Welcome to my blog.
This is my creative outlet that could include my thoughts on anything from current affairs, my weight loss quest and things that just make me need to voice an opinion.
I actually thought the election of Barrack Obama was a good thing at first. It was good for African Americans who witnessed something that they thought might never happen. Plus it's probably a good thing for the United States and their relationship with the rest of the world.
The last eight years Bush in the Oval Office have put a major strain on relations and the overall view of the world towards the U.S. has taken a severe beating. I think and hope Obama will do a lot to reach out to the world and welcome old friends once again. The U.S. was becoming like that relative you only want to see when you have to instead of your favourite Uncle who always made you feel good and safe.
Of course my only real worry when I witnessed history that election night was how long until the Earth faces extinction or disaster. If my years of watching movies and television have taught me anything, it's that when a black man becomes the President of the United States of America, it is soon followed by either a terrorist attack or an asteroid racing toward the planet intent on killing us all.
The President on the TV show 24 had to deal with a nuclear bomb. The President on the movie The Fifth Element had an alien life form ready to destroy the earth and of course the most famous example has to be Morgan Freeman as the President in the movie Deep Impact where two comets threaten to kill all life on the planet when they hit. It's not a great track record.
I certainly don't think anything like this will happen but the signs are starting to appear. Just last week a giant 10 tonne meteor raced across the skies of Saskatchewan and Alberta. This event was witnessed by thousands of people and a few dozen Prairie Dogs.
Is this a coincidence...or is this only the beginning.
Here is actual dashcam footage from a Police cruiser of the recent meteor.
I was shocked to learn this morning that one of my favourite Canadian musical performers had passed away over the weekend. Kenny MacLean was 52.
For many of my readers you may not recognize the name or remember his music but I grew up listening to him, both as a solo artist and with his 80's band mates in Platinum Blonde. Their music was part of the soundtrack to my youth.
MacLean had just released his third solo album last Friday at a club in Toronto where he had been joined by Mark Holmes, former lead singer of Platinum Blonde.
It is being reported that MacLean's sister Pamela had been unable to contact the musician. She went to his studio and apartment on Yonge Street and had the landlord let her in. She found MacLean collapsed in the bathroom with the tap running. He also had a home in the city.
The cause of death is not yet known, but police say they are not treating MacLean's death as suspicious.
I remember fondly the music of Platinum Blonde with hits like Standing in the Dark, Crying Over You and It Doesn't Really Matter. MacLean also spent time in another band called the Deserters. His solo success also produced some memorable songs as well. Here he is during an appearance on the French music video station Musique Plus singing his hit, "Don't Look Back".
I don't usually get too excited about upcoming movie releases. Rarely do I actually go to the theatre to watch a movie when it's first released. Today I usually wait until they're released on DVD before I'll see a movie I think I'll enjoy.
When I was younger I would go to more movies because it was something to do with your friends. I payed to see a lot of crappy flicks when I was a kid. A few that come to mind are Iron Eagle, Gremlins and Spaceballs. OK...Spaceballs wasn't great but it was damn funny.
It's so rare for me to visit a theatre to see a movie on the big screen that I have only been to two movies in the last five years. In 2003 I went on Boxing Day to see The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and in 2007 I went to see Bruce Willis in Live Free or Die Hard.
As for what's in theatre's now or in the near future, there's only one movie I'd like to see and that's the latest James Bond thriller, Quantum of Solace. However odds are good I'll wait for it to come out on DVD as well.
As for movies that will be released in 2009, there are two right now that have me thinking I might actually spend the money to see them on the big screen. The first one is Tranformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen which is due out in June.
The other one surprises even myself since I've only been a casual fan of the TV series or the previous movies but this one looks interesting and could be quite entertaining.
I'm talking of course about Star Trek. The movie will chronicle the early days of James T. Kirk and his fellow USS Enterprise crew members. It looks to be full of action and will likely look better on a big screen. I'm not a Trekie but I think I would enjoy it. It's due out in May of 2009.
For a sneak peek of Star Trek...have a look at this movie trailer.
Every year we seem to hear about the fires in California that ravage hillsides and communities burning everything in their path. It is horrible.
According to fire officials, Firefighters will need at least until midweek to get control of wildfires that have destroyed more than 700 homes in Southern California.
High winds have fanned blazes from Santa Barbara to Anaheim since Thursday, scorching an estimated 35,000 acres of land.The largest of three fires, the Freeway Complex fire, had set ablaze nearly 24,000 acres in Orange, Los Angeles and Riverside counties.
