word on the street is...

Good Gifts...

2007-06-11T18:23:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Emily's grandma who donated lots of cool stuff to Emily, I was given a new present: an alarm clock! Yet this is no ordinary alarm clock, folks. This alarm clock has the choice of a beep alarm or chirping bird. It also has a speaker to place under your pillow that plays the soothing sounds of waves crashing on the beach, a tropical rain or the night train to lull me to sleep. Here is me setting it up last night:

And here is me blissfully being lulled into sleep by the sound of a night train.

I did, however, have the worst night of sleep that I have had in a long time; I actually woke up every hour. I don't know if the lulling sound of the night train had anything to do with it but I guess I'll find out tonight. If so I guess I'll have to banish the alarm clock to eternal damnation in the back of my closet...or garbage.

Until then, here's to good gifts.

The EMO Alphabet

2007-06-06T22:12:00.000-05:00

Now before all you EMO-influenced people get all up in arms (or cry) over this post, I had to post this to continue the EMO-mocking amongst friends. I really do care about you. Really.

Tempting...

2007-05-31T23:33:00.000-05:00

A Simple Reunion

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

The last three years have seen great advances in my culinary talents and abilities. Gone are the days where I burn bagels, where I innocently pull the lid off when cooking rice to stir it around, or forgetting about the boiling water on the stove only to remember when all the water is evaporated and the metal pot bottom is burnt through. While I still do forget about the boiling water on the stove from time to time I figure myself to be somewhat of a culinary chef-in-the-making.

Nevertheless, last week to my dismay I realized that I had only $12 to buy groceries for the next two weeks. Being the elitist that I am you can imagine the disgust I held when I realized I could no longer buy all the vegetables, meat, and cheese necessary to make my culinary masterpieces. Instead, I found my myself in front of the jam, peanut butter, and Cheeze Whiz aisle looking at jam.

For a couple days I ignored the jam and bread that was at the back of my refrigerator shelf. Three days ago I gave in and and reduced myself to such seemingly "petty" food. To my confusion I found myself enjoying the two pieces of jam toast I ate. Memories of my childhood came flashing back to me as I stared at those pieces of toast with jam. So simple, yet so good.

Ever since then I have spent most of my meals eating jam with toast.

Here is to enjoying the simple things in life.
Cheers.

Pink Floyd vs. Erick Prydz - Proper Education

2007-03-25T23:15:00.001-05:00

Interesting remix by Eric Prydz on and old Pink Floyd song, combining the French physical art, parkour, and environmentalism. check it out:

Doritos Commercials

2007-03-14T22:37:00.000-05:00

hehe, I like these:

Exotic:

Bold:

Sizzlin':

Banquet '07

2007-03-10T15:54:00.000-06:00

So last night was Redeemer's annual Winter banquet. Here are some pictures from the dinner and dance:

Why am I not crying?

2007-03-07T01:49:00.000-06:00

Last night in our Justice and Reconciliation in South Africa Class we focused on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa and the role that it played in making a peaceful transition from apartheid to democracy. Reading some stories from Country of My Skull, Dr. Botha told us that she would probably break in tears during the stories. What she said next was most interesting: If you are not crying when hearing these stories, think about why.

Hearing these stories I was horrified, but did not cry. Why? Maybe because I have not experienced such violence. Every day of my life I have lived in peace, not worried about my neighbour or the police watching my back; not worried about becoming a victim in the middle of two violent sides. I only see it on the news on TV - often it seems more like a movie than real life. I understood that my professor, however, felt the pain and wept as she was willingly and unwillingly involved in such violence.

I think it was good to wonder why I did not cry? Would I be able to cry with a white (South African term) farmer who lost his family to a land mine? Would I be able to cry with a black (South African term) woman who's child was killed by security forces? I sure hope I would, but I fear that I have lived in a safe bubble all my life. Can I relate?

Most striking is the responses or reparations asked for by the family members of victims. Most did not respond in anger; many in tears; many in soft voices. The power of forgiveness to overcome the worst evil is humbling and awe inspiring. This, too, does not bring tears of joy to my face.

Here I lay in my bed struggling to determine how I can cry with these people. Here I lay, struggling.

Mika - Grace Kelly

2007-03-04T22:28:00.000-06:00

So I am really liking this song right now:

The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny & Terror Part 1

2007-02-20T23:09:00.001-06:00

Due to a recent trip to Chapters I have ended up with three new books for $21 dollars. In one of these books, The Case for Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny & Terror, Natan Sharansky - an ex-Soviet political prisoner and politician in the Israeli government - provides a detailed account on the connection between freedom, tyranny, and peace.

Within his book, Sharansky makes the difference between "free" and "fear" societies. "Free societies" are classified by the fact that the citizens of such socities have the right to express their views without fear of arrest, imprisonment, or physical harm. As the governments of these societies depend on their citizens for power, politicians will do everything that they can to avoid war and reach compromises on contentious issues; war is looked at as a last resort among citizens of "free societies". "Fear socities", on the other hand, are classifed as any society whose citizens do not express their views for fear of arrest, imprisonment, or physical harm. Also concerned with preserving their own power, government leaders will use fear to control their populations, often through weapons and mass inculcation of the citizenry. Such mass inculcation is an attempt on the regime's behalf to slow down the natural process of alientation as citizens realize the failure and incompetence of their leaders and the misery that it is leaving them in. One of the most common types of mass inculcation, Sharansky argues, is that of creating external enemies- the idea of creating an enemy out of another country, people, ethnicity, or region (America, the West,the Jews, etc.)- in order to unite the masses and establish support for the current regime. At the same time these regimes must depend on these "enemies" for support, whether it be economic, scientific, technological, moral, etc., and therefore will attempt to appease such "enemies". This would explain much of the double-talk that came and continues to come out of the leaders of the Soviet Union, Palistine, and the President of Iran for example. The need to create such "enemies" will always prevent the regime from pursuing peace.

And this is the problem with today's society. Whether it be Venezuela, Iran, Israel/Palestine,or Sudan, Sharansky argues that diplomacys god-like elevation of stability within a moral vacuum sees "free socities" attempting to establish peace with totalitarian regimes who are not truly interested in it. "Stability is perhaps the most important word in the diplomat's dictionary. In its name, autocrats are embraced, dicatators are coddled, and tyrants are courted." In the current diplomatic environment, then, world peace, especially peace within the Middle East, will never be realized. For, as Sharansky often quotes, a government will only treat its neighbours as good as it treats its own citizens.

In order to create true global peace, then, Sharansky argues that "free societies" need to tie economic, technological, and any other form of assistance to how a regime treats its own citizens: treat them well and the aid will flow; treat them poorly and the aid will stop. In this way "free socities" will force "fear regimes" to stop distilling fear among their citizens, which in-turn will cause the disintegration of the regimes. He then describes in vivid detail how this was the case in the Soviet Union as well as how he thinks the Palestinian-Israeli conflict can be resolved. Moreover, Sharansky describes how George W. Bush has adopted such rhetoric from him in his beliefs on freedom, democracy, and peace in the War on Terror.

Besides describing how the Palestinian-Isralei conflict can be resolved, Sharansky uses his theories to support the War in Iraq. Bush, he argues, is apporaching politics with a degree of morality not commonly seen in international diplomacy. Contrary to popular political scientists who argue that political cultures run so deep that democracy cannot be imposed or forced upon countries, as their political cultures ultimately will not support it, Sharansky argues that this is possible through the aforementioned process. All peoples, he argues, wish to be free; give them the chance to be free and they will take it. He uses Germany and Russia as shining examples of this. Nevertheless, even he agrees that despite the fact that the Soviet regime has collapsed, it could still be questioned whether Russia is truly a "free society". Many South American countries that had democracys imposed on them in the 1970's and 80's have also failed. Perhaps Germany is the exception to this trend.

As the imposition of democracy (whether military or through economic/scientific sanctions) in a country rarely fully brings about immediate freedom (Iraq is another example of this failure) it appears that the political culture argument holds a lot of weight. Nevertheless, at the same time it would seem that people naturally desire freedom and "free societies" could assist in establishing such freedom. So who is right? Why has this worked in Germany and not in Iraq?

Part 2 to follow

Awww...

2007-02-20T22:40:00.000-06:00

I was on the Redeemer main page and I saw a picture of one of my favourite profs - Dr. Johnny B with his memory key! he doesn't go anywhere without it!

R.I.P #10

2007-02-18T16:41:00.000-06:00

So apparently Number 10 started on fire at the greenhouse, her life taken away at her prime. She will be dearly missed. If anyone else has been touched by this truck, in one way or another, feel free to leave a comment. tear.

That's just crazy...

2007-02-17T19:28:00.000-06:00

You know you live in an immigrant neighbourhood when...
one of your neighbour's takes out his lawn mower to clear the snow off the sidewalk.
for some reason i don't think it works the same as a snow blower.
I love my neighbourhood.

