The World Loves Canada, But Canadians Do Not ?

The poll conducted by Maclean’s, about how the world sees Canada and what the Canadians think of their own country, showed that most of the people from around the world thought highly of Canada. The picture was not so nice and bright from the Canadians point of view for their country. This kind of attitude might not be specific for just Canada alone, but perhaps other countries also. But this might be a bit more of a problem in Canada due to the greater number of people with this attitude.

There can be a number of reasons that can be attributed to the results of this poll. Most of the people from the rest of the world believed Canada was a great country and would give them greater opportunities in terms of life and the general standard of living if they moved there. Depending on the countries where these people come from, Canada might appeal to them more compared to their own country due to a variety of reasons. They might think in this country the justice system, the social services, education, jobs and opportunities are better compared to their own. As these people have lived in their own country and then come here they can make comparisons and so in a way they have more of a broader knowledge of specific countries and the way they function.

The Canadians living in Canada who have not lived in another country especially those other than the developed Western countries might lag behind in terms of this knowledge. To have a personal physical experience of living in a particular location provides a broader view and allows the people to appreciate the environment they currently live in. I think people all over the world no matter where they live have some complaints which should be okay if they are justifiable. But at the same time people should be proud of their country and what it has to offer and how they can contribute to their society to make it better. Because after all in such a big world, there might be a country that might not even have a lot of the basic privileges that are available in Canada.

What People from Different Parts of the World Think of Canada


Rick Mercer and the American View on Canada


Reference:
[1] http://www.macleans.ca/article.jsp?content=20071121_6054_6054

Amateur Witness Video Reveals Facts about the Man who Died After a Taser Incident

A taser incident at the Vancouver International Airport last month caused the death of a Polish immigrant who had just arrived for the first time to Canada. This had been his first time ever that he went out of Poland. He did not speak English and was not able to navigate his way out of the international arrivals area. Due to these reasons he remained there for nearly ten hours. After such a long time he apparently became agitated at the fact that he could not find his way out. He started shouting and throwing things. A witness who was present there tried to calm him down and tried to talk to him in as many languages as she knew. That woman and another passenger present there at the time were able to make videos which were later used by the RCMP in investigations.

Interview with the Witness who made Cell Phone Video:


Recently the video of the incident was released to the public and it made the facts more clear though the RCMP are still defending their officers involved in the taser incident at the airport. A few facts that were caught by the video showed that the man was not acting properly and appeared disillusioned. It also proves that the officers made no effort to calm the man down or get an interpreter to ease his difficulty in communicating in a foreign land. According to both the people who shot the videos the man appeared to be glad that officials had finally arrived and would help him out. The video shows that when they arrived he shrugged with his hands raised and just backed away with his back towards the officers and that was when they tasered him down. One of the officers then placed his knees on his back and neck. Even when he lost consciousness, there was no attempt made to do CPR though they were trained to do so.

Interview with the Passenger who made the Full Length Video:


This incident has raised a lot of questions about the taser method applied by security officials. There have been a number of deaths in the past few years after being subdued with a stun gun. The families of the victims who have died after being tasered are strongly against this method being used frequently now. A number of international organizations are also now lobbying against the use of taser guns. On the forefront, among others is Amnesty International.

Reaction of the Man's Mother and the Polish Community to the Deadly Taser Incident:


References:
[1] http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=03824bfe-b406-45c0-b439-b3708b8b7282&k=15023

Gossip: Only Women's Territory ?

source: Cartoon Stock

In most of the magazines, TV, etc. gossip sections mostly feature women. A lot of the celebrity gossips are about women’s eating disorders, breakups, drinking and partying, hard, etc. According to the points of view expressed by some people in the article by Jaime Weinman, it is thought that most of the gossips feature women because women are mostly the women who are interested in reading and getting to know more about the down sides of other women especially if they are celebrities. It also suggests that some of the issues like eating disorders some women can relate to those kinds of problems if they are experiencing it themselves.


