Issue 4 2016

Feminism

noun | fem·i·nism | \ˈfe-mə-ˌni-zəm\ the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.

Issue 4 Volume 63

M R U B #

U N A

What’s Inside 3

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Staff/contributors

editor’s Message Devotional

Relevance

Media

creative Health

A Win-Win Situation

Gender Equality I Am A Feminist I Am Not A Feminist The Next Step Book List How to Get Involved Canada’s Murdered Indigenous women We Hurt and We Heal

Feminism, On Our Campus, In our church, in our world

Tales from the Midtown Cafe I Am A Woman

Gym Chronicles

Cover Design by Jacqui MccCarty

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STAFF

Creative editor shenda chimwaso

Creative editor jendayi ferary

relevance editor rechelle smith

editor-in-chief Rebekah Maurice Media editor bianca baston

life editor ashia lennon

illustrator jacqui mccarty

Contributors

ANDREW ORPANA

GINA Guiboche

Dr. Glen Graham

Spencer Page

When as a society we diminish the intelligence of a woman by discouraging her from taking leadership roles – including ministry – we violate a woman’s divinely-ordained nature.

- Dr. Glen Graham Read More Page 8

editor’s message

“Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.”

-G.D Anderson Read More Page 10

There isn’t a slogan currently for The Chronicle but I’m considering:

THE CHRONICLE, Open the Discussion

Because thats what we’d like to do, we started with the cucumber issue, delving into how our community sees us and I’d like to spend more time in the future delving into issues that affect our campus and our world. Hence this current issue.

The fight for equality has been around since the beginning of humanity, our selfish nature compels humans to lord themselves over others and cause tremendous pain from the Egyptians enslaving the Israelites to Western enslavement of African peoples to Japanese internment to the Holocaust. Sometimes it is a result of fear that we belittle others, a fear of our way of life changing, this fear is the reason many are scared of refugees entering our country and it is perhaps the reason that it took so long for women to achieve the right to vote. People have a fear of change, some men were terrified of women taking all of the jobs after the second world war and some still don’t know how to relate to a female boss. Equality isn’t easy, just because it was commanded by God doesn’t mean that it comes naturally for humans. Which is why we still need feminism.

Feminism by its very definition means equality for all people, feminism is anti-sexism, anti-racism, LGBTIQ inclusive and feminism is for men just as much as it is for women. Granted it could have been called Equalism but the two are nonetheless synonyms. If you didn’t realize that before then I’m glad that you have opened this issue. We want to open this discussion with feminism’s message of equality, we’ve done that by including men in the conversation, you’ll find pieces by 4th year Religious Studies Major Andrew Orpana and Philosophy Professor Dr. Graham. We have multiple opinions and viewpoints throughout this issue, we do not aim to say this is the answer but rather to open the discussion and begin dialogue. If you don’t think feminism is a relevant issue you will want to read Gina Guiboche’s article on page 14 which details the current issue in our country of missing and murdered indigenous women. If you want some additional information and want to know how you can get involved in the fight for equality and women’s rights you’ll want to refer to page 13, we’ve collected some unconventional ways that you can show your support.

So without further ado,

Happy Reading!

- Rebekah Maurice

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Feminism is the radical notion that women are people cheris kramarae

Relevance

A Win-Win Situation

By Andrew orpana

Certainty can be a good thing, but so can asking questions. Questions are often what lead us to answers. That’s why when Jesus told His disciples that one of them would betray Him, I like their response; they became super distressed and each started asking “Is it I?”, “He isn’t talking about me…is He?” But as ideal a response this may be, it isn’t always chosen.

A lot of times we try to point the finger before ever looking at ourselves—especially when someone is making an accusation. Before we can even consider how we are at fault, we look for ways to tear the other person down so low that they’ll forget about what they were saying about us. There’s that method, and then also the method of avoiding it.

I mean, it can be pretty uncomfortable facing the heat of an accusation, so why not ignore it and hope it blows over us?

