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Can You Go to Canada If You Have a DUI?
Almost 7 years ago, while going through some personal issues, I made a terrible mistake and ended up being convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) in the State of California. It was a dark period in my life, but I have moved on and learned my lesson. This spring, however, my intoxicated driving conviction […]
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Our Friendly Hawk
Posted February 29, 2016 by Polar Bear
Every day there is a hawk which visits our home. It lands in a tree not fifty feet from our balcony and surveys the area. The first time I noticed it was during a kill. The hawk came out of the sky very fast and landed on a small rabbit.The kill was in…
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"Credit where credit is due." – Oil Sands Companies Demonstrate Leadership On Climate Change = Ezra’s PISSED !!
Posted November 22, 2015 by leftdog
(Click on image to enlarge .. )CALGARY, ALBERTA–(Marketwired – Nov. 22, 2015) – Four of Canada’s largest oil sands producers have come together to demonstrate leadership on climate change. Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Cenovus Energy Inc….
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More Extraordinary Circumstances
Posted November 22, 2015 by Tanya McGinnity
In cased you missed my recent blog post about my recent big night out – well here’s a bit of serendipity after seeing this article a few days ago. “Something that meant so much to me was now part of the problem. Music is one of the most important parts of my life but I […]
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An Evening of Extraordinary Circumstance
Posted November 16, 2015 by Tanya McGinnity
This is likely one of the more bizarre show reviews you are about to read. It’s written by someone who grew terrified of going to see bands. A panic attack during the opening act before the band OFF and boom, I was OFF. OFF to the bathroom to have a meltdown and then OFF in […]
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The REAL Reason That Stephen Harper DID NOT Resign His Seat When He Resigned as PM And Party Leader …
Posted November 13, 2015 by leftdog
“Words don’t mean much to Stephen.”Preston ManningOur outgoing Prime Minister does not want to testify at the criminal trial of Senator Mike Duffy. He wants to use his Parliamentary ‘privilege’ to try and stay off the witness stand. If there is any jus…
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The Flotsam And Jetsam That Is The Conservative Federal Caucus ….
Posted November 5, 2015 by leftdog
A defeated, yet still highly offensive group of political like minds will join together in Ottawa today. They are known as the Conservative Party of Canada Federal Caucus. While in power they raised the debt of Canada by tens of billions. Th…
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A huge burden has just been lifted from the shoulders of all decent Canadians …
Posted November 4, 2015 by leftdog
Screw off Stephen Harper, you undemocratic, arrogant, evil, deluded dick !!!
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Saskatoon City Police Tell PM Trudeau To Shove His Pot Legalization Plans ‘you know where’ !!
Posted October 30, 2015 by leftdog
Reasonable persons would look at the results of the recent federal election and determine that change is going to happen with Canada’s existing marijuana laws. These same reasonable individuals would deduct that perhaps application of the old, about to…
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Canada is going to throw a Right Wing Autocratic tyrant out of the Prime Minister’s Office today !!!
Posted October 19, 2015 by leftdog
“Canada is a Northern European welfare state in the worst sense of the term, and very proud of it. Canadians make no connection between the fact that they are a Northern European welfare state and the fact that we have very low economic growth, a stand…
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Full Contact Enlightenment – Random Linkage: November
Posted November 28, 2015 by Tanya McGinnity
Here dear friends is a handful of items that have crossed my eyeballs on the internet lately. I like to call it Random Linkage. May you all be titillated, entertained and perhaps illuminated. Check out this interview from The Lion’s Roar with Mingyur Rinpoche after emerging from a four year retreat. They’re talkin’ bout my […]
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Lotus Petals in the Snow – Now Available for Purchase!
