The Soapbox

Trouble With My Clutch Master Cylinder

2006-07-04T12:20:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I accidentally put the part circled in red into my master cylinder backwards. Bad idea!

Craving A Peaceful World

2006-06-16T23:39:00.000-06:00

Friends,

I write today over-shadowed by the darkness I feel in this world. Where is the peace? Where is the love? Where are you, my friend?

In recent days, we've seen the situation in the Middle East deteriorate to a new low. If this isn't a big deal to you, think again, because the level of conflict we are seeing now is pivotal. "Alert Status Red", as they say, has come and gone; more peaceful times are sinking into the almost-forgotten depths of our memories.

The media might have many of us believe that such conflicts are far away and outside the realm of real concern. Why should we care for those who are so far away? What loss is a child dying in the crossfire of a distant battle?

Ask yourself this: In the infinite complexity and breadth of this world, why should someone else's life matter any less than your own? We all share this Earth; literal brothers and sisters in our common quest to preserve and perfect the human race.

The battles that rage these very moments are real, and they're shattering lives. Why turn a blind eye and a deaf ear? A life lived in ignorance to the injustices that occur is hardly a life at all. Awareness and positive action is the road to freedom for all, if only it would become our common goal.

It starts with you, it starts with me. Lend a hand to those in need.

Something big is going to happen soon; I can feel it. The Israel-Lebanon conflict is a very serious matter, as is any war in any place. Educate yourself about this and other conflicts. See if you can ease the pain in some small way.

Some of us ought to be ashamed (myself included) for the way our countries have been behaving as of late. Make no excuses for the wrong-doings on those who supposedly lead you. What good could ever come from following those who lead with the sword and the fist, rather than an outstretched hand.

I digress.

It starts with a smile, my friends. Don't be fooled into thinking that hate, war and injustice will write favorable history of these times.

My weapon of choice remains my heart and a helping hand.

What's yours?

Poor GTI

2006-06-08T19:50:00.000-06:00

I feel genuine sorrow for the owner of this car. He even had the sense to carry a fire extinguisher. I think he probably should of also unhooked the battery because this looks like it may have been an electrical fire. What a loss.

Who Needs a Porsche. Get a Fiat

2006-06-08T19:47:00.000-06:00

No explanation necesarry.

Parkour (Free Running) At Its Finest

2006-05-25T12:57:00.000-06:00

I've been watching Parkour videos for a while now, but I have never seen anything like this. For those of you who don't know, Parkour is the sport centered around moving through an environment at high speed in the most efficient way possible. It fascinates me because to be good at it you need a mix of extreme strength, coordination, flexibility, agility and good ol' fashion guts.

There are a lot of Parkour videos, but this most recent one I found is particularily impressive. The Russian fellow performing executes this sport with a level of control that I haven't seen in a lot of videos.

Enjoy.

Road and Track

2006-05-16T12:53:00.000-06:00

I don't have a subscription right now, but I do enjoy reading Road and Track magazine whenever I can. Usually they have insightful articles and showcase some great vehicles. Occasionally the magazine will even have a little humour built right in.

But now this:
When I first saw this issue (June 2006) I had to look twice at the cover. I was absolutely floored that they would put a picture of the Saturn Sky next to a BMW M Roadster (in this case, a Z4).

Now I know that I may be overly hard on the Saturn brand, but c'mon, they make cars with plastic body paneling. I hope this comes back to haunt Road and Track. They should have put a picture of the BMW romping all over the lowly Saturn.

Google Trends

2006-05-15T15:07:00.000-06:00

Wow. Google has just released another tool that will be very handy for web site owners. Google Trends reports Google search statistics from around the world. As you can guess, this has serious implications for anyone who wants to target the content of their site based on what people are often looking for.

I'm certainly interested in this information. Previously I had been using the Google Zietgeist to get a brief overview of what the world is searching for, but this is way better. Thanks Google!

Go Flames Go!

2006-04-21T16:57:00.000-06:00

Ah yes, NHL playoff season again.

I've got huge hopes this year for my Calgary Flames; we've got a chance at the cup.

