Family Matters

Yes, one of the largest, and most dealt with issues of the world. Family. How do you deal with them? The black sheep, the money obsessed so&so, the angel, the devil, all the normal people just trying to hash out a living on the sidelines, etc.

I was thinking today, if everyone in families liked each other, or was at least mature enought to get along, can you imagine how much more of a peaceful world this would be? So much of the world's human to human violence comes through in families.

People giving up, growing cold, chasing after money like they don't have enough, blaming others, and DON'T even get me started on all those who decide to pass judgement based on who someone else in the family falls in love with! -- I mean "control freaks" NEone?

Maybe I shouldn't cast the first stone until I can ensure I am, and ever will be, guilt-free myself. Maybe I should forgive and turn the other cheek. Or maybe I can just call a spade a spade. Cause there's rarely any water more full of iron than blood, or nothing spills thicker than blood, or something. What's that cliche saying again? ;)

You get my point.

Racism: Alive and Well

One thing I do know is true.
Words can start wars. Civil wars.
Like Bill Bennet postulating on a radio show with over one million listeners about the fact that if all black children were aborted, American crime rate would go down.

So, has America found a scapegoat now? They can just blame the blacks for America's crime rate; and if their children were all aborted, the crime rate would go down. The whites like Bennet in America simply believe that they are perfect beings, and America is perfect. "Oh what's that?" they ask us; "you're starting to find fault in America, and who we are and what we do? Okay. We will deflect that bad image on those of our citizens who we believe to be inferior, and we as white Americans will still be perfect!"

This is disgusting! Bennet has just made a huge pro-Aryan comment; a huge statement that he believes the blacks are responsible for the crime rate in America. Think about what you just said, Bennet! Do you think, no matter what you meant, that this comment will go unnoticed? NO!! You're going to now have hundreds of people from all cultures demanding your head on a platter! How dare you?

Civil war.
If the American system of world domination and oppression was overthrown, that would be akin to opening a casket that is no longer guarded, and finding it full of poisionous, toxic cockroaches. Let's expose America to the world. Let the world judge America, and let humanity deal out its justice.

Who keeps you in Check, America? When you are at the top of the world, no-one has the power to tell you that you are doing something wrong. You are becoming a monopoly. You are becoming a hot-bed for hatred. The world is slowly turning against you, as you are festering in your own hatred, and passing on judgements against entire cultures, entire populations within your country.
Bill Bennet is just another voice in your choir.

BENNETT: ... one of the arguments in this book Freakonomics that they make is that the declining crime rate, you know, they deal with this hypothesis, that one of the reasons crime is down is that abortion is up. Well --
CALLER: Well, I don't think that statistic is accurate.
BENNETT: Well, I don't think it is either, I don't think it is either, because first of all, there is just too much that you don't know. But I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could -- if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out, these far-reaching, extensive extrapolations are, I think, tricky.


The Media Matters website has the entire conversation in context.

Bonjour Qwee-beck?

I now have permission to not go to school on Oct. 7th, so we can go to Qwee-beck. That should be fun. I am looking forward to going, very much so. It will take 5-8 hours to get there. Maybe we can even peruse Mon-reAL. cool.
St. Joseph's Oratory, Montreal Botanical Garden, the Subway there (oCooloCool!)
The St. Lawrence River at Lac Saint-Pierre; an ocean mammel summer hang-out, and through downtown Montreal in Lachine, where it becomes quite rapide! We could also go on a cruise, go shopping downtown, or view some of the many art galleries there.

There's even a "Festival de la canneberge" (Oct 5-9) in Villeroy. We can visit some of the cafés, restaurants, and art galleries of Trois-Rivières, which is in the Lanaudière region, just North East of Montreal. There are many hiking trails there just at the banks of the St. Lawrence River. Lots of water fowl, and picnicing space too.

There is also the Canadian Centre for Architecture;
"The CCA's dynamic and provocative exhibition program addresses themes that are of interest to a broad and varied public. Focusing on the CCA collection, exhibitions engage fundamental issues like the nature of the city, the relationship of architecture to landscape, the interplay between architecture, art, science, and the media, and its impact on political, social, and economic conditions. Exhibitions and related publications draw out contemporary issues inherent in historical debates and invite new critical inquiry on these fundamental themes."

Of course, that's all very vague so far, but if I do a little research each week, I might even know a thing or two about our neighbouring province!

America the Poor

On this day of prayer, I did pray. I am also writing a blog on this article; entitled "Why I won't open my wallet for Katrina" by Susan G. Cole of NOW magazine. "Why wouldn't I extend some help to these victems of deep poverty and America's history of slavery?" Some of Susan's friends ask her. In times of such trial, the affected city/state/area looks just as bad as any poverty stricken tsunami stricken part of the world. Those people there are suffering tremendously. And I have every faith that America the rich will be able to care for it's own people. America the kind and gentle and caring, America the "we have such generous purses from the abundance of money we have, and we are very willing to share them with our own people".

America has called soldiers back from places around the world to help out on home soil. "WalMart President Sam Walton has already pledged $23 million to the effort, more than twice as much as the Clinton/Bush team generated for Tsunami refugees." As Susan says, "keep it coming guys, we know the dough is there."

This reaction has, in part, to do with every country being able to take care of itself. Even if every country can't take care of itself, one of the richest and most powerful countries in the world definit-the-hell-ly can. I believe that each country has the ability to recognize discrimination within its own walls, and put forth an effort to solve these problems, and show its true kindness and humanity in the face of a disaster. I just think America is too self-absorbed to believe it can open its wallet to really help anyone, including itself, unless it gets a huge tax break.

Susan is right. Nature can't be planned. Look back into history and check out what nature can do to things. It just sweeps right on through eliminating everything in its path. Its mercilessness can also teach us lessons if we are willing to hear them; look around you, think and act locally when the call comes, and you will earn brownie points where ever you are going next in life.

David Mack's Kabuki

Now I am going to discuss David Mack and his work with Kabuki with you. Volume four in his seven volume series is entitled Skin Deep. After reading its description on his website I have a feeling I haven’t read the entire volume, but I do have a snippet of it, and even before I read his bio, which proves him to be a very creative storyteller, I was in awe. This was over a year ago, maybe even two. Now it’s my turn. Back to my “Beginnings” blog, I have done an incredible amount of research since, both on the topic of the content of my book, and how to create and present a story in such a way that it captivates my audience. I like well-designed books, and picture books besides. I want reading to be an interactive experience, with several layers of information and discussion. That’s what makes me want to pick up a book and read it.

In order to design a book -- if you play both the role of author and designer -- you need to consider not only the existence of your characters or topic, but the book itself as a sentient being. For me personally, David Mack’s work, or the sample I have of it, would be one of my best practice case studies. There are others, but this is the example I have currently chosen.

This is a very interesting story. On the first spread, there are only 64 words in the conventional comic book font. Some writing looks like it was written using the left hand suggesting a child’s mind at work. Some writing is done in a much more mature hand, like Akemi’s “letter”, and some “writing” is very visually oriented, like doodling.
There are so many levels of information in this story; symbols, visuals, words, and the design layout itself, that are repeated and re-used.
The grid system is sometimes seamless between reality and Akemi’s diary and cartoons. Sometimes the grid system is used to reveal things; it acts as a logical classifying system with strict vertical and horizontal lines as Akemi talks about the doctor classifying and deconstructing her. It is also used to portray progression; shadow puppets, a conversation, an origami creation. On one page, the grid system is used as a plane for conversation; a 2D representation of an abstract phenomena that can only occur in the spaces of the 3D world. Here, time is separated into tiny squares with faces and speech/thought bubbles. On another spread, the subject; the dream of the dancers, is drawn in the background, behind the conversation, taking over as the writer engulfs you in the dream, and eventually the conversation becomes invisible.
On yet another level, further in the background, the story unfolds, oblivious to the characters who are telling the story. There is no narration. The story is up to the readers to figure out, and so it left me with a puzzle of how to put together the pieces.
That’s one inspiration for how I want to build my story. It won’t be as fascinating as David’s but his style is pretty incredible!