On a related note:

Karen's Birthday Party

2007-02-04T21:37:00.000-06:00

Last night the group got together to celebrate Karen's Birthday Party at the Milano Residence.

This is the birthday girl:

Getting the party started:

Heidi and I sporting our bling:

Guildwood girls representin':

Julie and Steph cheering the singers on

West 5th Girls turn, with an interperative dance by Katy - one of the funniest moments of the night

"Raise your hand if your friends a homo!"

West 5th Boys Representin':

The hosts:

This is Why You're [Not] Hot

2007-02-03T14:38:00.000-06:00

So I heard a song on the radio that had a chorus something along the lines of,

"This is why im hot, this is why im hot, this is why, this is why,this is why, im hot
this is why im hot, this is why im hot, this is why, this is why, this is why im hot,
im hot cuz im fly, you aint cuz u not, this is why, this is why, this is why im hot
im hot cuz im fly, you aint cuz u not this is this is why, this is why, this is why im hot."

Yeah. Talk about being full of himself.

He then goes on to explain why he is hot: (unembonicized for better understanding)
1) He dresses well.
2) He has a lot of money - people even shut stores down so he can shop!
3) He gets the women that everyone else can't
4) These same women love his song. This song. Apparently.

Wow.

If only I could ever be like him.

Even better, he claims that he can sell a million records with a track that has nothing on it. Funny, considering this is the first released track on his debut album, and nobody outside of his neighbourhood in New York would know of him without it.

Don't get me wrong, the tune is good and syntax is great, but the words SUCK. Now I'm no hardcore listener of rap music but I have a feeling that this is what rap enthusiasts complain about when talking about the state of rap music right now.

Oh MIMS, if only I haven't already heard this song from the likes and egos of 50 Cent and Kanye West.

He is unoriginal, and his song only contributes to the dumbing-down and commercializing of today's society.

And this is why you're [not] hot, MIMS.javascript:void(0)

__________________________
If you wish, watch the move here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANw7ZVrMHCE.

Waiting for E-Marketing Class to Finish...

2007-01-30T16:51:00.000-06:00

Ice Storm (Last Monday)

2007-01-21T20:09:00.000-06:00

So last Monday we had an ice storm. Classes were cancelled and so I slept in.

We all spent about 45 minutes scraping ice off our cars.

After scraping ice off my car I went to the campus to work on my strategic management report.

Needless to say, it frustrated me. So we took a break and walked around campus.

It was a good day.

humph.

2006-12-17T13:53:00.000-06:00

why is that every time i need to take a shower someone takes it and i have to skip having one!?

Yes, I know I'm A Little Behind...

2006-12-17T13:23:00.000-06:00

So I have just started watching "So You Think You Can Dance" Season 2 a couple weeks ago and finally finished watching the finale two nights ago. Let's just say that I was hoping Travis would win, bu I knew Benji would. I figured I needed to lament a little..... And yes, I apologize for being so behind in the world.

Studying for Financial Accounting...

2006-12-12T19:05:00.000-06:00

Wanting to Go So Bad....

2006-12-08T12:30:00.000-06:00

Too bad I have things to do tomorrow night. :(

Redeemer Blackout '06

2006-11-27T00:35:00.000-06:00

The first of what I think will be many documentary's on this past weekends blackout at redeemer.

Stop Motion Drum and Piano

2006-11-14T15:46:00.000-06:00

This is crazy awesome!

Random.

2006-11-05T00:10:00.000-06:00

So today Nick, Miranda, Robyn and I went in the corn fields by Redeemer and took some pics.

Going Crazy...

2006-10-28T22:59:00.000-05:00

If only Reading Break was a week longer...

Fall Entreat

2006-10-28T21:46:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I had the privilege of attending some of the Fall Entreat. I couldn't make the entire Entreat because of time commitments and other work that I had to do, but I managed to make the worship, speaker, and small-group session on Friday night. It was really amazing as I sat down with five other people, most whom i didn't even know, and discussed our spiritual journeys and experiences on prayer. I always find it awesome when you meet people by first talking about your faith lives and struggles. Getting to know someone this way allows you to appreciate the person as a child of God and not focus so much on whether you would get along with them or not; everything just seems to be put in the right perspective. It would be nice if we could all meet each other in this way.

budget meeting '06

2006-10-01T22:49:00.000-05:00

SO this past weekend i, along with 11-12 other senators, had the pleasure to experience the annual senate budget meeting. it started on friday night at 7 and went to 12. after the long five hours we went out to vent and wind down at Eden's Mediterranean. in bed by 2:30, woke up at 7:48 a.m. to realize that i needed to be at the school at 8. what then proceeded was 16 hours of listening to clubs and cutting budgets. fun. i find the budget meeting always interesting because this is the first opportunity where the members on senate get to see each other in their best and worst attitudes and moments. whether it was being flat-out told by a club leader that they are trying to milk senate for money, to having a full out argument over other clubs, to laura standing on a chair and yelling to regain the floor, to katrina staring blankly into space with her hands on her head on the verge of a break down, to the endless quotes, to laura having another little breakdown over a coffee bean that was thrown across the room - honestly, she started laughing uncontrollably, which then turned to crying, which then turned into her leaving the room to regain control of herself -, in the end we had a lot of good laughs and fun. here's to the hope that we may continue to have a great year!

I like it...

2006-09-26T01:09:00.000-05:00

Bob Barker Almost has a Nervous Breakdown

2006-09-10T00:52:00.000-05:00

Wow, she is definately not the brightest person.

In Preparations...

2006-09-08T17:56:00.000-05:00

An oil-free country?

2006-08-23T09:36:00.000-05:00

Apparently Sweden is trying to become an oil-free country by 2020. It would seem that, should they be successful, they would provide an example that which Canada should strive for. The only problem is that the article always refers to renewable energies but does not really specify what kinds (especially since they are getting rid of all nuclear energy plants).
You can check the article out here.

Teamwork

2006-08-17T09:39:00.000-05:00

Oh no, that's just craziness:

2006-08-16T09:06:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, Iranian President Mahmood Ahmadinejad has started up a blog - a blog! You can check it out His Craziness here.

Sent to Me by a Friend: Prison vs. Work

2006-08-08T16:28:00.000-05:00

If you ever get these two environments confused, this should makethings a little bit clearer:

IN PRISON......you spend the majority of your time in a 10X10 cell.
AT WORK........you spend the majority of your time in an 8X8 cubicle.

IN PRISON....... you get three meals a day.
AT WORK........ you get a break for one meal and you have to pay for it.

IN PRISON.......... you get time off for good behaviour.
AT WORK........... you get more work for good behaviour.

IN PRISON.......... the guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you.
AT WORK........... you're often required to carry a security card and open all the doors yourself.

IN PRISON......... you can watch TV and play games.
AT WORK........... you get fired for watching TV and playing games. I

N PRISON........ you get your own toilet.
AT WORK.......... you share the toilet with some people who pee on the seat.

IN PRISON.......... they allow your family and friends to visit.
AT WORK........... you're not supposed to even speak to your family.

IN PRISON......... all expenses are paid by the taxpayers.
AT WORK......... you pay all your expenses to get to work, and then they deduct taxes from your salary to pay for prisoners.

IN PRISON......... you must deal with sadistic wardens.
AT WORK........... they're called managers.

IN PRISON..... you spend most of your life inside bars wanting to get out.
AT WORK ......you spend most of your time wanting to get out andgo inside bars.

Have a Good Day at Work!

PONG!

2006-08-04T13:01:00.000-05:00

My Friends Are Famous

2006-07-18T12:26:00.000-05:00

My friends ended up appearing on a plethora of pictures taken at the recent '06 Much Music Video Awards a couple of weeks ago. Here they are behind Simple Plan (who i dislike with a passion). Looking good, girls, looking good.

All fan mail can be addressed to:
Karen Oosterhof/Stephanie DeSchiffart
777 Garner Road East
Ancaster, Ontario
L9K 1J4

24

2006-07-18T10:38:00.000-05:00

so we've all heard that "24- The Movie" is coming out in the next year or two and anyone who watches the show knows that they are just trying to squeeze more money out of the 24 fan base with some crappy 2 hour movie that is guaranteed to be a dissapointment; i mean, once the fans are used to 18 hours (without commercials) of edge-of-your-seat action and suspense, to condense that into 2 hours guarantees sure failure. so, i suggest that all of you 24 fans sign the following petition below, demanding 21st Century Fox to make the new 24 movie, 24 hours long!

the reasons are seven-fold:

-Whereas-
The show is called 24, and should the movie not be 24 hours long, it would be erroneously named. For accuracy's sake, it would need a different name, which would potentially result in viewer confusion.

-Whereas-
No film of this length has ever been attempted, and the word-of-mouth publicity of such a feat would spread quickly, resulting in box-office success.

-Whereas-
24's fanbase is strong enough to prove such an endeavour financially successful; there are numerous fansites devoted to the show.

-Whereas-
24's real-time narrative is a signature of the franchise. To abandon it would alienate many fans.

