrees and go on to… well, flip burgers. Many students complain about the possibility of being over-qualified for jobs or not being able to find a career in the field they studied for. But these concerns can, in most cases, be solved with resourcefulness and creativity.

The first things students will want to do is have answers for those concerns of the “well-meaning” friends and relatives. The University of Texas has compiled a list of careers that students with a Bachelor’s degree can do (http://www.utexas.edu/student/careercenter/careers). The career categories are divided into “direct career options” (for example, with an Anthropology degree a career option would be Environmental Researcher), “less direct career options” (with a Bachelor’s in Geography you could be a legislative aide), and “indirect career options” (get your B.A in Sociology and possibly become a genealogical service specialist).

A lot of other universities have this type of “what can I do with a …” career lists. Another comprehensive list is on the University of North Carolina at Wilmington site (http://www.uncwil.edu/stuaff/career/Majors/). Although the websites above are American, almost all of the careers apply to Canada and other countries. Remember to keep a list of possible careers in your pocket or wallet and stun those who dare to ask the question. I guarantee they won’t be doing it again.

So you’ve just applied to an Arts and Science program with dreams of making the big bucks. Maybe rethink your decision to apply to a certain program if your goal is to become filthy rich. I am not saying an arts degree does not lead to financial satisfaction, but rather the ultimate goal should not be monetary gain. Find out what is best suited for your talents and interests. Talk to an academic and career counselor. Evaluate your hobbies and interests. Take a career aptitude test, if you are really unclear about what direction your education should take. Be realistic about your future salary, if you’re doing what you love, the job satisfaction is worth more than whether you drive a Lexus, a Sunfire or a Schwinn.

It can be nerve wracking, though, to choose a program of study that fascinates you and is enjoyable, only to find that job prospects seem limited. Some students, such as myself, have considered just staying a professional student rather than facing the harsh realities of the working world. But the harsh realities of a lifetime of term papers and final exams is more daunting and snaps us back to researching future prospects. The government of Canada (and most provincial government websites) has excellent information on career profiles.

After visiting the website http://www.jobfutures.ca, I ended up with 21 pages of printouts on Psychology as a career and program choice plus comments from my husband on the number of dead trees it took to produce that information from my printer. This website organizes itself by programs of study (155 to choose from) and profiles of 226 occupational groups. What I really liked about this website was that they had statistics from people who had taken the program (where they are employed now, if they found the program satisfying, etc.), and hard facts about employment prospects (unemployment in the field, average earnings and job prospects for the next seven years). This website has tons more career information including a short career aptitude quiz. And yes, I keep all twenty-one pages in my binder to show anyone who raises an eyebrow at my program selection (they could also be raising eyebrows at the fact I carry a binder around).

Another thing we arts and science students need to learn is networking. Although our education can take us as far as we’ll let it, sometimes it really is who you know. Join up with other students (for example the Athabasca University Psychology Student’s Society has regional coffee groups), participate in school activities, and develop a rapport with your tutors and professors. One of the most personal and professionally satisfying things a student can do is volunteer. It is also a nice break from hitting the books (or your head against a wall) to go out and work with people in the community.

I am still worried about my job prospects when I finish my degree. Can I get practical experience in my future field while still an undergrad? How about the job market in the next few years, will I be just one of thousands of Psych majors pounding the pavement? I love my program and courses, although it does seem daunting to compete in the job market with many other graduates, but soon it will be time to follow my own advice. If we can think creatively and look outside the proverbial box, the places we can take our degree are limitless.