It's round two, I'm coming for you

Hello Blog,

Canucks are moving on to round two! Such a crazy intense game 7 that went to OT! There post-game celebration is awesome, I love these guys. Also, I'm going shopping tomorrow finally woooo! The NDP is also killing it in the polls, most have them around 25-30% now omgz! The Conservatives are shitting themselves haha. I've been planning on writing a long post about new election stuff, I may get to it tomorrow haha. Here are my round two playoff predictions:

Eastern Conference

Washington Caps vs. Tampa Bay Lighting - Wow...this will be a totally offensive battle...I don't even know lol...The Caps won 4 out of 6 regular season games, one in which they won 6-0...so Caps in 7 just because lol.

Philly Flyers vs. Boston Bruins - Oh boy! Two tough teams, should be fun. Bruins in 7.

Western Conference

Vancouver Canucks vs. Nashville Predators - Wow the Preds actually made it out of round one for the first time! Alas, Canucks will own them. They've split the regular season games two wins each, and no team scored more than 3 goals...it will be Vancouver's offence vs. Nashville's defence, although they now have Mike Fisher who could be trouble...but Luongo is also back! Canucks in 6.

San Jose Sharks vs. Detroit Red Wings - Wow, ok, so if San Jose doesn't choke this time, they may actually beat the Red Wings. I know logic is saying pick Detroit, but I'm kinda hoping the Sharks can get rid of them...Sharks in 7.

+ Lorelie

wise crackas

I can’t get to sleep without: watching something on tv/computer.

If I were a doll, the accessories packaged with me would be: hmm i am actually seriously thinking. i guess shoes

I have an irrational fear of: horses, spiders, snakes and driving.

At my grandparents house I usually eat: um depends...whatever she makes us eat.

When I was born I weighed: don't remember, i was tired.

I am most opposed to: conformity.

On myspace I like to stalk: no one because that website is so 90s.

I am too old to be: a kid.

I find the thought of childbirth: painful.

Next door to my house is: another house.

My feet are: connected to my legs.

My preferred style of jeans are: skinny jeans.

I know how to cook: lots of things.

I am annoyed at: packing.

Men should always: be nice.

Women should never: think everyone knows what they are thinking.

The scariest sea creature is: eels.

The world is over populated with: misinformed, ignorant and power hungry douche bags, especially politicians.

I recently broke: my nail.

I last cried because: no idea.

I would like to be in an advertisement for: being awesome, duh.

My favorite shoes are: don't currently have one.

My mothers’ greatest fear is: loosing us.

When I think of Full House: i think of you got it dude.

I SAY THIS, YOU SAY THAT! First word that comes to mind.

Pill: purple.

Sticker: stick.

Swirl: ice cream.

Bird: tweety.

Drop: zone.

Coaster: roller.

Wave: water.

Enough: nothing.

Coupon: extreme.

Button: benjamin.

Nail: hammer.

Market: super.

Rust: mator!

OJ: simpson.

Trash: can.

Key: chain.

Pick: nose.

Snack: pack.

Snow: boarding.

Bake: cupcake.

Curl: hair.

Ring: around the rosie.

Soil: dirt.

Cross: the road.

ray charles

Game Seven

Hello Blog, sorry I've sort of neglected you the past week, I've been pretty lazy lol. Not much going on, just searching for jobs and watching the NHL playoffs. Tonight the Bruins could take out the Habs in six games, the Flyers could take out the Sabres tonight (funny thing is I said Flyers in 7 and my bro said Sabres in 7, so one of us will get a big win tonight haha), and of course, the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks are heading into a game 7 as well! Luongo needs to be on his game and needs to be mentally solid. He's been shaky the past few games, probably because the Blackhawks have defeated the the Canucks the past two years in the playoffs. They have to win tonight! Go Canucks!!

Of course the election is coming up next Monday, May 2nd. Jack Layton and the NDP are making big gains in the polls! The NDP will probably get some more seats in Quebec where Jack has become very popular, and hopefully in British Columbia, Saskatchewan (they have to get some seats in their home province!) and out East. Let's go NDP!