source: www.garyandmegumi.com

Some people think that generally women are the ones who gossip the most and men do not usually engage in gossips. Actually this is not true as recent studies have shown that men gossip as much as women do. The only difference that matters is the topics they gossip about. Women generally tend to gossip more about people who are not directly related as in the case of celebrities. While men generally gossip about people they already know. If they are in the process of getting to know someone and they get interested in gossip in order to know more about that person especially if that person is a woman being considered as a future partner.


source: Cartoon Stock

Another reason why women end up being more in the light of gossips is traditional. A male and female celebrity might have been arrested for drunk driving after partying hard or anything similar, they are portrayed differently in the media about their acts. Also a woman frequently being in the media for reasons like these is termed a slut while a man who has the same activities is termed a stud. So there is also a problem in the way men and women are portrayed differently even though they might be doing the same thing.

Effect Of Age On Celebrity Gossip
Please click on image to view clearly

source: www.ethesis.net

Sex Differences In The Impact Of Age On Interest Celebrity Gossip
Please click on image to view clearly

source: www.ethesis.net

Sources and References:
[1] http://www.macleans.ca/culture/entertainment/article.jsp?content=2007112_111799_111799&page=1
[2] http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/autocodes/countries/france/men-gossip-as-much-as-women-$1095310.htm
[3] http://www.notsalmon.com/archive/2007_07_08_archive.html
[4] http://www.cartoonstock.com/
[5] http://www.garyandmegumi.com/blog/archives/2004_03.html
[6] http://www.ethesis.net/gossip/gossip_part_2_paper_6.htm

NBC Pulling Its Shows Off iTunes

source: applegazette

The President and CEO of NBC Universal, Jeff Zucker recently announced that NBC would not renew its contract with iTunes when it ends at the end of this year. NBC was used iTunes to sell its shows online. The reason for ending the contract was the amount of revenue generated by NBC through iTunes, which according to the CEO was very less. NBC earned $15 million in just the last year on iTunes alone. But it seems Jeff Zucker is still complaining.

Jeff Zucker wanted to raise the price of its shows on iTunes which was not allowed as iTunes has a fixed-pricing policy for all shows. With the price increase NBC was suggesting it would have cost a customer a total more than it would cost to buy the DVD for that season. On part of iTunes this was a good decision as if one company is allowed to do such an experiment and if it is even successful, the rest of the companies providing such services through iTunes would also end up doing the same. In short each company would be able to decide its own price and the competition with each other would just keep on going. The customers then might end up not buying the shows that are priced higher than others. This would obviously not have a good effect on the companies.

NBC also wanted iTunes to share its revenue that it earned through video iPod sales. NBC’s videos account for only about 40% of all downloaded on iTunes. This was the most outrageous reason to give for ending the deal with iTunes. There is no confirmed knowledge that the iPod a person is buying is going to be used mostly for NBC shows. They could also then demand that computer manufacturers should share revenue with them also as other than iPods, people also watch shows on their computers. So for iPod to share its revenue from iPod sales would not be beneficial. Other companies would also demand the same especially in the music industry, the record companies. There are also plenty of other ways to watch the shows especially for the people who download them illegally for free through P2P protocols such as BitTorrent. According to the article of Mathew Ingram, the manufacturers of TV sets do not share the revenue with the companies who own the various channels, nor have they ever done so in the past. So in the end this is a loss for NBC itself as $15 million for online sales that is other than the revenue it generates otherwise, is better than nothing or anything less for that matter.

