A Better Canada

I may no longer reside in Canada, but I am still a Canadian. Although the past nine years have made me less than proud to be a Canadian, my pride as a Canadian was restored this past Federal (National) Election. 


The Harper Government's leadership of Canada has led to the deterioration of Canada's international reputation as well the erosion of democracy, science, environmental protections, care for veterans and much more within Canada. (See a "brief" list of some of the damage wrought by Stephen Harper as Prime Minister of Canada on The Tyee: Harper, Serial Abuser of Power: The Evidence Compiled.) 

Thankfully those disheartening years seem to be past. On October 19th, 2015, the Liberal Party of Canada, under leader Justin Trudeau, won 39.5% of the popular vote which translated into 184/338 seats in parliament to form a majority government. (Detailed election results available on CBC News: Canada Votes.)

Justin Trudea hasn't even been sworn in as Prime Minister yet (so he won't officially become the Prime Minister until November 4th, 2015) but Canada is already better under his leadership.

He has invited all of the provincial premiers to join the delegation--demonstrating a willingness to collaborate with the provinces and to further cooperation between the Federal and Provincial governments. This, of course is in stark contrast with Harper, who couldn't be bothered to attend Council of Canadian Premiers meetings and had a decidedly adversarial relationship with Ontario's Premier, Kathleen Wynne. (The Globe & Mail: Premiers agree to attend Paris climate summit with Trudeau)

He is further working to make the Canadian Government collaborative instead of adversarial by also inviting opposition party members to attend the UN climate summit in Paris--unlike Harper, who shut opposition party members out of important international talks. Sixty percent of voters in the past election did not  vote for the Liberal Party. By including other party leaders in the delegation he is giving all voters a voice and more truly representing Canada. (CTV News: Trudeau invites May, other leaders to join UN climate summit delegation)

And of course the fact that he is bringing such a large delegation to the Paris climate summit demonstrates a willingness to address the climate change issue in the first place--again, completely unlike Harper.

On a completely different note, he has also committed to electoral reform, doing away with the first-past-the-post system that gave his party a majority government in the first place. (Had the election been held using proportional representation, the Liberals would only have achieved a minority government.) By also examining online voting and mandatory voting, Trudeau has also demonstrated a desire to increase voter participation rather than trying to suppress it as Harper did through the (un-)"Fair Elections Act." (The Toronto Star: Electoral reform looms for Canada, Justin Trudeau promises)

Oh, and let's not forget that he specifically created an opportunity for members of the press to ask questions at the National Press Theatre shortly after winning the election--something Harper reportedly hadn't done in about seven years. (The Huffington Post Canada: Trudeau Takes Questions At National Press Gallery Theatre In Departure From Harper)

I'm sure that I will disagree with Trudeau's policy choices, etc. sometime (the TPP and pipelines being foreseeable issues), but in less than a week as Prime Minister-Elect, Justin Trudeau has already started restoring my respect for Canadian democracy and the government and given me hope for the future of the country.

So thank you, Justin Trudeau. And thank you, fellow Canadians for voting (even if you did vote for the Conservative Party). 

News & Media Round-Up, July 16 - August 1, 2013

CANADA 

The Beaverton (satirical news site)
- Parrot removed from Montreal Biodome after learning too much English

The HillTimes
- Ironically, economy may turn out to be one of the Harper government's biggest failures

Huffington Post (Canada)
- How Harper Uses Psychology to Peddle Myths
- Ontario's McLobster Dreams Have Come True

Toronto Star
- Suspension of EI whistleblower sets dangerous precedent, critics say

Winnipeg Free Press
- Slurpees & Winnipeg: A love story 
- Winnipeg sucks! Slurpee king again


JAPAN

ak47: tumblr
Poor Pikachu! (my caption)

enRoute (Air Canada)
- Inside the Nebuta House Wa Rasse Museum

Japan Pulse
- The last of the McDonald's Jewelry
- Limited-edition burgers, ep. deux
(- A Tale of Two Limited-Edition Burgers: Lotteria's Twin and McD's Gold Ring - July 9)


Japan Times
 - Mount Fuji fee charged, but signs in Japanese
- Plant by numbers

Kotaku.com
- Unique Japanese Mail Boxes Are Wonderful in Rain or Shine
- How a Japanese Radish Became an Internet Hero
- Ferrari Lovers, This Anime Stunt Might Horrify You

WORLD

The Beaverton (satirical news site)
- Kate Middleton gives birth to beautiful, healthy news story 

Kotaku.com
- How Chinese Ingenuity Destroyed Salad Bars at Pizza Hut

 Geekologie.com
- Man Caught Driving With Pliers For A Steering Wheel
  The White House
- President Obama: Trayvon Martin Could Have Been Me

ART/STUFF/DIY

Geekologie.com
- Just What I Always Wanted!: Raw Meat Gift Wrap Paper

imgur
-15 Over-Used Movie Poster Clichés

Kotaku.com
- How To Turn Your Cat into Totoro
- Act fast and you can snag this hilarious Mario warp-pipe cat complex from CatistrophicCreations on Etsy

TAXI
- Crisp Illustrations Of Creatures From Japanese Folklore

VIDEOS

BuzzFeed
- Japanese Animator Films Mesmerizing Lightscapes in Downtown Tokyo

Jezebel.com
- Rad Kids React to Racists Freaking Out About the Cheerios Commerical
- The Daily Show's Zimmerman Coverage Is as Rage-Filled as It Should Be

Entertainment Weekly
- PopWatch: Here's what happens when 280 movies are edited together to sing Vanilla Ice's 'Ice Ice Baby'

YouTube 
- Shut Up & Sit Down, Season 2, Episode 12 - Introduction to Board Games