Yesterday on the Dean Blundell show, they were discussing good "fuck" songs again, and pretty much ruined one of my favourit songs lol. "White Blank Page" by Mumford & Sons...but it was quite funny listening to it haha...I also found an amazing cover of it by Taylor Swift she did a few weeks ago for BBC raido. Unfortunately I have to work til 11:30 tonight, ugh. So I'll only get to watch the end of the Canucks game. I really need a new and better job, especially now that I'm graduating. Plus I need money! I need to go shopping soon too, I want to buy a curling wand and some summer clothes lol. I'm going to eat dinner now and enjoy some iced coffee I made.

+ Lorelie

a letter to myself

ray charles

One Year!!

Hello Blog! Happy 1 year birthday!! I hope Ray Charles likes the turtle cake haha. We actually had cake tonight, although it was for our friend's belated bday but she was sick and couldn't come. I'm so happy Ray Charles is home! Yay! I'm excited for warmer weather, hanging out with friends, planning trips (and hopefully going on them), tanning and finding a job this summer! I also bought new face wash and I really like it lol.




In response to Ray Charles' "year round up," here's my own! In the last year I have:

- Gotten older...almost 22, eww!
- Become wiser and learned so much
- Met some more awesome people and grew closer to some
- Grown my hair longer than it's ever been probably, mainly because I stopped straightening it...
- Started wearing my hair natural and curly much more
- Written tons of papers
- Wrote a short story I'm proud of
- Wrote new songs and poems, and started a new word document after reaching 100 pages on my old one
- Finished my undergrad!
- Got an internship I wanted
- Started to wear my makeup differently as well and tried new styles
- Confused my heart but not as much as before
- Pursued some of my dreams as well
- Started writing this amazing blog with Ray Charles!
- Got back into the half-pipe
- Learned to accept things that can't be changed, had the courage to change things that could be changed, and learned to know the one from the other

In the next year I want to:
- Find a job I love or at least like lol
- Write more songs and poems, maybe another story, and also articles/blog posts about things I love like Canadian politics
- Spend as much time as I can with my friends
- Go on a trip somewhere
- Meet new people
- Go out more
- Finally let someone in
- Try to stop my soap opera from being cancelled lol
- Be more environmentally aware and really try hard to put what I've learned studying enviro policy to goos use
- Continue to accept things that can't be changed, have the courage to change things that can be changed, and learnto know the one from the other


+ Lorelie

one year

happy one year blog!


year round up - in the last year i have:
-gotten older
-become wiser
-grown out my hair way longer than i should haha
-written more than a 100 page book
-started painting again
-got accepted to grad school
-tried to let someone go
-became closer with several important people in my life
-have had people come in and out of my life that i find rather annoying
-started to wear my makeup differently
-bought skinny jeans
-changed my perfume (givenchy to burberry)
-confused my heart
-pursued some of my dreams
-made a difference in my community
-read over 35 books (not by choice)
-become that much closer to my cousin
-finished my undergrad
-took thousands of photos (of course)
-got two new cameras
-bought my lappy - its name is hubba (my desktops name is bubba. get it, hubba bubba)
-found comfort in writing on my blog
-stopped straightening my hair everyday
-switched shampoos (its important, it really is)
-got a new phone (its important...haha)
-hung out with my brothers more as its been difficult because of school

in the next year i want to:
-move on
-love myself
-"smile like i mean it for once" - weakerthans
-watch old movies
-take down the photos on my closet doors
-be comfortable
-do well in my masters program
-let loose a little
-grow wiser
-read for fun
-play wii more often
-continue my art
-de-clutter my room at home
-paint my room and decide on the colour
-meet new people
-learn to use my slr
-improve on my sleeping pattern
-be less awkward and shy
-be happy
-open the doors

with a list like this, seems like my life is rather boring...hahaha
well maybe it is
oh well!

ray charles

NHL Playoff Predictions 2011

Before I forget, here are my 2011 NHL playoff predictions for round one!

Eastern Conference:

Washington Captials vs. NY Rangers - Caps in 6 (Caps choke every year, but I don't think Lundqvist can handle the Caps offence the whole series)

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Buffalo Sabres - Flyers in 7 (Sabres got Miller, but again one goalie won't be able to stop the Flyer's offence for seven games)

Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens - Bruins in 7 (This series is going to be a bloody one, I'm excited. I just think Chara and the Bruins will be to big and tough for the Habs. A great goalie match up between Thomas and Price as well)

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning - Pens in 6 (Tampa is too young, and the Pens have been playing great even without Crosby)

Western Conference:

Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks - Canucks in 6 (CANUCKS!! Revenge on the Blackhawks finally!)

