bloggery gone awry

Hai!

2007-12-08T16:30:00.000-05:00

I CAN HAVE NEW HOME.

KTHXBYE GOOGLE!

Scientists create ‘fearless’ mouse

2007-11-13T14:14:00.001-05:00

By tweaking genes to disable certain functions of the olfactory bulb — the area of the brain that receives information about smells directly from olfactory receptors in the nose — the researchers at the University of Tokyo were able to create a "fearless" mouse that does not try to flee when it smells cats, foxes and other predators.

http://www.pinktentacle.com/2007/11/scientists-create-fearless-mouse/

My question is this:

Could a similar technique be used to prevent the administration of the United States of America from attacking when they smell oil?

Ain't nothin' like good old-skool 1970's tune to get ya up in the morning...

2007-08-21T19:17:00.000-04:00

Alvin Drew Jr. is an astronaut and has still got funk:

Via YouTube

Thunder Bay

2007-08-04T10:26:00.000-04:00

On Groomsman duty for a friend's wedding here in Thunder Bay. We enjoyed the drive up but could not get this Kids in the Hall sketch out of our heads:

Kids In The Hall - More amazing videos are a click away

An apple a day...

2007-07-06T12:28:00.001-04:00

I've often been annoyed that almost every package of food in the grocery store has a "Nutritional Facts" label; however, there's not one single drop of Nutritional information in the produce aisle. I certainly do not want every single apple to be packaged in a box or bag just so I can see the little Nutritional Facts table, but adding a little sign by the apples would be a nice touch.

In my quest to see how healthy today's lunch is, I came across the coolest site that shows all sorts of info about the food you eat with really neat graphics that do a great job at communicating the Nutritional Facts visually. Here's the low-down on an average Apple -- www.nutritiondata.com .

<img src="http://www.nutritiondata.com/images/help/nutrient-balance.jpg "><BR>
<img src="http://www.nutritiondata.com/images/help/targetsample1.jpg">

Learning about explosives is O.K. ... in the USA

2007-07-05T12:37:00.001-04:00

I wonder how the exact same story would have been written up by the New York Times, had it been a camp for college-aged kids in Iraq?

Hum....

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/03/science/03boom.html?_r=1&8dpc&oref=slogin

Soybean

2007-06-13T23:34:00.001-04:00

So I bet you've been wondering about soybean production in the Ottawa area... perhaps this will help:

Ontario production by county:
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/stats/crops/ctysoybeans05.htm

and I just found out that a quarter or more of Ottawa's local production of food-grade soybeans (approx 100km radius, ontario side -- ixnay ebec-quay) is exported to Japan for tofu and other high-protein dishes:
http://www.farmcentre.com/english/capital/capital_idea_23.php

( Note: Japan sends back robot chickens:
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/video-segas-robot-chicken-storms-japan-250524.php )

Vancouver Film School

2007-05-03T01:22:00.000-04:00

A neat 10 min. short from VFS - Who wants to be an Amerikan.

20/20 vision

2007-04-03T10:12:00.000-04:00

On around the 23rd, 1863 Confederate General Robert E. Lee wrote:

"It appears we have appointed our worst generals to command forces, and our most gifted and brilliant to edit newspapers! In fact, I discovered by reading newspapers that these editor/geniuses plainly saw all my strategic defects from the start, yet failed to inform me until it was too late. Accordingly, I'm readily willing to yield my command to these obviously superior intellects, and I, in turn, will do my best for the Cause by writing editorials – after the fact."

Ouch.

2007-03-26T21:11:00.000-04:00

What Should I Say.com...

Luckily, Hef outlived his competition... (R.I.P. LW)

2007-03-15T22:59:00.000-04:00

Stumbled across this site while looking for a Lawrence Welk e-Card (because hey, anyone would love to get a Lawrence Welk e-Card, right?)...

THE GIRLS OF LAWRENCE WELK

www.welkgirls.com

Heck No!

2007-02-17T10:52:00.000-05:00

It is now a well known fact that robots and the internet are taking over the world. Also, through my research it has become apparent that robots do, in fact, prefer techno to country, bee-bop, and/or punk.

A closed loop.

2007-01-21T15:29:00.000-05:00

"Every sixty seconds, thirty acres of rain forest are destroyed in order to raise beef for fast-food restaurants that sell it to people, giving them strokes and heart attacks, which raise medical costs and insurance rates, providing insurance companies with more money to invest in large corporations that branch out further into the Third World so they can destroy more rain forests"

- George Carlin

Smart v.s. Stubborn

2007-01-16T23:35:00.000-05:00

Dear Diary, I Found two things on the internet tonight:

Free courses at M.I.T. ...

...and dancing ferrets.

Shopmore.

2007-01-11T01:04:00.000-05:00

Until they're paid off, she draws each credit cards statement by hand.

Neat pictures of what she buys too.

Post # 101

2007-01-03T23:08:00.000-05:00

Birds:

Children:

Children as Birds:

Christmas Pageant.

2006-12-10T11:40:00.000-05:00

Had a great evening out last night, watching a live musical rendition of Mr. Burton's film at Queen's Grad house. The perfect mix christmas music and theatre with a great story too -- (my heart grew two sizes larger).

... and now you know.

2006-12-06T01:29:00.000-05:00

List of problems solved by MacGyver

2006-11-07T20:53:00.000-05:00

Old Kids Trick or Treating.

2006-10-31T19:44:00.000-05:00

So it's my first Halloween in a new neighbourhood. A good number of "older" kids (look like they're around 13-18ish) are collecting their annual pixie stick supply in pillow sacks and garbage bags and it occurs to me that these kids are going to remember how generous (or greedy) I am with my candy rations. Sort of reminds me of Jr Mafioso. All these folks trying their best to look scary, knocking at the door, demanding free treats so my house doesn't get egged (or worse).... So the next group of older kids come to my house, bang on the door and I give them a good handful of "the good stuff" (chocolate bars and rockets). They were shocked! First house they'd been to all night that gave them more than a couple things or had shafted them for being "too old".

Now I'm thinking to myself, geeze, I've got it good. A little investment in the candy department goes a LONG way when it comes to staying in the good books of the local troublemakers! I just hope that some of my generosity lands in the bags of the same kids who are stabbing people on my bus! I'll give out a couple extra Snickers if it'll save some of my 'hood from a shiv in the back!

Dutchtub

2006-10-12T01:44:00.001-04:00

This beats all the other outdoor hot tubs I've seen. It's simple, stylish and functional. You fill it with water, start a fire and convection circulates the water to heat it. They have a factory 2 hours south of Cornwall & it might make for an interesting road to go and try out one of these DutchTubs. ($6,000 US)

the internet

2006-10-07T12:03:00.000-04:00

[via: boingboing]

Skuter (a.k.a. Zdravo)

2006-10-05T20:49:00.000-04:00

I like my German Polka Rap just as much as the next guy* so I'm happy to hear whenever a new song is released on the international market. Lately, however, "being released on the international market" just means "re-doing everything to make it more sexy". Who's job it is to "prepare" a "musician" for the international market? How do I get that job? Looking at the before and after videos it's easy to follow the thought process of whomever was in charge:

Ok, so vee must take the black shirts off vee vomen, put them in bikini. Zand make the tractors smaller so zey look larger. vee vant the album to zell in americas so let's add a hummer zand big yello house. Zand add vater!

Perfect.

BEFORE

AFTER

* (assuming that the next guy doesn't really like German Polka Rap all that much)

Yellow Rubber Duck.

2006-10-05T19:54:00.000-04:00

I had a eureka moment the other day: Those little yellow rubber ducks are yellow because most baby ducks begin their life as little yellow ducks.

Yup. That's right, you heard it here first. Wikipedia hasn't even figured it out yet... sheesh.

Walk through the "back 40" with scissors. Cure cancer & make money.

2006-09-19T21:24:00.000-04:00

I like the idea of using small woodlots within a county or township to as a sustainable source of revenue by harvesting little bits of different plants. For example, selling the trimmings of your hemlock trees to a biotech firm who will use them to create anticancer drugs like paclitaxel (a.k.a. taxol™).

Understanding America.

