This past October, world leaders gathered in New York to vote two new members to temporary seats on the United Nations Security Council. Canada was vying for one of the positions against Germany and Portugal. When the results came in, Ottawa was stunned, rejected by the world community in favour of Lisbon and Berlin. But the results weren't much of a surprise to a former diplomat who had spent a career pushing Canada on the world stage.
"We were rejected on the basis of our indifference to the UN …. and the policies we've been following," says Paul Heinbecker. Heinbecker says Canada's shifting positions on climate change, our decidedly pro-Israel policy in the Middle East conflict, and our shift away from focusing aid to Africa all contributed to the loss. He adds, the results of the vote crystallized the effects of changes the Harper government has made to decades of Canadian foreign policy based on multilateralism.
Heinbecker spent his career in Canada's foreign service under both Tory and Liberal governments. He's been an ambassador, a representative at the United Nations, and is currently the director of the Laurier Centre for Global Relations. He's also the author of "Getting Back in the Game," a timely look at Canada's slipping role in world affairs. Heinbecker says Canada's international role has been relegated recently to being little more than a booster of American policies, a position the former diplomat unabashedly calls "sycophantic."
"You'll get more respect for an independent foreign policy than you will for being a sycophant," he says. "Sycophants aren't respected." Heinbecker also dismisses excuses by the Harper Tories and some in the media that the UN rejection was based on Canada's "principled" stands in foreign affairs. "Africa doesn't consider us principled for lowering aid (to the continent)," he says.
"When it comes to Israel, the Germans got elected. They support Israel, but they're not exclusively in the Israeli camp." He adds, the same is true when it comes to the Harper government's climate change stand. He says countries most vulnerable to global warming don't believe Canada is being principled by toeing Washington's line.
A break from history
Ryerson University history professor David MacKenzie says that in previous decades, Canada effectively used its middle power role in international organizations. He's just written, "A World Beyond Borders," a history of global organizations like the League of Nations, the Commonwealth and the United Nations. He notes, organizations like the UN, have given Canada greater status in international affairs. For much of the period after the Second World War, MacKenzie says Ottawa often "punched above its weight," taking leading or significant roles in peacekeeping, the-anti-Apartheid campaign, and the landmines issue.
"(The UN) gives Canadians a stage in which to play … (allows them to be) a bigger fish in a small pond," he says. That's changed in recent years, with Ottawa moving to an increasingly bilateral relationship with the U.S. But MacKenzie is skeptical of those who say the United Nations and its Security Council have become less relevant. "(The UNSC) could be an important venue for dealing with international issues ... they do good work of a transnational nature," he says.
"It responds to what happens. You don't know what's going to happen in the next two years. If you want to play a role in international affairs, that's the place to be. Some of these things could effect Canada, so we always want to be consulted … There's a value there, and the biggest plumb of all is to be on the security council." MacKenzie notes, Ottawa does not appear to have clear ideas about what role it wants to play in organizations like the UN. He says Canada needs to determine its agenda as global power shifts, particularly towards emerging economies.
"More and more of what we do transcends borders. It's only logical that international organizations will have an increasing role to play in handling (problems and issues)." Heinbecker suggests a more effective Canada on the world stage is possible, but only through significant changes to the outlook in Ottawa. Specifically, Heinbecker says the Department of Foreign Affairs should be given more authority. He also says, the Tory government needs to rethink its "principles," something he is not optimistic will happen.
Like MacKenzie, Heinbecker notes, "The world is changing. We are going to a multi-polar, multi-centric world. The Chinese are a major player, and the Indians are going to be a major player. There's Brazil … and this is tailor-made for a country whose foreign policy is agile."
"For us, making the world work is a national interest. We can do things ... all we need is the ambition."
Showing posts with label Do Canadians live in Igloos. Oh Canadians. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Do Canadians live in Igloos. Oh Canadians. Show all posts
Monday, January 3, 2011
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
The Sexiest Man Alive is Canadian!
This site is dedicated to Canadians who make a difference and its hard to ignore when a Canadian wins 'The Sexiest Man Alive' Title so today we pay homage to Ryan Reynolds.
Today's news is that People magazine has named Ryan Reynolds -- our Ryan Reynolds -- the sexiest man alive. The Vancouver-born actor, most recently seen in the claustrophobic thriller Buried, first came to our attention in the sitcom Two Girls and a Guy, which proved to be a great showcase for his comic elan. Since then, he's become a bankable box-office star (Definitely Maybe, The Proposal) who devotes an ungodly amount of time to ab-sculpting. Today also marks the release of the first full-length trailer for Reynolds' new movie, The Green Lantern. See it below!
