Meta tags:
description=Writer Editor Broadcaster;
keywords=;

Headings (most frequently used words):

the, muriel, in, her, own, words, child, care, an, essential, service, framing, news, remembering, topshee, that, elusive, perfect, rock, our, 50th, reunion, church, symbolism, rules, pornography, traced, to, its, source, legacy, worth, honouring, pages, about, me, categories, popular, tags, archives,

Text of the page (most frequently used words):
the (623), and (284), that (161), was (142), for (103), they (71), women (70), with (62), have (61), are (59), who (58), this (57), from (57), there (56), people (52), were (52), had (51), but (46), our (45), she (42), more (40), government (38), about (37), one (37), not (36), when (36), their (35), been (34), would (33), all (32), you (30), what (29), her (27), said (26), will (26), many (26), comment (25), some (25), because (24), don (24), very (24), war (24), them (23), can (23), could (23), out (23), work (22), leave (21), nova (21), ndp (21), other (21), into (21), much (21), has (20), its (20), own (20), which (20), story (20), first (19), always (19), just (19), than (19), time (18), those (18), world (18), years (18), care (18), still (18), his (18), like (18), little (18), scotia (17), pornography (17), media (17), news (17), now (16), year (16), over (16), point (16), day (16), where (16), lot (16), way (15), issues (15), say (15), think (15), sharon (14), fraser (14), new (14), two (14), never (14), used (14), mother (14), also (13), good (13), any (13), most (13), life (13), after (13), how (13), well (13), see (13), each (13), conference (13), rock (13), didn (12), change (12), around (12), did (12), place (12), groups (12), going (12), through (12), view (12), 2010 (11), tags (11), uncategorized (11), categories (11), right (11), child (11), better (11), seen (11), business (11), every (11), peace (11), december (10), entry (10), posted (10), only (10), get (10), health (10), children (10), such (10), before (10), different (10), done (10), church (10), then (10), kind (10), hopscotch (10), know (10), election (9), atlantic (9), worked (9), make (9), believe (9), others (9), same (9), workers (9), being (9), violence (9), against (9), recent (9), girls (9), thought (9), social (9), should (9), your (9), canadian (9), take (9), may (8), 2015 (8), long (8), both (8), off (8), power (8), fact (8), family (8), few (8), president (8), person (8), party (8), men (8), mass (8), man (8), young (8), during (8), example (8), action (8), catholic (8), called (8), canada (8), these (8), institute (8), working (8), october (7), march (7), 2014 (7), marriage (7), political (7), course (7), try (7), here (7), got (7), old (7), labour (7), income (7), times (7), already (7), why (7), far (7), look (7), back (7), society (7), wrote (7), feminist (7), coverage (7), beginning (7), made (7), foot (7), great (7), 2009 (6), read (6), newspaper (6), position (6), bank (6), things (6), imagine (6), might (6), seniors (6), provincial (6), tax (6), themselves (6), although (6), put (6), knew (6), once (6), censorship (6), talk (6), montreal (6), felt (6), him (6), experience (6), between (6), column (6), late (6), saying (6), today (6), call (6), went (6), comments (6), reunion (6), class (6), nurses (6), parents (6), second (6), sometimes (6), really (6), movement (6), region (6), human (6), underdevelopment (6), interest (6), public (6), editor (5), country (5), yes (5), big (5), sure (5), education (5), 000 (5), pay (5), even (5), having (5), told (5), something (5), usually (5), whether (5), left (5), feel (5), someone (5), wasn (5), ways (5), asked (5), reagan (5), come (5), facts (5), simply (5), written (5), real (5), enough (5), end (5), best (5), murder (5), early (5), feminists (5), ever (5), without (5), presented (5), anti (5), speech (5), heard (5), summer (5), questions (5), father (5), control (5), another (5), piece (5), talked (5), run (5), centre (5), lost (5), too (5), seems (5), livingston (5), hall (5), probably (5), voice (5), outside (5), recognize (5), able (5), lived (5), square (5), find (5), hard (5), topshee (5), group (5), special (5), university (5), subtle (5), white (5), black (5), service (5), thinking (5), testing (5), november (4), 2011 (4), 2013 (4), television (4), food (4), home (4), pages (4), previous (4), sunday (4), cbc (4), radio (4), husband (4), high (4), phone (4), campaign (4), job (4), front (4), voted (4), four (4), wouldn (4), environment (4), employment (4), took (4), use (4), credit (4), support (4), families (4), poor (4), house (4), week (4), earlier (4), friend (4), started (4), came (4), become (4), office (4), later (4), looked (4), remember (4), often (4), keep (4), cause (4), male (4), became (4), issue (4), taken (4), lead (4), parts (4), idea (4), set (4), behind (4), natural (4), cover (4), girl (4), police (4), producer (4), words (4), ask (4), question (4), away (4), given (4), activities (4), 1993 (4), subject (4), published (4), couldn (4), homily (4), full (4), priest (4), ottawa (4), must (4), rich (4), understanding (4), classmates (4), small (4), hop (4), remembered (4), half (4), days (4), school (4), believed (4), play (4), happened (4), game (4), surely (4), kick (4), while (4), line (4), required (4), kinds (4), theme (4), economists (4), system (4), large (4), together (4), hours (4), studies (4), community (4), angry (4), gulf (4), billion (4), press (4), reported (4), began (4), member (4), research (4), essential (4), doing (4), town (4), greatest (4), iraq (4), muriel (4), september (3), april (3), july (3), 2012 (3), thursday (3), former (3), several (3), major (3), writer (3), across (3), thanked (3), night (3), son (3), true (3), doubt (3), won (3), again (3), doesn (3), scotians (3), nearly (3), low (3), stay (3), homes (3), communities (3), increased (3), term (3), introduced (3), affordable (3), living (3), poverty (3), whom (3), province (3), making (3), legislation (3), changes (3), show (3), raised (3), pressure (3), present (3), future (3), taking (3), remains (3), down (3), order (3), running (3), official (3), services (3), worth (3), voters (3), whole (3), minister (3), department (3), carter (3), perfect (3), anybody (3), since (3), result (3), along (3), almost (3), losing (3), causes (3), dec (3), powerful (3), organized (3), meetings (3), itself (3), ground (3), thing (3), station (3), waiting (3), murders (3), dead (3), ruby (3), soldiers (3), wars (3), suffering (3), victims (3), sex (3), somewhat (3), love (3), picture (3), word (3), sexual (3), mainstream (3), program (3), move (3), discussion (3), quotes (3), views (3), does (3), indeed (3), writing (3), sister (3), mar (3), wednesday (3), gravel (3), further (3), consider (3), workshop (3), opposed (3), attended (3), follow (3), pray (3), politicians (3), give (3), leaving (3), birth (3), mind (3), range (3), nursing (3), want (3), sisters (3), photos (3), grandchildren (3), events (3), friday (3), evening (3), omni (3), sense (3), causing (3), stand (3), stop (3), near (3), name (3), fondly (3), supposed (3), familiar (3), difficult (3), changed (3), morning (3), weekend (3), boys (3), rocks (3), quite (3), tell (3), squares (3), last (3), flat (3), china (3), frame (3), art (3), valuable (3), watch (3), rest (3), discussions (3), ideas (3), ontario (3), points (3), keynote (3), market (3), federal (3), coady (3), founding (3), economic (3), conferences (3), discuss (3), organizations (3), annual (3), important (3), sources (3), cities (3), book (3), christmas (3), travellers (3), paper (3), reporting (3), corporations (3), three (3), private (3), whose (3), national (3), background (3), maybe (3), association (3), state (3), reporter (3), wanted (3), bernie (3), single (3), lives (3), placed (3), vow (3), rights (3), dollars (3), money (3), mcgill (3), wctu (3), powered (2), january (2), february (2), 2016 (2), archives (2), sisterhood (2), politics (2), feminism (2), beauty (2), provinces (2), publications (2), columnist (2), held (2), rabble (2), speaking (2), leading (2), spoke (2), voter (2), obama (2), voting (2), matter (2), isn (2), deserve (2), monolith (2), victim (2), incoming (2), past (2), teach (2), easy (2), next (2), benefit (2), managed (2), programs (2), allow (2), longer (2), property (2), rebate (2), bills (2), heating (2), energy (2), covering (2), insulin (2), supplies (2), youth (2), indexed (2), provide (2), financial (2), less (2), vulnerable (2), places (2), pre (2), schools (2), including (2), assistance (2), increase (2), add (2), acknowledge (2), wage (2), row (2), increases (2), dealing (2), dismantling (2), getting (2), development (2), governments (2), departments (2), mine (2), within (2), difference (2), coming (2), cabinet (2), responsible (2), 1980 (2), mourned (2), close (2), certain (2), ronald (2), impossible (2), wondered (2), subjected (2), mulroney (2), trying (2), under (2), article (2), anniversary (2), ahead (2), 8th (2), material (2), complicated (2), simple (2), grows (2), disadvantage (2), inequality (2), gives (2), information (2), entertainment (2), possible (2), attitudes (2), status (2), ultimate (2), blatant (2), expression (2), female (2), somehow (2), gave (2), ago (2), magazine (2), woman (2), described (2), alone (2), arrived (2), larger (2), products (2), sexy (2), sell (2), fashion (2), layouts (2), death (2), acceptable (2), rather (2), naturally (2), advertising (2), fair (2), baker (2), number (2), york (2), nothing (2), covers (2), send (2), trial (2), mentioned (2), noted (2), wearing (2), boyfriend (2), military (2), 80s (2), broadcaster (2), enjoy (2), particular (2), clayton (2), thelma (2), mccormack (2), 1992 (2), nature (2), harm (2), considered (2), search (2), evidence (2), uncomfortable (2), solution (2), among (2), turned (2), appreciate (2), belief (2), source (2), symbolism (2), beautiful (2), challenging (2), chatter (2), anything (2), listening (2), seeking (2), myself (2), discussing (2), standards (2), open (2), preaches (2), gospel (2), fight (2), abortion (2), part (2), parish (2), teachings (2), eyes (2), minds (2), uses (2), racism (2), grateful (2), progressive (2), rules (2), whenever (2), memories (2), dinner (2), fun (2), intact (2), enjoyed (2), reception (2), contact (2), unless (2), lobby (2), everyone (2), members (2), graduated (2), retained (2), graduation (2), soon (2), remembering (2), hospital (2), turning (2), visit (2), hear (2), uniforms (2), glass (2), looking (2), 50th (2), please (2), buy (2), importance (2), regulation (2), played (2), pavement (2), drawn (2), coordination (2), neither (2), stops (2), goes (2), need (2), slate (2), childhood (2), generation (2), 1990 (2), nurse (2), hand (2), highest (2), dealt (2), academic (2), moved (2), board (2), townson (2), establish (2), removed (2), wide (2), ranging (2), connection (2), economist (2), found (2), sessions (2), reasons (2), beliefs (2), civil (2), servant (2), variety (2), backgrounds (2), effect (2), problems (2), relating (2), critical (2), enable (2), walks (2), terms (2), encourage (2), international (2), level (2), bear (2), suppose (2), spent (2), address (2), halifax (2), daily (2), agenda (2), saw (2), guy (2), representative (2), block (2), james (2), journalists (2), independence (2), placement (2), shown (2), airport (2), identified (2), stuff (2), meeting (2), womenstuff (2), economy (2), unions (2), objective (2), politically (2), either (2), explanation (2), globalization (2), commercial (2), jobs (2), 1995 (2), winter (2), record (2), covered (2), says (2), bob (2), wait (2), aquino (2), effective (2), empire (2), club (2), cutbacks (2), couple (2), budget (2), comes (2), coalition (2), budgets (2), paul (2), martin (2), passed (2), examples (2), boundaries (2), conscious (2), fish (2), wharf (2), received (2), realize (2), favour (2), tapes (2), history (2), suddenly (2), nobody (2), weren (2), yet (2), centres (2), attitude (2), shift (2), works (2), clients (2), blame (2), changing (2), situation (2), mean (2), excuse (2), mothers (2), boss (2), arrives (2), involved (2), emergency (2), perhaps (2), toward (2), bosses (2), lack (2), damaged (2), generations (2), membership (2), progress (2), environmental (2), emphasis (2), paying (2), attention (2), function (2), recognizing (2), letters (2), link (2), teachers (2), 1967 (2), hadn (2), dying (2), crisis (2), union (2), fallout (2), fear (2), factors (2), nuclear (2), jack (2), adult (2), supported (2), younger (2), grandmother (2), temperance (2), active (2), library (2), books (2), farm (2), copyright, 2026, web, hosting, halihost, wordpress, august, june, travel, patriarchy, popular, entries, 7th, oct, 19th, commentator, freelance, internationally, wished, pleasant, throughout, liked, allegedly, liberal, justin, trudeau, understand, actually, subscribe, silly, notion, nice, post, commentary, suggested, expectations, pretty, suffer, fate, 142, preceded, zebra, stripes, dog, tricks, influences, lurking, shadows, amount, detail, agriculture, ensured, receive, guaranteed, supplement, expanded, caregiver, restorative, self, manage, 200, maximum, 800, receiving, gis, qualify, municipal, taxes, ended, injustice, security, deposits, liberals, cost, pumps, eligible, age, type, diabetes, pump, 