Well, this is it, folks. The time for campaigning is over. Tomorrow is election day. Time to go out and vote!
It's been an interesting campaign. What began with many people apathetically predicting another Liberal win and saying "why bother voting at all?" has morphed into predictions of a Conservative win - possibly even a majority win. Sadly, I know too many people who, rather than risk a Conservative win, will take their votes away from the Greens or the NDP and give them to the the Liberals. As usual, though later in the game than last time, the Libs are saying that a vote for the NDP is a wasted vote. To me, the only wasted vote is a strategic one - voting for someone you don't believe in on the assumption that it will keep someone you don't want, out. Even worse, of course, is the vote that doesn't happen.
So get out there and vote, people. Vote for the person you believe in most. Vote for the party that best represents your views. Vote.
And by tomorrow night, we'll see just who it is the people of Canada have chosen.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Oh, my
So much for yesterday's miracle rescue of those miners. Turns out that 12 of the 13 were found dead, not alive. I can't even begin to imagine how the families must have felt to go from celebrating their survival to this. My heart goes out to all involved.
Welcome, 2006
A new year has arrived. My family and I had a great time celebrating, enjoying some of the best fireworks we've ever seen.
2006, however, seems to have already got off to a rough start. Toronto had its first murder of the year - another gun crime - within hours. Winnipeg had it's first murder, also a shooting, in the wee hours of the morning as well. Calgary started off the year with a drunk plowing his van through a crowded street, killing one person and injuring others. Apparently the driver had been in an arguement with some people in the crowd and deliberately targetted them.
In other parts of the world, a collapsed roof in Russia has killed 20 (or 23, depending on the source), and now a landslide in Jakarta has killed at least 200. I won't even begin to list the shootings and bombings in the middle east - there's just too many.
At least we have some good news. Twelve of the 13 trapped miners in W. Va had been found alive, having been trapped for 41 hours. Now there's a welcome miracle!
Meanwhile, here in Canada, it's time to buckle of prepare for a rough ride. Just a few more weeks to election day, and the slander is starting to fly thick and fast. The Conservatives, after yet another RCMP investigation into the Liberals was announced (the 33rd in 3 years!!!) have finally topped the polls. Now, the gloves are off. Martin and his cronies, who've blundered their way through their campaign with both feet in their mouths, are desperate. They're going to dig up every bit of ammunition they can find to use against Harper, twisting and misleading every bit of the way. The worst of it is, that sort of thing actually works, and I know a disconcerting number of people who say that, if it looks like Harper will become the next PM, they will vote Liberal to try and prevent it. These are people who normally wouldn't vote for either party, but they are so convinced of the possible evils of Harper and the Conservatives, they will overlook the proven evils of Martin and the Liberals.
This is going to be a tight race.
2006, however, seems to have already got off to a rough start. Toronto had its first murder of the year - another gun crime - within hours. Winnipeg had it's first murder, also a shooting, in the wee hours of the morning as well. Calgary started off the year with a drunk plowing his van through a crowded street, killing one person and injuring others. Apparently the driver had been in an arguement with some people in the crowd and deliberately targetted them.
In other parts of the world, a collapsed roof in Russia has killed 20 (or 23, depending on the source), and now a landslide in Jakarta has killed at least 200. I won't even begin to list the shootings and bombings in the middle east - there's just too many.
At least we have some good news. Twelve of the 13 trapped miners in W. Va had been found alive, having been trapped for 41 hours. Now there's a welcome miracle!
Meanwhile, here in Canada, it's time to buckle of prepare for a rough ride. Just a few more weeks to election day, and the slander is starting to fly thick and fast. The Conservatives, after yet another RCMP investigation into the Liberals was announced (the 33rd in 3 years!!!) have finally topped the polls. Now, the gloves are off. Martin and his cronies, who've blundered their way through their campaign with both feet in their mouths, are desperate. They're going to dig up every bit of ammunition they can find to use against Harper, twisting and misleading every bit of the way. The worst of it is, that sort of thing actually works, and I know a disconcerting number of people who say that, if it looks like Harper will become the next PM, they will vote Liberal to try and prevent it. These are people who normally wouldn't vote for either party, but they are so convinced of the possible evils of Harper and the Conservatives, they will overlook the proven evils of Martin and the Liberals.
This is going to be a tight race.
Friday, December 30, 2005
Well wishes
I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and I wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous year in 2006!
Friday, November 18, 2005
A lie repeated often enough...
...eventually will be perceived as truth.
Right now, anyone in Canada who doesn't know we're in election mode is either living in isolation, or in denial. Like all pre-election campaigns (official or not), the lies of our current government are already out in full force. With our PM first ridiculously admonishing the opposition parties for "politicking" (uhm.. excuse me, but you folks are politicians. Politicking is what you do!), then turning around and doing exactly the sort of manipulating he accuses them of doing, what else is new?
What alarms me is the fact that so many people still actually believe anything the Liberal party says, and that there are people who will actually vote for them. How can that possibly be? Here we have what has got to be the most corrupt government ever. It's proven beyond any doubt that they have acted illegally. They have stolen taxpayers dollars by the millions, and wasted billions more. They are utterly out of touch with ordinary Canadians, and display nothing but contempt for us. Yet they still have support. How can that be? All I can think of is that they just keep repeating their lies - and there are people out there who believe them.