2006-08-25T01:06:00.000-04:00

Wow. Here it is. Pages upon pages of high quality infographics for all of you voyeuristic Canadians! Poking our nose over the border to watch all those Yankees is somewhat of a national sport... Watching their newsfeeds, reading their magazines and following their gossip. I'm still not quite sure if it's an attempt to figure them out or to fodder our distain. ;)

Although it's a bit out of date, Richard Saul Wurman's UNDERSTANDING paints an incredible picture of American statistics. Everything from population to war to the federal debt.

I strongly suggest you download & explore the flawless PDFs.

Hello Carl.

2006-08-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

Today someone sat beside me in public and was just about to start up a conversation with me until I looked them in the eyes and they stopped abruptly and apologized. "Sorry, though you were someone else" they said, "you look like my friend Carl".

See, the weird thing is that this is the third time that someone has mistaken me for Carl. Once in Waterloo, once in Toronto and then just today in Ottawa. The next time I'm mistaken for this guy I will make an attempt to find out a bit more about Carl.

It would be appreciated if everyone reading this would keep a look-out for a JGarlough look-a-like who answers to the name "Carl". I ran my mugshot through a face recognition program to give you a better idea of some of the facial features that Carl and I share with some other well-known characters...

...look for a mix between George Michael, Ted Bundy, David Schwimmer and Nina Persson. Think "Faithful serial killing sitcom lovefool. WHAM!!"

Monkey Say, Monkey Do

2006-06-14T22:15:00.000-04:00

I was not happy to see
THIS news story today. Apparently the US Congress approved funding for the research & creation of a new nuclear warhead... what was that about Iran?!?

h o t

2006-06-14T21:35:00.000-04:00

Went on a date with Lisa Loeb in Kingston last weekend. Enjoyed a great meal at the chien noir before a chilly walk past Tom's Shoe Repair where Weeping Tile used to hang out.

Road Rash.

2006-05-31T12:42:00.000-04:00

I think I've finally found the perfect bike for me and hope to go and
buy it after work. News stories like this don't have me rushing to
make a purchase: CBC News

A dozen Ottawa Bicycle Club members were cycling down Riverside Drive in June 2004 when a truck drove by the group, slowed
down, then clipped the lead rider.

The lead rider suffered two broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder, and four others were injured.

Richard Martin was found guilty in April of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and for failing to remain at the scene of an accident after five people were injured in a cyclist pileup.

At Wednesday's sentence hearing, his lawyer, Kimberley Pegg, argued that Martin had "no malevolence" when he sideswiped the cyclist.

During the court case, it came out that the driver, who was with his
son in the car, laughed the whole way home.

Good Advice, Yellow Suit.

2006-05-27T07:29:00.000-04:00

Well, today is the day to act like today is your day, and you will be surprised that it is!
- Apollo Sunshine

http://www.apollosunshine.com/newersite/videos/todayvid2.mov love the lyrics, like the song, not sure about the video.

Two "firsts" tonight.

2006-05-25T23:43:00.000-04:00

First BBQ of the season and first mosquito of the season. I quickly remembered why I love the grill (and why I loath parasites).

I can remember the days in my Chesterville apartment where I would could cook as much I could (of every meal) on the BBQ. Went right through the winter some years too... mmmm, BBQ everything (except pasta and scones of course). Last year's favorite was Kabobs, and I'm predicting they'll be up there on my list of favorite BBQ food again this year as I perfect the best Kabob food combination: pepper, backbacon, onion, beef, onion, backbacon, pepper, ham, 'shroom, beef, 'shroom, ham, repeat.

Hello Labanda!

2006-05-25T01:09:00.000-04:00

I often admire Jordi Labanda's lifestyle illustrations when I stumble upon them on the 'net or at a book store. It wasn't until today, however, that I discovered his new clothing line has turned a few imaginative drawings into women's wear. Some of the outfits are a bit strange, but I certainly do NOT have anything negative to say about the 2006 beachwear... !

Red Hot

2006-05-20T10:58:00.000-04:00

Red and Blue
Originally uploaded by Tzatziki.

I am red.

I want a woman who is blue.

She's convinced she must find someone blue.

So I paint myself blue.

We get along great!

(I'm such a refreshing change from all the blues she's dated)

What happens when the paint wears off?

---------------------------------------------
Spent yesterday evening with some very cool friends and had some great conversation at their posh downtown flat. The above is an elaboration of Joe's great analogy. To give it some context we were not discussing race, rather attitude, behaviour and grey hair.

May 18th

2006-05-18T21:31:00.000-04:00

Apparently today is the best day to change your life. Perhaps it is true! My day was spent participating in a planning and performance symposium (which is certain to propagate positive change within my organization [and along with it, my career]). That looks after changing the "Job" part of my life. Perhaps the trend will continue and some of the many other intricacies of life will sort themselves out in the next few days as I spend the long weekend with friends and family.

Days ago.

2006-05-15T22:08:00.000-04:00

Back to work after a great weekend. Saw some good friends, met some more and enjoyed two free concerts at the tulip festival. Xavier Rudd was on the main stage and on the way out we heard some music coming from some small tent and decided to check it out. Ended up spending the rest of the night dancing with Meneer Van Zanten and their attractive Dutch groupies. Have no clue what half the songs were about but I'll bet that Daniëlle is about a tall blue-eyed blonde. Oh Dutch rock, how I love thee so. ;) After the dancing, things quickly cooled down so we appropriately ended the night with hot chocolate and Gouda. An interesting start to the festival season here in Ottawa!

Bashing and Biking

2006-05-09T20:22:00.000-04:00

It bothers me that sometimes my dry sarcasm is wrongly interpreted as an atempt to cast aspersions, rather than a failed attempt at humor. Note to self: Stop attempting humor.

The past few weeks have been going great although bike shopping will come to an end as soon as I close a deal on a hybrid. frown (test driving was so much fun)

-~-~-~-~

2006-04-26T22:47:00.000-04:00

Generally I do not follow that whole "Step on a crack and break your mother's back" doctrine; however, I did notice today that my strides are a perfect match for the side walk tiles on the McKenzie King Bridge beside the NAC and over the Canal. One step per tile, no more no less.

E for Effort.

2006-04-26T01:22:00.000-04:00

So Adbusters run a few different campaigns and I've been thinking about them quite a bit in a quest to inspect the "other side" of the coin. The first is their annual Buy Nothing Day in November. The second is an annual TV Turnoff Week that began on Monday.

My TV's been off (and on) a few times since Monday and thinking back to years past (when I actually did unplug the tube for a week) it is obvious that somewhere along the line I missed the point. You see, with the TV off I would spend more time socializing with friends and/or going for coffee, going to a pub, dining, shopping or buying tickets for shows, museums, galleries or galas -- something different each day.
"That's great!" I would proudly proclaim... "I survived a whole week without watching the damn TV. Gold Star."

I found it easier still to participate in Buy Nothing Day. I would just sit at home and watch TV for the day. No problem!
"That's great!" I would proudly proclaim... "I survived a whole day without spending any money. Gold Star."

Thinking about how keen I used to be to Buy Nothing and Turn Off TV makes me think about 21^st Century Living:

Can you supersize ambition?
Does that make you ambitious if you supersize ambition?
Around here, our ambition hurts more than it helps
Around here our ambition throws an non-perishable item in a donation bin at Christmas
And it pats itself on the f'n back because it thinks it's done something decent

Another click on the odometer of life...

2006-04-20T00:21:00.000-04:00

...well it's about that time again, another few days and I'll be a different age...

No one sits down with me to do a year-end review, and that's almost too bad since 2005-06 was full of excitement & changes. I'm surprised that so much was accomplished in 365 days! Gold star.

Tonight was my first night attending the Spins and Needles craft night at a pub in the Glebe. It certainly won't be my last. (Wish I had showed up last month for the munnies though)

.

2006-04-12T00:57:00.000-04:00

Made the most of the nice weather after a great day at work. Left my winter coat in the office and I started walking... an hour-and-a-half later I was more than half way home. Cool.

Oh, and I saw actual fish in the Rideau Canal. They weren't carp either! A good number of Bass and a few large perch were hanging out in front of a BeaverTail stand. In years gone by I've often seen people fishing along the canal and it made me wonder if there were any fish to be caught. Now I wonder if they were smart enough to use a Killaloe Sunrise as bait.

