tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-174685222011-09-12T10:51:24.563-05:00"Class consciousness is knowing which side of the fence you are on. Class Analysis is knowing who is there with you."Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.comBlogger1561100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-18848940371608797942010-08-22T20:11:00.002-05:002010-08-22T20:13:28.414-05:00

Born August 19, 2010 at 8:10 pm in Ottawa, Canada

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-37005566552005392052009-03-01T20:35:00.002-05:002009-03-01T21:21:27.606-05:00

A great weekend. After a slightly stressful week at work, it was great to have such a relaxing weekend. I got some good sleeps in, basically I allowed my wife to deal with Maya on her own in the middle of the night. I paid the price the next day, but the sleep was worth it. It all balances out in the end anyway - my wife got to sleep in while I got up and played with Maya and got her

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-67305742547681813762009-02-19T07:51:00.001-05:002009-02-19T07:53:27.739-05:00

This is an interesting video. Thanks to Larry Hubich for drawing my attention to it.

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-7890774479019588632009-02-09T20:03:00.002-05:002009-02-09T20:36:00.340-05:00

I am wondering if anyone still reads this blog. Clearly becoming a parent has limited my time to write posts and keep all my loyal readers updated. Well the last 5 months have been a whirlwind of diapers, sleepless nights, exhausted days and on top of it all I am still articling. I am surprised I am actually finding the time to do a post now. Well to review the big things that have been

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-18431350271801041212008-12-10T19:30:00.001-05:002008-12-10T19:30:03.176-05:00

Happy Human Rights Day everyone!!Today is the 60th anniversay of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Sixty years ago today a human rights movement was born, that has transformed the relationship between states and their citizens. At least that is what it is meant to have done. Sadly violations of human rights are still rampant around the world and governments often fall short of the

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-82743931426835176262008-09-09T19:42:00.007-05:002008-09-09T20:20:02.235-05:00

Lilia and I are pleased to introduce our first child, Maya Urminsky. She was born at 12:08 pm August 30, 2008, after 9 hours of labour. I know this has been a long awaited post, the calls and emails have all been noted, but for any of you who have had a baby, I am sure you can understand. Maya has certainly kept us busy for the first 10 days of her life - dirty diapers, getting use to breast

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-19316827762222758772008-08-29T19:57:00.002-05:002008-08-29T20:01:00.253-05:00

I am sure the few people who are still checking this blog (yes that's you), are wondering if the lack of posts is due to the arrival of our new daughter or whether it is the pressure of articling. Rest assured, its pure lazyness on my part, or maybe a bit of the articling thing. Lilia is still very pregnant. She is scheduled for an induction one week from today, but hopefully it won't come to

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-6532721658229947722008-08-19T20:27:00.002-05:002008-08-19T20:36:48.394-05:00

Well we are living in Toronto now. Back at my mother and father's place. Yes a big change after living on my own since about 1996/7. Lots has changed, including it appears my parents. My Mother for example has taken to ironing my shirts. Never can I remember her ironing my shirts when I was young, and I went to a catholic high school and thus always wore dress shirts. When I wanted something

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-24969537375767358682008-07-18T11:19:00.002-05:002008-07-18T11:26:50.621-05:00

Well law school graduation was the first step, but I have passed the 2nd and 3rd stages of the licensing process (the process of becoming a lawyer). I was sort of nervous about looking but today got up the courage and checked my law society email account and found out I passed the barrister and solicitor examinations. I had been really worried about this as I had not studied many of the

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-48322064323708297332008-06-08T09:58:00.005-05:002008-06-08T13:33:24.209-05:00

I graduated from law school on Friday! This was my third graduation from university (and hopefully my last). It is definitely the one I am most proud of. People keep asking - "Was it worth it?" Depending on my mood I have been answering yes and no. But honestly I would have to say yes. I learned a lot and made many good friends. It is just too bad that its not really over, I still have one

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-53691479920963146832008-06-05T08:56:00.002-05:002008-06-05T09:04:19.529-05:00

Wooo Hooo!!!!!! I finished the bar exam. I really almost did not make it through, the last 1.5 hours I was ready to get up and walk out, I was starting to see funny shapes and swirls on the exam sheet. Well I suppose that is understandable when you write an exam all day. This means only two more steps to becoming a lawyer, the professional responsibility and skills course that starts Monday,

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-12624302975485226692008-05-28T17:13:00.003-05:002008-05-29T08:26:32.804-05:00

I came across these old comedy video's which might be somewhat instructional or at least entertaining in light of the coming birth of our child. Watch both videos.

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-63619507976225303242008-05-28T16:46:00.003-05:002008-05-28T16:50:44.475-05:00

OK I should be studying, but I needed some motivation and turned to you tube. Any other suggestions on motivational videos to get me through the next 8 days would be much appreciated. For now, this is at the top of the play list. The question is between me and the exam who is Rocky and the Russian fighter, ....

