The Toronto star had a front page story today about the Conservative platform (which really seems to be coming to light now).
First off, the rumour that Harper really like the states and Bush is TRUE. Don’t try telling me different either. The Liberals may not have been all out enemies of the states, but they stood their ground (Not joining the invasion of Iraq, saying no to the Star Wars/Missile Defence program, and softwood lumber).
Stephen Harper is in favour of the Missile Defence ‘shield’, which is Bush’s plan to have weapons that could shoot up into space, or shoot down to earth from space. They want to place some of these weapons and radar in Canada. The Conservatives said they want to bring this issue up again “for discussion”. What’s there to discuss? Bush has enough power without us helping him get more.
Oh, and another issues too: Stephen Harper would take Canada out of the Kyoto accord. This is the agreement that countries made to reduce their pollution emissions. Has it worked? No. Although everyone cheered when Canada joined, we’ve done nothing to follow it. Actually, our emissions are growing at a faster pace than the US’s (who, did not join the agreement.)
So, does it matter that Harper would pull Canada out? Not really, but it does show that he would do almost anything to make businesses happy. They would be the ones who would have to shell out $ to revamp their factories to be more environmental. Now they will love Harper even more.
Friday, January 13, 2006
BP: Bye to Blair
Today was a sad day over at BP. One of our crew is taking flight (and I really mean flight!). Blair, one of the new managers (and one of the greatest) is leaving for South Korea to teach kids American culture. He’ll be there for a year, and will probably experience so many new things, and grow tremendously as a person. All the best to you and your girlfriend Blair, you’ve got balls!
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Not too busy week
Time to shower!
Yes, I am going to shower, for the first time in 2 whole months....
Okay, that was just a joke. But, I am going to a baby shower! I just got your invite Judy, and am super excited. I love the card too, it’s so cute.
This past school week has been kinda quite (the quite before the storm?). I went to dinner last night with a new friend Daren. I promised to meet him over a year ago, but got swamped in school work. I had a nice time Daren, and you have to take my friends and I out to the hot spots in TO. We went to the “Underground” restaurant at school, which has great food at decent prices too.
There is also a ton of election news, but I won’t go into detail.
The Liberals want to remove the Not Withstanding clause (see post below for details.) That will never happen though, as they would need a majority government to do so, and are nowhere near getting that.
The Conservatives are all upset over the Liberal’s “attack” ads against them. So what did they do? They started running more “attack” ads against the Liberals. Oh, they’re all a bunch of babies, eh?.
Yes, I am going to shower, for the first time in 2 whole months....
Okay, that was just a joke. But, I am going to a baby shower! I just got your invite Judy, and am super excited. I love the card too, it’s so cute.
This past school week has been kinda quite (the quite before the storm?). I went to dinner last night with a new friend Daren. I promised to meet him over a year ago, but got swamped in school work. I had a nice time Daren, and you have to take my friends and I out to the hot spots in TO. We went to the “Underground” restaurant at school, which has great food at decent prices too.
There is also a ton of election news, but I won’t go into detail.
The Liberals want to remove the Not Withstanding clause (see post below for details.) That will never happen though, as they would need a majority government to do so, and are nowhere near getting that.
The Conservatives are all upset over the Liberal’s “attack” ads against them. So what did they do? They started running more “attack” ads against the Liberals. Oh, they’re all a bunch of babies, eh?.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Election: Tuition and Tax
Just some quick things:
The Liberals have promised to help pay for College and University tuition beginning in September of 2007. They would pay half the cost of your first year, and half the cost of your fourth year. This would save you up to $5.000.00
The Conservatives have promised to change the tax amount for the poorest tax bracket. Instead of taxing them 15% (like they are now taxed), they would instead tax them 16%. Yes, you read that right. The Conservatives would raise the taxes of the poorest income earners. They have also promised to lower the GST to 6%, but that benefits the rich most of all (since they spend the most).
And don’t forget to watch, or read the highlights of the leadership debate on tonight (Monday) on the CBC.
That’s it for now!
