It was a report on the justice system in Manitoba that Justice Murray Sinclair wrote that really opened my eyes to what systemic racism was. He wrote in it that when you treated people who were different as if they were the same, you discriminated against them. 1/ And he wrote about how there is such a different worldview between indigenous peoples and Europeans, the latter with a Judeo-Christian worldview that puts man at the top of the hierarchy and all animals and resources at his disposal.

Dear 2024,
I have reviewed your manuscript with interest and regret to advise that I will be declining representation.
While the plot is interesting, it strikes me that there is a little too much of it. I fear that readers will become overwhelmed. 1/ The idea of a president facing potential removal because of his age it certainly a unique approach, however, I feel that the reader should have had a chance to see that develop somewhat more before introducing the Epstein subplot. 2/

37 years ago, I went into labour in a small country hospital in Alberta a good Friday. My daughter was born on Easter Monday. 61 hours later. By then, the nursing staff had changed shifts several times. 1/ I pretty much got to know all of them as they came and went, and I was still there. It was a tiny little hospital in Mundare, that functioned as an extended care center. And they used the cardiac recovery room as a birthing room. 2/

The rule of law depends on having an independent judiciary. We are lucky enough to have one. Many other countries don't, like Russia, for example. Don't attack the judiciary because you don't like their decisions. Law is complicated. Reasonable people can reach different conclusions. It doesn't mean they're biased, politicized, or bought. It's why there are always two lawyers in a courtroom arguing opposite sides, each convinced they are right.

Latest statistics for Ottawa real estate indicate we are now in a balanced market. It's taking approximately 66 days to sell the average house. So if you are listing, be prepared for a 2 to 3 month wait. 1/ And figure out how you're going to deal with the inconvenience of having strangers coming in and out at random times over that 2 month+ period. It's not like it was a couple of years ago when homes were selling in a week. 2/

I went to see former clients yesterday who were considering selling. Another realtor had been by to view their house. This is the second time I've seen grossly inflated estimates of sale price in the last couple of weeks. 1/ The realtor had looked in different areas and told them they could sell for several hundred thousand dollars more than their house will bring in this market. Totally ignored a recent sale just down the road of a bigger house on a larger lot for less. 2/

I'm starting to think that what Twitter does is take away our capacity for thoughtfulness. The constant stream of disparate news seems to rewire our brains so that we feel compelled to react quickly. 1/ What I see all the time are people who comment on news stories they haven't actually fully read or processed, much like only reading the first line of an email and hitting reply. 2/

Finished reading EVERY CLOAK ROLLED IN BLOOD by James Lee Burke. Not my favourite of his books. Reminded me of Stephen King: lots of supernatural. 1/ And not always believable...but damn, the man writes like a poet. I feel like at 85, he's pushing the genre as he contemplates his own mortality. 2/

My God, how casually people destroy other people’s reputations on this site. There are people attacking the Integrity Commissioner for supposedly “ clearing” Ford. 1/ This is after news emerged of $ 1K donations being solicited at Ford's daughter’s wedding and certain developers attending who were involved in the Greenbelt purchase.
My thoughts: 2/

Good news today! After losing progress in my boxing class because of the pandemic, my coach told me today that after one more session he thinks I'll be able to advance to level five. My goal is level six so that I can start training to be a coach :-). The club was closed for both years so I really couldn't do anything and then when I started back again last March, it was in a temporary facility because the city facility was still closed. As a result, we had no proper heavy bags and no speed bags at all.

Okay, everyone, so it turns out Toby had bloat as a result of him getting into the cannister where I keep his food, yesterday. Vet says the stomach flips over, so obviously very painful. 1/ She said this was bloat without twist, because the stomach was not blocked at both ends, which was good. That can be life-threatening. Because he threw up so much trying to get rid of the food in his stomach, he was starting to feel better this afternoon. 2/