tagged w/ Canada
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There are nearly 3 million Canadians living abroad, but sadly, those who have lived outside Canada for more than 5 years lose their right to vote. This is a blatant violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which states that "every citizen of Canada has the right to vote in an election of members of the House of Commons or of a legislative assembly and to be qualified for membership therein."
This restriction of voting rights essentially reduces Canadian expats to a lower class of citizen. This is unacceptable, because the right to vote is for all Canadians, not just a select few. Even criminals serving prison sentences have the right to vote in Canada.
There are many reasons Canadians choose to live abroad (career opportunities, family ties, etc.), and punishing them for exercising their right to travel and live abroad is not only unconstitutional, but immoral as well. Tell Canadian MPs to end this policy!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/let-canadian-expats-vote/There are nearly 3 million Canadians living abroad, but sadly, those who have lived... more
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Harrison Held Interviews Chef Jean-Pierre Curtat at Quebec Government Office in L.A. presents "Flavors of Quebec in Hollywood" for members of the media held at The Grill on Hollywood located at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, CA 90028 from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrUEaS0S1roHarrison Held Interviews Chef Jean-Pierre Curtat at Quebec Government Office in L.A.... more
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Three office workers in Canada were taken to hospital after unwittingly munching some home-made brownies made with marijuana on their tea break.A police investigation traced the source to the office refrigerator — where a tray of home-baked brownies was found inside.The investigation revealed that an employee had been cleaning out her freezer at home and had found a previously undiscovered stash of brownies, which she brought to work for her colleagues to enjoy.What the woman didn't know was that her son had concocted the chocolate treats with cannabis a year ago, slipped them into the bottom of the freezer — and promptly forgot about them.Her co-workers were taken to hospital on Monday with similar symptoms — numbness in their limbs, light-headedness and disorientation.Doctors confirmed all three patients had consumed marijuana and were suffering from the typical effects of pot ingestion.Police say no charges will be laid because there was no criminal intent on the part of the woman's son. Instead, he will be placed in a restorative justice program. Bet he is regretting not eating the brownies himself...All three office workers were kept in hospital for observation and later released.The moral of this story is that it can happen to the best of us - remember the copper who thought he was dying after eating some special brownies? You need to watch this amazing animation...Three office workers in Canada were taken to hospital after unwittingly munching some... more
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HOV lanes are designed to encourage ride sharing in passenger vehicles during peak driving hours. These lanes are typically reserved for vehicles carrying two or more passengers or busses only. Recently Ontario, Canada has come to the decision to allow electric vehicles to drive in the HOV lanes regardless of the number of passengers.
Plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV’s) and full battery electric vehicles (BEV’s) are both eligible to apply for special green license plates which would allow them to drive in HOV lanes. Though scooters like the Libert-E, which are restricted to local roads, are ineligible, cars like the T.25 would be allowed to drive in these lanes. The model is being applied to promote the sale and use of electric vehicles across the province.
Do you think electric vehicles should be allowed to drive in HOV lanes even if they are only carrying one passenger or should they be forced to follow the same rules as petrol-fueled vehicles?
HOV lanes are designed to encourage ride sharing in passenger vehicles during peak... more
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Honduras ranks 9th in the world production of coffee and is the second most important producer in Central America. 90% of its coffee is cultivated by coffee farmers. Among these, is the cooperative Montaña Verde, situated in the province of Santa Barbara, a partner of Van Houtte’s since 2002. Following an action plan established by CARE Canada, the Montaña Verde co-op has come a long way. Generating profits, increasing orders, expanding its workforce, attracting international recognition for its high quality coffee, and improving the status of women and the well-being of communities, are all goals that the Montaña Verde co-op and its members were able to achieve through hard work, solidarity, courage, and concern for the environment. They have maintained their privileged relationship with Van Houtte for almost a decade.
Please visit: www.committedtocaring.caHonduras ranks 9th in the world production of coffee and is the second most important... more
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The story of Dr. David Suzuki, the environmental conscience of Canada who has strived all of these years to bring us truth. As he stated, we are now a force of nature.
This movie is now on DVD for anyone interested.The story of Dr. David Suzuki, the environmental conscience of Canada who has strived... more
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Jack Layton was 61 years old when he died last Monday morning, of cancer. He was a loved by all, and the outpouring of love for him from Canada's people was tremendous. He wrote a final letter to the people.
Layton himself was given a State Funeral which is very rare, and is usually reserved for Prime Ministers. Last May 2011, he reached another pinnacle - he won an election that made the NDP (a Democratic Socialist Party) "Her Majesty's Official Opposition" - for the first time in our history. This is the Party that gave Canadians a Health Care Plan, among many other social programs.
