Prisoner's Justice Day (a reprint)

Posted on August 10, 2008 by

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I wanted to remind everyone that August 10th is Prisoners’ Justice Day – an internationally-observed day started some decades ago by the tireless Canadian prison-abolitionist Claire Culhane. Prisoners’ Justice Day is the day prisoners have set aside as a day to fast and refuse to work in a show of solidarity with those who have died unnecessarily — victims of murder, suicide and neglect inside the cruel fortresses of power that masquerade as centres for “rehabilitation”.

Prisoners’ Justice Day is not just an observance for political prisoners, but for all men and women caught within the walls of class, race and gender – for all of those who have ended their journey inside a cage – a day when we in the community hold demonstrations, vigils, spiritual services and other events in solidarity with those who are trapped inside.

I would encourage people to take part in any Prisoners’ Justice Day events in your community, and additionally take some time to:

  • Write a letter to a prisoner you know, or even one you don’t know – there are lots of prison pen-pal sites online and if you prefer to spend your energy on a political prisoner, there are many lists out there.
  • Write a letter to your congressperson or Member of Parliament demanding better HIV/AIDS education, prevention and treatment in prisons. This is one of the major killers in prison and completely preventable.
  • Donate to one of the many Prisoner Support organizations in your community – Joint Effort, Books to Prisoners, Anarchist Black Cross, etc.
  • Write a letter in support of Leonard Peltier, Mumia Abu-Jamal, or any other political prisoner currently being held for their beliefs.
  • Get together with other family and friends who are affected by the prison system due to the incarceration of loved ones, hold a vigil or a study session on prison-abolition.
  • Donate some money to a prisoner’s commisary fund, or legal fund.
  • Write a letter to your local newspaper about prison issues, conditions, or prisoner rights.

These all seem like such small and almost-insignificant things – but not only do they let our prisoner-friends and family know that we are out here for them – each action helps to break down the shame and stigma of prison forced onto all of us who have loved ones on the inside. We are not ashamed of those we know in prison, but we should be ashamed to live in a society which can not come up with more creative and humane options in dealing with our issues.

A better world is possible,
M.

Please keep them away from us…..

Posted on August 8, 2008 by

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Not that I want to give the freak killing on the Greyhound too much discussion – but I read this latest nuttiness and had to link it here. You know, because God hates Canadians, and Canadians hate crazy fundamentalists. But you know, not to be outdone in shameless opportunism, the animal rights fundies over at PETA have a few things to say about that too.

Could everyone just leave that poor family alone to grieve now?

Impatient reading.

Posted on August 8, 2008 by

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It’s been an awfully long time since I’ve written about books – partly because my reading has slowed down lately, but also because I haven’t read a ton of stuff that’s affected me enough to rant or rave. Mostly the books I am reading are well-told stories but not much else. Enjoyable. Forgettable. Which is what happens when you just allow books to enter your life rather than consciously seeking out the things you’ve always wanted to read. Sometimes serendipitous, but mostly just providing a cover for gapping out of life once and a while.

But I just finished a book which really irked me on some level which lead to a discussion between my literary workmates about the phenomena of “books that are really annoying but leave one feeling compelled to find out the story arch which encourages a very very fast reading just to get them over with”. I really wish there was a word to sum up that particular feeling of irritation because it is a tad wordy to describe – but you readers out there must know what I’m talking about, right?

It’s not every annoying book of course. Some books don’t inspire me to finish for any reason; I am content to put them down two or three chapters in (bad writing, stupid characters, plot that isn’t going to hold up) and discard them with the next cull of the bookshelf. Usually with those novels there is more than a single thing wrong with them and so deigning to read them seems like a big waste of time. The particular phenomenom I am referring to above happens generally when only one element is irksome. The plot usually is intact and somewhat compelling, but it’s some other piece that doesn’t quite work. Most often, it’s when I realize that none of the characters are sympathetic and/or their choices seem unfathomable or ridiculous to me. One bad choice I can forgive, but by the time we get to three or four (one wrong turn always begets another), I have switched into full-blown impatient reading mode.

Two of those which I have written about previously are Peter Carey’s His Illegal Self, and Ian McEwan’s Atonement.

The one that sparked the discussion today is Alice Sebold’s latest work The Almost Moon which starts out promisingly enough when the main character kills her aging (senile) mother in a fit during caregiving, but then turns into a series of errors painful to read about. A bit like watching someone in a horror movie – you know if they make “that” decision (to open the door, to enter the dark house, to laugh at fate) then it will necessarily result in the unraveling of everything else. Is it realistic that a character would make these decisions? Or is the author merely putting the character through the paces in order to see what might happen? (Apparently Sebold couldn’t decide in this case because the book ends abruptly and with no resolution for the main character.) You read because you honestly want to know how the author resolves the plot, while remaining completely unsympathetic to their personalities and choices throughout.

