Saskatoon Sunrise

Nice time-lapse sunrise from the "Paris of the Prairies" - my ol' stompin' grounds. A big shout out to Toon Town. Keep it real.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLWMQvGnToM&feature=related

Latecomer Customers

So I work at a local grocery store as you may or may not know. And one thing I REALLY hate, one thing that REALLY bothers me, is when we have those late comer customers - who have had THE ENTIRE day to get their butts down to the store and do their shopping - show up at 1 minute to closing. They come on in to the store, - and no these aren't hard-working, blue collar types who just got off work and need a quart of milk and a loaf of bread - No. For those people I have sympathy. They're in, they're out. As I do when I go to a grocery store near closing.

But no, last night, we had two ladies decked out in their nice winter hats and scarves, golden earrings on. Two Haitian sisters or something. Anyways, they saunter on in, push their cart at a speed of a cm/hr. They pick up this package and put it down. Then this package and put it down. Then they pull apart my nicely, straightened counters. (For some reason customers are ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED that if they just keep digging - by George! they will find the perfect pack of chicken breast or butt roast. So they dig and rummage and dig and rummage. Then they stroll over to the fish counter, la di da di da, oh, Mr. Fish Man (they say to my colleague), how much does this weigh, how much would a pound be of this, etc. etc. They stand at his counter for 7 whole mins! Ladies! WE ARE CLOSED!!!! Get your shit and go home! We've been there for more than 9 hours already. We want to go home. Why couldn't you have come 6 hours ago when we had 8 guys on duty and we can bend to your every beck and call. Not at 10 minutes after closing, a day before christmas eve, when it's been busier than a snow plow guy in Ottawa in mid-December!

Argh. These people. To all of you out there, please do the friendly employees at your local grocery stores a favour - GET THE HELL OUT WHEN THE STORE IS CLOSED! ty.

Oh, and in good news, Dwayne De Rosario will be playing with Toronto FC next season. If he has a healthy season, he, along with Brennan (coach Carver should really play him up front more) could be pounding home the goals. I also see a spot for young Ibee Ibrahim up there too. Or even Dwayne and Ricketts. Whoa whoa whoa. And we can't forget Barrett. Power line: DeRo, Ricketts and Barrett. Wow. I see that line averaging a goal a game. I see TFC finishing third in the conference this year. Allez les rouges!

Magic Trick Gone Horribly Wrong

Title says it all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWTaVjX9TR4&feature=related

update (09.01.2009): i just realized that it was somewhat irresponsible of me to not add a disclaimer to this posting. this video is graphic.

Eye Of The Needle Art

An amazing story out of England:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE5gdDcmo_4

An artist, a sculptor, who creates his works of art inside the eyes of needles. Not too bad.

Facing Life Head On

Something I've learned over the past few weeks is to face life head on. This means not putting off to tomorrow what can be accomplished today. For example, sometime in the next 3 weeks I have to call Civic Hospital and book an appt. with the anaesthaesist (is that how you spell that?). (This would be for my upcoming wisdom tooth extraction.) I don't really want to. Cause I don't really want to go through with the whole thing. Who wants to go under the knife, get put out, and wake up all doped up and peeing in potted plants as my girlfriend put it. (A family member apparently attempted to do this after coming out of general anasthesia, thinking he/she was in the bathroom).

Anyways. I realized I can't put stuff off. If you have that piece of paper work to fill out for some government loan or benefit or drug plan. Fill it out. Don't say tomorrow. If you have something to pick up, but it's snowy and cold outside and you want to do it tomorrow, no. Do it today. Of course within reason. Don't endanger your life. But I mean, 90 percent, if not 99 percent, of the trials and ordeals we face throughout our daily lives involve non-life threatening issues. Filling out paperwork, getting your hair done, this and that. So go do it.

Cause life can't be a bowl of cherries. And I know we all know this by a certain age. But we still strive for it. We turn on the computer cause we don't want to do our homework. We flip on the PS2 or the Wii cause that'll kill some time and we don't have to go to the gym. This and that, this and that. You can always put something off. But if you do what you have to do when it should be done, you will find yourself a lot further ahead. It's hard to take that first step.

Example, going to the dentist a few months ago. I hadn't been in nearly two years. I didn't want to go cause I was worried they'd find a cavity or have to do a filling and that my wisdom tooth poking through would need to come out. In fact I was right about all of it. I had to get a filling re-done (that drill sure vibrates your jaw!) and I have to get that wisdom tooth pulled - not just the one but all 4 now! But you know what, once all that's done. It's done. Then, presuming I don't chicken out at the last minute, when I get my wisdom teeth pulled at the end of February, it's done. So when I have my next dentist appt. in June, I go and my filling is done, my wisdom teeth are out, and there's not really a whole lot left they can price gouge me for. lol. nah, they mean well. there's not a whole lot left they can do for me.

So when you tackle the issues as they come at you, you win. It might sound cliche, but it's true. Do what you have to do today, not tomorrow.

As for myself, I have an anaesthesist appointment to make...

Good Songs

Every once in awhile I like to do a posting on some good tunes. Too many people miss out on good music - one of those things that helps us get through life. I would easily place it in the top 5.

Here are some songs that have been influential to me over the past six months:

TUPAC - often thought of in some circles as a typical, gangster rapper, Tupac Amaru Shakur was actually VERY poetic and in many ways, not at all your typical African-American rapper. His songs deal with social issues: poverty, drugs, street life, single moms, broken homes, deadbeat dads, and race relations. Here are some songs that have sort of been relegated to dusty and forgotten shelves - good songs with a purpose and a message: (NOT gangster rap! not all about the "bling, booze, and bitches") YouTube these titles:

They Don't Give a Fuck About Us
Last Muthafucka Breathin'
As Soon As I Get Home
Dear Mama
Ghetto Gospel
Unconditional Love
My Block

Next up, so many people miss out on good, foreign music. French, Italian, Arabic - whatever. Myself, I love music from the middle east. Arabic, Persian, Turkish, North African. It's all amazing. Well, to be honest, some of it isn't any good, but the songs that are, are true gems. They make for AWESOME driving music or workout music or simply "lift-you-out-of-your-bad-mood" music. Check these titles on YouTube:

Rai NB Fever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4BIYTE6jEA
Rai NB Fever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEpWs4Clw-U&feature=related

And One Of My All-Time Favourites! (My girlfriend can attest to this as I listen to it over and over again in the car.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PS5PEPQwVyQ&feature=related

This song will pump you up!!!

Moving on (listening to it right now so im gonna type really fast and perhaps make some typos. bear with me.)

Other songs worthy of mention:
Nickelback: Gotta Be Somebody
Lights: Drive My Soul (she's Canadian)
The Killers: Mr. Brightside, Somebody Told Me (older, but still awesome)
Rocky Soundtrack: Going The Distance
And one of my new Top 10 faves: Thriving Ivory: Angels On The Moon

Enjoy. And listen to lots of music! It's good for ya.

Wisdom Teeth Oh Wisdom Teeth

I've got 4 wisdom teeth. Guess that means I'm smart? Either that or a cash cow for oral surgeons in the Ottawa area.

I'm going under the knife in late February. Gonna get all 4 suckers taken out - in 45 minutes apparently. God speed doctor! I'm actually happy about this 45 minute time frame. Means minimal chances of jaws locking up, etc. I hope it's quick and easy. That it be painless, I can't wish for that. But I think I can take it. What with Advil Hercules Strengths and all - have they not patented those yet? : )

But yeah it'll be good. Since I'm a diabetic I'll be going into the hospital. But that also means that Ontario health pays for it. Not a bad thing.

I'm not looking forward to it, I don't think anyone ever looks forward to surgery. But if you look at the fact that you are on this Earth for up to 100 years, chances are something will go wrong at some point in that amazing body of yours. Colons, cataracts, ulcers, cysts, this and that. A little date with the scalpel never hurt anyone. Or did it? I don't want to hear the bad stories!

No doubt I'm a little anxious about going under general, but it's only for an hour or two. Also, the drugs they use in those anasthesias are apparently much less worrisome than they were 30, 40 years ago. Heck ol' Jean Chretien was put out for 4 hours when he got heart surgery a year or two ago.

I'd be more concerned for people from the Ottawa valley. Many residents in this neck of the woods (my girlfriend included) are suspected to be carrying a gene for Malignant Hyperthermia, MH. MH basically is some sort of immuno reaction to the anaesthetic. The body says, nope don't like this, and for some reason shuts itself down = death. This happened to a distant cousin of my girlfriend's back in '74. As for myself, unless my Quebecois ancestors from around Montreal mixed with the people from the Valley, I should be in the clear. It's a one in a million thing. And no, I'm not going to go on to Google and start reading about bad reactions to anaesthesia. I don't want to know.

I asked the surgeon at my consultation today. What did people do 100 years ago? They must have had wisdom teeth too? Well apparently "their jaws were bigger" - I don't really buy that, humans don't evolve that much in 100 years - that's only like 4 generations. He also said that alot of teeth back then would have simply rotted out and thus there was most likely room for the wisdom teeth. Who knows. All I know is I wish I had only had 2 of them. : )

Alright folks. More on this later. Take 'er easy. Hope your shopping is all done.

Weird News

Well another weird news item to come out of the United States. Apparently a New Jersey couple, whose childrens' names are, and this is no joke, these are the names of his toddlers:

Adolf Hitler Campbell
JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell
Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell

If the web is to be believed, then the latter of these children, Honszlynn Hinler, is actually named after Nazi scientist Heinrich Himmler. The sad thing about these racists, and let's call it what it is, these people are clearly white supremacists, is that they are ignorant to the point where they fail to even properly replicate the name of their child's namesake. It's the kids a person has to feel sorry for. Growing up with parents like these.

Now the parents of these children allegedly called a local grocery store looking to have them decorate little Adolf's birthday cake with, not only his name (as the two parents contended) but a SWASTIKA as well!!! according to the store bakery's manager. And these two people have the gall to say that they aren't racists?