-Whereas-
12+ hour showings of the Lord of the Rings trilogy in theatres has proved to be successful and feesable. With this as the precedent, a 24-hour long movie is not unreasonable for theatre owners to accomodate.

-Whereas-
Critics of Hollywood claim that there are "no new ideas". This is both a step in translating a successful TV show without losing the narrative, and proof that there are indeed fresh ideas left.

So, sign the petition here!

mirium fluit blog

2006-07-04T08:16:00.000-05:00

i know this is not relevant for everyone, but a blog has been set-up for mirium fluit concerning her progress after the motor vehicle accident she was involved in on sunday. you can check it out here.

A sure fire way to ending healthcare waiting lists...

2006-07-04T00:33:00.000-05:00

Top Five Things that Annoy Me the Most - #5: The CBC

2006-06-29T08:43:00.000-05:00

What better place to start than the CBC? A couple weeks ago a Senate committee came out with a report recommending that CBC television channels should go commercialess with the government footing the costs caused by having no incoming advertising revenue. With a current annual budget of close to $1 Billion dollars, it is estimated that going commercialess will cost taxpayers an extra half a billion dollars a year. Even further, the committee suggests that the Competition Act be expanded to automatically review any private media conglomerate that reaches a certain percentage of audience share in the market.

Now obviously the Liberal controlled Senate would like to see their ultra-liberal pro-homosexual, pro-abortion, pro-Liberal party propaganda machine have free access to the market. And now that the CBC cannot survive in Canada's media market, they are depending on their good 'ol Liberal friends in the Senate to protect them and force the market to accept them. Both the Liberals and the CBC win on this deal.

But I think it is time for the CBC to wake-up and realize that the reason they are loosing market share is because...(pause for suspense)they have no good product or service to compete with! Besides sports they have nothing to offer the Canadian public - and they are not going to have that much longer (CTV has won the broadcasting rights for the next Olympics)!

Don't even get me started about the Quebec branch of the CBC, Radio-Canada, which is pro-separatist and is financially supported by CANADIAN taxpayer dollars!

In light of this, I am calling for the end of the CBC; and the mere shutting down of the CBC will not do. Commenting on a story at the Western Standard someone named Scott proposed the following:

Nothing short of the complete physical destruction of the CBC is acceptable. Purge it off the face of the Earth. Fire the staff, destroy the buildings and foundations, incinerate the rubble, and place its records and archives into a secret location (preferably in another country), for 100+ years to prevent their ideas from polluting the world.

The former building locations should be filled in with salt, gravel and dirt, and memorials to the Holocaust, the veterans, victims of terrorism, and human rights built in their place.

Privatization is not acceptable because their ideas will remain in new hands. End this monstrosity now.

Lol, I couldn't have said it better myself, Scott. Although somewhat extreme, I am all for it - maybe we should compensate the fired staff a bit, or, even a lot (giving a million dollars to every employee would sill save taxpayer dollars in the end). If the government wants to provide media access to northern communities then the government should subsidize all media operations that occur in northern communities, or other places where it would otherwise not be profitable to do so, without regard to which media conglomerate provides it. This would help to keep the "diversity" of media alive - something different than the CBC up North. Instead of spending $1 billion tax payer dollars a year, use the money to enhance, upgrade, and install telephone and internet connectivity to isolated communities that "depend on the CBC" for knowledge of the world around them. Even if the government spent $5 billion dollars to do this - an excessive amount for sure - they would still be saving money in the long run! After five years they can use this money to assist the poor and needy at home and abroad, or to better enhance our military, or for infrastructure, or to pay down our debt, or for healthcare - the possibilities are endless.

So, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and your Conservative Government: instead of increasing funding to the CBC as the Senate Committee suggests, privatize them or abolish them altogether! It's not like they like you anyways; they are more active and effective at ruining your image than the Liberals are right now anyways. It's not the Liberals you have to worry about, but the CBC! So, why don't you finally put an end to CBC favouritism by the government?

Beautiful Goal!

2006-06-28T23:05:00.000-05:00

This is a testiment to how great Argentina is. I told all of you that they would beat out the Netherlands!

hahaha, i couldn't resist

2006-06-21T09:41:00.000-05:00

ALERT: BREAD IS DANGEROUS!

2006-06-20T23:08:00.000-05:00

Research on bread indicates that:

1. More than 98 percent of convicted felons are bread users.
2. Fully HALF of all children who grow up in bread-consuming households score below average on standardized tests.
3. In the 18th century, when virtually all bread was baked in the home, the average life expectancy was less than 50 years; infant mortality rates were unacceptably high; many women died in childbirth; and diseases such as typhoid, yellow fever, and influenza ravaged whole nations.
4. More than 90 percent of violent crimes are committed within 24 hours of eating bread.
5. Bread is made from a substance called "dough." It has been proven that as little as one pound of dough can be used to suffocate a mouse. The average American eats more bread than that in one month!
6. Primitive tribal societies that have no bread exhibit a low incidence of cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, and osteoporosis.
7. Bread has been proven to be addictive. Subjects deprived of bread and given only water to eat begged for bread after as little as two days.
8. Bread is often a "gateway" food item, leading the user to "harder" items such as butter, jelly, peanut butter, and even cold cuts.
9. Bread has been proven to absorb water. Since the human body is more than 90 percent water, it follows that eating bread could lead to your body being taken over by this absorptive food product, turning you into a soggy, gooey bread-pudding person.
10. Newborn babies can choke on bread.
11. Bread is baked at temperatures as high as 400 degrees Fahrenheit! That kind of heat can kill an adult in less than one minute.

In light of these frightening statistics, it has been proposed that the following bread restrictions be made:

1. No sale of bread to minors.
2. A nationwide "Just Say No To Toast" campaign, complete celebrity TV spots and bumper stickers.
3. A 300 percent federal tax on all bread to pay for all the societal ills we might associate with bread.
4. No animal or human images, nor any primary colors (which may appeal to children) may be used to promote bread usage.
5. The establishment of "Bread-free" zones around schools.

Supposedly this article was written by B.S. Wheatberry in a desert after consuming mass quantities of yeast bread then realizing his canteen was empty.
Article can be found here.

Stumbling on the Internet

2006-06-18T23:09:00.000-05:00

Some Political Science and History humour...

the selk'bag

2006-06-18T19:20:00.000-05:00

i gotta get me one of these; i'm thinking there could be good times on the trampoline, or, maybe i can suprise people at work this summer. we could have selk'bag friday's in the redeemer main office! the possibilities are endless...

mikey should be in on this with me.

if anyone is actually interested in this crazy thing, it is called a selk'bag - a sleeping bag in the shape of your body.

you can find more information here

GOOO ARGENTINA!

2006-06-10T17:34:00.000-05:00

They may be dirty, but their going to go all the way...

Google idol?

2006-05-28T00:36:00.000-05:00

the other day karen referred me to google idol (aka gidol). the competition consists of people making music videos for and lip-synching to existing songs. competitions are split between web-cam competitions and music video competions. anyone can vote. there are some really fun ones, some really bad ones, and some well made ones. so check it out! tell me which one you think is best!

p.s. what is with all the guys lip-synching to boybands?

Six random things I'm looking forward to in the next two weeks

2006-05-15T22:41:00.000-05:00

So some people have been commenting on how I have not updated for a while. Truth be told, nothing really exciting has been going on; i've pretty much been working and hanging out with friends. anyways, so i was thinking of things to write a post on and i came up with six things that i'm looking forward to in the next two weeks.

1) GOING HOME! tickets are booked and this thursday - the Lord willing, of course - I will be going home to manitoba to visit family and friends until next week tuesday! yay!

2) Series Finale of 24 - Monday night, two hour season finale; it should be intense.

3) Getting paid - I found out that I am getting paid $10 an hour this summer. (score!) It would be nice to have some money; i haven't known how that has felt for a while.

4) Setting up a new young people's study group - along with the help of others, I hope to start another bible study group at my church that focuses on applying the Word in our lives, sharing our struggles, supporting and praying for each other, and doing volunteer and mission work around hamilton.

5) getting an oil change on my car - honestly, i like to know that my car is all taken care of, but most importantly i want to get the ABS light reset so i don't have to explain to everyone what the dinging noise is every time they enter my car.

6) Building a table, shelf, shoe rack, and maybe a chair - After coming out of dormancy this past summer, I once again feel eager to use my carpentry skills to make a couple more things.

So there are a lot of things that i am looking forward to in the coming weeks. anyways, until next time, peace.

steak...

