Life is Meaningless

Its been a while since I have posted, been busy building the company. More on that later but for now I just had to mention an amazing video called TUNING IN. Six of America's prominent channelers are featured in the same film in order to gain insight into the phenomenon, as well as the information being received.

The result is remarkable: across space and time it appears the entities are speaking as one, delivering a clear and profound message of empowerment for humankind.

This clip is an excerpt from the DVD. It is Bashar, a bombastic, energetic entity that speaks a profound wisdom. His message so resonates with our core message, "Celebrate Life" that I felt compelled to share it.

I highly recommend you purchase the DVD, here is the website:

www.TuningInMovie.com

Stoned Seduction - An Erotic Film by Jake Chester

A Different Kind of Adult Experience?

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This post is a response to an article on theglobeandmail.com entitled:

Putting Twitter use in perspective

It is usually those who don't know what they are talking about that call things a "FAD". And time and again, history proves them wrong. This time will be no different.

I work in technology (hence the name) and I first dismissed twitter when I saw my 21 yr old sister sending inane messages like "drank too much coffee" or I'm bored.

But upon deeper review of the site I started to understand the interesting complexities of it and it's intrinsic value in business.

Twitter certainly has it's share of mind numbing drivel, just like every other medium, including Facebook and TV. I don't watch so called Reality TV and I dont follow my sister on Twitter.

I do, however follow Richard Branson, Tech Crunch, Jack Welch, Eben Pagan and Tony Robbins, to name a few.

As experts in their respective fields, they offer valuable, insightful content which would be hard pressed to find myself. They help me find the good stuff in the sea of information that is the Internet. Discerning humans beat even the most complex search algorithm every time.

As someone marketing online services, Twitter is an ideal way of amassing a significant, targeted audience of "followers" that one can present one's message and wares to. It's real time approach has many advantages, not the least of which is instantly informing those you know are interested of with timely messages and updates. It is a unique tool in ones marketing toolbox.

There are many who have neither the time nor the inclination to use Twitter but if you are self employed, sell products or services or work in technology, do not dismiss Twitter so quickly, it is a valuable tool.

And I must admit, building targeted followers you know are interested in your message on Twitter is strangely compelling.

Oh, and just in case you want to, you can follow me on Twitter at:

http://bit.ly/ZgfFe

Renshi Ricketts, Executive Budo

The Greatest Orator

This post is a response to an article on theglobeandmail.com entitled:

Barack Obama is no Ronald Reagan - yet

Although he is the greatest orator of our time, the President is also a student, still learning from the masters

An inspiring, inciteful article. Gave me a new perspective on Ronald Reagan. Obama IS a student, but one, I believe with the capacity and potential to be better than any of those masters.

In time, Obama will likely become every bit the orator Reagan was. But Obama has something Reagan could never have, coming from the era he did. Obama has a far broader, more inclusive idea of what it means to be a good American citizen.

Obama's definition includes gays in committed relationships, single mothers with children, Lesbian couples with adopted kids. Reagan's definition could never include such people given the family values message of the day.

I have confidence Obama will live up to this potential. But as another President noted, if he doesn't, at least he will fail while daring greatly.

Follow Up Post:

I think judging the merits of a President by how much he uses the Teleprompter is shallow and inane.

Perhaps one should focus on the substance of the words on that teleprompter instead.

Obama has already done more to stabilize the world than many Presidents did in their full term. His speech last March on race was moving. His speech in Cairo was masterful and balanced and it laid out very specific policies. His acceptance speech was inclusive and inspiring.

Many people are impatient and unable to see anything but the negative side of everything. I do not give their comments much weight. Obama has made ground breaking, impressive speeches. The fact he used a teleprompter is hardly relevant.

Change never happens overnight and those that think otherwise are not students of history.

The Smart Money

This post is a response to an article on theglobeandmail.com entitled:

Bailing out GM makes it really tough for government to say no to other beggars

The GM bailout is a small part of a deepening problem: the threat of inflation

It was not a particularly good idea to bail out GM but then again, the Government was presented with an offer "they could not refuse".