The Liberals have promised to help pay for College and University tuition beginning in September of 2007. They would pay half the cost of your first year, and half the cost of your fourth year. This would save you up to $5.000.00
The Conservatives have promised to change the tax amount for the poorest tax bracket. Instead of taxing them 15% (like they are now taxed), they would instead tax them 16%. Yes, you read that right. The Conservatives would raise the taxes of the poorest income earners. They have also promised to lower the GST to 6%, but that benefits the rich most of all (since they spend the most).
And don’t forget to watch, or read the highlights of the leadership debate on tonight (Monday) on the CBC.
That’s it for now!
Friday, January 06, 2006
Election: Equal Marriage
There was a great article in the Toronto Star on Thursday that dealt with the issue of same sex marriage. Its point was this: if the conservative win the election, even with only a minority, equal marriage laws will be lost. How could this happen? Like this:
Okay, so Stephen Harper promised to put the issue up for a vote in the house (where all the MP’s are). So, let’s say he gets elected, and does this. What happens? Well, about 80% of the Conservatives votes against equal marriage, about 40% or so of Liberals also vote against it, and the NDP and Bloc all vote in favour for it (these numbers came from how the MP's felt about this issue about a year or two ago. They're what TorStar gave). How does it add up? Well, the motion would most likely be defeated, as more people in the house have voted against it. So, then the Supreme Court would have to have its say on the issue, as they help protect people’s rights, and all that stuff. They would say again (like they did in years previous) that denying non-heterosexuals the right to marry is against the constitution. ie- it is a violation against their rights as Canadians.
So then what could Stephen Harper do? Well, he doesn’t necessarily have to listen to the Supreme Court, and he could go with the Not Withstanding clause. This allows him to override laws protecting the rights of people. A more detail definition for the government website reads that using the notwithstanding clause allows government to...
“override section 2 of the Charter (containing such fundamental rights as freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, freedom of association and freedom of assembly) and sections 7-15 of the Charter (containing the right to life, liberty and security of the person, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, freedom from arbitrary arrest or detention, a number of other legal rights, and the right to equality).
source:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/PRBpubs/bp194-e.htm
He could then move to change the constitutional definition of marriage back to being “between a man and a women”. He would them allow for “civil unions” as they just did in Britain.
Now, Stephen Harper has said repeatedly that we would NOT use the notwithstanding clause in this issue. But, the question is this: can we believe him. Many Conservative are dying for him to change the definition of marriage, and will push him to do so.
What do I think will happen? Well, I don’t see them taking away the right to equal marriage. Maybe I’m just being naive here, but I can’t see it happening. It’s something that makes Canada seem so good to the rest of the world. In Vegas, everyone knew about Canada’s equal marriage laws, and viewed it as part of an overall accepting, people-friendly image of the country. As a Canadian, I pride myself on being accepting to all different types of people, and also being treated equally by my country.
Just something to think about when researching who to vote for.
Oh, and I want to make something clear: not every member of a party supports the overall position of the party. With this issue for example, not all Liberals support equal marriage, and not all Conservatives are against it. Find out who you will be voting for in YOUR riding, it makes a huge difference on some issues (ie- abortion rights, equal marriage).
What do you think?
Okay, so Stephen Harper promised to put the issue up for a vote in the house (where all the MP’s are). So, let’s say he gets elected, and does this. What happens? Well, about 80% of the Conservatives votes against equal marriage, about 40% or so of Liberals also vote against it, and the NDP and Bloc all vote in favour for it (these numbers came from how the MP's felt about this issue about a year or two ago. They're what TorStar gave). How does it add up? Well, the motion would most likely be defeated, as more people in the house have voted against it. So, then the Supreme Court would have to have its say on the issue, as they help protect people’s rights, and all that stuff. They would say again (like they did in years previous) that denying non-heterosexuals the right to marry is against the constitution. ie- it is a violation against their rights as Canadians.