- YANIS MARSHALL "SPICE GIRLS" Directed By FERNANDO DE AZEVEDO Feat ARNAUD BOURSAIN & MEHDI MAMINE

News & Media Round-Up, June 29-July 7, 2013

HuffingtonPost.ca
- 50 Of The Most 'Canadian' Foods: It's Not Just Bacon And Maple Syrup

Jezebel.com
- Worst Bride Ever Throws Facebook Fit Over $100 Cash Wedding Gift

Kotaku.com
- Hooray, There's More Little Witch Academia Coming (video)
- That's A Lot Of Studio Ghibli Characters. Can You Name Them All?
- How One Man Wants To Bring An Iconic Anime Glider To Life
- 3D-Printed Final Fantasy VII Characters Look Pretty Amazing
- These Dudes Know How To Break It Down To Final Fantasy Music (video)

TheStar.com
- One dead, many missing as train explodes in Lac-Mégantic (video)
- Doug Holyday's hypocrisy in Etobicoke byelection: Cohn
- Algae bloom carpets China's coast (video)

News & Media Round-Up - June 20-28, 2013

Here is some stuff I've read/watched online recently:

Geekologie.com
- Move Over, Wonderbread: Superman Logo Sandwich Bread
- Animated GIF of All 151 Original Pokemon As Cats

HuffingtonPost.ca 
- 25 Of the Most "Canadian" Words
- 10 Reasons Why Calgarians Love Nenshi (or, How to Be a Leader)
- Mitch Joel: Don't Turn Off Technology -- Turn Off Your Bad Habits
- Elizabeth May: 10 Reasons Why Harper Isn't Really Canadian
- Jeff Rose-Martland: Why the Governor General Should Remove Harper (actual petition to the GG to remove Harper at http://www.change.org/petitions/the-right-honourable-david-johnston-governor-general-of-canada-stop-harper-now#)

Kotaku.com
- This Is "Tank Sushi"
- Japan's Amazing Rice Paddy Art Continues to Dazzle (note: most of the pictures of rice fields using classical Western (Napoleon) or Japanese (samurai, etc.) imagery are from Inakadate, Aomori Prefecture!)
- Toronto Mayor's Crack Scandal Lands Him His Own Video Game

Uniqlo
- (Baskin Robbins) "31" Print Underwear for Women (Japanese)

YouTube.com
- Convos with my 2-year old (About this series: "Actual conversations with my 2 year old daughter, as re-enacted by me and another full-grown man." Particularly love episodes 2 & 3!)
- Extra Credits, Season 6, Episode 16 - Not a Babysitter (About this series: "Join us every week as we take a deeper look at games; how they are made, what they mean and how we can make them better.")
- Shut Up & Sit Down, Season 2, Episode 07 - 1812, The Invasion of Canada (About this series: "Paul and Quinns are two slightly unusual Englishmen who get very passionate about board games and card games. Their mission is simple: To show us just how exciting these cardboard creations can be.")

Nameko in Vancouver Part 1

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Nameko is making good use of his time in Canada by heading out to the west coast! The night before the big trip, Nameko has a nice half chicken dinner (split among 3 people) and a leftover Reuben sandwich (from the previous night in Windsor).

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Before heading to the airport, Nameko has a ham and egg (over easy) sandwich made by dad.

At Pearson Airport, he admires some of the art.

He goes to a completely different section before realizing his error and heading back (moving walkways are so helpful!) to the proper boarding gate.

Once safely on the plane, Nameko enjoys the view from above the clouds and snacks on a granola bar (from Australia!--a present from a friend). Since it's only a 5-hr flight, no in-flight snacks/food is provided, although it is available for purchase (expensive!).

Nameko's first view of Vancouver!

After arriving, it's off to Burgoo for dinner with friends.

They order a (crab bisque) soup and (grilled cheese) sandwich combo, and macaroni and cheese (Macaroni & More), while Nameko has Ratatouille Provençale.

Everyone shares a Hot Chocolate Chili Pot for dessert--although Nameko probably eats the most! =P

The bill comes in a dim sum steamer--cute!

Thursday, December 6, 2012

The next day it's off to Paul's Omelettery for breakfast where Nameko enjoys a Veggie Omelette.

After a bit of a rest (digestion time!), it's off to Metrotown for some shopping. Of course, the mall is all decorated for Christmas. There's even a train ride (third picture from the bottom)!

Then it's off to Downtown via the Skytrain! Nameko gets his Faresaver ticket, sticks it in the validator to get it date/time stamped before heading up to the platform to wait for the train. (He later realizes that to get from Metrotown to Downtown (Granville), he needed a 2-Zone fare, not just a 1-Zone fare, but thankfully didn't get checked and was thus safe. ^^;;)

Although he's not particularly hungry, it's nearly 1pm so he decides to get lunch at Foodwares Market: chipotle chicken chowder and blueberry white tea.

Nameko wanders around downtown, checking out sites like the Vancouver Art Gallery (just the outside), Robson Square Ice Rink, Waterfront Station, and the Gastown Steam Clock.

After a few hours of walking, Nameko takes a break at Tim Horton's (not nearly as popular as Starbucks in Vancouver) with a steeped tea and candy cane chocolate doughnut.

Then more walking! Down to Chinatown, the Rogers Arena, and Science World.

Walking past Science World, Nameko happens to find a gelato place, Amato Gelato Cafe! Yes, it's winter, but it's never too cold for ice cream! Unable to resist temptation, Nameko has a double cup (Pine Nut and Raspberry Truffle) for dinner.

Then it's off to see Amaluna, a new Cirque du Soleil show. The temporary Cirque tents are pretty cool.

Inside, Nameko even manages to get a photo of the stage before being reminded that photography isn't allowed inside.

The show is a great way to end a fun day of playing tourist in Vancouver.