Awards, Awards, Everywhere

So last week, someone I know won a Directors Guild award. I actually got a little thrill from holding the award. This week one of my colleagues was voted the best server in Toronto in a readers choice poll in a major weekly publication. It is a very impressive accomplishment, given that we are just a little bar

I have been in this business for thirty years, and I like to think that I am pretty good at what I do, but nobody ever gave me an award.

Congratulations to the Divine Mr. M . Your gift is your ability to engage people, and you give it well.

Now if you could just do the chalkboard or turn the outside light on or cut a few limes that would be good too.

I doff my cap.

http://goyestoeverything.com

Is A Canadian Passport Worth Anything?

As someone who would like to do more traveling in the future, I am very concerned about the ability of my own country to take a simple interest in my case, yet alone protect me, should I run into trouble abroad.  I already blogged about this, and I am appalled to have to do it again.

Don't get me wrong, Canadian Citizenship is a very valuable concept when traveling: but a Canadian Passport? Hmm, not so much.

My impression based on my limited experience is that people do like us. At worst, they are indifferent. There is not a lot of hate out there for us Canucks.

But again, I see that my government is failing another Canadian abroad

Hossein Derakhshan is a  fellow Canadian citizen. Just like me he holds a Canadian passport. I have a soft spot for him because he introduced blogging to Iran by creating the ability to blog in Farsi. In my opinion, he did a great thing for his people, and he is a blogger that can change the world. He is a great Canadian.

He is challenging oppression, and standing up for values of free speech and democracy. Canadian values. He has also been languishing in a prison in Iran for over a year.

A Facebook Group has been created on his behalf. He is a fellow human being, and also a fellow Canadian. He deserves all the rights and support that are supposed to come with the proud possession of a Canadian passport, but it seems he may become yet another tragic example of the compliant nature of our current regime as it deals with matters abroad.

Many of the people that I mentioned in my previous post are controversial. Many are completely innocent travelers. Each has met with the same incomprehensible lack of support.

What concerns me most is the possibility that our Foreign Affairs department is either indifferent or incompetent . Or both. Or worse.

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Like Pulling Wings Off Flies

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

I am not heartless, but constant exposure to people begging on the street has made me very jaded about giving money to an endless stream of people; the majority of whom are not homeless.

I don't mind giving to people, but I do believe that my money could be better utilized by supporting people who are in need AND capable of accomplishing something. God knows, the world is full of worthy recipients.

All of which leads me to the appalling thing I saw tonight that contradicts everything I just said.

I was outside my local bar, having a smoke when an older man with a long beard approached me and asked for money. I wearily refused and he moved on to a group of young people. For the next five minutes I watched this drunk teenage dork get his jollies by teasing and tormenting this man, stealing every last shred of his dignity, all the while enjoying himself.

The young man didn't want to give, but he did express an interest in purchasing the panhandlers jacket or shirt on this damp Toronto evening. Funny stuff, eh?

It is one thing to refuse a panhandler, it is quite another to delight in mocking them. As the beggar retreated from whence he came I stood motionless in the rainswept night. In hindsight, I should have given him a few bucks as compensation for the indignity that this punk imposed upon him. Live and learn.

Where is the love, y'all?

http://goyestoeverything.com

Resiliency

This story in The Toronto Star today gave me a lot to think about. I think Natalia's blog speaks for itself, and I will only add that I am always amazed at the power of human beings to face the most profound challenges with grace and dignity. Enjoy your day.

http://goyestoeverything.com

Disease Warning

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While much of the planet is reaching a crescendo of worry about H1N1, the real disease that most of us in the Western world should be worried about remains misidentified and mistreated. The greatest affliction that plagues the modern industrial society is self pity.

To make it worse, the pharmaceutical companies in conjunction with your local doctor have conspired to convince many of you that your sadness and despair is not self created. You have a condition. A condition that must be medicated.

Even more despicable is the concept that your children have a condition. Is your child overactive? Unable to focus? They should be medicated and you should be medicated in order to deal with the trauma of medicating your child.

