Yesterday morning, GM International filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, with an estimated debt load of $172.81 billion dollars. GM Chairman Kent Kresa said in a written statement, "Today marks a new beginning for General Motors... The board is confident that this New GM can operate successfully in the intensely competitive U.S. market and around the world." This high-profile industrial bankruptcy comes on the heels of a report last week from the Certified General Accountants of Canada wh…
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Added by Lindsay Szymanski on June 2, 2009 at 1:30pm —
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Gertrude Stein wrote of the “Lost Generation”, a generation of disillusioned souls that were caught between 2 world wars, with little direction, stalled ambition and trepidacious hope for the future. Douglas Coupland wrote of “Generation X” and the perils of going through the 90’s bouncing from one McJob to another all the while searching for greater life meaning and a solid place among the counterculture. Millenials, those into their 20’s at the turn of the millennium, may consist of the thrivi…
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Added by Lindsay Szymanski on May 22, 2009 at 3:36pm —
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Now that winter is finally over, and the spring blossoms are signalling renewal and life across the country, some Canadians are looking back at the 2008-2009 season as a paramount failure in the promotion of safe riding, skiing and snowmobiling on many of Canada’s slopes. Last winter alone there were 19 deaths attributed to “accidents” in BC’s backcountry, when they should have been attributed to stupidity.
Mike Wiegele, a founding member of the Canadian Avalanche Association, featured in The P…
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Added by Lindsay Szymanski on May 13, 2009 at 10:17am —
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I was feeling lost without my favourite necklace. It was a simple cubic zirconia pendant with a cheap metal attachment. It broke off in the shower, and my standard piece of jewellery was no longer part of my fashion repertoire. I had been searching all over for a suitable replacement, but nothing seemed to catch my eye. I wanted sterling silver with a pretty, neutral stone that I could wear with anything.
I was walking along Fifth Street in downtown Courtenay and I was inexplicably drawn into a…
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Added by Lindsay Szymanski on April 3, 2009 at 8:30am —
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My name is Lindsay and I’m a food addict. Doesn’t really have the same gravity as saying I’m a heroin addict, but to me there is little difference. The new buzz word in the diet and fitness community is the thought that people who are obese or morbidly obese may suffer from compulsive overeating and food addiction. How can one be addicted to something that their body needs to function? It’s like suggesting there are people who suffer from oxygen addiction or who go on three-week water binges.
T…
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Added by Lindsay Szymanski on December 31, 2008 at 9:30am —
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The online community has seen its user-generated content grow in the last few years, and nowadays it seems like everyone and their dog has a blog. People are backing up their stories and anecdotes by citing, “I read it online”, oftentimes not realizing where their information is coming from.
Opinion pages, editorials and letters to the editor have long been a way for people to express their views about politics, current events, civics, and other touchy topics. The world of the blog is far less…
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Added by Lindsay Szymanski on December 3, 2008 at 11:58am —
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I live in a slum. It’s official. Yesterday I woke up, wandered to the communal bathroom, and had to step over a crack addict sleeping in the hallway to get to my bathroom. Why do I live here? Because it’s cheap. Why can’t I leave? Because I can’t afford to live anywhere else.
Here in Nanaimo, there has been a long-standing argument about homelessness and the need for the street people to be given affordable housing options. I’m all for assisted living, and a hand up rather than a hand out, but…
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Added by Lindsay Szymanski on October 22, 2008 at 1:00pm —
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Recently, there have been major cuts to the arts funding by Stephen Harper. As the Globe and Mail reports, “In his first detailed defence of $45-million in controversial cuts to arts and culture funding, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper called his party's decisions good governance and said the government must walk ‘a fine line’ between providing financial stability and ‘funding things that people actually don't want.’”
As an artists, I am not only scared that there may not be funding for the…
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Added by Lindsay Szymanski on September 12, 2008 at 10:00am —
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When I was in elementary school we were poor. Very poor. I grew up in a home where you ate what was put in front of you, whether it tasted horrible or not. Compound this with the fact that my dad could not cook. His idea of gourmet was Kraft dinner mixed with mushroom soup, with sliced hot dogs thrown in for protein. When I was younger I didn’t like food. Ok, I didn’t like what my dad considered food. This backfired on me in a big way. Whenever I would get my hands on food that was palatable, I…
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Added by Lindsay Szymanski on September 10, 2008 at 1:44pm —
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I was walking down my quiet, neighbourhood street the other day, taking in the sunshine and enjoying the cool, salty breeze. People were walking their dogs, children were playing happily in their front yards and families were relaxing on their decks. It was like strolling through Mayberry. I passed a woman walking her golden retriever. We exchanged waves and the dog looked up and seemed to smile at me.