Today's news is that People magazine has named Ryan Reynolds -- our Ryan Reynolds -- the sexiest man alive. The Vancouver-born actor, most recently seen in the claustrophobic thriller Buried, first came to our attention in the sitcom Two Girls and a Guy, which proved to be a great showcase for his comic elan. Since then, he's become a bankable box-office star (Definitely Maybe, The Proposal) who devotes an ungodly amount of time to ab-sculpting. Today also marks the release of the first full-length trailer for Reynolds' new movie, The Green Lantern. See it below!
Friday, November 12, 2010
The Edmund Fitzgerald
Edmund Fitzgerald sinking mystery endures
It has been 35 years since the big ship went down in a fierce storm on Lake Superior, but the mystery of the Edmund Fitzgerald lives on.The sinking was the inspiration for Gordon Lightfoot's 1976 song The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald and the subject of a documentary. (CBC)
The sinking of the ore freighter claimed 29 lives on Nov. 10, 1975, in what is considered the worst disaster in Great Lakes maritime history.The sinking was the inspiration for Gordon Lightfoot's 1976 song The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and the subject of a documentary.But despite an investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard, the mystery of exactly why she went down in that fierce storm has never been solved. The coast guard once blamed the crew, saying they failed to fasten the hatches properly.
Members of the maritime community have said that isn't likely in light of the dangerous weather on the lake that night.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/windsor/story/2010/11/10/windsor-edmund-fitzgerald-sinking-anniversary.html#ixzz14u67mDCo
It has been 35 years since the big ship went down in a fierce storm on Lake Superior, but the mystery of the Edmund Fitzgerald lives on.The sinking was the inspiration for Gordon Lightfoot's 1976 song The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald and the subject of a documentary. (CBC)
The sinking of the ore freighter claimed 29 lives on Nov. 10, 1975, in what is considered the worst disaster in Great Lakes maritime history.The sinking was the inspiration for Gordon Lightfoot's 1976 song The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and the subject of a documentary.But despite an investigation by the U.S. Coast Guard, the mystery of exactly why she went down in that fierce storm has never been solved. The coast guard once blamed the crew, saying they failed to fasten the hatches properly.
Members of the maritime community have said that isn't likely in light of the dangerous weather on the lake that night.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/windsor/story/2010/11/10/windsor-edmund-fitzgerald-sinking-anniversary.html#ixzz14u67mDCo
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Maud Lenora Menten
Maud Leonora Menten. Born Port Lambton, Ontario University of Toronto Germany British Columbia
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Keeping Canada's unique Gaelic culture alive
Some folk music forms still heard in Cape Breton, like at the Celtic Colours International Festival, have been lost in Scotland and reintroduced from Canada. Musicians, folk culture enthusiasts and teachers have been spearheading attempts to revitalize a unique Gaelic culture on an island off Canada's Atlantic coast. Brandy Yanchyk reports from the Celtic Colours International Festival on Cape Breton.
Several hundred years after Canada's Nova Scotia province was settled by refugees from the Scottish Highlands and islands, the Gaelic culture they brought with them survives, just.
On the island of Cape Breton, Gaelic has endured even as the language came under intense pressure from Canada's English-speaking majority.The island's road signs are printed in Gaelic and English. Some Gaelic supporters say the people's Celtic roots are evident in their humour and story-telling traditions."In teaching the language here I find that they already have the blasts, the sound of the Gaelic even in their English," says Margie Beaton, who was brought over from Scotland in 1976 to help revitalize the Gaelic language. "It's part of who they are, you can't just throw that away. It's in you."
For the past week and a half, fiddles, harps and Gaelic songs have delighted crowds at the 14th annual Celtic Colours International Festival, a key part of the island's efforts at cultural revival.“We are just like the native peoples here," poet Lewis MacKinnon says of "indigenous" Gaelic culture.Local musicians and songwriters were joined by musicians from Scotland and Ireland, in a bid to celebrate Celtic song and keep the language alive.Malcolm Munro, a singer from the Scottish band Meantime, said he had noticed a resurgence in Gaelic in Cape Breton since he first visited 17 years ago.
Younger generations have made learning the language a priority and have helped keep Scottish traditions like fiddle music, step-dancing and piping alive, Mr Munro says."I've seen fresh roots of recovery here in Cape Breton," he says.Cape Breton residents and officials' desire to keep the Gaelic language alive goes beyond the festival.In 1995, Nova Scotia schools began offering Gaelic language as a core subject, after years in which the province lacked the funding to do so.
