: a journal : optimus prime minister

now remind me:

2007-04-06T11:27:00.000-04:00

The Single Transferable Vote for Canada

2007-03-19T07:36:00.000-04:00

The following overview of the STV (Single Transferable Vote) electoral system (system for electing representatives to government) was taken from the Electoral Reform Society's old pages. They recommend STV as the best option for reforming the United Kingdom's electoral system, and I believe would also be the best system for Canada to adopt! For some reason, they've decided to replace the following text on their new site with what I find to be a less readable overview; so, I rescued and posted the better one here. Hopefully this is 'fair use', and I won't get chipped for copyright violations! Anyhow, onward and upward:

How the Single Transferable Vote electoral system Works:

Each constituency would elect between 3 and 5 MPs depending on its size. Voters rank the candidates, putting a '1' for their favourite, a '2' for the next, and so on. If the voter's first choice candidate does not need their vote, either because he or she is elected without it, or because he or she has too few votes to be elected, then the vote is transferred to the voter's second choice candidate, and so on.

In this way, most of the votes help to elect a candidate and far fewer votes are wasted. An important feature of STV is that voters can choose between candidates both of their own and of other parties, and can even select candidates for reasons other than party affiliation. Thus, a voter, wishing for more women MPs could vote for a woman from their own party and then all other women candidates, whatever party they stand for.

The system is used:

in the Australian Senate, the Republic of Ireland, Tasmania, Malta and Northern Ireland for local elections and elections to the European Parliament.

Arguments used in favour:

STV does more than other systems to guarantee that everyone gets their views represented in parliament and that they have a say in what is done by their elected representatives. STV is the best option for:

Putting the power in the hands of the voters.
Keeping MPs linked to the people who voted for them. Most voters can identify a representative that they personally helped to elect and can feel affinity with. Such a personal link also increases accountability.
Making parliament reflect the views of the voters.
Only a party or coalition of parties, who could attract more than 50% of the electorate could form a government. Any changes would have to be backed by a majority since public opinion is reflected fairly in elections under STV. This is far more important than that a government should be formed by only one political party.
It enables the voters to express opinions effectively. Voters can choose between candidates within parties, demonstrating support for different wings of the party. Voters can also express preferences between the abilities or other attributes, of individual candidates.
It is simple for voters to use.
There is no need for tactical voting . Voters can cast a positive vote and know that their vote will not be wasted whatever their choice is.
It produces governments that are strong and stable because they are founded on the majority support of the electorate.

Weaknesses:

The system does not produce such accuracy in proportional representation of parties as the party list or additional member systems.
It breaks the link between an individual MP and his or her constituency.
Constituencies would be 3-5 times larger than they are now but with 3-5 MPs.
MPs may have to spend an excessive amount of time dealing with constituency problems and neglect the broader issues.
There are critics who say that this system could lead to permanent coalition governments, but this would only happen if the voters as a whole want it.
It is disliked by politicians, since it would remove power from them and give it to the electors, and many MPs with safe seats would lose the security they feel now.

Answering the Common Arguments Against STV

It could destroy the link between MPs and the constituents

Under STV, the constituency link is retained, albeit between several MPs and an enlarged constituency. The accountability of MPs to their constituencies is actually increased in that, unlike the current single-member constituencies, no individual MP has a safe seat. Due to the reduction in security of tenure brought about by STV, all MPs will need to win their seats on merit. Voters also tend to feel a natural link with the whole of Leeds, for example, rather than an allegiance to Leeds North or Leeds Central. They may prefer to have real influence with the MPs representing the whole of the city, rather than hold one MP responsible for their sector. The idea of working together, as a team with other representatives in the area is the norm for local government, where working together for a local ward, is often seen as advantageous.

STV could cause internal party rifts

In most cases, party solidarity and loyalty will inhibit individualistic campaigning, and even if this were to happen, a party could exclude a future ticket to a recalcitrant candidate. There is intra-party competition in every election system. With First-Past-The-Post, it is internalised within the selection and re-selection process; with Party Lists, it becomes a permanent internal competition for a high place on the list. In order to maximise its total support in a multi-member constituency; a party is likely to put up a balanced team of candidates. Under STV all existing MPs can stand for election, and may have an advantage in being better known than their new colleagues.

MPs could become bogged down in casework.

There is no evidence in Britain that local casework-based candidates poll better than national names, often voters like to be represented by national names who may have little day to day contact with the constituency.

The ballot papers would be too complicated for the public too understand.