San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings - Sharks in 6 (I love the Kings, but they're still too young and the Sharks maybe won't choke this year)

Detroit Red Wings vs. Phoenix Coyotes - Red Wings in 7 (From past experience, you always choose the Red Wings...they also beat the Coyotes last year in round 1)

Anaheim Ducks vs. Nashville Predators - Ducks in 7 (Nashville has strong defence, but Corey Perry, done.)

Overall, my pick is the Vancouver Canucks for the Cup! They won the President's Trophy with 117 points this season! With Luongo, the Sedin twins, Kesler, Burrows, Edler, Bieksa, Hodgson they're stacked....wooooooooooooo! Go Canucks!!



+ Lorelie

Review of 2011 Canadian Leaders' Debate

Tonight was the 2011 Leaders’ Debate. I’ve summarized some key points and quotes and also provided my commentary. You can watch it online at:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadavotes2011/leaders-debate/#

Now I know my view is biased as I’m an NDPer (Jack won this debate, again haha), but this was fun to write and I do believe it provides some good insight.



Harper got to speak first (and finish last of course), but Duceppe attacked first. He began with, “I'd like to congratulate Mr. Harper for answering a question from a citizen for the first time during this campaign.” He called out the Conservatives for their corporate tax cuts and claimed that Harper was ignoring the forestry industry in Quebec. I have to say good for Gilles for taking Harper head on and getting right into it, although he strayed away from the actual question. But this was the main strategy of the opposition leaders, to turn their answers into attacks on Harper and call out all his shady dealings.

Jack Layton’s first comment was also about corporate taxes and he went right into attacking Harper. “Why are you reducing corporate taxes when so many people are suffering?”

Harper pretty much denied the corporate tax cuts and actually said, “There are no corporate tax cuts right now.” Alright Stephen, we believe you.

The leaders debated about the economy, and Layton quipped in with, “It’s the Conservative government that’s the problem with the economy here. It’s these right-wing proposals of deregulation and approaches to reckless policy that got us into the mess we’re in.”

Harper proceeded to claim that the Conservatives had “Balanced policies to move us forward.”

I knew someone would eventually bring up Canada losing the UN Security Council seat, and that was the first thing Ignatieff brought up in his answer to the second question. However, all the answers quickly turned from Canada’s role internationally to our declining democracy...because how can Canada support democracy abroad if it cannot uphold it at home?

Layton said that if we’re doing so well economically as Harper is claiming, then why did the Bill to send affordable drugs to Africa get blocked in the “Conservative dominated Senate?” I wonder about that as well.

The Afghanistan issue was the area where Layton appeared weakest, since the NDP wants to bring our troops home. It’s a difficult issue, because we cannot just leave Afghanistan and abandon helping them, yet we do want our troops home.

The G8 issue came up of course and Harper tried his best to deflect the allegations and comments the opposition leaders made. The Kairos “not” issue came up briefly and I kept thinking of how ridiculous Bev Oda’s scribbled “NOT” looked on the document. Obviously Ignatieff really hammered in the contempt of Parliament issue and I hope Canadians understand all of the lies that have been going on in Parliament.

Ignatieff’s most common saying was, “Anything you [Harper] can’t control you shut down.” Which I guess is true. Harper did prorogue Parliament twice.

When Layton brought up releasing the Auditor General’s report on G8 spending, the opposition leaders shouted “Bring it out!” while Harper tried to avoid it.

Ignatieff told Harper, “We’re having an election because you didn’t tell Parliament the truth.” He claimed Harper didn’t tell Canadians the truth and abused democracy. Harper’s rebuttal was that the other three parties ganged up on the government to force an election. Again, we’re not as ignorant as you think we are Mr. Harper, we understand how your party was found in contempt of Parliament and lost the confidence of the House.