Caring is a good reason not to.

I think that’s why the disciples were so bothered when Jesus said what He said. I’m sure the last thing they wanted to do was betray or hurt Jesus in any way…or maybe they knew it was possible that they had some negative feelings towards Him, however small or large, and were afraid that those feelings would rise up and influence them to betray Him. I can’t say for sure, but for whatever reason, they wanted to know whether they were who Jesus was talking about.

What’s the harm in that? If they weren’t, that would be great to know. If they were, it would also be great—maybe they could ask Jesus to help them change! Genius! Win-win situations are too valuable to pass up!

We face situations like these frequently. Some of them, for example, are social issues which affect a large group of people, like gender discrimination. When women say that they feel they are being mistreated in society, school, the church, and the workplace, what is your response? Do you first resort to finger-pointing?

Do you ignore it as something that doesn’t apply to you?

You don’t have to hate women to contribute to sexism.

You can have seemingly spotless intentions and yet be blissfully unaware of the hurt and damage you are causing. Perhaps a great place to start would be to mirror the response of the disciples. If we do care about our mothers, our sisters, our wives, our friends, our teachers, our pastors...will we ask ourselves a simple question?

“They aren’t talking about me…are they?”

This may help you acknowledge the things you know about, but it doesn’t need to stop there. Ask a woman what she thinks. Ask her how you may be unknowingly contributing to the problems she faces.

“Is it I?” If we humbly approach those around us in this manner, if we humbly read the Bible in this manner, and if we humbly speak to God in this manner, we will become the change this world needs.

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Relevance

Gender Equality:

BY Dr. glen Graham

Church members who argue against women’s ordination inevitably appeal to the idea that women are ill suited to “headship” roles. According to Scripture, the argument goes, women are not permitted to hold positions of authority over men; women are by nature better suited to ecclesial roles that involve nurture or other forms of support. In other words, the role of the female is to mother churches, not lead them. This line of argument stems from the traditional idea that women are by nature fitted for motherhood and by extension “motherly” jobs outside the home (nurse, caretaker, support staff, etc.).

Many North American Division church members dismiss such arguments as antiquated. There would appear to be a great cultural divide between church members from Western liberal democratic societies and members from the more traditional societies that now make up the vast majority of the SDA Church. However, I would argue that a bit of humility is in order. “We” liberal democrats have yet to find all the answers on gender equality. A sense of cultural superiority could easily blind us to our own shortcomings. So-called progressive societies still fail to affirm women as both mothers and as workers outside the home (this pertains especially to women in leadership positions).

We have yet to find a way of honouring women as both mothers and as leaders in the workplace.

In liberal democratic Canada women make up half of the Canadian work force; yet only 5.3 percent of Canadian CEOs are women1. There is also a persistent wage gap between men and women in Canada, in part due to discrimination. According to the Pay Equity Commission of Ontario, “Statisticians estimate that as much as 10 to 15 % of the gender wage gap is due to discrimination.”2 A recent study showed that female faculty at McMaster Uni-

versity earned an average of $3,515 less than their male colleagues in 2012 and 2013. And these numbers hold even after levels of rank, tenure and age were taken into account.3

When as a society we diminish the intelligence of a woman by discouraging her from taking leadership roles – including ministry – we violate a woman’s divinely-ordained nature.

According to the Pay Equity Commission of Ontario, one of the factors in the gender wage gap in Ontario “is women choosing or needing to leave and re-enter the workforce in order to meet family care-giving responsibilities, resulting in a loss of seniority, advancement opportunities and wages.”4 As a result, women often feel pressured to sacrifice good careers in order to have children.

Employers tend to think of parental leave as a financial burden rather than as an integral part of the lives of their employees.

As a society we now recognize that men can be nurturing caregivers; and we now recognize that women have the same innate intellectual capacities as men. And yet we have failed to make the necessary accommodations that would allow for both parents to flourish in the home as well as in the workplace. Our economic system, for instance, values productivity and efficiency at the expense of social stability. Working-class mothers often feel pressured to enter the workforce out of economic necessity in order to take unfulfilling, low-wage jobs, even as they are burdened with guilt over “neglecting” their families at home.