One of the oft repeated lies is that Harper and the CPC are "scary." I actually had someone tell me that if the CPC ever came into power, they would set women's rights back to the dark ages. How is that even possible? It isn't, but that person was utterly convinced of this "truth."
Another lie that's being continually repeated is that voters don't want a Christmas election. Or that voters don't want to vote in the winter. (or the summer, either, apparently) After all these years of turning Christmas into a politically correct "winter holiday," banning the phrase "Merry Christmas" lest some other religious group be insulted, suddenly Christmas is so sacred, we can't have an election? Someone had better stop to smell just what it is they're shoveling. Everyone I've spoken to can hardly wait for an election. Personally, I'd hit the polling stations on Christmas Day in the middle of a blizzard, if that's what was needed to vote our current government out of office. Yet, because this lie is being repeated so often, people are actually thinking it matters. I read one letter to the editor today that astounded me. The writer blamed the opposition parties for the looming election (as if the Gomery Inquiry and two decades of Liberal corruption had nothing to do with it) and actually said that if he had to go out into the cold to vote, he would vote Liberal just to pay them (the opposition parties) a lesson. How idiotic can one get?
Right now, I just hope enough of these idiots choose to stay home rather then go out "into the cold" and vote Liberal. Then maybe - must maybe - this country can have a real government again.
Right now, anyone in Canada who doesn't know we're in election mode is either living in isolation, or in denial. Like all pre-election campaigns (official or not), the lies of our current government are already out in full force. With our PM first ridiculously admonishing the opposition parties for "politicking" (uhm.. excuse me, but you folks are politicians. Politicking is what you do!), then turning around and doing exactly the sort of manipulating he accuses them of doing, what else is new?
What alarms me is the fact that so many people still actually believe anything the Liberal party says, and that there are people who will actually vote for them. How can that possibly be? Here we have what has got to be the most corrupt government ever. It's proven beyond any doubt that they have acted illegally. They have stolen taxpayers dollars by the millions, and wasted billions more. They are utterly out of touch with ordinary Canadians, and display nothing but contempt for us. Yet they still have support. How can that be? All I can think of is that they just keep repeating their lies - and there are people out there who believe them.
One of the oft repeated lies is that Harper and the CPC are "scary." I actually had someone tell me that if the CPC ever came into power, they would set women's rights back to the dark ages. How is that even possible? It isn't, but that person was utterly convinced of this "truth."
Another lie that's being continually repeated is that voters don't want a Christmas election. Or that voters don't want to vote in the winter. (or the summer, either, apparently) After all these years of turning Christmas into a politically correct "winter holiday," banning the phrase "Merry Christmas" lest some other religious group be insulted, suddenly Christmas is so sacred, we can't have an election? Someone had better stop to smell just what it is they're shoveling. Everyone I've spoken to can hardly wait for an election. Personally, I'd hit the polling stations on Christmas Day in the middle of a blizzard, if that's what was needed to vote our current government out of office. Yet, because this lie is being repeated so often, people are actually thinking it matters. I read one letter to the editor today that astounded me. The writer blamed the opposition parties for the looming election (as if the Gomery Inquiry and two decades of Liberal corruption had nothing to do with it) and actually said that if he had to go out into the cold to vote, he would vote Liberal just to pay them (the opposition parties) a lesson. How idiotic can one get?
Right now, I just hope enough of these idiots choose to stay home rather then go out "into the cold" and vote Liberal. Then maybe - must maybe - this country can have a real government again.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Somebody won big!
Someone, somewhere in Alberta, is now $54.3 million richer.
Whenever I go online, I at least check out the headlines, and that's one that's been frequently updated today. Last I looked, they had it narrowed down to the town it was purchased in, but the winner has yet to come forward. I don't blame them (him? her?)! Can you imagine the media attention this person will get? Then all the leeches that will inevitably come out of the woodwork. This is the largest lottery jackpot in Canada's history (and it's tax free, too - in Canada, lottery winnings don't get taxed, though the interest earened on them in the bank is considerred taxable income). When I headed to the little store in our building to pick up some drinks last night, people were still coming in and buying tickets. The owner told me the lottery terminals actually shut down for an hour due to the incredible volume of purchases. In the last few hours before the cut off time for last night's draw, the estimated jackpot total of $40 million jumped $14.3 million. That's a lot of tickets! Even the lottery's website was overwhelmed by the number of people going online to check their numbers after the draw. Of course, we found that out by going online to check our own numbers. Hey, you can't win if you don't play! LOL
I must admit to being glad that the prize went to a Western province. Working at the gas station before moving here, one of my daily jobs was to restart the lottery terminal at 6 am. The very first thing that would print out the morning after a draw was how much was won and were. One thing I noticed was the winners were overwhelmingly from Ontario, followed by Quebec. It makes sense. Being the most populous provinces, the same percentage results in a significanly higher number of actual ticket sales. Still, we were always happy to see the rare times when a western or Atlantic province was listed instead. It's always nice to see the "underdog" win.
