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Je suis une plante verte

myriam — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 02:44:10 +0000

Je suis une plante verte.

Je n’ai pas toujours été une plante verte. C’est arrivé progressivement. Tout doucement, avec le temps. La vieillesse, c’est le cheminement vers la plante verte, il faut croire.

Au début, ça semblait inoffensif, une utilisation judicieuse de la routine afin d’obtenir de meilleurs résultats. Une heure de réveil régulière, puis une heure de sommeil. Rien de plus normal. Puis une humeur aussi variable que la météo. Pas de sourire sans soleil, pas de larme sans averse.

Lentement, mon corps a optimisé ses processus. Les globules sanguins se sont tranquillement transformés en chloroplastes, leurs noyaux en chlorophyle. La nuit dans mon lit douillet, je me suis mise à produire du fructose. Et au matin, à excréter de l’oxygène. Mes doigts de pied se sont allongés, se sont tordus, se sont enfoncés dans le plancher du troisième étage. Je ne pouvais plus m’éloigner de mon bureau, mais ça ne me dérangeait déjà plus. Les grandes fenêtres du bureau me procuraient toute la lumière que je voulais et le ventilateur de la secrétaire en périménopause m’apportait un peu de vent dans les feuilles.

Maintenant, je regarde l’écran à longueur de journée. Je ne peux déjà plus bouger mes doigts, qui se sont couverts d’épines et se sont affaissés. Mais ça ne fait rien. On m’arrose gentiment à chaque jour, en même temps que les autres plantes du bureau. Je bois et je suis heureuse. Mes désirs sont comblés.

The UKBA or the criminalization of migration

myriam — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 02:19:53 +0000

In their own words, the United Kingdom Border Agency is

“responsible for securing the United Kingdom borders and controlling migration in the United Kingdom. We manage border control for the United Kingdom, enforcing immigration and customs regulations. We also consider applications for permission to enter or stay in the United Kingdom, citizenship and asylum”.

The same agency is now in charge of preventing importation of illegal drugs and of granting refugee status to vulnerable persons. It’s as if Citizenship and Immigration Canada became part of the Canadian Border Services Agency. I think it explains the (unjustifiably) “tough” attitude that shines through the Agency’s news releases. Notice how foreign students and business people get the same treatment as cocaine dealers and fake Nintendos.

Game over for fake Nintendos
Our staff have been thanked for taking swift action after discovering fake games consoles which could have put lives at risk over Christmas.

Cocaine seized at Gatwick airport – former England cricketer charged
Two men are due to appear in court today after Agency officers seized approximately 4 kilos of cocaine worth about £200,000 at Gatwick airport.

Tough new rules target bogus colleges and education cheats
A strict new system to crack down on bogus colleges and fraudulent applications from foreign students has so far screened out almost a quarter of applications from independent schools, colleges and universities, the Government revealed today.

Now you see him, now you don’t – visa-less magician is removed from the UK
UK Border Agency officers at Liverpool’s John Lennon airport were far from spellbound when a Turkish man tried to get past United Kingdom border control without a visa, claiming to be on his way to the Intercontinental Stage Magic Championships in Blackpool.
The 35-year-old Turkish man arrived on an evening flight from Gerona, Spain on 18 February, with a number of luggage items including a large magician’s box stage prop.
However, inspection of the man’s passport revealed that he did not hold a valid visa to come to the United Kingdom.
A UK Border Agency spokesman said:
“Visitors to the UK must play by the rules. If they need a visa to come here and they haven’t got one, there’s no magic wand they can wave to get in. They will just be sent back.
“Nationals of over 100 countries – three-quarters of the world’s population – must apply for a six-month visitor visa if they want to come to the UK. Our visa checks now require everyone to be fingerprinted, locking them to one identity, and checked against government watch-lists. They are then screened and counted in and out of the UK using the UK Border Agency’s e-Borders system.”
The man was denied entry and removed from the United Kingdom.

New countries face tough visa rules
Already, three-quarters of the world’s population need to apply for a visa if they want to visit the United Kingdom.
Widening the visa net is part of the Government’s action to tighten border security. There is now a triple ring of security protecting the United Kingdom: fingerprint visas that lock people to one identity, a high-tech electronic borders system which checks people against watchlists, and identity cards for foreign nationals.

A record 5,000 foreign lawbreakers removed from the United Kingdom
More foreign criminals than ever before have been kicked out of the country by the United Kingdom Border Agency in the past 12 months.

Business visitors face strict new rules
Tough new rules to safeguard the visitor route into the United Kingdom from abuse and keep Britain an attractive place to do business were published by the Government today.

All of these extracts are taken from the UKBA’s news.

Readings

myriam — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:11:50 +0000

visited 4 states (1.77%)
Create your own visited map of The World or vertaling nederlands duits?

2009

Argentine Yo era una nina de siete anos (César Aira) ***

Autriche Les désarrois du jeune Törless (Robert Musil) **

Colombie Cent ans de solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez) ****

Russie Petropolis (Anya Ulinich) ****

Protected: Secret!

myriam — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:15:13 +0000

This post is password protected. You must visit the website and enter the password to continue reading.

25 things

myriam — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:03:17 +0000

1. I like Turkish and Arabic pop, Mongolian and Russian rock, traditional Persian, French chanson, klezmer and Romany music.
2. I like political correctness and I do think we should say Romany.
3. I don’t know how to react to friends or extended family being racist.
4. I don’t spend enough time thinking. Which is bad. But then I get to be spontaneous. Which is good.
5. I miss the crazy girl I used to be.
6. I don’t like salesmen/women.
7. I’m scared that I’ll become one of *those* lawyers.
8. I’m proud of myself for getting into McGill law school.
9. I have difficulties keeping in touch with friends who are physically far away. I think it’s because I moved a lot when I was a kid.
10. When I was in kindergarten, my favourite food was broccoli. I still love boiled broccoli.
11. I don’t know what to think about the fact that I will have spent 10 years in university.
12. I feel extremely lucky.
13. I was Captain Hook in a play in grade school. I forgot to put on my hook before going on stage.
14. I want to go to Mongolia.
15. My best friends live elsewhere. I miss them very much.
16. I wanted to become (in chronological order) a singer, a cashier, a librarian, a psychiatrist, a microbiologist, a diplomat, a lawyer.
17. I had a hamster called Colonel Cassonade. He was persecuted by my brother’s bird, Caporal Punkie, who would run after him and bite his tail.
18. I get stressed easily.
19. I like teaching/tutoring.
20. I have an amazing boyfriend. He makes me believe in myself.
21. My grandpa was a blacksmith.
22. I hate watching tv and refuse to own one, but I do like watching Grey’s Anatomy on the internet.
23. I don’t like going to bars. I much prefer board games and hot chocolate.
24. My legs are crooked.
25. I played in a soccer team for one year when I was a kid. We lost every single game of the season (except one that we tied), but we still got a medal. It’s sitting in the bottom drawer of my dresser.