This morning we all woke up to find that the Easter Bunny did in fact manage to find us and provide us with unhealthy treats. So far I have only managed to eat a single Kinder egg, it definitely seems like more than enough candy for one day (I have no idea how I will manage to consume the treats still in my basket).
Shortly after examining our baskets and playing our Easter Bingo scratch cards we moved to our holiday morning breakfast, which seems to have been enjoyed by all.
Almost immediately after breakfast I started preparing food for tonight's meal/feast. Part way through the process I realized that I was missing a key ingredient. Fortunately we were able to get the missing ingredient from a friend/neighbour/guest so everything should be as expected for the meal.
Almost as soon as I started working on the food Neil undertook an apartment-wide cleaning mission assigned to him by Rebecca. I have to say, things are looking pretty good a few hours in.
Now that most of the good is ready and the apartment cleaning almost complete I finally have the chance to sit down and use my computer for an extended period (meaning long enough to make this post). What I should probably be doing with this time instead of posting is studying, so I guess that is what I will do as soon as I complete this post.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
A Few Quick Notes 536
-Today turned out to be a pretty nice day. I guess it was fitting for Earth Day.
-Today,for the first time in quite a while, I took an afternoon nap - it was great.
-I made some chili for dinner tonight.
-As Easter is fast approaching I will soon need to start work on my Easter bread baking project. As things stand right now I will likely be taking care of most of this baking tomorrow afternoon or evening.
-Today was an advance polling day in the current Canadian election. Based on polling station reports from Neil and Rebecca and comments I have seen on Twitter I get the sense that these events were well attended. Actually, I am curious if we will ever see exactly how many people voted this way and if the numbers were higher than in past years when the advance polling day happened on a not-holiday.
-Actually, the more I think about it the more I think that voting day should be a holiday/non-work day. Such a change might also provide Canada Post of being a little more useful in terms of collecting special ballots on the final day of the election.
-Today,for the first time in quite a while, I took an afternoon nap - it was great.
-I made some chili for dinner tonight.
-As Easter is fast approaching I will soon need to start work on my Easter bread baking project. As things stand right now I will likely be taking care of most of this baking tomorrow afternoon or evening.
-Today was an advance polling day in the current Canadian election. Based on polling station reports from Neil and Rebecca and comments I have seen on Twitter I get the sense that these events were well attended. Actually, I am curious if we will ever see exactly how many people voted this way and if the numbers were higher than in past years when the advance polling day happened on a not-holiday.
-Actually, the more I think about it the more I think that voting day should be a holiday/non-work day. Such a change might also provide Canada Post of being a little more useful in terms of collecting special ballots on the final day of the election.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Internet coverage of election night
It seems that just recently some members of the media, including former member of Moxy Fruvous and current CBC broadcaster Jian Ghomeshi, have just recently figured out that tweeting about elections results before all of the polls have closed is prohibited by the Canada Elections Act.
The most important section of this act seems to be s. 329, which would appear to pretty clearly prohibit such behaviour.
I guess what I find a little strange about this coming up now, especially coming from CBC employees, is that television and radio broadcasts produced by their employer have had staged broadcast coverage for years precisely because of this clause. Did they fail to notice this fact during their coverage of the last election?
That being said, I think it is pretty clear that this section of the law was written without the understanding that it would restrict millions of people from engaging in everyday social media behaviour. Furthermore, given that it is almost impossible to expect 100% compliance with this law might it not make a little more sense to find a way of modifying the law so that loopholes/non-compliance don't negatively impact those who do comply with the prohibition?
The most important section of this act seems to be s. 329, which would appear to pretty clearly prohibit such behaviour.
329. No person shall transmit the result or purported result of the vote in an electoral district to the public in another electoral district before the close of all of the polling stations in that other electoral district.
I guess what I find a little strange about this coming up now, especially coming from CBC employees, is that television and radio broadcasts produced by their employer have had staged broadcast coverage for years precisely because of this clause. Did they fail to notice this fact during their coverage of the last election?
That being said, I think it is pretty clear that this section of the law was written without the understanding that it would restrict millions of people from engaging in everyday social media behaviour. Furthermore, given that it is almost impossible to expect 100% compliance with this law might it not make a little more sense to find a way of modifying the law so that loopholes/non-compliance don't negatively impact those who do comply with the prohibition?
A Few Quick Notes 535
-We had the pleasure of watching rain fall for most of the day today. Apparently we may have a thunderstorm tonight.
-On Monday Jeannette and I finally got around to trading our Newfoundland drivers' licenses in for Nova Scotia licenses. After a little searching online I was able to learn that students in Nova Scotia are able to exchange their out-of-province licenses for Nova Scotia licenses for a reduced fee. Of course, when I called Access Nova Scotia to figure out the documents I would need to bring with me the person I spoke to was completely unfamiliar with the option. Only after he went to the section of the website with the pertinent details did he believe me that this was an option. Soon after we arrived at the Access Nova Scotia location in Dartmouth we learned that a number of the staff working the service counters were also unfamiliar with the option (which was $50 cheaper than the next cheapest option). Fortunately, after communicating with their supervisors the desk workers were able to provide us with the licenses we requested.
I was really amazed that so many Access Nova Scotia employees would be unfamiliar with this option, particularly given the number of students currently residing in Nova Scotia.
-We had some barbecued burgers for dinner tonight. I made some buns to accompany the burgers.
-Another Bruce Carson story hit today. This story suggests that at least one person in the Prime Minister's office raised a few ethics concerns relating to Carson over the past few years. I also got the sense that a few of the letters mentioned in this story may have been released and might be available in the near future. In many ways I am surprised that this story hasn't caused more of a splash than it has.
-On Monday Jeannette and I finally got around to trading our Newfoundland drivers' licenses in for Nova Scotia licenses. After a little searching online I was able to learn that students in Nova Scotia are able to exchange their out-of-province licenses for Nova Scotia licenses for a reduced fee. Of course, when I called Access Nova Scotia to figure out the documents I would need to bring with me the person I spoke to was completely unfamiliar with the option. Only after he went to the section of the website with the pertinent details did he believe me that this was an option. Soon after we arrived at the Access Nova Scotia location in Dartmouth we learned that a number of the staff working the service counters were also unfamiliar with the option (which was $50 cheaper than the next cheapest option). Fortunately, after communicating with their supervisors the desk workers were able to provide us with the licenses we requested.
I was really amazed that so many Access Nova Scotia employees would be unfamiliar with this option, particularly given the number of students currently residing in Nova Scotia.
-We had some barbecued burgers for dinner tonight. I made some buns to accompany the burgers.
-Another Bruce Carson story hit today. This story suggests that at least one person in the Prime Minister's office raised a few ethics concerns relating to Carson over the past few years. I also got the sense that a few of the letters mentioned in this story may have been released and might be available in the near future. In many ways I am surprised that this story hasn't caused more of a splash than it has.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Hitting the big time (again) with my hot vids
Moments ago I received a request from CPAC to re-post my video of the recent Green Party rally with Elizabeth May. Not surprisingly, I agreed to allow them to re-post the video. Hopefully in the near future I will be able to post a link to the new home of this video.
[Embedded video]
Amazingly, particularly given the (low) quality of most of my YouTube videos, this isn't the first time I have had interest in my videos from deep cable channels. As some of you may recall, a few years ago I licensed some of my YouTube vides of the Montreal hockey riots to the reality TV show Most Shocking.
[Embedded video]
Every time things like this happen I feel a little more legit and a little more like a citizen journalist. Of course every time I post about going to the grocery store and buying butter or doing my laundry I feel a little bit less like a citizen reporter and more like a person just filling space to make Montifax look like an active blog.
[Embedded video]
Amazingly, particularly given the (low) quality of most of my YouTube videos, this isn't the first time I have had interest in my videos from deep cable channels. As some of you may recall, a few years ago I licensed some of my YouTube vides of the Montreal hockey riots to the reality TV show Most Shocking.
[Embedded video]
Every time things like this happen I feel a little more legit and a little more like a citizen journalist. Of course every time I post about going to the grocery store and buying butter or doing my laundry I feel a little bit less like a citizen reporter and more like a person just filling space to make Montifax look like an active blog.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
This 'vote mob' thing has gone a little too far
A few weeks ago some University of Guelph students engaged in pseudo-protest/public action that they called a vote mob. As far as I can tell their action involved them standing across from a Harper/Conservative event and indicating that they, as youth, planned on voting in this election.
Since this time the 'idea' has spread across the country and other university groups have tried to engage in similar behaviours. A few days ago CBC reported on 'similar' activities that had taken place throughout the Maritimes. Then just today I saw that MUNSU has posted a video of their attempted 'vote mob.'
Since first hearing about the concept I have been a little unclear about exactly what these actions were hoping to achieve. Now, as the idea travels further and further from the originators, the connection to a goal related to voting seems increasingly unclear. For instance, what is the MUNSU thing supposed to do? If anything I suspect that a video that shows a 'vote mob' of about 30 (if that) in an otherwise empty university campus might actually confirm that youth really aren't that engaged in voting. One would think that if students were engaged in voting and the whole 'vote mob' idea Atlantic Canada's largest university could pull enough attendees to at least fill a regular classroom.
So as much as flash mobs social networking based protesting are all the rage right now I think that the Canadian university student community might actually be better off if they just forgot about the whole 'vote mob' thing for the time being, or at least until they can figure what it means or how to actually get mass participation (and this participation problem may be tied to the first problem). As it stands right now, I can't help but feel a little embarrassed for the members of these vote mobs.
Since this time the 'idea' has spread across the country and other university groups have tried to engage in similar behaviours. A few days ago CBC reported on 'similar' activities that had taken place throughout the Maritimes. Then just today I saw that MUNSU has posted a video of their attempted 'vote mob.'
Since first hearing about the concept I have been a little unclear about exactly what these actions were hoping to achieve. Now, as the idea travels further and further from the originators, the connection to a goal related to voting seems increasingly unclear. For instance, what is the MUNSU thing supposed to do? If anything I suspect that a video that shows a 'vote mob' of about 30 (if that) in an otherwise empty university campus might actually confirm that youth really aren't that engaged in voting. One would think that if students were engaged in voting and the whole 'vote mob' idea Atlantic Canada's largest university could pull enough attendees to at least fill a regular classroom.
So as much as flash mobs social networking based protesting are all the rage right now I think that the Canadian university student community might actually be better off if they just forgot about the whole 'vote mob' thing for the time being, or at least until they can figure what it means or how to actually get mass participation (and this participation problem may be tied to the first problem). As it stands right now, I can't help but feel a little embarrassed for the members of these vote mobs.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Democracy in Action
As I believe I recently mentioned, on Friday I got around to casting my special ballot.
As you can see, it was a pretty special moment.
[Embedded video]
I just hope it makes it to Ottawa in time to be counted.
As you can see, it was a pretty special moment.
[Embedded video]
I just hope it makes it to Ottawa in time to be counted.
Campaign Event Recap 3
As I mentioned a few minutes ago, Jeannette, Neil, and I (along with our friend Andrew) decided to head to the Halifax farmer's market to try and see Jack Layton.
Almost as soon as we arrived on the premises of the market we observed signs that suggested we may have missed the big event. Most notably, reporters and people with NDP lanyards were streaming out of the building. Once we made it inside we did manage to spot the remnants of the event, including some of the partially packed equipment and local candidate/MP Megan Leslie.
I just realized that I didn't see anyone handing out literature. I don't think that I even so any evidence that any one had been handing out literature. And mention of the event seems to be absent from most of the relevant NDP Twitter feeds. I guess they were going for stealth this morning? It is unclear to me why they would try to sneak in and out of downtown Halifax, an NDP district, without letting anyone (aside from the media) know in advance.
As close as we came to actually seeing Jack Layton was walking by his campaign bus as we entered the farmer's market.
By the time we left the market the bus had pulled out and was nowhere to be seen.
Almost as soon as we arrived on the premises of the market we observed signs that suggested we may have missed the big event. Most notably, reporters and people with NDP lanyards were streaming out of the building. Once we made it inside we did manage to spot the remnants of the event, including some of the partially packed equipment and local candidate/MP Megan Leslie.
I just realized that I didn't see anyone handing out literature. I don't think that I even so any evidence that any one had been handing out literature. And mention of the event seems to be absent from most of the relevant NDP Twitter feeds. I guess they were going for stealth this morning? It is unclear to me why they would try to sneak in and out of downtown Halifax, an NDP district, without letting anyone (aside from the media) know in advance.
As close as we came to actually seeing Jack Layton was walking by his campaign bus as we entered the farmer's market.
By the time we left the market the bus had pulled out and was nowhere to be seen.
Campaign Events 3
Word on the tweet is that Jack Layton is at the local farmer's market at the moment. We are thinking about heading over so that we can complete the set - Opposition Leaders who aren't Gilles Duceppe.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
A Few Quick Notes 534
-I think today might have been overcast with a few sunny periods, but the more I think about it the more that I really don't remember much of today's weather. I guess I was paying attention to other things.
-Last night Neil, Rebecca, Jeannette, and I tried to go to a local restaurant to take advantage of a Groupon that I purchased a few weeks ago. Much to our surprise, the place was absolutely packed. I guess the fact that it was about 6:00 PM on a beautiful Friday evening may have had something to do with it. (Somehow all of us forgot to piece together that it was Friday evening and that Friday evening might be a particularly busy time.) We eventually decided that we weren't wiling to wait such a long time for a table in a restaurant that would likely still be overfilled when we got the table.
