The “M” is for “Monarchy”, fyi. And if you were watching the Canadian news this past week or so, you might have noticed that Prince Charles, hier apparent to the British crown (and therefore heir apparent to being official head of state of Canada) was in town.
I didn’t get to see him, but he was on the front of all the newspapers, daily, mostly dressed in military garb from what I could see.
The other night, I read the NYT review of his visit, which dubbed it a “royal yawn”. But also pointed out that given how hard it is to amend our Constitution, we’ll likely just allow the monarchy to fade away into obscurity.
I won’t even get into the fascinating matter of having to read this kind of analysis in an American paper.
The fact of the matter is most Canadians don’t even know that the British Monarch is our official head of state. And so they would simply wonder why the heck Prince Charles keeps appearing on the front of our newspapers for a week in his military outfits and then go about their daily business unperturbed, thinking it has nothing to do with them.
When I lived in the UK, I jokingly told a number of Brits that we would probably maintain their monarchy long after the Brits themselves had moved on.
The article fails to address the issue of just what we could replace the Monarchy with. Not that I have any bright ideas, though back when I was 15 and the world was more cut and dried I had a thought or two on the issue. Today it occurs to me that one reason we might not be discussing it is that no one else has any clue what to do either.
Canada has had a policy to give asylum to women who have been victims of physical and / or mental abuse in countries where there is no societal mechanism for justice and protection of their rights for 20 years…
It’s been a few weeks since we found out the list of the selected teams for the OLPCorps experiment. I could not help but notice that the chosen teams were mostly representing American universities and African universities. Kudos to them for choosing African University partners in abundance, but why such a focus on American universities? There were several proposals coming from Canada, at least one of whom had a team member based in Ottawa whom I met. They seemed to be as organised if not more organised than most. So why the cold shoulder to the Canadian teams? Yet another anti-Canada slight from OLPC, or what? For that matter, what about European based teams?
If the Foundation means to only choose African and American students, then they should make that clear in the future.
(Il est disponible en français aussi: cliquez ici)
Amusing, if the stereotypes in the video weren’t so glaring. On the other hand, perhaps amusing nonetheless. Exciting though this may be, I note that they are downplaying the fact that children born to Canadians overseas will no longer automatically have citizenship unless a parent was born in Canada. One wonders where the accompanying video for that point is? Perhaps the opposite… child goes to sleep in a room full of Canadian stereotypes and wakes up without them? That should get the point across nicely.
Then again, in the globalized world, does citizenship really matter that much anymore? You tell me.
I was at the LCBO yesterday since the wine stocks at home were low. They were selling ($1 off, but still!) a Pelee Island Red which appealed because it helps to save the frogs, called Eco Trail. Very affordable, even without the discount. And, I was really surprised *more than drinkable*.
Of late I’ve been having a thing about the $10 bottle of wine. It all started when my hairdresser tipped me off about Barefoot wines in June. I find Barefoot only drinkable in an immediate sense of the word and still has that “edge” that makes plonk, plonk. Eco Trail, on the other hand, *doesn’t*. It is actually quite smooth and really *does* have that berry and cherry edge, and even a cherry colour.
Oh yeah, and for those who support local economies: Eco Trail is Canadian!
I went to see this highly recommended little Québecois film at the Bytowne last night. Maman est chez le coiffeur. (more info available here and the trailer here).
It was a delight. Set in 1960s Québec, the film starts with school getting out for the summer. The children spend the summer playing and running free, but behind the walls of their perfect homes life as many of them know it is falling apart. The lives of the three main children are disrupted by their mother’s departure leaving a trail of saddness and confusion explored through the lenses of different childhoods (age 15, 12 (?), and around 5 or 6). Very well done.
Well, the iPhone is finally on it’s way.. July 11th. And a hefty price tag to go with it. (You can read more about it with opinions here for e.g.) The petition mentioned in the first link is here
I want one, sure, but I’m not about to shell out that kind of $$ for it. As it is, the cell I currently have is hardly used (as anyone who’s ever tried to call me on it has discovered). Sure, I want the concept of the iPhone, but what do I really need it for when I’ve got an XO with viewfinder?!
Alexi, an awesome musician i’ve met once or twice and with whom I celebrated R&E’s weddings in proper style… will be hooking up with José James at the Toronto Jazz Fest (9pm on June 27).
It’s times like these that Ottawa shouldn’t be a 5 hour drive away.
For years, the food allergy community in Canada has lobbied and waited for legislation that would require all food package labels to clearly and thoroughly list the top 10 priority allergens among ingredients.
The good news is that new regulations that would bring far greater clarity to the wording on food labels are ready. The bad news: they’ve been ready for two years and have yet to become law.
In the hopes making the allergen label law a priority for the federal government, Allergic Living magazine has launched an online letter-writing campaign to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Read the letter and about the issue at www.allergicliving.com (Click the green box in the upper right corner.)
If you are a Canadian concerned about the health and safety of those living with food allergies and celiac disease, take a moment to e-mail the letter to the Prime Minister. The more letters he gets, the greater the chance the legislation will pass.
Please make your voice heard. Thank you for your support.
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