“We” liberals often look down at traditional so-

Challenges and Opportunities cieties; but we have to have the humility to see that traditional societies, to their credit, value social harmony over economic productivity. We have yet to find a way of honouring women as both mothers and as leaders in the workplace. We are caught halfway it seems between traditional and modern gender norms.

Traditional societies throughout history have oppressed women by promoting rigid gender roles. Differentiated gender roles have often failed to recognize the intellectual equality of men and women. Nevertheless, we can learn something from traditional societies about the importance of parental care and the human need for stable, harmonious family units. We have failed this lesson in contemporary society. Many women are overworked, underpaid and burdened with guilt. At the same time we undervalue women and mothers in the workplace. Social reform requires that we drastically improve maternal and paternal leave laws and other forms of social support. But reform also requires a shift in cultural attitudes in order to allow women to fulfill their natural, God-given capacities for work outside the home (including in leadership roles). Failure to do so is another form of oppression. Modern science tells us that male and female minds are on average equal in intelligence. The theological implications of this are clear. God created women to be equal to men. When as a society we diminish the intelligence of a woman by discouraging her from taking leadership roles – including ministry – we violate a woman’s divinely-ordained nature.

Here we can take lessons from the voices of inspiration in Scripture. The inspired authors of the Bible wrote within a particular context and time that was unprepared to acknowledge the full equality of men and women. As always, the Holy Spirit accommodates local culture: no prophetic voice can or ought to destroy the social fabric of a given culture. However, the Scriptures are also filled with voices of wisdom that tried to expand the rigid boundaries of tradition. These voices, many of which come from female characters, are therefore essential to interpreting the full meaning of Scripture. One of the best examples

(among many) is Abagail. David is about to commit mass murder in a rash and disproportionate response to Nabal’s lack of hospitability. But before he can, Abagail, who was renowned for her intelligence (1. Sam 25:3), gives one of the most eloquent and reasoned speeches in all of Scripture and saves David from “blood guilt”(1 Sam. 25:33).

Abigail’s speech is the most noteworthy example of a series of passages in 1 and 2 Samuel that act as a critical commentary on the cycles of vengeance that permeate the rest of the narrative. Fortunately, David has the humility to learn from Abagail’s superior wisdom and hear her dire warning. The lesson here is that we ignore the voices of wisdom in our community -whether they be male or female -- at our own peril.

The Globe and Mail, “Gender pay gap in Canada more than twice global average, study shows.” 5 May 2015, online:http://www. theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/gender-pay-gap-incanada 1

Pay Equity Commission. “Gender Wage Gap,” online: http://www. payequity.gov.on.ca/en/about/pubs/genderwage/wagegap.php 2

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The Globe and Mail

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Pay Equity Commission

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Relevance

I Am A Feminist

By RECHELLE SMITH

I am so tired of women claiming they hate men, claiming that they are the enemy, and their aggressive, hot headed, isolating, often unnecessary arguments about nothing.

Feminism has become unattractive. Not only to men, but to women as well.

Feminism still has a very long way to go. Women need to stop using feminism as their outlet for anger and using it as a means of getting attention. I am so tired of having to explain what kind of feminist I am. I am tired of women and men giving feminism a bad name. I am tired of people using the word feminist as a cuss word whenever Let’s define what a feminist actually is according to Dictio- a woman refuses to be a doormat or has an opinion. nary.com

We need to get to a place where it is okay for a woman to be soft, girly, gentle, hard, hardworking or smart. A place where a woman can be as much of a princess as she wants to because she doesn’t have to be fearful of a man taking advantage of her. A place where being hard isn’t the default for women because they need to be. A place where a woman can define what it means to be a woman according to her. A place where she can wear a scowl if she wants to and smile as big as they want to and men won’t assume it’s to lure them A place where men aren’t surprised when she starts playing their game. A world where men do not assume that a girl decided to look pretty for their own entertainment. A society where men brandish the word fem

I am a feminist. Not the popularized version of inist as proudly as any female should. I will work towards feminism, but I hold to the actual definition. Someone it. Will you? once asked me how on earth I could be a Black feminist and be dating and in love with a White male. I can be those thongs because being a feminist does not automatically mean that I hate every one of the opposite gender.