2006-04-05T23:20:00.000-04:00

Page 101 of The Rebel Sell:

How is it that we can produce so much more wealth and yet fail to secure any measurable improvement in satisfaction? We constantly hear about how, as a society, we can no longer "afford" health care or public education. But if we can't afford them now, how could we afford them thirty years ago, when the country produced only half as much wealth? Where did all the money go?

... the money is being spent on private consumption of goods. Yet if this pattern of expenditure is not making us happier, why are we doing it? ... Are we just like kids at a birthday party, eating too much cake even though it will give us a tummy-ache later on?

Page 112 of The Rebel Sell:

Adbusters magazine, for example, has attracted worldwide attention with its campaign to institute an annual Buy Nothing Day. This ignores the fact that, one way or another, your total income gets spent. If you don't spend it, you put it in the bank and someone else spends it. The only way you can reduce consumption is by reducing your contribution to production. Yet somehow an annual Earn Nothing Day doesn't have the same ring to it.

Page 1 of Re: appoggiatura (the email I just wrote):

Hey Double L,
Because I am not a level two-thousand piano player, I had to use a dictionary to figure out what the subject of your email was about...

I never did buy the new chrome lamp. too big to carry home via Via. :( It would have been the best $30 I'd have spend in a long time thou...

It's great to hear that your interviews are getting better and better! Hurry up and schedule three more while you're on a roll!

Sorry to hear about your parent situation... I guess I'm spoiled that my folks have been able to work through any of their problems, although I bet that will be a disadvantage if I ever end up with a woman who thinks that divorce is an easy way out of a disagreement. Since I have very little real-life "duking it out with the Mrs." experience I'm afraid I would probably end up heartbroken on the curb with .75 of our 1.5 children.

So what's the lure of Tokyo? It's distance or is there something more? Saw some of Lost in Translation last night... I wonder if I would handle a visit to Tokyo as well as Bill Murray did? I'm almost interested enough to fly over for a week just to find out.

Back to the USSR,
JG.

California Dreaming...

2006-04-02T22:50:00.000-04:00

So I've been noticing an exponential growth in the amount of youth walking around Ottawa with longboards and wondering what they do with them since the city's spent a fair amount of money on building skateboard parks for shortboards.

Now I know:

Volga Boatman

2006-04-02T22:36:00.000-04:00

I enjoyed a visit to Toronto last weekend, and I'm about to shut my eyes to end yet another great weekend before the busy week ahead. Met up with some good friends Saturday night to visit while we watched some amazing acoustic guitar while Natalia Connor danced some Flamenco. After the performance, the bar TVs came back on playing some random 'live' concert. We didn’t really pay attention at first but near the end it caught our attention. It was some wild and crazy stuff, and defiantly not your average pop-mart tour. It was a taping of a stadium show in Helsinki where the Leningrad Cowboys were singing American songs backed up by a huge Russian Army choir. The best song? Definitely their rendition of Sweet Home Alabama mixed in with the Volga Boatman chorus. Almost makes it worth investing in the DVD.

Had the Boatman in my head for a while this afternoon after a refreshing 11km canoe ride down the high spring waters of the torrent hoasic river.

I'm like a jukebox baby...

2006-03-22T23:00:00.000-05:00

Yes, it is unfortunate that we can predict what will be 'popular' so far in advance, but lately it's only been a matter of reading the right notes taken by a few wealthy music execs. Allow me to introduce you to some of the music that will saturate the summer airwaves:

Bent Fabric is an 81 year old musician who won a grammy back in the sixties. I'm not certain if his latest album is out yet in Canada or the US, but you're sure to hear the first single, jukebox, on the radio shortly.

What does it sound like? Imagine Elvis having a little less conversation with Fatboy Slim in a jazz club. That's pretty much it with one exception: "Keep on Rising" is a carbon copy of Fatboy Slim's "Praise You"

Apart from Jukebox, the second track that’s sure to get a bit of airplay is "Haven’t You Noticed" with vocals by Liv Lykke who is Hillary Duff’s Scandinavian twin sister.

I'm not saying it's good or bad, all I know is that it's classier than Eminem:

Hum, was about to post a link to a lyric page like I did for my last post, but I couldn't find one at all. Google has failed me. Humph. Perhaps it's because there are only four lines.

I’m like a jukebox baby
and i know you’ll be following me
you’re gonna raise your hands and go crazy
yeah i know you’ll be following me
just keep your ear to the ground
and keep you ear to the ground
just keep your ear to the ground
and keep your ear to the ground

Boston Common People

2006-03-16T18:37:00.001-05:00

So for the past few days I have had Pulp's Common People song stuck in my head... (and by 'few days' I mean since my drive home Sunday evening when I paid close attention to the lyrics in the car [and I was doing so as it has previously been brought to my attention that I do not pay close enough attention to lyrics]).

For the past few days I have been excited about FINALLY finishing my film so that I could get my pictures back from a trip to Boston. Here are two of my favorites, taken two blocks south of the Boston Commons:

This guy had on one fine fur coat that he had purchased it in NYC. I Thought he was part of the protest at first, but he and his friends were just hanging around the corner... they didn't even realize there was a protest going on. I convinced his buddies to take our picture with the fur protest ladies. The guy who took the picture (white shirt, first picture) and the rest of his friends could NOT stop laughing.

Credit goes out to the woman holding the "everyone is ugly in fur" sign -- she was clearly uneasy as the group of us approached her but smiled when I asked if we could take a picture with her.

2006-03-06T20:36:00.000-05:00

After watching a few open stages and jazz gigs here in the city, I decided to start playing again. Thought my skills would be rusty and, well, after a few hours of practicing I decided that with a strict rehearsal regimen every second night and most weekends I can work my way up to "rusty skills" in a month... or two. :)

So you can understand why I found the above chart pretty funny when I stumbled across it earlier this evening.

Most of us want to practice the things we're already good at, and avoid the things we suck at. We stay average or intermediate amateurs forever.

Heh. Amateur. Read more about [Your] New Brain.

subTitles

2006-03-02T00:48:00.000-05:00

My good friend Lydia has jumped a jet and is off on some adventure with no forwarding address. She did promise me a postcard which inspired me to create this.

Looking for Leonard

2006-03-01T23:42:00.000-05:00

Before turning in for the night, I watched Looking for Leonard. Was hooked after the first ½ hour since there were too many similarities between the film and my latest relationship. The fact that it was filmed in Montreal help retain my attention too, although I didn't recognize many of the extras.

All in all it was a pleasant way to end the evening after a busy day.

Favorite parts:

"you work in computers? I hate computers!"
"Was that from the Bible?"
"Good people wonder if they're bad, bad people know they're good"
camera framing on the last kitchen table scenes {l to r: half of a person, table, half of a person}

Soya want a better car?

2006-03-01T19:22:00.000-05:00

Heh heh heh, I had to post this after I watched the video -- hopefully CBS will keep the video link up for a while. Here's the deal: Some highschool kids from Philadelphia have built sports car that runs on soybean bio-diesel. Zero to 60mph in 4 seconds is p r e t t y good! Considering that these students "weren't exactly the cream of the academic crop" this story has raised some interesting questions along the lines of "why the h*.* haven't the big auto companies done anything like this yet?".

One of the students who helped build the car addressed that question (a CLASSIC quote if you can see the video):

Kosi thinks he knows why. The answer, he says, is the big oil companies.
"They're making billions upon billions of dollars," he says. "And when this car sells, that'll go down — to low billions upon billions."

[LINK]

Fur on Men and Women.

2006-01-17T18:35:00.000-05:00

Taking the bus during rush hour today, there was a huge hooded puffy
quilt of a dozen dead raccoons being worn by someone who was blocking
the doors. It was only after I said "excuse me please, Miss" that I
realized it was on the shoulders of a 40 something business executive
who was obviously upset that I mistook his expensive status symbol for
something that you'd find in the woman's aisle at The Bay. I was glad
that I was wearing my suit and a stern look because he was just about
ready to take a swing at me when he turned around to correct me & let
me off the bus.