2006-04-27T00:23:00.000-05:00

so i was leaving the school tonight after 5 1/2 hours of gruelling club reimbursements that unexpectedly took up my entire afternoon. as i was passing the cafeteria i saw liz, gavin, and katrina emptying off their plates for communal, so i decided to talk to them. as i approach gavin, katrina starts complaining about how she didn't get steak. literally, all i heard this afternoon was here incessant comments about how great the steak is going to be when she gets communal. but because she was a nice friend, she decided to wait to go to communal until all of her friends got out of their business study group to get it. anyways, so she is really complaining about how it was her turn to get meat and they had none for her. at the same time this girl sees me and is like are you coming for food? and i was like "no". but she was like, "oh, we saved you a steak and potato on a plate!" looking confused as ever she assured me "it's because you were mad last time when we had nothing." still confused, i thought it dealt with the time when i went to get the left overs (after 6 - a tradition that off-campus students could get the leftovers which ended about a month ago) and they told me i had to pay - of course, looking forward to this meal all day, i was a little dissappointed.

so, confused as all get out, i put down my stuff and the girl comes out with a plate with a steak and potato on it. katrina is in complete shock and is mortified at the fact that i, an off-campus student, should get steak and she didn't. laughingly i took it, gave gavin, liz, and katrina a bite and ate the rest; it was delicious. after enjoying the great steak i left to go home.

beginning my studying for economics, matt comes on msn and is like "did a girl give you communal tonight?" and i was like "yah". and then he was like "well, i went to get communal and she was all confused thinking that she already gave me my communal meal." and then he was like "oh, you must have confused me with craig" (which everyone does - apparently we are twin brothers because of our eyes or something). and then the rest of the conversation cannot be repeated....something about puking it out and giving it back to him.

so in the end i got an amazing steak dinner, katrina gets no steak, and matt is left with a chicken burger. the steak looked something like this:

i love my life.

Senate 2006/2007

2006-04-16T17:29:00.000-05:00

Hey guys! well, i realize it has been a long while since i've posted on my blog. i apologize for not being able to provide you your daily fix of...me. anyways, so i've been crazy busy finishing up assignments for the school year, as well as getting senate up and running for next year. my first exam is on tuesday morning. anyways, i thought i would post a picture of next year's senate... (missing: peter and three first year senators - they come in september)

If you would like to find out more about senate you can look up this site that i created for a project for senate (it also qualified for a business project - way to kill two birds with one stone). I definately encourage you to check it out! anyways, that's all for now! see ya guys later!

iMOGEN HEAP

2006-03-31T00:07:00.000-06:00

So one day at the Senate Office I ended up listening to this CD as it was in the computer at the time. At first I thought it was pretty good, but I didn't think much of it right away. So some time later I had a craving to listen to it again. So, my good friend, Denise , let me borrow the cd - called Speak For Yourself - about 2 days ago. I am not going to lie, i've probably listened to it 7 or 8 times in the last 2 days. (Probably helped that I spent the last two days writing a paper, pulling an all nighter to finish it and all.) The artist, Imogen, is amazing - her innocent voice matched with the electronic rythm produces a sound that i haven't heard anywhere else. It is truly unique in that you can't put into a genre. The music is really soothing and peaceful, yet very interesting and with plenty of emotion and energy. I definately suggest listening to the CD! (I wouldn't be talking about it on my site if I didn't think it was good!). If you want to visit her website, check it out here. You can also listen to some of her songs on the website. Enjoy!

Shout-Out

2006-03-20T23:54:00.000-06:00

So a lot of people have been bugging me about my lack of posting for a while. Truth is that nothing exciting is happening in my life, and all i do is write papers. (really, it is not exciting). SO, I thought I would make a shout-out to all my home-boys:

Nathaniel (aka. Nan): Currently working a coop term with Hamilton Health Sciences in the area of labour relations.

<- Just one of his many skills ladies.

Matt: currently working a co-op for a construction company in the area of business administration/marketing.

He's usually like this ---------------------------->

Mark: currently studying in Belize for the semester

<-- I still remember the day that Nan and I tricked him with that thing.

Nick: The only one currently studying at Redeemer with me. what a guy....

This pic always makes me think of those phone-line dating services like GrapeVine Personals or something like that.

"Meeting someone fun and exciting is just one phone call away. Over 20,000 people call GrapeVine Personals each and every day so there's sure to be someone for you!" (Nick- you deserve a big picture because you wanted me to make a post to you alone; plus, for some reason the blog service wouldn't allow me to add a smaller picture. boo.)

Anyways, keep it real guys, keep it real.

Curling

2006-03-05T22:17:00.000-06:00

We went curling last night for four hours! It was great. As Team Manitoba Dairy Cows we tied for first place with a 3-0 record!

Top Five Courses that Should Not be Core or Offered at Redeemer. Period.

2006-02-15T10:10:00.000-06:00

Theatre 103: Introduction to Theatre - Even theatre majors describe this course as useless! Most students at Redeemer are not studying theatre and therefore they don't care how plays were put on in ancient Greece or the factors behind Sybmolism, Expressionism, Futurism, Comedie del' Artie and whatever crazyiness such people came up with back in the day. Im a business and political science major; theatre is a waste of my time.
Physical Education 101: Introduction to Physical Education - Students should have been taught this in high school already. Not only does this offer nothing to students, most students lie on their lab reports, and professors fail to connect the course to the respective majors by focussing on stress management and work ethic.
Business 251: Information Technology - Not exactly a core course, but core for a business major. It is a great course to introduce people to technology...LIKE TEN YEARS AGO! These days kids learn how to use Microsoft Excel, Powerpoint and Word in high school! I understand that the course was groundbreaking ten years ago but really the information is outdated. Change the course or throw it out!
Religion 101 - I don't think people should be forced to take a course that tells the story of the Bible, I learnt the story in my Christian high school and catechism classes. I can see if a student did not go to a Christian high school or goes to a church with weak doctrine, but really, it's not necessary for people like me.
Religion 251: Reformation Theology - Just like Religion 101, Reformational Theology is my 13 years of Christian school and 6 years of Catechism all over again. I understand all concepts of predestination, the Trinity, the sinfulness of man, and Calvin; unless students come from a non-Reformed church, they will know it all already. Plus the class intentionally avoids any real topics of contention between people at Redeemer, such as, infant baptism, etc.
Music 101 - This course is pure ridiculousness; not only does it have the work load of a 4th year course, complete with 14 page paper and killer exams, the information learnt is nice but completely a waste of time considering people's majors. Once again, if the student is a music major the course has merit, otherwise it has none.
Physical Education: Fundamentals of...Anything - I don't understand how people can get a quarter course credit for playing sports; period. Really? fundamentals of soccer? I'm pretty sure most PED majors already understand how to play soccer, basketball, football, hockey, dance, or whatever they are. I should get a quarter credit for doing homework or hanging out with my friends if this is the case!
Social Work Minor - according to people in the field, the Social Work minor is completely useless to take at Redeemer as employers in the field require that social workers have a Bachelor Degree in Social Work; Redeemer does not offer this.

Oops, that was about three more than five. Oh well. I find it ironic how a university which drills it in our heads that we are to be stewards of God's creation, or to be wise with our resources, that we waste both time and money on the above such courses.

Deputy PM?

2006-02-07T08:16:00.000-06:00

So Prime Minister Stephen Harper was sworn in along with his cabinet yesterday. But, when I look at the cabinet positions I can't find who the Deputy PM is! Does anyone have a head's up?

2006-02-01T00:31:00.000-06:00

After a long downtime the Student Senate website is now up and running. Enjoy!
www.redeemer.on.ca/senate

Brian Pallister

2006-01-28T13:24:00.000-06:00

Brian Pallister ( Conservative MP Portage-Lisgar)

So apparently my MP has asked Prime Minister Designate Steven Harper to remove his name from any type of cabinet position in order to leave him the possibility to run as leader of the provincial conservative party. Could he be the next premier of Manitoba?

CJOB News: Pallister Ponders Move to Provincial Tories

Cup Stacking

2006-01-22T21:25:00.000-06:00

This is one skill i have to pick-up. Check it out.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

2006-01-22T00:10:00.000-06:00

(the following is the result of me being extremely upset after listening to a debate between the strategists of the liberal, ndp, and conservative parties. it is written out of pure passion and hatred and may not make sense)

I AM SICK AND TIRED OF LISTENING TO LIBERAL NEGATIVITY! SINCE WHEN ARE CHRISTIAN BELIEFS EXTREME? IT FEELS LIKE OUR COUNTRY HAS BEEN HIJACKED BY EXTREMIST, SOCIALLY PROGRESSIVE PARTIES WHO ARE LIBERALIZING EVERYTHING AS FAST AS THEY CAN WHILE DRAGGING THE CITIZENS ALONG KICKING AND SCREAMING! The Liberals are using Christianity to scare people into voting for their party. Liberals threaten over and over that Stephen Harper is going to ban abortion, yet Stephen Harper has promised that he will not allow any private members bill to be put through the House; the liberals do not accept this. Yet for some reason, it doesn't matter that there are Liberal MP's that are not only Christian, but pro-life, and that there is just as much of a chance that a private member's bill banning abortion is introduced by a liberal mp; the liberals claim this is impossible because Paul Martin will not allow it.......(pause to see the obvious contradiction here).... Tonight during a debate on CPAC the liberal strategist was clearly confronted with the mere ridiculousness of the liberal logic, and yet she flatly denied the fact that she was contradicting herself. If I were to meet a Christian liberal running for parliament today, I would ask them how they could be involved in a party whose leaders, strategists, and influential supporters lambast all Christian views as extremist and as if they are going to destroy our country; I don't know how they can just look past that.