It means that I will not sit silent while women are being raped simply because some bored, twisted man decided to have fun with her. It means that I will support women who are in politics (granted, their policies have to be sound).

It means that I will always speak up when someone says some obnoxious statement to a woman like, “Go make me a sandwich” because we need to eliminate patriarchal language while speaking to each other. It means that I will draw attention to the patriarchal mess we call society. I do not hate men. I simply do not respect or bother with men who think it is okay to use women for their own sexual pleasure or view them as inferior. Being a feminist means you believe in equality for all. Men and women.

See the difference?

Feminist: [Someone who is] advocating social, political, legal, and economic rights for women equal to those of men.

“Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong.

It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.”

-G.D Anderson

Relevance

I Am Not A Feminist

By Ashia Lennon

I am NOT a Feminist I am a Christian.

Because I am a Christian, a Christian who loves Jesus, I believe He made it very clear about the equality of men and women. And no, not the George Orwell version of “all are equal but some are more equal than others” speech. I’m saying I believe when God said in Genesis 1:27: “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” He was making an irrevocable statement as to the worth and value of womankind. That I was born as an heir to His Eternal Kingdom with as many rights and privileges as any male. So no, I am not just your ‘helpmate’ to the lesser of any degree; I am equal in value and in my God appointed charge for the fulfillment of the gospel.

We observe Titus 2:11 states, “For the GRACE of God has appeared that offers SALVATION to ALL people”.

This idea of all people includes what Paul would have spoken about in Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, Nor is There Male and Female, for you are All One in Christ Jesus”.

In that case as Christians are all Feminists…

nism that has already been woven into our Christian beliefs then would radically change how we relate with issues affecting women in our society, our schools, our church and our homes. That the idea that God intended that women were not to be ruled as lesser than men. That receiving lesser pay or a modified job title is not within Christian values in principle nor belief. We are able to recognize that freedom exists in the chambers of our minds to abolish the belief that from biblical stand point feminism, the equality of men and women is against God’s Edenic model. Male and Female, he created… In His image.

It is for us to recognize the work within the establishing of our own denomination dedicated women such as Lulu Russell Wightman as one of the most successful ministers in New York State for more than a decade after1901. She was one of the most successful within the Adventist Church for any time period. As a licensed minister, Mrs. Wightman pioneered work that established companies or churches in a number of places in New York where Adventism had never gained a foothold before. There were numerous women such as Mrs. Rachel Oakes, Anna Knight, the first female black missionary to India, and eventually settled to be a ‘mother’ to Oakwood University. Ida Riggels Burden was a widely known preacher even carrying a ministerial license.

The amazing work that God has called us to do as men and women are not separated based on gender. Nor should we quiver away in fear from the negative stereotypes that come in opposition to the encouraging of women. We must affirm our women, encourage our young women and empower our little girls about what it truly means to be a feminine in God’s eyes. That our Christianity is not culturally limited to believing that women are subservient or be to defined by a role in lesser significance to a man. As Ellen white is quoted as saying, “The Lord has work for women, as well as for men. They may take their place in His work at this crisis, and He will work through them.”1

Feminism exists as a supporting subset belief on equality in Christ for us as Christians. I believe when Jesus met that woman at the well it was not mere coincidence or a show of power, when He, the All Knowing One, sought out the woman with the issue of blood who had touched Him it was not for show, Jesus honoring his mother’s request to perform his first miracle. How about when He intervened in the stoning of the woman caught in adultery while there is no mention of her lover, he intervene to make a point within a lopsided patriarchal society whose beliefs about women in His kingdom. He was in fact making a position known.