240, households, earn, reduction, disabilities, thousand, daycares, childcare, scotian, hst, essentials, clothing, footwear, diapers, created, housing, strategy, model, projects, starting, personal, allowances, enabling, approximately, adults, consumer, protection, cell, caps, cancellation, fees, ensures, wish, door, bucket, cash, minimum, despite, opposition, limit, intelligent, innovative, activist, accomplished, easier, begin, tearing, efficiently, handled, finally, strategies, areas, unheard, openly, capital, largest, provider, smoothly, clear, plan, clearing, detritus, administrations, months, charge, announced, ready, documented, finances, shape, chaos, bureaucracy, directionless, dysfunctional, workplace, washington, loss, expect, evaluate, innumerable, chose, acknowledged, mistakes, admits, judgment, allowing, biggest, failure, wife, rosalynn, defeated, jimmy, thatcher, partnership, tagging, kids, watched, nights, returns, cloud, doom, gloom, winning, side, winner, despair, harper, plunge, despondency, appeared, following, defeat, legacy, honouring, saturday, eliminating, degrades, providing, safety, treating, endorsement, built, domination, everyday, glamour, 90s, newly, solutions, portrayed, fertile, breeding, disadvantaged, massacre, dominance, subordination, pictures, gang, british, underground, train, platform, stared, surrounded, billboards, bodily, advertise, bums, legs, lips, loving, lewd, rapes, portrayal, naked, depiction, hurting, soften, terrifying, logical, imbalance, exemplified, branches, extended, resistance, connected, oddly, denial, aggressiveness, battle, pilots, bombing, raids, eroticized, pain, normalized, thus, becomes, medium, continuum, falling, objects, convenient, captured, image, upscale, magazines, commonly, implicit, anonymous, distress, vanity, vogue, subtitles, illustrate, laura, palmer, series, twin, peaks, esquire, memoir, journalism, russell, beat, baltimore, 30s, rated, editors, elevate, rewrite, justifiably, describe, statuesque, universally, understood, code, meaning, breasts, especially, murderer, unknown, cops, persuaded, hint, motives, crime, attraction, elsewhere, slowly, mock, lasciviousness, appeal, trials, decided, unusual, questioned, stories, pink, angora, sweater, tight, jeans, symbolizing, vulnerability, sexuality, cadet, college, studying, engineering, current, affairs, fredericton, central, brunswick, murdered, beyond, hurtful, seeing, split, escalating, forms, horrifying, proliferation, exist, socially, objectification, reverence, freedom, pornographers, swept, forum, challenges, legal, fund, leaf, constitutes, form, shelters, consumers, frustrated, testimony, empirical, tells, counsels, coerced, boyfriends, censored, blatantly, challenge, quo, hustler, bitter, globe, mail, response, articles, lawyer, professor, dated, confirms, essay, traced, 12th, clearer, dim, cool, churches, europe, listened, brightly, lighted, room, teens, twenties, engaged, intently, prefaced, excited, hallways, everything, sent, letter, reprimand, cardinal, ratzinger, entreating, return, fold, conform, conventional, dogma, enthusiastically, unconventional, outspoken, cheerful, acceptance, inclusion, homophobia, 2004, award, highlight, exceptional, contribution, debate, gay, vatican, wrong, condemns, happily, publicly, controversial, subjects, ordination, priests, recipients, workshops, internal, reform, resist, featured, joliette, que, introduction, quoted, truly, welcoming, tolerant, revolutionary, raymond, millennium, scholarship, ears, policies, reduce, gap, style, preaching, fortunate, blessed, scholar, historian, interpret, readings, greater, jesus, dragged, feeling, rotten, intoned, solemnly, dear, lord, opening, divorce, destination, followed, pass, bill, spoken, deacon, evil, surrounds, domestic, illegal, abuse, city, enthralled, surroundings, unfortunately, progressed, experiences, bookended, graphic, catholics, 2005, defunct, nov, 3rd, profession, prepared, behaved, virtue, blood, relationship, shared, funny, glasses, emblematic, stayed, relatively, commiserated, rough, patch, admired, digs, momentous, perpetual, motion, musical, chairs, tried, attend, excellent, turnout, 108, students, varying, stages, mobility, observed, instantly, recognizable, least, identifiable, characteristics, nametags, minimize, embarrassment, avoid, awkward, whispers, anyway, recently, yesterday, meet, missing, fleetingly, walked, corridor, shop, slowed, homage, mrs, macleod, supervisors, miss, herman, vigilant, tape, measure, leg, showing, expert, waistband, apron, inches, shorter, avoiding, blanche, highlights, weekends, stands, takes, assured, lively, conversation, interested, pointed, nearby, elevators, rooms, questioner, uniform, porter, middle, aged, answering, housekeeping, aren, wear, proper, cap, disparaging, remarks, case, lounge, memorabilia, display, coffee, graduates, general, 