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".
Friday, October 31, 2008
What Cheers Me Up
Seeing as I was sort of down earlier and ranting about the "privileged class" here's something that cheers me up.
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=N1-25s4uwFQ
For a good laugh we can always rely on human nature. If this video fails to make you laugh (either out of disbelief or simply due to the comedy of it all) you are having an uncureable bad day.
Gotta love the contrast between what the commentator's are saying and what's happening on the ice.
Keep in mind this was all one hockey game.
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=N1-25s4uwFQ
For a good laugh we can always rely on human nature. If this video fails to make you laugh (either out of disbelief or simply due to the comedy of it all) you are having an uncureable bad day.
Gotta love the contrast between what the commentator's are saying and what's happening on the ice.
Keep in mind this was all one hockey game.
The Privileged Class
I strongly dislike how the privileged class seems to run every aspect of the decision-making process in Canada. What do I mean by the privileged class?
-rich students at prestigious universities: McGill, Queen's, University of Ottawa.
-lawyers, doctors, extremely wealthy people
This class of people take advantage of every opportunity, eat the whole cake, and leave nothing for the rest of us. What do I mean by the rest of us?
-wage workers: Bruce, Mary, Chuck. Those people who work for 10 dollars an hour at the Dollar Store or at a burger shop.
-low-income people
-single moms
-street youth
-minorities living in poverty
And I really don't want to hear the responses of my privileged class readers on this matter.
"Tell those street bums to go get a job!"
"Tell that single mom to start using contraception!"
"Tell those kids to smarten up and go back home!"
Because life isn't like that. As unlucky as some of these people in the "rest of us" category have been wrt their economic situations (perhaps some of them are quite happy "socially" and so I won't say "unlucky" in all aspects of their lives) others in the "privileged class" have been "lucky". Lucky to have parents who cared about their achievements. Lucky, to have parents who were doctors and lawyers and university professors.
One need only look at some of the other competitors in the CBC contest, "Canada's Next Great Prime Minister". A lot of them attend prestigious universities, study full-time and reap the benefits of full-time studies: participation in the FSWEP initiative, obtain their degrees faster, engage in student council and other campus clubs and sports (because often it's their parents who foot the bill), and don't really know a whole lot of the "real world".
Myself on the other hand, I work 30 hours a week at a meat shop for an hourly wage. I study part time at the cheaper Universite du Quebec. I can't afford to study full time. My health can't take it either. Being a diabetic I find it impossible to sit for too long - I need to be active. All classes at my university are 3 hours. I can't apply to the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP) as I'm not full time. I can't join the student council or join clubs because when I'm not in class I'm at work.
Sure some of these privileged kids have been to Bangladesh and worked overseas for such and such a cause. But what do they know about Aboriginals living on impoverished reserves in northern Ontario? Or what it's like to be homeless in Vancouver? These kids/"adults" lead such sheltered lives that they are unaware of their ignorance as to these issues. And yet guess what? It will be them who one day make decisions for our country. It won't be Susan or John who works at McDonald's from 9 - 5. It won't be Bruce the single dad, or Kathy the young woman who divides her time between the homeless shelter and the streets of Vancouver's East side.
Common reactions of the privileged class, one that is meant to shoot down these sorts of comments that I'm making:
-those people made those choices
-it's not my fault they're poor/excluded from the decision-making process
-they aren't competent enough
Let's take the example of any successful person we know. How many of them are 'self-made'? I would easily guess that at least 75 percent are not. They inherited money, their parents/relatives were on the executive of the company that hired them, etc. Family support is an asset too. A lot of people don't have supportive parents. Don't fool yourselves thinking you would have made it to where you are had your mom not made your lunch all those years while you were in primary school.
Next, let's say Peter Mansbridge or Margaret Atwood or even Stephen Harper. Would these people be the people they are today without the upbringings they enjoyed? What if they had the same POTENTIAL but were unfortunate enough to be born with "the rest of us", on the peripheries of successful society?
UPDATE: Peter Mansbridge essentially self-made; got a bit of luck here and there. High school drop-out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Mansbridge
I look at my successful friends/acquaintances and I look at my "lost" friends/acquaintances.
The ones who are successful came from the privileged class. The ones who were not, had other things going on in their lives. Lack of money, lack of support, alcoholic parents, abusive parents, etc.
There's nothing else to say on this matter. It's a hard reality for me to accept. There are of course the occasional bright spots that pop up out of the darkness, but in terms of numbers, what successful people the privileged class produces: easily 80%
and what successful, productive members of society the "rest" produce: perhaps as low as 5%, are stark.
Tupac was a huge advocate for equality and joe public. Some might denounce me for using him as an example as he certainly had things about him that were not good, but is that successful, tax-paying oil exec any better? What about the destruction of the environment? The successful stock broker? What about the missile companies he invests in? Those missiles eventually kill people. But these people's parents are still proud of their little Mikeys and Andrews. Cause they wear a nice white, freshly pressed shirt to work, and their office is in a big, tall glass building downtown.
Barack Obama is an example of the rest of us beating out the privileged class. But then even he had his Harvard education and strong parental support. It is rare, except in sports and music, where people from underprivileged backgrounds will become successful. Politicians and decision-makers are of the privileged class.
Tupac wrote a song: They Don't Give a %&$# About Us. It describes how the American government left low-income African-Americans behind and still does nothing about it.
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=ecCQ9w0qV8k&feature=related
We often reach a fork in the road. I'm at one. Economic success or social success. It's impossible to have both. Do I focus my energies into become the next Minister of Foreign Affairs or Warren Buffett?
Or do I help my community and my fellow co-workers/friends/acquaintaces/neighbours become happier, more fulfilled people through various business and social cooperatives?
I can't be bitter about any of this. I'm not. I'm just tellin' it like it is. How I love the boxing gym and my meat shop. Real blue-collar folk who come from backgrounds I can relate to.
Two weeks from now I'm holding a meeting at a local restaurant with some co-workers. People who make 10 dollars an hour and have rent to pay and groceries to buy. People who don't have 100,000 in the bank to start their own ice cream stand or accounting firm. We'll try and pool our money/ideas together.
My old landlord/roommate said that a "partnership is a sinking ship". I think a lot of Canadians feel the same way. That to work together is somehow to take a step back, to invite trouble. But you know what, unlike my old landlord E whose father taught him and coached him into how to start his own business, this is all I've got. Because unlike my privileged counterparts I'm in the "rest of us" category.
-rich students at prestigious universities: McGill, Queen's, University of Ottawa.
-lawyers, doctors, extremely wealthy people
This class of people take advantage of every opportunity, eat the whole cake, and leave nothing for the rest of us. What do I mean by the rest of us?
-wage workers: Bruce, Mary, Chuck. Those people who work for 10 dollars an hour at the Dollar Store or at a burger shop.
-low-income people
-single moms
-street youth
-minorities living in poverty
And I really don't want to hear the responses of my privileged class readers on this matter.
"Tell those street bums to go get a job!"
"Tell that single mom to start using contraception!"
"Tell those kids to smarten up and go back home!"
Because life isn't like that. As unlucky as some of these people in the "rest of us" category have been wrt their economic situations (perhaps some of them are quite happy "socially" and so I won't say "unlucky" in all aspects of their lives) others in the "privileged class" have been "lucky". Lucky to have parents who cared about their achievements. Lucky, to have parents who were doctors and lawyers and university professors.
One need only look at some of the other competitors in the CBC contest, "Canada's Next Great Prime Minister". A lot of them attend prestigious universities, study full-time and reap the benefits of full-time studies: participation in the FSWEP initiative, obtain their degrees faster, engage in student council and other campus clubs and sports (because often it's their parents who foot the bill), and don't really know a whole lot of the "real world".
Myself on the other hand, I work 30 hours a week at a meat shop for an hourly wage. I study part time at the cheaper Universite du Quebec. I can't afford to study full time. My health can't take it either. Being a diabetic I find it impossible to sit for too long - I need to be active. All classes at my university are 3 hours. I can't apply to the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP) as I'm not full time. I can't join the student council or join clubs because when I'm not in class I'm at work.
Sure some of these privileged kids have been to Bangladesh and worked overseas for such and such a cause. But what do they know about Aboriginals living on impoverished reserves in northern Ontario? Or what it's like to be homeless in Vancouver? These kids/"adults" lead such sheltered lives that they are unaware of their ignorance as to these issues. And yet guess what? It will be them who one day make decisions for our country. It won't be Susan or John who works at McDonald's from 9 - 5. It won't be Bruce the single dad, or Kathy the young woman who divides her time between the homeless shelter and the streets of Vancouver's East side.
Common reactions of the privileged class, one that is meant to shoot down these sorts of comments that I'm making:
-those people made those choices
-it's not my fault they're poor/excluded from the decision-making process
-they aren't competent enough
Let's take the example of any successful person we know. How many of them are 'self-made'? I would easily guess that at least 75 percent are not. They inherited money, their parents/relatives were on the executive of the company that hired them, etc. Family support is an asset too. A lot of people don't have supportive parents. Don't fool yourselves thinking you would have made it to where you are had your mom not made your lunch all those years while you were in primary school.
Next, let's say Peter Mansbridge or Margaret Atwood or even Stephen Harper. Would these people be the people they are today without the upbringings they enjoyed? What if they had the same POTENTIAL but were unfortunate enough to be born with "the rest of us", on the peripheries of successful society?
UPDATE: Peter Mansbridge essentially self-made; got a bit of luck here and there. High school drop-out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Mansbridge
I look at my successful friends/acquaintances and I look at my "lost" friends/acquaintances.
The ones who are successful came from the privileged class. The ones who were not, had other things going on in their lives. Lack of money, lack of support, alcoholic parents, abusive parents, etc.
There's nothing else to say on this matter. It's a hard reality for me to accept. There are of course the occasional bright spots that pop up out of the darkness, but in terms of numbers, what successful people the privileged class produces: easily 80%
and what successful, productive members of society the "rest" produce: perhaps as low as 5%, are stark.
Tupac was a huge advocate for equality and joe public. Some might denounce me for using him as an example as he certainly had things about him that were not good, but is that successful, tax-paying oil exec any better? What about the destruction of the environment? The successful stock broker? What about the missile companies he invests in? Those missiles eventually kill people. But these people's parents are still proud of their little Mikeys and Andrews. Cause they wear a nice white, freshly pressed shirt to work, and their office is in a big, tall glass building downtown.
Barack Obama is an example of the rest of us beating out the privileged class. But then even he had his Harvard education and strong parental support. It is rare, except in sports and music, where people from underprivileged backgrounds will become successful. Politicians and decision-makers are of the privileged class.
Tupac wrote a song: They Don't Give a %&$# About Us. It describes how the American government left low-income African-Americans behind and still does nothing about it.
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=ecCQ9w0qV8k&feature=related
We often reach a fork in the road. I'm at one. Economic success or social success. It's impossible to have both. Do I focus my energies into become the next Minister of Foreign Affairs or Warren Buffett?
Or do I help my community and my fellow co-workers/friends/acquaintaces/neighbours become happier, more fulfilled people through various business and social cooperatives?
I can't be bitter about any of this. I'm not. I'm just tellin' it like it is. How I love the boxing gym and my meat shop. Real blue-collar folk who come from backgrounds I can relate to.
Two weeks from now I'm holding a meeting at a local restaurant with some co-workers. People who make 10 dollars an hour and have rent to pay and groceries to buy. People who don't have 100,000 in the bank to start their own ice cream stand or accounting firm. We'll try and pool our money/ideas together.
