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.
Uprisings in African countries are popping up day after day it seems. Dictators continue to think they're untouchable. While all of the chaos in Egypt, Libya and other locales are happening and would make watching the evening news interesting, none of it compares to the catastrophe in Japan.
The land of "Hello Kitty" and Karaoke has been left with nothing happy to sing about. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami that struck on Friday March 11, 2011 killed thousands and left thousands more missing.
A natural disaster on this scale would be bad enough but who could have imagined it would get even worse? Shockingly it has gotten worse as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered major damage resulting in not one but four reactors going on the fritz. So while people in Japan are searching for survivors and recovering the dead, they remain on edge with a seemingly never ending number of aftershocks and the fear that a nuclear meltdown is in the process and they could be glowing in the dark before too long. What a mess.
You don't need me to give you details as I'm sure you've heard it all on the news and with the story that is constantly changing I couldn't possibly keep up to speed with it all.
The one thing that has been inspiring with all of this has been the reactions of the Japanese people. Of course they are frightened, shocked and questioning what to do next but they're also freakishly calm.
Being in Canada I can't really draw on any personal experience or history that would compare to what the people of Japan are going through but I have a hard time imagining Canadians being as calm. Lets face it, if this had happened in Montreal, there would be looting and rioting in the streets because...well, that's what they do every chance they get it seems.
Sure Canadians are a respectful, peaceful and courteous bunch who have proven in the past that when called upon to stand and fight, we do it better than any other country in the world. History has shown that in past wars. So, I'd like to think we would react similar to the Japanese. I certainly know we would do what we could for our friends and neighbours.
I can only speculate but I'm guessing mayhem would ensue south of the border in the U.S. While they may be very patriotic or seem to be by how vocal they are about it, I still think they'd lose their minds. Heck, even with the minute and harmless traces of radiation that are finding their way to the shores of the Home of the Brave, people are panicking to the point that anti-radiation pills are selling out. One can only imagine the pandemonium that would ensue should something similar happen in North America.
My hope is that we'll never find out what would actually happen in that scenario. In the meantime we'll continue to send aid and assist our friends in the land of the rising sun and hope for the best.
I, like all other Montreal Canadiens fans sat in shock and disbelief after Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins lambasted Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty on Tuesday night.
Had the hit taken place anywhere else on the ice it wouldn't have been as severe but because it happened near the benches where Pacioretty's head made contact with the glass partition, the play resulted in the Montreal forward being knocked out and left motionless on the ice.
Did Chara intend to cause such a horrific impact which could have turned out even worse? Only he knows for sure but watching the countless replays I have to think Chara knew what he was doing and where he was going to check Pacioretty. In fact it appeared as though Chara made sure he was going to contact the pole.
I'm not suggesting Chara was trying to cause injury despite the fact the same two players had a run in the game before. I don't think Chara is a dirty player but his size as the biggest player in the league does come with some added responsibility.
He has to be aware that he can inflict a lot of damage if he wants to and in a situation like this where it was clearly a late hit to begin with, he should have backed off. He didn't and that is why the league must step in and punish him so he will maybe think twice before doing something so reckless in the future. Next time the player could leave the ice in a body bag instead of a stretcher.
UPDATE:The NHL decided no suspension was warranted. In my opinion the NHL made a colossal mistake and have now set a precedent that they will have to stand by in the future. To say that because the 6' 9" Chara "didn't leave his feet" to finish the illegal play is insane. He wasn't checking Shaquille O'Neal. Safe to say the Zdeno Chara will be Public Enemy #1 in Montreal for a long time.
After sitting here wracking my brain trying to get my creative juices flowing to put forth some words of wisdom or create some controversy with my own warped sense of humour and thinking, I've decided that I just don't have anything thought provoking to share. I can't recall the last time I struggled this much to put my thoughts in my blog.
To be honest, I need to invest in a new laptop. My old one died and I had been using it to write most of my postings while at work when I had some free time to do it. Since it stopped working, my blog posts have taken a sharp decline.
In the meantime, I've found a little time lately to put my photography skills to use. My new camera has been patiently waiting in the bag for me to pull it out and give it a workout. So I've managed to take a few shots worth keeping.
I'm actually working on my second photography book right now. My first one was enjoyed by many, although I never actually sold any copies. Everyone just looked at my copy. To be honest, that's all I really wanted any way. I take all these photos and most people never see them unless they gather around my computer. A book is a great way to share them with others by having it laying out for family and friends to look at.
Here are a few of my latest photos that people seemed to enjoy. Hope you like them as well.
I don't know if it's the time of year or I'm just uninspired lately but I've been struggling to come up with ideas for blog postings.
Sure I could just do updates to my daily life but honestly, who wants to read that I went to work again, ate mashed potatoes and meatballs for supper and have been dealing with a nagging cold lately?
My life just isn't that exciting!
It doesn't help that the only time I seem to leave the house is to go to work. I come home and begin my exciting evenings of eating, watching TV or messing around on the computer before I go to bed to rest up for the exact same thing the following day.
My social life has disappeared. I used to get out on weeknights with buddies, go to hockey games, party on weekends and basically have fun. Now the only regular interaction I have with other humans is via Twitter, Facebook or Flickr.
Of course the time of year has a lot to do with it. I don't get out much in the winter. At least in the spring, summer and autumn I can go golfing, camping or get out in nature with my camera and take photos.
It's not that I don't like talking to people. Hell, for nearly 14 years I made a living by talking on the radio and going to events and dealing with the general public. But after that job ended I went into a shell and shut myself off from almost everyone except my family and a few other people. I hid from society without even being conscious of the decision.
The last six plus years have been tough on me in many ways after having a happy life turned upside down unexpectedly and I admit it hasn't gotten a lot better. But I'm still the same guy with the same social skills. I just need to take those skills out of mothballs and use them more.
As for being motivated to write more on this blog, I'll continue to come up with ideas and share my thoughts when I can get my brain lubricated a bit better. Anyone have some WD40 I can borrow?
Once again the hype was bigger than the actual storm as Ontario was hit with what I would consider a mild snow storm. I think we ended up with close to 20cm.
Not a bad dumping but to listen to the experts and Meteorologists the day before the storm you'd think we were going to be stranded in our homes for days.
That of course was not the case. In fact, even the weather gurus were apologizing tonight on the news for messing this one up. OK, these things happen from time to time.
Part of me can't help but wonder if the Toronto mentality to snow has changed over the years. Perhaps it's because so many cultures call Toronto home now that came from countries where snow wasn't common or maybe the city folks are just becoming winter wimps. Whatever the reason, they seem to panic at the sign of snowflakes while those of us in the more rural communities just sit back and laugh at them while we calmly clear away the latest dusting of the white stuff.
Poking fun at the people of Toronto has gone on for many years but I think things really took on a life of its own back in 1999 when then Mayor Mel Lastman called in the Canadian Army to help dig out Toronto following a significant blizzard. About 118cm fell over several days and brought the city to a halt. The rest of Canada laughed at them for having to seek the help of the Canadian Armed Forces.
I came across this video that always makes me laugh when I watch it. It pokes fun at the people of Toronto and how they react to the most common site in Canada for six months out of the year.
The 9.0 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami that struck on Friday March 11, 2011 killed thousands and left thousands more missing.
While they may be very patriotic or seem to be by how vocal they are about it, I still think they'd lose their minds. Heck, even with the minute and harmless traces of radiation that are finding their way to the shores of the Home of the Brave, people are panicking to the point that anti-radiation pills are selling out. One can only imagine the pandemonium that would ensue should something similar happen in North America.
