Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Done
So 1st year university is officially over, and wow did it go by fast. So much time to do nothing now!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Recipes For Disaster
So on Thursday I was down at VanCity Theatre in downtown Vancouver. I had won 2 free tickets to view the documentary "Recipes for Disaster" courtesy of a local blogger, Raul Pacheco hummingbird604. (The tickets were won due to being on twitter, so everybody should get twitter!)
SO now on to my review.
"Recipes For Disaster" is a documentary about a Finnish family in Helsinki, an everyday family who takes family vacations and is happy. But John Webster's eyes have been opened to the destruction that humans are causing on the environment, and he believes that by changing his lifestyle he can make a difference in the carbon emissions of his family. The future looks bleak for his children and John wants to change that. He sets out on an "adventure" to live without oil products, meaning anything that is made or requires the usage of oil. He goes on this journey with his wife and their two sons. Looking at the everyday statistics of carbon emissions per person, John believes that by reducing his carbon footprint, he will be able to do his own share of combating global warming. Living without oil products proves to be a major task, because almost everything we use is somehow made from oil products, plastic being the major one.
Plastic is also one of the worse oil products as it is a synthetic product, meaning it is made by humans in labs. Plastic is very durable, taking a very long time to degrade, which means that most of the plastic made is still in the world. The most concerning fact about plastic is that a lot of it has been accumulating in ocean gyres, generating large vortexes of plastic in the ocean. Burning plastic releases toxins in the air, which add to the greenhouse gas effect. But plastic is also one of the most used materials in everyday life. As John continues on his journey, he is somewhat laughed at by his wife, because she thinks that he is crazy. John is more of an idealist, thinking that he can change the world, which his wife just wants to be happy and enjoy life. But the question John asks is that can he be happy without killing the environment? A major effect that living without oil products is that everything slows down. Instead of driving, they take the bus, which is slower, but it gives them family time. Watching this documentary showed me how much a single family can do just by changing their lifestyle. Nobody has to go out and devote their lives to stopping global warming, just take a few things out of your life. The film takes us through the laughs and tears that the family endures as they fight to reduce their carbon emission.
Everyday things that we never think about change drastically, how do you buy anything at the supermarket that isn't wrapped in plastic? Is there an alternative to driving without oil? I really enjoyed watching this documentary as it showed John Webster's family decreasing their carbon emission by 52%. Sure 1 family in the world decreasing their carbon emissions isn't going to do a whole lot against global warming, but if every family did that, then carbon emissions would drop drastically. By refusing to use plastic bags and non essential oil products, large factories churning out greenhouse gases would be closed. So the point taken from this film was that individually we should all be at least trying to cut down on our own carbon emissions. I would recommend that everybody go watch this film, as John and his family go on a carbon-diet.
On a side note, almost all the carbon emissions in the world is due to the fact that we are burning fossil fuels. So if we truly want to reduce the effects of global warming, renewable energy is most likely the only way to go. Unfortunately not all of us are scientists, so there is not much we can do other than to hopefully wait for renewable energy sources to be used. BC is no longer energy sufficient, so if you think that using electricity for everything will reduce your carbon footprint, you are wrong. BC buys some of its electricity from coal plants, meaning that driving a fully electric car isn't doing the environment any good.
SO now on to my review.
"Recipes For Disaster" is a documentary about a Finnish family in Helsinki, an everyday family who takes family vacations and is happy. But John Webster's eyes have been opened to the destruction that humans are causing on the environment, and he believes that by changing his lifestyle he can make a difference in the carbon emissions of his family. The future looks bleak for his children and John wants to change that. He sets out on an "adventure" to live without oil products, meaning anything that is made or requires the usage of oil. He goes on this journey with his wife and their two sons. Looking at the everyday statistics of carbon emissions per person, John believes that by reducing his carbon footprint, he will be able to do his own share of combating global warming. Living without oil products proves to be a major task, because almost everything we use is somehow made from oil products, plastic being the major one.
Plastic is also one of the worse oil products as it is a synthetic product, meaning it is made by humans in labs. Plastic is very durable, taking a very long time to degrade, which means that most of the plastic made is still in the world. The most concerning fact about plastic is that a lot of it has been accumulating in ocean gyres, generating large vortexes of plastic in the ocean. Burning plastic releases toxins in the air, which add to the greenhouse gas effect. But plastic is also one of the most used materials in everyday life. As John continues on his journey, he is somewhat laughed at by his wife, because she thinks that he is crazy. John is more of an idealist, thinking that he can change the world, which his wife just wants to be happy and enjoy life. But the question John asks is that can he be happy without killing the environment? A major effect that living without oil products is that everything slows down. Instead of driving, they take the bus, which is slower, but it gives them family time. Watching this documentary showed me how much a single family can do just by changing their lifestyle. Nobody has to go out and devote their lives to stopping global warming, just take a few things out of your life. The film takes us through the laughs and tears that the family endures as they fight to reduce their carbon emission.
