Sharing explanations of the US electoral college voting system

Although I’m a Canadian, I have a strong interest in the presidential race happening south of the border.  I suspect many other Canadians or other people around the world share this interest. It seems for me that every 2 years (votes for congress) and every four years I have decode the basics of the US government structure and it’s voting and electoral systems.

I started with Wednesday’s episode of the New York Times Daily podcast - The Shadow of the 2000 Election.  This episode explains the issues in Florida in 2000 with iffy voting systems, legal battles and the media’s impact and why GW Bush became president.  I’m afraid it paints a pretty dark picture of what could very likely happen next week.

I then listened to another Daily podcast from last week - A Peculiar Way to Pick a President.  This one explains the origins of the electoral college system and potential ways to make the US presidential election more fair with the National Popular Vote Compact (NPVC).

And finally, I got most of my questions answers by a well-written and illustrated article in the Guardian - Electoral college explained: how Biden faces an uphill battle in the US election.

Memories of the Queen Mother Cafe

I don’t recall the first time I ever walked through the doors of this unique Queen Street West Cafe and I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve returned, but the Queen Mother Cafe (208 Queen Street West) is one of my favourite local Toronto landmarks.  So many memories of enjoying a cozy lunch, raving about their Pad Thai, asking if they had that special pie, rendezvousing with friends and remarking on the interesting selection of wall art.  It’s the kind of place where we Torontonians like to talk about how great our city is.  It’s often times a stop when shopping on Queen Street and it used to be a regular lunch spot for my wife and I when I was working downtown.  

My wife just read a great article in the Toronto Star about their history and surviving through this year’s pandemic times.  A wonderful coincidence we found out through the article is that the restaurant opened 42 years ago today, which was the day after I arrived in Canada from England. 

I’ve always loved the way the cafe is situated on the street with the large welcoming windows.  I actually used it as my cover photo for my photography book Urban Colour and Contrast: Toronto.

The last time I was there was with my Australian cousin and her husband on a bitterly cold January lunchtime in 2019.  I think I’ve taken a few visitors and family members there over the years and as it turned out, my cousin said I’d taken her there during one of her previous visits years before.  No worries, we all enjoyed our lunch - again.

I recall that the cafe was always busy and we often worried we wouldn’t find a table.  I’m not certain of the magic, but we always did get a table and was always served by its friendly staff.

Hoping to visit again when we get past these pandemic times.

What’s the Point?

Why am I writing these blogs, making these videos and tweeting these tweets?

Because I think somewhere there’s someone who needs a new idea, appreciates the beauty of the everyday or learn how to tell their own story.

This is my story.  I’m choosing to tell it through photography and video and mixing the old tunes with the new for the soundtrack. 

My last vlog was a simple three mins of me talking about the beauty of one of the city’s urban ravines.  As I said in the video, I wasn’t pretending to deliver anything grand or philosophical, I was just happy, exploring the city, capturing that beauty with some wonderful cool technology and being honest, being myself.  There’s a hint in the video that I’d like to talk more about what I’m learning about videography, of which, there’s already a modest tech starter project in the works.  Although how-to is a massive market and I’m an avid follower of some real creators, I’d like to produce something more natural, more personal.  This is a record of my life and perhaps it can put a smile on someone’s face (MB’s comment) or inspire others to make something creative and share it as well - and then we can talk about, over a beer one day (reminder to talk to JWH).