Happy Christmas

Our little keeshond... Nacho

I've posted about Nacho before... he's quite the little wonder dog.

At least he often makes us wonder why he is the way he is. Generally we chalk things up to the first two years of his life prior to him being a part of our little family.

Anyways... I thought I'd provide you with some links to his Twitter account and also his Nacho Video Diaries (NVDs), so that you can keep up to date with his day-to-day antics:

Twitter :: @nachoking

Nacho Video Diaries :: on YouTube or Vimeo

Enjoy the Nacho!!! ;)

Dogs + Treats + Slow Motion Camera...

This Pedigree commercial is so fantastic... makes me want to give Nacho (on Twitter @nachoking) a treat, bust out a fan, and get a slow-motion camera capable of 1000 frames per second.

We Are More!

We Are More

by Shane Koyczan

When defining Canada

you might list some statistics

you might mention our tallest building

or biggest lake

you might shake a tree in the fall

and call a red leaf Canada

you might rattle off some celebrities

might mention Buffy Sainte-Marie

might even mention the fact that we've got a few

Barenaked Ladies

or that we made these crazy things

like zippers

electric cars

and washing machines

when defining Canada

it seems the world's anthem has been

"been there done that"

and maybe that's where we used to be at

it's true

we've done and we've been

we've seen

all the great themes get swallowed up by the machine

and turned into theme parks

but when defining Canada

don't forget to mention that we have set sparks

we are not just fishing stories

about the one that got away

we do more than sit around and say "eh?"

and yes

we are the home of the Rocket and the Great One

who inspired little number nines

and little number ninety-nines

but we're more than just hockey and fishing lines

off of the rocky coast of the Maritimes

and some say what defines us

is something as simple as please and thank you

and as for you're welcome

well we say that too

but we are more

than genteel or civilized

we are an idea in the process

of being realized

we are young

we are cultures strung together

then woven into a tapestry

and the design

is what makes us more

than the sum total of our history

we are an experiment going right for a change

with influences that range from a to zed

and yes we say zed instead of zee

we are the colours of Chinatown and the coffee of Little Italy

we dream so big that there are those

who would call our ambition an industry

because we are more than sticky maple syrup and clean snow

we do more than grow wheat and brew beer

we are vineyards of good year after good year

we reforest what we clear

because we believe in generations beyond our own

knowing now that so many of us

have grown past what used to be

we can stand here today

filled with all the hope people have

when they say things like "someday"

someday we'll be great

someday we'll be this

or that

someday we'll be at a point

when someday was yesterday

and all of our aspirations will pay the way

for those who on that day

look towards tomorrow

and still they say someday

we will reach the goals we set

and we will get interest on our inspiration

because we are more than a nation of whale watchers and lumberjacks

more than backpacks and hiking trails

we are hammers and nails building bridges

towards those who are willing to walk across

we are the lost-and-found for all those who might find themselves at a loss

we are not the see-through gloss or glamour

of those who clamour for the failings of others

we are fathers brothers sisters and mothers

uncles and nephews aunts and nieces

we are cousins

we are found missing puzzle pieces

we are families with room at the table for newcomers

we are more than summers and winters

more than on and off seasons

we are the reasons people have for wanting to stay

because we are more than what we say or do

we live to get past what we go through

and learn who we are

we are students

students who study the studiousness of studying

so we know what as well as why

we don't have all the answers

but we try

and the effort is what makes us more

we don't all know what it is in life we're looking for

so keep exploring

go far and wide

or go inside but go deep

go deep

as if James Cameron was filming a sequel to The Abyss

and suddenly there was this location scout

trying to figure some way out

to get inside you

because you've been through hell and high water

and you went deep

keep exploring

because we are more

than a laundry list of things to do and places to see

we are more than hills to ski

or countryside ponds to skate

we are the abandoned hesitation of all those who can't wait

we are first-rate greasy-spoon diners and healthy-living cafes

a country that is all the ways you choose to live

a land that can give you variety

because we are choices

we are millions upon millions of voices shouting

"keep exploring... we are more"

we are the surprise the world has in store for you

it's true

Canada is the "what" in "what's new?"

so don't say "been there done that"

unless you've sat on the sidewalk

while chalk artists draw still lifes

on the concrete of a kid in the street

beatboxing to Neil Young for fun

don't say you've been there done that

unless you've been here doing it

let this country be your first-aid kit

for all the times you get sick of the same old same old

let us be the story told to your friends

and when that story ends

leave chapters for the next time you'll come back

next time pack for all the things

you didn't pack for the first time

but don't let your luggage define your travels

each life unravels differently

and experiences are what make up

the colours of our tapestry

we are the true north

strong and free

and what's more

is that we didn't just say it

we made it be.