1964, celebrated, click, version, quality, consistent, else, devalued, playtime, appreciated, playing, truck, skipping, survives, subculture, identify, inherent, value, tomboys, grown, advantage, plastic, sporting, equipment, store, taiwan, easily, glad, knows, significance, attached, leagues, players, sized, grid, printed, manual, surface, drawing, court, stick, dirt, roads, scratching, courts, chalk, colorful, forget, opponent, occupies, springtime, demanded, physical, skill, nor, judging, fit, kicking, eye, thicker, roll, depth, toe, involves, tossing, flatter, thinner, lucky, dandy, roof, broken, crockery, player, considering, conduct, ritual, sub, cultural, travels, patterns, sidewalks, schoolyards, favorite, tucked, safely, jacket, pockets, awaiting, recess, bell, weather, starts, improve, custom, walking, resolutely, cast, downward, habits, die, athletic, welder, intrinsically, intricate, quilt, resemble, observation, thinks, girly, insulting, baseball, games, yelled, sons, daughters, facebook, twitter, email, list, elusive, monday, 27th, worried, final, reminded, sake, consciousness, raising, led, reason, participants, satisfy, participant, concerns, surrounding, worthwhile, translated, cannot, pawns, chess, regard, roots, preservation, values, worthy, objectives, possibility, canadians, expected, pack, systems, industries, resources, bungled, based, speaker, philosophies, types, deficiencies, attribute, interference, free, inevitable, capitalism, monica, speakers, helpless, powerless, reaffirmation, broaden, knowledge, spend, mathematician, dalhousie, retired, nun, sri, lanka, graduate, student, mount, leader, extension, extraordinarily, stimulating, seem, maintain, bottom, cynic, hope, fail, heartened, commitment, according, brochure, examined, diverse, confront, answers, discovered, study, leaders, develop, directions, emerge, aims, named, director, practical, preferred, runs, ordinary, learning, methods, george, sounds, interesting, top, sheet, risque, description, antigonish, attending, format, usual, panel, plenary, interspersed, apr, 24th, literacy, decade, pulled, permission, ourselves, serves, seek, gain, breakdown, communal, isolate, build, distrust, institutions, separate, slant, somebody, wing, references, vote, american, elections, soccer, moms, 1996, suburban, marlboro, suburbs, undecided, carefully, offers, winters, talks, myth, ownership, documents, interviews, owners, managers, exert, tremendous, content, hiring, firing, process, extending, editing, direct, bias, benign, page, photo, showed, weary, stranded, snow, storm, empty, shelves, bit, deciding, lineup, distasteful, local, outlet, dramatic, demonstration, hesitated, countered, directly, tellers, branch, cut, wages, benefits, yeah, meant, harassment, bake, sales, equity, harlequin, romances, teller, underemployment, decency, note, banks, commentators, reporters, regularly, environmentalists, whining, tree, huggers, discrimination, correct, bleeding, hearts, hungry, thugs, directness, comforting, owned, interests, outspokenly, represented, conrad, flagship, citizen, editorial, gleefully, smugly, refer, wingers, enemy, assets, sold, bidder, superior, afford, editorials, distribution, wealth, layoffs, profitable, firms, attributed, mysterious, irresistible, forces, competitiveness, profit, gorged, continuing, lay, thousands, lagging, rate, inflation, chretien, elected, promise, create, instead, confining, role, pleading, downsizing, corporate, mergers, acquisitions, 1994, turn, 100, breaking, overall, companies, racked, profits, notice, section, morningside, shows, channels, newsworld, dump, sports, democracy, oxygen, hamilton, congress, speaks, rally, assails, bcni, worker

Text of the page (random words):
h some natural advantage not me i could never see the point in playing with a truck and if my parents had ever given me one i would have wondered what got into them to this day just as i recognize that it s someone else who has devalued women s work i like to see the playtime activities of little girls appreciated in their own right this entry was posted on sunday march 8th 2015 at 2 58 pm by sharon fraser categories uncategorized tags 4 comments leave a comment dec 03 11 comments our 50th reunion may 1 3 2014 was reunion weekend for graduates of the montreal general hospital school of nursing our class the class of 1964 celebrated the 50th anniversary of our graduation please click on the photos for a larger version the quality of the photos is not consistent friday morning the livingston hall coffee party there was a glass case just outside the lounge in livingston hall i was waiting for my classmates and i was looking at our class s memorabilia which was on display who are they i heard someone ask they re nurses who used to work here they came back for a reunion said another voice they used to wear proper