The photo above, taken from this article in The Province, depicts some of the ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ we can expect with the impending abandonment of the Harmonized Sales Tax (12%) in British Columbia, and our reversion back to the combined Provincial Sales Tax (10%) and the Goods and Services Tax (5%). Kent Spencer humorously describes the potentiality of both costs and benefits as a result of this province-wide tax shift: “A pint of beer will cost a few cents more on April 1, but the pain will be eased by cheaper chips and pop.” There is not much I have to say about the changes that will take place; the pictorial above does a pretty good job of summarizing what will be affected (either positively or negatively) and what will remain the same. For more information about what’s taxable and what’s not under the reimplemented GST/PST system, the Government of Canada provides an exhaustive list. How do you feel about the changes ahead? I, for one, will probably let a 3% tax increase affect my wine consumption.

It is difficult to pass through Richmond without  noticing the abundance of Chinese characters strewn across storefront signs, restaurant awnings, real estate listings and numerous advertisements. According to this article in the weekend edition of The Province, two women have taken it upon themselves to create a petition, now 1000-strong, against the supposedly disproportionate amount of Chinese signage in Richmond.

Kerry Starchuk and Ann Merdinyan claim that this predominance of Chinese signage does not fit with the Canadian ‘identity’ in its lack of inclusivity towards those who are not able to comprehend the language. While I do understand their viewpoint, I find the opposing measures they are taking to be much more of an affront to Canadian ‘identity’ and the democratic ideal of equality and inclusiveness. My conception of tolerance and inclusivity includes a general acceptance of diversity and cultural differences; businesses, and the individuals they represent, should have the autonomy to display signage in whichever language they see fit. I agree with Professor Baron here at UBC,who regards this petition as having “more negative ramifications than positive” and aiding in the establishment of a “status hierarchy [of languages].” What do you think about this petition? Have those of you who do not speak Chinese (I think everyone else in this class) been bothered by the prevalence of Chinese signage in Richmond?

Yesterday, in class, I recall a couple of you mentioning “House of Cards,” although I fail to recollect what it was brought up in reference to. I looked up a description of it online and it sounds interesting enough, but I do not have much time for TV these days. Do those of you who watch it recommend it? Is it politically accurate? I find that a problem I have with most political dramas is how unrealistic the scenarios are; there’s something about an overabundance of inaccuracies that makes the whole ‘suspending your disbelief’ thing (kind of necessary for the enjoyment of any show/movie) a little difficult.

The title speaks for itself; the newly dubbed Pope Francis (previously Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio) is the first Jesuit and first Latin American in modern times to lead the 1.2 billion large Catholic population. CNN outlines ‘5 things to know about the new pope’  painting him not only as the ‘pontiff of firsts,’ from his unique name choice to his non-European background, but also as a ‘people’s pope,’ an everyman, who faces a number of challenges with regards to the deteriorated reputation of the Catholic religion in light of the ‘sex abuse by priests and claims of corruption and infighting among the church hierarchy’ in recent years.

I am sure many of you have (unfortunately) been exposed to the proliferation of “Harlem Shake” videos out there. In fact, UBC students created  our very own “Harlem Shake” video less than a month ago. While most of these bizarre group videos are nothing more than a source of amusement, laughter and incredulity, the Harlem shaking that’s going on in the Arab world is causing concern among its leaders as a “potent symbol of protest, revolt and defiance” (Jason Miks, “Harlem Shaking the Arab World?” Global Public Square, CNN).

The videos appearing in Tunisia and Egypt are not recognizably different from those which we see being produced all over the place in North America (note the 20 or so different iterations of “UBC Harlem Shake” on YouTube), the corresponding government responses, and respective backlashes have made them into a video protest of sorts. The authorities’ initial responses to the first Harlem Shake videos in Tunisia and Egypt set off big reactions and prompted backlashes that have gone viral online. Miks seems to think that this is a demonstration of the value of American cultural exports, but I don’t think that a particularly profound message is being spread when shirtless men perform pelvic thrusts. What do you think? Is Harlem shaking indeed shaking up the Arab world?