The Power of Touch

I was discussing touch today. I don't know exactly how the topic of it came up, and I do know that for some people it is a painful topic. For others, it is a wonderful topic. Yet for more, at a conscious level, it's neither here nor there.

I went and did mini-research on the topic, and came across Sandra Blanton's paper to satisfy the requirements of her doctorate degree in Philosophy. It is well-written, and brings up some interesting points. And that was just in the beginning.

Did you know that for a 150lb (73-ish kg) person there is 20ft square of skin? Here's a quote:
"Skin is the most important organ in the sense of touch. Through the skin we differentiate warmth, cold, pain and touch. A touch, a kiss and an embrace causes friction to produce electric currents which are transmitted to the brain by millions of nerve endings of the skin. On our skin are produced major electrical storms in the electricity of love (daSilva, 1984).
...
Why the need for touch? There is a need for positive solutions for countering the effects of the growing depersonalization of our times. To all of us with bodies, in an increasingly disembodied world, we need a passionate reminder that touch is essential to health and happiness. We need documentation that the terrain of our touch-starved culture gives concrete suggestions on how to be more in touch with ourselves, and therefore with others. Survival is based on our receiving affection. Only then can we develop, love, survive and thrive. Learning about our need for touch could bring unusual insight and wisdom to understanding the nature of human ... love ... Can we agree that touch is not just for lovers? What is the comparison between sensual touching and healing touch? Why does bonding matter to human babies who are born helpless? This is an area which requires more investigation in order to answer our need for conducting this Meta analysis."

And so she continues to unfold her study.
So I start thinking; touch has seemed to be a more "feminine" thing. Y/N?
Can you make a list of the kinds of touch physical you are aware of between humans, and the range of emotions they represent?
I guess so.
I could go on forever, but here are a few:

Touching fingertips, fingers, brushing a hand or arm ...
Mother/Daughter hug or kiss
Son/Mother hug
Son/Father hug
A comforting embrace for someone going through an emotionally difficult time
Giving a hug in greeting/parting
Giving an Italian, English, or "Eskimo" kiss
Fighting for the ball in soccer, rugby, football, etc
Scrimmage in front of the net in hockey
The victory pile-on in any sport
Contact martial arts
Boxing
Fists-only bar fights
Fully sober fist fights

The list is endless, but above is an example of how touch can exhibit a range of emotions, and each example makes the situation "memorable", as in, whether good or bad, you remember the situation better based on that touch.
Touch can be a stand-alone phenomena, but often it is also surrounded by other issues, such as respect. How do you handle touch as a subject. If someone touches you, or reminisces on times when contact has been made, how do you react? Or does touch stand as a private language on its own, requiring no interpretation? I think touch is a confusing and personal enough topic that it is extremely beneficial to bridge the topic of touch in communication verbally, as well as just in silence. That doesn't mean talk to your bestest friend about why you hug "hi", but to invest in building a strong bond or relationship with those you are in contact with, for the purpose of bringing that relationship of touch to a higher level, all-round. This goes for bf/gf, to Mother/Daughter, to Husband/Wife, to sports relationships. Each relationship needs to include a communication level that goes above the physical level. Look around your world. How does touch affect you?

Angkor Falls

My book design research marches ever onward, and the story, I hope, continues to weave itself together, under the guidance of my pen. Since my brain is tuned onto the Cambodian channel, this article caught my eye. It is about the fall of Angkor Wat, and why it fell. However, the article is very short, so I am left with everal questions, including; "It fell? Oh! When?!?!"

Angkor, the capital of the Khmer Empire way back when (9th to 16th centuries) fell in the 16th century. In it's place, or should I say, surrounding Angkor is now Cambodia, the capital of which is Phnom Penh. Archaeologists are now attempting to reconstruct that city, not in actuality, but through satellite images. How big was Angkor? Why did it fall? How big is it now? How big were / are its temples? What are its current and past population?

To answer one of the questions, archaeologists believe Angkor fell because it deforested the north in order to accomodate rice farming, and because of this deforestation, soil erosion wore away at the land's ability to support the crop. Also, their extensive irrigation system, designed to store the water during the rainy season for the dry season, may have become too extensive and complicated, to the point where irrigation was no longer possible ...(?) I don't understand that, and the article in the Discover magazine is quite short, but still very interesting.

I do know a bit about their irrigation system, and their rainy season. I would like to tie this in with my research, and my knowledge of Buddhism's Lent. More to come on that later.

Sharia, Unacceptable in Ontario

Sharia, or Shariat Law is Islamic rule. It is practiced in countries like Pakistan and Afganistan, where State and Religion are together. In Ontario, it was officially declared today that State and Religion will continue to remain separate. It made the front page of the Toronto Star.

That makes today a day to celebrate. Many people have come to Ontario from places like Pakistan from their freedom from fundamentalist Islam and the Sharia Law, so to allow it to be used here at any level as a form of acceptable governance would be to say to those people: our government is not the democratic place you moved to, but it aspires to be a fundamentalist Islamic state; a place that accepts the Sharia Law.

If Ontario accepted the Sharia Law, then two things may take place; if a woman, child, or even "lower status" man is punished under that law, our government may not be able to punish those who executed that "justice". This may be part of the problem in countries like Pakistan, where people are fighting to separate State and Religion.

Thank God McGuinty has refused to let this law be accepted in Ontario! And I hope that the people who live here and oppose it are never killed by Islamic Fundamentalists for our beliefs. This is not your province; this is our province. We have the ability to protect our citizens, and keep all of us safe from phsyical harm. There are many people here who desire to raise the standards of living in this province for everyone who lives here, and make this a province of equality. We also all have to deal with being able to adopt here. No one culture can have an absolute rule, because we all must work together. There are many different cultures here in Ontario, and no one fundamentalist group will be allowed to sway the law in such a way that puts in peril the lives of others who live here.

I am glad that today that decision was made, and I am sure many people who left Pakistan to embrace a culture and a government that are distinctly separate from Religion and Religious Law are equally glad. Today is a day from us to celebrate the protection our government has afforded us.

Analyse That!

I think I remember seeing an article or two in a Business Week or WIRED magazine somewhere about Anger Management. Too bad I didn't stop to read them thoroughly. Those kind of articles also tend to discuss anger management around the workplace, and how happy many people are with their bosses. There's also a funky website where you get to rate your boss, and other elements of your workplace, and you get these little icons that show you your average facial expression, from "yeah!", to "meh!", to "blecky-yucky!" I wish I could remember the URL! NEway, the point is that there are many cases in Canada where people are OK where they are working, but something is making them stuck in whatever position or situation even though they are angry. For me personally, I sometimes feel intimidated there. Sometimes I feel as though it's some sort of fraternity where I am the only honest worker (and cleaning lady). Now, I know that's not a blanket statement; there are a couple good guys and women there, but sometimes the slackers and fluffbrains piss me off.

There is a magazine article that I DID read in a women's health magazine, that, although not the same business oriented viewpoint on the topic, is still worth noting. The specific article; Go Ahead, Get Mad was written by Dorothy Foltz-Gray, who is a freelancer who writes primarily about health issues. Some links in that google search (click on her name) bring up other articles that look at anger tendancies and ways to manage our anger. It was also interesting to find out that those who suppress their anger seem to suffer the same kind of affects, and from the same health conditions, as those who express it in engraged outbursts. Okay, that can be me on both sides of the coin. So, back to Foltz-Gray, who looks at women specifically, she addresses those of us who are spitfires, and those who would rather flight then fight, and ways of expressing that anger in a productive manner.