uniforms and a cap after a few disparaging remarks about how nurses have changed he went on they were real nurses he said fondly the questioner was a young man in uniform probably a porter and the middle aged man answering the questions was from housekeeping you re one of them aren t you he said to me i assured him i was and we had a lively conversation about what livingston hall used to be like they were interested to hear that it was our home as well as our school i pointed out the nearby elevators and told them about our rooms and some of the fun we had there as well as the more difficult times there are many highlights of our reunion weekends but the visit to livingston hall always stands out because it takes us back to a more familiar place than some of the other events it s there that our memories are waiting so many of us for example remembered miss herman ever vigilant with her tape measure to make sure we didn t have too much leg showing on our way to work i was an expert at turning my waistband so my apron was a good two and half inches shorter than it was supposed to be i wasn t nearly as good at avoiding blanche but on the days i did i always had a better day when a few classmates and i walked along the corridor between livingston hall and the hospital lobby with a stop at the hop shop of course we slowed down to pay homage to mrs macleod near where her office was a little further on we remembered by name our evening and night supervisors we remembered some more fondly than others since graduation we ve lost 12 of our classmates there are some we ll always remember as the girls they were when they left us far too soon others lost more recently are still mourned still causing us to say i can t believe it it seems like only yesterday that we talked whenever we meet our missing classmates are there if only fleetingly because in some small ways we ask time to stand still for that kind of remembering thursday evening reception at the omni we had 56 members of our class attend our reunion an excellent turnout for a class that graduated 108 students 50 years ago we were in varying stages of mobility and health and as we ve observed before some of us are instantly recognizable having retained at least some of our identifiable characteristics others of us must try to keep our nametags front and centre to try and minimize any embarrassment and to avoid those awkward whispers of who is that anyway our sense of fun remains intact and we enjoyed the omni our thursday reception the first point of contact unless we had run into each other in the lobby was a party of perpetual motion and musical chairs as we tried to talk to everyone at once friday evening dinner at the omni we all went to dinner wearing funny glasses emblematic of the 50 year class we stayed up late got up relatively early commiserated with those who are going through a rough patch admired photos of grandchildren new digs momentous life events we talked and talked and talked in the end we behaved like the sisters we are sisters not by virtue of blood or relationship but sisters in life experience and in shared memories because we don t want it to be over we re all prepared to do it again whenever we can this entry was posted on wednesday december 3rd 2014 at 6 28 pm by sharon fraser categories uncategorized tags montreal nursing profession reunion sisterhood 11 comments leave a comment nov 12 one comment the church symbolism rules i wrote this piece in october of 2005 for the now defunct catholic new times a newspaper for progressive catholics i had two recent experiences that bookended my summer and also presented me with a graphic picture of the range of views in today s catholic church at the beginning of the summer i went to mass in a big beautiful church in another city i was enthralled by my surroundings but unfortunately as the mass progressed i became grateful for the beauty grateful for something other than the words of the homily to put my mind to the homily was spoken by the deacon and early on he asked us to consider the evil that surrounds all of us every day yes indeed i thought and considered racism domestic violence illegal wars child abuse birth control he intoned solemnly oh dear lord i thought he s opening with birth control he went from birth control to divorce to abortion to his real destination same sex marriage he was followed by the priest who asked us to pray that the politicians in ottawa would not pass the marriage bill i dragged myself out of church that day feeling rotten and said to my husband this is not how a person should feel leaving the mass