Posted December 9, 2015 by Tanya McGinnity
This is not a drill! The book that I’ve been working on is officially out! It’s been a complete labor of love, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that being a first time editor of roughly 30 pieces was easy – especially when working with the words of so many people who I […]
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Random Linkage: Podcasts, Miscellany and More
Posted February 23, 2016 by Tanya McGinnity
Been a while friends. Been a while. I’ve been studying a whole lot but that doesn’t mean that you aren’t on my mind. Here are a few distractions from my studies that I’d love to share with you all. This episode of this rather nefarious sounding podcast was something my husband said I’d quite like […]
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Clubhouse Donations
Posted February 21, 2016 by Polar Bear
Our new clubhouse is about a month from official opening and we are coping with the generous donations from the residents of Brantwell Village. Some of the donations are very large and expensive such as a beautiful grand piano and several pool tables. …
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Summer in Winter
Posted February 20, 2016 by Polar Bear
I have mentioned several times about the unusual weather patterns that have been plaguing our area this year. It is close to the end of February and the last few days have given us spring like conditions. I am very worried about our trees which a…
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Punta Cana
Posted February 18, 2016 by Polar Bear
Theresa and I missed the week long winter weather while we took a short vacation to Punta Cana. Our weather was perfect and everything about our stay away was just right. I am always amazed at the hospitality shown to tourists in this region. Alt…
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Recently Read: You Are Not What You Think
Posted January 24, 2016 by Tanya McGinnity
You Are Not What You Think: The Egoless Path to Self-Esteem and Generous Love is the exact book that I needed to cross my path in this particular stage in my life. I’m going through a great deal of “self work” and unraveling some habits and thought processes to fully see how I operate in […]
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Towards a Liberation-based Livelihood in 2016
Posted December 31, 2015 by Tanya McGinnity
Right livelihood. It can be yours even if it feels so far away. One step to make it even closer it to find someone who knows how to make it happen and can coach you. Whether it’s being overwhelmed, having fears about what this kind of transition would be like for your life (and wallet), […]
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Random Linkage: Season’s Weepings
Posted December 31, 2015 by Tanya McGinnity
It’s the time of the year where everyone’s feeling awesome and cheery and light. Well some of us. It’s OK if you’re not. Know you’re not alone in feeling sad, guilty, happy, miserable, lighthearted, messy, Christmas cheery and not-so-celebratory. But if you are in need of an ear and do need help – don’t be […]
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Recently Read: The Body of Chris
Posted December 13, 2015 by Tanya McGinnity
Judging a book by its cover, this one features a color photo of a shirtless, tattooed man emblazoned across the book jacket. While this is quite common with many of the publications sitting on bookshelves today – memoirs of heavy metal musicians or biographies of male supermodels- this one is quite different and exceptionally powerful. […]
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Random Linkage – October
Posted October 8, 2015 by Tanya McGinnity
Hey friends. Here are a few links that caught my attention recently: I’m currently trying to Fall in Love With My Work by taking this self-study course in order to figure out my professional shizz. So far so good! I’m seeing things a bit differently so that’s a promising sign. Letting Go of the Need […]
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Unlearning
Posted October 3, 2015 by Tanya McGinnity
The process of unlearning has been front and center in my life these days. My mother is dying and had packaged up a box of some various mementos for me – photos, notes, baby shoes, children’s books and every single one of my report cards. I haven’t been able to look at the box until […]
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Can you feel the music?
Posted September 17, 2015 by Tanya McGinnity
I can feel it. I have discovered in the past little while that I respond to ASMR triggers of the auditory kind. As a kid I had this kind of reaction but never really knew what it was and it seems like it now has a name and has become a recognized thing. I get […]
The post Can you feel the music? appeared first on Full Contact Enlightenment.
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I have one simple question for all of those trained seals who stand behind Steve Harper at his secret, controlled campaign rallies ….
Posted August 17, 2015 by leftdog
… and that question is:W T F ???
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"COVERUP" !!!
Posted August 16, 2015 by leftdog
COVERUP !!! There is NO other way to describe it.
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Anxious and Angry and Helping Others so Very Much
Posted July 11, 2015 by Tanya McGinnity
I am a voracious consumer of podcasts. Zillions of podcasts are just waiting to tickle my earbuds on a daily basis. I use Downcast to manage them all as it’s a pretty full feature “podcatcher” (I guess that’s what those in the know are calling this kind of tool). I listen to a whole bunch […]
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Product Management Workshop: Aug. 22-23 in Chicago
Posted June 28, 2015 by Anonymous
Want to take your Product craft to the next level? Attend the Craftsman PM 2-day hands-on Product Management workshop. Think holistically about building and marketing The Whole Product Go beyond MVP/Lean Startup and dogmatic frameworks Raise your Product Management game Details are here: The Craftsman PM: A 2-day Hands-on Workshop Where: Blue1647, Chicago, IL When: August […]
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Confessions….
Posted June 22, 2015 by Tanya McGinnity
I like a Dave Matthews Band song. I have been crying more in the past 6 months in my entire lifetime and it feels amazing. Really. I’ve been doing a lot of self massage with tennis balls on my upper shoulders. Can’t recommend this enough. I am quite adept at keeping bamboo alive. My first […]
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Random Linkage: Is it June Already?
