In this instance; shitty Blackberry on Sherbourne Street, outside of Tridel Presentation Centre.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The City: An Album
A collection of photos taken in and around the city on either a decent camera or a shitty Blackberry.
In this instance; shitty Blackberry on Sherbourne Street, outside of Tridel Presentation Centre.
In this instance; shitty Blackberry on Sherbourne Street, outside of Tridel Presentation Centre.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
FIFA Corruption: Bin Hammam Steps Down
As a follow-up of sorts concerning yesterday's analysis of the corruption allegations surrounding FIFA, the many vying for both the title of the World's Most Fraudulent Award and the FIFA Presidential Nomination, (two things that ARE mutually inclusive) Mohamed Bin Hammam of Qatar has removed himself from the running for FIFA's top gig.
One day, the Ethics Committee, assuming they are not themselves corrupt, will release findings that should suggest that Qatar receiving the World Cup was a work of Black Magic, but in the meantime, let's reflect on this thoughtful quote from Bin Hammam.
"I cannot allow the name that I loved to be dragged more and more in the mud because of competition between two individuals. The game itself and the people who love it around the world must come first. It is for this reason that I announce my withdrawal from the presidential election."
UPDATE:
FIFA Ethics Committee Suspends Two - ESPN
One day, the Ethics Committee, assuming they are not themselves corrupt, will release findings that should suggest that Qatar receiving the World Cup was a work of Black Magic, but in the meantime, let's reflect on this thoughtful quote from Bin Hammam.
"I cannot allow the name that I loved to be dragged more and more in the mud because of competition between two individuals. The game itself and the people who love it around the world must come first. It is for this reason that I announce my withdrawal from the presidential election."
UPDATE:
FIFA Ethics Committee Suspends Two - ESPN
Saturday, May 28, 2011
FIFA Ethics Committee Seeks New Members
[Geneva] A report out of Switzerland suggests that FIFA is planning to surrepticiously appoint a new member to its Ethics Committee in time for the investigations surrounding allegations of bribery for President Sepp Blatter and his main rival, Mohamed Bin Hammam.
Blatter, Bin Hammam and president of the CONCACAF conferation, Jack Warner, have been targeted in an investigation following a report by Chuck Blazer, a fellow member of the committee.
In hopes to quash the allegations and rumours of misconduct and corruption, FIFA has presented a shortlist of possible appointees to the Ethics Committee. The Committee, formed in 2006, hopes to determine the truth behind possible violations of several stipulations of FIFA's Ethics Code.
The Committee is comprised of 13 members who act independantly of the organization to provide a system of checks and balances.
The list features the names of several prominent leaders who have been fingered for their principles and ethical values. Of the 8 nominees, 7 are well-known, with the final being an unknown darkhorse of sorts.
The list of possible appointees as presented by FIFA;
Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (AKA Caligula)(Roman)
General Augusto Pinochet (Chile)
Dick Ebersol (Ex-NBC Sports Boss)
Pontius Pilate (The Anti-Jesus)
Ferdinand Marcos (Phillipines)
Bernie Madoff (Federal Correctional Facility)
Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe)
Mohamed "MoneyBags" Blatter (Swiss/Qatar)
FIFA has informed the media that the results of the internal vote will be presented next Monday following a bake sale on behalf of Sepp Blatter's legal fees for sexual assault allegations.
Blatter, Bin Hammam and president of the CONCACAF conferation, Jack Warner, have been targeted in an investigation following a report by Chuck Blazer, a fellow member of the committee.
In hopes to quash the allegations and rumours of misconduct and corruption, FIFA has presented a shortlist of possible appointees to the Ethics Committee. The Committee, formed in 2006, hopes to determine the truth behind possible violations of several stipulations of FIFA's Ethics Code.
The Committee is comprised of 13 members who act independantly of the organization to provide a system of checks and balances.
The list features the names of several prominent leaders who have been fingered for their principles and ethical values. Of the 8 nominees, 7 are well-known, with the final being an unknown darkhorse of sorts.
The list of possible appointees as presented by FIFA;
Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (AKA Caligula)(Roman)
General Augusto Pinochet (Chile)
Dick Ebersol (Ex-NBC Sports Boss)
Pontius Pilate (The Anti-Jesus)
Ferdinand Marcos (Phillipines)
Bernie Madoff (Federal Correctional Facility)
Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe)
Mohamed "MoneyBags" Blatter (Swiss/Qatar)
FIFA has informed the media that the results of the internal vote will be presented next Monday following a bake sale on behalf of Sepp Blatter's legal fees for sexual assault allegations.
Friday, May 27, 2011
The Death of the English Language: Dangling Modifiers
An element of the English language that can be as equally as entertaining as it can be frustrating is the implementation and confusion surrounding Dangling Modifiers.
Most commonly, dangling modifiers, also known as a dangling participles, are a result of an unattached present participle in a sentence, fragmented by the placement of a comma. Being a bit of a punctuation whore, I often encounter sentences where a dangling modifier exist, which to the trained eye can lead to chuckles accompanied later by sighs and frustration.
