The longest night....

In lieu of the Solstice, I thought I'd add a few updates on various developing fronts...

No word yet from Labor Relations about the Mt Washington fiasco, but my job at Save-On is going fairly well. I'm able to shut my mind off and just float through the day most of the time. Although since I've been getting so many hours, I don't have much time for jogging or karate training, nor have I had much drive to meditate or do any yoga. My dreams have been very vivid though.

I watched that new documentary, March of the Penguins, and would very highly reccommend it.

I've been following the election campaign quite closely and thus far, I'm undecided (between the Green Party and NDP, of course). Frankly, I'm pretty disgusted with politics altogether, and almost everything I see is such a turnoff. If ever there was the perfect situation emobied by the saying "Same shit, different pile", it's politics. Too many red herrings, mindless robots, and petty bitchfights. Hopefully I'll have something more optimisitic to share at a later date.

In a interesting chain of events, I ended up deciding to check out a local event called The (13th annual) Bethlehem Walk. It's put on by a church and basically a ton of volunteers take this huge barn-style building, and turn it into a recreation of Bethlehem circa the Birth of Christ. Surprisingly litle Christian overtones, they'd set up a mock market place, mimicking what it would've been like around the year 0. They did an awesome job with set and costume decoration, and at each little shop, there would be someone actually making what they would've been making 200 years ago. Like the Blacksmith was actually pounding out metal with a fire, straw brooms were being made, copperware was being formed, lotions and food were sampled, tales were told, etc, etc. I found it very enjoyable and entertaining, and so did everyone else. This was the fourth and final night that it was set up, but there was at least 400 people there when I went, so it's definitely a huge attraction each year, and deservedly so. After you exit Bethlehem, you enter the church, and listen to a choir, eat cookies and drink hot chocolate as long as you want. The most noteworthy thing though was that at the very beginning of the 'walk', it's made out to feel like you're on the outskirts of Bethlehem, and you walk by the manger where Jesus is born, and there's an actual couple with a real baby there. Well for about 20 minutes leading up to that point, on at least 4 occasions, I had to fight the urge to start crying for no reason at all. Very peculiar. Last night, I woke up with a gasp from a nightmare, and was really creeped out. It didn't help that doors in the house wsere creking and that my mom was gone for the night. I rarely have nightmares, and I almost never have problems getting back to sleep, but I was unable to sleep for 2 hours, so in that time, I went on the internet and checked out the church website out of curiosity, and found myself at a site promoting the Apha Course. You've probably seen advertisements for this course, they're all over Canada, I imagine. "Discover the Meaning of Life", and so forth. It's a 10 week course, once a week, free dinner, and it's all free, although donations are welcome. I thought about it, and realised how long the chain of events were that led me to The Bethlehem Walk and eventually to looking up this course, and I decided it must be a sign or whatever, so I'm highly considering enrolling in the course for January, out of sheer curiosity. There's no obligation, and you don't have to be a member of any church to join, so if nothing else, I'll learn the basics of Christianity (the course is non-denominational) firsthand. Also, I was thinking about it, and I think that if I'm not too turned off by the course, maybe I'd be interesting in Volunteering with a Christian organization. My problem with volunteering overseas has been that it is so expensive, but I imagine the best volunteering deals around are through the church, so if I could find one that doesn't require me to be evangelical, I would definitely consider it.

So yeah, that's where I'm at right now. And yes, I'm extremely aware of the irony....

the cliffhanger

Well I think I'm gonna take some time off from the blogging. Quality, not quantity right? And I haven't felt too compelled to post lately. Not to say I don't have anything to say. I'm sure I'll post something within a few weeks, but I thought I'd let you know. Another factor is that I'm getting very few visitors and the intrinsic value of blogging isn't enough to get me posting. Here's some stuff I've been thining about though.

I'm really debating my stance on the whole issue regarding Mount Washington and Labour Relations. The ball is already rolling, so it's not stressing me out too much, but I would like to know exactly where I stand. They're nto a big company, it's owner operated, and they aren't exactly doing great right now financially. But they did break the law and are surviving partially by illegally ripping-off their employees. I'll probably here from someone within a few weeks and I'll get to talk about the case again. I did get my cheque yesterday from them though.