My old landlord/roommate said that a "partnership is a sinking ship". I think a lot of Canadians feel the same way. That to work together is somehow to take a step back, to invite trouble. But you know what, unlike my old landlord E whose father taught him and coached him into how to start his own business, this is all I've got. Because unlike my privileged counterparts I'm in the "rest of us" category.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
2 weeks worth of groceries
so my girlfriend just bought a car. we went and did some grocery shopping, and i can tell you, after using a grocery cart (as opposed to a basket) for the first time in a year, it is A LOT easier to do your shopping with a car.
Which sort of puts me in a predicament as I'm a huge advocate for public transit.
Today I was on the bus and 2 thoughts occured to me:
(1) most of these people (on the bus) don't have cars. of course there were some government workers who just find it easier to take the bus, especially with their subsidized "Eco Pass" (cheap bus pass). but apart from that it was sort of comforting to know that im not the only one. CONCLUSION: perhaps i can get by without a car.
(2) "public transit" means PUBLIC transit. you share the space, the odours, the stares, the seats, etc. with the PUBLIC. i suddenly realized why my older friends (35+) have cars and drive by themselves and live their own lives. the guy that sat down beside me had something similar to Tourette's whereby he was continually tapping/touching/rubbing/poking at, places on his face. suddenly i wasn't so sure i would mind having my own vehicle. CONCLUSION: as you get older you get a little more cynical and closed off to the world and the public. you like your own space and you dont like to have to share it. in 15+ more years i'll probably be the same way - i'll have my own vehicle.
As for grocery shopping, can we get by without a vehicle? Balancing bags precariously on my bike's handle bars, while riding through rain and snow and crossing 2 busy intersections, means getting to and from the nearest Loblaw's requires more concentration and acrobatics than a Cirque du Soleil performance. and after all that you only have 4 day's worth of groceries. im not complaining. many villagers around the world still trek miles for a jug of water. but in canada time is money.
thus today, my girlfriend's gas guzzling, carbon emitting 4 door Grand-Am got us there and back in 25 minutes with two weeks worth of groceries.
the way our cities are developed (big box stores, roadways, etc.) means we need a car to get by. we don't live in Europe: we have real winters here with 2 feet of snow and howling wind, our cities are spread out over dozens of kilometres, and thus the car seems at times, as essential as food and water. we live in a "Fordist Economy". the only way to decrease our reliance on the car will be to return to "local economies" (eating, shopping, living, partying in one's own neighbourhood); until then a car is almost a necessity.
thus public transit (as a concept) is perfect for getting to and from work, school, the hockey rink, etc. but when you need to drop the kids off at daycare or pick up groceries you need a car.
i'll have to re-evaluate my thoughts on public transit a little bit.
Which sort of puts me in a predicament as I'm a huge advocate for public transit.
Today I was on the bus and 2 thoughts occured to me:
(1) most of these people (on the bus) don't have cars. of course there were some government workers who just find it easier to take the bus, especially with their subsidized "Eco Pass" (cheap bus pass). but apart from that it was sort of comforting to know that im not the only one. CONCLUSION: perhaps i can get by without a car.
(2) "public transit" means PUBLIC transit. you share the space, the odours, the stares, the seats, etc. with the PUBLIC. i suddenly realized why my older friends (35+) have cars and drive by themselves and live their own lives. the guy that sat down beside me had something similar to Tourette's whereby he was continually tapping/touching/rubbing/poking at, places on his face. suddenly i wasn't so sure i would mind having my own vehicle. CONCLUSION: as you get older you get a little more cynical and closed off to the world and the public. you like your own space and you dont like to have to share it. in 15+ more years i'll probably be the same way - i'll have my own vehicle.
As for grocery shopping, can we get by without a vehicle? Balancing bags precariously on my bike's handle bars, while riding through rain and snow and crossing 2 busy intersections, means getting to and from the nearest Loblaw's requires more concentration and acrobatics than a Cirque du Soleil performance. and after all that you only have 4 day's worth of groceries. im not complaining. many villagers around the world still trek miles for a jug of water. but in canada time is money.
thus today, my girlfriend's gas guzzling, carbon emitting 4 door Grand-Am got us there and back in 25 minutes with two weeks worth of groceries.
the way our cities are developed (big box stores, roadways, etc.) means we need a car to get by. we don't live in Europe: we have real winters here with 2 feet of snow and howling wind, our cities are spread out over dozens of kilometres, and thus the car seems at times, as essential as food and water. we live in a "Fordist Economy". the only way to decrease our reliance on the car will be to return to "local economies" (eating, shopping, living, partying in one's own neighbourhood); until then a car is almost a necessity.
thus public transit (as a concept) is perfect for getting to and from work, school, the hockey rink, etc. but when you need to drop the kids off at daycare or pick up groceries you need a car.
i'll have to re-evaluate my thoughts on public transit a little bit.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
CONTEST: Canada's Next Great Prime Minister
hey everybody,
there is a great contest going on. open to all Canadian residents. 50,000 prize plus scholarships at stake.
simple question: what would you do to improve canada politically and/or economically and/or socialy?
simply make a 3-5 min video and sign up. there are a few other hoops to jump through but nothing you can't handle.
only my entry and one other so far. let's go people!
http://www.cbc.ca/nextprimeminister/
there is a great contest going on. open to all Canadian residents. 50,000 prize plus scholarships at stake.
simple question: what would you do to improve canada politically and/or economically and/or socialy?
simply make a 3-5 min video and sign up. there are a few other hoops to jump through but nothing you can't handle.
only my entry and one other so far. let's go people!
http://www.cbc.ca/nextprimeminister/
FIXING CANADA’S HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IN 5 YEARS
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.
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.
Friday, October 24, 2008
boxing
boxing people is one of the best sports out there. its great for fitness, confidence, and self-defence. its also an amazing stress-reliever.
i love the sound of the gloves hitting the bag. see what i mean:
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-ZU1tQwIUw
now check out Floyd Mayweather:
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=VZBr-h2_hEs
i love the sound of the gloves hitting the bag. see what i mean:
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-ZU1tQwIUw
now check out Floyd Mayweather:
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=VZBr-h2_hEs
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Picky People
As you may know I work in the meat department at a local grocery store.
Some people are so picky.
Examples:
1) "I need exactly 300 g of extra lean ground beef" says the gentleman as he hands me a packgage that weighs 462g. "the guy outside told me you could take some out of this for me." (referring to the package).
He needs exactly 300 g? Is an extra 162 g going to kill the poor guy? What if he drops some on the floor while preparing it. Or the dog gets ahold of a little bit. Then he hasn't even got 300g. what is with these perfectionists? and where do they get these ideals from? is it their doctors who prescribe them such specific portion sizes? or worse, is it themselves?
2) [told to me by a co-worker] :
customer: "this meat." (she says referring to the ground beef packages in the counter that we grind and package ourselves, every couple hours, on site.) "this meat looks..." (motions with hands as though a six legged, horned, hairy faced human just blew snot on them and looks to my co-worker for some help)
coworker: (looks skeptical, waiting for her to finish)
customer: "this meat looks" (repeats disgusted motion). "this meat doesn't look good."
coworker: (picks up package meat.) "ma'am I just put this out 10 minutes ago".
(and he did because i saw him make it and put it out).
customer: (still looking uneasy, queasy)
co-worker: "ma'am!" (smiling to assure her) "it's fine, i just put this out 10 minutes ago!"
customer: (still looking unsure). "alright, if you say so".
argggghhh. who are these people??? where do they come from??? do they not realize that there are people all over the world that would KILL for the meat we have at our store? the meat i see at our store is the absolute best i have seen anywhere in the city. there is a very high turnover (hourly as opposed to daily).
everything is fresh and red and not frozen. the way meat should be. and then we get these customers who act so Hollywood as though their palates would be offended by such poor quality.
people. back up. look in the mirror: you are not a diva. you are not royalty.
look around the world: some people are lucky if they get to eat meat once a week. slap yourselves.
Some people are so picky.
Examples:
1) "I need exactly 300 g of extra lean ground beef" says the gentleman as he hands me a packgage that weighs 462g. "the guy outside told me you could take some out of this for me." (referring to the package).
He needs exactly 300 g? Is an extra 162 g going to kill the poor guy? What if he drops some on the floor while preparing it. Or the dog gets ahold of a little bit. Then he hasn't even got 300g. what is with these perfectionists? and where do they get these ideals from? is it their doctors who prescribe them such specific portion sizes? or worse, is it themselves?
2) [told to me by a co-worker] :
customer: "this meat." (she says referring to the ground beef packages in the counter that we grind and package ourselves, every couple hours, on site.) "this meat looks..." (motions with hands as though a six legged, horned, hairy faced human just blew snot on them and looks to my co-worker for some help)
coworker: (looks skeptical, waiting for her to finish)
customer: "this meat looks" (repeats disgusted motion). "this meat doesn't look good."
coworker: (picks up package meat.) "ma'am I just put this out 10 minutes ago".
(and he did because i saw him make it and put it out).
customer: (still looking uneasy, queasy)
co-worker: "ma'am!" (smiling to assure her) "it's fine, i just put this out 10 minutes ago!"
customer: (still looking unsure). "alright, if you say so".
argggghhh. who are these people??? where do they come from??? do they not realize that there are people all over the world that would KILL for the meat we have at our store? the meat i see at our store is the absolute best i have seen anywhere in the city. there is a very high turnover (hourly as opposed to daily).
everything is fresh and red and not frozen. the way meat should be. and then we get these customers who act so Hollywood as though their palates would be offended by such poor quality.
people. back up. look in the mirror: you are not a diva. you are not royalty.
look around the world: some people are lucky if they get to eat meat once a week. slap yourselves.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
The Car Has Killed Society
I believe that the car has killed society. Roads and cars have put great distances between people. Friends and families live farther apart today than ever before in human history. It's really sad.
200 years ago, the a family would have lived, worked, and wed in the village/town they grew up in. The old style town/village had everything one needed. The livery, the general store, the postmaster's, the telegraph office, etc. You met people on town. You drank together and played cards together at the local watering hole. You helped one another load carts with supplies from the livery and general store. Families all got together at harvest time and other holidays to potluck and dance.
Fast forward 100 years. Streetcars, local grocery stores, barbershops and schools. Everything could still be found in a neighbourhood/town. A street had old guys outside sitting, smoking, playing backgammon. Ladies shopped together and had their hair done together. Kids played baseball and kickball outside after school. Stores still gave credit to the regulars of the neighbourhood.
Fast forward 50 years and you arrive to the suburban generation. Familes packed up and left the cities for the "safer" more sterile outskirts of town. There with pristine lawns and white picket fences, families lived in peaceful tranquility, safely away from the smog and the noise of the city.
Yet there was a price to pay and we are still paying it today.
1 - Mothers/women are left at home all day. They bake, take care of the kids and push the stroller or walk the dog around the block once a day to break up the monotony of it all. They have no one to talk to, and no one to get good advice from, save for the occasional call from their mother in a distant city and Oprah.
2 - single people suffer too. They have money and success. They are climbing the corporate ladders. Yet each and every night, unless they bring someone home from the bar, they arrive home to a dark, empty house. It's a lonely life.
3- Neighbours hardly know one another. People are wary of one another. Wary of their own kind. We don't know the names of the people two doors down. The only time we talk to our neighbours right next door are when they are loading up the pickup to go to work or out mowing the lawn or snowblowing. Some communities have BBQs but even those are only once or twice a year at best.