How about an example;
"When slathered in spicy mustard and topped with sauerkraut, nobody can deny the sanctity of a grilled hot dog."
In this instance, the notion following the comma should apply directly to that before the punctuation. The careless mispositioned words in this case implies that the person (nobody) is slathered in spicy mustard and topped with sauerkraut - which from personal experience, I must add, requires both goggles and an industrial strength gag reflex.
A simple means of avoiding such obstacles would be to make certain that the word which follows the comma applies directly to the idea in the previous sentence.
"When slathered in spicy mustard and topped with sauerkraut, a grilled hot dog is an item of the utmost sanctity that nobody can deny."
Not perfect, yet still exponentially better than the its first incarnation.
Let's have a look at another example;
"In addition to being affordable and lightweight, Michael claims that midgets are perfect for families of any size."
According to this sentence, the dangling modifier suggests that Michael is affordable and lightweight, which in my case, would be incorrect as only 1 of the 2 apply.
In order to have a decent understanding of dangling modifiers and the confusion that often arises from their usage, we must first acknowledge the exceptions. Several participle phrases perform the exact same function as a preposition or conjunction, including; concerning, generally speaking, judging and speaking of amongst others.
Many great writers have used sentences that feature dangling modifiers, not because they are poor at their craft, but because often the mispositioned participles reads better than the corrected version.
The purpose of this blog is not to lambaste those that use them or imply that they are novice writers, but to point out that often, sentences with dangling modifiers may suggest something the writer may have not have intended all together.
Most commonly, dangling modifiers, also known as a dangling participles, are a result of an unattached present participle in a sentence, fragmented by the placement of a comma. Being a bit of a punctuation whore, I often encounter sentences where a dangling modifier exist, which to the trained eye can lead to chuckles accompanied later by sighs and frustration.
How about an example;
"When slathered in spicy mustard and topped with sauerkraut, nobody can deny the sanctity of a grilled hot dog."
In this instance, the notion following the comma should apply directly to that before the punctuation. The careless mispositioned words in this case implies that the person (nobody) is slathered in spicy mustard and topped with sauerkraut - which from personal experience, I must add, requires both goggles and an industrial strength gag reflex.
A simple means of avoiding such obstacles would be to make certain that the word which follows the comma applies directly to the idea in the previous sentence.
"When slathered in spicy mustard and topped with sauerkraut, a grilled hot dog is an item of the utmost sanctity that nobody can deny."
Not perfect, yet still exponentially better than the its first incarnation.
Let's have a look at another example;
"In addition to being affordable and lightweight, Michael claims that midgets are perfect for families of any size."
According to this sentence, the dangling modifier suggests that Michael is affordable and lightweight, which in my case, would be incorrect as only 1 of the 2 apply.
In order to have a decent understanding of dangling modifiers and the confusion that often arises from their usage, we must first acknowledge the exceptions. Several participle phrases perform the exact same function as a preposition or conjunction, including; concerning, generally speaking, judging and speaking of amongst others.
Many great writers have used sentences that feature dangling modifiers, not because they are poor at their craft, but because often the mispositioned participles reads better than the corrected version.
The purpose of this blog is not to lambaste those that use them or imply that they are novice writers, but to point out that often, sentences with dangling modifiers may suggest something the writer may have not have intended all together.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Ruminations 20.0
Greetings and salutations my friends - today I am in an inexplicably foul mood, where more often than not, I resort to ventilating all of the negativity buried deep within the bowels of my soul.
As it sit here, within the hallowed walls of my room, pondering my existence, staring at two boiled hot dogs adorned with Kraft singles, I wonder why some people are employed to butcher the english language, whilst I sit uncomfortably, plugging away at an existence that may prove to be as fruitful as placing my reproductive loins in a paper shredder.
Nonetheless, I continue in my plight, striving to be the best that I can be. On that note, why the fuck do some writers suck at their jobs so fucking much.
I read something yesterday in one of our city's major newspapers that made my blood boil into a delightful reduction. On more than one occasion, I have gone out of my way to call out this paper that will remain anonymous today, only because sometimes I even irritate myself with the grating soliloques spewed upon these pages.
The author was attempting to describe a person using a ladder for the purposes of a rescue.
Simply put, a person cannot climb down an object, as climbing implies only going upward. Because of this, saying that a person is 'climbing up' an object is equally as novice and infuriating as it would be to say that a person is 'climbing down a ladder'.
It's a rather simple error, that only a trained eye would catch, but it is an error nontheless. An error that went unnoticed by the writer, and even worse, flew below the radar of the copy editor.
Just wanted to share that with you, my beloved concubine of aspiring wordsmith, in hopes that we can all make an effort not to write stupid shit.
