WILL WE EXPERIENCE WORLD WAR III?

Will we see WORLD WAR III.

Wasn’t Obama the questionable recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize shortly after inauguration, having done nothing for peace but to talk about negotiation and discussion being the preferred means by which to end the greatest and deepest conflicts. Well he didn’t close down Guantanamo Bay detention camp. And he did authorize the bullets that took down Saddam Hussein. Now, Britain and USA are in geographical and philosophical positions at Syria’s doorstep to launch an attack, ostensibly to punish Bashar Hafez al-Assad for using chemical attacks on innocents in his own country. UN inspectors have been allowed to conduct an investigation but it has not been completed. The UN wants more time.

AWARENESS TO THE WORLD

A NEW LEARNING
While living in France for the past two months we watched far less television than we customarily do. If an apartment had a television it was located in the bedroom. Why would it be in the family room or living area? That is where social and meal times happen. That is where reading and conversation take place. Television would predictably interfere with that.

In North America a high def screen is the first furniture article one sees upon entering the living space.

When we did watch TV it was often to listen to learn language on the predominantly French list of networks but there were German, Swedish and other language stations as well. We watched the French Open with French language commentators and laughed when a player made a great get or served an ace because the commentator’s expression was “ohh la la!” We were fortunate to find three English language networks broadcasting throughout the UK, Europe and the Asian community, BBC World News, CNN World News, and World News. (You can tap these highlights to go to the online network sites)

What we noticed over the course of time was that we became more informed about the current affairs of world countries than we do at home. We were in tune with international news. When is the last time you heard Cricket scores? American and Canadian networks focus news stories on national features and reports. We concluded that North Americans are largely unaware and indifferent to international events except as it impacts the home front. We are domestically preoccupied that even the word ‘international’ is used euphemistically in North America to refer to an entity within our two countries, the United States and Canada. An example is the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers), which has its international office in Washington, DC with local offices throughout the Unites States and Canada. We found ourselves grateful for a wider exposure to the issues and triumphs in the wider world. Pakistan, Israel, Afghanistan, Kenya, South Africa all seemed closer, geographically of course, but principally in terms of our consciousness.

Christine and I were grateful to be in touch with the global community.We want to find ways to maintain that sensitivity. i.e. channel 36 BBC WorldNews (seldom watched it before the trip)

Canadian Federal Administration Dismays Me

A NEW LEARNING
I have too much unfocused time and use a great deal of it to reflect on details of life that I ignored before I retired. I have harangued about this before but it irks me still. Obama’s White House government website is impressively classy, regal, and so very user friendly and informative and Obama is front and centre. Our Canadian Parliament site is tightly packed, minimalist and visually challenging and Harper is just a name, no visuals. I wrote a polite note to the Parliament website managers with some suggestions and detected in the following days that someone in the Parliament building had looked at my blog and art sites trying to know who I was. I received no acknowledgment of my note even though suggestions are welcomed. Maybe that was one of the jobs cut in this downturn.

I know that our Prime Minister is subject to parliamentary confidence while the US President is independent of the legislature. Stephen Harper is viewed as one of the many elected officers. Obama is viewed as the Chief as in "Hail to the Chief." Harper fits within Canada’s constitutional monarchical form of government while Obama operates within the American federal constitutional republic. In some ways that seems more pluralistic and democratic. I wish that we could accord to our prime ministerial leader a greater dignity and distinction than we do.

Stephen Harper gets a good deal of negative press. He has brought some of it upon himself. He and his inner circle goofed before Christmas. It is also directed at him because that is how we treat politicians in Canada – badly. He has shown some executive weaknesses as well as many strengths. By the skin of his prorogued teeth Harper is still on the same side of the House. We are moving forward with the Conservative plan for economic recovery but Harper’s hold on power is tenuous.He will stay there as long as the opposition parties (Liberals are key) allow him. I voted for him. I am trusting that his plan will work. But I am concerned.

Harper is almost invisible to the average Canadian. When did you last see Harper before the camera, talking to the press, taking time to talk to a city of people about the economic recovery strategy and listening to their stories. News networks profile every other piece of news, even the token animal story before I see Harper. How can I help but to contrast Canadian leadership with American leadership. I watch Obama almost daily with some clip of him in some American city or at this week’s second weekly Presidential Press Conference. I watch him because I can. He is news. He makes news. He speaks and it becomes news. Harper is unavailable. He is almost silent. He is closeted somewhere. Oh, I forgot. He was in our House of Commons where daily he must compete to talk more commandingly than the opposition amid catcalls and hissing. And you can watch this circus in action if you choose to do so. It’s no wonder Canadians turn to Jeopardy and American Idol.

See Obama's Feb 14 and 2nd press conference at the White House site (4:45 min)

Harper has not addressed the Press since November 8. Oh yes, and back to websites. The Conservative Party site which is colourful and is easily navigable merely leads you to outdated documents. Press the large photo on the first page of the site and you get a November 2008 statement about the economic action plan. I can’t tell you how this dismays me. This is our governing federal party. I can keep things more current than this. The True North Strong and Free is the Party’s 2008 plan presented before the last election. OK! Enuf already, I agree.

Websites - I am Voting for the Bloc

A NEW LEARNING
Compare them yourself. Here is the new Government of USA website entitled ‘Welcome to the White House”, and here is the existing Canadian Parliament Website. Which impresses you? makes you want to read further and to explore? Now here is the official Government of Canada site, a very comprehensive information vehicle. So kudos for content on this one.

I would describe the Canadian Parliament site as unimpressive. But it is more than that. It gives the appearance of an early entrance into the internet website era, even a reluctant admission that this is the most comprehensive form of communication today. In contrast the USA government site was newly installed on January 20 2009, Inauguration Day and carries the same look and colours of Barak Obama’s presidential campaign site. It is designed to engage people in government and to increase the information flow in both directions. Our Canadian site currently is configured with small font, jammed with information on presenting pages and not at all stimulating to explore unless in serious need of information. (Did you notice how my visual images contrast the scale of my impressions of each?)

So I decided to write to the Canadian Parliament website at their invitation to say the following:
“This is not a criticism but a suggestion. Having just viewed comparatively the new web site of the USA government and our own Canadian government site, perhaps a refreshment of our Canadian site design with use-friendliness, colour, and larger font would increase user volume and ease of use. Since timing of USA's new site was January 20th 2009 might it not be timely to affect this redesign for January 26 2009 start of the next session? Thanks for reading.
http://ronunruhgallery.webs.com/ Ron”

Yes you can see that I even threw my art website at them in a brazen self promotion.



I would love to see a Canadian government website of which I can be as proud as I am of my country.

1. Conservative Party website is attractive, easily navigable, informative but not current and still contains the old fighting anti NDP and Liberal rhetoric.
2. The Liberal Party site is cast in red & white, plainly and simply, easily navigated but disappointingly uninformative about major issues and policies and agenda.
3. The NDP site is shockingly and tastelessly orange as in construction coveralls, but it's well designed and provides good visuals.
4. The Bloc Quebecois Party website has the mandatory English option, good visuals and colours and is very informative.
5. The Rhinocerus Party is designed in simple red and white with the goofy rhino logo, looks like a cartoon and does not work well.
5. The Green Party site is... green, well laid out, is easily understood, has very good issues and solutions lists. I am impressed.

Of the Canadian collection in terms of design and useful information I would shortlist the Conservative, Green and Bloc sites and my vote goes to the Bloc.