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-6391302977105173382008-05-28T09:04:00.002-05:002008-05-28T09:09:49.867-05:00

Well I completed the barrister exam yesterday, probably the most grueling exam I have ever written. Not because it was particularly difficult or complex. It was the pure exhaustion that was involved. First I had to get up at 5:45 to get ready to go. Then wait two hours in line to be processed through security. They 7 hours of writing - but between breaks and delays in collecting the papers and

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-65438902317776635132008-05-19T10:52:00.002-05:002008-05-19T10:54:29.493-05:00

OK, I know the few readers I have are probably wondering why I have forsaken my blog. Rest assured I will start up again after the solicitor and barrister exams are done in early June. Believe me I would rather be blogging than studying for these exams. It will be over soon and I promise a summer of interesting and amusing posts.

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-49218653333235133222008-04-28T14:47:00.002-05:002008-04-28T14:54:22.178-05:00

Its finished....Its really finished...I can't believe its really finished. If I keep saying it enough it will seem real!Well that marvelous and insipid journey known as law school has finally come to a end. I handed in my last paper today at about 4pm. What am I going to do with all my time now. Oh yea .... I need a job. Finishing law school is undoubtedly a great achievement, but its really

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-84150987092653255932008-04-17T22:45:00.002-05:002008-04-17T22:48:00.547-05:00

Yes the end is in sight. Today I wrote my last exam of law school. Wooo hooo!!!!! Yes its nearing the end, I have one more paper to finish, and 10 days to do it in. Its hard to believe it feels like just yesterday that I was studying for first year exams and started this blog as a procrastination effort.

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-81921452869659794942008-04-08T20:48:00.002-05:002008-04-08T20:54:10.953-05:00

Its finally here - the final week of law school. Not that I don't have tonnes of work to do over the next 20 days (Exams and Assignments finish the 28th). Only 2 more days of classes!While this is clearly a time for celebration - I face the last day of classes on thursday with a small bit of trepidation. As this is the last time I will ever be in school (more than likely), I can't help feel a

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-88877465124354258972008-03-24T09:48:00.002-05:002008-03-24T09:54:40.816-05:00

Well its been a nice Easter Weekend, we made a fantastic dinner last night (BBQ lamb, peace glazed ham) and lots of other yummy food. This weekend we also made the effort with the help of 3 teenagers to shovel out the snow off our deck, we were worried about flooding of our basement. Our neighbor was kind enough to let us dump some of the snow in her backyard which is a long way from her house.

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-9342808064869295722008-03-09T17:42:00.003-05:002008-03-09T17:55:46.174-05:00

Here are some pics of our deck after the recent snowfall. After shoveling snow out front, I was too tired to do the back deck. So I asked our neighbors son if he wanted the work. The pile off our deck is so high now, it hard to imagine it ever melting.

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-10465381494645542162008-02-25T15:15:00.003-05:002008-02-25T15:20:25.144-05:00

Well I know its taken me a while to get this up but here is the first photo of Baby Urminsky. S/he is 12 weeks, and the ultra sound clinic was nice enough to put the picture in a nice card for us, mind you they charge a couple of bucks for it. I have to say this is a pretty cool technology.

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-71577562231247189642008-02-11T17:28:00.001-05:002008-02-12T23:11:38.494-05:00

I am going to be a father this August 29th, or around that time at least - needless to say I am absolutely thrilled. Pictures to come soon from the ultrasound.

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-15485063349317795812008-02-07T08:56:00.001-05:002008-02-07T09:00:04.853-05:00

Last weekend my wife and I watched the superbowl on TV. I am not a huge football fan, but I do enjoy the Superbowl when I can. I discovered my wife has a funny way of remembering superbowls. She does not remember which teams played or the scores, instead she remembers the food that was served, ie. superbowl 37 had a really good chilli, or superbowl 32 had some excellent homemade dip.

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-1943840056639289262008-01-25T19:49:00.000-05:002008-01-25T20:14:22.346-05:00

I just finished my January term course in Anti Terrorism Law. It was a fascinating course, exactly the sort of thing I wanted to study when I came to law school. Not because I think I am going to work in the area of terrorism law or national security - but because these subjects have become so important and it helps to know a bit about them just so one can talk intelligently about the issues. I

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-77824547366745763472008-01-11T17:56:00.000-05:002008-01-11T18:03:27.812-05:00

At the Faculty of Law (University of Ottawa) we take an intensive course in January, before starting the Winter term. The last two years I took Alternative Dispute Resolution and then an internship with the Legal Department at the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Its a great term to spend some time doing something practical, and gives a nice break from the craziness of law school. This year

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-65343934467801261592008-01-05T21:22:00.001-05:002008-01-05T21:22:43.667-05:00

My brother Dave linked to this video and its sooooo funny!!!