What sort of parents would even let their kids attend little Adolf's birthday party - I do not know. Apparently some of the guests were of "mixed-race" ancestry. Heck, if I was a Korean-American or African-American I wouldn't let my kids deliver flyers to that house! let alone attend a birthday party! The party hats were probably adorned with swastikas and they likely hailed "Hitler" instead of singing young Adolf "Happy Birthday".

Mr. and Mrs. Campbell, there are some names that you simply don't bestow upon your children. Your children who are growing up in the 21st century (read: less racist, less homophobic, and more tolerant and accepting than Nazi Germany). Your kids need to go to school with black children, Asian children, Native American children. I can't see their peers looking upon them favourably with names like those! Heck, not even names. Better words have been used to describe faeces.

Governments want to allow for freedom of speech, expression, etc. In the United States, this I believe is cited in the First Amendment. However, there are other clauses and conventions that coincide with this Amendment and the right to freedom of expression. Namely, "the right to swing my fist ends where your nose begins." In other words, we can say, express what we want, if, and only if, what we are saying does not infringe on the rights of others. To a point of course: the whole no saying "Merry Christmas" thing in Canada these days is ludicrous. Because we have been saying this for over a century and this is a part of our culture. If I go to a Jewish synagogue, are they not allowed to say Happy Hanukkah to me because that might infringe on my freedom of religion?

The "Merry Christmas" debate aside, what these parents have done is clearly unacceptable and crosses a line within the parameters of the Freedom of Expression. For they have infringed upon the "liberty and happiness" of their child.

Looking down the road (as his parents have clearly failed to do), how is he supposed to get a job with a name like that? How is he supposed to go through high school with a name like that? High school can be bad enough with a name like John Smith as many a John Smith out there would no doubt tell us.

What these two parents have done goes beyond freedom of expression. The manager of the bakery was totally in the right to have refused such a request for a 3 YEAR OLD's BIRTHDAY CAKE!

If some people are clearly so inept at choosing appropriate names for their children perhaps it's time the government step in, as they have had to do in some other countries where parents have bestowed such absurd names upon their offspring.

Read the story for yourself:
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28269290/?gt1=43001

Moving On

Well my emotions re: the Great Bus Strike of 2008 are dwindling, and setting in is just a numb feeling of let down. However, the show must go on. We, the people of Ottawa, are finding ways to cope with this ordeal and things are going quite well. I will patiently sit on my hands and wait the 2 more weeks this will likely take to be resolved.

Good things to come out of the bus strike:
-neighbours getting to know each other, sharing rides, etc.;
-co-workers getting to know each other through carpooling;
-people making money on the side by giving rides - my girlfriend for example will likely be able to cover all her fuel expenses for december through such payments (5 bucks one way);
-I am walking more.

Now, to help us get through the winter blues we have the gift of sport. And, more importantly, in fact, MOST importantly, a little, wee site called: justin.tv.

For those of you out there still unaware of this fine gem of a site, YOU HAVE BEEN MISSING OUT!!!!

OMG, I have had a heart attack (figuratively speaking), everday since having found this site. Game after game. Movie after movie. All live, free, webstream, internet TV. I have been able to reconnect to the wonderful world of European football, thanks to the click of my mouse and a 4 x 6 inch screen. Games from England, Turkey, Egypt, Japan. It's INCREDIBLE. Words cannot describe it. Check it out.

Now, aside from that, there is the streaming hockey site that I have found. Hockeywebcasts.com. I don't even want to be advertising this as I don't want y'all to start clogging up the bandwidth - but these sites are just too amazing not too share. Having neither cable nor satellite, I am now able to tune into games that even some satellite/cable subscribers cannot get! The Sens game was on TSN2 (*cough* moneygrab!) the other night. Many people with cable/satellite could not get the game as they only had TSN. I went on the site and watched the game. That simple. To those poor editors in the Citizen who were complaining - you guys should have tuned into this site!

Anyways, folks. It's cold outside. Stay warm, watch lots of sports, and drink your coffee and hot chocolate.

The Icing On The Cake: Striking Drivers Set Targets On University Students

This has GOT to be, the cherry on the top. At least I hope so. Can we endure much more of this absolute baloney? Preventing international hockey teams from getting to ScotiaBank Place for team practices during the upcoming World Juniors, is despicable at best. NOW! NOW we hear of the drivers refusing to allow students to get to their university exams! These drivers, speaking of "respect and dignity", would actually prevent hard working university students from getting to their exams!?!?!?

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2008/12/11/ot-081211-carleton-shuttle.html?ref=rss&loomia_si=t0:a16:g4:r1:c0:b0

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE! I'M PULLING MY HAIR OUT! WHO DO THESE PEOPLE THINK THEY ARE?

The radio right now: "George Street is a parking lot because the drivers are blocking the roads. And the same with the government buildings at Constellation."

What is wrong with these frickin people? They said that their issue was with the city - some of the drivers are calling in to CFRA and apologizing that they are disrupting so many peoples' lives! THEN WHY!? WHY!? WHY!? WHY!? are they blockading PUBLIC streets!!!!!!!

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE!? 2,200 whiny drivers don't own the city. Stop interfering with our lives! Damn these buffoons.

I feel for the elderly, the single moms, the failing Bank Street businesses, and everyone who has to put up with this garbage. Down with the people involved in these strikes. The drivers, OC Transpo, city management involved with OC Transpo. Tar and feather them and throw them out of our town! This strike should NEVER have been allowed.

CFRA Callers

Man oh man! These union goons are done!

Solidarity, work together, band together. Let's shut these unions and these drivers down! Yeah! This "municipal terrorism" as one caller has dubbed it.

The "arrogance, the smugness" and the "Jimmy Hoff approach to negotiations". I'm not sure who Jimmy Hoff was but if he was half as bad as ATU 279 President Andre Cornellier, then man oh man, was he a bad dude.

Cornellier, was "rude, evasive, arrogant" and worse. He was like a 5-year old kid having a temper tantrum, closing his ears and shouting down the interviewer with the same one-liner, something about the city contracting new drivers.

RIDICULOUS! As one caller mentioned, if this is what the negotiators and the city had to deal with trying to broker a deal, no wonder there was a strike. You can't talk to these union people!

Point 2. As the caller also noted, very eloquently, in large cities like Ottawa, public transit must be declared an ESSENTIAL SERVICE. 350,000 people take the bus in Ottawa each and every day! The union and OCTranspo, consisting of 2,200 people, has taken the city hostage with this baloney! Our hands are tied! You can't negotiate with these people! This Cornellier fellow, he said he only has "to answer to his membership." Well Mr. Cornellier, I agree with caller Joanne, that you have to answer to us! The city taxpayer. We pay your wages you fool!

To add insult to injury, these goons are blocking busy, downtown intersections near City Hall with their picket lines! I hope they're stoned and paintballed.

Moreover, they have not given their consent to not interfere with yellow buses trying to transport kids to school! Somehow kids going to school would infringe upon their protest!

Fire the lot of them! Give the boot to the union! Throw these fools out. If they stage a sit-in, arrest them.

I don't even want these fools ordered back to work! We don't want them! That's it. Finito, caput. They're out. Down with ATU 279 and these striking drivers.

As to the callers on CFRA. You guys are amazing! You speak eloquently (nothing like Cornellier), you put your points forth in a fair and just manner, and you make GOOD points. Let's work together. Let's band together. Let's solidify the masses. Talk to your neighbours. Help each other get to work. Let's do this. We don't need these OC Transpo fools.

6.5 million dollars in overtime pay between 800 OC Transpo employees...ridiculous.

OC Transpo Strike

OC Transpo is acting in a childish way. In fact worse than that, because even children, when you offer them a candy bar or some sort of incentive to stop their bully-boy, childish antics, they will accept.

OCTranspo, this "organization", run entirely by men (NOT A SINGLE WOMAN ON THE EXECUTIVE BOARD), seems to me to be chalk full of PATRONAGE and GREED.

Check out their website: www.atu279.ca

This website is EXTREMELY unprofessional and amateur. Black and white images of the old days adorn the borders of their barebones website, attempting to make the viewer feel that the unions of today are somehow as important of those of yesteryear - a time when workers worked 6 days a week, 12 hours a day, for 50 cents an hour.

I called and left a message with the union's leader, Andre Cornellier. No reply.
I searched and searched for an e-mail - in vain. What sort of union has no e-mail address? A union that doesn't want angry e-mails from pissed off citizens!

Why is their office way out in the sticks on Gladwin Crescent? A small little hole in the wall sort of place too by the looks of it. (unit C-9) Why is that? Because they don't want people protesting outside their offices. Put your damn offices downtown, now, because we want to scream and holler at the top of our lungs and tell you how STUPID this is! At Christmas! 10.5 percent wage increase (over three years)! You say it's not about the money! Take that bloody figure off the table then! No damn wage increase! If it's really about the scheduling talk to your bloody management! Don't step on the elderly, the students, and the single moms who rely on the bus day in and day out! 350,000 = Ottawa daily ridership! GET WITH IT! GREED, GREED, GREED!

And another thing, Mr. Cornellier. It's about "respect and dignity". The city doesn't respect the bus drivers like other city employees. Boo hoo. 25 dollars an hour. Some drivers make 100,000 a year! You don't need a high school diploma! Many drivers barely speak English (or French)! And they are RUDE RUDE RUDE. I totally disagree with your presumption that when the city hires other people to drive the buses, outside of the union, that they are somehow less professional. Unionized bus drivers are some of the biggest jerks I've ever met. And Ottawa agrees with me!

To the city: why is public transit not considered an "essential service"! Hurry! Now! Hurry the hell up! Public transit is as essential as running water! Essential as the police service! They are an essential service! We "cannot survive without them". That is the definition of an essential service. By the sounds of it, from what I've heard, we, the transit users of Ottawa are suffering! Just because you drive a nice car to work, and park in your reserved, electrified spot at City Hall, doesn't mean you can't throw us a frickin' bone! Get your heads out of the sand.

