tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20937252790306476392024-02-21T01:44:27.435-05:00Ottawa MusingsCherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-75789473074397285092011-11-17T15:32:00.005-05:002011-11-17T15:49:55.793-05:00Compassion, Leadership, Vision<iframe width="425" height="246" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7xryGlgh_LU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-1386053371085955282011-11-13T15:04:00.005-05:002011-11-17T15:49:12.052-05:00TV spot: Civic Vote 2011<iframe width="425" height="246" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ciHaVaMOdLI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-60164456243051381582011-05-12T16:00:00.006-04:002011-05-15T21:09:32.312-04:00Running for Vancouver School Board<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><i>Today I announced my decision to seek a Vision Vancouver nomination for Vancouver School Board:</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; ">I have a passion for public education that stems from watching my parents struggle to send me and my sister to Crofton House, university, and grad school on working class salaries. They came to Canada as immigrants from the Caribbean - my mother as a live-in maid and my father with $200 and a Bible. Neither had finished high school and they didn't feel confident navigating the school system on their own.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><b>Parents should have confidence that the public school system will support all students, regardless of background.</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; ">I first ran for Vancouver School Board in 2002. Vision Vancouver didn't exist then, and I ran with the NPA. But the NPA is no longer a centrist party. It has moved sharply to the right on policy issues, won't take a strong advocacy stand for students, and does not offer the voice for Vancouver's schools that we need in a climate of provincial cut-backs.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; ">Vancouver schools need trustees who are willing to stand up for students, stand up for teachers, and protect the role of education in equipping young people to become active community-builders.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><b>I don't have confidence in the NPA's willingness to advocate for Vancouver schools. That's why I joined Vision Vancouver and support its consistent progressive record.</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; ">I bring 15 years experience in policy and advocacy communications. I've served in government, private sector, and public interest organisations as:</span></span></div><div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; ">Co-Chair of the West End Mayor's Advisory Committee</span></span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; ">Legislative Assistant to federal Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh</span></span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; ">Account Director with a leading global public affairs firm</span></span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; ">Advisor to the Doctors Without Borders Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines</span></span></li></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span">Vancouver voters can be confident in my ability to represent their interests, negotiate with the province, and form strong ties with the stakeholders of our education system.</span></b></span></div>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-5796836183372149062010-10-29T17:18:00.029-04:002010-11-27T03:47:20.999-05:00back from Haiti<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US">People keep asking me how my trip to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Haiti</st1:place></st1:country-region> went.<span> </span>The truth is it was overwhelming.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTwiq5qrz43uYgC4UiYEeCVZQzNc-gn-51hxmhojYTzIStHx6hKVsuCs0aY5Fd9Eo3Je3TBg_adNkwbOZy4M0dEqRq3yHDgkUwYh6H3neiw1uOSgiTtIO7eyfLQEUFQTa0xxIleXYYqLE/s200/Port+au+Prince+3.JPG" style="text-align: justify;float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543989085082608674" /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span">Earlier this month I went with seven other volunteers to <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Jacmel</st1:city>, <st1:country-region st="on">Haiti</st1:country-region></st1:place> for a two-week mission trip designed to support the work of a <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/change/2010/10/bob-davisson.html">Canadian-led NGO</a> that funds an orphanage and 56 schools in the country.<span> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span></span>We didn’t have a lot of details before we left, but our team was comprised of 3 leaders from the construction industry, a woodworker with electrical experience, and four of us with various contributory skills like the ability to speak French, to work well with children, to lead teams, and experience working in developing countries.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">We went with our church, whose pastor has known the head of the NGO for 30 years, and so we were readily </span><span class="Apple-style-span">plugged in to, not just a local NGO network, but also a network of churches and pastors on the ground.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">We started each day with devotions.<span> </span>Much like the daily ass</span><span class="Apple-style-span">emblies of my high school days, there was a reading, discussion, and if energy was lagging</span><span class="Apple-style-span">, maybe some singing.<span> </span>None of us knew each other before the trip.<span> </span>We slept doubled up and in bunks, ate meals together, sweated in the sun together, talked about spouses back home.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">There were some Lord of the Flies moments.<span> </span>Some struggling to determine who th</span><span class="Apple-style-span">e alphas were, who would follow, who could be trusted as a lone wolf.<span> </span>There were days when sexual tension kinda wrecked the flow.<span> </span>There were breakthrough moments when people were brought to tears.<span> </span>There were angry moments when w</span><span class="Apple-style-span">e lashed out about how much more work there was to be done.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span><span class="Apple-style-span">In short, we were a microcosm </span><span class="Apple-style-span">of the relief effort as a whole.</span></span></p> <div style="text-align: center;"><object width="200" height="175"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NCHACD2qPUM?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="200" height="175"></embed></object></div><span lang="EN-US"><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">Haiti is the poorest country in the <st1:place st="on">Western Hemisphere</st1:place>.<span> </span>It suffered an <a href="http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/acdi-cida/ACDI-CIDA.nsf/eng/ANN-114111655-M4M">earthquake</a> on January 12, 2010 that left </span><span class="Apple-style-span">up to 300,000 people dead.<span> </span>A si</span><span class="Apple-style-span">milar number were injured and 1.5 million people were displaced, left homeless, and are living in tent cities now.</span></div></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span">To put the damage into perspective</span>, community leader <a href="http://racheldecoste.ca/">Rachel</a> <a href="http://www.ecolecoeurouvert.net/">Decoste</a> reminded me that it took two years to clear the debris from the twin towers in Manhattan.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span">"And that's just two buildings - in the richest country in the world, using the most sophisticated equipment. We are almost ten years on from September 11th and they still haven't rebuilt."</span></blockquote></div><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span">The reconstruction in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Haiti</st1:place></st1:country-region> will take decades.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></span></p><span lang="EN-US"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">Our team got houses ready for future mission workers; </span><span class="Apple-style-span">we erected tents to be used as a school; we spent time in the orphanage where the kids’ desperation to be held was palpable and crushing.<span> </span>We sorted through container shipments of donations and delivered supplies to classrooms and kids.<span> </span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span></span>But our biggest successes came in connecting to individual people.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span">There was the young adult we befriended who relied on that trust to reveal a health problem.<span> </span>We raised money to pay for surgery that got scheduled the same week.<span> </span>There were kids we met that we could help with homework or tell about how opportunities for education had opened doors for our parents or ourselves.<span> </span>There were congregants on Sunday who came forward asking for prayer.<span> </span>There was the relief worker we connected with and helped re-buoy after burnout.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span">As a black ‘Caribbean-Canadian’ who speaks French travelling with a group of mainly white anglophones, I sometimes felt I was on a different trip than everyone else.<span> </span>Of course as a policy wonk as opposed to construction expert, I could expect no less.