Jet Lag

I've realized that my tendency for blogging is similar to my tendency towards exercise. The beginning of the week starts off and I am all raring to go... and then towards the end of the week, the exhaustion, work deadlines, the social engagements, start to kick in and then blogging and the gym kind of get pushed off to the back burner... I also think that I'm suffering some kind of burn out... we were on full throttle at work up until that Vietnam trip... and now I kind of feel like a truck hit me...So lucky me, I am going on Vacation. Vacation with a capital "V". And to no other than one of the most beautiful places in the world: Banff, Alberta.

Unfortunately, I can't get my intelligent and worldly sister to fill in for me again... cause she's coming with me. So this blog will probably be on a bit of a stand still for the next week.

I am so excited to be going back to my home and native land... yay access to good canadian media! yay peter mansbridge! yay hard paper copies of the Globe & Gazette! Yay CBC radio! (man, I am such a geek... clearly in desperate need of vacation...)

What they are saying in DC: Quebec Election Analysis

Check out the Washington Post's take on the election here... kind of interesting...not to mention, I can't begin to express how thrilled I am that the elections actually even had some sort of resonance in these here parts....

Being Bold

Okay... here goes... I'm willing to money on John losing his seat.... man oh man oh man... who'd of thunk it?

UPDATE - apparently me willing to be bold and put money on it... wasn't quite that bold after all... CBC called it at the same time that I posted.... what does our future hold?

UPDATE UPDATE - or maybe not... oh the tension and drama!

Will Charest Keep His Seat?

... still waaaayyyy to early to call - but some interesting numbers coming in from Sherbrooke, John's riding...

Totally off topic

You know what makes me sad?

That season 5 of the West Wing isn't a good as Season 2...

What to do on Monday?

On Monday, I face a qualm. A dilemma. No matter how I vote, I lose. I'm a federal Liberal, anti seperatist, socially progressive, anglo. What do to? I'm sorry, but Jean (or John) Charest is a Tory. He was the leader of the Tories federally for god sakes. He's a political opportunist. As much as it pains the Liberal anti seperatist in me to say it, there you go. He doesn't get us Quebecers. He just doesn't. It's kind of annoying and painful and sad. We want free (or practically free) post secondary education. We know that we had a crippling debt. We know we have to make tough economic decisions. But we can't help it. It's an emotion knee-jerk reaction. We want our social programmes. We are kind of like the French that way. They have to make v tough decisions to stimulate economic growth. But they can't quite seem to do it. And we're the same. I wish I had a solution, I really wish that I did. But you can't way that you're going to raise post-secondary tuition (even though it's amongst the lowest in the country). You just can't.

Now what are my other options. I obviously can't vote Parti Quebecois. I'm an anglo. 4th generation. I was blammed for losing the last referedum. I was told by the Conservative Fed govt that I am not part of the Quebecois nation. I don't want Quebec to seperate. So no matter what other policies the Parti puts forward, the seperation thing undercuts them all.

As for the ADQ, well, they are socially conservative (though I've had some debates recently with people about how socially conservative they actually are) - but whatever. To sum up: they're weird. Punto.

So there you have it.

Now for the federal implications: If Charest wins - it's a victory for Harper's Conservatives. If Charest wins a minority with the ADQ propping it up - it's a double win for Harper.

If the Parti Quebecois wins - it's potentially a victory for Dion and the federal Liberals- because he gets to show off his fighting the seperatists forte - and remind the country of his unifying the country - clarity acting - strenghts... But a Parti Quebec victory would mean plunging us all into another referendum on seperation... and honestly, I haven't gotten over the trauma and exhaustion of the last one...

So there you have it, if you're a Liberal in Quebec, it's a rough and tumble lose lose situation...

Never Thought I'd See the Day

Stock, Stock, Stock, ... tut, tut, tut...

Emission Trading 101

Great article in the globe today - explaining some of the nuts and bolts of emission trading (though I take slight offense at the title cause it makes it sound like emissions trading and foreign aid are an either/or... but still). Check it out here.

Are we going to go?

Three weeks ago, I put five bucks up against my Tory political enemy saying no... he said yes... think it's time for me to cash in...

UPDATE: hmmm - or according to the CBC... maybe not... jeez make up your minds people...either way BRING IT ON!

