Support Kevin Sorbo and Wolf Canyon

Okay, all, I know I sometimes ask a lot of you, but we really need to support “Wolf Canyon” if we want to see it in our respective countries.

Please send comments to APTN on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/yegfflp 

and Twitter: http://twitter.com/APTN

And to “Wolf Canyon” on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/ybg9vmh

and Twitter: http://twitter.com/WolfCanyon

Here is a cast list with descriptions to help decide if you want to see this show or not..

 

Kevin Sorbo (Rick as Sheriff Wolf)

Rick first starred in the 1970’s action/war series, “Foxtrot Zero,” then went on to star in such film (hits) as, “Ears of Midnight,””Deal Some Murder,” and, “The Marine and the Monkey.” A marginal box office draw, Rick tried to expand his acting chops by taking a disastrous star turn as the lead in “Kiss of the Spider Woman” in Branson, Missouri, but his career continued its failure spiral. Spending more time gambling, drinking, berating people and drinking more, he is prone to sudden losses of consciousness that he blames on an inner ear disorder instead of acknowledging that his blackouts might be the result of years of substance abuse and total disregard for his health. Despite this problem he is still an imposing physical presence and, when he desires, a formidable charmer who still makes time with the ladies.

Lorne Cardinal (Hoyt as Donovan Heavyfeather)

He is an old crony of Rick’s who plays the role of now-wealthy rancher, Donovan Heavyfeather. He doubles as the show’s stunt coordinator since he possesses many decades of experience as a stuntman. Unfortunately, this means many decades of receiving blows to the head. He can be lecherous and profane, but also childlike and endearing .

 

Barbara Tyson (Carol as Kate Wyatt)

Carol, a faded beauty and former vixen in her late 40s, plays Canyon City’s mayor and most distinguished scientist: Her Most Honorable Doctor Mayor Wyatt, the confidante to Sheriff Wolf and possible romantic interest. In reality, Carol hates Rick. The essence of “cougar,” Carol is world-weary, horny, and Scotch drunk. 

Jessica Harmon (Samantha as Frankie Walkabeckanowski)

She plays Deputy Francis “Frankie” Walkabeckanowski, whose love interest is the former lead actor of the show, Johnny Wilkes. She is repelled at the notion of having to repeat the same thread with Rick. At age 26 the clock is ticking on her career, and she is desperate for any other roles.

 Casey Manderson (Joey Murdoch as Billy Barrett)

A classically trained actor, Joey is co-star of the show portraying Deputy Billy Barrett, the young, completely naive sidekick. Miffed that he didn’t get the lead, Joey is resentful and arrogant. He is physically short compared to his costars, which makes him believe that everyone and everything are against him. Socially blunt and snobbish, Joey has few friends.

 Nikki Payne (Diane Wesson-Smythe, Producer)

Diane is the very urban, 30-something asexual flinty secretive show producer. Neurotic and hypertense, she pushes the Hollywood studio exec to keep “Wolf Canyon” on the air.

 Matty Finochio (Quincy, Director)

Director of “Wolf Canyon,” Quincy is the long-estranged son of Rick, and they share no love for each other. His father was a boozing, womanizing, macho, egomaniac who basically ignored him his entire life. Throughout Quincy’s career he took great pains to disguise his relationship to Rick. Quincy, in his mind, is a more creative and talented light than his father, and resents Rick’s success.

 Ali Liebert (Jan, Assistant Director)

Jan, although never quite recognized as the glue of the production, keeps things moving with inspired improvisation and a vast array of soft spoken social skills. A multi-tasker extraordinaire, she is also hot nerdy-girl Plain Jane. As the voice of reason and decency on the set full of dysfunctional and depraved specimens, she admits a certain fascination for Rick.

 Jesse Wheeler (D’Arcy, Production Unit Manager)

D’arcy is the “Go-to” man with exception of Jan.

 Evan Adams (Chief Stan Irish)

His business card simply reads, “Chief.” Stan, leader of the Horse Head Lake community, is the man to see for anything. 

 

 

Brendan Beiser (Matthew, Writer)

Although several writers are credited for writing the show, only one actually does: Matthew. An enigma, he never comes out of his trailer and is never seen from the front.

 

Allan Harmon (Studio Executive)    Richard Harmon (Intern)

(Photos courtesy of Really Real Films and screencap courtesy of Loli)

[Via http://sorbowriter.wordpress.com]

DVD Play in Calgary - $1.79 movie rental

The C$1.79 DVD Play kiosks have finally arrived in our area in Calgary. Our first experience with it has been real good. And, who can beat the $1.79 price? Even many online movie rentals cost from iTune cost more than $3.99 for older movies and newer movies will cost even more. So rentals from DVD Play may become a new impulse item.

Seeing a DVD Play kiosk, this reporter was thinking the how much will it impact the old store-based rental business. Well, there is an unexpected twist to this line of thinking. This reporter will try to write more in the coming days.

[Via http://kempton.wordpress.com]

Tadeeo - "The End" (Exclusive)

———————–Click the Cover for FREE download———————–

They are back with a new smash!

The “Tadeeo” twins have been in grind mode at the studio, working on songs for their debut album! Get ready for yet another “Crime in the City” exclusive!

In the meantime, here is their next web single, “The End” available in FREE Download!

All U See Iz…

Listen Here:

[Via http://cicmusic.wordpress.com]

Canada: One of the Toronto missing Somali youths believed to be dead

One down and four or so to go.  Well, at least five had been identified here in a story we reported in December of last year about Toronto Somali, former refugees, who are believed to have gone to Somalia to learn the Jihad trade.

From the National Post:

A Toronto man has been killed in Somalia while fighting with the al-Qaeda-linked militant group Al-Shabab, according to a message posted on the Internet.

