City Run by Children?

The Toronto city council made headlines last year when they couldn't complete a photo shoot because the councillors were complaining about the seating arrangement. Seems like a childish way to handle a photo shoot, yes?

If you're not familiar with local Toronto politics, Councillor Rob Ford is the one who made the comment a few weeks ago:

"Those Oriental people work like dogs ... they sleep beside their machines,'' he said. "The Oriental people, they're slowly taking over ... they're hard, hard workers."

He's also the one who was arrested a few days ago on charges of assault and threatening death (to his wife).

Tonight I came across a funny video on YouTube that demonstrates Ford's utterly juvenile behaviour while being interviewed by the press. It appears Globe and Mail reporter John Barber mouthed the words "fat f#ck" to Rob Ford when he wasn't getting a straight answer from Ford. You can watch the video to see how Ford reacts ;)

What's wrong with America?

On CNN tonight, I saw an article about a single mother who was making $70,000 a year until she was laid off in February. She has now resorted to using a foodbank to feed her family (See the full story here). Sad story eh? Boo hoo.

She can't afford to pay her utility bills because she is trying to pay her $2,500 per month "interest-only" mortgage. Something is very wrong with this picture. She has 2 kids, makes $70,000 a year, and she's paying a $2,500 a month "interest-only" mortgage? How on earth can people make such poor financial decisions to get them to the point where they are paying $2,500 a month entirely in interest, and supporting 2 kids.

The first thing I'd do if I were laid off is sell my house and move into an $800 a month rental apartment. Or maybe you can't sell your house because it will sell for less than you paid for it and since you put $0 down on your house, you'd owe the bank money, and you'd have no house. In that case, sell your Hummer and your Chevy pickup and rent out half your house for some rental income.

But I guess the easier approach would be to contact CNN, have them write a story about how you went from 70K a year to a food bank and then people will feel sorry for you and send you checks in the mail and offer you a job to get their company some publicity.

It's amazing how many people got suckered by the financial institutions into making such horrible financial decisions. Sometimes a little bit of regulation isn't a bad thing.



Image courtesy of www.flavorphoto.com

The Alcohol Challenge and Icefields Parkway

I've decided this year to again challenge myself to abstaining from all forms of alcohol for an entire month straight (See last year's announcement and interim results). My official abstinence started last Monday on St. Patrick’s Day and will end on April 18th.

For some, going an entire month without any alcohol is not a difficult task, but with my culture, alcohol is ingrained in almost every aspect of my social life. It's always a drink after work with the work gang, a couple drinks out with your friends on a Friday or Saturday night, a cold one after playing hockey and the list goes on and on. Hence why this is a "challenge" instead of merely just a "task".

The goal this year is to maintain my social life as it was before the abstinence. Last year I basically gave up my social life in the absence of alcohol, but this year it will be different. I want to maintain my social habits and culture but simply remove the alcohol from the equation. It should be an interesting result; I'm hoping it will be different than last year's outcome which was simply "my life is dull without alcohol". The other half of the goal is to pick up physical activities that I would otherwise not do. I will hopefully get back into running on a regular basis, something that I started doing again when I was working in Calgary.

In other news, Han visited me in Calgary for the Easter long weekend and we had an amazing time. The weekend included staying in a secluded cabin overlooking the Athabasca river and the beautiful Alberta mountains. We took up hiking, cross country skiing, downhill skiing (Han) and snowboarding (Me). It was a great action packed 3 days and we even had the chance to stay in a beautiful wooden log lodge in Golden, British Columbia.

Several people told me to drive on the Columbia Icefields Parkway to Jasper, Alberta because it is supposed to be the most beautiful drive in the world. After driving up to Jasper and back on the Icefields Parkway, I have to say it is the most beautiful drive I've ever experienced (It tops driving through Utah and along the Grand Canyon). The mountains are majestic, the glaciers are breathtaking, and the photos I've posted below do no justice; but I'll share my favourite 22 pictures anyway (Out of hundreds of pictures I took):

Obama the straight shooter

Obama is not your typical politician. He speaks truths in an honest and open way without trying to paint a perfect picture of himself. In his recent speech about the Racial divide in America, he talks about the anger that exists in the United States in both the Black community and the White community. He speaks about the history of those tensions and where they come from and why there is anger and frustration on both sides of the spectrum.

If you have 37 minutes and 39 seconds, I urge you watch his latest brilliant speech. I don't know if I've ever seen a Presidential candidate as open and honest about the issues that exist between races.

Canadian Rockies Adventure

I have just concluded my first week in Alberta. To be honest, I don't see anything too special about Calgary that sets it apart from other great Canadian cities other than the oil boom, the high demand for workers, and the Stampede in the summer. I do find it interesting that most restaurants (Including fast food chains) are paying $16 an hour because there is such a shortage of workers here.