Several minutes later, I noticed a man in the distance walking his dog.
As I got closer, I co…
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Added by Lindsay Szymanski on September 4, 2008 at 4:04pm —
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The 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics are still 4 days away, but already the terrorism has begun. These Olympics were set to be the most dramatic and bold statement of international community, goodwill and solidarity. However, like many sports spectacles before it, the Beijing games are primed to be disastrous in so many ways. Set aside the poor housing, the impact of the games on the rural communities of China, the poisonous air and food and you’re still left with political unrest and uncertainty.…
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Added by Lindsay Szymanski on August 4, 2008 at 5:00pm —
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One of the more disturbing aspects of living in a community like Vancouver Island is the realization that eventually what we have grown to know and love of our surroundings is going to slip into a concrete abyss. Desertification, defined as “the degradation of land resulting primarily from human activities,” is upon us, but of a decidedly different kind. The squandering of resources and making a place uninhabitable for residents because of human impact is happening in this area, at an alarming r…
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Added by Lindsay Szymanski on July 20, 2008 at 10:53pm —
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Ever since I left high school and ventured out on my own, I have been poor. Not dying-kids-in-Africa poor, but I have been trying to scrape my way up above the poverty line for about 8 years. I have had no success.
This is not entirely without merit: it is a direct result of attempting to better myself and put myself through University. I made the decision (some would say mistake) to earn a degree in English and Creative Writing with the assistance of student loans and part-time employment. Upo…
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Added by Lindsay Szymanski on July 11, 2008 at 3:00pm —
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I noticed something disturbing the other day at the grocery store. Pink. Everywhere. I was in the frozen-food isle, picking out some breakfast treats, when I picked up a box of waffles. Emblazoned with pink ribbons, the box implied that I too could fight the battle of breast cancer, if only I bought... waffles. I could see maybe buying a pink bra or even some pink lipstick or eye shadow to help the cause, but waffles? As a cynical shopper I wandered around the store looking for more pink product…
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Added by Lindsay Szymanski on July 4, 2008 at 3:00pm —
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I was walking down the street the other day. It was quiet, gorgeous, and warm. I stopped and played with the little finches dancing with me. I bent over and grabbed one of the luscious pink roses on the side of the road, lifted it up and took a great big whiff. It was an aroma I’ll never forget. It was as though all of my pain and stress melted away. The clouds covering my eyes and the cotton balls in my head disappeared and I could immediately see the world more clearly. I closed my eyes and to…
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Added by Lindsay Szymanski on June 30, 2008 at 4:09pm —
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Over the last several months in British Columbia, Canada, there have been feet found floating along the Fraser River and the shores of Vancouver Island. No one knows exactly why the feet are suddenly emerging, but the mystery is causing some people to question whether the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island regions are safe for visitors.
…
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Added by Lindsay Szymanski on June 21, 2008 at 12:00pm —
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I stood in front of my full-length mirror naked, looking at every minute detail of my body. The soft dimples on my thighs, the hanging skin of my stomach, the droop of my breasts, little nuggets of chub on my back, my double chin. Looking at the elements of my body that most people would consider flaws, I reached for my tiara, placed it on my head and rejoiced that I too could someday be a Beauty Queen.
Chloe Marshall, a British plus-sized model and aspiring Miss England is at the centre of a m…
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Added by Lindsay Szymanski on June 19, 2008 at 5:19pm —
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Memories are transient. They come and go through the chambers of my mind without warning, and without exception. Memories of my father come and go more regularly than his actual presence in my life. Like today, my first Father’s Day without him, (without him not calling, without him not writing, without him not being a part of my life), I can’t get him out of my head.
I found out he had cancer on the same day my fiancé dumped me. I lost two men in my life that day, and didn’t even know it. He w…
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Added by Lindsay Szymanski on June 15, 2008 at 1:59pm —
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