Note to Alberta: Evolution is real. Move on.

Conservatives strike again!

The government of Alberta isn't necessarily backwards, so why would they insist on making the province appear to be?

In this day and age, and in this country even, I'm hard-pressed to find examples of successful evolution-deniers; by and large, Canadians accept that evolution is the most logical, most realistic explanation for how things on Earth and in the Universe have developed. Many Canadians will attribute responsibility for evolution to a god/dess or some deity, so be it. I can't argue that, though I personally disagree.

But we are talking about students in PUBLIC schools, where the curriculum is guided by conventional wisdom. My concern with parents being allowed to pull their kids from classes talking about evolution or homosexuality is that the move will have detrimental impacts both on the children's social development, as well as the dialogue about differences among people in an open and free society. Ultimately, the kids pulled out of these classes will find themselves in opposition to the majority of their peers...something teenagers do not abide well.

I feel quite strongly that youth need to be taught to think about all sides of a problem, issue or question; I belong to the school of thought that it is wiser to know your opponents and their arguments so that you can be prepared to counter each point. You may not like, agree or tolerate their position, but awareness breeds strength of your position. So it bothers me that parents want to take away their kids' chance to develop a particularly valuable skill. To me, that's the value of public school: it's a place that exposes youths to the variety they will inevitably encounter in Canada's quite heterogeneous society.

But there's a far more insidious plot at work here, and it's the more worrisome part of the story if you ask me(this is my personal bias at work now, not the policy wonk in me); if you skimmed, or missed it, I will explain...or rather, I suppose the second paragraph of the article will...

The new rules, which would require schools to notify parents in advance of "subject-matter that deals explicitly with religion, sexuality or sexual orientation," is buried in a bill that extends human rights to homosexuals. Parents can ask for their child to be excluded from the discussion.

This is the kind of move that is designed to breed backdoor opposition to homosexuality. Hiding the(un)education policy in a bill meant as an extension of human rights to homosexuals allows for the breeding on intolerance to difference that is at the root of so many of our social problems. It's literally an example of one hand giving, with the other hand taking, hoping no one's watching. It's duplicitous in my mind; it's saying "here are the rights you asked for, but watch out, because we're passively promoting opposition to you and your rights."

Furthermore, it's just plain underhanded. Progressive people will not say no to a bill extending human rights to a group that has felt the wrath of ignorant society. But sneaking this bit of regressive policy in there, the government of Alberta is behaving in a manner that is downright shifty and untrustworthy...I will go so far to say Cowardly, even.

And the winner is...

Well fuck, it was nearly Bangladesh.

On Sunday night, as I was forced to make a decision, I balled a little, talked, checked facts, and in the end, Rod and I made the decision that I would go to Bangladesh. I emailed the professor fixing things at our end, then started to panic because of all that I needed to do before I left. I was also concerned that my visa would be denied because my passport expires later this year...slight oversight on my part (oopsie!). I emailed the office I had an interview with on Monday morning and pulled out, and all I had to do was wait to be contacted by the other job I had already interviewed for, this one in Ottawa.

I had interviewed for a position doing performance measurement analysis; it was ridiculously short, and I babbled. So I wasn't telling myself I got the job just yet, despite what are sure to be incredible references.

So, on Monday I sat. And waited. And waited. They were supposed to notify me on Friday, did I mention that? It's never a good sign when they don't get back to you on time. Finally, just after noon, I got a phone call, but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting!

No, I didn't get the Performance measures position. Instead, my interview was shared with another unit in the Ministry, and the phone call I had received was for a position in an Assistant Deputy Minister's office! Eh?? How's that work?? I had to at least consider it, I mean, it's here in Canada, so Rod and I can at least see each other, and it would be nice to boost the resume by saying I worked in a freakin' ADM's office (currently, my work history is completely useless). I told them I needed about 20 minutes to check with my other opportunity.

I then called the Professor, and it's a good thing I did. It turns out that the people in charge of me while in Bangladesh couldn't accommodate my research project after all. That sucks, because I was only going to go if I had final say in my research project (they were attempting to nudge me towards other projects in education or the Environment). So I guess my decision was made for me...I accepted the position in Ottawa.

Oddly enough, once I made the decision to go to Bangladesh, everyone wanted to talk to me about jobs! Ain't that Murphy's Law! Three months without a sniff, and suddenly, I had this random ADM opportunity, another invitation to short list for another job in Ottawa, and an actual invitation to interview with a third position in Ottawa.

That's okay folks. Options for Doctoral schools pending, I can go back to Bangladesh (or hell, even find my own opportunity) next summer. It seems that Ottawa is calling!

PS - I even managed to find an apartment over the summer within hours of accepting the job offer. Or I should say, the apartment (and roommates) found me!

"I'm a Flibbertigibbit"

Flibbertigibbet refers to a flighty or whimsical person, usually a young female. It can also mean a gossipy or overly talkative person.

Guilty as charged.

This came to mind tonight after I read a friend's facebook status, where he proclaimed his annoyance at the use of the word "sammich," arguing that the adults using it aren't 5 anymore, it's "sandwich."

I whimsically retorted that I may not be 5 anymore, but I'm irresistably cute when I use the word "Sammich." Plus, a common battle cry around our house, "Get your own damn sammich!" would just sound dumb if it was "sandwich" instead of "sammich." This relates back to Rod shouting it as he shot water from a watergun at his cheeky friends for putting the moves on me. I said it first (though I have no idea anymore where it came from), and he took it to a whole new level.

So no, we're not 5 anymore; but I'm silly and whimsical, and in my world, cute wins out over adult.

Oh, okay, I see now...raining meets pouring

In case you were jonesing for an update to my madcap adventures in co-opia, I'll leave behind another update.

As of now, co-opia is buzzing with activities near and far. I did a phone interview for a position with INAC in Ottawa this morning; I got an interview with a First Nations' body in West Vancouver next week; I've applied on another INAC job in Ottawa; I'm waiting to hear about a potential interview here with the provincial government; I just got word of an opportunity in Calgary; AND I sent my passport and visa application away for Bangladesh.

So, to sum up:

Interviews done: 1
Interviews set: 1
Jobs applied, no interviews yet: 2
Jobs awaiting application: 1
Jobs in countries halfway around the world in a developing country: 1

I shall be opening the phone, text, facebook and email lines shortly for voting, because honestly, the pros and cons of any of these opportunities makes the choice really difficult.

Potential job locations:

Metro Vancouver: 2
National Capital Region: 2
Calgary: 1
Bangladesh: 1

We'll see which opportunities are whittled down over the course of the next two weeks; in the meantime, I need to learn how to say, "No, I don't like Fish" in French and Bangla. Anyone?

Umm...no really, now what?

I just sent off the last paper I had to turn in for this semester, capping off my first year of the MPP program.

Up to this moment, my days have been a mix of slendid intellectualism and stress-induced stupidity. Particularly in the last 3 weeks, I have been Karma's bitch, and believe me, Karma's been delivering the smack-hand down on this bitch with eerie accuracy and timing.

Now? I guess I will be doing one of two things:

A) Finding a co-op job (or any kind of job, really); or

B) Packing for Bangladesh.

So, I sit here trying to figure out what my summer will look like, and the obvious question that comes to mind is...now what?

See how clever I was to name this blog "Now What?" Because I live a linear life that can only go forward, nearly everything significant in my life comes with that question.

Okay, I'll shut up and now read a book that does nothing for my intellect.

"Horton hears a Who...by Dr. Seuss...page 1..."