i have never been subjected to this style of preaching i am fortunate blessed even to be in a parish where the priest is a scholar and historian who uses his homily to interpret the day s readings and to give us a greater understanding of the teachings of jesus in our church we don t pray for politicians to close their eyes and ears and their minds we pray for them to work for peace in the world and to put policies into place that would reduce the gap between rich and poor at the end of the summer i took part in a conference for recipients of the canada millennium scholarship in ottawa one of the workshops i attended was called the catholic church a call for internal reform i couldn t resist it it featured father raymond gravel a parish priest in joliette que in the program introduction to his workshop he s quoted saying to truly follow the teachings of the gospel the church must become more open more welcoming more tolerant and more revolutionary he is an open and outspoken and cheerful priest who preaches the gospel of love and acceptance and inclusion he was given the fight against homophobia 2004 award to highlight his exceptional contribution in the debate about gay marriage when he said that the vatican was wrong when it condemns such a marriage he has happily and publicly opposed the church on other controversial subjects such as abortion the ordination of women and marriage for priests he was sent a letter of reprimand by then cardinal ratzinger entreating him to return to the fold and conform to conventional catholic dogma but he s still enthusiastically unconventional by most catholic standards today i listened to father gravel in a brightly lighted room full of young people all in their late teens and early twenties they were engaged and listening intently they had many questions both challenging father gravel and seeking further information many of them prefaced their questions by saying i was raised catholic but i don t consider myself catholic any more there was excited chatter in the hallways as the young people left the workshop still discussing everything they had heard the beautiful church where i heard the homily at the beginning of the summer was dim and still and cool like the old churches in europe there were no young people there no challenging questions no chatter there wasn t much of anything when i look back the symbolism couldn t be clearer this entry was posted on wednesday november 12th 2014 at 6 24 pm by sharon fraser categories uncategorized tags catholic church feminism marriage one comment leave a comment mar 08 leave a comment pornography traced to its source this essay was first published in the globe and mail in 1993 it was written in response to previous articles on the subject of pornography and censorship by lawyer clayton ruby and feminist professor thelma mccormack some of the material here is dated and i appreciate that i don t just acknowledge it i appreciate it because it confirms my belief that there is still so much to do pornography and censorship are bitter issues for feminists they re issues that have turned sister against sister friend against friend one feminist tells how she counsels 15 year old girls who are being coerced into uncomfortable sexual activities by boyfriends who have read hustler others point out that if censorship is seen to be a solution feminist thought and writing will be among the first to be censored because they so blatantly challenge the political and social status quo feminists in women s shelters see women every day who are victims of men who are consumers of pornography the women are frustrated when their testimony is not considered in the search for empirical evidence of the harm done by pornography clayton ruby is swept away by thelma mccormack s speech given at a recent forum on censorship december 1 1992 much of what he quotes challenges the views of the legal education and action fund leaf and other feminists that pornography does indeed harm women that by its very nature pornography constitutes a form of inequality i am anti pornography i am also anti censorship although not because of any particular reverence for the freedom of expression of pornographers but i would like now to see the discussion about pornography move beyond hurtful words used by feminists against each other or by those who enjoy seeing this feminist split and ask this question could pornography in its ever escalating forms and in its horrifying proliferation exist without the more socially acceptable objectification of women as presented in mass media in the early 80s i was a writer