Matthew goes out of his way to include within the lineage 1 Ellen G White, Evangelism (Washington, D.C: Review and Herald of Jesus the MOST unlikely of women: Tamar’s story of wit Publishing Association, 1946) page 464 and retribution in Genesis 38;Rahab is better known by her occupation in Joshua 2:9, 11; Ruth, the Moabitess, a wanderer’s widow; Bathsheba, the woman with whom David committed adultery in 2 Samuel 11. The realization of femi-

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THE NEXT STEP

So maybe you’re a female and you’re thinking “sexism isnt really something that affects me in my daily life”. You’ve always been given equal opportunituies and you’ve never been made to feel inferior. that’s awesome! Really it is it! but unfortunately that isn’t the reality for many women and girls around the world. Consider using your privelege to aid those who havent been as fortunate. If you’re a guy who would like to become more involved in the resolution of this issue. The best way to become involved in resolving an issue is to become educated on the topic.

Here are some suggested readings, and ways to get involved, for both genders.

Suggested Reading A Guy’s Guide to feminism

By Michael Kaufman & Michael Kimmel Informal and fun yet substantive and intelligent, The Guy’s Guide to Feminism illustrates how understanding and supporting feminism can help men live richer, fuller, and happier lives.

How to be a woman

we should all be feminists

By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Gracious and witty, Adichie argues that gender should not be a script for raising boys or girls. She touches upon serious matters such as sexual violence, as well as the more subliminal insidious behaviors that marginalize women and limit men around the world. Her message is a positive one: culture can change if we do.

the feminist utopia project

By Caitlin Morgan

By Alexandra Broosky and Rachel Nalebuff

Caitlin Moran’s manifesto on being a woman today, filled with brash, no-nonsense criticism steeped in a saucy sense of humor. An example: “We need to reclaim the word ‘feminism’.

We need the word ‘feminism’ back real bad.

Combining essays, interviews, poetry, illustrations, and short stories, The Feminist Utopia Project challenges the status quo that accepts inequality and violence as a given—and inspires us to demand a radically better future.

where the girls are

By Susan J. Douglas

Focusing on mass media’s portrayal of women in the late 20th century, Douglas demonstrates how the media has constantly oppressed women. Douglas explains the inevitable effects of mass media on women, culture and politics. A fun, informative and engaging read, this book is not to be missed.

Half the sky

By Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn Covering topics including but not limited to education, sex trafficking, maternal mortality, and clean water, the authors recount personal stories about both female suppression and empowerment from around the world.

I am Malala

Yes Please

By Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb

By Amy Poehler

Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.

At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

Want to laugh? Want to be inspired

by Poehler's killer attitude? Here you go. Poehler lights a fire under her readers to dream big, peppers the journey with a healthy dose of irony and self-deprecation.

Ways to Get involved Becoming involved in women’s rights can be as simple as sending a tweet or as complex as taking a trip to the other side of the world. Check out these great ways to show your support.

Because I am a girl becauseiamagirl.ca Because I am a girl is part of Plan Canada it promotes education for girls around the world. You can donate, hold a fundraiser or join their Speakers Bureau to join the movement for women’s rights arund the world.

Ten Thousand Villages

Heforshe heforshe.org Many men are showing solidarity simply by posting pictures of themselves with signs that read #HeForShe .

Learn more on the website.

You can visit Ten Thousand Villages’ Red Deer location just off Gaetz Ave and by doing so aid women across the world. They have thousands of fair trade items anywhere from coffee and cinnamon to jewellery and clothing to books and home decor.

Many of the creators of these products are women living in poverty who will recieve the direct profits of what you spend in store. It’s a great place to buy Christmas presents and show your friends and family how much you care about them and the world they live in.

