Quick Post: Really?

In New Brunswick, Belleisle Elementary School has dropped the singing of O Canada from their morning event. Their school's principal, Erik Millett, made the decision "to accommodate parents who didn't want their children taking part in the daily anthem". While they will still sing it during their monthly assembly, this frustrates me greatly. In elementary school, I remember having to sing O Canada during our morning assemblies. I think singing the national anthem is very important, and it is an expression of Canadian pride. I guess the question is what is the purpose of the national anthem? Is it just a formality, or does it serve a useful purpose? P.S. What's more Canadian curling? I don't know.

Politics: The budget passes (somewhat). Government lives to see another day.

The Conservative government released the Canadian budget for 2009 yesterday. Though the budget promised billions of dollars in stimulus, the Bloc and the NDP opposed it, saying that it did not provide enough support for the unemployed. This left the fate of the budget, and the Canadian government, in the hands of the Liberals. Read more about the specifics of the budget here. Today, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff held a press conference today at 11 p.m. ET. As I had expected, he will not defeat the budget, but would demand amendments be made to it. While he is allowing the minority Conservative government to continue governing, he will essentially putting them on probation, saying, "If this government fails to meet these targets, it will not survive for long." One of the key changes that Ignatieff wants is regular reporting on the budget's implementation and costs. The Liberals will present more specific amendments later this afternoon in the House of Commons. This has restored some of my confidence that the Parliamentary process can work. Unfortunately, it had to come at a near collapse of our government, so I'm still skeptical on the ability for the political parties to work together. While the parties will have their disagreements, I hope that they will at least work towards a resolution. It will be difficult, and unfortunately, not everybody will receive stimulus. P.S. Don't have one this time, just wanted to get this blog out as soon as possible.

Politics: And they're back.

The Canadian government returned to Parliament yesterday with the Speech from the Throne 2009. The Throne Speech, read by Governor General, was brief, and heavily emphasized that this present crisis required stimulus, and the need for unity. Read the full transcript of the Speech from the Throne 2009. While the speech mentioned the need to unify, and be non-partisan, I think it will take a lot of work for Stephen Harper to regain the trust of the rest of the parties. Especially, considering how he backed all of them into a corner about eight weeks ago. Today, we will see how these words are put into action. The Conservatives has been slowly leaking parts of the budget. (Most likely, in an attempt to ease criticisms). From what has been shown, it seems like there will be economic stimulus. The questions that remain will be how much stimulus and for what? The Conservatives have, however, been accused of abandoning Conservative principles by not being fiscally responsible. The leaks have mentioned that the upcoming budget will put Canada into a deficit. I will blog again after the budget is released. P.S. Technology rumor via Engadget: Amazon's Kindle 2?

Weekend Wrap-up - January 24

I'm beginning a new weekly feature for my blog. Every weekend, I'll post 3 to 5 stories that I think people should know about, and should follow in the coming week. I introduce you to the Weekend Wrap-up.

• Canadian parliament returns from prorogue on Monday. (They'll be antirogued?) It's been eight weeks since Prime Minister Stephen Harper requested the prorogue of Parliament from Governor General Michaëlle Jean. The Liberal party is now lead by Michael Ignatieff. The Conservative government will table the budget on January 27. Hopefully, things get done this time.
• York University strike Ontario Premiere Dalton McGuinty will attempt to pass back-to-work legislation on York University's striking faculty. Ontario's NDP party has warned that they will oppose the bill. Read more: CBC, The Star
• Guantanamo Bay trials halted, orders to close within year On the first day of the new presidency, President Barack Obama signs orders to close Guantanamo Bay detention centre within the year. Chances for Omar Khadr's return to Canada increases as Conservative government are "reassessing" their position. Sources: BBC, G&M, The Star, Al Jazeera
• Obama. By now, you've probably heard all you can take about him, but his inauguration was obviously a huge event in the past week.

P.S. The NHL's All-Star Game was held in Montreal tonight. Check out Alexander Ovechkin's spiffy goal (with a nod to Canada) for the Breakaway Challenge.

Quick Post: 1,474 Megapixels of Obama Inauguration.

View in full screen. I know some people are sick of hearing about the Obama inauguration, but everyone should still take a look at this huge photograph of the inauguration. It was stitched together from over 220 separate photos. The detail that you can see is both amazing, and kind of creepy. This photo can also be turned into a game. For example, find Aretha Franklin. (Hint: Look for a giant bow.) Credit: David Bergman via Gizmodo P.S. Obama will be keeping his Blackberry for personal use.