That's it! I have had it with men wearing big fur coats and I have
now declared it a fashion faux-pas. If you are a guy and want to wear
fur, that's fine with me, go ahead... just let it be known that 1)it
is no longer fashionable and 2)you have no right to be upset should
someone with my set of "pre-conceived notions" happens to mistake you
for a woman. Perhaps I'm way off on this issue, perhaps I've lead a
sheltered life in some far-off place where women wear big fur coats
and the men wear whatever else they could find around the house to
keep them warm -- anything other than fur, of course. Feel free to
correct me with your comments below.

"The Commons of Sense"

2006-01-10T01:14:00.000-05:00

I've interrupted my regularly scheduled program (A.K.A. sleep) to finish up an interesting report for D.I.A.M.O.N.D.S.

It has to do with moving a municipality to actually act on its goals for "sustainability". So I'm thinking to myself... wondering what would be a good name for the community's Sustainable Development Advisory Committee. For some strange reason (probably something to do with lack of sleep or missing my evening snack) I think "The Commons of Sense" would be a GREAT name.

hahaha. I am certain that my mind will change when I re-read this post at 8am tomorrow; however, for the time being I think TCoS is just a grand idea. It incorporates the whole commonality/commoners/equality idea with "common sense". Hum... under "commons" the dictionary spits out "The legal right of a person to use the lands or waters of another". Yeah, I like it. The Commons of Sense!

They could be a diverse multi-stakeholder committee who would report to the municipal government on issues of sustainability. Report #1 from The Commons of Sense may be something like "If your township's economy is structured such that it may crumble if your residents & business spend all of their money outside of the township, then perhaps it may not be a good idea to continuously spend your taxpayer's money promoting your township's proximity to large urban centers where your residents & businesses can go to spend all of their money."

What is your dangerous idea?

2006-01-04T18:59:00.000-05:00

Each year The Edge (a non-profit think tank) comes up with a question
to ask their group of thinkers. It's pretty interesting to hear the
diverse responses when you ask a group of 117 intellects what is their
most dangerous idea!

Link:
http://www.edge.org/q2006/q06_index.html

Win turn Won darn land

2005-12-17T00:54:00.000-05:00

Winter wonderland? Depends on your point of view I suppose. This little traffic mishap had the whole east-bound public transitway on hold for a few hours. Luckily it wasn't very cold out, so the 2km walk to work was almost enjoyable! Did anyone get a photo of the mass OC Transpo exodus and/or line of busses? Saw many taking pictures with their cell-phones. If you have a picture leave a comment with a link! (Thanks)

Needless to say, got to work almost two hours later than intended. By the time I was done my day's work, it was well into the evening so I dropped by the Mayor's Christmas party on the way home. Nice night for it, and there was some cool entertainment. A great event if you have a young family and like getting tons of free stuff.

temporary.

2005-12-12T21:43:00.000-05:00

fixed the template for this site, sort of stupid since it won't be around for much longer... the new year will bring some changes (and a sweet new design to a much more professional site: jgarlough.ca ). tick tock O'6.

Laughing out loud.

2005-12-11T19:17:00.000-05:00

I'm blessed to have friends with more wit than I. From a discussion earlier this evening:

So the woman dumped me for her invisible friend. Turns out they were more than just 'friends'.

So now you know (about cow-tipping)...

2005-12-10T01:31:00.000-05:00

You can't live in the country without hearing at least a few cow-tipping stories, and it always bothered me that I never got a straight answer when I asked about said event. The British Times has published a story about some Canadian "academics" that has caught my eye:

The sport of cow-tipping has been debunked as an urban, or perhaps rural, myth by scientists at a Canadian university.

Margo Lillie, a doctor of zoology at the University of British Columbia, and her student Tracy Boechler have conducted a study on the physics of cow-tipping.

A cow of 1.45 metres in height pushed at an angle of 23.4 degrees relative to the ground would require 2,910 Newtons of force, equivalent to 4.43 people, she wrote.

Dr Lillie, Ms Boechler's supervisor, revised the calculations so that two people could exert the required amount of force to tip a static cow, but only if it did not react.

'The static physics of the issue say . . . two people might be able to tip a cow,' she said. 'But the cow would have to be tipped quickly - the cow's centre of mass would have to be pushed over its hoof before the cow could react.'

Newton's second law of motion, force equals mass multiplied by acceleration, shows that the high acceleration necessary to tip the cow would require a higher force. 'Biology also complicates the issue here because the faster the [human] muscles have to contract, the lower the force they can produce. But I suspect that even if a dynamic physics model suggests cow tipping is possible, the biology ultimately gets in the way: a cow is simply not a rigid, unresponding body.'

Another problem is that cows, unlike horses, do not sleep on their feet - they doze. Ms Boechler said that cows are easily disturbed. 'I have personally heard of people trying but failing because they are either using too few people or being too loud.' Plus, 'Most of these "athletes" are intoxicated.'

So it seems that cow-tipping may not be possible. (I know some young farmers who have some explaining to do). The research also bring about two more questions: 1. Why weren't there any field tests?!?!? and the second OBVIOUS question How many friends do I need to tip a horse?

Meh, it still works and I can still type... so why not?

2005-11-29T23:17:00.000-05:00

Ok, the this blog is not looking very good any more, but I can still post... meh. Lots has been going on lately: I've moved, started a fantastic new job and am anxious to start 2006!

I have to admit that the Eastern Standard is quickly becoming my foe. On the way home from work today I've realized that it has been more than two weeks since I have been at home during daylight hours!!! I wake up at dawn, go to work, return home at dusk and the past few weekends have been spent out of town (leaving after dark on Fri, returning Sunday night). In fact, my whole move (from pinetrail to this new place) has happened in the dark after work and on Sunday evenings. [Note: a huge thanks to my brother, my friend Andy and my roommates for helping me move during those late nights]

Saturday I look forward to spending a full SUN-LIT Day at my new home to unpack!

In other news:

Congratulations to Petri and Justyna! The wedding was great and I had a great time seeing everyone at the reception. I hope everyone made it home safely!

busted blog

2005-10-21T16:17:00.000-04:00

* KABOOM *

I new this day would come... the server hosting the images for my blog template has done away with them and thus, this blog looks like garbagio.

It sits now in limbo not because I am too lazy to fix it, but because I am too busy to fix it. Moreover, it's about time that I start with the annual fees to get my own domain and private webspace. 2006 will see some changes.

Slippery pink pans cause & cure Cancer?

2005-10-02T14:18:00.000-04:00

This week's Canadian Tire flyer is advertising the sale of a pink frypan:

...a portion of the net proceeds for the sale of this product will be donated to Rethink Breast Cancer

Isn't that sort of a stupid idea since there is so much debate (and litigation) as to whether or not Teflon (and other non-stick coatings) cause cancer?

Heck, even MacLean's magazine had an article just a few months entitled "Teflon Troubles" (Note, PFOA is a chemical used in the production process to create Teflon):

In January, the Environmental Protection Agency released a draft report on PFOA, saying there was "suggestive evidence of carcinogenicity, but not sufficient to assess human carcinogenic potential." Critics accused the EPA of flinching from its own guidelines. "If you need to be proactive about any chemical, this is it," says Timothy Kropp, senior scientist at the Washington-based Environmental Working Group, a consumer watchdog. "Because once it's out there, it's out there -- you can't get rid of it."...

...In a company report, DuPont acknowledges that the widespread prevalence of PFOA in human blood "raises questions that should be addressed."

Beaker vs. Bunsen

2005-09-15T08:11:00.000-04:00

I often wonder how much healthier everyone would be if every medical discovery (and work in progress) was stored in a big database and freely accessible to any scientist world-wide.

For example, a Montreal Scientist named Bunsen stood up and gave a presentation on his discovery of a vaccine to slow the spread of Aids. In the crowd Beaker -- another scientist -- who heard this presentation, went back to his lab in the United States, added one molecule of fluorine to Bunsen's discovery and made it far more potent. Which scientist deserves the recognition? Who should get the profits? Generally, first person who makes it to the patent office gets 100% of any profits. Lets say that Beaker makes MILLIONS from his minor change to Bunsen's original idea. After this experience, do you think Bunsen will be sharing his research with others in the future?