-Shane Koyczan

The BIG red button...

Ever seen the BIG red button at gas stations? Ever wondered what would happen if you pressed it?!

Well here ya go...

Dumb Woman Pushes Fire Button - Watch more Funny Videos

My Top FREE iPhone Apps

So I've been iPhoning for a few months now and here are my top free iPhone apps in no particular order:

Photo by techburst.

BONUS. What's App? This was a free app until a couple of days ago, but still potentially worth the money. It's a push messenger service between iPhones that makes it very easy, and pretty, to communicate with your fellow iPhoners.

1. Around Me. Want to know more than just where the nearest coffee shop is? This app will tell you everything nearby including Apple retail stores, banks, restaurants, and much, much more.

2. Yellow Pages. That thing in the cupboard that you never use is actually quite useful in iPhone format. Easily find businesses using their name or category and location. Once you've found what your looking for with a click or two you can map their location or send the listing to a friend via email or text.

3. North Face Snow Report. The more you know. ;) So use this app to find out which of your fave's has gotten the most snow in the past 24hrs and which resorts are in the Global Top 10. Advanced features include WebCam access, Trail Maps, Tweets, and more.

4. Oakley Surf Report. Waves are fun. This will help you keep track of them.

5. Skype. The free calling you love from your computer also works from your iPhone. [Note: WiFi connection required... and certain notifications can end in-progress calls, so you may want to turn Notifications Off prior to a call.]

6. Flixster. Excellent Movie App. Tells you what's playing, where it's playing, when it's playing, etc. Also has trailers if you need a refresher on the movie. Movies coming to DVD are also provided here...

7. Kayak. Travel searching on the fly. You should also use this on your home computer when trying to find that perfect vacation for less. [If you're a Priceline fan there is a 'Negotiator' app too!]

8. Wikipedia. That oh so reliable source of information is also available on your iPhone. ;)

9. Converter. Everyone needs a good converter, pick any free one, they're all decent.

10. Words with Friends. Like Scrabble? This is a great free version that will allow you to play word games with friends, random opponents, the person next to you, etc. Look me up as 'sacrifice333'

BONUS. Dragon Dictation. This US Only iTunes Store app could be the best one on the list. It's currently FREE, but that probably won't last long, so jump on it! Dragon Dictation will allow you to dictate text messages, emails, and more with surprising accuracy. [Check this article out on how Canadians can access the US iTunes store.]

Audi R8 V10

Yes Please!!!

Olympic Tix are Cheaper Than You Think...

Tickets are way cheaper than you think!

Prices start as low as $22 for Victory Ceremonies and as low as $25 for Sporting Events.

For complete details check out the Vancouver 2010 site.

Your final chance to try to purchase them starts on Saturday at 10AM so long as the system works!

Synchronized Bicycling?!

Yes... it's true and it's crazy-town!

MJ's last rehearsal...

I must say he looked to be in pretty fine form...

Video

Nacho King Video Diary :: April 2009 Edition

The 2008 Nacho Video Diaries can be found in the Jan '08 Archive.

Minor Update

Now you can follow Nacho King's tweets right on the sidebar of my blog.

How to Solve African Problems...

Africa has been a troubled continent, ever since the Europeans carved up boundaries to suit their needs without considering tribal boundaries and such. Independence for many of these nations has not brought about solutions, but more problems, as power vacuums are often filled by merciless dictators trying to rape and pillage the country of as many resources as possible.

There are no simple solutions to the problems in Africa, but Matthew Parris, a professing Atheist, wrote a very interesting article on the subject...

December 27, 2008, The Times (London)

As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God

Missionaries, not aid money, are the solution to Africa's biggest problem - the crushing passivity of the people's mindset
Matthew Parris

Before Christmas I returned, after 45 years, to the country that as a boy I knew as Nyasaland. Today it's Malawi, and The Times Christmas Appeal includes a small British charity working there. Pump Aid helps rural communities to install a simple pump, letting people keep their village wells sealed and clean. I went to see this work.