Food Fridays: Finding Recipes.

Students typically have their staple foods: mac and cheese, instant noodles, pasta, etc. All of them are familiar, easily made, and filling.

Eating shouldn't be boring. I sometimes go to the Covent Garden Market without a shopping list, and buy something that I've never cooked with before. For example, last weekend, I bought celeriac, also called celery root. It's pretty ugly on the outside, but apparently tastes like celery. I'm still looking for a recipe to use it in.

That's the problem most people run into. They know how to make the usual foods. But, they don't know what to do with new ingredients. That does not mean that trying new things have to be difficult.

Most of what I know about cooking comes from the Food Network, so I depend on recipes to figure out what I will cook. I normally look around for different sources, and combine them into something I like.

Being addicted to the Internet, I turn to websites first for some ideas. The main site that I go to is AllRecipes.com. It has user-submitted recipes, with a good rating system, and comments (very Web 2.0).

Other than a few cookbooks, I just go with what I feel like. Experimentation is good.

I'd like to know: Where do you find recipes?

P.S. Wall-E is also very delicious.

Quick Post: Fifty People, One Question

Here's a video that asks a simple question: Where would you wish to wake up? Sometimes the simplest questions get the most unique responses. It's beautifully shot, and edited excellently. Fifty People, One Question: London from Crush + Lovely on Vimeo. If you like it, check out more of their videos at Crush + Lovely's Vimeo profile. I think their other videos are even better. P.S. I'd like to wake up in Japan, or Greece.

Media: Outfoxed.

Outfoxed is a 2004 documentary that analyzes the journalism of the Fox News Network, owned by Rupert Murdoch. Their perspective is that Fox News has been turned into a medium for the promotion of far right ideas, but still presents itself as a "fair and balanced" news outlet. In interviews, former employees claim that being an employee of Fox meant being a part of promoting the far right ideas. To promote the ideas was to be awarded, and to be against them was to be fired. One of the way to control employees was through daily memos, which would read what the reporters should, and should not cover. This bias is known as agenda setting, where the news station can control the agenda through what is, and is not mentioned. However, according to David Pierre, a contributor to NewsBusters, news organizations always give out daily memos to their employees. Blogs also have biases, and can even be open about their biases. One of the largest problem is that even though readers can recognize the bias is that readers will gravitate only towards blogs that share their same views. For example, the Huffington Post is a popular blog, which politically left-winged. People with left-winged beliefs will also read the Huffington Post. More important to me is the blurring of what is considered news. As pointed out in Outfoxed, Fox News blurs the line between opinion, and news by switching between them suddenly. They also blur the line between news and entertainment, creating a form of "infotainment", by using flashy graphics. For example, in my own blog, I post on a variety of topics. Some are meant to be taken seriously, while some are meant to be fun. Also, I try to make my own blog look visually appealing. The defining difference between my blog and Fox news cannot just be that mine is seen by fewer people. I believe that my blog can contain biases, but be open and fair to different views.

Politics: Obama.

How could I not talk about Barack Obama's inauguration? While our elections were held at the same time as the United States election, it seems like their election overshadowed. And today, all attention is turned to the 44th president of the United States of America. So, what could I say about Obama that you haven't heard already? I believe the presidency of Obama can make a positive change to the world. His inauguration speech was magnificent and uplifting, but I am wary that actions speak louder than words. Obama will be taking office during difficult, and controversial global events, and people are placing a very high goal for him. I believe that one of the largest changes will not be from him, but from everything he inspires. Through the shear belief and aspiration for positive change, I believe will make a difference. Also, if the enthusiasm for participation continue from his campaign, then larger things can be accomplished. But, as Canadians, why are we so interested in Obama? Canada is physically connected to the United States, and they are our largest trading partner. I'm glad that Obama is making his first foreign visit to Canada. But, interest from Canadians could be higher than interest in our own government. Are we actually more interested in American politics, or are we just so turned off by Canadian politics? Let me know your thoughts. P.S. An actual user-friendly, aesthetic government website? Sounds like an oxymoron, but check out the new www.whitehouse.gov for yourself.

Quick Post: Apparently, he loves Toronto.

Shaq is on Twitter, and apparently he loves Toronto. Good to know. Courtesy of Torontoist. P.S. Not a fan of Shaq? There are other celebrity Twitterers, for example, Britney Spears.

Politics: The future of Omar Khadr in limbo.

