Convocation

First of all, I must congratulate my very best friend Matt on receiving his Masters of Arts in history. He's now the frontrunner out of all my friends in the academic prestige category.

I attended his convocation ceremony and several things struck me. When honorary degree recipients are asked to address the graduands, they should not use it as their personal platform to vent. David Schindler today (or yesterday afternoon, I guess) went on this nowhere rant about the evils of capitalism, George Bush, America, etc., etc. While I respect him immensely as an aquatic ecologist, I was most disappointed in failing to use this opportunity to inspire the graduands. Instead, he probably turned more people off on his cause against climate change, US foreign policy, etc than gain them.

Seeing my first year physics TA and my first year calculus teacher receive their PhDs once again reminded me about how long I have been in Kingston for my university career. As such, it always makes me introspective about what I've accomplished and what I've gained here (it also doesn't help that the news lately has been dreadfully dull such that I've to post about the trivial matters that is my life). While I've certainly grown in some respects, there are still areas where improvements can be made.

So there are now officially six months left in my tenure at Queen's. It'll be interesting to see what this place has left to offer me. At the very least, it'd be nice for me to be able to answer these three questions...

Urge to spend rising...rising...

Courtesy of Chromewaves, an unlikely source:

It appears that a 3-volume hardcover edition of the Complete Calvin and Hobbes set has just been released and boy would it be in my hands right now if not for my lack of funds. Alas, it shall be mine soon enough. If not now, or in 6 months, or in 6 years, it will be mine eventually. Much like other things like the LOTR DVD set, West Wing DVDs, etc.

What a beautiful set of books though.

No sleep for the blog-ed (...or How I stopped worrying about sleep to post about fake blog worth and Apple)

Two interesting sites via BoingBoing:

How much is your blog worth? gives you a dollar value for your blog based on research on an AOL purchase of a weblog company and uses external links via Technorati as a measure of worth. Definitely fun and obviously flawed when this site is supposedly worth $4,516.32 and something say, oh, I don't know, Inkless Wells, is worth $0.00?! Anyways, BoingBoing is worth $9,386,606.58...that's a whole lot of Boing...err...Bling.

iPod + Christianity = iBelieve?! I don't even know if this is a satirical product on the Apple Cult or whether this is a serious product. It seems serious enough, and it scares the bejeezus out of me just the same. Must everything be turned into a cross?

On a related note, what is up with Apple problems with the iPod Nano and the Video iPod. Did they not test the durability of the Nano? And is anyone really going to watch videos on such a small screen? I'm sure Apple's not slipping, but these don't seem to be top-notch products that Apple's been known for...

Convergence

It's a funny thing when events and ideas converge in your life and you watch it unfold but don't quite know what it means. Maybe funny's not the right word, more quirky perhaps.

In the last few weeks, I'd found myself in a slump over my school year, my thesis, my life in general pretty much; though, it's sometimes a useful thing to always return to the basic questions about what you should do with your life. By way of Bob Rae, asking these three questions of Rabbi Hillel I find to be a good starting point:

1) If I am not for myself, then who is for me?
2) If I am only for myself, what am I?
3) If not now, when?

I'm definitely not saying I've answered these questions, but they were definitely on my mind. Then, as our normative decision-making class switched to ethics, we were confronted with a simple basic question, "What does Planning profess?" Needless to say, our entire class were silenced by our lack of...insight.

Then, tonight in the class I TA, we'd invited a local planner for a Q & A on general and local planning issues. One of the students boldly asked, "What is the point of planning if you're so straitjacketed by upper levels of government and such? Defend your job." While some may find the question rude, and others find it pertinent, I found that I could not come up with a straightforward answer for myself (which makes my normative class very handy right now). The planner gave a general technical answer but definitely did not satisfy me philosophically.

So in the back of my head, I once again start on this journey of trying to figure out...why the hell I'm even here, let alone posting about this.

Castaways and Cutouts

When you're lost and adrift, the only thing you can rely on is your reason and instincts. But if your instincts fail you, your reason gives no answers, and your faith has been sitting on the front steps for years, where do you turn to? Where do you place your trust?

How then do you experience the world? What if the world you perceive is merely a simulacrum, populated by castaways with nothing else to do and cutouts who pop up at appropriate times? And if you lose yourself in this theme park, how then do you differentiate between what is real and what isn't?