An article in Fortune magazine is quite interesting and talks about one such scenario. Page two goes on to say:

From 1992 to September 2003, pharmaceutical companies tied up the [U.S.A.] federal courts with 494 patent suits. That's more than the number filed in the computer hardware, aerospace, defense, and chemical industries combined. Those legal expenses are part of a giant, hidden "drug tax"Ã—a tax that has to be paid by someone. And that someone, as you'll see below, is you.

Lunch & Learn

2005-09-13T19:33:00.000-04:00

To day I was the guest/mark/victim of a Banking Lunch & Learn session thanks(?) to some networking at the last MBA Luncheon.

I decided that I wanted to learn about Bank Service Charges and so directed the conversation. My hypothesis is that the bank in question would remain a profitable corporation if they did not charge service fees on domestic personal accounts.

What do you think?

Here's what I found out about a "Scotia" type of bank...
their 2004 Annual report states the following:
- Domestic Banking Earnings were 1.136 BILLION DOLLARS (page 19).
- Deposit and Payment Services profited $646 million(i.e. Income from
service Charges on their CONSOLIDATED income statement, page 89)

This was the response from an anonymous bank employee:

I just picked up a copy of the 2004 Annual Report and yes $1.136 billion (pg.19) was the earnings of the domestic banking group. We did collect $646 million in "deposit and payment services,"(pg.86) if we make the assumption that this is 100% service fees then: we collected 18.71% of employee salary/benefits from our clients in service fees, and paid the other 81.29% from other sources (investment income, capital gains, etc.) So assuming that the intent of service charges is to pay for the services provided (to pay salaries and property taxes, utilities, rent, equipment and communications (not including advertising,)) then the service charges fell short to the tune of $ 4.193 billion ($646,000 - $4,839,000)(calculated from info on pg.86).

Furthermore, the bank earned $12.177 billion in interest (on loans and securities) and paid out $6.312 billion in interest to our customers (pg.86).

In the grand scheme customers paid in $646 million and received $6.312 billion, not a bad return. Though of course this is the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. ($1 in service fees = $10 in interest.)

Is this really fair? Would society as we know it crumble if Canadians demanded that our banks funded 100% of their services with the profits they make from re-investing our money? Or would customers go crazy in a country of free transactions and overload the banks with trillions of transfers?

Blame it on the rain...

2005-09-12T13:34:00.000-04:00

Can you believe it? The BBC reports that Swiss Re. (the company that insures the insurance companies) says that world is facing "increasing natural catastrophe events".

They will be re-adjusting their rates in the upcoming months to reflect this change. Expect your insurance rates to rise before 2006!!!

Read more here under the 'Increasing catastrophes' heading.

Maybe there is a point to all this…

2005-08-18T17:39:00.000-04:00

As much fun as it is to speak your mind or defend your point of view, I sometimes wonder if it’s worth the research to form an educated argument when responding to some of the online forums and blogs that I read.

One of my more recent posts to an online thread had to do with a new television commercial that some people are upset about... I found out what I could about the commercial and I said what I felt to be true. Little did I realize that my comments would be quoted in the editorial of yesterday’s paper! Now that I’ve had my 15 minutes I suppose I can move on with my life.

Ready? Set? Go.

Still working on "the best post". I need more time (?)

2005-08-10T17:18:00.000-04:00

Two weeks have passed. It seems as though I have been so busy doing things that I haven't got anything done. How can this be?

Since Last Post:
Highland Games & Dance
Tubie Race & Dance
Dairyfest & Dance
Kemptville Park Concert & Observatory
Grandmother's 90th Birthday Party
Fireworks (Sound of Light shows)
Baseball Tournament
BBQ x 3

Before Next Post:
Renegades Football Game
1000 Island Boat Cruise
Camping in Gananoque
Navan Fair & Dance
BBQ x 2

I guess I've managed to get some things done...
work/committee meetings/read/sleep/eat/commute

Hum. This post sucks. Let's add some pictures. Find Waldo.

Sea of Cars.

Sea of Pipers.

Sea of Tubies.

Sea of People.

What's YOUR favourite Weltschmerz?

2005-07-29T11:59:00.000-04:00

Loving my new job at the moment! I think I've finally found one where my ideas and hard work actually makes a community better -- or at least improve some of the stuff closer to the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy. Not that I wasn't working on it before it's just that now I'm actually getting paid good money for it.

Not much time to blog. 7 delegates from 6 countries arrive in less than 8 hours and I have the BEST POST EVER brewing inside of my head just waiting to get out as soon as I find a digital camera and a sketchpad. Hopefully the "best post ever" will provide some perspective for this:

The third page of "TNS for Communities, How Cities and Towns can Change to Sustainable Practices" diagnosed my Weltschmerz.

"Many citizens and local officials still are not aware of the seriousness of what is happening at the global level or do not understand how this is directly related to the well-being of their own communities. Those who are aware often fell paralyzed and helpless in the face of seemingly overwhelming trends."

We can talk about it more tonight, provided you'll be at the games.

Ottawa Bluesfest

2005-07-12T21:24:00.000-04:00

Metric
Originally uploaded by AshaBlue.

Saw Stars, Metric, Xavier Rudd and some of the Broken Social Scene sets over the weekend... I thought for certain that I'd be able to find some pictures of the event online that I could share with everyone. No such luck. For now I'll just "borrow" this picture from Metric's concert two weeks prior. Just pretend it's in Ottawa.

Thanks.

Dreaming.

2005-07-11T13:58:00.000-04:00

I heard Jeremy Rifkin (an American) speaking at Toronto’s Economic Club and he made a good point: The United States of America must update "the American Dream". The dream worked well 200 years ago to motivate the hard work it took toclear and settle the land, but many are still chasing that same dream… working long hours, climbing the corporate ladder, and doing whatever it takes to "make it". Europeans, on the other hand, are more concerned with quality of life.

Rifkin spoke of how European values (The European Dream) have positioned Europe to be much more successful than the USA in the 21st Century. Which of the following values do YOU feel are important? Which values do you feel are more closely aligned with the "American Dream"?

- Global co-operation over the unilateral use of power
- Community relationships over individual autonomy
- Cultural diversity over assimilation
- Quality of life over the accumulation of wealth
- Human rights over property rights & individualism

Headliners and Headlines.

2005-07-05T23:00:00.000-04:00

Presently I am a *tad* jealous of my two friends who have signed up to see the Daily Show’s Samantha Bee and Stephen Colbert at Montreal’s Just for Laughs Festival. As for my news, I’ve spent the last 15 minutes looking through Newseum. Their “map view” section lets you browse today’s headlines from all over the world.

Metric

2005-06-30T14:26:00.000-04:00

Everything good has been happening at once. The video you are watching has been brought to you through a strange chain of events involving desire, Stars, Zombies, a guy from South Porcupine, Fire Trucks, Friends, Money Mart, a princess, poutine, optimism, Zaphods, lip balm, carpooling and the letter zed.
p.s. Canada spoils me rotten! (Thank you 1867)

Money vs. Morals

2005-06-29T15:57:00.001-04:00

The good news is that I found a job that was secure with great benefits and enough pay to support 1.5 wives and a summer home by the lake. The bad news is that I just couldn't bring myself to do it. i suck and i hate it.

Hello Jim,

Yes, I did leave a message with Rob in Montreal to inform him that I was working on a marketing contract until the first of July and I asked him to follow-up sometime this week if your company was still looking for a sales rep for the Cornwall <-> Brockville territory.

I have since been looking over your product lines to familiarize myself with their benefits. During the interview it was great to hear how much S_____ I____ has been doing for the environment (ISO 14001 and progressive R&D); however, after reading about some of the products that I perceived to be more "natural" (Orange Action, for example) I was surprised to see that it contained known carcinogens. I do not feel comfortable with the fact that increasing my paycheck means promoting the use of such chemicals in my community. If you were offering me a job to sell only your "Eco" product line I would be ready to start tomorrow.

Best Regards,
J.Garlough.

iFringe

2005-06-22T00:18:00.000-04:00

http://www.ottawafringe.com

Ecocité Lofts, Ottawa

2005-06-20T19:22:00.000-04:00

Should a career land me in this city for two years or more, I've been looking around the city for a cool loft. My search has ended at Ecocité. My loft doesn't have a canal view (all of those are already reserved), but my balcony does have a clear view of the football field. I suppose going green does have its benefits. :) http://www.ecocite.com

Big Soul.