While mental illness is a serious and debilitating condition, we are all being diagnosed with some mental condition out of all proportion to the real percentage of people who legitimately suffer. It does, however,  give a convenient excuse for many people to not take responsibility for their own lives.

Society trains us that our blind consumption will make us all happy. And I'm not just talking about buying consumer goods. The norms around us dictate that your children and your marriage are also consumer goods that you should buy into. Marriage is a big one, because marriage leads us down the path to buying big ticket items.

Marriage is not just a holy institution, it is also a means to buy into the large scale consumption of goods, like houses and cars.

After that comes kids.

And of course more consumption of goods. I am always amazed by how the saturation of consumer products  goes along with having children. I see these befuddled parents all the time on the street. They have so much crap, that they need a sport ute, which they obediently purchased. You don't need all that crap. Watch this loving parent I filmed in Ghana.  Looks to me like she is taking care of her child just fine, without much of the must have bling. And I'm pretty sure that her life is far more arduous than yours or mine.

By all means, get married and have kids. But do you really need all the consumer goods attached?

The real reason that many of us are unhappy is that we've bought into the idea that happiness is connected to consumption and that if our blind consumption isn't making us happy it is because we have a condition that can be cured by consuming pills. Which is just more consumption.

I've got some advice that has worked for me, and it might work for you. Happiness is connected to connnectedness with your fellow human beings.

And that kind of connectedness is not available in any store.

http://goyestoeverything.com

Connectedness

Image via Wikipedia

As the light changed to walk, I blindly obeyed. The car coming at me made me stop in my tracks. The lady driving the car was in such a hurry, that she tried to turn left in advance of the oncoming traffic. All directions had the same greeen, but she was trying to play beat the clock by turning left before other traffic could advance. I literally froze in the middle of the crosswalk as her angry gas powered weapon hurtled towards me.

In panic I met her eye. She frantically waved me through.

She could not know the fear that she triggered within me, or how this fear has plagued me every day that I walk across a street.

Many years ago, I was hit by a car. And I was hit by the same kind of self absorbed me first driver that almost ran into me the other day.

Similiar scenario. Vehicle in a huge hurry to beat other traffic turns left, not seeing the pedestrian in the crosswalk.

The car took me out at my knees and I was hurtled into the windshield. The force of my body hitting the windshield shattered it and I was carried me up the street about twenty feet. I then rolled off the vehicle, onto the side of the road.

I was very, very lucky. Sometimes people die from these things if they land on the pavement the wrong way.

The thing that I remember most about the incident is the faces that greeted me as I lay like a ragdoll on that wet Vancouver street.

In my bewildered state, I looked up to see a number of people urging me not to move, others urging someone to call an ambulance. Someone took off their jacket and laid it over me until the ambulance came.

Whether we like it or not we are wired towards compassion and heroism in a time of crisis. We instinctively care deeply about one another, something deep inside us recognises that the other is merely an extension of the self and it urges us to react in the best way possible when in crisis.

I'll drink to that.

http://goyestoeverything.com

Why Smokers Are Solely Responsible For Global Warming

Image by KoFahu meets the Mitropa via Flickr

Yeah, I know. Smoking is stupid and no one should do it. I get it. I agree. What I do not agree with is a lynch mob that wishes to demonize every smoker for all the air quality ills of the planet.

The latest example of standing on a whale and fishing for minnows comes to us from the good folks at The Peel Regional Health Board. These folks have decided that smoking should be banned in peoples homes because of leakage through electrical outlets, among other things.

The report fails to address constitutional rights granted to Canadians under The Charter of Rights And Freedoms, but these are mere trifles to the do gooding fist shakers that care so much about me that they want to protect me from myself.  The Board is not the least bit concerned with coal fired power plants, or the fact that the vehicle they drove to the meeting poisoned the atmosphere more than every cigarette that I will ever smoke during my tragically cut short lifetime.