Elections are afoot. Are people gonna vote for the Liberals to keep the Conservatives out? Or vote NDP to keep them both out? I've got some thinking to do. It's gonna be either Green or NDP for me, but it's too soon to tell. I don't think I've ever not voted Green, but nothing's set in stone.

I've been doing lots of research and digging regarding Christianity, in order to find out exactly how I feel about the various aspects/denominations of it. There's some things I embrace and other things I reject. Then there's THESE guys. Right on. I'm also becoming interesting in Jainism and Bon, ancient religions that may have been the parents of Buddhism. I think I'm being pretty open minded about the whole thing. Wikipedia is such an awesome tool for research. I don't know if I'll end up sharing my findings, because I think it's way too sensitive and diverse of a topic for me to feel comfortable and confident expressing my opinion as if it's actually worth something.

I'd been thinking about temporarily relocation to Vancouver for a job offer, but I'd deicded I'd try the local grocery stores first. I didn't even really want a grocery job, but I figured I outta try. So I wasn't sure how I felt yesterday after I walked out of Save-On with a job. Plus I don't know what they pay is, what deparatment, what my hours will be, short term vs long-term, full-time vs part-time, union or not, etc. I start today though.

Oh I watched I (Heart) Huckabees the other day after having it reccomended to me. I'd definitely suggest checking it out. I really liked the themes and I thought it was pretty funny. There were two dumb scenes though, but that's better than average, for sure.

So yeah, catch ya later.....

http://www.4q.cc/chuck/index.php?topthirty

Yer outta here, punk!

Well there's been new developments in my conflict with Mount Washington, that I think are best summed up in this complaint I just filed with Labour Relations:

At orientation on Dec 2, we were told we wouldn't be paid for that day because it was considered a 'final interview', even though we'd already been hired, were filling out payroll sheets, and neither of my supervisors were present. Also every single person that was there is still there, there were no more cuts that needed to be made, so calling it an interview (a 6hr interview) is really stretching it. I started asking management why we weren't getting paid. I talked to a payroll ladie about whether we should be paid, then I asked the president of the company who i could talk to and he pointed me to my supervisors' supervisor. My supervisor's supervisor told me I'd have to talk to my actual supervisors, but neither of them were around (not much of an interview without any supervisors present). I went to another payroll lady and tried to reason with her that since we weren't being paid, attendence couldn't be mandatory, but she patronized me and made it sound like it was all perfectly legal. I got impatient with her, but I don't think I crossed the line, and I certainly didn't make a scene. She asked me my name, but assured me she wouldn't get me in trouble (bald-faced lie). Today, Dec 5, I was supposed to go to a training session where I had planned to talk to my supervisor about the issue and serve them a Request for Payment Form. Before I left for the training, my supervisor called, telling me he was firing me (or 'withdrawing the employment offer' as he put it). His reasons were twofold. First, he claimed that I'd showed up late, and that he looked for me and couln't find me. The truth is that I was on the staff bus and showed up at the exact same time as anyone else, and I myself had looked for both supervisors to introduce myself and neither of them were there all day. Later on he dropped his claim that I was late and also no longer claimed to have been looking for me. The second reason I was fired is because of the way I acted the day of orientation. He said I'd been told by all 4 people I'd talked to, that I had to talk to him (my supervisor). This isn't true, the only person that told me that, was his supervisor. He said I obviously couldn't follow instructions and that he didn't want me as an employee. He also maintained that they've been conducting final interviews like this for years, thus admitting they've been illegally not paying their employees (hundreds of them) for orientations for a long time. I told him I would be sending a Request for Payment Form and filing a complaint. I talked to him later in the day to get some information and he said that the payroll department had decided that they 'wanted' to pay me afterall (after realizing I wasn't going to back down). However, he wasn't prepared to offer me my job back. It is my opinion that I was fired for voicing concerns over the non-payment issue, as I don't believe I handled the issue in such a manner that warranted being fired. I do realize that this is a case of my story versus their's, and there will undoubtably be discrepancies. Something that I think is worth considering is the fact that this was all started because they broke the law. In an assault case, it matters who threw the first punch. Now this is different I know, but they did throw the first punch by breaking the law, which led to me talking to staff, which led to me getting fired. They didn't seem like they were going to pay me, until they realized I was sending them the paperwork that could have gotten them in trouble. I have yet to send the actual Request for Payment form, but I talked to my supervisor about it and notified them that I would be sending it, and I plan on faxing it in the morning as a formality and for the purpose of due process. I have not filled out the boxes above regarding wages owed, because my employer claims that a cheque is now in the mail.
I thank you for your consideration in this manner.


