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Category: Culture + Society, Linkage, Politics + Economy, Videoclips
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Maria Corazon “Cory” Sumulong Cojuangco Aquino
(January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009)
Archive for the Category ◊ Politics + Economy ◊
04
Aug
2009
RIP Corazon Aquino
10
May
2009
Tamil Protest Video: Toronto, May 10
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Category: Culture + Society, Politics + Economy, Urban Life, Videoclips
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When I was driving home later than usual from The Brides’ Project, I had to continue along Lakeshore because the police had blocked off the ramp to the Gardiner Expressway. Now I know why.
Check out the full Torontoist article or the Toronto Star for more photos and information.
20
Jan
2009
Out With The Old, In With The New
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Category: Culture + Society, Humour, Music, Politics + Economy, Videoclips
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A couple of videos for today, the first one by French Canada’s Mitsou, probably unknown unless you are also a Canadian who grew up in the ’80s:
And secondly, The Corrigan Brothers offer up irrefutable evidence that there’s no one as Irish as the 44th President of the United States (JFK was the 35th):
Well, in any case, Obama will be adding some much-needed colour (green?) to the Big White House for at least the next four years. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of political satire emerges in the meantime.
The karaoke version is here if you want to know what the heck they’re singing.
04
Nov
2008
USA Today: McCain and Obama On Travel Issues
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Category: Linkage, Politics + Economy, Travel
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Via a link from The Window Seat, a comprehensive USA Today article that would be interesting for any other travelmongers out there who are concerned with the future of travel and how the two U.S. presidential candidates differ on the issues:
USA TODAY online, October 28, 2008: Evaluating McCain and Obama on travel issues
The intro:
The pollsters say there are still quite a few undecided voters out there, so if two wars and an economic crisis aren’t enough to sway your opinion, maybe it’s time to evaluate both candidates’ views on travel and aviation.
It’s easy to argue that how a president addresses the nation’s economic woes directly affects the travel industry. As do a host of other campaign topics—national security, energy, global warming, employment, taxation and dozens more. But what follows is a rundown of specific travel and aviation issues, with the stated positions and track records of both Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama.
Being a bit of a rail fan, it’s interesting to note that VP candidate Joe Biden (who was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania) is an outspoken supporter of Amtrak. I’d love to see train travel become a more viable transportation option in all of North America, the way it is in Europe. Canada doesn’t have the population density across the country to compete with air travel for the same routes, but the U.S. does.
04
Nov
2008
This American Life
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Category: David, Linkage, Politics + Economy
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I think this was David’s kindergarten or Grade 1 photo, taken sometime in the early ’70s.
Apart from the obvious reasons, I really really wish David were alive to see today. He was a patriotic American who was frustrated with the policies of the Bush Administration. I accompanied David during the last federal election when he went to the polls on November 2, 2004. Of course, I couldn’t legally vote, but I was interested in seeing how it’s done in the States.
David was deeply disappointed with the outcome of the 2004 election, and wanted to move with me to Vancouver when Bush was elected for a second term. But David’s mother refused to leave Pennsylvania, so we decided we would live in PA as long as his mother was alive and move to Vancouver later. That later never happened.
David’s maternal grandmother, who died of cancer when he was 16*, was a political campaigner for the Democratic Party and was a major influence on David when he was growing up. (It’s his grandmother’s diamonds in our wedding rings.) He often told me stories about how his Orthodox Jewish grandmother bucked tradition by sitting with the men in temple to talk politics instead of sitting with the women, and how they couldn’t walk 20 paces in town because Rachel Schneider knew everyone and would stop and greet one and all. It was because of her that David was a proud Democrat.
In late 2005, David was impressed by Senator Obama from Illinois, and was of the opinion that Obama had the intellect and ability to lead the Democratic Party.
David, how I wish you were alive today to see how much American life has already changed in the nearly three years since you left us and how far Obama has come…
* I couldn’t help but feel sadness when I heard that Obama’s grandmother, Madelyn Dunham, who helped raise him, died of cancer over the weekend — only a few days before this historic occasion. (His mother, Ann Dunham, also died of cancer, in 1995.) Madelyn Dunham voted early, and it was made official in the state of Hawaii that her vote for her grandson counted.
15
Oct
2008
One Last Word On The Canadian Federal Election
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Category: Humour, Politics + Economy, Videoclips
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Canadians: you DID vote yesterday, right? I sure hope so.
Video courtesy of the Rick Mercer Report: http://www.rickmercer.com
Voting results can be found here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canadavotes/ridings/
30
Sep
2008
Business As Usual
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Category: Critters + Creatures, Politics + Economy, Urban Life
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Interesting financial times we’re in, I must say. It’s not what I was thinking when I shot the famous Honest Ed’s sign at Bathurst and Bloor last night, but maybe the concept of honesty in business sat at the subconscious level when I chose to shoot only part of the sign. I happened to be around the Annex because I was selling my October metropass to an Italian couchsurfer who’s here on a working visa, and when I met up with him at Starbucks I recognised another CSer there and we got to chatting about the Naomi Klein talk they’d just attended on her latest book, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism.
Tonight I joked about the markets over dinner (because it’s otherwise rather depressing) and how it’s a good time to be too poor to hold any stocks and too young to worry overly much about the state of one’s pension.
(And would you believe I was joking about it over a flaming grill filled with meat… yes, I was at the Korean Grill House for the second time in TWO DAYS! The waiter even recognised me! Vegetarians can skewer me now.)
If the thought of market upheavals and the retreat of summer has got you down and feeling grey, here’s a bit of colour I found around along Bathurst Street across from the Honest Ed’s sign:
And if you’re still feeling rather lacklustre, here’s a dose of kitty love, or at least kitty sucking-up:
25
Sep
2008
Culture en péril (version longue)
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Category: Politics + Economy, Videoclips
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And on a related note, it is Canadian election time — a process that’s mercifully shorter than the one south of the border.
Unless you’re Canadian, this video will probably make little sense, so here’s an explanation from the Regina Leader-Post:
YouTube video takes satirical aim at Harper arts cuts
Canwest News Service, published: Wednesday, September 24, 2008
If eight minutes runs too long for you, there’s a three-minute version here.
25
Sep
2008
A (U.S.) Election Break
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Category: Politics + Economy, Videoclips
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We take a break from photography to bring you this Saturday Night Live sketch of Tina Fey spoofing Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler spoofing Hillary Clinton.
I don’t miss TV in general, but I do miss watching Saturday Night Live. I love satire.
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