Come on face it!  It was politically impossible for politicians of the day to say no and just let GM fail.  Whether or not an idea is good or bad, prudent or reckless is rarely the deciding factor in the political arena.  Just look at Harper's GST cut, done completely for political gain with little or no upside to Canada, especially now.

The bail out was simply the lesser of two evils.

Option A: Don't bail them out and hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs would perish.  Countless communities would be in upheaval and some might disappear all together.

Option B: Spend 10's of billions of tax payer dollars and look to be doing something constructive.  Save 100's of thousands of jobs and countless communities.  Sure, piss off some tax payers who are actually following this stuff and leave a monstrous deficit for future leaders to deal with.

Yeah, really tough choice.

Was it wise to bail out GM?  Smart money says no.  Smart money probably would have went to shore up Nortel or other high tech companies.  Investing in Canada's high tech industries and adding to our minuscule R&D efforts would probably have served Canada better than dumping cash into the sink whole that is GM.

But this was never going to be about what was the wiser thing to do.  This was always going to be about politics.  It always is when billions of dollars and thousands of jobs are at stake.

Politicians were never going to do the wise thing, they were going to do the easiest and by that measure, bailing out GM wins hands down.

But don't blame the politicians!  We the people, the self interested ones anyway, would not stand for anything else.

Why I Don't Like AVS4YOU Conversion Software

How NOT to Sell Software Online

I searched for an audio converter program online and AVS4YOU came up first on Google so I downloaded it.  Clearly these guys understand Internet marketing as they employed various standard marketing techniques on their landing page including price contrast, urgency and their download process, etc was easy a slick.  Hats off to them for that.

But then I went to use the demo version of the software after installing it and found it put a “voice logo” as they called it on the track I just converted.  Ok I thought, that’s not so bad, I only have to listen to the ad at the beginning then that’s it.  After all its free and listening to a voice ad is not unreasonable.

But then to my utter amazement I found the friggin thing was placed every few seconds!  I can understand their reasoning for doing that but I have to say, making the demo files totally unusable by stamping them every few seconds with an annoying, if beautiful voice is absolutely retarded as far as I am concerned.

I have seen far better ways of inducing users to purchase including 30 day trials that expire, limiting features or sound quality on demo versions, and annoying the user with ever more frequent reminders.

I think Cerious Software’s Thumbs Plus (a graphics program I highly recommend by the way) has the best method of all.  They give you a full version for over a month then they slowly take away features, give you a warning when you launch the software, then add more warnings the longer you go until finally the software does not work at all.

ALL of these methods are far more effective in my view than AVS4YOU's method.   Their method simply ensures that not only will I not buy their software but I will erase it right away since it is totally useless to me right now and more than that, I just wasted all that time downloading it installing it and trying it.

What's worse, now I have a really bad opinion of AVS4YOU's software and company and will certainly not try anymore of their products.  And I have a big mouth, and a Blog.

There are lots of other options on the net for converting audio files, perhaps not as slick as their's or perhaps even better but one things for sure, I will be trying them and not AVS4YOU.

The News Industry's Dilema

This post is a response to an article on theglobeandmail.com entitled:

Newspaper paywalls: financial salvation or suicide?

As newspapers continue to watch advertising money dry up, more and more are considering charging readers to drive up revenue

May you live in interesting times. A rather understated Chinese curse.

These are very interesting times for Hollywood, the record industry and the newspaper biz. And while I have no love lost for the first two which have seen their business models decimated (they gouged and screwed the public for years) I empathize with the newspaper industry.

Perhaps it was a mistake to offer content for free online in the 90's but its academic since that horse has already left the barn.  It is unlikely that merely tweaking content and slapping fees on online content will work.  As it's been pointed out already, been there, done that, didn't work.

