The Post has a great piece on the 'open 24 hours' craze that seems to be intensifying as the big day approaches - Shopping at 4 a.m. appeals to those leading hectic lives.
Why do we do this? The other day the ladies in my workout class were discussing all the demands we face this time of year. One said she couldn't sleep the other night, so she got up in the middle of the night and wrote out all her Christmas cards!
Do we put this burden on ourselves? It seems that women are usually the Christmas directors in each family. Why do we assume these expectations?
One of my favourite authors, Ed Hallowell, is quoted in the above-noted article:
"It's good news and bad news, in general, about modern life. The good news is we can do so much; the bad news is we can do so much," said Dr. Hallowell, also the author of CrazyBusy: Strategies for Coping in a World Gone ADD. "If you have no boundaries, take every message, take every call, go to every store, go through every opportunity, you run yourself ragged and so you see people becoming crazy busy."Related article - Last-minute shoppers can blame technology.
People must protect themselves from ceaseless demands on their time and attention as the ever-elusive work-life-balance comes under siege by retailers.
"It becomes crucial to prioritize. Otherwise you become the victim of your own enthusiasm and you end up trying to do too much. You make yourself too available and then nothing is fun."
Well, if you crave even more distraction, check out these links:
Great Letter to the Editor here in the Post - Showing our PM in a bad light. The CBC-Liberal conspiracy theory is advanced. Check out the Black Rod too.
-Also: CBC news coverage a bit of a charade - Lorne Gunter.
Stephen Taylor - CBC responds to Doug Finley.
John Ivison - Dion's poverty plan could cost economy:
...However, an internal government analysis of Mr. Dion's spending plans, obtained by the National Post, suggests that when Canadians take a closer look at what the Liberals are proposing, they may decide the country can ill afford to be run by a man one of his Liberal leadership rivals once confided "couldn't balance a cheque book."
In other news, the outrage over the pathetic sentence given to the pedophile-Internet-porn-father seems to have finally caught the attention of the powers that be - Crown to review pedophile dad's 'slap on the wrist'. Both levels of government need to get on board here. When even liberals are outraged, then something is very, very wrong.
Why is our society so anti-children?
Related: Battle lines drawn on crime - Michael Harris.
And Lottogate continues - The OLG? Quit kidding around - David Menzies.
5 comments:
A lot of very good stuff in there, Joanne. The point you made about women & Christmas was very poignant as well; it's all part and parcel of the "second shift" that women are expected to take on in their daily lives. Put in your 8 hours at the office, come home and do another 8 hours (only this time it's unpaid) doing most of the work around the house, and when that's all done maybe get some sleep. The malls this weekend will be packed with guys just starting their shopping, and many of them will turn to the in-store wrapping station to get the job done even though you've hand-wrapped everything yourself. Cuz the men, they have more important things to do. Fun, eh?
As for the man who raped his own child on the Internet, I greatly fear we're going to be hearing a lot more stories like this in the future. It's one more medium for those obsessed with pornography to get their fix. Magazines, television, photos, iPods, DVDs, phone cameras ("sharking" is an emerging trend in which a man or group of them will run up to an isolated woman, lift up her dress or remove her clothes, and photograph it, and then post it on the 'Net), you name it, if there's a way to distribute something, pornographers will find a way to exploit it. Pornographers hate women and children, and regularly demonstrate the lengths to which they will go to demonstrate that hatred. Demand for porn is at all-time high, to the extent that it can be stated (and has been by feminists for years now) that our society hates women and children and sees them as good for little else. It is greatly disturbing, and has a lot of external factors feeding it, be it human traffickers, pimps, johns, and porn consumers--note that the great majority of all of these classifications consist of men.
I still remember fondly the days before Sunday shopping became the norm in Ontario. A nice Sunday dinner with the family.
During the day my friends and I would get together for a little, football, baseball, or road hockey, depending on the season.
Now life seems so hectic that I don't know what day it is half the time.
As for the ridiculous sentence handed out to the slime that molested his daughter on the internet, just another example of how pathetic and weak-kneed our so-called justice system really is. This person should have received the maximum sentence allowed by law. And it's time to do away with the 2 for 1 credited time. Day for day makes sense. Defence lawyers use this rule to drag out cases and get their clients less actual time served.
This person should have received the maximum sentence allowed by law.
Recently there was some news about a possible link between pedophilia and brain structure.
If this is true, then the pedophile is very likely to re-offend upon release.
How should society deal with this?
On the other hand, other people such as those that RGM references may simply have a lack of self-control, and need to act out their fantasies in ways that hurt vulnerable women and children.
Very complex.
But keep them AWAY FROM THE KIDS!!!!
call me odd, but I'm a female who hates shopping. As a matter of fact, Christmas shopping for me is best done in stages, a little at a time throughout the year.
Grocery shopping for the holidays really blows. I love hosting get-togethers but if I don't see the inside of my local grocery store for the next month it's ok with me.
I live in small town Ontario and in one of the richest agricultural areas of the province, YET, we can't seem to get a good green bean or reasonably priced produce.
Eat healthy???? Right.
When healthy food becomes as affordable as junk food, THEN the junkfood police have a reason to complain. Until then.....the nanny's should back off.
Thanks for my early Christmas present Mr. Gunther!!!!
Well said.
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