The message, which accompanies a video posted on YouTube, identifies the man as “Mohamed al Muhajiri” and says he worshipped at the Abu Huraira Mosque in Toronto.

The death could not be verified last night.

It was first reported yesterday by the SITE Intelligence Group, a U.S. terrorism research company that monitors extremist Internet sites.

The RCMP and CSIS have been investigating a half-dozen Somali-Canadians suspected of joining Al-Shabab last fall. Several of them worshipped at the Abu Huraira mosque.

The federal government announced last week it had outlawed Al-Shabab under the Anti-Terrorism Act because of concerns the group had been recruiting in the Somali-Canadian community.

Are they coming back with their newly acquired skills?

The Canadians who left Toronto last October have not been heard from since their disappearance, although one apparently called home to say he was in Kenya and was on his way to Somalia to fight.

Police fear the youths could receive training and indoctrination in Somalia and return to Canada and carry out terrorist attacks in either Canada or the United States.

For more on former refugees leaving Canada or the US to join radical Muslims in Africa or elsewhere, use our search function for “missing Somali youths” and it will probably take you a day to read everything we have written on the subject!

[Via http://refugeeresettlementwatch.wordpress.com]

Trip to Niagara.

Here are some pictures form our trip to Niagara Falls, Canada.

There are lots (hundreds of pictures), so some I put into collages, the others I will then add. The first is our drive through Cleveland and then through Buffalo, NY. The 2nd set is our hotel room. And the last set is our view from our hotel room. More pictures soon!

[Via http://hillarymolin.wordpress.com]

Virgin America Adds Orlando, Toronto

Virgin America A320, originally uploaded by KSBD Photo.

http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/today-in-travel/virgin-america-adds-orlando-toronto.html?id=4543373

From the article:

“”Virgin America customers will soon be able to fly the low-cost carrier to the land of Mickey or the Hockey Hall of Fame. The airline announced today that it will begin service to Orlando this summer, and that it has filed an application to serve Toronto. The airline also plans to announce three more new destinations later this year. It has long been speculated that Virgin America will add service to Chicago at some point.

Virgin America will fly daily nonstops to Orlando from Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco starting August 19. Fares will start at $149 from L.A. and $199 from San Francisco, and tickets are on sale as of today.

As for Toronto, Virgin plans to fly one daily nonstop and one daily through flight from both Los Angeles and San Francisco. Virgin could begin service as early as June, depending on when it receives approval for the routes. Fares are not yet available.“”

[Via http://flydolce.wordpress.com]

Only In America

Despite the attraction of opening with the linguistically clever wish for “osher va’osher” (happiness and wealth – which are both “osher” in Hebrew, with one homophone beginning with the letter alef and the other with the letter ayin) in the Shanah Tovah greetings I send at the Jewish New Year, I make sure to first extend wishes for bri’ut (health).

The reason for this is because, like so many of us, I always heard parents and grandparents saying, “You don’t have anything if you don’t have your health.” Very true…if you live in Canada, where I grew up (or in any of the many Western, industrialized democracies with socialized medicine and/or universal healthcare coverage). But here in the United States, this saying has no validity unless the word “insurance” is added to the end of it.

I have been thinking a lot about this lately, as health insurance and healthcare reform in this country appear to be going nowhere. Yesterday morning I found myself – yet again- asking, “What the hell is wrong with this country?” in response to two particular news stories I read in the newspaper and heard on the radio. The first was about the $75 million drug heist from an Eli Lilly & Co. warehouse in Connecticut this past Sunday. The Associated Press has reported that, unsurprisingly, these types of extreme pharmaceutical thefts are on the rise in the US. “Security experts say the incentives behind pharmaceutical theft are largely confined to the U.S. and unlikely to change anytime soon. ”’Whenever you have a health care system where drugs are very expensive and there’s a fragmented supply chain, you’re going to have a means to profit from stolen drugs,”’ said Ron Greene, a spokesman for FreightWatch. According to Greene, pharmaceutical theft is virtually nonexistent in Europe, where government controls keep drug prices low and most people have health care coverage.”

The second piece was a report on NPR’s Morning Edition about pro- and anti-healthcare reform legislation protesters outside the district office of Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy in Columbus, Ohio. On one hand, there were people there saying things like, “We just took the time to come out here today to try to stop this stuff from getting rammed down our throats…. We really don’t want it.” And on the other, “I’m here because I believe health care is a right…I believe that people’s lives are being destroyed by the system that’s currently in place.” I tend to agree with the latter opinion.

Which brings me to why I was so disturbed by what I heard toward the end of the radio report, which you can listen to in its entirety by clicking here. I was almost jolted out of the seat of my car as the protesters’ loud shouts, raw anger and virulent accusations against one another and the government emanated from my dashboard’s speakers. One protester lashed out at another, shouting, “You’re crazy! You’re crazy!” Actually, I imagine that people in countries like Canada, France, Israel, and the like, are looking on at these types of scenes here and thinking that all of us Americans (citizens and residents alike) are crazy. For them, healthcare is indeed a right, a given that allows them to feel a degree of security in life and make career and other choices without having to be chained to a job solely because of the health insurance it provides (of course, in this country right now, you are lucky to even have a job, let alone one that offers good benefits, if any).

This is supposedly a republic, one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all (hey, you don’t have to be a citizen to have memorized The Pledge of Allegiance). So, what happened to the justice, the tzeddek? According the Maimonides in The Guide for the Perplexed (3:53), “Justice denotes the act of granting to every one who has a right to something, that which he has a right to and giving to every being that which corresponds to his merits.” So, justice means giving a person something because she is owed it by the repaying of an obligation or simply because she deserves it – without any connection to anything she has done for anyone else. Not everything in life needs to be a quid pro quo. Sometimes when you do right by others, you end up doing right by yourself. “For when you walk in the way of moral virtue, you do justice unto your rational soul [nefesh], giving her the due that is her right,” says Maimonides.