Adults keen to brush up on their Gaelic can take an immersion course called "Gaidhlig Aig Baile" (Gaelic in the community), in which groups meet weekly to practice speaking Gaelic and learn traditional Scottish pursuits like milling frolics, where Gaelic songs are sung in rhythm while beating a woven wool blanket across a table-top.And Nova Scotia's Office of Gaelic Affairs hopes to develop an all-immersion Gaelic curriculum in schools.
Scottish settlers
The efforts come after a long decline in Scottish Gaelic in Nova Scotia, as generations of Gaelic speakers have passed away, taking their knowledge of the culture with the Street signs on Cape Breton island are printed in both English and Gaelic
An estimated 2,000 people speak Gaelic across Nova Scotia now, officials estimate. Roughly 25,000 Gaelic speakers settled in Nova Scotia from Scotland in the 1770s. Gaelic's decline coincided with the rise of formal English-language education in Nova Scotia in the mid-19th Century. Students were punished for speaking Gaelic in school, and by the 1930s many parents stopped passing down Celtic traditions, believing that to get ahead their children had to assimilate into English-speaking culture."We are just like the native peoples here, our culture is indigenous to this region," says Lewis MacKinnon, a musician and Gaelic poet from Cape Breton and head of the Nova Scotia Office of Gaelic Affairs."We too have suffered injustices, we too have been excluded, we too have been forgotten and ridiculed for something that is simply part of who and what we are. It's part of our human expression and that story needs to be told."
Canadian Gaelic dialect
The community's isolation has helped preserve traditions that sailed across the Atlantic with the original settlers but have since declined in Scotland. Gaelic language teacher Margie Beaton hears "blasts" of Gaelic in the island's vernacular English."The dialect of Gaelic that I speak... doesn't exist anymore in Scotland," Mr MacKinnon says.
And Mr MacKinnon says styles of step dancing and fiddling found on Cape Breton have been lost in Scotland, with efforts underway to reintroduce them there.Ms Beaton, the Gaelic language teacher, said Scots also feel the connection to their new world cousins."The motto they have for Nova Scotia is 'Ach an cuan' which translates as 'but for the ocean', meaning 'but for the ocean we'd actually be together.' There's only an ocean separating us," explains Mrs Beaton."We're like another island off the coast of Scotland but we have an ocean separating us instead of a strait or a channel."
Several hundred years after Canada's Nova Scotia province was settled by refugees from the Scottish Highlands and islands, the Gaelic culture they brought with them survives, just.
On the island of Cape Breton, Gaelic has endured even as the language came under intense pressure from Canada's English-speaking majority.The island's road signs are printed in Gaelic and English. Some Gaelic supporters say the people's Celtic roots are evident in their humour and story-telling traditions."In teaching the language here I find that they already have the blasts, the sound of the Gaelic even in their English," says Margie Beaton, who was brought over from Scotland in 1976 to help revitalize the Gaelic language. "It's part of who they are, you can't just throw that away. It's in you."
For the past week and a half, fiddles, harps and Gaelic songs have delighted crowds at the 14th annual Celtic Colours International Festival, a key part of the island's efforts at cultural revival.“We are just like the native peoples here," poet Lewis MacKinnon says of "indigenous" Gaelic culture.Local musicians and songwriters were joined by musicians from Scotland and Ireland, in a bid to celebrate Celtic song and keep the language alive.Malcolm Munro, a singer from the Scottish band Meantime, said he had noticed a resurgence in Gaelic in Cape Breton since he first visited 17 years ago.
Younger generations have made learning the language a priority and have helped keep Scottish traditions like fiddle music, step-dancing and piping alive, Mr Munro says."I've seen fresh roots of recovery here in Cape Breton," he says.Cape Breton residents and officials' desire to keep the Gaelic language alive goes beyond the festival.In 1995, Nova Scotia schools began offering Gaelic language as a core subject, after years in which the province lacked the funding to do so.
Adults keen to brush up on their Gaelic can take an immersion course called "Gaidhlig Aig Baile" (Gaelic in the community), in which groups meet weekly to practice speaking Gaelic and learn traditional Scottish pursuits like milling frolics, where Gaelic songs are sung in rhythm while beating a woven wool blanket across a table-top.And Nova Scotia's Office of Gaelic Affairs hopes to develop an all-immersion Gaelic curriculum in schools.
