Google Censorship - America No Different Than China

Google, long hailed as the internet search option of choice, also has a long history of Censorship in regards to what you can and cannot search for using their engine.

Recently they have removed the ability to search for sites online that lobby groups for the Motion Picture studios, Recording industry, and other powerful right wing groups petition Google to do. Google has shown no backbone or leadership in maintaining the rights and privacy of its user base. It's readily apparent just how easily Google will give up information or cave to the Government despots to take away the rights of those that use their search capabilities. They have been accused of misuse and manipulation of search results, page ranking misuse, removing or censoring links, data disclosure and privacy breaches, and collecting and aggregating data about Internet users.

I have decided that I will no longer use Google search but switch off to either Yahoo, or because I'm a Linux user as well, Duck Duck Go is a fantastic search engine with many privacy features.

The fact is that it's time for regular people to start using their ability to switch to other products when the corporations start infringing on our rights and privacies. We are the ones that must do this, the Governments won't, the Corporations won't, and we have very limited lobbying power ourselves. So we have to vote with our dollars and our choice of products. This includes not using the Google Chrome browser as it has nefarious means of collecting your private data and information. Google Mail is another huge data mining tool and also used to share your private information.

As consumers we ultimately hold the power, but we must do as a unified group, not a scattered bunch with the, "I don't give a shit." mentality. Make sure to check out Change.org and sign petitions to help get our views out there. Basically, start using your considerable power to let the Corporations know that you will not accept their practices.

Without everyone getting on board and trying to make changes we will all end up paying the price of corporate data piracy and loss of our privacy.

-Seth

Wikipedia Information
Boston Review Article
Image Censorship

Hitting the Dating Scene...Let the Terror Begin!

So, the time has come for me to start dating again. It's been so long since I've hit those waters and I'm a bit intimidated by the sharks out there. I think I'm going to start out with internet dating on sites such as Lavalife, POF, and others just to get into the groove of things.

The girls are older now and understand more about the dating ritual and have given me the thumbs up. I'm finding it a bit difficult to convince myself that there is someone out there with the same likes, interests, and attitudes that would mesh with my own.

I have made a commitment to myself that I will not visit "Pick-up" joints or the like. What I once recall as a fun and enjoyable thing to do, I now consider terrifying and full of potential awkward moments. So, I will update as it happens.

Here we go.

Day Surgery: Kidney Stone Lasered

About a month ago I was typing on my computer when I started to feel pain in my lower back on the left side. The pain intensified so quickly and with so much intensity that it dropped me to the floor literally crying out. I had no idea what it was, and no way to lay for the pain to alleviate any. Meanwhile, my children are freaking out, my sister calls an ambulance thinking I'm having a heart attack. The ambulance arrives and they think I'm having a muscle spasm in my back, even though I'm telling them it's not even remotely close to that.

So I get to the hospital, after 2 hours of laying there in agony I am finally seen by the Doctor on call who tells me that it's more than likely that I am passing a Kidney stone. He leaves, and an hour later a nurse comes over and asks me to pee in a cup (keep in mind I'm still in pain), so I manage my way to the bathroom to pee in the cup, get escorted back to the bed I'm in, and another hour goes by when the Doctor comes back and says, "Yes...you're passing a Kidney stone."

He gives me a few Tylenol and releases me from the hospital.

As a Military member I have to do a follow up through our MIR and make sure that all is well. Kidney stones in the Military is a big deal and you can be released from the Forces for them. So, I go and see a civvy Urinologist and he does a CAT scan. They find out that the stone never passed and is lodged in my blah-blah (can't remember the name of the tube), and I'll need surgery to remove it. Because it's too large to use the Sonic method, they will have to go up my pee-pee through my bladder and laser it out.

On Monday, I went in for the surgery. It went well, but the days that followed it were a nightmare. I was told that they had to leave a shunt in the tube to keep it from collapsing due to the swelling. Well, this shunt acted just like a stone was lodged there, so not only am I peeing blood and feeling a burning sensation, but it's like I'm passing another stone every time I go to the bathroom. Which is a feeling that is more intensified because of the surgery.

So, in a few days I have to go back into the Doc's office and have the shunt removed....I will be awake during this procedure and I'm not too happy about that fact.

So...hopefully this won't ever happen again, and for all of you that have passed a stone...I feel for ya.

-Rob

UFC BABY!!

So, for the past 5 years or so I've been an avid fan of the UFC, a stalwart supporter of MMA as the new super power sporting events. I haven't missed a UFC promotion in about that amount of time either. I'm extremely loyal to my favorite fighters, win or lose, and I'm getting pretty darn knowledgeable about MMA as a  fighting style as well.