Or I could just skip my appeal to Americans’ sense of morality all together and take the more tachlis (practical, bottom line, “tell it like it is”) approach of a Facebook page of which I am a fan. It’s called, “Were you dissing Canada? I can’t hear you over my healthcare benefits.”

© 2010 Renee Ghert-Zand. All rights reserved.

[Via http://truthpraiseandhelp.wordpress.com]

'Turbulence' ahead for WestJet after CEO resigns

Westjet Boeing 737-700 – C-FWBW, originally uploaded by zonaphoto.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/fp/Turbulence+ahead+WestJet+after+resigns/2686191/story.html

From the article:

“”Since its launch in 1996, WestJet has easily become the favored Canadian airline by the Street. But in recent months, that momentum has shifted to Air Canada, according to Ben Cherniavsky, Raymond James analyst.

Not only have fares fallen at WestJet throughout the recession due to an excess of capacity in the domestic market, more seats are expected to be added in the months ahead as the Calgary carrier shifts its winter flights to sunny locales back into the Canadian market. Moreover, the carrier is still expecting to take more planes this year despite the slow return of passenger demand.

More importantly, WestJet botched the implementation of its new reservation system in October, which has damaged its reputation for customer service since and delayed the implementation of its new loyalty program and code-share agreements, Mr. Cherniavsky noted. WestJet had planned to launch its loyalty program last June, but delayed it until two weeks ago.“”

[Via http://flydolce.wordpress.com]

3 a.m. Train ...

It has been quite a day today. Monday was Monday. Over the weekend I finished the first of three assignments due this month, my book review, which I turned in today. I am hoping that it meets with approval because I am not doing it again.

I spent the afternoon studying to start writing my Sophia paper, there is a book sitting by my bedside that I should be reading right now, but I am still here farting around.

We had class tonight, my Samuel (Old Testament) seminar. We ran through chapters 13,14, and 15. When you take apart a text to its bare essentials and you break up all the groups and you characterize the text by groups and location you learn a great deal of the text. While the 4 students, 1 RA do the breakdown, my prof is sitting with her Hebrew Bible following us. You learn that the Bible is written in pieces and edited together over time. When you strip a text down to its oldest literary strata you begin to see who wrote what and when it was written. It is all very interesting.

Next Monday is my turn to present my texts that would be 1 Samuel chapters 24 and 26. I have all my notes that I have been working on and my books to do my narrative programs. I can tell from here that my chapters are easy compared to what we have been doing in class. I have to find a way to pump out 10 pages of text for my presentation, because I don’t think I will have that many. And failure is not an option.

I have two weeks to finish Sophia. God Help Me … I also have to finish Origen, but hubby is helping me on that one. I need to sit with him and see what he comes up with for my rewrite. My adviser is adamant that I keep to the rewrite schedule and if need be I should extend either OT or Hermeneutics and I don’t want to do that. I want to finish my classes on schedule this term and hopefully all of my work will be acceptable the first run through.

Nobody said that M.A. Studies would be a breeze.

I spoke to my friend Louise in Florida this afternoon. Her double mastectomy surgery is scheduled for April the 9th at 2 p.m. She will have a 4 to 6 week recovery with reconstruction being done in that time period. She sounded really good today, her spirits were high and she was on the ball. We should all keep her in our prayers.

Tomorrow is Tuesday and I have to pick up coffee and sugar for the meeting on the way out before I set up the meeting. I will have more for you tomorrow.

I should get to bed.

More to come, stay tuned…

[Via http://jeremiahandrews.wordpress.com]

The Daily Snap - March 14

©Darwin Wiggett

This will be the last of the snaps I took while on the second week of the Winter Magic Photo Tour. Going forward I will try to move away from ice and snow photos and into more ’spring’ looking photos (although there will be hard because there is still lots of ice and some snow around here).

[Via http://darwinwiggett.wordpress.com]

SHAMELESS RACIST CAMPAIGN HELD IN QUEBEC

SHAMELESS RACIST CAMPAIGN HELD IN QUEBEC

by Madi Lussier

The Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux in Québec has been continuously promoting an unashamed racist, anti-white STD awareness campaign and nobody seems to articulate any complaint about it.

I began looking into their archives as my curiosity had been triggered by the two tasteless posters seen in Montreal metro stations. The posters featuring two white people, in a humiliating posture, remind of torturing procedures.

This obviously monochromatic campaign is in blatant contrast with the omnipresent multiracial approach commonplace in modern advertising. The “token minority” is awkwardly and suspiciously absent.

Revolted by the Quebecois visual campaign, I checked out some USA sites. What I found is worth to read.

http://www.cdc.gov/std/healthcomm/fact_sheets.htm

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol7no6/sorvillo.htm

You can notice the racially diverse models used. Clearly, the USA position on the subject is evidently a down-to-earth one while that of Quebec is nothing but fetid fear of displeasing ethnic sensitivities.

In the Unites States

Here are a few fragments you can read on the USA sites. The documents state that African-American women are the major transmitters and carriers of Trichomonas vaginalis .

“Trichomonas vaginalis may be emerging as one of the most important cofactors in amplifying HIV transmission, particularly in African-American communities of the United States. In a person co-infected with HIV, the pathology induced by T. vaginalis infection can increase HIV shedding. Trichomonas infection may also act to expand the portal of entry for HIV in an HIV-negative person. Studies from Africa have suggested that T. vaginalis infection may increase the rate of HIV transmission by approximately twofold. Available data indicate that T. vaginalis is highly prevalent among African-Americans in major urban centers of the United States and is often the most common sexually transmitted infection in black women. Even if T. vaginalis increases the risk of HIV transmission by a small amount, this could translate into an important amplifying effect since Trichomonas is so common. Substantial HIV transmission may be attributable to T. vaginalis in African-American communities of the United States.”

http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats08/trends.htm

Chlamydia and gonorrhea

Again, racial minorities, especially African-Americans, are the most severely affected by chlamydia and gonorrhea.

