It was a cliffhanger, but all that matters is that we won the Gold. In the third period, Canada was almost winning but in the last 30 seconds Americans evened the score to 2-2; however, in sudden death over time, Crosby got the Gold.
CANADA WINS GOLD(Men's Hockey)!!!!! Hooray for Crosbie and the Maritimes!!!!!
UPDATE: Canada wins 14 Gold in this Olympics; More than ever before in a winter game and I understand more than any other country in a winter games.
Recommend this post
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Harper’s Prorogation
Since Harper put democracy on hold many videos have cropped up. This one caught my attention. A bit over the top but funny. It does show how despotism looks like.
What has he done since suspending the democracy in Canada? Vancouver, Haiti, back to Vancouver desperately seeking photo-ops. Recommend this post
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Earth is shaking
First it was Haiti and lot of destruction there. Now 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile. Although Chile is better prepared. Nonetheless over 100 people reported killed there. There is a Tsunami warning for Hawaii. What is happening?
Update: CNN is reporting that New Zeeland is experiencing Tsunami and Japan is very jittery. This earthquake is having a huge impact. Recommend this post
Update: CNN is reporting that New Zeeland is experiencing Tsunami and Japan is very jittery. This earthquake is having a huge impact. Recommend this post
The Olympics and Protests
I can support protests, especially considering the way Harper has put democracy on hold in Canada using the Olympics as an excuse. I can also understand that during the preparation for the Olympics, a lot of poor people were displaced - especially the homeless (in Beijing people were actually rendered homeless, something that happened to some degree in Canada as well).
Big business stands to benefit from the Olympics through advertising and construction of Olympic facilities. Though where in modern society do big business not benefit? They benefit from Christmas a lot... so should we not demonstrate against Christmas as well?
Yes, it's true, the Olympics have in the past been used by despots to promote themselves, but they do have an important function in the World as they bring many countries together at one event. Properly used, the Olympics can contribute to peace and mutual understanding.
Quite frankly too, it's much better that the World competes in sports and for medals rather than engage in arms races that can lead to catastrophic wars.
Olympic Hockey: Canada Beats Slovakia 3-2
A narrow win, but a win nonetheless. Now on to the Gold medal match against the United States.
Recommend this post
Friday, February 26, 2010
Kris Allen of American Idol sings for Haiti
Very moving song. The expression on the faces of Haitian children is priceless. Enjoy. Please do donate whatever you can through the charity of your choice. I believe the essence of humanity is to help each other in time of need. Recommend this post
Joannie Rochette Wins Bronze in Figure Skating
Her story is amazing for her courage. She won a bronze for Canada last evening and made world news because of an extraordinary personal tragedy. She is the lady whose mother died suddenly last Sunday in Vancouver. Her mother came to cheer up her daughter but suddenly died of a heart attack. Joannie Rochette continued to compete and won the bronze. She is a gold-medallist for her courage.
Recommend this postThursday, February 25, 2010
Olympic Women's Hockey: Canada Beats US 2-0, Wins Gold
Now to win the Men's Gold in Hockey too; GO CANADA GO!
Recommend this post
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Olympics: Body and Mind and some other matters
Like the rest you I watch Olympics as much as I can. There is a lot of talk about the chiselled, well-built muscles, great abs and torso. Physical agility and this and that. A lot of talk about the physique of the athletes. There is no question that physical fitness matters for Olympics but it is the mind which dominates, mind matters or mind over matter.
If there is not that "single-mindedness", determination and "will" to win then it won't happen. Mind plays an extraordinary role and it rules. Yet mind is something which is invisible – it is an outcome of electrical pulses from the nervous system and brain yet in itself invisible. It is the mind which intrigues me the most.
That brings me to one of the greatest physicist/scientist of our time Stephen Hawking of Britain.
When it comes to body he is a severely disabled person but when it comes to his mind it is one of the most brilliant mind world has ever known. He is a fascinating human being. He muses sometimes about the universe and its creation. He is not a religious guru by any stretch of imagination but once in while he says some interesting things about the nature of the universe. Here are some of the quotes.
"As we shall see, the concept of time has no meaning before the beginning of the universe. This was first pointed out by St. Augustine. When asked: What did God do before he created the universe? Augustine didn't reply: He was preparing Hell for people who asked such questions. Instead, he said that time was a property of the universe that God created, and that time did not exist before the beginning of the universe."
Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time (New York: Bantam, 1988), p. 8
"One can imagine that God created the universe at literally any time in the past. On the other hand, if the universe is expanding, there may be physical reasons why there had to be a beginning. One could imagine that God created the universe at the instant of the big bang, or even afterwards in just such a way as to make it look as though there had been a big bang, but it would be meaningless to suppose that it was created before the big bang. An expanding universe does not preclude a creator, but it does place limits on when he might have carried out his job!"
Stephen Hawking ,A Brief History of Time (New York: Bantam, 1988), pp. 8-9.
"If we find the answer [the unified theory], it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason -- for we would know the mind of God." Stephen Hawking
Make whatever you may of his quotes but they do amaze one about the nature of the universe and its creation. Long before our lawyers wrote all the laws we have today to run and control human behaviour and society there were other set of definite laws, and those are the laws of nature which run the universe otherwise the whole universe could collapse and there could be a never ending big bang.
Let us look at the earth. There is a certain atmosphere, oxygen, other gases and parameters which allow the existence of life. If we break nature's laws continuously and screw it too much then we have serious problems such as global warming and life may end as we know it. Who provides these parameters and laws of nature? I do not know.
Let me give you another example. You own a house. Just go away a few weeks and leave the house alone. When you come back you may find many problems – dust all over the place, broken pipes and electrical problems. In other words this small house you live in requires constant maintenance. Does this huge universe, the known universe, where some stars and planets are trillions of light years away from us, run by itself? I don't have the answer. Just think about it.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Bush and John Bolton lover
Remember I posted while ago that this guy loves Bush.
Bush who some consider to be very incompetent and a war criminal.
Now it turns out that this guy is a great fan of John Bolton too.
Remember Bolton, who criticized Bill Clinton for rescuing two journalists from North Korea. Bolton was very critical that Clinton stood next to Kim Jong-il. Some consider Bolton quite erratic and unstable in his judgement.
I suppose it takes all kinds to make up this world.
Laptop Electric Power Plant
Watch CBS News Videos Online
A wireless power plant which can be put in your basement or backyard. If this project succeeds the transmission lines grids will no longer be needed and it will be very environmentally friendly. A fascinating story from CBS, 60 minutes. Recommend this post
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Tiger Woods coming out of the hole?
He is trying. Poor man got strayed. Instead of teeing off he got too much into teabagging (by the way teabaggers also means: a person who is unaware that they have said or done something foolish, childlike, noobish, lame, or inconvenient ;). Must be the influence of these tea partying conservative teabaggers. Tiger is too used to playing US Open. Certain things are better kept under wraps. Also he thinks that his game is best under par but in real life he needs to be at par or up to par.
Recommend this postSaturday, February 20, 2010
Hannah Teter: A True Olympian
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Hannah Teter of Vermont is a true champion. Like Shaun White, a gold medallist snowboarder, she does a lot of humanitarian work. She spent all her Olympic gold medal winnings from Torino, Italy on charity work in Kenya. So far she is a silver medalist in Whistler, B.C Olympics. The World needs more Olympians like her and Shaun White. Recommend this post
Friday, February 19, 2010
Glenn Beck Barking.
This guy definitely needs a leash. Hey Faux News a leash is not that expensive. Recommend this post
Feet on the desk in the Oval Office.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Obama was lambasted by the right wing for being rude for putting his feet on the desk in the Oval Office. Fair criticism or racism? Other presidents did the same in the past. A comment by Keith Olbermann of MSNBC. Recommend this post
US Healthcare: The Right War
I got this amazing picture by artist Jake Lewis via the Wise Law blog.
This picture depicts very well that how important healthcare reform is in the US.
The Miracle of Life.
This second picture is by the same artist. It shows that an average human body is made of 100 trillion human cells and 1,500 trillion microbes. The artist refers to the human body as a petri dish. But look at the mystery and miracle of it. Every cell and microbe is programmed as to how it should behave for the average life of humans of 70+ years – mind you cells die and are replaced by new ones constantly. Now surely this programming is not done by Bill Gates and his technical staff. Just think about it. It is an extraordinarily complex and complicated computer, if I may call it one, which humans are just beginning to understand a little bit.