Even though Oliwah may not be here to break everyone's bones, Neimenen's not around to smile at everyone, and Conroy won't be blocking any more shots with his face, we've still got a solid team.

So, without much further ado; Go Flames Go!

Finally! Google Releases A Calendar

2006-04-13T12:20:00.000-06:00

I can't tell you how excited I am about the new Google Calendar. Being able to keep track of my schedule on a computer is a huge bonus for me. Until now though, there haven't been any good tools to accomplish this.

For a while, I was really hoping that Mozilla's SunBird project would pick up speed so that I could use SunBird to schedule my time using the upcoming web publishing feature. Sunbird is still far from finished though.

I had heard rumors about a month ago that Google was working on a Calendar tool; I couldn't wait. In my opinion, Google has an almost faultless record of releasing very high quality web software that's actually useful, therefore I knew that any Calendar produced by Google would be worth using.

My friends, once again, Google has not dissapointed me. Google Calendar is awesome, and I will very happily use it to do all my scheduling.

You can read more at this entry in the Google Blog.

April Fools

2006-04-05T13:01:00.000-06:00

I hope that everyone had a pleasent April Fools Day. In my opinion, April fools is a great idea. What other day can you play cruel jokes on your aquaintances, then run up the 'April 1st' banner and claim yourself innocent.

I think it's fabulous when people play jokes on each other; it's a very creative form of expression. You really have to understand someone to either make them laugh or entirely anihilate their chances of having a good day.

People really need to lighten up though. I've seen far to many individuals fly off the handle when someone played a simple joke on them. It's ridiculous. How many divorces have been initiated and jobs lost as a result of April Fools. I'm sure it's a surprising number, all because so many people can't seem to dislodge the driftwood that's up their back-side.

One of my favorite April Fools tradition is to go and see what prank Google has cooked up. Google never dissapoints; they're either telling bogus stories about how pigeons define search results, inventing new health drinks or better. This year, they decided to launch a fictional dating service. What a gas!

Read about Google Romance

I liked it, but you just know that somewhere in the world someone is angry that Google cheated them out of their chance to find true love. Sheesh.

Here's a thought; how many lawsuits do you think have been started as a result of saran-wrapped toilet seats? Think about it.

Sketchup

2006-03-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

Goolge has recently acquired @Last software, the creators of a design tool called SketchUp. I haven't even downloaded SketchUp yet, and already I'm very excited to give it a try. I love designing things; buildings, car parts, etc. This is so exciting that I have to go to the bathroom.

check it out
SketchUp

Google Mars

2006-03-17T16:54:00.000-07:00

I'm a very avid Googler, and I love the stuff that Google comes up with. Google's most recent piece of software is an interactive map of the planet mars. Check it out, it's awesome.

http://www.google.com/mars

Metric rocks!

2006-03-09T23:26:00.000-07:00

I was browsing through some of my music today and I happened upon some tunes by a band called 'Metric'. I had forgotten how stellar their music is.

Check them out, it's worth it. I highly recommend the songs:

Dead Disco
Succexy
Grow Up and Blow Away

If you miss the 80s and are sick of the crap that's been on the radio lately, Metric is the way to go. They have a very refreshing sound. It's flat out groovy music.

Formula 1 at the Olympics

2006-02-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

I watched the opening ceremonies yesterday for the 2006 Turino Olympics. As is often the case, the ceremonies showcased the culture of the host nation; in this case, Italy.

Most of the display was very artistic, and I was beginning to worry that they would never get down to business and show off the finest thing to ever come out of Italy: the Ferrari.

Fortunately, the Italians did not disappoint. Part way through the ceremony, a beautifully painted Ferrari Formula 1 car made an appearance and displayed its awesome performance. Only in Italy can performance motoring be logically displayed alongside fine arts; the Ferarri looked right at home in the Olympic stadium.

watch the video

For those of you who have never seen and heard a real Formula 1 car revving its engine as it does in the video, I want you to appreciate that the sound being emitted by the car is absolutely deafening. Formula 1 cars are extremely loud, and even at idle, that sole car would be shaking the bones of every person in that stadium. Awesome. Don't thank me. Thank Ferrari.

