I have been thoroughly enjoying the Google themes for the Sesame Street anniversary. Sesame Street was a big part of my childhood with my brother and sister. It is wonderful that it continues on to this day.

I was thinking that it would be great to have a Google theme every day because there is always something going on. The potential drawback to this is that it may not seem so special after awhile. It’s hard to say. Perhaps they are in the process of testing it out. I just know that when I turn on my computer in the morning and see the Google theme – I feel happy right away.

The holiday season is starting and many events are in store. Try to get out there and meet as many new people as you can. Life is wonderful because you can discover something new every day. This week I will be teaching and continuing to paint, which is something I have picked back up again after a long time of being away from it. So far I have created two new art pieces and look forward to getting my latest one framed by a place in my neighbourhood that does really good work.

Happy Anniversary Sesame Street!

On November 5th, 2009 Tyler R. Tichelaar and Victor R. Volkman spoke
with Toronto-based educator and print, radio, and TV journalist Donna
Kakonge about how any writer can successfully refocus their work into
the freelance journalism marketplace.
She believes that you CAN break
into the journalism business without having to have a specialist
bachelor’s degree in the subject. Donna has been involved in the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and Radio Canada International
(RCI) on and off for 15 years at the local, national and international
levels of both television and radio. She has also worked for the
Discovery Channel and Discovery Channel International, Vision TV, the
BBC and various publications around the world. Key talking points of
tonight’s talk were:

  * How can I educate myself to start a career in journalism?
  * What important trade associations can help me on my journey?
  * Besides book writing, what other kinds of journalism are out there now today?
  * Should I establish some sort of business identity?
  * Can I make money just form my blogs?
  * What about rejection, how do you deal with it?

Download the f-ree podcast at http://authorsaccess.com/archives/163
Read the book -- Authors Access: 30 Success Secrets for Authors and Publishers http://authorsaccess.com/success-secrets
Follow Us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/vvolkman

I’ve been interviewed with Authors Access – where authors get published and published authors become successful. To listen to the show, visit:

http://authorsaccess.com/archives/163

Find out what is going on in the world of Donna Magazine. Include this magazine to your Google Alerts and be reminded to check the magazine daily. You can access Google alerts from this site: http://www.google.com/alerts. Thank you visiting the site to see what is new every day.

More Lively Colours Making a Comeback

as Canadians Seek New Beginning

Longueuil, Quebec – November 5, 2009 – Move over neutral colour schemes.  More lively hues will be making a comeback in home décor in 2010-2011 and it’s all about using colour as a mood-lifter in the midst of challenging times, says leading Canadian paint brand Sico Paints.

“During the past years, Canadians have opted for comforting, warm neutrals like browns and beiges as a result of an uncertain economic, political and environmental climate, but now people have had enough with doom and gloom and are looking for a change, a new beginning,” says Stéphanie Pelland, Marketing Communication Manager for the Sico brand and member of the international colour forecaster Color Marketing Group. “In 2010-2011, we’ll see a trend toward consumers choosing livelier colours to reflect their optimism in their quest for a brighter future.”

Colourful hues such as deep reds and purples, vivid blues and greens, pigment-infused pastels such as baby blues and pinks, and earthy golds and clays will be among the new colours featured in next year’s palette. As the year unfolds, Pelland says more energetic colours will be used as a complement to neutral colours – particularly grey, from silver to deep slate – to give the neutrals a lift.

According to the company’s research, the 2010-2011 palette will be divided into four themes, “reflecting different values and attitudes that have emerged in today’s society, largely as a result of people looking for a fresh start and new direction from the challenging times we have been experiencing,” says Pelland. Sico’s 2010-2011 colour groupings include:

Back to Basics: Representing the growing population that is finding refuge in a return to the simplicity and tradition of the past, this rural-inspired theme features down-to-earth mid-tones in gold, plum, green moss, teal and red clay such as Sico’s Rag Paper (6108-53) ocre, Heat of the Moment (6045-53) rosy purple, Distant Forest (6167-42) green, Andromeda (6024-63) teal blue and Ambergris (6178-63) brown. Think home-made bread, farmer’s markets, medicinal flowers, wooden furniture, and natural dyes – a deliberate move away from today’s fast-paced and material world. The timeless authentic look of this palette represents a reclamation of a balanced lifestyle, deep-rooted home and family values, and confidence in a stable and sustainable tomorrow.