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span lang="EN-US">Such contradictions have followed me on visits to developing countries and in work with development organisations before.<span> </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/24/magazine/24volunteerism-t.html?_r=2">The gaps</a> between advocacy at the systemic level and relief work on the ground never stop being frustrating.<span> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkUQVLQ8SgAmZA96sjnAvJT8zF5gxOtRYkUDDRNZ_g4VVWho5NhFDvD8qFRQxgZZd8jIzqd2dWVzBCg8tX4UoCQxpfY-IHWIPGRhnVfdATw0U_wy2Vy42NzVYCwI4NAz1dUl0YhWBvHI/s200/Chabin+school+5.JPG" style="text-align: justify;float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543991217539818306" /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span">But there is a restorative power that can’t be denied in building bridges - person to person, smile to smile.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i><br /></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>* post updated Nov 26 with </i><i>news clip above</i></span></p></div></span>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-59290432556544683262009-05-20T13:44:00.004-04:002009-05-20T13:58:06.261-04:00politics, marketing, activism - find a tribe & lead it<div><br /></div>Compare entrepreneur and blogger Seth Godin speaking below about the re-emergence of tribes with my own thoughts on the rise of the tribe <a href="http://ottawamusings.blogspot.com/2007/04/age-of-tribe.html">here</a>.<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(85, 26, 139); text-decoration: underline;"></span><br /><object width="446" height="326"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"> <param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/embed/SethGodin_2009-embed_high.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/SethGodin-2009.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=538"><embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgcolor="#ffffff" width="446" height="326" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/embed/SethGodin_2009-embed_high.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/SethGodin-2009.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=538"></embed></object>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-52862131445066722022009-04-22T13:35:00.002-04:002009-04-22T13:51:05.232-04:00at least one canadian not afraid to shine<div style="text-align: justify;">I recently put my townhouse on the market, hoping to take advantage of stable prices in Ottawa and dropping prices in Vancouver in order to get back into the West coast real estate game. My agents sent a team of advisors, snapping photos, debating wall colour and moving furniture, and subtly transformed the house. The shifting of couches, lamps and bookshelves was the single biggest improvement to the look and feel of my home. I had left pieces too close to walls, too hidden in corners – which is so typically Canadian.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Tucking into corners is what all three pillars of Canadian society habitually do.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081127.WBwbradwanski20081127113606/WBStory/WBwbradwanski">Distracted </a>by the precariousness of minority Parliaments, the federal government has failed to advance a forward-looking agenda for the country, risking irrelevance on the world stage and domestically. <a href="http://www.andreamandelcampbell.com">Canadian businesses also avoid</a> the innovation and entrepreneurial approach it would take to develop global brands. And too many civil society organisations are hampered by both <a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/PRBpubs/prb0590-e.htm">anti-advocacy legislation</a> and lack of lobbying savvy to translate their public policy aspirations to legislative reality.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So when we come across a Canadian who not only demonstrates an ambitious agenda, but has also taken steps to secure the support base necessary to institute his agenda, props must be given.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jeffrey Turnbull is one such Canadian.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dr. Turnbull is the incoming president of the Canadian Medical Association, poised to be confirmed into the position this July. Unlike <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090409.wcomanning13/BNStory/specialComment/home">Preston Manning</a> – and the outgoing CMA president – Dr. Turnbull opposes two-tier healthcare. What’s more, he became the nominee following a campaign that emphasised the need to restructure Canada's health-care system to ensure equal access to poor, rural and aboriginal Canadians.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dr. Turnbull’s views are based on experience: he was awarded the Order of Canada for his work with Ottawa's homeless and his achievements as a medical educator.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">His views are also practical. In the age of globalisation, disease knows no borders; health crises in one country result in refugee crises for their neighbours and businesses rely on global supply chains to fuel economies in industrialised nations and poor. In this context, promoting good health, preventing illness, and building and supporting strong health systems are not luxury programs – they are essential strategies for national governments. <br /></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The increasing interconnectedness of the global community means that wealthy nations must contribute towards health programs in high-burden countries and communities as an investment that will pay future dividends for overall. <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here’s hoping Dr. Turnbull’s practical compassion sets an example for Canadians across the board.<br /></div>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-56289062094050465042008-11-05T13:12:00.003-05:002008-11-13T14:34:39.669-05:00we - the people - won.<div align="justify">There are a lot of pundits speculating on the significance of the Obama win for African-Americans and for race relations in the USA. I think they’re missing the larger point.<br /><br />What’s historic about this election is not just the colour of President Obama’s skin, but the scope of his values and the focus-on-the-positive approach he took to his campaign. A new paradigm has been struck.<br /><br />When you consider the West’s strongest archetypes, and even heroes from the modern age, rarely does a person of principle win out over an evil-doer with dirty tricks. The Torah tells us that the Israelites were chosen to be a light unto the world. To be a living embodiment of God’s teachings. But they were enslaved, spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness, and then their leader was denied entrance to the Promised Land.<br /><br />Jesus taught his disciples to turn the other cheek. To embrace generosity over greed. And that the greatest of the commandments is to love, love, love. He was betrayed by one of his inner circle, nailed to a piece of wood, and hung out in public until he died.<br /><br />Joan of Arc led France to victory in a series of battles against England and its expansionist ambitions. She was captured, tried by an ecclesiastical court, and burned at the stake at 19.<br /><br />Ghandi fought tyranny, colonization, class, race, and religious persecution through a disciplined campaign of non-violence and said the search for God is the same as the search for truth. He was assassinated by a fellow-Hindu. Martin Luther King was assassinated for his racial and economic equality campaigning. And just as Malcolm X began calling for a more inclusive approach to the Nation of Islam’s civil rights movement, he, too, was murdered by one his own.<br /><br />And so the idea of a political candidate who dismisses smears and negative attacks from his opponents by invoking Jay Z’s “brush your shoulder off” shouldn't have inspired too much hope. Leading a two-year campaign based on the politics of inclusion, a resolve to advance ideas over attacks, We over They - well, given our cultural references and our history, a campaign like that shouldn't really have worked.<br /><br />Hillary Clinton was not alone in her assessment that, generally speaking, when you can’t beat 'em, you’ll probably have to join 'em.<br /><br />Many of us had succumbed to the idea that the path to governance requires a certain collusion with special-interests funders, negative campaigners, and the support of those media-recognized leaders from the most powerful demographic groups who have crowned US presidents in the past.<br /><br />Obama’s two-year assertion that individual citizens, anonymous voters, and everyday residents could fund, mobilize, and transform the actual political process was an unlikely strategy in light of the examples from our past.<br /><br />And so the historic significance I’m taking from this election is not just that a majority of Americans voted for a black man.<br /><br />It’s that after decades of insiders – women’s groups, labour leaders, social justice lobbies, sitting politicians, the private sector, and more – telling us that we wouldn't be able to achieve political power unless we learned to play like the Big Boys, President Obama has come along to tell us that:<br /><br />Yes We Can.</div>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-43106385875066634282008-07-15T12:27:00.000-04:002008-12-10T05:59:15.741-05:00what was good for the goose isn't really good for the gander<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfI-cgH8Eao8M-C1asBespLOxjq_iC-TiqqB2FTIbUuAsB2WryVq-YjWgDmrVGjhuS0eQN9G7qxdhrXlXVMuRHVXe43oH7eTR6rVwNoFVGgTf8JQLLnhMOG7l1CPhX2s-mQDef-m2pIFs/s1600-h/New+Yorker+Cover+July+2008.