It inspired me, renewing my flagging faith in development charities. But travelling in Malawi refreshed another belief, too: one I've been trying to banish all my life, but an observation I've been unable to avoid since my African childhood. It confounds my ideological beliefs, stubbornly refuses to fit my world view, and has embarrassed my growing belief that there is no God.

Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.

I used to avoid this truth by applauding - as you can - the practical work of mission churches in Africa. It's a pity, I would say, that salvation is part of the package, but Christians black and white, working in Africa, do heal the sick, do teach people to read and write; and only the severest kind of secularist could see a mission hospital or school and say the world would be better without it. I would allow that if faith was needed to motivate missionaries to help, then, fine: but what counted was the help, not the faith.
Background

But this doesn't fit the facts. Faith does more than support the missionary; it is also transferred to his flock. This is the effect that matters so immensely, and which I cannot help observing.

First, then, the observation. We had friends who were missionaries, and as a child I stayed often with them; I also stayed, alone with my little brother, in a traditional rural African village. In the city we had working for us Africans who had converted and were strong believers. The Christians were always different. Far from having cowed or confined its converts, their faith appeared to have liberated and relaxed them. There was a liveliness, a curiosity, an engagement with the world - a directness in their dealings with others - that seemed to be missing in traditional African life. They stood tall.

At 24, travelling by land across the continent reinforced this impression. From Algiers to Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and the Central African Republic, then right through the Congo to Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya, four student friends and I drove our old Land Rover to Nairobi.

We slept under the stars, so it was important as we reached the more populated and lawless parts of the sub-Sahara that every day we find somewhere safe by nightfall. Often near a mission.

Whenever we entered a territory worked by missionaries, we had to acknowledge that something changed in the faces of the people we passed and spoke to: something in their eyes, the way they approached you direct, man-to-man, without looking down or away. They had not become more deferential towards strangers - in some ways less so - but more open.

This time in Malawi it was the same. I met no missionaries. You do not encounter missionaries in the lobbies of expensive hotels discussing development strategy documents, as you do with the big NGOs. But instead I noticed that a handful of the most impressive African members of the Pump Aid team (largely from Zimbabwe) were, privately, strong Christians. “Privately” because the charity is entirely secular and I never heard any of its team so much as mention religion while working in the villages. But I picked up the Christian references in our conversations. One, I saw, was studying a devotional textbook in the car. One, on Sunday, went off to church at dawn for a two-hour service.

It would suit me to believe that their honesty, diligence and optimism in their work was unconnected with personal faith. Their work was secular, but surely affected by what they were. What they were was, in turn, influenced by a conception of man's place in the Universe that Christianity had taught.

There's long been a fashion among Western academic sociologists for placing tribal value systems within a ring fence, beyond critiques founded in our own culture: “theirs” and therefore best for “them”; authentic and of intrinsically equal worth to ours.

I don't follow this. I observe that tribal belief is no more peaceable than ours; and that it suppresses individuality. People think collectively; first in terms of the community, extended family and tribe. This rural-traditional mindset feeds into the “big man” and gangster politics of the African city: the exaggerated respect for a swaggering leader, and the (literal) inability to understand the whole idea of loyal opposition.

Anxiety - fear of evil spirits, of ancestors, of nature and the wild, of a tribal hierarchy, of quite everyday things - strikes deep into the whole structure of rural African thought. Every man has his place and, call it fear or respect, a great weight grinds down the individual spirit, stunting curiosity. People won't take the initiative, won't take things into their own hands or on their own shoulders.

How can I, as someone with a foot in both camps, explain? When the philosophical tourist moves from one world view to another he finds - at the very moment of passing into the new - that he loses the language to describe the landscape to the old. But let me try an example: the answer given by Sir Edmund Hillary to the question: Why climb the mountain? “Because it's there,” he said.

To the rural African mind, this is an explanation of why one would not climb the mountain. It's... well, there. Just there. Why interfere? Nothing to be done about it, or with it. Hillary's further explanation - that nobody else had climbed it - would stand as a second reason for passivity.

Christianity, post-Reformation and post-Luther, with its teaching of a direct, personal, two-way link between the individual and God, unmediated by the collective, and unsubordinate to any other human being, smashes straight through the philosphical/spiritual framework I've just described. It offers something to hold on to to those anxious to cast off a crushing tribal groupthink. That is why and how it liberates.