2005-06-13T01:30:00.000-04:00

I will not complain about the heat this past weekend. The hot weather isn’t going anywhere for a while, must adjust wardrobe accordingly. Weekend update:

Sunday:
Big birthday party this weekend for my Father’s 60th. To everyone who sent their good wishes, and to those who were able to join us for the celebration: Thank you! I still can’t believe that there were enough people to eat that huge cake… at first, I seriously thought that Mom & Dad would be eating left-over cake for the next few months.

Saturday:
Newsflash: The Big Soul Project (Ottawa’s 50-member community gospel choir) puts on a GREAT live show. In fact, of the last three concerts I’ve attended (1 rock, 1 pop and this BSP show) the most enjoyable, by far, was hearing The Big Soul Project. Apparently they put on a show once every few months, so if you’re lucky enough to be in the city when a gig is going down don’t hesitate to attend.

Trés Secure

2005-06-05T12:55:00.000-04:00

What is the point of wasting time with credit card signatures if no one takes the time to check them anymore? The slip on the right was signed "I stole this card", and resulted in a successful transaction.

Lancaster Perch Rolls

2005-06-04T15:04:00.000-04:00

Lancaster Perch Rolls

One day after watching a great documentary about the effects of globalization on Tanzania’s economy [Darwin’s Nightmare], I sat down at a river-side restaurant and was offered a dish of locally fished Lancaster Perch. Here is the story:

Yesterday’s activities have led me to believe that Cornwall’s people and governance lack common sense. (I somehow ended up in that town after a day of traveling around South Dundas and was determined to enjoy my evening and take full advantage of the clear sky and warm air). I did my best to cast aside my aversion towards the town since I can’t really say that I’ve had a bad time in Cornwall (no really great times either – just a few average nights out with friends – complete with conversations that degrade my view of Cornwall and its population).

With my jaded perception of the place aside, I decided that the weather and geography were perfect for spending an evening on a patio along the river. I could not think of anywhere that I have traveled (outside of Ontario, that is) that did not have restaurants or patios along their waterfront. It wasn’t until we drove along inspecting every square foot of waterfront that I was willing to accept that there were no patios or restaurants along the waterfront in Cornwall. What kind of city planning is that?

Determined that there must be some intelligent entrepreneurs that have had the same brainwave as me, we continued our trip along the waterfront determined to find a patio along the water. A few minutes later we ended up in Summerstown and found not one, but THREE restaurants with huge patios along the river. What’s more is that food was amazing! Had my first Lancaster Perch Roll and it certainly won’t be my last. The restaurants all buy from local anglers, smother the meat in a delicious sauce and serve it on a bun. I would feel a bit guilty eating them every day, but don’t see why they can’t be a tasty treat from time to time.

Lunacy or Luxury?

2005-06-01T22:14:00.000-04:00

Biking home from the park after enjoying the beautiful weather, I was ready to bring out my sleeping bag and sleep on the back porch. Worried that the neighbours might think I was crazy and/or dead, I briefly thought "hey, what about sleeping in the garden shed? I'm as tough as Bubbles." I soon realized that it would be better to just hold out and wait for a nice weekend and go camping. Then, looking at a few sustainable housing websites, I stumbled upon TomaHouse. Has to be one of the best mobile homes I've ever seen. Anyone interested in a 50-50 time share? $50,000 each will score us the house. I'm doubting that it could handle our winters so every spring would probably be "cottage set-up" instead of "cottage clean-up".

Sunset Stroll

2005-05-21T11:05:00.000-04:00

Had a great time touring around the downtown core with a friend last night... *almost* spent some more time at the tulip festival, but was quickly repelled by one Mr. Shawn Desman. A good thing too, since the new alcoves, paths and views that we discovered on the pursuant stroll gave me a better appreciation for the city that I currently call home.

Oh Joy, Ren!

2005-05-18T11:59:00.000-04:00

Today (and each day here-after) is going to be a great day! My optimism has grown exponentially and I’m looking forward to a great summer. Mind you, I suppose finding gainful employment would not hurt; however, all of the job opportunities that I’m hoping to get are really quite interesting and I’d be happy doing any one of them.

Yes, even the company I spoke of below is not all that bad. I certainly don’t approve of their interview tactics and I did a bit of independent research on their brand. What I have found is that they are quite concerned with the chemicals in their products and they are doing a great deal of research to replace the harmful chemicals with natural, non-carcinogenic alternatives. (you still have to wonder why they didn’t do that in the FIRST place, although I worry it has to do something with people like me and conversations like: “WOW, this bug spray is only $1.99?!?! At this price, I might as well buy TWICE as much as I need!”)

LOL. You know, I have never liked being part of the problem but I love being part of the solution!

{crazy non-topical link of the day: Tourist Photos}

Job Interviews

2005-05-16T11:52:00.000-04:00

Time to find myself a career and start doing our economy some good. I have been very selective of who gets ahold of my resume... Luckily, response rate has been very high, so I certainly do not feel guilty for refusing to hand it out to every Tom, Dick and Harriet.

One interview, however, had a great deal of potential until I lost a large amount of respect for their organization when the SECOND question was "What type of car do you drive?". Ugh! What motivation do I have to work for a company where my vehicle make & model is the second piece of information they use to better understand who I am?

I understand that they need to find out if I can handle the travel that is involved. Some companies even offer company cars or new cars to motivate new employees but this was not one of them. They just wanted to ensure that the material goods I possess are up to par with company standards.

That being said, I do understand the "interview process" and the importance of starting it off with a few easy questions so that the applicant will relax and begin to show his or her true colours. However, couldn't they figure out a better way to word it? Perhaps something like:

"There will be a lot of travel involved with this position. Do you have access to a vehicle?"
or
"Many of our customers are shallow and materialistic so we don't want you pulling up to their offices in a junker. Do you have enough money in the bank to buy yourself a car that we feel is suitable?"

Heh heh heh... :) All in all, the interview went pretty well -- my only hope is that I can find and employer who is more impressed with the work I'm doing for the community than with my preferred pollution producer. That was not the case today. :(

Mullets, Chicks and Rock & Roll.

2005-05-09T21:21:00.000-04:00

Do you ever have those days when you’re going about your business and the Internet just throws something at you that you never thought you’d see? For me, today was one of those days.

Working on a project, I was searching the ‘net for a "red apple" image. The searched hit on "Candy Apple Red Fender Esquire $550". I thought that Esquire might be interested in it, so I clicked through and was introduced to KressAmps. My first thought was that this guy had his girlfriend pose with the guitar so he’d get more hits on eBay or something… Once I realized there were a few different women posing with the amps and guitars I couldn’t stop laughing since all I could picture is the instant when the business owner came up with the notion:

“Dude! We should, like, get some bodalicious bikini babes to like pose with our drums and amps and sh!t.”
“That’d be totally wicked!”
“Dude, Awesome!”
“Give’r!”

How do I know that’s how it went down? Well, see for yourself. Allow me to introduce Paul. Owner of KressAmps in Columbus, Ohio.

No Kitty, this is MY pot-pie!

2005-05-07T21:18:00.000-04:00

The image you see above is not the project I spoke of in my previous post... It is something all together different. A few days ago I was at home visiting my family and mom was about to discard a perfectly good cake because it wasn't exactly how she wanted it. [She was attempting a panda bear cake but it was 'birthed' from the pan without a nose] The rest of it was ok, so I grabbed her cake decorating gear when she was away at work and turned the reject cake into a reject cartoon character. I'm not sure if a Church bake sale is the right place for Eric Cartman; however, it was a hit with the kids and much more popular than the mini-mouse or barbi-doll cakes. Eric Cartman was raffled off during the church's cake walk, and the girl who won Eric was pretty happy about it [pic].

This whole episode made me aware of two things:
1) I really haven't seen much of South Park since the first (and early second) season.
2) Do many parents realize what's in the programs their kids watch? My mother was upset when I suggested she turn the nose-less panda cake into a Ninja Panda Bear, yet she was impressed when she returned home to find Cartman sitting on the table. Moreover, many of the church ladies thought the cake was a great addition to the bake sale... ...I thought so too until about five seconds ago when I looked up THIS website to verify I had the quote right for the title. Yikes, what has been going on in the 3rd,4th & 5th seasons of South Park? Thank God my cake can't talk.