By driving a couple hours outside of Calgary, you really start to see what the big deal is about this area of Canada. The natural beauty here goes beyond any words that I'm capable of using to describe it, so I have included some of my favourite pictures from the weekend below this article in the order they were taken. But first, I will describe my weekend adventure (For those readers with short attention span, please feel free to skip to the pictures).

Chapter 1 - "You can't get to Lake Louise tonight son"

My adventure started out by taking the bus from the Calgary airport to Banff on Friday night after work. My feeble (but intentional) preparation in finding transportation from Banff to Lake Louise had me slightly worried when the bus driver told me there is no bus that goes to Lake Louise from Banff. So after a bit of scrambling and a bunch of phone calls, I found a Greyhound bus that leaves Banff at 12:50AM to head to Lake Louise. I had called the Hostel I was staying at to inform them that I won't be arriving until 2AM and they seemed okay with that.

Chapter 2 - "I just got out after 10 years in the Pen"

The bus left Banff about 30 minutes later than scheduled, but luckily there were 2 Japanese girls who were also waiting for the bus; they were headed for Vancouver. They taught me a bunch of basic Japanese phrases that may come in handy if I ever travel to Japan. The bus was almost full and I only had 2 seats to choose from. I picked the first one I saw and asked the gentleman if I could sit down next to him. He complied and quickly started chit chatting with me. One of the first things he told me is that he just got out of the Penitentiary in Kingston after being behind bars for 10 years. It was quite the revelation to make after just meeting somebody (I didn't ask him what he was in for; 10 years in jail in Canada must be a pretty violent crime or maybe he was a drug dealer). He then told me why he was on the bus; since he was released from prison, he's been "walking" across Canada. In his latest "walk", he walked from his home in Hope, British Columbia to Winnipeg, Manitoba (That's a 2,196.8KM walk). He said his girlfriend called him and told him to come home, so he started hitchhiking home when a man who picked him up bought him a $178 bus ticket for him to get back to BC. He told me he had already gone through 2 pairs of shoes since he left British Columbia. He went to sleep after we had some conversation and his butt kept pushing me further off the seat. By the time I got off the bus I had one cheek on the seat and the other hanging off the side. He was also convulsing in his sleep with his elbow pushing into me. It was a bit creepy so I got the hell off that bus very quickly.

Chapter 3 - Dress warm, you're sleeping outside tonight

I arrived at the hostel more than 30 minutes late because of the bus, so when I got there all of the hostel doors were locked and there wasn't a person in sight. After knocking on doors and waiting for 20 minutes, I was ready to call it a night and lay down outside the hostel door. As I was putting on my warm clothes, I saw some guys walk around the corner; so I asked them how the hell I can get into the hostel. They told me that around back in the building next door there is a reception desk for the hostel. As it turns out the reception desk is open 24 hours; my night was saved.

Chapter 4 - Rocky Mountain Adventures

I spent Saturday snowboarding all day until the lifts closed down. It was a lot of fun and my favourite part was taking the "Summit Platter" up to the highest peak of the mountain. Because it's such a steep grade and your body is being pulled by a "platter", it's quite a bit of work to get up on a snowboard, so I only went up there twice. The scenery was amazing, like nothing I've seen before. I attempted to record a video going down the hill from the Summit Peak, but after I got to the bottom I realized my glove was covering most of the camera lens, so the recording didn't work out as expected. I'll try again next weekend to record my descent.

After I finished snowboarding, I went for a 3-hour hike and checked out Lake Louise. Apparently the water in Lake Louise is fed off of a melting glacier, so the water is always cold in the Lake. I found it very interesting to learn that Lake Louise is 70 metres deep. I'd love to see it in the summer some day.

On Sunday I decided not to snowboard again, but instead take a trip out to Golden, BC to do a snowmobile tour on the Rocky Mountains. Despite the fact that snowmobiles are high polluters with their 2-stroke engines, this is definitely an adventure that everyone should experience at least once in their lives. It had been over 10 years since I last rode a snowmobile, but this snowmobile trip tops any other snowmobile experience I've ever had. First of all, the tour guides were amazing and the people who wanted to go fast (myself included) were allowed to really open up the snowmobiles on the trails. Words can't describe how amazing it was to be able to ride a snowmobile up a mountain on a narrow ledge with dozens of breathtaking mountains in view (Click here to see a video I took while riding along the side of the mountain).

 

 

Following my buddy George's approach, here are my Adventure costs:
(1) Bus from Calgary to Banff - $100
(2) Bus from Banff to Lake Louise - $15
(3) 1-day Lift ticket at Lake Louise - $72
(4) 2 nights at the Lake Louise Hostel - $56.70
(5) Full day snowmobile tour (incl. bus pickup/dropoff) - $250

Movies watched this weekend: "Into the Wild", "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford", "No Country for Old Men"

Thinking about leaving Homosexuality?