OC Transpo drivers - do not strike. The City - hurry up and work this out.

Hope For The Markets

Sir John Templeton once said:
"Bull markets are born on pessimism, they grow on skepticism, they mature on optimism, they die on euphoria."
(Globe & Mail)

Hopefully our euphoric period was a year ago. Let the birthing of the bull markets begin.

CFRA Ottawa

Have had a GREAT time listening to CFRA Ottawa this morning. What an amazing show! Lowell Green, Michael Harris - these guys have great things to say.

I was brought up to despise talk shows like these. My mom called these guys right-wingers and I was made to feel that they were write offs.

The same thing with the Calgary Sun. (We lived in Calgary at the time). It was a right-wing paper. A paper that I was not advised to read.

But you know what - CFRA, the Sun, etc. These are the PEOPLE. This is Joe Public talking. And you guys are saying what I want to hear!

The whole issue of this OC Transpo strike! Man was I stinking mad. I now officially hate unions. I called into CFRA, vented my frustration, found A LOT of sympathy. Ottawa is up in arms re: this strike! UP IN ARMS! The knives are out. Down with the strike.

NOW. We have the Liberal Party of Canada of which I was a longtime member! And a proud one. But what have they done? 932 party big wigs have decided suddenly that Ignatieff is the leader. With no consultation among the millions of members of the Liberal Party. Well screw that. I'm done with the Liberal Party.

Go Harper.

Liberal Leadership

I'm not sure whether I am happy or not about Stephane Dion stepping down, perhaps as early as this week. He is an intelligent politician, he looks at facts and statistics before supporting new policy proposals. Many other MPs simply vote along party lines or according to their political ideologies.

One reason that many European decmocracies are so successful is that parties spend a lot of time examining the science behind policy proposals. They crunch the numbers, they take polls, they interview the experts. In Canada, whatever the Conservative party feels is a good idea, must be a good idea, and it's put to a vote in the House, without any public consultation or examination of facts. Just exactly how did Harper think that his last budget would pass with all the crankpot ideas in that scrap of legislation?

Dion is an academic. An intellectual. He would have been great in a European democracy. Sadly, Canada, with its majoritarian (38% forms a government!?), first-past-the-post system, politicians with an "I'll do what I want" attitude are successful; intellectuals and academics like Mr. Dion are simply punted to the side.

Enter Michael Ignatieff. The Liberal version of Mr. Harper. A man who feels that he can do as he pleases. We are going to see a polarized Parliament. Ignatieff is going to carve out an ideology for the Liberal Party and thus make it unappealing to Canadian voters. There is a small chance he will adopt the "Third-Way" model, which is what Britain's Labour Party has done so well over the past two decades. But I'm worried that, due to his competitive nature, he will seek to differentiate both himself and the Liberal Party from Mr. Harper and the Tories. In doing so, he will alienate Third-Way voters, and force people to become either Liberals or Conservatives. I tell you right now, the majority, when faced with such a polarized decision, will choose the latter over the former. That is to say, that more people will come to identify themselves with the Tories rather than the Liberals. The Liberal Party would drop to 50 seats in such an event (as there will no doubt be another election within 2 years), the NDP would stay the same, the Bloc would gain a few, but the Conservatives would have their majority.

Right now, as "useless" as Dion might seem to the party, he is able to see past his own desires - he has been described by MANY as having little to no self-ambition. He is able to envision a coalition, something that the pompous Ignatieff cannot accept, or refuses to, on grounds that the Liberal Party is not a small, fledgling party but rather is a party with more than a century of tradition, a party that can be a national contender. Yeah right Ignatieff. The Liberals will not regain the popularity they enjoyed during Chretien's rule for at least 10 more years (at which point they'll achieve a smashing majority). But now is not the time.

Rather, until voters forget about the sponsorship scandal and until the Conservatives plunge our country into greater economic disaster, Canadians will continue to buy into Harper's cavalier, "get 'er done" mentality. For he speaks for the average, working-class Joe. At least that's what they think. He speaks for joe public on one hand and accepts huge payouts from Canadian and American big business with the other. But it's going to take 10 more years to see change in that department.

So we have a 10 year wait Iggy. Please don't play "politics" or the Liberal Party will be destroyed. Canadians don't want to see "politics" right now. This coalition ianitiative is the best thing the Liberal Party has going for it, as their unpopularity is cancelled out by the small but steady popularity of the Bloc and the NDP. You need to hold on to them!!! Not the other way around. Stick with the parties and keep the high horse in the barn. Please, for the sake of our country, and the Liberal Party of Canada.

Political Ideology and the Coalition

Mark Twain sums up best, the reason why some are for the coalition and others against it. I think now, after examining the thoughts and feelings of friends, family, and co-workers with respect to the proposed Liberal-NDP coalition, I have come to the conclusion that no matter what facts, stats, numbers are presented to the Conservatives and their supporters, they don't like the coalition. There is no convincing some people. In the same way that they cannot convince me that this coalition is a "dirty, backroom deal" and "undemocratic".

"We know why Catholics are Catholics; why Presbyterians are Presbyterians; why Baptists are Baptists; why Mormons are Mormons; why thieves are thieves; why monarchists are monarchists; why Republicans are Republicans and Democrats, Democrats. We know that it is a matter of association and sympathy, not reasoning and examination; that hardly a man in the world has an opinion on morals, politics, and religion that he got otherwise than through his associations and sympathies."
-Mark Twain

Political Apathy Out The Window

We have witnessed a STUNNING past two weeks in Canadian politics. Canadians are getting INVOLVED again! From coast to coast to coast, Canadians are flooding radio talk shows, bombarding internet forums, and getting organized.

All this talk of a potential coalition (temporarily relegated to the backburner due to Jean's decision to prorogue Parliament) has Canadians engaging themselves in our country's political sphere. As I read in the Metro (newspaper) yesterday, cabbies, barbers, teachers, students, bus drivers: everyone is talking! Tout le monde en parle!

These are exciting times for Canadian democracy. Perhaps we are not so apathetic after all!

A Coalition Could Work

A coalition between the Liberals and the New Democrats could work. I went to the rally at Parliament Hill today - what a spectacle! An amazing show of support for the coalition. Canadians from all walks of life turned out: unionists, the unemployed, lawyers, athletes, students, anyone and everyone.

When I saw Duceppe take the mic I was star struck. I'm not sure why but the BQ leader is probably the most charismatic of all the federal party leaders. His character demands attention. However, he is a Quebecer through and through and I wish he would have spoken more about the coalition and less about the detrimental affects the continuace of a Conservative government would have for Quebec and Quebecers.

Even the MC for the day, a very fine speaker, spoke too much about what I felt were irrelevant matters: gay/lesbian issues, the environment, pro-choice, etc. I don't want to see anyone alienated in this fragile, fledgling coalition movement. We shouldn't be discussing those subjects. We need to be discussing the importance of a coalition and how it can work.

Dion was very formidable and gave an impassioned speech, rife with criticism for the Conservative government and Mr. Harper, and full of hope for this coalition movement.

I think this coalition could really work. Too bad we don't get to give it a chance until January 26th now. I'm hoping that this arrangement will still be on the table.

I wonder how many Canadians are for and how many are against. If every Canadian were asked, and every Canadian was given the literature and the background of the situation so that they would make a fairly informed opinion. I would like to say 80% would be for, with only 20% against. But you never know.

Still, I believe that, at the end of the day, no matter what facts/statistics are shown to some of the nay-sayers, they would still refute a coalition. It's interesting, but there is something about human nature - whereby when we have an opinion on something, or a feeling about something, i.e. pro-Harper, pro-Conservative, this opinion will never be broken. We all view the world through a different set of lenses, and as such, it would take a DRASTIC change in a person's life to knock of those lenses. The majority of Tories are decided Tories - they will never go to another party. What's interesting is that the Tories will often berate other party members (those of left and centre parties) for their political beliefs without ever checking their own. I believe that, even if every scientist and person of influence in the world were to tell the Tories and their supporters that this coalition government would be a great success for Canada - there would still be many, many, who would disagree. Look at the climate change debate. Some people still don't want to believe that the world's climate is changing due to carbon emissions.
We all tend to believe what we want to.

Why We Must Privatize OCTranspo

Absolutely ridiculous. The city has offered OCTranspo employees a 6.2% wage increase, and a $1400 bonus. OCTranspo is asking for a...wait for it...10.5% increase! They're going to strike as early as next week if their demands aren't met! The nation's capital is going to be without a bus system! This should be illegal.

10.5%!? Where the he&% are we going to get that kind of money in a time like this? Do bus drivers/employees not make enough? They have great benefits, they're unionized...perish the thought...and they have decent salaries. What the heck are they being so GREEDY!?

It's high time we privatize OCTranspo.

Harper and the Bloc

Harper worked with the Bloc during his last minority government - Duceppe and the evil separatists propped up the Tories for over a year, seeing them through 145 bills! It was okay to accept their help then. What's wrong with the Liberals and NDP accepting their help now?

Why, why! in September 2004, did Harper and the Conservative Party ask then G.G. Adrienne Clarkson, to consider a coalition between them, the NDP, AND THE BLOC!?

Watch this if you need more proof:

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/latest/question-period---dec-3/#clip118310

AND AND AND:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/12/03/day-bloc.html

tsk tsk, Tory hypocrasy at its finest.

All I Want For Christmas Is...A Coalition!

Excellent. The idea for a coalition is gaining steam across the country!

Here are some simple arguments: the parties involved in the coalition garnered 65% of the votes. Why should the Conservatives, a party which only gained 35% of the national, popular vote, feel entitled to run our country? 65% of us are unhappy with his government!

