Ok I think the 'law & order' platform of the Conservatives is kind of stupid. But i was thinking the other day that it is kind of funny to see a party based largely in rural Canada complaining about 'Big City' crime. The Conservatives have few if any seats in the big cities where most of Canada's crimes take place. They hold mostly rural seats. I think almost all the seats they have in Ontario are rural seats.
They brought in David Emerson (Vancouver) and Michel Fortier (Montreal) were brought in to try and add some voices from the cities. I guess Harper didn't feel the need for any representation from Toronto, since only Liberals are there anyways.
Still i think it's pretty funny. The other thing is this whole Law & Order thing is going to be way too expensive and have no impact on crime.
May 30, 2006
May 29, 2006
Still Looking.. Jobs anyone?
Well I am still looking for a job. This is one of the longest periods of unemployment since I started working. I've had one interview and have a few things that might pan out as well.
I started too late for almost every single summer job or internship, though the one interview I had was for a summer job. So therefore this is a search for a 'real' job. Now a real job doesn't necessarily require an office, but it does have to mean something and offer some sort of possibility for a future. (This doesn't include the generic skills gained from any job)
I have started to look at volunteer work, to get me out of the house and do something new and interesting. I decided to focus on working with 'New Canadians' and on literacy work. I have an appointment this week to talk to volunteer ottawa an organization that tries to link people up with volunteer opportunities.
The time off has really been difficult for me to use efficiently. I guess it's so true that you accomplish more when you have more to accomplish. I've done some reading but being the bookworm I am I probably could've done most of it while working.
At least i've had hockey playoffs to keep me busy, and i'm not too strapped for cash right now either. Maybe with the World Cup coming up, it'll keep me occupied until I find a new job.
I started too late for almost every single summer job or internship, though the one interview I had was for a summer job. So therefore this is a search for a 'real' job. Now a real job doesn't necessarily require an office, but it does have to mean something and offer some sort of possibility for a future. (This doesn't include the generic skills gained from any job)
I have started to look at volunteer work, to get me out of the house and do something new and interesting. I decided to focus on working with 'New Canadians' and on literacy work. I have an appointment this week to talk to volunteer ottawa an organization that tries to link people up with volunteer opportunities.
The time off has really been difficult for me to use efficiently. I guess it's so true that you accomplish more when you have more to accomplish. I've done some reading but being the bookworm I am I probably could've done most of it while working.
At least i've had hockey playoffs to keep me busy, and i'm not too strapped for cash right now either. Maybe with the World Cup coming up, it'll keep me occupied until I find a new job.
May 25, 2006
At least the weather is nice...
Back from the prairies and glad to see that it is no longer gloomy and cloudy here in Ottawa. We had great weather for most of the time in Regina, it got up to about 30 for 2 days there.
It was a good time spent in Regina, we had a tour of the RCMP training grounds which was really good. i think it'll be very nice when they finish the new hertiage centre and museum which is supposed to be done next year.
Oh and my mom made me and my girlfriend aprons. That was a bonus!
It was a good time spent in Regina, we had a tour of the RCMP training grounds which was really good. i think it'll be very nice when they finish the new hertiage centre and museum which is supposed to be done next year.
Oh and my mom made me and my girlfriend aprons. That was a bonus!
May 19, 2006
On the Prairies
Well I arrived here in Regina yesterday with my girlfriend. It's the first time the two have us have been to my house here together. So far so good, it's been a lot of fun.
We even made it to the Milky Way already (it's the best ice cream shop in the world, owned by a couple of old ladies.It is truly a Regina institution), within a few hours of getting to town.
Aside from that we haven't been up to a whole lot, just relaxing, deciding on what things to bring back to Ottawa, what to leave at home. I have tons of this to do and i have only really started thinking about these things.
One thing I had already picked out was the VCR. You can't even buy these things anymore. I think it's silly, it's all about forcing people to use DVDs. OH well, the only reason I want it is so I can tape the World Cup games that i'll miss while working in JUne and July (I hope to have a job soon)
Actually it was kind of cool, because i found a lot of the tapes I recorded from the last World Cup. I forgot about that stupid haricut ronaldo had. Anyone remember that one? The triangle in front and the rest shaved.. I guess if you play soccer that well, no one cares about your fashion sense
We even made it to the Milky Way already (it's the best ice cream shop in the world, owned by a couple of old ladies.It is truly a Regina institution), within a few hours of getting to town.
Aside from that we haven't been up to a whole lot, just relaxing, deciding on what things to bring back to Ottawa, what to leave at home. I have tons of this to do and i have only really started thinking about these things.
One thing I had already picked out was the VCR. You can't even buy these things anymore. I think it's silly, it's all about forcing people to use DVDs. OH well, the only reason I want it is so I can tape the World Cup games that i'll miss while working in JUne and July (I hope to have a job soon)
Actually it was kind of cool, because i found a lot of the tapes I recorded from the last World Cup. I forgot about that stupid haricut ronaldo had. Anyone remember that one? The triangle in front and the rest shaved.. I guess if you play soccer that well, no one cares about your fashion sense
May 16, 2006
Well well...