Harper = Climate Criminal

This is fantastic! Despite Stevie running around painting the country green... Greenpeace calls it like it is... if it walks like it won't talk about emissions reductions, and talks like it won't reduce emissions, then it is probably... is a climate criminal... meuhahaha!

Integration - Out of Many, One

Occasionally, I get "criticized" for lack of posting... I happen to believe that blogging should be an organic experience - I don't want to just post of the sake of posting... and sometimes, frankly, I just don't have anything to say... But to be honest, my lack of posting of late is due to a bit of an internal shift... Strangely, I am starting to get used to living in DC. I have come to realize that my initial "contempt" for the local (i.e. how is it possible that you don’t have free health care kind of contempt) is a classic symptom of culture shock... and is now starting to dissipate. This is something that blows my mind - Canada is so similar to the States that I didn't expect to feel any shock - I have lived in 4 countries other than Canada... and have come to get used to the initial waves of integration and learning that come with moving to a new country... but I hadn't adequately braced myself for this one...

That aside, I am in a weird place: I am starting to like DC. I recognize the failing and issues with the US - but rather than feeling contempt and superiority, I feel endeared. I am starting to recognize or develop a more sophisticated understanding of US (or at least DC) society. I am starting to appreciate the vastness and diversity of 300 million Americans...

... As a result of my new found integration, however, or perhaps not related, but I am feeling increasing out of the loop with Canadian politics... no amount of reading the Globe, CBC, the Hill Times, the post, trolling blogs, watching Mercer's clips, is giving me the insider take and opinions that I used to have... I am getting impatient with waiting for the election (even though my money is on no election this spring)... I am getting tired of seeing all these phony Conserv green announcements (I could deconstruct them in a second - they still don't seem to get that climate change is a GLOBAL issue - and where you reduce emissions actually doesn't matter - cause emission rise into the GLOBAL atmosphere - and that they are sneakily trying to get involved in this stupid coal heavy countries not doing anything initiative set up by the non Kyoto Annex I countries US, Australia, and India and China) but I digress... all that to say - that my lack of posting... is due to an internal transition.. hopefully nothing that a week in Alberta (where I am heading in two weeks) won't be able to cure... despite my “integration”, I need a good dose of my home and native land.

Canada: A "She"?

Just checking out some of the latest on the Globe and Mail website re: the census and population concentrations. I gotta say, they have some nifty graphics and powerpoint presentations.

Was settling in to watch "Where We Live: Canada" presentation, when a funny thing happened: the voice over and the footnotes to the slides, kept referring to Canada as "she". Wow - when did we decide Canada's gender?.. anyone who has insights on the history - please share, it'd be greatly appreciate...

Now, I am a big proponent of using gender neutral language and nothing exemplifies the ridiculousness of non- gender neutral language more than the phrase: "population concentration in her southern regions". (Sounds like the Globe and Mail is getting a little racy there.) Oh and the phrase: "Man is a mammal who breastfeeds his young" is another classic example of the ridiculousness of non gender neutral... but thankfully, the Globe refrained from using that one.

Linking China to Sudan

Unfortunately, even though I was in NYC this weekend, I didn't have a chance to participate in this: a human chain linking the Sudanese Mission to the United Nations on 47th Street and the Chinese Mission on 35th Street. The purpose of the protest was to draw attention China's increasing support and aid to the Sudanese regime. Read more about it here.

Drinking With Republicans

A few weekends ago, I headed out to the bastion of Republican Washington night life: a bar in Georgetown called Smith Point. I was warned before entering, to brace myself for an intense anthropological experience: observing the Republican in his/her natural habitat: fully equipped with pearls, cleavage, and extremely manicured hair and nails (for the women) and polo shirts, cords with palm tree logos and crew cuts (for the boys)... Newsweek actually has an excellent article describing the whole scene in great detail (way more articulately than I ever could - it's quite an interesting and succinct read).

I have to admit, that my anthropological observations kept getting interrupted by the cranberry vodkas that kept coming my way...and I found myself rounding up one innocent, self describe redneck, corralling him into a corner, and profusely asking for an explanation on how he could be pro-life and pro-death penalty at the same time and didn't he see the intense oxymoronic, lack of logic, contradiction in those beliefs...

Oh dear... So I have to say that my first foray into Republican Washington social scene was less than successful on the anthropological study aspect... guess I'll have to go back next week for further observation and research...