"Aiding us in all this subterfuge is confusion about anger itself. "Many women think anger is a bad thing, and if they are angry, something is wrong with them," says psychiatrist Jean Baker Miller, MD, director of the Jean Baker Miller Training Institute at the Stone Center in Wellesley, MA, where she researches women and anger. "But anger is an emotional reaction indicating that something is wrong and that something needs to be done." " Good point. The "wrong" isn't to go hand-in-hand with blame. Not your boss, and especially not you. Do not internalize that anger, like so many women tend to do so they do not need to deal with the situation. That makes you what she calls and internalizer. Possible become more of an objectifier.

Put the situation out where you, and everyone, can see it: into words. Objectify it like a picture you study in art class, or a bottle of Sprite. Suggest a general solution involving everyone, what you can contribute to it, and what they can contribute to the situation as well. Let them know that you have been disrespected, and that you have a right to be respected. Make sure you also treat others with respect. Sometimes, you may have to deal with someone else who has a temper at work, but you need to remember that they are not in control of your actions. Also, if you are able to learn how to control AND EXPRESS your anger productively, AND maintain your respect and morals at work, then you have every right if the situation gets out of hand to go to higher levels to get the respect you deserve. EVERYONE, NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, DESERVES RESPECT. We have all gotten angry, and some of us have a temper that we've used sometimes, so that is reason to give people some room for human error and anger expression of their own, but everyone has an equal right to demand AND RECEIVE respect.

On a last note, back to staying stuck, if you find that you are staying stuck in an "abusive" situation at work, and you have tried everything that you possibly know, including googling stuff like "getting out of abusive work situations", or phoning the police or a help line, (they won't arrest you or anyone else just for phoning them to ask for advice and help) then leave that situation. You are in control of your own destiny, and can find a better one!

NEway, cheers, and remember, read these articles and google stuff, and get out there to express your anger productively! :D

Curves

I go to a now family, used-to-be women's gym. The addition of men was disappointing. But that's not what I'm here for. Right now, I want to discuss health. Health is not just something you are, or have, but something you need to work for, and maintain your entire life. It's an attitude, a state of mind, and a life-long goal. I am blessed to be surrounded by an abundance of people who "practice" health. My Mother, for one, has gone to the gym for years now. She has always had weights and a rowing machine in the house; every house we ever lived in. I remember using that rowing machine since I was little. She used to take my sister and I out on walks every day, little did I know then, that we were walking to the University I would one day attend, and then back home. Every day ... 6:30am-ish, with a banana before-hand and a bowl of porridge afterwards. And we are a healthy family in terms of eating habits. More carrots and zuchini and pasta (Atkins be damned) through the years than burgers, that's for sure! And sports; baseball, sports camp for years, girls' hockey for at least 1/2 a decade, skating, skiing, walking, now gym memberships ... sigh. The adventure is on-going, and supplemented by extensive reading and healthy recipes.

There are also those I know who have quit things or changed the way they are to regain health. I know - and commend - several young women, peers, actually, who have had the strength to quit smoking, either on their own, or through the support of their peers, and one extremely beautiful woman who has lost significant weight through changing her eating patterns, joining weight watchers and Curves, going to her doctor and a nutritionist, etc. This woman is incredible. I love the way she has learned to love herself.

There is one thing, however, that continues to bother me. The affects of smaller things, like picking your lips, biting your nails, picking at cuticles, etc. These, albeit bad habits in and of themselves, are possibly signs of health that are less examined in this society, where physical health is being emphasized. In most cases, this is wonderful! In some cases, could it be more a sign of work better, achieve moremoremore, than an active approach of treat your body with love and respect, for it is the vessel that carries your soul? I don't know. My Mother, I would say, has learned to love her body, and learn to listen to it, but she had a horrible problem with her nails when she was younger. With my sister, it was biting her nails for a decade; me, my cuticles. Nervousness? Anxiety? Lack of confidence?

How does one lose the weight of such problems, and regain their outlook on a healthy life?

McLuhan?

I thought Massive Change was cool. Until I started talking to my Dad about it afterwards. We discussed our opinions on such public displays and their idealist mis-information on the future, and how no-one's opinion seemed to actually have been changed towards technology based on the "clear-box" votes on such issues as genetic engineering afterwards.

Now I am leery of the McLuhan Festival. Will it actually affect change, or impart realistic information? I don't know. Are there any days that will really be worthwhile attending? I don't know. Personally, I am a tad disappointed about all this trend and hype to do with "all things design" at the moment.

I might be interested in "Home Day" and "School Day". But where is Religion Day? Senior's Day? (Dis)Abilities Day? The event has been created to look at technology and culture. McLuhan was all about the relationship between media and society.

But I'm more sure that relationship is what it's supposed to be. The media, technology, (pop) culture, and society are sorely lacking today in the in-depth connections and relations that things such as spirituality, a lack of greed, and a genuine desire to help humans across the board - not just the trendy humans - promotes. If I go, I beleive it will be with a skeptic's ear. I am waiting to hear what I want to hear; a certain willingness to reach out and help other humans, not just what others may want to hear; "look at what we can do to design the world with our cool new gadgets! Aren't we so cool! We will save the world with our stuff!"

Productivity of a Day of Prayer

Oh yes, Bush. Proclaim a day of prayer on September 16th, as you are now the Pope, and God besides. This will definitely touch every one of the lives of those affected by the flood. It may bring some bloated bodies back to life, and reform the structural integrity of the buildings there. Is it true that the citizen's prayers were not answered by you while you were on vacation? Is it true that the FBI went in earlier on to rescue genetics research from one of the universities there, and they did nothing to rescue the people? Is it true that your inactions towards these citizens could be the snowflake that starts the avalanche of the next civil war?,

I have nothing against prayer. On September 16th, I will say one; that the ones who have not cared for others during their lifetime are judged with justice in the next, or even in this one. That those who have died because of your inactions did not endure much pain, that those who continue to survive find that there are people God has blessed in America, with the abilities that you do not have; to care about their fellow human beings.

Ten Grand

I recently attended a Monster Concert in Nathan Phillips Square. This production was in part the fruit of Boyanna Toyich, a motivational speaker, and RCM graduate. One of my best friends found out from her fellow pianists about a group they had joined last year, which would tour around, putting on Monster Concerts.
What is a Monster Concert? Well, in my friend’s case, their slogan was “10 pianos, 20 musicians, 200 fingers.” The phenomenon began in 1860 with a piece called “Triumphal Hymn” written by Louis Moreau Gottschalk. In 1867, it was preformed by an orchestra of 650 musicians, including 80 trumpets (hopefully they didn’t blare!). Much of Gottschalk’s music had a multi-cultural aspect that was way ahead of its time. You can read more about
Gottschalk’s life and work, if you wish.
Back to the concert, here was their repertoire:
Night in the Tropics, by Gottschalk
Overture to Semiramide, Rossini
Faust (Valse), by Gounod
Symphony No 40 (1st movement), by Mozart
Hungarian Rhapsody No 2, by F. Liszt
Overture to The Barber of Seville, by Rossini
Danse Macabre, by Saint-Saens
William Tell Overture, by Rossini
My friend, that evening, was absolutely beautiful, and she played beautifully too! I was honoured to watch her concert, along with a couple other of our friends from highschool. We saw a suprising number of former classmates from highschool there, actually, and Nathan Phillips Square was completely full.