Most of the damage was in Orange County, in the Los Angeles suburbs of Anaheim and Yorba Linda, where more than 100 homes were destroyed.
A friend of mine (Chad) through hockey comes from Yorba Linda and I got word from him yesterday that his parent's home was one of those destroyed by the fire. I certainly send my thoughts and prayers to his family and hope they can recover as quickly as possible.
Here is a photo showing before and after the fire swept through their neighbourhood. I can't imagine how sick they must feel but I'm sure they're all happy to be alive and able to rebuild.
On Tuesday morning I woke up early on a day off and decided to get mobile and head down to the local Cenotaph for the Remembrance Day service.
I was glad I did. I always support our troops and I certainly appreciate the sacrifices made by those who fought to defend our freedoms but I rarely have had the opportunity to attend the service in person.
Despite the cool November weather the attendance was great.
I hope where ever you were you took a minute to reflect, respect and remember.
I snapped some photos while I was there. Just click on the photos if you'd like to see them larger.
Won't you join me as we travel back to the 1980's and the phenomenon that helped to define Canadians and how the rest of the world viewed us.
When was the last time you called someone a "Hoser" or told them to "Take Off Eh"?
Of course we have Bob and Doug McKenzie of SCTV to thank for this.
Even today when I visit the United States and someone I meet finds out I'm a Canadian they call me a hoser. Of course, we aren't really like Bob and Doug but they weren't all wrong either. There is some truth to their sketch comedy.
To see a video CBC feature that was done during the peak of the "Great White North" revolution, click here.
It is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918.
While any relatives of mine who served have passed away I do have a family friend who is nearly 90 years old and served in WWII. He doesn't speak about the war often but from time to time he will speak of some memories of that time.
Of course there have been many conflicts involving Canadians and the continue to fight and die for their country today in Afghanistan and other parts of the world.
Take a moment to remember them at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
Here is a video by Terry Kelly that you have most likely watched before but it's always worth watching again.
I want to apologize to my loyal readers who make it a point to stop by a few times a week just to see what I've been thinking.
I haven't had an update in a while and there's two reasons for that.
1. I have been busy with other stuff in my life. 2. I just haven't had anything to complain or talk about lately.
I could talk about the historic election results south of the border in the United States but if you're like me, you were sick of all the election talk long before Obama was announced as the winner. It's not that I don't recognize the significance of the event. I've just moved beyond it already.
I spent more time on Tuesday night watching the American election coverage than I did the night of our own Canadian election. Honestly...our election is incredibly boring compared to the U.S. election. The Canadian government could learn a lot from the Americans when it comes to getting the people excited about politics.
Lets be honest, our leaders are about as charismatic as a pile of manure. They're like some of the Dwarfs from Snow White.
Lets see...Prime Minister Harper (Conservatives) would be "Borey" for his monotone voice and ability to kill the enthusiasm in all who come in conatact with him.
I'd call Stéphane Dion (Liberals)"Whiney" as his skill and ability to blame everyone else but himself for his parties failures is quite impressive.
Jack Layton (NDP)could only be named "Dorky" because lets face it...he's a dorky looking guy who does a great job of picking on everyone else but can't produce any good problem solving ideas of his own.
Gilles Duceppe (Bloc Québécois) is an easy one..."Snotty". It must be tough trying to run the party for Quebec Nationalists with a 2X4 jammed up your anus all the time. However you can bet that René Lévesque would be proud of the Canada hating jackass. I'd tell him the same thing that I'd tell any immigrants to Canada...if you don't like the way things are done here and you don't want to live by our rules and beliefs...then don't let the airplane door hit you in the butt as you leave to find another country to live in. Actually...I probably wouldn't be that polite.
Finally there's Elizabeth May (Green Party). I won't give her a name since her party is a complete joke any way.
For some reason I just find the American political system more interesting. I realize the Canadian system is all about history as well as it is based on the British system. However, nobody said that was any good either.
Although I didn't support Barrack Obama and his party I don't have anything against the man and I think he'll likely do about as good a job as McCain would have. Lets face it, neither one of them would have had a tough act to follow.
Of course my only real worry when I witnessed history that election night was how long until the Earth faces extinction or disaster. If my years of watching movies and television have taught me anything, it's that when a black man becomes the President of the United States of America, it is soon followed by either a terrorist attack or an asteroid racing toward the planet intent on killing us all.