broadcaster in current affairs at cbc fredericton in central new brunswick a 16 year old girl had been murdered her 18 year old boyfriend was about to go on trial every time the girl was mentioned in news stories it was noted that at the time of her death she d been wearing a pink angora sweater and tight jeans symbolizing at once vulnerability and sexuality every time her boyfriend was mentioned it was noted that he was a cadet at a military college studying engineering the producer of the program i worked for decided to send someone from our program to cover the trial an unusual move which i questioned the news department covers trials we usually don t i said ah but this murder is different he said slowly with mock lasciviousness this is a murder with sex appeal the attraction of mainstream media to sexy murders of women is nothing new both in news and elsewhere for example in a recent memoir the good times about his life in journalism new york times columnist russell baker wrote about covering the police beat in baltimore in the 30s and about which murders rated with his editors any number of things could elevate a little murder into a good murder baker wrote could the rewrite man justifiably describe the victim as statuesque the universally understood code word meaning big breasts if so good murder especially if the murderer was still unknown and the cops could be persuaded to hint at sexual motives behind the crime for example esquire a magazine which subtitles itself man at his best did a cover story this year on women we love the picture used to illustrate the story was of laura palmer the dead girl from the television series twin peaks for example advertising layouts in such upscale magazines as vogue and vanity fair commonly show women if not dead or suffering in attitudes of implicit and somewhat anonymous distress women as natural victims women as natural sex objects how convenient when both can be captured in one image the eroticized pain and suffering of women has been normalized by the mass media thus pornography becomes acceptable as simply being the medium at the end of a continuum falling in rather naturally behind news advertising fashion and entertainment there remains much resistance to the idea that pornography and violence against women are connected as there was in mr ruby s column oddly enough there is no such denial when pornography is used to increase the aggressiveness of soldiers as they go into battle or of pilots as they set out on bombing raids during wars but doesn t the loving and lewd coverage of sexy murders and rapes the portrayal of young vulnerable almost naked women to sell products the depiction of women as dead or hurting in fashion layouts soften us up for the terrifying pornography of violence and death isn t is logical that the imbalance of power between men and women as exemplified in all the branches of the media would be extended into real life there was a story a few years ago in a british feminist magazine written by a woman who described an experience she had in an underground station she was alone waiting for a train when a man arrived on the same platform he looked at her stared at her both were surrounded by larger than life billboards all of which used women or women s bodily parts to advertise products there were bums and legs and lips i felt like a thing she wrote and i felt like all those pictures were his gang that they somehow gave him a right to look at me that way pornography is the ultimate right to look the blatant expression of male dominance and female subordination after the montreal massacre violence against women became the glamour issue of the 90s and was taken up as a cause by many newly organized men s groups they go to meetings and talk about causes and about solutions it s possible they talk about pornography i doubt if they talk about the way women are portrayed in mass media although the mass media itself is the fertile breeding ground for attitudes which lead to the disadvantaged status of women in our society violence against women grows out of that disadvantage and inequality pornography whether it causes violence or simply gives a powerful endorsement of a society built on male domination grows out of our everyday information and entertainment services eliminating material that degrades women is a lot more complicated than simple censorship providing for the safety of women in our society is a lot more complicated than we ve been treating it up to now this entry was posted on saturday march 8th 2014 at 2 02 pm by sharon fraser categories uncategorized tags leave ...