Sarah Palin in Canada can only go so far

According to The National Post, Canada’s conservative paper, Sarah Palin made quite an impression in Calgary, Alberta, probably the only place in Canada where people will listen to her drivel. The Globe and Mail’s coverage was decidedly more fair and balanced, noting that Palin’s approval rating in the United States remains quite low.

Among Palin’s supporters in Calgary were members of the Wildrose Alliance party. I had never heard of the Wildrose Alliance, so I assumed they were a far-right party Alberta-based party that thought the Canadian Conservative party too moderate. And it looking at their platform, it appears that I was right. They rehearse some of the talking points of the United States’ Republican Party, including “school choice,” super-low taxes and and super-small government. They call for “innovative new ideas that deliver health care more efficiently,” which undoubtedly is code for more private sector involvement and market-based initiatives (some of which I might support, provided nobody lost access to the high-quality and affordable healthcare the Canadian system already provides). The Wildrose Alliance party also recognizes “that families are a cornerstone of society and must be maintained.,” their paean to Christian conservatism.

But, and here’s the important but, not only will they never have real power, (and least, I sure as hell hope they won’t), but they’ll never be able to touch Canada’s universal healthcare, or support of gay marriage, or abortion rights, or other good things that are so entrenched in Canadian cultural and political life.

There are lunatics and idiots who support Sarah Palin in Canada, sure. But they are in an extreme minority, and can only go so far. And I though I’m living in the United States now, I’m thankful that Canada, despite it’s unfortunate Conservative government right now, remains a sensible place that I can call home.

[Via http://threews.wordpress.com]

Exclusive Membership

Isria – Reports submitted by the Governments of Argentina, Mexico, New Zealand and Uzbekistan on measures taken to implement the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights will be reviewed by the Human Rights Committee at its ninety-eighth session, which will be held in New York at United Nations Headquarters from 8 to 26 March 2010…

The following 165 States have ratified or acceded to the Covenant: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

[Via http://downwitheverybody.wordpress.com]

Bye Canada

As many of you know, I am in the software business and have been for almost 18 years. My photography is my outlet, and FPT is my side business. Recently, this last year has had me working in Vancouver, BC.  My time there finally ended on Feb 26th as I said goodbye to my team and came back to Seattle for new adventures in the life of a technical professional. On my way out I took a few pictures. These next three are my final images from Canada.

183 Squared

Down the Alley

I guess its time to go find some new shots. I really havent taken anything since these. My thanks to the great people of Vancouver. I had a wonderful time in this fantastic city. Living in downtown for a year was a blast and the scenery around Vancouver is amazing. If you have never been there I highly recommend it.

[Via http://facesplacesandthings.info]

Margaret Wente's idea of retirement, slightly skewed

Fishing is what conventional retirees do.

By Ashliegh Gehl

Thinking of retirement? If yes, consider rubbing elbows with Margaret Wente’s circle of friends. It’s a taste-test of how sweet retirement can be; or at least Wente’s romanticized, slightly unrealistic version of it.

In her column, “Is there life after retirement?” in The Globe and Mail, Wente tiptoes through a handful of retired friends. One by one Wente gingerly introduces the reader to an assortment of exotic fruits, the kind retirement could potentially bear.

Who knew there was more to retirement than early morning games of golf or a summery Alaskan cruise under the midnight sun. These conventional forms of retirement, as Wente calls them, may not be so conventional anymore. After all, who can afford to take the financial leap when Canadians are constantly reminded of how poorly the economy is doing.

“Only 38% of Canadians contributed to an RRSP by the March 1 deadline, a poll commissioned by BMO Financial Group found. About 56% saying they had decided not to contribute and 6% preferred not to answer,” the Toronto Sun reported yesterday.

Why did less than half of Canadians not contribute to RRSP’s? The BMO survey found two-thirds mentioned a lack of cash was the primary reason.

On Feb. 26, the Ottawa Citizen reported RRSP’s dropped from 6 per cent in 2007 to just above 5 percent in 2008.

“I think it’s very common that people will think of what their current needs are for money, as opposed to what their needs might be down the road,” said Executive Director Gena Katz, of Toronto-based Ernst & Young’s tax practice, in the Ottawa Citizen.

If Canadians are barely covering costs now, making sure finances are secured come retirement is a distant, even nonexistent thought. When people are focused on the now, building schools in a different country does not register on the mental radar. Food, shelter, and family is what comes first.