While everyone has their view on the political leanings of each paper, I have sampled the Post and the Star and find them to be too biased for me, especially the Post.  I have stuck with the Globe because I find it to be "just right".  The fact I see posts bemoaning it's liberal slant and others decrying it's neo-con journalists speaks to the successful balancing act the Globe and it's journalists manages to do.

I value the info I get in the globe online and therefore would be willing to pay a monthly fee for it.  For me, an Uber Techhead, hence the name, the thought of a paper paper is completely foreign and totally unnatural.

And while I would be willing to pay a fee, I would only be willing to pay something in the order of $4.95/mo because it is also true that while the Globe has implemented some features that take advantage of this electronic medium, they have done so in a rudimentary, ham handed, idiotic way.

Everyone in electronic media knows pre and post roll ads on videos are the devil and drive down viewership.  I may watch one Globe video but not more since I would have to sit through another 30 second ad to watch a 2 min clip.  Yuck!

When the Globe figures out ways to deliver multimedia content that is more valuable and monetize it in more creative ways than pre-roll ads I will gladly pay more for that service.

You Can't Always Get What you Want

This post is a response to an article on Mashable, Social Media

I followed Ashton Kutcher when I first started on Twitter because he was a know name and a recommended person to follow. Now I have never been into Celeb gossip and such but I followed him nonetheless. At the time he had about 250,000 followers.

It became clear after following him for a while that Twitter was nothing but a huge ego rub for Kutcher. I don't fault him for that, since that is part of the allure for me too. Twitter is strangely compelling. But don't celebs, particularly good looking ones like Kutcher get enough of that already?

That being said, there is something disingenuous about a celebrity that invites, even craves fame and exposure but then balks when that fame takes an unexpected turn. Its an inconvenient truth that one cannot always control the means by which fame is doled out.

The reality is that while Kutcher may "take a break" from Tweeting, his ego is unlikely to allow him to quit altogether. When Oprah asked him to be on the show to discuss his involvement, he made a video bemoaning the loss of Twitter to big media and mused he might not go on the show. Hogwash. Of course he was going to go on Oprah, he loves the spotlight.

It is, however a very one sided relationship as noted by others in this thread. He does not interact particularly with followers, it seems it's all about him. And many of his posts are him whining, despite the privileged position he holds in American celebrity aristocracy.

His fans may miss him if he takes a Twitter break but they can find comfort in the fact that it is unlikely Kutcher with be MIA for long.

Canadian Businesses are Wimps

This post is a response to an article on theglobeandmail.com entitled:

Needed urgently: more creativity from the business class

This latest report reveals that Canadian businesses do not innovate enough

As an Entrepreneur I think that the culture of Canadian business is the real challenge to innovation in Canada.  There is a saying "in Canada, no one wants to be first, everyone wants to be second"

We used to do all our business in the US and we got used to their cowboy attitude where everyone wanted to be first out of the gate or have something the other did not.  Not in Canada.

We are in Digital Signage, the business of putting plasma screens in retail areas and elevators.  It is an expensive, capital intensive business with an unproven business model and Canadian companies, save Tim Hortons, have little appetite for such things.

Canadian digital signage companies, and there are many, have floundered for the most part.

For our current project I did not even bother trying to look for capital in Canada, I went straight to the US.

This is a cultural issues that goes to the very heart of Canadian identity.  American business entrepreneurs are aggressive, daring risk takers, traits Canadians view as pejorative terms.  All the regulations and government programs in the world cant change that.

I love this country but I don't like doing business here.

Rudeness Rules the Internet

This post is a response to an article on theglobeandmail.com entitled:

In the Digital Age, rudeness is just another virus

Infantile bullying goes on out in the open online, and no one seems embarrassed about it

I agree with Poster Alan Burke, anonymity is the biggest reason for the sea of rudeness and crass comments on G&M posts and other sites.  But I don't think social media encourages it I just think it exposes it.