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223286973306410178" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfI-cgH8Eao8M-C1asBespLOxjq_iC-TiqqB2FTIbUuAsB2WryVq-YjWgDmrVGjhuS0eQN9G7qxdhrXlXVMuRHVXe43oH7eTR6rVwNoFVGgTf8JQLLnhMOG7l1CPhX2s-mQDef-m2pIFs/s200/New+Yorker+Cover+July+2008.jpg" border="0" /></a>I hear that The New Yorker intended this week's cover to be satire. A way to mock those middle Americans who think of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Obamas</span> as radicals who will steal the White House out from under us all, burning the flag, sympathising with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Osama</span>, and raising their fists in revolutionary glee.<br /><br /></div><p align="justify"></p><div align="justify">The reason this cartoon doesn't achieve a sense of satire is that it seems more like it's supposed to be an inside joke. The kind of illustration you might find in a radically leftist student newspaper, where the editors are secretly thrilled at the idea of some black power revolutionaries taking over and dominating the D.C. elite. The same kind of editors who might celebrate a picture of Che, for example, his profile on their tee-shirts and on posters in their dorms.<br /><br />When you're a member of an immigrant or visible minority group, and you've attended all the best schools, finished at the top of your class, worked with the best, and then offer a nuanced and principled critique of the status <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">quo</span>, it's surely a shock to the system to not be treated as a public intellectual, but lampooned as a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">guerrilla</span> revolutionary instead. </div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThCOXIbddzob6zvnXBqHVyxxHoULvpvZjymHXFTTpXS2wpiYMd6_wMKtIcVPFSx6zlR3lAF4kSY988cVMMQeQk-AtRlGwOe0Tz26Mq8nFuk9QTL44UqpyxNm2UaslZMJjyWxTC1-Rgk0/s1600-h/Hillary+Clinton+nutcracker.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223280862302421314" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiThCOXIbddzob6zvnXBqHVyxxHoULvpvZjymHXFTTpXS2wpiYMd6_wMKtIcVPFSx6zlR3lAF4kSY988cVMMQeQk-AtRlGwOe0Tz26Mq8nFuk9QTL44UqpyxNm2UaslZMJjyWxTC1-Rgk0/s320/Hillary+Clinton+nutcracker.jpg" border="0" /></a>I frowned for Hillary when the tasteless merchandising came out about her, and I wince at this week's New Yorker cover for its equally painful attempt at commercial humour. It seems that the kind of mockery that worked fine when candidates were white, male, and sired by the American-born doesn't work as well now that the political landscape is broadening.</div>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-24587087328898942232008-03-29T16:15:00.000-04:002009-01-19T23:09:09.385-05:00rainbows & butterflies<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZvf6rzuwowzEnlL0JtP0kPjlWDTXpHfUEWXlPhfIEJRYmDqb3dj2PYEWnn5Uq4DKetpEgvJyU_ZkuiCprX9BI_hxW1WGODOA91m33hhgIeftqFJ7So6kYrIkPC4FtOof27Vc0MJ86h4/s1600-h/Barb+&+me+registering+voters+in+N+Philly.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183261338275032882" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXZvf6rzuwowzEnlL0JtP0kPjlWDTXpHfUEWXlPhfIEJRYmDqb3dj2PYEWnn5Uq4DKetpEgvJyU_ZkuiCprX9BI_hxW1WGODOA91m33hhgIeftqFJ7So6kYrIkPC4FtOof27Vc0MJ86h4/s200/Barb+%26+me+registering+voters+in+N+Philly.JPG" border="0" /></a>Last weekend I went to Philadelphia with one of my friends from high school and we spent two days volunteering on the Obama campaign. I can’t tell you how exhilarating it was to know that I was finally putting my money where my mouth is and doing something on-the-ground to help this man win.<br /><br />We arrived at the Philly HQ just in time for a rousing speech by Congressman Elijah Cummings from Maryland. He talked about the impact and inspiration of Barack Obama’s vision. And then he said it was not enough to be inspired – you had to get out and do something to support the campaign. And then, it’s not enough to support one person’s presidential bid – you have to get out and do something to improve your own life. I can’t lie – both B and I had tears in our eyes.<br /><br />The Philly HQ saw us arrive: two preppy, but decidedly coloured girls, and promptly asked if we’d be interested in canvassing in North Philly, in the projects. Dude, I was so down.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnYnNOsDrF6lT3MJUVMHWioOgImHnaT2CTbOCj19SwiWljEiLLcFyBmb_M205zgVDVsCNaE_Qvlg4M4-fmWZ_EBlakkc50rFy_kgH0WrMTvnBqK32sYIDC5iUg_YcEXRHL4jcmC3rHJY/s1600-h/Obama+Philly+HQ+2008.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183261226605883170" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnYnNOsDrF6lT3MJUVMHWioOgImHnaT2CTbOCj19SwiWljEiLLcFyBmb_M205zgVDVsCNaE_Qvlg4M4-fmWZ_EBlakkc50rFy_kgH0WrMTvnBqK32sYIDC5iUg_YcEXRHL4jcmC3rHJY/s200/Obama+Philly+HQ+2008.JPG" border="0" /></a>We went with three others – stopping first for espressos – then rolling in in a BMW SUV driven by a smooth-toned, elegant, older black man, and accompanied by a late 30s/early 40s female white lawyer from NY and a 30-something Hispanic woman, also from NY, who had also done canvassing work in Rhode Island. There was a journalist from Vanity Fair in the elevator with us doing a story on New Yorkers coming down to help before the Philly primary.<br /><br />The response to our door-knocking fantastic. One group of idlers outside a boarded up house told me and B that we had “a lot of heart coming up to the hood.” They said we “must be getting paid a lot to go door to door in the projects.”<br /><br />That’s when I told them that we were doing it for free – we believe in Obama so much that we would drive down, three of us from NY and one from Canada, to help the man win.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTN6Mum5ZH8A3DqKHBjcJN4Nak4NJo9I9W82jApJtc17Cpq-BaZwqWfzUrL7QdC17tffP6gpkZHFH-Oa2AqVqljIoSZOM2VSmdXuBJI5llkg6tvgKTBeg9sJ0SdQWPLGsZVJrbjPv7iXo/s1600-h/Barb+&+I+at+Obama+HQ.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183263258125414242" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTN6Mum5ZH8A3DqKHBjcJN4Nak4NJo9I9W82jApJtc17Cpq-BaZwqWfzUrL7QdC17tffP6gpkZHFH-Oa2AqVqljIoSZOM2VSmdXuBJI5llkg6tvgKTBeg9sJ0SdQWPLGsZVJrbjPv7iXo/s200/Barb+%26+I+at+Obama+HQ.JPG" border="0" /></a>One woman wanted to know if felons could vote in the primary. Yes you can! One teenager shouted to her mom that some workers from the “black man’s campaign” were there to register her to vote. One young under-ten year old girl saw B and me coming up the drive and said to her friends: “they look so pretty”.<br /><br />I don’t think it’s that we were particularly hot. I think we just struck an interesting picture – two yuppie women of colour, holding campaign signs, standing talking to groups of men over loud base and hip hop, meeting up with colleagues coming out of the odd crack house or two…and smiling radiantly like we’d never been more happy to get out to work.<br /><br />For that alone I’m glad I got out on the campaign trail last <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihND4QbeMpBhvSW4gMcjmRIIORlHA9ycuwTCehrp-JdIYyTlB0BZOEwNZA6ArkVj5CDdJw4gjtg7MH9AXyYrNoABiVxD4JdFvzhDuB2vo5HO1O8YrdA89oLUp0NH8YQxsYtlNTvTbo2fs/s1600-h/Barb+&+I+at+Obama+HQ.JPG"></a>weekend. I’d forgotten what it’s like to feel ecstatic about a project. And I’d forgotten how infectious and powerful that feeling can be. So even if some of the people we registered don’t get out to the primary to vote; even if some residents fail to notice the Obama signs in the front windows of their neighbours’ homes – there are still young girls, ex-cons, and up-and-coming strivers who now know that there’s a candidate for president that will send campaign workers to their hood.<br /><br />There’s a candidate out there who is so inspiring that volunteers feel it’s worth driving across states and countries to stump for. There’s a candidate out there who speaks to the urban elite and the disenfranchised both. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">And we can’t wait for him to do something positive for the country as a whole.</div>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-91784319259570864592008-02-05T19:27:00.000-05:002008-02-05T19:37:27.005-05:00shameless self promotionCheck out <a href="http://www.hillandknowlton.be/pressoffice/Insights/January2008/canada1.html">this site</a> for insights on health policy trends, written by me and my colleagues around the globe.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.hillandknowlton.be/pressoffice/Insights/January2008/canada1.html"></a>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-54747104721778527672008-01-27T18:48:00.000-05:002008-01-28T14:11:21.849-05:00on choirs and leads<div align="justify">It's about four years ago now that I first got turned back on to politics. I mean, I hadn't ever <em>stopped</em> following politics, or volunteering on campaigns, or reading political theory. But it's four years ago now that I finally set eyes on an individual who I thought had that spark. That drive. That vision to make politics meaningful again. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">I had just moved from Vancouver after four and a half years there. I had just turned 30. I had just come back from a four day stop over in Nairobi and a safari around Tanzania, then a road trip round the south island of New Zealand with a friend I'd made in the country before. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">And now I was firmly stationed in the nation's capital, ensconced in a grey cubicle, settled into government, ready to do some good. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">**************</div><p align="justify"><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">My mom called from Vancouver. In recent years she's become a bit of a CNN junkie. She called to ask if I'd seen the Democratic National Convention the night before. I hadn't. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">"They had a black guy, Cher. A black guy gave the speech! You should have heard him - he was incredible. Just incredible!" <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">I was skeptical. My politics and my mom's politics don't always mesh. And so, with few expectations, I found a video clip of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">DNC</span> keynote address online. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">And as I watched it, I cried. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">My boss found me there. In my suit, in my cubicle, hunched close to the monitor, with my headphones on. Crying as <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Barack</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Obama</span> spoke. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">"I think...maybe...you shouldn't be in this job," she started. "I think, maybe, you should be doing something...more." <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">And watching him speak, I <em>wanted</em> to do something more. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">What got me about his speech that night was that he spoke my language - me, a drifter who's lived in seven cities now since 1991. Me, who's black, but grew up in a largely white and Asian city, with little black community. Me, who'd attended a decidedly exclusive, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">WASPY</span>, upper class, all-girls' school. Me, who's a bookworm and a club kid, both at the same time. Me, who's drawn to Jews and gays, both communities, in equal parts. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Somehow, this <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Obama</span> guy, he spoke to all of that. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">In the advocacy world, we place a premium on coalition-building. On stakeholder <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">outreach</span> and the development of support from non-traditional groups. After all, how much more <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">impactful</span> is it to have a broad coalition of voices making your ask, than to have your CEO pleading his case alone? <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">But because we lobbyists know this intuitively, it's easy to dismiss coalition-building as a mere tactic, and not as a fundamental root of a client's entire campaign. Maybe they can't afford to pay us to do stakeholder outreach. Maybe we know someone who knows someone who can help change a law, introduce new regulations, allocate funds in the next budget. And so we don't need a coalition to secure the client's ask.<br /><p></p></div><div align="justify">But then, that's the difference between a Pied Piper and a Miles Davis, no? <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Sure, there's a huge crowd behind the Piper, but Miles now, Miles is <em>transforming the game</em>.</div><div align="justify"><p></p></div><div align="justify">Last night Hillary recounted to South <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Carolinians</span> that the difference between a politician and a statesman is that the politician looks to the next election, but the statesman looks to the next generation. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Ironically, I think she just summed up the difference between herself and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Barack</span>. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Hillary Clinton is like that lobbyist-for-hire, constructing the most strategic, expedient, accessible (but credible) coalition of supporters available, because they are one arrow in the range of arsenal needed to win the immediate political goal. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">But <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Barack</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Obama</span> campaigns like a true-believer. Cultivating a coalition from the grassroots <em>is</em> his political goal. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Which is why he'll stand at Martin Luther King's old pulpit in Atlanta and call on the black community to be more supportive of gays and lesbians and not tolerate those who use anti-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Semitism</span> as a means to divide. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">It's why he calls for an expansion in the number of soldiers and Marines, but also of Foreign Service officers, and suggests that language training is as important as weapons training if diplomacy is to precede military action in Iran. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">It's why he places equal emphasis on the contributions of Asian-Americans and Native Americans, and doesn't just fall back on the usual rhetoric of blacks vs. whites. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Because he's trying to lead an America in which there's a setting for everyone at the table. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Hillary's just trying to lead. You get the feeling she'll worry about the guest list once she's confirmed that the table's hers. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">And so, in our own everyday lives, what can we do to keep in touch with the original sparks that moved us to pursue our current goals? How can we avoid getting lost in the tactical manoeuvres required to bring us to those goals? <p>How can we make sure that the vision of the destination to which we aspire doesn't start to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">eclipse</span> our view of where (or on whom) we're treading as we head towards our goals? </p></div><p></p><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">And if we get to the end line, and we find that there's nobody with us there, how can we develop the courage to go back and start all over again, to ensure that this time, we don't miss the point?</div>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-84763594242584267222008-01-09T01:30:00.000-05:002008-01-24T17:30:28.496-05:00tipping points, influencers, leaders of the pack<div align="justify">A middle-aged aquaintance came back from vacation Monday and said the best thing about her vacation had been the chance to hang out with her 20 year old daughter. She said that at that age, the only way to know what was happening in your daughter's life was to spend time with her and hear accidental confessions throughout the day.<br /><br />She said she was constantly surprised to hear her daughter had organised entire evening plans while they were watching tv - just by texting, IM-ing, and sending emails to friends.<br /><br />And it occurred to me - my god, there <em>is </em>a generation gap caused by technology. And so I wondered what other trends boomers might be missing.<br /><br />It's just after 10:30pm right now and Hillary Clinton is leading Obama by about 6,000 votes in New Hampshire. The Associated Press has called the vote in favour of Clinton, and we're waiting now to hear the call from CNN.<br /><br />Again there's a blow by blow analysis underway of the woman vote and the youth vote, and what it all means for the two front runners.<br /><br />But something strange - in reference to youth today, I heard one pundit refer to voters in their 30s...is that still considered young?<br /><br />My question now is how many pundits are baby boomers and how big is the gap between them and us? When the Boomers were in their 30s, they had kids who were school aged. Gen X'ers and Gen Y'ers are waiting longer to get married and have kids. We communicate more widely, but more silently. And so, is it possible the Boomers still think of us as seen but not heard?<br /><br />Certainly when it comes to Iowa and New Hampshire, the impact of the 35 and under vote seems to have taken the media by surprise.<br /><br />If that's the case, then I wonder what other trends and influencers we might be missing if we're relying on media pundits to be our guides?<br /><br />A colleague drew my attention today to the following book, which was written by the head of one of our sister companies in the States: <strong>Microtrends</strong>, by Mark Penn.<br /><br />The book's described by Bill Clinton and Bill Gates as:<br /><br />"The ideas in his book will help you see the world in a new way." -Bill Clinton<br /><br />"Mark Penn has a keen mind and a fascinating sense of what makes America tick, and you see it on every page of Microtrends." -Bill Gates<br /><br />And the publisher summarises its approach as: </div><blockquote><p align="justify">In 1982, readers discovered Megatrends. In 2000, The Tipping Point entered the lexicon. Now, in Microtrends, one of the most respected and sought-after analysts in the world articulates a new way of understanding how we live. Mark Penn, the man who identified "Soccer Moms" as a crucial constituency in President Clinton''s 1996 reelection campaign, is known for his ability to detect relatively small patterns of behavior in our culture-microtrends that are wielding great influence on business, politics, and our personal lives. Only one percent of the public, or three million people, is enough to launch a business or social movement. </p><p align="justify">Relying on some of the best data available, Penn identifies more than 70 microtrends in religion, leisure, politics, and family life that are changing the way we live. Among them: People are retiring but continuing to work. Teens are turning to knitting. Geeks are becoming the most sociable people around. Women are driving technology. Dads are older than ever and spending more time with their kids than in the past. </p><p align="justify">You have to look at and interpret data to know what's going on, and that conventional wisdom is almost always wrong and outdated. The nation is no longer a melting pot. We are a collection of communities with many individual tastes and lifestyles. Those who recognize these emerging groups will prosper. Penn shows readers how to identify the microtrends that can transform a business enterprise, tip an election, spark a movement, or change your life. In today's world, small groups can have the biggest impact. </p></blockquote><div align="justify">****<br /><br />Only one percent of the population is needed to start a movement?