Knitted Knockers Alberta

www.knittedknockersab.com Are you skilled with a pair of needles? Do you want to save the world as you laze around on a snowy afternoon? Then this might be just the avenue for you, knitted knockers is just what it sounds like, it involves knitting prosthetic breasts for women who have had masectomies from breast cancer. Based in Calgary you can learn more on their website.

OPeration Groundswell operationgroundswell.com OG is commited to unconventional and sustainable travel. They have trips all over the world with themes such as Education, Human Rights and Conservation. A trip with them involves working with local NGOs and immersing yourself in the culture you visit by staying with locals. Learn more about Women’s rights and difficulties in India with their India : Gender and Religion trip.

Canada’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

By Gina Guiboche

Dear Student: http://www.nwac.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Fact_ As a Burman University student, we strive to provide you Sheet_Root_Causes_of_Violence_Against_Aboriginal_ with an excellent, high standard of quality post-secondary Women.pdf education. It is important to have a universal array of knowledge of our world, especially that of Canada. We endeavour to graduate students that are accomplished with spiritual strength and in-depth knowledge – a globally, well-rounded student.

It is with this in mind that we bring to your attention an issue that is currently flying under-the-radar for the majority of Canadians. Please educate and enlighten yourselves so you can do your part by being informed and letting others know about this matter. Practice your basic rights to help build a safer, healthier society.

Canada’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Who: First Nations, Inuit & Metis Women (Aboriginal Women) What: Missing and murdered Where: Canada When: Early documented case in 1951 in Loon Lake, SK WHY: It is important to know and understand what is happening to a vulnerable segment of Canada’s population.

Additional reading: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/families-of-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-give-police-a-failing-grade-1.3022709 http://www.cbc.ca/news/aboriginal/breaking-one-of-canada-s-best-kept-secrets-mmiw-1.3048352 https://warriorpublications.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/updates-on-missingmurdered-indigenous-women-in-canada/ For further information or questions, please contact me at: Gina Guiboche, M.S. First Nations, Inuit & Metis Program Director ext. 4160 or text 306-941-7858 Burman University Marketing & Enrolment

“What can I do?” – 1) Discuss in class if applicable to your course subject; 2) Continue to educate yourselves on this matter; 3) Teach your family and friends The following link provides an understanding of the historical facts of this problem.

Every 12 Days in Canada an indIgineous woman or girl is Murdered

Playlist

BY BIANCA

MEDIA

BASTON

WE HURT AND WE HEAL Our emotions do not make us weak. Some

empowering tunes from the queens of yester-year.

1

No more tearstained make up

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2

5

Nancy Sinatra

Barbara Lynn

Martha & The Vandellas

Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)

3

Don’t Let Me be misunderstood Nina Simone

Feeling Good Nina Simone

You’ll Loose a Good Thing

6

It’s a Man’s Man’s World Etta James

8

Let Love go by

Jeanette Baby Washington

9

I Will Survive Gloria Gaynor

Respect

10

7

Helene Smith

Aretha Franklin

You Got to be a man

Listen online www.theburmanchronicle.com/playlist

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CREATIVE

The Time Norman Was Alone

By Spencer Page

Norman Brown never seemed to leave Midtown once my mother and father let him in. It took the better part of the next two years, but he was back on his feet in the blink of an eye. I always had a new story when he swaggered out of the café and he never failed to test my parents’ nerves or drive the other regulars to the point of threatening bloody murder. But he was loved all the same. There were times now that I think about it that the Midtown Café was more Norman’s home than my own.

He got his first job the day I started high school and while I was walking through the doors with more questions than I had entered with, Norman was handing in his first letter of resignation. I never asked him after that what he did, but through all his smooth-talking and jumping from place to place, he always managed to stay afloat. Soon, even my father lost track of where Norman was or what he was doing at any given time. Each time we saw him, he was never up to the same schemes as the time before, but he was always “working”.