Does anyone have an idea? Because I don't.

Jeez, and I thought I eat a lot...

Via Metafilter courtesy of BBC.

Whenever I'm down, nature always finds a way to bring me back up. Today, it has brought me this story.

This is a picture of the gruesome aftermath of a bitter fight in the Florida swamps between a the non-native burmese python and a Florida alligator. Apparently, the python tried to swallow the alligator whole but it is believed that the alligator had enough fight in it after being consumed to puncture and explode the python's stomach, leaving this delicious aftermath. There is no snake head because it's missing...go figure.

BBC Link

Illegitimus non Carborundum

It's been a little over a year now since Matt convinced me to start a blog and it seems like a reflection is always called upon when you reach that 1-year mark. And what has happened since that late summer evening?

• In two words, not much. Compared to my early posts, I don't think my writing style has improved any. I pay a lot more attention to certain things and have ended up spending more time trolling for interesting stories. I've found many good blogs with fascinating people, excellent analytical minds and sharp wits. For that, I am content.

• My posting will probably continue to be sporadic, if the last few weeks are of any indication. The upcoming months will be busy with projects and my thesis, if I ever get around to it. The 'net is wide and deep though, so I'm sure to find a good topic to discuss when I pry myself away from my work (HA!).

• Which is another thing I've noticed of late. I used to write more about personal events and happenings but that has seriously curtailed recently, for which I don't have much of an explanation. My guess is that my life's been pretty much uninteresting over the summer, except for my trip out to Calgary and Chris' wedding, which I seriously have to take the time to upload some pics (I promise I will, I promise...famous last words of a procrastinator though).

• But this may be an interesting year. The incoming year at Urban Planning's a very fun bunch of people and I've gotten to know a few of them quite well. So shouts out to Jen, Karen, Josh, Ryan, Bryan, Sarah, Tasha, Andrej and Emily...

• Meanwhile, the last couple days has been pretty hectic, getting various sections of reports done and staying up way later than I should to get it done. Surprisingly though, I haven't been groggy or overly tired, which is unusual. I'm still currently alert and more or less coherent. How is this possible? A LOT of random yelling and wild gesticulation to relieve the stress, methinks. But if I can parlay this into an ongoing thing then this may be the chance where when I'm whining about needing more hours in the day, that I'll be getting it. I could obviously increase my productivity by working more efficiently during the day, but who wants to be logical like that?

Well, that's the state of things right now. The forecast calls for possible dark clouds on the horizon in the upcoming weeks. But like all forecasts, nothing is certain. I have yet to figure out the repercussions, but hopefully they will pass without incident. There's also the ongoing scavenger hunt of life, where I'm still trying to find that first piece of the puzzle. It's right under my nose, I just know it.

Oh well, keep your head up, lest you walk into a bastard...

Adrienne Clarkson

who I thought was a pretty good Governor General, promoting Canada within and outside our borders.

But don't take my word for it, here's Paul Well's take, as well as her installation speech and speech on the Unknown Soldier.

There's certainly a degree of eloquence in those speeches that are definitely lacking within our current political landscape.

Final thoughts on Homecoming

It was fun while it lasted.

When the accidental result of an Aberdeen street party came about, it was such a good idea. Thousands of people just on the street enjoying each other's company. It appealed to my 'take back the streets' nature.

No Longer.

Aberdeen should be no more and Homecoming will be different in years to come and we have no one to blame but ourselves. Aberdeen was never supposed to be about racial slurs, preventing ambulances from reaching those in need, throwing beer bottles at cops, sucker-punching them or lighting a car on fire.

This is not how we're supposed to showcase Queen's Homecoming to the rest of Canada. We crossed the line and we can't go back. The city of Kingston and Queen's WILL do everything to prevent another Aberdeen from happening.

Kingston Police need to be commended for their actions Saturday night. All reports indicate that while there were ample opportunity to use anti-riot tactics to end the night, they chose restraint instead in the face of idiocy.

I also don't buy the 'the cops made the crowd edgy' argument. If you can't police your friends from doing stupid things like antagonizing cops or flipping over cars, then the actual police will. That's their job. So keep your friends under control if you don't want someone else to.

I was excited to introduce my new friends to the surreal experience that were the previous Aberdeen street parties. Now, I'm just ashamed. I will miss it.

For local news coverage, go HERE, HERE and HERE. Good blog posts HERE and HERE.

When Gods meet Queer Eye...

Via Metafilter, courtesy of the New Yorker:
Intelligent Design

Technorati vs. Google Blog Search

Wanting to get a sense of what happened at Aberdeen St. during Queen's Homecoming, I was recommended to check out blog postings on the event...which has now become a comparison on how well the new Google Blog Search fares against the well-known Technorati in finding posts of interest. So, out of the top 50 hits, here are the ones that are relevant:

1) Google Blog Search:

-Good for you Queen's Students...
-queen's madness

2) Technorati:

-Taking out the garbage (which is actually the post below...)
-Homecoming Thoughts (see the post below 'Taking out the garbage')
-Mmm pancakes...
-Queen's Homecoming weekend...and I feel horrible
-queen's madness

And then there's OptimusCrime, who've posted about the Day and the Night.

So what are my conclusions?

1) Neither Technorati nor Google Blog search was perfect, since they missed out on OptimusCrime, amongst others. It's a tie.
2) In the end, the debacle that was Aberdeen resulted in at least one car being flipped and set ablaze. My question is, since there were so many cops on the scene, how could they not have stopped the car from being destroyed?
3) Drunken students, wherever they're from, are stupid. But the Queen's community will be blamed for most of it even if a good proportion are friends from abroad.
4) We'll get Kingston's reaction in the Whig-Standard tomorrow. Probably more calls for crackdowns on next year's party.

Oh, what a time to be in Kingston...

Taking out the garbage

Taking out the garbage is usually a Friday job (see the West Wing...and my garbage day is ACTUALLY Friday too), but it's been Homecoming so I'm a little behind:

- I guess I'm as surprised as everyone else how quickly Queen's distanced itself from Radler. But good on you, Queen's. I can actually be pleased with the administration for once.

-It's a privilege for Mac/Linux users to listen to CDs on their computer now?! This is PC DISCRIMINATION!!!

-My first encounter with Cradle to Cradle design. Or at the very least, an idea that asks not how our manufactured products will have minimal impact on the environment, but how it can improve upon it.

-My friend Matt can do this but I've been trying to figure it out on my own...now I've a handy guide to help me along!

-The CBC lockout needs to END!!! I miss This is Wonderland, The Newsroom, and even the odd episode of The Hour. Granted, I don't watch the CBC too often, but for Andria's sake, bring back CBC Radio!

Homecoming Thoughts

This weekend has been Homecoming at Crazy Go Nuts University. For many first year master's students in my program, they have little idea why Homecoming is so Crazy Go Nuts here. For the daylight activities, check out these photos from Optimus Crime. It's seeing the old alumni walk around and the Queen's Band play in these pictures do a Queen's tradition make.

As for after-hours, there is the Aberdeen party. In the last few years, students have become prone to congregate on Aberdeen street, turning the heart of the student Ghetto into a giant living room (though there have been rumours that the street party existed in the '80s but disappeared sometime after only to return now). I always find it a blast to just walk through the giant crowd, seeing most people enjoying themselves outside on the street and randomly bumping into someone you hadn't seen for a while but had returned for Homecoming.

While the numbers have grown to thousands attending, it's pissed off Kingston residents and city council because of the noise and garbagery that occurs. So while the cops were out in force last night, particularly with a threat to shut down this street party, they did not succeed. However, making sure next year's Homecoming will be just as fun on Aberdeen has definitely become more difficult with reports of bottles being thrown at cops and having a car overturned.

Sigh...all good things...

Evolution, schmevolution...or why ID needs to step away from the science lab

So The Daily Show with Jon Stewart's been having a hilarious take on the evolution 'debate' (and I use the term loosely, because I don't think there's enough credible evidence by Intelligent Design (ID) proponents to warrant a debate) with a series of segments from Back in Black to Ed Helm's magical mystery evolution tour.

Tonight, Jon upped it a notch by trying (in the loosest of terms) a panel format, inviting an evolution proponent, an ID proponent and...metaphysical theorist?!? (definitely scraping the bottom of the barrel for the third guest).

Obviously, nothing's going to get resolved. What interested and irked me was the evolution proponent advocating that alternative theories like ID can be taught in science classes.

NO! WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!

Intelligent Design or any other theories that have NO scientific evidence (the evidence that 'science doesn't know everything' and 'things are complex; therefore, it couldn't have evolved' doesn't count) should not be taught in a science class. Teach all the uncertainties you want. Science hasn't solved or figured out everything. I don't dispute that. It doesn't, however, gravitate to the response that "therefore, God or some higher being must be involved." Anytime that a higher being is invoked, it goes straight to a comparative religion class or creation myths, not biology.

By inserting God/higher being/creator/etc. into a scientific process ends it. Why try to discover the reasons behind something we don't understand when obviously God/allfather/Zeus/etc. is THE reason. Therefore, we don't need to reason...BRILLIANT!

Believing that God started the Big Bang is fine. That's faith. However, that being lesson one in an astronomy class is not. Therefore, Believe in all the higher powers you want, but God has no place in the scientific method (notice that I'm not talking about the scientist, who can be the most faithful adherent to any religion he/she wishes).

Everybody's getting frickin' engaged!

So I've actually known for a while now that my friend Allison Finlay was recently engaged in Saskatchewan, but I didn't have a picture or anything to go with it...until now.

Congratulations, Nick and Allison!

You Can't Always Get What You Want...

...But you should always ask a few question's first, just in case you can.

So Republican Dennis Hastert gave himself a political shitstorm yesterday when he made comments about the fact that since there would be federal funding involved in rebuilding NOLA (New Orleans Louisiana), there should be a discussion about how they should rebuild it even though he never said that NOLA should never be rebuilt. The reactions on the 'net were fierce. At least he got the discussion that he wanted.

Leaving aside the probably not-so-good timing Hastert's words, I would just like to pose a few questions and comments about the rebuilding of NOLA.

Obviously, I have no cultural, historical, personal, etc. connection to the city itself. I understand its cultural, political and economic significance to the US (French Quarter, probably economic engine of Lousiana, major port in the US). However,

1) Is there an area upstream where parts of the city could be rebuilt so that there would be a greater distance (and land, hence a buffer) between the city and any hurricane coming off the coast? Could the residential areas be moved further inland while keeping the ports closer to the mouth of the delta? While I don't necessarily advocate use separation, if it's not economically viable to also move the ports inland, then at least when a major storm breaks, less people will die.

2) Could major landmarks like the French Quarter, the universities and the Superdome be run with negligible economic effects if you moved parts of the city away?

3) Insurance companies are going to be emptied after Katrina. Which begs the question, if most of the city is rebuilt in similar fashion, what will be individual rates and city-wide rates like? What will the differential be? What are the economic impacts? Will they even insure that area?

4) I was talking to Matt about this tonight and he mentioned that a natural disaster like this should not happen to an advanced nation like the US. It should have had the capacity to minimize the damage and lives lost better than it has. We wondered aloud about why it couldn't have evacuated the whole population (even those that couldn't do it themselves). I had never heard of such a thing...until tonight. Typhoon Talim hammered the coast of Fujian province yesterday. While the economic and infrastructure damage probably won't be as significant, it was reported that they evacuated 500 000 from the province and 291 000 from neighbouring Zhejiang province. They evacuated 800 000 from 2 provinces? How could the US not have evacuated more of the city, which has a population of 500 000 in the city proper and another 5-700 000 in the neighbouring areas?

5) Just because other US cities rebuild areas afflicted by disasters (e.g. Californian homes from wildfires, LA, San Francisco, etc.) over and over, does it mean that NOLA should be rebuilt over and over? A bridge jumping analogy comes to mind. If many parts of the city are a lost cause, it means they will have to rebuild from scratch anyways. Here's an opportunity to reduce the risk and the damage+life toll when the next one hits. Why not take that chance or at least, while the cleanup's happening, have someone study the feasibility? I'd like to invoke the precautionary principle now. With many of NOLA's poor afflicted, couldn't this be a big opportunity for major public housing projects, or at the very least, provide them with a fresh start? And as for other parts of the US, I totally agree. If you've been living in an area where parts of the city is being destroyed by fires, tornadoes, etc. then follow New Orleans' potential lead and prevent people from building where you know shit's going to happen. It's not a hazard anymore, it's a risk: you know what the probability is of it biting you in the ass, and evidently, it's pretty high.

6) How does one think city planning would solve this problem? As much as I'd like to believe that planning is a panacea for everything, I don't think planning could solve it. It's not a planning issue, but one of geography. There doesn't seem to be a lot of space to build to begin with, so I can't see how NOLA can be planned so that it doesn't become a lake unto itself again as it is right now.

7) And what makes people think that building higher and stronger levees will solve the problem? NOLA's IN A BOWL! And it's getting deeper by the year. The levees and barriers themselves are heavy, so those are sinking too. marshes were being destroyed and while there were projects to bring them back, Katrina took care of those nicely. It seems like they want to make NOLA into a fortress to keep out nature...and reality.

8) Some have remarked that they would never ask New York or Chicago to relocate...but those cities have lower probabilities of a major naturally recurring weather events hitting them, especially when their geography is absolutely less precarious than New Orleans. If someone invokes the couple hundred feet tidal waves from The Day After Tomorrow, they're fired.

9) Others mention Netherlands and Venice as examples of safe cities on a delta-like coast. Netherlands again don't have hurricanes barrelling down at them every couple of years. Though if sea levels do rise substantially from climate change (and that's not definite), it'll be interesting to see how they respond. As for Venice, they're realizing their problem but they have no real solution yet. If the unthinkable does occur and Venice is force to relocate, what would Americans and New Orleanians (?) think then?

10) I'd like to reiterate once more how so many parts of the geography+historical human influences on the geography has added to the damage that Katrina did. When a city's below sea level, bounded by a major river, a lake much larger than the city itself, and receding wetlands that buffered against storm damage because of a channelized river that shunts sediment used to replenish the delta into the ocean...well, let's just say the house has you on odds. I mean, I'm surprised and I'm sure a lot more people are grateful that such disasters haven't been a recurring thing.

I don't know what the answers are or will be, but they should at least be able to ask hard questions and not bury their heads in the sand and think if they rebuild again, everything will be alright.

Not the attention I was expecting

I was surprised when I saw comments on the post I made below. When I checked them out, I realized that I just got spammed. While some authors have mentioned that spamming was a sign that their respective site was getting more popular, I think this incident is merely the fact that spamming blogs has finally reached my tiny corner of the blogosphere. I thought I was safe, but I was wrong.

Non-partisan, but towards the Liberals.

Christy Clark, a cabinet minister for Gordon Campbell's BC Liberal government, filed her candidacy papers for mayor of Vancouver.

What's funny is this,

"Clark filed candidacy papers with the Non Partisan Association (NPA), a business-leaning civic party that is affiliated with the Liberal Party of B.C."

How can you be non-partisan when you are affiliated with a party that has a particular political ideology? Do people even think about what words mean anymore?

Katrina, Preludes and Aftermaths

Via J. Kelly Nestruck, it seems Ottawa radio stations have stopped playing the Tragically Hip's "New Orleans Is Sinking" to be sensitve to what's happening in Louisiana. Moving right along...

While the gulf coast (New Orleans, Biloxi, etc.) flooding from hurricane Katrina has not reached 'Tsunami disaster" levels (as some American officials have suggested), it's still a major disaster that's having repercussions in the rest of North America.

For one thing, oil production has more or less stopped in the gulf coast, considering the rigs are missing, though the US government is preparing to open up its emergency reserves. Still, expect prices to keep going up in the next little while, oil scarcity or no.

Meanwhile, on the softwood lumber front, one housing advocate is asking for Canadian lumber duties to be dropped so a greater supply of lumber can help with the rebuilding efforts. A spokesman for Coalition for Fair Lumber Imports stated instead that the duties would be exempt ONLY for donated lumber from Canada (I would HOPE that they wouldn't be stupid enough to keep duties imposed on lumber that we're giving away for free). What I don't understand is that their supply won't be enough to keep prices low while they rebuild and with a fresh supply of Canadian lumber, they'd be able to rebuild quicker. This especially since parts hit hardest are also where much of their poor were living. Are they that adamant in protecting their lumber market to prevent building efforts to be more effective (And hearing that Home Depot stock prices are skyrocketing before and after the hurricane is why I love capitalism so much...winners and losers, all around...).