Some statements from today's National Post:

"It may be impossible to explain to a cynical public, but the essence of Harper's blunder is that he betrayed the trust of Parliament. After some initial posturing about co-operation, he reverted to his ruthless modus operandi, scheming to crush his opponents."
Cape Breton Post

Why did Harper, why did Harper, start off Parliament by introducing a budget that would cripple his political opposition? Cancelling public subsidies to political parties? Those public subsidies are the very lifeblood of our country's pluralistic, multi-party democracy! We are not Americans. Our parties don't need hundreds of millions to gain seats in the House. If that were the case, public office would be unattainable for 90% of the population. Public subsidies are essential to maintaining our multi-party system. BAD, BAD, move on his part. Is it any wonder, when faced with this threat of extinction (the Liberal Party is nearly bankrupt as it is), that the opposition parties might not band together to quash the bigger bully on the playground?

Peter Van Loan was on CTV earlier today, denouncing the "socialists, and separatists" who are going to take control of the country. What about when Harper tried to get into bed with the Bloc and NDP himself?

"Stephen Harper shows disdain and contempt for Canadians when he tries to fake outrage at opposition party attempts to work together to form a coalition government. Let us not forget the letter he signed on September 9, 2004 (along with Gilles Duceppe and Jack Layton), which urged then Governor General Adrien Clarkson to consult with the opposition parties should Paul Martin's Liberal government fall. Mr. Harper asked the Governor General to see if the opposition parties could form a government because they formed a majority in the House. It is this type of cynical, conniving and manipulative politics that might ultimately prove to be Harper's Achilles heel.
Trevor Hache, Ottawa (National Post)

Alas, Conservatives and their supporters constantly pull this double-talk out of the bag. It's okay for them to do it, but not other parties. Think back to when David Emerson was elected as a Liberal in Vancouver in 2006, yet crossed the floor at the invitation of Mr. Harper for a cabinet post. Think back to when Michel Fortier, an UNELECTED party member from Montreal, was given a Senate post by Harper. Why is it always wrong for the other parties to do these things but not for the high and mighty Conservatives?

As Bill Casey, a former Conservative MP, put it: "He [Harper] doesn't get you can only push people around for so long before they push back."

Or this, from the Truro Daily News:
"When Stephen Harper and the Conservatives won their minority this fall and were headed back to Parliament, they said it would be a kinder, gentler session, one of cooperation to help Canada through tough times. Apparently they didn't mean it...should all this come to pass, the Conservatives can blame it on their own hubris."

Or this from La Presse:
"Stephen Harper committed an unpardoned error in putting his partisan interests ahead of those of the country."

Or finally this, from the St. Albert Gazette:
"Playing brinkmanship politics during a global financial crisis, when Canadians are worrying about their jobs and pensions, should cost Stephen Harper his job...Harper's actions are more about playing confrontation politics."

Thus Mr. Harper was beat at his own game. Why, why, did he attempt to cripple his opponents in such a Machiavellian fashion? He only has himself to blame.

Now as for the "separatists running the country" point that critics of the coalition bring up, I must report that:
-Duceppe has agreed to set aside Quebec sovereignty arguments for 18 months and work with this coalition;
-Jean-Claude Rivest, an independent Senator said: "there will be no threats or attempts by the Bloc to take the Canadian government hostage [with this coalition]...that's rubbish...the Conservatives will riase that point but it's really not serious."

Now, the "undemocratic" argument, that this coalition is somehow some "dirty", "backroom" deal:
-No. This is not illegal. Everything that the opposition parties are doing is legal and constitutional.
-Onyl 37 percent of Canadians voted Conservative; 63 percent voted for one of the other three parties. Are not the majority of Canadians now going to have their interests served? For example, only 54 percent of Saskatchewan voters cast their ballots for the Conservatives. That means that nearly 50 percent of Saskatchewan residents voted for someone else. The Conservatives DO NOT represent "the will of Canadians" as the Harper war room has been trumpeting.

Mr. Harper made another blunder by alienating the unions! The unions! As much as I may disagree with some of the tactics/powers unions employ and enjoy, you don't come out and say that! He went after the Public Service Alliance of Canada! Not allowing strikes and handing them only a minimal wage increase over the next 3 years. Totally fair perhaps, even to myself, but you don't actually say that! Now he's got 200,000 angry PSAC members. Add to that the Canadian Labour Congress and Harper's got some big opponents.

I'll sign off with a clip from Elizabeth May:

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/latest/constitutional-chaos/#clip117846

p.s. The dinner table at my girlfriend's family's is going to be a warzone this Christmas.

The Three Musketeers of Ottawa

Fascinating times in Canadian politics! History in the making people!

Huge controversy! Guns blazing!

The three opposition parties are banding together to topple the Conservatives. For thos who have a problem with it, watch this:

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/latest/done-deal/#clip117761

Machiavellian politics backfiring baby. Harper, that sly old fox, thought he'd crush his opposition parties, thinking them weak and unable to recover from electoral defeats in a weak economy. By cancelling the $1.95/vote allotted to the parties (payed through by taxpayer dollars at the end of each federal election once all the votes have been tallied) Harper thought he'd throw a KO punch to the other three. WRONG! Rather, the opposition parties have signed a deal and there is a good chance we could have a new government by next week.

One thing however, the Conservatives are likely to porogue parliament, and put off the budget vote until the 26th of January. They will edit their budget and hope it will pass. However, the only problem is, that even with the amendments he makes to his budget, he's alienated the other parties! His true colours have shined through: he wanted to cancel funding to political parties! There is a reason for that funding: we have a pluralistic democracy. We don't have a 2-party system like our neighbours to the south. Parties don't need to have hundreds of millions of dollars to earn seats in the House. Public funding is ESSENTIAL to maintaining our pluralistic, multi-party system. Even if the Tories manage to produce a new budget in late January, this Parliament may not want to support it and instead forge ahead with their own plans for government. Excellent. There's always another way.

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/latest/done-deal/#clip117764

interesting article - personality disorders

I know from my own experience, that mood swings, anxiety, and paranoia really cripple a person. As a diabetic, my blood sugars often dictate how I feel. I can go from happy to sad in a matter of hours. As I get older I'm getting better at sorting it out and addressing my feelings, but it is a neverending struggle.

Most recently I felt like acting like a Soprano. If you act like something youre not, long enough, you actually change thought patterns and sort of become that other person - which is weird. But it caused a few fights in my personal life and I hope not to go down that path again.

I am quite influential and watching 3 episodes of Sopranos a day for almost a week was not a good idea. I will be watching no more of The Sopranos.

It's hard to be one's self when you're hurt or shit on - you feel that if you put up a bit of a front then it's only your front that gets hurt. It sort of serves as a "buffer", not allowing people to really get close to the real "you". However, you do give up something when you behave like this - yourself. And when you give up being yourself, forget who you are and what you stand for, you have a problem.

From now on, no matter how much I get annoyed or crapped on, I will always be myself. I not only owe it to myself to behave this way, but also to everyone that is important in my life.


1 in 5 young Americans has personality disorder
Fewer than 25 percent of college-age suffers get treatment, study finds
The Associated Press
updated 5:10 p.m. ET, Mon., Dec. 1, 2008
CHICAGO - Almost one in five young American adults has a personality disorder that interferes with everyday life, and even more abuse alcohol or drugs, researchers reported Monday in the most extensive study of its kind.

The disorders include problems such as obsessive or compulsive tendencies and anti-social behavior that can sometimes lead to violence. The study also found that fewer than 25 percent of college-aged Americans with mental problems get treatment.

One expert said personality disorders may be overdiagnosed. But others said the results were not surprising since previous, less rigorous evidence has suggested mental problems are common on college campuses and elsewhere.

Experts praised the study's scope — face-to-face interviews about numerous disorders with more than 5,000 young people ages 19 to 25 — and said it spotlights a problem college administrators need to address.

Study co-author Dr. Mark Olfson of Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute called the widespread lack of treatment particularly worrisome. He said it should alert not only "students and parents, but also deans and people who run college mental health services about the need to extend access to treatment."

Particularly vulnerable
Counting substance abuse, the study found that nearly half of young people surveyed have some sort of psychiatric condition, including students and non-students.

Personality disorders were the second most common problem behind drug or alcohol abuse as a single category. The disorders include obsessive, anti-social and paranoid behaviors that are not mere quirks but actually interfere with ordinary functioning.

The study authors noted that recent tragedies such as fatal shootings at Northern Illinois University and Virginia Tech have raised awareness about the prevalence of mental illness on college campuses.

They also suggest that this age group might be particularly vulnerable.

"For many, young adulthood is characterized by the pursuit of greater educational opportunities and employment prospects, development of personal relationships, and for some, parenthood," the authors said. These circumstances, they said, can result in stress that triggers the start or recurrence of psychiatric problems.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 1 in four U.S. adults suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.

Highlighting a need
The study was released Monday in Archives of General Psychiatry. It was based on interviews with 5,092 young adults in 2001 and 2002.

Olfson said it took time to analzye the data, including weighting the results to extrapolate national numbers. But the authors said the results would probably hold true today.

The study was funded with grants from the National Institutes of Health, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the New York Psychiatric Institute.

Dr. Sharon Hirsch, a University of Chicago psychiatrist not involved in the study, praised it for raising awareness about the problem and the high numbers of affected people who don't get help.

Imagine if more than 75 percent of diabetic college students didn't get treatment, Hirsch said. "Just think about what would be happening on our college campuses."

The results highlight the need for mental health services to be housed with other medical services on college campuses, to erase the stigma and make it more likely that people will seek help, she said.

In the study, trained interviewers, but not psychiatrists, questioned participants about symptoms. They used an assessment tool similar to criteria doctors use to diagnose mental illness.

Dr. Jerald Kay, a psychiatry professor at Wright State University and chairman of the American Psychiatric Association's college mental health committee, said the assessment tool is considered valid and more rigorous than self-reports of mental illness. He was not involved in the study.

Personality disorders showed up in similar numbers among both students and non-students, including the most common one, obsessive compulsive personality disorder. About 8 percent of young adults in both groups had this illness, which can include an extreme preoccupation with details, rules, orderliness and perfectionism.

