So Long, and thanks for all the fish

Even In Canada, This news has made Front Pages. I can now safely say that our chances to win the next World Cup have significantly improved :D...



Paul, the oracular octopus, tips his last match
The scourge of the world’s bookmakers is no more.
Paul the Octopus, the tentacled tipster who cost the betting industry more than $1.5-million last summer with his unerringly accurate FIFA World Cup predictions, passed away in his tank in the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre in Germany early Tuesday morning.

Despite rumours that he may well have predicted his own death – “If he did, he kept it to himself,” an aquarium spokesperson said – Paul’s prognostications during the month-long soccer showpiece in South Africa ensured his two and half years on this planet will not soon be forgotten.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/soccer/world-cup-prognosticator-paul-the-octopus-dies/article1772959/

WTO Consultations

OK, finally I am settled enough to come to terms with a very busy life. I work pretty long but fun hours, e.g. last friday I spend some time in a conference room with some Dutch honorary consuls, only to be followed up by a debriefing at the European delegation about that weeks trade negotiations with Canada. I learn an incredible deal  here, but it takes up a lot of time.

TODAY though was already the highlight of my week. I got to represent the Netherlands in the European delegation to the WTO consultation meeting between Canada and Japan, to which the EU commission and the USA are observers. In other words I got to sit behind the Dutch flag! The meetings concerned the recent Ontario Green Energy act, which has left the EU, US, and especially Japan pretty pissed off. More information regarding the exact contents of the meetings can be found in the cited articles below. I of course cannot disclose the nature and specifics of the consultations, which for me makes it so much cooler.

And I walked home from the Ministery of Foreign Affairs and International Trade with a big smile on my face. :D



Ontario's FIT plan sends Japan to WTO
Japan has launched a World Trade Organization dispute against Canada, claiming made-in-Ontario requirements of that province's feed-in-tariff (FIT) program are a violation of international trade law.
Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/Ontario+plan+sends+Japan/3520194/story.html

Solar rules will hurt Ontario, group warns
Ontario’s domestic-content rules could cost the province $2-billion in lost investment next year and threaten its ambitious targets for adding renewable power to the grid, says a coalition of foreign and Canadian solar-power manufacturers.
Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/solar-rules-will-hurt-ontario-group-warns/article1766007/

new article

hey all,

still pretty busy at work so no time to tell about long and adventurous endeavors, but I do keep on reading the news:

KANGAROO LET LOOSE ON DANCE FLOOR: REPORT

Police in Ireland are investigating after reports that a baby kangaroo or wallaby was released onto the dance floor during a party at a Dublin hotel. The animal was let loose among 150 revellers dancing to the theme tune of the Australian television show Skippy the Bush Kangaroo at the Clarion hotel, in Liffey Valley. Part of the incident was captured on security cameras, but staff at the hotel said when they got to the private function room, the animal had gone. "We had no idea where it came in or how it got out of the hotel. The whole thing was all a bit upsetting, to be honest with you," the hotel's manager, Garret Marrinan, was quoted as saying. Rumours then spread that the animal had died and was buried in the mountains near Dublin. However, police said there was no evidence so far that the animal had died.

National Post

Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/zoomanity/3709431/story.html#ixzz137YUMBAL

My Work

Hey again,

Just to keep you posted and updated about the life in Canada and the Jobs at the Dutch embassy, I have decided to share some of my daily rituals with you. One of them is that, in order to write weekly newsletters on economic matters in Canada, I am slaved into reading the newspaper and drinking coffee every morning at work. Horrible practice of course. However, I learn a lot about Canada and its culture, something that I plan on sharing with you through this blog anyway. So I tought I'd provide some links to cool articles that I come across.


Having moved into my new appartment (more about that later), and having discussed the rise of Canadian DJ's with my new roommate and the fact that they are (except Deadmau5) are not really known in Europe, I found out that their target is right here in Canada. Because aparently most under fifteens suffer from ADHD (see article).


Canada the drug paradise of the world?






Are we medicating a disorder or treating boyhood as a disease?


Last year, more than two million prescriptions for Ritalin and other ADHD drugs were written specifically for children under 17, and at least 75 per cent of them were for young males. Part 3 of a 6-part series.


For school children across the country – most of them boys – taking a drug for attention deficit disorder each morning has become as commonplace as downing a vitamin. But the daily ritual has been quietly growing in Canada, year after year – a trend that's dwarfing rates in other countries and raising disturbing questions about the forces driving it.


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/time-to-lead/failing-boys/are-we-medicating-a-disorder-or-treating-boyhood-as-a-disease/article1762859/

Joel Armstrong - Fireplace (Original Mix)

First Pictures

These are the pictures I took when I got my new Camera

I only took it with me on two random walks

I will try to use it more often

The Canadian Parliament and Library 

Freedom tower (bell tower on the left)

Main library hall (on the right)

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_Hill

Picture Taken from the Parliament Park

Nothing New Here

Frontside view of the Parliament

This is what it looks like on a less sunny day

The Locks of the Rideau Canal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rideau_Canal

The Dutch Embassy

This is where I work, On the 20th floor 

In the Constitution Building

Because the Embassy is in an office building there is no Dutch flag

But dont worry, plenty of Dutch stuff can be found around town

This is near Parliament Hill, 

A part of the embassy is occupied with this kind of stuff

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Tulip_Festival

The view from my office,

Not too bad

And I am only the intern.

My Office,

No, just kidding,

The office of the Leader of the Liberal party

My Couch Surfing Host gave me a tour of parliament

If you want to visit Ottawa

I recommend this Hotel (and start saving up)

It is a modern Castle, so nice, warm comfy and wireless contected.

First Post

Hi Folks!


It has taken me quite some time, but I have finally found some time and space to start working on this blog. I hope to keep all of you updated on my adventures in the Canada!!!


A lot has happened in the past three weeks and over the next week, I will try to catch up on all these stories.  Moreover, I am going to try and upload some pictures, however, since I only bought a camera three days ago, providing a credible visual overview of three weeks in Canada might be tricky.


For now you will all have to do with a real quick interview of me with myselve. What you all would probably like to know is; how am I experiencing Canada? How am I doing in General? and How is Canada experiencing you?
I can answer all three in one word: good! Although I must remark that I am not speaking for all Canadians.


More to follow soon!


Cheers!


Jonne