As a matter of fact, if you get a chance, read about the conception process, the development of the human baby and birth. A tiny sperm invisible to the naked eye fertilizing an egg smaller than a grain of sand and the process of cell multiplication begins and probably all the programming is there in that tiny sperm and egg for a full fledged human being. There are intervening factors before a baby is born but nonetheless it is an extraordinarily complex and miraculous process. The mystery of life just thickens as you study it a little more and understand it a little more.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Shaun White: The Gold Medallist Snowboarder
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
This time around I was unable to watch Olympics as much as I did in previous years but I did follow it during the evening news. Yes Canada won two gold medals first time ever on its own soil. Something to celebrate.
Shaun White of US, who won Gold Medal, is a fascinating individual. It looks he has a heart of gold. A role model to follow. He does a lot of charity work with sick children in US and abroad. An amazing human being. I suppose you have to bear the pain to understand it. As a child he says he had heart problem himself and that led him to do this work with children. This aspect of human nature is remarkable and gives some hope and meanings to life. Recommend this post
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Sarah Palin and Evan Bayh 2012 team for the Whitehouse
I realize Senator Buyh pretended to be a Democrat, but is he really? He was in the Senate for 12 years. What are his achievements which show some progressiveness? He does have one thing in common with Sarah Palin and that is they are both quitters – that is why pants on the ground (remember that song from American Idol). Palin quit as she did not want to be a "lame duck governor" but the real reason was to be able to make more money. Bayh's reason to not run again for the senate seem to be similar. So match made in heaven.
Recommend this postIs Dick Cheney a war criminal?
He makes an admission on ABC on February 14, 2010 that he supported water-boarding and continues to do so. And that he supports other forms of torture what he calls enhanced interrogation techniques. Is there any doubt now that he is a self-professed war criminal? All that is needed is a proper legal process to indict this man and his co-conspirators. Recommend this post
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Israel and Iran arms race
Let me make it clear, I believe no nation should have nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction. It becomes even more dangerous when unstable states start equipping themselves with nuclear weapons.
Now Iran's Ahmadinejad claims he has nukes. US and many talking heads in the US are advocating invading Iran. Why so? Israel has over 150 nuclear warheads and it is a much smaller state in the region. Should Israel not be invaded too? I don't think either should be invaded, but I think both nations should be disarmed of nukes.
Pakistan is a relatively more unstable state than Israel and Iran. Why let them have nukes? India is a little more stable but not much more stable given its regional rivalries and rivalry with Pakistan. Israel is the least of the stable countries in the region given its history and its relations with its neighbour. Benjamin Netanyahu is more erratic than Ahmadinejad. The US and the western world must not use double standards. For the sake of peace in the region and peace in the world both Iran and Israel should be kept free of nuclear arsenal.
Iraq was invaded under the pretext that it has WMDs which was bunch of lies. Maybe it was Israel who felt threatened by Iraq and urged morons like Bush and Cheney to invade Iraq. Then there was of course the need for control of oil fields in Iraq. As long as these double standards and injustices will exist there is hardly any hope for peace. Through this double standard we are not promoting peace but inciting wars. As long as such evilness prevails the world will continue to become a more dangerous place. We have too many problems to tackle – poverty, disease such as AIDs and global warming. In order to tackle such problems we need a co-operative approach and not confrontational, double standards.
UPDATE - Correction to be made: Ahmadinejad did not say he had nuclear weapons, rather his claim is that Iran is a "nuclear nation" because it enriches uranium to 20% (this is not the same as HAVING a nuclear weapon though). Thank you Pogge for pointing this out.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Harper: How to win Olympic medals?
The good news is that Alexandre Bilodeau of Quebec has won Canada's first Olympic gold medal ever on Canadian soil. Something to celebrate.
Bad news is that Parliament remains prorogued. Harper solution to win is to shut out the competition as he did it in December 2008 when the coalition was looming over his government – prorogue the Parliament. In December 2009 the Afghan torture inquiry was going on and it did not look good for the government. Again prorogue the Parliament against the wishes of majority of MPs and Canadians.
He does that in order to continue to occupy 24 Sussex Drive as his power is not prorogued to govern the country. It is about time that Canadians prorogue the Harper government as he has total disdain for democracy and for Parliament.
Davos, Switzerland: Capital of the Masters of the world.
