Why I Oughta!

Who is this we? And what are they doing with my lumber? These may be the questions that are racing through your mind. The answer is the Home Depot, whose motto is "You can do it, We can help!". Well that's all fine and dandy, but why would I need assistance from Home Depot to have my lumber stolen? I believe that the Home Depot is misusing its power (as a well known and trusted name in home renovation) for evil. Death to the infedels :p

Roll-up that Rim... or Else!

March 8th, 2006... a 10-year-old girl finds a Tim Horton's Cup in a school trash bin, attempting to roll up the rim to no avail the young girl asks for help from her 12-year-old friend. Under the rim was not the usual "Please Try Again", instead the girls found themselves holding a winning cup with the prize being a $28,700 Toyota RAV4. The 10-year old's father planned to sell the cup and give some of the money to the 12-year old's family, but the mother of the 12-year old demanded all of it. Now, the teacher who threw out the cup is wanting in on some of the action, demanding that he is the rightful owner of the cup (and the prize); going as far as to demand a DNA test.

This situation, in my mind, is crazy. I think that the only way to settle this once and for all is with some good-fashioned jousting. These people are unbelievable greedy, and should be happy that they've won anything at all. If the rim turned out to have "Free Doughut" under it, I think that families would be more than happy to let the 2 girls split the winnings. So why is it any different with the prize being $28,700? None of these families were expecting large sums of money to be handed to them on that day; and $14,350 could make for a great education-fund for the kids (who were the one's to actually roll the rim). And to the teacher demanding his prize, I say "For shame!". You threw it out, so technically from the moment that cup entered the trash it became public property, and whoever picked it up rightfully owned it. All-in-all I think that the money should be split between the two girls, and I think that those girls should use their money to buy doughnuts... then everyone will be happy, because doughnuts can make any situation better.

Arctic Monkeys

Music...

For anyone who loves indie music, like myself, you must listen to the Arctic Monkeys... well at least give them a try. I first heard of them through a website www.video-c.co.uk which is awesome at finding the newest independent musicians from around the country. At the site, you can also find video clips of some more popular musicians. Sorry for the tangent, back to the Arctic Monkeys. They hail from Sheffield U.K. and have an amazingly unique sound, sort of like the classic Brit rock. Considering that they formed in 2002, and have already scooped up the 2006 Brit award for British Breakthrough Act they are moving fast. They've been scheduled to perform on Saturday Night Live (March 11, 2006) ... and I for one cannot wait. The lead singer and guitarist of the band, Alex Turner, reminds me a lot of Kurt Cobain in that he doesn't seem to enjoy public attention. Wikipedia states: "He has maintained a very private life, and shunned media publicity when declared the Coolest Man On The Planet by NME magazine in December 2005". I admire that Turner has chosen to make music his aim and not stardome, I just hope he doens't end up like Kurt.

Way to go Jon!

I was allowed to host the Oscars this year, and I’m very excited about that. I don’t know a ton about movies other than I’m not very good in them. – Jon Stewart on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (TV Guide, January 2006)

The 78th Annual Academy Awards are on Sunday March 5th and who better to host the show that the Daily Show's Jon Stewart. Yes, the man who made his career by poking fun at America's political figure-heads and Hollywood stars will be "emcee"ing the film industry's biggest night, being sure to keep the FCC on it's toes. I can just picture it now, the Communications Commission will extend the 5-second delay to 2 mintues (because... hey, they know that's how long it will take them to understand any of the jokes that Stewart makes).
I intend to watch the show in it's entirety this year, as opposed to last year's award show which I found completely boring. Chris Rock, who hosted in 2005, was suppose to bring new life to the show after a steady diet of Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg and Steve Martin... but to no avail. I can't believe it took the Academy Award committee so long to figure out that since the Jews control Hollywood, they should have a Jew host the award show. I jest, but seriously... Jon Stewart has been a noticeabley funny guy acting in numerous hit movies :P (i.e. "Death to Smoochie" and "Half-Baked") to name a few; why did it take so long to get him to host? I guess the committee didn't notice how brilliant Stewart was until they saw him completely blindside Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala (but who remembers that Paul was there? So let's just say he blindsided Carlson). I guess that they're trying to expand their audience, seeing as Jon is such a hit amongst the younger generation and not to mention... the ladies.


