I commented on Likda's (who evidently doesn't have a surname), Paul Chrusciel's,
Peter LaMarre's, Laura Wright's, and Daniel Toney's blogs.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Question of the Week-Europe, Multiculturalism, the GTA and the Next Election.
Merkle, Cameron and most recently Sarkozy have all publicly repudiated multiculturalism. Harper has not. We also know that minorities have played a big part in electing conservative mayor Rob Ford.
- Is the PM hesitating to join the chorus of his fellow conservatives because he doesn't want to bite the hand he hopes will feed him?
Reflective Journal-The Constitution
About one month ago I finished reading The Trouble with Canada...Still! by William Gairdner. I am almost totally convinced of his analysis of the problems with the constitution of this country and I came to class these past two lectures wanting to burst, my head swimming as it was with the problems of Canada, as I see them, at least.
Perhaps the what burned in my mind the most are all the unanswered questions I have about Canada's messy constitution. If I had the luxury of having a private lecture with Professor Alexander here are a few of the questions I'd ask:
Perhaps the what burned in my mind the most are all the unanswered questions I have about Canada's messy constitution. If I had the luxury of having a private lecture with Professor Alexander here are a few of the questions I'd ask:
- How exactly does the constitution allow for Civil Law (Quebec) and Common Law (R.O.C.)? (Yes, I know the text talks about this but I'm not satisfied with the answer.)
- To what extent was Trudeau predicting the future when he said the British Common Law System "must be welcomed as a valuable tool which permits dynamic parties to plant socialist governments in certain provinces, from which the seeds of radicalism can slowly spread."?
- Does the fact that no popular consent is required to make constituional change leave us at the mercy of judicial activists?
Media Analysis
Egypt's military has taken over. The parliament is dissolved and the constitution is suspended. Yes, I am aware that this meets two demands of the pro-democracy demonstrators. But it's telling that all this is happening on the eve of the army clearing out the remaining protesters. The book about military dictatorships willingly relinquishing control is a short one. Frankly when I read this about fifteen minutes ago the cynicism I felt at the protest on Friday my was totally justified. I really, really hope all this works out for the Egyptian people. My sense of historical irony kicks in too fast for me to ever give into it however.
So, what about the Copts? Throughout this whole shtick in Egypt I've spent most of my time considering possible ramifications for the State of Israel. Never once did I think about what it means for the sizable Coptic-Christian minority, and other minorities in Egypt. It seems like the media is by-and-large as guilty as I. What voice are they going to be given? How do we know they'll be included in the dialogue? We don't know.
It's important to mention that as far as we can tell, Christian-owned businesses have not been targeted for vandalism. However in light of the recent attacks on Coptic churches, this fact likely does nothing to calm anyone's nerves. Does Friday's events apply to Egyptian Christians? Is the revolution which we're told is going to spread across the Arab world something that Christians there can look forward to? If the answer to these questions is no this whole revolution is a insult.
So, what about the Copts? Throughout this whole shtick in Egypt I've spent most of my time considering possible ramifications for the State of Israel. Never once did I think about what it means for the sizable Coptic-Christian minority, and other minorities in Egypt. It seems like the media is by-and-large as guilty as I. What voice are they going to be given? How do we know they'll be included in the dialogue? We don't know.
It's important to mention that as far as we can tell, Christian-owned businesses have not been targeted for vandalism. However in light of the recent attacks on Coptic churches, this fact likely does nothing to calm anyone's nerves. Does Friday's events apply to Egyptian Christians? Is the revolution which we're told is going to spread across the Arab world something that Christians there can look forward to? If the answer to these questions is no this whole revolution is a insult.
Beyond the Text: "Uninstalling Mubarak."
This past Friday I attended the "Anti-Mubarak" rally in front of JustUs. The reasoning of the younger people addressing the crowd that I heard was basically the same as this cartoon: uninstall Mubarak and then the obstacle blocking freedom in Egypt will be gone. Whoa, hold on. Didn't Omar Suleiman accept the Muslim Brotherhood as part of the ongoing negotiations? The same group that is known to be associated with the the assassination of Anwar Sadat? Perhaps what Egypt needs to do is wipe its hard drive.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Question of the Week-For Dr. Adamson.
Dr. Adamson,
You exhorted those of us who want to teach Political Science to keep our politics out of the classroom. How did you accomplish this while you were "going after" your Tory students?
You exhorted those of us who want to teach Political Science to keep our politics out of the classroom. How did you accomplish this while you were "going after" your Tory students?
Reflective Journal-Dr. Agar Adamson
This lecture was very interesting for me personally. During his preliminary remarks about how the internet has facilitated the revolution in Egypt I found myself thinking about how in 1517 the printing press facilitated the revolution we call the Protestant Revolution. Without the ability to print and distribute literature quickly and cheaply the Reformation would have been quashed before it began. One wonders how the revolution in Egypt would have lasted without the ability to publish news, photos and plans for demonstrations online?
I was encouraged to hear that in his career Dr. Adamson tried to separate his own political views from what he taught in the classroom. This is admirable. However two minutes later he said that he tried to cause his students to be able to see the other side of the issue, "especially if he [note the lack of gender neutrality] was a died-in-the-wool Tory." So, am I to understand that he lacked this separation when dealing with Conservatives/conservatives? He also went on to say tell the class that Ronald Reagan [who turns 100 today!] was a puppet of the Neo-Conservatives and praised the virtues of the state-funded media in Canada at length, even suggesting that the CBC is a politically-neutral force in the media. I'm happy Dr. Alexander isn't the same way with us.
I was encouraged to hear that in his career Dr. Adamson tried to separate his own political views from what he taught in the classroom. This is admirable. However two minutes later he said that he tried to cause his students to be able to see the other side of the issue, "especially if he [note the lack of gender neutrality] was a died-in-the-wool Tory." So, am I to understand that he lacked this separation when dealing with Conservatives/conservatives? He also went on to say tell the class that Ronald Reagan [who turns 100 today!] was a puppet of the Neo-Conservatives and praised the virtues of the state-funded media in Canada at length, even suggesting that the CBC is a politically-neutral force in the media. I'm happy Dr. Alexander isn't the same way with us.
Research Discovery-Al Jazzera, CBC, BBC, etc.
I Googled this for about half an hour and I didn't find anything substantial except something about journalists being fired from Al Jazeera Cairo and getting jobs with the BBC and CBC. I don't really know what we're supposed to be looking for here, I'm quite confused.
Media Analysis
A Major News story...
I a Canadian of strong, blue collar stock so naturally I am excited about Tim Hortons being exported around the globe. The Middle East is an up-and-coming region economically, the millions of people there who are already swimming in cash notwithstanding. I think the reason this story is being featured prominantly in the media is easy to understand. In the past few years Tim Hortons had been criticized for the fact that it had no plan to deal with the fact that is was nearing market saturation in Canada. I wouldn't be surprised if these stores are opened with much fanfare in the Canadian Media.
A not so major news story...
Poverty in PEI costs over $240, 000,000. I find it interesting that this article basically makes the case that a "comprehensive" program of poverty elimination needs to be undertaken but the only specific action it mentions is more government spending. I think the best reason this story is under-reported is simply this: the solution is so banal and oft-repeated that no one would listen.
I a Canadian of strong, blue collar stock so naturally I am excited about Tim Hortons being exported around the globe. The Middle East is an up-and-coming region economically, the millions of people there who are already swimming in cash notwithstanding. I think the reason this story is being featured prominantly in the media is easy to understand. In the past few years Tim Hortons had been criticized for the fact that it had no plan to deal with the fact that is was nearing market saturation in Canada. I wouldn't be surprised if these stores are opened with much fanfare in the Canadian Media.
A not so major news story...
Poverty in PEI costs over $240, 000,000. I find it interesting that this article basically makes the case that a "comprehensive" program of poverty elimination needs to be undertaken but the only specific action it mentions is more government spending. I think the best reason this story is under-reported is simply this: the solution is so banal and oft-repeated that no one would listen.
Beyond the Text: Snow in Toronto
As a Torontonian, cartoons like this annoy me to no end.
In January of 1998 there was a major snow and ice storm that hit Southern and Eastern Ontario. I was there and I can testify to the fact that it was scary. The military was called in and ever since then Toronto has borne the brunt of all kinds of jokes about how we can't cope with snow (apparently). I honestly think that this has little to do with the weather in Toronto and how the media presents the city. Toronto is colder than the average Canadian city during the winter because of the lake effect. Although it snows less in Toronto it's a bigger problem because there's fewer places to put the snow. Oftentimes the result of this is that days after a major storm commuting is still dangerous.
It's not a huge issue but it's still interesting.
In January of 1998 there was a major snow and ice storm that hit Southern and Eastern Ontario. I was there and I can testify to the fact that it was scary. The military was called in and ever since then Toronto has borne the brunt of all kinds of jokes about how we can't cope with snow (apparently). I honestly think that this has little to do with the weather in Toronto and how the media presents the city. Toronto is colder than the average Canadian city during the winter because of the lake effect. Although it snows less in Toronto it's a bigger problem because there's fewer places to put the snow. Oftentimes the result of this is that days after a major storm commuting is still dangerous.
It's not a huge issue but it's still interesting.
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