I’d like to point out Jack Layton’s great point about the Senate. He said the Senate is packed with Harper’s friends and defeated candidates, some of who are up on fraud charges now, who defeat Bills like the NDP’s Climate Change Bill that got through the House of Commons twice. Layton called him out for subsidizing his friends in the big oil companies and not caring about climate change. Go Jack! He seemed to be the only one to care about the environment.

They continued “bickering” as Harper called it, talked about guns, talked about healthcare and discussed immigration. Harper called out Duceppe for wanting to have Quebec separate (as if we didn’t know that already).

Some more great quotes:

Ignatieff to Harper: “This is a democracy. … You keep talking about Parliament as if it's this little debating society that's a pesky interference in your rule of the country. It's not.”

Jack Layton: “Why do we need so many more prisons when the crooks are so happy in the Senate?”

Ignatieff on gun control: “Women across this country get killed all the time by long guns, short guns, they don't care they're dead.”

Ignatieff directed at Harper: “You haven't earned a majority. A majority is a thing you earn when you earn the trust of the Canadian people. You don't deserve a majority because you don't respect our democratic institutions.” Nicely done Iggy.

Layton: “So that when some trouble maker comes up and tries to tempt them into that life of crime with the bling and everything else that goes along with it.” He finished his point with “That’s been a hash-tag fail on this issue.” Nice twitter lingo Jack.

My biggest issue came up over the answers to the fourth question. Clearly Mr. Harper needs to go back to grade 10 Civics class.

Under the Constitutional principle of Responsible Government the Governor General will ask the individual most likely to receive the support, or confidence, of a majority of the directly-elected House of Commons to form a government. As a practical matter, this is often the leader of a party whose members have a majority, or a plurality, of MPs.

Ignatieff really focussed on the word TRY. I agree with him. The leader of the political party with the most seats in the elected House of Commons has the right to TRY to form a government that has the support of a majority of MPs. If at any time the government loses its majority support in the House, tradition requires that it resign. At this point an election would be called or, if there is a possibility that another party could put together a government that would be supported by a majority of MPs, the Governor General could call on the leader of that party to try to form a government. Hmm, isn’t this what happened in 2008? Did Stephane Dion not have a majority support of MPs?

I also want to recall the 1926 King-Byng Affair. In 1925 Prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King asked Governor General Lord Byng for an election. Arthur Meighen's Conservative Party won 116 seats and King's Liberals won 101 seats. However, counting on the support of the Progressive Party with its 28 seats to overcome the Conservative plurality, King (who had lost his seat in the election) did not resign and remained in office as head of a minority government. Strictly speaking, this was not a coalition government, as the Progressives were not given any Cabinet seats and were thus not a part of the government. Funny, because the Bloc were not given any Cabinet seats in the Liberal-NDP coalition either, they were just supporting them, yet Harper still tried to play the “separatists” running our government card.

By 1926 it appeared as though King would soon lose the confidence of the House, but Governor General Lord Byng refused King’s request for an election. He argued that the Conservatives, as the biggest single party in parliament, should have a chance to form a government before an election was called. Byng then invited Conservative leader Arthur Meighen to form a government. Although many Conservatives privately preferred an election, Meighen believed he was bound by honour and convention to accept Byng's invitation. Meighen thus formed a new Conservative Cabinet.

In the end the Conservatives lost the confidence of the House and King won a majority in the subsequent election. The point is, not only did King’s party govern without a majority or plurality, the Conservatives were also asked to form a government when King lost the confidence of the House. So a party that didn’t have the most seats formed the government first, and then another party was asked to form the government once King lost the confidence of the House.

Yet Harper said, “That’s not how democracy is supposed to work in this country,” and “The party that finishes first forms the government. If we don’t do that we’ll have the third and fourth parties deciding the government of our country, that’s not how our democracy is supposed to work.” Some other choice Harper quotes include:

“The party that wins the most seats forms the government. That’s how our democracy is supposed to work.”

“The party that wins the election HAS to govern, otherwise we will have a party dedicated to the break up of the country deciding who can or cannot form the government.”

“If you don’t win the most seats, you don’t get to form the government.”

“The party that wins the most seats will get to try first. Then you think you’ll all get together and vote against it and replace the government. That’s not how our system is supposed to work in this country.”