It’s a paradoxical feeling, to be tantalized and yet repelled. And it may sound strange, but by the end of books like these I feel a little bit used. Like I was just along on an author’s uncomfortable joyride, not one that I would have ever chosen for myself. Fortunately, I can read quickly – not too much of time gets wasted at the very least.

(I will say that Sebold’s previous work Lovely Bones was an excellent, if odd, piece of fiction and she is a very readable writer which is part of what lead me to this book.)

In any event, I am feeling the need to be a bit more directed in my reading over the next little while and to that end I have ordered second-hand copies of Pat Barker’s 2nd and 3rd books in the Regeneration Trilogy (one of which won the Booker). I read the first novel a few years ago and loved it, so I’ve decided to read the whole lot from start to finish once I’m done with a book of hers I’ve just borrowed from a friend – Border Crossing. I’ve got tons of books on the “to-read” pile at the moment, but I do want to make sure I get a quality read or two in before the end of summer!

Pushing myself.

Posted on August 7, 2008 by

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I have been experiencing some sort of writer’s block lately. Can not, don’t feel like, am stumped about…. And it’s not like I don’t have topics in mind, but somehow I just can’t get myself motivated to write them. Perhaps it’s just August. I’m not sure. But I don’t feel any urgency to post these days. Something about the formlessness of late summer – June/July all full of promise, August I often feel too little structure around me and everything becomes lazy.

On the other hand I have managed to keep the stucture of working out, and am currently experiencing another surge in fitness level (meaning, I have been sore the last couple of days). Since I went back to the gym in late June, I’ve been trying to mix it up and as such have been doing a weekly kickboxing class that has been really challenging and fun – so much so that I’ve started researching downtown boxing gyms for the fall. We’ll see. I don’t want to sign myself up unless I’m sure it’s what I want to do for the next year – but I really like the idea of being a buff boxing babe 😉

I’m feeling pretty good about myself bodywise at the moment, eating really well, losing weight, trying new things out at the gym – all sparked by the recent realization that a) I am getting older, b) I have the same crappy genetics as the rest of my family, and c) if I continue to carry extra weight into middle age then I am just setting myself up for high blood pressure, diabetes, and arthritis complications (a la my mother). And while I know that aging is something that happens to everyone and I won’t escape all of it, I’d like to think that living healthier now (particularly the regular exercise part) will give me an extra advantage when I’m sixty-five.

Problem of course is that I’ve been here before – this probably being the fourth or fifth round of rediscovering the gym. Each time the same – a lot of energy starting out that evaporates as I get bored, lazy, or over-committed to other things. It’s a cycle I don’t care to repeat – the motivation does get trickier with each attempt, and I worry that eventually I’ll just move on to “why bother?” So I’ve incorporated a lot of variety into my weeks this summer – walking to work, elliptical trainer, kickboxing classes, the occasional hike, and even some (sorry) attempts at jogging. Now I’m hoping to add some regular strength training and yoga or pilates classes as well. I’ve been doing a bit so far, but nothing regular. Biggest issue with that is finding the time for it all!

Brian has been pretty supportive (and likewise getting more active) so despite the fact the gym often cuts into our time together, he hasn’t been complaining. And as a bonus, he’s often around after work to make dinner when I come home all hungry. So that helps too. I want to be all yay me! but because I know that this can be a thing that comes and goes I’m not going to celebrate too much until I get to a consistent six months. I’m hoping that something like boxing will help with goal-setting and motivation in general. And push-ups – boxing classes will force me to do those exercises I find most terrible.

I’m hoping my writer’s block will recede if I just keep posting regardless of form or content. Apologies to those of you hoping for something a little more interesting!

The wild coast.

Posted on August 5, 2008 by

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The wedding we went to this past weekend isn’t really worth writing much about – it was a wedding and the married couple are very happy. The end.

However, we did have a great time in Sooke when away from the wedding festivities. The B&B we stayed at had a hot tub right on the beach, we got lots of downtime to read in the sun and play guitar, and on Sunday we drove up the coast to visit the place where I broke my ankle five years ago. I’ve always wanted to go back there – though I had completely forgotten what a gorgeous part of the coast it is (I was a little preoccupied with endorphins and thoughts of rescue the last time around).

The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail has four or five access points along the road winding up the west coast of Vancouver Island – and this particular spot is accessed off the Parkinson Creek lot (found at the end of four kilometers of badly-potholed logging road the parks service seems to have stopped maintaining). From the trailhead to the beach is perhaps only 2 kilometers through secondgrowth forest which leads out to a beach covered in solid rock shelf and tidal pools. The day was misty, the waves were fierce, and yet the temperature was not too cold for exploring and picnicking. The only other people you are likely to run into at this amazing spot are through-hikers on the JFMT since the parking area is poorly marked from the highway and it’s not a popular spot for camping or surfing.

I’ve posted some photos here. Including the panorama shot below. Click on that image to see it in a larger size. More soon.

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