I am now ready to expand back into DSP! I am also ready to season myself in new and exciting topics, but, I can’t begin this new chapter without one good tale involving….you guessed it, my bicycle. This story must be told! I live on my bike. That is to say, my main form of transportation is cycling. If you have read my other posts, and seen the picture, it has seen brighter days. But right now, my main vehicle is...
Hey Everyone! Can you feel the love in the air? Well, that’s because it’s Valentine’s Day – a day that brings everyone together! Well, actually, only a portion of the world celebrates Valentine’s Day. And I suppose, of those only a fraction of people have a significant other to celebrate it with. Also, of those people only a bunch will be able to get together with their partner on the actual holiday. Come to think of it, there are...
Sixty-two years ago today, Jack Layton was born. Unfortunately he left us too early last year. Am I an NDP supporter? Not really, no – and according to the last election the majority of Canada was not either. So why write this post? Because during the last Canadian federal election he got people moving, talking, debating and interested in Canadian politics. Something that I feel has been missing for a while. During the federal english debate he used “words” like #fail...
I wrote an essay recently that has been downloaded TWICE the past week on my Linked In account. Which is to say, more than anything that I’ve ever written before. The essay is called “An Introduction to Terrorism and Subversion in Canada”. The following is what could be considered the ‘first’ chapter of the paper. If you would like to download a copy, click here! Introduction to Terrorism in Canada On April 7, 1868 between 1:00 and 2:00 in...
One of my favourite new shows is Key & Peele. Two comedians from Mad TV (I think? I’m not sure where I heard that before) who have a sketch style comedy show aiken to Dave Chappelle. Here are two sketches… my question is, is their comedy too racial? Or is that just par for the course in comedy these days?
Sudan split earlier this year into two countries creatively named “North Sudan” (the original Sudan) and “South Sudan” (Sudan 2.0). I try to pay attention to these kinds of things… I didn’t really see it coming until it was going to happen. Somaliland, my preferred African country of study (right next to Turkmenistan in Central Asia, the most interesting country in the world) has been “independent” since 1991. They just haven’t been recognized for it. A few weeks ago,...
Big glasses, Ugs with tights and a “boyfriend shirt” and shaving one side of your head…all fashion fads, some lasting a little longer than others. However, fashion is not the only fad that has caught my attention. I have recently come across a video which discusses a strategy to capture Joseph Kony, the video is titled Kony 2012. I then read a thread of comments and it was dominated by two people both offering a point of view on...
Winter in Canada is cold, I know that, but I didn’t know just how much until I went on my first trip to a Caribbean county. I just returned to minus 14 degree frigid temperatures after a week fun in Barbados to witness our good friends get married. The wedding, our eighth over this past year, was beautiful and the reception was a lot of fun. It’s always nice to see two people who care for each other commit...
Well they are for me at least. Friedman and Bell. Their ideas aren’t expressively from 2011 either. We’ll get to that in a bit though. First, an introduction to Mr. George Friedman and Mr. Stewart Bell. George Friedman So who is this dude? I’ll tell you who. He’s primarily known as the head and mastermind behind STRATFOR, a Global Intelligence firm which could also be lumped under the same category as a Security Thinktank… for pay. My involvement with...
I am an early to bed, early to rise kind of person, so unfortunately I end up missing a lot of the television I love. No longer do I get to watch Conan, Jimmy Fallon, MTV marathons or Jimmy Kimmel. Fortunately, sometimes television stations replay episodes on their websites, but that can eat up my data plan. I really like it when shows take the best-of and post it on YouTube – my surrogate television. Jimmy Kimmel does this...
If anyone has been keeping an eye on the big international meeting to renew the Kyoto protocol in Durban South Africa, you may have seen the embarrassing role Canada is playing in this crucial piece of international environmental legislation. The Kyoto Protocol is considered to be an international binding agreement on greenhouse emissions. It was established by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as a response to the century and a half of increasing industrial...
I read an article in the Globe & Mail today on income inequality in Canada (Canada’s wage gap at record high: OECD – http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/canadas-wage-gap-at-record-high-oecd/article2259657/) and saw the below comment. I’ve heard of the story of the squirrel and grasshopper before (also known as the ant the grasshopper), but was interested to hear this take on it. —————————– The squirrel works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks...
With just under a month until Christmas – really?!?! – people are flocking to stores in order to get the best deals for their family and friends. I haven’t started yet, but I did have to walk through a mall early Friday morning to get my passport renewed. I wanted to get to the passport office as soon as it opened at 8:30 a.m., so many of the stores in the mall weren’t open just yet. But there did...