Spice-Girls Reunion?

2006-01-19T00:47:00.000-06:00

Could it be? A Spice Girls Reunion Tour?

Sympatico MSN Reports on Spice Girl Reunion

The question remains, is the world ready for them to reunite?

HAHAHAHA

2006-01-19T00:00:00.000-06:00

So it's about time that Liberal attack-ad spoofs came out; check out this website to see them:

http://www.subliminalparty.com/

That Ain't Right

2006-01-18T20:02:00.000-06:00

So today I went to chapel thinking that I was going to take a break in my busy schedule and worship God. Much to my surprise the chapel service was not that at all, rather, it was a lecture by a visiting professor from Calvin. I find thatjust because the lecture dealt with the role of religion in the study of science didn't mean that it was suitable for chapel. The purpose of chapel is to worship God through song and prayer, not listen to another academic lecture despite it's dealings with religious matters. To think that the administration put this on is absurd; it seems that they thought by quickly having an opening devotion and singing a hymn before the lecture that they could make this into a chapel service. Such an endorsement by the administration leaves me grossly disappointed; don't get me wrong,I have no problem with the lecturer and what he was saying, i just think that there is a time and a place for such lectures, that is, outside of chapel.

He Said What?

2006-01-17T23:05:00.000-06:00

According to Uncle John's Second Bathroom Reader, past President George Bush Sr., is quoted as telling a gathering of a Hispanic high school students:

"You don't have to go to college to achieve success. We need the people who do the hard, physical work."

I got skills...

2006-01-14T00:46:00.000-06:00

So I learned a new skill this week: folding my shirts in a new way. it's pretty sweet. check it out.

And then of course you have the videos that mock the original...

and...

Seriously.

2006-01-10T17:20:00.000-06:00

So I just finished seeing the Liberal attack ad here in Ontario. Now maybe I'm not understanding it, but as far as I know, it seems that all it says is, "Stephen Harper=Mike Harris. Mike Harris screwed your province over (i really don't know if this is true)and so Stephen Harper will too." (I think it is because they are both Conservatives or something...I dunno.) Do the Liberals really think that the electorate is stupid enough to fall for this crap?

A Conservative Government?

2006-01-09T22:45:00.000-06:00

Riding on the wave of the media's sole agreement that the Conservatives are positioned to become the next government (even the CBC says so), my roomates and I were reveling in such an idea tonight. As I told them how even the likes of Gilles Duceppe were paying more attention to Harper,(clearly due to the increase in Conservative support dans la belle province), Chris jests, "Do you think that the CBC will change their official color from red, to blue, in order to appease a Conservative government?"

???

Election 2006

2006-01-08T00:42:00.000-06:00

Tonight I received an email from a friend passsing on this letter that this guy from Alberta wrote. I thought it was pretty striking:

Election 2006

Sorry if I sound like I'm preaching political garbage,
but a year and a half ago enough people thought this way to
cause a minority government. Maybe this time, letters like this
will circulate enough to get more people thinking about it, and we
can get rid of the federal liberals once and for all. It's your
future... Use the power of the internet, and most important, get out
and vote!

Hello! My name is Alan Robberstad. I am a Canadian.
One voter out of millions of Canadian voters.

Paul Martin is no friend of mine.
Liberal governments have not made my life any better.
Liberal governments have made the future worse for my children.

Jean Chretien became Prime Minister many years ago.
Guess who was the Liberal Finance Minister.....Paul Martin...LEST WE FORGET

Since 1993:
(1) My taxes have increased.
(2) My family's share of the national debt has increased.
(3) My personal expenses have increased.
(4) My waiting time to see a doctor has increased.
(5) My concerns for my family's safety have increased.
(6) My costs to educate my children have increased.
(7) Government interference in my life has increased.
(8) My personal debt has increased.
(9) My income has stayed more or less the same.
(10) My savings have decreased.
(11) The buying power of my dollar, in Canada, has decreased.
(12) The value of my dollar, in the U.S., has decreased.
(13) My trust of elected officials has decreased.
(14) My trust in the justice system has decreased.
(15) My trust in the immigration system has decreased.
(16) My hope that a Liberal won't waste my tax dollars has decreased.
(17) My dreams for a better future for my kids, in Canada,
have disappeared.

That is my story since the Liberals came to power.

I am not voting for Paul Martin's Liberals.
I am voting against Paul Martin and his Liberal Party

I am voting for Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party. Do I like the
Conservatives?

Not particularly......I don't really like Politics.
I am not political by nature.
I am not passionate about politics.
I am a middle age guy (48).
I live in a small house on a fairly quiet street in Edmonton.
I have a wife, Kathy, and two children (ages 19 and 17).
I have no pets.
I am a middle class man.
I don't usually say too much.

Until now.

Now I am going to say something!

In 35 of the past 37 years, Canada has been ruled by:
(1) Pierre Trudeau - a multi-millionaire lawyer from Quebec.
(2) Brian Mulroney - a multi-millionaire lawyer from Quebec.
(3) Jean Chretien - a multi-millionaire lawyer from Quebec.
(4) And now we are going to vote for Paul Martin???? - a multi-millionaire
lawyer from Quebec???

The leader of the Conservative party, Stephen Harper, is:
(1) Not a lawyer.
(2) Not a multi-millionaire.
(3) Not from Quebec.

Stephen Harper says that the Conservative party will:
(1) Reduce my taxes.
(2) Pay off the national debt as fast as they can.
(3) Shrink the size and influence of the federal government.

That's good enough for me.
I'm going to give the Conservative party a chance with my vote.

But wait!
Paul Martinis now saying the same thing.
My mother told me forty years ago:
"Fool me once - shame on you. Fool me twice - shame on me!"
The Liberals have had 34 years to be financially responsible.
Remember, Jean Chretien was Trudeau's Finance Minister.
Remember also, Paul Martin was Jean Chretien's Finance Minister.

These people have been raising my taxes for thirty four years!
They have been mis-spending my tax dollars for 34 years.

34 years!

And now Paul Martin says he'll stop taxing and spending.
No way.

Thank you for reading my story so far!

Why am I telling my story to you?
Although I feel alone, I know that I am not alone.
Your story may be similar to mine.
And you may also feel alone.
One small voter in the midst of millions of voters.

What can you and I do together to change things?

Here is my idea:
Lets you and I join up together.
Just you and I.
Together.
As a small team of two.

How can you and I fight a huge political machine?

You and I have two things that we can use:
(1) Our individual personal connections.
(2) The Internet.

The Internet is supposed to be this global zing tool, right?
Let's put it to use.

I have 27 Canadians in my personal e-mail address book.
I am sending this e-mail to each of them.

I'm asking you! to do two things:
(1) Forward this e-mail to every Canadian in your own address book.
(2) Vote against Paul Martin and the Liberal Party

Vote for the Conservative candidate in your riding.

I have probably written this e-mail too late.
As I said I am not politically adroit.
I feel like Peter Finch, in the 1976 movie "Network",when he shouted:
"I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!"

Please, forward the e-mail RIGHT NOW!!

As I type these last few words the voting begins in less than 18 days.
432 hours till voting begins.
I hope the Internet is as fast as some people claim it is.

This may not work.
This e-mail may "fizzle out" and go nowhere.
But you and I will have tried, won't we have?

My best wishes to you.
My best wishes to Canadians everywhere.

My thanks to David Stokes from Toronto
He actually wrote this just (5) days before the last federal election in 2000.

"Fool me once - shame on you. Fool me twice - shame on me!"

Alan Robberstad
Edmonton, Alberta

Tell me what you think.

Gun Violence

2006-01-06T13:07:00.000-06:00

Is it me, or are the political parties only addressing one aspect of the problem of gun violence in Canada? About a week ago, Paul Martin addressed the people of TOronto claiming that those who shot the innocent 15 year-old girl in Toronto were marginalized people; those who were neglected by Canada. Stephen Harper has touted tougher prison times and sentances to make sure that criminals actually serve time for their crime. To me, both of these views are erroneous in that they do not realize that gun violence is a culmination of many factors.

First of all, many of these gun crimes we have seen in Toronto and Vancouver have been committed by immigrants who have moved into the country. When immigrating, it is not uncommon for immigrants to take their culture with them, including their cultures of violence of their home country (just look at the number of annual murders in Jamaica for its population). Now I am not saying we should ban all immigrants, as they are what make our country so good and so rich in culture, but a more in-depth screening of people entering our country could help weed out some of these terrorists that have been shooting each other on the streets.