Drinking Swamp Water

2006-02-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

Today, whilst sitting in my office at work, I noticed that a thin layer of slimy junk had formed on the inside of the water bottle that I suckle on every day. I haven't washed it in a little while (and when I say 'a little while', I mean months), so I'm guessing that this residue has been precipitating out of the water for the last couple of months.

Can you say, 'yummy'?!

I don't know what the sludge is. It's probably a pleasant brew of all the bacteria and chemicals that live in my city's water supply. I've probably been consuming the stuff for quite a while; I don't often audit the cleanliness of my drinking apparatus.

If I'm lucky, I bet I've been building up an immunity to bacteria and filth for the last couple of months as the grossness in my bottle slowly developed. Such an immunity would make a nice addition to the collection of other things my body easily resists. Let's just say that I've accidentally ingested my fair share of antifreeze, engine oil, grease and anything else that rains on you while you take cars apart.

Or, maybe I've been slowly poisoning myself.

Either way, I'm washing it tonight.

March of the Penguins

2006-01-09T00:04:00.000-07:00

I finally saw the hit documentary entitled "March of the Penguins". It's a very touching story about the struggles that Antartica's Emperor Penguins are willing to go through to procreate.

Many people had told me that March of the Penguins was an excellent show, and since I am a fan of documentaries, I had to see it. I actually regret not going to see it while it was showing on the big screens; the movie has fantastic scenery, and I don't think my 27" TV did it any justice. The creators of the film very clearly risked life and limb to capture some fantastic footage of these penguins in their natural habitat.

I'm not going to spoil the movie by giving you the details of the story, you need to see it for yourself. Let me just say that after watching this film I had new respect for the courage that some animals display. I found the film enlightening because the persistence displayed by the penguins in the film parallels the ferocious persistence often needed in my life. I may never have to walk 70 miles through a barren frozen land to breed, but if a penguin can risk its life for the chance of producing a single offspring, then I'm sure I can endure another day at the office.

Hats off to the penguins.

Koenigsegg CCR

2005-12-28T22:19:00.000-07:00

There's been a lot of chatter lately in the automobile world about the Koenigsegg CCR. Being the huge car enthusiast that I am, I had to go and do a little research on this new supercar. Did I like what I found? Read on.

The CCR was debuted in September of 2004 at the Geneva Auto Show, so in some respects, it's not that new at all. I had heard of Koenigsegg before, but it wasn't until the CCR beat the McLaren F1's speed record in February 2005 that Koenigsegg really caught my eye.

In my opinion (an opinion that few would probably dispute), the McLaren F1 is a legend in motorsport history, so when the CCR managed to beat the F1's speed record, I knew that Koenigsegg meant business. The F1's speed record stood for a long time, and to build a car capable of beating it is not an achievement to be scoffed at.

At first glance, I liked the look of the CCR. It has a 'simple' look to it; a quality I find quite desirable. The body design screams functionality over flash. Outwardly, it's the type of car that spawns trust, it doesn't look like it will try to kill you. It's sort of like a well-mannered Rotweiler. Sure, you can pet it, but push the wrong buttons, and you're a dead man.

This isn't to say that I don't have my complaints about the CCR's exterior; there are a few things that I just don't like. As a visual aid, here's a picture for you.

For starters, the door looks awkward to me, it seems so small and chopped, almost as if it was a design after-thought. I giggled as I imagined the geniuses at Koenigsegg sitting around at their drawing boards dreaming up the delicious curves of the CCR. They must have drawn picture after picture, and then all of a sudden:

Uh. Guys? How are people going to get into this thing?

So, they just slapped a door onto their drawings, and still finished the design work on time and under budget. The door has one of the only contours on the car that isn't swept backwards. New door please. Oh yeah, and the rims look like they were lifted from a diablo.

I'm much more impressed with the front-angle shot of the CCR than I am with other angles. The frontal design of the CCR is delightfully simple, and it looks super mean. It's the type of front end that yells,

"Get out of my way, numb-nuts. I own this road."

at you as you drool on the rear-view mirror of your Ford Pinto. The roof is gorgeous.