“Racial minorities continue to face severe disparities across all three reportable STDs. While racial disparities persist overall, African-Americans, especially young African-American women, are the most heavily affected. Young African-American women face significantly higher rates of chlamydia and gonorrhea than any other group, while the highest rates of syphilis are among African-American men.”

http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats08/trends.htm

African-Americans

Gonorrhea: Blacks represent only 12 percent of the total U.S. population, but made up more than 70 percent of gonorrhea cases in 2008 — one of the greatest disparities of any disease, and the most severe racial disparity of all reportable STDs. In 2008, the gonorrhea rate among blacks was more than 20 times higher than that of whites (625.0 cases per 100,000 vs. 31.0). Black girls 15 to 19 years of age had the highest gonorrhea rate of any group (2,934.6 cases per 100,000) in 2008, followed closely by black women 20 to 24 years of age (2,777.0).

Chlamydia: The chlamydia rate among blacks in 2008 was more than eight times higher than that of whites (1,519.3 cases per 100,000 vs. 173.6). As with gonorrhea, young African-American women are at greatest risk. In 2008, black girls 15 to 19 years of age had the highest chlamydia rate of any group (10,513.4 cases per 100,000), followed by black women 20 to 24 years of age (9,373.9).

Syphilis: The syphilis rate among blacks was about eight times higher than that of whites in 2008 (17.3 cases per 100,000 vs. 2.2). While this represents a substantial decline from 1999, when the rate among blacks was 29 times greater than among whites, significant disparities remain. For the last five years, increases in syphilis have been greater among blacks than among whites. The rate of reported syphilis cases among black men increased to 28.0 cases per 100,000 in 2008, up from 22.9 in 2007. Similarly, the syphilis rate among black women increased to 7.6 cases per 100,000 in 2008, compared to 5.5 in 2007. During the same time period, there were much smaller increases among white men (4.0 cases per 100,000 in 2008 vs. 3.7 in 2007) and white women (0.5 cases per 100,000 in 2008 vs. 0.4 in 2007).

Hispanics

In 2008, Hispanics also experienced significant disparities across all reportable STDs.

Gonorrhea: The rate of reported gonorrhea infections among Hispanics was more than twice that of whites (66.8 cases per 100,000 vs. 31.0).

Chlamydia: Overall rates of chlamydia were almost three times higher among Hispanics than whites (510.4 cases per 100,000 vs. 173.6).

Syphilis: The rate of reported syphilis cases among Hispanics was double that of whites (4.7 cases per 100,000 vs. 2.2).

American Indian/Alaska Natives

In 2008, American Indian/Alaska Natives were also disproportionately affected by STDs.

Gonorrhea: Gonorrhea rates among American Indian/Alaska Natives were 3.6 times higher than those of whites (110.2 cases per 100,000 vs. 31.0).

Chlamydia: Chlamydia rates were 4.7 times higher among American Indian/Alaska Natives than among whites (808.8 cases per 100,000 vs. 173.6).

Syphilis: The rate of reported syphilis among American Indian/Alaska Natives was comparable to that of whites (2.3 cases per 100,000 vs. 2.2).

Reported racial disparities may exist, in part, because racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to seek care in public health clinics that report STDs to CDC more completely than private providers. However, this reporting bias does not fully explain these differences. Socioeconomic barriers to quality healthcare and STD prevention and treatment services have also likely contributed to higher STD rates among racial and ethnic minorities. Ensuring that minority communities have access to STD prevention, screening, treatment, and partner services needed to improve health is critical to addressing these disparities.

In Quebec- Blatant Racist Campaigns

2002-2003 Campaign- Image used: statues in a cemetery, all featuring white people.

2004-2005 Campaign- Images used: an image featuring two white people.

http://www.msss.gouv.qc.ca/sujets/prob_sante/itss/index.php?id=42,73,0,0,1,0

2005-2006 Campaign- Images used: two images featuring a white heterosexual and homosexual couple, and a collage featuring all white people, with one exception: a male with an afro hair style, probably of mixed race.

http://www.msss.gouv.qc.ca/sujets/prob_sante/itss/index.php?id=41,299,0,0,1,0

2006-2007 Campaign- Images used: images featuring underwear.

2007-2008 Campaign- Images used: a poster featuring white people.

2008-2009 Campaign- Images used: a poster featuring a car.

2009-2010 Campaign -Images used: two posters featuring a white female, respectively a white male (see photo).

According to the provincial visual campaign, all non-white races are immune to STDs, as STDs do not affect racially diverse people. Such approach is hard to comprehend if we read some PDF documents on the governmental site that state that Haitians and those from the sub-Saharan countries are mostly targeted by STD in Quebec.

Quebec should learn how to run a STD campaign from the USA.

[Via http://audaxnews.wordpress.com]

Wheelchair Curling

Wheelchair curling differs from Olympic curling in that the teams are required to be mixed-gender and since no sweeping is allowed to keep a rock straight, shooting has to be precise.

Wheelchair curling only has eight ends compared to 10 in traditional curling, so the mid-game break comes after the fourth end.

And today, in the opening game, Canada beat Great Britain 9-2 in seven ends, in what was a rematch of the gold medal final from four years ago in Torino.

I hope the GB wheelchair curling team is not going to go the same way as the Olympic team

[Via http://olympicvolunteer.wordpress.com]

Double dick dipping

Look… I’m a lefty, but this is absurd. Tax collectors from the province of Ontario are moving from the provincial tax office to the federal tax office without even lifting their fat arses from their polished leather chairs. And they are getting a severance package which will ultimately cost taxpayers another $25M. Such is the horrid cost of converting to the Heavenly Sales.