But out of respect for your pointless crusade, and in the interest of asking you to live by your principles, can I put forth my omnibus bill banning french fries and automobiles in the Peel Region on the agenda for your next meeting? After all both of these things are bad, and the fact that people use them affects my health and costs me money.

I never thought that I would be quoting an NRA guy, but you'll take my smoke out of my cold, (and all too soon) dead hand.


http://goyestoeverything.com

You call this giving?

Image via Wikipedia

Recently I was in my local LCBO store. As I paid for my beer the fine lady at the cash asked me if I wanted to contribute two dollars to the United Way.

I sighed and said no thank you. What I was really thinking was a tad bit different. I wanted to say that what she was really asking me was do I want to give $1.60 to the people who are employed by The United Way so that they may take 40 cents of my money to give to a myriad of charities.

As far as I'm concerned, that is not giving, its taking. Thank God, the internet is providing a pathway that will change the dynamic of giving, so that these puffy, bloated Byzantine entities will eventually disappear.

I recently gave a fine friend fifty bucks for the cause. I didn't have the heart to tell them that the real donation was ten bucks. Perception beats reality every time, and people are drawn to the easiest path that makes them feel like they are making a difference.

All of this begs the question, do you give to help people, or do you give so you can feel good about yourself?

To be honest, I have no quick answer to this question as it pertains to myself.

http://goyestoeverything.com

Four meanings of "Eh?"

Image via Wikipedia

Canadians love saying "eh?". But "eh" can mean many different things. Here are a few translations of the many meanings of "eh?". Please feel free to add your own.

• So I was trying to get to the Spadina Station, "eh?" ("are you following me?")
• Could I get another beer, "eh?". ( "if you don"t mind?")
• I'm going to Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump tomorrow, "eh?" ("just to make sure you're aware")
• The Sockeye run sucked this year, "eh?" ("surely you must agree with me")

http://goyestoeverything.com

How to create a free digital logo.

For a couple of months, I have been pondering the fact that I need a logo. An image that would give a visual continuity to the content that I post across various platforms.

I struggled with this, knowing that my knowledge of graphic design is poor, but also knowing that a logo is important as I try to make a tiny dent in the vastness of the internet. While the internet may be a bear I am trying to wrestle to the ground, it is also a warm and cuddly friend.

A quick google search led me to logoease.com . This was kismet for me, as one of their free images matched well with what I had already envisioned.

They give you a black and white image, which you then tweak with colour, angle, text and sizing.
Once you save it they email you a zip file containing the image in many different sizes and formats.

I'm happy with my little free logo, what do you think?

http://goyestoeverything.com

I Loathe MLSE

Image via Wikipedia

First things first, three down one hundred and seventeen to go.

Make no mistake, I have no problem with The Toronto Maple Leafs as a hockey team, but my disdain for the ownership is Steinbrenner-esque. The corporate dwarfs that run this elitist dog and pony show should be tied to the back of the Bloor Night Bus and be given a tour of this city.

It as if this once proud institution has been taken over by some hybrid clone of Fat Tony, Monty Burns and Conrad Black. And don't try and muscle in, this is a pretzel town!

The Toronto Maple Leafs charge more than double the league average to watch a crap hockey team and the suckers are lined up out the door.

Worst of all is that MLSE leaves a lot of innocent victims in its wake, namely taxpayers.

Yah see all those empty platinum seats for the first ten minutes of every period? The reason those seats are empty is because there are government subsidized martini's in the platinum lounge. The drinks go along well with the government subsidized seating and the government subsidized sushi.

Hey, its all a corporate write off, but keep in mind that taxes someone else avoids are taxes the rest of us have to pay. The ACC is rife with people who are using the tax system to discount their tickets. Discounts that you and I pay for. And the empty seats of the discounted Martini Sippers mock the true hockey fan every Saturday night.

To add insult to this obscenity is the fact that we subsized the building of the ACC and BMO Field, and that MLSE is so threatened by the thought of competition in "their" market place. I don't blame them for being afraid of competition. Hey, if I was that incompetent in my business, you can bet I would be terrified of challengers.