I think my only complaint from this angle is how hideously large the side mirrors look. Positioned on those long poles, they really look huge to me; they're not well blended with the rest of the car. Maybe it's a freaky illusion of some sort, but really, something should be done. I'm sure the designers were just trying to give the driver a spitting chance of seeing over the huge rear fenders, but they could have sloped the mirrors outwards or something.

The rear angle shot of the CCR is the one that I don't like; it looks so cheap. Koenigsegg needs to lose the ridiculous looking bezels that wrap the tail lighting; it makes the CCR look like a Lexus SUV. Truth be told, the round lights actually look a little out of place. I think I would have gone with the more uniform appearance of a single lensed bulb housing for each side. But hey, that's just me.

Oh, and look at that exhaust outlet. Is that where the exhaust comes out, or is that a plastic orifice for depositing biodegradable foodstuffs for composting. I can't tell, can you? With its wide road stance, a car like the CCR absolutely begs for dual exhaust, but instead they give it an outlet that I'm sure people will mistake for a postal box.

What is the pit light doing there? I know this is a car that is at home on a race track, so it should have a pit light system, but Koenigsegg should have at least put it in the middle of the car rather than on one side. The CCR has a very symetrical look to it, yet they threw it all away by putting the pit light on one side. Ugly.

Oh, and now look at this. This is a shot of the rear of the giant engine cowling on the rear of the car. The curves are lovely, but do they actually expect that tiny rear view mirror to be at all helpful? If you ask me, it looks ridiculous and entirely non-functional. Lose the rear view mirror, Koenigsegg and replace the tiny window with a viewing port into the engine chamber. No real driver cares what's behind him anyway, it's what's still in front of you that counts.

This is the interior. If you feel the need to vomit, try to aim for the dashboard, you might actually improve things. I like the seats and the steering wheel. The steering wheel is so pretty, and the seats, they suit the car well. I'm not sure about their choice of upolhstery for the seats; it almost looks like the same fabric they use to make cheap guitar cases.

I more or less despise the rest of the interior. The center console and instrument panel are an absolute abomination. Is it just me, or does the center console control unit look like a rotary phone? It also really reminds me of the console in the new Nissan Quest minivan. Gross.

The instrument pod looks like the one in a Toyota Echo. They really should have sprung for some more gauges to give the instrument panel a little more flare. It's so sparse, and looks too small for the car, the type of instrument cluster that would look more at home in a Mini.

The gear shift lever is a big dissapointment as well, and when I say big, I mean BIG! The lever is huge, and I'm sure anyone who does not have any Orangutan in their blood will throw their shoulder our just trying to shift gears. This is a street-going race car, not a Mac truck. I guess maybe they expect CCR owners to bust out a hack-saw and cut it down to a normal size. Heck, they could even use the scrap piece as a new flagpole for their yard. No thanks.

Want to see a video of the CCR. Check out what Top Gear has to say:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7016898738854371657

A Race Between an Mitsubishi Evo and a Bobsled

2005-12-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wanted to see an Evo race a bobsled? Now you can:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5410308909760829459&q=race

I don't know about you, but that's nearly the coolest thing I have ever seen. It's fun watching cars race other cars, but I can't imagine the challenge of beating a bobsled down an icy track.

Personally, I thought the bobsled would school the Evo, beating it by a large margin. But does it? See for yourself.

Document Arson Is The Life For Me

2005-12-06T23:07:00.000-07:00

Where I work we have these large bins that you can put your 'classified' documents in to have them properly destroyed. The whole idea behind such a system is to prevent others reading material that contains secret information that is not longer needed.

I've made use of these bins on several occasions, and until recently, I had quite a bit of faith in the system. Then today happened.

So today, I'm cruising through the office on my way back from the vending machine and I notice a sign placed on top of one such bin that reads:

Employees have been placing material in this bin that is not classified in nature. In order to maintain costs associated with our private bin service, please only deposit documents that are classified in nature.

