Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Canada day?

Now I'm not really sure when Canada Day is. I've been away from the great white north for quite some time, but even when I lived back home I never thought much of this day. To tell the truth, I'm not even sure if it is a national holiday.Anyways, since I've been living/traveling abroad I've noticed something funny; not only am I critical of where I live (Korea) but I also think Canadians are funny as heck now.No, I don't mean the whole Bob and Doug Mckensie and Strangebrew kind of funny, but more the "displaced nationalistic ignorance" kinda funny.Anyway, I ran across this link in my hometown newspaper and thought I'd post it.

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/CalgarySun/News/2005/06/29/1109562-sun.html
OUT AND ABOUT With Canada Day fast approaching, I thought it would be agood
idea to step back and reflect on why it's great to be Canadian. I thinkCanadians
have the best senses of humour in the world. I love that manyCanadians take the
time to enjoy the great outdoors in the Great White North. Ihit the bricks
yesterday to chat with other Canadians about why they think it's so cool to be a
Canuck.
Jason Williams, 23: "We're a great country, there's no real problems here.
We get along, for the most part, and the controversy we have is at a minimum compared to the States."
Paul Johnson, 27: "It's hard to say. Freedom. Freedom to do what you want.
Freedom of expression."Leigh Vooys, 26: "I think we're not as ignorant
as some people from other countries. We're more tolerant and not as
self-absorbed
."
Darren McMahon, 25: "We're more adventurous and outgoing. We're not
aggressive in a sense, but we go out of our way to do things for ourselves and
especially for others
."
Kathy Bishop, 35: "I think Canadians are very modest. We know we
live in a great country, but we're modest about it
. We also appreciate
diversity and we accept it ... most of the time."
Michelle Bishop, 32: "Having two boys who play hockey, I'd say our passion
for hockey is what's great about being Canadian. Also, our appreciation for this beautiful country and we're humble, too."
Jason Tiegen, 25: "Our musical talent. We have great rock and roll bands.
The talentis more broad here."
Karen Grant, 41: "We're blessed to be born in such a wonderful country.
Freedom. I've lived in Saudi Arabia. It's nice to wear what you want, go where
you want and practice any religion you want. The choices we have we take for
granted."


Now, other than the last quote it all seems like a lot of garbage to me.Actually, looking over it, do you not get the sense that Canadian identity is 1) tied to comparisons to the US? 2) CONFLICTED???

Look at the quotes with bold in them. We brag, yet we're modest? We're individualistic but we think of others? And we're not as self-absorbed and ignorant... Compared to what?
There are lots of great things about Canada and Canadians, too bad few have a clue as to what they are.

Monday, June 27, 2005

rain

Well, it is coming down pretty good now. For the last week I've been wondering when it'd finally hit and... here ya go.

(that is the same neighborhood I met Joo in)

Anyways, here is another ODD STORY

June 28, 2005 ㅡ Police and the Korea Electric Power Corporation are
investigating how a manhole cover electrocuted at least three people Sunday
night after torrential rains, causing the death of a teenage girl. The girl died
Sunday from electric shock after she stepped on the manhole cover in Incheon.
Police and power officials said the cover somehow became charged with 227 volts
of electricity from a faulty cable.Witnesses said the 16-year-old girl collapsed
around 9:25 pm while standing on the metal cover. A passer-by attempted to help
the girl to her feet, but was also shocked after touching her. The two were sent
to a nearby hospital where the girl died from her injuries.Twenty minutes prior
to the girl's accident, an 18-year-old man was also electrocuted while standing on the same manhole cover
. He is currently in critical condition and
hospitalized in an intensive care unit, according to hospital and police
sources.Heavy rain throughout the country caused structural damage to homes. It
caused cracks on a 3.5-meter-high (10.5 foot) embankment next to the Mido
apartment building yesterday morning in Goyang city, Gyeonggi province. The wall
was reinforced in the afternoon.

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Photoshop fun

ok, so for the better part of today I have been messing around with PS.

Here is a honeymoon shot of Joo and a newly found Jedi!


Now I know it's not a really clean shot but I was messing around before I had to head out.


We ended up going bowling with the GAP people and I bowled a 171 !! wow. Even I was amazed.

Don't laugh

But this is my first attempt to paint in photoshop.

It was just a trial run but I can see lots of potential if I can ever firgure out how to run this program.

Monday, June 20, 2005

A People History of the United States

Well, I have never claimed absolute knowledge of US history. heck I'm doubtful I could even name all the states. But after reading this book I must say I am more interested.


Here is an excerpt:

In Guatemala, in 1954, a legally elected government was overthrown by an invasion force of mercenaries trained by the CIA at military bases in Honduras and Nicaragua and supported by four American fighter planes flown by American pilots. The invasion put into power Colonel Carlos Castillo Armas, who had at one time received military training at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.


The government that the United States overthrew was the most democratic Guatemala had ever had. The President, Jacobo Arbenz, was a left-of-center Socialist; four of the fifty-six seats in the Congress were held by Communists. What was most unsettling to American business interests was that Arbenz had expropriated 234,000 acres of land owned by United Fruit, offering compensation that United Fruit called "unacceptable." Armas, in power, gave the land back to United Fruit, abolished the tax on interest and dividends to foreign investors, eliminated the secret ballot, and jailed thousands of political critics.

Cuba had changed. The Good Neighbor Policy did not apply. In the spring of 1960, President Eisenhower secretly authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to arm and train anti-Castro Cuban exiles in Guatemala for a future invasion of Cuba. When Kennedy took office in the spring of 1961 the CIA had 1,400 exiles, armed and trained. He moved ahead with the plans, and on April 17, 1961, the CIA-trained force, with some Americans participating, landed at the Bay of Pigs on the south shore of Cuba, 90 miles from Havana. They expected to stimulate a general rising against Castro. But it was a popular regime. There was no rising. In three days, the CIA forces were crushed by Castro's army.


The whole Bay of Pigs affair was accompanied by hypocrisy and lying. The invasion was a violation--recalling Truman's "rule of law"--of a treaty the U.S. had signed, the Charter of the Organization of American States, which reads: "No state or group of states has the right to intervene, directly or indirectly, for any reason whatever, in the internal or external affairs of any other state."


Four days before the invasion-because there had been press reports of secret bases and CIA training for invaders-President Kennedy told a press conference: ". . . there will not be, under any conditions, any intervention in Cuba by United States armed forces." True, the landing force was Cuban, but it was all organized by the United States, and American war planes, including American pilots, were involved; Kennedy had approved the use of unmarked navy jets in the invasion. Four American pilots of those planes were killed, and their families were not told the truth about how those men died.

It sems, some things change... and some things don't.

Finding Neverland

Joo and I (well actually she fell asleep) just watched this move and loved it. Ok, ok, she slept through a lot of it, but I loved it. I was surprised. maybe I was just feeling a little mushy that day, but it is a real tear jerker.



Check it out with someone you love (in otherwords, it is a "chick flick")

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Some butt-face

So today I was geting on the train at Jamsil station at about 11:00 when I noticed a guy...

Well, honestly he was not all that special but he kind of stood out. Instead of just standing and waiting for the train he was pacing around a bit. Anyways, I got on the train (about 20 ft down from him) and didn't think much of it.

I started noticing a lot of the passengers looking at him though. And after a minute the guy beside him got up and walked away (actually kind of over to me and by the door). Again, I just figured he smelled or was a bit whacked so I tried not to look (too hard).

Then all of a sudden, he jumped up, muttered something and took a swing at the "handles" (that everone holds on to). After that little outburst he made a bee-line straight for... me.

He walked up to me and stared for a moment, I glanced at him and he gave quite the aggresive, proper SALUTE! Not being a military man, I didn't salute back and tried to focus on something otehr than him (while actually keeping very close watch on him out of the corner of my eye).