Posted June 17, 2015 by Tanya McGinnity
Holy heck it’s June already! Are you feeling it? I hope wherever you are that the sun is shining on your pretty face and you have a nice cold drink chilling beside you. May you all be free from harm. Let it be known that long ago I once almost killed my cousin and I […]
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“A Puppy’s Path to Nirvana” by Deke, The Dharma Dog
Posted May 31, 2015 by Tanya McGinnity
As a self-professed dog person (nothing against cats over here folks), I’m quite excited to hear about the new book A Puppy’s Path to Nirvana from Deke, The Dharma Dog. It’s a 29-lesson ebook, with Deke speaking throughout, explaining Buddha’s view of the world, his basic doctrines and practices, Buddhism’s early growth, and its development […]
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Resting…. Resting… 1-2-3
Posted May 25, 2015 by Tanya McGinnity
I had a mindblowingly glorious weekend friends. My dear, beloved teacher, Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche gave teachings in my adopted home of Montreal this past Friday and Saturday. We were all thrilled to have him back on the East Coast! It was the first time I as able to see him IRL so I was filled […]
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Veterans Prevented From Entering Legion Hall While Harper Meets With Small Handful of ‘Friendly’ Vets .. Shame !!
Posted August 17, 2015 by leftdog
A group of Canadian military veterans said they were denied access to a Stephen Harper event held at a legion in New Brunswick Monday morning.Fabian Henry of the organization Marijuana for Trauma said that he and six other veterans heard Sunday night t…
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The Baby Boomer ‘Woodstock Generation’ Is Now Old And As A Demographic Group Are Voting For Stephen Harper !!
Posted August 18, 2015 by leftdog
This week marks the 46th Anniversary of a pivotal moment in Baby Boomer culture and history. The 1969 Woodstock Rock Festival is nearly a half century old and the generation that spawned it and basked in it for decades afterwards is now in its Senior y…
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Help Name a New Buddhist Book!
Posted September 13, 2015 by Tanya McGinnity
Cover Art by Carole Leslie | ZenDotStudio I haven’t been speaking about it very often given that I’ve been pretty heads-down working away on it, but Sumeru Press and I are ever so close to releasing the anthology of Canadian Buddhist women’s writing. We’re now in need of a title. Please either email info@sumeru-books.com with […]
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What’s Different about Managing SaaS Products?
Posted September 10, 2015 by Anonymous
By Felicia Anderson SaaS provides a treasure trove of new user insights. As customers adopt Software as a Service (SaaS) in record numbers, those software providers that effectively leverage SaaS’ unique advantages will move into industry-leading positions. Companies that fail to do so will lose competitive ground. Here are 3 areas that every SaaS product […]
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Bouncing Forward: Transforming Bad Breaks Into Breakthroughs | Michaela Haas
Posted September 7, 2015 by Tanya McGinnity
Do you know that feeling when the right message comes along at the right time? Whenever I’ve gone through tough times, or been asked by a friend how I’ve coped with difficulties, my tried and true, go-to recommendation has been to read Pema Chödrön’s When Things Fall Apart. It has been a great comfort during […]
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Not anti social, just idiotic
Posted September 4, 2015 by Tanya McGinnity
I am so sorry! I’m not anti-social. I’m idiotic! Oh gosh. I’m just seeing now that I had comments turned completely off here on this blog. I really do want to hear from you. Leave me a comment. Say “Hi” and bring me up to speed on how you’re doing. Tell me something about […]
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Feeding the product team using “pull”
Posted September 4, 2015 by Anonymous
As soon as somebody says you’re spending too much time on something, you’re on the right track.—Bob Lefsetz, American music industry author. There are two approaches to delivering stories to your product team: pull and push. Typically, product managers and executives “push” more and more requests to the developers. Even though the team already has […]
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Book Review: Susan Piver’s Start Here Now
Posted August 30, 2015 by Tanya McGinnity
Yes. I know I told you that I had given up reading and reviewing books for a bit. After a few decent ones came my way, I decided to withdraw my ultimatum on book reviewing , but rather be more mindful with the amount of books I was signing myself up for taking on. Would […]
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Harper’s PMO Lawyer Spills The Beans At Duffy Trial – Harper Ignored Legal Advice And Named Senators Who Did Not Qualify – The Stinky Senate Scandal Started At That Moment
Posted August 21, 2015 by leftdog
“Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s closest aides developed a secret plan in February 2013 to protect Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin and other Conservative senators from questions about their eligibility to represent specific provinces in the upper chamber, according to documents tabled in Duffy’s criminal trial Thursday.
Harper, however, worried that delving into Senate residency rules would open a can of worms, and insisted that owning property in a province was a sufficient qualification for senators to hold their seats.