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-20463231578914317752008-01-05T11:42:00.000-05:002008-01-05T11:54:21.458-05:00

As the final term of law school approaches I have mixed feelings, while the fall term was absolute torture, and I suspect Winter term will be the same, I can't help remember that this will probably be the last time I am in full time school. So its with mixed feelings that I embark upon my last term of school. I have enjoyed being in school again, being able to research what I want (with some

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-38597934424049111052008-01-03T12:26:00.000-05:002008-01-03T12:29:28.590-05:00

Happy new year everyone, I hope you all had a fantastic time new years eve. As for me I had a quite time this year, I really don't see what all the fuss is about with respect to new years. Anyway, my one resolution is to keep up better on my blogs and to leave facebook. The second has already been done. Hopefully leaving facebook will help facilitate more frequent blog posts.

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-32253025304397470812007-12-21T10:14:00.000-05:002007-12-21T10:16:33.007-05:00

Well I finished my second last set of exams. I would like to add the word ever to that sentence but I think I said that during my undergrad degree and my masters degree, so I won't hold my breath that some day i will need to do it again. It feels great, I am looking forward to play with the Xbox and relaxing over the holidays. However first I need to get this house cleaned up a little bit.

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-67160042346501373512007-12-10T08:46:00.000-05:002007-12-10T08:47:26.519-05:00

Happy Human Rights Day to all my readers, I would do a more detailed post but have to write an exam in a few minutes. Check out the UN Human Rights Day Web Site for more information on this important day.

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-21380372687277737302007-12-04T17:34:00.000-05:002007-12-04T18:16:28.988-05:00

I am thinking that law school exams should be optional. At least by the time you get to third year you should be able to choose whether you want to write a paper or write an exam in a course. As you have probably guessed I am in the midst of writing exams. While it is my last year, it is still an insipid process as far as I am concerned. It bears little relation to how I will preform in a job

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-75440487658221801812007-11-27T16:16:00.000-05:002007-11-28T17:17:06.188-05:00

This is non-political so I would hope everyone reading this blog could get behind this petition. This Hour has 22 Minutes brought the public's attention to this on Nov 27. You can watch the video at their web site. Click on the video link to Constable Chris Garett. The story basically goes like this. Chris Garett a police officer was killed in the line of duty while arresting a man. His friends

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-63408371193681822792007-11-19T19:04:00.001-05:002007-11-19T19:07:32.188-05:00

The Law Society for Upper Canada is starting to soak me for money already. They are charging me $160 for registering to take 2 exams and one course with them. You would think 3 years of law school was enough, but they have to make sure we are qualified. What is really sad is that they exam me on Law that I will never practice. No exams on human rights, constitutional or labour law. Instead wills

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-27643343312544289782007-11-17T15:45:00.000-05:002007-11-18T11:44:22.102-05:00

Child Care has been a popular topic in Canada over the last few years. The Harper government even jumped on board and announced a Universal Child Care Benefit shortly after it was elected. The Caledon Institute for Social Policy published a interesting critique of this measure, where they argue that the benefit would be better added onto the existing Canada Child Tax Benefit, an existing benefit

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-61189952987868735992007-11-13T19:42:00.000-05:002007-11-13T19:45:44.302-05:00

So my brother shut down his blog, this is unfortunate but I can't say I blame him, I probably would have done the same thing. He apparently had someone sending him strange messages. Well luckily this has not happened to me yet, but its a good reason to be careful of what one puts up online. Anyway I hope my bro returns to the world of blogging one day. For now I will have to rely on the phone to

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-90379383758333976152007-11-02T16:56:00.000-05:002007-11-02T17:02:09.680-05:00

Well after 2 months and 4 days I have a new lab top free of charge. My old one had been constantly breaking down for about two years. My 3 year warranty was running out so I convinced futureshop to give me a new one, uner my warranty, since it had been in for 6 repairs resulting in me being without a computer for a good part of the time I owned the labtop. I am really happy about the new one I

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-33093286755348419482007-11-01T17:09:00.000-05:002007-11-01T17:28:03.664-05:00

Listening to CBC this morning there was a rather disturbing story. During the summer some of my readers might remember that I worked for the department of justice, this was a great job and I enjoyed it a lot. However, one of the down sides of taking the job was that I had to get a secret clearance to work in the Human rights Law Section. Well, usually this only takes a few weeks, if you havn't

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-14448232692335178152007-10-21T22:07:00.000-05:002007-10-21T22:13:53.489-05:00

This weekend I drove to Toronto for my brother Joel's wedding, which was much fun incidentally. You can check out his blog for the details. As for me I rented a car and was given a SUV by Enterprise rent a car. It was a first time for me driving an SUV. Generally I avoid these like the plague, fearing their environmental impact, the cost of gas and generally damaging any environmental Karma I

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-69009652119831447752007-10-12T15:44:00.000-05:002007-10-12T15:48:54.193-05:00

Well my nephew Maxwell seems to have a tendency to making funny faces whenever his photo is taken. But I finally got a good picture of the little guy! I thought I would share it with all of you who don't read Dave's blog regularly. href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CE7sGOdUDtU/Rw_dL_05gJI/AAAAAAAAABA/QFhcwbRBI18/s1600-h/1544257846_d559685a9b.jpg">

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-22954993529348944902007-10-08T19:56:00.000-05:002007-10-08T20:16:42.471-05:00

