Politics

Top Documentary: There’s No Tomorrow

“Energy and persistence conquer all things”.  – Benjamin Franklin

Documentary Summary

This weeks Top Documentary Selection is entitled “There’s No Tomorrow”. It is a half-hour animated documentary about resource depletion, energy and the impossibility of infinite growth on a finite planet.

Inspired by the pro-capitalist cartoons of the 1940s, the film is an introduction to the energy dilemmas facing the world today.

“The average American today has available the energy equivalent of 150 slaves, working 24 hours a day. Materials that store this energy for work are called fuels. Some fuels contain more energy than others. This is called energy density.” Continue reading →

The Energy Sector & Clean Tech Ecosystem

What is the Energy Sector ?

The Energy Sector is a category of stocks that relates to producing or supplying energy. This sector includes companies involvedin the exploration and development of oil or gas reserves, oil and gas drilling, or integrated power firms.

Investopedia explains the ‘Energy Sector’

Performance in the sector is largely driven by the supply and demand for worldwide energy. Energy producers will do very well during times of high oil and gas prices, but will earn less when the value of energy drops. Furthermore, this sector is sensitive to political events, which historically have driven changes in the price of oil.

Courtesy of Investopedia.

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International Women’s Day

“It was we, the people; not we, the white male citizens; nor yet we, the male citizens; but we, the whole people, who formed the Union…. Men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less.”

                                  – Susan B. Anthony

International Women’s Day has been observed since in the early 1900’s, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies. Today marks the celebration and continuation of a long tradition of International Women’s Day.  It is a day when people across the world celebrate and recognize the contributions and amazing success of women all across the world. While in the office I have taken a moment to observe my surroundings.

Going back in history it was only in 1929 that Canada passed legislation that officially recognized women as equal persons in the name of the law.  So as a man I take pride in celebrating this amazing day. The political, business, and entrepreneurial strength of women have shaped all our lives especially mine and surely that worthy of at least one day of reflection out of 365. Continue reading →

Modern Gender Dynamics & Changing Roles

In recent years have seen an explosion of male joblessness and a steep decline in men’s life prospects that have disrupted the “romantic market” in ways that narrow a marriage-minded woman’s options The Atlantic, November 2011 Cover Story

Click the Image to read the story. All The Single Ladies By: Kate Bolick

The statement above is a bold, honest,and  powerful said with supreme conviction.  And surely this article is empowering for women and maybe even some men who are embracing new roles in society as we continually strive for more fairness and equality.

However in the end this article felt more like a rant without a clear statement. Gender roles and equality is a huge political, legal, and social issue. I am not the best writer nor do I consider myself much of a critic but this is something that is affecting society on a grand scale and deserves thoughtful commentary outside of a 140 character tweet.

Kate decided like many other women to take a different path in life that was liberating and self-fulfilling to her ideology and I commend that. Everyone has a unique situation, circumstance and personality. I don’t believe we should make blanket statements with generalizations about women or men but I will direct my attention and comments to this specific article because she has successfully sparked a great debate.

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A Lunch Inside Parliament Hill

Photo Credits: Ottawa Citizen

I was inspired to write a post about my first ever experience at the Parliament Center Block restaurant. However after doing some quick research for more information on the famous spot I found a person who I thought could do a much better job then me. The person happens to be the chancellor of my university “alma mater” Mount Allison and it just so happens he was inspired the same I was over 8 years ago.

In 2004 Peter Mansbridge wrote an editorial piece for Macleans Magazine. The title of his work was called. Where The Elite Eat: The Parliamentary Restaurant’s mysterious ‘voices’ can reveal secrets. It is a first hand account of the history and background of this majestic and amazing place where the halls leading up the restaurant are aligned one after the other with portraits of the  former Prime Ministers of Canada and of course the current PM Stephen Harper as well. Peter Mansbridge’s editorial captures the essence of what I felt and experienced while on the hill inside the restaurant the first time.

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A Message From Vic Toews Re: Stop Online Spying

Photo Credits Courtesy of CTV News Online.

The following letter below is a email received today from the Minister of Public Safety Vic Towes in regards to Bill C-30 concerns. 

Thank you for contacting my office regarding Bill C-30, the Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act.

Canada’s laws currently do not adequately protect Canadians from online exploitation and we think there is widespread agreement that this is a problem. 

We want to update our laws while striking the right balance between combating crime and protecting privacy. 

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A Response to the Controversial Statements of Senator Pierr-Hugues Boisvenu

Photo Credits: @globeandmail

 

Many columnist and writers across Canada including Prime Minister Stephen Harper have indicated and suggested that Senator Boisvenu comments can be understood and somewhat justified considering his prior experience with the criminal justice system. After all he is the founder of “Murdered or Missing Persons Families Association” (MMPFA), and a man who has greatly been personally affected by a thoughtless and heart wrenching crime.

However we live in Canada and as a Canadians we are fortunate to have rules of law that govern us. No mans personal “feelings”, “emotions” or “thoughts” are above the law or our countries constitution. It is for that reason it is not hard to believe why Senator Boisvenu statements insulted millions of Canadians and provoked a re-opening of the capital punishment penalty in Canada. In my opinion his comments were indecent and surprising especially when considering how pro-life (fiscal conservatives) tend to be. His statement is selective, extremely bias, and more concerning lacks basic human empathy and compassion that I always thought separated Canadians from other nations throughout the world.

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Citizens For Halifax Candidates Survey

Written By Downey Campaign Official Agent , for Citizens For Halifax

The following survey was completed October 2008  for Halifax Regional Municipal Election (HRM). The organization responsible for this survey is called Citizens For Halifax. It is an independent grassroots society that was  built to promote change and progressive ideas within the HRM; they plan on doing this by encouraging and engaging the community to be active,  within the democratic process. Citizens for Halifax encourages and supports candidates for civic office. They advocate intelligent, thoughtful, fiscally responsible civic government. Their core goal as an organization is to enhance the progress of the HRM with a bold vision for a more prosperous city of the future.

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Divisive Development

Written by Victoria Goodday, Editorial Intern at Corporate Knights

The A. Murray MacKay Bridge looms behind local politician Jerome Downey; a small memorial is all that marks the community destroyed for its construction. Photo by Paul Trussler.

Halifax, Nova Scotia, is a small port city rich in Maritime history and down-home hospitality. Known for its hard-partying students and sailors, the city’s lively cultural scene has earned it the nickname of “the New Orleans of the East”. The similarities between the two cities don’t stop there. Like New Orleans, Halifax has an urban core characterized by a sharp racial divide and a population plagued by racial tension.

A history tainted by discriminatory policy decisions has left Nova Scotia’s capital fighting to achieve an inclusive society. Home to the largest proportion of Canadian-born blacks in the country, its racially disparate downtown and isolated black neighborhoods challenge Canada’s “cultural mosaic” moniker.

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Halifax Downtown Four-Way Fraces

Written by Tim Bousquet, News Editor at The Coast

The downtown Halifax council election heats up in District 12, with the incumbent facing the young scion of an old political family, a student and an environmental consultant.

For local politics, downtown Halifax is the place to be this year.

In the battle for media attention, Halifax elections lag behind coverage of the American and Canadian federal elections, and what press coverage locals do get is mostly focused on the mayoral race between Peter Kelly and Sheila Fougere. But the most dynamic and interesting local election is arguably the council contest for District 12.

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