Thursday, November 30, 2006

Alternate Universe

By far the strangest thing for me last night was watching the Dean promotional video right before he, actually right before Frank McKenna (who introduced Dean) arrived on stage.

It was a great 2-3 minute clip about the origins of Howard Dean... "Helper of the Sick" "Saviour of his town" (or something along those lines). Anyway the video was great, v oriented towards his work in the US of A. For a moment, I was starting to feel a nice link to my past couple of weeks in DC during the mid-terms.

It was a great little campaign video... The only thing that was really funny for me was that it was like watching one of the campaign ads for the mid-terms but in two official languages... Which totally threw me... I mean obviously it would be in the to official languages - but I got so use to watching American political campaign ads recently, that it was almost as if, I was back in DC, switched on the t.v. and half way through a Webb commercial he switched into French...

I thought Dean's speech was good. The crowd, in the lead up to the speech, seemed a bit apathetic... but maybe that's cause we didn't know in advance that there'd be like 15 opening acts (or at least I didn't know - damn it, there I go using the royal we again)... and the thing started about an hour behind schedule. No problem, but I was beyond thirsty and finding water was kind of like divining in the middle of the Namib desert..


Though I wanted to blog more about the convention, just came across this v interesting website that tracks feelings in the blogsphere. Apparently every few minutes it does a search of blogs and find sentences that begin with "I feel" or today "I am feeling". Then it arranges the "feelings" by location, weather, gender. It's v visually pleasing actually and looks like there are all these emotions bouncing around in blogsphere space.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Oh, So I am IN! ... Or am I?

Not a moment too soon after arriving back in my home and native land (or make that nation), I am greeted with the news that seems to rectify all of my identity crisis issues. It seems that, according to my Premier, Jean Charest, I am, after all, a member of a nation that might not have wanted me as a member.

I can now thump my chest with pride, stand up straight, and wake up in the morning, knowing that after over 4 generations of my family in this province and complete bilingualism, I too am finally part of the Quebecois nation...

....or maybe not... It also seems that the federal Conservative government, the gospel according to Cannon (who, I think has 100 years of family lineage in Quebec, over me, nah nah nah) doesn't think that I am "in" the nation...hmmm... Then, didn't Senator LeBreton say something?

...hmmmm, looks like I am back to my precarious state of identity crisis once again.

Listen, I was hoping to get this whole thing sorted before I have to leave on Sunday. I was looking forward to testing out my two simultaneous identities (or not) before returning to the States and continue my listless identity as someone from that strange country north that Americans (unfortunately) rarely consider...

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Off To the Convention - Tra la la!

My bags are packed and sitting next to me here in the office. Am off soon to catch my afternoon flight! Cannot wait to get home and to go vote for STEPHANE DION!

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Just As Wells

After initial reluctance and some blogging prodding, I final hunker down and give a serious attempt to Paul Wells' Right Side Up.

I get all organized: I clear my mind, take off the book's dustcover (noting with interest that Wells' and I actually went to the same school in France... that school in and of itself is quite an experience, so I tend to feel some sort of underlying understanding with anyone who has gone through a similar process of writing endless “plan en deux parties”...), I arrange for provisions to be within arms’ length, fluff the pillows, install myself on the couch, grab a duvet, and dig in...

...6 hours later and I'm on page 185... turns out, that Paul Wells was wrong (see his comment on my initial post Drowning in the Wells).... cause it actually does get better... Somewhere, not too long after he mentions Delacourt’s Juggernaut (maybe just the very word triggers a pavlovian reaction) and I am fully ensconced. I finally manage to get past the narrator’s voice and let the words lull me into the down and dirty of political campaigning and party organizing details.

Waves of nostalgia and sadness creep up when reviewing some of the Libs campaign strategies and yet somehow I am strangely assuaged when Wells' follows up with analysis and dissection of "groupthink" as applied to "The Board"...

Only another hundred and some odd pages left… but so far, the book is working well to satisfy my political fix… just in time to gear up for my return home and gather up energy to blow up my thundersticks and head out to the roar of the convention…

I promised my colleague that I’d have the book back to him before I leave on Tuesday… looks like I’ll have to buy the book after all... just as well.

Saturday, November 25, 2006

Recommending Reading

Today's Editorial in the Globe and Mail and an what looks like a ringing endorsement from Mr. "politically and candidate neutral" progressive blogger Scott Tribe...

I highly recommend both as quality prerequisite reading; part of any good delegate's groundwork prep prior to the convention. Oh, that and Cherniak's everything you ever wanted to know about the Liberal Party's constitution.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Summer Sunset in New Zealand

Inspired by Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy and too stuffed with turkey to write properly, please find below pictures of the sun setting on the other side of the world...



Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Identity Crisis

Okay, so, the Prime Minister of Canada just introduced a motion saying that Quebecers are a nation within a United Canada...

Right. Okay, so as I've said before. I'm a forth - or come to think of it perhaps fifth-generation-Quebecer. I grew up in Quebec, I went to all levels of schooling in Quebec. I'm bilingual. I speak English with my parents, but I can switch into French without really thinking about it. I did my Master's in political science all in French. I probably felt my Quebec identity most strongly when I was living in France, more so than when I was living in Italy or Namibia or the States (but I think that's primairily because the French actually know what Quebec is and where you can find it on a map).

So now, apparently, the PM thinks that I am a member of a nation inside the United Church of Canada...(oops I meant United Canada). I'm not really sure what that means. Do I get to behave differently? Now that I belong to the Quebecer nation can I get that cool dual nationality thing I've been hangering for? How does this define me? What on fricken earth does this actually really mean?

Anyone???

PMO Frenglish?

Does anyone notice anything about this PMO media advisory or is it just me?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Public events for November 22, 2006

November 22, 2006
Ottawa, Ontario

Public events for Prime Minister Stephen Harper for Wednesday, November 22nd are:

Ottawa, ON

Following Question Period today, at approximately 3pm, Prime Minister Stephen Harper will speak in the House of Commons. He will be addressing the issue of les Québécois being a nation.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maybe it's just that as une anglophone Quebecoise that I feel all mixed up inside about the use of pronouns...

I can't wait to hear what le Prime Ministre has to say...

Monday, November 20, 2006

Wellian Rebuttal

Since Paul Wells' comment on my blog, we've had an interesting email exchange about the tone and style of his book. I thought (and with Mr. Wells' permission), that I'd share the emails with you. In the end, I think that you’ll find he offers a cogent argument for his narrative style and ultimately provides me with what I asked for in the first place: i.e. perhaps some motivation to get over my reader’s block and get past page 6.

To recap, in response to my post critiquing his book, he commented:

“It doesn't get any better. Thank god you didn't buy it.”

To which I emailed back:

From: jasminejohansson@yahoo.com
Sent: Mon 11/20/2006 11:16 AM
To: Paul Wells
Subject: Re: Drowning in the Wells
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I actually got to page 14 last night. It got better. Till the part about not noticing Harper in the bar... Maybe it just comes and goes in waves...

Hope I didn't offend. Maybe my comments just stem from slight disappointment cause I have an extemely high regard for your journalistic ability.

And you must realize that all of us who criticize are just jealous anyway...

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To which he responded:

Message from "Paul Wells" on Mon, 20 Nov 2006 11:30:01 -0500 -----
To:
RE: Drowning in the Wells Subject:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please don't worry about being critical or not liking my style. There's nothing wrong with your reaction. It is my style; it's highly personalized; and people who want an authoritative account are often put off by it. I'll be fine. The overwhelming reaction has been extraordinarily positive. I'd cite some of the people who've said nice things, but that would only confirm what Frank says about my ego.

One thing, though. I put myself in my book to *emphasize* that it's only one person's experience and account. To me, being in the book isn't self-aggrandizing, it's coming clean with the reader. I wrote the long Maclean's article on which the book is based in the antiseptic third person. It wasn't any harder or easier. But the voice of authority I affected in that piece was much *more* of an artificial construct than the I-was-over-here-and-I-spotted-this narrative. Also the Macleans' article was a hell of a lot less funny, and I'm happy to alienate readers who don't want a political book to be funny.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And then he added:

To:
RE: Drowning in the Wells Subject:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you ever get your hands on a copy of an obscure book called Trail Fever by a famous writer named Michael Lewis, you'll find a book that (a) is allllllll about the author (b) contains extraordinarily rich insights into politics (c) is side-splittingly funny (d) obviously influenced me more than you would like.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Drowning in the Wells

In the "capital of the free world", hunting down Paul Wells’ book (now apparently #4 on the Canadian bestseller list), is no easy feat.

I started my search last weekend when I was hankering for some good Canadian political nostalgia.

First stop: Barnes and Nobles in Georgetown, arguably one of the largest bookstores inside the District. I start browsing in the politics section – nothing. Then the history section (hey, the fall of Paul Martin component – is now one for the history books)… anyway, there I am in the history section, going through the different sections: South African history, Brazil, Mexico, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Hungary…. Hmmm … Canada? Nothing. Ireland and Mexico, yes… Canada, zero (For god sakes, it was almost like being at the World Cup!)