Free Expression: Exuding a sense of optimism, individuality, rebellion and freedom, this theme is reflected in the 2010-2011 colour palette through creative colour combinations. This palette is representative largely of young people who use social media and other creative means to express themselves in an effort to contribute to a better world. It translates into unique colour mixes, including intense purple combined with acidic yellow and ocean blue – like Sico’s Trance (6026-83) purple, Pomelo (6101-54) yellow and On the Horizon (6159-41) blue – as well as sunny orange with dark red and soft neutral such as Goa Sands (6090-64) orange, Pure Passion (6050-75) red and Mythical Savannah (6197-21) pale khaki. Added to this decor of unconventional colour blends will be the use of mismatched patterns, styles and materials.

Classic Revival: This warm, feminine group of colours invokes images of décor elements that are rich in history. Imagine needlework, appliqués and period furniture like Louis XV chairs that are being revisited by designers with a contemporary twist. Representative of those who look to reclaim history as a way to reshape the future and better understand where we find ourselves today, this theme is reassuring, comforting and emits an air of soft elegance. Highlighted by ash-like purple, antique pink and gold, the classic palette is enlivened and made more contemporary by the addition of deeper colours like pewter grey, bronze green and lacquer reds. Popular Sico colours in this grouping include Overcast Sky (6176-52) soft purple, Giza Sands (6080-42) dusty rose, Dried Mushrooms (6185-21) a best-selling Sico neutral, Inuit Grey (6181-52) pewter, Tunisian Desert (6116-52) gold, and Valentine Card (6056-65) red.

Synthetic Culture: This theme features dynamic, energetic colours, representing consumers’ growing appreciation of the artificial elements around us. Recognizing our planet’s depleting resources, society has been forced to merge science with art and experiment with unnatural, engineered materials in creative ways, and this theme celebrates these innovations. Its acid-fresh palette features lively purples as well as pulsating pinks, yellows and blues, such as Sico’s Slumber (6012-53) purple, Ningxia Pink (6052-52), Impatiens (6033-63) pink, Virgin Olive Oil (6102-44) yellow, as well as Blue Neon (6006-42) and Cobaltite (6008-21) blues. Radiating an air of fantasy, happiness and a love of life, it mirrors the popularity of unique synthetic, futuristic home products that feature ultra-smooth lines and curves and explode with clean chroma.

“Each of these themes features hues that emit emotional energy and optimism – a detox from the gloominess that has been undermining our spirits,” Pelland said. “Used on their own or merged together, the 2010-2011 colours reflect the diverse outlooks of today’s consumers and deliver a refreshing change and renewed attitude on life.”

For more information about Sico’s colour trends for 2010-2011 or to view the emerging colour combinations online, visit www.sico.ca.

About Sico (www.sico.ca)

Sico is a division of AkzoNobel, the Canadian leader in decorative paints serving the consumer, professional renovation and construction markets.  AkzoNobel produces and supplies a wide range of paints, coatings and specialty chemicals, including the leading Sico brand. The company employs nearly 1,800 people in four manufacturing plants, five distribution centres and more than 210 corporate stores across Canada. Dedicated to delivering high performance solutions and quality products, AkzoNobel has unrivalled technical expertise that meets the current and future needs of its customers.

The ladies anthem

If you are not redirected to the files page, click on or cut and paste this URL into your browser: http://fblz.in/Eagu

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Katie bumped into her boss as she was leaving the Radio Canada International building in Montreal.

“I’m just going to get my I.D.,” she told him pointing to the large Radio-Canada tower on Rene-Levesque.

“Katie,” he said looking at the cigarette in her hand. “You have a wonderful voice. Always protect it. You must stop smoking.”
“I used to smoke and my wife kept telling me to quit. One day I just stopped and my wife would even clean around the area by the bed where I kept my cigarettes. Finally, after five years, I threw them out. I knew I was done with them.”

