Source: ABC News online
Call me a cynic, but I hope nothing goes wrong with the polls.
‘Politics + Economy’ Category
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11pm EST. Whew!
November 4, 2008 by Gail
Posted in Politics + Economy | 5 Comments
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USA Today: McCain and Obama On Travel Issues
November 4, 2008 by Gail
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.
Posted in Linkage, Politics + Economy, Travel | No Comments
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This American Life
November 4, 2008 by Gail
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.
Posted in David, Linkage, Politics + Economy | 3 Comments
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One Last Word On The Canadian Federal Election
October 15, 2008 by Gail
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/
Posted in Humour, Politics + Economy, Videoclips | 1 Comment
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Business As Usual
September 30, 2008 by Gail
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:
Posted in Critters + Creatures, Politics + Economy, Urban Life | 2 Comments
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Culture en péril (version longue)
September 25, 2008 by Gail
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, 2008If eight minutes runs too long for you, there’s a three-minute version here.
Posted in Politics + Economy, Videoclips | 1 Comment
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A (U.S.) Election Break
September 25, 2008 by Gail
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.
Posted in Politics + Economy, Videoclips | 3 Comments
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Happy Birthday, USA!
July 4, 2008 by Gail
Posted in David, Expat Life, Politics + Economy | 2 Comments
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U.S. Border Policy Enforcement Needs Reform
April 15, 2008 by Gail
* rant alert *
I have opined time and time again that U.S. border guards (at both airport and land points of entry) are ill-informed, inconsistent, and have far too much discretionary power.
Here’s another example of what I’m talking about:
U.S. border guards bar skilled Canadian from his job – CBC, March 31, 2008
Technician says increased protectionism at U.S. border is unfair
I still get upset when I’m reminded of how much time, money, and sheer energy David and I spent trying to follow the stated policies of U.S. Immigration to the letter in order to get married and be together. We had an immigration attorney working for over a year on our case (who I only finished paying in December 2006; visa application fees and such are nonrefundable) and did everything he instructed us to do to secure my visa — including being forced to live apart during what we learned later was a critical time in David’s health.
When I think of how much of a difference I could have made by just being there for David, getting him to the hospital and taking care of him in July 2005 when his lymphatic system was under attack and his symptoms were intensifying (night sweats, back pain, etc.), I can’t help but get angry at this system that’s supposed to PROTECT its citizens but is in fact turning them and their families into victims of nearsighted bureaucracy gone mad.
Posted in Expat Life, Politics + Economy, Rants | 6 Comments
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Prevent Unwanted Presidencies
March 14, 2008 by Gail
Posted in Politics + Economy, USA | 1 Comment