Second of all, tougher sentancing is a must. Here I would have to agree with Stephen Harper that tougher sentancing is needed, and criminals must actually serve those sentances. Today, a murderer gets nothing more than a slap on the wrist for his/her crime. The Conservatives suggest making minimum sentances for gun crimes; I myself think they should go one stop further. Killing another human is pretty much the worst crimes/sin that one can commit against another person. God commanded murderers to be put to death, as one human does not have the write to kill another human which GOd has created (with certain exceptions of course, ie. the government may, wars, etc.). Because of this, I think that we should make the punishment for murder far more severe than any party is suggesting; maybe even a little ridiculous in its length i.e. 20 years minimum sentance with no possbility of parole. In this way we can keep the thugs on the streets (who don't care about what the government says) in jail, while deterring youths from getting involved in gangs via the punishments involved if implicated. I think that the government has forgotten the fact that law carries a pedagogical aspect to it, that is to teach people what is right, and prevent them from doing wrong. With harsher sentancing, I think we could help further solve the problem of gun violence in Canada.

Thirdly, social and after-school programs are needed to keep the children "off the street". I would have to agree with Paul Martin to some degree that some families and children from our poorest neighbourhoods are neglected; I have seen it first hand in Hamilton. After-school programs do wonders with children; having a place to go to where a kid can be him/herself while not having to worry about their parents or other siblings is desperately wanted by them. Inside, many of these kids are crying for help, and as much as they hit you, call you names, or get into trouble during these programs, you know inside that they secretely love being there; it is the highlight of their day and week. Maybe society has let them down in some sense and by increasing after-school programs for young teenagers (while also giving a place to go for older kids) we may be able to further prevent them from becoming involved in gangs.

By taking the above hollistic approach to solving the problem of gun violence in Canada, I think we can make a real difference. As it stands, all political parties seem to only grasp one or two aspects of it, therefore decreasing the chances that their specific solutions are going to solve the problem. Until they recognize this, I do not think we are going to see any decrease in the amount of gun violence in Toronto and the Rest of Canada; it seems like the gun violence will all the more become more frequent on our streets.

Sweeeettt...

2006-01-04T15:47:00.000-06:00

This is definately one sport I wanna try...

At Home

2006-01-01T16:55:00.000-06:00

So I officially have been home for a little over one week. It has been a good time; full of painting, reading, sleeping, and hanging out with the family. anyways, over the past week i have learnt a number of things about myself:

I am allergic to the town water, or axe body wash soap.
My half-hearted, semi-annual measurements have revealed that my wrist has grown in thickness over the past 6 months...i no longer can close my fingers around it.
I like painting; i spent four days painting and priming a 1000 sq ft. apartment.
Those four days of painting have revealed to me that i am very much out of shape. i could barely walk yesterday.
i actually like dogs.
by shaving off my facial hair, and spiking my head hair, i can look three years younger in 10 minutes.
Record for holding my breath underwater in the hottub: 1 minute 34 seconds; record which my little brother holds: 56 seconds.

Anyways, as i have about a week left here, im sure it will be fun. i wish you all God's blessing in 2006. take it easy, peace.

Ewww...

2005-12-23T19:09:00.000-06:00

So yesterday I went shopping for the first time in four months. I was a little suprised at what I saw because I swear I could have been transported back into the 80's when I was looking at what to buy; the style today is disgusting. First of all, you have the most ugliest colours imagineable being mixed together like pink and brown and seafoam green and a whole bunch of crap. Then there is sweater vests; need i say more. i pretty much wanted to vomit all over, and/or burn down all the stores i went to. The only thing I bought was...drum roll...bedsheets. Anyways, for a person who is always into modern styles, this whole throwback to the 80's colours and styles is sickening. please let this just be a passing fad.

Studying...

2005-12-20T18:17:00.000-06:00

Socialism (communism) in Russia? THAT'S CRAZY! THEY HAVEN'T EVEN ENTERED THE CAPITALIST STAGE YET!!

- Karl Marx

My Top Five Favourite Myths of Chuck Norris...

2005-12-19T14:32:00.000-06:00

So here are my top five myths concerning Chuck Norris:

5. The chief export of Chuck Norris is pain.

4. Chuck Norris counted to infinity - twice.

3. When Chuck Norris sends in his taxes, he sends blank forms and includes only a picture of himself, crouched and ready to attack. Chuck Norris has not had to pay taxes ever.

2. Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.

1. Chuck Norris sleeps with a night light; not because Chuck Norris is afraid of the dark, but the dark is afraid of Chuck Norris.

Winter Drivers...

2005-12-19T00:25:00.000-06:00

So we actually have snow on the ground now...and i have to agree with my friend louis when he says that everyone seems to have forgotten how to drive (especially in ontario). this little clip will show you what i mean, check it out...

usb drive

2005-12-19T00:02:00.000-06:00

so i figure that i should probably get a usb drive for school during the christmas holidays. as i was looking, around i found this one. yep, i definately found a keeper.

shutting themselves in...

2005-12-17T17:36:00.000-06:00

Apparently, the US is looking into constructing a "physical barrier" on the 49th parallel to prevent terrorists from coming through. im sure we all think this is ridiculous. does anyone think that the US federal government is driving farther away from the will of the people? could this cause them to ultimately shut themselves out of the rest of the world? it seems like they feel that everyone is out to get them, especially since support for the war in iraq has crashed like a plane into the ground. but would citizens of the US really care? do they really care about the rest of the world outside of their country?

lost

2005-12-16T17:50:00.000-06:00

so it is now 5:50pm and i just finished writing my second hardest exam: ancient and mediaeval political theory. The exam consisted of three essay questions, each taking me about an hour. I felt i did good as I usually have problems writing properly layed out essay style answers under pressure. i think i did really good actually - it all depends on how the prof marks it - its all subjective marking really.

anyways so right now i am tired and my eyes are sore...im still adjusting from taking my glasses off...they are starting to drive me crazy. anyways, i wish i could sleep...but...my hardest exam is just over an hour a way. i feel lost. i want my bed.

Interesting...

2005-12-16T02:26:00.000-06:00

I find it interesting that while the Chronicles of Narnia shows winter and snow as symbols of evil in the world, Presdient Cooper referred to snow these evening (at the Midnight breakfast) as symbolizing how we are made pure and holy through God's spirit.

Whoah...This Is Scary

2005-12-11T20:35:00.000-06:00

Today I received an email from Joyce and it read as follows:

This will blow your mind Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 300 employees and has the following statistics

30 have been accused of spousal abuse.
9 have been arrested for fraud.
14 have been accused of writing bad cheques.
95 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses.
4 have done time for assault.
55 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit.
12 have been arrested on drug related charges.
4 have been arrested for shoplifting.
16 are currently defendants in lawsuits.
62 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year.

Can you guess which organization this is?

It is the 301 MP's in the Canadian Parliament. The same group that cranks out hundred of new laws designed to keep the rest of us in line.

Which one are you voting for?

Redeemer Hockey

2005-12-10T15:21:00.000-06:00

Last night I went to the hockey game. I didn't really like the hockey game; I only went to it because there was nothing else to do. See, I don't really tend to support Redeemer's hockey team. To me, if Redeemer is to have a hockey team, they should be playing against other colleges and universities. I don't care if this means that Redeemer will be last in the league for the next ten years; at least they are playing against their own kind. Currently, Redeemer's hockey team is playing in a church league. This seems a little unfair as theoretically, Redeemer has 816 people to chose from while every other team barely has enough players to make a team, and usually are only playing just for fun. For some reason, Redeemer students are proud of their hockey team placing 2nd/3rd in church league; I am not proud of them at all. I mean, we should be kicking their faces in (not literally); we have a lot more opportunity for talent and we actually do practice (even though it is very little).

Now I don't know how Redeemer Athletics views its hockey team but I think there is some sort of confusion. If Redeemer's hockey team is supposed to be non-competitive and solely for having fun, than I think there is no problem for a bunch of Redeemer guys/girls to get together and play in a church league- paying for it themselves, without carrying the Royals name. If Redeemer is going to have a competing hockey team, then they should be able to carry the Redeemer Royal's name and receive funding from the university, and therefore compete against other colleges and universities on behalf of Redeemer.

As the team currently stands, I can't help feeling confused. Are we supposed to be proud of getting 2nd or 3rd place in a church league? To myself, no - we don't belong in that league as a university team. Maybe we should decide if Redeemer wants a real hockey team, otherwise, don't bother wasting the school's money.

Help Me...

2005-12-10T12:11:00.000-06:00

It sounds like their are strangers beating each other up in my house. I don't know what to do...I'm a little frightened....

Construction...

2005-12-05T23:58:00.000-06:00

So i was bored last night and than i realized that my blog (as it is currently designed) will be about 1 years old in less than 2 months. in light of this, i have decided to redesign my blog...hopeully making it a little more aesthetically pleasing as well as unveiling a new aspect: the use of video messaging. That is right; you the lucky reader will find more than just pictures and written messages from me. Hopefully, I will figure out my video editing software and i will be able to show you guys videos of my everyday life - just so you know whats going on. Plus, it's about time that i update myself with technology....anyways, so i have made a rough sketch on how it will be designed. I am hoping that a tentative date of completion will be jan 30th, 2006. so anyways, unless i blog again (which may be doubtful as i'm crazy busy with boring school work- which isn't exciting to blog about) i will see you then. peace,
craig

p.s. exams are in one week...ahhh!