<br /><br />If my aquaintance is any indication - or the media who questioned whether America could be ready for a black Commander in Chief - the Boomers may well be surprised in the not so distant future by a "silent" Gen X and Y coup.</div>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-41025404310077165642008-01-04T01:59:00.000-05:002008-01-24T17:24:57.461-05:00am i smug?<div align="justify">Well, I hate to say <a href="http://ottawamusings.blogspot.com/2007/04/barack-at-first-quarter.html">I told</a> <a href="http://ottawamusings.blogspot.com/2007/03/intellectual-is-new-black.html">you so</a>, but....I never doubted Obama's broad-based support. Am watching CNN, where they are still talking about how many women, how many young people, and how many black people voted for Obama in the Iowa caucuses.<br /><br />Irrelevant!!!<br /><br />Primaries are about getting out the vote. For months now, Obama has been reporting that he doesn't accept funding from PACs or lobby groups. Which means that he was raising roughly the same amount of money as Clinton - but from a larger group of people.<br /><br />Still the pundits focused on gender, age and race. Keep your eye on the ball people - he had <em>more individuals</em> supporting him than Clinton. Less rich maybe, than her supporters, but <em>more of them</em>.<br /><br />Wolf is calling the win dramatic. How can having more supporters pre-vote, direct experience as a community organiser (and therefore of getting people off the couch and into the street/voting booth) possibly result in a dramatic win?<br /><br />Only dramatic if you're not paying attention because you don't think a 40-something black man could possibly win.<br /><br />But wait - isn't that what they said about a 40-something Catholic called Kennedy?</div>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-80620386731983537512007-10-24T21:17:00.000-04:002008-01-24T17:20:25.730-05:00aren't they asking the wrong question?<div align="justify">A week or two ago I was reading a series of features in <em>Canadian Business</em> magazine about how best to make Canada more competitive globally. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">There were arguments about the need to commercialise innovative inventions and ideas, the need to keep skilled individuals in Canadian companies, and in the country, and the need to transform Canada's regulatory environment and cultural bias to one that encourages participation in the world economy, rather than shying away from it. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">As one author has pointed out - it's about the way you can buy a Corona all over the place, but you're not likely to find a Molson in a Mexican bar. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">The prediction was that since history has shown Canadian business leaders to be loathe to think globally, if things don't change by 2020 Canada will be left behind. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">I was almost convinced. But then I started thinking about the individuals I know who are truly outstanding minds. Which is not to say that they are at the top of the food chain in their places of employment. Often these folks are too independent-minded to play office politics well. But I do know quite a few people, actually, who might be classified as brilliant. Inventive, imaginative, well-above average certainly. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">And these people live all over the world. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">They keep in touch virtually. Share ideas informally and across geographic boundaries. Recruit each other for projects. Ask each other for career advice. Now, when you add to this the fact that Canada has the world's highest rate of immigrants as a percentage of population, you have yet another factor contributing to our outward outlook and outward ties to other countries, cultures, and approaches. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">I know that there are regulatory barriers to trade and worker mobility, but my observation is that the truly creative find ways to operate outside of national constraints. They are not bound by questions of sovereignty. <span style="font-size:78%;">(Like our last Prime Minister who was also a shipping mogul, accused of flying different flags on his ships, depending on what port thew were in...but I digress.) <p></span></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">My guess is that the threat is not simply that Canada's regulatory regime is falling behind that of other countries. Or that Canadian entrepreneurs have been too inward looking. Or that there are (<s>not enough</s>) virtually no Canada-based multinationals. Or even that we're suffering brain drain as Canada's best and brightest migrate to the international centres of excellence. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Nope, my bet is that the best and the brightest - in Canada, and the world over - will develop new and informal modes of networking and collaborating that will supersede governments and individual nations in general, making their regulatory regimes irrelevant altogether. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">And so as the boomers debate how to make Canada relevant - a debate in which I am keenly interested, not just because of the economic implications, but also because of the political and foreign policy ones - I can't help but intuit that Gen X'ers are going to blast this debate out of the water.<br /><br />And Gen Y'ers will not even be able to wrap their heads around the idea. Being constrained by country barriers from doing business, commercialising new ideas, or influencing policy in foreign countries? Think Gates, Clinton, and the Google boys. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Surely the web has made it clear that the best and brightest are constrained by nothing of the like? </div>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-20691281060780681882007-08-20T01:15:00.000-04:002008-01-24T17:07:32.725-05:00hell no, we won't go<div align="justify">I'm sitting next to a guy holding a cup from Starbucks. He has the look of someone fresh off the boat. He's reading an article entitled "Retire Rich", and I'm craning my neck to see the magazne's recommendations and stock tips. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Just half an hour ago I was outside with the indignant masses - that is those protesting Bush's visit and the <a href="http://www.spp.gov/">Security and Prosperity Partnership</a> between Mexico, Canada, the U.S. <p></p></div><p align="justify"></p><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Ahhh, the eternal dilemma of an immigrant kid. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">This weekend, after much research and mental consternation, I took a decision as to where to park the the nest egg I'm prepared to gamble in the hopes it will multiply and become a cushy retirement fund. And then I left the house. That's when I ran into the <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070819.wmontebello0819/BNStory/National/home">protest rally</a> against this week's <a href="http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=29a4dd99-e810-4052-a387-d23f3b032a49&k=77795">Montebello summit</a> where President Bush, Prime Minister Harper and President Calderon will discuss the SPP. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">How to honour one's parents' struggle to improve their lives, while also acknowledging that by taking part in the North American economy...and, umm, investing in multi-nationals, you're probably squeezing your very own relatives 'back home'? <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">I followed the protesters from an observer's viewpoint along the sidewalk. Stopping to buy coffee and a muffin en route. I sat on a low wall down the street from the Parliament buildings, popped the lid on my double double, and set in to watch. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Time was I couldn't attend a rally without joining someone I knew. This time - I ran into just one acquaintance. A former colleague from the Minister's office who once also worked for the UN. Did we take up signs and join the marchers? <p><p>No, no, my friends. <p><p>Instead, my partner in crime spotted and flagged over the new <em>police chief</em> in order to introduce herself as a fellow east coaster, and to say hello. We ended up talking to him and an outgoing police chief about how best to clean up Ottawa's streets. And you know what? Good ideas were shared. </p></div><p></p><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">While protesters chanted about the evils of private leaders' meetings, the new police chief, an old one, a government official and a lobbyist whose firm has ties to both the mayor's office and the very business executives advising on the progress of the SPP held one of sorts ourselves. <p><p>We talked about the dropping price of drugs in the city - how a hit of crack is now cheaper than a bottle of beer. We talked about the school teacher officers busted for prostitution last week - her income from teaching doesn't meet her living needs. We talked about another street walker who stopped officers and asked for treatment - two hours of searching later, they couldn't find a shelter or a treatment centre to which she could be referred. </p></div><p></p><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">And so we talked, too, about which community organisations might form a useful coalition in the fight for more treatment dollars, housing shelters, and against the trend of mainstream residents taking more and more serious drugs. <p><p>So perhaps the protesters' one-way chanting achieved more than media coverage today. It sparked an exchange and dialogue on the streets of Ottawa amongst those who might actually hold some sway. </p></div><div align="justify"><p><p>Undisclosed, private meeting? Sure, you could see it that way. Self-serving conspiracy to maintain the power of the elite? Not so much, I'd say.</p></div>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-43764778461007215892007-06-14T14:13:00.000-04:002008-01-24T16:44:51.397-05:00don't be realistic<p><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zL3yF1cD2gQ"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zL3yF1cD2gQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object></p><p align="justify">I got this video in my email inbox this morning. The basic message of the video is to stop being "realistic" and stick to your big, impossible dreams. I enjoy this.</p>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-75531305827932054472007-06-12T14:52:00.000-04:002008-01-24T16:43:00.622-05:00baby with the bath water<p align="justify">A lot of theorists have been writing about the declining influence of government. In fact, this was the subject of one of my major papers during law school ten years ago. The argument goes something like this: <ul><li><div align="justify">Security is being taken up by private bodyguards and gated communities amongst those who can afford not to rely upon the police </div></li><li><div align="justify">Non-state militia groups wage war outside of the guidelines of the Geneva Convention and international law </div></li><li><div align="justify">Public policy decisions are increasingly taken by judges - whether on issues like gay marriage, abortion, or labour disputes...leaving elected officials off the hook </div></li><li><div align="justify">Professional lobbyists - whether lobbyists-for-hire or representatives of civil society organisations - effect more influence on government decisions than the civil servants on the inside </div></li><li><div align="justify">NGOs and community organisations deliver services, shape public debate, and collaborate with partners overseas - directly</div></li><li><div align="justify">Non-governmental organisations also deliver government-esque services directly <em>overseas. </em>For example, War Child contributes towards cleaning up after the devastation of military operations, Amnesty International shines light on government abuse, and Doctors Without Borders delivers healthcare instead of local health authorities overseas</div></li></ul><p align="justify">Governments are obviously becoming less and less relevant - "A perfection of means, and confusion of aims, seems to be our main problem," Einstein said. And so why should we care about them?*<br /><br />Well...call me Pollyanna, but I still have faith. The infrastructure of government is still in place; here in Canada we generate $10 billion annual surpluses federally, and taxpayers don't seem to mind. So we have an opportunity to use the system and the funding that's already in place if we can figure out what to do with the networks we have.<br /><br />We could be actively trying to create an economy of care - incentives to business to support civil society. Government as direction-setter instead of implementer, providing the overall guidance structures and funding for regional and local organisations to do their thing. Government as think tank to generate data about how certain programs are working and what international (or obscure, local) group is already doing it better.<br /><br />I've mentioned experimental pilot projects like harm reduction drug clinics, daycare on site at business centres, investment in research & development, construction of community-focused public spaces and innovative public buildings, and reducing poverty overseas <a href="http://ottawamusings.blogspot.com/2007/03/new-politics-is-needed.html">before</a>. </p><p align="justify">But I'm sure there are lots of people saying this, and when pilot projects <em>do</em> sprout up, the average citizen is often unaware of the opportunities that exist.<br /><br />So how to make a stronger connection between government and community...any ideas?<br /></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-size:78%;"><p align="justify"><p align="justify"><p align="justify"><span style="font-size:85%;">*Of note, last night I bought </span><a href="http://www.worldincbook.com/"><span style="font-size:85%;">World Inc</span></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;">, which explores the question of whether now that companies are more powerful than governments, they have an opportunity - a responsibility? - to make social responsibility part of their mandates. Will report back with thoughts.</span></p>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-51687050811321085462007-06-04T14:58:00.000-04:002008-01-24T16:04:05.561-05:00too cool for school<div align="justify">In his 1957 essay "The White Negro", Norman Mailer argued that:<br /></div><blockquote><p align="justify">"If the fate of 20<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> century man is to live with death from adolescence to premature senescence, why then the only life-giving answer is to accept the terms of death, to live with death as immediate danger, to divorce oneself from society, to live without roots, to set out on that uncharted journey into the rebellious imperatives of the self. In short, the decision is to encourage the psychopath in oneself. One is Hip or one is Square, one is a rebel or one conforms."</p></blockquote><div align="justify">So far, I've met one super over-achiever who also has that kind of crazy hipster cool. Usually, the "psychopath within" tends to overshadow the productive side of the crazy cool people I meet. </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><p><p>Just in April I'd been pitching to a group of people that the truly gifted and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">avant-</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">garde</span> - the innovators - are hardwired differently. And that, as a consequence, they are often a little crazy too. That was before I'd read the Mailer quote, and I know the people I was talking to thought I was strange.<br /><br />I feel vindicated now, if at a loss, because the leap from crazy-productive to crazy-<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">subpar</span> may be all too short.<br /><br />Take Montreal, for instance, the city of my undergrad youth. I've always admired its graceful seediness. The way its people continue to sneer in the midst of its decay. And I've always preferred it over the bigger, richer, more sanitised Toronto as well. </p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">But despite its beautiful people, it's superior fashion, its local arts scene and quirky pockets of tight knit communities, Montreal never beats the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Vancouvers</span> and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Torontos</span> for the "Top City to Live In" in the global awards. Perhaps the continuum from haunting beauty to just plain ghoulishness is too close a spectrum for the average citizen to bear.<br /><br />Still, I remain optimistic that the balance can be made. I think that sometimes simply being innovative, alternative, or daring in one's thinking, is what is seen as crazy. As Einstein quipped: <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><blockquote>"Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions" </blockquote><p>and </p></div><p></p><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><blockquote><div align="justify">"A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?"</div></blockquote></div>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-43065844728473784712007-05-27T03:49:00.000-04:002008-01-24T16:00:40.524-05:00no, my first name ain't baby<div align="justify">Remember Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation <span style="font-size:78%;">(get the point? good. let’s dance).</span> Straight up hard on civic issues, then she brings the beat back. <p><p>Today I spent the afternoon in the park, reading, people watching, counting marathon runners go by. Summers are always good in Ottawa, but today was the first time I’ve considered it could be home. <p>No coincidence these thoughts coming once the snow is gone, and particularly while I’m in the park. I could see the Hill over my left shoulder, open and accessible by foot, the national art gallery in front of me, boasting displays of Renoir, modernist photographs and the Governor General’s <span style="font-size:78%;">(our first black, female head of state!)