Electors are perfectly able to cope with STV ballot papers. The first Northern Ireland Assembly election under STV in 1973, which produced a 70% turnout, is a good example. The voters elected representatives from both sides of the community in every constituency.

C'est fin! Thanks for educating yourself! If you want an even bigger overview of other systems and the electoral reform debate, check out UK's Electoral Reform Society, Fair Vote Canada, or read my paper: Replacing the Junker: An Electoral Systems Shopping Guide for Canada (PDF file).

the new lord's prayer

2007-03-15T18:26:00.000-04:00

Armani
Who art in Holts
Hallowed be thy shoes
Thy Prada come
Thy shopping done
On Bloor Street
As it is in Paris
Give us this day, our Visa Gold
And forgive us our balance
As we forgive those who charge us interest
Lead us not into Wal-Mart
And deliver us from Sears
For thine is the Chanel
The Gaultier, and the Versace,
For Dolce and Gabbana...........Amex.

the long emergency - surviving catastrophies of the 21st century

2006-12-22T13:01:00.000-05:00

this is a very interesting video about the problems facing our economy and society as we move into the new century, among them our dependence on oil, our automobile-dependent way of life, urban design, etc. it's an interview with James Howard Kunstler, author of the long emergency - surviving catastrophies of the 21st century, editor at rolling stone and writer for the new york times. i recognized him as the pessimist from "the end of suburbia", a great little documentary done by brant local barry silverthorn, but he's much more balanced it seems in this discussion for the massachusetts school of law "books of our time" show.

watch it, it's engaging and informative.

chemicals in my cream / fatherhood

2006-12-22T12:17:00.000-05:00

fresh cream. the idea of it connotes some kind of natural, pure state for me, clean and white, full of nutrition and rich fats to nurture a calf to maturity.

so was my naive state of mind when i reached for my neilson "fresh cream 10%" a minute ago and noticed it supposedly expired on oct 23, but its still good as new. so i looked at the ingredients. in addition to what you'd expect, you know, cream, water, milk, there were also sodium phosphate, sodium citrate, carrageenan, and dextrose. in cream! i hate to think what was in my jr. bacon cheeseburger yesterday. maybe its time to revert to vegetarianism and go organic. i don't want my baby being siphoned this crap!

yes, my baby! autumn is pregnant. due sometime late spring/early summer.

i just saw a UFO!

2006-12-16T08:27:00.000-05:00

alright, so it was about 7am this morning and i was coming home from autumn's work after walking her there. was up crossing the train tracks by the greenwood cemetary on west st. and lo! in the sky, a few inches down from the cresent moon, really between the moon and the horizon where you could just see the sun's light blue influence spreading upwards, was this period-sized dot of brilliant yellow light! it was moving, and around a 35º fan of luminous gradient diffused out behind it into the sky, like a very large slice of pie. at first i thought it was a plane or helicopter with some kind of ultra-powerful floodlight attached to the front, but as i watched it, i realized it was moving in the reverse direction of the fanning light. i crossed the train tracks in case a freight caravan would come along, still keeping a close eye, and about 30 seconds later, this thing dimmed and then disappeared into what looked like a puff of smoke. the plume behind it wavered and drifted, and became a foggy cloud instead of a sharp-edged, well-lit angle.

either i just saw a spaceship go into romulan "cloak" mode, or that was one massive meteor. either way, it's given me a renewed sense of smallness in the face of the sky, and in the face of all i don't know about this world i live in. and i wish i'd taken a video so i could sell it to the national inquirer.

the ease and turn

2006-12-06T09:10:00.000-05:00

finally, i'm out from under the shadow of that electoral reform paper; out from under the shadow of classes, campaigns, etc. just a couple exams, and i'm home free til january come banging in.

so i'm sitting at my desk, sipping some coffee with eggnog. cut myself an extra thick slice of raisin toast with butter. taking the time to wrap up little odds and ends i've put off for ages, plan maybe some nice times with autumn. that poor girl, i'm honestly needing to give her 1. a lot more credit and praise for her intelligence and patience and balance. and it's funny that those are a few things she thinks she lacks in, but she has so much more of all of them than i do. i couldn't have found a more perfect girl. i just hope i can keep it together and let things grow between us again. i've put her through a lot. i need to work on admitting that... especially to her. and to myself. i'm not sure what my problem is.

anyways, i'm the new CEO of the local green party association, which should be a bit of fun on the side, although i can't let it take too much time from me. i'm refocusing on these 4 things, in priority sequence, as my christmas holiday and new years thereafter priorities.