Jack Layton was beloved by all; hundreds of thousands, from across the country attended services held all week.
He made a difference to all of us (one thing he did which will be familiar to everyone is that he founded the White Ribbon Campaign to bring a stop to violence towards women. All of Canada has been in mourning this past week
During the Eulogy he said; "This letter was, at its heart, a Manifesto for Social Democracy."
It is a letter of love, to all of us. I do hope you will take the time to read it, it's very inspiring, during these trying times. This was written 2 days before he died. It calls on all of us to STAND UP and create a new, all-inclusive country; to better everyone around us. I hope you will hear his message.
August 20, 2011
Toronto, Ontario
Dear Friends,
Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish me well. I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughtful, inspiring and often beautiful notes, cards and gifts. Your spirit and love have lit up my home, my spirit, and my determination.
Unfortunately my treatment has not worked out as I hoped. So I am giving this letter to my partner Olivia to share with you in the circumstance in which I cannot continue.
I recommend that Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel continue her work as our interim leader until a permanent successor is elected.
I recommend the party hold a leadership vote as early as possible in the New Year, on approximately the same timelines as in 2003, so that our new leader has ample time to reconsolidate our team, renew our party and our program, and move forward towards the next election. His words to our young people are especially poignant.
A few additional thoughts:
To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don’t be discouraged that my own journey hasn’t gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope. Treatments and therapies have never been better in the face of this disease. You have every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future. My only other advice is to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey, as I have done this summer.
To the members of my party: we’ve done remarkable things together in the past eight years. It has been a privilege to lead the New Democratic Party and I am most grateful for your confidence, your support, and the endless hours of volunteer commitment you have devoted to our cause. There will be those who will try to persuade you to give up our cause. But that cause is much bigger than any one leader. Answer them by recommitting with energy and determination to our work. Remember our proud history of social justice, universal health care, public pensions and making sure no one is left behind. Let’s continue to move forward. Let’s demonstrate in everything we do in the four years before us that we are ready to serve our beloved Canada as its next government.
To the members of our parliamentary caucus: I have been privileged to work with each and every one of you. Our caucus meetings were always the highlight of my week. It has been my role to ask a great deal from you. And now I am going to do so again. Canadians will be closely watching you in the months to come. Colleagues, I know you will make the tens of thousands of members of our party proud of you by demonstrating the same seamless teamwork and solidarity that has earned us the confidence of millions of Canadians in the recent election.
To my fellow Quebecers: On May 2nd, you made an historic decision. You decided that the way to replace Canada’s Conservative federal government with something better was by working together in partnership with progressive-minded Canadians across the country. You made the right decision then; it is still the right decision today; and it will be the right decision right through to the next election, when we will succeed, together. You have elected a superb team of New Democrats to Parliament. They are going to be doing remarkable things in the years to come to make this country better for us all.
To young Canadians: All my life I have worked to make things better. Hope and optimism have defined my political career, and I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about Canada. Young people have been a great source of inspiration for me. I have met and talked with so many of you about your dreams, your frustrations, and your ideas for change. More and more, you are engaging in politics because you want to change things for the better. Many of you have placed your trust in our party. As my time in political life draws to a close I want to share with you my belief in your power to change this country and this world. There are great challenges before you, from the overwhelming nature of climate change to the unfairness of an economy that excludes so many from our collective wealth, and the changes necessary to build a more inclusive and generous Canada. I believe in you. Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today. You need to be at the heart of our economy, our political life, and our plans for the present and the future.
And finally, to all Canadians: Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children. We can do our part to save the world’s environment. We can restore our good name in the world. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about change. In the months and years to come, New Democrats will put a compelling new alternative to you. My colleagues in our party are an impressive, committed team. Give them a careful hearing; consider the alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done.
My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.
All my very best,
Jack Layton
The letter can be found at: http://www.ndp.ca/letter-to-canadians-from-jack-laytonJack Layton was 61 years old when he died last Monday morning, of cancer. He was a... more
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Please take a minute to read my interview with Carmen Moore. She's made a huge impact on Scifi with roles in The Martian Child, Lost in Space, Flash Gordon, Andromeda, Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Wolf Lake, and the new Blood and Chrome pilot. She just got a Leo for Best Female Lead in a Dramatic series for her role as Leona Stoney on Blackstone and is perhaps the most high profile First Nations actress in CanadaPlease take a minute to read my interview with Carmen Moore. She's made a huge... more
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“Flawed” is an impressive personal 12-min. stop-motion animated story told in gorgeous drawings done in black ink and watercolor by Canadian filmmaker Andrea Dorfman. The film has been acclaimed on the festival circuit for a couple of years, winning at the Palm Springs Film Festival, and playing at HotDocs and SilverDocs. It has been one of the jewels of the National Film Board‘s impressive animation catalog, but only now has become available on the web.