So the doorbell rings and my neighbour is at the door, asking if my wife and I would like some plants. "Sure" I say as we are always looking for more greenery for the house. So I go outside and sitting in his driveway are 8 huge ferns, that he found in the garbage of a store. Now this is a little reminicient of my father going around the neighbourhood on garbage day and picking out chairs, or

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-73010209410685122222007-10-07T07:01:00.000-05:002007-10-07T07:08:43.385-05:00

Happy Thanks giving everyone. For my American readers, Canada celebrates thanksgiving a little earlier than you do, so don't be confused. Here it Ottawa it is shaping up to be a great weekend. We had one invitation last night to my cousins place in Nepean and today we have another invitation to another cousin's place here in Central Ottawa. Not having to cook thanks giving dinner certainly makes

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-70135334958074486682007-10-03T18:43:00.000-05:002007-10-03T18:51:11.525-05:00

Well in pondering what my next post should be about - the idea occurred to me that I don't think I announced that I am an Uncle now. My brother's wife Neyir delivered a beautiful baby boy about one month ago (Maxwell Jaques Urminsky). I have been so self involved I forgot to post on this. For those of you who would like to see the little guy click here. Well maybe he is not so little, born at 9

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-84947733428821425702007-09-30T13:11:00.000-05:002007-09-30T13:12:51.766-05:00

HAPPY BDAY DAVE!!!! Its Dave's birthday today and I have not got to talk to him yet. Just in case I am doing this post. Dave your present is in the mail. Hope you like it. Have a great birthday!

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-90151938222218703142007-09-27T14:12:00.000-05:002007-09-27T14:16:18.108-05:00

Some of you may remember that I have had a number of problems with my current labtop computer. Mainly that it keeps breaking down and future shop keeps telling me I don't qualify under the warranty for a replacement yet. Well finally it broke down enough times that they finally agreed to replace it under their no lemon policy. However trying to get this to actually happen after they agreed to it

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-43557562396429176442007-09-23T15:45:00.000-05:002007-09-23T15:51:40.525-05:00

We had a great weekend. Lilia and I went to a B&B on Friday night, we were particularly curious about this place as it was a farm where they raised free range meat, and interesting types of animals, such as Emu, Deer, Buffalo, etc.... We had a nice night, though I really appreciate the mattress I bought for our bed, as it makes most others seem awful. The food was great at this place, the rooms

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-31192292896616310442007-09-18T21:55:00.000-05:002007-09-18T22:01:49.809-05:00

Well it seems the strike by support staff at Carleton might be coming to an end. Today members were suppose to vote on the employers most recent offer. I hope for both CUPE 2424 and the University's sake that the parties can agree. I have not seen the offer, but heard the last vote rejected the employers offer by a resounding 80 per cent. Watch the strike web site for updates. Details of the

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-45641331524545808862007-09-16T14:20:00.000-05:002007-09-16T14:29:16.990-05:00

One and a half weeks back at law school, and the excitement of going back has worn off already. Well not completely. I am just really really busy, finishing up a consultancy contract I have, starting a new consultancy position with another union, pro bono work, and trying to get back into hundreds of pages of reading every week. Yes the excitement of being back for my last year has finally worn

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-74888155187373380452007-09-07T12:45:00.000-05:002007-09-07T12:53:07.593-05:00

Today I walked the picket line for CUPE 2424, the local union representing University Administrative Support staff at Carleton University. An interesting and somewhat shocking experience.I guess what gets me is the total lack of respect a few motorists have for picket lines. The picket line held up traffic but let traffic through. From my perspective being asked to wait a few seconds while it is

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-28378636008435848962007-09-04T13:08:00.000-05:002007-09-04T13:32:34.943-05:00

So a few people have complained that I have not been posting very much lately. My apologies to those loyal readers. Rest assured I am back at school and will need to procrastinate a lot for my 3rd year of law school. So what have been the big stories over the last month. 1. The biggest no doubt is that I landed an articling job. My first choice as well. The steelworkers offered me a position in

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-72535278369417361622007-07-25T21:59:00.000-05:002007-07-25T22:03:39.025-05:00

A few of you have been asking why I am not posting about my new job at the Department of Justice. Simple answer - confidentiality, solicitor - client privilege. Everything I work on says in the top corner Solicitor Client Privileged - I can't talk about it. Imagine what it will be like when I get secret clearance. Well its not that strict. I am working on a combination of international human

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-29249984485473782002007-07-17T21:01:00.000-05:002007-07-17T21:07:25.389-05:00

I started my summer job at the Department of Justice, Human Rights Law Section. For those of you following my saga, security clearance has proven difficult to obtain for me because of all the years I spent living outside of Canada. Its unfortunate because I could have learned alot working at HRLS for the whole 4 months. Well I will just have to make the most of it.

