How to Save the World in Four Steps

There is a learning opportunity for Newfoundland and Labrador currently underway in the United States.

Because a man with a bomb in his underwear almost killed about 300 people on a flight to Detroit, a huge uproar has surfaced over how well the nation's Homeland Security departments are doing their jobs.

There is a similarity in the aftermath of this event to our own health care flap. When it was revealed that faulty tests were used to diagnose people with cancer, or to give them a clear bill of health, the people's trust in our health system was dramatically put into question.

Just as various politicians and departments of Homeland Security began pointing fingers at each other after the Christmas attack, an entire inquiry saw politicians and health care professionals here shift blame and deny responsibility.

This type of reaction is frustrating and counter-productive. But what is the alternative? How can a problem that was spread throughout several agencies and groups of people be blamed on one individual?

The solution is currently being shown to us in President Obama's handling of the situation south of the border.

His first step was to openly and quickly inform the public of what is known about the situation. Some critics say his three-day delay was too long, but compare that to the months of secrecy surrounding the receptor tests.

Second, he pulled together everyone involved and made a clear assessment of what went wrong. His term "systemic failure" is apt: it recognizes that many levels were involved, and it was not one person's fault.

Third, he outlined the steps that will be taken to prevent this issue from ever happening again.

And fourth, and most importantly, he emphatically stated that he will not tolerate finger-pointing. He backed this up by taking ultimate responsibility for the actions of his entire government: "The buck stops with me"

We have an excellent leader in Premier Danny Williams, and several of the above elements were evident in the eventual, though tragically belated, response to the faulty receptor tests.

However, a quicker, more decisive response and acceptance of responsibility may have saved time and encouraged others to accept some of the blame and feel comfortable telling us the facts of the situation.

We must remember that we are all in this together, and everyone has a shared responsibility to do what is right. The more we can accept that everyone makes mistakes and focus more on solving problems than arguing over who's to blame, the better off we'll be.

group speak

St. John's is known across Canada (and even in some of the United States) as having a "colourful" or "dynamic" city council. Many would argue that this is thanks in large part to our last mayor, although I've heard that he was just latest in a distinguished line of characters.

Now we are about to elect a fresh new council, and the stakes appear to be high. This city is posed to benefit immensely from an impending boom in oil and gas exploration and production. And whoever's in charge of the city's budget will wield a great deal of power.

While the Internet is still a relatively new phenomenon, it is finally becoming a pervasive medium for a majority of our population. Apart from its potential for communicating to voters, it present astounding possibilities for citizen engagement in the running of the city.

The comment boards on CBC NL and The Telegram may seem benign at the moment; they are essentially an online, text-based "Open Line." But even just the added feature of being able to "vote" for or "approve" of other people comments has started to change our idea of our ability to influence the direction our public policies take.

All of the candidates are campaigning on the promise of engaging citizens to assist in decision making. This approach is probably as old as democracy itself, however one wonders if candidates are prepared for a new age of citizen expectations.

The Internet is giving us a view of the entire world. Today a person living on Elizabeth Avenue can read the news from St. John's, Toronto, Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, and Shanghai. She can see that cities have common issues, and can learn exactly how these cities are tackling such problems. She can observe which ones work, and then ask "why aren't we doing that here?"

And so, perhaps the most effective leader of a city is one who can assimilate a wide array of ideas and inputs, and then mobilize the council members, city workers, and citizen groups to enact programs to address these concerns and suggestions.

Our last mayor told us at every opportunity that our representatives work for him were incompetent fools. Many of us still believe this.

I'm involved in this year's election campaign and have been fortunate to meet many of the candidates. One thing I can tell you is that they are not fools. But I can also tell you that learning what matters to voters takes open ears and a lot of work.

However, it's not hard for voters to submit their opinions and views to the many, many outlets online. These include the sites I mentioned above, as well as blogs, discussion forums, social media (facebook, twitter, etc) and direct emails to the candidates.

And because we're getting so used to being able to do this, we will soon demand that city council not only listen to these voices, but that they provide a central forum for ideas to be shared and discussed expressly for the folks at city hall.