-For breakfast/brunch this morning I made a loaf of bread. It seems that I am getting a fair bit better at judging the volumes required for a single loaf of bread. This is good, as sometimes it is a good move to make a single loaf instead of a half-dozen loaves.
-As expected, Dal's tuition will be going up for next year. I am still of the opinion that the province may be shooting itself in the foot by allowing this to happen, but obviously they feel differently. I guess time will tell - but I think that they really can't risk driving away too many more young people given their already lopsided demographic balance.
-Just moments ago I finished some grading that I have been working on for the past two days. On both days I really put in a few good hours. Though these days were not particularly pleasant, that I have finished means that I should be able to promptly get back to studying.
-The Lounge Lizards are great. I really don't listen to them quite enough.
-Last night Neil, Rebecca, Jeannette, and I tried to go to a local restaurant to take advantage of a Groupon that I purchased a few weeks ago. Much to our surprise, the place was absolutely packed. I guess the fact that it was about 6:00 PM on a beautiful Friday evening may have had something to do with it. (Somehow all of us forgot to piece together that it was Friday evening and that Friday evening might be a particularly busy time.) We eventually decided that we weren't wiling to wait such a long time for a table in a restaurant that would likely still be overfilled when we got the table.
-For breakfast/brunch this morning I made a loaf of bread. It seems that I am getting a fair bit better at judging the volumes required for a single loaf of bread. This is good, as sometimes it is a good move to make a single loaf instead of a half-dozen loaves.
-As expected, Dal's tuition will be going up for next year. I am still of the opinion that the province may be shooting itself in the foot by allowing this to happen, but obviously they feel differently. I guess time will tell - but I think that they really can't risk driving away too many more young people given their already lopsided demographic balance.
-Just moments ago I finished some grading that I have been working on for the past two days. On both days I really put in a few good hours. Though these days were not particularly pleasant, that I have finished means that I should be able to promptly get back to studying.
-The Lounge Lizards are great. I really don't listen to them quite enough.
Friday, April 15, 2011
A Few Quick Notes 533
-Today was a beautiful, though chilly, day.
-I am now up to 6 for 34 in this year's RUTRTW. I suspect that my last cup, which was a winner, will be my final cup for the the year, so, amazingly, I think I came in a little better than expected by the end.
-Yesterday Jeannette and I were walking downtown when we were handed Porter promotional items. Upon closer inspection we learned that what we had been handed were unassembled balsa planes. Today I decided to assemble my plane.
[Embedded video]
-I have been doing a fair bit of grading today, I guess if I want to reach my daily goal I should head back to my stack of exams.
-I am now up to 6 for 34 in this year's RUTRTW. I suspect that my last cup, which was a winner, will be my final cup for the the year, so, amazingly, I think I came in a little better than expected by the end.
-Yesterday Jeannette and I were walking downtown when we were handed Porter promotional items. Upon closer inspection we learned that what we had been handed were unassembled balsa planes. Today I decided to assemble my plane.
[Embedded video]
-I have been doing a fair bit of grading today, I guess if I want to reach my daily goal I should head back to my stack of exams.
I am no longer with Ballot
Earlier this evening I finally got around to placing my completed special ballot in the mail. Hopefully it will arrive in Ottawa in the next few days.
I am glad that my special ballot wasn't caught up in the same kind of stink that some special at the University of Guelph were earlier today. Later in the day Elections Canada confirmed that the votes that had been cast through the contested process will stand and that similar practices will be discontinued for the duration of the election.
I am glad that my special ballot wasn't caught up in the same kind of stink that some special at the University of Guelph were earlier today. Later in the day Elections Canada confirmed that the votes that had been cast through the contested process will stand and that similar practices will be discontinued for the duration of the election.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
I am now with Ballot
Just in times for the debates my special ballot arrived. Who knows, maybe I will cast it immediately after the debate.
How classy.
How underwhelming?
And I have to provide my old writing utensil.
How classy.
How underwhelming?
And I have to provide my old writing utensil.
A Few Quick Notes 532
-As predicted, today was definitely a less than ideal day. While today was not rainy from beginning to end, it was overcast all day.
-It seems that both Jeannette and I had our headphones break on us recently. These developments necessitated a trip to a store where we each purchased replacement sets. The only upside seems to be that we both have slightly newer headphones (and in my case a set that seem to fit a little better).
-I made a satisfying, vegetable-heavy batch of chicken noodle soup for dinner tonight. Now that the leftover noodles have expanded it seems that we have more than we did after dinner.
-Though I haven't completely given up following online election coverage, I have had to dial back the time I spend following the up to the minute developments on Twitter. I just can't afford to spend 5 hours a day watching tweets flow in.
-Developments that I did manage to spend a few minutes following today related to the Auditor General. The first development of the day was a Canadian Press story releasing details in a leaked draft version of a report that makes it look as though the government may have broken the law when it came to spending related to the recent G8/G20 preparations. The second development, which hit a few hours later, had to do with Conservative MPs using an old quote from the Auditor General out of context to make it look as though she was saying something complementary about the Conservative government though she had actually been talking about the previous Liberal government. All in all, it doesn't sound as though it was a particularly good day for the Conservative party.
-Yesterday I should have mentioned that Jeannette helped out with our haircuts. Jeannette helped buff out noticeable lines that we had each given other.
-It seems that both Jeannette and I had our headphones break on us recently. These developments necessitated a trip to a store where we each purchased replacement sets. The only upside seems to be that we both have slightly newer headphones (and in my case a set that seem to fit a little better).
-I made a satisfying, vegetable-heavy batch of chicken noodle soup for dinner tonight. Now that the leftover noodles have expanded it seems that we have more than we did after dinner.
-Though I haven't completely given up following online election coverage, I have had to dial back the time I spend following the up to the minute developments on Twitter. I just can't afford to spend 5 hours a day watching tweets flow in.
-Developments that I did manage to spend a few minutes following today related to the Auditor General. The first development of the day was a Canadian Press story releasing details in a leaked draft version of a report that makes it look as though the government may have broken the law when it came to spending related to the recent G8/G20 preparations. The second development, which hit a few hours later, had to do with Conservative MPs using an old quote from the Auditor General out of context to make it look as though she was saying something complementary about the Conservative government though she had actually been talking about the previous Liberal government. All in all, it doesn't sound as though it was a particularly good day for the Conservative party.
-Yesterday I should have mentioned that Jeannette helped out with our haircuts. Jeannette helped buff out noticeable lines that we had each given other.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
A Few Quick Notes 531
-We had the pleasure of having another beautiful day today. It seems that the first part of this week isn't supposed to be quite as nice as this weekend was.
-I am now 5 for 33 for this year's RUTRTW contest. Maybe not surprisingly, all of the 5 prizes have been been free coffees.
-This weekend I was again able to take advantage of the fact that our building has not yet increased the laundry prices as promised. I am quite happy that the promised price increase has not yet been implemented, though this impending doom of the price change is a little nerve-wracking.
-A few days ago it became clear that one of the two local grocery stores has stopped carrying pate. This seems a strange development as they had been carrying a number of varieties until a few weeks ago and because the other store is continuing to carry a number of varieties. What I can't figure out is why this change would have happened at this particular moment in time.
-A few days ago I saw a CBC story about a local sexual assault that had a pretty distrubing line.
How is it that similar attacks have happened to the same woman three times?
-Gilles Duceppe seems to have requested a time change for the French language debate from Thursday to Wednesday because of a scheduling conflict - with a NHL hockey game.
Though I get the sense that at least a few of the other parties aren't opposed to such a change, I haven't heard if the change will actually be approved.
Update: Neil just informed me that the debate has in fact been changed and will now be taking place on Wednesday.
-Neil and I traded haircuts this afternoon.
-I am now 5 for 33 for this year's RUTRTW contest. Maybe not surprisingly, all of the 5 prizes have been been free coffees.
-This weekend I was again able to take advantage of the fact that our building has not yet increased the laundry prices as promised. I am quite happy that the promised price increase has not yet been implemented, though this impending doom of the price change is a little nerve-wracking.
-A few days ago it became clear that one of the two local grocery stores has stopped carrying pate. This seems a strange development as they had been carrying a number of varieties until a few weeks ago and because the other store is continuing to carry a number of varieties. What I can't figure out is why this change would have happened at this particular moment in time.
-A few days ago I saw a CBC story about a local sexual assault that had a pretty distrubing line.
The woman told police she recognized him as the same stranger who had touched her three times previously in similar incidents.
How is it that similar attacks have happened to the same woman three times?
-Gilles Duceppe seems to have requested a time change for the French language debate from Thursday to Wednesday because of a scheduling conflict - with a NHL hockey game.
Though I get the sense that at least a few of the other parties aren't opposed to such a change, I haven't heard if the change will actually be approved.
Update: Neil just informed me that the debate has in fact been changed and will now be taking place on Wednesday.
-Neil and I traded haircuts this afternoon.
Saturday, April 09, 2011
Campaign Event Recap 2 (update)
First off, sadly, it seems that that my Elizabeth May rally video is attracting quite as many viewers in its early hours as my Ignatieff video of a week ago did.
Secondly, while at the rally I noticed quite a number of media types, including Global, CTV, CBC, and Canadian Press cameramen (and they were all men) and several additional reporters. I should be clear that I did see at least one CBC reporter and at least one CBC cameraman. Given these sightings I was a little surprised to see that the story about the rally that CBC has on their website is from the Canadian Press. If they are just going to re-post content from the Canadian press I don't quite understand why they would even send reporters to such an event. This practice seems a little wasteful to me (particularly when my sense is that the Canadian Press had only one guy there instead of two).
I guess that's it for now.
Secondly, while at the rally I noticed quite a number of media types, including Global, CTV, CBC, and Canadian Press cameramen (and they were all men) and several additional reporters. I should be clear that I did see at least one CBC reporter and at least one CBC cameraman. Given these sightings I was a little surprised to see that the story about the rally that CBC has on their website is from the Canadian Press. If they are just going to re-post content from the Canadian press I don't quite understand why they would even send reporters to such an event. This practice seems a little wasteful to me (particularly when my sense is that the Canadian Press had only one guy there instead of two).
I guess that's it for now.
Campaign Event Recap 2
As I mentioned earlier today, Neil and I were thinking about going to the Green Party's Halifax 'Rally for Democracy' to see what Elizabeth May had to say. As planned, we did manage to make it to the event.
Much to my surprise, the event was actually quite well attended. On stage May suggested that it may have been the largest election event to have yet taken place in Halifax this campaign. While this may be true, I think that the Liberal event last weekend may have given this event a run for its money.
Almost as soon as we arrived at the event we spotted May. She appeared to be giving an interview to a TV-based media outlet. This interview seemed to go on for quite some time, much longer than I might have expected.
While this aforementioned interview was ongoing a banjo player was entertaining the masses.
This guy played for quite a while. It was really a nice touch. Actually, shortly after listening to the music for a while I realized that something like this was missing from the Liberal rally, and they really should had someone providing a little bit of pre-rally entertainment to keep the crowd up-beat and motivated for the talks to come. Though a small, gesture, having this performance was really great.
Eventually, a few speakers came to the stage to talk about the Green Party and issues that they have been facing. I think the third speaker was the candidate in our Halifax riding, Michael Dewar. Dewar gave a full-bodied address and was quite a bit more animated that the other speakers.
After speaking for a few minutes Dewar introduced May, who, as promised, spoke primarily about issues relating to Canadian democracy and the upcoming televised debates instead of traditional Green Party topics (though a few references to such issues did slip in).
[Embedded video]
I was particularly pleased to hear a few of her comments about the role the media has been playing in this election and that they have been complicit in facilitating some of the questionable practices of parties when it comes to having overly controlled campaign events. Sadly, as she noted, this isn't an issue that is likely to get much play in the national media.
Anyway, though the rally wasn't quite over, we decided to leave shortly after May finished speaking.
Much to my surprise, the event was actually quite well attended. On stage May suggested that it may have been the largest election event to have yet taken place in Halifax this campaign. While this may be true, I think that the Liberal event last weekend may have given this event a run for its money.
Almost as soon as we arrived at the event we spotted May. She appeared to be giving an interview to a TV-based media outlet. This interview seemed to go on for quite some time, much longer than I might have expected.
While this aforementioned interview was ongoing a banjo player was entertaining the masses.
This guy played for quite a while. It was really a nice touch. Actually, shortly after listening to the music for a while I realized that something like this was missing from the Liberal rally, and they really should had someone providing a little bit of pre-rally entertainment to keep the crowd up-beat and motivated for the talks to come. Though a small, gesture, having this performance was really great.
Eventually, a few speakers came to the stage to talk about the Green Party and issues that they have been facing. I think the third speaker was the candidate in our Halifax riding, Michael Dewar. Dewar gave a full-bodied address and was quite a bit more animated that the other speakers.
After speaking for a few minutes Dewar introduced May, who, as promised, spoke primarily about issues relating to Canadian democracy and the upcoming televised debates instead of traditional Green Party topics (though a few references to such issues did slip in).
[Embedded video]
I was particularly pleased to hear a few of her comments about the role the media has been playing in this election and that they have been complicit in facilitating some of the questionable practices of parties when it comes to having overly controlled campaign events. Sadly, as she noted, this isn't an issue that is likely to get much play in the national media.
Anyway, though the rally wasn't quite over, we decided to leave shortly after May finished speaking.
A Few Quick Notes 530
-Today has been pretty beautiful so far, though the forecast is for things to take a turn for the worse later this afternoon.
