My life + Olympics

[greenie_breizh]

Allie and I were talking earlier and for some reason I brought up Hush and I was like, "y'know, the Buffy episode where they don't talk?" And she was like, yeah, Hush! Which makes my little geeky heart so happy, that she would even know episode names, and so I ventured to ask if she'd seen Dr. Horrible, and she has. This, on top of general awesomeness, and the fact that she's borrowed 17 Again from me. Guys. I've really lucked out here!

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Some not-so-celebratory coverage about the Olympics and two quotes that sum up a lot of issues for me:
- The Guardian: Vancouver's Olympics head for disaster
- MSNBC: Canada’s Olympic city has notorious skid row (I have problems with that one but glad the DTES is getting some attention)
- Sports Illustrated: As Olympics near, people in Vancouver are dreading Games

Carol Martin who works in the downtown eastside of Vancouver, the most economically impoverished area in all of Canada, made this clear: "The Bid Committee promised that not a single person would be displaced due to the Games, but there are now 3,000 homeless people sleeping on Vancouver's streets and these people are facing increased police harassment as they try to clean the streets in the lead up to the Games." (Sports Illustrated)

"The Bailout Games" have already been labelled a staggering financial disaster. While the complete costs are still unknown, the Vancouver and British Columbian governments have hinted at what's to come by cancelling 2400 surgeries, laying off 233 government employees, 800 teachers and recommending the closure of 14 schools. It might be enough to make one cynical, but luckily every inch of the city is now coated with advertisements that feature smiley people enjoying the products of the event's gracious sponsors. (The Guardian)

(Interesting to read people's feelings about the event on the Vancouver LJ community, too.)

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I am NOT HAPPY with UBC for claiming that they sent an email out to students about a guy who's been banned from the central building on campus for inappropriate touching of women, when no one has actually received that email. Ugh.

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Reading the platform for Europe Écologie makes me both feel awesome that this coalition even exists and sad to think people like this could be in power and doing so much good but they're not. You know how people always complain that there is no political party that stands for what they believe in? Yeah, I totally don't feel that way. I have so much love for the Green Party in France, even though it's not perfect by any means. But reading about their vision of what to do makes me feel like we could actually turn things around if we had the political courage to do so.

Comments

[petit-rhino.livejournal.com]

i point out the IG's and they're all "yeah!" but then they still vote for one of the "big two" so they don't "waste their vote".

It's frustrating indeed. IIRC it was even more the case at the last presidential election in France because of the election before that. The extremist Le Pen managed to go on the second round of votes (1st round it's all parties, 2nd one only the main 2), supposedly because people were voting too much for the little parties.

[menyhapyreturns.livejournal.com]

I had to look that up - the wikipedia on La Pen is both fascinating and hilarious (his ex). I wouldn't have thought France would have such a strong fundie population (or that he would be fundy himself, being apparently trained by jesuits). U figure his appeal is a result of backlash to the muslim immigrant population?

[greenie-breizh.livejournal.com]

I'd say it's partly a response to a growth in Muslim populations, partly immigration more generally, partly people feeling left out by a globalization process that brings about joblessness and fewer social protections, partly people feeling disconnected because it looks like the two main parties are not really looking out for their (the people's) interests. And even that is a gross simplification of what's going on, it's a lot of things playing into each other. There's racism in there for sure, but it doesn't act alone.

Also, I profoundly abhor Le Pen's ideas but I don't know if I would call him a fundamentalist. That term is very seeped in religious ideology to me and Le Pen doesn't really bank on fundamentalist Christianity.

[menyhapyreturns.livejournal.com]

My mistake, i just use "fundy" as a convenient catch-all. he seems all fine and good with social engineering though. guess that doesn't make him really any different than anyone else though, aside from his end goals.

[petit-rhino.livejournal.com]

What Joey said.

I don't know how accurate the study was but I read in an article some years ago that people voted more for Le Pen in rural areas, where there is traditionnally less muslim immigration.