To get through our boredom and depression we take pills, drink to excess, and take on various other addictive behaviours: shopping, sex, partying, etc.
We need COMMUNITY. We need to be ALIVE. Take out the roads, get rid of the cars. We need street cars!
Zoning bylaws? We need to change them. Why can't every suburb be given a grocery store, a barbershop, a school, a community centre, and a pool hall? No more wide cul-de-sacs and endless rows of cookie cutter homes. We need variety. A korean grocer, a laundromat, a local sports club, a Greek barbershop, and so on.
Please people. Let's get back to community.
A great book:
Affluenza by Oliver James (the more $ we make, the more unhappy, lonely we are)
200 years ago, the a family would have lived, worked, and wed in the village/town they grew up in. The old style town/village had everything one needed. The livery, the general store, the postmaster's, the telegraph office, etc. You met people on town. You drank together and played cards together at the local watering hole. You helped one another load carts with supplies from the livery and general store. Families all got together at harvest time and other holidays to potluck and dance.
Fast forward 100 years. Streetcars, local grocery stores, barbershops and schools. Everything could still be found in a neighbourhood/town. A street had old guys outside sitting, smoking, playing backgammon. Ladies shopped together and had their hair done together. Kids played baseball and kickball outside after school. Stores still gave credit to the regulars of the neighbourhood.
Fast forward 50 years and you arrive to the suburban generation. Familes packed up and left the cities for the "safer" more sterile outskirts of town. There with pristine lawns and white picket fences, families lived in peaceful tranquility, safely away from the smog and the noise of the city.
Yet there was a price to pay and we are still paying it today.
1 - Mothers/women are left at home all day. They bake, take care of the kids and push the stroller or walk the dog around the block once a day to break up the monotony of it all. They have no one to talk to, and no one to get good advice from, save for the occasional call from their mother in a distant city and Oprah.
2 - single people suffer too. They have money and success. They are climbing the corporate ladders. Yet each and every night, unless they bring someone home from the bar, they arrive home to a dark, empty house. It's a lonely life.
3- Neighbours hardly know one another. People are wary of one another. Wary of their own kind. We don't know the names of the people two doors down. The only time we talk to our neighbours right next door are when they are loading up the pickup to go to work or out mowing the lawn or snowblowing. Some communities have BBQs but even those are only once or twice a year at best.
To get through our boredom and depression we take pills, drink to excess, and take on various other addictive behaviours: shopping, sex, partying, etc.
We need COMMUNITY. We need to be ALIVE. Take out the roads, get rid of the cars. We need street cars!
Zoning bylaws? We need to change them. Why can't every suburb be given a grocery store, a barbershop, a school, a community centre, and a pool hall? No more wide cul-de-sacs and endless rows of cookie cutter homes. We need variety. A korean grocer, a laundromat, a local sports club, a Greek barbershop, and so on.
Please people. Let's get back to community.
A great book:
Affluenza by Oliver James (the more $ we make, the more unhappy, lonely we are)
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Health Corner: Diabetes
I've decided to post a small blurb about diabetes and how to manage it. This disease is becoming huge in our society. We need to deal with it.
First of all there are three types of diabetes.
Type 1: patient's pancreas no longer produces insulin-producing beta cells. these cells were attacked and destroyed by the patient's immune system; they thought they were foreign invaders. hence the term, "auto-immune disease". can essentially strike at any age, although most likely to appear between 1 and 20 years old.
this it the type i have. i do not create my own insulin and thus i inject insulin. i have to balance the amount of insulin i take, with the food i eat, with the exercise i do.
Type 2: patient's body no longer uses their insulin as effectively. brought on as a result of obesity, years of smoking, lack of exercise. sort of like when you don't change the oil in your car for more than a year. parts just don't work as well. can be treated with exercise, a healthy complex-carb diet, and drinking lots of water. pills and/or injections are also prescribed to enhance body's insulin potency.
Type 3 (gestational diabetes): essentially Type 2 diabetes, although occurs in pregnant women. brought on as a result of extra weight gain and inability of system to convert the extra carbohydrates being ingested (as pregnant mothers are eating for two). can be treated with pills, exercise, healthy, balanced diet.
First of all there are three types of diabetes.
Type 1: patient's pancreas no longer produces insulin-producing beta cells. these cells were attacked and destroyed by the patient's immune system; they thought they were foreign invaders. hence the term, "auto-immune disease". can essentially strike at any age, although most likely to appear between 1 and 20 years old.
this it the type i have. i do not create my own insulin and thus i inject insulin. i have to balance the amount of insulin i take, with the food i eat, with the exercise i do.
Type 2: patient's body no longer uses their insulin as effectively. brought on as a result of obesity, years of smoking, lack of exercise. sort of like when you don't change the oil in your car for more than a year. parts just don't work as well. can be treated with exercise, a healthy complex-carb diet, and drinking lots of water. pills and/or injections are also prescribed to enhance body's insulin potency.
Type 3 (gestational diabetes): essentially Type 2 diabetes, although occurs in pregnant women. brought on as a result of extra weight gain and inability of system to convert the extra carbohydrates being ingested (as pregnant mothers are eating for two). can be treated with pills, exercise, healthy, balanced diet.
There we have it
well it was E-night last night. very eventful as usual. some upsets (NDP win in Edmonton, beating out longtime Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer), some no-surprises : Michael Fortier failing to win his riding, Elizabeth May falling to Mackay, and Harper collecting a whopping 72 percent of the vote in his riding.
Hats off to May, she really did come close. David Orchard, running for the first time as a Liberal in the northernmost Saskatchewan riding of Desnethe-Misinippi, made a good showing.
Now the fun begins though. The Conservatives have another minority. Yet, no two parties can combine their votes to vote them down (it would take all three: the Grits, the Bloc and the NDP).
Harper has some controversial bills he'd like to put into motion. Among them cuts to arts funding and treating 14 year old young offenders as adults under the Criminal Code.
So. The Conservatives will lay their proposals on the table. The other parties may or may not support them. If they don't support the motions then essentially there would be a "vote of non-confidence". By convention, the leading party would then have to call an election.
Yet Canadians don't want another election. We've already had three in a little over four years. So what do they do? Do they support Harper's policies?
Harper in his "victory" speech called on the other parties to "set partisan politics aside" and work together for the benefit of Canadians. The trouble is, Harper and the Conservatives are so ideologically different from the other parties. Does he expect the Bloc to support the Conservative party motion to treat 14 / 16 year olds as adults in court? Does he expect the NDP to accept major corporate tax cuts? I don't really see how this is going to work.
We'll wait and see.
Hats off to May, she really did come close. David Orchard, running for the first time as a Liberal in the northernmost Saskatchewan riding of Desnethe-Misinippi, made a good showing.
Now the fun begins though. The Conservatives have another minority. Yet, no two parties can combine their votes to vote them down (it would take all three: the Grits, the Bloc and the NDP).
Harper has some controversial bills he'd like to put into motion. Among them cuts to arts funding and treating 14 year old young offenders as adults under the Criminal Code.
So. The Conservatives will lay their proposals on the table. The other parties may or may not support them. If they don't support the motions then essentially there would be a "vote of non-confidence". By convention, the leading party would then have to call an election.
Yet Canadians don't want another election. We've already had three in a little over four years. So what do they do? Do they support Harper's policies?
Harper in his "victory" speech called on the other parties to "set partisan politics aside" and work together for the benefit of Canadians. The trouble is, Harper and the Conservatives are so ideologically different from the other parties. Does he expect the Bloc to support the Conservative party motion to treat 14 / 16 year olds as adults in court? Does he expect the NDP to accept major corporate tax cuts? I don't really see how this is going to work.
We'll wait and see.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
capital punishment
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27169680/?GT1=43001
i dont understand the logic behind killing a killer. i know that the crimes these people commit are sometimes horrific and barbaric but do we need to add to the killing?
i've always been interested in medieval europe, a time and place where people were executed for crimes against the State. i accept that this is part of human nature, to want to take the life of someone who has wronged you or a loved one.
but i just don't think i would feel that way if i found myself in a similar circumstance. i don't want to see or be behind the death of another. if they were to take the life of someone close to me. i would be saddened and repulsed by the act, but i would not be crying for more blood.
there are sadly, many out there who think that this is too soft an approach. that Hammurabi's law of "an eye for an eye" is surely applicable in this day and age.
i just don't think it's right. And hats off to former PM Brian Mulroney, when a motion was put forward in the House whether or not to bring back capital punishment (c. 1990), to voting against it - even though many in his party wanted to see it brought back.
i hope we don't bring back capital punishment. of course, there's a strong likelihood that as the world changes (water shortages, economic crises), so to do the people living in it and thus the laws of today, will not necessarily apply to tomorrow. i'll still vote no, but there are others who will no doubt vote yes.
i dont understand the logic behind killing a killer. i know that the crimes these people commit are sometimes horrific and barbaric but do we need to add to the killing?
i've always been interested in medieval europe, a time and place where people were executed for crimes against the State. i accept that this is part of human nature, to want to take the life of someone who has wronged you or a loved one.
but i just don't think i would feel that way if i found myself in a similar circumstance. i don't want to see or be behind the death of another. if they were to take the life of someone close to me. i would be saddened and repulsed by the act, but i would not be crying for more blood.
there are sadly, many out there who think that this is too soft an approach. that Hammurabi's law of "an eye for an eye" is surely applicable in this day and age.
i just don't think it's right. And hats off to former PM Brian Mulroney, when a motion was put forward in the House whether or not to bring back capital punishment (c. 1990), to voting against it - even though many in his party wanted to see it brought back.
i hope we don't bring back capital punishment. of course, there's a strong likelihood that as the world changes (water shortages, economic crises), so to do the people living in it and thus the laws of today, will not necessarily apply to tomorrow. i'll still vote no, but there are others who will no doubt vote yes.
why we work
im in a small dilemma. i like studying. but then my diabetes sort of gives me a lot of trouble. i find it hard to sit through my 3 hour classes and manage my blood sugar levels. theyre up, down and all around sometimes.
reading through socrates/plato for my philosophy class, it was the belief of ancient greeks that our destinies were decided. that we should do what comes naturally. what fits us. not try to go outside out our circles. that does not mean that we should resign ourselves entirely to fate or be depressed about it, but that perhaps there are some of us who are meant to do some things, and others who are meant to do other things.
i work in the meat dept of a local grocery chain. i love my job. and i cant say why. lol. but i love it. the work, the team, the varied tasks that i get to do in a shift.
i like working with the public. i want to enter public life someday. i've actually been toying with the idea of running in the next municipal election for councillor.
anyways. sometimes simply having a plan gives us comfort. and my comfort thus comes from my plan to take only 1 class next school term. 3 is too many. i want to work more. i hate my days off. im bored, depressed, and aimless. i wander from the fridge to the computer to the tv to my homework to the cat to the fridge and so on.
i want to work. i keep moving and it keeps my blood sugars good. i enjoy the place. im making money. and im interacting with the public.
i've recently taken up boxing and i can tell you there is salvation in that. alice cooper beat alcoholism by taking up and playing golf. im not an alcoholic but boxing helps me stay grounded. boosts my confidence and keeps me healthy.
i think challenge is important in life. you look at the idle rich. the stars, hollywood and a few hundred years ago, the aristocracy. they often seem depressed. endless drinking and partying to keep things lively. they have no challenge in their lives. the rest of us ask ourselves what we'd prefer to buy, that new jacket or the PS2? we can't have both. the rest of us ask ourselves what we want to eat on thursday night when we get home from work at 6:30 pm. there are no leftovers, the pasta cupboard in empty and were tired of pea soup from a can. we don't have our own personal maids and chefs.