Steve Jobs Of iTunes Takes A Jab At NBC


Sources and References:
[1] http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/v5/templates/blog?pastWeeks=200710&hub=WBmingram&x=23&y=13
[2] http://www.applegazette.com/ipod/apple-responds-to-nbc-by-dropping-the-new-fall-season-of-nbc-shows/

China's Investment and Trade with Africa

source: http://myafricatoday.blogspot.com/2007/08/china-over-africa.html

This recent uproar about the Chinese leaders meeting with the leaders from the African countries should not be disturbing for the Western countries. Though as the article “Into Africa” by Michel Cormier did comment that it sent alarm bells ringing in Washington. Most of the trade between China and the African countries are based on oil and other natural resources which China needs to support its industries. The African countries on the other hand, import textiles, clothing, footwear, machinery and other heavy equipment. The reason why the Western countries should not over-react and fear this situation is because China and Africa trade did not start overnight. The earliest accounts of trade activities that occurred between the two date back to the 12th century. Further information about this trade history between China and Africa can be viewed in the video below.

Starting in the early 1960s, China also invested to help the African countries to develop and provide them with the means to self-sustain themselves. China constructed a major railway system connecting Tanzania and Zambia, an international standard sports stadium in Kenya, developed telecommunication links and helped the African countries to become technologically advanced in their agriculture sector. The meeting of the Chinese leaders with the leaders of the African countries is an annual and regular event that goes back almost half a century. Further information about China’s investment in Africa can viewed in the video below.

The major threat to Washington is that China is getting its oil supply and other ores and metals from the African continent rich in natural resources. While U.S. itself has its interests in oil when it goes to war in foreign countries. The Western countries complain that China is the biggest abuser of human rights and the general working conditions in the country are not good and if they go into Africa they will do the same there. Though the majority of the products in every imaginable sector is produced in China and shipped off to the Western countries. If the Western leaders care so much about human rights and the working conditions, they should not have gone into China to set up production plants there while trying to cash in on the cheap labour. After viewing the videos below, it can be noted that China has been investing and trading in Africa a very long time. If they had to go and put up permanent manufacturing facilities and other industrial bases they would have already done so.

Africa-China Trade: A History Part 1

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqqDhmtCpJQ
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TA5N6JF_EUc

China's investment in Africa Part 1

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTXVi35vi_k
Part 3


Africa: America's New Oil Target Part 1


Sources and Resources:
[1] http://www.cbc.ca/news/reportsfromabroad/cormier/20070214.html
[2] http://myafricatoday.blogspot.com/2007/08/china-over-africa.html

Humans and Robots Heading Towards Personal and Intimate Relationships in the Future

source: www.flickr.com
Life like robot being developed in Japan. It can speak, blink, and appears to breathe. It is being powered by an air compressor


Research and development in the field of robotics has been going on for decades now. The latest generation of high-tech robots that are being developed are almost human like in appearance. They can speak, blink and even breathe now. This is making these robots very appealing to people, as to some now they are more than just a piece of metal. By giving them a physically attractive look the developers are replacing the non-responsive life size dolls of the previous years. Due to this there is a strong possibility that a relationships might form between humans and robots. An artificial intelligence researcher David Levy did a study on this and has a strong belief that by the next 50 years, humans will be able to marry robots. A robot by that time will also be able to take the place of a normal human being in an intimate relationship. According to the Levy, the reasons for falling in love or being interested in a person have been studied in depth by psychologists and the results from these studies can be easily programmed into the robot to make it compatible for the its user or owner.

Although there might be advantages of such kinds of artificial intelligence to humans in having a relationship with them, there are also a number of things that make them not as human as they seem to be. One of the most important things is that whatever they say or do has already been programmed by some other human in order to please the user. So the robot is not itself in fact responsible for any of its actions or comments. It also does not have any feelings, so even if it confesses its pre-programmed love for somebody it does not have a feeling for the emotion. Neither can it feel the importance of it to a human. In reality then if you think about it, a relationship with a robot is actually one-sided. The true facts and answers to all questions will unfold in due time and so we can only wait and watch how the development progresses.

