tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14813037514180702502024-03-05T01:19:51.555-05:00The Articulate DrunkAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-53131225594456446522012-07-08T17:19:00.001-04:002012-07-08T17:20:21.587-04:00Can Ebooks Save Literature?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So, I was sitting on a patio this afternoon reading a rather large book and listening to some entrepreneurs at the next table discussing their book distribution start up. I felt a little bad for them, as they were saying things like "Who wants to buy a book from Amazon?" and "Amazon books just come in a brown box, if we have cool packaging people will pay more!" As someone who buys a lot of book I couldn't help but think: 1.) Me, and everyone who reads a lot, and 2.) Who the fuck cares what kind of box it comes in. The other thing that hit me, as my arm started to get sore from holding the book and I placed it on the table to read without having to support the weight (I know I need to work out more - fuck you), was how odd it is to still be reading full books in the age of Ebooks.<br />
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I still read books, with paper and ink, I read Ebooks once in a while, but I prefer real books. I'm a luddite and I know that when I'm old I will be a dinosaur for it, but I can't help it, and Ebook just isn't as satisfying to me. But I totally understand the appeal of Ebooks. They are lighter, cheaper and more convenient than conventional books. You can buy them from anywhere, you don't need any more storage than your tablet or Ereader, and they don't weigh down your backpack when you are travelling. So I totally get them, I just don't like them.<br />
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This afternoon it struck me that one of the best things about Ebooks is that the ones that are older than 100 years you can get for free. Free I tells ya!!! And I got to thinking: could this be what saves old books? I'm a guy who really likes to read old books. With few notable exceptions I like to read books whose authors have been dead for a long time. I will post someday about my theories as to why, but it's not the point of this post. So, with all these free classics floating around people must be gobbling them up, I say to myself. Sitting outside, enjoying a beer, my mind starts wandering, I've totally given up on my book at this point, are people reading more classics now? I thought, maybe the classics will have a renaissance, maybe people will start discussing why Raskolnikov felt he could kill that old bat, and why Inspector Javert couldn't just let Jean Valjean alone. <br />
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So, in a bit of a state, not only due to having been drinking beer for a change, I paid my bill and headed up to my apartment (I was at the Welly just downstairs from my apartment), and flipped open my laptop to search what we the most downloaded Ebooks, regardless of whether paid or free and discovered that the top two on Amazon are both "50 Shades of Grey"! Goddammit. Ok, it's official. I give up on society. I mean I guess women need to masterbate (ha! my computer thinks masterbate isn't a word) over something, but jeeze....</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-57770484494402709272012-02-28T02:11:00.000-05:002012-02-28T02:11:53.666-05:00To a great man.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So, this isn't what I am very good at. I think, if you'll permit me, I am good at a few things. I think I can lighten the mood at a gathering with a relatively well time jab at someone (oftentimes myself). I think I can offer advice in the standard situations, the absent boyfriend, the judgmental girlfriend, the overbearing parents, and maybe even as we get older, the rambunctious children. I think I, as a reasonable man (get off my case), am a decent dispenser of half decent advice. But in situations like this, I find myself out of sorts. How does an otherwise healthy, lively, and genuinely nice guy, of 40 years, find himself dead? The short answer is: I don't know. Well, I suppose I know what happened...after spending the evening with one of my best friends, Ryan, I have been filled in on the details. But HOW does is happen? Let's start off by saying: It shouldn't, and I need to change the subject.<br />
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Roy was a real nice guy, and that's not a title I just throw around. There are a lot of friends I have that are decent human beings, but not too many of them are real nice guys (sorry dudes, but yo now it's true). I got to know Roy while I was working at a place uptown. He was like a surrogate family member to a family I happened to hold in (the highest) high regard, and I got to know him through them. Over the years this fine gentleman charmed me, not only through treating me to drinks, but also through treating me to his outlooks on life. As an avid reader I connected with him right away; there are very few bartenders in town who can debate the finer points of Kilgour Trout's philosophy, while also discussing Ignatius J. Reilly's popcorn consumption - Roy was one of those few and he took the time, regardless of how packed his bar was, or how packed my section was, to discuss it in detail, always with a luminescent smile.<br />
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We spent times in various bars in north york with friends discussing literature and travel, and while admittedly, I wasn't his best friend - there were many who spent more time with him than me, or had known him longer - I aways felt a warm spot for this guy. He was 40, very well read and very well travelled and 100% enjoyed the life he had carved out for himself (how many among us can say the same?).<br />
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Ryan and I talked about Roy tonight, for most of the night. We talked about what it was that people took pride in, where their life was concerned. What was it that really drove us? For some it's an afterlife, for some it is living life to fullest, and for some it's about leaving behind children who carry on one's legacy. But as we talked, it felt like to me, that in the last seconds of my life, <i>I</i> would like to look back on it, and say "Yup, that'll do!". Not that I hope to have the greatest life ever lived, but that I hope to have a a life that I was proud to have lived. In my world view you only get a second to reflect before it is all in the past (becoming a was instead of an is), but if I was him, in that last second, as it slipped away, I would have looked back and said: "Yup, that'll do!".<br />
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I hope Roy found peace in the end. And I hope that my good friends who are going to miss him take a bit of solace in that peace. And at the end of the day they remember a gentleman who took life seriously enough to make the most of it, but never too seriously that he got bogged down in it. I look forward to raising a glass with you all this week to a good, scratch that, a great man. See you soon.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-55634638980819670432012-02-19T02:51:00.001-05:002012-02-19T02:53:28.027-05:00On Going Batshit Crazy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I recently went to a performance of <i>The Double</i> by Dostoevsky at a theatre in Toronto. I'm not a huge theatre fan, it isn't normally something I would spend my time/money on, but since I am a big Dostoevsky fan and my wife and I happened to see an ad while exiting a local bar, I thought, what the hell. We got to the theatre separately, I was a few minutes earlier because I had to pick up the tickets and me wife needed to walk my parents back to their car. My parents aren't invalids or anything but it seems nice to make sure they make it back to their car when they come down to the city to spend time with us. Once I had picked up our tickets and used the restroom my wife walked in and we got settled in our seats to what was a very unique and entertaining take on <i>The Double.</i><br />
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For those of you not familiar with the story you can check <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Double:_A_Petersburg_Poem">here</a> or you can take my word for it that the story is about a man, Golyadkin, who while going crazy, sees a double of himself outperforming him in society and generally making his own life miserable. The hero spirals into madness and eventually is carted away by his doctor. The original is quite dark with glimpses of humour, but the performance was quite humorous with glimpses of darkness. We both enjoyed the performance thoroughly and spent much of the next day recounting it's finer points and chuckling about poor Golyadkin's reaction to his situation.<br />
