A 9-person panel that was mandated by President Bush has concluded that the United States Intelligence agency was "dead wrong" in its assessments of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction capabilities before the U.S. invasion. The report also expresses misgivings about U.S. intelligence on Iran, North Korea, china and Russia. The report calls for a complete transformation of the intelligence community, which it described as "fragmented, loosely managed and poorly coordinated."

Bush praised the commission for presenting an "unvarnished look at our intelligence community."

BBC Article
CNN Article

In my opinion, this is a major blow to Bush's credibility at the International level. Now more than every, Bush’s accusations toward other countries will need to be scrutinized. How can his accusations toward Iran be deemed credible when his own panel has affirmed that the CIA is "fragmented, loosely managed and poorly coordinated". When he claimed that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction, I among many others didn't believe it was true, and it has since been proven false over and over again. But many people all over the world believed him. Will they trust Bush when he claims another country is developing weapons of mass destruction?

In the future I don't think his accusations toward other countries will be used as a pretext for war. It sounds to me like Mr. Bush will need to think up a new strategy. By the time the CIA is reformed into the ideal organization they recommend it should be, Bush will be long out of the office.


 

The planet Earth is rapidly degrading, and according to a 2,500 page report from the United Nations approximately 60 percent of the ecosystem services that support life on Earth – such as fresh water, capture fisheries, air and water regulation, and the regulation of regional climate, natural hazards and pests – are being degraded or used unsustainably. Scientists warn that the harmful consequences of this degradation could grow significantly worse in the next 50 years.

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, released today, warns that degradation of 15 of the 24 ecosystem services examined is increasing the likelihood of potentially abrupt changes that will seriously affect human well-being.

It states that Humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively in the last 50 years than in any other period and 10 to 30 percent of the mammal, bird and amphibian species are currently threatened with extinction.

The alarming UN study was conducted by 1,300 experts from 95 countries and should be a wake-up call to greedy corporations that aren't environment-friendly.

If ever there is a time to change in the right direction, now is it. People are more informed than ever and technology has empowered us to learn about the damage we're causing to the planet.

View the Millenium Ecosystem Assessment


 

I have always believed that reading the book Mein Kampf, the "angry ranting of an obscure, small-party politician" Adolf Hitler is not necessarily a racist act in the least. Understanding what went on in Hitler's mind is an important part of understanding history and criminal psychology. It can help us avoid the rise of another 'Hitler'. Truth be told, there are twisted people in this world that read the book and sympathize with Hitler's struggle, but I think a lot of people just want to read it to understand the complex mindset of arguably the worst criminal of modern age.

I haven't personally read it, but it would be in the top 10 books that I'd like to read in the near future.

Related article: Turkey Shrugs Off Success of Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' where the Turkey's government on Monday played down soaring sales of Adolf Hitler's anti-Semitic book "Mein Kampf" ("My Struggle") and said there were no racists in the large Muslim country.


 

*Update: Thankfully, fears of a major tsunami are receding.

A major quake in the Indian Ocean has hit the coast of the Indonesian tsunami-hit island of Sumatra, triggering an alert across the region.

The quake was given a magnitude of 8.2 by the US Geological Survey who have warned it could cause tidal waves.

Read the full Story
 

Toronto's skyline was recently ranked 10th in the world by Emporis

Here's how some other cities ranked along with their population:

1st - Hong Kong (Population 6,787,000 in city)
2nd - New York city (Population 8,115,135 in city and 21,796,124 in metro)
4th - Chicago (Population 2,869,121 in city and 9,549,014 in metro)
7th - Tokyo (Population 8,130,408 in city and 33,708,200 in metro)
10th - Toronto (Population 2,481,494 in city and 5,101,600 in metro)
23rd - London (Population 7,172,036 in city and 11,850,000 in metro)
25th - Vancouver (Population 582,045 in city and 2,188,567 in metro)
32nd - San Fransisco (Population 751,682 in city and 7,154,350 in metro)
42nd - Montreal (Population 1,812,723 in city and 3,574,516 in metro)
44th - Calgary (Population 933,495 in city and 1,016,616 in metro)
91st - Mississauga (Population 612,925 in city and 5,101,600 in metro)


 

... I came across this article today, very entertaining.