This knot of politicos are the same fuckers who accuse welfare recipients of cheating the tax payers. 16months and counting down.

People make this mistake. Political leanings has nothing to do with tolerating waste or corruption. All parties suffer from these warts. And those fungii must be expunged regardless.

[Via http://squeakup.wordpress.com]

Task Force Wants To Save World, Prof Just Wants A Mac

Globe and Mail – Beneath the surface, Ryerson is a hotbed of racism and discrimination, where “racialized” (non-white) students are subtly oppressed by a Eurocentric curriculum that refuses to acknowledge “other ways of knowing.” A vast new bureaucracy and mandatory diversity education for all are urgently needed to foster an inclusive, racism-free environment.

So says the Taskforce on Anti-Racism at Ryerson. “Systemic racism” is pervasive, it concludes, and anyone who doesn’t see the problem is in denial…

Mr. Al-Solaylee is a brown-skinned Muslim who is openly gay. He thinks the entire exercise is a frivolous diversion. “There are things that I need from the university, but this isn’t one of them,” he says. “I need computers that don’t crash all the time. I want students who don’t have to hold bake sales to raise money for their graduate projects. There should be money for these things, not equity officers.”

[Via http://downwitheverybody.wordpress.com]

Logo & Corporate Identity | Rays of floral petals. Separated at birth?

By Dian Hasan | March 10, 2010

Your organization has just spent a truckload of dough to invest in a better identity, through a logo. You’ve just finished the exhaustive exercise and are ready to sit back and rest on your laurels. Beaming proudly of your new logo. Right? Not so fast!

In our ever-connected globalized world, turns out other people across distant oceans had similar ideas. And their creative juices translated into close to identical logo work. Was it something they drank? Or maybe it was a mere perchance same source of inspiration. You decide!

As seen from this selection, the creative minds ranging from Mexico, Canada, US, UK and even Tibet, were thinking (and designing) along the same lines.

In our visual world, every logo, symbol and sign, has a meaning and is used to communicate a message. This is all part Semiotics, the study of signs and signals. And in business, it’s wise to understand the role of Semiotics in brand-building, and more importantly, in our ever-connected world of today, it’s EVEN WISER for anyone or any organization thinking of redesigning a logo to DO YOUR HOMEWORK, to ensure that you don’t waste precious resources (read: A Logo Designer’s Fee) only to find that your logo looks like someone else’s!

You’ve invested So that you won’t face the irony that your logo doesn’t stand out for not having its own personality and is not unique. Look at the logos of Singapore-based Millennium Hotels & Resorts, and Hamburg, Germany-based CPH Hotels.

The art of designing an entire company’s ideas, ethos, knowledge and future in one logo and corporate identity is an integral part of the visual branding. Of course there’s more to branding than meets the eye!

Most of today’s organizations are well-versed in this communication medium. Some are still struggling, however, to put into a logo the values and positive traits they want captured. And there are some others that are very similar looking, albeit representing completely different organizations.

[Via http://dianhasan.wordpress.com]

Drones in Gaza and the Significance for Purchasers of Israeli Drones

Many countries around the world have purchased or leased Israeli drones, including the UK, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Turkey. Many of these have been the Hermes 450 or variants, the same drone used extensively and more or less secretly in Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and in the recent attacks on Gaza.

The UK has an 850 million pound contract with UTacS to provide the UK with modified Hermes 450 drones under the Watchkeeper programme.

Israeli has the leading position in the development of drones, with two companies IAI and Elbit Systems as world leaders.

When countries purchase Israeli drones, what is happening?

For one thing, they are purchasing state of the art technology which has been field tested in ‘combat’ in the occupied territories of Palestine. Israel has a long history of drone use in Palestine, though this was relatively secret until recently. Drones by their nature are difficult to detect, and without IDF confirmation of their use this was difficult to establish.

But beginning about five years ago, reports of drones used in targetted assassinations became more common. Drones were first used to provide surveillance, but subsequently the technology was developed to arm the drones with missiles and other weapons, as well as non lethal capability like the ability to jam cell phones.They were also able to ‘mark’ targets, so that targets could be attacked by other weapons like missiles or bombs launched from military jets.

Early reports talked about the high accuracy of these weapons. Certainly Palestinian militants became fearful of them.

But in Operation Cast Lead reports came in of many, many civilian deaths caused by drones, in circumstances where it ’should’ have been able to distinguish between fighters and civilians. What was happening? Are drones less precise than believed in the fog of war? Were drones being used to murder people? We can’t know at the moment because Israel refuses to examine the events, or to provide the tapes of the drone attacks to be publicly reviewed.

When a country buys or purchases Israeli drones they are accepting the baggage that goes with them. A brand name cosmetic company can’t survive if it uses ‘animal testing’. Yet western democracies purchase drones from Israeli companies knowing that these drones are either hopelessly and dangerously inaccurate, or have been associated by the senseless slaughter of civilians.

The introduction of the Watchkeeper drone seems to have been delayed beyond the expected date of spring 2010. Is this delay due to technical considerations or is the UK MOD embarrassed to introduce these modified Hermes 450 drones just before an election, which could become an election issue?

[Via http://wanderingraven.wordpress.com]

Amchitka Everywhere!

“Brothers and sisters in Greenpeace.  Greenpeace is beautiful and you are beautiful because you are here tonight.  You came here because you are not on a death trip.  You believe in life.  You believe in peace.  And you want them now.  By coming here tonight you are making possible a trip for life and for peace.  You are supporting the first Greenpeace project, sending a ship to Amchitka to try to stop the testing of hydrogen bombs there or anywhere.” – Irving Stowe

These words opened a concert held at the PNE in Vancouver on October 16, 1970 featuring preformances Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Phil Ochs.  November 11, 2009 Greenpeace along with Maple Music released a recording of that concert under the label “The 1970 concert that launched Greenpeace.” The concert did launch Greenpeace. Literally, that is what the Don’t Make a Wave Committee named the boat they took up to Amchitka.