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Cut to this evening and I was at a party for one of my good friend's birthdays. He is 33 today and seems to be having a great time of it. I reconnected with another friend of mine that I haven't see in a few months and we started catching up. She informed me about her Grandmother who is in the process of losing her mind. Now, I likely could have been more sympathetic; in fact I think I may have downplayed it too much, and subsequently acted a bit like an ass - I do that sometimes. This aside, it got me thinking about a topic that I often find myself pondering: what is it like to go crazy? And is it even possible to have an anser to that question?<br />
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I've thought on more than one occasion, often prompted by literature and movies about the prospect of losing my faculties. What would it be like? If it like being really drunk? Does one have moments of clarity in one's madness? Is it frightening? Is one able to distinguish when they are "snapping out of it" as one can when truly waking up from a bad dream? These are all questions that I really don't know the answer to, but am endlessly fascinated by.<br />
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I'm going to put forward a thought that I think will be unpopular, maybe even more so than my usual thoughts that land me in hot water with friends and family, and that thought is this: if I was given the opportunity, I would like to go stark raving mad for a few years. Now, I am 100% sure that one can't choose to go crazy, in fact the very thought may be a contradiction in terms, but if it weren't a logical impossibility I think it would very interesting to - temporarily - go crazy.<br />
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The experience of it happening may be completely lost on the sufferer while experiencing it, but it seems to me those moments of clarity would be so rich, and shocking, when they came that there wouldn't be another experience to parallel it. Also, the matter of "being taken care of" for a few years at an asylum, with only books and one's thoughts to keep you company could be a very interesting proposition as well. With any luck one wouldn't land at a <i>Cuckoo's Nest</i> like facility but would spend time in a safe environment where the staff cared for them. Given this condition I think it would be a very interesting experience. And given the famous people who have ended up this way, it seems that I would be in good company.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com1Toronto, ON, Canada43.653226 -79.383184343.469412 -79.69904129999999 43.837039999999995 -79.0673273tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-25128489085398095692012-01-10T08:45:00.001-05:002012-01-10T08:45:58.137-05:005 Best Things About Coming Back From A Long-ish Vacation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My wife and I just recently got back from a great 3 weeks away. We were in Russia, Ukraine and Poland. It was fantastic, I think I gained 10 pounds from dumplings alone and don't even get me started on the amount of moonshine I had, I'm surprised I can still see. But one of the purest pleasures of traveling which we have all experienced is stepping in the front door to your own home for the first time in a while. For me, the below are the top five things I love about coming home.<br />
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5.) It smells like home.<br />
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One of the subtle things I like about traveling is that different countries smell differently. It has to do with the plants that grow there, and the kinds of food people eat, it's proximity to water; all these things add up to give different areas of the world different smells. Sometimes they can be jarring and according to Isaac Asimov we aren't supposed to talk about it. Anyway, these foriegn smells make that first step into your own home all the better. I have no idea what scents my wife uses to keep our home smelling the way it does, and fuck knows I certainly don't freshen the air, but our place smells great and it's very nice coming home after being away from it.<br />
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4.) Water from the tap.<br />
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Depending on where you are coming from this may not be an issue, but after brushing my teeth with bottled water for a few weeks I absolutely love the convenience of being able to use the tap. Now, some people would say that you will be fine just brushing your teeth with the tap water in most places, but with so little vacation every year who wants to risk being sick for it? And that doesn't even mention having a big glass of water to drink right from the tap - love it. The first thing I do whenever I get back from a trip is take a pint of glass from the tap and down it.<br />
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3.) Your own bed<br />
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I don't think this one needs elaboration. Unless your bed sucks, it is 100% better than any hotel bed, even really nice hotels.<br />
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2.) Literacy<br />
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Although it's fun getting off a plane in an Arab country, or Asia, or in my most recent case Russia, and not being able to read the words written everywhere - it is a really interesting feeling to be surrounded by signs and ads that you don't understand. But it also REALLY makes you appreciate being able to read so easily when you make it home. When walking around your home town you take for granted being able to read everything around, but for the first day or two back, you notice how convenient it is again.<br />
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1.) Home cooking<br />
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Food in other countries is interesting and often delicious, but nothing beats the food coked at your home. When I was growing up my mom made (and still does) killer lasagna, and now my wfe makes a ton of great food and when we are away I miss it.<br />
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Anyone else who has some interesting points about coming please share them with me, I would love to hear other people's points of view.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-67308617840215666712011-10-06T00:27:00.001-04:002011-10-06T00:27:39.253-04:00Steve Jobs RIPSo, Steve jobs died today. I was at a concert and the opening act mentioned it - something about Steve Jobs being the only reason he had been able to do the things he did. At first I thought it was a poorly thought out joke, I turned to my buddy that I was with, and he said: "Is that true? Cause if so I would expect that my phone (iPhone) would be blowing up..."<br />
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I googled it.<br />
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It was true.<br />
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Let me say here that when a guy dies in the prime of his life (professional life in this case) it's unnerving. Jobs was a guy who changed the tech industry. He fostered the release of products that literally changed the way we communicate. A friend, and coworker, of mine has on her email signature from her phone "iphoned". Super cute and gets down to the fact that the iPhone (among Apple's many other innovations) was a game changer, and in this case a verb unto itself. So I think anyone would be remiss in not recognizing that Steve Jobs was a cultural icon that will be sorely missed by investment bankers and hipsters alike. Kudos to him.<br />
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What I take issue with in the story - and you know I need to take issue with something - is that throughout my twitter feed I saw comparisons of Jobs and Edison....ya, the Edison who invented the lightbulb. Now, as I have said above, Jobs was a giant of a CEO in the tech industry and was likely a driving force behind the smartphone revolution. But, what we miss from this, and are misled into thinking by comments comparing him to Edison is that he didn't INVENT these innovations, just helped them through the corporate red tape to bring them to the market.<br />