So, I decide to ask.

I aim low: “Do you have any books on Canadian politics or history?” “Uh, Canadian?” “Yes, Canada” I clarify. A brief look on the computer system reveals that the one and only book on hand was a book on comparing US and Canadian political systems. Oh and they didn’t have it in stock. I have to order it.

Next stop. Amazon dot com. Turns out that I can get it sent to my doorstep for $34.00 approx. American dollars at that. If I get it sent home to Montreal, I can have it for 21.00$. Oh and there is a review of the supplier to the US, from the last person who ordered, saying that they’d never buy a book from that supplier again. Hmmm… So do I get it sent home to Montreal and then resent to me in DC? Or should I risk the supplier for $13 US dollars extra? Tricky. Very tricky.

Not one to resist a challenge, I start asking other Canadian colleagues at work. As luck would have it, one of them had ordered it and finished it and offered to share it. Ah, mission accomplished!

So I delve in. I can’t wait. The last book on Canadian politics that I read as Susan Delacourt’s Juggernaut. And I just couldn’t put that one down. Nothing gives me more pleasure than getting lost in a really-can’t-put-it-down-for-a-second pager turner book. And that’s what Juggernaut was for me.

Now, as soon as I started reading, I can’t help compare Well’s Rise and Fall to Delacourt’s Juggernaut. Maybe that’s an unfair juxtaposition. Maybe it’s just cause the first time I met Wells was actually with Delacourt…

I was at some event for this Canada25 group that a friend of mine was involved in and she got me to come along to hear Wells and Delacourt talk about their experiences in political journalism. I know this sounds strange, but at that time, I had just returned to Canada after 6 years abroad (way farther abroad than the country next door) and I had no idea who they were. Despite my ignorance, I found them impressive: frank, honest, challenging, and well spoken. Balancing pints on their knee (well, Wells was…I can’t remember what Delacourt was drinking) and pontificating on the state of the nation. It was a nice. A sort of fireside-ish chat with the Canada25ers policy wonks.

So after all of this rambling, the trip down memory lane and the trials and tribulations of getting my hands on Wells’ book, I couldn’t wait for a moments peace this weekend, to finally crack it open. Imagine my disappointment that I can’t seem to get past page 6.

I find Wells omnipresent. He seems to overpower his narrative. I guess I was looking forward to juicy gossip and insights into the Conservative’s fusion and electoral victory – without having to think about how smart Paul Wells is every two seconds. And I can’t help but think that he’s really smart. But I just wish that I didn’t feel like he wants to make me feel that he’s smart.

Interestingly, though Delacourt is present in Juggernaut as a narrator, I didn’t get the same vibe. It’s hard for me to articulate and again maybe the comparison is unfair. However, I really want to get past page 6.

Any suggestions on how to get over my reader’s block, suggestions on chapters I should skip ahead to, or when things start to get really good (i.e. pages where Wells no longer makes sort of uncomfortable “look at how witty I am talking about Hannibal and the Rockies” references) – would be very much appreciated.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Elections? Already?

Is it just me (i.e. observing Canadian politics from afar) or does it feel like we are already in the middle of an election campaign? What with Rona venting about other Canadian political parties to the international community? And Libs commenting on Harper's pedantic/juvenial approach to foreign policy and China's snub? To discussion of the Conservs already following in Mulroney's steps and running a deficit in September? And the constant analysis of poll numbers?

Not sure what it feels like "on the ground" back at home, but after reading the papers, bloggers, pundits, columnists, for the last few days, it feels to me, like we are already smack dab (though obviously not technically) in the middle of a federal election...

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Scamming Jackson

Cam Jackson's mayoral victory in Burlington just makes me, for the lack of a better adjective, sad... so here's a shout out to the anbodybutcamformayor blog people/person - who ever they are... man oh man oh man...

Monday, November 13, 2006

Just a head's up

This week is going to be a crazy one work wise... so this is just to say that posting will be sporadic and uneven, with potentially boring as hell commentary... all work and no play makes jack a dull boy... cross out the jack and put in jill and replace the boy with woman and you pretty much have it... will do my best though... and, if I can't get to the computer to blog this week, then enjoy Garth's announcement and potentially our first Green MP and Rona's fossil award...
Cheers,

JJ

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Pictoral Interlude II

Am completely brain dead this weekend, however they say a picture's worth a thousand words, right? Feast your eyes on Namibian desert scene numbah 2:

Friday, November 10, 2006

Pictoral Interlude

After all that intense Kyoto discussion, thought I'd mix things up with a brief pictural interlude... feast you eyes on the beauty of the Namibian desert... (an interesting and totally random scientific tidbit: desertification is one of the key effects of climate change... imagine having what limited arable land you have encroached year after year by an expanding desert..for more details click here)... kay, I'll stop now...up next, thoughts on Dean as a keynote speaker at the convention...but for now, feast your eyes on this:

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Kyoto, Kyoto

There is a lot of talk about the Liberal record on climate change and how the Liberals didn’t deliver. Personally, I find it poor logic for the Conservatives to say, well you guys didn’t do anything, so weren’t not going to do anything either… but hey, that’s just me.