Actroid(Humanoid Robot) original model


Latest model of Actroid(Humanoid Robot)


Sources and References:
[1] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21271545/wid/11915829?GT1=10450
[2] www.flickr.com

Liberals Elected to Run Ontario for Another Four Years

source: en.wikipedia.org

On October 10 this year, Ontarians elected the Liberals to run the government in Ontario for four more years. As the early vote counts began coming in, it was clear that the Liberals were clearly headed towards a majority. The liberals secured 71 seats to gain majority in order to form government in Ontario, while the Conservatives got only 26 seats. NDP managed to get only 11 whilst the Green party did not secure a single seat.

According to views expressed by many experts the major reason for Dalton McGuinty’s win was the issue over the funding of the faith based schools. Conservative party leader John Tory had started his campaign with laying a stress on funding of faith based schools if his government was elected. In his opinion along with the current funding of the Catholic schools, other religious schools should also be funded with tax payers’ money. This caused quite a furor among other rival politicians especially Dalton McGuinty, who chose to make it point in his campaigns to talk about this issue and how Mr. Tory’s plan would tend to divide the children according to religions. The general public at large was also mostly against the idea of the funding of faith based schools. Most of the voters thus, chose not to vote for the Conservatives specifically due to this issue.

The Conservatives were stressing on Dalton McGuinty’s broken promises also. Mr. McGuinty had promised when he had been elected previously that he would not raise taxes which he did end up doing though he himself acknowledged this time during his campaign for this recent election. There was also debate about health care and the current situation of the availability of doctors for every person in Ontario. People were generally frustrated about the shortage of doctors in Ontario and the long waiting times in hospitals. Though there were all these issues going against the Liberals which were being publicized by the Conservatives for their campaign, the Liberals in the end did manage to gain a stronghold in the 2007 Ontario elections mainly due to the opposition to faith based schools funding which actually struck a chord with the masses.

Students from a Toronto college interview people on the street about the October Election


Public Awareness message about Onatario's Catholic schools public funding

Sources and References:
[1] http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=34610fe8-fc8c-4451-a160-751be82fbc1f&p=2

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Percentage of Unmarried People on the Rise ?

source: www.gettyimages.com

According to the 2006 census done by Statistics Canada, there are more unmarried people than married ones in the country. Though the statistics were compiled from last year, the decline in traditional marriages has been on the decline since years. Although these statistics were for Canada only, this trend can be seen in other western societies too.

There are a number of factors that contribute to the decision of people who choose to remain unmarried. Over the years, the education period has lengthened and more and more women have chosen to get a better education to the highest level possible or that they can afford. Focusing on education and afterwards on their careers or employment opportunities, women have delayed their marriages. Also with the increasing costs of living standards that have been steadily going up since years, the individuals have to keep in mind the costs associated with having and raising children if they want to start a family. There are also personal reasons like the freedom associated with living a single life without anyone else’s burdens and responsibilities and having a social life. There is also another major factor that plays a part, and that is the uncertainty of a happy stable married life that should last forever. Divorce rates have been high and more people consider not marrying in case it does not work out later on. Common law partners have also been accepted by society and so they are not afraid from being frowned upon even if they are not married. They might the same responsibilities as married couples or maybe less. There is also a question of whether married people are happier than unmarried people. In a recent study by researchers, they found married people tend to be more healthier and successful than unmarried ones, though happiness did not depend much on being married. These days a lot of people who choose to be unmarried especially women, are happy with their decision and their life. Happiness depends on a person’s personality and what ‘they’ consider as providing happiness to them, and not on being married or unmarried.

source: www.cartoonstock.com

Sources and References:

[1] http://www.gettyimages.com/Home.aspx

[2] http://www.cbc.ca/sunday/2007/09/091607_7.html

[3] http://www.forbes.com/singles/2006/07/25/singles-marriage-money-cx_tvr_06singles_0725costs.html