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Are we so blinded by business success that we confuse CEOs with inventors? There are very few CEOs who have invented something of use in modern society. The people who invent new products and create groundbreaking innovations are frequently engineers and scientists who are grossly underpaid and under appreciated. Businesses help to provide the funding and bring visionaries together to create new products, subsequently they own the rights to the patents for those products, but PLEASE, let's not forget, the Steve's Jobs of the world (or Eric Schmit's) don't create innovative products, they work with people who do.<br />
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Something to keep in mind while setting up your shrine to Jobs this week.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-65402427442673885512011-09-01T23:42:00.000-04:002011-09-02T23:42:06.166-04:00Life In Mexico<div>Now, I know what you are thinking. Mexico, as a travel destination who gives a crap. I'm not super interested in girls going wild, nor am I interested in drinking myself into a come on tequila. More sympathetic, I could not be. As anyone who knows me can attest I usually prefer my travels to be a little more cultural...or at least I like to be able to tell myself I am pursuing culture while I get wasted in far flung lands. So, when the wife suggested Mexico I stifled a chuckle.<br />
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Well, she explained to me how a beautiful migration takes place into the gulf just off Cancun. Not only do scantily clad ladies show up and shake their bits for attention but other foes of life also show up and make a much subtler exposition. The whalesharks show up in the waters off Cancun in the summer and drive a whole industry of nature lovers to brave the waves off of party central.<br />
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I guess I should explain that normally when I travel I like nature. I am a real fan of going and checking out landscape. I love to go to places that look nothing like anywhere I have been and just soak it in. I have never been the hugest wildlife watcher. I have seen whales in the pacific and grizzlies in Yellowstone, but it has never really been something I sought out. But I have, for a few years, wanted to swim with whalesharks...something about the "gentle giants" - 30 - 40 ft fish that would swim by without a care in the world always attracted me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4TtC9dhuvOUpyNXXF23xK-8HRWjLhZIscRrJx2eJcoi_i0gM31du5CKrA1wTVYHK2HSCdZFfkyS1QLISa7UAfzIKrFrPk7sJA_buL0G16Fe-YhtNgS8T4g3jr0XxuFvUMV6whwsqrEYn4/s1600/P7180027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4TtC9dhuvOUpyNXXF23xK-8HRWjLhZIscRrJx2eJcoi_i0gM31du5CKrA1wTVYHK2HSCdZFfkyS1QLISa7UAfzIKrFrPk7sJA_buL0G16Fe-YhtNgS8T4g3jr0XxuFvUMV6whwsqrEYn4/s320/P7180027.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, we set off to Mexico, with a few good friends in tow, and had a look. <br />
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I can safely say that swimming with the whalesharks was the #1 travel highlight of my life. There is something about a creature the size of a bus swimming by you and feeling completely safe that, for lack of a better word, blows your mind. These fish are easily big enough to tip the boat over that you showed up in, but are so uninterested in you that it leaves you with a sense of awe....sort of like how a person wouldn't be interested if there were 5 or 6 squirrels hanging around them while they had lunch.<br />
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Living in the city you are constantly surrounded by things that are dead - the sidewalk, the street, every building you see - and there is something really refreshing about being surrounded by life. If you are lucky enough to be surrounded by 10 tonnes of fish, who want nothing more than to enjoy a snack with or without an audience, you may get a sense of why nature, and life is so special. And hopefully, it will give you just the tiniest sense of wonder.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-33714432547020986762011-08-23T16:10:00.002-04:002011-08-23T16:19:08.467-04:00Earthquakes and the Mayans<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3c1s2dOQfcEQTuBIbOLOe77NeTOsikHMGDD0G0iz3L8tpkx9b6tW7CeKBxTaIE2IM7B9Hg_R_gBb7j86B_Ir_r1dNg14XBx5EumVp8-B9hA-V_i8AprnxGNKB7fb3_EI0fnBW02BQz9S/s1600/maya.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3c1s2dOQfcEQTuBIbOLOe77NeTOsikHMGDD0G0iz3L8tpkx9b6tW7CeKBxTaIE2IM7B9Hg_R_gBb7j86B_Ir_r1dNg14XBx5EumVp8-B9hA-V_i8AprnxGNKB7fb3_EI0fnBW02BQz9S/s400/maya.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644148537409898178" /></a>
<br />Ok, so we just felt a minor earthquake here in Toronto. Buildings shook a bit, and people got a little nervous. Which is fair. We had a similar earthquake last year, which was a bit stronger, but again just a minor earthquake...more of a tremor really. When these earthquakes happen in Toronto (and I suspect anywhere that earthquakes aren't common) people start in with the whole 2012 nonsense. To which I love to point out that nobody listens to any Mexicans predictions on the future but for some reason a lot of people get wrapped up in the predictions of a long dead society.<div>
<br /></div><div>Now, I just got back from Mexico and checked out a bunch of the Mayan ruins with my wife and our friends. The buildings were nice, and the bas reliefs were cool. But, while we were there I couldn't help thinking that if the Mayans were able to predict the future, why didn't they see their own demise coming? I mean, I think a couple of people in central America speak Mayan still, but no one would claim they are a thriving culture anymore. But once someone (I have no idea who by the way) starts talking about how the Mayans predicted in 2012 that the world would end, a bunch of people totally bought into it.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Earthquakes happen. They happen all over the world. Ditto for tornadoes, volcanoes and mudslides. They are not more common then they ever were (although there is evidence to suggest that tornadoes might be, which could be associated with climate change, but since that is a hoax, it must be a Mayan apocalypse) but with the increasing amount of connectivity amoung people now we are more aware of them. Don't believe, check out your Facebook feed today - the Eastern Seaboard is alight with #earthquakes.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Just a little food for thought.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-60210757737389432072011-07-19T20:08:00.001-04:002011-07-19T20:10:54.795-04:00Mel Brooks<div><p>Is it just me our is this guy not that funny?  I'm watching "dracula: dead and loving it" and it's just not that good.  I mean comedy is not easy and I'm not saying that there is nothing funny about what he has done, but I just think beyond involvement in the simpsons he really hadn't done anything that great.</p>
<p>I might be wrong here but is he overrated?</p>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-67782587633997987872011-05-02T22:45:00.002-04:002011-05-02T23:08:58.453-04:00The Majority of Canadians Are About to Get What They Asked ForHere we have it. The long dreaded/anticipated Conservative majority. Canadians have gone to the polls and given Harper the mandate that he so desperately wanted. He did a lot of things right: great attack ads, hammered on the economy, and mined Toronto for seats. All of which helped push him passed the post.<div><br /></div><div>I am not overly surprised (although very disappointed) that the Conservatives won. </div><div><br /></div><div>I do a lot of talking about politics with friends and family. I find it very interesting to hear other people's points of view and their reasons for why they support different parties. I have a few really good friends who are really smart people who vote Conservative, and they do so normally for the following reasons: lower taxes, economic uncertainty and probably most often, lack of what they see as a strong leader in the other parties. Now, I know that people like Jack Layton, and they see him as a strong option but even with this huge gain in this election it's tough to believe that the NDP could ever win an election in Canada. And this makes me as a far lefty in Canada wonder what kind of country Canadians want. I've always assumed that Canadians were proud of their heritage, their universal healthcare and social programs. It seems that this is no longer the case; lots of Canadians would prefer to lean into the American style of healthcare and a militarization of the economy.