at work i have a great time. how many people in the 90210 know what they're missing? take off the rolex, sell the 2nd mercedes, roll up your sleeves and get into town. work at a burger joint, a soup kitchen, a car wash. interact with the PEOPLE. us, joe public.
and i dont think im the only one to think these things. how many of us prefer to go into work on a weekend than stay home sometimes? i look at my own friends and co-workers. a lot of them work on weekends and take extra shifts. heck. we dont know what TO DO with our extra time.
sociologist robert putnam wrote a book: "Bowling Alone" re: the declining rates of participation in local groups/clubs/activities. its true. our lives sort of revolve around work. and its an unfortunate reality for people like me who sometimes long for the past. a time when families spent sundays at the lake. lulling in the sun. picknicking.
as kids we played everyday after school. we were outside with the hockey sticks, forging homemade stanley cups with sheets of tin scrap in the backyard fire pit, tearing up back alleys on our bikes, waterfights, neverending games of kick the can.
we've sort of lost that today. kids just go home after school and fire up the xbox.
thus. i think i will join the masses. i will work more. because its true. our lives revolve around work now. ill bet half of our friends are co-workers these days. we spend as much time at work as we do sleeping. (for those of us who get our 7-8 hours)
work is where we have an identity. outside of that, we are just sort of blowing in the wind. wandering aimlessly from the fridge to the computer, to the tv....
reading through socrates/plato for my philosophy class, it was the belief of ancient greeks that our destinies were decided. that we should do what comes naturally. what fits us. not try to go outside out our circles. that does not mean that we should resign ourselves entirely to fate or be depressed about it, but that perhaps there are some of us who are meant to do some things, and others who are meant to do other things.
i work in the meat dept of a local grocery chain. i love my job. and i cant say why. lol. but i love it. the work, the team, the varied tasks that i get to do in a shift.
i like working with the public. i want to enter public life someday. i've actually been toying with the idea of running in the next municipal election for councillor.
anyways. sometimes simply having a plan gives us comfort. and my comfort thus comes from my plan to take only 1 class next school term. 3 is too many. i want to work more. i hate my days off. im bored, depressed, and aimless. i wander from the fridge to the computer to the tv to my homework to the cat to the fridge and so on.
i want to work. i keep moving and it keeps my blood sugars good. i enjoy the place. im making money. and im interacting with the public.
i've recently taken up boxing and i can tell you there is salvation in that. alice cooper beat alcoholism by taking up and playing golf. im not an alcoholic but boxing helps me stay grounded. boosts my confidence and keeps me healthy.
i think challenge is important in life. you look at the idle rich. the stars, hollywood and a few hundred years ago, the aristocracy. they often seem depressed. endless drinking and partying to keep things lively. they have no challenge in their lives. the rest of us ask ourselves what we'd prefer to buy, that new jacket or the PS2? we can't have both. the rest of us ask ourselves what we want to eat on thursday night when we get home from work at 6:30 pm. there are no leftovers, the pasta cupboard in empty and were tired of pea soup from a can. we don't have our own personal maids and chefs.
at work i have a great time. how many people in the 90210 know what they're missing? take off the rolex, sell the 2nd mercedes, roll up your sleeves and get into town. work at a burger joint, a soup kitchen, a car wash. interact with the PEOPLE. us, joe public.
and i dont think im the only one to think these things. how many of us prefer to go into work on a weekend than stay home sometimes? i look at my own friends and co-workers. a lot of them work on weekends and take extra shifts. heck. we dont know what TO DO with our extra time.
sociologist robert putnam wrote a book: "Bowling Alone" re: the declining rates of participation in local groups/clubs/activities. its true. our lives sort of revolve around work. and its an unfortunate reality for people like me who sometimes long for the past. a time when families spent sundays at the lake. lulling in the sun. picknicking.
as kids we played everyday after school. we were outside with the hockey sticks, forging homemade stanley cups with sheets of tin scrap in the backyard fire pit, tearing up back alleys on our bikes, waterfights, neverending games of kick the can.
we've sort of lost that today. kids just go home after school and fire up the xbox.
thus. i think i will join the masses. i will work more. because its true. our lives revolve around work now. ill bet half of our friends are co-workers these days. we spend as much time at work as we do sleeping. (for those of us who get our 7-8 hours)
work is where we have an identity. outside of that, we are just sort of blowing in the wind. wandering aimlessly from the fridge to the computer, to the tv....
bobby orr
a nice little video to brighten your day and give you a smile.
anything is possible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv0-9Wi713o
anything is possible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lv0-9Wi713o
9/11 Truth Groupies
http://www.911truth.org/
no this is NOT an endorsement or show of support for this group. rather, i would like to say that there are several Canadian politicians, ( i will look for the names), that support these conspiracy theories. people running in this federal election, people working in government. they have a rather wide and diverse (Liberal, Conservative, Republican, etc.) following.
UPDATE: one name found: Libby Davies, NDP MP. read petition demanding re-examination of 911 events. signed by just 500 canadians. why did she read this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r6DK_jTVcA
It's sad because it discredits the people. For those of you who know me, you will know that public transportation/urban transport is HUGE on my list of what I would like to see improved in cities and regions across Canada. If Mr. John Doe were running in such and such an election in my riding, and promised to lobby/procure more funding for public transport, i would be ecstatic. if that same Mr. John Doe claimed he supported the beliefs of the 911 truth group, then i would not vote for him.
its become sort of the "in-thing" to do for some disenchanted youths in ottawa's downtown core. they canvas passers-by, offering them dvds and pamphlets. they (or someone) spray paint and mark up newspaper boxes with "911 was an inside job" or "911 = inside job". anyone who has ever walked down metcalfe will know what i mean.
and the question is why? why do they believe this stuff? and why now? i gave the dvd they handed to me to my roommate and he watched it. said it made some good points. this is the same guy that frequents one of the local gentleman's clubs simply for its "awesome buffet".
politicians, and canadians in general, need to be a little more saavy. we are better than this. we as a country can make progressive, rational, and reasoned decisions. we have people to house and feed, a manufacaturing sector to rebuild, a green economy to invest in. let's move forwards and leave conspiracy theories like this by the wayside.
no this is NOT an endorsement or show of support for this group. rather, i would like to say that there are several Canadian politicians, ( i will look for the names), that support these conspiracy theories. people running in this federal election, people working in government. they have a rather wide and diverse (Liberal, Conservative, Republican, etc.) following.
UPDATE: one name found: Libby Davies, NDP MP. read petition demanding re-examination of 911 events. signed by just 500 canadians. why did she read this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r6DK_jTVcA
It's sad because it discredits the people. For those of you who know me, you will know that public transportation/urban transport is HUGE on my list of what I would like to see improved in cities and regions across Canada. If Mr. John Doe were running in such and such an election in my riding, and promised to lobby/procure more funding for public transport, i would be ecstatic. if that same Mr. John Doe claimed he supported the beliefs of the 911 truth group, then i would not vote for him.
its become sort of the "in-thing" to do for some disenchanted youths in ottawa's downtown core. they canvas passers-by, offering them dvds and pamphlets. they (or someone) spray paint and mark up newspaper boxes with "911 was an inside job" or "911 = inside job". anyone who has ever walked down metcalfe will know what i mean.
and the question is why? why do they believe this stuff? and why now? i gave the dvd they handed to me to my roommate and he watched it. said it made some good points. this is the same guy that frequents one of the local gentleman's clubs simply for its "awesome buffet".
politicians, and canadians in general, need to be a little more saavy. we are better than this. we as a country can make progressive, rational, and reasoned decisions. we have people to house and feed, a manufacaturing sector to rebuild, a green economy to invest in. let's move forwards and leave conspiracy theories like this by the wayside.
michael moore in sault ste. marie
http://www.thestar.com/FederalElection/article/516720
so it would appear that michael moore has ventured on up to the land past the 49th parallel, taking to our federal election like heavy books to a banana in my book bag.
im not really sure whether i like his opinions. they are very one-sided and coloured in a singular fashion. i really enjoyed "bowling for columbine". on the other hand, "sicko" gave a rather illustrious view of canada's health care system. he's very selective about which comments he inserts into his films and where. it's all meant for effect.
thus i wouldnt really call him a documentary maker. rather Mr. Moore is more a third-party, political outsider, running as an independent in a neverending election.
yes he brings important issues to light. yes his film style is at times amusing. but no i would not quote or make reference to his works in a school assignment.
it'll be interesting to see what he does with that film footage from the Sault. apparently after the all-candidate's debate, he and the candidates cracked open four cold Molsons. perhaps its a "Canada has better beer" documentary?
so it would appear that michael moore has ventured on up to the land past the 49th parallel, taking to our federal election like heavy books to a banana in my book bag.
im not really sure whether i like his opinions. they are very one-sided and coloured in a singular fashion. i really enjoyed "bowling for columbine". on the other hand, "sicko" gave a rather illustrious view of canada's health care system. he's very selective about which comments he inserts into his films and where. it's all meant for effect.
thus i wouldnt really call him a documentary maker. rather Mr. Moore is more a third-party, political outsider, running as an independent in a neverending election.
yes he brings important issues to light. yes his film style is at times amusing. but no i would not quote or make reference to his works in a school assignment.
it'll be interesting to see what he does with that film footage from the Sault. apparently after the all-candidate's debate, he and the candidates cracked open four cold Molsons. perhaps its a "Canada has better beer" documentary?
election 2008
i had a thought.
mr. harper has not been campaigning very hard this election it would seem. perhaps im just not watching as much tv as i used to. but how about this:
about 2 weeks ago we learned through the polls that we would likely be getting another minority government. a conservative minority government will not likely last more than a couple of years. the next party to call the election is going to be very unpopular. 300 million dollars per federal election. thats the cost to canadian taxpayers every time we go to the polls.
if the liberals get a minority, Harper can bide his time in the opposition. this is advantageous to him because:
1 - the economy may not do so well over the next two years. during that time unemployment may rise, investment in canada may diminish, and all the nasty effects of a recession will unfold.
2- as opposition leader, rather than leader of the country, mr harper could effectively harangue and harass the governing liberals. he would get the people behind him - "those bloody liberals, look at our economy!"
Conclusion: Layton and Duceppe would evenutally jump into the foray (although i have feeling that duceppe will retire before the next federal election. i would say in about 2 years. he wants his party to have a leader in the event of a snap election.). anyways, layton and duceppe would start calling on the government to do more, etc. they would stop supporting them in the House and before long they would be forced to call an election.
Canadians: "Another election? 300 more million dollars! Bloody hell. these liberals. look at our country! look at our economy!"
Harper: "the Conservatives offer Canadians the solution they've been looking for. on ___, 2011 vote for us!"
and thus he would likely get his majority. perhaps this is why he's not campaigning so hard. any party that inherits the economy right now will likely be extremely unpopular in 2 years.
mr. harper has not been campaigning very hard this election it would seem. perhaps im just not watching as much tv as i used to. but how about this:
about 2 weeks ago we learned through the polls that we would likely be getting another minority government. a conservative minority government will not likely last more than a couple of years. the next party to call the election is going to be very unpopular. 300 million dollars per federal election. thats the cost to canadian taxpayers every time we go to the polls.
if the liberals get a minority, Harper can bide his time in the opposition. this is advantageous to him because:
1 - the economy may not do so well over the next two years. during that time unemployment may rise, investment in canada may diminish, and all the nasty effects of a recession will unfold.
