Canadian Expatriates, its contributors, and readers have been invited by Foreign Affairs Canada to participate in a series of eDiscussions. The current topic is “Showcasing Canadian Culture and Know-How Abroad”.

We are asked to consider the following questions:

What role does Canadian culture and know-how play in our foreign policy?

How might the government best promote Canadian talent and expertise in the world?

The eDiscussion runs from April 4 to May 6, 2005. At its conclusion, a summary of the discussion will be sent to senior policy planners.

The Expat admin team encourages its readers to join in the eDiscussion at the Canadian International Policy website.

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Posted by Admin

The administration team is currently searching for Canadian expatriates who would be interested in contributing to the Expat Blog. The subject matter is wide open, but must remain family friendly.

If you are interested in joining our blogging team, please send an email our way!

Thank you!

I have realized that nothing makes you feel older than seeing those around you getting older. Aging, it would appear, is much easier to recognize in others, than in yourself. Parents have a great sense of the passage of time because they can see their children's growth and development. Those of us without children, get caught in a bit of a time vacuum, not realizing exactly how much time has passed since we all left high school. This brings me to last night's marathon of Degrassi: The Next Generation.

I watched a portion of the marathon (which billed itself as "Every Episode, Ever"*), completely intrigued by seeing Spike, Joey, Caitlin, and Snake once again. Like most Canadians of my generation, I was an avid fan of Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High when I was growing up (I was too young for The Kids of Degrassi Street) and was keen to see how the original cast had changed. I was stunned to see that Spike's daughter, Emma, is now dealing with issues such as boys, sex, and domestic violence; I was surprised to see Snake all grown up and now teaching at Degrassi; but most of all, I was absolutely shocked to see Joey Jeremiah's lack of hair.

Dudes, Joey is bald!

Joey was THE coolest dude at Degrassi. He wore his kickin' fedora, played in a rock band (who cares that The Zit Remedy only played one song?!?), and even streaked across the cafeteria. Now he is a balding, middle aged father running a used car lot.

What happened? Where did my his youth go?

* It would appear that The N did not show "Every Episode, Ever"!

For Fun:
Hear The Zit Remedy and the theme from Degrassi: TNG!