Now, when talking about Kyoto it seems to me that everyone ignores the actual Kyoto Protocol mechanisms. The way that Kyoto works, is that a certain percentage of Annex I countries (industrialized countries) have to sign and ratify Kyoto before it actually enters into force, i.e. becomes a legally binding international agreement.

And up until the late 2004, either Russia or the USA had to ratify Kyoto for it to come into effect. At the time everyone was talking about how Kyoto “was dead” or “dying”, etc because it looked like Kyoto was never actually going to happen - that it wouldn’t enter into its legally binding phase.

Finally on November 18th, 2004, Russia ratified and Kyoto entered into force on February 16, 2005. That means that Kyoto has only fully come into existence as a legally binding piece of international law as of last February.

Now what about Canada? We ratified Kyoto in December 2002. So yes, Liberals, as a party that believes in climate change and the importance of reducing greenhouse gases, should have “done better” – done better than what, I’m not sure, but yeah, sure, “done better”.

However, remember that Kyoto only became legally binding in February 2005. Now I don’t know about you, but when I know that a law is about enter into force, I start preparing myself, but I don’t actually go about abiding by the new law until it is actually a law. I think that that is pretty standard behavior.

For example, before wearing seatbelts in the back seat was the law, I didn’t wear my seatbelt. I knew I should have worn my seatbelt because it’s probably better for me, but it feels sort of uncomfortable and I wasn’t use to it, so I didn’t. I didn’t do it until it was the law. Now I wear it all the time, and I don’t even notice it. But I think that is pretty normal behaviour for both people and nation-states for that matter. We don’t usually tend to follow the law until it is ACTUALLY THE LAW.

Climate change and reducing greenhouse gases is sort of like wearing your seatbelt in the back seat. It’s going to be a bit uncomfortable, because it’s going to involve changing our behaviour. Now, I believe in climate change and I want to do something about it, I’m not too sure how, but I’d like my government to tell me how and suggest ways to make changes and reduce emissions.

Climate change is global – emissions don’t respect borders, it’s an international issue and needs an international legally binding framework. This legally binding framework is the only way to make nations abide by the rules and then implement their own national systems to make sure that we, collectively, play by the rules.

Sure Canada could have done better after 2002 – but the real timeframe that we should be judged against is how we performed after Kyoto became international law in February 2005. And I think if you look at the Liberal record from February 2005 onwards, I think you’ll find that we were on the right track to making huge and important changes. Hey, under the leadership of Stephane Dion, we broker a huge international agreement on how to reduce emissions after 2012 (Kyoto requires Annex I countries to reduce emissions only until then).

As a result, Canada achieved enormous international acclaim for negotiating that agreement between over 162 on something as complex as climate change. (Unfortunately, this international acclaim was drowned out by the internal domestic sounds of the last election). However, I think that, that agreement was a great example of Liberal leadership on the climate change file… Now, if only the Conservs could come close to demonstrating that kind of leadership… then, perhaps, we could compare scores.

Money Can't Buy You...

...another interesting fact from the Midterms: three candidates spent over $50 million of their own personal money on their campaigns... and all three of them lost...

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Holy Moly & Hallelujah!

My mouth keeps dropping further as the day goes on! I never thought I'd see the day that Rumsfeld RESIGNS!!!!! Wow - this whole day is filling me with hope! Unfrickenbelievable!

We're putting our money on the Senate

Prairie Fire and I are both ready to put our money on a Dem win in both Montana and Virginia...

A Minnesota and A US First

Elected the US's First Muslim congressperson...

Fingers crossed

Looks like Virginia senetorial race might go to Dem Webb.... still close to call - but looks like things are leaning that way....

Tennessee's dirty senate race - complete with the 'attack Canada' add - still to close to call - but it looks like it is going to go Repub.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Barack Obama Everlasting Gratitude to 7of9

That's just one of the "interesting" and random US electoral factoids I learnt tonight... explaination to come
...but so far things look goodish... the two races closest to us - Maryland and Virginia - the real nailbiters...might have to wait for absentee ballots (well for Virigina in any case)....