Everyday things that we never think about change drastically, how do you buy anything at the supermarket that isn't wrapped in plastic? Is there an alternative to driving without oil? I really enjoyed watching this documentary as it showed John Webster's family decreasing their carbon emission by 52%. Sure 1 family in the world decreasing their carbon emissions isn't going to do a whole lot against global warming, but if every family did that, then carbon emissions would drop drastically. By refusing to use plastic bags and non essential oil products, large factories churning out greenhouse gases would be closed. So the point taken from this film was that individually we should all be at least trying to cut down on our own carbon emissions. I would recommend that everybody go watch this film, as John and his family go on a carbon-diet.
On a side note, almost all the carbon emissions in the world is due to the fact that we are burning fossil fuels. So if we truly want to reduce the effects of global warming, renewable energy is most likely the only way to go. Unfortunately not all of us are scientists, so there is not much we can do other than to hopefully wait for renewable energy sources to be used. BC is no longer energy sufficient, so if you think that using electricity for everything will reduce your carbon footprint, you are wrong. BC buys some of its electricity from coal plants, meaning that driving a fully electric car isn't doing the environment any good.
Friday, April 17, 2009
"Don't worry - we're from the internets. It's going to be alright. :-)"
So for those who even have the slightest remote clue of what The Pirate Bay is, then you must know that the trial has just ended. TPB blog states that although the trial ended with the defendants founded guilty, it's not over. So for all those people out there who read my blog, go and download from thepiratebay and rebel against the government. I strongly believe that the government should not be able to do such a thing, and I know the internet will not give up so easily. This is a great publicity stunt for TPB, and I will always stand firmly behind them.
I wish I could write a more indepth blog post, but I have 2 finals still, so gotta study. There will also be a review on the documentary "Recipes for disaster" which I just watched yesterday. Truly inspirational film I must say.
I wish I could write a more indepth blog post, but I have 2 finals still, so gotta study. There will also be a review on the documentary "Recipes for disaster" which I just watched yesterday. Truly inspirational film I must say.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Annoyances
I have just realized that now I get annoyed very easily, but only when people do certain things, or act a certain way.
I have not had any reasons to hate life or anything, so I expect those around me to respect it as well. I am a very grateful person, realizing that work must be done in order for things to be accomplished. I get utterly pissed off when people expect things to go their way when they do nothing to deserve it. Nothing annoys me more than an undeserving person wanting everything. This post is mainly a rant on how many people there are out there who have it good, yet do not realize it. Yes I know everybody is not perfect, but still people should recognize when they are given opportunities yet still ignore them. I guess this is something that comes with age and experience, as I know all about regretting about the past. Parents are there to offer you opportunities in life, and as a child I guess you do not think too much about them. Sometimes I wish my parents forced me to take up an instrument instead of asking. Here we are living in a city where food and shelter is provided, yet they would rather worry about fantasies rather than real life. Sooner or later they will realize how much they have lost, and how much they will never get back. Sure it's easier to have fun and play instead of doing homework, that's a given. But is it not possible to do homework and then have fun? It's all down to some self discipline, and working towards not being a failure. That is my main goal in life, not to be a failure. Everyday when I go to school, I look around and I am able to see people who hopefully strive towards the same goal. But everyday at home, I am faced by the same annoyances. I believe that it is what one does as a child that shapes them into who they are. The role of the parents are to enforce the self disciplining onto the child, letting them learn and understand.
We have all had times when we were small that we were forced to do things we really didn't want to do, but as we age, we are able to look back with understanding and respect our parents' choices. Maybe it's the fact that people do not feel the same way as I do that annoys me. I guess this old age thing is really growing on me, as everyday I just think about life and why we do things that we do. The way I see it, it is a privilege to go to school, not a chore. Sure it is not as fun as playing video games or hanging out with friends, but I do it cause I have the chance to. We are so privileged to have everything given to us, yet there are those who waste because they do not like it. I'm not saying I'm perfect, but whenever I can, I try to not waste anything. The point of this rant was just to emphasize how lucky we have to have everything we do, and that we should really think about how our actions affect those around us.