Katie had a drag of her cigarette feeling high again. “I will Oliver. One day I will.”

She sent a quick smile to Oliver before she ran down the street wearing a designer suit.
She was living in Montreal and a co-announcer on a radio program that aired to sub-Saharan Africa. The morning show had her working afternoons one week when she would report, then nights when she would announce.

She lived off the letters that poured in from Africa and the friendship of her co-announcer Tiffany.

She finally reached the Radio-Canada building and spotted the I.D. desk by the door. She saw a short, dark-haired man come up to her.

“Do you work here?” he asked.

“I work at RCI,” Katie said. She was not expecting people in the Radio-Canada building to be so friendly.

“I’m doing an internship with ‘Dimanche Magazine,’” he held out his hand.
“My name is Marc.”

“Marc,” Katie repeated the name slowly. “I’m Katie. I came here to get my I.D.”

“Me too,” he said flashing a smile that made his green eyes twinkle.

They both moved into the line to get their I.D. Marc let Katie go first even though he came out of the line to speak to her.

“What do you do at RCI?” he asked.

“I’m an announcer/producer,” Katie went into an explanation about the program she worked for and by time she was done, she was getting her photograph taken and waiting for Marc.

“Would you like to go out for lunch?” Marc asked Katie.
“I have to go back to work.”
“Then for dinner.”
Katie looked into this young Quebecois’s green eyes. Hers were dark brown, almost back – they matched the politicized significance of her skin.
It was March 23, 2000, and her acceptance of dinner with Marc on St.Catherine in the gay village would change life.
Katie and Marc went out to dinner later that day to a restaurant walking distance from the Radio-Canada building. Katie had just broken up with a colleague working on the French version of the African show. Marc had just broken up with a long-time girlfriend (who was Haitian) that he had known since high school. Neither of them discussed their past relationships. Katie was in an assertive mood and she did outline in detail what she was looking for in a man.
“I want him to be faithful and devoted to me,” she started in quickly, forgetting about her coffee which was rare for her. “I want him to be spontaneous and strong and honest. Honesty is very important. It’s the backbone of a relationship.”
Marc nodded his head.
She continued. “I want to make love at least three times a week and go on trips during vacation time and feel as though I can tell him anything. Most importantly I need a sensitive man.”
Marc’s eyes gleaned. “I can do that. I can be those things to you.”
Katie was not so sure. She was 27 turning 28 in August and Marc had turned 23 in November. What was someone so young going to offer her? He had already told her that he was a student at McGill and was living in the ghetto with a friend. He was studying political science. Katie had just finished her master’s degree at Concordia in media studies and was considering going back to do a PhD depending on how things went with the African show. She was making $70,000 a year and living in Montreal where her rent was $250.00. She had more than enough money and Marc was on an internship with “Dimanche Magazine” so he was not even getting paid. He seemed ambitious though, even too ambitious and she wondered if he was looking for a free ride.
“Why are you interested in me?” Katie asked bluntly.
Marc did not miss a beat.
“You’re beautiful. I like black women. I’ve liked them since I was 10.”
“I’m not into being anyone’s fetish.”
“I don’t see you as a fetish. I just prefer black women. I like you. You are beautiful. If you were white you would not be asking me that question. You would accept that I’m attracted to you. I prefer dark skin. I even prefer dark meat.”
Katie had to smile. “I prefer white meat.”
They had settled that.
“I have to wake up for work tomorrow,” Katie said looking at 10:00 p.m. on her watch. “I also don’t want to get home too late.”
Marc shifted in his seat.
“I can walk you home. Where do you live?”
Katie lived in Notre-Dame-de-Grace (NDG), far from the Radio-Canada building. She had moved there while she was doing her graduate degree and did not move because the rent was cheap and it was a clean, small building. She had a 2 ½ which meant a one bedroom with a bathroom and a kitchen. Her tuxedo cat Enid was waiting to be fed.
“OK,” she said. “I’m taking the Metro and you can meet my cat.”
They took the Metro to NDG. Katie knew Marc was probably hoping to get lucky by bypassing the McGill ghetto where he lived and following her all the way to NDG. She decided she would sleep with him. She had even planned to make the first move.
Once they got into her apartment, she discovered how much Enid really liked Marc. She was pleased by that. Enid was a good judge of character.
After she fed Enid, Marc and Katie sat on the couch. She planted a kiss on Marc’s thin lips, but discovered his tongue was where the action was. They kissed for about 40 minutes and then Marc abruptly stood up.
Katie looked up at him baffled.
“I know you have to go work tomorrow, so we will continue this.” He gave her a kiss on the mouth with tongue, the bulge in his pants obvious and left as quickly as he had entered her life.
Katie slowly rose from the couch and locked the door. She went back over to the couch and Enid came over to sit in her lap.
“Enid, what just happened?”
Katie was looking for an apartment the following weekend when she had time off. She had recently come from the hospital. Marc had been admitted to the psychiatric ward because he was not taking his medication. He was getting out that day and when he found out Katie was looking for an apartment, he wanted to come with her.

