Canadian Pride, Is It in You?

Canada is a country that is not given enough credit, even by its own citizens. Canada, a growing multicutural society, continues to be a land of freedom and possibilties. It is a country where people from other nations come to seek opportunities that are only offered in Canada. So then why is it that Canadian citizens are not sharing the pride when it comes to Mcleans latest survey?

It is possible that although Canada offers a vast amount of things that other countries do not posses, that those living here take it for granted, and take the opportunity to complain. It is true that as human beings, we are never fully satisfied, therefore we find ways to criticize even the best situations.

As a Canadian citizen I would like to share my pride in my country, but it is not only because I live here, but because of the list of things that Canada stands for and what it provides for people all over the world, no matter their class, race or gender.

Song Demonstrating Canadian Pride

Immigrants agree that Canada is a multicultural society that provides equal opportunities for everyone. Though we are considered "Canadians", it is not a huge melting pot like our neighbours the United States. Canada encourages citizens of different cultures to practice their unique forms and traditions, while accepting them for who they are. They are not forced to be "Canadian-ized", rather to continue in the progress of making Canada a completely multicultural society.

Canada is a peaceful country, and although we are aiding in the Iraq war, we have never been attacked ourselves. It is a country where one can feel safe and trust that they will not be forced into a war. The United States does have a lot of influence on Canada, however, we are still able to hold our grounds. Our army is not as powerful as some of the other armies around the world, but who needs a large army when your country is loved by the majority of nations?

Robin William's displaying another point of view, his "solutions" for negative issues

Canada itself is beautiful, and although our population is quite large, our lands still consists of large forests,unique forms of natural beauty and room to continue growing. Though the weather can be quite chilly, though not enough for igloos, Canada possesses a wide variety of elements. We have the oceans, the mountains, the prairies etc. Canada's natural beauty makes it a wonderful and prosperous place to live.

Canada also has free health care, one thing that is extremely important. Without free health care there would be many more complications and it would provide unjust barriers for those of a poorer class. We look at our neighbours, the United States and we can see how brutal it is just for one visit to the hosipital.

Joe, displaying what it actually means to be a Canadian

I think that as Canadians, we are at times spoiled with many of the things that our country provides for us. There are many things that one can complain about, but when comparing Canada to other nations overall, they just don't even come close. There will never be a perfect poltician, or low enough taxes. There will always be certain situations that make people unhappy, but Canada, at least in my opinion is a great place to live. If one does not think so, take a trip to somewhere else in the world and look at the differences, and perhaps than they will be able to recognize how well off our country is, and that they should have more Canadian Pride.

A Real "Shocker"

The Vancouver airport incident shocked many Canadian citizens. The incident involved Robert Dziekanski, a Polish man who was trying to communicate with his mother who was somewhere in the airport. Flustered and exhausted, Dziekanski began to show his anger by throwing articles around such as a chair and a laptop. Once his actions were called to the attention of the security, there was a language barrier which caused even greater frustration. The guards, for some ridiculous reason decided that it was best to use a taser to "solve their problem". Dziekanski received several shocks from the gun and unfortunately, died later on that day.

Video of the incident with commentary

I believe that this is both appaling and embarassing for the Vancouver airport and their security staff. One has to question the actions of the security gaurds involved and why they resorted to such treatment, as opposed to finding a different solution. This could have resulted in a much better way, rather than have an innocent man die.

At no point was there an apparent threat to the citizens within the airport, so why use such harsh force against an innocent man? What the right thing to do would have been to get an interpretor within the airport to come and try to counsole Mr. Dziekanski. Although not everyone would throw chairs or lap tops, I believe it is safe to say that if a majority of Canadians put themselves in Dziekanski's place, that they would have been irritated if a bunch of gaurds approached them and started questioning and harassing them, especially if you had been in an airport for ten hours and could not understand a word they were saying.

Paul Pritchard's point of view
An elderly man roaming around the wrong section of the terminal, speaking another language sent security in with a biased opinion. They went into the situation believing it to be someone who might be a terrorist/ pose a bug threat to the citizens in the building. That is why they used a taser gun. However, if Dziekanski was not using any force against the secutiry guasrds themselves why did they have to use a taser gun. I believe that security will have to come up with better responses to scenarios because it is obvious that this one did not prove to be successful.

Also, the fact that this incident was caught on tape by a bystander has become an issue for the police and airport security. The gaurds prior claims stated that the only reason they applied force to him was because he was kicking and making "threatening" movements towards them. Fortunately,Paul Pritchard's tape recording showed the guards dishonesty and the situation is being questioned further.