“Had I known we were going down this road, I would have shut it down long before,” Harper wrote to a senior aide. “As long as they maintain a residency in their province, as per tradition, we will deem that as sufficient for this purpose … i.e. the property requirement = residence.”
But the PMO’s top lawyer privately argued that Harper’s simple definition could be wrong given that the Constitution lists owning property in a province and being “resident” in a province as two distinct criteria for serving as a senator from that province.”
The Ottawa Citizen
Oh and for the record:
–this blog contributed in February 2013 to the voices critical of naming individuals as Senators who clearly did not meet the residency requirement.
-And the Right leaning Regina Leader-Post contributed to the voices of support for Harper’s inappropriate naming of individuals who did not meet the residency requirements.
(.. just sayin’)
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Harper In Wonderland
Posted August 20, 2015 by leftdog
(This editorial, published in the Toronto Star, is bang on and a good expression of what’s happening with our dishonest and highly corrupt Prime Minister:
Stephen Harper’s Alice in Wonderland world: Editorial
A surreal Alice in Wonderland air is beginning to surround Sen. Mike Duffy’s trial, and it is shredding the government’s credibility
Just how many impossible things do Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his scandal-tainted Conservative Party expect Canadians to believe before breakfast?
A surreal Alice in Wonderland air is beginning to surround Sen. Mike Duffy’s bribery, breach of trust and fraud trial, and it is shredding the government’s credibility. In the looking-glass world of the Prime Minister and all his men, reality is what they say it is, and skeptics be damned.
Before we all get dragged down the Conservative rabbit-hole, here’s a reminder of a few big things the Tories want the public to accept in connection with the Duffy scandal:
Stephen Harper knew nothing. Harper, one of the Canada’s most rigidly controlling and media-obsessed political figures, maintains he knew nothing about plans by his former chief of staff Nigel Wright to dig into his own pocket to the tune of $90,000 to repay Duffy’s dubious living expenses. How this could be when Harper’s closest aides in the Prime Minister’s Office and even people outside of government were deeply involved is hard to fathom.
Justin Trudeau and Thomas Mulcair have both called on Harper to “come clean” and “tell the truth.”
Ray Novak knew nothing. Backed by the Conservative party,Harper’s current top aide and chief of staff before the election also maintains he knew nothing about the payment when he served as Harper’s principal secretary, the PMO’s second-highest job.
Yet Harper’s former legal adviser Ben Perrin flatly challenges that. He told the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that Novak was at a meeting when Wright advised Perrin that he was going to give Duffy the money. “I remember looking at Ray to see his reaction,” Perrin told police, saying it was “black and white” that Novak knew Wright was paying. Perrin also says Novak listened in on a phone call to Duffy’s lawyer when Wright spoke of the payment. And Novak received an email from Wright confirming “I will send my cheque on Monday.” Still, Novak knew nothing.
He can’t have known, Tory campaign spokesman Kory Teneycke says without any discernable hint of irony, because “it’s unfathomable that Ray would be aware of a payment … and not tell the prime minister.”
Wright and Duffy alone are to blame. Harper continues to insist that there are only “two people … who are responsible,” Duffy and Wright, and he has thrown them overboard.
It’s a convenient line. But Canadians know that it was an impressively large cast of Tory actors who conspired to contain the broader Duffy political scandal by solving his problems with a Senate audit and his disputed expenses, who cheered on the sleazy scheme or knew about it.
That cast includes not only Harper himself, but also Wright and Novak, Perrin, Wright’s former assistant David van Hemmen, former PMO communications chief Andrew MacDougall, former PMO issues management director Chris Woodcock, former PMO director of parliamentary affairs Patrick Rogers, Conservative Party bagman Sen. Irving Gerstein, and senior Tory senators Marjory LeBreton and David Tkachuk. All have been named in connection with trying to make the Duffy problem go away. The rot runs wide and deep.
Whatever credence Canadians may give to Harper’s assertion that he knew nothing of Wright’s payout, it is obvious that he and his office were all “good to go” with a shabby scheme to shield Duffy and the government from more embarrassment, to mislead the public into thinking that Duffy had willingly repaid, and to tamp down public anger over Senate spending abuses. The PMO, if not the PM, conspired to keep the public in the dark about the secret payoff to a man they felt had abused taxpayers’ money. And the party, at one point, was prepared to dip into its own funds to make the sleazy deceit happen.
Having betrayed the public trust and debased their brand, the Conservatives are inviting us to join the Mad Hatter’s tea party, swallowing whatever impossible thing they roll out of the pantry.