Those who want Africa to walk tall amid 21st-century global competition must not kid themselves that providing the material means or even the knowhow that accompanies what we call development will make the change. A whole belief system must first be supplanted.

And I'm afraid it has to be supplanted by another. Removing Christian evangelism from the African equation may leave the continent at the mercy of a malign fusion of Nike, the witch doctor, the mobile phone and the machete.

Yes We Can!

It will remain to be seen how much Barack Obama can do as the President of the United States of America. President-elect Obama has a rather long list of to do's for his period in office and there is of course the key question of how much power the President actually has in shaping what many people deem to be the centra country of the free world. I for one sometimes wonder how much power the President has... some of those conspiracy theories are pretty interesting... hmmm.

But one thing's for sure, there will be better speaches during the next 4 (or 8) years.

Wazzzzzzzup :: 2008 Style

2000 Style For Reference

Retirement of a Hedge Fund Manager

Quite the departure letter from Andrew Lahde of Lahde Capital Management who has decided that he a) has enough money and b) managing other people's money causes too much stress and c) America is screwed...

Today I write not to gloat. Given the pain that nearly everyone is experiencing, that would be entirely inappropriate. Nor am I writing to make further predictions, as most of my forecasts in previous letters have unfolded or are in the process of unfolding. Instead, I am writing to say goodbye.

Recently, on the front page of Section C of the Wall Street Journal, a hedge fund manager who was also closing up shop (a $300 million fund), was quoted as saying, “What I have learned about the hedge fund business is that I hate it.” I could not agree more with that statement. I was in this game for the money. The low hanging fruit, i.e. idiots whose parents paid for prep school, Yale, and then the Harvard MBA, was there for the taking. These people who were (often) truly not worthy of the education they received (or supposedly received) rose to the top of companies such as AIG, Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers and all levels of our government. All of this behavior supporting the Aristocracy only ended up making it easier for me to find people stupid enough to take the other side of my trades. God bless America.

There are far too many people for me to sincerely thank for my success. However, I do not want to sound like a Hollywood actor accepting an award. The money was reward enough. Furthermore, the endless list of those deserving thanks know who they are.

I will no longer manage money for other people or institutions. I have enough of my own wealth to manage. Some people, who think they have arrived at a reasonable estimate of my net worth, might be surprised that I would call it quits with such a small war chest. That is fine; I am content with my rewards. Moreover, I will let others try to amass nine, ten or eleven figure net worths. Meanwhile, their lives suck. Appointments back to back, booked solid for the next three months, they lookforward to their two week vacation in January during which they will likely be glued to their Blackberries or other such devices. What is the point? They will all be forgotten in fifty years anyway. Steve Balmer, Steven Cohen, and Larry Ellison will all be forgotten. I do not understand the legacy thing. Nearly everyone will be forgotten. Give up on leaving your mark. Throw the Blackberry away and enjoy life.

So this is it. With all due respect, I am dropping out. Please do not expect any type of reply to emails or voicemails within normal time frames or at all. Andy Springer and his company will be handling the dissolution of the fund. And don’t worry about my employees, they were always employed by Mr. Springer’s company and only one (who has been well-rewarded) will lose his job.

I have no interest in any deals in which anyone would like me to participate. I truly do not have a strong opinion about any market right now, other than to say that things will continue to get worse for some time, probably years. I am content sitting on the sidelines and waiting. After all, sitting and waiting is how we made money from the subprime debacle. I now have time to repair my health, which was destroyed by the stress I layered onto myself over the past two years, as well as my entire life – where I had to compete for spaces in universities and graduate schools, jobs and assets under management – with those who had all the advantages (rich parents) that I did not. May meritocracy be part of a new form of government, which needs to be established.