So I'm pretty choked that my ski season is now non-existent, that I'm still 26hrs short of qualifying for EI, and just that I didn't keep a cool composure. I don't think I was that rude to the one lady. Anyways, I have no idea how this will play out, but I guess the only thing I can do is start looking for another job. I knew what the consequences were and I'm prepared to pay the price.

Part IV: Rebel Inc.

This is the belated final episode of a little miniseries I started weeks ago. I was gonna have a 5th episode after giving ppl time to come to their own conclusions, but I don't think I can expect anyone to have that big of an attention span. It was hard enough for ME to remember what I'd been ranting about before. So part V is pre-packaged with the part IV.

Part I was about fascism. Is it a thing of the past, or is it just more disguised these days?
Part II was about racism (but could easily be substituted for sexism). Did the Civil Rights movement win equal rights or has racism become so engrained into society that we can barely spot it nowadays?
Part III was about business and it's environmental responsibilities. Has big business turned over a new leaf (pun) or just swept the dirt (hey, another pun, this is fun!) under the proverbial carpet?
My opinion is the latter of all these questions.

And now for our Feature Presentation

This is gonna be a tough one. It's much harder too articulate my thoughts on this subject because this one takes us so far down the rabbit hole, that sometimes even I don't know which way to go to get out. I'm just gonna dive in and hope it all turns out coherent. I'll try to provide some examples and go from there.

-I grew up seeing the skateboarding scene as rejection of the mainstream. Those skaters didn't care about what's 'hot' and what's 'not, they'll buy their plaid shirts at a thrift store, while the upper echelon of the social scene paid 10 times more just to have a Polo logo on them. The skaters could care less what the rest of us think. I thought that was pretty cool. Then either the times changed, or I just took a closer look. Wait a second, some of these kids aren't wearing used clothes, they're wearing clothes made by skate companies, that are charging just as much as Polo for the same shirt, just with a different logo. So what I thought was counterculture, was really just a subculture. Ever since, I've been appalled by skate companies. There's nothing fundamentally different about skate companies. Maybe it used to be a sacred scene, but not anymore. Same shit, different fashion.Oh and some of the biggest skate companies out there (Hurley, DC, and others that I couldn't confirm) are owned by Nike. Think about that for a moment.
-Adbusters now has their own line of shoes.
-Emerica has a shirts with "Enarchy" on the front.
-there's no words these days that haven't been co-opted by the advertising world. Didn't the words hardcore, radical and extreme used to mean something?
-Rage Against the Machine was on Sony's Label. Rise Against is on the same label as 50 Cent. Anti-Flag is putting out a record for a subsidiary of Columbia Records
-I've seen commercials where a lady describes something as a "shopping Nirvana"
-Starbucks advertises an atmosphere that invites beatniks and the like
-Warped Tour is sponsored by Vans
-Tony Hawk made a video game
-Save-On sells organic food

I'm trying to illustrate to things. One is how often legitimate entities seemingly sell out (and I don't use that word that phrase to often). Two is how big brands have succeeded in usurping meaning from their opponents. What's the point in telling people I'm an Anarchist when the first thing to pop in their head is that shirt that Emerica put out. Why go see anti-capitalist punk bands that are sponsored by a fashion company? Why support underground bands if they're just planning their move to a big label? Is nothing sacred anymore. Or was anything ever sacred to being with? There's a book out there that Drew has that puts my cynicism to shame. It's called The Rebel Sell: Why the Culture Can't be Jammed. This book puts forward the theory that underground and mainstream are just different markets, that's all. There's nothing to sell out too, because there was nothing to sell out from. They aren't arguing that counterculture has sold out, they're arguing that counterculture doesn't exist. Just like I was saying about skate culture, but in a broader sense. Counterculture is subculture, nothing more, nothing less. Whether you're definition of cool is Prada or mountain biking, you're still supporting the capitlist system. Even if you reject capitalism, you're still supporting it by buying from the companies that claim they're 'different'.