-I am currently in the midst of drinking what may be my last RUTRTW for the season. I wonder if it will be a winner?
-Neil and I did make it, as planned, to our local Yuk Yuk's last night. Also as planned, we got to see Graham Clark perform. Before the show I even took the opportunity to introduce myself and compliment him on his work. As far as I could tell I may have been the only bumper in the audience?
-I am currently in the midst doing some laundry. Much to my surprise, the prices have still not been adjusted up to the $2 a load prices.
-I am currently in the midst of drinking what may be my last RUTRTW for the season. I wonder if it will be a winner?
-Neil and I did make it, as planned, to our local Yuk Yuk's last night. Also as planned, we got to see Graham Clark perform. Before the show I even took the opportunity to introduce myself and compliment him on his work. As far as I could tell I may have been the only bumper in the audience?
-I am currently in the midst doing some laundry. Much to my surprise, the prices have still not been adjusted up to the $2 a load prices.
Campaign Events 2
So one Saturday after our trip to the Liberal Ignatieff rally it seems that we now have the opportunity to head to a Green rally with Elizabeth May rally on the waterfront. As Neil and I are both hearing directly from as many of the federal leaders as possible we are both planning on attending.
Hopefully, like last week, I will be able to post something of a re-cap after the event.
Anyway, I presume that may connections to both of these events might be enough to have me booted from any upcoming Conservative events that may or may not take place in Halifax before the end of the election.
Hopefully, like last week, I will be able to post something of a re-cap after the event.
Anyway, I presume that may connections to both of these events might be enough to have me booted from any upcoming Conservative events that may or may not take place in Halifax before the end of the election.
Friday, April 08, 2011
A Few Quick Notes 529
-We are in the midst of another beautiful day in Halifax. Amazingly, even though it has been sunny all day the puddle outside my window (which was featured in yesterday's video) has still not dried up.
-I am now down to a shameful 4 for 32 in this year's RUTRTW contest. I guess all of this year's Dal luck when to the girl who won a car the other day.
-I have been spending far too much time following a variety of Canadian politics types on Twitter. The problem is that as reporters are reporting on things from the field one can basically watch stories as they break and as the various parties respond to them. One can easily have an entire day sucked up without really accomplishing more than gaining a familiarity political brouhaha of the day.
-Last night Neil and I attended our final DAGS meeting of the year, and this was after we had already attended our union's AGM. Talk about a day full of large-scale meetings.
-Neil and I will be heading over to our local Yuk Yuk's tonight to see Graham Clark of Stop Podcasting Yourself fame. I am curious to know if I will be the only bumper/MaxFunster in the audience tonight?
Though Neil isn't much of a MaxFunster or a bumper, tonight's show will mean that he is something of a Stop Podcasting Yourself completist in that he will have seen both Dave and Graham perform live in Halifax. Presumably one of the few people in the world to have accomplished such a feat?
-I should either get back to work or start making dinner. Probably the latter in this instance.
-I am now down to a shameful 4 for 32 in this year's RUTRTW contest. I guess all of this year's Dal luck when to the girl who won a car the other day.
-I have been spending far too much time following a variety of Canadian politics types on Twitter. The problem is that as reporters are reporting on things from the field one can basically watch stories as they break and as the various parties respond to them. One can easily have an entire day sucked up without really accomplishing more than gaining a familiarity political brouhaha of the day.
-Last night Neil and I attended our final DAGS meeting of the year, and this was after we had already attended our union's AGM. Talk about a day full of large-scale meetings.
-Neil and I will be heading over to our local Yuk Yuk's tonight to see Graham Clark of Stop Podcasting Yourself fame. I am curious to know if I will be the only bumper/MaxFunster in the audience tonight?
Though Neil isn't much of a MaxFunster or a bumper, tonight's show will mean that he is something of a Stop Podcasting Yourself completist in that he will have seen both Dave and Graham perform live in Halifax. Presumably one of the few people in the world to have accomplished such a feat?
-I should either get back to work or start making dinner. Probably the latter in this instance.
Thursday, April 07, 2011
An intermittently windy day
I had to head out for a few hours this morning so I decided to set my time-lapse machine up for the duration of my absence.
I was able to aim the camera at a puddle outside of my window and capture the reflection of the nice blue sky and passing clouds, but also the fact that there were intermittent gusts of wind that obscured the reflection.
Though I can't say that too much happens in this video, I do think it is one of my better time-lapse attempts.
[Embedded video]
I was able to aim the camera at a puddle outside of my window and capture the reflection of the nice blue sky and passing clouds, but also the fact that there were intermittent gusts of wind that obscured the reflection.
Though I can't say that too much happens in this video, I do think it is one of my better time-lapse attempts.
[Embedded video]
Tuesday, April 05, 2011
A Few Quick Notes 528
-Today has been grey all day, though it did take a few hours for this to turn to honest-to-goodness rain. Fortunately, at least for the time being, the rain seems to have stopped.
-I am now down to 4 for 32 in this year's RUTRTW contest. This are definitely now completely off the rails and I am kind of enjoying it.
-Tonight, for the first time this year, I used a barbecue to cook dinner. Everyone seemed pretty pleased with the resulting burgers. I hope tomorrow's sausages are received as positively.
[Embedded video]
As you can see, things were a little smokey at first. Fortunately it only took a little while for things to calm down.
-It seems that Harper and his party have recently come under fire for tossing students from their events. CBC recently posted a great back and forth between Soudas, a Harper spokesperson, and a reporter about these incidents. Soudas's active avoidance of the questions would be impressive if it wasn't quite so frustrating.
-I am incredibly tired right now. I guess I will go to bed shortly.
-I am now down to 4 for 32 in this year's RUTRTW contest. This are definitely now completely off the rails and I am kind of enjoying it.
-Tonight, for the first time this year, I used a barbecue to cook dinner. Everyone seemed pretty pleased with the resulting burgers. I hope tomorrow's sausages are received as positively.
[Embedded video]
As you can see, things were a little smokey at first. Fortunately it only took a little while for things to calm down.
-It seems that Harper and his party have recently come under fire for tossing students from their events. CBC recently posted a great back and forth between Soudas, a Harper spokesperson, and a reporter about these incidents. Soudas's active avoidance of the questions would be impressive if it wasn't quite so frustrating.
-I am incredibly tired right now. I guess I will go to bed shortly.
Monday, April 04, 2011
Big change to the special ballot application page at Elections Canada
As some of you may recall, a few days ago I pointed out that Elections Canada's special ballot application webpage was less than fully accessible. Most notably, to access the special ballot application one first had to use a clunky Java tool to enter basic information about one's home riding.
Not long after making my post I wrote to Elections Canada to draw their attention to the issue as I feared that the problem had the potential to deter quite a number of voters.
Much to my surprise, this evening I received a response from Elections Canada about the issue. An while they didn't quite acknowledge all of the problems that existed, they do have seem to have made a few changes that move things in the right directly. Most importantly, they have made the Java tool optional and offered an HTML only option that provides quick access to the PDF form.
I like to interpret the following quote in such a way that suggests they made the changes because of my email, though this may be reading a little too much into it.
Though they didn't admit it in their email, I think that they also fixed some compatibility issues relating to their Java tool, which now works on my computer. I guess the important thing is that they made the changes that make the form more accessible, anything else wouldn't be anything more than an ego boost.
Not long after making my post I wrote to Elections Canada to draw their attention to the issue as I feared that the problem had the potential to deter quite a number of voters.
Much to my surprise, this evening I received a response from Elections Canada about the issue. An while they didn't quite acknowledge all of the problems that existed, they do have seem to have made a few changes that move things in the right directly. Most importantly, they have made the Java tool optional and offered an HTML only option that provides quick access to the PDF form.
I like to interpret the following quote in such a way that suggests they made the changes because of my email, though this may be reading a little too much into it.
To help both PC and Mac users online, we have incorporated, over the last days, one additional message and link at the bottom of each screen to offer the elector, as you suggested, the ability to access a basic HTML version of the application
Though they didn't admit it in their email, I think that they also fixed some compatibility issues relating to their Java tool, which now works on my computer. I guess the important thing is that they made the changes that make the form more accessible, anything else wouldn't be anything more than an ego boost.
Yum!
While walking along Queen Street yesterday afternoon I happened to notice the following on someone's stoop.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the potato was still on the stoop today. Actually, I happened to be walking past this building earlier today and saw someone exit the building and leave the potato untouched. I am not curious how long the potato will remain before it is either damaged or discarded.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the potato was still on the stoop today. Actually, I happened to be walking past this building earlier today and saw someone exit the building and leave the potato untouched. I am not curious how long the potato will remain before it is either damaged or discarded.
A Few Quick Notes 527
-Though today started off being a fair bit above average it seems that things have now turned a little overcast. Hopefully this change in sky colour won't lead to a change in precipitation levels.
-I am now down to 4 for 31 in this year's RUTRTW contest. I have to say, my heart really isn't in it any more. I keep buying rims just expecting to to lose (and then become somewhat comforted by the fact that my prediction turned out to be correct). Maybe I will find a way to get my groove back for next year.
-My Ignatieff rally video seems to gotten a few views, and this is after I deleted the first version to replace it with a higher quality video. I suspect that things will level off shortly, at at least by the end of the campaign.
-Early this afternoon I picked up a few more essays to grade. I suspect that almost as soon as I finish grading these essays it will be time to grade final exams. I can't wait for that to start.
-Yesterday, while we were making our way to the rally, I happened to notice a sign promoting upcoming shows at our local comedy club. Much to my surprise, it seems that one of the hosts of Stop Podcasting Yourself, Graham Clark, will be appearing there this weekend. This is great. I hope to be able to attend the Thursday night show, though I am not quite sure who I will be able to convince to go with me.
-I am now down to 4 for 31 in this year's RUTRTW contest. I have to say, my heart really isn't in it any more. I keep buying rims just expecting to to lose (and then become somewhat comforted by the fact that my prediction turned out to be correct). Maybe I will find a way to get my groove back for next year.
-My Ignatieff rally video seems to gotten a few views, and this is after I deleted the first version to replace it with a higher quality video. I suspect that things will level off shortly, at at least by the end of the campaign.
-Early this afternoon I picked up a few more essays to grade. I suspect that almost as soon as I finish grading these essays it will be time to grade final exams. I can't wait for that to start.
-Yesterday, while we were making our way to the rally, I happened to notice a sign promoting upcoming shows at our local comedy club. Much to my surprise, it seems that one of the hosts of Stop Podcasting Yourself, Graham Clark, will be appearing there this weekend. This is great. I hope to be able to attend the Thursday night show, though I am not quite sure who I will be able to convince to go with me.
Campaign Event Recap
As I mentioned yesterday, Neil and I were planning on attending a Liberal campaign rally yesterday evening. The event's headliner was to be Michael Ignatieff.
Almost as soon as we arrived at the hotel hosting the event it was clear that quite a number of people would be attending this rally. Many of these people were decked out in red clothing of various sorts. The other thing that almost immediately became clear was that this was an older crowd, those of us below 40 were in a definite minority.
That being said, there was definitely a crowd. Once the initial space was filled they even had to make available an overflow section of the room, which also seemed to fill up nicely.
After what seemed like something of a delay, though as I didn't have a watch and there was some confusion about the planned starting time I don't really know how delayed the start was, Mike Savage came on stage to get things going.
Much to my surprise, Savage then introduced all of the Liberal candidates for the province. Each of the candidates then came on stage with a spouse or family member. As this process was taking placed noticed that a friend's wife heading on stage as her candidate father's requisite family member. These individuals then positioned themselves across the back of the stage creating something of a human backdrop.
The final candidate to be introduced was Stan Kutcher, the candidate for the Halifax riding. Kutcher was then given the opportunity to introduce Michael Ignatieff.
You can check out a video of this (and some of Ignatieff's speech if you would like.
[Embedded video]
Much to my surprise, Ignatieff seemed to be a pretty confident speaker. He seemed to have no problem speaking in the rally setting. He even got one pretty good laugh with a line suggesting that if Harper promised to stop telling lies about the Liberals he would stop telling the truth about the Conservatives.
Maybe not surprisingly, the rally basically just consisted of the introductions by Savage and Kutcher and then the speech by Ignatieff. There were not opportunities for questions and as far as I could tell there wasn't even an organized meet and greet after the conclusion of the main event.
As far as I was concerned the biggest frustration of the event was the post-rally emptying of the room. It seemed to take about 15 or 20 minutes for us to be able to finally make our way out of the room where the lobby was held. As we were leaving I couldn't entirely figure out the reason for the bottle neck, though it could have had to do with people just socializing as they exited the room.
Anyway, I guess I will now have to see if I can find a way to attend one or two more of these held by other parties. I am curious to see how they stack up against the Ignatieff version.
Almost as soon as we arrived at the hotel hosting the event it was clear that quite a number of people would be attending this rally. Many of these people were decked out in red clothing of various sorts. The other thing that almost immediately became clear was that this was an older crowd, those of us below 40 were in a definite minority.
That being said, there was definitely a crowd. Once the initial space was filled they even had to make available an overflow section of the room, which also seemed to fill up nicely.
After what seemed like something of a delay, though as I didn't have a watch and there was some confusion about the planned starting time I don't really know how delayed the start was, Mike Savage came on stage to get things going.
Much to my surprise, Savage then introduced all of the Liberal candidates for the province. Each of the candidates then came on stage with a spouse or family member. As this process was taking placed noticed that a friend's wife heading on stage as her candidate father's requisite family member. These individuals then positioned themselves across the back of the stage creating something of a human backdrop.
