The Future

I spent an hour with the future on Sunday night. The premise was a meeting for the 11 year olds in our congregation, to introduce all the boys turning 12 soon to our young men's program. It was a chance to introduce myself more formally to the parents and boys, and to answer all their questions. It was a lot of fun and I was incredibly impressed by them. I think they were impressed by Ralph and I, and that I remembered their birthdays off the top of my head. In case you're wondering what the future looks like, it's bright, energetic and just a tad rowdy! Ggoing from the left on the back row: Ralph Durant (my new 2nd counselor), Mordecai Rodney (April 13), me, Simon (July 1), Bro Masse (with a french accent aigu). bottom row: Bishop Morales, Charles Masse (Jan 2) and Jordan Morales (Dec 6).

Canadian Politics

I don't know much about Canadian politics, but it's very interesting to learn their system and see the implications of our differences. Because it's a parliamentary system, they can call elections whenever they have the votes in Parliament, which is what happened on Monday night. While I think I like the stability the American system provides, knowing there are going to be elections every 4 years on the 2nd Tuesday in November, there is one thing I do like. The national elections will be in late January, so each party essentially only has less than two months to campaign. This balances the canidates out in terms of ability to use and generate resources, and it saves us from having to be bombarded by these issues for months on end. It seems to bring the democracy closer to home, since the current Prime Minster can be voted out after less than two years. Of course, if this was a mistake by his opponents, then they'll pay the price in January. My prediction, Paul Martin will still be the Prime Minister, but the margin in Parliament will be even slimmer. (This picture shows Paul Martin's biggest challenger, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper zeroing in on his target).

Happy NIT, I mean, Thanksgiving

Since I was twelve, my dad and I always spent the day before and the day after Thanksgiving at Madison Square Garden, watching four of the best college basketball teams in the country battle it out. I can honestly say that this is my favorite Thanksgiving tradition , mostly because of the years and years of memories I've shared with my dad. So while I'm stuck at school during a regular day in Canada (remember my post from early October, that they had thanksgiving on Columbus day?), I'm getting nostalgic about all those years at the garden.

Nothing sums up the tradition better than a picture of AJ Guyton from Indiana Univ. I won't go into it, but dad will understand (Remember Indiana vs. Duke in 96? That was the first time we saw "my man AJ Guyton.") Some other memorable years include UMass beating the national champs UNC in 93 (despite being in a huge UMass cheering section, I decided to cheer for UNC who lost in dramatic fashion), the night we saw Marbury and Iverson as college freshman and that blind/drunk lion mascot that didn't root or correspond to any team! I can't keep a straight face while thinking of that lion, a mystery we never solved. Happy thanksgiving Dad, and to anyone else reading this. I'm glad they have a christmas season tourney at MSG so we have been able to start a secondary tradition (though the teams are never as good, the seats are always better).

Honorable Bob Rae

Today is one of those days I'll miss after I graduate. During the afternoon I gave a presentation in Sociology of Mental Illness to 75 students on supreme court cases affecting mental illness. I think it went really well, and best of all, that class is completely over now! So I'm down to four classes until I graduate, one of them being my independent research on cesarean sections.

After my presentation I went to the Law building and heard a lecture given by the Hon. Bob Rae, the former Premier (equiavalent to governor) of Ontario. He was recently an advisor to the Iraqi assembly as they drafted their new constitution. He gave incredible insight into the process, about the fear and isolation the consitution makers deal with daily. Check out this article about him in the Toronto paper. Today, he firmly expressed that he thought the US led invasion into Iraq was completely inappropriate, but that this is beside the point now, that we need to think about the future and find the best solutions to the many difficult issues. One of the most complex of these is the balance between state autonomy and federal power, especially since the Kurds in the north (I believe that's what he said) have been functioning autonomously for awhile already. He also talked about the need for constant reminders that making a constitution isn't about revenge on political enemies, but about putting that bitterness aside. He said this process needs a Nelson Mandela to step up and lead such a unified effort. He said a lot of other interesting things I'll be happy to talk about if you have any questions.

In the meantime, check out my furniture sale at www.gabloge.blogspot.com. Get it? It's a garage sale blog, ie gabloge. Let me know if you see anything you like.

I'm going to Boise, Idaho!

If you've seen the movie "The Singles Ward," then the next line in your head after the title of this post is "I gotta get a map..." Well, it's final, my last exam is Dec 19th, then I'll go to NYC for a few weeks, take the GRE for grad school on Jan 3rd and fly to Boise, Idaho on Jan 6th. I will be interning in the Idaho House of Representatives, working with various reps, probably mostly with Rep. Margaret Henbest, whose focus is public health policy (my interest), as well as with the House Minority Leader Wendy Jaquet. I am really excited about this opportunity. I've even bought a car (I haven't sent the check yet, but it's pretty much a done deal). My first car! Oh and since I promised some political talk, I was glad the House voted against the proposal for an immediate pullout of Iraq, since that would be irresponsible and a disaster. More importantly, I'm also glad that the Senate passed a proposal to have comprehensive accountability for the White House on what they're doing over there. It doesn't feel like anyone has an exit strategy for the end of the war. Which reminds me, I saw a fantastic movie recently from the 80's called "Born on the Fourth of July" with Tom Cruise, about a Vietnam vet and his difficult transition after being paralyzed. Two lessons I learned from the movie: 1) We need to be very careful about why we go to war and make sure it's worth the sacrifice (I'm not in a position to judge about this war, but I have my doubts) and 2) We need to treat our vets with absolute respect for what they go through for us. They literally give their lives to answer the call of duty. Even if we don't agree with the cause, we should treat them like heros. This movie portrayed that well; it was the first time I've cried in the middle of a movie.