As with all things, a wide variety of personalities exist in the world.  Unfettered by the social constraints of identity those prone to negative, rude, mean spirited attacks will unleash their vitriol on the world every time as they know no other way of communicating.

It is a fact that some people just see the world in a very negative light and no matter what anyone says, thoughtful or otherwise, their response will be negative and rude.  Those people should be ignored for their cowardice in not identifying themselves and standing behind their comments.

Some site privacy concerns as the reason for not putting their names on their bombastic posts but cowardice is more likely.

It reminds me of the test done in the 50s or there about, where people were instructed to shock a person and then raise the voltage if they did not comply.  The victims were actors but the test subjects were fine shocking the people, even though they heard them yelling and pleading, just as long as they were anonymous and assured no responsibility for their actions.

It is worth noting that virtually all of the hair brained, stupid, rude, nasty comments are made by anonymous, faceless posters that hide behind the excuse of privacy.

The Politicians we Deserve

This post is a response to theglobeandmail.com Round Table Discussion about Politicians


Catherine Wilkie from Canada writes: Canadians deserve better politicians.



It has been said that the public gets the government it deserves.

Don't blame the Politicians Catherine.

Catherine may be right, that Canadians deserve better politicians, but Canadian voters are also the reason we don't get them.

As the Round Table guests pointed out, politicians get into trouble for speaking the truth at inconvenient times.

An informed, reasonable voter surely would conclude it is completely appropriate for a politician to suggest we might have to pay more taxes to deal with the looming deficits to come. But you wont find any politician saying they will raise taxes any time soon because they would be vilified by the "deserving" public if they did. Look what happened to Dalton Mcguinty when he raised taxes in order to meet the health care promises he made. Sure he said he wouldn't but things change.

Catherine, don't kid yourself. The public is self interested and unsympathetic. We are only willing to do things that don't require much sacrifice on our part. We say sure raise taxes, on the other guy. Don't use my money to bail out those lazy, over paid auto workers. Save the environment, just so long as I dont have to pay more for gas or change my standard of living. You guys better improve health care and transportation, just so long as it does not cost me any more money.

With all the conflicting messages the public gives politicians, it is a wonder they get anything done at all. The arrogance and self interest of the populations of 1st world countries is the reason we have the political systems we do.

When we the people are prepared to do more, share more, give more, we will get a political system that allows politicians to say more, help more and inspire us as a country to act in the best interests of not only Canadians, but everyone on the planet.

Only then will we get a government we not only deserve but one we respect.

Unlikely Mates

This post is a response to an article in theglobeandmail.com titled

Clinton, Bush booked for joint Toronto appearance

And predictably the hatemongers come out as usual.

I thought this an outstanding, insightful and refreshing look at an issue that is rarely discussed.

John correctly noted the entrenched on the left and the right can see little else but the vitriol they have for their "enemy". As is the case with many posters here.

You may not like the policies of Bush or Clinton's philandering but I have no doubt these men performed one of the hardest jobs in the world with conviction and to the best of their abilities.

Maybe if we can get past calling this guy a NeoCon and that person a bleeding heart Leftie, maybe we could focus on trying to come up with comprises that everyone can live with. That is Obama's biggest strength, he try's to get everyone to work together.

Some people are so used to name calling and decrying the evils of the "other side" they cannot see what's really important.

How much energy has been wasted on non-issues like Same Sex Marriage? Busting people with a joint or two, worrying about what others are doing in bed? All matters between consenting adults and none of society's concern, or at least, shouldn't be.

The world would be a better place if people just got their nose out of everyone elses business! Surely there are far more important issues society should be paying attention to like say... Child poverty/abuse, HIV/Aids in Africa, homelessness, Global Warming? How "moral" is it that we pay attention to the former and not the latter?

Its time society focused on what really matters and the symbol of these two presidents coming together, no matter what they talk about, is an important step in moving towards a society based on consensus and focused on what REALLY matters rather than partisan ideologies.