FAB

Long time ago when we was FAB is now back. I first read about it in the May 2nd issue of Business Week. FAB Labs, which is a group of personal manufacturing software and hardware, is like a 3D printer. You can program anything into it’s system, and it will produce the piece by carving cross-sections out of plastic, and fusing those pieces together to create the piece as a functional whole. Today these stations cost $20,000, but hopefully in the future they will drop to $10,000, then possibly even $1000.
Again, on 0 comments  

Movies with Dad

Well, congratulations to me, I've posted my first picture! Now I need to write a post about it! So here goes.
I have watched so many movies with my Dad over the years. The first one I remember clearly was the Langoliers, a "B" movie made from one of Stephen King's books. Another one I watched with him was Pitch Black; just this summer, and then The Chronicles of Riddick just after that. Those were my introductions to the cutie in the picture below. We are now in the middle of watching Kevin Smith movies; the best one of those was Dogma.
We've also watched many theatre movies together, like the Village. I think these movies are a big part of our time to touch base with one another just to have fun, and I really enjoy these times. Sometimes we eat and drink, sometimes we laugh together during the movies, sometimes we sit together on opposite sides of the couch, and sometimes I snuggle up to him.
It's wonderful to be able to have a good relationship with my Dad. He's going through some tough projects and times at work right now, and so I just want to let him know that I really love him, and all the time he makes for us, his family, in various ways.
Thank you Dad, and I love you.
(And what better way to celebrate than with my first posted pic, of Vin Diesel! ooops*)

Drug racism?

I just read an article, published a couple months ago, about drug research, and the fact that researchers are ignoring the differences that might come up because of race.

I find these researchers and their attitudes to make absolutely no sense. If one culture eats predominantly more of whatever vitamin in their diets than others, lets just say vitamin B, then they won’t suffer from any conditions that result from lacking that vitamin. However, if another race eats a lot of iron in their diet, if they are given a drug that also has a very high dose of iron, that could result in adverse health effects.

News flash; different cultures don’t all eat the same, we don’t all exercise the same amount, and we don’t all have the same lifestyles. Some different eating habits ARE based on culture. Some different lifestyle habits ARE based on environment, and tradition. So to ignore the fact that differences in culture are important when studying drugs is to ignore the fact that humans are different. For example, you wouldn’t NOT take into consideration the fact that some people are allergic to some drugs if they have the medic bracelet. You wouldn’t ignore their bracelet and administer the drugs to them regardless. Why then would it make sense for the drug researchers to discount the possibility that people of different cultures would be, as a group, allergic to some sort of drug on the market, or at least, it would have no effect on them – meaning not treat their disease?

For example, if one drug has no effect on Italians, then upping the dose would still have no effect in curing the disease, and soon your Italian patient would be dead because of some reason like the wine they drink combined with the ravioli they eat blocks the active ingredient in the medicine your giving them. But you as a drug researcher pretend this doesn’t exist. You’re still looking at a dead patient! The drug researchers seem to not want to broach the topic because it could be considered politically incorrect; “this can fuel social conceptions that there are meaningful genetic differences between races”, says one Jonathan D. Kahn. Well, so what if there are! And, “scientists are struggling to understand why many drugs don’t work alike in all races”. *sigh*. Please read this blog.

Math is Girls' Play

Margo Varadi covers an interesting camp run by IBM, on volunteer power.
Mmmm, okay, so this is corporate sponsored, but that doesn't really matter in the context that so many schools have partnerships with IBM. We're not singling out only two schools per country, or something like that. According to IBM's press release, more than 1500 girls will be attending these camps from May to October.

Varadi writes on this one girl's group of 36, in Markham. Listen to this golden nugget; "after just a day and a half, Courtney and her fellow classmates are wondering why school can't be like this. If classrooms were this cool, Courtney says, she wouldn't have struggled so hard to get through her last year. My first two semesters of science I got a 50. she says. I just didn't want to do [science]... it was kinda boring ... This camp has made science more fun. The entire article is full of these kind of insights, most of them coming from the interviews with girls.

This is perfectly juxtaposed to the Miss G article (young women advocating a change in awareness of female role models through women's studies), and works so well with this article because it interviews the students themselves, and finds out their viewpoints on what needs to change in the education system in order to make learning more ... well, memorable. (Now, that's what my university program is spending four years teaching us; make things memorable, that's how your message will stick.)

See my next blog, below this one. I hadn't even analyzed this article yet when I wrote it, but those are my points. Get students into the real world as well as in the class-room, if it takes a community to raise a child, a few teachers can't raise 200 kids in their school alone. Get the community involved! Take learning outside the classroom. Teach children, and, in the case of this article girls, to keep an open mind, and learn how to learn in the real world. Learn how to think and be creative. A student supports my point; "it is best when students can relate to what they're learning; the roller coaster makes all these terms like kinetic energy and potential energy mean something because you have a visual [concrete, real-world] representation. A lot of people can't learn by just listening. This reinforces things you need to learn, like terminology and definitions."

But wait, it gets even better! "The point of EXCITE for IBM is to get girls more interested in technology . The program pairs them up with mentors, women on staff who keep in touch in the year after camp and encourage the students to consider careers in science and IT ..." Good point. Let's give the girls real role models, and people who can take them out of the malls.

The thing I don't like about this location is a couple of the girls seeming obsession with the "stuff" they can get afterwards. They want to make a m$ll$on a year to live their dream life, and IT can take them there. O God. So rich women helping rich girls learn tech, eh? THAT is corporatism.

Now, let's relocate to "inner-city-ness". Give those girls the same chance in the same programs. Get them out of the malls and the gangs, etc, and show them that there is a whole different world out there, and give them more caring and supportive role models (yes, I am suggesting that there may be a few employees in that bunch who are snoodocrats out for tax breaks!) who will be willing to take them on "Big Sister of Canada" style and mentor them into a higher level of self-confidence. That would differentiate the program from others, so that it makes a difference in the world, not just supports some Markham/Brazilian/Thailand rich girls. Hopefully there are many more examples like the latter. Can you imagine living in Habitat for Housing, your parents having not much money, and you being able to go off to camp, and coming home with a mentor that will guide you through your education next year, like a tutor, who will spend time talking with you about how you can make more of yourself, and really getting into your life with you? Wow. I would love that.

NEway, here's another site about technology and girls, enjoy!
http://www.girlsgotech.org/

Miss G Girls II

On to part II. Quotes.
"... four enthusiastic thinkers on a mission. And it is this: to get women's studies onto the high school curriculum ... we're thinking big. we're thinking long-term. This is no summer project for us." After one of the four brings a "Baby Girl, or Sex Toy tube top from her bag, the question arises "Where are the countervailing influences for girls and young women moving through the school system? Why does the prevailing role model in celebrity culture appear to be the (dumb-chick, shopping-mall) Paris Hilton?"

These girls notice the "lack of self-esteem among young women, the rivalry that too often seems to mark their relationships (versus camaraderie among boys), the [scarcity] of women in the existing curriculum, the missed opportunity for intellectual engagement." Yes. I know this. You know what I find most conducive for this camaraderie? Anger outlets, believe it or not. Through sports, mostly. When I was involved in karate, or hockey, I was able to channel my need to exert. When I was doing this, I found that I was able to be much calmer in my relationships with other girls. Catty? Comes from not having anywhere to let out your anger in a productive, fun, camaraderie kind of way.

"Young girls are no different from boys in their need for physical exertion. I find women's fainting spells a direct result from women being indoors all day bent over their needlework confined in restrictive corsets." This is a quote from Little Women with Susan Sarandon.

This is interesting: "the fantastic four have launched their mission with fearsome precision: Miss G. chapters have been launched at the University of Windsor, and Wilfred Laurier and Waterloo; sequential meetings have been had with various representatives of the ministry of education, including a get-together last week with a member of the ministry's curriculum assessment policy division. Not surprisingly, ... the group [does not] believe that pushing for locally developed course options is the answer. We want the Ministry of Education to make a statement that gender equity and women's issues are a priority within the Ontario government."

Yes. That's a statement that needs to be made. I am just concerned that it might turn out to be a "now you have your program, we are politically correct, and don't ask for anything else that would take any work" statement from the government.

One of the girls, Shkordoff makes the point "you're an active citizen. Call your MPP. A side effect of this is to encourage active citizenship." That's another good thing.

And the point Mohan makes is also quite true from the point of the psychology of learning and what behavioural traits are developed in girls by a certain age: "If you're waiting until university, it's too late. It has to be done at an earlier point in time." Exactly.