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-69222085675048040502007-07-11T12:04:00.000-05:002007-07-11T12:08:38.831-05:00

Last night my friends invited me to come along to view the new Harry Potter movie - much appreciated especially the fact that you waited in line for hours to ensure we had good seats. Well now to the movie. Having reflected on it a bit, it was disappointing. The emphasis on some aspects of the book and not others seemed a bit confusing. For example the long court room scene when the Ministry of

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-69353156630287718892007-07-10T21:31:00.000-05:002007-07-10T21:37:50.560-05:00

This past weekend, I engaged in a wonderfully fun and wet adventure. My neighbour asked if I was interested in cleaning my BBQ. He had bought a can of BBQ degreasing spray and was planning on scrubbing his BBQ clean on the weekend. He kindly asked if I would like to do mine as the can was likely to strech to both BBQs. Well we carried the BBQ's through our houses, with the help of two young

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-78255437161373187272007-06-24T18:00:00.001-05:002007-06-24T18:07:47.424-05:00

So this weekend my neighbour and I have been standing on the driveway talking alot in front of our town houses, and for that matter around back. So much so that his partner suggested that we were like the cartoon King of the Hill. This sparked the idea of setting up a couple of stools and table for us to sit at while talking out on the driveway. You ask what we do? We talk about the houses we

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-76843774805680370042007-06-18T07:04:00.000-05:002007-06-18T07:09:48.389-05:00

For most people my age or older (and maybe a bit younger), Meech Lake conjures up memories of a failed constitutional accord back in the late 80s. The all consuming debate about the structure of the Canadian Confederation, and of course Brian Mulroney. Well since coming to Ottawa, I have found out that Meech Lake is an actual lake - go figure!My wife and I went yesterday to sit on the beech,

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-82278982661789611162007-06-16T12:23:00.000-05:002007-06-16T12:33:38.766-05:00

Its my wife's birthday today. So I want to wish her a big happy birthday. I have kind of messed it up since I had a retreat I agreed to go to today. I am really sorry about this dear, and hope I will be forgiven eventually. I will be leaving early to go home and then out for the evening with her. I thought since its her Birthday I would remind myself why I love her and married her. 1. She is

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-80613988969865553912007-06-04T11:22:00.001-05:002007-06-04T11:22:40.260-05:00

The City of Ottawa is to start purchasing apparel and some agricultural products ethically. The adoption of this resolution and report by City Council last week marks the end of a 2 year campaign by the Ottawa District Labour Council, the Ottawa No Sweat Coalition and Fair Trade Groups to get the City to Adopt a no sweat policy. The city will be forming a stakeholder committee to continue to

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-42235092158432803732007-05-27T16:30:00.000-05:002007-05-27T16:34:31.565-05:00

Hi everyone, sorry for the long silence here. I have been away for a week at a conference and the free internet connections they had did not allow me to access blogger, or gmail for that matter. Makes me wonder if yahoo was sponsoring the free access? Anyway I was away at a CUPE conference. As you might now I am quite interested in union side labour law. I am a rep in my local on campus and was

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-29284018987560181912007-05-16T10:26:00.000-05:002007-05-17T08:48:59.603-05:00

The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 279 filed a human rights complaint today against the City of Ottawa you can read the news article here. The complaint asks the Human Rights Commission to conduct an investigation into city employment practices which the complaint says discriminate against disabled employees. I don't usually post on every case that comes forward on this blog, but this one has a

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-85126855403398508742007-05-13T11:34:00.000-05:002007-05-13T11:43:21.501-05:00

Happy Mothers Day Mom!!! Mothers day is celebrated at different times in different parts of the world. Check out Wikipedia's entries on mothers day here. My mother is pretty easy going about her one day a year, she always says she is happy to simply get a phone call from us. Now she also gets blog posts - and because she has finally learned some basic computer skills she can actually check our

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-12475673768635714282007-05-05T10:40:00.000-05:002007-05-05T11:31:18.736-05:00

Well I know a few stay at home moms, and I have always understood that their work is under valued in society. However, I never really did the math on it. An interesting article on CNN's site draws our attention to just how much we under value the work of stay at home moms.In summary according to the research cited by CNN a typical mother works a 92 hour work week at 10 different jobs. These

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-73744343113661528702007-05-03T09:18:00.000-05:002007-05-03T09:51:07.792-05:00

Private health care has been a hot topic at federal and provincial levels for several years since the Supreme Court of Canada issued its decision in decision in Chaoulli v. Quebec. In this decision the SCC struck down a ban on private insurance in Quebec. The case concerned a debate between a right to access health care by paying it privately and the integrity of the public health system in

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-15512855313001021652007-05-02T10:42:00.000-05:002007-05-02T11:13:10.570-05:00

Well its sort of anti climatic - but 2nd year of law school is over. .... Yea I really don't know what else to say.... Those of you who have endured law school will understand how I am feeling. My summer job should be starting soon, I am awaiting security clearance, once it happens I can start working at the Department of Justice in their Human Rights Law section. I am really looking forward to

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-77328142310380857992007-04-24T09:28:00.000-05:002007-04-24T09:31:30.624-05:00