2- as opposition leader, rather than leader of the country, mr harper could effectively harangue and harass the governing liberals. he would get the people behind him - "those bloody liberals, look at our economy!"
Conclusion: Layton and Duceppe would evenutally jump into the foray (although i have feeling that duceppe will retire before the next federal election. i would say in about 2 years. he wants his party to have a leader in the event of a snap election.). anyways, layton and duceppe would start calling on the government to do more, etc. they would stop supporting them in the House and before long they would be forced to call an election.
Canadians: "Another election? 300 more million dollars! Bloody hell. these liberals. look at our country! look at our economy!"
Harper: "the Conservatives offer Canadians the solution they've been looking for. on ___, 2011 vote for us!"
and thus he would likely get his majority. perhaps this is why he's not campaigning so hard. any party that inherits the economy right now will likely be extremely unpopular in 2 years.
Monday, October 13, 2008
elections prediction
my predictions for this election:
minority conservative government.
seat count:
CON: 126
LIB: 106
BLOC: 55
NDP: 21
Ind.: 0
you heard/saw it here first folks.
minority conservative government.
seat count:
CON: 126
LIB: 106
BLOC: 55
NDP: 21
Ind.: 0
you heard/saw it here first folks.
Canadian Political Parties
A list of all the registered, federal political parties in Canada. from elections canada site.
http://www.elections.ca/content.asp?section=pol&document=index&dir=par&lang=e&textonly=false#WBP
everybody get out and vote tomorrow!
http://www.elections.ca/content.asp?section=pol&document=index&dir=par&lang=e&textonly=false#WBP
everybody get out and vote tomorrow!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Health Care in Canada
Went to the dentist this morning. I must say that they are very professional and do a fine job.
It got me thinking about our health care system. Many people want to see private care open up in Canada. Apparently there is an Arizona businessman in the process of suing our government for providing unfair "subsidies" to our health care system. He is not the first to try this. Other American health care providers (all private), are attempting to break into Canada's untapped market.
Many people wonder why our health care can't be private. Why can't it be like taking our pets to the vet? Or going to the dentist.
The thing that these people are forgetting is that health care is not so simple. MRIs, CT scans, neurosurgery, heart surgery. These procedures are complicated and expensive. The average Canadian does not pay for his/her dog or cat to have neurosurgery or chemotherapy. The average trip to the dentist lasts about an hour and involves a quick cleaning or filling done. These procedures are not as complicated and expensive as are health procedures.
That's the first thing.
Now how about a new way of administering health care in Canada? Cutting waiting lists to a maximum of three weeks? Giving every Canadian access to at least 2 family doctors? I will explain how all this can be done. Will post by: October 20.
now if only this freezing would hurry up and go away...been talking like Jean Chretien for the past two hours...
useful links:
http://www.pnhp.org/news/2008/september/naftabased_suit_thr.php
It got me thinking about our health care system. Many people want to see private care open up in Canada. Apparently there is an Arizona businessman in the process of suing our government for providing unfair "subsidies" to our health care system. He is not the first to try this. Other American health care providers (all private), are attempting to break into Canada's untapped market.
Many people wonder why our health care can't be private. Why can't it be like taking our pets to the vet? Or going to the dentist.
The thing that these people are forgetting is that health care is not so simple. MRIs, CT scans, neurosurgery, heart surgery. These procedures are complicated and expensive. The average Canadian does not pay for his/her dog or cat to have neurosurgery or chemotherapy. The average trip to the dentist lasts about an hour and involves a quick cleaning or filling done. These procedures are not as complicated and expensive as are health procedures.
That's the first thing.
Now how about a new way of administering health care in Canada? Cutting waiting lists to a maximum of three weeks? Giving every Canadian access to at least 2 family doctors? I will explain how all this can be done. Will post by: October 20.
now if only this freezing would hurry up and go away...been talking like Jean Chretien for the past two hours...
useful links:
http://www.pnhp.org/news/2008/september/naftabased_suit_thr.php
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Montreal Impact
If there was any doubt that the Impact are a good team - then this past month will have proven that they are indeed.
The Montrealers have been on fire. Advancing to the semi-finals in USL action, but finally losing to the first place Vancouver Whitecaps. They flew literally across the continent, back and forth for the past month. Vancouver to Montreal. Montreal to Honduras. Honduras to Montreal. Montreal to Vancouver. Montreal to Mexico. Montreal to Trinidad. It's been crazy! That's sports in North America.
They are playing (and succeeding) in the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League. They made it through the qualifiers and now are on top of their group (which includes Honduran powerhouse Olympia and Mexican side Atlante) with three wins and a tie! In four games! Against some of the best clubs in central America!
Please. Canada Soccer. send Montreal to the WC qualifiers for us as the majority of them are Canadian citizens anyways. For the few that aren't, namely, star keeper Matt Jordan (USA), grant it to them and let's get to South Africa 2010!
These guys are kicking ass. I can't believe it. They are catapulting Canadian soccer into a new dimension. And stillllll FIFA is dropping us in their rankings! Screw FIFA. we'll go it alone. We'll be the surprise, darkhorse, underdogs. We'll come from behind and in 2014, with hopefully three MLS teams in Canada, and a powerhouse national squad, we'll be able to make it to Brazil.
NOW. Important point. Everybody wants to see the Impact awarded an MLS franchise. BUTTTT. WAITT. First remember that the owner's group (Saputo/Gillette) would have to pay 50 million! AND expand the stadium by 5000 seats!. So we're talking about 60 million dollars.
Why put allll that money into an MLS franchise. 60 million dollars could secure the club's future in the USL for a decade! The team is largely comprised of native Montrealers/Quebecers. Will the team be able to guarantee this if they join MLS? The team will likely be broken up (trades/transfers) and 2nd rate players would be brought in. Look at TFC. what a joke. i used to love that team. but they just can't put it together when it counts. give me a squad that can play together, has played together, for years like the Impact have. Impact can be a powerhouse in the USL. I'm sure they would succeed in the MLS. but the rules of the league (diffrent than those of the USL), the media, the fame, the sponsorship deals, etc. would likely alter the team drastically. and there would be no going back. please Impact. think about it first. we love you as you are. GO USL.
The Montrealers have been on fire. Advancing to the semi-finals in USL action, but finally losing to the first place Vancouver Whitecaps. They flew literally across the continent, back and forth for the past month. Vancouver to Montreal. Montreal to Honduras. Honduras to Montreal. Montreal to Vancouver. Montreal to Mexico. Montreal to Trinidad. It's been crazy! That's sports in North America.
They are playing (and succeeding) in the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League. They made it through the qualifiers and now are on top of their group (which includes Honduran powerhouse Olympia and Mexican side Atlante) with three wins and a tie! In four games! Against some of the best clubs in central America!
Please. Canada Soccer. send Montreal to the WC qualifiers for us as the majority of them are Canadian citizens anyways. For the few that aren't, namely, star keeper Matt Jordan (USA), grant it to them and let's get to South Africa 2010!
These guys are kicking ass. I can't believe it. They are catapulting Canadian soccer into a new dimension. And stillllll FIFA is dropping us in their rankings! Screw FIFA. we'll go it alone. We'll be the surprise, darkhorse, underdogs. We'll come from behind and in 2014, with hopefully three MLS teams in Canada, and a powerhouse national squad, we'll be able to make it to Brazil.
NOW. Important point. Everybody wants to see the Impact awarded an MLS franchise. BUTTTT. WAITT. First remember that the owner's group (Saputo/Gillette) would have to pay 50 million! AND expand the stadium by 5000 seats!. So we're talking about 60 million dollars.
Why put allll that money into an MLS franchise. 60 million dollars could secure the club's future in the USL for a decade! The team is largely comprised of native Montrealers/Quebecers. Will the team be able to guarantee this if they join MLS? The team will likely be broken up (trades/transfers) and 2nd rate players would be brought in. Look at TFC. what a joke. i used to love that team. but they just can't put it together when it counts. give me a squad that can play together, has played together, for years like the Impact have. Impact can be a powerhouse in the USL. I'm sure they would succeed in the MLS. but the rules of the league (diffrent than those of the USL), the media, the fame, the sponsorship deals, etc. would likely alter the team drastically. and there would be no going back. please Impact. think about it first. we love you as you are. GO USL.
Finally: the Conservative Party Platform
So the Conservatives tried to be Machiavellian. Rather smart on their part in fact. Although it didn't really work out as Canadians want a lion right now rather than a fox. (Old Mac advocated that the successful homme politique should be both a fox and a lion, undertaking either role as the situation demanded)
They waited...they waited...they waited to release their platform in order to:
-find out what issues are important to Canadians;
-find out what the reactions of Canadians were when other parties revealed their party platforms;
-tailor their own platform at the last minute to conform to the desires of Canadians based on the first two weeks of the election campaign.
A good idea. But they waited too long. The economy began tanking, nay, crashing. The Green party and New Democrats began wooing voters, and even Dion, whom many had written off as a blubbering professor, learned how to take a blow and come back swinging.
A Conservative ad is on right now. Denouncing the evil, evvvvvilllll carbon tax. mu ha ha ha. A forlorn looking mother looks over her daughter doing homework at the kitchen table. "I can't afford more taxes. Dion is just not worth the risk."
If anyone actually bothers to read the GreenShift proposal it is not quite so complicated nor is it expensive. In fact many other countries, as well as the province of British Columbia, have successfully implemented similar carbon taxation systems with little change to what people pay in taxes. http://www.thegreenshift.ca/ check it out. Anyways. Back to the Cons platform. Here is their luscious preamble to it from their website:
A plan for the economy vs proposals for financial disaster
October 07, 2008
Prime Minister Stephen Harper understands the global financial crisis. His plan for the way forward has been clear and consistent: balanced budgets, lower taxes, investments to create jobs and keeping inflation low.
This is in stark contrast to Stéphane Dion and Jack Layton, who have only just realized that the economy is an issue.
Excuse me? This is laughable. All party leaders were calling on Harper two weeks ago to address the issues of the economy.
Dion wants to impose a massive carbon tax that will drive up the cost of everything and hurt families.
This is quite the exaggeration. Massive carbon tax? Please see my next posting, "GreenShift 101".
Layton will increase taxes on businesses and drive jobs out of Canada.
The jobs are already being driven out of Canada! Look at the auto and manufacturing sectors in Ontario. The pulp and paper mills in Saskatchewan, BC, and New Brunswick. For the critics who say our unemployment is nearly the lowest its been in 20 years fail to realize that Canadians are losing upper-level jobs while gaining service sector and entry-level jobs.
The Liberals and the NDP are both a vote for financial disaster. They have no plan. Both parties would gamble with Canadians’ hard-earned money for short term electoral gain.
For the past year and a half, the Harper Government has been implementing a real plan to protect our economy.
The Harper Government is working for all Canadians who have a job to keep, a mortgage to pay and a retirement to save for.
What party isn't working for that?
A Conservative government will not be raising taxes. We will not impose a carbon tax. We will not cancel planned tax reductions for business. We will keep our spending within our means. It is that simple.
The alternative is not a plan. It is just the consequence of complete panic, and this government will not panic at a time of uncertainty.
Reacting is not panicking.
They waited...they waited...they waited to release their platform in order to:
-find out what issues are important to Canadians;
-find out what the reactions of Canadians were when other parties revealed their party platforms;
-tailor their own platform at the last minute to conform to the desires of Canadians based on the first two weeks of the election campaign.