Now this post isn't made to offend, it merely parrots some comments i've made to a few friends, and it does reflect my current thinking., You have to admit though, Michael Enright looks and talks as if he lives in New York.
Is Michael Enright an American?
Now anybody who doesn't listen to the CBC will have no idea what i'm talking about, but here goes.
I have been thinking a lot recently about how much southern Ontario feels like the US. I find a good example of this in terms of Michael Enright, he's very much a part of the CBC Toronto elite. To me he sounds like an American, he makes references to baseball rather than hockey (he did a piece on how he never learned to skate). He talks with reverence about U.S magazines like Harper's and loves to talk as if he's a part of the New York elite. He talks about the democrats more often than he does the liberal party of Canada. He uses the words liberal and conservative as if he's an American.
This is an example of how American I find Southern Ontario. After reading Lament of a Nation I realize how much this has been a result of the concious integration of the Southern Ontario into the American economy.
I don't know why i never realized this, or why it has struck me only recently. Perhaps travelling and meeting both Americans and people from Ontario made me realize this.
The funny thing is that I think sometimes Ontarians become the most stridently anti-American, because they have so few real differences from those they are criticizing
Is Michael Enright an American?
Now anybody who doesn't listen to the CBC will have no idea what i'm talking about, but here goes.
I have been thinking a lot recently about how much southern Ontario feels like the US. I find a good example of this in terms of Michael Enright, he's very much a part of the CBC Toronto elite. To me he sounds like an American, he makes references to baseball rather than hockey (he did a piece on how he never learned to skate). He talks with reverence about U.S magazines like Harper's and loves to talk as if he's a part of the New York elite. He talks about the democrats more often than he does the liberal party of Canada. He uses the words liberal and conservative as if he's an American.
This is an example of how American I find Southern Ontario. After reading Lament of a Nation I realize how much this has been a result of the concious integration of the Southern Ontario into the American economy.
I don't know why i never realized this, or why it has struck me only recently. Perhaps travelling and meeting both Americans and people from Ontario made me realize this.
The funny thing is that I think sometimes Ontarians become the most stridently anti-American, because they have so few real differences from those they are criticizing
May 15, 2006
Fun weekend
I had a good weekend. Had some friends over friday night, went out saturday and saw another friend on sunday. All in all some good times.
It was pretty interesting on saturday night actually, because it was somthing of a miny reunion from my high school. I hung out with 3 girls who i went to high school with. Now these were not people that I knew all that well, but it was still fun to reminisce and enjoy thinking about high school. Not something I do very often!
I think it's pretty neat though, how because we went to the same school, we can chat it up, even though we would never have hung out in highschool. It's fun, I mean these are not people I see myself becoming best friends with but at the same time it's nice to chat and hear stories about what other people are doing.
People change so much after high school (well in my case, the people that left the city did) and it's interesting to see where life can take people.
That's all for now
It was pretty interesting on saturday night actually, because it was somthing of a miny reunion from my high school. I hung out with 3 girls who i went to high school with. Now these were not people that I knew all that well, but it was still fun to reminisce and enjoy thinking about high school. Not something I do very often!
I think it's pretty neat though, how because we went to the same school, we can chat it up, even though we would never have hung out in highschool. It's fun, I mean these are not people I see myself becoming best friends with but at the same time it's nice to chat and hear stories about what other people are doing.
People change so much after high school (well in my case, the people that left the city did) and it's interesting to see where life can take people.
That's all for now
May 08, 2006
Another blog?!?!?!?!
I decided to start another blog. This one will be more academic minded, more serious, an area where I can start to think about different topics in a more in depth manner. I don't imagine that nearly as many people will visit it as this site, but it's for me to start writing on more serious topics. I have been doing a lot of thinking about how I miss certain aspects of academia, I miss the debates and the conversations. I hope to spend more time doing research and thinking about things this summer, and writing. I need the practice, and I need to start taking writing more seriously.
If I am do go and do my masters I need to improve my writing skills, and I hope this can be a part of the process.
If I am do go and do my masters I need to improve my writing skills, and I hope this can be a part of the process.
May 07, 2006
Nice and Quiet weekend, job Interview tomorrow
Not a whole lot going on around here this weekend. Had a few people over tonight and it was nice. We tried something new in the kitchen and it worked out well.
I have a job interview tomorrow, i hope it goes well. I am in need of a job. This particular job that I have applied for looks like it could be a good fit, but i'm still a bit nervous. Even more so because it's a bilingual interview and I haven't been speaking much French lately. I just hope it goes well even if I don't get the job.
I've only really had one bad interview and it was a while ago and not for a position I really wanted. So hopefully that can continue.
Actually for some odd reason the person who phoned me, gave me the names of the three people who will be interviewing me. I did what most people my age probably would think to do with that info, I googled them. I could only find two out of three but it was pretty interesting. I got a photo of one of them to turn up.
I have a job interview tomorrow, i hope it goes well. I am in need of a job. This particular job that I have applied for looks like it could be a good fit, but i'm still a bit nervous. Even more so because it's a bilingual interview and I haven't been speaking much French lately. I just hope it goes well even if I don't get the job.