Airport security, going too far in the wrong direction?
Unfortunately for Dziekanski, he was not able to find his mother that day. His mother has said that his death could have been avoided and that he died for no specific cause. A life could have been saved if it weren't for acting before taking the right step of thinking about what one should really do, as opposed to a frightening cowardly act against an innocent man .

For more information:

http://www.thestar.com/article/277476

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20071124/campbell_apology_071124/20071124?hub=CTVNewsAt11

Give us a Recipe for Disaster, and We Will Love You

Looking for a good read? One that is filled with the latest gossip, dare devil women, drunken mothers, and the latest patient who checked into rehab? If so, it will not be too much of an effort to find something that will leave you satisfied. It is a simple as one, two, three, or rather, just a trip to your nearest grocery or drug store. Yes, once you enter those stores you will be introduced to a world of gossip brought to you by magazines such as Star, Cosmopolitan, Extra and the list goes on. However, don't be surprised if you fail to find that much negative gossip on your favourite male celebrities. Modern magazines tend to have their focus on women celebrities rather than male celebrities. These magazines are full of women celebrities and their mishaps.
If one were to take a good look around at the different magazines that are produced now a days, they would find it very hard to find many articles that focused on male celebrities. And, if they are lucky enough to find some, odds are the focus of the article is on the males looks and what he is looking for in a female companion, rather than a story about how he was seen drunk in public. From personal experience i see a prominent difference in articles dealing with male and female celebrities and I think that the answer is pretty obvious, though I don't agree with it, as to why.

Females are known to be conniving, manipulative and very harsh towards one another, and therefore they LOVE to hear negative gossip about one another. Magazines would not make half as much money as they do now if the focus were on male celebrities and the illegal things they've commited. It is sad, but it is true. It is our society that is intrigued about the negative rather than the positive.

Tabloids often excuse the crude behaviour of men, referring back to the belief that "boys will be boys", but this should not be an excuse to only focus on the negative aspects of women. There are those few celebrities like Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Britney Speares who crave the negative attention, because that's all they are able to get since their careers have gone down the drain. In these instances it is hard to avoid posting articles on their crude behaviour, but after a while I think that most would agree with me when I say that it gets tiring to hear and read about the same few "ladies".

Our "ladies at their very best

Magazines and tabloids in general should focus on the good rather than the ugly in pop culture. it would be interesting to read about more than drunken mothers and the latest in who is divorcing who. However, I do not believe that magazines will take that turn, at least not for a long while.

Count the number of women compared to the number of men in this video

The males that are acknowledged in the tabloids are in fact given grace even though they may have commited an offence. it is a mere slap on the wrist for them, and it doesn't take long for them to recover because of the way they are presented and the attention that they receive from the female readers. This is one thing that should change because not only is it biased, but in a sense, it is demeaning towards women. The fact that women are suckers towards men and only want to hear about " the top 10 things Matthew McConaughey looks for in a woman", should be offensive. One's sex appeal should not be a factor in deciding whether or not they receive positive or negative attention once they have committed an offense.

Does anyone else agree with this man's opinion?

Tabloids are aimed to entertain and maintain a widespread audience of women. The question we should ask ourselves is why are we buying something that focuses on the mishaps of someone else's life, their mistakes and ultimately feeding the egos of celebrities after they act in a certain manner.




Find more of the latest gossip at:

http://www.seventeen.co.za/site.php
http://www.starmagazine.com/
http://www.people.com/people
http://www.usmagazine.com/

Rotten Apples?

The music industry has been suffering since the age of Kazaa, LimeWire and other successful free-downloading systems came about. However, I would not go as far as to say that programs and companies such as Apple, are "killing the music industry". NBC, a broadcasting network, made an agreement with Apple, enabling their shows to be shown and downloaded through Apple's itunes. Unfortunately for NBC, their plan did not work out as they had intended it to. Believing that they were not receiving their fair share, NBC cancelled the contract with Apple and ever since has been arguing that Apple is the cause for the decline in the music industry's revenues.

Apple's itunes is a program that is accessible once one has purchased an mp3 or ipod. One can download the program to set up and buy music or videos for their ipod or audio device. Instead of providing illegal downloads, Apple charges ninety-nine cents for each download, no matter the artist. It's main purpose is to provide music at a decent price for its customers. NBC however, sees itunes as a negative influence. Jeff Zucker, the chief executive of NBC, argues that it is because of Apples itunes that record sales have been declining, and that even with the ninety- nine cents charged per song, it is not enough.

