Politics

A few days ago I was talking with a coworker while driving to a job
site. He's a Christian. I'm a Christian. We started talking about
politics, specifically the upcoming American election. I've been
following it quite closely - whereas, he has not. That's fine, as
neither of us will be voting in it, due to us being Canadians.

With regards to Gov Palin, he said this: "I heard she's a strong Christian."
I responded with: "Yah, but that doesn't necessarily make her a good
politician."

Is that a fair statement? I certainly think so.

Donate Blood

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081029.wblood1029/BNStory/National/home

Hey, go donate some blood.  I know people who's lives have been saved because someone else decided to give blood. 

It's really easy to do.  I've donated around 25 or 27 times, and believe me the worst part is when they prick your finger right at the start to test for iron or whatever.

The best part is the free food afterwards.  Sometimes they have ice cream.

Canada Day Capture the Flag 2009 - Part of the Best Summer of 2009 Series

I got this in my email late last night:

Boys,

 

In efforts to create the best summer ever (2009 that is), it has been bestowed upon me to organize the best capture the flag game ever.  This will be a Canada Day City-wide Capture the Flag game with the river as the dividing line.  Please see the attached picture to see the boundaries.  It will basically be the Red team (determined by red T-shirts) against the Green team (wearing green shirts).  July 1st is on a Wednesday in 2009, so weddings, weekend camping trips, and work in general can be avoided.  What I want to hear back from you is whether or not you are interested, and what colour t-shirt you would like to wear.  Dave Breukelaar and I will be the team leaders and as you enlist, you will be added to a team.  Our hopes is that this is the most intense, larger than life, super competitive, game of capture-the-flag that you have ever experienced.  Please reply to this email and express your interest.  Also, please invite your friends and have them email me.  As teams grow, meetings can be hosted to develop different strategies.  To learn more about the Best Summer of 2009 Series, please visit the VanDerHerberg home and see among other things, a visit to the distillery district, a canoe trip from Lakefield to Peterborough, and others.

 

Done.

 

Michael

Get your tin-foils hats out, it's election time in the states next week. There's already reports of electronic voting machines not working properly.

I really appreciate our simple, east to use ballots, here in Canada. Mark an 'x' in a circle, and you're done. Simple as that. Easy to count. No hanging chads, which could accidentally result in the election of a moron from Texas becoming President. It's hard to make a mistake with paper and pencil. There are generally no conspiracy theories attached.

YOU'RE INVITED! COFFEE HOUSE FOR PARTNERS IN THE HORN

I was asked by a friend of mine to help out with selling some tickets to this fundraiser:

You're invited to a fun evening with 100% of the ticket and silent auction proceeds going directly to Ethiopia. In particular, the funds will establish a group home for poor rural young women with academic promise to access post-secondary education opportunities. Many of them have come through Partner In The Horn of Africa's other programs for HIV orphans and school supports for elementary and high school students. The project needs $10,000 for the first year. For more information about Partners, visit their website www.partnersinthehorn.org

Coffee originated in Ethiopia and in that spirit we'll be hosting a Coffee House, with fair-trade Ethiopian coffee donated and served by Black Honey, along with cafe sweets from several local coffee houses. The large silent auction will include items not available anywhere else (e.g. a bird watching outing with Drew Monkman, a sailing afternoon on the Bay of Quinte, an evening of billiards with a competitive pool player, a professional fireworks display), along with lots of quality items donated by local merchants (e.g. Dinner for Two at Parkhill on Hunter, a Sony MP3 player from Future Shop, gift certificates from Moondance and Body Bliss). You'll be able to get a great start on your Christmas shopping list, with all of the proceeds going to those in overwhelming need.

For entertainment, Sarah Loucks, a local singer/songwriter who plays acoustic guitar, will be performing, along with a team of African drummers, and the Ethiopian coffee ceremony will be demonstrated. Also, John Baigent, who founded Partners after retiring from a successful legal career, will be on hand to share about Partners' exceptional approach.

Doors open at 7:30pm. The event takes place at the Gordon Best Theatre on Hunter Street West. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. They are available from myself, or at Black Honey Cafe by Tuesday.

If you aren't able to attend, please consider making a donation to Partners to support this project -- donations can be done by credit card and are eligible for a tax receipt.

Please invite your family and friends to join you and pass the invitation onto others who may be interested.

Thanks for your support!

High Voltage Fail

I saw this in a building recently that I was reviewing.  Yah, it's a garden hose, hung over a door with a sign 'Danger High Voltage'. 

Snow

It's snowing.  Big fat fluffy snowflakes.

what's it called when you get a song stuck in your head???

I've had 'Oh Canada!' stuck in my head this morning while working. Now you will too.

I'm not complaining. Just stating the facts. I like our anthem a lot, especially when compared to the other offerings out there on the world stage.

One of the coolest anthem experiences lately was while watching the home opener of the Leafs, before they got thumped by the Habs. (Go Habs Go!). Instead of having someone sing into a mic, the organist just played the first couple of bars, and the whole arena sang the anthem themselves. It was inspiring. I nearly got up off my couch to sing along.

Minor Changes

I hosted a small election party last night. My final predictions were off by 35 seats overall. Not bad, but not good. It didn't help that I wrote my Block and NDP predictions in the wrong spots. They're basically the same party anyway, right?

I'm glad we have another minority government. I'm also glad that Dion took a beating and probably won't last too much longer as the leader of the liberals. I'm glad that Harper seems to be a bit more willing to put the partisan politics to the side and work for Canada. I hope this is true. I'm dismayed that the Bloc still has an overwhelming presence in Quebec, and therefore a large presence in the House. I'm also confused at Elizabeth May's decision to run against Peter MacKay in Central Nova. Could she have found a more difficult opponent?

It is my hope that this minority government actually works. It disgusts and disappoints me to see the bickering and party politics that goes on in the House. It seems rare that the parties are actually working for Canada. They tend to have their parties interests first and foremost, and are unwilling to support an idea from another party regardless of how good it may be for the country.

We face some uncertain times as a nation. The world economy is rattled. Yet, we are still one of the wealthiest nations on the planet. How will we use this wealth? Will we look after the poor in our midst? Will we look after the poor in the world? Or will we continue to allow the rich to get richer, at the expense of the poor.

One last thing. Did you vote? If so, great. If not, why not? Yesterday's election had the lowest voter turnout ever, from what I've read in the papers this morning. Your vote matters.

On Drugs

Drugs, I tell you. Drugs. The source of the recent stock troubles has finally been revealed.

Fall Camping

I went camping with my parents, my sister, and her boyfriend, this past weekend. We went to Silent Lake Provincial Park, just north of Apsley. While it was quite cold most of the weekend, we certainly enjoyed ourselves, hiking around parts of the lake, canoeing to other parts of the lake, sitting around a warm camp fire, eating good food.

As is expected, I brought my camera along. I shot a hundred or so pictures. These are some of my favorites:

A leaf, lying in a small stream on the beach.

A 3 minute walk from our campsite, just before Sunset.

Burleigh Falls

Another Leaf in Water