Doctor Who's Canadian connection

• Doctor Who's Canadian connection - The Record therecord.com
• Google Doodle celebrates 'Doctor Who', not JFK -- Friday's doodle on Google.ca celebrated 50 years of the television, Timmins Press
• Play the Doctor Who 50th anniversary Google Doodle here
• Doctor Who's Canadian connection Toronto Star  
• Dr. Who gets a UK Google doodle. Where's our Whodle? The Christian Science Monitor
• Watch Doctor Who in Canada - Where to Watch & Schedule | Doctor ...  
• Doctor Who – A Global Phenomenon: Part 2 Canada  
• Google Doodle Honors Doctor Who, Except In U.S. Because Of John F. Kennedy Assassination

Canadian popular culture is changing, eh?

"Overall Canadian pop culture indeed seems to be a reflection of American popular culture, and while I understand the desire to establish our own identity, I don’t think it’s that big a deal if we have music, television, movies, books, magazines etc from other countries." Eh! Canadian Pop Culture Blog

"The fundamentals aren't changing because the new mainstream is a different colour. It's changing because the new mainstream is fundamentally different in every way - culture, conservatism, language, religion, cultural habits around money (saving it and spending it) and cultural habits around food. And the most fundamental thing about advertising/marketing is that it is about how people work. This is not an old "us" vs. a new "them". This is just a new "us." One of the cool things about Canadian immigrants is that they want to be Canadian and they are proud to be Canadian, but they also discover very early that it is really difficult to define what "Canadian" is. Ultimately however, they come to realize in a single, empowering, incredibly Canadian moment that being Canadian is... being themselves." Everything it’s cracking up to be.

Video: Why Canada lets other countries define its cultural tastes -The Globe and Mail - Arts reporter John Barber discusses with Madeleine White why an artistic brain drain is inevitable in Canada and why Canadians shouldn't be bothered by it

Strictly Canadian: Embracing the new nation’s culture, By:Mayank Bhatt Toronto Star -- At present, term Canadian is narrowly defined and doesn’t encompass all it should — culturally, socially, economically and politically.... A culture acquires acceptance and gains in popularity when it’s constantly talked about...

Understanding Canadian pop culture can help your integration process, By Mayank Bhatt, Canadian Immigrant

Controversial new ' RCAF Icons of Canadian Culture' program being attacked, Ric Peterson

Strictly Canadian: What are the ‘Canadian values’ we continue champion?. Roland Mascarenhasspecial, Toronto Star. -- Does being Canadian occur spontaneously when Sidney Crosby scores the winning goal for Canada, or is it a process we must undertake every day? -- Writer Roland Mascarenhas is still looking for the so-called “Canadian values” of his adopted home.

Pop culture Year in Review — 2012

Is Canada's pop culture distinctive? CBC

On the same shelf:

Remembrance Day Canada: News from abroad

Lest we forget: From World War One to Iraq, huge sacrifice of one ... Daily Mail-10 Nov 2012

Remembrance Day 2012: Poppy Appeal 'Risks Glossing Over The Horrors Of War' Insists Ted Harrison Huffington Post UK-11 Nov 2012

A powerful symbol of war's cost, This is Leicestershire-9 Nov 2012

British news paper salutes Salute to a brave and modest nation - Kevin Myers, 'The Sunday Telegraph' LONDON -- (Reprinted here is a remarkable tribute written by Irishman Kevin Myers about Canada's record of quiet valour in wartime. This article appeared in the April 21, 2002 edition of the Sunday Telegraph, one of Britain's largest circulation newspapers and in Canada's National Post on April 26, 2002. soruce)

see much more @ Google news, from UK pages

Canadian Charter's 30th birthday - Media monitoring

The Charter was adopted during the tenure of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau when the Constitution was repatriated from the United Kingdom on April 17, 1982. Queen Elizabeth II attended a ceremony on Parliament Hill to sign the documents that transformed Canada from a parliamentary democracy to a constitutional one. -- source: World News Report, -- Free Smart Phone App of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, help celebrate the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; and canadianlawsite.ca

  Is the Charter changing Canada for the worse? Toronto Star

  6 big changes the Charter of Rights has brought, CBC.ca

  At 30, the Charter of Rights has reshaped our society, for the better Toronto Star

  Why this year could prove to be the Charter's most controversial, Globe and Mail
‎

  Conservatives mark Charter anniversary, Toronto Sun
‎

  Every Canadian's eco-rights need Charter protection, Globe and Mail
‎

  Andrew Coyne: Canada’s Charter of Rights imposes vital limits on the discretion of government, National Post

  Liberals celebrate charter, TheChronicleHerald.ca

  A charter we can debate endlessly, London Free Press

From the bloggers world:

  I Miss My Childhood: Happy 30th Charter!

