I Dare You to Drink the Vinegar

I have made an executive decision that my goal for the remainder of 2012 is to be an extremely prolific letter writer and comment maker on both on-line and print media for the purpose of educating the public about health care as a social justice issue. On a similar note, have you heard about the 59 Cents Campaign? If you have not, learn more about it here . Peace,  Michelle C. Danda, budding nurse academic 

I’ve heard it over and over again (and, at one point, I even believed it myself): “What does the union ever do for us?” It’s a statement wrapped in a question, often said with frustration or cynicism. It reflects the belief that union dues are money spent with little return, but it also reveals something deeper: that many of us haven’t taken the time to fully understand what our union does, how collective bargaining works, or how much of our daily work life is shaped by the protections it affords us. The Difference Between Union and Non-Union Work As someone who has worked in both unionized and non-unionized roles, I can say with confidence that I will always remain pro-union. The difference isn’t subtle, it’s night and day. In non-unionized workplaces, I’ve seen how easily decisions about workload, safety, and wages can shift without consultation. I’ve experienced management practices that seemingly change overnight, leaving employees to adapt or move on. There’s no collective protect...

I was listening to the radio the other morning and the DJs were having a discussion about how much money they would have to win in order to participate in a contest where they would go shopping naked. Two of the women DJs said they would need to win hundreds of thousands of dollars in order to participate in such a contest. One of the DJs mentioned a contest sponsored by a grocery store in Europe where those who showed up to the store naked to shop would win $400 worth of groceries. This made me think, perhaps those who are financially stable require an exorbitant amount of money to participate in such a contest but those who have less may be more inclined to participate. This in turn made me think about the nature of the contest, what the experience of being naked means in our society, and how 'winning' involved putting oneself on display in order to gain a basic need, food, in an amount that most of the ‘haves’ of the world likely spend in a weekly shopping trip.  What does t...

I have learned a lot by listening and transcribing the Traditional Knowledge interviews. An important piece of learning that I have taken away is that the traditional way of life that involves hunting, trapping and harvesting is still very much a part of Aboriginal communities in rural Canada. Meat in the grocery store is expensive. Hunting wild game, trapping animals and collecting eggs is important to participants food security which in turn impacts their health. The framework that many of us (and by that I mean not only people who live in urban centres but also those who have been born and raised within a Western perspective) approach land use is one of economic gain, largely ignoring the fact that there are still people who live off the land.

In recent weeks I have become the Executive Vice President of KSDavison & Associates and obtained a casual Registered Nursing position in the Day Health program at the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation .  Both of these are very exciting new opportunities because they are allowing me to venture into areas of business and health, respectively, that I have not previously had experience with. Did I mention that I had a baby 5 months ago?  Leadership Ventures       KSDavison & Associates is a company owned and operated by my husband, Kelly S. Davison. Although he is now a third-year nursing student, in his previous (current)career his role was Traditional Knowledge Facilitator. I am very pleased to say that I am now going to be part of this company. The past month has been full of firsts. I went on my first business trip, helped to facilitate my first Traditional Knowledge Use (TDK) interviews, and am beginning to learn how to write TDK reports. Alth...