1. autumn
2. paying off debts.
3. school
4. music

speaking of music, my band, false heroics has an album out!: www.falseheroics.com. we're shipping worldwide!

Brantford Ward 5 election results

2006-11-16T02:28:00.000-05:00

so, i came in a distant 4th in the municipal elections on monday night, 2 spots away from getting a seat. it was a hard battle. if i'd ran in a different ward i might've had a better chance, but as it were, it was not meant to be. but, on the plus side of the equation, i put together a mean ol' campaign, spread some words, made some friends, and gained some experiences. now it's back to the grind and gore of university, marriage, music, and generally trying to be an active member of society.

RESULTS FOR BRANTFORD CITY ELECTIONS 2006:
Ward 5 (elect 2)
MARGUERITE CESCHI-SMITH 3317 40.80%
JOHN BRADFORD 2148 26.42%
DWIGHT A. AYERHART 1602 19.71%
ADAM KING 774 9.52%
RUSSELL H. SKELTON 159 1.96%
DUANE LEEALLEN 129 1.59%

back from southern sunbathing

2006-09-06T03:05:00.000-04:00

so we got back from the dominican republic yesterday. it was a swelteringly good time, i'd say. i ate too much, drank too little, got too much sun, and too little exercise! highlights were it being my honeymoon, autumn being gorgeous, and pina coladas. beaches and beach buggies get honourable mentions.

downtown puerto plata was a nice place. rundown buildings looking all third-world and colonial and whatnot, but so much cleaner and less stinky than bangladesh!

the wedding last saturday, was an amazing experience. really pulled off nicely, though there were some hiccups in the ceremony (autumn didnt say a couple of the responses, jared forgot to tie the knot in our handfasting ceremony, etc.) but the day was awesome. weather held out, food and accomodations and people came together, and it topped off with a nice party at the ford plant with some friends for the night.

adam king for city councillor

2006-09-30T12:24:00.000-04:00

so i'm running for brantford city council! this should be an interesting time! (i'm actually hoping to win this one.)

poor pluto the ninth planet!

2006-09-30T12:17:00.000-04:00

someday i'll tell my grandkids, "when i was your age, we were taught pluto was the ninth planet in the solar system!"

greenhouse hummer

2006-09-28T02:09:00.000-04:00

gonna sing to the dead man
til he gets born again yeah
gonna laugh at the rich man
til i give it all away to him

gonna run in the desert
gonna float in the sand
gonna revel in this thirst
that's wrecking my kidneys again

gonna spin in the summer
of baking gases in the sky
gonna make my own
greenhouse hummer makes me high

shallow hearts make for shallow homes
but at least you can climb out again
cause love machine's a grave-digger
and she'll dig til chinese lands

you know china don't think,
she's just a tiger in a jam
she'll smash her porcelain dolls,
crack em like falun gong yeah

so shoot at the heavens maybe you'll hit something new
me i'll waste my time in the water, soaking blues

so shoot at the heavens maybe you'll hit god
and he'll say he's sorry for making you such a sod

gonna run in the desert
gonna float in the sand
gonna revel in this thirst
that's wrecking my kidneys again

gonna spin in the summer
of baking gases in the sky
gonna make my own
greenhouse hummer makes me high

pure nard music

2006-09-28T02:07:00.000-04:00

my little label pure nard has got a myspace now. aaron devries and false heroics, repruzant!

30 hours, 30 pages.

2006-09-24T21:51:00.000-04:00

i am going to write 30 pages of footnoted, grade "A" mega-essay material in the next 30 hours. i'm going to need some major willpower on this so let's all say a prayer and hope i come through with my brain still a little more solid than alphabet soup.
time for the countdown and supplies overview:
coffee: check.
fruit: check.
mounds of electoral reform academia printouts: check.
wikipedia: check.
iron will: check.

this is going to be the worst time of my life.
3, 2, 1. die... i mean, dive!

"En Francais! Maintenant!"

2004-09-16T19:40:00.000-04:00

My French class is incredibly difficult for me to be in. Not that the work is hard, because it isnt - it's all simple conjugations and such right now. It's just that I cannot understand what the teacher is saying! My comprehension is tres... poor.

I talked with Gerard, my Egyptian roommate, for 4 hours yesterday. We talked about everything, from schools to economy to religion to the meaning of life. Quite engaging. And then we got in trouble for talking too loud, too late. This is the downside of having a 52 year old yoga instructor named Lucy for a landlady/roommate.

best movies ever.