I feel sorry for true Leaf fans. They drank the Kool-Aid a long time ago, but The Dear Leader doesn't give a crap.

As a final note, the Leafs recently held an event in their new practice facility (also subsidized by taxpayers) to announce how upset they are about the high price of kids playing hockey. Did they offer a solution? NO. Did they suggest a way things could be made easier? NO. Were they annoyed that this stupid event interrupted their "money fight"?. PROBABLY.

The average shmoe has only one chance to fight this incompetent Goliath.

- Every night that you sit down to watch a Leaf game , bring a pad and paper.

- Write down the name of every corporate logo and commercial that you see.

- Don't buy those products.

Its not hard to break the chain of stupidity, it just takes a little diligence.

It is the only chance to break down this Kafkaesque wall, and remember that when you buy those products you are actually paying so that a wealthy person can enjoy discounted sushi on your nickel.

As far as I'm concerned MLSE can go and Phoenix itself.

Happy Thanksgiving!

http://www.goyestoeverything.com

ps Go Canucks Go

A Plea For Help

"I wish i could solve this myself, but it is beyond my capability"

The above quote is from an email I received today. And I'd really like to reply with some gung ho cheerleader speech about how gosh darn it, we are all capable of everything if we just put our minds to it.

Sadly, I knew the deep truth behind the words, and it caused me great upset.

The words came from a very decent young man I met in Ghana. His name is Toufic, and I count him among my friends. He lives in Larabanga, a small village that I visited in Northern Ghana. I have lent some small support to building a school there, and Toufic spent the summer in his village, working as a volunteer teaching english to the children of his community. He is beyond his years, the kind of person for whom "giving back " is instinctive.

His father has passed, so his uncle has become his patriarchal figure. Remarkably, Toufic was among the first of his people to have attended high school, (he walked 8km each way every day, I know this cos I drove the road) chased by elephants and harassed by baboons. Even more astounding, he managed to pass the very stringent Ghana University Entrance Exams, so that he could study in Tamale, some six hours west of his village. Seriously, these exams are very difficult, especially given the varying quality of high school education.

He completed his first year of post secondary education, thanks to support from his uncle. Tragically, his uncles farm was struck by catastrophic floods which means that there is no crop and therefore no money to pay for Toufic to go to school. More information is available here and here.

So this is my appeal to you. We need to raise $750 cdn so that Toufic can attend school for this semester. He is currently in attendance, but he will get kicked out if he doesen't pony up, so there is some urgency here. This money includes textbooks, classes and living quarters.

While I am championing microprojects, I also want to champion the idea of microgiving.

The maximum donation that will be accepted is $5 US. Any donations in excess of this amount will be returned. Exceptions will be made when one donation is made on behalf of multiple givers.

Where I really need help to make this happen is for you to tap into your networks to help spread the word. I simply do not have enough people on my network to make this work. It is beyond my capability. A repost with a recommendation is more important than a donation at this point.

Rest assured that every dollar raised will go directly to Toufic and I will pay the first 20% plus money transfer costs, so we really only need to cough up $600 cdn. 120 times five dollars.

Toufic has worked very hard to create opportunity for himself, and while this situation may be beyond his capability, it is most certainly not beyond ours.

You can microgive with the security of PayPal at http://www.goyestoeverything.com

Google Streetview

This post is better viewed here than on Facebook.


This is where we walked
This is where we swam
Take a picture here
Take a souvenir

R.E.M.


Welcome to Google Streetview! 360 degree photos of our country. It was introduced for several locations across Canada today, so I looked up two of the houses that I grew up in.

(cue Wonder Years theme)

I spent a lot of time in this cul de sac, playing hide and seek and road hockey


View Larger Map

Hard to see the house behind the foliage, but an awesome place to grow up.


View Larger Map

We moved across town to this house when I was in grade six. The odd thing about this house was that it had parking up the ying yang for a house its size. It was located on a corner. To the far right was a carport and driveway that could squeeze five or six vehicles from the sidestreet. To the far left was a two car garage with a second driveway.