Now this book takes it a step further than I do. In fact, I don't agree. I'm not that jaded yet. The authors seem to be saying, "don't try to rebel, there's no point". Kinda like in the 1984 with the Brotherhood. It's all part of The System. But I don't buy that. In fact, I think it's shallow. Granted, I haven't read the book, but I'd been giving it some serious thought, and have read all about the book. So maybe I should be sharing my opinion until I read it. So this should be taken as my opinion against the concept, not the book itself. This concept seems to completely ignore that part of society that practices simple living. Reducing spending, growing your own food, are these efforts in vain? Hell no. But I do believe that we need to take everything with a very large grain of salt. In my opinion, there's no excuse for buying ethically made clothes, instead of buying second hand. Consumerism is the problem.

I knew that was gonna be a sticky topic. I hope you took somethign from it. I know I still have a lot more pondering to do.

Now for the conclusion. The things we assume are dead and gone, are still with us today. Fascism is a very serious threat, even within North America. Racism is a very serious problem, even within Canada. This new wave of corporate responisibility is as shallow as a dried up reservoir, and if there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that real meaning can't be branded. The things that our parents fought against have come back from the dead, only now their new and improved. We have to be aware of all the repercussion of our lifestyles. What am I supporting by spending this dollar? Who made this, where did it come from, and what message is the advertising for this product trying to convey. Why are natives reserves so avoided, underfunded, and ignored? Why does it smell like fascism everytime I see a certain President on TV? Does Shell really give a damn about the environment, or is it just smoke and mirrors? We live in a world composed of many layers. Which level are you operating on?

Get Up, Stand Up

Well I had my orientation today at Mount Washington. Lots of people. First half was ok. I was pretty impressed by their environmental plan. Sounds like they're aiming to run the mountain vehicles (groomers, trucks, etc) on bio-diesel within a few years, and they recycle water that is used to spray the bikes down in the summer, and dirt that is dug up for new buildings is reused on mountain bike trails. Another cool thing is that since they were only able to open for 2 weekends last year (worst year in 27 year history), they're honoring last year's season's passes for this year. I thought that was really cool, even though it puts them in considerable financial risk. So I was feeling good, but then while we're filling out our paperwork, they announce that we're not getting paid for today. I look around and no one seems shocked. I start whispering to ppl and they just make excuses for the company. Nuh uh. Not on my time. I start asking people in charge and they say that techincally, today is our 'final interview'. Apparently we're not actually 'hired' yet. FUCKING BULLSHIT I SAY. Not only had I already confirmed that I was hired, but everyone in charge was referring to it as an orientation, not a 'final interview'. So I find the president of the mountain and ask who I should speak to about an important issue (no point burning bridges with him I thought). My supervisors hadn't even shown up! Final interview? Who do they think we are? During lunch, I start talking to people, and some ppl seemed upset too, but nobody made it sound like they were gonna give it any further thought. So I go up to the payroll lady and ask if it's mandatory that we attend the whole orientation and she says yes. So then I tell her that we should be getting paid. She says no. I says, 'look, not mandatory OR paid, pick one'. But she doesn't buy it, she just asks for my full name. Fat chance, lady. So I stuck around for the scavenger hunt and some lame speeches before we were sent home. The first half had been decent, but the second half was pure cheese, made more agro by the fact that this was somehow voluntary and mandatory at the same time. Everyone was cheering during the 'get stoked about working for us' video and oh god, I almost thrusted vomit from my gut over teh entire room. As soon as I got home, I called Labour Relations and verified that I'm entitled to be paid for today, so I've printed out a form and I'm gonna fill it out and serve it to my supervisor who I've only seen once (yay, great start to a season). The form basically says they have 15 days to pay me or else I'm filing a complaint with the Labour Board.

People, we've got to start fighting for our rights. Even when I win this thing (when, not if), only I'll get reimbursed, not the other 200 people that were there. Don't expect someone else to have a spine for you, it's your life, your time. I got up at 6:15 today and drove an hour and spent 20 bucks of my own money in gas to deal with this shit. And that's nothing. There are people all over the country and world facing far worse working conditions. We can afford the luxury of fighting back. Most people around the world can't (or can, but are too scared). We're lucky enough to live in a country that has regulations in place protecting us in situations like this. If we don't fight for ourselves, no one will. End transmission....