Casual/Formal Dress

I saw this diagram on the internet, found it to be pretty hilarious.

Napoleon!

OP

I just saw Transformers: Dark of the Moon today and I was quite disappointed by the way it ended. Not that I was really expecting anything in the way of plot and meaning, I watched this movie for the special effects and explosions. Yet there's something about the movie that bugged me very much.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

In the end of the film, the villain Sentinel Prime engages in a duel with Optimus Prime, the supposed good guy. Sentinel Prime hacked off Optimus' arm and stabbed him in the chest, ready to end his life. Elsewhere, the female lead has just talked Megatron, the other bad guy into killing Sentinel Prime (who earlier in the film, took over command of Megatron's forces and usurped his power). So in a Deus Ex Machina fashion, Megatron comes out of nowhere and saves Optimus by blasting away Sentinel Prime just as he was about to kill Optimus. Megatron, who could have just watched Optimus die and then killed Sentinel Prime, offered Optimus a truce as all he wanted was to lead his Decepticons again.

Now at this point I was genuinely surprised. The Transformers movies are really just about tits and explosion, and I was expecting a very cliched Good vs. Evil plot. Yet here we have the villain saving the hero from certain doom, and offering him a truce. I totally thought he was going to turn and shoot Optimus as well.

What happened next annoyed me to no end. Optimus Prime - the hero of the story, was just saved by his nemesis who offered peace. In a rational decision (the one that certain audience mention "why didn't he just do that, it would have ended everything") unfitting for the world of fiction, and certainly unfitting for a moral hero; Optimus proceeded to take advantage of Megatron in his one moment of vulnerability and killed him with a swift blow to the head. The hero just back-stabbed the villain, who just saved him. So in the world of betrayals and deception, it was the good guy who fought the dirtiest.

Heroes should not act in such a manner. By doing so the hero was no better than the villains he fought, more than that the hero became worse. Optimus was spared by Sentinel Prime, and Megatron saved his life, but given the opportunity he killed them both instantly, no matter how dishonorable it was. I argued with a friend over whether or not Optimus Prime was a total douche in the movie. He brought up the point that Megatron would have just caused more destruction later. He asked me if hypothetically I had the chance to kill Hitler (and I knew he was going to cause the deaths of millions) right after he saved my life, would I do it?

First of all the whole killing someone to save millions hypothetical is a murky area. It is a difficult decision to reach morally whether or not it is wrong. For the act of taking a life is not morally sound, and when you kill a murderer, are you really better than them? This situation is one that I cannot answer. I believe in this hypothetical, there is the action one should take (kill) and the one that is righteous one (not kill).

Yet if he had saved my life, I would not kill him. For such an act is a monstrosity worse than the actions of its victim. I would not be able to kill if he had not saved me, so thereby, I would effectively be killing him for the performance of a righteous deed. This is worse than the slaughter of innocents - it is punishing one for doing good in the world. It is a betrayal on the most personal of levels. It is beyond simple hypocrisy. As a violation of my personal integrity and all such an action stands for. The action boils down to the fact that a man was killed because he saved a life. There is no justice in such an act, and a good person cannot bring themselves to perform without justice. It may be selfish in its core, but I still cannot bring myself to do that - for I know it to be wrong.

Certainly heroes should not use such methods. For if they do, they are not heroes, but villains.

The Immigrant Experience

The immigrant experience is a tough road to follow, filled with its own unique challenges and dilemmas. I have experienced many of these and found that the most important aspect of facing these obstacles is perseverance. It is the will to never stop trying that will push one past the difficulties of living as an immigrant. When encountering the language barrier, I committed myself to speak in nothing but English so as to develop my language skills faster. While it was alluring to associate myself with only Chinese children who could speak my language, I avoided using my native tongue until I finally manage to grasp how to communicate in my new language. After many difficulties and hand-gestures, I had succeeded. This idea applies to other respects as well. It is hard to find a job that applies to one's skill set as an immigrant. My parents experienced that first-hand as their engineering credentials were rejected by many employers. The temptation to submit to underemployment will be present. However, as immigrants with great potential, one must not take that path. It is important to keep trying and not let all those years of work experience and education go to waste. My parents acquired new credentials by attending university and continue on their career path. Immigration will present one with bold new opportunities, but it also has its pitfalls. Through patience and hard work, one can overcome these challenges and truly enjoy the rewards this new country has to offer. 

Canada & Immigration: Effects in Education, Urban Planning, and the Workforce

Canada is one of the truly multicultural societies in the world. In a nation founded by immigration, it is obvious that immigration would greatly influence education, urban planning, and the workforce. Governments and businesses are faced with a highly diversified population and must cater to many demographics.

Today's student demographic is highly varied one can witness the impact of immigration just by looking into any school in a major city. There are students from many different backgrounds and schools must address this. They have responded by creating ESL classes for new immigrants, prayer rooms for the rising Muslim population, and policies to combat discrimination and promote equity. These effects are a result of the government's efforts to create a better environment for immigrants in the education system.