Scottish settlers
The efforts come after a long decline in Scottish Gaelic in Nova Scotia, as generations of Gaelic speakers have passed away, taking their knowledge of the culture with the Street signs on Cape Breton island are printed in both English and Gaelic
An estimated 2,000 people speak Gaelic across Nova Scotia now, officials estimate. Roughly 25,000 Gaelic speakers settled in Nova Scotia from Scotland in the 1770s. Gaelic's decline coincided with the rise of formal English-language education in Nova Scotia in the mid-19th Century. Students were punished for speaking Gaelic in school, and by the 1930s many parents stopped passing down Celtic traditions, believing that to get ahead their children had to assimilate into English-speaking culture."We are just like the native peoples here, our culture is indigenous to this region," says Lewis MacKinnon, a musician and Gaelic poet from Cape Breton and head of the Nova Scotia Office of Gaelic Affairs."We too have suffered injustices, we too have been excluded, we too have been forgotten and ridiculed for something that is simply part of who and what we are. It's part of our human expression and that story needs to be told."
Canadian Gaelic dialect
The community's isolation has helped preserve traditions that sailed across the Atlantic with the original settlers but have since declined in Scotland. Gaelic language teacher Margie Beaton hears "blasts" of Gaelic in the island's vernacular English."The dialect of Gaelic that I speak... doesn't exist anymore in Scotland," Mr MacKinnon says.
And Mr MacKinnon says styles of step dancing and fiddling found on Cape Breton have been lost in Scotland, with efforts underway to reintroduce them there.Ms Beaton, the Gaelic language teacher, said Scots also feel the connection to their new world cousins."The motto they have for Nova Scotia is 'Ach an cuan' which translates as 'but for the ocean', meaning 'but for the ocean we'd actually be together.' There's only an ocean separating us," explains Mrs Beaton."We're like another island off the coast of Scotland but we have an ocean separating us instead of a strait or a channel."
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Live from Yellowknife
Lights, camera, action: Yellowknife to share aurora borealis with world
The AuroraMax camera will watch for northern lights during the 'solar maximum,' which is expected to take place around 2012. The solar maximum could bring more northern lights more often. A camera being set up in Yellowknife will allow people around the world to catch the phenomenon unfold online.
The Canadian Space Agency is teaming up with partners in Yellowknife and Calgary to set up a camera that will capture images of the aurora borealis and put those images on a website.The space agency is working with the City of Yellowknife, Astronomy North and the University of Calgary on the five-year AuroraMax project. "It shares our sky with people who may have never known our sky was this spectacular," James Pugsley, president of Astronomy North, told reporters in the N.W.T. capital Wednesday.
"Part of the outreach will be saying to Canada and Canadians and people around the world is that this is what we see when we go outside at night."A specially designed camera will capture images of the northern lights several times a minute. Those images will then be broadcast on a website, in real time.
The AuroraMax project is being set up in time for scientists to watch the solar maximum, the period in which the northern lights are expected to be more frequent and active. The solar maximum is expected to take place in 2012.
The solar maximum marks the peak of sunspot activity during the 11-year solar cycle. The bright aurora displays occur when sunspots release bursts of solar wind from the sun's surface, then charged particles from those sunspots collide with gases in the Earth's upper atmosphere. Researchers like Eric Donovan, a space physicist at the University of Calgary, will use the aurora pictures to make better sense of the relationship between sunspots and the northern lights.
Donovan, who led the team that created the AuroraMax camera, said putting so many images of the northern lights on the internet could also create research opportunities for young, aspiring scientists.
"We'll have some material that says, 'Look for this ... and if you find this, then tell us.' And this could be something where a Grade 8 student could end up being involved in writing a scientific publication," Donovan said. The AuroraMax camera and accompanying website are expected to be up and running by fall.
The AuroraMax camera will watch for northern lights during the 'solar maximum,' which is expected to take place around 2012. The solar maximum could bring more northern lights more often. A camera being set up in Yellowknife will allow people around the world to catch the phenomenon unfold online.
The Canadian Space Agency is teaming up with partners in Yellowknife and Calgary to set up a camera that will capture images of the aurora borealis and put those images on a website.The space agency is working with the City of Yellowknife, Astronomy North and the University of Calgary on the five-year AuroraMax project. "It shares our sky with people who may have never known our sky was this spectacular," James Pugsley, president of Astronomy North, told reporters in the N.W.T. capital Wednesday.
"Part of the outreach will be saying to Canada and Canadians and people around the world is that this is what we see when we go outside at night."A specially designed camera will capture images of the northern lights several times a minute. Those images will then be broadcast on a website, in real time.
The AuroraMax project is being set up in time for scientists to watch the solar maximum, the period in which the northern lights are expected to be more frequent and active. The solar maximum is expected to take place in 2012.
The solar maximum marks the peak of sunspot activity during the 11-year solar cycle. The bright aurora displays occur when sunspots release bursts of solar wind from the sun's surface, then charged particles from those sunspots collide with gases in the Earth's upper atmosphere. Researchers like Eric Donovan, a space physicist at the University of Calgary, will use the aurora pictures to make better sense of the relationship between sunspots and the northern lights.
