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We got a notice in the mail reminding us how important it is to vote in our Ontario provincial election. I see there will be a referendum included on the ballot, to change the provincial electoral system. Not my area of expertise. So I started at the beginning and began to research the Citizen’s Assembly. I was at first heartened that the membership of the Citizen’s Assembly were allegedly “selected at random.” The Citizen’s Assembly made the decision on just what alternative electoral system would be offered to us in the referendum. The first draw of names for the Assembly membership, by their account, was randomly selected from voter's lists. That random list was narrowed down by undisclosed methods to include only those who “responded”, then narrowed further, again by undisclosed methods, to chose only some respondents for personal interviews. Then the list was narrowed down again, when members were chosen from those interviewed. First time I ever heard of being interviewed to be a member of a randomly selected list. Sigh. I do not know if this is a deliberate play on the concept of a random list, which would be pretty disappointing, or if those involved in the selection process believe themselves to have produced a member list selected at random, which would be pretty sad. Information is only useful when it is collected and relayed with rigorous accuracy. I'll just have to untwist my knickers on this one, close my eyes and let the pencil decide what's best.
Life is pretty quiet here. That is a good thing. A classic case of no news is good news. Can’t complain about that! Attila and I have finally completed all our shopping for the upcoming wedding. No huge expenses, but the little things can add up quickly. Planning menus and preparing food is a big part of any excursion for us, as my allergies and dietary restrictions preclude easy choices in the grocery store and in restaurants. This overnight trip requires planning for four meals, one breakfast, two lunches and one dinner. Not only must these meals be easily assembled, they must be low-cholesterol, low-sodium, low-calorie and free of allergens. Homemade maple-walnut granola, homemade multigrain bread, fat-free cheese, homemade coleslaw, homemade macaroni salad, fresh fruit and a jar of store-bought pickles thrown in as an indulgence, will keep us fed throughout the trip. Of course Attila will be able to eat the food at the reception, so our dinner plans are for one. It rained again during the night. By the time Attila and I were sitting with our morning coffee, the sun was peeking through the leaves. Our small part of the world is looking a little greener, but one would not call the landscape lush, just yet. Storm clouds are moving in from the west, having picked up moisture from Georgian Bay. We should see additional rainfall today or tonight. It will be welcome. |
RECIPES :: Cast Worldly Distractions  Looking up at Lunch Time Quote “It is important that the group selected be representative of the population, and not biased in a systematic manner. For example, a group comprised of the wealthiest individuals in a given area probably would not accurately reflect the opinions of the entire population in that area. For this reason, randomization is typically employed to achieve an unbiased sample. The most common sampling designs are simple random sampling, stratified random sampling, and multistage random sampling… Each individual is chosen entirely by chance and each member of the population has an equal chance of being included in the sample.” Yale University, Department of Statistics Weather Light Rain Temp 13°C Pressure 101.3 kPa Visibility 15 km Humidity 84 % Dewpoint 11°C Wind NW 11 km/h |
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