Back in November, in the name of research, I bought the CD – even though all the proceeds go to Greenpeace – and after a few months fighting with Canada Post got to listen to it.  As far as live recordings from the 1970s go it is good stuff.  Despite what some might say about punk and protest, or rock and rebellion, folk music was where it started and the trio on this CD did, and continue to do, it well.

Phil Ochs set list includes Rhythms of Revolution, I Ain’t Marching Anymore, Joe Hill, Changes and I’m Gonna Say It Now (opening line “Oh I am just a student, sir, and only want to learn/But it’s hard to read through the risin’ smoke of the books that you like to burn”).  Then comes James Taylor, the last minute addition to the bill and not included on the posters.  And it finishes with Joni Mitchell.  On a musical level, Joni’s voice is still rich and young and untarnished by decades of smoking.  Not that her voice is now bad – one listen to her rerecording of Both Sides from 2000 puts that to rest – but a live recording from right before “Blue” was released highlights what it was.  The set list opens with Big Yellow Taxi making you wonder what might have been if she hadn’t backed out of Woodstock at the last minute.  From start to finish it makes me wish I had a time machine to go back and experience it.

The concert speaks to the end of the hippie era of concerts for a cause, as opposed to concerts for a profit, and also marks a distinct turn in post-war activism.  Following the trip to Amchitka, Greenpeace moved from an anti-nuclear movement to an environmentalist (and anti-nuclear) movement.  According to the official history of Greenpeace, this shift was in response to seeing first hand the whaling practices in the North Pacific.  The next Greenpeace mission was the first of what has become their trademark – sailing into the middle of the ocean, getting in a dingy and putting themselves between the harpoons and the whales.  Yet, Greenpeace was not the only organization making this shift.  Across the country, environmental concerns were becoming separate issues from the peace/women/race/anti-war/anti-nuclear umbrellas they were under in the 1960s.  Aspects of environmentalism remain connected to the peace movement, uranium mining and nuclear development for example, but in the decades since the end of the 1960s the environment has become its own movement.  What role Greenpeace plays in all this is not my question to answer, but the shared history of environmental activism and peace activism expresses itself in this concert.  For my research, it is the youth aspect that is most interesting and much more research is required to do that part justice.

When the Amchitka album came out late last year, there was a mild amount of publicity.  Greenpeace blogged about it, the CBC put a short article on their website, and a few environmentalist bloggers noted its arrival, but that was about it.  Greenpeace made the biggest deal out of it – as to be expected for the concert that launched the international activist juggernaut with more money than innovative protest ideas – but every record store I went to looking for the CD had never heard of it.  Maybe media outlets decided to overlook this CD because it falls under the “folk” genera which has been replaced by ‘indie” and “alternative” in terms of subject matter and ability to engage the educated, affluent, middle class young adult market.  Maybe Greenpeace didn’t market it well enough – which is ironic given their proficiency at getting media attention for every other move they make.  Whatever the reason, it is worth a listen for the quality of the recording, the quality of the song writing, and what the concert stood for.  Concerts for a cause don’t come around all that often these days (Live 8 was more media hype than action, SARS-fest was all about reviving the Toronto tourism industry, and benefit singles are so over done there seems to be a new one every month).  It is too bad really, maybe if a little bit of that hippie spirit that made concerts like the Amchitka fundraiser possible were around the world be a happier place – or at least a more politically aware one.  Tickets to the concert were only $3; cheap enough to put a smile on the face of the poorest music loving student.

[Via http://canenvirorock.wordpress.com]

"In my own line of work, I get access to a lot of private company info including salaries. I am consistently amazed at how low the majority of salaries are in Vancouver relative to other parts of Canada."

Clarke at vancouvercondo.info 6 Mar 2010 4:58 pm – “In my own line of work, I get access to a lot of private company info including salaries. I am consistently amazed at how low the majority of salaries are in Vancouver relative to other parts of Canada. The stats I have seen on median incomes in Canada seem to bear this out as well. But, we have the most expensive real estate. Go figure.”

[Via http://vreaa.wordpress.com]

Sarah Palin in Canada can only go so far

According to The National Post, Canada’s conservative paper, Sarah Palin made quite an impression in Calgary, Alberta, probably the only place in Canada where people will listen to her drivel. The Globe and Mail’s coverage was decidedly more fair and balanced, noting that Palin’s approval rating in the United States remains quite low.

Among Palin’s supporters in Calgary were members of the Wildrose Alliance party. I had never heard of the Wildrose Alliance, so I assumed they were a far-right party Alberta-based party that thought the Canadian Conservative party too moderate. And it looking at their platform, it appears that I was right. They rehearse some of the talking points of the United States’ Republican Party, including “school choice,” super-low taxes and and super-small government. They call for “innovative new ideas that deliver health care more efficiently,” which undoubtedly is code for more private sector involvement and market-based initiatives (some of which I might support, provided nobody lost access to the high-quality and affordable healthcare the Canadian system already provides). The Wildrose Alliance party also recognizes “that families are a cornerstone of society and must be maintained.,” their paean to Christian conservatism.

But, and here’s the important but, not only will they never have real power, (and least, I sure as hell hope they won’t), but they’ll never be able to touch Canada’s universal healthcare, or support of gay marriage, or abortion rights, or other good things that are so entrenched in Canadian cultural and political life.

There are lunatics and idiots who support Sarah Palin in Canada, sure. But they are in an extreme minority, and can only go so far. And I though I’m living in the United States now, I’m thankful that Canada, despite it’s unfortunate Conservative government right now, remains a sensible place that I can call home.