BUSH THANKS DAD FOR CREATING OSAMA, SADDAM
Hopeful Current Columbia Policy Will Create Future "Enemies"
Full Story

CRAWFORD, TEXAS - Responding to soaring approval ratings following Operation Iraqi Freedom, President George W. Bush called his father, former President Bush, and thanked him for building Sadam Hussein and Osama bin Laden into the terrors they grew to be.

"I think you proved," said the younger Bush to his father, "that a little American tax-payer money can go a long way toward creating horrible, civilian-killing tyrants that will give me someone to play hero against. By spending yet another $100 billion tax-payer dollars to clean up your mess, losing hundreds more American lives along the way, I really get to look tough and come out with really good numbers in the polls."

The elder Bush tried not to gloat, but couldn't hide his pride, both in having financed and advised the buildup on these two butchers, and at having raised a son that can not only use his mess for great political gain, but works to create similar future messes to sustain the party.

"I'll tell ya," said George H. W. to his presidential son, "I was worried for a second you were gonna take care of Osama and that Saddam in a way that might actually reduce the problem. But I was so glad to see when you had Osama trapped in Tora Bora, that you didn't just pop in there with American troops and solve the problem. Instead you followed in your father's footsteps, choosing to give lots of American taxpayer dollars to butcherous warlords, who of course let Osama slip out the second he showed them a twenty dollar bill. This both kept Osama around as a nemesis you can use for political advantage in the future, and probably gained us some other warlord enemies that can become future Osamas. Very nicely done, Georgie, Jr."

More
 

Since the time I started skating at 3 years old, I have always loved hockey. There are few things (if any) in life that make me as happy as when I'm playing hockey. When I'm out on the ice I never want to leave. Sometimes after my games are over, another team needs a player and I'm always the first person to volunteer to play another game.

One hockey story that always sticks in my mind is that of Bill Barilko. Bill Barilko scored arguably one of the most memorable goals in the history of hockey. It was almost 3 minutes into the first overtime period in the 5th and final game of the Stanley Cup finals in the 1950-51 season against Montreal and Bill shot the puck at the net from the top of the face-off circle. As the puck was approaching the net, his skate caught a teammate’s skate and he was airborne while watching the puck go into the net and winning the Stanley Cup for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The summer after scoring the historic goal to win the Cup, Bill was returning from a fishing trip on a single engine plane, but the plane never made it home. Massive search efforts for the crashed plane yielded no results and unable to accept tragedy, the Toronto Maple Leafs left his equipment in its usual spot at the opening of the 1951 fall training camp. It wasn't until 1962 (11 years later) that the plane wreck was discovered, and coincidentally the same year that the Toronto Maple Leafs won its first Stanley Cup since Barilko's disappearance.


Barilko's goal in the Stanley Cup finals: April 21, 1951
 

Our TorontoList.ca advertising campaign is starting to pay off. We noticed an increase in traffic today and to our surprise, we found a picture of our TorontoList.ca poster displayed on a "medium-sized pro-blog city site" called TorontoIst.com.

He probably saw our poster in a bus shelter, and thinking that TorontoList.ca might be a TorontoIst.com wannabe, he posted this blog entry to counter all false accusations that TorontoList.ca is a spinoff of TorontoIst.com.

In other news, here is some more PR we received today: link

... and, we have just received our business cards, check it out.. I think it's hilarious.


 

Over the weekend while visiting Wisconsin, I managed to capture a video of Milwaukee's finest musical talent. I call it "I'm a Hobo, so you know!".


Click here for the video.
 

One of Greenpeace's current major campaigns is to stop the destruction of Canada's Boreal forest. Many tissue products like toilet paper, facial tissue, paper towels and napkins are produced from Boreal trees.

Although this campaign is happening in Canada, I think it's a global issue that should receive attention from not just inside Canada, but also in other countries that use these products wastefully without considering the consequences.

One thing we can all do to help is to purchase eco-friendly alternatives to tissue products made from ancient forests. Tissue products made from 100% recycled paper already exist. These are of equal quality value, and price and can be bought at most major grocery, health food, and corner stores. Although some products may be "Greenwashed", you can selectively purchase tissues based on this Greenpeace Shopper's Guide to Ancient Forest Friendly Tissue Products.