</div><div><br /></div><div>I joked with one of my colleagues over Facebook that we should transfer, and I was only half joking. </div><div><br /></div><div>This brings me to an interesting documentary I watched recently about the political divide in the US and how in general the coasts are liberal and the centre is conservative. The director's conclusion was that there wasn't something about these places that make a person either conservative or liberal, but that people of these different world views tend to move into these areas - like attracts like. With this in mind, it makes me wonder if Canada is attracting more conservative (note the lack of capitalization) immigrants. I don't have any research, which I should look up but I'm too lethargic after watching the election, but it feels like in places that are heavy immigrant areas have skewed Conservative (Brampton, Scarborough etc.). Certainly Canadians of all stripes are voting for the Conservatives, as this majority proves, and I think that maybe this shows that Canadians, whether born here, or new Canadians really want a Conservative government. But what is a lefty to do?</div><div><br /></div><div> Is moving to a country that is more inline with one's political view acceptable or is it giving up on your home? Can one use politics as a reason for emigrating? Can I claim political asylum in Sweden? These are questions that I half jokingly ask....but only HALF jokingly.</div><div><br /></div><div>For now, there is a real change coming to Canada and I don't know if we will recognize the country by 2015, and I don't know if we (even those who voted for Harper) will be happy with the result.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-24803380599613978522011-05-01T01:11:00.001-04:002011-05-01T01:33:44.055-04:00Road trip<div><p>First off,i don't know whether it should be one word or two, but either way it raises a lot of thoughts and ambitions in any traveler.  I have participated in a road trip or two in my day, a couple of times across the country and a couple of times into America.  I was just out tonight with a good friend of mine with whom I've been on a couple of these trips and I have to say, it might be the purest form of travel.</p>
<p>So last summer we went to yellowstone park.  There were a few of us, and we decided to drive from toronto.  That basically took 35 hours of driving, fueled by redbull, snacks.and lots of coffee.  We loved the whole trip and the journey was definitely as important as the destination.</p>
<p>The thing about traveling by car is that you feel the distance between your origin and your destination.  When you hop into a plane and fall asleep and wake up in Italy, you don't get a sense of how far it is.   But when you sit behind the wheel and trade off with a good friend on driving shifts you get an idea of just how far you've come.</p>
<p>We went through the badlands of north dakota which was awesome.  We went through the grizzly bear, path which was snowcapped in july.  And we finally ended up on yellowstone.</p>
<p>Yellowstine is amazing, I dare say one of the best places I've been.  The geysers and the hot springs are astounding, and you can travel the world trying to see better but will likely come uo short.  The people were helpful, and hospitable , we were served burgers by a girl from prague jn s small town in montana where et stayed.  But what made it amazing and truly unforgettable was the 70 hour roundtrip with my wife and 2 of my good friends.  And the audio copy of catch 22 didn't hurt either.  It was a real feather in my cap.</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhua0dBV8LJmuA4orxSC0Dtn4TTxfLnqg3unQD7wwWuu_Bg8NC5nh5RDl2kkjl9sOi5w75YJMZFBgx6LTMF6_jeWoWvMMUYWJj9zzqJN7JhSS4d90iMjihBDs7HXR3Ecuv6BF9DrbaY_IzT/' /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-48936706824407174992011-04-26T21:13:00.001-04:002011-04-26T21:13:38.143-04:00Notes on a scandal<div><p>Just surfing the tech press and am really put off by the news that both apple and google are storing or locational info.  I mean, as an ad guy I get the desire for more consumer data, you can never get enough.  It's every marketers dream to know exactly what your consumers want so you can sell it to them where they want it, when they want it.  But I always wonder if steve jobs and guy kawasaki get versions of the hardware without these privacy invading add ons.  Because let's face it for all the info I want on the consumers I am targeting, I don't want the marketers targeting me to get my info.</p>
<p>I read that an apple customer actually wrote jobs an electronic mail asking jobs to explain the software and mentioning that he would really hate to have to change to android because they don't "track my location" (which we know now to be untrue).  Jobs' only response: "yes they do".  Cool, great info steve, but what's your reason?</p>
<p>I wonder when exactly, or how a guy like jobs decides to completely sell his soul to corporate success.  Gates, totally get, and now he is atoning by trying to cure diseases and feed the hungry...but jobs seemed like he was the nice guy who you would want to have a beer with.  But while having that beer I never wanted steve's shareholders to know exactly where we were tipping those pints...</p>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-13999370097638632422010-12-13T19:34:00.002-05:002010-12-13T19:52:32.580-05:00Shaking Hands Was The Least of It<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsT94t5i-KC7p9v9aSOntBX1uo9Zz7U3a5Ph9Opy2tY0cJ9Sv0R1TEWnNoIY9rrIVGXAUKyMMlgDCId6vzc60i0K-jDKd4Ksv4Xy0IO-gQSdp9UvHhCGOBzidCk-nM0xulcLHhoDH219X/s1600/images.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKsT94t5i-KC7p9v9aSOntBX1uo9Zz7U3a5Ph9Opy2tY0cJ9Sv0R1TEWnNoIY9rrIVGXAUKyMMlgDCId6vzc60i0K-jDKd4Ksv4Xy0IO-gQSdp9UvHhCGOBzidCk-nM0xulcLHhoDH219X/s400/images.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550334454752603522" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium;">S</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium;">o, last night I met Romeo Dallaire. He wrote a pretty famous book called "Shake Hands With the Devil", if you haven't read it do so. Its a powerful account of the civilized world's inability to prevent monstrosities from happening. Now, some of my close friends and I have talked about the rights and wrong of the Rwanadan situation and I'm not sure there will ever be a satisfactory answer, but that's not what I'm really writing about.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium;">So, this man, who looks like he could be my father, stands up in front of an audience of about 1,000 and tells us a horror story. I'm not talking about some Freddy Krugar scare your kids horror story, I'm talking about a real life horror story. It basically goes like this ( and for those of your who read "shake hands with the devil" this won't be new):</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium;">General Dallaire was going to northern rwanda when he and his troops came across a kid standing in the middle of the road. Now, normally when a kid is standing in the middle of the road it is to stop travellers so that one of the armies can overwhelm the travellers and either steal their shit or kill them. So, you could imagine the mood of the UN team when they saw this kid. Dallaire ordered them to stop but realizing the danger told his troops to be at the ready.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium;">Once they stopped Dallaire approached the child ( who was about 8, the same age as Dallaire's son back home) and asked him if he was ok. With no ambush and the kid not talking much Dallaire and his troops let their guard down. They started checking the area to make sure the enemy wasnt there, and once the sweep was done the boy was nowhere to be found. Dallaire and the troops dug deeper into the underbrush to find him and discovered a village. Upon closer inspection they discovered the that the villagers had been slaughtered. They went into hut after but to find bodies. The sight was horrible, but the smell was worse...like hamburger left out in the sun for 3 days, it was the smell o rot and decay. In one of the huts they found he young boy who stopped their convoy, he was sitting in a hut with his mom, dad and sister...all of whom were dismembered...like that was his home, or rather, was still his home.