The final candidate to be introduced was Stan Kutcher, the candidate for the Halifax riding. Kutcher was then given the opportunity to introduce Michael Ignatieff.
You can check out a video of this (and some of Ignatieff's speech if you would like.
[Embedded video]
Much to my surprise, Ignatieff seemed to be a pretty confident speaker. He seemed to have no problem speaking in the rally setting. He even got one pretty good laugh with a line suggesting that if Harper promised to stop telling lies about the Liberals he would stop telling the truth about the Conservatives.
Maybe not surprisingly, the rally basically just consisted of the introductions by Savage and Kutcher and then the speech by Ignatieff. There were not opportunities for questions and as far as I could tell there wasn't even an organized meet and greet after the conclusion of the main event.
As far as I was concerned the biggest frustration of the event was the post-rally emptying of the room. It seemed to take about 15 or 20 minutes for us to be able to finally make our way out of the room where the lobby was held. As we were leaving I couldn't entirely figure out the reason for the bottle neck, though it could have had to do with people just socializing as they exited the room.
Anyway, I guess I will now have to see if I can find a way to attend one or two more of these held by other parties. I am curious to see how they stack up against the Ignatieff version.
Sunday, April 03, 2011
Campaign Events
In just a few minutes I will be heading out to attend the first Canadian election campaign rally/event that I have ever attended. Neil and I will be attending some kind of event with Michael Ignatieff and local candidates at the hotel across the street from our apartment. We will be attending as interested observers rather than as Liberal partisans
For years I have been curious to know what kinds of things go on at these events as I have only ever seen them the snippets that are played on nightly newscasts. Given my long-term interest in these events I thought it would be ridiculous to turn up the chance to attend such an event when it is held only a two minute walk away from my place of residence.
Given that today was the day the Liberal's launched their platform I presume they will be mentioning it and maybe even given away copies. I presume that we will also be in for at least a few political speeches of varying lengths and qualities. I guess ideally we would get to witness at least one truly rousing speech - though that may be a bit of a long shot.
Amazingly, if I had been on top of things, I could have actually had my first political rally/event experience yesterday at an NDP thing in Dartmouth. Unfortunately, I didn't find out about the event until about an hour before it was to start. Maybe if I hear about another such event I will have to try to attend.
Hopefully I will be able to provide an update later tonight.
For years I have been curious to know what kinds of things go on at these events as I have only ever seen them the snippets that are played on nightly newscasts. Given my long-term interest in these events I thought it would be ridiculous to turn up the chance to attend such an event when it is held only a two minute walk away from my place of residence.
Given that today was the day the Liberal's launched their platform I presume they will be mentioning it and maybe even given away copies. I presume that we will also be in for at least a few political speeches of varying lengths and qualities. I guess ideally we would get to witness at least one truly rousing speech - though that may be a bit of a long shot.
Amazingly, if I had been on top of things, I could have actually had my first political rally/event experience yesterday at an NDP thing in Dartmouth. Unfortunately, I didn't find out about the event until about an hour before it was to start. Maybe if I hear about another such event I will have to try to attend.
Hopefully I will be able to provide an update later tonight.
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Friday, April 01, 2011
A Few Quick Notes 526
-After several hours of overcast skies this morning we have finally made the transition to rain/snow and high winds. Though we don't yet have a storm warning, other parts of the Maritimes have been warned about a snowstorm that is due to hit this weekend. So even if we don't get 30 cm of snow, it does look as though we will be getting something unpleasant this weekend.
-On a related note, it seems that there is an Ultimate tournament taking place this weekend that should be made pretty unfun by this weather. Actually, the likelihood of similar weather was exactly why I chose not to play in the same tournament last year. Anyway, I really hope that things aren't too unpleasant for those playing.
-After a little dilly-dallying this morning I finally got around to sending an email to Elections Canada about their less than function special ballot application webpage. Of course after sending the email I was taken to a page where it was suggested that I shouldn't expect a particularly prompt response. I guess I just hope that they change their system before too many people are discouraged from voting.
-As I was walking to an appointment this morning I came across this car.
I guess it must be an April Fool's day joke but I really don't get it.
-At first I thought a story from St. John's about the Village Mall booting Metrobus from their parking lot was an April Fool's Day joke as well, but this one seems to be real. This is definitely going to be a bummer for a number of bus riders and will again hit the people who can least afford to be hit.
My favourite part of the story was the part at the end when they talked about decreasing ridership. I wonder if the decreasing ridership might have anything to do with a decreasing quality of the service? My experience with Metrobus over the years has been that they have consistently made bus routes less useful and changed route structures so that trips to and from the same places take longer than they used to. No wonder fewer people ride the bus under these circumstances.
-On a related note, it seems that there is an Ultimate tournament taking place this weekend that should be made pretty unfun by this weather. Actually, the likelihood of similar weather was exactly why I chose not to play in the same tournament last year. Anyway, I really hope that things aren't too unpleasant for those playing.
-After a little dilly-dallying this morning I finally got around to sending an email to Elections Canada about their less than function special ballot application webpage. Of course after sending the email I was taken to a page where it was suggested that I shouldn't expect a particularly prompt response. I guess I just hope that they change their system before too many people are discouraged from voting.
-As I was walking to an appointment this morning I came across this car.
I guess it must be an April Fool's day joke but I really don't get it.
-At first I thought a story from St. John's about the Village Mall booting Metrobus from their parking lot was an April Fool's Day joke as well, but this one seems to be real. This is definitely going to be a bummer for a number of bus riders and will again hit the people who can least afford to be hit.
My favourite part of the story was the part at the end when they talked about decreasing ridership. I wonder if the decreasing ridership might have anything to do with a decreasing quality of the service? My experience with Metrobus over the years has been that they have consistently made bus routes less useful and changed route structures so that trips to and from the same places take longer than they used to. No wonder fewer people ride the bus under these circumstances.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
How many voters will be turned away?
A few days go, when I first tried to download a special ballot application, I noticed that Elections Canada had changed it's website. It seems that no longer can one just download a straight PDF of the special ballot application, a somewhat more complicated process has now been implemented.
First off, one needs to have a recent version of Adobe Reader and not just a generic PDF reader. Then, it seems, one also has to have Java capability. Not surprisingly, even after I downloaded the Elections Canada linked-to version of Adobe Reader I was unable to access the application.
After a few failed attempts I finally got around to calling Elections Canada to ask how I might go about getting a copy of the special ballot application. The answer I basically got was that I could go to a local Elections Canada office and pick up a hard copy of the form. While explaining my problems with the form I was told that "people are having problems with it," suggesting that the problem is much more wide spread than just me. Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough to ask the employee exactly how widespread the problem is.
But I do wonder how many 'people' are having problems with the form and how many of these 'people' might decided to just forgo voting instead of figuring how to get a copy of the application? Given the time of year that it is, and that many students, in particular, might be discouraged by the more-complicated-than-necessary process I wonder what kind of impact this change will have? Given the low rate of voter turnout that Canada already has we can hardly afford to turn even more people away because of technological constraints.
Oh, and the best part is that this more complicated process just leads one back to a pretty straightforward PDF (maybe the same one I downloaded in 2008?) that has to be manually completed and then printed. Most the the Java based data submission is for naught and could be just as easily completed by the applicant on the final application.
What an incredibly frustrating process this has been, and all I wanted to do was download a PDF.
First off, one needs to have a recent version of Adobe Reader and not just a generic PDF reader. Then, it seems, one also has to have Java capability. Not surprisingly, even after I downloaded the Elections Canada linked-to version of Adobe Reader I was unable to access the application.
After a few failed attempts I finally got around to calling Elections Canada to ask how I might go about getting a copy of the special ballot application. The answer I basically got was that I could go to a local Elections Canada office and pick up a hard copy of the form. While explaining my problems with the form I was told that "people are having problems with it," suggesting that the problem is much more wide spread than just me. Unfortunately I wasn't quick enough to ask the employee exactly how widespread the problem is.
But I do wonder how many 'people' are having problems with the form and how many of these 'people' might decided to just forgo voting instead of figuring how to get a copy of the application? Given the time of year that it is, and that many students, in particular, might be discouraged by the more-complicated-than-necessary process I wonder what kind of impact this change will have? Given the low rate of voter turnout that Canada already has we can hardly afford to turn even more people away because of technological constraints.
Oh, and the best part is that this more complicated process just leads one back to a pretty straightforward PDF (maybe the same one I downloaded in 2008?) that has to be manually completed and then printed. Most the the Java based data submission is for naught and could be just as easily completed by the applicant on the final application.
What an incredibly frustrating process this has been, and all I wanted to do was download a PDF.
You've got to be kidding me
The Chronicle Herald is reporting that several 'deregistered' lobbyists are working for the Conservative campaign and that the Commissioner of Lobbying has suggested that registered lobbyists are prohibited from participating in the campaign. It seems that the latter portion of this story broke a few days ago on the Canadian politics blogs.
The Chronicle Herald quotes Shepherd, in an email to registered lobbyists, as suggesting that
It seems that the same, if not more, problems are likely present when 'deregistered' lobbyists (particularly those who just don't happen to be lobbying at the moment) participate in political campaigns. It should also be noted that all kinds of people who engage in lobbying activities that don't require reporting could also be participating in various political campaigns - there just isn't a good way of knowing.
That a situation could be created where an MP/Minister/Prime Minister feels that they owe their position to the campaign efforts of a particular lobbyist is scary and seems to completely undermine any attempt that has thus far been implemented to regulate lobbying. This loophole seems to provide a way for 'deregistered' lobbyists to have more access to political actors than they would be able to have if they were registered and thus provides a potential incentive to 'deregister' as a way of gaining more access to politicians.
So not only does this practice provide us with more evidence that the effectiveness of the lobbying regime likely quite limited, it also demonstrates that a number of individuals have figured out ways to get close to politicians that aren't obviously in contravention of the lobbying rules.
I guess we can now wait and see whether or not this becomes a big story or if it just blows over. Given the recent Bruce Carson pseudo-lobbying thing it wouldn't surprise me if this got at least a little traction.
The Chronicle Herald quotes Shepherd, in an email to registered lobbyists, as suggesting that
"Working on a political campaign to support the election of a public office holder is, in my opinion, advancing the private interest of that public office holder," she wrote. "A real or apparent conflict of interest can be created when a lobbyist engages in political activities that advance the private interest of a public office holder, while at the same time, or subsequently, seeking to lobby that public office holder."
It seems that the same, if not more, problems are likely present when 'deregistered' lobbyists (particularly those who just don't happen to be lobbying at the moment) participate in political campaigns. It should also be noted that all kinds of people who engage in lobbying activities that don't require reporting could also be participating in various political campaigns - there just isn't a good way of knowing.
That a situation could be created where an MP/Minister/Prime Minister feels that they owe their position to the campaign efforts of a particular lobbyist is scary and seems to completely undermine any attempt that has thus far been implemented to regulate lobbying. This loophole seems to provide a way for 'deregistered' lobbyists to have more access to political actors than they would be able to have if they were registered and thus provides a potential incentive to 'deregister' as a way of gaining more access to politicians.
So not only does this practice provide us with more evidence that the effectiveness of the lobbying regime likely quite limited, it also demonstrates that a number of individuals have figured out ways to get close to politicians that aren't obviously in contravention of the lobbying rules.
I guess we can now wait and see whether or not this becomes a big story or if it just blows over. Given the recent Bruce Carson pseudo-lobbying thing it wouldn't surprise me if this got at least a little traction.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
A Few Quick Notes 525
-We had another beautiful day in Halifax.
-I will soon be adding another RUTRTW rim to my tally, but before unrolling the rim I will have to finish my coffee.
-Apparently Harper is scheduled to make a campaign stop in Halifax tomorrow. Of course, that this is to take place isn't particularly clear on the website. What little information I do have seems to suggest that this may be a media only event - a type of event that I think shouldn't exist.
-We will soon be watching the penultimate episode of Republic of Doyle for the season. Hopefully a Doyle Pitch or two will be written during the episode.
-In advance of the laundry price increase that is due to be implemented tomorrow we have all been doing laundry tonight. I think that we have all managed to do as much laundry as possible.
-I will soon be adding another RUTRTW rim to my tally, but before unrolling the rim I will have to finish my coffee.
-Apparently Harper is scheduled to make a campaign stop in Halifax tomorrow. Of course, that this is to take place isn't particularly clear on the website. What little information I do have seems to suggest that this may be a media only event - a type of event that I think shouldn't exist.
-We will soon be watching the penultimate episode of Republic of Doyle for the season. Hopefully a Doyle Pitch or two will be written during the episode.
-In advance of the laundry price increase that is due to be implemented tomorrow we have all been doing laundry tonight. I think that we have all managed to do as much laundry as possible.
A possible new angle on election coverage
Given that in Canada there was just a stink about the proposed removal of the regulatory prohibition on the broadcasting of "any false or misleading news" I wonder if this now well-known clause couldn't be used to some effect.
Wouldn't it be great if sections of Harper's speeches had to be bleeped or cut because of this prohibition? And wouldn't it be even better if it was explained that the reason for their absence was because they were false or misleading?
If we are going to have this incredibly restrictive regulation ('misleading' is a pretty vague word) why don't we at least use it to staunch the flow of actively disseminated misinformation that is coming from so many of Canada's politicians?