I finished a major paper yesterday. Lilia says its one of the better ones of mine she has read, but I think she is just being kind. When she was proof reading it, there was not a line that did not receive a red mark - for 29 pages! Well at least the prof will be able to read it better which might ensure me a better mark. A big thank you to Lilia. So just one more paper to go, its due on the 30th,

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-14357288171600427632007-04-20T11:44:00.000-05:002007-04-21T08:54:42.455-05:00

This is a hilarious article about some economics research recently reported on in the New York Times. Some PHD student or professor seems to be teaching monkey's to use money - not only are they learning to appreciate the value of money and how to use it, they have even paid for sex! Check out the article.The whole article is interesting but the last paragraph really sums it all up. "But these

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-85610429181218394862007-04-19T15:45:00.000-05:002007-04-19T15:54:01.724-05:00

Yes I finished my exams yesterday, well exam - singular. Yes law school is finally becoming something I enjoy. Only one exam - yes that reminds me of grad school a little. Well one exam was bad enough - it was civil procedure and the best thing that can be said about it - is that it is over. Not the prof's fault by any stretch of the imagination - actually Kevin La Roche was quite good in my

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-81725754427243116752007-04-16T10:05:00.000-05:002007-04-16T10:10:54.010-05:00

The weather in Ottawa bites the big one. Can you believe we woke up to 4 cm of snow this morning!!! Just as I was starting to think it was time to put away the winter clothes and boots - it decides to snow. What made it worse was that I had to get up and be at school for 9am so that I could return some books I borrowed from the human rights centre. Now its raining which should make the whole city

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-83688739933051118572007-04-15T10:41:00.000-05:002007-04-15T10:44:53.834-05:00

Yes its that time of year, exams! Between blogger, facebook, email and MSN its remarkable I get any studying done. How did people procrastinate before the internet? I remember cleaning the house or my room, cooking, ... anyone else remember what they use to do.Well I have to buckle down today and get some done as I am going to be having dinner with my wife's friends tonight! Well at least all

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-2928911572696530712007-04-12T16:22:00.000-05:002007-04-12T16:28:56.598-05:00

OK 1.5 weeks left of second year and I am finally starting to get stressed. Mind you I have one paper and one exam left so I am in a better position than most people. Nevertheless, I just want it to be over. Most importantly I have an interesting summer to look forward to. I will be working at the Department of Justice, Human Rights Law Section. I am absolutely thrilled about this. They are

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-21114982974135441712007-04-09T14:38:00.000-05:002007-04-09T15:53:21.188-05:00

So I recently signed up for a facebook account. As if blogging was not a big enough distraction from getting my work finished this term. But today in one of my breaks I found a group called "Unlike 99.99% of of facebook I was born in the 70s." Absolutely histerical, all these people remembering the stuff we use to watch on TV, wear, listen to on the radio (remember 8-tracks), and so on. Just

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-67827628127724590732007-04-08T15:19:00.000-05:002007-04-08T15:24:34.866-05:00

Since returning to Ottawa about 20 months ago, I have had to adapt to alot of things, being in school again, living with my wife, purchasing a house, having less money.... well i could go on. But the weather has to top it all. It was snowing today, April 8th and it was snowing. THis is just wrong. The other night we woke up to 3-4 fresh cm of snow. This is getting absolutely nuts. Now I like

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-41986499812139834762007-04-06T19:27:00.000-05:002007-04-07T17:10:04.496-05:00

So its Easter Weekend and I am working on my papers and studying for exams, but of course I have to do my usual procrastination. Well when I was having breakfast this morning I asked my wife what we would do for Easter. We are not very religious so church is out of the question, but I was thinking about dinner maybe having a friend over who is alone for the weekend. Well my wife brought up

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-13851653818670322842007-04-03T18:07:00.000-05:002007-04-03T18:10:38.718-05:00

Well tommorrow I do a mock labour arbitration. This has made the last week sort of nerve racking. I have found preparing very difficult, especially because the rules keep changing while we prepare. Yes it was a bit disorganized. Nevertheless I think its been a valuable experience but lets see how it goes tommorrow when we are on our feet arguing for 2.5 hours. It will be really good when this

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-39210320886461183092007-04-02T13:00:00.000-05:002007-04-02T13:08:31.921-05:00

Well a big congratulations to Krystoffer he took two prizes at the Ottawa Regional Science Fair one for Silver in the category of Engineering and Computer Science and a Special Award from the University of Ottawa Physics Department. You may remember my earlier posts about Krystoffer's science fair project. This project really impressed me, and not just because I got to participate and drink wine

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-75654713207687509772007-04-01T12:21:00.000-05:002007-04-01T12:25:23.707-05:00

Well the decision came down in the first case I was ever involved in and we won! Well it is a bit of a stretch to say "we" won - obviously I am using the Royal "we". In January CUPE took me to New Brunswick for a court of appeal case on Res Judicata and labour law. The decision was released a few days ago and CUPE won. While I would love to be able to claim credit I really didn't do anything

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-63739485162959764172007-03-27T12:58:00.000-05:002007-03-27T13:01:59.999-05:00