Some money is better than no money, or at least that's my opinion. Also, I believe that it is beneficial for music consumers to be able to download a song individually. Long ago are those days when we would purchase a C.D. for $18.99, only to go home and discover that the single we have heard on the radio, is the only decent song on the entire disk.

NBC's videos did not do as well as they had thought, but it is not necessary to place the blame on Apple, which has been extremely successful. Odds are other broadcasting companies would love to have a contract with Apple. Zucker must have scrapped the bottom of the barrel real hard to come up with the arguments he has presented, and even then, they are extremely weak. Like all temper tantrums, this one must come to an end, and hopefully Zucker will be sent to his room to reflect on his actions, and hopefully learn to think and be practical before he places anymore accusations. Sour milk and rotten apples, Zucker will have to get over it.

For more information:

Apple:http://www.apple.com/

itunes:http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

NBC:http://www.nbc.com/

Ex- PM's: Garbage or Recycling?

A day in the life of a former prime minister, what would that involve? It would not involve the hustle and bustle of interviews, debates or elections. It may however, involve sitting in front of a television and criticizing the current prime minister and taking credit for his/her success. Many Canadians ignore this question. Perhaps it is because most people share the attitude that once a prime minister is voted out, they have no purpose to the society. No longer do they hold power over Canada, let alone their own party. What is our society supposed to do with former prime ministers?

Former prime ministers are referred to as “grumpy old creatures”. It is unfortunate that once a prime minister has been replaced, it is extremely hard for one to obtain power, even in their own party. One would think that if they have such experience as being in charge of a country, that they would still play an important role in politics, however, the majority of former prime ministers are often cast away. I must admit that in a way I feel some sympathy towards them, going from having such power, to having nothing at all but just mere memories.

Canada is not the only country where ex-prime ministers have trouble after they have been cast way. In France, the actual role of Prime Minister is not seen as an enjoyable one rather, it is taking a sip from a “poisoned chalice”. In France, prime ministers have been nicknamed “fuses” because they are there to take surges of anger and criticism that are directed at heights of power. In other words, the role of prime ministers is to take all the consequences that the President himself has caused. Once a “fuse” has served his or her purpose, or rather, “blows”, they are simply tossed away and replaced, growing further away from the role of presidency. It is a lose-lose position.

The traditional contract with ex- French prime ministers is one that I find to be quite interesting. An ex- prime minister is to go away and stay away, therefore they must not partake in any political matters, and if they follow through with their side of the bargain they will be taken care of. Losing your place of power is like being dumped, you are forced to move on and not ask any questions. Not to be seen or heard is the aftermath of a PM.

Jean Chrétien's Memoirs

What is the solution? How can ex- prime ministers be integrated back within our society and still be able to make a difference? Countries such as Portugal and Italy offer promising roles. Canada will need to work towards a similar system. Former PM's should be given a chance to still take part in important politics because they have had experience as a prime minister. Though they may not hold power as the Prime Minister does, they could offer guidance or at the very least be acknowledged in some form. Criticising their mis-judgments and false promises help potential Prime Ministers, but ex-pm's should be more than an outlet.

Funny skit- Let's not drive our former PM's to this point

Everyone learns from their mistakes and unfortunately for ex- prime ministers, the majority of the time, that is how they are remembered in history. Hopfully Canada will support these men and women once they have been replaced, but perhaps the best solution for them is to buy a one way ticket to Italy.

Find out more about some of Canada's former prime ministers:

Jean Chrétien : http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/chretien/

Paul Martin : http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/martin_paul/

Pierre Trudeau : http://www.clevernet.net/pierre_trudeau/

Canada's Prime Ministers : http://www.primeministers.ca/

Artificial Love

The day that a man or a women is able to say " I do" to a robot will definitely be one to remember, but hopefully, it will never come. Yes, our society has become very reliable on electronics and technology is growing more superior by the day, but one will never be able to create a robot that is an identical replica of a human being.

When Alan Turing began to question whether machines could think for themselves and proposed his Imitation Game, it brought forth many questions and theories. Computers cannot think on their own, no matter how much they amaze us. Computers, robots, and machines are all programed by human beings and therefore can never surpass what they have been created to do. If one were to be in a relationship with a robot it would be very predictable, not spontaneous, because the robot would only be able to do what it is programmed to. Personally, I think that since it is so predictable it would take the romantic aspect out of the marriage. No matter how many times it may compliment you, treat you nicely, and cater to your needs and wants, a robot is a robot.