Tonight I was reading about the American Family Association which had organized a boycott against Ford Motor Company for donating money to gay organizations. Today they lifted their boycott after 2 years, while Ford had apparently agreed to end most of its support for gay organizations. More than 780,000 people signing the petition to boycott Ford, and AFA has more than 3.8 million supporters. Read about the story here.

After browsing around this right-wing Conservative Christian group's website, I came across some interesting articles. There's a whole section on the website dedicated to the "Homosexual Agenda", and I came across a linked article on "Exodus International" that provides help to people who want to "leave Homosexuality". I found this article to be comical, almost as if it was written by a Saturday Night Live writer. The article even has a hyperlink on the word "gay" and when you hover over it, it describes what "gay" means. The one word description simply says "homosexual".

I have pasted said article below, or you can view it online.

Thinking of Leaving Homosexuality?

Are you struggling with unwanted same-sex attractions? Maybe you have lived as a homosexual for a long time, but now are looking for a way out. You have come to the right place! For thirty years, Exodus International has offered hope and help to people seeking freedom from homosexuality. We believe and we have seen in thousands of lives that this freedom is possible through the power of God working in our hearts and minds.

The bottom line - you don't have to be gay! You can lead a life of fulfillment and holiness as God intended, a life far better than what you have experienced so far.

The journey to wholeness isn't an easy one, but we will be with you through the process. Our international network of Christian ministries, therapists and churches are devoted to providing the love and care you need as you pursue God, holiness, and healing.

First Steps
A journey always starts with a single step. Here are a few first steps we recommend:

• Contact a local Exodus member. These are ministers, counselors, and churches in your area who really do understand where you're coming from. They are your first point of contact and help in your struggle. Find help...
• Find a good supportive church. You will need help along the way from Christians who know about your struggle and can support you in it. If you aren't in a church like this, our Exodus Church Network is a great place to start!
• Sign up for the Exodus newsletter, email list, or information packet.
• Find information and insight at the Exodus Bookstore. Some good books to start with:
  • Desires in Conflict by Joe Dallas (for men)
  • Restoring Sexual Identity by Anne Paulk (for women)
  • You Don't Have to be Gay by Jeff Conrad

I especially like the part about finding a church with Christians who know about your struggle and can support you in it. If I were a homosexual, I think an American Church would be the last place I would go if I was looking for supportive people. "Hi, my name is Jim, I'm a homosexual".

"Click click, pop, pop, thump"

Canadian Boy

This winter has been by far the best winter I have seen in over 15 years. I love snow and we have been getting dumped on over and over again this winter. I don't know if I've ever seen this much snow in any single winter since I was born.

What amuses me about snowstorms is the fact that everyone around me becomes so anxious when they hear the news that a snowstorm is approaching. I enjoy avoiding the weather reports so as not to eliminate the element of surprise. It's a bit like Presidential elections and polls; you already have a really good idea based on polls who will be the winner (I'd rather have no idea who's going to win until the actual election). I also enjoy watching movies without having seen the trailer for the same reason.

But I guess since I don't rely on my car to get around, I have no reason to fear a couple feet of snow. When you rely on your car to get around, you rely on good road conditions which means you're impacted by the weather.

There's nothing more relaxing and beautiful to me than the snow falling, and I love walking to work through the snow before the sidewalks get shovelled. After the sidewalks are shovelled I can't stand it because it's either wet or you're walking through the disgusting salt they put down to melt the ice (Which by the way should be banned for many reasons, not just because of its environmental impact, but also because it ruins my shoes).

I'm heading to Calgary tomorrow for a couple weeks for work, so I'm going to bring my snowboard and spend the next couple weekends snowboarding in Banff. Here are a couple pictures I took of the snow today:

Sustainitiatives: Toronto Self Sustaining Home

Imagine living in a large house that has all of the luxuries that normal houses have, such as a dishwasher, laundry machines, electronics, etc. except it's almost completely self sustaining, without relying on city water or the electricity grid.

Twelve years ago, inventor Rolf Paloheimo built a self-sufficient home in Toronto. He invented his own water filtration system that collects rainwater from the roof and filters it for drinking water and dish washing. He then re-filters the water again to be used for the shower, washing machine and toilets.

All of the "solid waste" that goes through the toilets gets composted. The house is powered by a 2,700 watt solar panel system on Paloheimo's roof. Unfortunately the solar panels aren't enough to support their entire power needs, so they have to borrow some energy from Toronto Hydro, but his hydro bills are less than $1000 a year.

Poloheimo wants to put wind turbines on his roof to make up for the lacking energy that the solar panels aren't able to produce, but he doesn't think the city or his neighbours will allow him to do that, so for now he's sticking to his current arrangement. Read the full story here for more details.

 
Image courtesy of www.healthyhousesystem.com