He was also never not in the company of a woman. Every time he came to Midtown, he brought with him what he described each and every time as a “singular guest” and to my young and foolish eyes, he was the king of swagger and savvy. If he was anything at all, he was a modern pirate at a time when all I dreamt of was debauchery. Indeed the many women in Norman’s life became so much of a trope in Midtown that it came as a terrible shock when he came to Midtown alone and in distress.

“I just don’t understand it,” he exclaimed as he slumped down at the bar and slapped a blue five on the counter. Mr. Grayson, our oldest customer peered over the edge of his newspaper with his circular spectacles and mumbled a lofty “Morning, Norman.”

“I mean, god, Oskar. You’d have thought I had it in the bag.”

Mr. Grayson folded his paper and began buttoning his jacket.

“You listening, Oskar?”

“No.”

“Well shoot. Good to see you too.”

Norman looked at me as I tried to slip away into the back, more forlorn than his voice suggested.

“Johnny, come sit for a second. I gotta tell you something.”

My parents had raised me too well to do anything else.

I sat across the counter from Norman.

“Better get me a cold one,” he said, nodding to the bill on the counter. “I’ll need it for this one.” I told him it was on the house.

“So Johnny,” he said. “You’re never gonna believe it, but I met this girl.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, yeah. From out of country.”

“Where’d you meet?”

“Oh near Trenton,” he said, waving his hand in that discreet way that communicates when someone has already forgotten.

“What’s she like?”

Norman’s eyes seemed to glaze over as I watched him.

“Norman?”

“Yeah?”

“I asked what she’s like.”

“I don’t know bub.”

This puzzled me immediately. Norman was notorious for his bottomless pool of seemingly insignificant facts. He never lost Trivial Pursuit.

“Did you ask her out?”

Norman nodded mournfully.

After some internal debate, I asked what she said.

Norman only shook his head, his face wearing a look so stubborn that he looked for a minute like my little sister.

“You know Johnny,” he said at last. “I’m over it.”

He stood as if he planned on leaving and swung his cap over his messy hair. Just as he turned to go out into the winter wind, the bell rang and my mother stumbled through the door, laden with groceries.

“Norman,” she exclaimed through her scarf and then, “Give me a hand with the bags, Johnathan.”

I stepped to and left the groceries on the counter.

“You gonna finish your beer?”

“No,” Norman announced. “No thank you. I’ve got to get to work at eleven.”

“Where’s your lady friend today, Norman?” my mother asked.

Norman let out a long, throaty groan and fell back into his seat at the counter.

“Don’t ask, Nora.”

CREATIVE

“Norman got dumped,” I said.

“Hey! She wasn’t worth the trouble anyway, you know.”

“What makes you say that?” my mother asked.

Norman hesitated for a while. “I don’t know… she’s in the army. I think she’s a Muslim too you know.”

“Norman!” my mother cried.

“What?”

My mother shook her head. “Norman, one day someone’ll break your nose. And you’d better hope there’s a doctor nearby, cause I’m not gonna stitch up your face.”

“What?”

“I might be the one clocking you too so help me God.”

“Come on, Nora!”

“Well jeez, Norman, what’s wrong with a woman in uniform? And you’re upset because she’s a Muslim!

Here I was thinking we’d taught you better.”

“She said I wasn’t worth her time.”

“Well, she was right if you ask me,” said my mother, brushing her bangs out of her face. “Norman Brown...always in here with a different woman and the only time you find a good one, you run because she’s made of sterner stuff than you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t see you in uniform, Norman. Heck, I don’t even know what you do.”

“What’re you trying to say, Nora?”

“I’m saying that you’ve found a woman who knows herself and knows what she wants in life – obviously that doesn’t include you – and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Norman was silent for a long time.

“You think that’s true Nora?”

“Norman, I know it’s true.”

He was quiet for a while, staring at the withering foam at the brim of his glass.

“I’m a smart guy,” he said at last.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Norman.”

“Smart enough to know when someone’s giving me proper advice. And I think you just might be right.”

“Was I ever not?”