I have not had any reasons to hate life or anything, so I expect those around me to respect it as well. I am a very grateful person, realizing that work must be done in order for things to be accomplished. I get utterly pissed off when people expect things to go their way when they do nothing to deserve it. Nothing annoys me more than an undeserving person wanting everything. This post is mainly a rant on how many people there are out there who have it good, yet do not realize it. Yes I know everybody is not perfect, but still people should recognize when they are given opportunities yet still ignore them. I guess this is something that comes with age and experience, as I know all about regretting about the past. Parents are there to offer you opportunities in life, and as a child I guess you do not think too much about them. Sometimes I wish my parents forced me to take up an instrument instead of asking. Here we are living in a city where food and shelter is provided, yet they would rather worry about fantasies rather than real life. Sooner or later they will realize how much they have lost, and how much they will never get back. Sure it's easier to have fun and play instead of doing homework, that's a given. But is it not possible to do homework and then have fun? It's all down to some self discipline, and working towards not being a failure. That is my main goal in life, not to be a failure. Everyday when I go to school, I look around and I am able to see people who hopefully strive towards the same goal. But everyday at home, I am faced by the same annoyances. I believe that it is what one does as a child that shapes them into who they are. The role of the parents are to enforce the self disciplining onto the child, letting them learn and understand.
We have all had times when we were small that we were forced to do things we really didn't want to do, but as we age, we are able to look back with understanding and respect our parents' choices. Maybe it's the fact that people do not feel the same way as I do that annoys me. I guess this old age thing is really growing on me, as everyday I just think about life and why we do things that we do. The way I see it, it is a privilege to go to school, not a chore. Sure it is not as fun as playing video games or hanging out with friends, but I do it cause I have the chance to. We are so privileged to have everything given to us, yet there are those who waste because they do not like it. I'm not saying I'm perfect, but whenever I can, I try to not waste anything. The point of this rant was just to emphasize how lucky we have to have everything we do, and that we should really think about how our actions affect those around us.
Monday, April 6, 2009
I wish I wish I wish
Lately all these shootings are really starting to bug me. It is quite scary looking at the statistics of shootings in Vancouver over the years, and having lived in Vancouver for my entire life, I don't ever recall a time when the crime was this bad. It seems there is an average of 1 shooting a week. These shootings affect everybody who is living in Vancouver, because it causes people to be scared of living here. What kind of world are we living in where people are scared to walk outside? With all the advances in technology, we should be able to stop these crimes occurring.
All these shootings are occurring where we live, and it has already been bugging me. This morning, 41st and marine was closed off to due ongoing police investigations. Marine dr is one of the entrances to UBC, from which the 41 and 49 busses go in. So with the police investigation going on after 3 days, the busses had to be re-routed. The new bus route took nearly another 30 minutes, which resulted in even more traffic along Dunbar. And just now another shooting has occurred on Heather and Marine Dr. All these shootings will just result in more closures, and less police officers able to patrol around daily. It has been noted that the lack of police officers greatly affects a large city such as Vancouver.
It is very scary knowing that the next shooting just might be in your neighbourhood. Perhaps when I have more time I will make a grpah plotting the places were shootings occur, showing how they are slowly migrating towards West Vancouver.
All these shootings are occurring where we live, and it has already been bugging me. This morning, 41st and marine was closed off to due ongoing police investigations. Marine dr is one of the entrances to UBC, from which the 41 and 49 busses go in. So with the police investigation going on after 3 days, the busses had to be re-routed. The new bus route took nearly another 30 minutes, which resulted in even more traffic along Dunbar. And just now another shooting has occurred on Heather and Marine Dr. All these shootings will just result in more closures, and less police officers able to patrol around daily. It has been noted that the lack of police officers greatly affects a large city such as Vancouver.
It is very scary knowing that the next shooting just might be in your neighbourhood. Perhaps when I have more time I will make a grpah plotting the places were shootings occur, showing how they are slowly migrating towards West Vancouver.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Oh sunny day
All the rainy days that I wish were sunny were never sunny, and now while its sunny, I am stuck inside in front of the computer.
Well it seems that while building my computer I did not ever consider using it for video editing, and what do you know, here I am video editing. It seems that Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 does not work very well when dual monitors are set up, so I am left using 1 monitor until this Math project is finished. To add to the troubles, I do think that my graphics card is beginning to fail on me, as it is now crashing constantly whenever I am video editing. While I type this blog post, random pixels are showing up in different colours on my screen, I think its because my graphics card is not able to refresh the colours fast enough. So many things to do, so little time.
Well it seems that while building my computer I did not ever consider using it for video editing, and what do you know, here I am video editing. It seems that Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 does not work very well when dual monitors are set up, so I am left using 1 monitor until this Math project is finished. To add to the troubles, I do think that my graphics card is beginning to fail on me, as it is now crashing constantly whenever I am video editing. While I type this blog post, random pixels are showing up in different colours on my screen, I think its because my graphics card is not able to refresh the colours fast enough. So many things to do, so little time.
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