Canada prides itself on being tolerant, multicultural, inclusive, and most of all, a beacon of free and democratic light that shines itself on all the world.  All of these claims are easily refutable, but in the […]

Vertical integration.  That’s a term I remember learning in sociology 100 to describe the consolidation of markets in a particular industry.  And that’s just what’s been going on in social media with Facebook’s buyout of Instagram, the popular mobile-only app which allows users to capture photos with savvy effect layering options as well as the [...]

Everyone’s been talking about it. On Tuesday, Rick Santorum dropped out of the GOP presidential candidate race, according to an article in the Daily Mail.   Santorum explained that he had to drop out of the race due to lack of funds, describing his own race against Mitt Romney as a “David and Goliath” situation.  Additionally, Santorum’s [...]

Tensions are running high in Ontario as prospects of another possible provincial election loom after the McGuinty Liberal government released its budget.  With the last election held only less than a year ago in October, the Ontario Liberals received 53 of the 54 seats necessary for a majority in the legislature, with the Progressive Conservatives, [...]

The Montreal Gazette has published an interesting and detailed analysis of today’s failed rocket launch by the isolationist state.  In the article, details of North Korea’s strained relationship with not only the United States and the west, but also China are covered. Surprisingly, North Korean officials televised that the latest of its satellites…[Read more]

An election is looming in Alberta for April 23, along with an upcoming candidate debate,  this article reports.  With the Progressive Conservatives in power for over 4 decades, voter’s apathy has shot up, with the voter turnout shooting down to just 40% in the 2008 election. The major candidates include Progressive Conservative leader Alison…[Read more]

Please find attached my second paper. Enjoy!

final paper 333

I think this post by Hannah is possibly the most creative and innovative post I have seen in this class.  Generally, the thing I love about Hannah’s posts is that they use visuals very effectively, but also her succinct and charismatic style of writing. The writing is sharp, witty and covers a topic that goes outside [...]

Looking back, I feel most proud of my post on the Alberta Oil Sands.  Entitled “The Alberta Oilsands: a new start or coverup?”, I think the post is a decent length, and writes in simple style about how blatantly clear the government mishandling of the tarsands development has become.  I remember how upset and outraged I [...]

I have read some of my classmate’s reactions to the ruling in South Africa.  It seems most of us are in agreement that letting the judicial branch fulfill its duty, however questionable it might seem, must be the democratic thing to do because it will set the political processes of the state up for the [...]

Ideally, the judicial system in any state would be a constitutionally separate entity from the executive portion of the government and would have reserve powers which would enable the courts to provide a ruling on any case within the state using separately achieved processes of justice than the other political institutions of government. So, my [...]

I was walking through the ANSO building a couple of weeks ago, looking for a professor’s office when I happened to see a flyer attached to the bulletin board next to a professor’s office I had never heard of before. In big, bold letters, it stated “THE ONE PERCENT DIDN’T ACT ALONE” as its title. [...]

I strongly believe that effects of new technologies and media such as the internet and the media are ultimately good for the health of the state for political and social reasons. Why? Let me tell you a story. Last fall, on a hot and sweaty September evening, on the day Rosh Hoshana, the day of [...]

A very interesting article by Zakaria delves into the gaping”democracy-deficit” that has permeated the middle-East unrelentingly to the present day.  Research by Eric Chaney is cited in the article in order to answer the question of why and how democracy refuses to take root in the Arab world. Some interesting points arise: Many states in the region [...]

My first democracy in the news post needed some reworking.  First off, the title was simply “democracy in the news”, but I would have liked to change it to “democracy in the news: Canadian Liberal Party convention” or something to that effect. Second, the post could have used more “oomph”.  It was a particularly safe [...]

Politico, a political blog that is arguably intensely popular, has risen to the top in Google searches likely because of its easy-to-read, short-and-sweet approach to political news.  I like this snappy and to-the-point approach to political blogging because it makes reading the news a very simple and quick experience, something which I believe…[Read more]

An article on First Nations voting rights has been floating around the internet lately (for those of you have Facebook and are connected with the UBC Political Science community, you have likely already seen it), sparking all kinds of debate.  Of course, I had to post it to this blog with my thoughts because I feel [...]