Check out this clip of Mr. Stewart himself at the Emmy awards...

The Mighty Boosh

This show is crazy fun! I can't even remember how I found out about the Mighty Boosh, but they are amazing. British shows should get more exposure on Canadian television. The only brit shows that I can watch on television are Coronation Street and Doctor Who. With the region difference imposed on DVDs, certain shows can only be viewed by the British audience. All I'm suggesting is that Canada, with its historical ties to Britain, should receive more British programs.

Canada, Comedy and Cable

In my mind, the word Canada has become synonymous with the word Comedy. Not just for the fact that most of the world considers us a laughable country. If you talk to Canadians and then to Americans, it is easily determined that Canadians have their own quirky sense of humor. This is not to say that all American's don't have a good sense of humor, case and point Jon Stewart (who is, in my mind, one of the most original comedians out there), Dane Cook and the late Mitch Hedberg. Yet, Americans tend to be more concerned with the way they present themselves, while Canadians couldn't care less about what others think.

It's not that American comedy is unfunny, it's just that comedy has not been excepted into mainstream culture in America as easily as it has in Canada, although lately one could suggest that more American comedians have been credited with higher Hollywood status (ie. Steve Carell). Comparing Canadian comedy with American comedy is like comparing (I'm not going to say apples and oranges, because in that statement the meaning is lost) fine wine with an ice cold beer. American comedy is very primped, proper and perfected like an art, which it is. It suits all tastes (making sure to be politically correct), bringing the high class and the lower classes together. Canadian comedy is more raw, made for the people and by the people. It doesn't get the attention of the upper classes, mainly because it chooses to poke fun at them. Yet, it does apply to the common man, which is the preferred audience as the common man makes up a larger demographic than the wealthy.

Yet in Canada, the main television stations (CBC and CTV) have comedy hours and even an entire friday night commited to relaxation and laughs, allowing for Canada's comedic audience to expand. One could bring up the fact that America has an entire station committed to comedy, Comedy Central, yet this station is only available through the purchase of cable. Even without cable Canadians can enjoy a good laugh... I would know, I don't have cable. What a shocker! People often ask me how I survive. I tell them, "Just fine!" which is true. I believe whole heartedly that life is a lot simpler without cable. One could say that I live a happily filtered life. With only 6 channels to watch, CTV and CBC among them, I am still able to watch quality shows. I always look forward to CBC shows like This Space for Rent, This is Wonderland and This Hour has 22 Minutes. The shows I watch are limited, but this gives me more time to go about doing more productive things like reading (<-- yes, people still read). The Just For Laughs Comedy Festival, often featured on the CBC and based in Montreal, has brought together some of the most talented Canadian and American comedians.

Being a Canadian, I take pride in coming from a country that can laugh at itself as well as others. And the statement that will always be my proudest is "Yes, I did attend the Just For Laughs Comedy Tour, in Vancouver".

Global Warming, Hardly a Myth

Impatience... not a virtue?

These days, everyone's in a rush to get from place to place or to have everything done quickly. Just the other day I saw someone yelling at their computer for being slow; and by slow I mean loading the webpage within a "measly" 20 seconds. 50 years ago... heck even 10 years ago people would have been extatic that information could be accessed in such a short amount of time. Yet in today's fast-paced society we don't want to slowed down for anything, not even a decent meal; and fast food seems to be the most convenient source of nutrition (if you can call it that). I often wonder about certain individuals, the ones who become impatient when it takes 4 minutes to be served their "fast food". For lack of a better word, chill-ax! For the love of pineapples, it takes me at least 4 minutes to make a cup of tea. If your time is so important why not take cooking lessons and learn to make your own food, that way you'll be aquiring a skill while wasting your valuable time.