  Just Musing: The 30th Anniversary Of The Charter

  Canadian Daily Digest, INFORMATION and OPINION from ST. JOHN'S to VICTORIA.

  Whatever.com: Not Your Ancestor's Magna Carta


On the same shelf:

English-sounding names hold edge for job seekers in survey

Emily Jackson, Oct 14 2011, Toronto Star

Looking for a job? If your name is Panav Singh, expect fewer callbacks than Matthew Wilson, even if your resumés are exactly the same.
Employers in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal “significantly discriminate” against applicants with Chinese and Indian names compared to those with English names, researchers have found.
On average, resumés with English-sounding names received 35 per cent more callbacks, according to a study supported by Metropolis B.C., a federally funded immigration and diversity research centre.
Researchers sent out thousands of resumés listing identical experience to online job application sites, changing only the names of the applicants, and measured the response rate from employers.
Recruiters in Toronto and Montreal were 45 per cent more likely to call Alison Johnson over Min Liu, while Vancouverites were 20 per cent more likely to respond to those with English-sounding names.Continue reading

Tolerance a Canadian Myth or Fact

Two current news stories give you two shades of opinions, and we value your opinions, right?

• Tolerance a Canadian myth — DAVE DALE’s Soapboxing [highlight: Our tolerance for weather is also a reflection of not being able to tolerate people.]
• Canadians are the most tolerant people in the developed world: report‎  [highlight: At 84 per cent on average, Canadians report the highest community tolerance of minority groups—ethnic minorities, migrants, and gays and lesbians—in the OECD, where the average is 61 per cent.”]

So, what do you feel, reading the above?

Canadians Love the Internet, Eh?

Posted on Dec 29th, 2010 by Brodie Beta @ http://thenextweb.com
Extract [source: Globe and Mail, Toronto]:

According to The Canadian Press, comScore, the marketing intelligence service says Canadians are leading the way in hours spent online.
Canucks are spending an average of 2,500 minutes online per month which translates to over 41 hours, that’s an entire full-time work week spent surfing. And that’s apparently more than any other country in the world. Based on this data, it seems that Canadians are rapidly adopting the digital lifestyle and seem to be wildly passionate about online video, social media and Wikipedia. continue reading

Canadians spend more time online than any others, The Globe & Mail
Michael Oliveira, Toronto — The Canadian Press, Published Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2010

So you think you know everything about Canada, eh?

Dec 4 2010, Toronto Star

Extract:
On a rain-soaked morning this week, the Toronto Star conducted this admittedly unscientific experiment asking six Canadian-born to take the citizenship test. Three men and three women had 20 multiple-choice questions — samples from Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s website — and 15 minutes. To pass, they needed 15 right answers.

The exercise yielded surprising results: three flunked, one squeaked by and two passed with flying colours...

Click here to test your knowledge of Canada

Continue reading

On the same shelf:

True Torontonians invited to test their knowledge of city

Canadian Libraries and Digitization - Thought for the day

While Canadian libraries' digitization is expected to be high by any measure of digitocracy*** (esp., in terms of capturing, storing, and sharing information), the following is an eye-opener: "less than 1 per cent of Canada’s archives or library content is digitized" Internet's evolution raises stakes for Canada's culture and competitiveness, Chris Carter, Toronto Star, Oct 5 2010

Extract from the same page: "When Canadians talk about the future of information, media and culture, Tom Jenkins also wants them to think about the tools used to share, store and consume that information."

Bottom line (from the same source, about Tom Jenkins' book: Managing Content in the Cloud - Enterprise Content Management 2.0):
"So why then is his book available in paper form? To reach those leaders who are rooted in the “old way” of engaging information yet who still make the decisions that will profoundly shape how Canada responds to a future they will barely recognize."