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium;">So there was Mr. Dallaire and his troops looking in on the horror of the 20th century and the best they could do was take the child to a refuge camp in a neighboring village.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;font-size:medium;">I had already read this in his book, but hearing him tell this really affected me. I'm no sure if it has changed me, but I can assure you it is the most powerful talk I have attended, and definitely something to think about.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-3535936860192817402009-08-20T23:17:00.002-04:002009-08-20T23:25:39.648-04:00Labour DaysSo, we have recently lost a few people at my work. On the way home from one of the going away parties I was listening to the Aesop Rock album Labour Days (he spells it incorrectly because he is american) and it got me to thinking how management in canada treats us lowly workers.<div><br /></div><div>So, before you start crying about the fact that I haven't worked or whatever let me diabuse you of that notion. </div><div><br /></div><div>I worked retail - for over 2 years I slung shoes for bata. They tried to call it athletes world and sell sport shoes, but at the end of the day it was me doing my best Al Bundy impression of trying to squeeze women into shoes that didn't fit them.</div><div><br /></div><div>I built hockey arenas all over america. Talk about a pain in the ass...I worked with rednecks and had to share rooms with them.</div><div><br /></div><div>I drive a truck. Not a moving van, an 18-wheeler, all over north america. Ya, exactly.</div><div><br /></div><div>I bartended.</div><div><br /></div><div>I worked in IT.</div><div><br /></div><div>I work in advertising.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, ya, I get labour. Listening to the album tonight reminded me how much management takes advantage of labour. Really if you think about it, without labour, management is just nothing. No productivity, no end result. So how is it that management gets away with treating workers poorly?</div><div><br /></div><div>Oops, call Senator McCarthy, I don' t think I'm allowed to talk about this in public.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-28884456944761221912009-07-07T09:52:00.004-04:002009-07-07T10:18:40.787-04:00Unions, Socialism and the mystifying StigmaI was at my brother's house this weekend helping him put up a deck. Not the best way to spend a long weekend but I really didn't have anything better to do...I understand that my life is boring so back off. Anyway, we (my father, brother, uncle and a friend of my brother's) worked from about 1pm to about 6pm, mixing concrete, drilling holes, shovelling dirt and generally having a pretty decent time as far as hard labour goes. When we finished the day's work my sister in law had prepared a meal for us as a "thank-you". She made some excellent pulled pork, which I believe was the first time she had ever made it which made it all the more impressive, and some delicious salads. My brother John threw some burgers on the bbq and cracked me a steam whistle - very nice of him to buy my favorite beer since I know he hates it.<br /><br />We sat eating and drinking and we got around to discussing the garbage strike in Toronto. As an aside you should know that me and my brother constantly argue about the value of unions. So while my brother and the rest start expounding on how the unions are so greedy and how they should be forced back to work or be fired I came to the union's defence, as I often do. As soon as I started my brother says he doesn't want to talk about it because he is bored with the argument that we always have. His friend and girlfriend then pipe up with "unions make people lazy". Now I have heard this before and it shocks me how little people are willing to apply a little bit of logical analysis to the statement. If unions make people lazy then all people in unions must be lazy. Which is false. If they have met lazy union workers and make the leap that all union members are lazy well that is like meeting Hitler and saying all white people are genocidal maniacs.<br /><br />But, having heard this statement before (always from Laurier grads, one of whom told me that her business prof taught her that - don't even get me started on that) I switch the question to socialism in general. Is socialism bad? I ask. To which they all reply if I like that I may as well be a communist (to which I chuckled) and I asked them what was wrong with that.<br /><br />The answer rang down like it always does "Communism (and by extention socialism) is a good idea <span style="font-style: italic;">in theory</span>." This is the most inane statement anyone can ever make and yet it continues to be used. Because past communist countries have "failed" then communism doesn't work. Well tell that to the Chinese who own America, or tell it to the Socialist Scandinavians how have the lowest infant mortality rates in the world, or tell it to the Cubans who have more doctors per capita than any "successful" "capitalist" country.<br /><br />Anyway, just makes me wonder where (besides from imbecillic Laurier profs) people get their irrational fear of socialism. And why is that the people with the most strongly held beliefs against it are so often practicing christians? Could it be that these people are just susceptible to being brainwashed in their early childhood? I remember being told how evil Russia was and how Jesus would protect me; I also remember being told how generous Santa Claus was but I disabused myself of all those notions as I got older.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-38900039697651301992009-06-11T20:35:00.005-04:002009-07-07T10:17:56.429-04:00The Disappearing Male<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd-QdFSQuFKtCl86hxFRxYMTiJ6d42DgGWkwdnwoUBdpW7cQtpzglIFJT_EDSUztVsjBhQOnTJWH_fzW9J9D9JfAg7ik5tyQ0J69R2Vfirg-mgSmq7P2YsaLBC_9lcfG0GDlQk2ba-v80i/s1600-h/oil.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd-QdFSQuFKtCl86hxFRxYMTiJ6d42DgGWkwdnwoUBdpW7cQtpzglIFJT_EDSUztVsjBhQOnTJWH_fzW9J9D9JfAg7ik5tyQ0J69R2Vfirg-mgSmq7P2YsaLBC_9lcfG0GDlQk2ba-v80i/s400/oil.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346235860932564162" border="0" /></a><br />I just watched a documentary called <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/doczone/2008/disappearingmale/">The Disappearing Male</a>, really a fascinating look at chemicals that we use in everyday life that are harming the male population of the world, and possibly causing the male birthrate to plummet. Now, ladies, before you start celebrating think of the man you are currently with, no think that he would be with a way hotter girl if there were less men...seriously. Anyway, so while watching this doc I got to thinking...why do these chemicals harm us so much?<div><br /></div><div>Well, most of the chemicals they referred to came from petroleum. What is petroleum? Oil. Ok, smartass, what is oil? Oil is basically dead plants and animals that have been rotting in the ground for eons and have turned into a liquid compound. </div><div><br /></div><div>As we all know humans (and most animals that aren't carnivores) have an aversion to dead bodies. When we think of them we recoil...we don't want to touch a dead body, we don't want to look at dead bodies and we certainly don't want to rub themselves up against a dead body. However, we don't mind using oil every day nonstop.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, we take these dead animals and plants and burn them to run our car, use them for lube when we fuck or jerk off and we rub it on us to make ourselves more beautiful. And all this affinity for oil is killing off our species. We should have trusted our old instincts and steered clear of all these dead things and focused on live things; fresh vegetables and fruits should have been the source of our technology but our focus on death may indeed end up causing our extinction. Ironic.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-65445515570826142009-06-04T23:29:00.003-04:002009-06-11T20:46:44.051-04:00Haruki MurakamiWhen I was living in Japan there was I guy I hung out with. He was from Melbourne and claimed to not be gay. I didn't believe him. But he recommended Haruki Murakami to me, the book was Norweigan Wood. It changed my life. You should read his books.