Viajo!

This is going to be a great spring! I will be living like a pauper in a variety of locations of varying sunniness, as follows:

February 3-13: St. George's, Grenada, for a visit and beachy good times with Katie

February 14-20: Havana, Cuba, for Kelly's wedding to the nice young man she met on exchange there (I haven't met Andres, but everything I have heard suggests that he is nice)

February 20-22: Horrible airplanes

February 22-March 25: Buenos Aires and other Argentine destinations, for cosmopolitanism, nomadism, and a potential intermission in nine years of mostly-vegetarianism

March 25-27: Horrible airplanes

March 27-April 1: Tucson, Arizona for Grandma's birthday (she is not a day over 46!).

It is to be an epic journey and a marvellous one.

From the Mouths of Babes

For no particular reason, I thought yesterday of something I did in fifth grade. At the time it was tremendously embarrassing, and I felt ashamed for being Wrong rather than Clever. This is a feeling that guarantees a memory will burrow into my brain and lodge itself there for all time. In retrospect, though, it's hilarious and I'm glad to have brought some merriment into my wonderful teacher's life. It happened during social studies. Mademoiselle Violet asked the class who the president of Russia was, and following this question there was a resounding silence lasting, in my recollection, about five minutes. Then, a bolt from the blue! I had an answer. I gasped! I raised my hand! "Newt Gingrich," I declared.

The Dream Dies

Today I learned that I can never be Betty Cooper, everyone's favourite all-American blonde, because it is extremely hard to sing and play the tambourine at the same time.

Flavour Of The Week

My favourite quote of the past two weeks is from my good election-night buddy Jacob, who made the following declaration regarding monies owed to the Canadian Revenue Agency,

"They never ask for documents, remember?"

Other notable recent events have included a showing of The Blue Planet, which features great numbers of jellyfish and similar freaky wondrous sea-blobs (some venomous!).

Probably the best thing, though, was hosting Boopsie for the weekend. She got to meet my hooligan choir friends on Halloween, so now she will not recognize them unless they are dressed as woodnymphs, mariachi bands, or alarmingly realistic pregnant ladies. We also went out for brunch at Von's with Tamara, her roommate Joey (real, awesome name: Giuseppe), Sandra, and Steve. They make a mean omelette at Von's and the portions are satisfying but not so much that you can't enjoy a rum ball at the Wild Oat afterwards. We drooled over everything in the display cases at Magpie Jewelry; my favourite was a rather expensive necklace in the shape of very delicate olive branches. It made me want to buy it and wear it with togas forever and ever.

Sadly, Boopsie and I both had schoolwork to do, so much of Sunday was spent bumming around the apartment, working. It was quite pleasant to have company, though, and I was very pleased when she remarked at the bus station that the trip had been easy and we should do this all the time. Both of those things are true!

Tomorrow I am going to see Spamalot with Kristen and Jen. RULAGE! Other upcoming fun includes a presentation I'm giving to our departmental sustainable development committee regarding the EU's Sustainable Consumption and Production/Sustainable Industrial Policy. There is a pretty fab summary posted here, but it is only up-to-date for July. Anyway, should be good times. I have started talking about policy again so clearly it is time for bed. Something raucous is going on outside my building, but I don't anticipate it will stop me sleeping. Arrivederci!

Politics Nerd Time: Yeah We Did!

Hell of a week! The phrase "President-elect Barack Obama" sort of rolls off the tongue, non? I have spent so many hours this week e-mailing particularly good editorials and interviews to other interested persons, and every so often being submerged in these tremendous waves of sentimentality. I hope that this is the start of good things. I think he is a capable, intelligent, and decent man, and I am confident he will stand the tests well. The simple act of electing him has done so much for the image of the United States, but the real work is on its way. There are a lot of things I'd like to see in the first hundred days, so here's a little wish list for you.

Maybe with the legislative and executive branches Democratic-controlled we will (despite Obama's vote on FISA) get some kind of due process back for accused terrorists. That is a relatively cheap step to take, and it might not be complete within 100 days but it could be started. It would also cement international goodwill if America started acting like the land of the free again.

I would also like defence accounting and contracting procedures tightened up, to avoid excess spending on contractors, because there have been some magnificently stupid things done in that arena in the past few years.

The climate change file is about to get even more interesting in the US, so I'll be watching that attentively. Personally, I don't expect the Canadian offer of a bilateral agreement aimed at carbon markets to get much of an airing in Washington. It wouldn't hurt to harmonize the carbon markets, because more reduction projects in the markets would make the markets more competitive, making carbon reductions cheaper, which is a Good Thing. That could be done at the same time as a domestic cap-and-trade system, so long as the accounting procedures were compatible between the two systems so that reductions created in Canada could be applied for US companies and vice versa. The Albertan fear that the fuel carbon standards idea will spread from California may be well-founded, and that could put a serious kink in bilateral relations. It will be interesting to see whether Obama honours trade agreements or tries to follow California's lead and get around them by arguing that the environmental exceptions in GATT apply (there's a decent case that they do, because I wouldn't expect any American-produced oil to have as heavy a carbon footprint as Canadian oil).

As far as the economy goes, I honestly have no idea what should be done. I oscillate daily between the "string the bastards up!" and "bail the bastards out" schools of thought. A more progressive tax plan, such as Obama's proposal from the campaign, would be a good strategy for the slightly longer term. It amused me that some people invoked (gasp!) Sweden as an example of what happens when you have progressive taxes. Yes, it must really suck to have a high life expectancy and raise your children in an environment of equal opportunity for all. Beyond that, well, we'll see. I have some sympathy with Sarkozy and Lula's calls for an overhaul of global capitalism, but I am unsure what, exactly, would replace it. The same goes for health care; I am by no means a health policy expert, so I won't give big strident opinions on that.

Lord, all I ever talk about is policy. And you, gentle reader, have more of that to look forward to, because once I have finished my term paper on the Iraqi security forces, it will probably be turned into a post for this blog.

Remembrance Day Concert

Ottawa area readers, I have something for you to do if you would like to spend this coming Friday night remembering the people who have died because their country asked them to. Faure's Requiem is a great piece, so hopefully you will be able to join us! Please contact me for tickets if you are interested.