Is your candidate ready for that? Because I know you and your neighbours are.

it takes a community

The Globe and Mail's Report on Business has an article about what appears to be the next approach to sustaining and developing economies in the post-natural resource era. From the article:

The secret ingredient for recovery is to encourage communities to take responsibility for their own futures.

Basically what's going on is that we're emerging from a massive transition of post-war human civilization. After the wars we had all moved to cities and created the assembly-line culture. Everything was mass-produced, including our communities (the suburbs).

The global community was born with newspapers, then radio, then television, and finally the internet. We are now more informed and educated than ever, and all of our old traditions and beliefs are being questioned. Where we used to stay close to our small clans and towns for stability, we had to retreat further into our individuality as we were overwhelmed by the diversity of the global human race.

And so we lost the sense of community and our religion. It was every person for themselves. And now we're at a turning point where we can finally enjoy individuality and simultaneously experience it as a group, because we better understand one another and can effectively choose to hang out with people like ourselves.

But our social structures now have to be rebuilt. So we're starting to come back together with a new energy and lots of new ideas. Our new approach to society will be collaboration, because we've now got the tools to make it really easy and effective to work together. In many cases you only need to commit as much as you feel like to a cause, and that's enough thanks to sheer numbers and effective systems to make it work.

I seriously believe this is where we are heading. It's a very natural direction, and it's the one we've been on for a very long time.

nouvelles amis

Quebec has nation status, and it's because they're unique in Canada.  Newfoundland has a pretty unique history and culture as well, and people have bandied about the idea of NL as Nation.

Quebec is a powerful province with a large population and what appears to be a sustainable economic system.  They also have an approach to social welfare that values a rich culture and high standard of living.  A lot of people think Quebec has certain things figured out.

Quebec is not likely to separate from Canada any time soon (if ever) but if they ever do, it would physically cut us off from the rest of our parent country.  In fact, as it stands, they already do act as an obstacle to Ottawa.

We've had our differences in the past (notably the Upper Churchill disaster), but wouldn't we be better off to forge a positive relationship with Quebec?  It's been said that there are Labradorians who already associate themselves with Quebec more strongly than with NL.

Somehow, intuitively, it seems as though we've been ignoring a potential powerful ally.  I say we foster our relationship with Quebec.  What do you guys think?  How could we do this?

new world order (and canada, too!)

So.  The prime minister we all love to hate has increased his minority government.  The resounding chorus of facebook statuses collectively cried "at least it's not a majority!" after the results were in.  Many of us are sad, but not destroyed.  And the good news is there is a bright silver lining to all of this.

Martin Lawrence (my favourite Globe columnist) has a prediction that Dion will exit as Liberal leader before 2009, and that (God willing!) Harper will be out within two years.  His argument for the latter is that the PM has failed to achieve a majority after two tries, and that the next Liberal leader will be popular (unlike Mr. Sweatervest).

I tend to agree.  And, of course, we mustn't forget that Obama will very likely be President of the United States.  This is important because it's looking as though there is going to be major movement from western leaders to begin working together for the greater good.

See this Economist article, which reports the European Union's efforts to not only avoid an economic disaster, but to also reform "capitalism" so that it's based more on morals and people.  With Obama's career-defining commitment to helping people work together, this is a recipe for a major global shift in culture.

I really liked Dion, and he represented an approach to governance that could have lead to great things.  However, the unfortunate truth of the matter is that we live in a media-driven world and if you don't translate well, you won't be heard.  The next Liberal leader (my bet is on Ignatieff) will most certainly be popular and likely win the election - and s/he will be running on a platform influenced by 2 years of Dion environmentalism.

So.  Take heart!  We will suffer some further deconstruction of our social fabric for a little while longer, but once the time comes to decide again, our choice will be clear.  And this leader will be guiding us through a global climate where community and collaboration are the ideals on everyone's lips.

gratitude

It's thanksgiving weekend. It's a time for turkey and cheesy radio shows about the things we're thankful for. Today I figured, "Hey, I'm cheesy, how about I express my gratitude for stuff?"