Alright Stephen, we get it. You don’t agree with coalitions or other parties without a plurality of seats forming the government. But when you don’t have a majority, you rely on the support of other MPs. When you piss off those MPs and they decide to form a coalition or just a group that can cooperate that is bigger than your’s, they now have the majority support of the House. Do you get it yet? Of course, when Members of Parliament try to work together, Harper vilifies it.

Harper also claimed he was never going to take power in 2004 and was not cooperating with the Bloc or NDP at that time. Duceppe seemed to be the most honest, saying there was another option in 2004 instead of an election. “The one who finished second could become the Prime Minister.” That would have been Stephen Harper as he was the leader of the main opposition party with the second most seats in Parliament. Duceppe says this was part of the letter all three signed. Layton claimed he was part of these discussions, but walked out as he was not ready to let Harper be PM, but Duceppe argued Jack signed the letter too.

Both Jack Layton and Duceppe claim Harper was ready to become PM with their support, and Harper finally admitted to signing a letter about cooperation, but was continued to claim he was never going to form a coalition. I do not believe him at all. I know he would have taken any chance he could have back then to become Prime Minister. Also, just google 2004 coalition and you'll find plenty of articles on it...Such as this one where it has what was in the actual letter. More lies, big surprise.

http://www.therecord.com/news/elections/article/507452--bloc-leader-says-harper-lying-about-2004-coalition-bid

Furthermore, Ignatieff said he does not support a coalition and would not form one even if the Conservatives won another minority. I believe him. He’s the reason the 2008 Liberal-NDP coalition supported by the Bloc dissolved in 2009 when Parliament resumed from prorogation. He even said, “A coalition is out.” What is so hard to understand about that Harper?

Finally Jack Layton brought up our flawed single-member-plurality electoral system. He said, “He [Harper] could do it will less than 50% of Canadians supporting him...there’s something wrong with the system.” He also brought up how the Green Party won 900,000 seats in 2008 yet did not have one seat, while the Bloc continues to win several seats only in Quebec. He also said the undemocratic Senate should be dismantled, especially since it’s full of Harper’s friends. Again, go Jack!

A few other things stood out to me, such as Duceppe’s pronunciation of words such as “development” (de-volpping?), “coalition,” (CO-lition) and “Panama” (Panma?). As well, Harper’s beady robot eyes not moving and just staring creepily into oblivion. Every time he spoke, even when addressing another leader, he just had this robot stare and stared at who knows what, because it sure wasn’t the camera.

Harper remained unnaturally calm, managed to get through the debate in one piece without losing his composure, and deflected (or avoided) certain issues such as the G8 spending. He did well considering the other three were out to get him, but they had every reason to do so. Harper's most well used line was, "That's simply not true." Duceppe didn’t have much to lose or gain in the English debate, and attempted to provide an honest check on the other leaders which was nice. I loved it when Harper, Layton and Duceppe were arguing about the 2004 non-coalition issue and Ignatieff just stood there smiling, probably enjoying the ridiculousness of it all.

In the end, Harper asked for “a strong, stable majority government to focus on the economy.” He framed it as he always does, his stable government that’s good with the economy vs. an unstable coalition that will raise taxes. So black and white, there’ so much more to it than that. Canadians should not buy into that assessment. Ignatieff framed the Liberals as the only alternative, which Layton quickly pounced on since there is also an “orange door.” Ignatieff threw out a “Well at least we get into government” line, which was kind of a low blow. I also missed Elizabeth May, it's not a real deabte until someone yells "Fraud!"

Ultimately, (as Ignatieff said) if Harper wins a majority, heaven help us all.

+ Lorelie

You've got lying down to a science Mr. Harper

Hello Blog!

Guess what, I'M DONE MY UNDERGRAD! I handed in my last paper Friday so I'm officially finished! It's so weird, I still feel like I have another paper to write or something lol. Now I'm on the hunt for a job! I've begun searching on government websites, so hopefully I'll find something soon...I found one for a planning intern for the Ministry of Natrual Resources, the job listing said: "Duties include assisting the district planner in meeting legislative, Environmental Assessment Act, and program policy requirements; reviewing and amending land use policies; meeting outstanding commitments associated with protected areas planning; and reviewing and providing input on a variety of planning and development proposals." This is perfect for me! I studided envionmental essessment in my envrionmental law class and did similar work for my internship at CIELAP....but unfirtunately this job is in Chapleau up North, which is farther then Sudbury! Booooooo! :( I really hope more job postings closer to where I live come up soon. I need monies!