Time to Grow Up

This post is a response to an article in theglobeandmail.com titled

Vancouver NDP candidate steps down over racy photos

It is interesting that many on this site are bemoaning the inappropriateness of what Lam did. Some chastising him, others calling him names. Given the immature, prudish nature of the public persona towards anything sexually related, it was probably ill advised for Lam to post those pics.

But perhaps we should be asking bigger questions. Like isn't it time society stopped being so hypocritical and immature about anything the slightest bit sexual?

Politicians are held up to a ridiculous standard which is a complete fabrication and does not reflect the reality of public behavior or norms. The so call "family values" crowd hold an ideal of conduct that they try to foist on the rest of society. They are the most vocal in these situations and the most prudish yet are often the ones found in compromising sexual situations.

Isn't it time we look beyond a particular political candidate's sexual preference, their tastes and actions, providing of course they are between consenting adults. Isn't it time we focused on their deeds, their actions in the community they serve and the substance of their positions?

Some hold up Lams actions as a demonstration of lack of judgment. That is only true if you believe the picture is "dirty" or wrong and not withstanding the aforementioned consenting adults standard, who are we to pass judgment on his private picture.

It is a curious contradiction. Politicians are notoriously known for lying and breaking their word, yet we hold them to this unrealistically high, fabricated "moral standard", as if there is such a thing, that is far higher than any other profession.

These matters should be a non-issue and when society is mature enough and not immediately titillated by anything sexual, they will be.

What Makes a Great Leader?

This Post is a response to an article in theGlobeandMail.com entitled:

We still Can't Read Obama
by Rex Murphy


Rex it may be that your argument has merit. I certainly believe Obama is a complex man and maybe we haven't figured him out yet.

But why is that a bad thing?

The world just had 8 years of a man that, as you indicated, had a single mindedness about him. His goal laudable, to keep America safe, but execution proved somewhat heavy handed and often unilateral.

Perhaps its time for a more big picture, complex view of governing.

President Obama has certainly undertaken an aggressive and formidable agenda. Perhaps he and his advisers believe that now is no time for timidity. Now is the time for bold strategies that could ONLY be undertaken in times of great upheaval.

Perhaps Obama recognizes the unprecedented opportunity to move America towards a more socially balanced, fiscally responsible country that favors diplomacy over confrontation, dialogue over sanctions.

Everything is perspective. Maybe Bush was wrong, or maybe Obama is wrong. Or perhaps the world is more complicated than that and there is no right or wrong answer.

We went in one direction for 8 years and few would argue the world is a better, safer place because of it. Perhaps its time to consider a different strategy from the man in the most powerful office in the world.

What did YOU Give Up and Why?

This Post is a response to an article in theglobeandmail.com entitled:

What did you give up for Lent?

Well I for one intend to have a weekend of drunken sexual debauchery, over indulgence and carnal sin.

The good news is I have an extra day to indulge due to the dead man walking Christian holiday foisted upon us.

Of course I may not be as chased and virtuous as all those pious religious types but I will have a hell of a lot more fun!

Then again, maybe all that religious crap doesn't really matter. What really matters is your actions, your contributions to humanity and your ability to positively affect the world.

Ain't religion a hoot though?

The NDP Just Doesn't Get It

This is a post in response to an article in the GlobeandMail.com about the apparent lack of respect the Political Left gets.

With capitalism on its derriere, the left still gets no respect

What the NDP and its supporters do not seem to realize is that it doesn't really matter that they were correct about many of the problems now facing the world. It doesn't matter because many people just dont want to pay for the other guy or have more rules or less stuff, even if it is the right thing to do, according to some.

People are generally self interested, especially in difficult times. It's understandable, if not ideal conduct for a citizen.

It is certainly true there are many caring, giving people but they generally remain caring and giving only to the point that it doesn't overly inconvenience them or lower their standard of living.

I'm not saying that is good or bad, just that it is so.