Wouldn't it be great if sections of Harper's speeches had to be bleeped or cut because of this prohibition? And wouldn't it be even better if it was explained that the reason for their absence was because they were false or misleading?
If we are going to have this incredibly restrictive regulation ('misleading' is a pretty vague word) why don't we at least use it to staunch the flow of actively disseminated misinformation that is coming from so many of Canada's politicians?
Framing and Media Coverage
How appropriate that just hours after I post about the nature of media and political framing of this election that I happen to hear a great interview about research into the potential impact of such frames and metaphors (what is a frame if not a metaphor?).
[Embedded audio]
I love that while the CBC is allowing their resources to be used as a tool of the parties with little effort to take control of the coverage they are conducting hard hitting investigations into the safety of bean sprouts - the dangers of which have been known for years (and can be found with a simple Google search)
Before I go, I should mention that I have just recently started listening to On the Media (the source of interview mentioned above) and am quickly starting to think of myself as a fan. If you are interested in American media and have a chance you might consider checking it out as a radio show or a podcast or through their website.
[Embedded audio]
I love that while the CBC is allowing their resources to be used as a tool of the parties with little effort to take control of the coverage they are conducting hard hitting investigations into the safety of bean sprouts - the dangers of which have been known for years (and can be found with a simple Google search)
Before I go, I should mention that I have just recently started listening to On the Media (the source of interview mentioned above) and am quickly starting to think of myself as a fan. If you are interested in American media and have a chance you might consider checking it out as a radio show or a podcast or through their website.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Election Coverage
Even before this's Spring's Canadian election campaign officially kicked of a variety of media outlets started framing the campaign as a competition between various parties. While this horse race/game frame makes election coverage easier for media outlets, it is of limited utility for voters, particularly because it focuses on the back and forth of partisan debate and various campaign strategies instead of anything that is actually substantive.
Another problem with much of the media coverage that I have seen since the beginning of this campaign period is that it cedes a huge amount of control to the party holding the event that is being covered. It seems that what is happening is that parties are holding 'events' and inviting journalists and then getting coverage of these events and having some component of their message transmitted to the public as a consequence.
This practice seems particularly important when events are held that are not open to the public and serve as nothing but an excuse for coverage in the coming new cycles. It is particularly troubling that the fact that these are partisan get-togethers, in many cases, is not prominent in the coverage of these events. An observer would not necessarily know that these events were either just for the press or partisans and the press.
The more I think about these events the more I think that the media should consider not covering events that are not open to the public. Something seems wrong about the fact that a party can campaign in a way that is so removed from public scrutiny. Not only does a stacked audience allow a misleading sense of the popularity of the proposals to be presented, but it also allows politicians a way of avoiding engaging with the public about matters of the campaign. How is an active and informed voter really supposed to get a sense of a party leader through nothing more than a snippet in the media coverage of an event?
So I guess my point would be that many media outlets are complicit in creating a style of campaigning that allows politicians to largely avoid speaking to a mass audience. Media outlets are also helping parties get their message out without ever having to present it before voters. If media outlets decided to step up and somewhat collectively agree to not cover such things I think a great service would be done for public discourse in Canada. No longer would newscasts just reiterate the key points of a speech given by a political figure earlier in the day.
Of course this is unlikely to happen. Media outlets will continue to go to party events that present the leader or a candidate in the way that the party wants that person presented because they want to fill space with election coverage. Such a change would also mean that the media would actually have to do a little work when figuring out which events to attend - no longer could they just jump on a campaign bus or plane and file reports from each stop.
Hopefully at least a little of this makes sense.
Another problem with much of the media coverage that I have seen since the beginning of this campaign period is that it cedes a huge amount of control to the party holding the event that is being covered. It seems that what is happening is that parties are holding 'events' and inviting journalists and then getting coverage of these events and having some component of their message transmitted to the public as a consequence.
This practice seems particularly important when events are held that are not open to the public and serve as nothing but an excuse for coverage in the coming new cycles. It is particularly troubling that the fact that these are partisan get-togethers, in many cases, is not prominent in the coverage of these events. An observer would not necessarily know that these events were either just for the press or partisans and the press.
The more I think about these events the more I think that the media should consider not covering events that are not open to the public. Something seems wrong about the fact that a party can campaign in a way that is so removed from public scrutiny. Not only does a stacked audience allow a misleading sense of the popularity of the proposals to be presented, but it also allows politicians a way of avoiding engaging with the public about matters of the campaign. How is an active and informed voter really supposed to get a sense of a party leader through nothing more than a snippet in the media coverage of an event?
So I guess my point would be that many media outlets are complicit in creating a style of campaigning that allows politicians to largely avoid speaking to a mass audience. Media outlets are also helping parties get their message out without ever having to present it before voters. If media outlets decided to step up and somewhat collectively agree to not cover such things I think a great service would be done for public discourse in Canada. No longer would newscasts just reiterate the key points of a speech given by a political figure earlier in the day.
Of course this is unlikely to happen. Media outlets will continue to go to party events that present the leader or a candidate in the way that the party wants that person presented because they want to fill space with election coverage. Such a change would also mean that the media would actually have to do a little work when figuring out which events to attend - no longer could they just jump on a campaign bus or plane and file reports from each stop.
Hopefully at least a little of this makes sense.
A Few Quick Notes 524
-Contrary to what is being reported by Environment Canada, we are actually working our way through another beautiful day in Halifax. Sadly, things are expected to take a turn towards the rain tomorrow.
-I am now down to 4 for 29 on this year's RUTRTW. So even if I pick up a win on my next cup I will average at best (or something like that).
-I went for my first post talk meal today. I am really pleased to have finally been invited to tag along with faculty members and the guest speaker for a post-talk meal. This seems like a strange rite of passage in the world of graduate studies, and I am glad to have finally achieved it. This invitation was particularly good as the speaker in question studies some things that interest me, so it was good to be introduced to her as I will likely be checking out more of her work in the future.
-The election is ongoing but I still haven't heard of any big public rallies that I might be able to attend to hear party leaders or candidates speak. It is almost as though this form of campaigning is a thing of the past. I would have imagined that making speeches to the public might be something that at least a few of the party leaders would be interested in.
-I should get back to transcribing. It would be nice to put in a few hours before getting down to studying, and if I want this to happen I have to get back to transcribing.
-I am now down to 4 for 29 on this year's RUTRTW. So even if I pick up a win on my next cup I will average at best (or something like that).
-I went for my first post talk meal today. I am really pleased to have finally been invited to tag along with faculty members and the guest speaker for a post-talk meal. This seems like a strange rite of passage in the world of graduate studies, and I am glad to have finally achieved it. This invitation was particularly good as the speaker in question studies some things that interest me, so it was good to be introduced to her as I will likely be checking out more of her work in the future.
-The election is ongoing but I still haven't heard of any big public rallies that I might be able to attend to hear party leaders or candidates speak. It is almost as though this form of campaigning is a thing of the past. I would have imagined that making speeches to the public might be something that at least a few of the party leaders would be interested in.
-I should get back to transcribing. It would be nice to put in a few hours before getting down to studying, and if I want this to happen I have to get back to transcribing.
Monday, March 28, 2011
A Few Quick Notes 523
-Though chilly, today has been pretty beautiful. Actually, the light dusting of snow that we received at some point last night really added to the effect and made things look clean and crisp.
-I am now down to 4 for 28 in this year's RUTRTW contest. Things are definitely in the gutter now. At this rate it seems unlikely that I will even break even, let alone do better than average.
-The Canadian election campaign is definitely in full swing. As of yet I haven't heard about any major events in Halifax, though I am sure that they will come up eventually. I guess I would ideally find a way to see at least a few of the party leaders give speeches, though that may be hopeful as I sense that many of these things are for partisan audiences rather than the public (and then broadcast in snippet form on the nightly news).
-Tomorrow I will be heading in to campus for another public lecture. I am really looking forward to the talk as the presenter will likely be addressing a few issues that interest me and that I think are generally under-examined in Canada.
-Now that Ultimate is over for a few weeks I will have to find a way to engage in some physical activity. Maybe I will be able to convince Neil or Jeannette to play some squash with me.
-I am now down to 4 for 28 in this year's RUTRTW contest. Things are definitely in the gutter now. At this rate it seems unlikely that I will even break even, let alone do better than average.
-The Canadian election campaign is definitely in full swing. As of yet I haven't heard about any major events in Halifax, though I am sure that they will come up eventually. I guess I would ideally find a way to see at least a few of the party leaders give speeches, though that may be hopeful as I sense that many of these things are for partisan audiences rather than the public (and then broadcast in snippet form on the nightly news).
-Tomorrow I will be heading in to campus for another public lecture. I am really looking forward to the talk as the presenter will likely be addressing a few issues that interest me and that I think are generally under-examined in Canada.
-Now that Ultimate is over for a few weeks I will have to find a way to engage in some physical activity. Maybe I will be able to convince Neil or Jeannette to play some squash with me.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Twitter and the 2011 election campaign
So, for about the past 36 hours Canada has been in the midst of a federal election campaign. And aside from discussions of the willingness of various parties to enter coalitions with one another other, the topic that I have seen receive the most attention is Twitter use by politicians and staffers. Given the recent surge in the use of of this platform, and that this will be the first Canadian election to have all major party leaders with fully active accounts it seems not entirely surprising that there has been some discussion about the appropriate means of navigating this new landscape
Almost immediately a number of MPs and Cabinet ministers modified their Twitter names to reflect that they no longer MPs (though the Cabinet ministers still are Cabinet ministers). While a number of opposition types have changed their names, the accounts that seem the most important are those of Cabinet ministers, particularly those ministers who have been using their accounts to make policy announcements (in particular people like Tony Clement).
As I noted a few weeks ago, I think that this melding of public and private personas is potentially problematic and could lead to confusion about the status of certain statements. For instance, are we to now think that all of Tony Clement's old tweets are nothing more than partisan rhetoric (as they came from the account that he is now using and are still accessible through this account). Or are I am to somehow know that those old tweets were written by Tony Clement the Minister and these two tweets are being written by Tony Clement the candidate? And even if this distinction is clear currently, will it be so clear to someone who goes back through these tweets at some point in the future to follow political communications?
To some extent this confusion is already evident. Throughout the day CBC's Kady O'Malley has been tweeting about the fact that Harper's verified Twitter account had until Saturday been used as a non-partisan vehicle but has now started to carry partisan messages. After a quick check of old tweets it became clear that this account's first tweets were partisan messages in the run up to the 2008 election. Given the clearly partisan provenance of this account how are we to understand the content during non-election times? Does this account represent Stephen Harper the Prime Minister or Stephen Harper the Conservative Party of Canada leader? Given that the account has been used for both government policy announcements and partisan messages I think that it is fair to be somewhat confused.
I guess I am now hoping that one of the things this election accomplishes is the creation a slightly better understanding of how politicians should engage with social media applications and how we, as members of the public, are able to differentiate between the nature of the statements made by individuals with a variety of different roles and communications platforms. Whether this new understanding comes to fruition or not, I am sure that applications like Twitter will play more of a role than they have in past elections and that this role is only bound to increase as time passes.
Almost immediately a number of MPs and Cabinet ministers modified their Twitter names to reflect that they no longer MPs (though the Cabinet ministers still are Cabinet ministers). While a number of opposition types have changed their names, the accounts that seem the most important are those of Cabinet ministers, particularly those ministers who have been using their accounts to make policy announcements (in particular people like Tony Clement).
As I noted a few weeks ago, I think that this melding of public and private personas is potentially problematic and could lead to confusion about the status of certain statements. For instance, are we to now think that all of Tony Clement's old tweets are nothing more than partisan rhetoric (as they came from the account that he is now using and are still accessible through this account). Or are I am to somehow know that those old tweets were written by Tony Clement the Minister and these two tweets are being written by Tony Clement the candidate? And even if this distinction is clear currently, will it be so clear to someone who goes back through these tweets at some point in the future to follow political communications?
To some extent this confusion is already evident. Throughout the day CBC's Kady O'Malley has been tweeting about the fact that Harper's verified Twitter account had until Saturday been used as a non-partisan vehicle but has now started to carry partisan messages. After a quick check of old tweets it became clear that this account's first tweets were partisan messages in the run up to the 2008 election. Given the clearly partisan provenance of this account how are we to understand the content during non-election times? Does this account represent Stephen Harper the Prime Minister or Stephen Harper the Conservative Party of Canada leader? Given that the account has been used for both government policy announcements and partisan messages I think that it is fair to be somewhat confused.
I guess I am now hoping that one of the things this election accomplishes is the creation a slightly better understanding of how politicians should engage with social media applications and how we, as members of the public, are able to differentiate between the nature of the statements made by individuals with a variety of different roles and communications platforms. Whether this new understanding comes to fruition or not, I am sure that applications like Twitter will play more of a role than they have in past elections and that this role is only bound to increase as time passes.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
A Few Quick Notes 522
-Today has been a pretty nice day so far. Actually, it was even almost warm enough that a jacket wasn't necessary. Sadly, we are supposed to head towards snow this evening.
-I am now down to a measly 4 for 27 in this year's RUTRTW contest. This is definitely a disappointing performance.
-We played our final Ultimate game of the season tonight. Not surprisingly we managed to lose. Aside from the uneven score the game was actually pretty fun to play. As I won't be playing in the upcoming Spring leagues I suspect the next time I will be playing is this Summer.
-A few days ago I went to the hospital for a routine x-ray. As usual, I was one of the youngest people in the waiting room.