Let's Here it for the Women in Da House II

As today is International Women's Day (though am looking forward to the time when we don't need one)... just wanted to serve up a little reminder about the number of women we have in parliament. CBC has a great site where you can compare percentage of representation of women in government worldwide.

This number always depresses me: Canada ranks 44th on the Inter Parliamentary Union's ranking of countries by representation of women in goverment.

Kudos to the top 10:

1. Rwanda
2. Sweden
3. Costa Rica
4. Finland
5. Norway
6. Denmark
7. Netherlands
8. Cuba/Spain
9. Argentina
10. Mozambique

Here's to hoping that next year - we see Canada's name up there...

Well I'll be... part II

Just got offered a 2 year extension at my current place of employ... so looks like I'll be in DC longer than initially anticipated... that is, unless the opportunity arrise to fight the conservative forces of evil head on in a federal election....

Well I'll be....

Just got asked to be a moderator over at progressive bloggers... turns out that I am deemed a "respected member" of the blogging community... hee hee hee... who knew? Am tickled pink... and looking forward to assuming my duties... yay!

Pictoral Interlude VIII

And now... more from the 'Nam...

Wow!

Not quite sure how Cherniak's attempt at getting a guy who posts anti-semetic comments to step down from being the head of blogging dippers can be misconstrued as "engulfing the blogosphere with his personal conflicts"... seems to me more like he's doing the Dippers a favour...

Facebook Omigod!

This is terrible... I naively walked into the facebook trap yesterday at the urging of a friend from back home... and now I can't stop... help help - any suggestions on how to quell the addiction, v much appreciated!

On Being A Patriot

Kay, there is this really good episode of the West Wing, where Ainsley Hays, a Republican, accepts a job working for the White House counsel’s office (the fictional White House being Democrat). At the end of the episode, she meets up with her Republican friends, who are making fun of the Democrats and the White House. Ainsley Hays stops them and tells them not to make fun of White House staff, because, despite all of their wrongful ideological learning, they are patriots.

After being in Washington, DC for the past 9 months, and slowly learning more and more about the country next door, I've reached a strange conclusion (of the post drinking with republicans in a dubious DC bar nature, i.e. the not very profound kind): Republicans have effectively managed to spin and sew up the whole Republican and patriot are synonyms thing. I mean, that's what this whole, Democrats voting in favor of the Iraq war was. Basically any time you spoke out against the (Republican) administration, you were being unpatriotic.

Now times are a changing... however, back at home, this whole discussion on extending anti - terrorism measure is a bit troubling to me... cause I am worried that Harper is trying to do the same thing... but subtlety (or not so subtly) he's trying to paint Liberal as being unpatriotic or un Canadian in their decision making process...

Now this post isn't about whether I think extending the clauses or not (I'm actually of two minds about this)... but rather, to serve as a warning... that Harper's trying to frame debates in the same way as the Republican did… Politics and partisanship, isn’t a patriotic competition – anyone who seeks public office (tough job that it is) does it because they are committed to public serve in some way shape or form…Framing the debate into a discussion about who is more patriotic… is dangerous, and we deserve better…

Whatever

Not sure why everyone has their shirt in a knot re: latest poll numbers... if you look back to the last Jan 2006 election - the final results had nothing to do with poll numbers 5 weeks earlier, let alone 2 months earlier.

On Oct 27th, 2005, SES Research had the Liberals at 40 and the Conservs at 28. On Nov 24th, EKOS had the Libs at 38.7 and the Conservs at 29.4. On December 7, Leger had the Libs at 39 and the Conservs at 27... Just a few sample numbers to name a few (click here to see a full list of polling data right up until the Jan 23, 2006 election)...

All that to say, that the only thing interesting about the latest polls is what they mean in terms of possible election date...Harper could feel that these numbers are good enough for him to start planning his own government's defeat... other than that, I'll start getting nervous if those numbers are the same the week before Election Day... until then, think we can all just chill...

Pictoral Interlude VII

I don't know if it's something in the water, post Vietnam conference burn out, or what... but I appear to be suffering from absolutelyzeromotivationitis... it's quite appalling actually... even lifting my pen seems like a gargantuan job... and the only thing that I seem to have motivation for, is absolutely gluttonous behaviour...

So to make up for my lack of posting… here we go: some more Vietnam pics… feast your eyes: