I was reminded today of how when we were going to high school our teachers kept telling us that it was our generation that would change the world. It seemed like a daunting task at the time. In the years directly following high school it seemed nothing short of impossible. Today I woke up to check my Facebook before work and saw a birthday notification for my friend Sara, who is working for a non-profit in Africa. She is turning 23 today! I was reminded just how many of us under the age of 25 (and even more under the age of 30) are really changing the world, just like we were told we would!
That's all for now... I'm off to change the world!!!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
How Silence Will Kill Canada
I don't often
express my political or religious views on the internet, but there comes a
point in politics when something needs to be said. There comes a point when
silence is more harmful than polarizing yourself. When it comes to politics in
general I like to think I fall somewhere into the moderate zone within the
Canadian political spectrum. Maybe I am a bit to the left, but Canadian
politics tends to center a bit more to the left than the USA for example.
Right now we have a Conservative Prime Minister, Mr. Stephen Harper. Would I vote for the Conservative Party? Maybe. I look at a number of factors before determining who I will vote for. I look at who the party leader is and what they stand for. I look at who the local MP would be and what they stand for, and what they have done to contribute to the community. I look at the Party Platform. I read the newspaper, listen to the radio, and watch the TV to see what is being said. I try to attend at least one forum in the community. I look at what each party has to say about specific topics that I think are important. Then I make the best choice. So if I felt voting Conservative was the best choice, then yes, I would vote Conservative. Would I vote Conservative right now? No. Nothing is more appalling than the Harper Government. (And it is called the Harper Government, not the Canadian Government, even by members of the Conservative Party.)
Each time I read a news story about what Harper has most recently brought to the table, I get visions of marching Nazis. This is no exaggeration. Adolf Hitler was well liked when he first came to power in Germany, but then he went off the deep end and people were afraid to oppose him because of what would happen to them if they did. I see this sort of thing starting to happen in Canada already. Harper was popular... popular enough to win a majority government after 2 terms of Prime Minister in a minority. Since the last election however, his supporters have dropped drastically because they see that what is happening now is not what they had envisioned. That is because he is taking away the rights of citizens at every turn. He is ignoring environmental concerns and the rights of indigenous peoples. He is doing his best to quell protesters or discredit them. He is selling land and resource rights to the highest bidder (i.e. China) ... and all of this is happening behind closed doors. We, as Canadians, should all be terribly afraid, but we must also speak our minds about what is happening. If we don't speak now, we may find that later on it is too late. We may lose that right or also find ourselves discredited. Silence is no longer an option. We have 3 more years with Harper at the helm. Most importantly we need to remember his current deeds when the next election comes around. No doubt he will do his best to make us happier closer to Election Day or use more slander campaigns against his opponents. Remember the things that are happening now when you next go to the polling station. I for one am terrified at the very thought of another term of the Harper Government!
Part of our problem in the political scene right now is the lack of inspiring leaders. I'll be honest with you that in the last election I would've voted for Duceppe of the Bloc Quebecois, if I had lived in Quebec. He was the most inspiring of all party leaders in that election. (As unfortunate as that is to say.) Don't get me wrong, Layton was inspiring... but I knew deep down that he was not going to be the party leader much longer. Something just seemed wrong. Ignatieff rubbed me the wrong way as well, and while Mr. Rae is slightly more inspiring, he has a long way to go! Elizabeth May had some excellent things to say, and was second most inspiring after Duceppe, but the truth is Canada is just not ready for the Green Party to be in charge. The Green Party isn't ready for the Green Party to be in charge either. So since having the Green Party or the Bloc in power is not something that is likely to be a reality now or in the near future we must look to the Conservatives, Liberals, and NDPs. None of them have very inspiring leaders. What I want to urge right now is that both Mr. Rae and Mr. Mulcair really put themselves out there. Voice your opinions. Don't try to be that guy that everyone likes. Canadians need someone with a clear ideology, someone inspiring. If you are playing it safe then Harper could well get another term. I know, I know you don't want to lose supporters, but you can't gain any either if we don't know what you stand for! To Mr. Mulcair in particular... I will not vote for you because I don't know what you stand for. You may not be an amazing orator, but your opinions are important so speak up! Unless you stick your neck out and make some powerful statements about some of the issues you are just as guilty of killing Canada as Mr. Harper. Speak now, because Canadians are ready to listen!
Silence is not something that any of us can afford.
Right now we have a Conservative Prime Minister, Mr. Stephen Harper. Would I vote for the Conservative Party? Maybe. I look at a number of factors before determining who I will vote for. I look at who the party leader is and what they stand for. I look at who the local MP would be and what they stand for, and what they have done to contribute to the community. I look at the Party Platform. I read the newspaper, listen to the radio, and watch the TV to see what is being said. I try to attend at least one forum in the community. I look at what each party has to say about specific topics that I think are important. Then I make the best choice. So if I felt voting Conservative was the best choice, then yes, I would vote Conservative. Would I vote Conservative right now? No. Nothing is more appalling than the Harper Government. (And it is called the Harper Government, not the Canadian Government, even by members of the Conservative Party.)
Each time I read a news story about what Harper has most recently brought to the table, I get visions of marching Nazis. This is no exaggeration. Adolf Hitler was well liked when he first came to power in Germany, but then he went off the deep end and people were afraid to oppose him because of what would happen to them if they did. I see this sort of thing starting to happen in Canada already. Harper was popular... popular enough to win a majority government after 2 terms of Prime Minister in a minority. Since the last election however, his supporters have dropped drastically because they see that what is happening now is not what they had envisioned. That is because he is taking away the rights of citizens at every turn. He is ignoring environmental concerns and the rights of indigenous peoples. He is doing his best to quell protesters or discredit them. He is selling land and resource rights to the highest bidder (i.e. China) ... and all of this is happening behind closed doors. We, as Canadians, should all be terribly afraid, but we must also speak our minds about what is happening. If we don't speak now, we may find that later on it is too late. We may lose that right or also find ourselves discredited. Silence is no longer an option. We have 3 more years with Harper at the helm. Most importantly we need to remember his current deeds when the next election comes around. No doubt he will do his best to make us happier closer to Election Day or use more slander campaigns against his opponents. Remember the things that are happening now when you next go to the polling station. I for one am terrified at the very thought of another term of the Harper Government!
Part of our problem in the political scene right now is the lack of inspiring leaders. I'll be honest with you that in the last election I would've voted for Duceppe of the Bloc Quebecois, if I had lived in Quebec. He was the most inspiring of all party leaders in that election. (As unfortunate as that is to say.) Don't get me wrong, Layton was inspiring... but I knew deep down that he was not going to be the party leader much longer. Something just seemed wrong. Ignatieff rubbed me the wrong way as well, and while Mr. Rae is slightly more inspiring, he has a long way to go! Elizabeth May had some excellent things to say, and was second most inspiring after Duceppe, but the truth is Canada is just not ready for the Green Party to be in charge. The Green Party isn't ready for the Green Party to be in charge either. So since having the Green Party or the Bloc in power is not something that is likely to be a reality now or in the near future we must look to the Conservatives, Liberals, and NDPs. None of them have very inspiring leaders. What I want to urge right now is that both Mr. Rae and Mr. Mulcair really put themselves out there. Voice your opinions. Don't try to be that guy that everyone likes. Canadians need someone with a clear ideology, someone inspiring. If you are playing it safe then Harper could well get another term. I know, I know you don't want to lose supporters, but you can't gain any either if we don't know what you stand for! To Mr. Mulcair in particular... I will not vote for you because I don't know what you stand for. You may not be an amazing orator, but your opinions are important so speak up! Unless you stick your neck out and make some powerful statements about some of the issues you are just as guilty of killing Canada as Mr. Harper. Speak now, because Canadians are ready to listen!
Silence is not something that any of us can afford.
Monday, October 8, 2012
A Lesson in Fact Checking
In the wake of the American elections there have been a slew of political posts. Some of them are good. Some are bad. Some are really ignorant. I admit, everyone has the right to their views. I will keep mine out of this because it is an American election, not a Canadian election. However, I would like to point out the importance of checking your facts before posting a political message. Just today this message appeared on my Facebook stream:
Right away my brain was going, "Well what about peaceful Christian countries? Are there any of those?" And because I wasn't sure I checked my facts!
Here is some of the data from the 2012 Global Peace Index:
Note Qatar, a country that according to the CIA World Factbook is 77.5% Muslim. Where is the United States? I scrolled down, and down, and down and then I saw it:
Not only was the United States number 88 on the list but you should see some of the countries that have a better peace ranking than it. (Some are Muslim countries, but others are just... well... surprising!) Take a look!
There were also a ton of very poor African countries, but this was just a taste!
So for the list of peaceful Muslim countries? You might want to add:
1. Qatar
2. United Arab Emirates
3. Kuwait
4. Oman
Especially if you are comparing them to the USA. I was curious still... how do these countries compare to the USA in other ways?
I went to aneki.com and did their country comparison for Qatar and the USA:
So you will see, if you check your facts it would stop a lot of the hate and prevent a lot of wars between countries around the world. When it comes down to it the facts show we are not that different!
Right away my brain was going, "Well what about peaceful Christian countries? Are there any of those?" And because I wasn't sure I checked my facts!
Here is some of the data from the 2012 Global Peace Index:
Country
|
2012 GPI rank
|
Iceland
|
1
|
Denmark
|
2
|
New Zealand
|
2
|
Canada
|
4
|
Japan
|
5
|
Austria
|
6
|
Ireland
|
6
|
Slovenia
|
8
|
Finland
|
9
|
Switzerland
|
10
|
Belgium
|
11
|
Qatar
|
12
|
Czech Republic
|
13
|
Sweden
|
14
|
Germany
|
15
|
Note Qatar, a country that according to the CIA World Factbook is 77.5% Muslim. Where is the United States? I scrolled down, and down, and down and then I saw it:
United States
|
88
|
Not only was the United States number 88 on the list but you should see some of the countries that have a better peace ranking than it. (Some are Muslim countries, but others are just... well... surprising!) Take a look!
Korea, South
|
42
|
United Arab Emirates
|
46
|
Kuwait
|
47
|
Oman
|
59
|
Serbia
|
64
|
Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
65
|
Cuba
|
70
|
There were also a ton of very poor African countries, but this was just a taste!
So for the list of peaceful Muslim countries? You might want to add:
1. Qatar
2. United Arab Emirates
3. Kuwait
4. Oman
Especially if you are comparing them to the USA. I was curious still... how do these countries compare to the USA in other ways?
I went to aneki.com and did their country comparison for Qatar and the USA:
| Country | |
 Qatar |  United States |
| Leader | |
 Emir: Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifah Al Thani |  President: Barack Obama |
| Population | |
| 1,951,591 | 313,847,465 |
| Life Expectancy | |
| 78.090 years | 78.490 years |
| Human Development Index | |
| 0.899 | 0.95 |
| GDP per capita | |
| $104,300 US | $49,000 US |
| Literacy Rate | |
| 89% | 99% |
| Corruption Perception Index | |
| 6.5 | 7.3 |
| Percentage of Women in Parliament | |
| 0% | 16.6% |
| Unemployment Rate | |
| 0.400% | 9.000% |
| Death Penalty | |
| Legal | Legal |
| Political System | |
| emirate | Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition |
| Religions | |
| Muslim 77.5%, Christian 8.5%, other 14% (2004 census) | Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.) |
| Languages | |
| Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language | English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census) note: Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii |
| Exports | |
| liquefied natural gas (LNG), petroleum products, fertilizers, steel | agricultural products (soybeans, fruit, corn) 9.2%, industrial supplies (organic chemicals) 26.8%, capital goods (transistors, aircraft, motor vehicle parts, computers, telecommunications equipment) 49.0%, consumer goods (automobiles, medicines) 15.0% (2003) |
| External Debt | |
| $125,300,000,000 $ | $14,710,000,000,000 US |
| Exchange Rate | |
| Qatari rials (QAR) per US dollar - 3.64 (2008 est.), 3.64 (2007), 3.64 (2006), 3.64 (2005), 3.64 (2004) | |
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP | |
| 10.000% | 4.060% |
| Location | |
| Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia | North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico |
I also compared the USA and Oman for good measure:
| Country | |
| United States |  Oman |
| Leader | |
President: Barack Obama |  Sultan, prime minister, foreign minister: Qaboos Bin Said Al Said |
| Population | |
| 313,847,465 | 3,090,150 |
| Life Expectancy | |
| 78.490 years | 74.470 years |
| Human Development Index | |
| 0.95 | 0.839 |
| GDP per capita | |
| $49,000 US | $26,900 US |
| Literacy Rate | |
| 99% | 81.4% |
| Corruption Perception Index | |
| 7.3 | 5.5 |
| Percentage of Women in Parliament | |
| 16.6% | 9.1% |
| Unemployment Rate | |
| 9.000% | 15.000% |
| Death Penalty | |
| Legal | Legal |
| Political System | |
| Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition | monarchy |
| Religions | |
| Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.) | Ibadhi Muslim 75%, other (includes Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim, Hindu) 25% |
| Languages | |
| English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census) note: Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii | Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects |
| Exports | |
| agricultural products (soybeans, fruit, corn) 9.2%, industrial supplies (organic chemicals) 26.8%, capital goods (transistors, aircraft, motor vehicle parts, computers, telecommunications equipment) 49.0%, consumer goods (automobiles, medicines) 15.0% (2003) | petroleum, reexports, fish, metals, textiles |
| External Debt | |
| $14,710,000,000,000 $ | $9,054,000,000 US |
| Exchange Rate | |
| Omani rials (OMR) per US dollar - 0.3845 (2008 est.), 0.3845 (2007), 0.3845 (2006), 0.3845 (2005), 0.3845 (2004) | |
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP | |
| 4.060% | 11.400% |
| Location | |
| North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico | Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE |
So you will see, if you check your facts it would stop a lot of the hate and prevent a lot of wars between countries around the world. When it comes down to it the facts show we are not that different!
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