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

[menyhapyreturns.livejournal.com]

I had no idea Vancouver had that many homeless people.

The Green party here in the US is pretty worthless (IMO) but the Independent Green Party of Virgina I like a lot and have been voting for these past few state elections (to no avail, obv). I don't know why no one else does, whenever we get into discussions about how both the D's and the R's have too much stuff we disagree with, 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".

This is why 3rd parties never get anywhere, people.

[greenie-breizh.livejournal.com]

What's the difference between the national Green Party and the Independent Green Party of VA? It frustrates me a lot when people vote "strategically" for big parties - not only does it mean smaller parties never get anywhere, but it also fails to call the big parties on their BS, because all they see is that people keep voting for them no matter what. Sigh.

[menyhapyreturns.livejournal.com]

The Independent Green Party of VA trends more to a fiscal conservative position (full disclosure - i too tend to trend a bit more towards the libertarian side myself on some things) which I find appealing about them. And they are huge advocates for renewable energy and most of all, the light rail system which we really need expanded in NoVa. Aside form their foreign policy/military stances, I like the US Green Party's...values, I guess, but as a friend of mine pointed out recently, "They'll need to pay for all that non-bureaucratic bureaucracy they’re going to have to create to impose their platform."

[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.

[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.

[terra-placidus.livejournal.com]

The homelessness situation here is so severe because we have 1) the most mild winters of anywhere in the country and 2)also, being the third largest city in Canada, we have the resources (well, obviously not enough resources, but you know what I mean!) to serve people who are homeless and also dealing with addiction, mental health issues, etc. Many of the homeless people living on the streets are not originally even from the province, but come from other places in the country, or even nearby states, where they simply couldn't survive the winters on the street. Winter on the Canadian prairies can get down to -60 (including windchill) or thereabouts, whereas here, there might be a week or so where we make it a touch below zero. Not comfortable or pleasant, but better than freezing solid. :(

[terra-placidus.livejournal.com]

So, obviously the Olympics have gone hideously over budget, and this exact magnitude probably couldn't have been forseen, but this was something people were fully expecting and complaining about back in February 2003, when there was a pathetic 50% turn-out at the city-wide referendum over whether we should even bid on the games. The fact that this is over budget and that taxpayers will have to pay is not a surprise. (I was ineligible to vote as I lived on campus at UBC, which was a load of bull, because I intended to be in Vancouver for a very long time and as a British Columbian and a Canadian my taxes will pay for this until the day I die, grrrr). A fifty percent turnout means that there could have been a little under a million additional votes.

I wonder if this will serve as a lesson to people how important it is to get out there and exercise their responsibility as citizens in a democracy? Something tells me that would be too optimistic. Sigh.

[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.

[menyhapyreturns.livejournal.com]

well, I'm learning all sorts of shiat today. Thanks for the info:)

[tanisafan.livejournal.com]

I can't open that second link (the skid row link) for some reason, is that just me?

I remember the homeless problem all too well, I can imagine the city trying hard to 'clean up the streets' as they say, but it pissess me off so badly. I wish people who put less money in prestigious events, and more money in solving the problems they encounter now. Bah.