Canada’s Debate

Well, that’s it, I’m done my schooling.

Now, some of you will probably think finally! Others are no doubt thinking how the hell was he still working on my undergraduate degree? The short answer to that question is “it’s a long story.” One day when I’ve got a job, an apartment… you know the typical accoutrements of an adult life I will sit down and finally put the whole thing out there on record for you to digest. Until then, the focus will remain on the fact that I am finally finished. Of course, just because I’m done schoolwork doesn’t mean I’m ready to move on. Thanks to the wonders of bureacracy I am stuck in limbo, waiting for two universities to handle paperwork and get their acts’ together… and I am not optimistic about that process.

Still, a big sigh of relief is in order. Over the past year and a half, I’ve felt like my education is a tedious roadblock towards actually accomplishing something, as opposed to a process which is its own reward. And now I have no more essays, no more exams or exercises, no more readings or deadlines.

And of course now I’m bored. Any suggestions on how to fill that time will be greatly appreciated.

Notice anything different? Well shame on you if you didn’t. Joe’s Blog is now located at www.canadasdebate.com instead of joesblog.canadasdebate.com. I figured that it made little sense for the forums to occupy the primary domain when they’ve been offline for the last six months, while my blog was languishing on some subdomain. So here we are. Oh by the by, I have reopened the forums once again. I’m not going to push for them or anything as frankly, I’m tired of trying to get them up and running. The infrastructure is there, and if people decide to head on over, that’d be great, but it’s no biggy.

What I have done of interest though is created a seperate forum for my blog. If someone wants to get into a more engaged discussion than the “comments” allow for, then they can just follow the link which I will include in all of my posts from here on in, and they can participate there. Post discussions will allow unregistered guests, but general discussions won’t.

If I were to ask you what the one thing that is universal in male-to-female courtship, I’d probably get a dozen different answers. Of course the girls would notice different things, as would the guys. (Note: I’m not speaking of homosexual courtship for the simple reason that I’ve never engaged in one… my ‘wealth’ of experience is somewhat limited.)

But lurking in the back of the heads for all the guys there would be one answer that they probably wouldn’t say out loud. Now I understand that everyone exaggerates themselves when they are dating, and to a certain extent we all “hide the crazy.” But for men (women, pipe up if this is true for you too) there is something else going on. We all “fake it.” This fakery can take the form of someone who always sucks in their chest a bit like, not to hide a gut so much as to make my chest look more impressive; or it could be pretending that you graduated on the Dean’s list when in reality you limped across the academic finish line. Some guys casually brush of the most traumatic/embarassing experiences of their lives, and others behave in ways that would shock their friends and family. (Continue reading…)

Ok, here’s another stab at academic glory. *THIS* is quite possibly the last academic paper I will ever write, and it is entirely possible it will be the worst. But, I don’t really care, here’s the introduction… as once again I have to be cautious lest the university think I am plagiarizing myself.

Well, thanks to some lackadaisical communications from certain people, I’ve had to drag this sucker out for a little while. Below is the introduction as it is currently constituted. Stayed tuned in the next day or two for the whole thing.

The Kyoto protocols are by their very nature challenging for traditional nation-state power structures. They require a state to regulate its own market in a manner that is politically and economically risky. As a result the Kyoto initiative has been challenged by national governments, in particular the United States, as well as private enterprise and various interest groups. In spite of this resistance numerous industrialized nations have committed to implementing the Kyoto Protocols. The issue of climate change is one that challenges traditional structures and demands a re-evaluation of market and government relationships. (Continue reading…)

Well I’m bored and I’m stalling on some work I need to do… so here goes. Borrowed this from Titus (again) who borrowed it from Cyan (again.) Stay tuned tomorrow for another essay intro, and later this week or next I’ll add the last one in its entirety. Lines in bold are true, so for example I have never kissed a dude, but I have smoked pot.

I never have been drunk.
I have never smoked pot.
I have never kissed a member of the opposite sex.
I have never kissed a member of the same sex.
I have never crashed a friend’s car.
I have never been to Japan. (Continue reading…)

As I sit here slowly digesting a wonderful veal sandwhich, a thought occurs. This blog desperately needs some spice. Normally that comes from people blogging about the interesting things that they experience/observe, but alas, I have nothing of the sort to write about. So I’m left to elucidate about all sorts of trivial or overly abstract things that bother/interest me. Since this is supposed to be a public medium, I’ve decided to put it to you, my ocassional readers. What would YOU suggest I do to get this site pumping? Feel free to suggest ANYTHING.

I’ve been neglecting Canadian politics for the past little while, so I think it’s time for me to review a couple of ’stories’ I’ve been following.

In theory politicians are elected to represent the people, yes? Apparently not in Canada. I’m kind of parroting an editorial I read in the Toronto Star, but seriously, do we need to send a reminder to everyone Parliament Hill what they’re in business for? (Continue reading…)