So, for us adults and young women to be politically active; that's excellent, that's what's supposed to happen with us, that's what we are supposed to do.

But not everyone is political, and there are so many avenues to approach this with. Girl Guides, through to Pathfinders. New Moon magazine. Hockey, or any SPORTS for girls. Girl's clubs in the school system. An IBM tech camp.

Things to get girls out and moving about; things to make them sweat and think.
Things to develop problem solving skills, and the awareness of the power they have to become active in their world.
If girls have these countervailing influences to those of the media, we may just have less anorexic fashion fluff-brains prancing around our city.

Miss G____

Jennifer Wells goes on in the July 23rd Star about Miss G. Long and short of the first page of her article is about a woman in 1873 who dies of whatever diseases, or is "killed" slowly by this male doctor, Edward Clarke, who feels that women cannot possibly make anything of a brain, and simultaneously maintain their feminine role, or feminine reproductive system. Okay. So the guy is brain-dead. I could rant and rave about him, but that's not the point.

With this theme to unite them, four young university women from the University of Western, Ontario are on a mission. Not to promote science or medicine in the classroom, but to promote women's studies. Bare with me while I play devil's advocate. Why women's studies? I wouldn't be interested in women's studies. Kack! Bo-oring. What I would be much more interested in is things like a Girl's Club (this taken from the Girl's Club that my Mom ran out of her elementary school for years. This was a chance for these girls to meet role models who are currently alive and at work in their communities, a place for girls to talk about business, science, sexuality, religion, abortion (one girl had one ... ) anything.

I am all for promoting girl's groups, clubs, education, and especially role models. But I am not sure that I would want to do it in the form of women's studies. I hope those girl's don't think it will be some wonderful thing that rocks the school world. The girls will be sitting there dutifully in the classroom, listening to some teacher who's only interested in the paycheck dictate from some textbook about some Emily Stowe. Great.

What about bringing the girls to the ice rink, and teaching them hockey? Get Z, AJ (Angela James) or Cassie Campbell out on the ice with them? Those are the women we got to interact with. They were kick-ass role models, and they've won gold in the Olympics for years! What about inviting the girls to an Aeros game, and letting them interview the players, or organize a dinner with those hockey players if teaching the students to play is too much? They'll learn interviewing skills, and be able to find out that these role models are real, not some diseased Dr. Chick from 1867 who died. I don't think most highschool girls can really understand the concept of Martyr.

If the point of women's studies is to inspire and educate MORE young women, and get them more interested in what women should be like, and not the media stereotype, then don't just "blow into the newsroom"; get out on a community level and get groups of girls going!

Beginnings

Kabuki: those who hear not the music think the dancer's mad. Emi is lost in motion ... when we find her. Slowly dancing with the ghost of music past.

Small Gods: Now consider the tortoise and the eagle. The tortoise is a ground-living creature. It is impossible to live nearer the ground without being under it ...

The Buddha of Suburbia: My name is Karim Amir, and I am an Englishman born and bred, almost. I am often considered to be a funny kind of Englishman, a new breed as it were, having emerged from two old histories.

I am trying to write a book.
I haven't written anything but school essays, class notes, and doodling in my diary for years.
Now, I want to write a (short) graphic novel.
I have to do it in less than 2 months.
Let me re-phrase that: my goal is to create a short story that has wit, uses illustrations extensively to highlight and augment the story-telling process, and is applicable to an audience largely comprised of young adults (18-24). This will be a story of self-discovery, well, for the main character anyway.

Haha. Very funny. But I need to have faith that this is actually possible. Well, some sort of book better be possible, because I am taking book design this year and I am there4ore required to come up with SOMETHING. I have been interested in this kind of thing for a while; my Dad and my friend keep feeding me comic books and graphic novels, etc, my best friend of 9 years is almost over her head in anime, RPG, she's an author, etcetc, and these interests are things that she's shared with me ....
So it would seem to be a logical choice. That, and I'm not really interested in a book about cats, bicycles, politics, or the extinction of dinosaurs. I've been to so many art shows with my Dad, seen different arts magazines, spent a year in Art Fundamentals at Sheridan; a blessed year doing NOTHING but doodling (with marks attached at the other end), and I want to produce a book from all of it.

Oi. So to start, I want to study a few books, find out their themes, their character development, the language, pacing and plotline. And somehow use all that information to try to sculpt a story. Then maybe, after the course is over, get it published.

But I'm beginning to think the extinction of dinosaurs might be an easier topic; one that I could handle almost without thinking.

Charlie falls down

The newest Charlie and the Chocolate factory was a flop. I read the book in grade three, and I saw the 1971 Gene Wilder film "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory". So I have a tainted view of it. However, my sister and I both agreed that the first movie did a much better job at story telling. So what's missing? I don't just mean scenes that are not there, I mean in the story telling experience. I much prefered the Charlie of the first movie, and how he interacted with his grandfather. They were more real. For example, Charlie wasn't some naive little angel who wouldn't dream of ever doing anything bad. He had a human side; the one that got into trouble with Grampa Joe. Willy Wonka was also more real. He played a character who was a little off his rocker, but then at the end of the movie Wonka dropped the facade and spoke seriously to Charlie from an adult's perspective, and that was a huge part of the reward, I felt. To have an adult treat the child as an equal. Here, Wonka is played as some deranged adult with psychological problems who can't get over the experiences from his equally messed up and very controlling father.

I think Burton's film dumbs down the plot, plays to the director's style, and to Johnny Depp as a character, and focuses entirely too much on scenery and Burton's slightly eerie edges. As a child, this film would be in my face and brain numbing. I don't think I would really be able to relate to anything in it; I would just get a feeling of gloss.

Sorry guys, but I just found that movie disappointing, especially at the end, becuase I was expecting Wonka to drop his facade and grow up, but when he didn't at the end of the factory tour, it just went downhill from there. The scenery, however, was quite like the original movie, and quite good.

Finally! Now, where do I get mine?

Tupperware Flat Out Containers
Credit: Tupperware Corp., Worldwide
Tupperware’s FlatOut! storage containers were designed for the consumer who needs flexibility in storage and for busy people on the go—students, working professionals and campers. Its accordion design allows FlatOut! to be adjusted to the appropriate capacity for the food to be stored or for space-saving stackable storage. When the container is closed the seals are completely watertight. For cleaning, they can be stacked like plates into a dishwasher and washed flat. In December 2004, the product was awarded a Good Buy Award by the Good Housekeeping Institute and was named by Fortune magazine as one of the best 25 products of the year in their December 2004 issue. It was also recently awarded a "Product of the Year 2005" award by the German Consumer Plastics Institute.

Daara J

I will be doing more blogging over these next couplr of weeks I hope, and this one is long overdue. This is all about a friday trip to Harbourfront a few weeks ago, and the Senegal group; Daara J. They were captivating! What a stage presence! They got the whole audience up and jumping and dancing, (well, some people stayed sitting, but whatevea) and they were jumping around the stage like they had fire ants in their pants! They had the aisles full, and the rows full there were so many people there.

Not only that, but their music is something everyone can be happy dancing to; they sing about religion, human well-being, "Esperanza", Exodus, and just havin' fun!

Here's a bit more about them, and their concert was GREAT!

"Goree, an island just off the coast of Senegal, was the last bit of the motherland seen by the millions of Africans caught in the slave trade en route to America. What the proprietors of this grossly profitable injustice could never have imagined was the tremendous socio-political impact those slaves would have on the country they were forced to call home. Ancient rhythms, rebellion, and the ability to express pain, suffering, and triumph through art would later manifest in what we have come to know as hip hop.

During Senegal’s 2000 presidential election, Daara J was hired to edit speeches and promote the anti-corruption political campaigns. Successfully bringing new voters to the polls, they were able to share in the defeat of a corrupt regime."

Are the Desert People Winning?