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-39441678674065848382009-05-08T18:39:00.003-04:002009-06-11T20:47:05.114-04:00Recent News - ramblings<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKnmEnoZ1VvXB2Wrn8LWKnFtWpj9qs8NW7LA4SAORkc4bEPncl36yZ6_xHyI5yHnci3ljoFdusltTeOB1UBQs4faPF8GAdoRqqWIse1Rr8eBpkV6-rFHjFca533PHaM9eNqMw_D-4IA8v_/s1600-h/73421088.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333589019257227298" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 252px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKnmEnoZ1VvXB2Wrn8LWKnFtWpj9qs8NW7LA4SAORkc4bEPncl36yZ6_xHyI5yHnci3ljoFdusltTeOB1UBQs4faPF8GAdoRqqWIse1Rr8eBpkV6-rFHjFca533PHaM9eNqMw_D-4IA8v_/s400/73421088.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Ruby Dhalla - some hot MP apparently mistreated her nannies. So, I didn't know who this woman was before this story, even though she was named the 3rd hottest female politician on the planet by Maxim magazine. After following the story for a bit it seems amazing to me that just because someone has been accused of something - and they are a politician - they are automatically assumed to be guilty by the public. That's like someone coming out and saying I kidnapped them for 3 weeks last year and everyone believing it - absurd. I have no loe for politicians, no matter how hot, but I think this story stinks - and I hope they investigate and find out who stands to gain from this woman's crucifixion.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Swine Flu - why do all the most delicious animals have to be so suseptable to the flu? I mean first I couldn't eat chicken and now pork? I will gladly risk swine flu or any other over hyped virus or killer bacteria for a delicious chicken parmsian wrapped in bacon. End of story.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The Recession - did the economy just get better over night? Job rates are up and the TSX is above 10,000 again. Wow, who knew that all that needed to be done was for people to be distracted by a fake pandemic and the recession would go away. Makes me wonder, if we get distracted enough do you think the USA will get out of the middle east? I guess that's asking too much.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>New Star Trek Movie - finally a news story I can get behind. Can't wait to see it and it will make my life better.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>That's it for news.</div><br /><div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-2427763020399965942009-04-25T15:57:00.003-04:002009-04-25T16:23:37.349-04:00Quarter Life Crises and Other Observations<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKXxe0sluZ8CdCcsaIh4PkFnqa-5WedFLme-YJ2D7N4RnI1I4Hetux44ermvqt29Y6XdN6jYYoyfHUMxuG7UnabS47x1QI8ZxOLTJafLO6n9lYr-Ydsy9bK4rPJwZXmPVVwnws9z_p-M2b/s1600-h/031408_afghanistan_800.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 318px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKXxe0sluZ8CdCcsaIh4PkFnqa-5WedFLme-YJ2D7N4RnI1I4Hetux44ermvqt29Y6XdN6jYYoyfHUMxuG7UnabS47x1QI8ZxOLTJafLO6n9lYr-Ydsy9bK4rPJwZXmPVVwnws9z_p-M2b/s400/031408_afghanistan_800.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328726396695300482" /></a><br />My younger brother is an interesting fellow. He is the youngest of 5 children brought up by catholic parents. Born in 1984 (foreboding possibly), he did most of his actual growing up in the nineties, as did I really...but this post isn't about me. He was very interested in music. His first love were Foo Fighters, who are I believe a really good rock band, not great, but really good. From that he started listening to Nirvana (a little old for him but he was a smart kid and I think he got it mostly). He learned to play guitar, and does so quite well. He had friends and wasn't really interested in school despite his obvious intelligence. <div><br /></div><div>Upon finishing high school he was not really sure what he wanted to do. I'm embarrassed to admit that at this point in his life I was so wrapped up in my own life that I don't really remember what he did. I know he ended up trying to go to college but couldn't get motivated to excel there. He took jobs as a mechanic, a job which I'm told he is great at, but never loved it. He always said that he couldn't stand hanging with the people that that industry attracted - which I think is fair. He seemed to be a bit adrift for a couple of years; working jobs but only to pay his bills.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then he decided to move to Afghanistan and work for the military as a mechanic. This decision was hard for my family to accept. Both me and one of my sisters moved overseas for a time after university, probably for different reasons, but maybe both partly because we didn't know what we were going to do with our lives. My family was supportive of our decisions but because my brother was moving into a war zone they felt a little less than thrilled, no doubt worried about him. I gained no sympathy from my family when I endorsed his move to the middle east. My family tried to get me to dissuade him from going, which I politely declined to do. I figured a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. So leaving his mother father and four siblings in Canada he was off for an adventure.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have always thought is important for young men to have adventures. Think of all the most interesting people you know. The reason these people are interesting is because of the stories they have....exotic locations, strange people they have encountered and harrowing accounts of dangerous situations they have found themselves in. I have a great uncle who would constantly tell us of his years spent in the north working for the Canadian government - run ins with bears and other dangerous animals. Having adventures when men are young is what allows them to settle down when they are older. This may be true for women too, but I know it's true for men.</div><div><br /></div><div>After completing his contract in Afghanistan my brother returned safe and sound much to our collective relief. He took a job in Calgary and seemed to be finding his way. </div><div><br /></div><div>About a week ago he called me and told me he was going back. He said he didn't know what he wanted to do, and was just spinning his tires so he might as well go back and make a bunch of money while he was figuring things out. He leaves in about a week. Now, I know he will be fine, statistically he is probably safer there than living in some of the sketchier neighborhoods in Toronto. So I'm not worried. It did, however, remind me of how restless I was when I was his age, and how much I bummed around bartending and traveling and really just looking for a path. The irony of my search was that I discovered that I don't think anyone really knows what they want to do and end up just settling for something to pass the time......hope his works out a little better.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-81504443260653128732009-03-27T22:03:00.002-04:002009-03-27T22:07:27.565-04:00Harmonized TaxWow, who would have thought that this would be the time that a tax increase would be announced. I am not an economist, by any means, I think, like most people I get what economics is and have a basic understanding of how economics works. <div><br /></div><div>It seems to me that if the economy is hurting, the mean thing that would help it is for people to spend money. How would you go about motivating people to spend money?? Well, you could give them more money or make their money worth more. Now, everyone knows that you can't just print money (everyone except Ben Bernanke it seems), so in order to stimulate the economy what should be done is making people's money stretch further.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ontario's solution: Raise taxes!!!! Brilliant, man no wonder our economy is falling apart.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-7974848643557453952009-03-05T14:57:00.002-05:002009-03-05T15:07:27.111-05:00Legal Recap - Beheading, legal.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWM0E5XMehUJnZ7nraReOaGEtAkhNCjI5hN4Y_1SI2sz_PjNeROMii593D6dM2rZKFqzpYgdYSho96Gn_UPRVbThTKk6No_55uBpAQj1b2yGnhEyZ4XzUvhJ-5IO_s5aFfg6Pp2LhAGhbN/s1600-h/_done_vinceli.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309797807289105810" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 188px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 296px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWM0E5XMehUJnZ7nraReOaGEtAkhNCjI5hN4Y_1SI2sz_PjNeROMii593D6dM2rZKFqzpYgdYSho96Gn_UPRVbThTKk6No_55uBpAQj1b2yGnhEyZ4XzUvhJ-5IO_s5aFfg6Pp2LhAGhbN/s400/_done_vinceli.