So then what could Stephen Harper do? Well, he doesn’t necessarily have to listen to the Supreme Court, and he could go with the Not Withstanding clause. This allows him to override laws protecting the rights of people. A more detail definition for the government website reads that using the notwithstanding clause allows government to...
“override section 2 of the Charter (containing such fundamental rights as freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, freedom of association and freedom of assembly) and sections 7-15 of the Charter (containing the right to life, liberty and security of the person, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, freedom from arbitrary arrest or detention, a number of other legal rights, and the right to equality).
source:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/PRBpubs/bp194-e.htm
He could then move to change the constitutional definition of marriage back to being “between a man and a women”. He would them allow for “civil unions” as they just did in Britain.
Now, Stephen Harper has said repeatedly that we would NOT use the notwithstanding clause in this issue. But, the question is this: can we believe him. Many Conservative are dying for him to change the definition of marriage, and will push him to do so.
What do I think will happen? Well, I don’t see them taking away the right to equal marriage. Maybe I’m just being naive here, but I can’t see it happening. It’s something that makes Canada seem so good to the rest of the world. In Vegas, everyone knew about Canada’s equal marriage laws, and viewed it as part of an overall accepting, people-friendly image of the country. As a Canadian, I pride myself on being accepting to all different types of people, and also being treated equally by my country.
Just something to think about when researching who to vote for.
Oh, and I want to make something clear: not every member of a party supports the overall position of the party. With this issue for example, not all Liberals support equal marriage, and not all Conservatives are against it. Find out who you will be voting for in YOUR riding, it makes a huge difference on some issues (ie- abortion rights, equal marriage).
What do you think?
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Crazy Dream
I usually have really cool dreams. But every once and I while I have one that I just have to share with everyone. This morning I had one of those:
So it starts off with me being at Wasaga beach with a group of people I don’t know. It’s a cloudy day, and the water is very wavy. Looking around, I notice that among the dozen or so people with me is Jack White, from the White Strips. I said to his sister (who was also there), “hey, that’s Jack White!” She said no, that his real name was -----, I don’t remember the name she gave me. So, I was like, okay whatever.
Then, the tide started coming in, and we realised that it was getting dangerous. Some guy came running towards us in a real hurry. He told us that the water had flooded his whole property, and to look and see for ourselves. So I did, and there above the waterline was ground, with water rushing off it (dreams defy the laws of nature). We started running up the hill of the beach, which lead down to lower ground. We kept running and then, we saw the water continuing to rush, and that it was now coming down the hill we had just come from. We went up another small hill, then down a steep hill to a building. We stopped there, and that is where I started getting scared. “where else can we go now?” I thought to myself. I went further into the wooden building, and found a squared staircase that went down a few floors. I went down a floor and heard spooky noises. I went back up and told the people that we could go down there if the water continued to come, but that there were “demons” down there. Someone said “what?” and I repeated that there were monsters down there. Anyways, we all went down a floor, and found that it connected to a big mall. While entering the mall, I noticed a guy about my age with our group. We started walking closely through the mall together. I was happy, because I didn’t feel lonely anymore, since I know had company (we might be stuck in this mall for a while). We then came to a bus stop (ya, I know that we are supposed to be inside a mall, but whatever). I went inside a shop to buy bus tickets. I bought one weeks worth, but discovered something very different about these tickets. They weren’t tickets at all, but instead, they were balloons! Those really long party balloons! And not only that, but you needed five to get on the bus, so I now had 25! They were falling and floating all over the place, as I couldn’t hang on to them all. I was so confused at this point and then I woke up.
I wish you all happy dreaming!
So it starts off with me being at Wasaga beach with a group of people I don’t know. It’s a cloudy day, and the water is very wavy. Looking around, I notice that among the dozen or so people with me is Jack White, from the White Strips. I said to his sister (who was also there), “hey, that’s Jack White!” She said no, that his real name was -----, I don’t remember the name she gave me. So, I was like, okay whatever.