A four bedroom house that could easily park ten vehicles? Whoever designed this house must have owned a lot of Chrysler stock!




Google Streetview, has also raised privacy concerns, but I don't think that this neighbourhood fixture will mind.
Glue Guy

http://goyestoeverything.com

10 Phrases You Don't Hear Anymore

Image via Wikipedia

• I like the Expos this year
• Now we have brewed decaf!
• Napster
• Some jerk with a cell phone
• Floppy Disk
• I'll have the quiche
• Its digital!
• Gimme a Fuzzy Navel
• Manufacturing Heartland
• Acid Rain
  

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The Silence Of The Bar

Image via Wikipedia

Once in a while, after a long night of working, I am left alone to lock up.

The lights are dim and I take a moment to reflect on my day and my life. I have spent so much time in this joint that it wears on me like an old pair of jeans.

The faces of the day rush through my mind. I think of all the people I dealt with today and how they were all so wonderful.

For a brief second I flash on a moment in the afternoon, and I remember looking into a friends eyes and letting the beautiful reflection in her green/turquoise gaze flash through, her spirit alive in that moment washing over me.

My mind passes through all the people that I work with as I am enveloped by the stillness of the darkened bar. I grin wistfully, keenly aware of the daily blessings that rain upon me.

I down my pint, set the alarm, lock up, and head home into the chilly urban evening. I smile to myself knowing that life could only be a little bit better, but it could be so much worse.

http://goyestoeverything.com

Blind Entitlement

Image via Wikipedia

So while I was reading The Toronto Star today I came upon this letter, which I think helps to illuminate the ignorant attitude of entitlement that pervades our lives in the Western world. I don't usually respond to letters to the editor, (though I have a pretty good track record of getting published) but this one got me so angry that I came back home prior to work so I send a rebuttal. It is unlikely to be printed, so I include it below the original, followed by a deeper analyisis.


AID TO AFRICA PATRONIZING, RACIST


So Canada is pledging $2.6 billion in aid to Africa. When will it stop? The answer is never.
Aid in such large amounts simply begets aid in even larger amounts. Yes, I am in favour of aid to help when there are natural disasters, but not as an ongoing program, which induces dependence on aid for daily life.
Bono and Bob Geldof say that we, "the fortunate," must help those "less fortunate," as if someone gave us all that we have. The truth is that we, our parents, grandparents and those before them worked for the standard of living we now enjoy.
By giving these nations the means to survive without changing their circumstances themselves, we are perpetuating their cycle of poverty. There is no impetus or stimulus for them to do anything other than ask for more aid.
Are we saying that they cannot take care of themselves without our help? That is, at best, patronizing, at worst, racist.

Robert Fuller, Port Rowan

My reply to the editor

When in Ghana this past spring I remarked to a cab driver how hard people in Ghana work. His reply was that there was no other choice. Letter writer Robert Fuller implies that if we stopped giving aid all of these people would go out and get jobs.

He tells us how hard his family has worked to achieve a certain standard of living, but neglects to acknowledge that people around the world are being exploited so that his standard of living may be maintained, and they were exploited so it could be built. He is trying to dress up his own self interest as some anti racist crusade. If thats not patronizing, I don't know what is.

Greg Stock

All of this recalls a beautiful warm spring evening in Vancouver some twenty odd year ago. I was walking home with my brother, and our path home gave us a magnificent view of the city and its inherent beauty.

For some reason our talk turned to politics and I gestured to the magnificent city below us and had a revelation. I pointed out that the vista and lifestyle that we enjoyed was partly built by hardworking fellow citizens, but it was also built by conquering the land forcefully and exploiting other people around the world for the materials to build it.

This is far more true and apparent today than it was twenty five years ago. The Western world has run on exploiting our own resources and now that our own cupboard is bare, we turn exponentially to the resources of the Third World. The thing that most of us have yet to accept is that there is no Fourth World. The wall is quickly approaching.

Infinite Consumption vs. Finite Resources

Think about it.

Thats my story and I'm stickin' to it.

http://www.goyestoeverything.com