In Design.

2005-05-02T14:08:00.000-04:00

Upon graduation, I’ve found myself with a bit more extra time on my hands and have turned a few free hours towards industrial design (ID). My current project involves two different mediums and a bit of science. (I’ll post some pictures when it’s done).

There is a lot of stuff out there when it comes to design – some cool, some not – and lucky for you, I’ve taken the time to figure out what’s cool to save you the trouble of having to figure it all out yourself. ;) [Should you agree or disagree, your comments are always encouraged]

Cool:
"B of the Bang" is a huge spiky landmark that is over 60 feet tall (as high as the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but with 10 times the lean) in Manchester, England. [more pics]

Ears have a lot of different ways to get sound into them these days, and the Mica player is a rather stylish alternative. Since its soul purpose is music, I find it interesting how it simply 'becomes' the two earphones.

My sewing machine is cooler than your laptop.

Asparagus is cool. Has nothing to do with this current subject, but I've used it to 'design' some pretty cool dishes in the past and there are just so many tasty things it can make. This Asparagus Cannelloni looks SO good. In fact, I can not believe all the different asparagus recipes out there... ...even stuff that must have been created by Homer Simpson: asparagus wrapped in ham.

There are many unique building projects that are currently on the go that are quite interesting:The Tower of Dubai, The Turning Tower in Sweden. Of course you don't want to be cooped up in a condo all week, so why not rent the man-made island of Canada for a week-end?

Free Taxes.

2005-04-27T18:54:00.000-04:00

Must be my lucky day (times three)!

Was tested and won.
The Government is giving me back all the money that I’ve already paid them (this year).
I was reporting my earnings, expenses and charitable donations to Mr. Martin’s posse using UFile.ca. Since I’m certainly not poor enough to claim "poor boy status", UFile was going to charge me for doing my taxes online… …seconds before I dished out the cash I found a link: "Students File for Free". Woo hoo!

So after paying something like $10/term (for several years), I have saved $14.95+tax. Not quite even-Steven, though still a victory for the good guys.

Yes, so you want to file free taxes too, eh? Well, palm that mouse, giddy-up, and ride the left clicker right on through to HERE. [yea-haw cowperson]. :|

Television v.s. Sleep, round 28

2005-04-21T15:25:00.000-04:00

Last night was long, er, longer than expected. Just before heading to sleep Paula gifted me an awesome present: Trailer Park Boys DVD. Deciding to watch all of the special features, extended cuts and director interviews kept me up long enough to be caught in the middle of a late-night movie as I was turning off the television before heading upstairs. Thinking I had recognized the scenery, I turned the TV back on only to find out that the movie was The James Mink Story -- a movie that was filmed at Upper Canada Village while I was working there back in 1996.

During the filming I remember talking to a character who played a Quaker minister, his conversations packed a whole lot of wit and there was lots of time to visit between takes that were set up around the Lutheran pastor's home. Only after seeing the film again last night did I realize that it was Wayne Robson. I thought I recognized him on a few things (Red Green & other shows) but didn’t realize we had met.

So I watched the rest of the movie, then I turned to the TV listings channel to check the time and it was disheartening how much time I had spent in front of the television. I was surprised that TVO was still airing shows in the wee hours of the morning, so I clicked "0 2" and DISASTER! It was a documentary. I was hooked in less than five seconds. Damn you TVO. What’s worse - it was a good documentary. What’s worse – it was a rarely aired documentary. I could not turn it off. I should have taped it. Damn you TVO for not airing breaks so I could properly arm my VCR.

Oh well, not the end of the world I suppose, just an hour of my time. Luckily, it was well worth viewing. SURPLUS has to be the best Swedish documentary I’ve seen to date. Erik and Johan’s style of editing reminded me a lot of Concrete TV. For some strange reason (operant conditioning perhaps?) my generation just eats that stuff up.

mmm, delish.

Store Bought

2005-04-16T10:46:00.000-04:00

I exercised the purchasing power of a $25 gift certificate (Christmas Gift – Thanks Aunt Sue!). Wanting to use my power for good, I skipped over the celebrity gossip/breasts section, walked passed the fiction (my apologies to any Toronto harley marketers – that’s just not my bag, baby) and found myself amongst some hard-covered non-fiction.

First stop was the “Marketing” section, and to no surprise it was all about sell/buy/consume/repeat. I looked through Paco Underhill’s new book and several others. What surprised me the most is how many times I saw “Adbusters Magazine” mentioned in some of these marketing magazines! Adbuster’s circulation is under 100,000, but it really seems to be influencing the Yankee authors of these marketing books… That’s pretty cool & as Mark Coté would say: “Heh heh heh…”

Next shelf over were a bunch of Economic books. As one of the FEW people who have attended some of the econ lectures, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to browse through a few of the titles. I’m glad I did too, since I ended up buying the first book I saw: “The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability” by Paul Hawken.

As far as economists are concerned, the world’s problems boil down to one thing: The top quintile (20%) of the world’s population – currently around 1.3 billion people – metabolize 82.7% of the world’s resources, leaving the balance of 17.3% of resources for the remaining 5.4 billion people.

The book discusses how we’re not necessarily screwed, so long as we understand the problem and work towards sustainability. In short, big business can remain capitalist pigs while doing what’s right for the environment and its resources.

Posh Chicken Coop

2005-04-14T15:05:00.000-04:00

So are you a yuppie that yearns for the country land than your sub-urban neighborhood was built on? Here's a great way to begin raising some food for the family, and it is just stylish enough to match your iMac and Ikea furniture.
The EGLU is a unique little house for two laying hens. Your family will profit close to a dozen eggs per week and be one-up on the Jones' (who are still bragging about their solar garden lanterns).

Bike’s out

2005-04-06T23:42:00.000-04:00

It was the first beautiful no-coat day of spring here in Ottawa. Already the Tulip Festival ads have sprung and it’s only a matter of time before I invest $25 in an all-concert pass (Hawksley, Boy, Joel Plaskett, The Sadies, Glengarry Bhoys and many more [even Lowest of the Low]).

I can’t wait that long to get out of the house though, so today I decided to switch vehicles & I took the bike off it’s blocks and enjoyed some fresh air… ..fresh wet air on the way home.

Not sure which season I enjoy most -- perhaps it’s just the change of seasons that I enjoy. Either way, I’m glad that the patios are re-opening downtown since they provide one of the best places for sitting with friends to people watch and get into some good conversations to solve the world’s problems.

I forced myself to stay in tonight to have a break from work and catch up on some rented dvds… I’m glad I did too! Quote from The Unbelievable Truth:
“So come on, what d’ya say? I know what you need.”, “Excuse me?”,“you need a woman”, “Oh?”, “That girl’s crazy”, “I know, but I like her”, “but she’s leaving town.”, “So I’ve heard.”, “So come on, what d’ya say? I know what you need.”, “Excuse me?”…

Eunoia

2005-04-05T22:49:00.000-04:00

A quick study break to discover that a whole book has been written using only ONE vowel per chapter. Christian Bök had more time on his hands than I do now... ...at least I can enjoy the consequence of his conviction. [NOTES: Chapter "O" is my favorite so far, Chapter "I" makes me feel claustrophobic, Chapter "U" is alien]

2005-04-04T18:23:00.000-04:00

Busy day today:
- Went to a hi-tech trade show at the Corel Center last week & today I won a director’s chair from one of the show’s sponsors.
- Saw a great line on some junkmail… Blacks Photography [club] Flier: “Love Photography? Join the club!”
- Read Jessica’s well-written blog and realized that in my current state of mind (focused on finishing a marketing report) I am in no position to say anything intelligent about the subject. Instead I will use today’s blog to contrast her thought-inspiring, well-written post with a link to a lighter subject – the solar death ray.

Media Fun.