This begs the question, if the bins really are protected from the prying eyes of other people, how did they know that people had been disposing stuff that wasn't 'classified'. Idiots. Last time I put my stuff in one of those bins. From now on, I'm doing it the ol' fashion way; a bucket, some kerosene and a zippo in the back alley.

U.S. gets busted for spreading propoganda in Iraq

2005-12-02T00:29:00.000-07:00

So it turns out that the United States has been waging a propganda war in Iraq. Whoa! Push the pause button!

Are you kidding me?

If only I was that ignorant; ignorance is supposedly quite blissful. Whatever.

Truth be told, I'm not the least bit surprised that the U.S. government is force feeding false information to the Iraqi people. Heck, the Americans have been mis-informing their own populous for years, why would they stop there?

Not convinced? Let's look back at some popular 'facts' fed to the American population lately:

Fact: The U.S. government went to war with Iraq because of September 11th and weapons of mass destruction.

Fact: U.S. marines found Saddam hiding in a hole in the ground.

Fact: September 11th was an entirely unprovoked attack on the American people.

Fact: Lee Harvey Oswald shot and killed JFK.

Do any of the above 'facts' sit a little funny with you? Personally, I don't believe a single one of them. Here's some truth; don't believe what the media tells you. Shhh...it's a secret.

Read here.

A Free Book From Scott Adams

2005-11-18T00:41:00.000-07:00

We all know who Scott Adams is, don't we? In case you've been hiding deep in Nepal's mountains as of late, or you have two cobs of corn between your ears, Scott Adams is the brilliant creator of the smash comic, Dilbert. If you've never heard of Dilbert, you're obviously devoid of any common knowledge critical to survival these days, and if that's the case, go throw yourself under a bus.

For the rest of us who haven't been to Nepal. Who don't have to run for our lives during the annual corn bust lest we be mercilessly beaten by old ladies for our scrumptious heads. And, who are not about to be hit by a bus, Scott Adams released a new book, and it's cheap as FREE!

Perhaps you've read some of Scott's other books and been very entertained. Scott's writing has a certain quality to it; it lacks the formality that would make an English professor proud, it's more "fun". This is a good thing, because English professors usually have hair growing out of their ears, and I've never been able to trust the tastes of people who have hairy ear canals. Not wanting hairy ears of my own, I keep a safe distance from any 'proper' literature and try to only read about topics that are more fun. In my case, Scott Adams is actually the author of my favorite book, "The Joy of Work".

If you're a sadistic doubting Thomas, don't take the title "The Joy of Work" too literally. The truth is, work is the pits (except any 'work' that involves detonating things) but Scott Adams shows easy ways to make it fun, making him a grade A certified genius. In a way, he's kind of like the new Karl Marx; his ideas attack the cruelty and monotony of careers in our capitalist world. Unlike Marx though, Scott Adams chooses to wage war with his revolutionary ideas to help people have fun at work. This may sound less exciting then hordes of disgruntled low class workers throwing their pitch-forks through the heads of the bourgeoisie, but it saves us from having a bunch of disemboweled rich people around our cities.

Anyway, enough about Scott Adam's previous works, let's talk about the free stuff. Scott's new book entitled "God's Debris" is being released free of charge in an electronic version. I haven't read it yet, but judging from the title and the fact that he wrote it, I know I'll love it.

I should say though, I don't know what "God's Debris" means. I predict that 'God's Debris' is either a metaphor for the human race, or, the book is about Earth's final struggle to defend itself against an intergalactic piece of feces 10,000,000 miles in diameter bent on destroying the human race. Or maybe it's both, or some other combination. Whatever, it'll be good.

So, what are you waiting for? Download the book!

Andrew Uitvlugt is an Idiot!

2005-11-16T22:50:00.000-07:00

I keep telling myself that people involved in politics have at least an entry level understanding of Sociological concepts. That's not too much to expect, is it? After all, if you're going to be leading large groups of people, wouldn't it make sense to have at least an elementary understanding of how society works?

In my opinion, one thing that a politician should definitely understand is how to deal with the problem of poverty and homelessness within a population. After all, ideally, there shouldn't be any people living on the street; every person has worth, every person can have purpose.