[4] http://www.apa.org/releases/married_happy.html

[5] http://www.cartoonstock.com

Canada Signs a New Emissions Pact After Failing to Meet Kyoto's Targets

source: artizans.com

Prime Minister recently announced that Canada is going to sign onto an emissions pact, Asia-Pacific Partnership. This announcement came a United Nations session held recently in New York, the main purpose of which was to extend the Kyoto Protocol which is due to expire in 2012. Mr. Harper has never mentioned Kyoto in any of his speeches regarding emissions. This new emissions pact’s targets are not binding upon the members of the partnership, perhaps one of the main reasons why the Prime Minister decided to join it. Some of the other countries to join this new partnership like U.S. and Australia have not signed Kyoto. According to some experts this partnership is anti-Kyoto.

Although Canada has ratified to have signed the Kyoto Protocol, Mr. Harper has never considered it binding enough to achieve the goals set out under Kyoto shrugging it off as unrealistic and not achievable in the near future. Under the Kyoto requirements to cut the emissions, Canada has failed to do so and currently the emissions are 30 percent over the level Canada is required to have met by 2012. Due to the fact that Canada has not been able to lower its emissions and instead has seen a sharp rise, Mr. Harper has decided to sign the rival pact in order to show the world that it he intends to set goals that are realistic only in his government’s view. An important thing worth mentioning is that none of the European countries, who are one of the strongest supporters of Kyoto, have signed this new partnership. Mr. Harper also fails to realize that the developed countries are responsible for setting a model for the developing countries. If the developed countries like Canada are not able to cut their emissions and adhere to the Kyoto Protocol and instead find mere excuses to join another pact, there is not much one can expect from the developing nations in cutting their own emissions.

Canada Joins New Partnership to Fight Global Warming


Canadian Environmental Activist David Suzuki on Kyoto and Canada's Role


Sources and References:
[1] http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070925.wharper25/BNStory/National/home?cid=al_gam_mostview
[2] http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/kyoto/asia-pacific-partnership.html
[3] http://artizans.com/

HPV Vaccine Debate

source: www.mikhaela.net
source: www.corpwatch.org

Recently there has been a debate going on about the HPV vaccine. The federal government had announced funding for vaccinating young girls against HPV with the start of the new school year this fall. Though not all the provinces and territories decided to implement the new program in their schools. Even in Ontario, Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland, where they decided to go ahead with the federally funded program, some parents are having doubts about the risks associated with the vaccine.

Some of the parents who are willing to have their young daughters vaccinated have in the past lost a relative to cervical cancer. Due to this strong emotional urge they want to save at least the younger female generation from the risk of getting infected by HPV. This program is being administered to girls mostly in a single grade depending upon the province. In Nova Scotia it is being given to Grade 7 girls and in Ontario to Grade 8 girls. So another reason for parents to agree to the vaccine is financial. This program is currently being funded by the federal government which means that all the girls in the respective grades in their province will get the vaccine without parents having to pay from their own pocket for it. This is a great factor in the parents’ decision as normally it would cost around $400 for the three required doses. If they decide against it now and then plan it for later, in any case they would be paying for it themselves.Although the HPV vaccine is being touted by most doctors and health professionals as providing immunity against this STD, a lot of researchers are of the opinion that it is too early for this new vaccine to be administered to young girls. The reason for this is that it has not been on the shelves for a considerable amount of time and so any adverse side effects or other health risks associated with it are not yet known.

There has also been some talk about the company that manufacturers the vaccine about the profits it would gain from this program. Merck and Co. has been in the run to put this vaccine on the shelves ahead of its competitors in order to gain profits before the other companies hit the market with their brand of HPV vaccine.

Concern about HPV Vaccine in USA


Interview with a Mother of a Girl Affected by HPV Vaccine


HPV Issue on a Lighter Note


Sources and References:
[1] http://http//www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070914.whpv15/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home
[2] http://www.thespec.com/article/249758
[3] http://www.mikhaela.net/cgi-bin/mkpicpg.cgi?picdir=toons
[4] http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=14401