A whole bunch of random sentances and thoughts strung together

2005-11-28T22:53:00.000-06:00

so yah...my life has been crazy busy as of late. i have had 2 all nighters in 1 1/2 weeks. i lost my keys, wallet, pants and towel in the same week and a half. today i found my wallet, pants and towel. im still missing my keys. my car is getting fixed...i talked to insurance on thursday. the problem is that the powertripping security officers at the university decided to be jerks to me and tell maintenance to build huge snow piles around my car so i couldn't get it out. so now i can't get a tow-truck at it. oh well...it was really warm today...and it rained...i don't know if the snow melted because of the warmth or the acid in the rain. oh hamilton...so tonight the government fell...that was really exciting...tonight i have to write my paper...and tomorrow...i hate my paper. today our library opened...it is really nice...it actually feels like a university kinda now. oh well. thats about it.

Boycott McDonalds - December 3

2005-11-13T01:01:00.000-06:00

If ound a website from these two ten year old boys who want to boycott mcdonalds on December 3 to protest the softwood lumber issue. I think it's great that they are involved like this. They have a website and everything...come check it out. http://www.wewantourmoneyback.ca/
Enjoy!
craig

Belinda Stronach's Viagra Joke

2005-11-12T21:35:00.000-06:00

So it turns out that Belinda Stronach has some wit to make up for her lack of competence as a cabinet minister. This article was the third most important story on Thursday on the CBC site...and to think we might have had an election without the CBC to help the liberals along.

Miss Stronach was quoted on This Hour is 22 Minutes responding to one of the actors comments:

Actor: "You're a House of Commons wrecker being seduced by an older man who then, you
find out, can't even get his polls up....It's not the size of his caucus; it's what he does with it."

Miss Stronach: "You know, I recommended to Stephen once that to rise in his polls he should
take a little Viagra. But the pill got stuck in his throat and all he got was a stiff neck."

And the article goes on and on about it. If no one has ever seen a clear case where the CBC is biased to the liberals, here is one for you. Check out the story at:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/11/10/stronach-this-hour051110.html

Oh CBC...why can't you just have a strike again...maybe unions have served at least one good purpose....

Ottawa < or = "Trashcona"?

2005-11-12T20:49:00.000-06:00

So a week ago I went to Ottawa with Nathaniel for a little road trip for our 2-day reading break. It was a good time, watching politics, seeing the governor general, touring the mint, going to the supreme court and just relaxing and all. Though, I had to say that I was disappointed wih the overall state of the city. Besides being poorly planned, the city was just overly dirty. As we walked from our hotel (5 blocks from the parliament buildings on the same street), we past countless beggers asking for money. Graffitti lined the walls of the run-down, boarded up stores, and everything just looked dirty. It reminded me of transcona in winnipeg (a.k.a. trashcona for you ontarians).

Now don't get me wrong, the fall weather had caused alot of the trees to their leaves and the flowers to be pulled out but the city should not look like this! This is our nations capital! When people walk down the streets they should be instilled with pride exploring these streets! The capital of a nation should be a beacon of light, the pride of the nation and what it represents!

I remember went i visited Quebec City this summer. I remember walking from my hotel located right beside the parliament building and the walls of Old Quebec. I walked around the city in sheer awe; I could just sense the pride in the city. Everything was absolutely beautiful. To most Quebecors there, this was their capital city. The city seemed to designed and upkept to provide Quebecors a glimpse of what a self-governed Quebec would look like. It looked almost unrealistic.

As I focus my train of thought back on Ottawa, I do not feel this at all. I feel nothing but disappointment. Only in the parliament buildings did I begin to experience anything like i felt in Quebec City. Yet this only made me feel that the parliament buildings were out of place. This cannot be; the capital of our nation and every nation must be beautiful. I really think that Winnipeg is comparable if not nicer than Ottawa. Maybe Ottawa should try to revitalize their city. For if people cannot feel proud of their country while visiting their nation's capital, how can they feel proud of their country at all?

1 and 1/2 Days till another D-Day - potentially changing Canada forever

2005-10-30T13:49:00.000-06:00

So on Tuesday morning the first report of the Gomery Inquiry is coming out, having everybody anxiously preparing for the political war that will ensue. (Extraction from CTV News)

Federal parties preparing Gomery report spin (CP)
OTTAWA — The Liberal party is preparing to return bags of cash purloined from the public purse.

Prime Minister Paul Martin is preparing a late-night huddle with a small circle of advisers on Parliament Hill on Monday. And his predecessor Jean Chretien is preparing to meet with three of his lawyers the following morning at 10 a.m. ET.

For almost two years, the country's political players awaited Justice John Gomery's report as a potentially ground-shifting moment in Canadian politics. That moment -- Tuesday morning -- is approaching fast. And they're all preparing for the fallout.

Opposition parties hope for a lurid chronicle of corruption that triggers enough public outrage to sweep the Liberal government from office. The Bloc Quebecois wants just enough outrage to sweep Quebec out of Canada. The Liberals hope to survive the wave.

Martin's inner circle gets an early glimpse at Gomery's tome late Monday -- 16 hours before its public release.That tight group of advisers will spend the ensuing hours discussing how to dismantle a political bomb.

The document is so shrouded in secrecy that those who see it Monday night will be forced to sign a confidentiality agreement.The few with access will be preparing talking points that will serve the following morning as a line of defence for the prime minister, his cabinet and Liberals across the country.

Liberal party officials say even they don't expect warning of the report's contents -- but they have their main answer prepared. Within hours or days of its release, the party plans to dip into a $750,000 trust fund it recently set aside to refund taxpayers.

"We know we will have a responsibility to reimburse the government of Canada,'' said the Liberals' national director, Steven MacKinnon. "Anyone convicted of wrongdoing -- we don't want that money. We don't want any part of it.''

The prime minister will assess the damage and decide how to respond but is expected to make a formal statement, at the very least, in the National Press Theatre near Parliament.

Several blocks away, Jean Chretien will be meeting with his lawyers. All three of his Gomery commission counsel will pore over the document in a four-hour briefing lockup for media and politicians from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET. They will take the news to their famous client, who plans to issue a public response.

Sources say the potential responses range from a statement of vindication, to a lawsuit aimed at having the report wiped off the government record and discredited. The political response might undergo some last-minute fine tuning.

But politicians of all stripes have already crafted messages based on the assumptions one might logically draw from the inquiry: the federal sponsorship program enriched the Liberal party, there were corrupt elements in the party, the corruption permeated government, several Chretien confidants had a front-row seat to it, and there was no smoking gun implicating the current or former prime minister.

Let the political spin wars begin.

The Liberals...

2005-10-25T18:21:00.000-05:00

My Wish List

2005-10-18T18:12:00.000-05:00

So now that Chad's Birthday has past (as of yesterday) I have begun to reflect upon my own. So for all you keeners out there...here is a list of items you may give me for a present. Let's just say that what you give me will determine how nice I am to you for the rest of the year:

KARLANDA Armchair (Ikea)
Price: $599.00
Comments: Polyurethane foam wrappedin polyester fibres gives soft, comfortable cushions. Easy to keep clean with removable, dry clean only cover. For use in bedroom as a study chair.

Money (Any Major Bank)
Price: Depending on Person
Comment: Preferrably in large cash denominations. US Dollars greatly accepted but not Monopoly, Life, or any other game money. Must be real....

DCR413BSL 4.3 Cubit Foot Bar Fridge (Home Depot)
Price: $198.00
Comments: Is your Refrigerator filled to the brim? Do you have trouble finding space for beverages while entertaining? This stylish compact counter-high fridge will provide plenty of extra refrigeration. Suitable for a web-bar, playroom or den this fridge is small enough to be inconspicuous but large enough to serve your guests. Also includes a compact freezer section with ice cube tray.

Ash Wood Flooring
Price: $500 upwards
Comments: Because of the recent renovations in my room, my strange light blue carpet that has paint spots on it doesn't really match...I figure that hard wood floor is the way to go...classy.
My room is 9' by 10'

Jerry/Gas Can (Available almost everywhere)
Price: $Less than 20 bucks

Comments: What better way to cash in on good gas prices than to take an extra tank with me!
(Note: must come with included spout and hose in order to prevent the opportunity to spill.)

Stretch Mid-Weight Men's 1-Piece Thermal Bodysuit Underwear (Sears)
Price: $40.00
Size: 33
Comments: Good for all these cold winter days coming up. Also doubles as speed-skating outfit and snow camoflouge suit. Note: Model not wanted.

24 Season 4 Box Set
Price: $45-70
Release Date: December 6, 2005

Comments: How can you go wrong???!!! It looks soooo good! I can't wait to watch it!

