h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

good question - where is everybody? why when i was young we didn't have any of these young whipper snappers running around pretending to drink coffee and swim at the beach

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Lets stick with this one.
Seems odd how people go through bursts of activity on this thing.
I was very worried yesterday when I went to hit hte site and it was down. Very odd.

Any new revolutions lately?

oh you know the revolution, it goes on

have you been following the washington stuff? rather exciting i thought - rather looking forward to mayday now heh heh

true about the bursts of activity - in my case they tend to correspond with the holidays (one of which we are currently experiencing - i ought to be doing law stuff but i needed a break so i'm taking one)

site's frequently down from way over here, although i haven't had any problems since they moved and it's been heaps faster which is good

how's stuff on the wrong side of the fence?


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hehehehehe
Wrong side of the fence.
hehehehe

Sorry for the laughter, but it is probably one of the biggest shifts in perception I've ever had to go through (still going through).
It's great here. Being on the inside (or at least closer to the core) gives you a whole new look at things.

One of the biggest changes has been that whole "us and them" definition.

All these groups that have worked with "us" for ten years to get elected are so used to bashing government that they are putting us on the firing line. It was and still is a little crazy. When it started in the last session the premier and opposition leader were using the wrong terms to refer to one another. Everybody has been in the trenches for so long, the reversal is rather jarring. All these lobby groups have to make the same transition and realize that we aren't the same government as before and we do things differently. The most impressive statement so far has been the feed back on public consultation processes that are actually public. Everyone's been so used to no one listening that they are very grateful for every chance they get to vocalise their ideas. The election promises are being kept, or in the process of being kept, and there is a whole sense of optimism. Guarded optimism, but optimism none the less.

Public opinion is really high.

Very daunting to see how this whole ship actually runs, and even more daunting to see how long it takes to change course.
It is steadily happening though and that's positive. I've been so immersed in the day to day of it that I almost missed the whole Washington thing. Everyone here is so focused on the issues at hand I can see how easy it would be to loose sight of the big picture.

The Washinton situation has been very interesting. What little I was able to hear really was great.

How goes the law stuff?
How exactly is the University school year structured down there anyway?

I assume that if you get Cdn programing its via Global or News World International?

We are now in session.
Its a little crazy.
Third day of QP here and its interesting to say the least.
Hot potato with aboriginal casinos right now.
Hog barn protest.
Grade three standards testing.
Farm disaster funding.
Its all just a little nuts.
But the opposition has no ground to stand on here. They were the cases our MLA's campaigned on so they are well versed in the issues, and are dealing with the situation rather well.

i can tell ya, as someone in one of those leftwing groups over here, it's because we all know that we are still going to have to fight for everything - you can't just reverse a culture of corporate capture over night, so we're still making our voices heard in the "old" ways, as well as pushing to be heard through proper channels, as we should have been in the first place

although over here we now have a "leftwing" govt, it's the same party (as major coalition partner) who actually started all the reforms - so we're all pretty skeptical - also if we keep fighting and pressuring them it gives the junior coalition partner a lot more of a mandate to negotiatie for their policies, which are much further left

we've just finished easter break - we have two semesters here, with papers usually only taking one semester, although in law school we have loads of double semester papers (which is good because it means fewer exams but very very bad because it means a high workload)

public opinoin here is pretty much as high as it's ever been - the labour party, as senior coalition partner is polling around or even over 50% which is phenomenal - unfortunatley my party (the Allinace) as the junior partner is getting somewhat forgotten and is pollig very low - however the left share of the vote in general is around 60% which is great (and they've already done the tax hike)

we used to get canadian programmes from comedy something (ed the sock?), from memory, but come to think of it i haven't seen much for a while now

hog barn protest?

ah yes, a long time in opposition gets you very honed to deal with MPs who have lazed aruond on the backbenches of a boring governing party for too long heh heh

one of our new Ministers has been making a few mistakes (they are calling her Boo Boo, the fifth tellytubby, and she's not from my party, i hasten to add ) but the public seem to think it's actually quite human and endearing, and although the press keep trying to kill her for it i think she'll work out fine in the end (i have a soft spot for her because she pushed the leader of the most right wing party in parliament out of his electorate seat, although he still got in on the list)

other than that the govt seems to be going well, although the tories are now just starting to focus on splitting the coalition, which is a strategy they should have adopted a few months ago, but not one that i think will work

Interesting situation.
We are entering week two of QP and all seems to be going well.
Just saw an fascinating schism happen here.
The the provincial tory party is being split. Federally there are two parties on the right with the Progessive Conservatives, and the Canadian Allaince Party. Provincially the Progressive Conservative caucus is being split between the two and it's very interesting to see whose support is going where.
Should make for an interesting battle leading up to the next federal eleciton. Gives us good positioning and will divide them on a number of issues.
In other news:
Life here continues to unfold as it should.
I'm really starting to appreciate the time I get away from work to spend with friends and family. Luckily I get to go on a three day hike along the escarpment of Riding Mountain National Park here in the province on May long weekend. No cell phones, no computers, no cars, no tv's or radio. It will be heaven.
How goes the May day celebrations?

hiya TraKter, I just thought I would drop in, seeing this forum has been a bit neglected recently.

---The Red Fish

No problem.
So anything planned for August long weekend?

argh i have been a slack bunny

sorry

how's life as a sellout?

SOME of the left wing parties over here need a kick up the arse (don't worry i'm warming up)

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Its all right.

I've noticed that I can surf the process fairly well and even admire the way it is set up. I've seen some adhoc programs established that are incredibly comprehensive and effective and watched the people setting up the programs deal with them in a very human way. I was a little worried about the prospect of them being overly jaded.

What I still hate is seeing people fall through the cracks.
The way I've come to rationalize it is to view those cases as vital to change the process and fix the cracks.
The current problem is how slow those changes are.
Crazy stuff.
Oddly enough I've spoken to a few people here about NZ and they say they wish we could be more like them and actually rule from the left instead of from the centre left. (Flinching in anticipation of a kick)
and on that topic
I think every party needs a kick in the butt.
I've come to see it as a universal statement, because something can always be done better, and change does not normally occur with out someone kicking and screaming.
So Kick away.

Hey I've run into an exchange person from NZ.
He's up here learning about being an Apiarist (bee-keeper).

change is hard to make i think - especially after years of one regime, every one is so in the mode of one way of thinking and new ideas and methods seem impossible "it's just the way it's always been done"

but we must keep trying

i find it odd that ppl think of nz as leftwing - we had a socially conservative economically confused (virtually totalitarian and a tad stalinist) right wing govt, then a new right labour govt, then a continuing new right national govt, and now the paradigm has shifted so far to the right that even my party, the furtherest left, is not what historically would necessarily be considered left at all - although it's getting better

don't worry, kicking and screaming is continuing here, not quite as scheduled but i'm working on it

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Speaking of kicking and screaming Annual Premiers Conference is being held out here.
UGHHHH
Should be fun though, since I have to live my travelling life vicariously through others.