Kay said the prevalence of personality disorders was higher than he would expect and questioned whether the condition might be overdiagnosed.

All good students have a touch of "obsessional" personality that helps them work hard to achieve. But that's different from an obsessional disorder that makes people inflexible and controlling and interferes with their lives, he explained.

Obsessive compulsive personality disorder differs from the better known OCD, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, which features repetitive actions such as hand-washing to avoid germs.

OCD is thought to affect about 2 percent of the general population. The study didn't examine OCD separately but grouped it with all anxiety disorders, seen in about 12 percent of college-aged people in the survey.

The overall rate of other disorders was also pretty similar among college students and non-students.

Substance abuse, including drug addiction, alcoholism and other drinking that interferes with school or work, affected nearly one-third of those in both groups.


Slightly more college students than non-students were problem drinkers — 20 percent versus 17 percent. And slightly more non-students had drug problems — nearly 7 percent versus 5 percent.

In both groups, about 8 percent had phobias and 7 percent had depression.

Bipolar disorder was slightly more common in non-students, affecting almost 5 percent versus about 3 percent of students.

More on personality disorders

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28002991/?gt1=43001

Moral Scruples

Sorry, but I have to rob you
He also agrees to owner's request that dollar bills be left behind

The Associated Press

WEST DANVILLE, Vt. - A man who held up a general store in Vermont was apologetic — and more — about it.

The owner of Joe's Pond Country Store in West Danville says the man who held him up at knifepoint this week told him, "I'm very sorry I have to do this."

And when owner Jeff Downs asked the thief to leave behind the one-dollar bills, so that the workers on the next shift would have something in the till, he agreed.

A state police spokesman says no arrests have been made. He says the robber may be someone who's "just desperate, but isn't a career criminal."


As for the store owner, he's suggesting money is scarce in the wrong places. Downs says, "Wall Street tycoons can't live on millions and here is this kid willing to be shot or go to jail for a couple of hundred bucks." In his words, "Something is not right."

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27843551/

The link to this story was "Robber apologetic". A lot of people feel that robbers and the baddies out there are a different breed of people, a breed of people with no scruples or morals. They forget that first and foremost, we are all human. Of course!!! robbers feel bad when they rob a place. What, do people honestly believe that people who commit bad deeds don't suffer from their bad deeds, or a feel pangs of guilt? Dangerous offenders have been interviewed countless times and confess that they regret what they did and that they can't stop thinking about the event/misdeed. Post traumatic stress disorder for soldiers. It's hard to shoot someone and not feel guilty afterwards. Remember the NYC police officer that tasered a suspected criminal a few months back. The suspect fell to his death. The NYC went back to the precinct and shot himself in the basement.

People always feel guilty. No one is born a criminal. Yes of course there are those out there who are mentally disturbed to the point that it would appear that they have no qualms about their misdeeds, but I suspect that even the most deranged offender has flashbacks and guilt pangs. After all, we are all human. Our minds and bodies are affected and influenced by the same factors. Happy events = we feel good. Bad events = we feel pain/sadness/remorse.

It's funny. Cause the link to that story, "robber apologetic" tells me that a certain percentage of the population still feel that people who commit bad deeds are bad apples and that they never feel any remorse/regret. We are all human - of course they do. And this is all the more reason to get these people help before they get to this point. Perhaps the robber in the story owed money (gambling problems, foreclosure on his mortgage, etc.) or was a drug addict. We have to provide people with gambling/drug addictions REHABILITATION and apply preventative measures (most important), so that people aren't forced to do such things.

Now the pundits will say, forced to do such things, no one is forced to do such things. Why do people do them then? Of course there are other options, but people who are down and out and who have not had a good upbringing don't always know of the other options. They haven't had the same guidance that us more privileged folk have had.

Now the libertarian in me will say that, well how about just live and let live? Why should our tax dollars go to supporting people who have made poor life decisions? I made good decisions, I shouldn't have to pay for the mistakes of others. Does this sound like you? Well do you enjoy driving downtown without getting carjacked?
Do you enjoy not being forced to have a security system or an armed guard at your residence? If we let the people who make poor decisions suffer all the consequences of their poor decisions, without providing rehabilitation and assistance, we risk seeing our peaceful society turn into one of upturned, flaming cars, armed militias roaming the streets, etc. Let's fix things before such things occur.

Amazing Display of Humanity

This video is an excellent display of humanity in America.

Too often people critcize Americans for their (corrupt, misguided) way of life, etc. I have heard such things from certain Muslim friends and acquaintances.

When you view this video (I was moved to tears I must confess) you see just how "corrupt" and "misguided" white-Americans are. Non-muslim, white-Americans, willing to defend fellow citizens against discrimination, even though they may be of a different race or religion. You see that we are not so different after all. Tears are tears, blood is blood.

This video sadly, is likely not to be shown in mosques and to young Muslims, as the more radical imams and mullahs wish to shape their students'/followers' minds in a certain fashion. This video bucks the trend - it shows average Americans standing up for basic justice and humanity - skin colour and religion do not matter to such people. May we count ourselves among such people. Go humanity go.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w45VmMyoppM

An Epiphany

I have had an epiphany today. Yes, another one. But a great one, one that left me feeling content and fulfilled with where my life is and where it is going.

See it's tough to stay in school. 4 years to do a Bachelor's at full-time? 20,000 Gs?
I can't afford that. Time-wise, nor money-wise. So I study part-time. But then, that 4 years quickly becomes 7 or 8 years. 7 years to obtain a Bachelor's? 7 long years of toiling away in minimum wage positions, working at coffee shops and restaurants, scraping by. It doesn't appeal to you? Doesn't appeal to me either.

Add to this "torture" the fact that I study in French - not my first language. I don't know why, but i've chosen to put myself through a meat-grinder of an education it would seem. I am not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

So, while one of my professors was dragging on, rather listlessly, in French, about municipal political structures across North America, I decided that I am done studying there and will study at one of my city's finer, English-speaking institutions. Again, part-time, but nonetheless, in my mother tongue.

I will start in winter so as not to lose anytime. With 3 classes/term, I can be done in another 4 - 5 years. Not 45 but 4 - 5. It aill seem like 45 though.

But it will pay off in the end. I considered the other night, going to one of the technical colleges in my city. In fact I live right near a very reputable and well-attended one (read: well-financed, no chance of disappearing overnight as some vocational schools can do).

There, I would take a 1-year office admin. or tourism planner program. 1 year. in. out. they give you a work placement for 2-weeks, they teach you WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW, and they help you acquire employment upon graduation. All that for LESS than I'm paying for a post-sec education. A 50 min bus ride away, second-language, costly, post-sec education. So, comme j'avais mon voyage avec Quebec (i've had it with Quebec), j'avais egalement mon voyage a l'Universite ________.

Im gonna go speak some good english at a uni here in the city where ill get a degree and a job with the federal government in 2011 when 40 percent of their workforce becomes eligible for retirement.

Lesson for today: Do what you love in life cause it's your life and you're the one that's gotta enjoy/endure it.

UPDATE: College is a much better option for people who feel the way I do: that education should not take a life-time (yes 7 years to a young person feels like a life time!) and cost an arm and a leg. Rather, college offers people a fast, direct, and applicable education. I will therefore be studying journalism at one of our city's fine colleges next september. I have ceased going to my francophone university. How I enjoy going to the library, reading, writing, thinking, formulating opinions on things. Too often, in this hectic and busy world, where we are told where to go, when to eat, when to sleep, we lose our sense of direction, our sense of who we are and what we wish to achieve. Taking a step back from the "chaos" (school/work/etc) I now have time to cotemplate these million dollar questions and choose a life path I will be happy with. 24/11/2008

Obamarama 2

The world's perception re: the United States of America, has totally changed following the election of Mr. Barack Obama.

From Africa to the Middle East to the Far East to Europe, people previously critical of the United States (politically, socially, culturally, etc. are now taking a step back. Have any of their countries elected a non-native President/Prime Minister? Perhaps the "American dream" is still something that we can believe in.

Americans are racists? No no no. Look who they elected.
Americans are all right-win crazies? No no no. Look who they elected.

Europeans, Africans, Asians, citizens of the world. The United States has done the incredible. And it is amazing how overnight, perceptions of the world's most well-known country have changed (for the better).

For, like it or not, an American election is a global election. The President of the USA has an effect on the lives of billions of the world's citizens. Indonesia had campaign style Obama signs during the presidential race, as did Kenya, and as did, I suspect, many more.

This may sound cliche, but I say, Let's believe, once again, in the American dream. If a largely unknown, African-American, 2-time senator from Chicago, without contacts in the big business, without the help of "the old guard" and leading politicians, can become President of one of the most powerful countries in the world, then we can all dare to dream.

Good luck to President Obama.

The Lives of the Rich

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=YA1QviPmqNE&NR=1

happy rich people.

HEALTH CARE PLAN

Enough is enough! The government of Canada has miserably failed its citizens. Our health care system is in a deplorable state and Ottawa has its head in the sand. The federal government is no longer in a position to decide how to fix our health care system; this domain of competence must be passed on to the cities and regions of Canada as soon as possible so that a more efficient and effective health care system can be implemented. Here is the four step, five year plan I propose:

Step 1:
We have hundreds (perhaps thousands) of immigrant doctors in Canada who are unable to practice because the current “establishment” does not accept their credentials. Let them treat us! We have a doctor shortage in this country and the waiting lists are long enough! Gatineau, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Miramichi, must now have the ability whether or not to accept the medical licenses of new Canadians. Let me tell you now that many of our cities and regions will accept them. In the first year Canadian cities and regions will be given the power to choose and this will immediately add hundreds more doctors to our system. Their credentials will be verified and they will be administered a fair test. Their competence in either English or French will also be tested.