After his salute did not elicit a response brainac decided to grab my arm. By this time I was itchin' for it and quite ready for his move. I swated his arm away (with a surprising THWACK) and yelled out to him "Don't fucking touch me!"

He stood there dumbfounded and decided to stare at me for the next few stops, then simply got off and walked away.

Now, being a foreigner in Korea i have to be quite careful of my actions. Any type of situation (started by me or not) can easily turn against me. Honestly, I've weighed it out in my mind and have decided what I did was best.

If I walked to another car, chances are he would have followed. In the new car, the "new" witnesses may not have been understanding/sympathetic towards me.

If I ignored him (as I initially did), there is a good chance his growing frustration would have led to something larger (or.. it may not have, who knows).

If I hit him any harder than I did, there is a good chance that people would have thought it an over reaction and perhaps sentiment would not have been on my side (presuming it was at one point).

If I decided that love was the best option... hehe, well honestly, I have met a number of drunks and been quite patient with them. But this man seemed less drunk and more deranged.

The truth is I firmly beleive that you should avoid when possible and confront when you must.

Now, how well that will always work, I guess only time will tell.

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

The smoooth criminal

Any guess where he's looking?

Anyways, apparently Michael Jackson was aquited on ALL CHARGES
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/news/061405_jackson.html
"He's just not guilty of the crimes he's been charged with," said Ray Hultman, who told The Associated Press he was one of three people on the 12-person panel who voted to acquit Jackson Monday only after the other nine persuaded them there was reasonable doubt about the entertainer's guilt in this particular case.

I'm not sure if he is guilty or not of these crimes. I don't know the man and am a witness to non of it. However, I do believe he is guilty of massively poor decision making. I hope for all involved that he limit his contact with children in private places.

Summer is here

Well, today was a hot one. I'm sure it did not set any records, but it has seriously reminded me of what Korean summers are all about. 30 degrees today in Seoul and the small of my back was feeling every bit of it.

Lucky us though because tomorrow marks the beginning of MONSOON SEASON! Yes, so instead of dreadful heat we get 1 1/2 months or rain.

Will the fun never end?

Thursday, June 09, 2005

Ooh.. ROBO-ED

Well, I might not have to work out after all. Maybe I can just get myself one of these snazzy suits.



TOKYO (AFP) - Japan has taken a step into the science-fiction world with the release of a "robot suit" that can help workers lift heavy loads or assist people with disabilities climb stairs. "Humans may be able to mutate into supermen in the near future," said Yoshiyuki Sankai, professor and engineer at Tsukuba University who led the project. The 15-kilogram (33-pound) battery-powered suit, code-named HAL-5, detects muscle movements through electrical-signal flows on the skin surface and then amplifies them. It can also move on its own accord, enabling it to help elderly or handicapped people walk, developers said. The prototype suit will be displayed at the World Exposition that is currently taking place in Aichi prefecture, central Japan. Japan has seen a growing market for technology geared toward the elderly, who are making up an increasing chunk of the population as fewer younger Japanese choose to start families. A government report last week showed that pensioners made up a record 19.5 percent of the country's population in 2004 and that the ratio will grow rapidly, surpassing 35 percent in 2050

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

I feel fat

Well I just got off the phone with my buddy Mike and although it was great to hear from him, hearing about all the training he is doing is making me feel fat.

I trained with Mike Todd for years and have always been proud of his natural genetic disposition. I could usually keep up with sheer will power but now ... not a chance.

Another buddy who deserves a mention is Dan. A great guy with massive quads and an even larger heart. They come no nicer than Dan Dufresne here.


And, I could not do a B.B. thread without mentioning last years Mr Canada. I doubt he reads this but ya never know, I'm sure any time Dan Fedeluk is Googled, he is behind it somehow. Grats man!



Man, I miss so many people back at the Gym; Al Wilson, Tracey Henderson, Grant McReynolds, Rob Rooksby, Bob McDuff, Kurt Henderson and so many more...

Boy, I need to do some serious training before I even think of moving back to Canada.