Category: Life

Well, I’ve done *nearly* all my Christmas shopping. Along the way, I bought something nice for myself – Grade SR-80 headphones. I’ve been eyeing these for a while, and at $200, they weren’t cheap. Did I feel ripped off because these are half the price in the States?

Not at all. These are the best headphones I’ve listened to as of yet, putting my $100 Sony noise-cancelling headphones to shame. The step up is comparable to going from el-cheapo $5 in-ear headphones to a decent $80 set. So much more definition. Clarity. I’m very happy.

UNITED NATIONS – Alone among major Western nations, the United States has refused to sign a declaration presented Thursday at the United Nations calling for worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality.

[Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual associations rally for the global decriminalization of homosexual relationships, in Seville December 15, 2008. The banner reads, “The Vatican kills us, Global decriminalization of homosexuality”.(Reuters/Marcelo del Pozo/Spain) ]Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual associations rally for the global decriminalization of homosexual relationships, in Seville December 15, 2008. The banner reads, “The Vatican kills us, Global decriminalization of homosexuality”.

In all, 66 of the U.N.’s 192 member countries signed the nonbinding declaration – which backers called a historic step to push the General Assembly to deal more forthrightly with any-gay discrimination. More than 70 U.N. members outlaw homosexuality, and in several of them homosexual acts can be punished by execution.

Co-sponsored by France and the Netherlands, the declaration was signed by all 27 European Union members, as well as Japan, Australia, Mexico and three dozen other countries. There was broad opposition from Muslim nations, and the United States refused to sign, indicating that some parts of the declaration raised legal questions that needed further review.

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2008/12/19-3

Well, I did away with the old CMS I’ve had for the last few years managing the front page portal of my site. In its stead, I have WordPress, alongside a new theme called Pixeled. The whole switch over took less than an hour. I just did a few minor modifications, and it was ready to go!

The latest news just came in: the Liberal party and the NDP have reached a deal to form a coalition government in order to topple the Conservative Party’s current rule.

There are a number of reasons why I think this would be a bad thing for our nation. For one, the Liberal party is still divided and weak. Their interim leader (Dion) is weak. We saw that in the elections. For them to rule our nation, at this stage, when it needs political consistency would weaken our abiliy to implement effective policy.

Secondly, the Liberals approve of a stimulus package. Basically, to follow in the footsteps of the Americans. The American government is well known for making knee-jerk fiscal packages, which can actually do more harm than good. We can already see the cracks in the American implementation of the stimulus, so why follow in their footsteps? It will not hurt to at least wait and spend wisely, rather than be brash and just have those funds wither away into nothingness.

Thirdly, I’m opposed to the Liberals taking power because just over a month ago Canada voted, and they wanted them there even less than in 2006. Those voters shouldn’t be so easily discounted. If at least six months had passed, I could agree. But a month?

Fourthly, Harper hasn’t been a bad leader. He speaks well. He does well in multinational talks.  The scandals have been few and far between, and quite minor. Politically, he’s also been pretty centrist, to win support from the left as well as the right. We’ve seen his compromises all throughout his first mandate. I think he’s been one of the best PMs this nation’s ever had.

Lastly, I don’t want the Liberals in because they’ve moved too far to the left. They were centrist under Chretien and Martin. But in an effort to distance themselves from the current Tories, they’ve moved left. When you go too far either left or right, you enter the realm of adventurous and potentially catastrophic policies. The Republican party in the states is an example of too far to the right. It’s bad all around.

One of the things I truly enjoy about Canada is how we treat the political views of others. Reguardless of which side of the political fence you’re on, discussions on the matter tend to be civil. It’s only really in naive university settings where you tend to see blind adhesion to a political leaning. And even then, its limited. As a consequence, you can have meaningful discussions. The respect we have means that on a Parliamentary level, that we’re able to move ahead in a way that balances the views of all Canadians.

It is discourse based on issues. Which is why its always shocking for me when I see American political attack books at Chapter’s. The likes of “Treason: Liberal Treachery,” or “How to Talk to a Liberal, If you Must.” Books like these aren’t about societal progress, they are not about attacking issues, but about discrediting a whole political spectrum. By doing so, you’re getting rid of the meat of politics – issues and discussion. Instead, what you’re left with, is its shell. The shell is brainless attacks back and forth. The PR part of politics.

What’s particularly dangerous about this movement is that its undermining the ability to conduct political discussion, the ability to compromise, and therefore the ability for democracy to function. Because that’s what democracy is: listening to all citizens, of all viewpoints, to move the country ahead.

You don’t see this radicalism just with books. I get FOX News, which thankfully is one of those far reaching channels that no one ever gets to. That channel is nothing more than an espousement of intolerance for political diversity. The CNN that Americans get inside their country is not much better. What’s amusing is that if you look at CNN International, you don’t see that. They’re pretty much like BBC World News. It’s as if this kind of radicalism is targeted to the American audience, because they want it.

So it is little surprise then that the lack of understanding that such radicalism pushes forth seeds hate. And with that, I’d like you to check out this link.