“Flawed” tells a story that is serious, heart-warming yet also heart-breaking, in which Dorfman examines the conflicted feelings that arise when she strikes up a romance with a plastic surgeon. Through an intensely confessional narrative, she discovers that the secret to getting the man to accept her is to learn how to accept herself. The drawings help to keep the story light and visually compelling, while presenting Dorfman’s philosophical take on self-esteem, growing-up, relationships, personal identity and even cosmetic surgery.
This piece includes colorful illustrations and the acclaimed animated short film.
http://disembedded.wordpress.com/2011/08/25/flawed-thats-what-makes-life-interesting/“Flawed” is an impressive personal 12-min. stop-motion animated story told... more
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Please read the entire article after you have read the exerpts. TransCanada has no authority in the United States, but is threatening US citizens with iminent domain? When will we have had enough of the corporacy that is now our federal government?
Here are those few exerpts:
"Keystone XL, as TransCanada calls its proposed pipeline, will be 36 inches in diameter and two times longer than the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. In Nebraska’s Sandhills it will be buried inside the largest underground reservoir on the planet—the Ogallala Aquifer, which charges rivers, lakes, and marshes and supplies drinking and irrigation water to eight states."
"In the United States the pipeline will chew up important wildlife habitat with roads and powerlines to pumping stations and with the excavation itself. But a much bigger threat is leaking DilBit, which could pollute the aquifer for great distances, rendering water unfit for use by wildlife and humans."
"Johanns is livid about how TransCanada has been threatening landowners with eminent domain in order to frighten them into selling it right-of-way easements. On August 11, 2010, he wrote the company as follows: “I have had multiple conversations with Nebraskans who have indicated that TransCanada representatives have established hard deadlines for landowner responses to offers of easement payments within as little as two weeks, I am told. Nebraska landowners are being told in addition that the use of eminent domain authority will be triggered if they do not accept the offers extended by TransCanada within the arbitrary deadlines."Please read the entire article after you have read the exerpts. TransCanada has no... more
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This was shot on an iPhone just as the storm was
approaching South Edmonton Canada by eglinski
July 2011This was shot on an iPhone just as the storm was
approaching South Edmonton Canada by... more
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Stage collapses during a Cheap Trick performance during the Ottawa Bluesfest.
A violent windstorm whipped through Ottawa as Cheap Trick took to the stage at the 2011 Ottawa Bluesfest on Sunday July 17th. The main stage seemed to lurch back and forth before collapsing in the wind. None of the band members or crew were injured, but Ottawa EMS said there were some other serious injuries.Stage collapses during a Cheap Trick performance during the Ottawa Bluesfest.
A... more
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A mocked-up taxi used in the Canadian version of the Discovery Channel game show Cash Cab struck and killed a Vancouver pedestrian on Friday night.
The 61-year-old man was struck by the cab after filming had wrapped for the day, when a producer was returning the vehicle to a storage facility. He died shortly after he was taken to a hospital. Police are investigating the accident, but no charges have been filed.
http://gawker.com/5822056/man-killed-by-a-cash-cabA mocked-up taxi used in the Canadian version of the Discovery Channel game show Cash... more
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An Exxon Mobil pipeline that ruptured, leaking oil into Yellowstone River, may have sometimes carried a heavier and more toxic form of crude than initially thought, federal regulators said on Thursday.
The U.S. Transportation Department's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration spokeswoman Patricia Klinger said her office had learned that the pipeline may have been used to carry heavier crude.
"I just found out that apparently, and the regional folks just found out, there is an interconnect on the pipeline that possibly does carry some oil out of Canada," she said in response to a question about tar sands crude in the pipeline.
That a pipeline thought to transport only "sweet," low sulfur crude could have carried so-called tar sands crude from Canada raised concerns by health and environmental officials, even as Exxon officials said the heavier oil was not flowing through the Silvertip pipeline when it broke on July 1.
"The actual crude in the line at the point of the incident was a blend of crudes from Wyoming," Exxon spokesman George Pietrogallo told Reuters in an email on Thursday.
Exxon was responding to a question about whether tar sands crude had ever flowed in the pipeline. Almost all the oil produced in Canada's Alberta fields is from tar sands.
The chemistry of tar sands oil, derived from tar sands or bitumen and sweet crude is significantly different, said Ronald Kendall, head of the environmental toxicology department at Texas Tech University.
"Tar sands oil is in itself heavier oil and it contains more compounds that are toxic and may contain heavy metals like lead," Kendall said.