Some of the efforts of immigration are more natural such as those in urban planning. Immigrants tend to congregate together and create their own communities in cities. These little pockets of culture form throughout the cities of Canada. Within Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, one can find not only a Chinatown, but also a Little Italy and a Greek Town.

As immigrants come to Canada to seek new opportunities, they will without a doubt revolutionize the Canadian workforce. Indeed, immigrants have greatly impacted the world of employment since the Ukrainians came and caused an explosion of growth in the prairie wheat industry. Today the supply of highly skilled immigrants powers the Canadian economy. With an excess of skilled labour, Canada does not need to worry about a shortage of creative and skilled individuals in the labour market. However, this excess of skilled workers has led to the creation of dramatic underemployment, where doctors and engineers are forced to drive taxis and work in factories.

Canada's strong history of immigration certainly left a grand impact. This effect is evident throughout our education system, our workforce, and even the ways our cities are organized. Canada began its life as a colony and since then, we have been a nation of immigrants. Immigration is a key aspect of Canadian culture and the Canadian identity.  

The Problem with Biological Weapons

Research can be justified if it may yield future economic benefits, create positive social change, or increases public security. Arguments against a particular area of research arise if it holds negligible benefit, is dangerous, or creates ethical dilemmas. The area of research that should not be funded is offensive biological weapons research, which yields no economic benefits, creates no positive social change, and is counter-intuitive to maintaining citizen security. Biological weapons must be kept secret for them to be the most effective, limiting their capabilities as deterrent. Furthermore, biological weapons do not produce immediate effects of total destruction and can be countered. This prevents the Mutually Assured Destruction ideology present with nuclear weapons, from occurring with biological weapons. Also, the testing and development of biological weapons are full of dangers. In 1979, there was an anthrax outbreak in Russia because an animal test subject got loose from its research facility. Moreover, as biological weapons are intended to kill civilian populations, their development is full of ethical issues. Fortunately, there is an international convention banning the use of biological weapons. However, the offensive biological weapons debate is still open. Research in the area is known to be conducted in Egypt, Israel, Libya, North Korea, and Syria; and many other nations are suspected of doing so. This research should be stopped.

Arg.

Really busy lately and a general lack of inspiration plagues me.

Wrote a lot of essays for competitions, and such.

Going to Chicago this week. No post for the next week.

Sorry for the temporary hiatus.

If I have any regular readers, expect a post within a week.

#4 Immigrants

The advance polls have opened and less than two weeks are left in the 2011 Canadian Federal Election. This will be the last of my Canadian Government Policy posts, and it will be centered on Immigration.

Canada is a nation of immigrants, it was created by immigrants, it was built by immigrants. Immigration is a key aspect of our cultural make-up and history.



Canada takes in hundreds of thousands of immigrants every year to supplement our lack of population growth, to provide asylum for refugees, reunite families and to develop our economy.

Canada is the world's second largest nation by landmass, 9th largest economy, and only 36th by population. We have boundless potential as a nation and can become so much more on the international stage. It is personally disheartening that the world's second largest nation is merely a middle power. Canada has the potential to become so much more than what it currently is, in the beginning of the 20th century, Prime Minister Sir Wilfred Laurier predicted that the next 100 years belonged to Canada. That prediction, unfortunately failed to come true, but the conditions for it to come into fruition still exist.

The one way we can best create a Canada with a dominant presence on the world stage is through a revolutionary growth of the nation using immigration.

By raising its cap on immigration, Canada can rapidly grow its population. This combined with settlement programs for the northern regions of the nation, allows the full utilization of the nation's resources. Jobs can be provided by constructing communities in the uninhabited communities in the sparsely populated northern areas of the nation. Low taxes, high standards of living, and boundless opportunities can be used to attract productive immigrants and there will be a rigorous system to eliminate candidates that are not deemed beneficial to the nation.

Criteria for immigrants should include:
Fluency in English, or if immigrating to Quebec, French.
Advanced Education or a High Net Worth
Are able to obtain employment in area of specialization
Transfer of wealth and assets to Canada (if possible)
A commitment to remain here.

Work visas could be issued out to provide employment to hard working foreign nationals seeking to immigrate, and based on their success, can be allowed to become a citizen.

As there will be a great amount of immigrants flowing into the nation, it is important to maintain a national identity. It is important to elevated investment into cultural output of our nation to remain as a cohesive unit. The government should create a flourishing arts & culture program to promote a Canadian identity (which to this day, is unclear). Multiculturalism is important, but the idea of the nation as a whole most come first.

The right type of immigrants is key to the development of the nation, by inviting productive members of society that will easily fit within their new home, Canada can expand its economic prowess through an expansion of population. We will see rapid development of our nation into a dominant player in the world, and maybe, this - the 21st century, will be ours.