Darkstar Skateboard (West 49)
Price: $89.99 Board + Classic K Red Kryptonic Wheels $26.99 + Royal 5.0 Silver Truck $39.95
Comments: To make the 15 minute walk to the busstop a little easier and less time consuming.

Freddy the 3rd (Any Pet Store)
Price: $10, maybe.
Comment: Red Beta Fish. Have aquarium, food and all other equipment. Need to replace old one. Preferably disease free and a purebread. Needs to be trained for fighting but not damaged from other previous fights.

One-of-a-kind Floating Cube Water Wall
Price: Priceless

Comments: Located at Toronto Pearson Airport Terminal 1 - wanted for North wall of my room. Water should be included - can't afford to pay more than $50 a month for water alone.

Umbrella
Price: Under $10
Comments: Too come to good use to keep me dry from the rain which has consistently been falling for the past week. This will also save the amount of laundry I will have to do.... (Note: Preferrably not made from paper)

ECHO Cologne by Davidoff
Price: $80 ($100 with tax)
Comments: Running low...such a good smell. If you want to find out more check out the website at:
http://www.davidoff.com/echo/man.htm

Anyways, so that is all for now, I hope to update the list as time goes on. Until then, peace.

Viruses and Trojan Horses

2005-10-15T01:08:00.000-05:00

So for the past week I have been busying myself with an all out battle against viruses and trojan horses that have reaked havoc on my poor little computer. finally, today i had enough of it and erased my entire computer. it was quite a struggle and Strong Bad provides a glimpse into what I had to deal with this week.

"What is this? Did the quadratic formula explode? I see a 'Strong ba' in there, but it's getting eaten by some... Linux or something. Wait a minute! Is this one of those virus emails? Like the kind that moms and offshore casinos send you?! I'll take care of this! Maybe I should introduce you to my main man, Edgar! (Virus Software). Scan Complete! 423, 827
Viruses Found! Waaugh! That is not a small number! That is
a big number!! What'm I gonna do? What...computer over?
Virus equals very yes? That's not a good prize! Uhhh, noo...."

(Check out the full clip at: http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail118.html)

2005-10-12T00:26:00.000-05:00

So the guys in my dorm were bored tonight and decided to make some trading cards...of us. Ya...the creativity even amazes me. Way to much on time on their hands. You would think they had school work to do...obviously they aren't business or political science majors.

The Funniest Thing I Have Ever Seen

2005-10-07T00:19:00.000-05:00

Check out this video. I have never laughed so much in my life!
http://www.extremefunnyhumor.com/vids/pooljump.mpeg

Western Separatism must be taken seriously...(Article by Charles Adler)

2005-10-01T18:28:00.000-05:00

In a charlesadler.com poll, 52 percent of respondents said that once the western separatist movement has a credible leader, it will take off like a prairie fire. The conversation was reignited because of a national post front page story that said fully 36 percent of voters in western canada under the age of 30 were open to the idea of separating their province from Canada...in my poll i asked several questions including this one? is separatism just a topic for kooks. Only 5 percent said it was.

For what it's worth, over 250 people voted in the poll, a sampling not any smaller than most national polls...One can argue about the accuracy of polls. But based on emails received one can no longer argue that separatism is something talked about only by kooks and fruit loops and other names that you want to use to label folks living on the margins of society and sanity.
If this subject isn't taken seriously by the feds, Canada will be the loser. The damage that the Martin government is doing to many people's sense of what Canada really is about, is astounding. Many people in Western Canada feel that a not so silent coup has taken place and that the country is run by a handful of pseudo intellectuals based in Canada's political triangle formed by Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa. If this feeling continues to deepen and a credible leader speaks to the feeling, it won't matter how many national pundits try to hang pejorative labels on Western Canadians....The more confident westerners become about their own possibilities and potential, the less interested they will be in hearing the pontificaitons of the national politicians and pundits.

A prairie fire can look like a pretty thing, unless you're a blade of wheat. There is a lot of Canadan wheat in the field. But there appears to be a drought of national dialogue. You don't have to be a farmer to know that droughts threaten crops. That's PrimeChuck. I'm CA

2005-09-23T23:51:00.000-05:00

So this is the desk and shelf that I made. I am quite proud of it!

Maybe we should just let it go...

2005-09-23T23:04:00.000-05:00

So since the CBC has been plagued by a strike for the past couple months with no resolution in sight, I think that this may be a good time to discuss getting rid of the CBC for good.

Let's face it, the CBC is crap. The only thing that keeps that corporation going is their sports programs - hockey night in Canada, the Olympics, etc. and some of their comedic parody shows (rick mercer's monday report, air farce, etc.) Besides these, the broadcasting corporation is crap. It is not like their news is any good - what do you expect from a corporation that is publicly funded by the government? Can anybody say propaganda?

I think it is also important to realize that the CBC in Quebec in Canada, known as Radio-Canada, is notoriously known to be separatist leaning, and played a huge role in the push for separatism in 1995 and the years previous. (Just look at our new Governor General - from the CBC and a person once involved in the separatist movement.) The Canadian public have indirectly supported the Quebec separatist agenda through their taxes.

I say that we should just face the fact that without government sponsoring, the CBC would not survive. Why should they deserve to be funded and every other television network have to support themselves? I find that the CBC has long-fulfilled its original purpose. So why do we have it? Its just further wasteful spending by the liberal government.

At the same time I think we should revise the CRTC. The CRTC was originally created to stop the "Americanization" of Canada in fear that we should become the 51st state. It is now clear from my studies that Canada will not be joining the States in a long time. The political cultures of both countries are too different and there are too many other small differences that exist imbetween both countries; all the American TV will not make a difference in the matter.

With the decrease in costs of satellite it is a lot more common to find a large amount of American television shows in Canada. Does it really make a difference? I think that Canadian television should be judged in the same way as American television shows and if they are good, they will survive. The only reason why the CRTC is still here is because Quebec uses it to stop the "Anglasizing" of their province. They constantly are complaining about the lack of French television or radio shows and that if the CRTC doesn't prevent the Anglaphone media from breaking down the door, their culture will be overrun and destroyed. And in today's political culture, when Quebec wants something, they get it.

So I find myself wandering why we even have such archaic institutions which really only serve the purpose of Quebec separatists. Maybe it is time we should just let them go...

One-Stop Tour

2005-09-18T23:46:00.000-05:00

So this past Friday and Saturday night Redeemer held a big concert of 7 local bands. Overall it was good; many of the bands were amazing but the atmosphere (the crowd) kindof sucked. Anyways, the line-up was as follows: Set In Stone, Almost the Answer, Lucerin Blue, Matthew DeZoete, The Junction, Guilty, Satellite or Star, Manefest, and Appertain Display.

Above: Lucerin Blue - great lighting effects - alright music (i don't really care for the screaming on the top of your lungs style)

Above: Set In Stone - local McMaster Band - AMAZING. Along with performing their own songs they did amazing covers for AC/DC- TNT (Dynamite) and Led Zepplin. I definately bought their CD. I ended up talking to the lead after the concert and he said that they were heading out west for a tour. He even said that they were stopping in winnipeg. I definately suggest to check them out.

Above: Guilty, a local Ancaster band, with Redeemer's own Brad van der Woerd as lead was amazing. Definately going to pick up their CD when it comes out in November!

Above: Manafest performs the last act for the One Stop Tour. Just think of him as a redeemed Eminem (so to say) who is focused on bring the gospel through his rap. He pretty much is the Christian carbon copy of Eminem. I know what your thinking - sketchy. It was. I couldn't take him serious at all. Most of his beats were ripped off of or close replicas of other rap artists like 50 Cent. The DJ also rapped and he was better. They had one good song where the chorus was sung by TFK's lead singer. The best part of this act was the breakdancing. It was sick...

East Wall of My Room

2005-09-14T23:39:00.000-05:00

So here is the East Wall of my room...I especially like the TV tray...it is the sickest thing around. Hopefully i will be making a desk this week yet...

West Wall of My Room

2005-09-13T23:31:00.000-05:00

So tonight I made my bed...it is a sheet of plywood on 7 cinder blocks...sweet. Total cost $21.30. I also hung up my poster and set up my lamp. I like...

Oh Alberta...Hahaha!

2005-09-12T00:34:00.000-05:00

A father watched his daughter playing in the garden. He smiled as he reflected on how sweet and innocent his little girl was. Suddenly she just stopped and stared at the ground. He went over to her and found her looking at two spiders mating. "Daddy, what are those two spiders doing?" she asked. "They're mating," her father replied. "What do you call the spider on top, Daddy?" she asked. "That's a Daddy Longlegs." Her father answered. "So, the other one is Mommy Longlegs?" the little girl asked. "No," her father replied. "Both of them are Daddy Longlegs." The little girl thought for a moment, then took her foot and stomped them flat. "Well, it might be OK in Ontario & British Columbia, BUT we're not having any of that shit here in Alberta."

2005-09-11T17:46:00.000-05:00

My room as of this afternoon...hopefully i will get furniture this week...