So here goes.

Today I took my cat to the vet. He's been showing signs of an infection and I want him to be OK. But I don't have a car so I usually hold off on these things. I did so last time and he literally came within hours of death. I don't always treat Luna really well, mostly cause I'm a yuppy who likes to focus on himself (i.e., sit at the computer and write blog entries while he meows that he's bored). But I really love him a lot, and so perhaps his traumatic experience at the vet today was my way of saying "thanks for being so sweet."

My roomie Heather brought Luna with her when she moved in a few years ago, and it is her that I attribute Luna's peaceful demeanor. I'm thankful that she came into my life, and that we're better friends now than we were during the year she lived with me.

I've had several room mates throughout my years here on Gower Street, and they've all been great. The guy I first moved here with was Dave, and perhaps the close proximity during both our first time living away from our parents kinda drove us apart near the end. But I know that we both still care deeply about each other, and that we'll always be friends. And I'm very thankful for that.

Two other room mates in particular stand out to me. Tristan and Alain. These are both guys with big minds and big hearts, and I can always count on them to help me out when I'm going through tough times. They're definitely two of my best friends and I wouldn't trade anything for them. They travel a lot and bring to me a world view that keeps me sane as I live my life in the same place I was born during a time of global change.

Two other guys that I've made important connections with are Chris and Joey. Chris is on the other side of the world, but we often find ourselves going through similar emotional situations at the same time. Chris's artful penmanship puts things in a unique perspective that I value deeply. Joey keeps everything real for me and shows me what unabiding love looks like. The world loves Joey, and to have a special place with him is pretty brilliant.

And of course, there's Luke, who was my friend in high school and will be my friend at the grave. Perhaps that is all that matters in this friendship, but even better is that we share common interests and an excitement and optimism about the present and the future. I learned my attention to detail from him, and with his help have developed my ability to articulate my thoughts in a meaningful way.

I'm thankful for the women in my life. Because I am a male of the species, I am sorely lacking in a vast component of perspective that women seem to have on life. Because my hormones often go haywire when I'm around women, it's difficult for me to connect with many of them on the level that I would like. So for this I am extremely thankful for the few that I've had the profound honour of sharing an intimate relationship with.

There are three that come to mind, and they were the most long-standing. First is Holly, whose name implies her cuteness. She is sweet and serious, and dedicated to what she believes in. She'll always be my high school sweetheart, and we've remained friends even though I had a hard time getting over her (which I made sure she endured with me).

I spent one fifth of my life with Nora. She was there while my parents were living away, at my sister's wedding, and with me when I was kicked out of the band. Together we have endured some of the most intense struggles that we'll ever experience. She taught me how to care for others I don't know, and communicated her experience of the world in such a way that I learned how to connect with my emotional intelligence. I attribute much of who I am and what I'm proud of to the times we went through. We'll always have an important connection.

Most recently, of course, was Jenn. She introduced me to Alain, was there when I got my big job, and supported me while I bought the house. It is from her that I learned to true power and freedom of honesty in a relationship and from her that I have learned how to direct my life and constantly push myself to go further. We will probably be living miles away from each other for most of our lives, but I have in Jenn a best friend that will last forever.

Then there's my family. It is becoming clearer and clearer that our personalities and life experiences are dictated profoundly by our genes as well as our environment, especially in the early years of our lives. My mom and dad are beautiful, intelligent people who knew the importance of raising their children well.

My mom brought to my life a deep commitment to raising happy children who were well educated and balanced in life. She was a primary school teacher who has touched the lives of hundreds of children yet still devoted the lion's share of her energy to caring for me and Andrea. She has had many difficult struggles in her life, and most people will never know this because she continues to smile and laugh and care. I know that as I continue to grow and find my way in life, she will only become more of an inspiration and guiding light for me.