People are always talking about oil and how we are slowly depleting the world's oil reserves and if you think about it this is true. Still, we consume the oil in order to reach our desired destinations more quickly. We live in a world where our time seems to be the most precious commodity and rightly so. One may query "What about money, diamonds and love"? Money and riches, although important can always be regained; as for love... well, I'm not even going to go there. Since time cannot be refunded to us, take life as it comes. One cannot reverse time, so if the computer or fast food restaurant is slow just accept it. The more one thinks about being upset over the loss of our precious time (not to mention over the most trivial of situations), the more time is being passed.
Comedy Network's slogan Time well wasted is very true about all time. All the things we face and the time we "waste" throughout life contributes to our understanding of reality.

The Ipod Nation

Over the past couple of weeks, I have found my self in want of something... an mp3 player, not the most necessary gadget in the world, I know. And yes, I am 17 ... and yes, I know that I am way behind the times; but I pride myself on being self-restrained and not wasting my money on something that I know I can live without. I don't plan on getting an Ipod, as CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs will most likely unveil a new ipod creation within the next year. Incredibly, I have not given into the Ipod craze... even though it's everywhere! One search on google, and the word 'ipod' gets you an even 168,000,000 hits. Even the name 'ipod' has become synonymous with mp3, leading many companies to search for better and cooler looks and names for their own products. How does Apple do it?
Other brands may try to compete but none come close to the almost epic power of the Apple Ipod... i mean, have you seen the sony "bean" <--- that is one ugly creation :P

Lazy Sunday... and it's following

It's amazing how a bunch of words thrown together and set to a catchy beat can drive hoards of people into a frenzy, and cause the so called "revival" of Saturday Night Live. I myself cannot judge, as I am one of those people. I have always been a fan of the Lonely Island trio, well... ever since the 'Bu came out on channel 101. Yet, this video has become so mainstream that people are making t-shirts and bobble head dolls... man, i want that t-shirt. The bobble head, I can do without. Rapping with Chris Parnell, Andy is the only Lonely Island member in this video. Yet, I have got to hand it to Akiva and Jorma for creating another masterpiece... you are all incredibly talented.

We Are Scientists... Well, aren't we all?

Music...

I've always loved indie music and I am now hooked on WAS. If you haven't heard their music, you are missing out. With Love and Squalor is one of the best albums I have listened to in a long time. As of late, I've found that the music scene has been devoid of any substance. Serious rap/hip hop music had reached it's peak, in my opinion, about 1 year ago and pop music has clearly been in need of some refurbishment over the past decade. Yet, the refreshing approach of indie bands like WAS, Sekiden and the Ladies and Gentlemen have helped the music industry immensely in it's fight against teenage boredom.

If you love indie music, you'll enjoy The Kooks or Arctic Monkeys.

The Nostalgia of 'the days'

The nostalgia of the 1950's and 1960's is something that I've always wished I could have lived, even if only for a day. The ignorance that people in the past lived with, must have been bliss... much better than that of the present world. Back then, if you had no knowledge of what was happening half way around the world, people didn't care... because they didn't know either. Even though they didn't have the technology we have today, people were content with their homely lives. The family oriented activities, like listening to the radio... oh, how I would give anything to experience that. Having the entire family in the same room, doing something other than stuffing food into their faces or watching the garbage laden television ... that should be the Canadian dream. Oh, the days of bowler hats, well-tailored suits and male chivalry seem like such a distant dream. Now, in the 21st century, the only hats you see men wear are (not surprisingly) put on backwards; and to ask a man to stop being a complete chauvinist is like castrating him all together. What is there to look forward to in the future? Not much. Either the sun's going to burn out or God is going to return to earth, and being very disappointed at what he sees make an about-face and pretend he never made the trip. So Canadians, and Americans alike, I propose that we shift our focus on regaining the past... when family, charity and peace (you heard me, peace) were on the top of our wishlists.