Part of understanding poverty is to understand what some of the leading causes are that put people into poverty-stricken circumstances. That way, when you're elected mayor, you can put programs in place to keep people off the streets.

There is a particular mayoral candidate for the city of Kelowna that doesn't seem to understand anything about people, about poverty, etc. Actually, I'm willing to venture a guess that he doesn't understand anything at all.

Read this Associated Press snippet:

KELOWNA, B.C. -- A candidate in the mayoral race in Kelowna, B.C. suggests using crack to deal with the city's drug-addicted homeless people.

Andrew Uitvlugt says crack could be used as a reward or incentive to motivate people to do constructive work in the city, like picking up garbage.

Once they've done their duties, he figures the addicts will feel so good about themselves, they may not need the crack, or less of it.

You can hear his comments in a video campaign pitch on the website okbc.tv.

The candidate also wants to move the homeless to a combined shelter and retraining center at the city dump.

He says they could use the available materials to build things and get marketable skills.

Lovely, eh? Let me be the first to say:

Andrew Uitvlugt, you are a MORON!

It's absolutely ridiculous to think that giving people highly addictive drugs is going to help them get off the street. Statistics show that for many homeless people, drugs are the reason they are on the street in the first place. C'mon Andrew, are you blind?

Cocaine (in all its forms) is a very dangerous and highly addictive substance. Cocaine is the reason behind many violent offences and criminal activity. Cocaine makes people do things like fatally rob people for their next fix. Why then would someone think that Cocaine is the answer to Kelowna's homeless problem?

You'll also note that Andrew feels that he can help homeless people by giving them a job at the dump to build stuff out of garbage. I'm no psychologist, but I really don't think that putting people in the dump will help them. I've been to the dump. I didn't like the dump.

Perhaps this is all a publicity stunt, a way to get some attention. If so, he has succeeded with flying colors. Now everyone will know who Andrew Uitvlugt is; the mayoral candidate who hates homeless people so much, that he's willing to throw them into the depths of a horrific crack addiction.

In other news, Andrew was also stupid enough...errr...kind enough to post his email address on a public service website. This means that I can take that email address and post it here.

Here is his address....heh heh....hotmail....cheap:

andrew_uitvlugt@hotmail.com

Can I trust all of you to do the right thing and let Andrew know what a mistake he is making?

If he does (by some miracle) get elected, it'll only be a matter of time before we hear some wretched stories about people in Kelowna getting killed by homeless people who are looking for money to finance their next fix. Great idea, Andrew. If it were up to me, I'd put you in the dump.

Clean Up Your Own Trash

2005-11-10T23:15:00.000-07:00

The city that I live in has decided that it would be a good idea to help the people in a less-than-affluent neighborhood clean the garbage out of their yards, free of charge. What a ridiculous idea! Why should lazy people all of a sudden get a free ride? Have we suddenly decided to support the deliquent fools in this city, rather than condemn them? It doesn't make any sense to me.

This is not a solution to the issue, it will only intensify the source of the problem. If this city starts providing lazy people with free yard clean ups, all it will do is encourage them to be even more lazy. I can just imagine some slob sitting on his couch in his underwear saying to himself, "Why should I clean my yard? The city will do it for free."

I tried to imagine myself as one of the city employees tasked with cleaning up such a yard. I'd be haulin' old chairs and bags of trash out of some imbecile's yard. As I assist a coworker with lifting an old chesterfield out of the yard, I'd glance inside the house. Inside I'd notice a man, drinking beer, watching T.V. in his underwear, all the while collecting welfare from my tax dollars.

I'm a pretty patient guy, but I would have no patience in this case. I think it would take about 5 seconds before I'd snap, go to the house, kick in the door, and put my boot in the guy's face. Then I'd drag him outside, make him clean his yard, and when he's done there, I'd make him mow my lawn in return for all my money that went to his welfare.

The city really should crack down on people looking for a free ride. What they should really do is send the bylaw officers over to these homes and start dropping hefty fines on these people. Then, they'll either have to clean up their own yards, or be forced to start a new career in 'community service'. At least then they'll either be helping themselves or helping the city.

