Metamorphosis

A renewed interest in blogging, coupled with the desire to try and do something much more representative of me, is leaving me to the oh-so-painful decision to make Thompson's Take 2.0. More information to come when I actually have time to post later this evening.

Extremely Late Update: The new neglected blog is up at Jay Walking. Check it out if you're really that bored.

Good Intentions: the Sugar-Coating of the Masses

This recent poll I saw via CTV might look good at first glance t some but it shouldn't really mean anything. It throws around a bunch of numbers talking about what some people are "willing" to do for the environment but that's pretty much it. No talk at all, with maybe one exception, about what real people are actually doing.

I guess knowing that people actually want to be more environmentally conscious should be noteworthy. The problem is that for far too many of us, it's all talk and not much else. It's kind of like Kyoto with a lot of fluff to make you feel good but when it comes down to it, you haven't really done anything.

Canadians need to wake up and start taking responsibility for their own actions. If we want to whine and complain about the apparent shortcomings in government policy, we'd better be more than just willing to make some needed changes in our own lives. If we want to make any meaningful impact on the environment, we have start making changes in our own lifestyles.

Perhaps what's more of an "inconvenient truth" is that too many of us just don't care enough yet.

Tainted by Association

An American trade group that represents millions of restaurant and fast-food workers in the United States is offended by a yet-to-be released ad for Nationwide Insurance. Apparently the worker portrayed in the ad, played by none other than thespian Kevin Federline, imagines himself in a music video instead of attending to his burgerly duties. The National Restaurant Association claims that this is an insult to workers in the industry as the ad asserts that employment in the industry is "demeaning and unpleasant."

Or, maybe they just didn't want to be shown in the same light at K-Fed/Fed-Ex. I know I wouldn't.

Not just for Geeks Anymore

Last night my wife and I went to see Video Games Live, a concert featuring music from a number of classic video games. I've long been a self-described geek, a fact graciously tolerated by my loving wife, and I purchased tickets to the event months ago. I wondered, though, in the days leading up to the show just how many people would show up.

As we made our way to the front of the Jubilee Auditorium, both of us were impressed to see a sell-out crowd of not just gamers, but also families and other adults eager to relive a little nostalgia. The music was provided by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and it sounded incredible.

As a gamer I was in heaven, but as a music lover, I have to say that it was perhaps one of the finest concerts I've ever attended. Anyone looking for an enjoyable night out should definitely look into this. Info can be found at the website linked above.

Working Too Hard

Here's an interesting piece from the Houston Chronicle talking about how some scientists are concerned that we may have been a little too eager to prove that climate change/global warming is the problem that many in society like to think it is. Don't get me wrong because I certainly don't deny the fact that our activities are certainly having an impact on the world and or that we could do for some positive change in our environmental habits. However, to attribute all our climate problems to greenhouse gases is a tad excessive in my book.

It kind of reminds me when I was in elementary school. Back then I was told with my fellow impressionable students that the "hole" in the Ozone layer was growing so fast that by the year 2000 we'd only be able to go outside if we were wearing fur coats or some variation of space suit. Well, we all know that that didn't really happen. Most people are fine with a little sunscreen and some common sense.

There's nothing wrong with drawing attention to growing problems. There is a huge problem when that message is blown out of proportion compelling so many to join in on the fun or risk the consequences.

New Year's Resolutions: Belated Edition

It's been far too long since any sort of real update. I'll credit that to a busy few months at school coupled with some personal matters requiring my attention.

I've seldom taken the time to write down any kind of goal that I have set for myself. Perhaps, though, taking advantage of this space might just give my blogging a bit of a shot in the arm.

Here are a few blogolutions (ba dum bum tchhhh....) for the upcoming year.

1. Post more regularly. There's always plenty going on around the world and in our own country to talk about. Sometimes the best way to figure out what you really think about any topic is to take some time to write about it.

2. Comment more often on other blogs. Blogging can often be a great opportunity to engage in healthy discussion and debate. Plus, it's a lot more exciting to share your ideas with others whether they agree or not.