On the issue of the U.S. Government, I would like to make a modest proposal. First, I point out the obvious flaws, whereby legislation was repeatedly brought forth to Congress over the past eight years, which would have reigned in the predatory lending practices of now mostly defunct institutions. These institutions regularly filled the coffers of both parties in return for voting down all of this legislation designed to protect the common citizen. This is an outrage, yet no one seems to know or care about it. Since Thomas Jefferson and Adam Smith passed, I would argue that there has been a dearth of worthy philosophers in this country, at least ones focused on improving government. Capitalism worked for two hundred years, but times change, and systems become corrupt. George Soros, a man of staggering wealth, has stated that he would like to be remembered as a philosopher. My suggestion is that this great man start and sponsor a forum for great minds to come together to create a new system of government that truly represents the common man’s interest, while at the same time creating rewards great enough to attract the best and brightest minds to serve in government roles without having to rely on corruption to further their interests or lifestyles. This forum could be similar to the one used to create the operating system, Linux, which competes with Microsoft’s near monopoly. I believe there is an answer, but for now the system is clearly broken.

Lastly, while I still have an audience, I would like to bring attention to an alternative food and energy source. You won’t see it included in BP’s, “Feel good. We are working on sustainable solutions,” television commercials, nor is it mentioned in ADM’s similar commercials. But hemp has been used for at least 5,000 years for cloth and food, as well as just about everything that is produced from petroleum products. Hemp is not marijuana and vice versa. Hemp is the male plant and it grows like a weed, hence the slang term. The original American flag was made of hemp fiber and our Constitution was printed on paper made of hemp. It was used as recently as World War II by the U.S. Government, and then promptly made illegal after the war was won. At a time when rhetoric is flying about becoming more self-sufficient in terms of energy, why is it illegal to grow this plant in this country? Ah, the female. The evil female plant – marijuana. It gets you high, it makes you laugh, it does not produce a hangover. Unlike alcohol, it does not result in bar fights or wife beating. So, why is this innocuous plant illegal? Is it a gateway drug? No, that would be alcohol, which is so heavily advertised in this country. My only conclusion as to why it is illegal, is that Corporate America, which owns Congress, would rather sell you Paxil, Zoloft, Xanax and other addictive drugs, than allow you to grow a plant in your home without some of the profits going into their coffers. This policy is ludicrous. It has surely contributed to our dependency on foreign energy sources. Our policies have other countries literally laughing at our stupidity, most notably Canada, as well as several European nations (both Eastern and Western). You would not know this by paying attention to U.S. media sources though, as they tend not to elaborate on who is laughing at the United States this week. Please people, let’s stop the rhetoric and start thinking about how we can truly become self-sufficient.

With that I say goodbye and good luck.

All the best,

Andrew Lahde

Article from FT.com

Stephane Dion Interview

I know everyone has bad days and I understand that Stephane Dion's first language is not English, but this interview does not give me much confidence, should the Liberal government get elected to parliament.

VANOC & their trademarks

You probably remember quite clearly that VANOC had a bit of a tiff with the Greek restaurant "Olympia Pizza & Pasta" on Denman Street, an establishment that has been around for years over it's name and the 'rings' in its logo.

Well there's another potentially controversial trademark they've made having to do with their freshly unveiled Olympic motto, "With Glowing Hearts".

If the phrase seems familiar that might be because it is. You might recognize it from a little song we like to call Oh Canada.

So basically VANOC is trying to trademark a line from our national anthem. Wait, what?! Yeah, exactly. You can post your thoughts here.

Land Rover LR3 Location Scout

Great commercial from Land Rover. Best4X4byFar.

Global Apologizes to Timmies

Well, it seems that Global News was a little bit quick to judge Tim Hortons and the Conservative Party of Canada with regards to the Timmies Store in Khandahar. Read on below...

Apology canada.com
Published: Tuesday, September 23, 2008

In a story that appeared on Global and on the Internet at globalnational.com and canada.com in 2006 regarding the Tim Hortons location in Afghanistan, we reported that Tim Hortons received a subsidy from the federal government to open the outlet on the military base in Kandahar.

The circumstances were that the Canadian military approached Tim Hortons at the request of Canadian soldiers to provide a taste of home, and Tim Hortons felt it was a public service to do so. Tim Hortons did not receive any kind of subsidy from the Federal government. In fact, Tim Hortons waived all franchise fees, royalties and provided free support and training to its franchisee, the Canadian Forces Service Personnel Agency. This federal agency supports troops and their families.

All profits earned from the Tim Hortons outlet in Afghanistan are reinvested into programs to benefit soldiers and their families.

Global News would like to sincerely apologize to Tim Hortons, and we would like to recognize Tim Hortons' acts of good corporate citizenship including this contribution to the wellbeing of Canadian soldiers.