In a July 6 email to Reuters, Exxon spokesman Kevin Allexon said the crude carried by the pipeline "does not originate from Alberta" but from fields on the Montana-Wyoming border. On Thursday, Exxon revised that.
"The pipeline carries a variety of different production fields in the U.S. and Canada," Pietrogallo said in the email.
'HELL NO'
Tar sands crude may cause more wear and tear on pipes because of its chemical makeup, including corrosive and abrasive agents, said Tom Finch, the pipeline administration's technical services director for the western regional office.
Federal inspectors were trying to determine if transport of tar sands crude could have triggered internal corrosion that may have played a role in the rupture, he said.
Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer faulted Exxon for failing to tell the state exactly what kinds of crude ran in the pipeline or spell out what hazardous chemicals were in the mix now contaminating riverside properties.
"Since they dumped that oil into the river that the state owns and manages, since they have spread oil in a film across 150 separate properties, since the film is over fishing access sites and state parks, we thought it would be appropriate to know what it is," Schweitzer said.
Richard Opper, head of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, said he was surprised to learn the pipeline buried in the streambed of the Yellowstone may sometimes have moved tar sands crude from Canada.
"If the question is, did we know it was carrying tar sands oil? Hell, no," he said in an interview on Thursday. "If companies are changing the kinds of materials in pipelines to mixes that make them more likely they will leak or rupture, that raises huge concerns."
Exxon has apologized for the spill, which it estimates at 42,000 gallons, and pledged to restore a river prized for its near pristine waters, scenic beauty and abundance of wildlife.
EPA officials are analyzing the chemical fingerprint of the oil which, depending on its source, could contain anything from benzene, a known carcinogen, to hexane, a toxin that can damage the human nervous system.
More at the linkAn Exxon Mobil pipeline that ruptured, leaking oil into Yellowstone River, may have... more
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Lippey
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added this
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This year marks the 50th anniversary of Ernest Hemingway’s death (July 21, 1899-July 2, 1961). Hemingway achieved world-wide fame and influence as a writer by a combination of great emotional power and a highly individual style, which could be parodied but never successfully imitated. His best single work is quite possibly “The Old Man and the Sea,” which had the essence of the uncluttered force that drove his other stories.
In 1952, the 53 year-old Hemingway shrugged off the decay of his own weary, abused body, an increasingly scarred mind, and the pulsating aches of his five tools of anguished expression to compose his tale of an old Cuban who battles his own decay, a crippled left hand, and a giant marlin. The novel received the Pulitzer Prize in 1952 and was specifically cited when he was awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature.
In 1997, 40 year-old Alexander Petrov of Prechistoe, Russia, struggled against a strange environment (Canada), a new and intimidating technology (IMAX), and with the use of his finger tips, transformed Hemingway’s ode to masculinity from splashes of oil paint into a vibrant, coherent, fresco in motion. Petrov’s 22-minute paint-on-glass interpretation of “The Old Man and the Sea” won many awards, including the 1999 Academy Award for Animated Short Film.
This piece includes a number of colorful pictures, as well as the award-winning animated short film.
http://disembedded.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/ernest-hemingway-the-old-man-and-the-sea/This year marks the 50th anniversary of Ernest Hemingway’s death (July 21,... more
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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge continued their tour in the French Canadian providence of Québec over the weekend, with a mixed reception.
Many fans were there to greet William & Kate, they are outnumbered protesters, many shouted louder than fans,one even shouted "Vive le Quebec libre!" during their visit in a hospital in Montréal. Don't forget Québec residents want their providence to become an independent country (Scotland, do take note), but the royal couple had a peaceful time which included a tribute to war veterans. The couple's tour in Canada continues throughout the week.
Source: http://ottawa.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110702/royal-visit-day3-110702/20110702/?hub=OttawaHomeThe Duke and Duchess of Cambridge continued their tour in the French Canadian... more
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“Scenes From the Suburbs” is a 30-minute short film directed by Spike Jonze, a companion piece to Arcade Fire’s Grammy-winning third album, “The Suburbs.” The movie premiered this year at Germany’s Berlinale Festival and was screened the SXSW Film Festival in Austin.
The film is a meditation on life, a remembrance of things past by a group of friends who spent a languid summer together in an unnamed town that was taken over by the army. Back then, a summer, so long ago. They couldn’t leave town, because outside the country was at war, and the military controlled life and all the gateways. The teenagers wandered aimlessly about town. Winter was a long way off, and love and longing and friendship still meant everything.
This piece includes photographs, as well as the full version of the short film.
http://disembedded.wordpress.com/2011/06/30/scenes-from-the-suburbs-navigating-an-oppressive-dystopia/“Scenes From the Suburbs” is a 30-minute short film directed by Spike... more
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