Then, the tide started coming in, and we realised that it was getting dangerous. Some guy came running towards us in a real hurry. He told us that the water had flooded his whole property, and to look and see for ourselves. So I did, and there above the waterline was ground, with water rushing off it (dreams defy the laws of nature). We started running up the hill of the beach, which lead down to lower ground. We kept running and then, we saw the water continuing to rush, and that it was now coming down the hill we had just come from. We went up another small hill, then down a steep hill to a building. We stopped there, and that is where I started getting scared. “where else can we go now?” I thought to myself. I went further into the wooden building, and found a squared staircase that went down a few floors. I went down a floor and heard spooky noises. I went back up and told the people that we could go down there if the water continued to come, but that there were “demons” down there. Someone said “what?” and I repeated that there were monsters down there. Anyways, we all went down a floor, and found that it connected to a big mall. While entering the mall, I noticed a guy about my age with our group. We started walking closely through the mall together. I was happy, because I didn’t feel lonely anymore, since I know had company (we might be stuck in this mall for a while). We then came to a bus stop (ya, I know that we are supposed to be inside a mall, but whatever). I went inside a shop to buy bus tickets. I bought one weeks worth, but discovered something very different about these tickets. They weren’t tickets at all, but instead, they were balloons! Those really long party balloons! And not only that, but you needed five to get on the bus, so I now had 25! They were falling and floating all over the place, as I couldn’t hang on to them all. I was so confused at this point and then I woke up.
I wish you all happy dreaming!
Learn the Parties
Hey guys and gals. So, the election is coming up, and it’s time to start reading up. How should you decide who to vote for? Well, first of all, don't believe the generalizations about them (which are nicely are pointed out in this picture to the left).Also, you shouldn't choose based on one specific promise that they make, because they don’t have to keep any of them if they are elected.
Oh, and a big thing: Remember that you don’t vote for the party leader, just the candidate in your area. And, that person may have views that stray from the party line. So, learn who is running in your area, and find out if they share your values. It’s tricky, but it’s not that hard to become informed on all this. Keep it simple, and ask questions.
Please, please, please, if you have any questions, ask me them! Post a comment on this message, and I will answer it to the best that I can. I follow politics and have studied them in school. I’m no expert, but I can help out. So ask away, no question is stupid, ask anything.
For example: which party gave us the GST and why? or, what is this whole sponsorship scandal about?
Have fun, and here’s the main parties’ website for you to look through:
http://www.liberal.ca/default_e.aspx
http://conservative.ca/
http://www.ndp.ca/
http://greenparty.ca/
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Liberal Events of the Past Year
Maybe the Conservatives are actually losing ground. Here’s a list of ten events that occurred over the last year that counter the actions of the crazy (Christian) Conservatives. It’s from Rabble.ca, a link that is found to the left if you want to read up on other stories. You should start to, the election is only three weeks away now.
The Eye
Sreng and Veena brought over this movie called The Eye yesterday, and it was scary! It is a Hong Kong film, and deals with being able to see ghosts. It gave me chills, and had them screaming at parts. Judy, rent it, you’ll love it! Tomorrow is back to school for me, and all my free time will be gone. This semester will be my most busy ever, but thankfully I will graduate at the end of it. I'll be working every Saturday, and alternating between Fridays and Sundays. I also have to decided what I will do after school. I’ll probably finish my Marketing certificate, or get a degree in business studies. Then I have to find a job! Now, that sounds scary. Have a good week!
Oh, and I miss the sun=(
Monday, January 02, 2006
Vegas Memories 7: The Guys
While in Vegas, we met many guys. First, there was Jason’s 3 roommates (Favian, Luis, and Edgar), who were all super cool. Then I met a guy named Ike, who was was visiting from North Carolina. Through him I met Paul, who was visiting from England. He owned a hair styling place there, and was also visiting Vegas with his friends.
Then I met Eric, who was totally amazing. We met him at Free Zone, which I have already written about. I then bumped into him again at Goodtimes, totally by fluke. Sreng, Veena and I weren’t going to go out that night, but thankfully we did. The same night, Sreng met a guy named Mike, who was super sweet. I didn’t talk to him too much then (I was at the bar with Eric and his friend Tom), but we've kept in touch. Later that same night, we went with Eric to the Rainbow Bar and Grill (please, click to see pics of it), a cool Rock restaurant/bar.