Here are a few facts about tissue paper:
1. Over 700,000 tonnes of tissue products are used each year in Canada.
2. Over 7.4 millions tonnes of tissue products are used each year in the US.
3. The per capita consumption of tissue products in Canada is 22kg/year.
4. The per capita consumption of tissue products worldwide is 3.4 kg/year
5. The average Canadian uses about 100 rolls of toilet paper each year. This is equal to approximately 4.6 km of paper.
6. Canada exports 300,000 tonnes of tissue products to the US each year
7. Canada imports 240,000 tonnes of tissue products from the US each year

North American consumption of tissue products is substantially higher than the average throughout the world, so to keep our "way of life", we should be mindful of the potential consequences of our consumption and do as much as we can to minimize the negative impact.

"Greenpeace believes that it is simply wrong that one-time use products, disposable products, are being produced out of ancient forests. The Boreal forest is literally being flushed down the toilet every day by millions of consumers across Canada. This needs to stop."


An aerial view of boreal forest in the Temagami region of Ontario

Other related links:
Greenpeace: Tissue Products: Flushing the ancient Boreal forest down the toilet
Greenpeace Kleercut campaign
What is the Boreal forest?
Why should we care?
The threats to the Boreal forest
 

I'm currently visiting my father who lives near Appleton, Wisconsin. We drove to downtown Milwaukee yesterday to visit the city and watch an American Hockey League game.

Below are some pictures I took along with some commentary.

Wisconsin "Graffiti" - Looked like it says "BUSH - Proven lies"	Federal government marketing
Good to see power being generated by wind.	The letters on the building read "EAT". I guess it's cheaper than buying a sign that says "Restaurant"
Approaching Milwaukee	Miller Park in Milwaukee
The boys at a sports bar - All you can drink/eat beer/wings for $10 during an NCAA game. Not bad!	At the hockey game; one of the thickest beards I've ever seen.

 

Since I moved to my new apartment I have been walking to work. There are days when it's really cold outside, so I'm thankful that Toronto has an underground walkway called the "PATH". I've talked to people who live in Toronto who have never heard of the PATH, so I wanted to share some quick facts on it for those readers who are in the Toronto area, or who may visit Toronto some day.

• According to Guinness World Records, PATH is the largest underground shopping complex with 27 km (16 miles) of shopping arcades. It has 371,600 sq. metres (4 million sq. ft) of retail space.


• It links public transit and accomodates more than 100,000 daily commuters.


• More than 50 buildings/office towers are connected through PATH. Twenty parking garages, five subway stations, two major department stores, six major hotels, and a railway terminal are also accessible through PATH.


• The first underground path in Toronto originated in 1900 when the T Eaton Co. joined its main store at 178 Yonge St. and its bargain annex by tunnels. By 1917 there were five tunnels in the downtown core. With the opening of Union Station in 1927, an underground tunnel was built to connect it to the Royal York Hotel (now known as the Fairmont Royal York). The real growth of PATH began in the 1970s when a tunnel was built to connect the Richmond-Adelaide and Sheraton Centres.

This week's quotes are from the classic movie "Full Metal Jacket"; one of the best Vietnam movies ever made. Full Metal Jacket has its funny parts, but for the most part it's very disturbing and an eye opener for people who haven't experienced war first hand.

Crazy Earl: "These are great days we're living, bros. We are jolly green giants, walking the Earth with guns. These people we wasted here today are the finest human beings we will ever know. After we rotate back to the world, we're gonna miss not having anyone around that's worth shooting."

Private Joker: "The dead know only one thing: it is better to be alive."

Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: "God has a hard on for Marines, because we kill everything we see. He plays His games, we play ours. To show our appreciation for so much power, we keep heaven packed with fresh souls. God was here before the Marine Corps, so you can give your heart to Jesus, but your ass belongs to the corps."

Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: "If you ladies leave my island, if you survive recruit training, you will be a weapon. You will be a minister of death praying for war. But until that day you are pukes. You are the lowest form of life on Earth. You are not even human, fucking beings. You are nothing but unorganized grabastic pieces of amphibian shit. Because I am hard you will not like me. But the more you hate me the more you will learn. I am hard but I am fair. There is no racial bigotry here. I do not look down on niggers, kikes, wops or greasers. Here you are all equally worthless. And my orders are to weed out all non-hackers who do not pack the gear to serve in my beloved Corps. Do you maggots understand that?"

Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: "The deadliest weapon in the world is a marine and his rifle. It is your killer instinct which must be harnessed if you expect to survive in combat. Your rifle is only a tool. It is a hard heart that kills. If your killer instincts are not clean and strong you will hesitate at the moment of truth. You will not kill. You will become dead marines and then you will be in a world of shit because marines are not allowed to die without permission. Do you maggots understand?"


 

Italy has announced today that it will start withdrawing its 3,000 troops from Iraq beginning in September. Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi said on Tuesday his country will begin a "progressive reduction" of troops.

I think this is a good choice by Italy to begin the process of handing Iraq back to the Iraqis.

Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr. said on March 8th during a news conference at the pentagon that "Today there are more than 140,000 trained and equipped Iraqi troops and more than 90 operational combat battalions engaged across Iraq, both with coalition forces and, in some cases, independently."

If this statement is true, why wouldn't the Italians leave Iraq? It sounds like the US has the situation under control with the Iraqis trained to protect themselves. On top of that, they have implanted a whole new government to run the country! It only makes sense for Italy to leave the country. What a great success for the US to have stabilized Iraq to a point where there are 140,000 trained and equipped Iraqi troops.

PS: There's no sarcasm in this posting whatsoever ;) I don't know what their definition of "trained and equipped", but I'd like to see it first hand. Maybe they meant to say "Potty trained and equipped with utensils", they just accidentally removed a couple key words. Whatever keeps GW happy.
 

I came across a blog entry today, and it's likely the most ridiculous posting I've seen in a very long time. This blogger says he's been a broadcast journalist for more than 32 years: "I've held every job there is in a radio or television station. I've lived and worked all over the world and am presently writing for an international news agency based in Washington, DC."

He quotes in his article that "More guns result in less crime. Yet liberals can't see it. They are totally blind to the facts and no matter how much evidence is laid at their feet, they stick their fingers in their ears, squeeze their eyes shut and scream. Sometimes they stamp their feet."

Apparently he hasn't check any stats on how many accidental gun deaths there are every year. He doesn't realize that if more people in the US are carrying around guns, more criminals will get their hands on guns, and the chances of someone losing their temper and using a gun will also be increased. His article states that if "law abiding citizens are allowed to arm themselves, violent crimes go down about 24 percent over the following 5 years". If everyone in the US was "law abiding" and carried a gun, obviously there wouldn't be any crime, because everyone abides by the law.

He also states that "Blacks benefit more from gun ownership than whites", "gun control is sexist", it's "a waste of government money" and it's "dishonest".

I urge you to view his opinion and tell me what you think. Link

This is the first time I've heard someone suggest that the US needs to eliminate gun control in order to reduce its gun murders and violent crimes.
 

Despite President Bush's opposition, China has passed a law giving it the right to use force against Taiwan if the island declares independence. U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the United States objected to the resolution both because it was an attempt to solve the problem unilaterally and because it threatened non-peaceful means. Does anyone else find Boucher's statement to be hypocritical?

With China's People's Liberation Army at 2.5 million strong, a rocky relationship between China and the US would be detrimental and a threat to world peace. China's investment in their military over the last few years is a serious subject and is a major concern for the US. Thankfully for the rest of the world, China isn't attacking other countries and a war with Taiwan would almost be a civil war; although Taiwan would have my support, and the US has indicated they would defend Taiwan if China were to attack. This would be an extremely difficult situation for the United States to deal with; hence the Bush Administration's opposition to China passing the law.

On Sunday, Chinese President Hu Jintao stated that he would put national defense "above all else". "We shall step up preparations for possible military struggle and enhance our capabilities to cope with crises, safeguard peace, prevent wars and win the wars if any".
 

Canada's 3rd largest airline Jetsgo is seeking court protection from its creditors after announcing that it is ceasing operations. 17,000 passengers are stranded at one of the busiest travel times. Passengers entered the airport only to find that the kiosks were abandoned, the computers were removed, and the www.JetsGo.com website wasn't responding.