Donovan, who led the team that created the AuroraMax camera, said putting so many images of the northern lights on the internet could also create research opportunities for young, aspiring scientists.
"We'll have some material that says, 'Look for this ... and if you find this, then tell us.' And this could be something where a Grade 8 student could end up being involved in writing a scientific publication," Donovan said. The AuroraMax camera and accompanying website are expected to be up and running by fall.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Afgan Canadian Governor of Kandahar Province
Tooryalai Wesa (Pashto: توريالی ویسا) is the current Governor of Kandahar Province, after replacing General Rahmatullah Raufi in December 2008. Tooryalai Wesa was born in village Kohak in District Arghandab and grew up in Kandahar. His family and the family of Afghan President Hamid Karzai have enjoyed close relationship for a long time.
Before his appointment as the Governor of Kandahar, he lived in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada for 13 years. From 1995 to1998, he worked for the Asian Studies Center and the Center for Policy Studies in Education at the University of British Columbia(UBC). Dr. Wesa was named senior advisor to the Afghan Minister for Higher Education in 1989 and returned to Kandahar City in 1991 as founding president of Kandahar University. From 1993 to1994, he served as a guest lecturer in the University of Zurich, Switzerland. As a student, lecturer and researcher, Dr. Wesa has been associated with 10 universities worldwide and has published 20 articles including text books.
After securing his B.Sc. in Agricultural Economics & Extension from the Faculty of Agriculture at Kabul University in 1973, he pursued his M.Sc. at the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, American University of Beirut, Lebanon. Due to the civil war in Lebanon, he moved to the Department of Agricultural Education, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA and received his M. Sc. Degree in 1977. He obtained his Ph. D. from the University of British Columbia, Canada. His thesis was: “The Afghan Agricultural Extension System: Impact of the Soviet Occupation and Prospects for the Future”.
In addition to his career as an academic, Dr. Wesa has worked as a consultant for the Canadian Government (Statistics Canada), the US Government (USAID), British Government (DFID), the United Nations (FAO and UNDP) and several NGOs (including the SENLIS Council). Dr. Wesa speaks Pashto, English, Dari, Persian, German and Arabic. He belongs to the Mohammedzai subtribe. Dr. Wesa’s immediate family includes a wife, and three daughters.He narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on November 27, 2009 when a roadside bomb damaged his vehicle
Before his appointment as the Governor of Kandahar, he lived in Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada for 13 years. From 1995 to1998, he worked for the Asian Studies Center and the Center for Policy Studies in Education at the University of British Columbia(UBC). Dr. Wesa was named senior advisor to the Afghan Minister for Higher Education in 1989 and returned to Kandahar City in 1991 as founding president of Kandahar University. From 1993 to1994, he served as a guest lecturer in the University of Zurich, Switzerland. As a student, lecturer and researcher, Dr. Wesa has been associated with 10 universities worldwide and has published 20 articles including text books.
After securing his B.Sc. in Agricultural Economics & Extension from the Faculty of Agriculture at Kabul University in 1973, he pursued his M.Sc. at the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, American University of Beirut, Lebanon. Due to the civil war in Lebanon, he moved to the Department of Agricultural Education, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA and received his M. Sc. Degree in 1977. He obtained his Ph. D. from the University of British Columbia, Canada. His thesis was: “The Afghan Agricultural Extension System: Impact of the Soviet Occupation and Prospects for the Future”.
In addition to his career as an academic, Dr. Wesa has worked as a consultant for the Canadian Government (Statistics Canada), the US Government (USAID), British Government (DFID), the United Nations (FAO and UNDP) and several NGOs (including the SENLIS Council). Dr. Wesa speaks Pashto, English, Dari, Persian, German and Arabic. He belongs to the Mohammedzai subtribe. Dr. Wesa’s immediate family includes a wife, and three daughters.He narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on November 27, 2009 when a roadside bomb damaged his vehicle
Friday, September 17, 2010
UN to decide Canada Russia dispute
The two ministers met in Moscow Russia and Canada have said they will ask the UN to rule on their dispute over a resource-rich underwater Arctic mountain range, the Lomonosov Ridge. Both foreign ministers said after talks they were confident their respective country's claim would be upheld. Each argued that the ridge was an extension of their country's continental shelf, allowing them to exploit any mineral resources there.