Robots are comprised of gadgets, wires, nuts and bolts and all fancy scientific things, however, no matter how many different special effects you put in a robot, they will never possess a soul. From the theological perspective, robots do not have souls and therefore they are not able to think for themselves, or express deep emotions. The emotions and feelings that a robot may possess are programs, they are not true from the heart. Whenever one accuses someone of not having a soul it is a very negative and harsh comment, could you imagine being married to an object where it is not possible that they have or ever will have a soul? Robot and human marriages will not last because in reality they are not "soul mates".

Imagine going over to your parents for dinner to announce your engagement to Fred, who is in fact a robot. I don't believe that the dinner would run too smoothly after that news. I understand that many people who have trouble finding someone who they can connect with, or rather they have tried and have failed miserably, are just desperate to have someone who understands them. However, turning to a robot and having an intimate relationship with them both physically and emotionally is demeaning. Knowing that you are "incapable" of having a successful relationship with another human being can't be something one would want to boast about.

One of the most obvious problems if our society began to accept marriages with robots and humans as acceptable is that they would not be able to procreate. If the human race began to rely on robots for companions than the birth level would decline and eventually, it may mean the end of humans! ( Not to go to the extreme) Also in many religions the point of marriage is to procreate and share the gift of life, if robots are not able to produce children than it creates a problem for our race.

We laugh now, but with the idea of marrying robots, who knows what can happen

One last issue is using a robot as a sex toy. Some have argued that it could make a difference in crime rates dealing with pedophilia and rapes, however we will never know for sure until we take that risk. Before we take that risk we should take into consideration that robots will be programmed the way the owner or its "companion" wants it to be programmed. It may create the attitude that it is alright to use people and objects for the sole purpose of sexual relief. It is just creating another object, or machine that can be used.

Overall, robots are soulless objects that cannot express true emotions like humans can. Though they may bring temporary happiness, eventually people will not be satisfied with the feeling that they have to rely on an inanimate object for happiness. Just think of how high the divorce rates would be.

Marry Me?

For More Information on the topipc have a look at these:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,301736,00.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=487250&in_page_id=1770

A Win and a Shock

With the final results from the polls in, there comes both a win and a shock. The Liberals have managed to gain another four years in power, however, the question is whether or not this is a positive thing for the province of Ontario.

As with any election, there are always the negative accusations about the different leaders representing the different parties. It is very interesting however, to see that though many people did not agree with McGuinty during his previous reign, that he was the victorious candidate. It is also shocking that the Mixed Member Proportional system was strongly rejected. I believe that these two outcomes are solely based on the fact that only 52% of Ontarians voted.

As an 18 year old I was able to vote this past election. As an adult it is our responsibility to vote for who should be in charge of our province because it has a large impact in our everyday lives. It doesn`t make sense for those who do not vote to criticize politicians when they themselves denied their chance of making a difference.

The Mixed Member Proportional system guarantees that the people of Ontario would have more of a say in who makes the decisions because their two votes would direct and create two different positions as opposed to just one party in charge. One would assume that the majority of the people would vote in its favour, allowing it to gain the 60% it needed in order for it to replace the first-past-the-post process. It was a shock when it received less than 40% and was rejected.

A Video describing what the MMP vote is

I found that McGuinty, even before he was officially announced the winner, acted in a very arrogant manner, declaring his own victory in Ottawa. Also, it was mentioned that McGuinty didn’t even show emotion during his speech addressing and thanking his parents for all of their support. Is this the type of man who should be in charge of our province? A man who shows no emotions and who, in his first reign, broke his promises? A politician, though it would be extremely hard to come by one like this now a days because of the competitive aspect, should be one who can relate to the majority of his or her people. Their job is to represent and put in place, or at least fight for the changes that need to be done in order to improve our society. Since almost half of Ontario didn’t vote, and most were displeased with his job before, I do not think that Dalton McGuinty should have been crowned as the victorious one.

A Video on McGuinty's broken promises

It is strongly encouraged that the youth of today take part in politics and elections to have their voices heard. This is especially important because though as students we may not have to worry about all the things the politicians are promising, some parties promise to reach out to students by lowering tuition fees. It is important to have your voice heard, and since we have the power, why not use it?

Let us hope that over the next four years those who did or did not vote will not regret their decision and that McGuinty will mend the bridges he burned before with his broken promises. It is in the best interest of the citizens of Ontario and Canada that everyone who is eligible to go and vote. We depend on each other’s support, let’s not make our own broken promises, but help create and follow through

with true ones.

For further information:

Who can vote? http://canadaonline.about.com/od/provincialelections/a/whocanvoteont.htm

How to vote: http://www.settlement.org/sys/faqs_detail.asp?faq_id=4000564

The Liberal Party: http://www.ontarioliberal.ca/