Veena and I met up with Eric once more, and had a fun time bar hopping with his friend Scott. I got to meet some of Eric’s friends too while at Scott’s place. They were all really cool dudes.
Oh, and there was some strange man that followed us around to a few bars one night, but I left him with Sreng and Veena. He was odd, and didn’t make a lot of sense when he spoke. I think his name was Manny, and he served in the Marines (but doesn’t, I didn’t understand).
Anyways, we got very lucky in meeting so many new people. Hopefully we carry on friendships with some of these guys, and will get to see them again sometime.
Then I met Eric, who was totally amazing. We met him at Free Zone, which I have already written about. I then bumped into him again at Goodtimes, totally by fluke. Sreng, Veena and I weren’t going to go out that night, but thankfully we did. The same night, Sreng met a guy named Mike, who was super sweet. I didn’t talk to him too much then (I was at the bar with Eric and his friend Tom), but we've kept in touch. Later that same night, we went with Eric to the Rainbow Bar and Grill (please, click to see pics of it), a cool Rock restaurant/bar.
Veena and I met up with Eric once more, and had a fun time bar hopping with his friend Scott. I got to meet some of Eric’s friends too while at Scott’s place. They were all really cool dudes.
Oh, and there was some strange man that followed us around to a few bars one night, but I left him with Sreng and Veena. He was odd, and didn’t make a lot of sense when he spoke. I think his name was Manny, and he served in the Marines (but doesn’t, I didn’t understand).
Anyways, we got very lucky in meeting so many new people. Hopefully we carry on friendships with some of these guys, and will get to see them again sometime.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
King Kong
After Kyle's, we got some sleep, and then my friends went home. Later on, Sreng and I went to the movies with Michelle, and her friend Diana. We saw the film King Kong. I kinda wanted to see this film after JT at worked raved about it. In the end though, I thought it was crappy. That guy from that film School of Rock (Jack Black) totally ruined the mood of the film. I honestly didn’t know if I was supposed to laugh at what he said, or take it seriously. If you have seen the film, the best example of this is the last line that closes the film. Sreng and I burst out laughing when he said this, but I’m sure we were not supposed to. How the hell did he get the role?All the special effects were kinda cool, but went too far too. There were so many that sometimes it felt like I was watching the newest Dreamworks film or something. Most of the time they were totally unnecessary too. Not only that, but they didn’t look all that realistic, almost like they hadn’t been totally polished up. I wonder if the film was rushed out.
The best part of the film was the first 45 minutes or so, after that there was no story. Oh, and if plot holes bother you, don’t see this film! There are so many, such as:
How the hell did they bring King Kong home from the island?
Why didn’t that girl (Naomi Watts) freeze her titties off? It was winter, she was wearing only lingerie, and she was on the top of the Empire state building! What the Fuck?
And, where was all the blood? Hell, don’t have a film where bodies get ripped apart, and leave out the blood!
Oh, and good god, why was this film over 3 hours????! There was about half an hour of story, and a ton of useless characters. I didn’t connect to any of them, and felt nothing when they died.
Well there’s my review. If you want to go see a good movie go see Brokeback Mountain. This site gave it 5 out of 5, and gave King Kong 3 out of 5. Sorry Peter Jackson, but I hope your next film is something totally different that this.
Hello 2006!
The New Year is here! Yesterday was a lot of fun. Sreng and Veena came over, and we ate and drank. Wings, pizza, spinach dip, chips, martinis, wine, Champaign, etc. Actually, we didn’t get really drunk or anything, we just drank a bit of everything.
After we rang in the New Year’s, we went on over to Kyle’s place, jello-shooters in hand. Troy was there, along with Kyle’s regular crew. We played ping pong, some darts, listened to some cool music, and had a drink or two. It was fun. We stayed there until about 430, and then headed back to my place.