Arctic resources are becoming more accessible due to melting ice. The five Arctic powers - Russia, the US, Canada, Norway and Denmark - are engaged in a scramble to claim them.On Wednesday, Russia reached an agreement with Norway on demarcating their Arctic border in the Barents Sea.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Canadian counterpart, Lawrence Cannon, both said after their meeting that the UN should rule on the ridge. "They should provide a scientific proof that it's an extension of our continental shelf," said Mr Lavrov. Mr Cannon said for his part: "We are confident that our case will prevail, backed by scientific evidence."
Russia's foreign minister also warned that Nato, of which Canada and the three other Arctic powers are members, should not become involved in settling territorial disputes in the Arctic."Our event yesterday in Murmansk [the agreement reached with Norway] shows that these problems are fully resolvable through direct negotiations and according to principles already set out between the relevant Arctic governments," he said. The Russian Geographical Society is due to host a two-day international forum on the Arctic next week.
Arctic resources are becoming more accessible due to melting ice. The five Arctic powers - Russia, the US, Canada, Norway and Denmark - are engaged in a scramble to claim them.On Wednesday, Russia reached an agreement with Norway on demarcating their Arctic border in the Barents Sea.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Canadian counterpart, Lawrence Cannon, both said after their meeting that the UN should rule on the ridge. "They should provide a scientific proof that it's an extension of our continental shelf," said Mr Lavrov. Mr Cannon said for his part: "We are confident that our case will prevail, backed by scientific evidence."
Russia's foreign minister also warned that Nato, of which Canada and the three other Arctic powers are members, should not become involved in settling territorial disputes in the Arctic."Our event yesterday in Murmansk [the agreement reached with Norway] shows that these problems are fully resolvable through direct negotiations and according to principles already set out between the relevant Arctic governments," he said. The Russian Geographical Society is due to host a two-day international forum on the Arctic next week.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Lenora King in China before Norman Bethune
Lenora King. née Howard. Born Farmersville (Athens), Upper Canada (Ontario). In order to study medicine she had to leave Canada to study at the University of Michigan Women's Medical College. With the support of the Women's Foreign Missionary Society she sailed to Shanghai in 1877, the first Canadian doctor to practice medicine in China. She was 60 years ahead of Dr. Norman Bethune. Dr King obtained the patronage of Lady Li, wife of the viceroy of Chilhli province in Tientsin. It was after she had attended Lady Li that she opened the first Chinese hospital for women and children. In 1884 she married a widowed Scottish missionary, the Reverend Alexander King. As a married woman she was expected to support the work of her husband, not work on her own. Lady Li opened a new hospital for Dr King in 1885, a hospital totally funded by the Chinese. In 1889 the Government of China recognized the distinguished doctor with the Imperial Chinese Order of the Double Dragon making her a Mandarin which is a similar to being a knight in England. In 1909 she organized the Government Medical School for Women so that Chinese doctors and nurses could be trained. She is a member of the Canadian Medicine Hall of Fame.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Paul Anka and Diana
In 1957 Paul Anka, a Canadian boy from Ottawa made his first number one hit song based on a woman from his real life- his one time babysitter- Diana.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Sharks in the St. Lawrence
If you want to help the scientists Volunteer scientists studying large sharks in the St. Lawrence Seaway are seeking help from the public.
Their research on the little-known Greenland shark, funded by their own money and private donations rather than government grants, just got a boost in the form of a donated boat.
The problem is that they have no way to get the boat from Rouses Point, N.Y., to a shipyard in Les Méchins, Que., where it will be refitted for scientific work in the seaway.
The group is seeking donations to pay for transport company to move the 4.6-metre-high boat with a special trailer so it will fit under highway underpasses. The researchers hope to have the boat ready in time for the 2011 research season. "We're at the point where we need a boat," said Jeffrey Gallant, a college teacher in Drummondville, Que. As founder of the Greenland Shark and Elasmobranch Research and Education Group, he has been studying the sharks for about 10 years.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/08/27/greenland-shark-boat.html#ixzz0xu7ksY6r
Monday, August 23, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Water Rights in Canada
In a recent post I confessed to being perplexed that Canada abstained from the vote to designate clean water as a human right. I have been aware for some time, since the president of the global company I work for told us at an international meeting that water would be the biggest issue on earth within the decade. In order to get some illumination on the Canadian Government's position I searched out the information that I have posted verbatim below. It was found at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Law blog:
http://ablawg.ca/2010/07/08/water-rights-and-water-stewardship-what-about-aboriginal-peoples/
Settler society and Aboriginal conceptions of water rights differ in many respects. At common law water could not be owned but riparian doctrines have in the past maintained a semblance of communal ownership and guarantees of water quality. In common law, riparian lands lay along the shores of non-tidal rivers and streams. The owners of riparian rights were entitled, among other things, to divert waters for domestic consumption and any other reasonable purpose. Downstream owners along the watercourse were entitled to obtain waters not significantly diminished in quantity or quality by upstream uses: Alastair Lucas, Security of Title in Canadian Water Rights (Calgary: Canadian Institute of Resources Law, 1990) at 5-7.
