On Signing Petitions (via Margaret Atwood: Year of the Flood)

I rarely sign petitions myself. I tend to have the opinion that they accomplish nothing but demonstrate a bunch of people (but not enough to make an impact) cared enough to sign their names to a piece of paper (and sometimes not even that much… http://www.petitionspot.com/ anyone?).

Nevertheless, I also can be influenced by individuals whose opinions I respect. And I did type my name on the petition Margaret Atwood mentions in her most recent post, one which like every other piece of writing she creates made me chuckle, smile, sympathise and sob. Ok, I didn’t really sob, but I could have.

So, I walked into The Office of O.W, Toad Ltd., where the usually smiling staff (two in number) who attempt to run my life with whips of steel were giving me the frowny treatment. “You’ve been signing petitions again,” they said. “Naughty Margaret! Don’t you remember that you promised not to do that?” I knew it would be pretty feeble of me to protest that signing petitions was something anyone in a democracy should feel free to do. That would be … Read More

via Margaret Atwood: Year of the Flood

By the way, should you be interested in a bit of Q&A with my favourite author, check out Sept 20 – 24 on here.

Like words? Like surveys? Go here.

I’d like to request that those of you who fancy words, spelling and grammar go here and fill out a survey that belongs to a research project I’m doing on how people currently use language.  This particularly survey focuses mostly on which spelling of words you prefer.  Don’t worry;  it’s not a test.  I won’t judge you (much).

Merci. 

10 observations about the G20 presence

1.  The TTC gets unpredictably shut down.  Is this a) to protect riders?  b) to prevent protesters from getting downtown quickly?  c) give the personnel an excuse to snooze?

2.  Stores I want to shop in are either closed or close early.  And after this afternoon, they’ll probably be closed for repairs.

3.  Protests pop up on a daily basis causing traffic delays, even for pedestrians like myself.

4.  Rogue protesters break stuff, set stuff on fire and generally wimp out on making a message credible.  Nice covered faces, no balls.

5.  Too much money is spent on cushy dinners and unattractive fencing that could be spent on dinners for the hungry and city beautification (amongst other worthy recipients).

6.  You can’t freely walk wherever you want to.

7.   World Cup + G20 = the majority of all conversation

8.   Steven Harper comes off as a gracious Canadian host.

9.  Muskoka was celebratory about the G8 presence;  Toronto is generally irritated with the G20 presence.

10.  The herds of raid police produce a feeling of police-state rather than of safety.