A good idea. But they waited too long. The economy began tanking, nay, crashing. The Green party and New Democrats began wooing voters, and even Dion, whom many had written off as a blubbering professor, learned how to take a blow and come back swinging.
A Conservative ad is on right now. Denouncing the evil, evvvvvilllll carbon tax. mu ha ha ha. A forlorn looking mother looks over her daughter doing homework at the kitchen table. "I can't afford more taxes. Dion is just not worth the risk."
If anyone actually bothers to read the GreenShift proposal it is not quite so complicated nor is it expensive. In fact many other countries, as well as the province of British Columbia, have successfully implemented similar carbon taxation systems with little change to what people pay in taxes. http://www.thegreenshift.ca/ check it out. Anyways. Back to the Cons platform. Here is their luscious preamble to it from their website:
A plan for the economy vs proposals for financial disaster
October 07, 2008
Prime Minister Stephen Harper understands the global financial crisis. His plan for the way forward has been clear and consistent: balanced budgets, lower taxes, investments to create jobs and keeping inflation low.
This is in stark contrast to Stéphane Dion and Jack Layton, who have only just realized that the economy is an issue.
Excuse me? This is laughable. All party leaders were calling on Harper two weeks ago to address the issues of the economy.
Dion wants to impose a massive carbon tax that will drive up the cost of everything and hurt families.
This is quite the exaggeration. Massive carbon tax? Please see my next posting, "GreenShift 101".
Layton will increase taxes on businesses and drive jobs out of Canada.
The jobs are already being driven out of Canada! Look at the auto and manufacturing sectors in Ontario. The pulp and paper mills in Saskatchewan, BC, and New Brunswick. For the critics who say our unemployment is nearly the lowest its been in 20 years fail to realize that Canadians are losing upper-level jobs while gaining service sector and entry-level jobs.
The Liberals and the NDP are both a vote for financial disaster. They have no plan. Both parties would gamble with Canadians’ hard-earned money for short term electoral gain.
For the past year and a half, the Harper Government has been implementing a real plan to protect our economy.
The Harper Government is working for all Canadians who have a job to keep, a mortgage to pay and a retirement to save for.
What party isn't working for that?
A Conservative government will not be raising taxes. We will not impose a carbon tax. We will not cancel planned tax reductions for business. We will keep our spending within our means. It is that simple.
The alternative is not a plan. It is just the consequence of complete panic, and this government will not panic at a time of uncertainty.
Reacting is not panicking.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Political Vandalism
The recent spate of attacks/vandalism in the TO area is ridiculous. It's getting to the point where one has to say, enough. Voter's brakes are being cut, windows are being broken, phone lines and cable lines are being cut. This is not Georgia!
And yes. I fully agree with the article:
http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/abc/home/contentposting.aspx?isfa=1&feedname=CTV-TOPSTORIES_V3&showbyline=True&newsitemid=CTVNews%2f20081006%2felection2008_vandalism_081007
That it is to say, that not a particular political party or group committing these despicable acts against Liberal party supporters. Rather it is a break-off, neo-con, libertarian sort of group I assume. Somehow the Liberals are that vile. Dion is Pinochet, Hitler and Hussein reincarnated.
Thankfully the election arrives in exactly one week and we can put this latest 300 million dollars madness behind us.
And yes. I fully agree with the article:
http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/abc/home/contentposting.aspx?isfa=1&feedname=CTV-TOPSTORIES_V3&showbyline=True&newsitemid=CTVNews%2f20081006%2felection2008_vandalism_081007
That it is to say, that not a particular political party or group committing these despicable acts against Liberal party supporters. Rather it is a break-off, neo-con, libertarian sort of group I assume. Somehow the Liberals are that vile. Dion is Pinochet, Hitler and Hussein reincarnated.
Thankfully the election arrives in exactly one week and we can put this latest 300 million dollars madness behind us.
George Stroumboulopoulos
After spending 5 minutes spelling George's last name -- good god, 17 letters!? I would like to say that Strombo's The Hour has got to be one of the greatest talk shows ever. And it's George, a skilled, respectful, and dynamic host who gives such punch to the show.
Guests on the show are interviewed professionally and respectfully. Give him anyone! I mean anyone! Amy Winehouse, Spike Lee, Pink, Matt Damon, Jean Chretien, GSP - and he can make that guest feel as though they are sharing a pint with him at a quaint pub downtown. Totally relaxed, guests are able to speak as though they are doing a performance. And George is humble enough to let them.
Man it's amazing. You'll just have to watch to understand. 11 pm on CBC. weeknights:
http://www.cbc.ca/thehour/
most are on youtube as well:
Spike Lee: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx75PcDIg9c&feature=user
Sean Avery: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=RHrmbEGsIfU&feature=user
GSP: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=wbWKG26ebMw&feature=related
Jean Chretien: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=6V39405ajIU
Guests on the show are interviewed professionally and respectfully. Give him anyone! I mean anyone! Amy Winehouse, Spike Lee, Pink, Matt Damon, Jean Chretien, GSP - and he can make that guest feel as though they are sharing a pint with him at a quaint pub downtown. Totally relaxed, guests are able to speak as though they are doing a performance. And George is humble enough to let them.
Man it's amazing. You'll just have to watch to understand. 11 pm on CBC. weeknights:
http://www.cbc.ca/thehour/
most are on youtube as well:
Spike Lee: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx75PcDIg9c&feature=user
Sean Avery: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=RHrmbEGsIfU&feature=user
GSP: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=wbWKG26ebMw&feature=related
Jean Chretien: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=6V39405ajIU
Monday, October 6, 2008
Ottawa Public Transit
It is high time for improved public transit in our nation's capital. Travel to any other city, in any other G-8 nation, and you will find a transportation system that puts ours to shame.
I'm so used to hearing complaints about OCTranspo - and complaining and having people agree with me - that I was surprised yesterday to have a co-worker disagree, and actually stand up for OCTranspo. He mentioned the TransitWay - the special network of roads reserved solely for city buses - and I had to agree with him. However, when winter comes, winter comes. We have snow, ice, sleet, and slush. The transit way is not underground. Nor is it on a track which can better deal with adverse weather conditions than a road.
We do have the O-Train, but it is a dismally short track that only covers a few kilometres. Let's get some more track layed please! A light rail system to rival that of Calgary's or Edmonton's or Portland's. Make Ottawa world-class destination. An efficient and extensive public transit system is the sign of a successful city (and on the larger scale, a successful country). We need a station that runs out to Scotiabank Place (where the Sens play and where the traffic, on game nights, resembles the traffic on an LA expressway). We need a line from Orleans to Kanata. A line from Richmond to Hull.
We must establish an aggressive two-tier plan:
-between 2009 and 2020 laying of inner-city light rail track;
-between 2020 and 2030 laying of inter-urban track - we need a track running out to the Ottawa valley so that workers there can easily commute to Ottawa - tourism would also get a major boost from day shoppers;
Related links:
http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/public_consult/beyond_2020/tmp/transit/index_en.html
UPDATE:
On CTV News tonight, a test run was done with a commuter train in the Ottawa Valley. An estimated ridership of 13,000. A smooth ride. Existing track to use. The roadway is longer. News host: Is this going to be too costly for us to be worth it?
Reporter: All the other cities do it. It uses existing track. It even links up with the Ottawa transit system in several places. This could be done in a couple of years. Montreal did this in 6 months.
I'm so used to hearing complaints about OCTranspo - and complaining and having people agree with me - that I was surprised yesterday to have a co-worker disagree, and actually stand up for OCTranspo. He mentioned the TransitWay - the special network of roads reserved solely for city buses - and I had to agree with him. However, when winter comes, winter comes. We have snow, ice, sleet, and slush. The transit way is not underground. Nor is it on a track which can better deal with adverse weather conditions than a road.
We do have the O-Train, but it is a dismally short track that only covers a few kilometres. Let's get some more track layed please! A light rail system to rival that of Calgary's or Edmonton's or Portland's. Make Ottawa world-class destination. An efficient and extensive public transit system is the sign of a successful city (and on the larger scale, a successful country). We need a station that runs out to Scotiabank Place (where the Sens play and where the traffic, on game nights, resembles the traffic on an LA expressway). We need a line from Orleans to Kanata. A line from Richmond to Hull.
We must establish an aggressive two-tier plan:
-between 2009 and 2020 laying of inner-city light rail track;
-between 2020 and 2030 laying of inter-urban track - we need a track running out to the Ottawa valley so that workers there can easily commute to Ottawa - tourism would also get a major boost from day shoppers;
Related links:
http://www.ottawa.ca/residents/public_consult/beyond_2020/tmp/transit/index_en.html
UPDATE:
On CTV News tonight, a test run was done with a commuter train in the Ottawa Valley. An estimated ridership of 13,000. A smooth ride. Existing track to use. The roadway is longer. News host: Is this going to be too costly for us to be worth it?
Reporter: All the other cities do it. It uses existing track. It even links up with the Ottawa transit system in several places. This could be done in a couple of years. Montreal did this in 6 months.
Un Quebec Souverain
I`ve decided to weigh in on this thorny issue. I study in French, at a university in Quebec, and today there is a Bloc candidate holding a meet and greet conference for the student body. I can`t help but forget the issue is always there.
My g-grandparents were from Quebec. They moved out west in the 1920s seeking a better life in the "land of milk and honey". They ended up in a small, farming community in east-central Alberta, and their, alongside the LaFrance`s, the Rajotte`s, the Touchette`s and the dozens of other expatriate Quebecers, they worked the land.
I was born out west, and the only remnant of my Quebecois heritage is that of my name. This has actually served me quite well here in Quebec - I think I get a long a little better here than were my name Jonathan Harrington or Ronald Smith.
It is too bad that there is such friction between anglos and francos in Canada, and more acutely, in Quebec. I`d like to think that the two can live side by side - and they can - however, I believe, to the detriment of la langue francaise. Because, it is difficult, nay, impossible, for the native French-speaking Quebecers to maintain the dominance of the French language with the current mass migration of both old and new Canadians to their province. Many new Quebec residents are either anglophones or allophones - those who speak a language other than French or English as their mother tongue.
Many newcomers to Canada simply don't want to learn French. And who can really blame them. Imagine a family from Germany or India moving to Montreal or Gatineau. English is the language:
1 - spoken by the majority of Canadians;
2 - spoken by the majority of North Americans;
3 - that is most used in the economy;
4 - that is most used in the entertainment, technology, and sports industries.
It would seem logical therefore, that to give one`s child a leg up in Canada, and in the world, that they should be well versed in the English language.
However, Quebec is not really Canada. When you are here, you are in Quebec. They speak French here. And what`s interesting is that, the people will typically follow the institutions. French is institutionalized here: the universities, law courts, governments (local, provincial), agencies, et al., all conduct their business in French. If a new immigrant or person from out of province wants to get by in this province, he/she must learn a certain amount of French.
I used to disagree with this. I'd ask myself, "Why can`t the bus schedule be offered in English? why can't my utility bill be given to me in English? Is it not enough that I speak French with Quebecers? Must I live completely in French?" The answer is quite simple when you see it from their perspective: that they are a grain of sand, surrounded by an ocean of anglophones. (I have read/heard this line on at least four occasions in the past 6 months). And it does not matter that we english-speaking canadians may feel they are being over dramatic. Many francophone Quebecers feel that they are on the brink of losing their language, culture, and identity.
It is this fear that fuels the government to bring in laws such as the infamous Bill 101 - the language law that requires the French on a sign or label be first, and in larger print, than its English counterpart.
In English Canada we question the need for bilingualism.