It's the ultimate culture clash.
The desert mentality, against the rain forest mentality. If it were up to me, I'd go with the rain forest view. This is a blog about a Discover magazine article. In it, Robert Sapolsky compares two different kinds of cultures as equals; the desert, and the rain forest.

I have no idea why the desert culture seems to be winning, but I can guess. The desert cultures had to fight for survival in every aspect of their lives. It was a constant battle between the people and their surroundings for possesion of the precious little resources available. Everyone had to hoard as much as they could find, and it really was a survival of the fittest. Later on, these behaviours translated to a fear their way of life will not survive, so they faced everything as a war in order to be the conquerors, and force their ideas on others as right.

On the other hand, their tropic-dwelling counterparts are much more assured of their survival, so they were able to more naturally adopt a laid back lifestyle, still based on survival, but more comfortable and confident with the way things were.

Obviously if you go back to a time where everyone was just trying to survive against the elements, everyone had their set of problems, but according to this cross-cultural study, those who lived in more lush climates have built up very different cultures; ones that were much more open to all opinions, and naturally comfortable with a variety. With differences. Other more typically dry (desert or ice) cultures were more the kill and conquer ones, and these two different approaches are very much alive in the world today. They were carried through religion and other traditional behaviours.

I would like to think that in Toronto culture there are no more constraints that religion or tradition used to have regarding rights and freedoms, but unfortunately that is not so. I am afraid I cannot quote directly, but I once read in another piece of literature that even though religion has lost much of its power and ability to govern peoples' behaviour in larger urban cultures, people are still fishing around, holding onto the same beliefssimply out of stubbornness. You know, the old constricting, "this is the way it was always done". Long after the reason is gone, the wherefore keeps hold.

This article is fascinating for me, and this book; A Cross-Cultural Summary by Robert Textor, would also be interesting to browse through. It would be interesting to see the patterns between cultures and draw my own conclusions. I am becoming more interested in cultures as I seek to define myself, and look for more liberal lifestyle approaches.

Sapolsky remarks that these cross-cultural examinations are often marked by people crying "racist!" at European cultures (ie the "conquerors") using these studies simply for their own proof "that northern European ecosystems produced superior cultures, more advanced morals, technologies, and intellects, and better schnitzel."

Well, they aren't superior. They are just different. That is probably why the subject of culture and differences are being subdued and censored, but that's another post. One difference: desert dwellers are often monotheistic, those who live in the tropics, polytheistic. Millions think monotheistic is better, and would gladly kill or convert (all throughout the centuries, not just current events) to prove they were right. These different climates explain family behaviours, belief systems, sexual patterns, militarism, hunting, what people eat, on and on and on. The main message: your culture is a product of your ecosystems. People need to do that to survive.

When you get to the section "Which kind of culture would you prefer to get traded to?" Sapolsky's writing takes off. It's a brilliant and powerful article. It's also short and sweet, and worth the cover price of $6.50 Cdn. Well, that and Discover is usually a good magazine.

Sex Crime

One thing I am struggling with right now is the issue of relationships in relation to human sexuality, and how "romantic" or sexual relationships are defined. I was first introduced to Orwell's version of "sex crime" in a political science course I am taking. Through the essay I am writing, and a few "intellects" at my work place, I have encountered many different views on sexuality and relationships worldwide, and in Toronto.

Orwell's version of sex crime is extreme, but where should the line be drawn? For example, the "sex game" in Toronto. Do you date, are you a player, are you interested in serious "expensive" relationships, etc etc. For me, at least at the moment, I am REALLY questioning sexual experimentation. So many young people are doing it these days. One person I know had a frightening description: "Men have these urges". They need to be taken care of. That's why he said he was breaking up with his girlfriend. He wanted to try other sexual partners. She was willing to allow him to do so, on the basis that they would be able to remain in a relationship. He wanted to break the relationship off, because he did not want commitment. He wanted to experiment. This just seems wrong. He said he would mature out of it. What, one day he wakes up ready to be committed for life? I don't think so. I think relationship building and commitment is based on habits and choices that take a lifetime to build, they don't instantly occur becuase of hormonal changes in your body once you're 30. He's basing this on male sexual peak at 18. Ok, so the female sexual peak is supposedly at 30. Then we will have these urges, and we will want to play around, and when that guy is willing to be committed, he'll have to get a woman who is at least 42 in order to ensure she doesn't cheat on him. Or does he not think it should be able to go the other way around? Does he think that when a man no longer has these urges and is willing to settle down, the woman will automatically follow suit? It doesn't work that way. If you use others, you can't expect to get away with it, and never have others use you.

On another note, with all this "girl power" stuff, many young women are getting the wrong impression about it, thinking that they can also become engaged in what the boys are doing, because if the boys can do it, they should be able to, too. (See the aforementioned about relationship building and maturity. That goes both ways. That's the equality.)

No! That's not what equality is about! It's not about, "He's a slut, so I can be one too! Yeaaah, now we're all equal!"
No
No
No. The media, being a "slave" so to speak, of what "the people want", or feeding "the people" these attitudes. Either way, it's backwards. It's wrong. But there are people, and I have just encountered one of them, who believe it.

Young people are getting these ideas from somewhere. They are twisting truth to fit the Golden Calf. My current conclusion is that education and opinion can help to change these attitudes, but in a society where economy and business has more power than government or any moral institutions, how will this happen?

At least THREE meals a day

Think about health, here. It's not always easy for me to. Sometimes I'd rather read Terry Prachett while eating cookies than go to the gym and eat carrots.

"Regular intake of food was certainly the way our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate. They needed the nutrients for body-temperature regulation (no central heating!) and hard physical work.
Modern researchers have shown that eating three meals a day actually assists in setting the body’s internal clock. Regular meals (and exposure to sunlight) trigger wakefulness during the day. If we are awake during the day, we’re more likely to sleep well at night.
Several studies have demonstrated that eating regularly throughout the day helps keep weight and cholesterol levels down. Irregular meals do the opposite.
Remember, I didn’t say how much to eat, only to eat something of nutritional quality at regular times. You might need only a piece of fruit and a handful of almonds. Quality matters more than quantity."

In his article, Tom Ballard discusses the importance of making sure you eat food multiple times during the day, in order to keep up your energy. He suggests eating a good breakfast, and lunch 4-6 hours afterwards. He emphasizes quality over quantity. Sit down for smaller meals, and you can be more rejuvenated and less tired after them, although having a nice sit-down dinner is good, too! He also suggests how to set goals:

"Judge the success of your meal timing by how you feel. The first step is to decide on an initial strategy. For instance, you may decide you’re going to eat three balanced meals a day. Good plan. Now, do that for one or two weeks and keep a record of how you feel. If you feel good and your weight is stable or going in the direction you want (up or down, usually down), then stick with that program. If you’re not doing well, reevaluate by pinpointing when you’re not feeling well."

As a designer, eating like this is especially hard in the winter months, becuase of those deadlines, where you get by on one meal and snacks a day, living in the computer lab. That will especially be happening this year to me, as it is my final year in an Honours Program. I am sure it happens to many more stud

What if all terrorists were just bloggers?

What if all extremists and fundamentalists were given a soapbox and / or a computer and they just wrote? Then we would all be able to debate on the grounds of opinion, and all opinion could be tolerated and argued. All opinion could come up for discussion. No-one would be looking for power or Holy revenge or converts or anything. Each person equal in the realm of their own blog, and the blog community. Regardless of whether the belief seems "right" or "wrong" at first glance, the concepts of "truth always triumphing in a free and open encounter"(as Irvine says in an article on John Stuart Mil) could be exercised. The war could be waged on paper, on our soap boxes, and in cyberspace. This would save so many lives.