Hope all the rest of you guys had a fun and safe time. Remember to reflect on the past year, then go full steam ahead into the new one!=)
After we rang in the New Year’s, we went on over to Kyle’s place, jello-shooters in hand. Troy was there, along with Kyle’s regular crew. We played ping pong, some darts, listened to some cool music, and had a drink or two. It was fun. We stayed there until about 430, and then headed back to my place.
Hope all the rest of you guys had a fun and safe time. Remember to reflect on the past year, then go full steam ahead into the new one!=)
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Happy New Year
Happy New Years to everyone!At the end of the year, it’s a good time to look back on the past year and see how it went. For me, it was a very interesting year.
It began off badly. The Tsunami really put life in perspective, and made me feel really sad for a while. There was no one to blame, no crazed president, no war, no terrorists. It was just a blameless act of nature that killed so many people.
Even at a personal level, the year began badly. I discovered that my parents would never accept me as I am, and would rather continue believing I am as they want me to be. I granted this wish for them, but it was the nail in the coffin of our relationship. It was never great, but at least I used to think that it could be good one day. I also despise lying, especially to people I love.
Thankfully, the rest of the year was totally different. So much so, that I think it tops all years previous. This past year I worked harder than I ever have at school, while still working part time, and seeing friends and family regularly. It was a great feeling, and I even got an A in Marketing, and hopefully another in Developmental Psych. During the year I also met many new people, and had some great conversations with them. They enlightened me, and hopefully I was able to do the same.
Also, I began the year with an almost obsession with news, politics, culture jamming, and a desire to live a life in totally opposition to commercialism. Thankfully, over the year I have found a balance again. It was a fun ride in which I learned a lot about the world and myself, but it’s nice to like society again;). A big thank you to you all for bearing with me through it =).
The year was topped off with an awesome trip to Vegas where so many experiences were had. Overall, this year I really learned what my life motto means:
The struggles always made you stronger, and nothing perfect lasts. But that’s okay, because the pursuit of perfection only leads to the discovery of flaws anyways, which are also okay to have.
(If that made sense to you, then you truly have been around me too long!)
So, what’s in store for the new year? Who knows, life throws so many curve balls, eh? But, I think 2006 has these in store for me:
-I will graduate from University.
-I will continue studying to complete my Marketing certificate, or get another degree.
-I will probably keep working at BP part time.
And, that’s all the certainties that I can come up with. That’s it for me, now it’s time to start drinking!
Happy 2006 to you all!
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Vegas Memories 6: Jason
Our trip would have been half as great if it wasn’t for my friend Jason. He took us out almost every night, showing us the coolest clubs, restaurants and bars. Through him, my friends and I met many new friends, and we’re all grateful for that.
I met Jason three and half years ago in Vegas, and liked him immediately. He made my trips to Vegas with my parents much less boring. We kept in touch, and I then tagged along with him and his friends to New York this past summer. Not only that, but he helped me find direction in school studies, and life in general. Although nothing more came from our friendship, I am super grateful for it all the same. I’m sure I’ll see him again this Summer in Vegas (when I return with my parents=P).
I met Jason three and half years ago in Vegas, and liked him immediately. He made my trips to Vegas with my parents much less boring. We kept in touch, and I then tagged along with him and his friends to New York this past summer. Not only that, but he helped me find direction in school studies, and life in general. Although nothing more came from our friendship, I am super grateful for it all the same. I’m sure I’ll see him again this Summer in Vegas (when I return with my parents=P).
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Brokeback Mountain
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My friends and I saw this movie last night. I didn’t know much about it, but Sreng had told me about it before. I’m glad that he got us to see it, as it was great.It was a story about forbidden love. These two cowboys meet while working together, and fall in love. Only problem is that they live in the south USA, and it’s the sixties. I won’t tell anymore of the story, just that you should all see it. The theatre was filled, and everyone seemed to like it. It’s the first romantic drama I have seen since........well, a very long time! It was a refreshing break from the ordinary as well.