Heck, I'd even be willing to let the city pay these people a little something to clean their yards. The city is going to have to pay someone to clean the yard, why not let that someone be the resident of the home? Paying them may actually be the best solution; it will teach them a value of work and it will reduce their need for welfare money.

When baseball goes bad

2005-11-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

You really have to marvel at the stupidity of some people. A few days ago, three youths in Bosnia were killed because they were playing catch with a grenade. If they hadn't blown themselves to smithereens, I think I would likely ask them, "Fellas. What the heck were you thinking".

Maybe they didn't have a ball to use, but you'd think that they'd at least have the sense to use a rock or something, anything but a grenade. What a sad loss.

From Reuters:

BANJA LUKA, Bosnia (Reuters) - A hand grenade being used instead of a ball in a game of catch exploded early on Saturday killing three youths in this Bosnian town, police and news agencies said.

Two youths aged 19 and 20, one of them from neighboring Croatia, were killed instantly while a 20-year-old woman died on her way to hospital, police said. Her sister was slightly injured but two other youths suffered serious injuries.

The blast occurred at 2:00 a.m. in the western town of Novi Grad at a place in the town center frequented by youngsters. Police said an inquiry was under way and declined further comment. It was not clear why the grenade exploded.

"It was not clear why the grenade exploded." Maybe the pin fell out?

Hard Road to the Good Life

2005-10-27T13:34:00.000-06:00

Every once and while I read something that truly moves me, something that makes me say, "I wish I could write like that". During a recent visit to Matthew Good's blog, I encountered such a gem; a statement so profound that it made me want to print it on a t-shirt so that everyone could better understand the way I feel.

The cold hard truth of everything that I am is this: I'm in love with truth. A life of ignorance and misinformation isn't good enough for me, I need to know the real story. I like learning about the worst parts of this world, because only then can I understand how to bring out the good.

The media has become such a powerful force in our time that it is literally shaping the way people are. Does that scare you? Think how terrible it is that so many people are walking around with opinions and attitudes that were nearly completely generated by their televisions, the radio, the internet, or some other form of information appropriate for mass consumption. Worse yet, the better part of information we recieve from the media has been spun or altered in some way, the 'whole' truth stripped out.

With this intro, I'd like to share with you the writings of Matthew Good, an incredibly talented musician and activist. I love this quote.

I’ve nothing to say today that hasn’t been said more than once in the past. All one need do is scan the pages of the world’s newspapers to realize we’re on the brink of something, that this is a time to choose to either make your voice heard or bury your head in the sand. What will I tell my children when they are old enough to understand the importance of this global fight, of this crucial time in our shared history? That their parents willfully chose to remain ignorant and silent when they could have involved themselves and lent their voices to a growing global choir demanding justice and accountability for more than just themselves? I cannot, in good conscience, live with being guilty of such irresponsibility. Because this isn’t just about one war, or one reckless government, or the exploitation of one country and its people. This is about the path that we, as citizens of free nations, must work to alter. This is about becoming more than votes within a system, more than a marginal voice in a landscape of apathy and easily disregarded public discontent. This is about ensuring that we are not so easily bemused, not so ignorant that we don’t know the difference between manipulation and information. We must work to reclaim the dignity of those practices that have been stolen and sullied by corporate interests and the greed of those who profit from our continued degradation. This is about taking responsibility for the actions of our governments, not claiming ourselves innocent of their crimes because we lacked the courage to forcibly confront them.

We have reached a crucial point of decision. Do we raise our children in a world in which we continue to be regarded as peons that represent little more than means to political ends, or do we raise them in a world in which people actively embrace the realization that the status quo is something that must always be challenged and questioned? For if not by us, then who? If not now, then when?

Easy isn’t for the free. Easy is for the willfully confined. So how easy do you want it?

For the record, I don't want it easy at all. I want a world where every child has reason to smile. I want a world where people are willing to admit the truths about society, and then do something about it. I want a world where love and an outstretched hand are the weapon of choice.

Ask yourself, "how easy do you want it?"