-It seems that we will soon be facing a 33% increase in our laundry prices. Bummer. Overall we have seen a 60% increase in prices since we moved in a few years ago. Things are definitely not heading in the right direction on this front.
-I had to give a lecture on Thursday. While the lecture was ongoing I couldn't really tell how it was going, for the most part the students seemed pretty non-responsive. Fortunately, two students came up to talk to me after the class about the subjects covered in the lecture. This suggests that at least a few people got something from the experience, which is comforting and pleasing.
-It seems that we are now officially in election mode in Canada. Jeannette, Rebecca, and I watched the confidence vote yesterday and Neil, Rebecca, and I watched the coverage of Harper's trip to Rideau Hall this morning. On our way from Ultimate Jeannette and I spotted re-election signs for Megan Leslie (given that they were re-election signs it is clear that they weren't just left-overs from the last election).
-I am now down to a measly 4 for 27 in this year's RUTRTW contest. This is definitely a disappointing performance.
-We played our final Ultimate game of the season tonight. Not surprisingly we managed to lose. Aside from the uneven score the game was actually pretty fun to play. As I won't be playing in the upcoming Spring leagues I suspect the next time I will be playing is this Summer.
-A few days ago I went to the hospital for a routine x-ray. As usual, I was one of the youngest people in the waiting room.
-It seems that we will soon be facing a 33% increase in our laundry prices. Bummer. Overall we have seen a 60% increase in prices since we moved in a few years ago. Things are definitely not heading in the right direction on this front.
-I had to give a lecture on Thursday. While the lecture was ongoing I couldn't really tell how it was going, for the most part the students seemed pretty non-responsive. Fortunately, two students came up to talk to me after the class about the subjects covered in the lecture. This suggests that at least a few people got something from the experience, which is comforting and pleasing.
-It seems that we are now officially in election mode in Canada. Jeannette, Rebecca, and I watched the confidence vote yesterday and Neil, Rebecca, and I watched the coverage of Harper's trip to Rideau Hall this morning. On our way from Ultimate Jeannette and I spotted re-election signs for Megan Leslie (given that they were re-election signs it is clear that they weren't just left-overs from the last election).
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Sadly fitting
How is that a stock/new ticker was added to the Dalhousie management building's (Rowe Building) lobby and I remained unaware of this development?
This sends a pretty strong message about the types of programs that are important to the faculty - mainly that the non-business programs aren't really part of the program. I guess I find this notable as I have started to wonder if 'business education' is really even appropriate at a university? Might there not be a better type of institution to provide this kind of training/education?
Also, why does the Rowe Building lobby smell like yeast?
This sends a pretty strong message about the types of programs that are important to the faculty - mainly that the non-business programs aren't really part of the program. I guess I find this notable as I have started to wonder if 'business education' is really even appropriate at a university? Might there not be a better type of institution to provide this kind of training/education?
Also, why does the Rowe Building lobby smell like yeast?
Monday, March 21, 2011
On the Road: Charlottetown (to Montague) to Halifax
This morning we had a quick breakfast at a national coffee and doughnut chain. All three of us ordered oatmeal and then were somewhat surprised to see that in Charlottetown this, traditionally sweet, breakfast dish was served with little packets of salt and pepper. We suspect that that is how Islanders recognize one another, Islanders are the ones with pepper on their oatmeal.
After breakfast Jeannette and I went out for a 'coastal' drive while my father went to his meeting.
Though our drive wasn't particularly coastal, we did eventually make it to Prim Point and were able to see the Prim Point lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in PEI.
Of course, because it is off season, the lighthouse was not open. The adjacent 'chowder house' was also closed for the season.
Aside from the lighthouse itself, what was particularly striking about this location was how still the water was. This is particularly impressive when you remember that it is sea water that is so still.
[Embedded video]
After driving along the road just inland from the coast from Prim Point to Wood Islands Jeannette and I made our way cross-country to Montague for lunch. Shortly after lunch we made our way back to Charlottetown to meet my father.
After picking my father up we started our trip back to Halifax.
Not surprisingly, we ended up passing Mastodon Ridge (Stewiacke) on our way back.
[Embedded video]
Now that we are back I have had a chance to make an animated gif of our first trip to the Mastodon Ridge area.
I'm exhausted.
After breakfast Jeannette and I went out for a 'coastal' drive while my father went to his meeting.
Though our drive wasn't particularly coastal, we did eventually make it to Prim Point and were able to see the Prim Point lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in PEI.
Of course, because it is off season, the lighthouse was not open. The adjacent 'chowder house' was also closed for the season.
Aside from the lighthouse itself, what was particularly striking about this location was how still the water was. This is particularly impressive when you remember that it is sea water that is so still.
[Embedded video]
After driving along the road just inland from the coast from Prim Point to Wood Islands Jeannette and I made our way cross-country to Montague for lunch. Shortly after lunch we made our way back to Charlottetown to meet my father.
After picking my father up we started our trip back to Halifax.
Not surprisingly, we ended up passing Mastodon Ridge (Stewiacke) on our way back.
[Embedded video]
Now that we are back I have had a chance to make an animated gif of our first trip to the Mastodon Ridge area.
I'm exhausted.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
On the Road: Sackville to Charlottetown
This morning we awoke on the early side of things and soon found ourselves on the road to Dorchester. Before long we were in front of the town hall looking at the World's Largest Sand Piper, a local landmark. Our next stop in Dorchester was their famous penitentiary.
Almost as soon as we pulled into the institution's parking lot we were greeted by a guard in a van who informed us that if we did not have an appointment we were not welcome on the premises. Apparently this jail, unlike some of the others in the Canadian federal jail system, does not have a craft shop selling goods made by the inmates.
After heading back through Dorchester we made our way to Memramcook to look for the Monument Lefebvre. After some hunting around and a little confusion we figure out that the monument was actually a building that it was closed on Sundays in the off season.
Our next goal was to find a local covered bridge. Unfortunately the tourist map we had wasn't very precise so we didn't know exactly where the bridge was or how to get there. After about 30 minutes of searching we eventually encountered a jogger who was able to point us in the right direction.
[Embedded video]
As you have seen, it was something of a dud as far as covered bridges are concerned.
After a return trip to Sackville and a visit to the Mount Allison art gallery we continued along to PEI and Charlottetown. Of course we crossed at the bridge instead of taking the ferry (which we later learned isn't even operating at this time of year).
[Embedded video]
Shortly after arriving in Charlottetown my father and I visited some friend's of his who lived in St. John's in the early 1980s. As they have now lived here for 25 years I though that this couple might be able to recommend a few things for Jeannette and I to do tomorrow while my father is in his meeting. Much to my surprise they couldn't really come up with anything other than visiting some of the local beaches and the comparing them other beaches. Of course, as it is pretty cold outside this sounds a little less fun than it might be in the summer.
For dinner we went out for fish and chips at a local restaurant. What was particularly notable about this restaurant was that they served a variety of fish, including cod, haddock, halibut, and sole.
We are now back in the hotel room and trying to dink around with bluetooth so that all three of us can use our room's single wired internet connection. So far we have two computers up and running but have been unable to link up the third machine.
Almost as soon as we pulled into the institution's parking lot we were greeted by a guard in a van who informed us that if we did not have an appointment we were not welcome on the premises. Apparently this jail, unlike some of the others in the Canadian federal jail system, does not have a craft shop selling goods made by the inmates.
After heading back through Dorchester we made our way to Memramcook to look for the Monument Lefebvre. After some hunting around and a little confusion we figure out that the monument was actually a building that it was closed on Sundays in the off season.
Our next goal was to find a local covered bridge. Unfortunately the tourist map we had wasn't very precise so we didn't know exactly where the bridge was or how to get there. After about 30 minutes of searching we eventually encountered a jogger who was able to point us in the right direction.
[Embedded video]
As you have seen, it was something of a dud as far as covered bridges are concerned.
After a return trip to Sackville and a visit to the Mount Allison art gallery we continued along to PEI and Charlottetown. Of course we crossed at the bridge instead of taking the ferry (which we later learned isn't even operating at this time of year).
[Embedded video]
Shortly after arriving in Charlottetown my father and I visited some friend's of his who lived in St. John's in the early 1980s. As they have now lived here for 25 years I though that this couple might be able to recommend a few things for Jeannette and I to do tomorrow while my father is in his meeting. Much to my surprise they couldn't really come up with anything other than visiting some of the local beaches and the comparing them other beaches. Of course, as it is pretty cold outside this sounds a little less fun than it might be in the summer.
For dinner we went out for fish and chips at a local restaurant. What was particularly notable about this restaurant was that they served a variety of fish, including cod, haddock, halibut, and sole.
We are now back in the hotel room and trying to dink around with bluetooth so that all three of us can use our room's single wired internet connection. So far we have two computers up and running but have been unable to link up the third machine.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
On the Road: Halifax to Sackville
Our weekend road trip started early this morning. Of course, it has been much colder and snowier than any of us would have wanted, oh, and it has been pretty windy as well.
After a quick to the airport to add me as a driver to the rental car agreement we made our way towards Truro. Before reaching Truro we stopped in Stewiacke, the former homeland of giant mastodons. What drew us to the site was the large mastodon statue that was visible for the road. Not surprisingly, we took the opportunity to take a few photos with the mastodon and some of the other touristy items (including a cement Flinstones car).
From Stewiacke we made our way to Truro to watch the 12:20 tidal bore. Much to all of our surprise, the tidal bore turned out to be something of a local attraction (there were 15 cars worth of people there) and of a fair size. If you are in the area it is definitely worth checking out.
[Embedded video]
After the tidal bore we made our way to Margolians, a locally owned department store. While at first I wasn't particularly impressed with the store I soon found that the prices for many of their items were half of what I thought they were. In the end I walked out with a handful of brandname shirts and sweaters for about $10 a piece. Everyone else found great things as well. Actually, we were all so impressed by the experience that we are hoping to head back on our way back from PEI.
We were all pretty impressed with Truro, it was definitely a nice little down.
From Truro we made our way to Parrsboro and the Fundy Geological Museum . After quickly passing through Parrsboro we made our way to the aforementioned museum and checked out a few of the exhibits. The museum employee then gave us a few suggestions about things to see in the region, we were particularly taken by her suggestion that we go gem hunting on a local beach.
Almost as soon as we arrived at the beach we noticed that a car a little further along the beach appeared to have gotten stuck in some loosely packed beach stones. Obviously we decided that it would probably be best if we didn't drive any further and that we should offer to help the guy get unstuck.
After a few unsuccessful attempts at lifting the front of the car with the guy while his ladyfriend gave it some gas we left them to do some digging out while we made our way down the beach to do some gem hunting (it really wasn't as bad as this likely sounds). After limited success gem hunting (none of us knew what we were looking for) we made our way back to the stranded car and helped them put some boards under their front tires. With the boards in place we were finally able get the front tires enough traction that our pushing actually mattered.
After freeing the car from the beach we made our way to Joggins Cove, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home of some very old fossils. Of course, because it is off season, we weren't actually able to see anything or visit the interpretation centre.
After our failed visit to Joggins Cove we were finally on the final leg of our trip to Sackville. Shortly after checking in at the Marshlands Inn (an inn that once hosted the Queen) we made our way out to find a restaurant for dinner. After dinner we took a brief tour of the town, though managed to see basically everything there was to see (at least those things that you could see by driving by).
The plan for tomorrow is to head to Dorchester to see the world's largest Sand Piper as well as the infamous penitentiary (there should be a museum-type aspect of the prison). We are also hoping to see the Mount Allison Owens Art Gallery, though we will have to check this out on our way back from Dorchester. I guess we will also eventually have to make our way to Charlottetown, which is where we will be spending the night.
After a quick to the airport to add me as a driver to the rental car agreement we made our way towards Truro. Before reaching Truro we stopped in Stewiacke, the former homeland of giant mastodons. What drew us to the site was the large mastodon statue that was visible for the road. Not surprisingly, we took the opportunity to take a few photos with the mastodon and some of the other touristy items (including a cement Flinstones car).
From Stewiacke we made our way to Truro to watch the 12:20 tidal bore. Much to all of our surprise, the tidal bore turned out to be something of a local attraction (there were 15 cars worth of people there) and of a fair size. If you are in the area it is definitely worth checking out.
[Embedded video]
After the tidal bore we made our way to Margolians, a locally owned department store. While at first I wasn't particularly impressed with the store I soon found that the prices for many of their items were half of what I thought they were. In the end I walked out with a handful of brandname shirts and sweaters for about $10 a piece. Everyone else found great things as well. Actually, we were all so impressed by the experience that we are hoping to head back on our way back from PEI.
We were all pretty impressed with Truro, it was definitely a nice little down.
From Truro we made our way to Parrsboro and the Fundy Geological Museum . After quickly passing through Parrsboro we made our way to the aforementioned museum and checked out a few of the exhibits. The museum employee then gave us a few suggestions about things to see in the region, we were particularly taken by her suggestion that we go gem hunting on a local beach.
Almost as soon as we arrived at the beach we noticed that a car a little further along the beach appeared to have gotten stuck in some loosely packed beach stones. Obviously we decided that it would probably be best if we didn't drive any further and that we should offer to help the guy get unstuck.
After a few unsuccessful attempts at lifting the front of the car with the guy while his ladyfriend gave it some gas we left them to do some digging out while we made our way down the beach to do some gem hunting (it really wasn't as bad as this likely sounds). After limited success gem hunting (none of us knew what we were looking for) we made our way back to the stranded car and helped them put some boards under their front tires. With the boards in place we were finally able get the front tires enough traction that our pushing actually mattered.