...oh and CNN kept running these ads on making sure you know where candidates stand on the issues before voting, except that the website is called dontvote.com - which I think is sort of a misnomer and a dangerous misnomer at that (the ads were hilarious though - I'll have to check if any one YouTubed them)....

(ohhh strange - seems like my mobile blogging is not yet up to par - It took like 3 hours for that last post to go through... apologies for the delayed reaction...)

Election Watching with Americans

Am off to an election watching party with a bunch of folks that have a real personal stae in the election (ie some have jobs that are at stake...man, I know what that feels like)

Some interesting points so far: high voter turn out & analysis that the campaigns have been v nasty as well as (perhaps contradictorily) v toting the line of ideological moderation and working across party lines...

hmm.... it must be tough campaigning again the war but against terrorists, especially when the past 6 years have all been about linking the war to fighting terrorism....

... More to follow as the results role in....

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Monday, November 06, 2006

Hee hee hee - hee hee hee

Okay, so this isn't at the same level as the Kerry gaffe (now more or less forgotten) but it is nice to see the words "Snub" and "Bush" in the same headline.

In other but similar news, I can't watch t.v. tonight without being bombarded by campaign ads... I mean really, bombarded, EVERY SINGLE AD in the ad slot is a campaign ad... it's quite unbelieveable...

...and if I was an uninformed voter (hmmmm, that doesn't sound quite how I meant, I mean if I was an undecided voter) and watching t.v. tonight I'd be in a bit of a quandry...

...I mean, after one ad I think that one candidate is vile and evil and after the next, I think the other candidate is vile and evil.... hmmmm does this mean that all politicians are vile and evil...

....now I am starting to understand why people tend not to like politicians - cause they do such a good job at bashing themselves (I mean not them per se, but you know what I mean, right?)... hmmm...looks like all these ads are messing with me...

... that and the fact that I am really excited because my sister and I are soon going to be reunited after months of being apart, on the convention floor - both as Dion dels! Only 3 weeks to go! Yay! (Did I mention that I am a geek? hmmm yes, for more on my geekiness please see my "testing mobile blogging" post)...

..apologies all, I don't know what's gotten into me tonight - am just positively giddy...

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Midterms Madness

This is the coolest thing! The Washington Post is running a Midterm Madness interactive game - you can click on seats in the House and the Senate, learn about the candidates (occupation, date and place of birth, religion (?), and website) and pick which one you think is going to win. Winners are eligible for prizes (US residents only). Prizes or no prizes, it pacts interesting factoids in the lead up to Tuesday's Big Day. Enjoy!

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Testing mobile blogging

Hmmm - not sure if this will work but wanted to get it set up so I could potentially blog while on the convention floor... geek that I am...
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

"Taxation Without Representation"

On November 7th Washingtonian go to the polls to elect their mayor. Now the interesting thing about this is that for the most part, the streets of DC are devoid of campaign posters and signs. The real battle for mayor took place back in the September primaries, when the Democratic candidates for the nomination were busy slugging it out. Early September in DC was high campaign season. My daily walk to work was frequently interrupted by campaigning Fenty supporters, waving signs in rush hour traffic, handing out leaflets, and signing up volunteers. Local television was packed with candidate debates, and papers run daily stories about detailing the race.

Since Andrian Fenty's won the Democratic nomination on September 12th, the streets of DC have been quiet. No active campaigning, little news coverage of the mayoral race. In fact, the only coverage that I have seen is Fenty's preparation for when he takes over as Mayor early next year. Actually, I don't even think that I could tell you the Republican mayoral candidate's name. During the Democratic primaries, the names, logos and platforms of the candidates were front and center in daily Washingtonian life.

The interesting thing is that as Washington is over 80% Democrat, so who ever wins the Democratic primary is pretty much de facto the mayor. There is something about this, however, that rubs me a tad the wrong way. I've living in ridings (aka districts) in Canada where a certain party had an almost guaranteed victory; where for the last 40 years, the electorate has voted consistency and overwhelming for the same party. Regardless of this almost guaranteed victory, election after election, the preordained candidate is still out there with signs and pamphlets, signing up volunteers, and participating in local debates.

Despite the “pretense” of having to campaign in order to win, I don’t like semblances of arrogance in politics. I like politicians working to earn my vote. Whether true or not, it emotionally makes me feel like democracy is alive and well. I know that the American and Canadian electoral system is different and that in some cases, the primaries are where the “real’” campaigning and money and effort lie. I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong, and candidates should be strategic in how they spend their time and money...hmmm....maybe it's just the political junkie in me that just can’t get enough of campaigns…