In other news, today was my first day of campaigning for Olivia Chow! She's a candidate in a different riding than the one I actually live in, but I go to school (or at least I used to haha) beside her riding, and she is Jack Layton's wife and a kick ass MP! She's not afraid to stand up to Stephen Harper and she's done some amazing work. I got paired up with this girl who has gone canvassing before, she's a year older than me and also went to my school. She was really nice and I had a good time going door to door in an apartment buidling. Met some interesting people. Although Olivia Chow is the "Queen of China Town," has won her riding the past two elections, and is polling at a high % right now, I was surprised at the reactions I got from people. The building was definately mixed in that there were students living there who couldn't vote in this riding, or were not citizens and can't vote either. Some people didn't care too much, some seemed interested and we handed out brochures to everyone.

We ran into about three pro-Conservatives, one who was quite antagonistic...but in the sense that he didn't understand we couldn't talk actual policy with him (we're not allowed to), but we offered to have Olivia call him personally since he was questioning why we support her and kept asking "Is the NDP really good for businesses?" However he didn't want to talk to Olivia, I think he felt like he just wanted to harass us and thought he was so much smarter....well, the other girl I was canvassing with graduated from the Commerce and Finance program and she answered his question about business and the economy lol.....and then when we brought up medicare he was like, "That wasn't the NDP that was the party before them." Ok buddy, I know all about the CCF and Tommy Douglas, don't even play that game with me. The CCF became the NDP in 1961 officially and univesal healthcare became legislation in 1966 under Pearson. Yes Saskatchewan passed their own legislation as early as 1946 when Tommy Douglas was premier, but the CCF = NDP! Ugh. And of course he mentions Ed Broadbent, and claims "You're too young to know who he is." Well I do know who he is buddy, he led the NDP in the 1980s and was quite popular. At the end he said he liked how we had initiative to be going out and doing this, but he was still pretty antagonisitc, especially with my canvassing partner. Silly Tories.

It was a good experience though, our job was mainly to collect data on the people living there and try to get phone numbers so we can call them closer to the election date. It was very interesting seeing how it's all done...they have names, addresses and some phone numbers from the previous election already, so I'm sure every party has tons of info on you in your riding hahaha. Everyone i met at Olivia Chow's campaign office were super nice and friendly, and I got free ice cream! They want me to come back of course, but my parents weren't too happy about me going door to door lol. I was considering doing it in my own riding, but I know the NDP have a small chance against the Liberal and Conservative candidates...we'll see though, it would be good to get the word out there about the NDP and even try to convince people to vote "anything but Conservative." About half the people I talked to seem to be in that boat anyway.

Ok, on to hockey! The NHL season has ended, and my Leafs did not make the playoffs for the 6th season in a row...however, they put up amazing numbers and had a great record the past two months, mostly because of new goalie James Reimer! This kid is amazing! The Leafs couldn't get back into it because of an awful November and December, but next year I know they can do better. They have most of the pieces now, and with Reimer in net they'll do better...and hopefully have a waffless season lol.

The Canucks won the President's trophy as the best team in the league since they have the most points! I'm super proud of them, they deserve it finally! This is their year! They've always been one of my 2nd favourite teams mainly because they're a Canaidan team, and the past two seasons Wellwood was a Canuck so I loved them even more...this year however, Wellwood is a Shark, but I'm still loving the Canucks...the Sedin twins are crazy good, like, last year Henrik won the Hart and Art Ross, this year his twin brother Daniel will get the Art Ross and possibly more...and Ryan Kesler is probably the most well-rounded hockey player, he has 41 goals this season (whaaaat?!) and he's great defensively and physically, plus a vocal leader. Of course I can't forget Luongo, who's been having a great season with less pressure than last year. And then the defence is solid with guys like Edler and Erhoff (who are cute as well lol). So they're my pick to win the Cup this year! I'll update my other playoff predictions by Wednesday night.

ps. Canucks Greenmen need to watch out for the Hockey Lovin Homos hahaha...this guy, dressed in drag with his friends, had a piece of tape covering the "homo" part and took it off during the game bahahaha... I wonder what head coach Alain Vigneault thought...