After freeing the car from the beach we made our way to Joggins Cove, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and home of some very old fossils. Of course, because it is off season, we weren't actually able to see anything or visit the interpretation centre.
After our failed visit to Joggins Cove we were finally on the final leg of our trip to Sackville. Shortly after checking in at the Marshlands Inn (an inn that once hosted the Queen) we made our way out to find a restaurant for dinner. After dinner we took a brief tour of the town, though managed to see basically everything there was to see (at least those things that you could see by driving by).
The plan for tomorrow is to head to Dorchester to see the world's largest Sand Piper as well as the infamous penitentiary (there should be a museum-type aspect of the prison). We are also hoping to see the Mount Allison Owens Art Gallery, though we will have to check this out on our way back from Dorchester. I guess we will also eventually have to make our way to Charlottetown, which is where we will be spending the night.
Friday, March 18, 2011
A Few Quick Notes 521
-Today is a day that the wind has made cold. If we could somehow get rid of this wind it would actually be pretty nice outside.
-I am down to 3 for 19 in this year's RUTRTW contest. I think it is pretty clear that my heart just isn't in it this year. I wouldn't be surprised if I don't even make it to 4 wins before they run out of contest cups.
-I will be heading to New Brunswick and PEI this weekend with Jeannette and my father. On our way to Sackville, which is where we will be spending the first night, the plan is to stop in Truro, which should be something of a bore.
-I guess I should try to do a little more grading.
-I am down to 3 for 19 in this year's RUTRTW contest. I think it is pretty clear that my heart just isn't in it this year. I wouldn't be surprised if I don't even make it to 4 wins before they run out of contest cups.
-I will be heading to New Brunswick and PEI this weekend with Jeannette and my father. On our way to Sackville, which is where we will be spending the first night, the plan is to stop in Truro, which should be something of a bore.
-I guess I should try to do a little more grading.
Lobbying in Canada
On Tuesday the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada spoke at Dalhousie. And while the talk was very poorly attended, I think those of us in attendance got a pretty good sense of the lobbying regime in Canada.
For the most part, the regime was pretty underwhelming and almost seemed designed to provide blatant loopholes to allow for unreported lobbying activities. Notable problems include the requirement that companies only have to register as in-house lobbyists if they conduct a certain quantity of lobbying. Furthermore, certain types of contact, such as unarranged contact, do not have to be reported (bumping into someone in a hall or an after hours phone call can count as unarranged). Another area worth noting relates to the activities of former public office holders. While the appearance is given that these individuals are prohibited from lobbying, that is only the case if they pass a 'significant duties test.' Oh, and the Lobbying Commissioner has very little ability to enforce the Act which, in any event, doesn't prohibit 'private citizens' from communicating with MPs.
To clunkily seque to a recent development, the Bruce Carson/water contract story seems to be a particularly good example of the weakness of the regime. The current lobbying regime does not monitor the lobbying activities of an individual not employed as an in-house lobbyist or a consultant lobbyist, even if person has ties to a company that might benefit from such action.
Anyway, this story will likely provide further ammunition to those claiming that the current lobbying regime is less than effective. Oh, and a may lead to a host of other political ramifications for those involved.
For the most part, the regime was pretty underwhelming and almost seemed designed to provide blatant loopholes to allow for unreported lobbying activities. Notable problems include the requirement that companies only have to register as in-house lobbyists if they conduct a certain quantity of lobbying. Furthermore, certain types of contact, such as unarranged contact, do not have to be reported (bumping into someone in a hall or an after hours phone call can count as unarranged). Another area worth noting relates to the activities of former public office holders. While the appearance is given that these individuals are prohibited from lobbying, that is only the case if they pass a 'significant duties test.' Oh, and the Lobbying Commissioner has very little ability to enforce the Act which, in any event, doesn't prohibit 'private citizens' from communicating with MPs.
To clunkily seque to a recent development, the Bruce Carson/water contract story seems to be a particularly good example of the weakness of the regime. The current lobbying regime does not monitor the lobbying activities of an individual not employed as an in-house lobbyist or a consultant lobbyist, even if person has ties to a company that might benefit from such action.
Anyway, this story will likely provide further ammunition to those claiming that the current lobbying regime is less than effective. Oh, and a may lead to a host of other political ramifications for those involved.
Monday, March 14, 2011
A Few Quick Notes 520
-Much to my surprise, today was incredibly nippy. The wind just had a way of working it's way through my three coats and into my bones. Sadly, it seems that we may be in for some more of the same tomorrow.
-I have dropped to 3 for 16 in this years RUTRTW contest. Apparently I haven't been bringing my A game to the table for about a week. I guess it is about time that I started picking things up, especially if I want to win Neil a car (I am hoping I will get a Karma assist if I try to win for someone other than myself).
-We had our first play-off game in Ultimate this past Saturday. Unfortunate our team managed to lose by four points. That being said, I am not sure if any of us had particularly bad games. I think we just failed to play well as a team. Due to an upcoming trip to sunny PEI I will be missing our game next Saturday.
-I have been regularly following the Guardian's recent post-quake/tsunami live-blogs . I really like the way that they bring together stories and developments. One of the things to which they have pointed me is a series of before and after satellite images that effectively demonstrate the amount of damage experienced by some coastal regions in Japan.
-They seem to have received another shipment of pomelos at one of the local grocery stores. I bought four. I hope to have consumed at least two by the time I go to sleep tonight.
-I have dropped to 3 for 16 in this years RUTRTW contest. Apparently I haven't been bringing my A game to the table for about a week. I guess it is about time that I started picking things up, especially if I want to win Neil a car (I am hoping I will get a Karma assist if I try to win for someone other than myself).
-We had our first play-off game in Ultimate this past Saturday. Unfortunate our team managed to lose by four points. That being said, I am not sure if any of us had particularly bad games. I think we just failed to play well as a team. Due to an upcoming trip to sunny PEI I will be missing our game next Saturday.
-I have been regularly following the Guardian's recent post-quake/tsunami live-blogs . I really like the way that they bring together stories and developments. One of the things to which they have pointed me is a series of before and after satellite images that effectively demonstrate the amount of damage experienced by some coastal regions in Japan.
-They seem to have received another shipment of pomelos at one of the local grocery stores. I bought four. I hope to have consumed at least two by the time I go to sleep tonight.
Big Names on Campus
This afternoon Bob Rae, the Liberal's foreign affairs critic, spoke at Dalhousie. Much to my surprise, Mr. Rae's talk was a generally pleasant experience. For the most part Mr. Rae outlined his cosmopolitan view of the world and how Canada should understand its place in such a world. While I realize there are likely many criticisms of this understanding of the world, it is a view that I find increasingly appealing and worthy of consideration.
When compared to Siobhan Coady and Maxime Bernier, the other two MPs I have heard speak recently, Mr. Rae definitely wins as most engaging and thoughtful speaker. Actually, of these three Mr. Rae is the only one I might say I have a better opinion of now than I had before the speech. In some ways, Mr. Rae also seemed to be the only one of the three to really have a good sense of what he was talking about. The other two didn't seem to have as a strong a grasp on their material.
Tomorrow Dalhousie will be treated to a presentation Karen E. Shepherd, Canada's Commissioner of Lobbying. I am curious to see what she will have to say and if her appearance on campus draws much of a crowd (I hope it doesn't draw too much of a crowd as the room they have booked isn't particularly large).
The ability of the university (and King's) to draw speakers of this nature, as well as people like Rex Murphy and John Ralston Saul (among others), is one of the few ways in which Dalhousie outshines Memorial, the university I was fortunate enough to attend for my undergraduate degree. That Memorial wasn't regularly able to bring in speakers of this nature always frustrated me. How can one have a full education if they don't get a chance to hear some of the influential thinkers (understood in the broadest of terms) of their time?
When compared to Siobhan Coady and Maxime Bernier, the other two MPs I have heard speak recently, Mr. Rae definitely wins as most engaging and thoughtful speaker. Actually, of these three Mr. Rae is the only one I might say I have a better opinion of now than I had before the speech. In some ways, Mr. Rae also seemed to be the only one of the three to really have a good sense of what he was talking about. The other two didn't seem to have as a strong a grasp on their material.
Tomorrow Dalhousie will be treated to a presentation Karen E. Shepherd, Canada's Commissioner of Lobbying. I am curious to see what she will have to say and if her appearance on campus draws much of a crowd (I hope it doesn't draw too much of a crowd as the room they have booked isn't particularly large).
The ability of the university (and King's) to draw speakers of this nature, as well as people like Rex Murphy and John Ralston Saul (among others), is one of the few ways in which Dalhousie outshines Memorial, the university I was fortunate enough to attend for my undergraduate degree. That Memorial wasn't regularly able to bring in speakers of this nature always frustrated me. How can one have a full education if they don't get a chance to hear some of the influential thinkers (understood in the broadest of terms) of their time?
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Are elections really that onerous?
Just a few minutes ago I was listening to this morning's episode of CBC's The House, a radio show/podcast about Canadian politics, when I heard Tom Lukiwski, Parliamentary Secretary to the Government House Leader, suggest that Canadians don't want an election.
For years I have wondered about this oft-repeated claim. Do Canadians really find elections elections distasteful? Is listening to coverage of an election and seeing election signs so troubling that Canadians would rather not experience an election at all? Maybe most troubling is that those making this claim almost never provide evidence to support their position, it is simply stated as though it is an obvious truth.
I find this claim troubling on two fronts. Firstly, elections in Canada aren't a big imposition for the average person. Aside from slightly different news coverage and a few more signs, I am not sure how most Canadians actually impacted by the process of holding an election (election outcomes are a slightly different story). Secondly, given that very few Canadians actually take the time to vote (about 59% in the last election) it seems fair to say that for many people elections don't even impose a significant time burden on much of the population (the same could even be said for most of those people who do take the time to vote). So what is it the cause of the supposed animus towards elections?
That being said, I also wonder if there is a difference of opinion about the desirability of elections between those who vote and those who don't. Off the top of my head I can't think of too many voters that I know who are too upset by the prospect of more voting. Actually, some of these voters quite like the idea of being able to exercise their right to vote more than once every four years. If this is the case and we have such low rates of participation is it really fair to speak about 'Canadians' as a whole and not disaggregate those who won't participate no matter how infrequently elections are held?
Maybe, and this seems the likely answer to the riddle, when politicians say that Canadians don't want an election what they actually mean is "We don't want an election." Unlike the average voter in a Canadian election, politicians and political parties do face substantial burdens because of elections. Not only do they have to campaign and fundraise, many of these people also face the possibility of losing their jobs. Calling an election a year before necessary is a non-trivial matter, in some cases it could means hundreds of thousands of dollars in future pension earnings, or a loss of control of the legislative agenda.
Anyway, though I don't expect to settle any of this definitively here, I guess I just wish that in the future when politicians make such claims that the journalists present would request that they provide evidence to support their claims, or otherwise justify them. As it stands now far too many politicians are allowed to get away with making this questionable claim on a relatively regular basis.
For years I have wondered about this oft-repeated claim. Do Canadians really find elections elections distasteful? Is listening to coverage of an election and seeing election signs so troubling that Canadians would rather not experience an election at all? Maybe most troubling is that those making this claim almost never provide evidence to support their position, it is simply stated as though it is an obvious truth.
I find this claim troubling on two fronts. Firstly, elections in Canada aren't a big imposition for the average person. Aside from slightly different news coverage and a few more signs, I am not sure how most Canadians actually impacted by the process of holding an election (election outcomes are a slightly different story). Secondly, given that very few Canadians actually take the time to vote (about 59% in the last election) it seems fair to say that for many people elections don't even impose a significant time burden on much of the population (the same could even be said for most of those people who do take the time to vote). So what is it the cause of the supposed animus towards elections?
That being said, I also wonder if there is a difference of opinion about the desirability of elections between those who vote and those who don't. Off the top of my head I can't think of too many voters that I know who are too upset by the prospect of more voting. Actually, some of these voters quite like the idea of being able to exercise their right to vote more than once every four years. If this is the case and we have such low rates of participation is it really fair to speak about 'Canadians' as a whole and not disaggregate those who won't participate no matter how infrequently elections are held?
Maybe, and this seems the likely answer to the riddle, when politicians say that Canadians don't want an election what they actually mean is "We don't want an election." Unlike the average voter in a Canadian election, politicians and political parties do face substantial burdens because of elections. Not only do they have to campaign and fundraise, many of these people also face the possibility of losing their jobs. Calling an election a year before necessary is a non-trivial matter, in some cases it could means hundreds of thousands of dollars in future pension earnings, or a loss of control of the legislative agenda.
Anyway, though I don't expect to settle any of this definitively here, I guess I just wish that in the future when politicians make such claims that the journalists present would request that they provide evidence to support their claims, or otherwise justify them. As it stands now far too many politicians are allowed to get away with making this questionable claim on a relatively regular basis.
A Few Quick Notes 519
-At the moment is experiencing an intermittently heavy rainfall. The only good news is that it is not too cold, actually it is almost 10 degrees outside.
-I am gathering that today is the day we 'spring forward,' but I have absolutely no idea what time it is right now. I feel that clocks in our apartment might be displaying three different hours. The worst part is that it is surely the latest of the three times.
-Last night we were able to watch Gushue play Stoughton in the first play-off game of this year's brier. Of course this means that we were able to see the measure for 1 in the tenth and Gushue horrible shot in 11 to set Stoughton up for the win. Bummer.