And what a choice Mom made in marrying Dad! I always kind of knew this, but as I'm finally far enough along my path to start looking back on my life with perspective, I can see that I have in my own father a man with the kindest heart I have ever known and probably ever will know. Quiet, considerate, and perpetually (it seems) pleasant, my dad is very much the rock of our family. I suspect he is the only one who knows all of our secrets. My regret is that I don't know as much about him that I would like, but he has expressed he felt the same way about his dad, so we're working on ending the cycle together.

Finally, there's my sweet, loving, caring, beautiful older sister, Andrea. I'm a dreamer, and I think a lot of this is thanks to the knowledge that I can go into the clouds and always know that if I fall, my sister will be there to catch me. No matter what. So much of who I am was inspired by her dreams that she shared with me when we were young. My passion for music, my interest in space, my desire to find truth - they all have roots in spending time with Andrea and learning what it is that can be accomplished in this life. I am inspired by her choice in a husband that matches her so well and seems to bring balance to her chaotic, brilliant mind.

It doesn't end there, of course. I am extremely fortunate to come from an extended family full of loving, intelligent, wonderful people. I was born and raised on an exceptional island where the culture is rich and minds are sharp. I am coming of age during a time of great historical importance, and I can watch it all happening on the Internet. I am thankful for these things.

It looks like we might be having some tough times for the next while. There is a great deal of tumult in the world, and it's beginning to touch almost everyone. It is during these difficult times that it is imperative that we keep perspective on what we have and who we are. Look to what it is that you're grateful for and remember that they are your roots. They are what give purpose to life, and they are innumerable.

why harper is winning.

While I still hold out hope that my party of choice - the Liberals - will win this Canadian election, it is likely that Stephen Harper and his Conservative party will retake the PMO. And he achieved this despite the fact that only about a third of Canadians want him in there. There are several reasons for this.

A few months after Harper became prime minister, it became clear to the mainstream media that he was a very strategic man. Every move he makes is calculated, and he maintains control over the actions of his government by restricting media communication and demanding that most decision making comes directly from the PMO.

His rise to power can be attributed in part to his efforts to "unite the right." During the Chretien years, the right-leaning political parties were weak and fractured. The Reform party was doing reasonably well, and the Progressive Conservative party (the party that was in power when Canada was formed in 1867) was on life support.

Harper made headlines with a soundbite from a speech in which he pleaded that "The West wants in" which appealed to Alberta's and its neighbours' feeling that they were being ignored by Ottawa. He could see that forming a party that represented the people of a province that was about to boom with oil would be a powerful and effective thing.

Many Canadians are appalled at the cuts that Harper has made to social programs and minority rights. On many occasions Harper has reneged on direct promises, and has blatantly reversed his stance on various issues to suit the political climate of the day.

Now, while upon even brief analysis it is clear that Harper cannot be trusted to keep promises or support the less fortunate in our population, there is wild support for him primarily in the west. Why is this? It seems counter-intuitive: these are our fellow Canadians, and we know there are good people over there because as Newfoundlanders we've sent them half our population.

The reason that Harper's leadership resonates with Albertans is because the policies he has enacted are ones that seemingly "get government out of the way" of people's lives. In other words, by ending social programs, people's tax dollars are no longer going to support people who can't support themselves and citizens are not forced into standardized (read: low-quality) services like education and health care.

Alberta has no provincial sales tax, a low unemployment rate, and high wages. This is a recipe for independent-minded folks who have at their finger tips a vast array of options on which to spend their money. There is a large population in many major centers, and due to sheer numbers there are plenty of services offered privately.

It makes no sense to many people that if a person can afford high-quality health care, for example, they cannot access it. If a person has the means to send their child to a great school, they should in no way be restricted from doing that.

Whatever one's opinion of this point of view, there are a lot of people who do not wish to give money to a government that cannot (perceived or otherwise) provide as high quality services as they can afford themselves.

Harper believes this (one assumes) and panders to those who agree. His calculated self-image and actions as PM have managed to trick those who do not closely follow the circus that is politics. Or, at least one third of them.

Take heart, at least, in the fact that we remain a left-leaning country who mostly care deeply about social justice, fairness, and equality. We are just having trouble focusing our message (four opposition parties!) as Harper was able to do.