I watched the recent bout with "Rampage" Jackson vs Jon "Bones" Jones and was actually screaming at the TV for Rampage to at least throw a punch rather than just stand in front of him like some kind of punching/kicking bag. Jones completely dominated Jackson and I was actually pretty disappointed with the match. The hype machine had me believing that Jackson stood a chance, and might even pull out an upset, and then you watch this decidedly one-sided match and I thought to myself, "He can't even get close to do anything, this is a massacre."

I really want so see someone that has a chance stand up and fight Jon, give him at least a small challenge...I'm hoping that Rashad Evans will be that guy...that will be an incredible fight. I never truly believed that Rampage had a chance because he's a striker, and that's pretty much the formula he followed and failed at against Jones. Evans on the other hand, is fast, intelligent, and extremely good with his hands. He has fantastic wrestling and his speed should allow him to get inside of that foot long reach advantage that Jones has over most other opponents.

Then there's the upcoming GSP vs Condit fight.  I absolutely love GSP, he's my man, but this is going to be one hell of a great fight. I didn't think Nick Diaz stood a chance against GSP, but Condit is another matter entirely. He's going to take this fight to GSP like no one has before and George had best be ready for a battle. Diaz is probably my most hated fighter in all of the UFC, he has no class, no sense of sportsmanship, he seems pretty punch drunk at the best of times, and he's unprofessional. I wished that Dana had just kicked him the hell out of the UFC with his failure to show up and ultimately his removal from the GSP fight. If you ask me Diaz was terrified and knew full well he was out of his element with George. Condit on the other hand is a machine, his striking and ground game are outstanding and he, as GSP put it, is a much more dangerous opponent.

Diaz will be fighting BJ Penn (who looked amazing against Hughes) but seems to be a bit out of his game lately. I'm not sure BJ has the heart anymore to compete in the UFC, which might give Diaz an advantage.

There's also one of the most anticipated Heavyweight fights coming up with Junior Dos Santas vs Cain Velasquez. I'm taking Cain on this one, but I love JDS as well.  Awesome match up, awesome fight.

So many great matches coming up, and so many great moments to anticipate.

Dana White is probably my most favorite of all of the UFC members though. I love his straight talking, no bullshit, but intelligent interviews. This guy knows the fight game, he knows what the fans want, and he gives it to us on an exciting platter. Dana is by far my favorite personality and hopefully some day I'll get a chance to meet him and say hiya. Highly doubtful though as my role as a single parent takes up most of my free time.

So...if you've never watched a UFC match...give it a go, it's exciting, dynamic, and the skill level of these athletes beats any other sport out there. No matter who your favorites are, I respect them all for the amount of time they put into this sport.

-Rob

Computer Games: Loss of Immersion/Story

     So, I went to EB Games and I picked up the highly anticipated title of F3AR (the third installment of the series) and quickly drove home (like any computer geek would do) to install and play it. Not too far into the game I was bored and a bit frustrated and it dawned on me that I really miss the good ole days.



     Games like Wizardry, Baldurs Gate, Ultima (Series), Mission Impossible, DOOM (Series), Heretic, Zork (Series)...and a gazillion other older games that grabbed you by the junk and wouldn't let go until the game was over.



System Shock 2



     You remember those games right, the ones that made you jump out of your skin, or took you on a dungeon crawling adventure, or even let you fly a spaceship and destroy your enemies. Games like System Shock 2 that would scare you so badly that you stayed up at night playing with every light on in the house, or the original Aliens vs Predator with the eere atmosphere and moments of face sucker terror, how about the original FEAR when it came out, or even the fun fantasy romp of the old D&D computer games.

     

 

     I've spent hundreds of dollars on games over the past few years and almost all of them depended on flashy graphics and sound to sell the product...but the story line was just terrible, the games seemed to be just action events strung together to try and keep your mind occupied and it saddens me that very few games actually pull me in and give me that feeling of escaping into the story line.



Wizardy 8



     A few notable exceptions lately are games like: Dead Space (and Sequel), The Witcher, Amnesia (Truly a throwback to the good ole days), and Mass Effect. I would love to see a major shift in the way companies build thier games, and rely more on the storyline and then fit the graphics and sounds to suit the story.

     A game I would love to see (being a AD&D freak) would be a dungeon crawl into the Underdark of The Forgotten Realms world...something akin to an instance in World of Warcraft (detail, size, and depth) but for single player/Multi-player questing. Or how about a first person shooter akin to Doom 3, but on a much wider scale, with a broader storyline, and sufficient variation of enemies and objectives.

     It's time to look at the history of gaming and focus on those games that truly made an impression in our lives and see what it was that they did well and emulate that. Until that time, I'm not going to be purchasing too many more games (Diablo III is the exception), until someone wow's me with the total package.



Diablo III
(I'm already drooling)



Rob

High Cost of Iphone Contracts: 3 Year Contracts Please Go Away

I am a self admitted techno-geek. If there is a new product on the market that has that, "OMFG I must have it!!" factor, odds are I'll sell a kidney to try and get it.

Something that is driving me crazy, mainly because of our Canadian culture of sit back and do nothing, is the high costs and legalized theft of Rogers Communications Iphone/Smartphone contracts and data plans.

At the time I bought my Iphone 3GS, Rogers was the only company that offered a packacke deal with an unlimited data plan, that has since changed and other companies have joined in to cash in on our Canadian lack of motivation to protest.

So here is a rough example of my cost in relation to my ability to communicate with my Iphone:

Downpayment: $320/(with a 3 Year Contract)
Monthly Bill: $120 (incl: Taxes & Fees)/3 years

Note: This is the minimum package available...at the time of purchase there were only two plans available and this is the lowest cost package)


120 x 48 = 5760
                    320
                  ____
                 $6080

So for 3 years of cell phone use it will cost me roughly $6080.

Ponder that for a moment...that is a HUGE cost to keep and use a Cellphone. And don't even think about trying to bail out on your contract early...the Rogers phone Nazi's will be calling you ad nauseum threating you and your entire family (including any Goldfish) with the wrath of Debt Collector Hell if you even remotely consider cancelling it.

So for the price of a second hand vehicle...you have the option of grabbing yourself a high tech cell phone for 3 years.

Now...after talking to other folks, and after doing some research, I have decided to write my MP a long and detailed explnation of why I am frustrated with current Mobility Contracts. I also asked for an explanation of how this legalized theft can be allowed (read: Lack of Competition and Regulation). I'm not very hopeful that I'm going to receive an answer and if I do, I'm sure it will be more Political doublespeak, but I'm hopeful that I'm not the only person out there that is pissed off over this.

Well...until next time: Text me!!

Rob

Why Canada Should Legalize Marijuana

We had a conversation between friends last night over a few beers, and one of my buddies showed me this write up and I thought I would share it. I completely agree with Mr. Becki's opinions here.

As well, if you haven't watched: The Union -- Marijuana Documentary from British Columbia This is a very informative show.

I think it's time people got the facts, and I also believe that the misinformation out there is actually harming what could be an answer to so many different problems that it's almost criminal in itself.

Why Canada Should Legalize Marijuana

By: Peter BeckI

I have many vices. Pot, however, is not one of them. I don’t smoke the stuff, and never have, but I don’t sit in judgment either. Recently, I started looking at what could happen to the Canadian economy if we didn’t just decriminalize marijuana, or condone medicinal uses for it, but actually allowed the free market to grow, package and sell it. What I’ve found out is pretty startling.

To begin with, most estimates say the cannabis business in British Columbia alone is worth US$24 Billion dollars a year, street value. How much is that? That’s more than the forestry exports to the US from BC in any given year, and is about two and a half times the agricultural exports for the entire country.

So, let’s start with that number: US$24 Billion a year in profits. That’s roughly CDN$34 Billion. I’m being conservative here, and forgetting the fact that if you were to legalize marijuana, Canadians would be growing it in every fallow field, window box, and basement in the country.

Now, factor in the tourist trade. Come to Toronto, or Vancouver, or Peggy’s Cove for that matter, and such back a Molson Canadian accompanied by a pre-packaged, filtered, high-quality spliff. I’ve seen estimates in the range of $90 Billion for the country if even 1% of the American population comes north to buy their stash.
$34 Billion plus $90 Billion equals $124 Billion.

Here’s another number. Canada has about 600,000 citizens who have been indicted for using marijuana for personal use, and around 30,000 arrests are made each year. According to the Auditor General’s report, this translates into $500 Million for annual enforcement of drug laws, and about $500 Million for legal fees. Tack on about $50,000 a year for each incarcerated offender, and you end up with about $1.5 Billion a year. Again, I’m guessing on the conservative side.

$124 Billion plus $1.5 Billion equals $125.5 Billion.

Here’s another one: one acre of hemp produces the same amount of cellulose fibre as 4.1 acres of trees. Trees grow back in about twenty-odd years. Hemp grows back every four months or so, and produces paper at one-quarter the cost of wood pulp (creating one-fifth of the pollution). You can also make four times more gasohol or methanol from help stalks than from corn. Hemp is actually the strongest natural fibre there is, and until the 20th century, it provided almost all the world’s paper, clothing, textiles and rope. Even if we ignore the moral, ethical, or ecological reasons for using hemp to replace pulp and paper, it just makes sense economically.
First, cut the capital expenditures in wood pulp production – about $8 Billion – by three-quarters. We just saved $6 Billion. Now, quadruple the potential volume of cellulose fibre. With about $15-20 Billion in annual exports of newsprint and wood pulp, that would be roughly (let’s be conservative and call it $15 Billion) $60 Billion. Obviously, there wouldn’t be that much demand, so let’s simply double the present number to $30 Billion, and keep in mind that our resource is now virtually unlimited. We don’t have to keep spending all that money in reforestation projects, so our parks and woodlands can be saved as an added bonus to the $90 Billion we’re making on tourism.

$125.5 Billion plus $6 Billion plus $30 Billion equals $161.5 Billion.

Is this starting to scare you? We haven’t even touched on the potential tax revenues from selling weed in nice, neat packages. The federal government gets about $5 Billion annually in revenues from tobacco. While the average Joe won’t be smoking a jack of J’s a day, a joint is probably going to cost more than a cigarette, and will certainly be taxed heavily. Let’s round it off to another $3 Billion – not including the increased sales of both tobacco and marijuana due to, again, the increased tourism. Textile export increases, new business development, job creation, medical research and exports – throw in another $4-5 Billion.

$161.5 Billion plus $5 Billion plus, let’s call it $3.5 Billion (to round things out), equals $170 Billion.

That’s $170 Billion: around 15% of the entire GDP for the country in 2001. We could give every man, woman and child in Canada five hundred dollars every year, and have about $20 Billion left for foreign aid.

And there’s more. Legalizing marijuana, growing hemp and producing its products, supporting research and development into its many uses, and cutting down pollution and deforestation to levels well below Kyoto’s meager demands would certainly reverse the brain drain to the US. It would also attract thousands of liberal-minded, well-educated professionals to Canada’s industry, education, and health care systems. This would increase production, demand, and profitability.

The US is, of course, concerned about Canada’s potential to become the Holland of North America. Their decades-old war on drugs has been too much of a backbone for popular support to let it slip away. The best threat they have come up with so far is to suggest that border crossings will be much tighter. This is not a serious economic threat, as we’ve already factored that in as of 9/11.

Over 70% of Canadians approve of the decriminalization of marijuana. That, in itself, should be motivational. Even the Canadian Medical Association has admitted that it’s ‘not addictive, occasional use not harmful, not causal with criminal behaviour, no evidence of mental damage.’

Take whatever stance you’re comfortable with on smoking the stuff yourself; I’m looking at this purely by the numbers.

Tired of Giving Second Chances

So, as I've mentioned in previous blogs...I'm a very liberal parent. I'm of the opinion that you have to give your kids some slack and let them learn lessons on their own for the most part. You can offer advice until your blue in the face, but until they actually see/feel the consequences of there decisions, it doesn't sink in.

When my daughters mess up, we will sit down and we will talk it out. Depending on the severity of the breach, I may tag on a grounding for a week as well. However, they always have their say, they have the ability to talk to me about why they did what they did, and I talk to them about why I feel the way I do. Almost always do we reach an understanding and we go about our business.

Well, over the past year, I have felt that I have been giving them more and more chances to make things right. Yet, they continue to make the same bad choices in regards to a few areas.

A prime example would be skipping school. Now, I've told them that class attendance is a priority for me and that I don't want them missing school. However, I have also told them that there are times when I realize they just don't feel like going, or they are feeling very stressed out, and that it would be ok for them to take a "day off" so to speak. The problem is though, that my eldest has been missing allot of classes lately to go off and visit with her boyfriend. (She's not sexually active thank god)

I've decided that I'm not going to give a second chance (or 50th) this time as I had the principal call me and discuss with me how many classes she has missed over the last week. I've decided that I'm going to ground her for a week, that she will catch up on all her missed work, and that she is not allowed to hang out with her boyfriend for the entirety of that week.

I'm starting to think, that being too lenient lately is coming back to bite me in the ass, and that it might be time for me to make sure they know that the rules I have in place are not negotiable.

Hopefully, after this she will realize that the behavior she is showing has consequences and will stop. If not....I'm going to buy a taser. :o)

Rob

HCG Weight Loss Plan

So, I've decided to start the HCG (human chorionic gonadotrophin)weight loss plan. For those of you that don't know what it's all about, here are a few links to check out.