</span> picks. And to my right the steel and concrete gated façade of the American Embassy, an architectural statement of everything our country is not. <p>Then a random man approached me. I guess during the winter he’d seen me reading at Chapters every week. He wanted to know if I’d like to join him this evening at a church concert. It seems my sister might have taken me to his congregation once when she was in town, cuz he thought he'd also spotted me in a pew. <p>He came across as courteous and respectful, but also possibly trying to flirt. Alas, I’m not born again, nor interested, so I didn’t take the bait. <p>Still, between the sun on my face, the political theory in my lap, the national icons in the distance, and the friendly courage of this man, I left at sundown with a renewed faith in the potential of the city, and good feelings about how great the country is overall. <p>It was like listening first to “people of the world unite/strength in numbers we can get it right/one time”, then skipping tracks to “as I was walkin’ by/saw you standin’ there with a smile.” <p>Looks like my girl Janet knew what she was talking about. <span style="font-size:78%;">(you might think i’m crazy but I’m serious. it’s better you know now.) </span></p></div>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-16836611546398852092007-05-25T13:25:00.000-04:002008-01-25T14:15:27.552-05:00wtf?<div align="justify">So I'm walking home yesterday after work and there's this skater dude following along the same path. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Next thing I know, he's shouting insults, obscenities, and finally WHITE POWER!!! WHITE POWER!!! <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">For a full block. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">ummm...it was 31 degrees with humidity yesterday. could he not deduce that we don't need any more hot air?</div>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-66632297795811934812007-05-24T14:58:00.000-04:002008-01-25T14:16:27.308-05:00can governments still inspire?<div align="justify">My boss' father, who is from India, says that "the problem with Canada is that there are no problems."</div><div align="justify"><br />Perhaps this is why government is less ambitious now than it was in the Trudeau Charter of Rights era...or even the Mulroney era of Free Trade. <p></p></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">With the exception of the disparities in income, health and education between First Nations communities and the rest of Canada, these days the most urgent social problems to be addressed are most often found overseas. </div><div align="justify"><br />But what is the role of a national government in helping to solve the problems of people who don't live in the nation? How can we engage citizens in supporting foreign aid? And how can we offer foreign aid in a non-paternalistic fashion or without inappropriate strings regarding the recipient country's domestic policies?</div><div align="justify"><br />National governments are hard pressed to focus on initiatives that won't score political points. But the political system - the way individual candidates are nominated, elected and keep their parties in power - isn't really built to focus attention outside the country. And once a government is in place, does it really have the tools to effect meaningful international change? Military action has been used as one piece of the puzzle, but the military isn't designed to cultivate grassroots support.</div><div align="justify"><br />A few weeks ago I was at a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Facebook</span> party comprised of political staffers and bureaucrats where I met a feisty woman who is a lawyer with the feds on First Nations issues. She had been a political staffer for a cabinet minister before the Liberal government fell.</div><div align="justify"><br />We spoke at length about how well government is equipped to improve the socioeconomic status of First Nations communities. She was pessimistic about the government's ability to be an effective catalyst on its own. But she was equally adamant that economic advancement in the absence of self-government, improved infrastructure, and social programs would do little as well.</div><div align="justify"><br />If an insider sees such challenges in working to resolve a <em>domestic</em> policy issue, what kind of tactics are needed to generate support, mobilise resources, and partner with the private sector and civil society for initiatives overseas?</div><div align="justify"><br />Aside from funding (and perhaps managing) existing social programs, infrastructure and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">healthcare</span> - can national governments set <span style="font-size:78%;">(and achieve)</span> loftier goals in the modern age?</div>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-15479692464055600742007-05-22T23:36:00.000-04:002008-01-24T15:49:30.858-05:00lessons learned, revisions made<div align="justify">After three days of reading, reflecting, dancing, and socialising, I have the following revisions to previous thoughts, musings, and posts I've published about a) effective activism & b) socially responsible lobbying.<br /><br />This morning I read an article in the NY Times about the tactics behind the campaign to end partial birth abortions, and potentially many more types of abortions down the road. It seems that the activists appealed - not to rhetoric about morality, values or religious suasion - but rather to empirical data that they say shows abortions are not in the best interest of women in terms of physical or mental health.<br /><br />I found this interesting as an example of how the pro-choice movement got outmanoeuvred. It used to be that when you <span style="font-size:78%;">(am I the only one?)</span> thought of pro-choicers, you thought of feminist intellectuals, perhaps offering reasoned rationales for why the tough decision to have an abortion should be left to individual women, and not the state. And you maybe thought of pro-lifers as placard-waving protesters outside of health clinics. </div><p align="justify">Now, the roles have switched. </p><p align="justify">It's the pro-choicers who are the (impotent) protesters and the pro-lifers who are successfully changing law and potentially public policy through the traditional tactics of strategic lobby plans.</p><div align="justify">But having said that, I have an edit to my earlier assertion that more social cause activists should hire lobby firms (in addition to using our tactics). At the Make Poverty History meeting we talked about how having equal rules is not enough if there are discrepancies in resources between the players.<br /><br />In the context of lobbying world, the issue is not precisely whether you can afford a blue chip firm like mine; it's that by virtue of being so big, my firm is better able to cultivate relationships with decision-makers. </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">When I call a political staffer or government official, I can call with the policy concerns of five clients, knock off multiple birds with one stone. Which makes it more <span style="font-size:78%;">(<strike>worth the official's time</strike>)</span> efficient for the decision-maker to speak to me than to each individual social cause activist who might be pounding at their door.<br /><br />As a result - I have more access. Which leads to an imbalance in the overall democratic objectives of the lobbying system. So. Potential solutions? Big firms should <span style="font-size:78%;">(<s>be required</s>)</span> feel obligated to do pro bono work for resource-poor organisations.<br /><br />Luckily, last year my firm provided pro bono services to <a href="http://www.ashoka.org/">Ashoka</a>, an organisation that provides three years' salary to social entrpreneurs. Other offices/sister companies offered pro bono work to other orgs. Globally we gave away 3.4 million pounds and we have staff volunteer programs in each office to get individual employees engaged in the communities where they work. So. That's not bad. </div>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-71562706062265018402007-05-12T23:01:00.000-04:002008-01-24T15:41:11.607-05:00make poverty history<div align="justify">I've just come back from a meeting of the <a href="http://www.makepovertyhistory.ca/">Make Poverty History</a> campaign.</div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><p><p>It was an inspiring mix of savvy policy advocates, idealistic grassroots activists, fresh faced international development types, newcomers to the city, and social justice campaigners from faith-based groups. It seems I've signed up to co-chair the campaign in my riding. <span style="font-size:78%;">(Thank god for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Facebook</span>.)</span></p></div><div align="justify"></div><p align="justify">There were <span style="font-size:78%;">(only)</span> two people who had been born outside of Canada - from Bosnia and from Colombia - both seasoned anti-poverty services workers. There were the requisite students, some middle aged folks, and lots of women who seemed to be like me*.<br /><br />The purpose of the meeting was to develop strategies to put the Campaign's four anti-poverty goals into the election platforms of each political party in the next election campaign. The four goals are:<br /><br /><strong>More and Better Aid</strong> (Reach the UN target of 0.7% of Gross National Income by 2015 by committing to increase aid by 15% each year from now to 2010, then by 16% from 2010 to 2015.)