Watch CBS News Videos Online
CBS 60 Minutes. Above video is a fascinating story about those who run our world. A few masters rule the world - so many powerless, over 6 billion, and few thousands masters/powerful who control rest of us. Recommend this post
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Stephen Harper Participating in the Olympics
He is slipping and sliding and not having much fun – in polls too. Maybe he should ski and get better polls (or poles). Recommend this post
“We are the world” video 2010
I saw it on CNN last night. It is moving. Please do donate for Haiti through Red Cross or through any other charity of your choice. Recommend this post
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Abel Leblanc MLA New Brunswick: giving his passionate speech in the legislature
What is happening to these legislators? What legislation was that and what section ;) This one sure got attention.
Recommend this postRod Blagojevich: How to pronounce?
Wyoming Republican Senator Mike Enzi is having difficulty saying Blagojevich. I think he is not the only one :)
Recommend this postThursday, February 11, 2010
Harper to speak at B.C. legislature
Is he going to prorogue it? Olympics are being held in B.C. Gordon Campbell must be surely busy as he is Premier of the host province yet the B.C. legislature is open for Harper to speak there. Is this not ironic? Should the B.C. legislature not be closed or prorogued so Gordon Campbell has more time for Olympics (going by Harper's earlier logic). What a lousy excuse Harper has used to shut down the nation's business?
Recommend this postWednesday, February 10, 2010
Mysteries of Mind
It is miraculous that a man in Haiti was saved after 27 days buried in a supermarket area. Apparently he had access to food and water although he had severe dehydration and was malnourished. It is almost a medical impossibility that a person can survive that long under those kinds of conditions.
According to media reports he said that a man in white coat would bring him water which kept him alive. Now some have interpreted that person in white coat as being God or an angel. That maybe a little stretch. However, doctors have said that because of stress on his body he was hallucinating. That does intrigue me because that hallucination might have kept him alive as he felt he had company and someone was helping him. That is an extraordinary ability of the mind to create hallucinations so that a person can survive, and of course other survival abilities of the brain which edges on the body to keep going. I remain mystified by life and by its mysteries.
Here is the story of the survivor.
Sarah Palin: The fortune-teller
If this palm-reader fortune-teller is right, then I am a firm believer in Armageddon.
Recommend this postTuesday, February 09, 2010
Sarah Palin – No Teleprompter for her
She criticized Obama for using a teleprompter while speaking at the teabagger's party in Nashville; however, even for the questions and answers session, she had written answers on her hands. She is a perfect candidate for the program "Are you smarter than fifth grader?" Surely a fifth grader would do much better.
The writing is on the wall... err palms for Palin.
Sarah Palin the Palm-Reader
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Maybe she has a career as a palm-reader or future-teller. Keith Olbermann’s take on it. More on her palm-reading later. Recommend this post
Monday, February 08, 2010
One million dollars are peanuts
According to the chair of the RNC Michael Steele. Which planet does this clown live on?
Click here to read the story.
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Samuel Alito replaces Joe Wilson
In 2009 when Obama spoke to both Houses of congresses Joe Wilson shouted, "you lie". Now when Obama gave the State of the Union address in January of this year Samuel Alito replaced him, although he used somewhat different language and instead of saying "you lie" he mouthed the words "not true". When Obama talked about the Supreme Court decision replacing democracy with corporacy (or removing funding limits on corporations on elections and recognizing corporations as a person and hence have the same freedom of speech) Alito got upset and mouthed the words of "not true" with big frown on his face.
Was the judiciary not supposed to be impartial and apolitical? Alto's reaction violates that impartiality. Should he not resign as Supreme Court judge?
Sarah Palin At Teabaggers' Party
Sarah Palin spoke at the teabaggers' party in Nashville. She does not like a President who is a lawyer and who gives lectures. She will reinstate the US standing in the world after the damage done by the Obama administration. She was asked how she would do that and what would be her foreign policy. Her response was that terrorists lose and she wins and that will be crux of her foreign policy.
It was one heck of a boring speech and full of platitudes and simple mindedness. If fluff is substance then she had a lot of substance in her speech.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Obama: State of the Union
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Okay it is State of the Union according to Saturday Night Live and why Martha Coakley lost senatorial race in Massachusette. Recommend this post
Monday, February 01, 2010
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