Liberal Party of Canada disregards Spam ettiquete

I was shocked, moments ago, when I received an e-mail from Gosia Radaczynska, from the office of the Leader of the Opposition. Some time ago, I submitted some feedback on a Liberal-party run suggestion board. I specifically chose (as I always do) not to be included on any mailing lists. While I support the cause, I was shocked to see that there was no way to unsubscribe to this unsolicited e-mail. I suppose this is just a sign of things to come, really. I try to stay away from politics in anything more than an intellectual capacity, but this is unreal. If you're going to promote net neutrality, at least do it without giving the appearance of a spammer! I have attached a copy of the e-mail, pasted in it's entirety, from my g-mail account. There was also a youtube link at the end!

Liberals support Net Neutrality - Les libéraux appuient la neutralité de l'Internet

French

Une version en français suit.

Dear Aaron,

Yesterday in the House of Commons, Marc Garneau, the Liberal Industry, Science and Technology Critic, spoke in support of Net Neutrality: “In a free and open democracy in the 21st century, in an innovative and progressive economy, no tool is more paramount than the Internet. The Internet is the backbone of today’s flow of free ideas and sharing”.

It is via the Internet, on our voice.liberal.ca platform, that you provided us with your opinion on Net Neutrality and Broadband infrastructure. The Liberal party takes all policy matters seriously your enthusiasm, input and thoughtful comments prompted serious research and consultation on this issue.

[watch a video of Marc Garneau speaking in favour of Net Neutrality in the House of Commons]

The Liberal Party of Canada supports the principles of Net Neutrality, specifically that Internet traffic management should not be permitted for anti-competitive behaviour, nor should it target specific websites, users or legitimate business applications. The Liberal Party will also continue to ensure internet management does not infringe on Canadians’ privacy rights.

Michael Ignatieff and the Liberal party of Canada want a new kind of politics, one where we can discuss issues in a productive fashion. When Marc Garneau stood up to ask the question in the House of Commons, he didn’t get an answer, he didn’t even get a sense of what the Minister thought on the subject.

Your participation in this forum proved that Canadians want a new type of politics. The Liberal Party stands for this new politics, a politics of inclusion, open debate, and solid action on issues that matter to you most.

Together we’ve taken an important first step and now we ask you to join us in making Net Neutrality a reality in Canada by learning more about the Liberal Party and helping support Liberal values and policies.

Visit the get involved section of www.liberal.ca and join the thousands of Canadians who stand for a new politics.

Kindest regards,

Gosia Radaczynska

Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition

--

Cher Aaron,

Hier, à la Chambre des communes, Marc Garneau, le porte-parole libéral responsable des sciences et technologies, a appuyé la neutralité de l’Internet : « Au sein d’une démocratie libre et ouverte du XXIe siècle, dans une économie novatrice et progressiste, aucun outil n’est plus essentiel que l’Internet. L’Internet est de nos jours le pilier du libre échange des idées. »

C’est grâce à l’Internet, par l’intermédiaire de notre plateau de voice.liberal.ca, que vous nous avez donné votre opinion sur la neutralité de l’Internet et des infrastructures à large bande. Le Parti libéral prend au sérieux toutes les questions de politique. Votre enthousiasme, vos contributions et vos commentaires réfléchis ont contribué à des recherches et à des consultations importantes sur cette question.

[Regardez la vidéo de Marc Garneau appuyant la neutralité de l’Internet à la Chambre des communes]

Le Parti libéral du Canada est favorable aux principes de la neutralité de l’Internet, particulièrement au fait que la gestion des communications électroniques ne devrait ni favoriser des pratiques anticoncurrentielles, ni cibler certains sites Web, utilisateurs ou applications logicielles légales. Le Parti libéral continuera également de veiller à ce que la gestion de l’Internet ne menace pas les droits relatifs à la protection des renseignements personnels au Canada.

Michael Ignatieff et le Parti libéral du Canada veulent une nouvelle façon de faire de la politique, une façon de faire qui nous permette de discuter de questions de manière productive. Lorsque Marc Garneau a pris la parole à la Chambre pour poser une question, il n’a pas reçu de réponse. Il n’a même pas eu une petite idée de ce que le ministre pensait à ce sujet.

Votre participation à cette tribune prouve que les Canadiens veulent une nouvelle façon de faire les choses. Le Parti libéral du Canada milite pour cela, pour une politique d’inclusion, pour des débats ouverts et pour des mesures concrètes sur les questions qui sont les plus importantes pour vous.

Ensemble, nous avons franchi un pas important et maintenant, nous vous demandons de vous joindre à nous pour veiller à ce que la neutralité de l’Internet devienne une réalité au Canada. Pour cela, nous vous invitons à en apprendre davantage au sujet du Parti libéral et à appuyer les valeurs et les orientations libérales.

Visitez la section Impliquez-vous du site www.liberal.ca et joignez-vous aux milliers de Canadiens qui militent pour une nouvelle façon de faire la politique.

Bien cordialement,

Gosia Radaczynska

Bureau du chef de l’Opposition officielle

Cheesecake Cupcakes

I made some delicious cheescake cupcakes that were simple and inexpensive. I'll list the recipe I made up here:

1 stick Cream Cheese, softened
1/3 c Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1 egg
1 c Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/4 c butter or margarine, melted
Your choice of topping
Muffin Cups

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F
2. Mix melted butter or margarine and graham crumbs with a fork until well mixed. The mixture should stick together.
3. Place muffin cups in to a muffin tray. Fill the bottom of each cup with a small amount of the graham crumb mixture, about 1/8" (1/3 cm).
4. In a medium bowl, mix sugar and cream cheese with an electric mixer on low speed until well mixed, approximately 1 minute
5. Add vanilla extract and egg and mix on low speed until well mixed.
6. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cups, approximately 3/4" (2 cm). Try to leave about 1/3 of the depth of the cup (or more) empty for the topping.
7. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes, until the cakes have a rounded top.
8. Allow cakes to cool for approximately 1 hour at room temperature.
9. Add your favourite topping* and enjoy!

*My topping of choice was actually Cherry Jell-O. Most people like small berries, such as cherries and blueberries. These can be purchased in a can at most grocery stores. If you want to make jell-o filling, just prepare the jell-o according to the package directions, and when partially firm, transfer the jell-o topping to the top of the cooled cups. Refrigerate until the jell-o has completely set and enjoy!

This recipe should yield approximately 12 small cheescupcakes!