<br /><br /><strong>Trade Justice</strong> (Press for trade and investment rules that ensure governments and their citizens can choose the best solutions to end poverty and protect the environment, particularly in the agricultural sector.)<br /><br /><strong>Debt Cancellation</strong> (Between 1970 and 2002, for example, the poorest African countries received $294 billion in loans, but paid back $298 billion in interest and principal. Yet they still owed more than $200 billion.)<br /><br /><strong>End to Child Poverty in Canada</strong> (At the start of 2005, one million Canadian children - nearly one in six - were poor. First Nations <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">children</span> are disproportionately affected).<br /><br />You can support the Make Poverty History Campaign online, by <a href="http://www.makepovertyhistory.ca/"><strong>clicking here</strong></a>. <p><br /></p><p align="justify"><span style="font-size:78%;">*but white. and not so much in the private sector. or in partisan politics. okay...so maybe not so much like me, so much as my age. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ish</span>.</span></p>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-86250259914666151222007-05-08T18:18:00.000-04:002008-01-24T15:01:39.385-05:00who da Man?<div align="justify">I've just discovered the <a href="http://www.pressurepointfilms.com/thehiphopproject.html">Hip Hop Project</a>, the "compelling story of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Kazi</span>, a formerly homeless teenager who inspired a group of New York City teens to transform their life stories into powerful works of art, using hip hop as a vehicle for self-development and personal discovery." The film opens May 11<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span> and is produced by Bruce Willis and Queen <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Latifah</span>.*<br /><br />Coincidentally, I'm currently reading <a href="http://www.harpercollins.ca/rs/excerpt.asp">Rebel Sell - Why the Culture Can't be Jammed</a> by Joseph Heath & Andrew Potter. The thesis of the book is that the counterculture movement has not only been unproductive, but has also helped to create the very consumer society that radicals oppose.<br /><br />My favourite quote from the book so far?<br /><br /></div><blockquote><p align="justify">"From the standpoint of social justice, the big gains that have been achieved in our society over the past half-century have all come from measured reform within the system. The civil rights movement and the feminist movement have both <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">achieved</span> tangible gains in the welfare of disadvantaged groups, while the social safety net provided by the welfare state has vastly improved the conditions of all citizens.<br /><br />But these gains have not been achieved by "unplugging" people from the web of illusions that governs their lives. They have been achieved through the laborious process of democratic political action - through people making arguments, conducting studies, assembling coalitions and legislating change. We would like to see more of this.<br /><br />Less fun, perhaps, but potentially much more useful." </p></blockquote><div align="justify">God I agree. People ask me why I like working for a corporate lobby firm.<span style="font-size:78%;"> (aka The Man)</span> <span style="font-size:100%;">I</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">t's</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">cuz</span> I can't find a more efficient - or consistently effective - place to be an activist for hire. My job description is exactly this: to make arguments, commission studies, assemble coalitions, and push for politicians and government officials to legislate change.<br /><br />I think social cause organisations should spend less time complaining about the success of professional lobby campaigns and actually hire us themselves.<span style="font-size:78%;"><br /></span><br />I participated in the anti-war rallies when Bush first contemplated invading Iraq. And, sure, the tam tam playing and megaphone shouting was fun. But our boy George still went to war. I attended pro-choice rallies in undergrad, and yeah it was thrilling to stand up to riot police, see other <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">supporters</span> in the streets. But the current U.S. Supreme Court is still taking active steps to open the door to state by state abortion bans.<br /><br />What is needed is not a critique of how repressive the State and Markets are. Buying alternative sneakers and beauty supplies does not shatter the Dow Jones. But how much more effective is the global access to essential medicines campaign with generic manufacturers available in India than with simple moral claims?<br /><br />What is needed by social cause activists are coordinated, strategic offensives in support of specific policy goals. A desire to get out of Opposition, to assume the reins and lead. Less fun, more useful, indeed.<br /><br />So what I like about the Hip Hop Project is the way that it leverages the cultural appeal of hip hop and the resonance of one guy's story to shine a light on a range of specific social ills. And then it provides a blueprint for how to bring disaffected youth together and to channel their discontent. <em>And then</em> it uses the power of (all types of) media to extend the story's reach. And it's not afraid to align itself with business, or the industry's elite.<br /><br />When we watch the movie, we'll be touched by this guy's story. We'll start to see how a music project can change individuals' lives. And then we can buy the soundtrack, hear the characters' social commentary - and know that the net profits from the project will go to helping different youth organisations make a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">difference</span> in some other kids' lives.<br /></div><div align="justify"><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">*the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">filmmakers</span> are Matt Ruskin, Scott Rosenberg, and Ari <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Issler</span>. They've been filming the project for the last four years. </span></div>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2093725279030647639.post-30533117221067279852007-05-02T13:55:00.000-04:002008-12-10T05:59:16.094-05:00speaking of petards<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZmyJyDImtVov6p9Vllzi-C2ZGY559E7X_vShja8WBLR94ZTsT2Y7Fbvu5ohuk7xMrOZnw98cCybhQOe_lRxTBga2h3mdI2htjP_6IwfAeOSC-cwwMwxoqDwlwtLIjlFmkvYMo5p4hYN4/s1600-h/Conservative+Campaign+May+07.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059977702338321682" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZmyJyDImtVov6p9Vllzi-C2ZGY559E7X_vShja8WBLR94ZTsT2Y7Fbvu5ohuk7xMrOZnw98cCybhQOe_lRxTBga2h3mdI2htjP_6IwfAeOSC-cwwMwxoqDwlwtLIjlFmkvYMo5p4hYN4/s200/Conservative+Campaign+May+07.jpg" border="0" /></a>So the Conservatives have been disturbingly effective lately at painting Dion and the Liberals as ivory tower talkers and the Harper/Baird crew as men of action. </div><p align="justify"></p><div align="justify">Many a beer has been shared and a sparky debate initiated as good Liberals in the nation's capital critique and lament the Conservative attacks. </div><p align="justify"><p align="justify">Today, some hope. A fellow former-staffer sent round the following link to a mock-site about the Conservative's environmental policy plan: <p align="justify">It's called "ecoFRAUD - Sounding Better. Doing Less", and is a direct rip off of the look and feel of the Conservative's real environmental site "ecoACTION - Using Less. Living Better". </p><p align="justify">Which is amusing...if slightly ivory tower. Because isn't "sounding better" the cornerstone of winning elections? Regardless of what the newly-elected government actual <em>does</em>? <p align="justify">NGOs, activists, academics and other civil society actors have a good case to make for being in perpetual opposition. Constant critique may or may not push a government to amend their policy approaches - but it can garner media attention and encourage coffee shop chat amongst voters.</p><p align="justify">Still, for the Liberals and our upcoming election campaign...no point sneering - <em>we</em> need to sound better too, if we want to win. </p><p align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzoZnts55rAJhfPROOc4Z_3oA9R_hpfnER3rvrrrVnEEsK6lheq2U5BC27ZDHpI7W48axP-nFw8Qs_10Ss_JDtX9Uwjrs2apFcMW4p9TQ9t_4k64135dQ6eZDL97c7FNaGqEIPy4OmA5M/s1600-h/ecoACTION.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059979660843408674" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzoZnts55rAJhfPROOc4Z_3oA9R_hpfnER3rvrrrVnEEsK6lheq2U5BC27ZDHpI7W48axP-nFw8Qs_10Ss_JDtX9Uwjrs2apFcMW4p9TQ9t_4k64135dQ6eZDL97c7FNaGqEIPy4OmA5M/s200/ecoACTION.jpg" border="0" /></a> </p><p align="justify">Check out the Conservative environmental plan <a href="http://www.ecoaction.gc.ca/index-eng.cfm/">here</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwp_5hJhJx_SWxjHeoM3psvuEvrzSmwj4ZKKPPVp1kTn3a8W92XSyJwBjdOsPYQXuhfEqmcQO7_cqqpnB_GHPcczUxsKu_czMZiC6ycDgkKdbyyx6r9m7J2wJeL8M37SwPA6UWLseyreE/s1600-h/ecoFRAUD.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059979742447787314" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwp_5hJhJx_SWxjHeoM3psvuEvrzSmwj4ZKKPPVp1kTn3a8W92XSyJwBjdOsPYQXuhfEqmcQO7_cqqpnB_GHPcczUxsKu_czMZiC6ycDgkKdbyyx6r9m7J2wJeL8M37SwPA6UWLseyreE/s200/ecoFRAUD.jpg" border="0" /></a> </p><p align="justify">And the mock ecoFRAUD site <a href="http://www.ecofraud.ca/index-eng.aspx">here</a>. </p>Cherie Payne, BA, LL.Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04089641687735332004noreply@blogger.com