Add to that the NDP's solutions to these complex problems tend to be overly simplistic and untenable politically and it is not that surprising they haven't gone anywhere in the polls.

What is Life about?

This is a post in response to an article in the GlobeandMail.com about an Extreme Skier that died and the merits, or lack thereof, of extreme risk.

‘It's not what we do. It's who we are.'

Rick C for Canada is BANG on! There are many that live long, empty, unproductive lives. They never challenge themselves, never takes risks, never venture beyond their comfort level. To me, that is not living at all.

There are those that can only see danger, fear and problems in the world and think the world is a terrible place. That is not living. Others can only point out what might happen, what could have gone wrong. The pre-occupation many have with what could have gone wrong is tedious and tiresome.

So something did go wrong this time. Does that mean we should all run and take cover, never take any risks, never be daring or bold? If humanity had done that, we would still be living in caves.

Many speak of his family and criticize his decision to take risks. How arrogant your presumption. Perhaps his kid's fate is to grow up without their father and in doing so they may find an inner strength they otherwise might not have discovered and go on to do great things. Who are we to say?

Many say life is precious. I say LIVING is precious. It is only after one lets go of one's over-exaggerated fear of death that we can truly begin to live.

Second Response:

Tasem Ebro from Canada writes: "There's that silver lining thing again! By Martin's logic children should lose their parents and discover some hitherto untapped inner strength, or something"

Tasem, no one said children SHOULD loose their parent, but one deals with the hand one is given. But there is a choice how one deals with adversity. I think it arrogant and self righteous for anyone to assume anything about another's fate.

I suspect those that read this and like Tasem, come to the conclusion that this man's life was wasted and there is no point to risking yourself, have unremarkable lives themselves. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with that, if that is your choice. But just because you don't understand the choice of some to put themselves in harms way, does not mean their choice is any less valid than yours.

Our society is build on dreamers, risk takers both intellectual and physical. How would our world be different if Einstein had not pushed the boundaries of human thought, or Galileo? What about Sir Edmond Hillary, or Astronauts like Neil Armstrong, activists like Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks or Gandhi?

All had the courage to see beyond what was, beyond fear and small thinking to see what could be. And the world is a better place for it.

The PM's Job

This is my second response to the Rex Murphy article (See Below)

Trillian Rand: Of course Mr. Harper takes flack for making rosy predictions. That is partly because he is all over the map with his predictions but mostly because he is far from the orator of President Obama. Few would call Harper a PM that inspires.

Indeed I believe it is the PM's job to show a "glass half full" mentality, to encourage consumer confidence and promote stability. There are those in society that see everything through a negative coloured lens and insist on facing "reality", whatever that means. Reality is a relative thing, depending on what type of person you are and how you view your world.

I for one see the current corrections in the market as a good thing that will eventually produce a better, more stable financial system with better checks and balances and more income equality. An evolution of society for the better.

I am certain that is not what those "glass half empty" negative people see. But it is also worth noting that those type of people are never the leaders in society, never the visionaries, inventors or Entrepreneurs that create jobs and generate wealth.

One of my favorite quotes comes from Roosevelt:

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, the man who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause;

who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

Leadership

This is a response to an article in theglobeandmail.com by Rex Murphy entitled"Faux outrage in a time of crisis"




Trillian Rand from Canada is correct when he says no one really knows what to do in this economic crisis. But there is one thing the President can do better than anyone that is guaranteed to help; improve consumer confidence.

I usually respect Rex Murphy's opinion but his constant criticism of Obama is perplexing to me.

Surely Murphy realizes there are no concrete answers to the current economic crisis, just opinion which varies, depending on who you talk to.

Governments have to be seen to be doing something so most around the world have elected to go on spending sprees in an effort to bolster the economy. The American political system is far from perfect with its adversarial process but $8 billion worth of pork projects in a Trillion dollar budget as Murphy pointed our is not bad, all things considered.