Full Story: Link

What better way to go down then to take in as much money as you can, then clandestinely remove your computers and shut down your operations in the middle of the night; forcing thousands of people to buy tickets from other airlines to get to their destinations.


 

The City of Toronto has experienced some extremely bizarre incidents in the last two weeks. Check out the videos of the first 2 incidents, they are pretty graphical and unedited, so don't watch if you have a weak stomach.

• Today a man threatened to kill himself, then poured gasoline all over himself and set himself on fire. This happened 2 blocks from my new place. Full Story Video


• Yesterday a man holding 2 butcher knifes and taunting police telling them to shoot him was motored down by an officer and pinned against a bicycle stand. This happened right beside my brother's work. Full Story Video


• On Sunday, a man threw his 5 year old daughter off an overpass onto a busy highway and then jumped himself. The daughter survived, he didn't. Full Story


• On Saturday, a stranger invaded a woman's house and shot himself. When the woman ran out of her house, she found another man dead inside a strange car parked out front. The police suspect it was a murder suicide. Full Story

The incident with the 5 year old girl is extremely sad and disturbing.
 

A California man sent to prison for 26 years for lying on a driver's license application won a new hearing on Friday in a case that revived debate over the state's "three strikes" law, which imposes lengthy terms on repeat offenders.

Santos Reyes was convicted of perjury for filling out a driver's license under a cousin's name in 1997. Convicted of burglary in 1981 and armed robbery in 1987, he was sentenced to 26-years-to-life. Reyes appealed, arguing such a sentence constituted cruel and unusual punishment.

Here's the full story: Link

I could just imagine him leaving the prison after 26 years. That would be one hell of a 'walk of shame'.


 

I just moved into a new apartment downtown Toronto yesterday. I'm loving the location and the view. Here are some pictures from my balcony. (It's not a very clear day, so the pictures aren't great but they will suffice for now).

I'm actually using Wireless Internet access right now. I plugged my card in to my laptop and I was lucky enough to pick up a signal, so it's free Internet access for now ;)

  


  

Updated on March 30, 2005 - Added the following picture:

 

This article is dedicated to the amazing people all over the world who dedicated their time, energy and sometimes their entire lives to helping others; often in places where their lives are in danger. I don't think these people receive enough recognition for their efforts.

I wanted to send out my regards to my Aunt (Linda Veldhuizen) who for the last 16 years has dedicated her life to helping foster children in the Philippines. She is the Director of Noah's Ark Home for Children in a small town 10 hours from Manilla. They provide food, clothing and shelter for kids who aren't fortunate enough to have these luxuries. They also provide the kids a chance to receive education. There aren't enough people like her in this world, and I wish I had the courage and the will to do what she does; she's a very strong lady. She's had to deal with bomb threats, typhoons and many other obstacles that have gotten in her way, but she has stuck with it because her heart is too big to be overcome by anything.

I did a quick search on the Internet for my Aunt Linda and here are a few web pages that came up:

http://www.paoc.org/testimony/article.cfm?ArticleID=112
http://portal.paoc.org/PAOC/missionsweb.nsf/0/7c5a4820f46a89f785256b92007842af?OpenDocument
http://www.paoc.org/missions/archive/Dec22-29-1999.html


 

"It is our duty as men and women to proceed as though the limits of our abilities do not exist."
- Pierre Teilhard De Chardin

"A man without a goal is like a ship without a rudder."
- Thomas Carlyle

"Everywhere in life, the true question is not what we gain, but what we do."
- Thomas Carlyle

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does."
- William James

"A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions."
- Confucius

"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."
- Confucius
 

I recently came across TenByTen.Org. 10x10 is a unique way of delivering news. It takes a snapshot each hour of the top stories from international news agencies and forms a list of the top 100 words and the top 100 images for the current news.

A matrix is formed and you're presented with a visual representation of the latest news. After selecting a word or an image that represents that word, you are given a list of news stories that pertain to that word/image.

It's a very unique and intuitive way of accessing information. 10x10 uses RSS feeds from Reuters World News, BBC World Edition and New York Times International News.

"The result is an often moving, sometimes shocking, occasionally frivolous, but always fitting snapshot of our world."

Check it out at http://www.tenbyten.org/10x10.html