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Last summer the beheading of a young man on a greyhound bus chilled the nation. Something is innately terrifying about decapitation, extremsits in developing nations have capitalized on this grisly method of execution to motivate richer nations to leave their country, and in many cases, despite the rhetoric, it has scared the countries into compliance. Last summer when Vince Li killed a carney travelling home to Winnipeg people gasped, cried and lost sleep.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Today Mr. Li was found not guilty of second degree murder because of a mental illness read this article <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090305.wli0305/BNStory/National/home">Judge Finds Li Not Criminally Responsible</a>. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I hate to be insensitive but that is fucking ludicris. This man needs to be looked up. Anyone who murders someone who is asleep in the back of a bus becasue 'God' told him to needs to be locked away - forever. If someone has an illness that can kill others they are quarantined until they die or are cured. Since mental illness is so difficult to diagnose maybe we sould err on the side of public safety.....to me that means anyone who cuts anyone else's head off rots in prison.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-68296979758205199452009-02-27T18:04:00.002-05:002009-02-27T18:10:17.747-05:00Murder Suspects Released - Video Tape Not Withstanding<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOLp3yliTPMLE65NWogfykBNzNwBBboJiD4AYoK9Rf9hGzvt7Ck-EK3vg0_k4lTW1zvne35kWko4vRomFP7PzDR_OcZfgmkTGY0ccAVhBYsdivAmOySkvXd04RIeNBKTZFv8XdjvkaUNY/s1600-h/e802b3bf4ff88702a76f59c3920f.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 297px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFOLp3yliTPMLE65NWogfykBNzNwBBboJiD4AYoK9Rf9hGzvt7Ck-EK3vg0_k4lTW1zvne35kWko4vRomFP7PzDR_OcZfgmkTGY0ccAVhBYsdivAmOySkvXd04RIeNBKTZFv8XdjvkaUNY/s400/e802b3bf4ff88702a76f59c3920f.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307618387243756546" /></a><br />Ok, if you have no idea what I mean, read <a href="http://www.thestar.com/News/Columnist/article/593931">here</a>. Yup, it's another coup for Toronto's finest. So, to recap, you may now kill someone on video tape and between our inept cops and our horrifyingly lacking justice system two men are free who shot a man on video.<div><br /></div><div>Does somebody need to call the police and shoot someone right in front of them in order for them to get a conviction? I mean, I used to enjoy watching Law and Order and there were some very clever criminals who would try to avoid getting caught with various nefarious schemes. The police worked hard to gather evidence and the case was made; sometimes the criminals would go free but not after being video taped.</div><div><br /></div><div>Just a TV show you say, we that's fine. But everyday police make arrests and the crown gets convictions without video tape. Yet when they have it they just can't seem to locked these idiots up.</div><div><br /></div><div>Oh well, next time I knock over a convenience store I'm going to make sure to flash my pearly white to the security camera. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-44053800865149680862009-02-25T18:57:00.003-05:002009-02-25T19:06:10.161-05:00I always thought he was a bit of a PonziRecently I was laid off (about 3 months ago), I have since found a new job that is working out quite nicely thank-you very much, and was stiffed for my final pay....as were a few dozen of my coworkers. This an annoyance, an inconvenience but most of all it was a piss-off. Here was the guy who owed us money, clearly he had money, a nice house, boat and truck and we had nothing. I filed with the labour board but to no avail (thank god I pay all those taxes - what great service Service Ontario provides).<div><br /></div><div>Now, three months later a friend of mine sent me an email with a link to this <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2009/02/20/business/business-us-ponzi-cftc-brookshire.html">story</a>. And I literally laughed out loud. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. The jerk (John Marshall) who screwed us all out of a couple of thousand dollars is now up for bilking his investors out of about $4 million - and with any luck will end up in jail for a few years.</div><div><br /></div><div>As a fan of irony, I approve.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-48153552256001553452009-02-24T21:37:00.004-05:002009-02-25T19:06:52.615-05:00Barack Obama Address to Congress<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU41aDyFfXpggM7NXxU13IqGxtmqR5Si_iERZra4RDg8bo4V8s_DRGW6bQoJeM3y7Mmc-Cb4g1sxlpse3fPSgtmVHQHwaDlbYGt_HqW0gCcoy6eMBEF3GkjMfqPIDy8jITzYpCxvRx1T9n/s1600-h/s-BAMA-COCKTAILS-large.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU41aDyFfXpggM7NXxU13IqGxtmqR5Si_iERZra4RDg8bo4V8s_DRGW6bQoJeM3y7Mmc-Cb4g1sxlpse3fPSgtmVHQHwaDlbYGt_HqW0gCcoy6eMBEF3GkjMfqPIDy8jITzYpCxvRx1T9n/s400/s-BAMA-COCKTAILS-large.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5306563770129090946" /></a><br />"No more will our money be used by CEO's for buying fancy cocktails and private jets"<div><br /></div><div>Well Barack, that's just fucking fantastic, I'm glad that after giving out $3 trillion dollars (check <a href="http://digg.com/business_finance/Calculate_How_Much_The_Bailout_Will_Cost_You">this</a>) to the banks that you are finally putting your foot down, jeeze, somebody had to; and I'm glad you had the backbone to stop the free handouts at $3 trillion.</div><div><br /></div><div>Judging by the standing ovations he received during his address clearly congress agrees, the same congress that gave away the first $2 trillion under the proviso that the banks and finance houses did not have to account for where the money was going.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>He goes on to hail China for their environmental record, I swear to God, China. This is the country that hosted the last olympics right? Where the smog was thick enough to cut? Well, yes America has a lot to learn from China. Now, I realize that without China the USA would quickly cease to exist, I mean where would they get all their money if it wasn't for Chinese migrant labour being so willing to work for next to nothing and fill the pockets of wealthy Beijingers, so don't bother pointing it out.</div><div><br /></div><div>Obama states that the auto industry should be saved, and America made cars are what we need. Seriously? Has he ever driven an American car? Other than that Batmobile that the secret service had made for him, and they wouldn't let him drive anyway...I'm sure.</div><div><br /></div><div>And now he just invoked his dead grandmother. THAT'S IT!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>You know what? This guy is worse than Bush, at least Bush never pretended to be a savior. This guy walks up with his "socialist" tag and gives away money to big business, enough to wipe out the debt of half the world, enough to keep the American worker securely under the yolk for another 200 years and enough so that it doesn't even matter how much more fake money they print, because no one really understands how big that number is. He comes to power because America is hungry for "change" and what do they get, more troops commited to a war on terror that is essentially a way to earn unlimited profit for his buddies in the arms business (more <a href="http://www.lexrex.com/enlightened/articles/warisaracket.htm">here</a>). Change indeed.</div><div><br /></div><div>He is also worse than Bush because he should know better. As a guy raised by his mom and grandma, who was mixed race before Lenny Kravitz made it cool and who is young enough that he shouldn't have completely lost touch with his soul, he should know that what the current world model of state sponsored capitalism does is abuse the little guy so the fat cats can afford fancy cocktails and private jets.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-33789872085862262062009-01-11T18:25:00.003-05:002009-01-11T18:51:46.560-05:00To do list<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9jhvtwR1VGFyi3f94F2_S-gNoxjV5SiSEW-VMgMiCbaomN3Gfe7blfzBUFhAlKaIq2z6sUzuhsCXKtyGCOzdwJwdLSBK_hDQYHtnhUeB0D2I7MNneVzA0YpcgXeNTAfY1wtchaAn8ysw/s1600-h/P1030528.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9jhvtwR1VGFyi3f94F2_S-gNoxjV5SiSEW-VMgMiCbaomN3Gfe7blfzBUFhAlKaIq2z6sUzuhsCXKtyGCOzdwJwdLSBK_hDQYHtnhUeB0D2I7MNneVzA0YpcgXeNTAfY1wtchaAn8ysw/s400/P1030528.