Meanwhile, PM Martin's finally getting around to calling President Bush on sending our sympathies and offering aid. Now, he also plans to discuss the softwood lumber issue at this time (since people were clamouring for him to do it, oh, 3 weeks ago but I guess it's better than never...oh wait, no it's not. Though, maybe it's because Martin didn't want the long distance charges to Crawford.). In any case, US Ambassador David Wilkins is probably right in saying Bush probably doesn't care about softwood lumber right now. My advice? Wait until New Orleans and other submerged cities have been drained and US cities get hammered with high lumber prices...that's when Martin should call.

As to Opposition criticism of our government's slow response to this incident, I'm not sure what's going on. On the one hand, as Anne McClellan states, we've offered our aid support...no word on US invitations. This from DailyKos seems to indicate that DART and other teams such as Vancouver's Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) are ready to go but again, we're waiting for the US to give us the go-ahead. Maybe it's not CONCLUSIVE evidence that we were quick to respond, but it's more than what the Opposition is offering as proof.

Finally, some have begun to wonder aloud whether the damage to New Orleans could have been minimized. Not going on a Bush-bashing here, but the Army Corps of Engineers themselves admit that funding towards projects to shore up flood control projects were diverted to the War in Iraq. A question of priorities, I guess, though I'll bet locals are now wondering whether they've got their priorties straight.

Funding aside, this was also a geographical disaster waiting to happen. Scientific American published in 2001 an extensive article on New Orleans' risk if a hurricane came barrelling down on them. Having a city built between A giant lake and the Mississippi river was probably never a good idea to begin with. But we wanted to think we could control nature, so we built barriers, levees, canals and channeled the river straight into the ocean so we could get to our oil.

Hindsight being 20/20, we realize now that the levees and the channeling prevent fresh sediment from replacing the soil in the marshes and deltas that have dampered storms from ages past. Not only do tides wash away sediment, now saline water from the ocean are creeping further into the delta and killing off the mangrove and other wetlands, thus losing further protection. Meanwhile, for all the pumps and canals that drain New Orleans when smaller storms hit, they also drain away groundwater seepage, causing further subsidence in the city (literally, New Orleans IS sinking), and creating a deeper bowl. Where did the water get pumped to? Lake Pontchartrain, because well, it needs more water. So when levees broke on the lake, the city got flooded. But it's staying that way because our own man-made barriers are keeping the water in. Double-edged swords, we've made for ourselves.

The thing is, this isn't a new phenomenon. The Corps and researchers were well aware of the situation. Years of bickering and self-interest delayed projects from ever starting. Finally a plan came to consensus and things were under way. This was a win-win situation for them. New Orleans would replenish its wetlands and coastal marshes to dampen future storms. It would become a case study on how to save many of the other developed coastal wetlands in the world. The US would've been a world leader in this area.

Then Katrina happened, and they've been pushed back years. But they will have a chance to make it better. New Orleans will be rebuilt. The question is, how will they do so? If the mentality is,

"The levees will be made bigger and stronger. American engineers will not give in. They tamed the Mississippi on its run to the sea. They aim to tame it there as well."

then they're screwed. It's not that I think they can't make bigger levees. It's that it won't solve the problem. It's not working against nature, it should be working with. Rivers meander for a reason (slows down the current). Sediment get deposited for a reason. Marshes and wetlands have dampened storms for longer than we've settled here. So why build structures that would indirectly ruin these natural features? Lousiana has plans to do just that. They just need money from the US Federal Government. It's up to Bush now to step up with the money.

Oh and one more thing. Stop SHOOTING the people trying to help you. Ass.

I love Texans...and Zombies

via Metafilter

Nick Muntean, a University of Texas student, organized 15 random actors to act as zombies as they lurched towards the American Idol auditions, warning the already rejected-hopefuls outside that, "Television rots your braaaaaaains!"

In perfect irony, one American-Idol wannabe, Jacob Gandia remarked, "I don't get it."

Unfortunately, the producers had discovered the call for zombies on Craigslist, so they were all ready waiting for the zombie invasion. Eventually, they convinced all of them to sign release forms so Fox could broadcast their images on American Idol.

Sigh. Even brain-eating zombies get co-opted by Fox...American Idol no less!