The media sure played along with the excitement as draw time came closer. Newspapers ran stories of "what you can buy with $40 million," showing multi-million dollar homes, luxury cars, and so on. A local radio station was giving away a lottery ticket for free every hour to callers.
Inevitably, there were also the "money can't buy you happiness" comments. These would be followed by stories of jackpot winners who blew their fortune and ended up miserable. The Manitoba man who committed suicide after loosing his $10 million dollar win was brought up, of course. How tacky!
Still others are saying that $40 million is "too much" money for any one person, and that it should be split up or whatever. Somehow, these people seem to think no one person "deserves" to have a lot of money - or should I say, more money than they themselves have. They sound a lot like all those letter writers telling the AB government what they should be doing with their surplus rather than sending $400 "prosperity checks" to every man woman and child in the province. After all, people might actually use the money to go out to dinner, buy drugs, or *gasp* not give it to their favourite charity. I wonder if they'd say the same thing if *they* were holding the winning ticket?
The reality is, however, that the majority of jackpot winners *don't* end up blowing their winnings while living high on the hog, then crashing and burning. When lotteries were first started, it was a problem often enough that the lottery corp. now offers the services of a financial planner to big winnder. The majority of the winners are, in fact, quite happy with their money. One interview I'd read (of a $4 million winner) told how at first, he did buy the large house and did some travelling, etc. After a while, though, he realized the house was too big for his needs, so he sold it and now lives in a smaller, more modest home. He's done the things he wanted to do, and now he lives a quiet, content life. He acknowledges being much happier after the win, what with not having to go to work anymore, not having to worry about bills, etc. This is the more common scenerio.
So, to our latest jackpot winner, I say congratulations! Enjoy your money, and don't let the naysayers make you feel guilty for not spending it on whatever pet cause they have. You have nothing to feel quilty about. Have fun!
Whenever I go online, I at least check out the headlines, and that's one that's been frequently updated today. Last I looked, they had it narrowed down to the town it was purchased in, but the winner has yet to come forward. I don't blame them (him? her?)! Can you imagine the media attention this person will get? Then all the leeches that will inevitably come out of the woodwork. This is the largest lottery jackpot in Canada's history (and it's tax free, too - in Canada, lottery winnings don't get taxed, though the interest earened on them in the bank is considerred taxable income). When I headed to the little store in our building to pick up some drinks last night, people were still coming in and buying tickets. The owner told me the lottery terminals actually shut down for an hour due to the incredible volume of purchases. In the last few hours before the cut off time for last night's draw, the estimated jackpot total of $40 million jumped $14.3 million. That's a lot of tickets! Even the lottery's website was overwhelmed by the number of people going online to check their numbers after the draw. Of course, we found that out by going online to check our own numbers. Hey, you can't win if you don't play! LOL
I must admit to being glad that the prize went to a Western province. Working at the gas station before moving here, one of my daily jobs was to restart the lottery terminal at 6 am. The very first thing that would print out the morning after a draw was how much was won and were. One thing I noticed was the winners were overwhelmingly from Ontario, followed by Quebec. It makes sense. Being the most populous provinces, the same percentage results in a significanly higher number of actual ticket sales. Still, we were always happy to see the rare times when a western or Atlantic province was listed instead. It's always nice to see the "underdog" win.
The media sure played along with the excitement as draw time came closer. Newspapers ran stories of "what you can buy with $40 million," showing multi-million dollar homes, luxury cars, and so on. A local radio station was giving away a lottery ticket for free every hour to callers.
Inevitably, there were also the "money can't buy you happiness" comments. These would be followed by stories of jackpot winners who blew their fortune and ended up miserable. The Manitoba man who committed suicide after loosing his $10 million dollar win was brought up, of course. How tacky!
Still others are saying that $40 million is "too much" money for any one person, and that it should be split up or whatever. Somehow, these people seem to think no one person "deserves" to have a lot of money - or should I say, more money than they themselves have. They sound a lot like all those letter writers telling the AB government what they should be doing with their surplus rather than sending $400 "prosperity checks" to every man woman and child in the province. After all, people might actually use the money to go out to dinner, buy drugs, or *gasp* not give it to their favourite charity. I wonder if they'd say the same thing if *they* were holding the winning ticket?
The reality is, however, that the majority of jackpot winners *don't* end up blowing their winnings while living high on the hog, then crashing and burning. When lotteries were first started, it was a problem often enough that the lottery corp. now offers the services of a financial planner to big winnder. The majority of the winners are, in fact, quite happy with their money. One interview I'd read (of a $4 million winner) told how at first, he did buy the large house and did some travelling, etc. After a while, though, he realized the house was too big for his needs, so he sold it and now lives in a smaller, more modest home. He's done the things he wanted to do, and now he lives a quiet, content life. He acknowledges being much happier after the win, what with not having to go to work anymore, not having to worry about bills, etc. This is the more common scenerio.
So, to our latest jackpot winner, I say congratulations! Enjoy your money, and don't let the naysayers make you feel guilty for not spending it on whatever pet cause they have. You have nothing to feel quilty about. Have fun!
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