As for Obama, I submit he is exactly the kind of leader the US and the world needs right now. Does Murphy really think hearing the President spout solemn statistics and make promises of this rate and that program is really what is needed now? I think Americans want to be assured things are going to be ok. I think they want to hear an upbeat message of hope. I think they WANT to talk about the 1st Dog.

To suggest because Obama does these things he lacks substance is disingenuous of Murphy and frankly I thought he was smarter than that.

President Obama's calm demeanor inspires hope in the populous, he makes many people feel good about being American and he is a consummate people person. These abilities transcend facts and figures and are vastly more important in conveying a vision of the future to Americans. Do not underestimate the value of these abilities in the leader of the free world.

A Necessary Evil or Valuable Tool?

This is a response to an article on theglobeandmail.com by Ivor Tossell entitled "Online ads shouldn't irritate – they should complement"
Here is the Link to the Article

The poster "Be a companion Not a predator from Toronto" is misinformed. Neither Facebook nor YouTube's owner Google have even come close to making a profit on those sites yet. And what's wrong with profit anyway? True there has to be a balance between profit and social responsibility but the American system of Capitalism has done the best job of balancing that so far, at least compared to other systems like communism.

The current economic upheaval will only serve to improve the system in the long run as greater regulation and oversight curb greed.

The relationship between advertising and content has always been a rocky one. These "frienemies" have coexisted in traditional media to date fairly well but Ivor makes a good point that it is much more difficult online.

The initiatives the consortium are taking to make ads bigger are a step forward for the reasons Ivor outlined but the bigger challenge to advertisers is to make advertising more relevant to the individual.

Google recently announced a product to do just that and I applaud them for it. Making advertising more targeted makes it more relevant and therefore more useful.

Some responded to the article about Google's plans with the usual vitriolic postings about the evils of advertising. They stated their intention to block any and all ads and proudly proclaimed they never click on them. I find such comments to be infantile, reactionary and unhelpful.

Google and theglobeandmail.com offer a free service supported by advertising. If you use that service I think you are beholden to at least look at the ads and support the companies and people who work for them.

But the companies also have a responsibility to make the ads more relevant and targeted to your interests. And I might add, it is in their best interest to do so.

That's not funny!

This is a response to an article on Globeandmail.com about TV show 22 Minutes interrupting the Premier's press conference. Here is the Link to the Article


It is understandable that many would see Ms. Halls actions as inappropriate but I beg to differ. No one would argue that 1,000 people loosing their jobs is something to laugh about but this incident does raise a bigger issue.

To a large degree this recession is a recession of the mind. There are certainly fundamental problems undermining the economy, particularly in the US housing market. The bonfire was certainly there to begin with.

But because of the media's focus and subsequently the focus of many around the world, that fire is now a raging, out of control forest fire inferno. Consumers have stopped spending, companies hiring and banks lending, predominantly out of fear. Now the situation is getting worse driven primarily by fear, pessimism and anger.

The situation need not be as bad as it is. It is an undeniable fact that the vast majority of Canadians will NOT loose their jobs, their houses, their life saving and things WILL turn around.

Perhaps 22 Minutes interrupting the doom and gloom of the Premier's press conference is just what we need. Perhaps we need more people reminding us that its not really that bad.

Of course there are those that look at everything in life through a negative, pessimistic lens as evidenced by the many outraged postings for the Globe article. They will claim things are terrible, the sky is falling and all are doomed, or something to that affect.

It is worth noting that those are not the kind of people that build societies, create wealth and inspire greatness in others.

We need more Geri Halls and those that can see opportunity not adversity, those that instill hope not fear.

This economic turmoil will end, not because of trillions pumped into economies but when people decide things are not so bad after all and start participating in the recovery instead of expecting things to get worse.

Taking the High Road in Politics

This post is a response to an article in the Globeandmail.com about new attacks planned by the Tories on Michael Ignatieff, the new Liberal Leader.