Step 2 :
In the second year, using the current boundaries of the 308 federal, electoral constituencies, we will create a network of “health zones”. Each “health zone” will be granted its own money, powers, and mandate with respect to the administrating of health care to the residents in their respective zone. Each health zone will be given $73.4 million from the federal government.
{Canada Health Transfer for 2008-2009 will be $22.6 billion. Divided by 308, the number of federal, electoral constituencies, this amounts to $73.4 million for each of the health zones}
Add to this number another $70 million that each health zone will receive from their respective provincial governments. In the case of Saskatchewan, which will have 14 health zones (as they have 14 constituencies), only $980 million would be needed from provincial coffers. When you consider that Saskatchewan intends to spend $3.5 billion on health care in that province in 2008-2009, $980 million is a bargain. Thus, Step 2 will not only provide $143.4 million to each health zone but will also free up billions of dollars of provincial money which can then be passed on to other beneficial programs. With $143 million in hand, (73.4 million from the federal government, 70 million from the provincial governments) each health zone, with an average of 90,000 people , would be much more efficient. For example $1.5 million dollars an MRI machine.
{With just 15 million dollars we could have ten of these machines! Ten MRI machines for 90,000 people!? The entire city of Ottawa (1,000,000 people) has no more than 10. A single MRI machine does approximately 4500 scans a year . How long did you or a one of your loved ones have to wait for an MRI scan?}

Step 3:
In the third year, we will pursue an aggressive recruitment campaign of foreign doctors. We will look abroad as opposed to Canada for the time being.
{This is because the Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian College of Family Physicians are too monopolist to be part of such a plan. These ridiculous acceptance quota at Canadian medical schools: 60, 80, 100 students a year. We have a doctor shortage in this country! Open the floodgates! But no, the CMA and the CCFP like the prestige that comes with being a doctor. Only a select few in society are “competent” and “intelligent” enough to be doctors in this country. I say get off your high horse! We need doctors that can stitch people up, deliver babies, make casts, take blood. This does not need to take 7 years of expensive schooling! Step 5 will address the issue of educating new doctors in Canada}
The $143 million that each health zone will have will be used to recruit doctors from international medical schools judged legitimate and professional. For example, as sociologist Richard Florida explains: “the medical school in New Delhi is perhaps the best in the world.” With a population of 1.6 billion, India (most university-educated Indian citizens speak English) can surely provide our country with more doctors.

The recruiters (delegates from each health zone) will go to the best medical schools around the world and make new, interested graduates sign a contract with the following conditions:

-salary of $60,000 per year, non-taxed; (they will pay no income tax and will also flash their “physician’s card” at any business to be exempt from paying GST and/or PST. Many Canadian doctors might feel that this is not enough money. Foreign-trained doctors, given the chance to live in Canada, and under the rest of the generous conditions, would likely jump at the chance)

-mandatory three days off a week (less stress, opportunity to pursue other activities: business or pleasure. In case they feel that their salaries are not enough they can start a business on the side. They will have three days off a week. If they want to spend those days on the golf course they can do that too. We want our doctors to be happy. When they are happy they treat us better.)

-a maximum of 120 patients (less stress, can spend more time with each patient. The current 5 – 10 minute doctor visit is a joke)

-they will stay in their health zone for a minimum of 10 years. (failing this, Canada may send them home or fine them heavily. Because both rural and urban areas need doctors. They are not all going to flock to Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto)

So just how many doctors can a health zone buy? Well with $50 million, roughly a third of the 143 million, a health zone could employ 833 doctors! Imagine: 90,000 people with 833 doctors. To give the reader an idea of the current situation: according to the Saskatoon Health Region there are 300,000 people and 750 doctors operating in Saskatoon and surrounding area . Don’t have a calculator? This would mean that each doctor would have 400 patients. How can one doctor take care of four hundred people?

Step 4:
In the fourth and fifth years each health zone will begin and complete the construction of their own medical schools/treatment centres. Each health zone, having set aside 20 million dollars since year two would have 80 million dollars by year five. 80 million dollars (and 20 million dollars every year thereafter directed to the maintenance of the medical school/treatment centre) can build a fairly nice school. I reside in what will be the health zone of Ottawa West-Nepean (as this is my federal, electoral constituency). With approximately 90,000 people in our health zone an 80 million dollar medical school/treatment centre will serve us all quite nicely.

The medical school will work as follows:
A very brief (2 week) study will be done to see what the biggest health concern in the health zone is. If we have a high population of seniors our medical school’s focus will be senior care. If we have a higher demographic of children, our medical school will deal more with pediatric care. These are just two examples. Each medical school will tailor its education to suit the needs of the residents of that particular health zone.

As for the education itself, no program will take more than 2 years. The current 7+ years is too long. We want the youth of our health zone to consider medical school. If a student wants to do knee/hip surgeries, that is all he/she will study. They will work alongside surgeons throughout those two years until he/she is considered apt enough to be able to perform the operations. Many people may be shocked to think that a student with only 2 years of medical school could perform knee/hip surgeries proficiently. To them I say look at professional athletes. They perform over and over again their sport, and practice again and again their technique, until they are as good as they can be. Look at the way baseball players can hit baseballs coming at them at 100 mph. They practice again and again, hundreds of times a month, swinging the bat and hitting the ball.
This is how the school would train its students. The prospective ear, nose, throat specialist, or knee/hip surgeon will work alongside trained surgeons and practice on specially made “dummy” knees and hips, until he can perform the surgeries with his eyes closed.

I ask this question to the reader: when going into a particular surgery, would you prefer a surgeon who has studied and practiced nothing but that surgery for two years, practiced it thousands of times, dozens of times on real patients (under the supervision of a trained surgeon) OR would you take the surgeon who studied for seven years at medical school, “learned” everything about the body parts from the tip of the head to the toes, and spent hours sitting in lectures, but never actually performed/practiced a real surgery? Would you bet money on the baseball player who has swung the bat a hundred thousand times or the player who has read every book on baseball and studied the geometry of the sport? I would take the former over the latter in both cases and I would hope most other people would too.
Thus the medical school would pump put students in two years, highly proficient and professional in what they do. “Susan” might know nothing about knee/hip surgeries. But no need to worry about that. You go to “John” for that. Susan will treat you for any troubles you may have with your ear, nose, and throat.
Residents of the health zone would then go to the treatment centre (hospital) whenever they needed any type of care. One hospital per 90,000 people? Sounds pretty good doesn’t it?
As for the tuition costs, they would be kept very low. No more than 500 dollars per semester, and that would only be to pay for the supplies. As the medical school would have a treatment centre attached to it, most of their education would take place there, under the watchful eye of already trained physicians and surgeons. Teachers therefore would not need to be paid, although the health zone would pay a small stipend from its pot of $143 million to certain surgeons/physicians for giving special lectures to the students.
If additional money was ever needed by the health zone, a mere 20 dollar head tax would be put on all residents 1 year of age or older. Just twenty dollars annually, paid by the residents of the health zone would raise nearly 2 million dollars. Like I said, when 1.5 million dollars buys an MRI machine and 60,000 dollars employs a family doctor for a year, the money of the residents would not be wasted.

CONCLUSION
This four step, five year plan is simple, easy, and effective. Getting “sick” shouldn’t be the nightmare that it is today. There should be friendly nurses and doctors on hand to take care of you whenever you need. As it stands now, we face 10+ hour waits in emergency rooms, 1 in 3 Canadians do not have a family doctor, and for those of us who are fortunate enough to have a family doctor, we only see him/her for 5 minutes, long enough for him/her to check our pulse and write out a new prescription.
Furthermore, our doctors and nurses are unhappy. Stressed, overworked, and often unappreciated, they are people too. Why can’t they be healthy and happy? Happy doctors = happy patients.
Ottawa throws BILLIONS of dollars a year at the mixed up, mashed up system, hoping that somehow all that paper will save us. What we really need is an absolute overhaul of the system. Any smart organization delegates authority. Municipal governments have a mayor, a group of councilors, auditors and so on. There is a ladder of power. These ladders of power allow for more efficiency. The federal government does not have this ladder of power. Everything starts and stops in Ottawa. What does Ottawa know about the needs of the people of Keewatin, Nunavut or Nanaimo, British Columbia or Sherbrooke, Quebec? Let us delegate the matter of health to smaller, more organized health zones, and lets all get back on track to being healthy, happy, and productive.

School/Academia

I've decided to keep up with the school. I want to succeed and do well now. If it means that I have to leave people behind, or change existing thoughts/feelings on things, then I will.

I don't want to be the blue collar guy forever. I want the Master's the PhD the 90,000/year salary, the Lexus. I want to surround myself with knowledgable and intelligent people. This involves me to start focusing more on my own needs as opposed to those of the "working class".

I am no revolutionary or union organizer. I have my own needs (diabetes, et al.) and need to find a job that suits those needs. Working at a desk sort of appeals to me now. I want to wear a nice, pressed shirt to work and carry a black leather briefcase. Currently the only days I get to dress up and engage in thoughtful debate and study is Mondays and Wednesdays when I go to school. As my French improves (I study at a francophone university) I find myself taking part in more debate and loving the writing assignments.

I think the tide is turning.

Obamarama

Alrigggght. Despite all the non-believers out there, a black American has become PRESIDENT!

Steve Schmidt, John McCain's chief strategist sums the man up best:

"[Obama is] a once-in-a-generation orator. A good debater. And an eloquent message. He was the beneficiary of favorable media coverage. Ice-cold disciplined about the execution of his campaign message. He was an extremely formidable candidate.”

reference: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27549215/?GT1=43001

And there we have it. Wow. A breath of fresh air for the world. No more George W. Bush. We've had enough war and conflict for 8 years. Let's give the Dems a chance.

Now I do sort of feel for Obama. He's got some BIG expectations to live up to. I mean I suppose so would any US President, but Obama has got people BELIEVING again. BELIEVING in a better America, BELIEVING in a better world. From Indonesia to Palestine to Australia Obama was the man.