He came with Katie to see a four and a half, or two bedroom in an area called Villeray. Katie liked the apartment right away because it was minutes from the Metro. It was on the top floor of a triplex with two balconies and a fire escape in the back. The rooms were painted differently. The hallway was a golden yellow, the small bedroom she wanted to use as an office was brick red. The bedroom was a true blue and the living room was a peachy orange. The kitchen was in a leafy green.

Katie would have to buy a fridge and a stove. She wasn’t worried because she was working and could afford that. The rent was $450 per month not including the utilities. Marc liked it too. He lived in the McGill Ghetto with a roommate where he ended up spending a lot of time before he chose this apartment.

Once Katie moved in, Marc was there all the time at first. After about two weeks they were having sex about three times a day. This was also around the time Katie lost her job. She received two weeks severance and went on unemployment insurance. Eventually she received work as an English as a Second Language Instructor.

Marc’s internship ended and he planned to do a graduate certificate in international journalism through the University of Quebec in the city of Quebec. Marc is from a small town called Levis close to Quebec City. When the fall came, he would spend the week in Quebec City and come visit Katie every weekend.

Katie had been keeping a journal since she was seven-years-old. Marc gave her one in yellow that had pictures of bees on it and said “Bee Happy.” She anointed her new prize, her new stable into her writing. She will never grieve the loss of something old, because it means something new is happening. Something different and dramatic is approaching on the horizon.

Katie would write: I would love to get the right to be a billionaire with a few trillion extra so I can go off on lavish vacations and the sort. I am getting a lot of good advice from those books. A lot of good summaries and quotations of the kind of things I’ll be doing with my life. It will all fall into place – and I’m not lazy. I’m not worried about a thing. Marc knows I’m not the homemaker type. There is just nothing I regret – and I am not even have to turn back time. Sweet justice to see me coming in there – high and bothered. I don’t know what possessed me, but it was certainly something that I needed to know before I proceeded to the next level. I love myself, I love my choices in life – it has all come down to milk. Purchased at a cheap price, available every morning.

She would have received good recommendations and a salary raise if she had stayed freelancing at RCI. She felt like she was becoming more of an adult. She was happy when she was younger on her own in the world. She created. She liked school, sometimes, as long as they made it fun. Now she didn’t have to deal with peer pressure.

She was going to pick up that Girl magazine so could effectively ward it off. She was going to write a book, completed, published and marketable in a matter of a few days or weeks even. Live a life of adventure. Eyewitness News had gotten to her long enough.

She wrote from her heat. She will take a spirit soul with her every time when she would say a prayer.

She was lying in bed with Marc while he was in town from his studies in Quebec City.

“It’s interesting how much we take into our system when tired,” she said. “I am thankful to all the women and gay men who have struggled in the writing field making sure all of us brown folk will be able to write.”

Marc nodded his head thinking of one of his favourite writers Gay Talese. “Who gets published and who doesn’t get published is a question. It is a question of who has voice, who doesn’t. Who counts, who doesn’t. At certain times I keep pinching myself that I’m not still sleeping. Will I be a proponent of welfare? The answer is trying to make a living from your guts and glory – from the thing that really makes me shake and sizzle.”