HGC Diet INFO
HGC Diet Canada

So basically it is an injection (or drops) that helps your body burn the fat that you have stored rather than ingested fat. hCG is believed to help reset the hypothalamus by sending signals to begin breaking down and using abnormally high body fat as a primary fuel source.

There are many YouTube Vid's of people's before/after experiences and I have to say after watching some of these I'm pretty much sold on this stuff. I have a girlfriend of mine that is using it now, and she lost 17 pounds in 20 days, and felt no real side effects, no hunger pains, no lack of energy...nothing but loss of weight.

So...going to the docs on Wednesday, to get cleared to try it and then I will order and go on it. The diet is very difficult for the first 7 days, it consists of a 500 calorie/day regimen of veggies or fruit.

It also helps with depression which I believe I may be suffering slightly.

So, I will keep my blog updated with news on how it goes. I think I will actually post a video diary of my experiences with it for those who are interested.

Rob

Mothers Day (My Mom)

On this Mothers Day, I had thought back to when I was a child and the difficulties that my mother had gone through.

She had married an abusive man and suffered at his hand, she became a single parent early on and had no high school education in order to find well paying jobs and so she struggled through some of the most difficult jobs that payed nothing and still managed to provide for us with a smile on her face. During those rough times she also helped care for her younger brothers and younger sister.

Because of the divorce and myself being the oldest child at the time, I became a hard kid to live with. I fought with the other two children, I ran away, and everytime something didn't go my way I threatened to run away to my fathers. Until of course she called my bluff and sent me there, and after two weeks I had enough of that and came back, haha.

My mother suffered the loss of her youngest son Billy when he was murdered by 3 Canadian soldiers in Germany. This took a toll on my mom like nothing else could have. She was devastated and yet still found the will to make sure the rest of us were comforted.

My mother is a rock, she helped me raise two of my own daughters, she kept on a brave face through the losses of her Brothers who had passed away far too soon due to heart attacks or cancer. She was the rock when her own father passed away a month ago, and made sure that everyone present at the funeral felt comforted.

She is the epitamy of what parents strive to be, loving, kind, unselfish, and always dependable.

I am proud and honored that she is my mom, that I lucked out in the game of life to have someone this special to raise and teach me the ways of the world.

I love you mom...no words can truly sum up the vastness of the love I have for you and the respect that I will always hold for you.

God Bless.

A blessing and prayer tribute to all mothers

"Blessed be all mothers
Who have come into our lives
Whose kindness, care and loving
Remain with us to guide.

Your inspiration in us
Made us strive in every way
Especially to remember
Helping others makes our day.

Mothers, this little tribute
Flows directly from my heart
You are so loved and cherished
Invaluable, one and all, you are.

By: Susan Kramer

-Rob

Repost: Winters Bath

I was reading through some of my previous posts and this one cracked me up...So, I'm going to repost it.

Winters Bath

Winter needed a bath, badly. So I decided the best course of action, seeing that it has been rainy and yucky outside, was to bath her in the tub. Now the tub isn't all that small and has those jacuzzi spouts in it that sprays water out in nice comforting jets. So my wild idea was to fill the bathtub up about halfway, turn on the shower and the jacuzzi to get her drenched down enough to shampoo her.

You see, in my little reality (here after known as Seth's world), everything works as I imagine it and in my imagination this whole thing went flawlessly and quick.

Now, the one thing about Winter is that she is EXTREMELY timid (of course in Seth's Word this was not a consideration I had taken into account) and doesn't like loud noises or any type of suprise (keep this in mind for later in the story).

So, I try and coax my puppy (who is about 70 pounds and about 64cm's tall. into the bathtub...she wasn't going for it. So I picked her up and placed her in the tub. Next, I started the water, nicly warm letting it rise up to about her belly (this was mistake #1). I used a measuring cup to pour the water onto her back and head, and then using the genius given to me at birth, I hit the Jacuzzi button and jets of warm water shot out of the tub impacting my now very startled dog (mistake # 2). My normally passive animal get's into a doggy karate stance (on two legs and tries to deke me out and jump out of the tub. Well, hell, I played hockey, there is no way in hell this is going to work....WRONG!! She out deked me and jumped out of the tub, water pouring off her all over the floor, she shakes and now there is water all over the ceiling and walls (dirty water I may add) and she is now in, "Don't touch me mode".

As quick thinking as I am I dive and slam the bathroom door shut heading off an even worse catastrophe. Winter knowing now that she is cornered decides to use some of her Dog-foo on me again and rushes me. I slip and fall and smack my arm on the tub (HARD). Winter is now clawing at the door in desperation, but I recover quickly and grab her and lift her back up into the tub. I quickly turn off the jacuzzi and she seems to settle down a bit.