Heck one of my 16 year old co-workers even had an Obama t-shirt!

Talk about Obamarama Obamania!

People who hadn't voted in decades voted again. Their reason?
There was finally a candidate they felt like voting for.

Go get 'em Obama.

a quandry

i wish i didn't have diabetes. that i didn't have to come across as an OCD type person. adding and subtracting and fine tuning numbers and bg and what i ate. wish i could just be casual bout everything. eat this, eat that, work out at this time, sleep in till this time. but i can't. my life is ruled by the clock and my blood sugars.

this poses many problems. im actually wondering whether i can stay in the job where im at. i mean, im on my feet for 8 - 9 hours, cutting meat, serving customers, filling the counter, etc. This is quite physical work and a person needs to consume quite a few carbs to do this job. some of my coworkers will eat an entire McDonald's meal or 12-inch sub. that'll last them about 4 hours.

with carbs such an essential part to this job i wonder if now is the time that i should be considering switching jobs. perhaps a desk job would be a better option? i mean that can come with its problems too: little access to food (incase my bg is low and I need to eat), deadlines to finish projects, power structure, etc.

there is no perfect work place and im a strong believer in "it's what you make of it".

i've said before that i love blue-collar type work: carpentry, landscaping, meat cutting, etc. but when my bg is good i really enjoy sitting, studying, reading, writing too. all those things that i can't seem to concentrate on when my bg is high.

as my bg stabilizes over the next couple of weeks as i work out this new low-carb regime, i wonder if i am still going to be well suited for the job in which i work?

if not i will have to leave as my health is important. i need to give it the credit it deserves. i dont want to go blind, suffer kidney failure, and endure life without my toes/feet/legs.

(diabetics, as a result of poor bg control, often have circulation problems. these problems strike hardest in the feet where circulation requires more effort. if blood vessels are damaged due to high blood sugars the blood does not circulate as well. think of sitting water as opposed to running water. the sitting water that you see on those WorldVision ads. would you rather drink/wash in that or in a running stream? standing/sitting blood, like water, is similar. and when your circulation is weak you can suffer big time infection. gangrene sets in and yeah, its not pretty. thus the reason for the amputations among the diabetic population.)

anyways. i will try my plan out today. if i have to eat carbs i will. i won't be one of those anti-carb fanatics. carbs are good for you. they provide you with energy. carbs are harmful to you when you're body is not using them. if you have a desk job you want a low-carb diet. if you do a lot of exercise/physical activity you want to consume an APPROPRIATE amount of carbohydrates. avg. 150 / person / day. to give you an idea, a banana is 20 CHO, a piece of bread is 15 - 20 CHO.

anyways. thats it for now. take care.

diabetes notebook: low-carb day

low-carb day. also happens to be election day in the US. will leave that till later.

breakfast this morning: 2 eggs, 1/2 cup V-8, carrots. 9 a.m.

11 a.m. feeling pretty good. bg is 6.9 mmol/L. right on target. diabetics should aim for 5 - 10 mmol/L. non-diabetics are 4 - 7 mmol/L.
wondering what to eat. at a crossroads. 15 NPH taken this morning. peaking. will eat max. 40 CHO. mixed with veggies and meat this should be sufficient.

work at 2 pm so I have to take that into consideration. have to build up a bit of a reserve. dont want to start work low/high. want to start work with bg at 5 - 10 mmol/L, with belly full and feeling energetic.

will update as to how this works later.

LIGHTS

A great new artist. One of my new favourites, although there's really only one song of hers that I listen to. Check it out:

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=ltCvOztda3I&NR=1

The video might be considered a little lame by some. I don't mind it.

It's slowly breaking into the Top 20 and playing on the radio more often (which is where I first heard it).

She's a Toronto gal. Nice to see Canadian artists out there doing well.

Diabetes Downer

Well I'm at that point again (comes around every month or so) where I've decided to start taking serious action with respect to my diabetes management. I have to get better control of my blood sugars. I'm tired of them being up. Normal is between 4 - 7 mmol/L (Canada, Europe) and I often find myself 10 - 14.

I have to make this a priority. Even quit my job if necessary. My health is the most important thing. Let me repeat that for everyone: your health is the most important thing. Take care of yourself.

I've decided to start blogging a little more on my diabetes as it helps me sort of keep track of what I'm doing.

So today, is Day 1 of the low carb diet. I've tried this before and it worked quite well. Lots of vegetables, plenty of meat, and when I do eat carbs they should be "complex carbs". In other words foods that take a while to break down: pasta, potatoes and whole wheat bread are the best.

moderate exercise. I can't box for more than an hour as it will require me to eat too many carbs. Carbs that will be stored away while I'm exercising, but carbs that will be released a half hour after I stop.

Alright. So this is Day 1. I'll get back to y'all tonight.

Ebay Item

My girlfriend and I found this amazing wine flask at Value Village this evening. Have a look. Make a bid too if you like.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120328645621

Volunteer Work And Its Challenges

I don't blame people for not volunteering these days. In fact, it would seem that these days, for anyone to go out of their way, is to invite trouble. Person A can't pull over to the side of the road to help Person B with their broken down vehicle as Person B might think that Person A is pulling over to cause them harm. (case in Detroit). Man A can't do this because Woman A might think that. I'm having trouble coming up with some concrete examples, but essentially what I'm saying is that a lot of us CANNOT, even if we wanted to, go out of our way, for fear of trouble or false accusation when trying to help someone with something.

Stories of false accusation and the wrongfully convicted (I try so hard not to read them so as to avoid worrying) seem fairly common, too common, that we almost just want to retreat into our little cocoons and only associate with people we know on a first-hand basis. We are suspicious of one another.

I volunteer with the Big Brother Big Sister Association. What if I was ever falsely accused of having done something inappropriate while in the company of my little "brother"?

"Well, just tell the truth and you'll be fine," some say. Not necessarily so. From the infamous Klassen family case (Martensville, Saskatchewan) where two well-meaning foster parents took in three parent-less children, one of which accused the parents of committing various barbaric acts. If you ever read the testimonies or quotations from the case, you will see that some of the things that the couple were accused of would be better attributed to some outlandish, Hollywood, sci-fi movie involving vampires. Seriously. Read the case. Ridiculous stuff. And the worst part of the whole thing was the practical COACHING that the police and crown prosecution allegedly gave the children when taking their testimonies. Grown men and women, urging 7 and 8 year old kids to tell them more! more! about the blood drinking and satanic sexual practices that the foster parents engaged them in.

In the end it turned out that the parents had done NOTHING. That instead, it was the boy (there was a boy and two girls - either step brothers/sisters or blood brothers/sisters, I forget which) that was found to have not only been physically and sexually abusing his two sisters (it was not the parents but the boy himself!) but and threatening them and coercing them to go along with his story because he was angry with the foster parents and wanted to get back at them.

Now we have another story where we see "professionals" pursuing these cases to the end of the Earth, badgering and bullying the parents, and making more out of a "story" than is needed.

Please. Law enforcement, social workers. Catch the real bad guys: the johns, the pimps, the sex tourists, the internet predators. Get THESE people! Not the (foster) parents, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and care workers of the world.

Yes sometimes people volunteer for these organizations to be closer to the vulnerable, their prey. But the likelihood of these volunteers and well-meaning citizens committing such heinous acts is FAR lesser than the 30/40/50 year old male who doesn't volunteer. Doesn't volunteer because he is too busy sitting in front of the computer, too sick and selfish too be generous and giving of his time to such noble causes. Catch and put THESE sickos away. I was told that in the entire history of the BigBrotherBigSister Association in Canada, that there had only been ONE incident where the Big Brother/Sister was abusing the little brother.

I want to be able to volunteer, to not fear for my own safety. It's hard when we see cases such as the Richard Klassen case and this one, published in the Guardian the other day. Until the day when law enforcement and social workers focus their attention to the real perpetrators we volunteers will simply have to take care of ourselves. For that reason I remain in public at all times with my little brother. It is the same reason that teachers in elementary schools will leave their doors open. It's too bad that this is the reality as it makes people ask whether volunteering is not worth all the hassle. The police/background checks, references, 500 question-personality tests, etc. 50 years ago you could just walk right up and volunteer. Take a kid to the ball game. Help that lady out at the side of the road. These days no.

from THE GUARDIAN (UK newspaper; reference at bottom)

The only single mum in the village

Ruth Green and her two young sons moved to the country without a man in tow - and soon found themselves at the centre of a child abuse investigation
• Ruth Green
• The Guardian,
• Friday October 31 2008
• Article history