Today I had an interview for a summer job with the Human Rights Law section at the Department of Justice. There probably is not a better fit for me in the federal government than this section. The interview went pretty well, though undoubtedly different from firm interviews I did last fall. First of all there were substantive legal questions. Secondly they wrote down everything I said, I assume

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-84386411710752505822007-03-25T10:23:00.000-05:002007-03-25T10:28:08.475-05:00

My wife likes to play board games, she use to play them a lot with her friends in Vancouver. Last weekend we played a game at our neighbours place and Lilia has been in the mood to play her board games since then. Last night we tried to play one of them - but her games seem to be oriented to more people ie. 4-5. Which means we have to have people over to play. Not really a problem as we like

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-39206073293866317992007-03-19T21:19:00.000-05:002007-03-19T21:26:42.380-05:00

Well its the final stretch to the end of year 2 of law school. Its finally starting to get interesting, I am actually starting to look forward to reading certain cases and articles, and its starting to feel more like grad school as I am doing primarily papers and moot courses this term. Still don't have a summer job but hopefully something will turn up soon - I am close on too fronts, but no more

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-54826666784068640912007-03-17T15:51:00.000-05:002007-03-17T16:06:03.745-05:00

This St. Patrick's day is a bit sad for me. I use to go out and drink with my friends at an Irish Pub in Geneva. I tried calling them but only reached one of them today. The rest seem to already be at the pub or off travelling in some exotic place. Well I will head down to the pub for a pint of Guinness latter. I have a bit more work to do on my equality rights paper first. However, I can't turn

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-58407030959870459412007-03-12T10:07:00.000-05:002007-03-12T10:18:22.704-05:00

A few weeks ago I mentioned Winterlude in Ottawa. The big festival when snow sculptures, ice carvings and various other activities take over the city. Its a good time and my wife and I got out to enjoy it. Sorry for the delay in putting these up. I have a paper due today and as my brother Dave says, blogs are a great procrastination tool.This picture is of Lilia and I at Winterlude, in Gatineau,

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-52647602500014421662007-03-11T13:38:00.000-05:002007-03-11T13:42:40.483-05:00

So I promised to get some pics on the blog, here is one that does not make me look too stupid. My wife still opposes having her picture on the web for privacy concerns even though she is more photogenic.

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-41569683266029283212007-03-09T16:32:00.000-05:002007-03-09T16:35:37.479-05:00

I got this text by email and thought it was so good! Enjoy!"I am passing this on to you because it definitely works, and we could all use a little more calmness in our lives.By following simple advice heard on the Dr. Phil show, you too can find inner peace.Dr. Phil proclaimed, "The way to achieve inner peace is to finish all the things you've started and never finished."So, I looked around my

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-64748577581514425292007-03-07T23:10:00.000-05:002007-03-07T23:38:23.071-05:00

March 8 International Women's Day (IWD)! What you may ask is IWD. Well if you have never heard of it before check out the history here. With roots in socialist, labour and peace movements from the early 20th Century. The Socialist Party of America hosted a National Women's Day February 28 1909 in honour of the Garment Workers Strike in New York City. It was also a mechanism for protesting World

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-3477830493713325872007-03-06T14:43:00.000-05:002007-03-06T14:51:04.133-05:00

I know I have been lousy at keeping this up to date, and I totally don't blame anyone for giving up on me. I do have some excuses - my computer was broken yet again, I have plenty of reading to do now that winter term started. But really it just comes down to a question of time and priorities. Well I am busy trying to find a summer job. Yes that is a weird experience. So any readers who want to

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-65250662421717872542007-02-11T12:42:00.000-05:002007-02-06T08:34:28.026-05:00

Well I spoke last weekend at a meeting of fair trade groups and advocates in Ottawa. It was sort of interesting since I have not done a lot of public speaking the last 2 years since leaving the ILO. Well I got quoted in a city newspaper. Not the first time for me, I have been quoted in various newspapers around the world from my ILO work, but this is the first time in Canada. You can read the

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-57357948023133741292007-02-04T23:20:00.000-05:002007-02-04T23:27:05.287-05:00

So my Sunday started pretty good, sleeping in. That is usually enough to make it a good day. As I was getting up, my wife said, let's go out for breakfast. Going out for breakfast is one of my favorite meals to go out for. Primarily because I am tired and don't always feel like making breakfast. It was such a nice day, the sun was out, it was cold so we thought what a perfect day to go

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-50981764501732534412007-01-30T16:15:00.000-05:002007-01-30T16:23:00.990-05:00

Yes it finally happened we won the lottery!!! But still not breaking even. Normally I do not buy lottery tickets, my general opinion is that they are a tax on poor people, partly because a rich person would never buy one and partly because the money often goes to charities that help poor people - which is sort of ironic if you think about it. However, a few years ago my wife and I started

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-26882783021337861842007-01-28T13:29:00.000-05:002007-01-28T13:57:09.934-05:00