“That’s radio?” Katie asked him to make sure.

He nodded and kissed her.

Katie had a draft of the manuscript she was writing in bed with her:

“This profile reminds me of nothing in fact. I think I’m trying to make too many breaks and pauses. I must find the peace of mind and serenity to do whatever I want, basing the consequences on a good outcome. Power to me pleases God!”

Marc paused.

“I’m thinking of depression,” Marc said. “How I will be experiencing it in a new way it seems to be something that could happen again, as my doctor says. You tell me not to worry.”

Then came the winter.

January 2001 to August 2001 – pre 911

Katie and Marc were hanging out in the apartment when Marc told her he would be going overseas for eight months. It was part of his graduate program. He suggested they break up during that time. Eight months is a long time to wait for anyone. Katie’s suggestion was that if they were still meant for each other, they would come together once he was back. Neither of them really wanted that. They stayed together.

He left in January and Katie started a French immersion at McGill University. At the same time she started her PhD at Concordia. Her loneliness drew her to eat. She would have non-alcoholic Beck’s beer and egg bread from Jean Talon Market. She would buy her éclairs from a bakery walking distance from her house. The loneliness also encouraged her to shop. She bought tons of second-hand CDs at a store called Cheap Thrills and bought some first-hand CDs at Archambault. All these things helped to fill the void.

When she felt just like being in the neighbourhood she would hang out at Dottie’s place. It was a small coffee shop about five minutes walking distance from her apartment.

Dottie was a Jamaican woman who married a white doctor who had died. They had a daughter who was dating a handsome white boy at the time. Dottie didn’t make good coffee, but Katie went to the coffee shop because she always had stories to tell. She would often talk behind the backs of the last customer that would leave. Katie would usually sit with two older guys, Joe and a retired doctor. Sometimes she would sit by herself and just talk with Dottie while she would be constantly sweeping.

Marc came back after three months to visit Katie. They had a wonderful time. By then she was still feeling as though they should not break up and she was willing to wait for him. He had been to Paris and to Spain and would be leaving to go to South Africa to do an internship at the South African Broadcasting Corporation. He often spoke of his dream of the two of them living in South Africa.

After Marc left again, soon after Katie stopped doing the immersion program. She wasn’t happy with her teacher and her fellow students. She was running out of money when her insurance benefits ended. School was also proving expensive.

A claimed psychic at Dottie’s coffee shop told her that her father was going to commit suicide and that Marc only wanted her for sex. This scared Katie so much that she made plans to return to Toronto – her hometown.

When Marc emailed his psychiatrist that Katie would be returning to Toronto he wrote him a note to give to any new psychiatrist that he would have in Toronto to read. He said it would be difficult for him to move to Toronto. He did not realize that Katie was not planning on him coming at first. He would probably have a hard time adjusting and he didn’t think things would go well.

Katie left for Toronto on April 8th, 2001. Her PhD research was done in Toronto.

I have discovered the glories of the Toronto Public Library thanks to my sister.

I have been able to expand my musical tastes by borrowing CDs, as well as read some of the most interesting and intriguing books thanks to the Toronto Public Library. If I had only really understood the power of the library when I was doing my graduate work at Concordia University in Montreal, I would have saved a lot of money on buying books. Of course, there are always books you want to own and I do not regret all of the books I have bought.

Not only is the TPL good for getting books, CDs, ebooks and videos, it is also good for exploring the city of Toronto for free. On Sunday, I went to the Textile Museum thanks to the MAPs that the TPL give out. I have also been to the Bata Shoe Museum, as well as the AGO thanks to these MAPs. These MAPs are free passes to enter the museums and art galleries with two adults and I believe about two children. They currently have some that expire on December 31st. It is a great way to spend some affordable and quality time with friends and family.

During my visits to some of these galleries and museums, I have also rediscovered my own interest in art. I have bought oil pastels that I used to create a nature scene picture, as well as a table top easel on a different  occasion and canvas. Now, I am inspired to have most of the artwork in my living room be my own.

The Toronto Public Library is fantastic and I hope you discover your local one, or the reference one today. Keep in mind that the libraries on the college and university campuses are also fantastic too.