[Via http://threews.wordpress.com]

Exclusive Membership

Isria – Reports submitted by the Governments of Argentina, Mexico, New Zealand and Uzbekistan on measures taken to implement the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights will be reviewed by the Human Rights Committee at its ninety-eighth session, which will be held in New York at United Nations Headquarters from 8 to 26 March 2010…

The following 165 States have ratified or acceded to the Covenant: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

[Via http://downwitheverybody.wordpress.com]

Bye Canada

As many of you know, I am in the software business and have been for almost 18 years. My photography is my outlet, and FPT is my side business. Recently, this last year has had me working in Vancouver, BC.  My time there finally ended on Feb 26th as I said goodbye to my team and came back to Seattle for new adventures in the life of a technical professional. On my way out I took a few pictures. These next three are my final images from Canada.

183 Squared

Down the Alley

I guess its time to go find some new shots. I really havent taken anything since these. My thanks to the great people of Vancouver. I had a wonderful time in this fantastic city. Living in downtown for a year was a blast and the scenery around Vancouver is amazing. If you have never been there I highly recommend it.

[Via http://facesplacesandthings.info]

Margaret Wente's idea of retirement, slightly skewed

Fishing is what conventional retirees do.

By Ashliegh Gehl

Thinking of retirement? If yes, consider rubbing elbows with Margaret Wente’s circle of friends. It’s a taste-test of how sweet retirement can be; or at least Wente’s romanticized, slightly unrealistic version of it.

In her column, “Is there life after retirement?” in The Globe and Mail, Wente tiptoes through a handful of retired friends. One by one Wente gingerly introduces the reader to an assortment of exotic fruits, the kind retirement could potentially bear.

Who knew there was more to retirement than early morning games of golf or a summery Alaskan cruise under the midnight sun. These conventional forms of retirement, as Wente calls them, may not be so conventional anymore. After all, who can afford to take the financial leap when Canadians are constantly reminded of how poorly the economy is doing.

“Only 38% of Canadians contributed to an RRSP by the March 1 deadline, a poll commissioned by BMO Financial Group found. About 56% saying they had decided not to contribute and 6% preferred not to answer,” the Toronto Sun reported yesterday.

Why did less than half of Canadians not contribute to RRSP’s? The BMO survey found two-thirds mentioned a lack of cash was the primary reason.

On Feb. 26, the Ottawa Citizen reported RRSP’s dropped from 6 per cent in 2007 to just above 5 percent in 2008.

“I think it’s very common that people will think of what their current needs are for money, as opposed to what their needs might be down the road,” said Executive Director Gena Katz, of Toronto-based Ernst & Young’s tax practice, in the Ottawa Citizen.

If Canadians are barely covering costs now, making sure finances are secured come retirement is a distant, even nonexistent thought. When people are focused on the now, building schools in a different country does not register on the mental radar. Food, shelter, and family is what comes first.

The only plausible and realistic point Wente makes involves how Boomers inching into retirement are being portrayed.

“Boomers, we are warned, will soon be a huge drain on society.

As they age into senility, their pension entitlements and medical demands will suck the system dry. They will consume far more than they produce,” says Wente.

If there is any hint of agreement in perspective with Wente, it rests in knowing a handful of Boomers who are not societal drains with 911 on speed-dial. Retirees can choose to live actively, contributing to the communities in which they live.

What was most interesting about Wente’s pedestal-retirees, who may be setting to the bar for lofty-retirement goals, is what they chose to do. Two examples chose to work internationally while the other two focused energies at home.

“I’m betting that there are lots of people like the Ebys out there, and that there will be more and more as the boomers gradually age out of their careers,” Wente writes. 



What the Ebys are doing is honourable. It’s a goal they have set for themselves and from what Wente has disclosed, a lot is coming from it. Let’s hope there are more people like Wente’s two other examples who are keeping the good work they do in the country.

If Boomers are thought of as drains, one way to dispel the myth is to not be a part of the problem, but create solutions.

[Via http://agehl.wordpress.com]

HOT OFF THE PRESS: Should Canada change its national anthem?

Should Canada change its national anthem?

3 March 2010

Oh, Canada… In the wake of potentially the greatest cultural and patriotic moments the annals of your history, parliament wants to change the national anthem –seriously.

The Governor General Michaelle Jean announced in today’s throne speech that we, Canada, should adopt a more gender-neutral phrasing of the Canadian anthem:

“True patriot love in all thy sons command”

Yes, that one part, that one word, in the Canadian anthem is under the scrutiny of political correctness all for the sake of…I don’t even know.

In case you were wondering, the revised version may go something like this:

“True patriot love thou dost in us command”

If this is the government’s way of trying to rouse patriotism in an effort to preserve and protect something that, in itself, is perfectly fine, this is not the way.  If this is the government’s way of delaying further action without requestion a third prorogation, congratulations.  I think the Leader of the Opposition Michael Ignatieff got it right in calling out the government for taking no real action on women’s equality, and simply putting forth symbolic gestures.

In all reality, what does this act achieve? Personally, I feel that national anthems, especially Canada’s, are inherently inclusive — after all, that’s kind of the point of a national anthem.  I doubt any of the Olympic female athletes were contemplating the socio-political implications of gender-bias phrasing while they were winning gold last month.

Nevertheless, I kind of get it?  Change isn’t easy and always comes with resistance, and this is all in the name of social progress.  And, our discourse and phrasing shapes and alters the way we should think about and approach issues — theoretically.  But, does it really? Will changing this one word in the Canadian anthem change the way in which we approach gender issues in Canada?  Will further equality of rights for men and women?  Doubtful.  What is more, I don’t think it will be worth the social backlash this government will face in today’s papers.

I think I speak on behalf of the majority of Canadians when I ask, “Is this really happening?!”

Anyone else think Canada’s due for a referendum?