The tendency to violence and the fear that drives these terrorists is not productive. But it is real. There are people out there who are afraid and angry and they deal with it in outwardly violent bursts, and ways some of us think illogical. We can teach these people differently before they begin to act and think and feel this way. Murdering the innocent individual is just pure rage. There is no Religion there. Yet these people are allowed to continue by their governments. Toleration, yes, but not of physical crimes that punish the innocent. Toleration of opinion. Not violence. When violence occurs, governments should carry out their responsibility to their people to protect them. Whether or not they value individual human life as much as the next country, because if your own country is rife with violence, all the citizens may kill each other, and you. Then you have no country. So if governments carry out their responsibility to do everything necessary to eliminate those who commit violent acts, they will also be protecting themselves. Self preservation and survival! That will allow the country to live another day.

What does that involve? Not more chains. Stopping the crimes before they start. Educate all citizens so that they may have freedom of opinion, and not be cornered and feeling fearful and furious. Instructing people to deal with their anger in ways different than with weaponry whether within or outside their boundaries. This would seem to include the U.S. The have given, or sold, other countries weapons, as well as its own citizens. These are not the right tools to be giving out. I am interested in hearing opinions. I believe whole-heartedly that there are tools that can achieve the same result as some people believe weapons achieve, but they do so without costing innocent lives. They include Time and Co-operation, Opinion and Verbal Argument. This isn't just some strange romance. It is a reality in several countries within themselves and in their international efforts. I do not understand why other countries feel that weapons are the way to the truth, or peace, etc. Is this a form of censorship of opinion where the opinion on the bad end of the barrel of the gun will be silenced? Look at what that is doing to us! Is this what the U.S. wants? "Oh, now look, we gave them weapons for our own reasons, but now they are learning from our example -- you take weapons and use them to silence wrong opinion -- we don't like what they are doing. That's wrong. So we will take our weapons and use them to silence that wrong opinion". Does anyone see a pattern here?!?!?

(My God, if you know Terry Prachett's Masquerade, you'll know what state I'm in by the punctuation at the end of that last sentence!)

There is at least one person who might disagree with me, and he has an impressive BLOG. But it's a BLOG. Not a bomb on a bus, or any other form of outright violence.

Tribute to an Artiste

I've never worked as hard at anything in my LIFE as this guy does at his art. He has taught himself everything he knows about art (other than what he learned in Animataion at Sheridan). Art Fundamentals at Sheridan College four years ago he humbly displayed a couple of his favourite paintings in his rez, more as a conversation piece then anything else. You, see, he taught himself how to paint. One of them was a scene from Beowulf. He delights in drawing history; his major independant painting project was of a battle in ancient Rome, can't remember who inspired him, though. Maybe he can comment on that. Now he's taught himself how to paint using the computer, and again, he has created masterpieces. They are a combination of Tolkien (Alan How and John Rowe's art) and Lucas (some scenes you may see in Star Wars). This is a sci-fi spin from his historical works. I haven't seen what he has produced over the last couple of years, but in Art Fundies his work was very historically based.

He is, in my opinion, a creative genius, although he is probably much to humble to tell you so himself. No matter how much skill I ever acquire, I will never achieve the creative spark that keeps this guy going until his hand goes numb, and he has to ice it and seek medical attention. His only concern there? "I'm losing time on my art!"

Because the link doesn't seem to work, here it is in plain "URL": http://cowaneric.tripod.com/eric_cowan_portfolio/

Tetris for Health Nerds?

Apparently Steven Johnson has a new book out about video games and your brain. Well, I am a child of the video game era, having been around since the dawn of the 80s, however, I never really played much. I did do some PC problem-solving games, and I love Tetris, but if I had been told earlier they were good for me, I would have used that as leverage to buy some, and play them, gosh darn it!

Learnging how to win your way through these games IS the challenge. It's learning, creating strategies, and it's fun! My good friend has been a gamer of all sorts for years, and every once in a while, I get a glimpse of what it's like. As Johnson mentions, test results are beginning to show "the cognitive benefits of playing video games: pattern recognition, system thinking, even patience". And, I might add, scores of problem solving abilities. When many people play, I think they are more interested in being challenged and being able to say "I won" (against the game, or other people in my room or online). Or more than that, just sharing strategies between gamers, and enjoying the experience of the interactivity video games afford. An added benefit of video games is that they are the kind of product some researchers turn out for cash to create more beneficial things, like interfaces for physically disabled. Amazing. And fun!

Back to learning, video games are "embedded with one of the core principles of learning -- students prosper when the subject matter challenges them right at the edge of their abilities." That's true, too. I could get into the psychology of learning, but I can't remember it all now so I won't. Learning involves a system of challenges and rewards, and keeping your on your toes to survive, for that added Darwin effect. The most popular games, according to this article, are about "challenging mental dexterity" and not the plain shoot-em-up games. They are more advanced then movies and books in that the game itself has flexibility to increase in complexity in response to the player's abilities. In spring 2003, one research assistant the University of Rochester decided to give a visual recognition test to gamers and non-gamers, and found the gamers were much better at recognizing the objects (naming colours, numbers and shapes). They have theorized that video games DO increase people's ability to perceive the world more clearly.

Now, I've played Halo II once, and I was turning around in circles, trying even just to walk forward! Had I not played it under the guidance and giggles of my friend, I would have never stopped walking into the wall. But there's hope for me and video games yet!

We didn't light the fire

It was always burning, but is it burning out?
(ooo, there's so many good things you could write about with a title like that!)

Unfortunately, as John Stuart Mil discusses in his book "On Liberty"; "Once the doctrine has taken its place, if not as a received opinion, as one of the admitted sects or divisions of opinion; those who hold it have generally inherited, not adopted it ... Instead of being constantly on the alert either to defend themselves against the world or to bring the world over to them, they have subsided into acquiescence ..." this is what happens when a doctrine "dies". A group of people have inherited it, and no longer believe it. They, and here's a good cliche, "take it for granted."

Well, terrorists have got our attention. It is up to us to begin "un-granted-ifying" our beliefs, and start re-affirming them. We (in Canada at least) have an extremely strong culture, and, I believe, a beautiful one. If we are ever attacked, we need to awaken to what our beliefs are. It all depends on how fast we can react to what is going on with these terrorists in a mature fashion. Educating ourselves not just on our own beliefs, but how to refute those we believe can be wrong. The beliefs of the terrorists can be wrong. The can also be revolutionary in that they wake us up to what we truly are so that we will grow as a country and as individuals. If some people argue that part of anyone's identity is what their country grants them, then what does our country grant us? Well, the soil can't do it. We as members of a country have to put effort into defending what our country means to us. Keeping and defending our peace. Keeping peace for our future, and keeping all the rights we have, and maybe growing to include more.

One more point before I go for now. To know both our own book; the ____ (Bible, Torah, Bhagavad Gita, whatever) AND Classic Islam would be beneficial. Islam isn't bad, but many people now think it is. Their repressive belief systems are. Right now, they are fighting for revenge. What about if they start to fight because they believe our belief system is wrong and theirs is right, and they want to bring the world (or their targets) under their obedience. What if they do attack Canada? How many times will they do it? The war will be on our soil. Canadians, whether they want to or not, will be involved. Possibly we can begin to reflect on what we believe in now, so that if the time comes to state it to the world, and if war comes to us, we know what we are fighting for. Just re-read the anthem.

My prof was commenting the other day on the fact that Canada is not psychologically prepared for an attack, or for war on our soil. We have been peaceful for a long time, thank God. If we are attacked? I am not calling for us to go out and fight like the calls made during World War I. I do not want to lose people like that anymore. But will may need to fight. I think that if terrorists believe it is an honour to die for their religion and beliefs, and they will gladly give up their lives for the survival of their beliefs, we have to be ready to defend ourselves for our beliefs.

... I can't believe it!