Big week for the blog

This has turned out to be a big week for the blog for two reasons: 1) I've finally added the counter, 2) I've decided to use it as more than just a travel log, but to share my opinions and reactions to world events and US politics. Right at the outset I'd like to say that I still don't consider myself a Democrat or a Republican, so this blog doesn't represent one particular political slant. For example, I support the health care proposals put forth by Sen. Hillary Clinton. Before any of my more conservative friends jump down my throat about that, consider that one of her biggest supporters on this issue is New Gingrich! Check out this article for example. On the other hand, I tend to agree with most David Brooks articles in the NY Times, I would've voted for republican Mike Bloomberg in the NYC mayor election if my absentee ballot would've come and my favorite Senator these days has been republican Arlen Spector of Penn. I guess I'm proud of being somewhat centrist and willing to learn about various sides of each issues.

I expect to write somewhat sparingly since I'm in the middle of my last 5 weeks at McGill University. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy reading my opinions and that you add your comments to what I've written.

Oh snow!

I know, I know, two bad puns in a row (see Saturday's post).

Seriously though, it is snowing right now in Montreal. This is the first time it looks like winter, though there was technically white moisture falling from the sky for a few minuteslast week .

Counter

I just added a counter on the bottom of the blog, so I can keep track of how many times my page is viewed as of Nov 15th. I wish I had done that back in April.

ICAN, can you?

Already there are two things wrong with this post: 1) I don't know exactly what the title means, but the pun was too good to resist. ICAN stands for the International Cesarean Awareness Network, an advocate group dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers of the rising cesarean section rate in the US. As I've researched and written my papers about this important issue, I've become very impressed with this organization and the work they're doing. While cesareans can be lifesaving, there is no reason for the rate to be so high. 2) Cesarean Awareness Month is April, but since it's what I spend so much of my time thinking about these days, it might as well be November. Check out this article from the New York Times which quotes ICAN, as well as ICAN's website.

Pres. Belnap on the Today Show

Last week my NYC Stake President was interviewed by Matt Lauer on the Today Show, discussing the recent Newsweek cover story on the Church. As Stake President, he is responsible for all the congregations in Manhattan and has been a positive influence on my life. He was the person who set me apart before my mission to Idaho and officially released me upon return. In his reply to my congratulatory email, he seemed pleased but wrote, "glad it's over though." Click here to watch the 6 min clip about the LDS Church.

Stuck in NYC-Back in Canada!

By now you've probably heard my story about being denied re-entry into Canada until my study permit problem was resolved. All in all, I was stuck in NYC for 12 days. In addition to studying at Columbia and trying to stay on top of my school work (which apparently was illegal to do in Canada), I enjoyed the unique vibrancy of my hometown. For example, I had the pleasure of seeing my name on the marquee in front of B.B. King's club in Times Square!

I stopped by Bryant Park on Tuesday as the Rangers were doing a promotional skate-around on the beautiful rink they just made in the shadow of the Empire State Building. I did see a few of the players, but I wouldn't have guessed except that they wore jerseys with their names on the back. Go Rangers!

5:50 am on Monday oct 24th - arriving into Newark. I had already been in airport/airplane for the last 11 hours, but little did I know that I'd end up back in Newark 9 hours later. I'm dissapointed this picture came out blurry, cuz I'm real close to the NYC skyline. This was actually the first time I've seen the Em. St. Bldg etc with all their lights out.

Weekend in Utah

My paternal grandparents just received a call to be missionaries living in Boston for a year. They started on Halloween, but on Sunday Oct 23rd the entire family gathered in Brigham City, Utah (1 hour north of Salt Lake City) to hear them speak in front of their congregation. No one expected my Dad and I to come from Montreal and NYC but we flew accross the country on Saturday, finally pulling up in front of their house around 10pm. My grandparents were so happy and excited and shocked to see us on their doorstep, I honestly thought Grandma would have a heart attack!

During the weekend I got to spend some serious quality time with my cousins (remember my posts from August, that I have the cutest cousins in the world?) Some of us even played a game of football to work off the incredible meal we ate. Here's a picture of the losing team taken right before their football lesson began.

What do the Jones' do when we all get together? Gather around Wes' laptop and watch funny commercials about anti-theft systems involving monkeys throwing robbers off a bridge.

There was also a really nice moment when Wes gave Grandpa & Grandma a beautiful wood elephant he bought in Nigeria.

Ottawa!

I went with my boys to a huge dance in Ottawa on Friday the 21st. I gave Patrick the camera for 5 minutes and this picture is what I got! The top picture is with Kameron's jar of candy he won by guessing how many are in there. We had a great time, but I got home around 2am, a little late considering I was flying accross the country the next morning!