According to this article by CNN, of the world’s 1453 billionaires, about half reside in the U.S. or China, but the single city with the highest number of billionaire residents is Moscow at 70. And just in case you’re interested in the fascinating world of the obscenely wealthy, here’s a list of the 10 richest billionaires (quite literally the richest of the rich):

1. Carlos Slim Helu & family (Mexico – America Movil) : $66 billion

2. Warren Buffett (U.S. – Berkshire Hathaway): $58 billion

3. Amancio Ortega (Spain – Zara): $55 billion

4. Bill Gates (U.S. – Microsoft): $54 billion

5. Bernard Arnault (France – LVMH): $51 billion

6. Larry Ellison (U.S. – Oracle): $43 billion

7. Li Ka-shing (Hong Kong – Cheung Kong): $32 billion

8. Charles Koch (U.S. – Koch Industries): $31 billion

8. David Koch (U.S. – Koch Industries): $31 billion

10. Liliane Bettencourt (France – L’Oreal): $30 billion

“We are the girls with anxiety disorders, filled appointment books, five-year plans. We take ourselves very, very seriously. We are the peacemakers, the do-gooders, the givers, the savers. We are on time, overly prepared, well read, and witty, intellectually curious, always moving… We pride ourselves on getting as little sleep as possible and thrive on self-deprivation. We drink coffee, a lot of it. We are on birth control, Prozac, and multivitamins… We are relentless, judgmental with ourselves, and forgiving to others. We never want to be as passive-aggressive as our mothers, never want to marry men as uninspired as our fathers… We are the daughters of the feminists who said, “You can be anything,” and we heard, “You have to be everything.”

– Martin, Courtney E. Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters: The Frightening New Normalcy of Hating Your Body.

Felt like I had to share this excerpt; these powerful words from Martin’s book on eating disorders really resonated with me. The extent to which I identify with her voice is frightening indeed…

Despite not being particularly in touch with my Chinese roots, I fully recognize the importance of the Lunar New Year to Chinese families. While my ‘migration’ home this weekend is only a short drive away, the are no distances too great to travel to be with the family, with Chinese officials estimating a record high 3.4 billion trips being made during this holiday season throughout China. CNN breaks down these statistics alongside a number of awe-inspiring images of homeward bound masses, i.e. the one below. The desire amongst the Chinese community to be with one’s family during the Lunar New Year is analogous to what I would consider its Western equivalent: being ‘home for Christmas.’ I am very much looking forward to some quality time (and quality food!) with my parents. If you’re not of Chinese origin or just looking for a way to partake in the festivities, take a look at Inside Vancouver’s 5 best Vancouver Chinese New Years events . Cheers to the year of the snake, Xing Nian Kuai Le (Happy New Year) everyone! 🙂

Today, new federal guidelines for phasing out the penny came into effect; pennies are no longer going to be in circulation, with retailers being encouraged to round all prices to the nearest nickel for the time being. Strauss, Jang, and Taber at The Globe and Mail say that this newly implemented system gives incentives to consumers to use cash when the price is rounded down and use debit/credit to avoid the price being rounded up. They anticipate a number of strategic responses, for example, making a small purchase a number of times as opposed to being multiple units of that item in a single transaction to maximize savings. Personally, I don’t know if I would be particularly compelled to consciously change my spending patterns in order to save a couple cents.

Whether or not I choose to use cash or plastic to pay for a purchase depends on a matter of convenience and the price of the item, and  it appears that the strategies being employed that are differentiating between the two on the basis of ‘penny’ pinching do not have particularly viable effect on the overall population regardless. According to a report published by the Senate finance committee, rounding to the nearest denomination tends to even out any potential wins and losses incurred by the elimination of single-unit coins (i.e. in Australia, New Zealand, etc.). Will you be ‘seeking savings in a penny-less age’?

Globe and Mail staff photojournalist John Lehmann and China correspondent Mark MacKinnon are traveling through China along the trails of Mao Zedong’s Long March documenting China’s progress into a new age of modernity. The China Diaries takes an insightful, cross-sectional look at the current state of the vastly-progressing nation as it continues along its prominent paths of economic development. A number of posts particularly stood out to me in this micro-documentary of their travels, especially those with a more sociocultural focus. I highly recommend giving The China Diaries a read, or at least a glance through.

The written work aside though, the aspect of The China Diaries that I was most excited to share was photojournalist John Lehmann’s Tumblr, on which you can find a chronological photo-documentary of his and MacKinnon’s travels through China. The images he’s captured range from quirky and personable portraits to absolutely breathtaking snapshots of major landmarks and panoramic landscapes. And here’s an added bonus that might pique your interest: it’s all done in a very hipster, iPhone, Instagram-like style; quite a deviation from the newspaper photojournalistic norm.