2005-04-01T14:09:00.000-05:00

Procrastination came to an abrupt halt thanks to my current endeavors. In the past two days I’ve had less than 4 hours of sleep with so much to do. Time is ticking down on our marketing team’s deadline to present a good-sized plan for a whitewater rafting company just outside of Ottawa. It is not as if our team of six have not been doing any work, in fact, it’s quite the opposite. We have been doing a LOT of work and a LOT of research, leaving us with a LOT to sort, organize, edit and format before handing in our report. Below is just a taste of some of the hard work coming together for our final proposal, due in just a few weeks…

i'm just so bored of wasting my time

2005-03-26T17:15:00.000-05:00

Short procrastination before I eat supper and get back to work…
Music: My mood today has me listening to the latest album from The Stills. Apparently, they’re working on a new album in the next city over. For now, Track 4 on Logic Will Break Your Heart will do just fine...
Work: Nothing like spending a holiday working. I suppose it’s an easier sacrifice as a bachelor, and I really can’t complain since I know enough not to let work interrupt Easter dinner tomorrow.
Food: thawed out one HUGE breast from last year’s brood (a.k.a. the Garlough Chicken Herd). Must have been Steffie or I who plucked it... ...we’ll have to improve next year. Craving honey-garlic chicken, I was disappointed to find both the cupboard and fridge empty of any type of hg topping! Aaaaaaaaaarrrrrgh. After half an hour of disappointment, I realized that I could probably just mix some honey and garlic together. Doh! 3 hours of slow-roasting and the chicken is just about ready. I’ve already been at a small chunk of it – to test out the honey&garlic, of course – and it’s DELISH. No more boxed H&G toppings for me, thanks.

Spring.

2005-03-24T18:35:00.000-05:00

Saw a Robin today... It looked happy. I declare spring.

Two ways you can preserve wildlife.

2005-03-17T00:02:00.000-05:00

So much to do! (sleep included). Working on this great website design project (soon to be finished), have a great marketing plan for a white water rafting company on the go, studying up for meetings next month for the Economic Development Steering Committee, have to figure out a way to get into a government workshop next week, and leaving tomorrow evening for a 3 day conference in Stratford to build leadership skills amongst rural youth. Im certain there are some assignments, midterms and presentations for my last term of school mixed in there somewhere too. Heh heh heh. Best to be busy though, because when my mind goes stagnant it thinks up more things to do or just stuff like this:
Then I waste(?) time having to put it all together to see how it looks. Luckily the last two things have been successful: 1. Finding a great sweater in a store but deciding it would be WAY better as a modern cardigan (with a zipper all the way down the front) bought the sweater, sewed on a 52cm polished steel zipper and cut open the sweater. [thanks for the pins Paula!] Turned out even better than I thought it would, and its almost the best piece in my wardrobe at the moment. 2. Thought up a print campaign that a non-profit group could run to promote wildlife preservation. (No time to post the whole campaign, but rest assured that it focuses on wildlife & not necessarily pro veggie -- just fitting for the tuna/fish Ad [re: low stocks and farmed salmon]) Above is the second Ad in a series of five. Should my mind mellow for another five minutes some day on a walk home or Sunday drive, the print campaign may grow yet again.

Hedgehog not helping.

2005-03-08T20:17:00.000-05:00

Today is International Women's Day. Today I walked by the on-campus pub at Algonquin College. Ron Jeremy was there. Algonquin's Student Association booked his appearance to raise money.

IQ

2005-03-05T21:34:00.001-05:00

While melting some fresh cheese over my leftover pasta, I have decided there should be a new question added to the standard IQ test:

“What buttons do you press to turn on the microwave for one minute?”

For all I know, there may be more than two correct answers. I do know the short answer but for some reason (beyond my control) I’m always going the long route… …every time I hit “start” all I can think is damn, I did it again!

Cool 60's Design

2005-02-26T12:13:00.000-05:00

This has been the first time that I've attended a lecture and they've handed out some blog fodder -- a whole CD of cool pics from Expo '67... ...sweet...

After much discussion, it was decided that this chair was never part of any Expo exhibit (as some may claim). Mind you, it's still a good example of Canadian design of the late 60's -- which was the topic of Paul Bourassa's discussion.

I figured that since the 60's had a great influence on my parents and their generation, that it would be neat to attend Paul's talk and learn a bit more about that era... ...and sure enough, I found out a bunch of cool stuff. Moreover, the exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Civilization was much more exciting after learning a bit about the Canadian influence on the designs of that time. It's worth attending just to see the Clarion (Rexdale, ON) and Electrohome (Kitchener, ON) stereos alone! Better yet is the great display about Clarion's "Stereo Party" marketing strategy...

Internetoverload

2005-02-24T17:01:00.000-05:00

Grrr....

I feel as if I have too much going on in the realm of the internet, and I feel as if it's just the tip of the iceberg and that it's only going to get worse!

Hundreds of different passwords and usernames have something to do with it. Like those sites that say "passwords must be 9 characters long" when your favorite username/password combo only has 7 characters. Argh!

And I realize that it's sinful to use the same username/password combo for different sites; however, is it really realistic to think you can remember all of these things without writing them down? Then when you write them down, where do you put them? Luckily I've been able to keep most of them straight for the time being, but a few more and I'm just going to give up. Come this April, maybe I'll have to hack&slash off some of the fat since this list is just too long:

Emails
~ work alias, old domain
~ work alias, new domain
~ work alias, junkmail
~ junkmail alias - yahoo account for msn etc...
~ isp email account
~ gmail - trying it out, but it STILL won't work with my pop3 :(
~ school - grad account forwarder
~ marketing team - group gmail account shared by team members
~ associations - different forwaders for different clubs/positions
~ blog posting email
~ gallery posting emails
Total: 18 different emails, all with different username/password combos

Other Junk
~ home computer
~ laptop computer
~ work accounts
~ school account (computer logon)
~ school account (registrar account info)
~ wireless Lan admin site
~ dsl internet admin site
~ blog
~ old tripod website
~ old school website
~ association websites
~ photo gallery for blogpics
~ internet banking
~ internet investments
~ subscription services
~ utility online billing accounts
~ online bulletin boards
~ and the list goes on...
Total: 25 or more username/password combos, (and that includes accounting for the fact that some logins and emails are under the same account)

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, and I'm sure there are more, but for now I really want to get outside so I'm headed out to skate the canal.

Regards,
J.

Taking one for the team…

2005-02-10T19:15:00.000-05:00

Employees of WalMart in Jonquiere, Quebec found out today that they will be losing their jobs when the store closes in May. Walmart Canada blames the closure on the fact that the union demands require increasing workers' hours and hiring at least 30 more people. Apparently that would make it difficult for the store to make a profit.

My question is “How can a company that sells more than TWO HUNDRED BILLION DOLLARS worth of goods EVERY YEAR be unable to budget for 30 more staff?”

So I pulled up their annual report and behold, the answer: Each store only nets, on average, $1.2 million. In the big picture, that’s not a whole lot of money…

However, I find it hard to have any sympathy considering that the $1.2 million/store profit is only AFTER they take out roughly $20 BILLION DOLLARS for advertising and marketing! To make matters worse, a majority of that money goes towards advertising their “Goodwill and Charity work” (which was less than $0.16 billion dollars in 2003).

In summary, 190 unionized workers in Jonquiere, Quebec are losing their jobs. Why? One reason is because WalMart wants to continue spending 12% of their net sales to brag about donating 0.06% of their net sales to charity.

Press Release:
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20050210-084807-8460r

Oh, and before you even THINK about making a positive comment on WalMart’s behalf, please read the report published by the American Government’s “Committee on Education and the Workforce”:
http://edworkforce.house.gov/democrats/releases/rel21604.html

So much to write...

2005-01-31T22:56:00.001-05:00

Presently there is way too much excitement and activity to include it all. I've decided to leave out a great weekend with friends, Strong Bad's "extra plug" and "virus" stories, school stuff, home stuff, and philanthropy stuff to post a link about life stuff:

TrueCostEconomics.org

What do you think?
It's only fitting to end this month's blog with a theme that followed me through January. This afternoon I made time to enjoy the afternoon sun and sat on the couch to read through the latest issue of Adbusters. It was a great read and much easier to digest then some of their previous issues that were difficult to interpret. The chapter on "The Environment" gave me lots to think about and is well worth reading!

When I'm busy there's lots to write about but no time to write! Priorities dictate that I make time to post. I feel that's now been accomplished so it's on to the next task... ...back with more in the not-too-distant future.