"I'm qualified for this government job. Why do I need to speak French? And truth be told. Why does she have to speak French to get that job? If she lives in Calgary, Alberta and everyone speaks English, why does she need to speak French?
I would say she shouldn't have to. However. If that were the case - that federal government workers in Alberta need not speak French, why should the reverse not be true for Quebec government workers? Do the employees of Parks Canada, living and working in the Gaspe region, or the Montreal region, need to speak English if everyone else speaks French? They do.
As for the normal, every day matters like making sense of the bus schedules, restaurant menus, and street signs, we anglophones need to learn French if we are to live in Quebec. Francophones in Alberta after all, like my g-grandparents, had/have to learn English in an english-speaking province.
That's the language issue. Now to the politics behind the movement to make Quebec a sovereign state.
I have stopped using the word "separatist" to describe anti-federalist Quebecers, as it can be easily argued that they are not. In fact, the majority of french-speaking Quebecers feel that Canada was founded by TWO peoples. (They conveniently forget the issue of the Aborginal's claim to this land, however so do the anglo Canadians). Two peoples: British and French. The French were actually here and well established long before the British canadians. By the time the British conquered Quebec in the infamous battle of 1759, les canadiens had formed their own identity and culture - very distinct from the French in France - and thus many Quebecers argue, the the British were actually guilty of colonisation. (Again, forgetting the colonisation of the Aboriginals). For it was largely a peasant, and rural population that was left to deal with the British when the French army reduced its numbers in order to deal with the British elsewhere during the French/British war.
When I speak to my fellow students, or other ordinary French-speaking Quebecers, I don't hear bitter resentment. In fact a lot of Quebecers, although somewhat ignorant of the economics involved, are quite open and casual about becoming their own nation. Many students sport Quebec flags/jakets on their backpacks, wear Nordiques and Habs gear, and speak French with a passion. Professors speak openly of Quebec being a territoire rather than a province, although some even go so far as to call it a nation. Their radio and TV shows are different, their laws are somewhat different, and the culture is somewhat different, than ours out West.
The Queen is not very popular. The class indeed went silent, when I mentioned the monarchy as a level of government in Canada. I had to quickly backtrack and claim it was what we learned out West.
They call us "Canada Anglais".
My g-grandparents were from Quebec. They moved out west in the 1920s seeking a better life in the "land of milk and honey". They ended up in a small, farming community in east-central Alberta, and their, alongside the LaFrance`s, the Rajotte`s, the Touchette`s and the dozens of other expatriate Quebecers, they worked the land.
I was born out west, and the only remnant of my Quebecois heritage is that of my name. This has actually served me quite well here in Quebec - I think I get a long a little better here than were my name Jonathan Harrington or Ronald Smith.
It is too bad that there is such friction between anglos and francos in Canada, and more acutely, in Quebec. I`d like to think that the two can live side by side - and they can - however, I believe, to the detriment of la langue francaise. Because, it is difficult, nay, impossible, for the native French-speaking Quebecers to maintain the dominance of the French language with the current mass migration of both old and new Canadians to their province. Many new Quebec residents are either anglophones or allophones - those who speak a language other than French or English as their mother tongue.
Many newcomers to Canada simply don't want to learn French. And who can really blame them. Imagine a family from Germany or India moving to Montreal or Gatineau. English is the language:
1 - spoken by the majority of Canadians;
2 - spoken by the majority of North Americans;
3 - that is most used in the economy;
4 - that is most used in the entertainment, technology, and sports industries.
It would seem logical therefore, that to give one`s child a leg up in Canada, and in the world, that they should be well versed in the English language.
However, Quebec is not really Canada. When you are here, you are in Quebec. They speak French here. And what`s interesting is that, the people will typically follow the institutions. French is institutionalized here: the universities, law courts, governments (local, provincial), agencies, et al., all conduct their business in French. If a new immigrant or person from out of province wants to get by in this province, he/she must learn a certain amount of French.
I used to disagree with this. I'd ask myself, "Why can`t the bus schedule be offered in English? why can't my utility bill be given to me in English? Is it not enough that I speak French with Quebecers? Must I live completely in French?" The answer is quite simple when you see it from their perspective: that they are a grain of sand, surrounded by an ocean of anglophones. (I have read/heard this line on at least four occasions in the past 6 months). And it does not matter that we english-speaking canadians may feel they are being over dramatic. Many francophone Quebecers feel that they are on the brink of losing their language, culture, and identity.
It is this fear that fuels the government to bring in laws such as the infamous Bill 101 - the language law that requires the French on a sign or label be first, and in larger print, than its English counterpart.
In English Canada we question the need for bilingualism.
"I'm qualified for this government job. Why do I need to speak French? And truth be told. Why does she have to speak French to get that job? If she lives in Calgary, Alberta and everyone speaks English, why does she need to speak French?
I would say she shouldn't have to. However. If that were the case - that federal government workers in Alberta need not speak French, why should the reverse not be true for Quebec government workers? Do the employees of Parks Canada, living and working in the Gaspe region, or the Montreal region, need to speak English if everyone else speaks French? They do.
As for the normal, every day matters like making sense of the bus schedules, restaurant menus, and street signs, we anglophones need to learn French if we are to live in Quebec. Francophones in Alberta after all, like my g-grandparents, had/have to learn English in an english-speaking province.
That's the language issue. Now to the politics behind the movement to make Quebec a sovereign state.
I have stopped using the word "separatist" to describe anti-federalist Quebecers, as it can be easily argued that they are not. In fact, the majority of french-speaking Quebecers feel that Canada was founded by TWO peoples. (They conveniently forget the issue of the Aborginal's claim to this land, however so do the anglo Canadians). Two peoples: British and French. The French were actually here and well established long before the British canadians. By the time the British conquered Quebec in the infamous battle of 1759, les canadiens had formed their own identity and culture - very distinct from the French in France - and thus many Quebecers argue, the the British were actually guilty of colonisation. (Again, forgetting the colonisation of the Aboriginals). For it was largely a peasant, and rural population that was left to deal with the British when the French army reduced its numbers in order to deal with the British elsewhere during the French/British war.
When I speak to my fellow students, or other ordinary French-speaking Quebecers, I don't hear bitter resentment. In fact a lot of Quebecers, although somewhat ignorant of the economics involved, are quite open and casual about becoming their own nation. Many students sport Quebec flags/jakets on their backpacks, wear Nordiques and Habs gear, and speak French with a passion. Professors speak openly of Quebec being a territoire rather than a province, although some even go so far as to call it a nation. Their radio and TV shows are different, their laws are somewhat different, and the culture is somewhat different, than ours out West.
The Queen is not very popular. The class indeed went silent, when I mentioned the monarchy as a level of government in Canada. I had to quickly backtrack and claim it was what we learned out West.
They call us "Canada Anglais".
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Toronto FC
Well the Reds are still in the hunt for the MLS Cup. After an exciting 3-1 win over New York, TFC has shown they can still play. Two goals from Barrett, one from Ibrahim (only 16 years old!) and they still might have a chance.
A big problem this year has been coach Carver's constant changes to the line up. One week its Dichio and Guevara up front, the next its Carl Robinson and Rohan Ricketts. Throw in Johann Smith, Nana Attakora-Gyan and occasionally the young Ibrahim, and you have, well, a rather mixed up squad. Not that I don't believe in change. No no no. Change is good. Change is great. One player one week gets a chance, he wants to do well. Another week its another player's turn to go for goal and he wants to do well. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. There just needs to be a little more consistency.
Above all however this game proved that TFC has a great squad and can compete with the best in the MLS. When they bring their A-game, as they did in last night's performance in the Big Apple, the boys from the 416 and can really pull the rabbit out of the hat. However they'll need to keep that up. 3 games left, and TFC sits in 7th place with 31 points. 3 wins on their part, and a loss/tie on the part of a couple of the other teams in front, and it's a go. Let's see what they can do.
http://web.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20081005&content_id=193335&vkey=news_t280&fext=.jsp&team=t280
A big problem this year has been coach Carver's constant changes to the line up. One week its Dichio and Guevara up front, the next its Carl Robinson and Rohan Ricketts. Throw in Johann Smith, Nana Attakora-Gyan and occasionally the young Ibrahim, and you have, well, a rather mixed up squad. Not that I don't believe in change. No no no. Change is good. Change is great. One player one week gets a chance, he wants to do well. Another week its another player's turn to go for goal and he wants to do well. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. There just needs to be a little more consistency.
Above all however this game proved that TFC has a great squad and can compete with the best in the MLS. When they bring their A-game, as they did in last night's performance in the Big Apple, the boys from the 416 and can really pull the rabbit out of the hat. However they'll need to keep that up. 3 games left, and TFC sits in 7th place with 31 points. 3 wins on their part, and a loss/tie on the part of a couple of the other teams in front, and it's a go. Let's see what they can do.
http://web.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20081005&content_id=193335&vkey=news_t280&fext=.jsp&team=t280
The Injustice of Wrongful Convictions
In Canada and around the world, there are far too many incidents of wrongful conviction. Steven Truscott, David Milgaard, Guy Paul Morin, and many, many more. Sentenced to years, sometimes decades, for crimes they did not commit.
With recent cases in Ontario of a certain pathologist (I believe his name was Dr. Smith) who sent an estimated 25 people to jail for crimes they did not commit as a result of his trial testimonies, I feel it is time to start holding these "professionals" accountable. Enough is enough. Reports have come out whereby it is alleged that the police had overlooked crucial evidence, even doctored evidence in some cases, and incidents of complete negligence and incompetence on the part of certain prosecutors (think back to the infamous Regina v. Klassen case that came out of Martensville, Saskatchewan), have me saying enough is enough. We must start imposing penalties: suspensions from the Bar (lawyer), or force (justice of the peace), hefty fines - say 20,000 dollars per year spent in jail if person later found innocent.
It is entirely unfair that the prosecutors and police officers have the full backing of the provincial government (read: as much money as they need) and yet be so incompetent. Imagine an innocent defendant, his/her name sullied in the media, their family stigmatized, having to remortgage their house to pay for legal bills to clear themselves from an unfair charge or conviction. This is very unfair.
With recent cases in Ontario of a certain pathologist (I believe his name was Dr. Smith) who sent an estimated 25 people to jail for crimes they did not commit as a result of his trial testimonies, I feel it is time to start holding these "professionals" accountable. Enough is enough. Reports have come out whereby it is alleged that the police had overlooked crucial evidence, even doctored evidence in some cases, and incidents of complete negligence and incompetence on the part of certain prosecutors (think back to the infamous Regina v. Klassen case that came out of Martensville, Saskatchewan), have me saying enough is enough. We must start imposing penalties: suspensions from the Bar (lawyer), or force (justice of the peace), hefty fines - say 20,000 dollars per year spent in jail if person later found innocent.
It is entirely unfair that the prosecutors and police officers have the full backing of the provincial government (read: as much money as they need) and yet be so incompetent. Imagine an innocent defendant, his/her name sullied in the media, their family stigmatized, having to remortgage their house to pay for legal bills to clear themselves from an unfair charge or conviction. This is very unfair.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Crenshaw, Los Angeles
I watched Boyz N Da Hood the other week. The guys all hung out at Crenshaw - a big bar/club/car park place. Tupac also mentions crenshaw in his song, "To Live and Die in LA":
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=vVPtZywtwwo
I was forever wondering where Inglewood, South Central, Compton, Crenshaw, et al. were. We hear about these places in movies and music but few of us actually know where they are in Los Angeles.