3. Write about more local content. Even though I have little desire to fully engage in true Edmontonianism, at least in this point in time, there are a number of increasingly important issues worthy of more discussion. I'll try not to limit that to the Oilers poor performance as of late. Yikes.

4. Use this as a medium to collect my thoughts on my upcoming teaching experiences. I'll be beginning my first student teaching earl next month teaching German out in Spruce Grove, a community just west of Edmonton. I'm really excited, if not a tad nervous, for the opportunity to teach a foreign language. I expect to learn a great deal about myself in the coming months... perhaps more than I could expect. Simply wunderbar!

5. No more procrastinating... starting tomorrow.

Let's move on, shall we?

I was as shocked as most people were to hear about the tragedy in Montreal about a week ago. It was a tragedy and there's no denying that. Naturally, we want to know why these kinds of things happen so that we can try to prevent them from happening in the future. I wonder, though, if some of this discussion isn't getting a tad ridiculous.

Personally, I don't see what the big problem is with saying that our current gun laws don't work as well as they should. We have this registry and we spend millions upon millions of dollars on this very Canadian idea that we just don't have or need guns. This idea is right up there with the belief that our troops are not but humble peacekeepers and that 'Canadian' health care can never be private in any way, shape or form. But I digress.

I, for one, agree with the Prime Minister when he says that in some ways our current gun laws just don't go far enough. Is it really that much of a big deal to recognize that having the registry didn't stop the Dawson shooter from legally obtaining his weapons? Are we really so naive as a country that we honestly believe that having a registry is more than enough to keep us safe? If that's the case, and I think that too often it is, perhaps we shoulder some of the blame in these kinds of events, if only because we are collectively failing to get our hands dirty and make some real changes to the status quo.

Instead of arguing about what might have happened, why don't we all take a deep breath and accept that what's done is done. There's no going back. The only way to make amends is to start looking at what we need to do differently. If that involves scrapping the gun registry, fine. If there's another option out there, great, but let's start trying to figure out what that might be instead of dwelling on the past.

Playtime with Jack

Admittedly the topic of Afghanistan is becoming a bit of the proverbial dead horse, but it continues to weigh heavily on my mind. This is probably because the position of Taliban Jack and his band of merry persons bothers me so. In short, I think he's a fool but at least I can rest assured knowing that the NDP will never come to power in this country.

Without getting into too much detail, I will make one quick observation about the whole inconsistency of what the NDP is proposing. I'm sure most political observers can remember how uppety the Dippers got when Stephen Harper said that they would have another vote on the issue of same-sex marriage. To this we heard much wailing and gnashing of teeth in the way of "we can't have another vote because it's already been decided! You have to respect the will of parliament!"

Now Jack has done the ol' switcheroo. Now he is the one asking, nay demanding, yet another debate and/or vote on whether we should remove our troops from Afghanistan. How convenient for him to ignore the fact that parliament voted to extend the mission into 2009. He's become, although not surprisingly, just another political hypocrite, which has been the very thing he has prided himself and his party on not being.

Granted, I believe that more could be done to clarify a few of the details. But at the same time, can you really plan to the letter just how a military mission will play out? Last I checked, war was unpredictable. Nothing ever goes exactly according to plan in battle simply because people are random. Sure, we have rules and strategies to help bring a little order into chaos but long-term success will come not only from having clear objectives, but by adapting to the continual changes and pressing forward.

It's one thing to raise questions about what we're doing. That's one of the beauties of democracy. But it is becoming increasingly apparent that Jack is doing all this for Jack. No one can argue that the Conservatives are taking their particular stand for a few easy political points. The Tories have taken a stand that they believe is right, something hard to do in many modern democracies. I applaud them for having the guts to stand their ground despite an increasingly frantic and illogical opposition.

Update: Just when I thought he couldn't get any nuttier, comes this little nugget from Layton Land, which I guess is really the happiest place on earth. Hat tip to Daimnation.