Blame Canada?!…Try Blaming Bush! December 18, 2007
Posted by Reginald Johnson in Canada, Culture, Entertainment, Humor, International.add a comment
North of the United States border may seem like a quiet place where not much happens besides ice hockey, curling, beer drinking and U.S. bashing. But Canada is proving to be quite the draw for thousands of disgruntled Americans.
The number of U.S. citizens who moved to Canada last year hit a 30-year high, with a 20 percent increase over the previous year and almost double the number who moved in 2000.
Most people who have studied the trend say you can thank George W. Bush and his Administration. Since his presidency Americans have been jumping the border by droves.
In 2006, 10,942 Americans went to Canada, compared with 9,262 in 2005 and 5,828 in 2000, according to a survey by the Association for Canadian Studies.
True enough, there are more Canadians heading to the United States than the other way around. Take heed, that imbalance is shrinking…and shrinking quickly. Last year, 23,913 Canadians moved to the United States, a significant decrease from 29,930 in 2005.
Once again, that is due to the Bush Administration.
“There has been a definite increase in the past five years — the number hasn’t exceeded 10,000 since 1977,” says Jack Jedwab, the association’s executive director. “During the mid-70s, Canada admitted between 22,000 and 26,000 Americans a year, most of whom were draft dodgers from the Vietnam War.”
“Those who are coming have the highest level of education — these aren’t people who can’t get a job in the states,” he says. “They’re coming because many of them don’t like the politics, the Iraq War and the security situation in the U.S. By comparison, Canada is a tension-free place. People feel safer.”
One recent immigrant is Tom Kertes, a 34-year-old labor organizer who moved from Seattle to Toronto in April.
Kertes attributes his motivation to President Bush’s opposition to gay marriage, and the tactics employed during the war on terror since 9/11.
“I wanted a country that respected my human rights and the rights of others,” he says. “We joked about it after Bush won re-election, but it took us a while to go through the application.”
Kertes, who moved with his partner, is happy in his new home. “Canada is a really nice country. My mother is thinking about it. My stepfather has diabetes and has health issues. So, he’d be taken care of for free if he moved up here.”
Not that Kertes doesn’t get homesick every once in a while. “I have no intention of giving up my citizenship. I have an American flag at home on the wall — I didn’t have that in Seattle. All of a sudden, I’m a nationalist. On the Fourth of July, I really missed being home.”
Jo Davenport, who wrote “The Canadian Way,” moved from Atlanta to Nova Scotia in December 2001. She also cites political reasons for her move, saying that she disagreed with the Bush administration’s decisions after 9/11.
“Things are totally different here because they care about their people here,” she says, explaining that she’s only been back home once or twice.
Does Anyone Care? December 17, 2007
Posted by Reginald Johnson in Celebrity, Culture, Humor, Life, Odd News.add a comment
A couple of weeks ago I attended the Time magazine’s Person of the Year Breakfast at very posh The Source by Wolfgang Puck, located next door to the beloved Canadian Embassy. The restaurant is housed in the same building as the Newseum [on Pennslyvania Ave, NW].
Time magazine hosts an event such as this annually in New York City (I am not sure if the same can be said of the Washington event).
Time invites a panel to put forward nominations for their “Person of the Year” issue. Apparently, it’s bigger in New York City than DC. A reporter for the New York Post was there and told me the NYC audience was much bigger than the crowd here….by a hundred or so. I told the guy that NYC also has about 7.3 million more people too – and this was a breakfast, whereas the NYC thing is a luncheon. Even a free breakfast cannot get many Washingtonians up…especially at 8 am.
The panel consisted of Senator Sam Brownback; California Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher; Karen Tumulty, Time National Political Correspondent; and another person with Time whom I cannot remember. The event was moderated by Jay Carey (Times’ Washington Bureau Chief). I was busy sitting in back sipping tea and thinking, “…wow, this is a really nice place….” So busy infact that that I missed the introductory stuff.
For those of you who really are interested, the New York City event had NBC News’ Brian Williams, comedian/actress/The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg, former Senator George Allen, MySpace co-founder Chris DeWolfe and rockstar activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali as panelist.
The magazine gives grub to a few media people and hear their thoughts on who the person/thing/idea of the year should be. At least they give the media people that impression. Oh..and they also pretend to let them participate in the decision—they also hand out gift bags, which was a good enough reason to go in itself.
Sen. Brownback nominated ‘the immigrant’ as a possibility. Congresswoman Tauscher nominated the ‘iPhone’. Karen Tumulty nominated ‘the Secretary of Defense’. And the guy I cannot remember, well…he nominated ‘Gen. Petraeus’.
Out of all that was mentioned during the Q&A segment, I gotta say that I was no clearer as to who the person of the year will be – but after last year’s cop-out, I am not sure if anyone really cares.