I looked up Crenshaw on Google maps:
http://www.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=crenshaw+los+angeles&ie=UTF8&ll=33.986592,-118.370218&spn=0.041491,0.090637&z=14
Then I found out there was a Crenshaw high school as well. Home of the "Crenshaw Cougars". Actually I saw an image of a football player from Crenshaw high school on Google images when searching for "Crenshaw". That led to me discovering the high school. Anyways. This all leads somewhere.
The Crenshaw high school agenda for 2005:
http://www.crenshawhs.org/pdf/student_handbook.pdf?rn=7461927
It's really interesting to see the differences in a student agenda written for a high school in a disadvantaged area - to be politically correct - compared to the student agenda of my largely white, middle class, high school in a mid-sized prairie town. Issues such as HIV/Aids are discussed - do parents want to sign such and such a form to allow their children to take part in the safe sex program at school and be given access to free condoms. The dress code: no gang wear, red or blue shoelaces (the colours of the Bloods and Crips respectively). Stiff truancy penalties. And so on.
I think we need to pay more attention to the disenfranchised people in North American society. Tupac was quite poetic at times and spoke of the plight of poor, black Americans. There are some issues that need to be addressed. I hope that the next US President will deal with poverty in the US. Unfortunately, the looming economic recession will likely overshadow social issues such as these and with the economy front and centre, it will be middle and upper class Americans who are focused on as they are the ones who the government feels is in the best position to turn the economy around. Give me some time to do some research and see whether or not poor, disadvantaged black Americans in Los Angeles can contribute to America's economic well-being. Stay tuned.
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=vVPtZywtwwo
I was forever wondering where Inglewood, South Central, Compton, Crenshaw, et al. were. We hear about these places in movies and music but few of us actually know where they are in Los Angeles.
I looked up Crenshaw on Google maps:
http://www.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=crenshaw+los+angeles&ie=UTF8&ll=33.986592,-118.370218&spn=0.041491,0.090637&z=14
Then I found out there was a Crenshaw high school as well. Home of the "Crenshaw Cougars". Actually I saw an image of a football player from Crenshaw high school on Google images when searching for "Crenshaw". That led to me discovering the high school. Anyways. This all leads somewhere.
The Crenshaw high school agenda for 2005:
http://www.crenshawhs.org/pdf/student_handbook.pdf?rn=7461927
It's really interesting to see the differences in a student agenda written for a high school in a disadvantaged area - to be politically correct - compared to the student agenda of my largely white, middle class, high school in a mid-sized prairie town. Issues such as HIV/Aids are discussed - do parents want to sign such and such a form to allow their children to take part in the safe sex program at school and be given access to free condoms. The dress code: no gang wear, red or blue shoelaces (the colours of the Bloods and Crips respectively). Stiff truancy penalties. And so on.
I think we need to pay more attention to the disenfranchised people in North American society. Tupac was quite poetic at times and spoke of the plight of poor, black Americans. There are some issues that need to be addressed. I hope that the next US President will deal with poverty in the US. Unfortunately, the looming economic recession will likely overshadow social issues such as these and with the economy front and centre, it will be middle and upper class Americans who are focused on as they are the ones who the government feels is in the best position to turn the economy around. Give me some time to do some research and see whether or not poor, disadvantaged black Americans in Los Angeles can contribute to America's economic well-being. Stay tuned.
Economic Downturn
The TSX dropped another 800 points yesterday, dipping below the 11,000 mark. It was a similar story for the DOW-JONES I believe.
One notable stock drop was that of PotashSaskatchewanCorp. It freefell a whopping 26% shedding $36.15 in value! Almost every Canadian owns shares in this company through MFs, equities, and other investments.
http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2008/10/02/markets-drop.html?ref=rss
This is of great concern because University of Saskatchewan economics prof, Howe, went on air the other week claiming that Saskatchewan would ride these times out without much trouble. Moreover, a recent delegation from Saskatchewan, comprised of Premier Brad Wall, several cabinet ministers, the mayor of Saskatoon, Don Atchison, and 50 of Saskatchewan's biggest employers, came to Ontario to sell its brand of "land of milk and honey" to skilled immigrants in this province. "Thousands of jobs" "booming economy" were their war cries. I wonder what Premier Wall thought of yesterday's stock drop.
http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/09/30/f-saskatchewan-jobs.html
The thing people forget about economic recessions/depressions is that they can't necessarily be predicted. That is precisely why there are crashes and mass credit crunches. There are indicators and the economists of the 21st century are somewhat better informed than those of the 1920s/1930s - I would like to believe so anyways. But we'll see what happens today on the markets.
One notable stock drop was that of PotashSaskatchewanCorp. It freefell a whopping 26% shedding $36.15 in value! Almost every Canadian owns shares in this company through MFs, equities, and other investments.
http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2008/10/02/markets-drop.html?ref=rss
This is of great concern because University of Saskatchewan economics prof, Howe, went on air the other week claiming that Saskatchewan would ride these times out without much trouble. Moreover, a recent delegation from Saskatchewan, comprised of Premier Brad Wall, several cabinet ministers, the mayor of Saskatoon, Don Atchison, and 50 of Saskatchewan's biggest employers, came to Ontario to sell its brand of "land of milk and honey" to skilled immigrants in this province. "Thousands of jobs" "booming economy" were their war cries. I wonder what Premier Wall thought of yesterday's stock drop.
http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/09/30/f-saskatchewan-jobs.html
The thing people forget about economic recessions/depressions is that they can't necessarily be predicted. That is precisely why there are crashes and mass credit crunches. There are indicators and the economists of the 21st century are somewhat better informed than those of the 1920s/1930s - I would like to believe so anyways. But we'll see what happens today on the markets.
English Leader's Debate 2008
Just finished watching the debate. Must say in this election I am definitely non-partisan. But I will still vote. Just not quite sure for whom. We can vote for a candidate, a party, or a "best chance to beat ___" option.
I don't live in Quebec anymore, but if I did I might consider voting for the Bloc. I find Duceppe to be engaging and charismatic. However, he is a through and through Quebecer and seems not only to disregard other Canadians, but many facts as well. One point he made tonight, that quebec had lowered its greenhouse gas emissions by 1.6 percent from 96(?) - 2001. In that same time, Alberta increased theirs by 36 % and Saskatchewan by 63 %. Now I have lived in both Saskatchewan and Alberta for the greater part of my life and feel a strong attachment to those two provinces. Duceppe finished his point by saying Quebec should be finanically "rewarded" for this decrease in GG emissions, while AB and SK should be punished. He forgets that between 1971 and 2001 220 billion dollars! left the province of Alberta in the form of transfer payments. Guess what? In that same period of time, that same amount of money just happened to enter Quebec (in the form of transfer payments) to subsidize its manufacturing sector so that Quebecers could have jobs and see economic growth in their province. (source: CBC radio show, 2006)
I crunched the numbers on my own and every year, Quebec receives 20 billion dollars in federal transfer payments. That money comes from the "have" provinces like AB, and SK, those same GG spouting provinces that deserve to be punished financially. The industries creating GG emissions in those provinces generate a lot of wealth for Quebecers and other Canadians. No. Our GG emissions cuts should be calculated nationally!
Moving on to Elizabeth May. She had an excellent showing. She knows her facts. She reads reports. She listens to Canadians. However, her French needs some work. And as well, the Green Party supports tougher sentences for young offenders - something I DO NOT approve of. As Dion pointed out, under new Conservative proposals, a 14 year old could get life in prison! We need to get to the root of the problem.
Dion made a good showing. He plays the polite professor. Sounds a lot like Schwarzenegger actually.
Layton. VERY drippy! Talks about the "loved ones" and the "kitchen table" way too much. He smooths over his wrinkles very well. Bulges rather. For example attending the Shouldice(?) private clinic. He claims to support the public system. For "heaven's sakes" Jack.
Contention number 2. "Our country needs to improve the living conditions of its Aboriginal peoples." As Dion pointed out, he voted AGAINST the Kelowna Accord. While not a cure-all, it was a push for Aboriginal self-government in the Kelowna area whereby they would have greater control over their affairs. In the hopes that they would take better care of their people that the federal gov't has.
Finally Harper. A very good debater. Knows "when to jab, and when to parry", as Keith Boag said. More importantly, (I actually box so these metaphors do not go without merit), he knows how to move away. He did not throw any knockout punches, nor was he overly aggressive. Anyone watching would have been impressed by this seemingly down to earth "family man in a sweater".
One enormous point of contention I have was that he gave absolutely no numbers. He cited the Conservative government's investments into such and such an initiative without ever divulging whether it was 1 dollar or 1 million dollars of investments. The other four leaders used statistics and numbers and it makes an impression on the voter.
That's it for tonight. Advance polls open tomorrow.
I don't live in Quebec anymore, but if I did I might consider voting for the Bloc. I find Duceppe to be engaging and charismatic. However, he is a through and through Quebecer and seems not only to disregard other Canadians, but many facts as well. One point he made tonight, that quebec had lowered its greenhouse gas emissions by 1.6 percent from 96(?) - 2001. In that same time, Alberta increased theirs by 36 % and Saskatchewan by 63 %. Now I have lived in both Saskatchewan and Alberta for the greater part of my life and feel a strong attachment to those two provinces. Duceppe finished his point by saying Quebec should be finanically "rewarded" for this decrease in GG emissions, while AB and SK should be punished. He forgets that between 1971 and 2001 220 billion dollars! left the province of Alberta in the form of transfer payments. Guess what? In that same period of time, that same amount of money just happened to enter Quebec (in the form of transfer payments) to subsidize its manufacturing sector so that Quebecers could have jobs and see economic growth in their province. (source: CBC radio show, 2006)
I crunched the numbers on my own and every year, Quebec receives 20 billion dollars in federal transfer payments. That money comes from the "have" provinces like AB, and SK, those same GG spouting provinces that deserve to be punished financially. The industries creating GG emissions in those provinces generate a lot of wealth for Quebecers and other Canadians. No. Our GG emissions cuts should be calculated nationally!
Moving on to Elizabeth May. She had an excellent showing. She knows her facts. She reads reports. She listens to Canadians. However, her French needs some work. And as well, the Green Party supports tougher sentences for young offenders - something I DO NOT approve of. As Dion pointed out, under new Conservative proposals, a 14 year old could get life in prison! We need to get to the root of the problem.
Dion made a good showing. He plays the polite professor. Sounds a lot like Schwarzenegger actually.
Layton. VERY drippy! Talks about the "loved ones" and the "kitchen table" way too much. He smooths over his wrinkles very well. Bulges rather. For example attending the Shouldice(?) private clinic. He claims to support the public system. For "heaven's sakes" Jack.
Contention number 2. "Our country needs to improve the living conditions of its Aboriginal peoples." As Dion pointed out, he voted AGAINST the Kelowna Accord. While not a cure-all, it was a push for Aboriginal self-government in the Kelowna area whereby they would have greater control over their affairs. In the hopes that they would take better care of their people that the federal gov't has.
Finally Harper. A very good debater. Knows "when to jab, and when to parry", as Keith Boag said. More importantly, (I actually box so these metaphors do not go without merit), he knows how to move away. He did not throw any knockout punches, nor was he overly aggressive. Anyone watching would have been impressed by this seemingly down to earth "family man in a sweater".
One enormous point of contention I have was that he gave absolutely no numbers. He cited the Conservative government's investments into such and such an initiative without ever divulging whether it was 1 dollar or 1 million dollars of investments. The other four leaders used statistics and numbers and it makes an impression on the voter.
That's it for tonight. Advance polls open tomorrow.
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