The only plausible and realistic point Wente makes involves how Boomers inching into retirement are being portrayed.

“Boomers, we are warned, will soon be a huge drain on society.

As they age into senility, their pension entitlements and medical demands will suck the system dry. They will consume far more than they produce,” says Wente.

If there is any hint of agreement in perspective with Wente, it rests in knowing a handful of Boomers who are not societal drains with 911 on speed-dial. Retirees can choose to live actively, contributing to the communities in which they live.

What was most interesting about Wente’s pedestal-retirees, who may be setting to the bar for lofty-retirement goals, is what they chose to do. Two examples chose to work internationally while the other two focused energies at home.

“I’m betting that there are lots of people like the Ebys out there, and that there will be more and more as the boomers gradually age out of their careers,” Wente writes. 



What the Ebys are doing is honourable. It’s a goal they have set for themselves and from what Wente has disclosed, a lot is coming from it. Let’s hope there are more people like Wente’s two other examples who are keeping the good work they do in the country.

If Boomers are thought of as drains, one way to dispel the myth is to not be a part of the problem, but create solutions.

[Via http://agehl.wordpress.com]

HOT OFF THE PRESS: Should Canada change its national anthem?

Should Canada change its national anthem?

3 March 2010

Oh, Canada… In the wake of potentially the greatest cultural and patriotic moments the annals of your history, parliament wants to change the national anthem –seriously.

The Governor General Michaelle Jean announced in today’s throne speech that we, Canada, should adopt a more gender-neutral phrasing of the Canadian anthem:

“True patriot love in all thy sons command”

Yes, that one part, that one word, in the Canadian anthem is under the scrutiny of political correctness all for the sake of…I don’t even know.

In case you were wondering, the revised version may go something like this:

“True patriot love thou dost in us command”

If this is the government’s way of trying to rouse patriotism in an effort to preserve and protect something that, in itself, is perfectly fine, this is not the way.  If this is the government’s way of delaying further action without requestion a third prorogation, congratulations.  I think the Leader of the Opposition Michael Ignatieff got it right in calling out the government for taking no real action on women’s equality, and simply putting forth symbolic gestures.

In all reality, what does this act achieve? Personally, I feel that national anthems, especially Canada’s, are inherently inclusive — after all, that’s kind of the point of a national anthem.  I doubt any of the Olympic female athletes were contemplating the socio-political implications of gender-bias phrasing while they were winning gold last month.

Nevertheless, I kind of get it?  Change isn’t easy and always comes with resistance, and this is all in the name of social progress.  And, our discourse and phrasing shapes and alters the way we should think about and approach issues — theoretically.  But, does it really? Will changing this one word in the Canadian anthem change the way in which we approach gender issues in Canada?  Will further equality of rights for men and women?  Doubtful.  What is more, I don’t think it will be worth the social backlash this government will face in today’s papers.

I think I speak on behalf of the majority of Canadians when I ask, “Is this really happening?!”

Anyone else think Canada’s due for a referendum?

Original Story:

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2010/03/03/o-canada-anthem.html

[Via http://avenuel.wordpress.com]

Some peoples lives are so intertwined...

Some peoples lives are so intertwined… Really…Read this story…

When I was in high school back in the 80’s, I attended a national encampment as a girl scout. There, I met Melissa who was to be my pen friend for the rest of high school. She was a girl scout from Nueva Vizcaya, a northern Philippine province. In the 80’s, keeping in touch meant writing letters. No, not e-mails, but handwritten letters that took about a week to send by mail.  Giddy teenagers that we were, we exchanged stories all throughout high school and sent each other our latest photos with our high school buddies. By the time, we reached 4th year high school, Melissa spoke of the possibility of  attending the University of the Philippines (UP), where I was already attending high school and where I hoped to continue my university studies. I promised to send her a letter when the results of the entrance exams came out. When they did, however, I did not see her name on the list of new students. Thus, I decided not to send her a letter.

The next thing I knew, she was telling me that she was attending college at UP. I was surprised and felt guilty that I hadn’t looked closely enough for her name.

And so our freshman year at the same university started – without us seeing each other. Cellphones were not yet in vogue then so it was not easy to keep in touch even with someone who was probably just around the corner. Then one day, inside the G Miranda Bookstore on campus, I bumped into Melissa. We stared at each other for a few seconds before both letting out a loud , “Oh my God!”

Unfortunately, we could only squeeze in a few lines because I was late for an appointment and had to rush. After that chance meeting, the rest of college life was uneventful for us.

Fast forward to 1995. I was in Ontario, Canada visiting my friend, Brenda. Brenda left before we could finish college and she was continuing her education in Toronto. I would oftentimes tag along whenever she went to class but always stayed in the library while waiting for her. While having lunch one day, she introduced me to one of her Filipino classmates named Brian. Brian started to ask me about home, the Philippines. He told me where he was from and that he remembered a girl he had had a crush on since high school. I told him that I knew someone from his province named Melissa. He said, “Oh, that is also the name of the girl I like so much.”  Then, I went on to tell him my pen friend’s full name. Then Brian gaped at me. “That’s the name of the girl I want to marry!”

It turned out that that Brian and Melissa were high school batchmates before Brian left the Philippines.

“What?! Oh, my God?! Really?! What a small world!”, was all could say in my utter amazement.

The following year, I was back in Manila, Philippines. I went out for dinner and a movie with some friends one night. They invited a guy named James to join us. James was a visitor from Mississauga, Canada. After dinner, we were walking to the movie theater when I tried to make small talk with James and asked him about his family in the Philippines. He told me his relatives were from Nueva Vizcaya. I told him nonchalantly that I knew someone from there.

“Solano”, that’s where my friend is from, ” I said.

“Don’t tell me your family is from there,” I  joked.

He said, “Yes, they are.”

“Oh, don’t tell me you know Melissa (I mentioned her surname).”

“She’s my cousin.”  James said.

“No way. I don’t believe this!”

This is a story that I never grow tired narrating to people. And each time, I could only smile and be amused at how the lives of two individuals, who otherwise exist independently of each other, intertwine at several points.

Melissa is not my best friend. We do not celebrate our birthdays together. We do not bother to announce to each other the important milestones in our lives. We do not hang out together. All of our encounters are unplanned.

But because of this story, I always speak of her fondly. And whenever we see each other, I do feel like some cosmic force binds our lives together. She must feel that way, too.

And did I mention that the men we married knew each other from college?

And that Melissa’s sister was my colleague at my first job?

I am already looking forward to the next encounter…

[Via http://filipinaathome.wordpress.com]

How do you Protect Canada?

Often I feel like I’m a madman with a sign, there are so many issues to defend. Through my background I have spent much time in Nature, the outdoors, mostly in my province which is British Columbia.

It all comes down to what you want. Do you want an environment. Do you know what you want ….. be informed.

People get all fuzzy when they come to Vancouver because they have not seen anything like it.

Great I am proud of my city I was born here.

I rode around the seawall the other day met people from all over the world and told them you could spend several lifetimes here and not experience all the natural wonder. We have 27,000 kilometres of kayak-able coastline 2.5 Germany’s can fit into BC. Exploration and discovery if you want its here but sadly it is being quickly eroded.

The beauty of our city is something to behold and is easily showcase-able its initial image is positive but is superficial.

Just like the Olympic marketing ploy of Whistler; I traveled to Squamish he other day brilliant sun 15C not a snowflake in sight this winter yet they have a snowplow running on the salted highway and and a new vehicle chain-up sign at Britannia Beach. Carry chains beyond this point from October to May. They moved that sign south by about 30 km and then its like December to February if at all.

It’s all apart of marketing speak to make something seem as it is not.

In the outstanding Olympic opening Grizzly Bears and Orca’s are used as iconic representations of this province yet we do little to protect them. Grizzly’s are hunted, Orca populations are stressed, by pollution, lack of salmon and in fact pre-1950’s we used to kill them too.

As we speak a lake ironically called FISH, with 85000 trout has been given the go ahead by our forward thinking provincial gov’t to be used as a mine slag pit.

Dutch Shell (Nigeria eco-disaster fame) is about to develop in the headwaters of the Stikine, Nass and Skeena which will threaten our north coast Salmon. We have lost the south coast fishery.

All this and more is out of the minds eye of most people. If the gov’t sez it’s alright it must be?

But then again you can not change it can you? 2 out of 4 million people did not vote in the last provincial election. I urge you to vote, contact your federal and provincial MLA’s make them work for their 160+ grand/year. Maybe your children will see the land, and get a sense of place does that matter to you?

IED’s are taking out Canadians in Afghan land did they die for nothing? How are you protecting Canada?

…… am I irritating you

[Via http://aboutsportsblg.wordpress.com]