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290187647515791842" /></a><br />So.....I am going to write a list of things that I think people should do in their life. Now, this isn't a list of things "everyone" should do in their life....most people are douche bags and are content watching pro sports and drinking beer and not really doing anything with their lives (although you may question this statement after reading this blog, you know what I mean). This list is for people reading this blog, you are definitely an elite group worthy of an elite list. These are 10 things that I have done and that I think are 10 cool things that one could do, in no particular order.<div><br /></div><div>1.) Take a soak in the Blue Lagoon in Iceland.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>This is a hot springs like no other. There is a geo thermal power plant 500 metres away that was made to supply Reykjavik with power. When they built it people started bathing in their holding pool that was created by the water the superheated to turn the turbines. "This is a safety hazard" the plant operators figured, so they put up a fence. People started climbing the fence to bathe. Then some genius thought "Let's charge $30 to enter and bathe" and the Blue Lagoon was born. A great way to spend a day.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>2.) Go to a major league baseball game in the USA.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I'm not a huge sports fan, as I'm sure you can tell, but there is something about spending time at a ballpark in the USA truly an american experience, akin to watching a Sumo match in Japan. There is a feeling of stepping back in time when watching a ball game at an older stadium in America.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>3.) Watching a Sumo match in Japan.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I don't think I need to go into this one, fat guys chucking each other around, nuff said.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>4.) Sleep with a stranger</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Not sure why, and it's been years since I've done this, but there is nothing more exhilarating in the world than sleeping with a stranger. Not knowing who they are, what they are about or what they believe. Not something to do every day (unless you're into that), not even usually the best sex you can have, but something everyone should do at least once.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>5.) Eat something you know you shouldn't.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I'm not talking about eating something rotten or something poisonous I am talking about eating something that your better judgement tells you that you shouldn't. Like crickets or horsemeat; something that you have been offered and think "that's not right"; try it just once.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>6.) Drink way too much.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>It's a right of passage, most of us have done this, and those who haven't we all look differently at. This is the sort of young mistake we all need to make in order to understand our peers. Could you imagine trying to read "on the Road" without having ever even drank too much. It would really ruin the experience.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>7.) Get Arrested.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Haven't done this (s maybe I'm cheating) but it seems like this is something that could really give one some perspective. I think I need to do #6.) and then #7.) some time before I'm to old.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>8.) See a real live elephant.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Maybe not an elephant specifically, but, for all of us there is some animal that when we were growing up seemed so impossible that, even though we knew it existed, we didn't really believe it was real. For me this was an elephant, and the first time I saw one in real life (not at the zoo) was like a religious experience. So be it a Great White Shark, Gorilla or Elephant, I think it is important to satisfy the child you once were with the real thing.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>9.) Spend too much money on a day in the city where you live.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>We all travel, and when we do we tend to spend a lot of money per day in foreign cities. Just once one should take the same amount and spend it in their hometown. It will help you to realize why people travel to your hometown from other places.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>10.) Read a book they made you read in high school as an adult.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Grapes of Wrath, changed my life when I was 22, at 17 I don't think I got it.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Just a bit of advice from me to you.</div><div><br /></div><div>Good Luck.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1481303751418070250.post-65072407615600388042008-12-21T11:08:00.006-05:002008-12-22T18:51:24.471-05:00Bag Lady / Bag ManTaking the night bus down Yonge st. in Toronto in the middle of the night is an ill advised activity at the best of times. But sometimes after a night of imbibery north of Sheppard one is too drunk to be concerned with the annoyances one may confront taking the "Vomit Comet". I was in such a state one night last week and was treated to some rather interesting scenes. <div><br /></div><div>First there is a young man (maybe 20) with a big piece of Sony Stereo hardware still in box taking up two seats. He spots two nerdy teenagers and gives them the the finger rubbing sign for money and then look sat the stereo. Unbelievable, this dude is trying to sell a stereo (likely stolen) on a bus full of people. Classic. The kids shake their heads and the guy just smiles and nods. Later he engages and late 20 something man with the same proposition. The 20 something shakes his head but the two continue to talk for the rest of the ride - fast friends as it were.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I am continuing to ride, with my head buried in a book at this point (Marx, Das Kapital V III - reading it drunk is a complete waste because I have to reread the part when sober, but it never stops me from trying). I notice a rather pungent aroma invading my airspace; I look around to see an old gentleman (hobo) carrying about 8 plastic bags filled with his affects. It's always interesting for me to watch the (presumably) homeless when they are forced to interact with society. He was quiet and reserved, but his eyes were constantly darting about, as if making sure no one was going to make a move on his precious cargo. Others had noticed the smell at this point, some kids chuckled to each other, people made eyecontact with one another and shared eyerolls. I pretended to read whilst observing the old-timer. </div><div><br /></div><div>A little further down the line a bag lady got on, rare to see a bag man and a bag lady on the same bus (but not so strange on the 320 Blue Night Bus). The two spotted each other right away, but didn't approach each other. There was no attempt made to engage each other in conversation, to discuss the daily events or to commiserate on the upcoming winter. I found that rather odd, here are two people who clearly share some things in common. Two people who certainly could understand each other much better than anyone else on the bus could, and yet they seemed to avoid each other. Almost as if a mutual disgust was all they really shared, or a shame in how low they had sunk.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I continued to watch, and the two bag people continued to avoid eye contact with each other the bus slowly rocked it's way down the street. The bus made it to Dundas Square the bag lady rang the bell, the bus stopped and she approached the door but she was having trouble getting off the bus, the bag man noticed and stood up, leaving his own bags unattended in order to attempt to help his fellow homeless get off the bus. This was a far cry from the distain they seemed to feel a few moments ago. When he was right beside her he offered his help, she yelled at him "Not to fucking touch her" and went off into the night. The bag man hung his head and sat back down with his bags, sheepishly trying to avoid the prying eyes of the passengers of the 320.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12068443617321291989noreply@blogger.com0