The Globe Article


It is certainly telling that in politics, "flip flopping" is considered a bad thing. One of the many great attributes of President Obama is his ability to admit mistakes and change his mind. A few weeks ago the President admitted "I screwed up", something typically unheard of from a US President.

The Canadian people should reward a politician that makes informed, policy changes instead of sticking with something just because he said it earlier. Issues such as climate change are complex and leaders that DONT change their minds as new evidence comes to light should be the ones that are considered suspect.

I am hopeful that the Liberals will be able to rise above the negative attack style campaign the Tories only seem capable of. The Obama example in the US shows us it is possible to win with such a strategy. McCain ran a negative, divisive attack campaign and Obama ran an inclusive, positive one based on ideas and won.

For all the scorn Canadians tend to heap on Americans, they must be commended for rising to the occasion, ignoring the negative attacks and electing a President that embodies hope, inclusion and common goals.

Canadians should do no less.

Decision is the Ultimate Power

I finally got around to setting up a blog so I can write unsolicited opinions on a variety of topics of interest to me. Wow, that sounded super egotistical. Oh well, everyone knows its all about me right?

In truth, it IS all about you. Life is about you learning, trying things, finding what you like and just as importantly, don't like. Life is about creating and expanding the Universe through experience.

I have been on an exciting journey the past couple of years. I had an epiphany and I realized most of the stuff I worry about doesn't matter. It changed my entire perspective on life. I realized for the most part, being right doesn't matter. Sure it matters if you are a civil engineer building a bridge but in a discussion with another human, being right is overrated. That small but profound realization led me to other equally earth shattering realizations.

I realized it does not matter what other people think about me. Another epic realization but one that lead me to understand what it means to let go. Letting go is perhaps the single most valuable lesson one can learn in life. It means that while I certainly want people to like me, if they don't it does not affect my emotional state.

Ah, your emotional state. Most people only have a cursory understanding of what that means and most have a very skewed sense of what theirs is. Dale Carnegie once said "Never underestimate the human capacity to delude oneself." Most people rationalize their life and pretend they are happy, most of the time, but it usually catches up with them when they are alone because you can't really fool yourself. They realize they are not happy but they usually don't know how to change that.

It is an interesting truth that everything everyone does is motivated by wanting to be happier. Mother Theresa helped the poor for many reasons but in the end it fulfilled her and made her happy to do so. Osama Bin Ladin orchestrated attacks against the US perhaps because he saw it as justice but ultimately he did it because it made him feel better.

Good and evil is a matter of perseption, and dates, but everyone is motivated by wanting to be happy. Unfortunately most dont realize they have all the power they need to be happy whenever they want because they have control over their emotional state.

Now I will concede most people dont really know how to manage their emotional state. Most are like a ship without a rudder being battered about by the vagaries of the day. Some guy made them mad, they were upset by the news in the paper, they saw someome doing something they did not like and they let all these things adversely affect them.

If you have never thought about it or dont believe you can control it or dont care then sure your life will be an emotional rollercoaster. But it does not have to be so. You have control of your emotions. You can decide to let go. You can focus on what you want to see instead of what you dont.

Decision is the Ultimate Power. My favorite phrase.

There are many ways to learn control of your emotional state but it requires you learn mental focus. I have learned it through Budo. Martial arts, particularly Iaido (the use of the Japanese sword) is a tremendous way to learn mental focus because the sword demands your attention, lest you injure yourself.

Martial arts is a very dynamic way of practicing mental focus and control of your emotional state. Yoga is also a great method of learning mental focus.

But the fact is you can learn mental focus doing any activity from Chess to swimming to rock climbing to meditating. If you set out an intent to improve your ability to mentally focus on what you want, you will get better at it and that skill will serve you well in your every day life.

So it seems it IS all about you because if you improve your emotional state, if you learn to be happy, then you are in a far better position to help others, if you so choose.

Decision IS the ultimate power and once you realize that, everything will change.

Celebrate Life. Be Unique.
Techboy