Here's my first post about Canadian politics. In general, I despise partisanship, and don't like the chaos that our government has been thrown into because of it. I'd much rather have things work than end up in a shoving match to get what I think is right. I hope that more Canadians will care about Canadian civics, and will take more responsibility in how our country is run. (Remember, apathy is the bane of society.)

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With the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, the fate of the controversial Guantanamo Bay prison is uncertain. Some of his advisers have mentioned that their plan will be to close the prison, but we won't know for certain until he becomes President. The fate of the prisoners is also uncertain. Omar Khadr has been in Guantanamo Bay since his capture in 2002. He is accused of killing an American soldier by throwing a grenade during a firefight. Like other detainees, he is subject to a secretive military tribunals. Despite a request by both the prosecution, and defence lawyers to put the trial on hold, Omar Khadr stood trial today. For a long time, my opinion has been that he was captured at the age of 15, and should be considered a child soldier. It would be be setting a dangerous precedent if he is convicted, under any laws other than the ones governing child soldiers. Many prominent public figures also call for his return to Canada, including retired General and Senator Romeo Dallaire, and Radhika Coomaraswamy, the United Nations' Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict. In general, I think the Canadian government should have more involvement with his trial. I'd like to think that our government would get him out of there (like all other Western countries have done for their citizens). Unfortunately, Stephen Harper has made it clear that he has not intention to do anything. At the least, I think the Canadian government should be asking for transparency in the process. I know the fate of Khadr is a divisive issue, but what do you think should be done about Omar Khadr? P.S. Only the tech-savvy President-elect Barack Obama would make headlines by dropping his Blackberry. I think somebody should start a blog dedicated to his smartphone.

Media: The end of flash mobs

What is a flash mob? Flash mobs are a large group of people assembling, performing a task, and dispersing. They have gained popularity as many have become viral videos. Improv Everywhere, an Internet-based performance art group, has organized well-known flash mobs, and received national media attention. To see videos of their flash mobs, visit their YouTube channel. I personally like this video of a flash mob at an Abercrombie and Fitch store: There are different purposes for having a flash mob. Some are a form of performance art, while some can be a form of protest. Others disrupt our status quo, and add a bit of serendipity to our days. In the end, flash mobs are a form of culture jamming, a term coined by Mark Dery. According to Dery, culture jamming is supposed to have “subversive meanings,” and challenge our accustomed ideologies. Could this be the end of flash mobs? I’m not saying that flash mobs will stop. Instead, could flash mobs be losing their “subversive meaning”? This new video is making its way through the Internets of people dancing in a train station. Unlike previous flash mob videos, this one is a clever T-mobile commercial. I'm not denying that it's a fun video to watch, but this commercial is a good example that everything can, and probably will be commercialized. It is the endless cycle of obscure becoming mainstream, and mainstream becoming commercialized, but losing it's meaning along the way. I want to know from you: Can we do anything about this, or should we just grudgingly accept it? P.S. Cool hunters.

Quick Post: Installing Applications on a Mac

First off, what is a Quick Post? In a Quick Post, I'll post a short blurb with a link that I think people should read.

I've recently seen that switchers to the Mac are not installing applications properly. While it may not make sense at first, it's quite simple. Find out more at the Mac Rumors Guide to Installing Applications in Mac OS X.

P.S. Want more help getting started with a Mac? Check out Apple's Mac 101.

Food Fridays: Eating locally during a Canadian winter.

Welcome to the first real post of my blog. While the main topics of my blog will be politics, media, and technology from a Canadian perspective, I’ve decided that every Friday, I will write about food. So, today is the first Food Friday.

After reading two books promoting local food (The 100-mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating by Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon, and In Defence of Food by Michael Pollan), I'm convinced that eating locally grown food is important. I haven’t made the switch completely, but I’m making a conscience effort to find more local food.

Why do I think eating locally is important? It’s not just some hippy ideal, food affects us beyond our own body.

First, purchasing locally grown food supports local farmers.

Also, our current food industry has environmental impact. As Alisa and J.B. point out, most food travels between 1,500 to 3,000 miles from food to plate. Transporting food that distance creates a lot of exhaust.

Most of all, locally grown food is fresher, and more diverse than the food you’ll find at grocery stores.

Local eating in winter is tougher though. If you're like me, you don't can or preserve food. So, what can you do? There are certain local foods that can still be found in winter. Also, look for things that store well.

Here are some examples:

• dried beans
• squash
• root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, turnips)
• leeks
• apples

P.S. If you’re looking to find local food in London, I prefer going to the Covent Garden Market.

Day 1

So it begins...