I've only really had one bad interview and it was a while ago and not for a position I really wanted. So hopefully that can continue.
Actually for some odd reason the person who phoned me, gave me the names of the three people who will be interviewing me. I did what most people my age probably would think to do with that info, I googled them. I could only find two out of three but it was pretty interesting. I got a photo of one of them to turn up.
May 03, 2006
Budget
Well this is my first political post in a while.
Essentially I want to talk about the fiscal imbalance. I think it's a bit ridiculous for the provinces to complain about money. They are the ones that created this problem by cutting taxes so much in the 1990s. Yes federal coffers are bulging, however this was the plan, they decided to balance the books, and have done a really good job managing the federal treasury. Yes they did this in part by screwing the provinces.
However the real problem with Canadian federal provincial squabbling is about jurisdiction. The federal government has a lot of money, the issues that Canadians care about are mostly in provincial jurisdiction. Thats the cruz of the problem.
Harper has a solution, and I must say I like it better that Martin's plan (if he even had one). Essentially Harper is going to cut taxes at the federal level, reducing the pot of money the provinces complain about, and he is also going to reduce federal intrusion into the provincial jurisdiction. Essentially he is making the provinces more responsible. A lot of people complain about decentralization, but there is already a large degree of it in health care and education. The federal government has not been able to get any concessions out of the provinces in return for holding the purse strings anyways.
I think it will actually make for better federal provincial relations, especially if the provinces start working together (like Alberta and BC seem to be doing) on issues of mutual concern. The one thing it will also do is force provinces to be more accountable, they won't be able to bitch that Ottawa isn't helping them enough as much( though i know they'll still complain). I'm really curious to see what the full effect will be if he follows through in the way I think he will
Will it transform federal politics?, damn straight it will. Will it be bad for Canada? Well allI have to say about that is that, nothing Harper will do can be any worse than the ridiculous lack of focused policy of Paul Martin's Liberals.
I have to say that I believe that Paul Martin was the worst Prime Minister since I've been alive. (I admit freely however that there haven't been many PMs..)
Essentially I want to talk about the fiscal imbalance. I think it's a bit ridiculous for the provinces to complain about money. They are the ones that created this problem by cutting taxes so much in the 1990s. Yes federal coffers are bulging, however this was the plan, they decided to balance the books, and have done a really good job managing the federal treasury. Yes they did this in part by screwing the provinces.
However the real problem with Canadian federal provincial squabbling is about jurisdiction. The federal government has a lot of money, the issues that Canadians care about are mostly in provincial jurisdiction. Thats the cruz of the problem.
Harper has a solution, and I must say I like it better that Martin's plan (if he even had one). Essentially Harper is going to cut taxes at the federal level, reducing the pot of money the provinces complain about, and he is also going to reduce federal intrusion into the provincial jurisdiction. Essentially he is making the provinces more responsible. A lot of people complain about decentralization, but there is already a large degree of it in health care and education. The federal government has not been able to get any concessions out of the provinces in return for holding the purse strings anyways.
I think it will actually make for better federal provincial relations, especially if the provinces start working together (like Alberta and BC seem to be doing) on issues of mutual concern. The one thing it will also do is force provinces to be more accountable, they won't be able to bitch that Ottawa isn't helping them enough as much( though i know they'll still complain). I'm really curious to see what the full effect will be if he follows through in the way I think he will
Will it transform federal politics?, damn straight it will. Will it be bad for Canada? Well allI have to say about that is that, nothing Harper will do can be any worse than the ridiculous lack of focused policy of Paul Martin's Liberals.
I have to say that I believe that Paul Martin was the worst Prime Minister since I've been alive. (I admit freely however that there haven't been many PMs..)
May 02, 2006
Wedding Weekend and a trip to Niagara Falls
I had never been to Niagara Falls before last weekend. The end of the weekend consisted of an early morning trip to Niagara, because we were so close and a few of us had never been there before.
I have to say I was a lot less impressed than I thought I would be. I enjoyed it, and I thought it was also neat to see how close it was to the U.S border. Ultimately though i'd classify it as one of those things you have to do once in your life.
The wedding itself was a really really nice event. Perfect setting for the reception. It looks like i'll be in some of the wedding pics, they had a professional photographer and everything so i'm looking forward to seeing those.
All in all a really good weekend.
It's nice to be able to relax now though. I have nothing going on until the 18th when I head back to Regina, so it's a nice feeling. Things are also looking up on the job front, I found a few jobs to apply for so hopefully (crossed fingers) something will turn up soon
I have to say I was a lot less impressed than I thought I would be. I enjoyed it, and I thought it was also neat to see how close it was to the U.S border. Ultimately though i'd classify it as one of those things you have to do once in your life.
The wedding itself was a really really nice event. Perfect setting for the reception. It looks like i'll be in some of the wedding pics, they had a professional photographer and everything so i'm looking forward to seeing those.
All in all a really good weekend.
It's nice to be able to relax now though. I have nothing going on until the 18th when I head back to Regina, so it's a nice feeling. Things are also looking up on the job front, I found a few jobs to apply for so hopefully (crossed fingers) something will turn up soon
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)