Americas
Americas
Fair Observer provides insightful analysis of the widely differing countries on both American continents./div>
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By Vicar RizviCanada rarely celebrates its relationship with the British constitutional monarchy, although both countries have greatly mutually benefited from one another. Canada should use the upcoming Jubilee to celebrate its history. The Canada that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne to rule in 1952 had grown over 330 years of mutually beneficial relations between the Canadian colonies and the French and British Empires. During both British and French control of Canada, a governor general represented a European monarch; it was only under French rule that no functioning democratic legislature existed. The close relations Canada held (and in the case of France and Quebec the relations it...
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Politics / United States / Europe / 360° Context / AmericasBy Amy HenslinBackground Occupy Wall Street (OWS) is an American-based protest turned global movement that began on September 17th, 2011, in Zucotti Park in New York City’s financial district. Started by the Canadian activist group Adbusters with the goal of bringing income inequality and the powerful role of corporations in the government and global economy to the forefront of public discourse, the movement now consists of thousands of protestors in hundreds of cities worldwide. The OWS movement is not the first protest of its kind to draw wide attention and enter the public discourse. Preceded and inspired by (although not directly affiliated with) the 2010 Greek and Spanish austerity protests,...
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Queen Elizabeth II may be a valuable symbol for Britain, but as a Canadian figurehead she contributes little to the country’s identity. As a Canadian studying in Britain, I look forward to celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this June. The House of Windsor deserves celebration as a unique British symbol. For Canada, however, the time has come to cut our ties with the House of Windsor. Our head of state should live in Canada. The Canadian head of state could be appointed by parliament, selected by the order of Canada, or elected by popular vote. Whichever of these methods, any Canadian citizen should be eligible to serve. There have been Canadians calling for abolishing the...
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360° Analysis / Politics / United States / Europe / Middle East / Americas / Africa / Asia / Environment & Sustainability / OceaniaBy Amy HenslinThere has been a shift in recent years of the analysis of brain drain. New approaches can help find benefits for all countries touched by this phenomenon. “Brain drain": the phrase alone has a negative connotation that tends to elicit sympathy for developing countries. In the midst of so much corruption, violence, and hunger, having the best and brightest leave the country inevitably hinders development instead of promoting it. How can Western countries allow this to happen? Or so popular opinion went between 1973 and 2000. Neo-Marxist and Structuralist theories dominated, concluding that the West was responsible for disrupting development by encouraging talented...
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Scientific research might be able to tell us a lot about the facts and figures on global migration, brain drain and their effects. One thing this data cannot tell is how it actually feels to leave familiar surroundings behind and start a new life in a different part of the world. That kind of knowledge only comes from living the experience, something which Chito Sta. Brigida has been through. He left the Philippines in 1992 and moved to Canada, a country with one of the highest immigration rates in the world. Annika Schall talks to him about the decision that changed his life. What education did you receive in the Philippines and what was your career outlook there? I am an undergraduate...
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Beverly Schwartz writes an inspiring compendium on social entrepreneurship. As Marketing Director and Vice President of Ashoka, the institution that first named and pioneered the field of social entrepreneurship in 1980, Beverly Schwartz has played an instrumental role in improving our understanding of social entrepreneurship and the possibilities the field presents for the future. Social entrepreneurship is outlined in Ashoka’s mission statement as a bold and empowering alternative to relying on government intervention to affect social change. In the face of an untreated or seemingly entrenched social dilemma, social entrepreneurs devise a plan that allows citizens to take the task...
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Politics / United States / Europe / Focus Article / Americas / Africa / Environment & SustainabilityBy Ulrich HemelWe can fight the issues surrounding migration by establishing a UN Migration Authority. In a world with 7bn people, migration is the answer to war, persecution, and poverty, but also a solution for matching economic needs from both sides. Palestinian engineers work in Dubai; Pakistani taxi drivers in New York; Filipino housemaids in Rome; Algerian waiters in Paris; Polish nurses in the United Kingdom. There are more examples: Iranian medical doctors practise in Germany, Swiss bankers work in the US, and let’s not forget a famous Swedish writer working for a theatre in Angola. So we have everything: brain drain from poor to rich countries and, rarely enough, vice versa; refugees...
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Canada must address the needs of its aboriginal population and include them in its long-term goals. The eminent Canadian novelist Robertson Davies once remarked, “I see Canada as a country torn between a rather northern, rather extraordinary, mystical spirit which it fears and its desire to present itself to the world as a Scotch banker”. This decades-old observation has never been truer. Every few years, a crisis on an aboriginal reserve reaches such tragic, heart-wrenching proportions that it overwhelms the media and dominates Question Period in Parliament. This past December the Attawapiskat First Nation reserve hit the front page of leading Canadian newspapers. I first...
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An interview with Michael Propper on the experience of working with Start-Up Chile. Q- María Cristina Fernández Hall: Editor and Contributor for Fair Observer A- Michael Propper: Start-Up Chile Entrepreneur, creator of YourStoryBox Q- First off, let me introduce Michael Propper, an American entrepreneur who went to Start-Up Chile, a program in Chile that recruits people with startups to come to Chile. SUC gives entrepreneurs funding for their projects and provides networking opportunities so that startups can go global. Tell us more about SUC and the way it promotes business. A- Start-Up Chile is an incubator of sorts. Chile popped up on my radar because clearly their economy...