Water scarcity and the commoditization of water have led the Crown to claim ownership of almost all waters. In western Canada, the assertion of federal Crown ownership in and control over waters occurred in the late 19th century with the North-west Irrigation Act, S.C. 1894 c.30, s. 4, am. by S.C. 1895 c. 33, s.2 (NWIA). This ownership was transferred to the province under the 1930 Natural Resources Transfer Agreement (NRTA) being a Schedule to the Alberta Natural Resources Act, S.C. 1930, c. 3. Riparian rights were then extinguished under provincial land grants unless confirmed by a court before June 18, 1931 or by the terms of the grant: Public Lands Act, R.S.A 2000, c. P-40, s. 3. This would include regulating the right for water diversion of riparian property owners: Water Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. W-3, s.22. The current model is for the Crown to allocate (license) fixed amounts of water to municipal or private interests, on some priority basis, usually first in time: David R. Percy, The Framework of Water Rights Legislation in Canada (Calgary: Canadian Institute of Resources Law, University of Calgary, 1988) at 12-14. The individualism of modern settler society and the market imperative have resulted in limited self-regulation and limited regulation of water uses with consequent dangers to the environment, fisheries, water quality and quantity. Current water legislation does not even impose a “beneficial use” requirement as in Western U.S. Water Law; see Arlene J. Kwasniak, “Waste Not Want Not: A Comparative Analysis and Critique of Legal Rights to Use and Re-Use Produced Water - Lessons for Alberta” (2006-2007) 10 U. Denv. Water L. Rev. 357.
Aboriginal conceptions of water usually deem waters to be sacred givers of life. Water must be shared respectfully without any use being paramount. The use of water for sacred purposes, hunting and fishing, transportation, recreation and domestic consumption is a shared responsibility, and must address current needs, the needs of the land and future generations. The use of waters is governed by a natural law, by which the taking of waters without due regard to the environment and the needs of current and future generations can only lead to disaster. Aboriginal peoples see themselves as caretakers with responsibilities to preserve water and life.
It looks like our waters might be safer and more equitably handled in the hands of our Aboriginal people! After all, big business has done so much damage to the waterways of the world that most are unfit for human consumption all right the noses of our goverment. Why is it that no one is ever held accountable for the undoing of the environmental damage that their factories cost and yet they get to keep the profits made while doing so?
http://ablawg.ca/2010/07/08/water-rights-and-water-stewardship-what-about-aboriginal-peoples/
Settler society and Aboriginal conceptions of water rights differ in many respects. At common law water could not be owned but riparian doctrines have in the past maintained a semblance of communal ownership and guarantees of water quality. In common law, riparian lands lay along the shores of non-tidal rivers and streams. The owners of riparian rights were entitled, among other things, to divert waters for domestic consumption and any other reasonable purpose. Downstream owners along the watercourse were entitled to obtain waters not significantly diminished in quantity or quality by upstream uses: Alastair Lucas, Security of Title in Canadian Water Rights (Calgary: Canadian Institute of Resources Law, 1990) at 5-7.
Water scarcity and the commoditization of water have led the Crown to claim ownership of almost all waters. In western Canada, the assertion of federal Crown ownership in and control over waters occurred in the late 19th century with the North-west Irrigation Act, S.C. 1894 c.30, s. 4, am. by S.C. 1895 c. 33, s.2 (NWIA). This ownership was transferred to the province under the 1930 Natural Resources Transfer Agreement (NRTA) being a Schedule to the Alberta Natural Resources Act, S.C. 1930, c. 3. Riparian rights were then extinguished under provincial land grants unless confirmed by a court before June 18, 1931 or by the terms of the grant: Public Lands Act, R.S.A 2000, c. P-40, s. 3. This would include regulating the right for water diversion of riparian property owners: Water Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. W-3, s.22. The current model is for the Crown to allocate (license) fixed amounts of water to municipal or private interests, on some priority basis, usually first in time: David R. Percy, The Framework of Water Rights Legislation in Canada (Calgary: Canadian Institute of Resources Law, University of Calgary, 1988) at 12-14. The individualism of modern settler society and the market imperative have resulted in limited self-regulation and limited regulation of water uses with consequent dangers to the environment, fisheries, water quality and quantity. Current water legislation does not even impose a “beneficial use” requirement as in Western U.S. Water Law; see Arlene J. Kwasniak, “Waste Not Want Not: A Comparative Analysis and Critique of Legal Rights to Use and Re-Use Produced Water - Lessons for Alberta” (2006-2007) 10 U. Denv. Water L. Rev. 357.