Then deciding that I needed more water, I turn the shower on, water sprays down and nails my puppy in the face. Puppy freaks out again, but this time knowing i'm ready for some more dog-foo or dekeing out jumps straight into my arms and knocks me back on my ass, then i slowly tip over onto my back. I now have a very very wet 70 pound scared and moderately pissed off animal on my chest shaking more water on the ceiling and the walls.

So I push the animal off me, turn the shower off, and being the stubborn trooper I am, pick up the puppy and threw her back in the water. She sits there staring daggers into my soul as I apply the shampoo and wash her fur. (Mistake #3). You see, now I have a timid, scared, pissed off, SLIPPERY dog on my hands and obviously not considering this I grab her coller and once again turn on the shower to wash the soap off. (Mistake #4).

I'm not sure what happened after that...I vaguely remember something smashing into my chest and then a blinding light. I hear voices in the distance and stinging in my eyes. I'm sure somewhere's theirs an angel ready to take me away to a far happier land..but the beotch didn't appear to help me calm down a very freaked out animal that has shampoo dripping from every hair.

Now, if any of you have ever tried to grab a slippery animal in a tiled bathroom that has a half a foot of warm bath water in it. You will agree that it is a tad difficult. So I grabbed a towel, managed to get it around the dog and lifted her up to put her back in the tub to rinse her off...not grasping the fact that the tiled floor is now very slippery with shampoo and bath water.

Again....not sure at what point I did the double back flip half gainer onto the tiled floor but I came to my senses laying on my belly, face plush to a shampooy tiled floor and a 70 pound black lab sitting on my back with absolutely no intentions of getting off of me.

At this point, I did all that a man could do in my circumstances. I grabbed a leash, and led the dog down stairs, outside and into the rain to let it do the dirty work. Not considering the fact that my semi clean animal would roll around in the mud and run through the bushes. I admitted defeat, poured myself a stiff rum and coke and trekked towards the bathroom for the hour an a half it will take to clean it up.

All of this to save myself the gargantuan fee of $30 dollars to have her washed professionally.

Winter 1 Master 0

I shall have my revenge!!!

-Rob

White House Decides Not To Share Dead Osama Photos

No pics....didn't happen.

None of their excuses is good enough for me. Show me the photos or it didn't happen, simple as that.

To be honest (launching into a conspiracy theory here), I always thought that they killed him 8 years ago. They kept his death quiet so that they could maintain a presence in Afghanistan and continue their pillaging of oil stores through their newly built oil pipeline. If he was dead, it would have been harder for them to justify a presence in Afghanistan only. I mean, c'mon...they had already said that they KNEW he left and went to Pakistan and yet for 9 years they couldn't find him...seriously...does anyone at all believe a word that comes out of the White House anymore.



So....no pics...didn't happen.

Rob

Old Man Syndrome

I was in great shape a year ago, I could run 5km's without an issue, I was energetic and outgoing and never really complained to much about my physical well being. Because of this I had decided that it was time that I quit smoking for good, I had originally quit for 13 years but once I hit basic training and the stress of all of that combined with my recourses due to injury I picked it up again.

So, knowing full well that my crutch when I quit smoking was to hide away from people and eat everything in sight I still wasn't able to keep the pounds off. I gained 35 pounds back, and my metabolism and energy levels are completely shot.

The difference now though is I'm 42 and my body is rebelling against me. My metabolism has slowed to a near crawl and from what I've read and been told it's due to my age not so much from anything else. But the fact that I quit smoking contributed to the rapid fall. So losing weight now is going to be an epic battle.

I go to the gym once/twice a day, and I try to stay active but the problem is now that the weight isn't coming off, because of the factors of metabolic slow down. So, I've been on a few supplements that are supposed to help me, and so far I've lost about 5 Kg's.

The hardest part of it all is trying to gain back my cardio. I'm not the running type, I don't have long legs or a sleek build. I'm 5'8" and stocky so when I run it's like a bull rampaging through a mall. I have about a month to get my Cardio up enough that I can run a LvL 5 on the Xpress test which is going to absolutely be a difficult thing to do.

After a swim, and some jogging today, I've decided that it has finally happened....I'm getting Old.

.....and I don't like it.

Rob.

Election, Death of Osama, Military Future

Well it's been a pretty eventful couple of days.

The Election:  The conservatives have won the Majority they were hoping for, and the NDP are now the official opposition. The Liberal party and the Bloc have been decimated, and Elizabeth May is now the first ever Green Party candidate to be elected in Canada.