Original Story:

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2010/03/03/o-canada-anthem.html

[Via http://avenuel.wordpress.com]

Some peoples lives are so intertwined...

Some peoples lives are so intertwined… Really…Read this story…

When I was in high school back in the 80’s, I attended a national encampment as a girl scout. There, I met Melissa who was to be my pen friend for the rest of high school. She was a girl scout from Nueva Vizcaya, a northern Philippine province. In the 80’s, keeping in touch meant writing letters. No, not e-mails, but handwritten letters that took about a week to send by mail.  Giddy teenagers that we were, we exchanged stories all throughout high school and sent each other our latest photos with our high school buddies. By the time, we reached 4th year high school, Melissa spoke of the possibility of  attending the University of the Philippines (UP), where I was already attending high school and where I hoped to continue my university studies. I promised to send her a letter when the results of the entrance exams came out. When they did, however, I did not see her name on the list of new students. Thus, I decided not to send her a letter.

The next thing I knew, she was telling me that she was attending college at UP. I was surprised and felt guilty that I hadn’t looked closely enough for her name.

And so our freshman year at the same university started – without us seeing each other. Cellphones were not yet in vogue then so it was not easy to keep in touch even with someone who was probably just around the corner. Then one day, inside the G Miranda Bookstore on campus, I bumped into Melissa. We stared at each other for a few seconds before both letting out a loud , “Oh my God!”

Unfortunately, we could only squeeze in a few lines because I was late for an appointment and had to rush. After that chance meeting, the rest of college life was uneventful for us.

Fast forward to 1995. I was in Ontario, Canada visiting my friend, Brenda. Brenda left before we could finish college and she was continuing her education in Toronto. I would oftentimes tag along whenever she went to class but always stayed in the library while waiting for her. While having lunch one day, she introduced me to one of her Filipino classmates named Brian. Brian started to ask me about home, the Philippines. He told me where he was from and that he remembered a girl he had had a crush on since high school. I told him that I knew someone from his province named Melissa. He said, “Oh, that is also the name of the girl I like so much.”  Then, I went on to tell him my pen friend’s full name. Then Brian gaped at me. “That’s the name of the girl I want to marry!”

It turned out that that Brian and Melissa were high school batchmates before Brian left the Philippines.

“What?! Oh, my God?! Really?! What a small world!”, was all could say in my utter amazement.

The following year, I was back in Manila, Philippines. I went out for dinner and a movie with some friends one night. They invited a guy named James to join us. James was a visitor from Mississauga, Canada. After dinner, we were walking to the movie theater when I tried to make small talk with James and asked him about his family in the Philippines. He told me his relatives were from Nueva Vizcaya. I told him nonchalantly that I knew someone from there.

“Solano”, that’s where my friend is from, ” I said.

“Don’t tell me your family is from there,” I  joked.

He said, “Yes, they are.”

“Oh, don’t tell me you know Melissa (I mentioned her surname).”

“She’s my cousin.”  James said.

“No way. I don’t believe this!”

This is a story that I never grow tired narrating to people. And each time, I could only smile and be amused at how the lives of two individuals, who otherwise exist independently of each other, intertwine at several points.

Melissa is not my best friend. We do not celebrate our birthdays together. We do not bother to announce to each other the important milestones in our lives. We do not hang out together. All of our encounters are unplanned.

But because of this story, I always speak of her fondly. And whenever we see each other, I do feel like some cosmic force binds our lives together. She must feel that way, too.

And did I mention that the men we married knew each other from college?

And that Melissa’s sister was my colleague at my first job?

I am already looking forward to the next encounter…

[Via http://filipinaathome.wordpress.com]

How do you Protect Canada?

Often I feel like I’m a madman with a sign, there are so many issues to defend. Through my background I have spent much time in Nature, the outdoors, mostly in my province which is British Columbia.

It all comes down to what you want. Do you want an environment. Do you know what you want ….. be informed.

People get all fuzzy when they come to Vancouver because they have not seen anything like it.

Great I am proud of my city I was born here.

I rode around the seawall the other day met people from all over the world and told them you could spend several lifetimes here and not experience all the natural wonder. We have 27,000 kilometres of kayak-able coastline 2.5 Germany’s can fit into BC. Exploration and discovery if you want its here but sadly it is being quickly eroded.

The beauty of our city is something to behold and is easily showcase-able its initial image is positive but is superficial.

Just like the Olympic marketing ploy of Whistler; I traveled to Squamish he other day brilliant sun 15C not a snowflake in sight this winter yet they have a snowplow running on the salted highway and and a new vehicle chain-up sign at Britannia Beach. Carry chains beyond this point from October to May. They moved that sign south by about 30 km and then its like December to February if at all.

It’s all apart of marketing speak to make something seem as it is not.

In the outstanding Olympic opening Grizzly Bears and Orca’s are used as iconic representations of this province yet we do little to protect them. Grizzly’s are hunted, Orca populations are stressed, by pollution, lack of salmon and in fact pre-1950’s we used to kill them too.

As we speak a lake ironically called FISH, with 85000 trout has been given the go ahead by our forward thinking provincial gov’t to be used as a mine slag pit.

Dutch Shell (Nigeria eco-disaster fame) is about to develop in the headwaters of the Stikine, Nass and Skeena which will threaten our north coast Salmon. We have lost the south coast fishery.

All this and more is out of the minds eye of most people. If the gov’t sez it’s alright it must be?

But then again you can not change it can you? 2 out of 4 million people did not vote in the last provincial election. I urge you to vote, contact your federal and provincial MLA’s make them work for their 160+ grand/year. Maybe your children will see the land, and get a sense of place does that matter to you?

IED’s are taking out Canadians in Afghan land did they die for nothing? How are you protecting Canada?

…… am I irritating you

[Via http://aboutsportsblg.wordpress.com]