2004-07-20T02:21:00.000-04:00

This is my short list. I guess they're not so much the BEST movies as my favourites, but we're all allowed those sort of outrageous, unfounded statements once in a while.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Fight Club
Gandhi
Jerry McGuire
Monsters, Inc.
Freedom Calls
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
Bubba Hotep

Yes, Adam's off his rocker, I'm sure some of you are saying.

old poetry - the spirit strangling

2006-03-07T02:33:00.000-05:00

alright, well i'm digging up a bunch of old poetry from my brother's old 'written minds' msn group and posting it here lest the defunct thing ceast to exist and erase my boring creations. so, i suppose i'll just start posting them,

one at a time.

this will be a bad thing, all the rest of my articles, including this explanation, may be buried if i find much in there...

here's the first!

the spirit strangling
4/20/2004

kill me ever
stain me inside
i'm slower than never
i'm ribbon red lies

i'm harnessed in cages
as wide as the sun
set free in new pages
of a story undone

you've murdered my sickness
starved every pride...

and in these vast heavens
i'm blistering in your heat
circles of twelves, sevens
ecstatic light at my feet

it was worth every stain
it was worth the burn and itch
it was worth every pain
every bruised turn and pitch

for along the ride
you tore up my insides
to make room
for the new me

the old man
you suffocated
suffocated
completely

ta da!

2005-02-03T16:44:00.000-05:00

when they are me

2006-03-07T02:57:00.000-05:00

11/25/2003

i run to your hope
hoping you'll save me
i'm not strong enough to make it
alone

you take me, paint the shade
that i safely rest in
by still waters you poured
and this green is an emerald
you plucked from your crown
to smooth the spot i sleep

but all you give is not retreat

you give me rest, but you give me toil
the sweat rolls from my brow
this harness is light, but it still weighs me down
it weighs me down

so i run to your joy
hoping you'll help me
i'm not strong enough to make it
alone

and you fill me complete
until my brim is running
with sweet sunlight
with sweet wine
i give to you all that is mine
all that is mine

but all you give is not smiles sublime

you give me life, but you give me pain
my closest brother turns with a knife
to tear us apart, to stab me twice
to stab us twice

so i run to your love
hoping you'll hold me
i'm not strong enough to make it
alone

and with a glance
you hand to me
the hopes and fears
the screams and tears
of a world that barely lives
of a world that you want to give
all that you've given me

my brother
my sister
my enemy

as i look, you say, "see...
that they are beautiful
that they are valuable
that they are worth dying
a thousand deaths."

and how can i turn away
when they
are me.

psalters

2006-09-23T02:41:00.000-04:00

Brantford and Beyond!

2004-08-20T16:54:00.000-04:00

My band's show at the Ford Plant in Brantford went pretty well last night, and tonight we play at a teen camp in Thamesford. Tomorrow Harriston, and then its off into the great beyond with our friends Fighting The Fall! Our complete tour itinerary can be found at falseheroics.com. Our new tshirts had errors on them from the screenprinting place, but the guy redid our shirts for free! I fully recommend Fab Print for all your screenprinting needs.

new moons and sunrises

2006-03-07T02:49:00.000-05:00

12/27/2003 9:39 PM

give me sunrises
give me clouds of blue scarves and waves
give me heartless hinterland
give me my dreams and nothing more

push back the curtains
let the rain pour in
clear eyes brush back the teary skies
the restless, stirring wind

give me cloudless
give me afternoons of golden rye
give me mindless cancer
give me my thoughts and take no more

i'm killing you
though i dont understand why
i'm casting stones
i'm calling your cauldron grey
not black, not white

in twilight i can't even see your eyes
your hairs meld into a blanket
to hide your face
from this saddest disgrace
i'm blacker than new moons inside

I Don't Know How To Book

2004-07-14T01:25:00.000-04:00

i'm trying to book my band's east coast tour. its kind of frustrating because i've got no clue what i'm doing. i've still got to book shows for syndey, moncton, and halifax, and the tour's getting closer and closer. boo for not having a booking agent. curse our indie DIY attitude. i could call places up on friday, since i don't work that day, but apparently no one wants to book bands on a friday, they're too busy... you've got to call on a monday or tuesday. so i'm told by my good friend chris. so i guess i'm getting some help. damn you, learning curve!

bush or kerry?

2004-11-03T18:12:00.000-05:00

here is my choice.

invaders!

2004-10-21T21:27:00.000-04:00

sweet waste of my time. my brother is the director of this organization. i'm an underling.