---------
***This idea of a measure of digitocracy is based on the plans and progress initiated in Canada, in 1997: Preparing Canada for a digital world: Final report of the Information Highway Advisory Council

Canadians divided on whether there is a common national culture

By Randy Boswell, Canwest News Service June 1, 2010
Extract:

Canadians are almost evenly split on whether residents of the country share a "common culture," according to a new national survey exploring perceptions of social cohesion in Canada.

But respondents' doubts about our national sense of togetherness don't translate into a strong belief that Canada's distinctiveness is being destroyed by America's cultural juggernaut.

Barely one-third of the 1,500 people polled for the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies expressed the view that Canada and the U.S. now share a common culture. Read more

More on This Story:

Living in ethnic enclaves leaves immigrants with a weaker sense of belonging: Study, By Shannon Proudfoot, Canwest News Service June 1, 2010

On the same shelf:



PS. Info courtesy: Naeem Nick Noorani

Michael Ignatieff Delivers Greetings for Eid

Michael Ignatieff delivers greetings for Eid on behalf of the Liberal Party and the Official Opposition.



Info courtesy: Abdul Hai Patel

Healthcare debate in Canada: Media monitoring

• David Frum: Why Americans love their health care system
  August 20, 2009, by National Post Editor, 14 Comments
• Extract: A child has a fall from a slide. There's blood in his urine. The parents race him to the emergency room. Two hours later, the boy's having a CAT scan. (An American is twice as likely to use a CT machine in any given year as a Canadian, four times as likely as a Briton, and seven times as likely as a Dane.) A car driven by an illegal immigrant smashes into a tree. The driver and his family are horribly injured. They are raced to the nearest emergency room and treated, no questions asked, no bill presented.
• Why I'd rather be sick here than in U.S. Bob Hepburn Toronto Star: Aug 20, 2009; Comments on this story (38)
• Extract: Why is our system superior?
  First, it's universal. Second, I visited doctors twice in the last week and never had to haul out my credit card or chequebook before I could see them. Third, the quality of care I got in the last week was unparalleled. Fourth, many of our medical outcomes top those in the U.S....

See also:

Video: Can we please admit that the Europeans can teach us something about health care? August 20, Political Buzz Examiner Ryan Witt

Wanted: Plumbers. Must not be foreign

Red tape bars immigrants who could end skills shortage
Apr 29, 2009, Toronto Star
Comments on this story (46) Nicholas Keung IMMIGRATION REPORTER

Getting foreign credentials and work experience certified in Canada isn't just a headache for brain-surgeon cabbies. A new study says immigrants in skilled trades, such as electricians and plumbers, also hit a brick wall when it comes to getting licensed and accessing jobs.
The findings are alarming, says the Citizenship and Immigration Canada-funded report to be released today, because more than half of Ontario's skilled tradespeople will retire in the next five years and four of every 10 businesses that depend on skilled trades are expected to face labour shortages. continue reading

Becoming Canadian: Combating immigration fraud

"Minister Kenney launches video warning potential immigrants about the dangers of unscrupulous immigration consultants ~~ Ottawa, March 10, 2009 — Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney today addressed the issue of immigration fraud before the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration and launched a video warning against the dangers of unscrupulous immigration representatives offering immigration services..." continue reading

Extract from the Video transcript: "Canada is the destination of choice for a quarter of a million people each year seeking a new home. They’re attracted by the prize of Canadian citizenship; a strong democracy and a stable government. Our immigration system is fair – by law — to each and every newcomer.
Unfortunately, some newcomers are victims of scams – duped by immigration fraud artists. Irma Luque, Ricardo Miranda and their son Christian left Chile a dozen years ago for a new life in Canada. They now live in Toronto as permanent residents, but achieving that status was very hard. They put their faith in a Canadian Consultant who offered them work and visas. This consultant charged the family five thousand dollars U.S, and kept them waiting for years – yet he delivered no results...."

Continue reading the transcript for “Becoming Canadian: Combating immigration fraud” Watch the video length: 2:30 minutes / or click here

The 'Czech way' and The 'Canuck way' --Grading, education and miscellany

Letter Home from a Czech University,
Colder, barer, and in some ways better than U of Toronto.
By Yasmeen Qureshi
"...We were growing frustrated by what we called the Czech way. We missed our course outlines, fancy textbooks and PowerPoint presentations. But although I still found parts of it frustrating, I also realized that in Canada, while we have access to great research facilities, brilliant professors, computers, and a plethora of opportunities, we're missing more important things that they've got down.