Yes winter hit Ottawa finally, the last two weeks it has been pretty damn cold here, all this global warming talk on the news is starting to make me laugh, its been pretty cold here the last half of January and the Global and Mail Weekend Edition did had a number of articles on climate change in Canada and around the world. Well maybe it is slightly warmer in Ottawa than usual, but its still been

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-35600094654327856442007-01-20T11:41:00.000-05:002007-01-20T11:46:15.243-05:00

I know I posted about our Xmas presents already. But they are all turning out to be very useful. Lilia is very happy that my new apron is saving more of my t-shirts from stains when i cook. We are enjoying waking up to the smell of fresh bread in the morning from our new bread maker. Lilia is also enjoying making things like fish patties and Russian dishes with her new meat grinder. The only gift

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-43022348260536304542007-01-12T17:29:00.000-05:002007-01-12T17:36:07.209-05:00

Well its still interesting - my internship that is. So interesting that I have started looking into if it will be possible to extend it. Hopefully I will hear by next week. What have I been working on? Well Duty of Fair Representation cases - that is when someone complains about their union not representing them properly. Not sure how I feel about these cases, I learned in law school that

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-49652005804770467252007-01-05T13:26:00.000-05:002007-01-05T13:42:20.730-05:00

So I am spending my January term working for a Union's Legal Department. Its been 4 days so far and the work is very interesting. I am interning at the Canadian Union of Public Employees. I guess what is surprising me most is the learning curve that keeps getting steeper. You really feel like an amateur when you are given a problem and told to write a legal opinion - after reading the couple of

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-48883739360412582052006-12-30T12:15:00.000-05:002006-12-30T12:30:01.095-05:00

Well it was a busy holiday season for Lilia and me this year. We visited my Parents in Toronto for the Christmas Holiday. While it was a warm Christmas, the food and presents more than made up for it. I got almost everything I asked for and needed to return very few gifts this year. I also got some things I was not expecting, a heater for my office, a box set of DVDs on a lawyer TV show, and a

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-19775750396786665422006-12-25T21:46:00.000-05:002006-12-25T21:52:12.899-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS and Happy New Year, or pick your favorite language to say this in. Best wishes to all my readers (the few I have)and I hope the holiday season brings you joy, happiness and whatever else you seek - but most of all lots of presents!!!!

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-3723140582296972262006-12-22T11:11:00.000-05:002006-12-22T11:19:16.166-05:00

So we have been having trouble with our dryer. Clothes just would not get dry in it. We had the dryer vent cleaned out, which had probably never been done in our houses' history. And piles of lint and dust were falling out of the vent as the company used a high pressure hose to push it out. They also told me there had been water in the vent that they had taken out. Well when we went to use

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-58492488375159492622006-12-18T18:05:00.000-05:002006-12-18T18:09:42.923-05:00

OK so 2 exams are over 2 more to go. 1 is an 8 hour take home exam worth 100% of my final mark - and before you ask yes its a bit intimidating. But it beats the 100% 2 hour or 3 hour exams I wrote last week. Hopefully everyone can understand why I have been bad about posting updates lately. I am really looking forward to my course in January where I will be working in a trade union's legal

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-85140319562861078472006-12-11T21:22:00.000-05:002006-12-11T21:24:26.236-05:00

Constitutional Law finished today - the exam was challenging!! Not very difficult -fair but it was very long. Ok to sleep and tommorrow review for bus org.

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-3690820888519803702006-12-10T20:46:00.000-05:002006-12-10T21:16:41.021-05:00

Today is International Human Rights Day!!!! 58 years ago today the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in the UN General Assembly. One would normally expect our government to make some sort of statement about this, but alas I checked the Foreign Affairs Web and nothing at least at this time. Heritage Canada which also has human rights programmes also issued no statement. Alas even

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-49266906913540003472006-12-08T09:47:00.000-05:002006-12-08T09:49:47.004-05:00

Well the good day only lasted well 1 day - now the rest of the studying is going pretty slow. Primarily because I became sick! Well just a sore throat and it seems to be getting better. But it slowed me down a bit. I am behind in my studying for constitutional. Bus Org is on track but I must get down to work on bus org. Another problem has been getting up in the morning. I am finding it harder

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-67381059742902767452006-12-05T21:31:00.000-05:002006-12-05T21:35:46.043-05:00

So I had expected to spend my day working through share capital - ie. how you create shares in a company and some of the basic rules around shares. I was worried, as i missed the main lecture on this subject. However, it went really quickly and I am way ahead in my studying - maybe that means I will do better than I was expecting however I suspect I can still find a way to mess things up.

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17468522.post-21390031571287084702006-12-03T13:45:00.000-05:002006-12-04T18:07:58.588-05:00

Christopher is the young guy who lives next door to us. He is conducting what is probably the most interesting science fair project I have ever heard of. First some background. His mother is quite the Wine conaseur. A few months back she started using a Wine Magnet which is suppose to improve the taste of wine when the Wine is left to stand on the magnet for a certain amount of time. Now

Michael Urminskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02157810723796323678noreply@blogger.com0