The London bombings. They happened. *gathp*
There's probably a similar such bombing every day around the world. Think about this; we are supposed to be globalized and care about world issues, right? Then why is it that we are all having a hissy fit here about a few people who decided to become martyrs for a cause they believed in? Because it's the white folks it happened to! It's the Brits! They're one of us, the people who we claim are the good guys! I've seen Canadian flags at half mast everywhere! Is there some unkown rememberance day going on, or other event I don't know about? This can't be all for 50 unkown innocents who died in a country a quarter-way around the world from us. It can't be. That would be ridiculous. If that was the case, our flags would never be up! Then what is it? Is it becuase of the 300 who just died in a Pakistan subway crash that happened by accident yesterday? Are we mourning the deaths of those people? No. Because many people don't care about them. They do not deserve our flags to be at half mast. When did this happen? 7/7. It's now a week later, and the flags are still down. How much longer? We don't even know the individuals that died. We don't know the people in Pakistan, either, but we don't mourn their deaths. Actually, excepting for the fact that the reasons for all these attacks are screwed up, I hear their message. But I do not agree with terrorism. I also do not agree with Americans, Canadians, British, or anyone else being in Afganistan or Pakistan to make sure those countries' ascents to democracy or goodness occurs the way we think it should.

Perhaps my opinion will mature as I do research into the topic. Perhaps not. What I do know, however, is that if someone or a country is being ordered around by another, they have every right to retaliate. It's like a kid growing up. They may be a brat and retaliate for the wrong reasons at first, but you still can't stop them. It's part of growing up, maturing, acquiring an identity and self-awareness. Then, as they grow, they will form their own identity whether the parents like the identity they are choosing or not, and they can hope their kid grows up to be a good productive person. I think places like Pakistan (pardon my ignorance for not being able to supply a detailed list of countries) will become quite powerful, and they will grow and mature as a country into one that is able to have peaceful relations with America, Britain, and Canada, and not because "peace" will have been beaten into them, but because we will have come to a mutual respect.

Heart Health

I was reading "is Heart Surgery Worth it?" From Business Week, and I would like to add a few comments to John Carey's critique of heart surgery.Heart surgery seems to be becoming more and more of a plastic surgery maneuver these days.

First off, it's the patients. When those who can afford face-lifts for their pet rocks begin wheezing going up the stairs, they opt for surgery rather than drug treatment and self-aware rehabilitation. Of course! Why not put some metal into your body instead of taking the time and responsibility to make a change in your own daily habits. The surgery is a quick fix that allows people to play doctor God, and in the meantime, get rid of the pain so they can continue to lounge about on their couches and eat their roast beef. They have only put a stopper in the drain with surgery, and soon the fat build-up and lack of responsibility will lead them back into surgery because these procedures are temporary. If you do not solve your problem yourself after the surgery, the fat will build up again. Hence the term "artery-clogging".

One thing is that not all people know there are alternatives to surgery, and here's an area where the doctors are failing. They are so enthusiastic about surgery that they are not empowering the patients with the knowledge of drug therapies and self-conducted methods. A lot of people are also too afraid to take the step. They aren't provided with a feeling of network. There are some doctors who are willing to provide that connection to networks and resources that will educate, instruct and encourage people to change their lifestyles and daily habits just enough to save themselves.

Surgery is not necessarily producing better results. But learning more about your body and how to care for it every day you live with yourself will.

Designer Awards

"BusinessWeek magazine has coverage of the 2005 annual Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEA). The competition this year was as hot as it was last year -- with some predictable outcomes, and a few surprises. No surprise was the top design firm: IDEO, which has been taking home most of the design awards for the design firms in the last few years. Surprisingly however, other design firms have been closing the gap on IDEO -- most notably, Design Continuum. From the corporate perspective, Apple and Samsung continue to bring in awards for having designed innovative products -- but this year, there was a surprise leader of the pact: HP. Who would have think that staid ole HP could out-design Apple and Samsung?"

Okay, I got that from my Dad's site. I'm not necessarily interested in the names, as much as the design. All the new tech gizmos are cool, but not as cool as the snack and sippy cup from Gerber. I like different human-based design that acknowledges a plastic and / or natural world outside of tech toys, too.

For a slideshow of the award winners, click here.

The Truth vs. the Dollar

This comment is on the Free Press and the media, taken from Media Centric, by Jon Fine, from Business Week.
Fine makes some very good points about the “fight” journalism has to put up in order to report different issues, and the fact that sometimes journalists are silenced by the economic duct tape of corporations, instead of doing what they love to do; good, solid, investigative reporting. I wouldn’t quite agree with Fine about his description of today’s “limping media business”, but I would say that some journalists are definitely limping … or handcuffed. It’s just stupid. Yet not many people would think that the great democratic environments we live in would have anything to hide. Journalists know. They know what some governments and corporations hide under the guise of “confidentiality”.

“There is a huge cost if, say, a source who has documents proving a corporation is fouling the water supply decides to stay silent because her anonymity can’t be guaranteed. It costs media companies nothing if that story is never written”. And it costs the environment, and possibly some people, their lives. Sad, really.

Google the world?

At http://maps.google.ca/ you can see the world! Well, At least any of it that Google deems important. Google has a service where you can type in any adress in Canada, U.S., of Great Britain, and view it either on a map, or from a satellite image. It's so good I can see the buildings we live in, and the park across the street. Talk about an identity boost! But then, those three areas are the only ones that have any level of detail. The rest of the world is only mentioned by countries. No capitals, even. That sucks. I would be interested in seeing what streets look like in Israel, or getting a satellite view of the pyramids, and their souvenir shops ... or what about Potsdamer Platz in Germany? The Eiffel Tower? This map is interesting for a while, but then it just feels like a disappointment, becuase of how lacking in worldly detail it is.

Just Smile!

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
May things can trigger a bout of depression, and it's the worst when it IS many things! All at once! StatsCan gives a statistical idea of how many Canadians are depressed, and for how many weeks on average they were that way, in 1996/1997. A little outdated (almost a decade) but so that's okay. They don't say what kind of depression; SAD? BiPolar? Clinical? Psychotic?

No matter. There were 1,314,000 Canadians depressed that year, and twice as many females then males. Yeah for guys! We should all own one, if for no other reason than support when we get depressed! (Hopefully they're respectful and loving, and actually support the women they care about when they get depressed.)

Other than that, 1million+ is a big number. That's just one country. Okay. So one person seeing the world through brown glasses, in isolation, is not alone. I think these websites acknowledge that very well.

One thing I hate at the bottom of a cycle, is that when I'm there, there are two main attitudes; those who are angry and impatient (if the solution I gave you isn't working, then it's YOUR problem; you're screwed up becuae the solution I offered didn't work), and those who are patronizing and take advantage of your situation. Then there are a few gems who are strong enough to genuinely help out.

Here. Let me show you. (Ignore the dots, they're just there becuase Blogger keeps collapsing my ASCII art on me!)
.................
..../.../..\
../....-/------\--------/----
.........\....../
..........\..../
-----------\--/-------
............\/

The apex is the best place. The vertex; the worst. Although not as steep as my ASCII drawing, this is the cycle. the upper line, or just above there, is where you want to be. People who aren't depressed or have mood disorders rarely go below that line. They rarely feel, and don't understand, that area underneath. The lower line is where someone who's depressed can stay for a long time, and when they're there, it feels like that IS the upper line. Scary. On the other side of things, that line can also exist at the top, and you can also think THAT'S reality for a while. It's like constantly tripping, but without the drugs.

When someone who is depressed is below that low line, they usually withdraw into themselves, and since they perceive that as their reality, it is a very difficult place to be. Almost like you're in another world; an underground cave and all of a sudden you realize the only door has just collapsed. Then sometimes you realize that you don't even care. And sometimes, you do care. You get clausterphobic and want out fast.

Anyway, enough of that for now. If anyone out there needs some reference point when they're depressed, they can read this blog.

And remember. Really. Just try it. Smile. Please.

Hello world

Yuck.
I want to change this blog's design. I am a graphic design student at York Sheridan, and this blog might not last long. So, until I can change the design or create a site else where, here I am.