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CREATIVE I am woman No this does not mean that my blood is not as thick as yours, Instead it is a liquid substance mixed with water used to bond our people together, through the lineage, from generation to generation.

No this does not mean that my tears are inferior As they are the river that flows through the earth, nurturing and giving her life.

No this does not mean my voice should be silenced But embraced, uplifted, and heard through the nations See my voice is like the constellations, a sweet sound in ones ear, gently rocking the world.

Oh but don’t get me wrong, it can be angered, and like a hurricane I will destroy whatever is in my way and rise up to stand for what I believe in No my voice cannot be silenced, For even a silent protest would be deafening to the worlds ears.

I can uproot trees as fast as I planted them, and dry up the soil as fast as I nourished it.

But don’t you worry because my intent is not to damage, but to heal.

I am woman Yes, my name is derived from man for I was taken out of man No, I wasn’t taken out for a divide—taken from his rib, his side—but to be equal, And I will forever sing my song until I am once again by his side - Shenda Chimwaso

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Gym Chronicles

Health

By Ashia Lennon As I lay here in bed, nawing off a chicken wing watching the Victoria Secret Fashion Show no less. Yes the irony is nauseating… let the judgement come. I felt I was in the best position to speak about procrastination at its finest and how to BE GOOD TO YOURSELF. First Things First I lost 8 pounds going consistently to the gym. Yay! Turn up! Hence the chicken wing. I know I haven’t been to the gym lately (ok so it’s been 3 weeks) but that’s how long it takes to celebrate sometimes… Oh we are not accepting that as a reason. Well the truth is I can’t… Midterms are plaguing us people!

I’m sure if you are an avid Instagram LURKER you’ll find the fitness pages, those women and men with the perfectly tone abs, quads and triceps. Hopefully you are nothing at all like me and don’t think “when I am going to get there?” But if you are we read these pages of incredible weight loss stories and think, “when will that be me?”

Listen people, Photoshop is REAL. Not to discredit all the Instagram BEFORE and AFTER picture takers here. Or engage in the beheading of the Victoria Fashion Show’s (or our society’s as a whole really) unrealistic body expectation. Fellas I gotchu… obsessing over them body building shows aint helping you either. Beautiful people, You have got to DO YOU! Fighting with your body to produce results that are not FOR you will not make you whole.

Working out should be fun and

healthy. And a HUGE part of being healthy is mentally BEING GOOD TO YOU. Making sure you are in a good healthy mental place goes far beyond being able to do 3 reps of 175KG. Don’t fight numbers on a scale or consistently check muscle growth, or feel guilty about not making it to the gym in I dunno 3 weeks... You are still amazing and worthwhile!

Before you know it time’s past. Insomina is an old friend of mine that likes to visit. So I’ve devised ways of putting my body in rest position through sleep music and deep breathing. And sometimes, just lying there, not scrolling, not clicking...(I’m serious how you gon sleep with the phone’s LED light in your face) embrace the stillness/boredom and rest your weary soul.

Your Meals!

Be intentional about what you put inside your body.

Go to bed, eat well even when you can’t make it to the gym and above all, Be good to yourself beautiful people.

Ooo believe me that this here is my daily struggle. What you eat in the kitchen affects the results you see in the gym. Eating food from the wrong place (fast food! Yes pizza counts)… at the wrong time (night!

Anytime near bedtime) will not help you. Fight your battles in the kitchen with your food choices and lifestyle choices. Remember we are working out to BE HEALTHY AND HAPPY (and hopefully to get bikini/one piece/tankini/tshirt&shorts season next year) EAT BREAKFAST! The struggle of seeing straight in University should now be upon you. But believe me you have to feed that body of yours something GOOD in the morning with everything you will require of it throughout the day. This is my struggle beautiful people. But we gotta do what we gotta do.

BEDTIME! Be good to your body, it’s the only one you have. Go to sleep… before 3am. Rest… you’re putting a lot into getting your Christian education.

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