Andddd Stephen Haprer and his Conservatives have been caught lying (in Parliament) again...when will people realize he should not be leading our country??! http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/the-g8-legacy-millions-mismanaged-parliament-misled/article1981130/page2/
The idea of him winning a majority scares the shit out of me.

Make sure to watch the Leaders Debate on CBC at 7pm Tuesday night! Elizabeth May won't be in it though, which is ridicuous...Harper's just afraid of her because last debate she ripped into him hardcore haha. Yet the French debate has been moved to Wednesday to avoid a scheduling conflict with the first game of the Habs-Bruins playoff series. Former NHLer Georges Laraque, the Green Party's Deputy Leader apparently, says “Hockey 1, Democracy 0" lol.

+ Lorelie

my mama used to say think before you act

as an individual who wants to work towards social change
i often get asked where and what i want to do
and a lot of people are surprised when i tell them that i want to focus on local change
and the easiest explanation involves saying: "need to fix my own backyard first."
rather than explaining the problems that come with what has come to be called "voluntourism" and the imperialism, colonialism and privilege that comes with going to "third world" countries and "helping" the "needy."
i'm technically not lying to them because i actually do believe that there are issues in my hometown and surrounding areas as well as across canada
but explaining "voluntourism" happens only so often as i find that it is easier to tell some people over others
strategically spreading my wisdom to the masses haha

anyways, here is an interesting article that looks at humanitarianism and the literal bullshit behind it
take a little looksie, especially the voluntourism stuff http://www.cracked.com/article_19123_6-socially-conscious-actions-that-only-look-like-they-help.html

other than that, i am currently writing my last undergrad essay/take home!
sociology of religion yay! not

oh and for our readers, this saturday is our blogs 1 year birthday!
i hope i remember hahaha
lets have vitural cake. YUM

ray charles

and i dont want the world to see me, cause i dont think that they'd understand

blog!
its been a while
a long while
i actually don't know how long it has been
anyways, i'm really tired
and i dont have much to say other than that
ive been writing a lot of papers and assignments lately that writing on here seems to much like work
and i don't want to have to write more than i should
an update?
well tomorrow is my photoshoot - exciting
i still have to hand in my punk paper
and two take homes
besides that, i have watched a different movie every night since last wednesday
exam time is fun
other than that, i came here to let you know i'm still alive

ray charles

You can call me a tree hugging hippie red, but I'm sticking with the NDP!

Hello Blog! Guess what? Only one week left until I'm totally done the semester and 4th year! This time next week, I will hopefully be finished my last paper! I need to get to work this weekend and write an insane amount of papers and a short story and an exam monday. But I'm so close! I'm super excited for spring and warmer weather and hopefully I can go shopping soon! Anyway, I don't have time to do a full on rant about the election, so I'll be quick.

1) Elizabeth May should be allowed in the national debate. She was allowed in 2008, but the TV groups that controls the debate said at that time the Green Party has a seat in Parliament (as a Liberal crossed the floor to be a Green). So now the Greens have no seats, so she shouldn't debate. Such bullshit. The Green Party won 7% of the vote last time, and runs candidates in constiuencies across Canada, unlike the Bloc who only run in Quebec. About 1 in every 10 Canadians support the Green Party. Plus, she owned Harper in the last debate. She should be allowed to a part of it. Hopefully the public outcry will be as effective as it was in 2008.

2) Harper is restricting questions to five a day throughout his campaign tour. People are screened by his Tory minions to ensure they're pro-Tory too. He also takes four of the five questions from Tory journalists, and only one from other media...and yesterday, when a journalist asked why he only takes five questions, he didn't answer. Biggest issue, he keeps the normal media behind a fence at his speaking engagements. Ummm, this doesn't seem very "democratic," but then again, he isn't very democratic himself so it's expected. The other candidates take questions from all journalists and go out and meet average Canadians. Ugh Harper! Why would anyone support him...

Anyways, I'm in love with this video! The lyrics are so witty and honest and amazing. Success avec le NDP! Go social democrats! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auVGvM4_9XU&feature=related

ps. Leafs are still in it! Only 5 points away from 8th again! Go Leafs! Four games left!