- I'm very happy for the NDP as I think they will bring allot of good ideas and energy to the floor...however, with the Conservatives holding a majority the NDP have very little actual power and can only really hope that Stephen Harper will be open to their ideas and comments. He certainly doesn't have to listen to them anymore.

As for the Conservative majority; I think Canada is in for a big surprise with the direction politics are going to take. I am a Liberal at heart, but due to the corruption, poor leadership, and loss of focus, I have been voting Conservative for the past 10+ years in hopes that things would get better. This year I decided to vote for the NDP because I have seen far too many diabolically damaging decisions and ideas by Mr. Harper. I have a feeling that we as Canadians have just given license to someone that does not have the best interest of all Canadians at heart, but will pull our Country to the far right and completely alienate the West from the East. It will be an interesting 4 years that is for sure, and I do wish him the best. I would like to see him stick up for the Military and increase the budget for military pay, equipment, family support, and living allowances.

The Death of Osama:  I have mixed emotions about this myself. I feel so much empathy for the families of 9/11, and those that have lost family members through terrorist activities. I also believe that Osama should be brought to justice and that his death will bring a great sense of relief and solace to many people may also be a catalyst for those opposed to the West to increase their activities and targeting the Western interests.

I don't believe for a second that killing him will make things better...sure it gives many a sense of satisfaction, but killing begets killing begets killing. I would really like to see dialogue begin with Al-Qaeda leadership if it's possible, I would like to see us helping to support infrastructure, schools, training for police/emergency workers, assistance for the impoverished, and medical support for the population. I think that the more we help, show our good natured side, and prove to the population at large that we are their to help and not just there to kill we would be doing ourselves more good than harm.

Military Future: Things are looking very bleak for the Canadian Military. We are hugely underfunded, we have outdated/antiquated equipment with very few spare parts, we have a pay structure that is barely allowing members to support their families, and we have a huge gap due to the number of members retiring or just releasing.

I think if something drastic doesn't change in the next few years, Canada will have no military left. Almost every single person I know has talked about getting out of the military or have considered trade changes, component transfers, or just going back to school. The military training system is not able to keep up with the times, their training methods are old and don't really work with todays population. Many of the instructors are jaded, overworked, underpaid, and sick and tired of being placed in impossible situations and they take out their frustrations on those that they are trying to train. Which causes a large percentage to want to get the hell out of there.

I think the system needs a huge overhaul, I believe that our budget must be increased and our equipment brought back into the 20th century. I think that Canadians must make a decision as to whether or not they want a Military, because at the rate things are going....the one we have will be too ineffective to operate at any level. This is happening right now, this isn't a future concern.

There is always hope though, and maybe Mr. Harper will now have the political muscle to get things done.

Rob

Title Change and New Focus

I've decided to change the title of my blog and start to pick it up again by posting more often. I really miss writing and expressing myself. It's such a good way to rant, and blow off steam and also to get the opinions of others on topics that we face throughout life.\

I'm also going to link my blog to my facebook page so friends can comment as well. When I first started this blog I wanted it to be a bit more anonymous so that I'm not constantly afraid to post my opinions that some of my friends and family might find offensive or take issue with. However, I think everyone is entitled to their opinions and as I'm not the type to bad mouth people behind their backs, this isn't an issue I am too concerned with.

My first post in this format will be later today and will include my opinion on the Election, the Death of Osama, and the Military and where it is heading in Canada.

Anyone who feels like they would like to agree, disagree, or voice another such opinion please feel free to do so. I do ask though that you keep it civilized, no trolling, and be respectful.

Rob.

Good Bye & Good Luck Buddies

Two of my dear friends are off to Gagetown to start their Combat Army Phase, they have decided to take a very difficult road, but one that will lead them to greener pastures. Something, I hope to be doing soon as well.

I would like to extend to them my best wishes and my hopes that they pass the rigors without injury.

I will be crossing my fingers and hoping that you both do well now and in the future.

Your Bud,

-Seth

The Military Soap Opera

Well, I have been in the Navy now for two years, and I am still waiting for a change of trade out of MARS. Things are so hectic now as my choice has to be made soon, and there is really very little options available. The only trades open at the moment are those of the Combat Arms variety and unfortunately for me they are more suited for the young and in shape. Artillery, Armored, and Infantry are the three choices.