To start with, the Czech professors were more unconventional, spontaneous, and personal. One of our Czech professors spent the majority of our class time showing us films then facilitating discussions, because he thought it would help us get a sense of what it was like to live under Soviet rule. There was no state of the art film projector, and the films were subtitled, but that wasn't important. Our prof didn't care if he covered all of the course material. He was concerned with trying to get us to understand Czech culture, and its latent fear of outsiders.

Here at U of T, my profs mostly present impersonal formulaic lectures, supplemented by course readings. They rarely take the time to stop and discuss, because the classes are too large, and they are always concerned about getting through all the course material. And although we have tutorials to supplement the lectures, they tend to simply focus on interpreting the readings. There never seems to be time to discuss the importance of the issues, or critically analyze their root cause." continue reading

Top 25 Political Blogs in Canada: Google vs Technorati

According to Werner Patels, (begin quote) this ranking is 100% objective, based on something as simple as a Google search of "Canada + Political blogs." (end quote).

Google version Warren Kinsella Michael Geist Stephen Taylor James Laxer The Hook Digital Copyright Canada Currents DemocraticSPACE Elizabeth May's Blog Rabble Blue Blogging Soapbox A Creative Revolution SoCon or Bust Hill Queeries Werner Patels Scott's DiaTribes Ezra Levant StageLeft Vijay Sappani Blog THIS! Frankly Speaking The Dominion Abandoned Stuff (Saskboy) The Court Winds of Change

Technorati version The Oil Drum Maclean's The Shotgun Buckdog Abandoned Stuff (Saskboy) The Reaction Jordon Cooper Kamangir We Move To Canada Marginalized Action Dinosaur Steve Janke The Agenda (TVO) Eaves Jerad Gallinger A Sibilant Intake of Breath The Politic Werner Patels April Reign bastard.logic Persephone's Box Public Eye Online Currents Far and Wide (A)mazed and (Be)mused No-Libs

NB. Info courtesy: L-girl @ we move to canada

Study exposes tolerance of racism ~~ Toronto Star

York U. study finds that while most condemn bigotry, majority fail to respond to anti-black acts Jan 09, 2009 04:30 AM
Comments on this story (78) Joseph Hall Staff Reporter
"When it comes to repudiation of racism, words speak louder than actions, according to a York University study that suggests people are far more tolerant of bigotry than they might express.
While people would clearly condemn racism in advance, the majority of non-black people would sit mute and indifferent as blatant acts of anti-black racism occurred before them, according to the Toronto research, published today in the journal Science." Continue reading @ Toronto Star /Science Obama or no Obama, racism is here to stay

see also:

Immigrants in Canada stuck in low-paying jobs -- Stats Can Reports

News @ The Times of India, 24 Dec 2008
"Professionals and degree-holders seeking immigration to Canada, beware! The number of degree-holder immigrants, including doctors and engineers, stuck in jobs with low education requirements, such as clerks, truck and cab drivers and salespeople, has risen steadily since the last recession of early 1990s, says a new study by Statistics Canada.

Employment problems for new immigrants will only get worse as Canada enters recession, experts warn." Continue reading
NB. Info courtesy: Ahtasham Rizvi
See also:

• Immigrants in 'survival jobs' look for more
• Study: Immigrants' education and required job skills 1991 to 2006

Happy Holidays: The Rap

Note: this is not a Candian rap, it is American; but Remy has added a Multifaith and Multicultural inclusiveness, that's the True Color of Canada.

Australian definition of a Canadian (author: anonymous)

Adapted from a version* (written about an American) just as another literay piece in the Canadian media and this as a comment @ CBC's Website. [*"This appears to be a slightly modified version of a chain letter originally about America. That one was written by Peter Ferrera in the National Review, although the chain letter claimed that it was written by an Australian dentist." source]

Just read @ Don't Get Me Started / See also a comment at this blog
Note: The artist who picked up the American version has shown True Colors of Canada as well: "A Canadian may also be a Cree, Métis, Mohawk, Blackfoot, Sioux, or one of the many other tribes known as native Canadians." Much more adapted....
>>>bad typist: choose became chooses.


PS. if you didn't know, note that Santa has a Canadian postal address: In Canada, Santa's postal code is H0H 0H0.