Aboriginal conceptions of water usually deem waters to be sacred givers of life. Water must be shared respectfully without any use being paramount. The use of water for sacred purposes, hunting and fishing, transportation, recreation and domestic consumption is a shared responsibility, and must address current needs, the needs of the land and future generations. The use of waters is governed by a natural law, by which the taking of waters without due regard to the environment and the needs of current and future generations can only lead to disaster. Aboriginal peoples see themselves as caretakers with responsibilities to preserve water and life.
It looks like our waters might be safer and more equitably handled in the hands of our Aboriginal people! After all, big business has done so much damage to the waterways of the world that most are unfit for human consumption all right the noses of our goverment. Why is it that no one is ever held accountable for the undoing of the environmental damage that their factories cost and yet they get to keep the profits made while doing so?
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Maurice Strong
"Maurice Strong, a senior advisor to the Secretary- General of the United Nations [ Kofi Annan] and former senior advisor to the President of the World Bank, is one of the world's most influential political and environmental activists. He is a Distinguished Fellow at IISD.
"Strong served on the board of directors for the United Nations Foundation, a UN affiliated organization established by Ted Turner's historic $1 billion donation. He is also a director of the World Economic Forum Foundation, Chairman of the Earth Council, former Chairman of the Stockholm Environment Institute, and former Chairman of the World Resources Institute.
"In his native Canada, Strong's career has spanned over five decades at some of Canada's most prestigious companies. He has run several companies in the energy and resources sector, including the Power Corporation of Canada, Ontario Hydro, and Petro-Canada (the national oil company). He is currently the chairman of Technology Development, Inc., which funds research in the groundbreaking field of applying nanotechnology towards creating energy sources that are both affordable and ecofriendly. "
Maurice F. Strong, PC, CC, OM, FRSC (born April 29, 1929) is a Canadian businessman. He is an entrepreneur, environmentalist, and one of the world’s leading proponents of the United Nations's involvement in world affairs.
Born in Oak Lake, Manitoba, Strong had his start as a petroleum entrepreneur and became president of Power Corporation until 1966. In the early 1970s he was Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment and then became the first Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme. He returned to Canada to become Chief Executive Officer of Petro-Canada from 1976 to 1978. He headed Ontario Hydro, one of North Americas largest power utilities, was national President and Chairman of the Extension Committee of the World Alliance of YMCAs, and headed American Water Development Incorporated.
Today Strong spends most of his time in the People's Republic of China, and is President of the Council of the United Nations's University for Peace. UPEACE is the only university in the UN system able to grant degrees at the masters and doctoral level. He is an active honorary professor at Peking University and Honorary Chairman of its Environmental Foundation. He is Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Institute for Research on Security and Sustainability for Northeast Asia.
"Strong served on the board of directors for the United Nations Foundation, a UN affiliated organization established by Ted Turner's historic $1 billion donation. He is also a director of the World Economic Forum Foundation, Chairman of the Earth Council, former Chairman of the Stockholm Environment Institute, and former Chairman of the World Resources Institute.
"In his native Canada, Strong's career has spanned over five decades at some of Canada's most prestigious companies. He has run several companies in the energy and resources sector, including the Power Corporation of Canada, Ontario Hydro, and Petro-Canada (the national oil company). He is currently the chairman of Technology Development, Inc., which funds research in the groundbreaking field of applying nanotechnology towards creating energy sources that are both affordable and ecofriendly. "
Maurice F. Strong, PC, CC, OM, FRSC (born April 29, 1929) is a Canadian businessman. He is an entrepreneur, environmentalist, and one of the world’s leading proponents of the United Nations's involvement in world affairs.
Born in Oak Lake, Manitoba, Strong had his start as a petroleum entrepreneur and became president of Power Corporation until 1966. In the early 1970s he was Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment and then became the first Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme. He returned to Canada to become Chief Executive Officer of Petro-Canada from 1976 to 1978. He headed Ontario Hydro, one of North Americas largest power utilities, was national President and Chairman of the Extension Committee of the World Alliance of YMCAs, and headed American Water Development Incorporated.
Today Strong spends most of his time in the People's Republic of China, and is President of the Council of the United Nations's University for Peace. UPEACE is the only university in the UN system able to grant degrees at the masters and doctoral level. He is an active honorary professor at Peking University and Honorary Chairman of its Environmental Foundation. He is Chairman of the Advisory Board for the Institute for Research on Security and Sustainability for Northeast Asia.
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