It starts with a torn-off sheet of A4 paper through the door, asking me to phone the local Child Abuse Investigation Unit. It looks so unofficial. It isn't. There has been an incident involving my seven-year-old son, Sam, that is a serious cause for concern. Within minutes I am talking on the phone to the police officer who had called at my house. Is there somebody known to my children as "uncle Mark", she wants to know and, if so, who is he?
Uncle Mark is my brother. He is a teacher at a London comprehensive. They want to know the school's address, how long he has worked there, the year he qualified. Has he ever taken my son on a walk on his own? No, Mark hates walks. Besides, he lives so far away that the children only ever visit him with me. There would be no occasion for them to be on their own with him.
My son has said that this uncle is really funny. He's so funny, in fact, he pulls down his trousers and makes wee-wee shoot out of his willy. Do I agree that is an extraordinary thing for a child to say? Yes. And no. Children think it is funny to say "willy" and "wee-wee". They are quite likely to make up what they think is a funny joke. If it described a real incident, which I am already sure it doesn't, it might be worrying. Or not. A boy and a man might go into a hedge together for a wee. And Sam is unpredictable. He had a stroke within hours of birth and, although he looks and sounds normal for his age, his development has been uneven. He has to have each situation explained and learn by heart how to respond. We have just moved house, and he may be reacting inappropriately to new people.
Sam's story was not a lie, but an embellishment of something that had happened at a recent family party. The cousins were chasing each other around trying to grab underwear, and when they threatened to make the grown-ups join in, Mark had stopped them in their tracks by showing half of one buttock and telling them the game was over.
The person Sam told his "funny story" to had gone on to ask him, "Did your uncle Mark take down your trousers?" He replied, "Oh no, I had my pants on." This is worrying, says the police officer. It suggests that when he has no pants on ... I am angry that anyone asked my son such a question.
The officer wants to know who was in the room at the time. My mother, me, Sam, some of the cousins, but I don't know which. My sister was at the party and her husband, and his sister, but they could have been in the garden or kitchen. The officer writes down their details. Can I confirm where my son was in the room? Behind my brother or in front? I can hear her pen scratching. I imagine she is making a map. She says she will call back later in the day to let me know if the children will be needed to make video interviews. The police may have to go to my brother's house.
I call Mark at work to tell him what has been reported. There's a long silence. He says, "I've got year 9 history. I've got to go back to class." We both know that if any suspicions go on record, he will never have year 9 history again, or any job at all, or access to his daughters.
Later in the afternoon the police call back to say that they are dropping the criminal case, because the "incident" had witnesses. Social services will, however, contact me, and may decide to pursue the case. I imagine that as one set of professionals has called it off, it will be simple to reassure the others, but it isn't. The social worker calls minutes later. She thinks my son's "disclosure" is still unexplained and seriously alarming. She wants to visit our home and interview Sam and his younger brother Jake, four.
On the way back from school I tell the children that they will be going in late next morning because someone wants to talk to them. I say this person's job is to find out about children's lives and it's very important they tell the truth. Jake says, "I know, let's tell lies!" They laugh. My heart sinks.
I put the children to bed and call my ex-husband. He's appalled. Why let them put our children through the ordeal? What could they do if we said no? I call the police number to ask advice, and the duty officer says I would be within my rights to say no to the interview, but the case would remain open.
I remember then that an old friend used to work in child protection, and call him. He explains that just because the evidence is not enough for a trial, social services still need to meet the children and get reports from their school and doctor. What if I refuse? That would make them suspicious. They might put a plan in place to protect the children, akin to what used to be called the "at risk" register.
I decide to go ahead. When the social worker arrives, I ask a few questions. Am I allowed to know who reported us? Yes, it was the person who runs the Sunday school. The school has been involved because, as we are new to the village, no one at church is sure of our full names. My friends had warned me about moving to the country. I remember the jokes about being "the only single mother in the village". They are not so funny now.
She has some questions too. How long have I been divorced? How was custody agreed? Are there any health concerns for the children? I explain Sam's history and stress the good progress he has made. Have there been any concerns about their progress at school? Sam has some learning difficulties - that's why we've moved house, so he can go to a school with a special unit. I would prefer not to say this. Problems with learning - like anomalies in development - can be a sign of abuse. But she will find out anyway.
I notice the sheet of paper on the kitchen table where Sam has been making a Christmas list. He's not very good at writing. The "dog set" he has written in purple felt tip reads like "god sex". Has she seen it?
Jake rolls around on the floor with his toy animals and, when asked who is in his family, lists the pets. The children have to name everyone who lives in the house. Then elsewhere. The first person in that category is their favourite, "uncle Mark". Jake says, "He's a cheeky man. When we went to a party at his house he showed his bottom. And that is the truth!" Sam dutifully lists all his uncles and aunts. Anyone else? "There's Tilly," says Jake. "She's our step-sister." The social worker shoots a look in my direction, a split-second of what looks like such triumphant hatred that my stomach turns over. The mask has been lifted and it's enough to have glimpsed the suspicion beneath.
I now realise why she had to interview the children. They are not interested in my brother. They are trying to find out who the "real" culprit is, the one who has abused my children, leaving them so uncertain about the boundaries of truth and fiction that when their uncle "triggers" a sinister memory, it appears in muddled form.
They have not asked if I have a boyfriend, and I have not mentioned it. So I must be hiding him. And here is his daughter, blowing my cover. But it's a simple confusion of vocabulary. Tilly is their half-sister by their father's first marriage. "Her real name is Matilda and she lives at Cambridge University," says Sam. I confirm the details are accurate, but I can barely speak. The shock is making me feel sick.
At the door, I ask if it is over. Subject to the school and doctor's reports, yes. She says the children are lovely. I say I understand they have to follow these things up. "It's the word 'uncle' in the context of a single mother, isn't it?" I say. She nods and leaves.
I don't have a boyfriend or partner of any kind. But what if I did? Would he be under suspicion? Under arrest? No one wants to go out with single mothers and I don't blame them. Families with one parent are more vulnerable. In addition to the danger of step-parents and other less permanent partners (the statistics are clear on this one - they are dangerous) there is only one pair of eyes on duty at any one time. A trip to the beach is a major enterprise. I am jumpy and anxious, and overreact when there's no one to talk to.
Perhaps my children do need more protection than most. Perhaps it's natural that the finger of suspicion points to us. I'm sure the person who contacted the police meant well. But next time someone is worried about something one of the children says, I wish they would talk to me before they call social services. I might be able to reassure them. If I don't, they could still make the call. After all, it's a free country.
• Ruth Green is a pseudonym. All names have been changed.
• Do you have a story to tell about your life? Email it (no attachments, please) to my.story@guardian.co.uk. If possible, include a phone number.

[http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/oct/31/family-child-protection, accessed november 2, 2008.]

The Polite Politician: An Oxymoron?

I am, perhaps to the disappointment of some, "withdrawing" from the CBC contest Canada's Next Great Prime Minister. Call me a whimp or whatever you will but I cannot bring myself to criticize/debate/point fingers like a politician.

There are reasons that the House of Commons during Question Period is often referred to as more of a "playground" than a place of business or politics. Politics, that word brings to my mind visions of a stressed out thirty/forty-something party aide, Blackberry in one hand, third cup of Timmy's in the other, dark circles around his eyes.

That profession that makes good people do bad things.

Indeed as Rousseau argued, man (and woman) is most moral when in nature, acting not out of ambition, greed, etc. but rather out of pure and simple instinct: I'm hungry, I will eat. I'm tired, I will sleep.

This is not to say that man/woman was more "good" or "pure" in nature, but rather that when they did fight it was out of natural instinct and not done for political gain or some other selfish benefit.

For example, in The Count of Monte Cristo, crown prosecutor Villefort has Edmond Dantes arrested for treason. The real reason Dantes was placed in jail? Because he had knowledge of potentially damning information, information about Villefort's father that could ruin his career.

Rousseau argued that such things would not happen in nature. In other words, Villefort and Dantes would only have fought in the circumstance where Dantes was trying to go for the same rabbit for his supper as Villefort. But this conflict/fight would thus arise naturally.

Politics is a dirty business. Backroom dealings, arguing and throwing the blame at others, criticizing people. Sounds a lot like a bunch of teenagers to be quite honest.

This stuff has permeated the CBC contest NGPM. One need only look at the forum and some of the debates/criticism going on. One candidate seems to have it out for everybody and is attacking other candidates' policies left and right. (pun intended)

I can't bring myself to engage in debates with these people. One reason, because they are simply never-ending. Everyone knows a person or persons who are impossibly stubborn and would argue that water boils at -5 degrees C if they had to. (no doubt some smartass person out there is going to comment on this and say that indeed, yes, water does boil at -5 degrees C under the following circumstances:...)

Je m'en fout! I don't care. I'm too polite to be a politician.

And the sad thing is that these people don't often know how to do a good day's work on the farm or at the meat shop. They're the sort of people who are always talking, complaining or voicing some other concern. Can you see your MP mopping floors or doing dishes? Heck no.

Nope. I've decided that that's it. I'll work the next three years at the meat shop or in some other no-nonsense blue-collar job where apples are apples and oranges are oranges and then when I've obtained my education, I'll go teach those who ask questions instead of constantly throwing out accusations, who aren't whiny but often are very keen to learn and work, who listen when spoken to. Those who - stand no more than 4 and a half feet tall? Yes. Grade school kids.

The trials of a grade four classroom are nothing when compared to those I would find in the House of Commons. Working in a more mature, productive, and educated environment I'd find much more satisfaction. I'm too polite to be a politician.

Sports Venues: Last Bastions of Patriotism

Canadians are not the most patriotic bunch. One of the things I miss most about primary school was singing the national anthem every morning. This small, rather un-Canadian, act of patriotism taught me the words of "O Canada" and instilled in me a sense of belonging to something greater than myself.

Fast forward 13+ years and I find myself at times grappling with the definition of a "Canadian". Is a Canadian someone who was born in Canada? What if his/her parents are Canadian and they are born outside the country? Hockey player Dany Heatley for example.

Is a Canadian someone who passes the citizenship test and takes on Canadian citizenship a Canadian? What if they still celebrate the holidays of their home country and speak the language of their home country while ignoring the languages/holidays of Canada?

Can a Canadian be equally proud to be of two nations? My own self for example whereby my mother is Canadian but my father is from, and still resides in, his home country.

Is an Aboriginal a Canadian? Or are they Cree/Dene/Algonquin etc. first, and Canadian second?

All of these questions surface once you reach a certain point in your life and I really don't believe there are any simple answers to these questions.

What's interesting is that while it may seem we have lost our sense of patriotism in Canada (think back to the old WWII days, ticker tape, streamers, and Canada flags being thrown and waved at our soliders as they returned home from overseas), there still remains one bastion of patriotism in Canada: the sports venue. In other words, the hockey rink, the football field, the basketball arena.

These Oilers fans for example:
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=meLpuF9UMvk

Or these Toronto FC supporters:
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=OSlujzvCOq4&feature=related

Or everyone, it would seem, at this football match between France and England:
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=3yrc9b0EXP0&feature=related

While patriotism may at times lead to nationalism, it is important that a nation forge and solidify a sense of "collectivity" for itself. This sense of collectivity is born of patriotism. Thus, whether in the classroom or at the hockey rink, may we continue to sing "O Canada".