I am considering Artillery actually right now. The problem with going through with this trade change would be that; A) I have to do the Combat Army Phase which is akin to going back through Basic Training once again. B) I have to redo my Phase II rather than going through my Phase III training and progressing as an Officer. C) I'd have to move back to Gagetown from the lovely city of Victoria (the kids are not happy with this one). D) I will have to up my exercise regime drastically just to pass CAP....and it was on the 13 Km march that I originally broke my foot and consequently spent almost a year in Basic.

The administration is a nightmare, I am supposed to be on a Compassionate leave due to my single father status, which means that I'm currently not deployable, and therefore working a regular shift...however, as of today I was placed on the MARS III course and taken out of my Public Affairs position, which is now filled...screwing me for any future chance at obtaining a Public Affairs position.

So some of the options I'm looking at are:

1) Change of Trade (see above)

2) Resigning my Commission (out of the question - worked too damn hard to get it)

3) Voluntary Release (And either going back to my old job, or re-signing up after 6 months.)

Now that myself and the girls are set up here in Victoria and my family support is all the way back in NB...I'm treading a very thin line of going from being employed to being homeless with two children. Not to mention that there are the every day bills that one has to pay, car loans, student loans, visa payments, furniture/utility payments, food, rent, gas/oil/upkeep, insurance...etc.

I now see why so many people get so very depressed and end up doing stupid things. There just isn't enough support or flexibility out there anymore for people to try and make change, or to try and better themselves. It seems that for every positive thing a person does, there are 15 negative factors impacting them, and for all of the hurdles that you finally clear through determination, grit, and pride....15 more jump up again, each hurdle equaling a catastrophic fate.

I don't believe in luck, I believe that if you want something you work hard towards your goal, but at some point there has to be some help for people, because at this rate, hard work just isn't enough.

-Seth

SongBird - The "Almost" Only JukeBox You Will Ever Need.

You know I've been messing with music since I first owned my Commodore 64, I can remember back then listening to music and trying to find the best applications to manipulate sound, or download tracks from different games. Recently though I pretty much jump from one Media player to the next trying to find something that is all inclusive, has all of the options that I'm looking for which include:

Media Management (Automatic detection of newly added tracks)

ID3 Tagging

Album Artwork finder

Skinning/Themes

Addons

Easy Metadata Manipulation

CD Burning/Ripping

There's many more things that I want in my player but that is the basic list. I loved AmoroK for Linux and used that for the most part but I found that with large music libraries it bogged down my system and would crash on me. I've tried SongBird before as well and although I was impressed with it, it really had allot of limitations.

However, I've been using SongBird now for about 4 months and now with the new update I'm completely sold, well let's say 95% sold. The only thing that it's missing in my opinion is decent CD Burning and Ripping addons or capabilities. As well I'd really like to see an automated Album Art downloader/Track Fixer. Hopefully some enterprising young programmer can come up with something that will help flesh out the very decent Album Art feature it already incorporates.

I have roughly 800 gigs of music and having to manually go through each artist/album to download the appropriate Album Art really sucks. I enjoy the look of the MediaFlow addon but with so many Albums having to use the default empty artwork placeholder, it ends up looking terrible.

Other than those small quibbles this is by far my favorite Music Management program and absolutely destroys Itunes (Songbird also has an Iphone/Ipod addon to allow for syncing) and I have yet to find anything remotely as capable. The J.River Media player is coming along but I have encountered far too many crashes and bugs with it to give it a thumbs up.

So, for all my buddies out there, if you want to use an impressive Media player, look no further than Songbird.

-Seth

One Year Update!!

Ok...well I've been away for a very long time and haven't updated this thing since then. So, for my own personal information I'm going to give a short update on what I've been up to.

So in a nut shell I spent a little more time in Basic Training than I had planned. I successfully graduated from the RFT program and managed to lose 72 pounds in 4 months. I then started my IAP/BOTP course however during it my 9th week I managed to break my ankle. I was then placed in PAT platoon for a few months while I healed and then managed to break it again. Finally, I healed up and completed my BOTP and graduated. I then came to Victoria, BC to start my NETP-O course and graduated that on October 30th, 2009.

Of course it was much more indepth than that but that is the gist of how things went. I'm now waiting for my next course to start, and I'm going on vacation here shortly back to Oromocto, NB. Also my kiddies will be moving up here with me shortly, just waiting for some documents to come through and then that is taken care of.

I absolutely love Victoria and hope to make this my home for the next few years.

Ok...there's that.

Seth

Quitting Smoking

Well...I'm quitting smoking, again. I've started the patch at exactly 2:45pm on Monday the 2nd of November.

I am going to update my blog here to help me track my progress and to express myself as I'm going through it. Most likely these posts will be angry, frustrated, and hateful, haha.

Onwards!!!

Seth