-Yesterday I finally made it to the library to pick up my prize for placing third in the library video contest. As some of you have guessed, the bracelet flash drive that I mentioned yesterday was part of the prize, the rest of the prize was a re-usable cloth bag. Of course, while we were picking up my prize Jeannette and I entered a raffle and Jeannette ended up winning the same two items and a $15 credit that can be used towards things like photocopying or on-campus food.
-I think I am now 3 for 14 in this year's RUTRTW contest. Yesterday's 0 for 3 run didn't do much to help my record.
-I am gathering that today is the day we 'spring forward,' but I have absolutely no idea what time it is right now. I feel that clocks in our apartment might be displaying three different hours. The worst part is that it is surely the latest of the three times.
-Last night we were able to watch Gushue play Stoughton in the first play-off game of this year's brier. Of course this means that we were able to see the measure for 1 in the tenth and Gushue horrible shot in 11 to set Stoughton up for the win. Bummer.
-Yesterday I finally made it to the library to pick up my prize for placing third in the library video contest. As some of you have guessed, the bracelet flash drive that I mentioned yesterday was part of the prize, the rest of the prize was a re-usable cloth bag. Of course, while we were picking up my prize Jeannette and I entered a raffle and Jeannette ended up winning the same two items and a $15 credit that can be used towards things like photocopying or on-campus food.
-I think I am now 3 for 14 in this year's RUTRTW contest. Yesterday's 0 for 3 run didn't do much to help my record.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Perfect gift
Because it was recently my mother's birthday I have been thinking about things that might make appropriate gifts for her. Today I think I came across the perfect gift for my father to give my mother - a rubber flash drive bracelet.
One of these would be perfect because it would combine my father's favourite thing to give (flash drives) with my mother's favourite thing to get (jewelry). And, in this case, the funds would go to support a good cause. Who doesn't win in this scenario?
Plus, who wouldn't want one of these puppies? These things are so hot right now that I almost burned my wrist while I was wearing it earlier today (or maybe that was just the rubber burn that it caused when I was putting my sweater on)
The only thing that might make it better is if it said "Savestrong" instead of "Dalhousie Libraries."
One of these would be perfect because it would combine my father's favourite thing to give (flash drives) with my mother's favourite thing to get (jewelry). And, in this case, the funds would go to support a good cause. Who doesn't win in this scenario?
Plus, who wouldn't want one of these puppies? These things are so hot right now that I almost burned my wrist while I was wearing it earlier today (or maybe that was just the rubber burn that it caused when I was putting my sweater on)
The only thing that might make it better is if it said "Savestrong" instead of "Dalhousie Libraries."
I heard you were looking for a job
Maybe being a meat wrapper won't be the most fulfilling job in the world, but at least you will know that you aren't a night baker.
Or is this ad actually just for one job, that of a 'meat wrapper and night baker'?
Or is this ad actually just for one job, that of a 'meat wrapper and night baker'?
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Fun stuff on the interwebs
A few days ago I became aware of International Coffee Organization, an IGO dedicated to the coffee trade. Not only does this organization involve itself in the international coffee trade, it also provides all kinds of information about the coffee and the coffee industry. If you are a coffee drinker they likely have information that is is worth checking out.
Just this afternoon I became aware of the fact that the Canadian government, though Public Works and Government Services Canada, operates an online auction site through which all kinds of goods are sold. While they claim vehicle sales are what they are best known for, they currently have a wide range of women's undergarments and designer apparel available for purchase. Oh, and they also have a Rolex and some jewellery for sale, along with surplus military attire. This
And because they are in the midst of their annual MaxFunDrive I should probably encourage everyone to check out the great free content that is available through Maximumfun.org. In particular, mainly because I haven't mentioned it here before, I should direct your attention to their newest podcast, Judge John Hodgman. Except as they relate to matters of style, Hodgman's 'rulings' are always insightful, eloquent, and persuasive.
Update: Shortly after I finished this post I saw that my friend Nicole posted about the fact that Life's photo archive is now available through Google. Anyway, this is another "Fun stuff on the interwebs" that I recently discovered and that I think is worth checking out.
Just this afternoon I became aware of the fact that the Canadian government, though Public Works and Government Services Canada, operates an online auction site through which all kinds of goods are sold. While they claim vehicle sales are what they are best known for, they currently have a wide range of women's undergarments and designer apparel available for purchase. Oh, and they also have a Rolex and some jewellery for sale, along with surplus military attire. This
And because they are in the midst of their annual MaxFunDrive I should probably encourage everyone to check out the great free content that is available through Maximumfun.org. In particular, mainly because I haven't mentioned it here before, I should direct your attention to their newest podcast, Judge John Hodgman. Except as they relate to matters of style, Hodgman's 'rulings' are always insightful, eloquent, and persuasive.
Update: Shortly after I finished this post I saw that my friend Nicole posted about the fact that Life's photo archive is now available through Google. Anyway, this is another "Fun stuff on the interwebs" that I recently discovered and that I think is worth checking out.
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Victory
Apparently I took third place in the Dal Library's Love the Library video contest.
Apparently I have won a prize, though as of right now I don't know exactly what the prize is.
Anyway, if you are interested in seeing my 'award winning' film it is located below for your viewing pleasure.
[Embedded video]
Apparently I have won a prize, though as of right now I don't know exactly what the prize is.
Anyway, if you are interested in seeing my 'award winning' film it is located below for your viewing pleasure.
[Embedded video]
A Few Quick Notes 518
-Today, though occasionally windy, has been pretty nice so far. Presently it is sunny and near zero. As far as I know we should have similar weather for the next few hours at least, and maybe even tomorrow.
-My RUTRTW record for this year has now slipped to 2 to 10, which is fine but not particularly praise worthy. I think my problem is that I have not been consistently using my rim-roller.
-This year's Brier has been strangely distracting. Yesterday I was drawn into watching the entirety of the Newfoundland vs. Alberta game and this morning I suckered into watching some of the Nova Scotia vs. Alberta game. The worst part is that I will surely be tempted to watch a few more of the Newfoundland games before the whole thing is over.
-Rebecca's brother, who has been visiting for the past few days, will be heading home tonight, though not before we feed him a few pancakes.
Now that I think about it, I shouldn't have been so foolish to consume the entire package of discount blackberries I purchased this morning, I could have saved a few for pancakes. Woops.
-Given the aforementioned distraction that is the Brier, I should probably not allow myself to be too distracted by this blog and get back to work.
-My RUTRTW record for this year has now slipped to 2 to 10, which is fine but not particularly praise worthy. I think my problem is that I have not been consistently using my rim-roller.
-This year's Brier has been strangely distracting. Yesterday I was drawn into watching the entirety of the Newfoundland vs. Alberta game and this morning I suckered into watching some of the Nova Scotia vs. Alberta game. The worst part is that I will surely be tempted to watch a few more of the Newfoundland games before the whole thing is over.
-Rebecca's brother, who has been visiting for the past few days, will be heading home tonight, though not before we feed him a few pancakes.
Now that I think about it, I shouldn't have been so foolish to consume the entire package of discount blackberries I purchased this morning, I could have saved a few for pancakes. Woops.
-Given the aforementioned distraction that is the Brier, I should probably not allow myself to be too distracted by this blog and get back to work.
Sunday, March 06, 2011
A Few Quick Notes 517
-After several days of subzero temperatures we had a surprisingly warm day today. Somehow we managed to make it up to a high of 9 degrees, though this did come with a little rain.
-My RUTRTW is record is now 2 to 8. While this isn't great, I am comfortably above average.
-We watched some of the Brier coverage today. Newfoundland managed to win a close game this afternoon with a double by Gushue in the 11th. It seems that Newfoundland isn't doing quite as well in the match that is currently underway against BC.
-I prepared a big batch of wiener schnitzel this evening. I was pretty satisfied with the results.
-Somehow I allowed myself to be talking into preparing a batch of cupcakes this evening. Though I haven't yet sampled one I get the sense that they are edible.
-My RUTRTW is record is now 2 to 8. While this isn't great, I am comfortably above average.
-We watched some of the Brier coverage today. Newfoundland managed to win a close game this afternoon with a double by Gushue in the 11th. It seems that Newfoundland isn't doing quite as well in the match that is currently underway against BC.
-I prepared a big batch of wiener schnitzel this evening. I was pretty satisfied with the results.
-Somehow I allowed myself to be talking into preparing a batch of cupcakes this evening. Though I haven't yet sampled one I get the sense that they are edible.
At least I wasn't off the mark
It seem that my recent post about the similarities between the names Raquel Welch and Raquel Walsh wasn't far off the mark. Through the grapevine/power of the internets a former acquaintance of Ms. Walsh has confirmed that the name was given in honour of Ms. Welch.
Though I have joked around with friends about bad baby names, I am surprised that people would actually go as far as giving their child a pseudo-homophone as a name, particularly when that child is likely to fail to live up to the well-known traits of the person after whom they are being named.
Maybe what is even more impressive than the fact that one person was named in this way is that it appears that this is actually quite a common name among the Walshs of the internet. Last night Jeannette discovered that there are all kinds of Raquel Walshs on Facebook, so many that figuring out who our Raquel Walsh is was not worth the effort.
Though I have joked around with friends about bad baby names, I am surprised that people would actually go as far as giving their child a pseudo-homophone as a name, particularly when that child is likely to fail to live up to the well-known traits of the person after whom they are being named.
Maybe what is even more impressive than the fact that one person was named in this way is that it appears that this is actually quite a common name among the Walshs of the internet. Last night Jeannette discovered that there are all kinds of Raquel Walshs on Facebook, so many that figuring out who our Raquel Walsh is was not worth the effort.
Saturday, March 05, 2011
Closet, but not cigarillo
I have recently seen a few pieces of incorrectly addressed mail for a person named Raquel Walsh. Seeing this name makes me laugh to myself as I can't help but think of the similar sounding name Raquel Welch. I have to imagine that Ms. Walsh's parents were thinking about Ms. Welch when they named their daughter, or that were the type of people who were so out of it that they inadvertently gave their daughter a name that sounds similar to the name of a 1960s and 1970s sex symbol. Anyway, I find this much more amusing than it likely is to most other people.
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Hasn't aged
I recently watched this 1952 National Film Board film and was impressed at how little it had aged in the 59 years since it was made.
[Embedded video]
The National Film Board makes much of their back catalogue available online for free. Maybe even more surprising to me is that they also make available much of their collection of stock footage. Their site is worth checking out if any of these things interest you.
[Embedded video]
The National Film Board makes much of their back catalogue available online for free. Maybe even more surprising to me is that they also make available much of their collection of stock footage. Their site is worth checking out if any of these things interest you.
So this happened last night
It seems as though someone was stabbed next to Dal last night. The location of the stabbing is about 1.5 kilometers from where we live is on one of the routes I take to get to school. Bummer.
The only comforting fact is that the suspect was known to the victim. For some reason I seem to find such things more comforting than others do.
What I find particularly ironic about this is that just last night I was having a conversation about violent crime in Halifax. Little did we know that within a few hours of our conversation one of Halifax's most gruesome crimes of the year to date would be committed within just a handful of hours. Maybe this place is a little more violent than I give it credit for being.
The only comforting fact is that the suspect was known to the victim. For some reason I seem to find such things more comforting than others do.
What I find particularly ironic about this is that just last night I was having a conversation about violent crime in Halifax. Little did we know that within a few hours of our conversation one of Halifax's most gruesome crimes of the year to date would be committed within just a handful of hours. Maybe this place is a little more violent than I give it credit for being.
A Few Quick Notes 516
-We are back down in the -12 range. After some above freezing temperatures yesterday it means that we have a fair bit of ice.
-A few years ago I sold some of my footage the Montreal hockey riots to an American reality TV show. This morning I received a message from this television show soliciting submissions of videos of pranks. As I don't have any prank videos (and I don't plan on making any) this message won't be of much consequence to me, but I was somewhat taken aback by the description of the types of videos that they were looking for.
-Neil and I have a DAGS meeting tonight. The anticipation is building, or not.
-I guess I should get down to work.
-A few years ago I sold some of my footage the Montreal hockey riots to an American reality TV show. This morning I received a message from this television show soliciting submissions of videos of pranks. As I don't have any prank videos (and I don't plan on making any) this message won't be of much consequence to me, but I was somewhat taken aback by the description of the types of videos that they were looking for.
It’s called Practical Jokers Gone Wild and we are searching for the craziest tricksters who’ve ever turned unsuspecting punks into chumps! We want the kind of devious
masterminds that would dupe a pal into sprinting across a greased floor, trick a buddy
into thinking they’re headed to jail, or slip a slithery eel in the shower with a family
member!
-Neil and I have a DAGS meeting tonight. The anticipation is building, or not.
-I guess I should get down to work.
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
That's a wrap
Well, our 3rd annual Montifax Blog-off has come to a conclusion. For the second year in a row I have managed to triumph, though I suspect that if Neil had really been trying in either instance he could have won easily.
Most of you are probably expecting a wrap-up video as have been posted following the two previous contests. As I am not inclined to disappoint our loyal readers here is this year's video:
[Embedded video]
Hope you enjoyed it.
We look forward to your readership during next year's blog-off.
Most of you are probably expecting a wrap-up video as have been posted following the two previous contests. As I am not inclined to disappoint our loyal readers here is this year's video:
[Embedded video]
Hope you enjoyed it.
We look forward to your readership during next year's blog-off.
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