570News Blog: Kate Stockmann

When I was five, I started kindergarten at Westfield Public School in Ingersoll.

 This was before Cami came to town and the population boomed. At that time, Ingersoll was just a small town. Westfield was a small school with no more than 300 students.

I was a very shy, innocent and naive kid.  Everything seemed new and scary and I took everything at face value. As I came to know my classmates, one kid stood out. He could read. At five!!! He began sentences with phrases like “of course.” My mom told me his dad was a doctor.

It wasn’t until a year later, when we were learning about geography that I learned something else about this kid. He was black.

 You’d think I would have noticed it sooner, but I’d never been told there were other races. To me, he was the kid that could read.

This is why I’m having a tough time understanding why “black-focused” schools are going to make people more tolerant. If I hadn’t had the privilege of knowing this boy who knows what prejudices I may have developed.

Instead of seeing people of other cultures as friends with relatives that think snow is funny, I would have been taught to see them as different.

Sure, some white teacher would have told me I should be nice to them, treat them the same, but I would have been taught to think of them as just that: THEM.

Instead I think of people of all colours, creeds and orientations as: US.

WE abolished segregation for a reason. Let US not forget it.

Kate

I work out nearly every day and maintain a body mass index of 21. I eat right and don’t smoke.

Yet I pay the same taxes as over-weight smokers who eat fast food on a regular basis.

I would like to see the province offer tax breaks to people who take care of their health and are therefore less likely to become a burden on the health care system.

At the very least, remove all taxes from my gym fees.

It might provide incentive for those who have chosen an unhealthy lifestyle to make some changes. 

Today the video game World of Warcraft celebrated a milestone, it’s ten millionth subscriber.

 The game is played on the Internet through personal computers and involves interacting with other players in the digital world of Azeroth.

Basically, you develop a character and then, with the help of other players, complete quests. Okay it’s more complicated than that, but that’s the very abridged version of how it works.

Most people think the typical Warcraft player is a socially awkward teen-aged kid playing in his parents basement. However, that is not the case.

I enjoy playing regularly and most of the people I play with are working professionals who prefer to unwind playing a game than vegetating in front of a television.

It’s a lot of fun and a great way to work on team building skills. 

May all your loot be purple!

Meureck(a.ka. Kate)

Another shooting in Toronto claimed an innocent life this week prompting more calls for a handgun ban.

 It’s a hot button issue among gun owners and proponents of a ban.

Having known gun owners and having even participated in target shooting I know first hand that having a gun in a home does not lead to violence. That being said, I am in favour of a ban.

Those opposed to a ban argue that criminals do not register their guns. This is very true. But where are they getting them? Gangs look to two primary sources for their guns: illegal imports from the US and guns stolen from legitimate gun owners.

We have the power to remove one of their sources and get at least some of the guns off the streets. We won’t get them all, but getting even one out of the hands of criminals could save a life.

Now I ask gun owners are you willing to sacrifice your hobby to save a life?

Late last week I lost a gold tennis bracelet I got when I graduated college. I noticed it missing from my wrist Friday morning but I wasn’t sure if I’d still had it the night before. I never take it off.

Since this was not the first time it had gone missing, I assumed, like the other times I would find it in the sleeve of my jacket or on the floor near the spot I keep my gloves. This time, it didn’t turn up.

After four days of searching (including carefully scooping my cats’ litter box on the off chance one of them ate it) I had given up any hope of finding it.

Last night my new neighbour knocked on my door, holding the bracelet saying she’d found it on the steps and wondered if it was mine. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I figured it had been pawned and I would never see it again.

Not only am I glad to have my bracelet back, but this also gives me hope there are still people in this world who do the right thing.

Kate