As it sit here, within the hallowed walls of my room, pondering my existence, staring at two boiled hot dogs adorned with Kraft singles, I wonder why some people are employed to butcher the english language, whilst I sit uncomfortably, plugging away at an existence that may prove to be as fruitful as placing my reproductive loins in a paper shredder.
Nonetheless, I continue in my plight, striving to be the best that I can be. On that note, why the fuck do some writers suck at their jobs so fucking much.
I read something yesterday in one of our city's major newspapers that made my blood boil into a delightful reduction. On more than one occasion, I have gone out of my way to call out this paper that will remain anonymous today, only because sometimes I even irritate myself with the grating soliloques spewed upon these pages.
The author was attempting to describe a person using a ladder for the purposes of a rescue.
Simply put, a person cannot climb down an object, as climbing implies only going upward. Because of this, saying that a person is 'climbing up' an object is equally as novice and infuriating as it would be to say that a person is 'climbing down a ladder'.
It's a rather simple error, that only a trained eye would catch, but it is an error nontheless. An error that went unnoticed by the writer, and even worse, flew below the radar of the copy editor.
Just wanted to share that with you, my beloved concubine of aspiring wordsmith, in hopes that we can all make an effort not to write stupid shit.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Lance Armstrong EPO Allegations: Turning a Blind Eye
Whether or not you caught tonight's episode of 60 Minutes, if you're a sports fan you've likely heard of American professional cyclist Tyler Hamilton's admission that he used performance enhancing drugs while competing both internationally as a member of the United States national team and as a rider for various teams.
During tonight's episode, which features the aforementioned admissions which were leaked earlier last week, Hamilton not only admits his faults, but also points the finger at one of the most influential athletes of this generation; Lance Armstrong.
Lance's 7 Tour De France victories are as great of an accomplishment as was his fight with cancer and the millions of people worldwide inspired by his battle, and subsequently the 'Livestrong' campaign responsible for the widespread popularity of yellow armbands.
Hamilton and Armstrong were teammates for the United States Postal team during Armstrong's victories in 1999, 2000 and 2001. He claims that he witnessed Armstrong using EPO, a controversial and popular enhancement drug used by cyclists.
While many would consider Hamilton's admissions to be a testament of his integrity, I question the purpose of pointing the finger at Armstrong, a man whose struggle transcended the very sport he competed in, a sport ripe with positive drug tests and even more allegations, a sport whose profile grew exponentially in the U.S. because of his conquests and a man whose suffering motivated countless of people worldwide to fight the symptoms of cancer and overcome whatever obstacles may present themselves as a result of the illness.
I commend Hamilton for returning the Gold Medal he won at the 2004 Olympics, but the initial test was found to have traces, and were it not for the fact the second test sample was accidentally frozen, he would have lost his medals then, 7 years before tonight's admission of guilt.
Acclaimed author and Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom (Tuesdays With Morrie), echoes many of the sentiments I've expressed above with this short clip courtesy of ESPN. A man so well versed in humanizing professional sports once again conveys the importance of turning a blind eye to certain violations for the greater good.
Last week, another former teammate of Armstrong's and fellow professional American rider George Hincapie came-out and announced that he too had seen Lance inject himself with something thought to have been EPO. As in with the Hamilton case, though Hincapie's statement is not a self-serving as the brash Hamilton's, it brings to mind the same question.
Even if Lance Armstrong had taken drugs like many of the world's greatest riders, including my favourite Ivan Basso from CSC, who was suspended for his usage, does his accomplishments both on and off the roads perform a greater good than that of any other athlete of our time.
More so, the prevalence of performance enhancing drugs in cycling should come as little surprise to those that follow the sport like yours truly. A grueling and debilitating exhibition that often requires consecutive day's worth of 200km+ rides through mountainous terrain, dangerously breaching the limits of physical constraints and VO2 Max. Because of such conditions, riders and their coaches and managers are in a constant search of new means of improving their performances. Blood doping sounds like a terrible procedure, but really it's only allowing the riders blood to become more oxygenated, thus improving stamina, and as a result, performance.
It can be considered a double standard of sorts to fault one person, yet not another, but is it that wrong to turn a blind eye when the accused has been both an idol and a role model to countless people and the face of American cycling?
Perhaps so more reasoning on the parts of Mr. Hincapie and Hamilton would have been more beneficial than the lack of foresight they displayed with their admissions and allegations.
During tonight's episode, which features the aforementioned admissions which were leaked earlier last week, Hamilton not only admits his faults, but also points the finger at one of the most influential athletes of this generation; Lance Armstrong.
Lance's 7 Tour De France victories are as great of an accomplishment as was his fight with cancer and the millions of people worldwide inspired by his battle, and subsequently the 'Livestrong' campaign responsible for the widespread popularity of yellow armbands.
Hamilton and Armstrong were teammates for the United States Postal team during Armstrong's victories in 1999, 2000 and 2001. He claims that he witnessed Armstrong using EPO, a controversial and popular enhancement drug used by cyclists.
While many would consider Hamilton's admissions to be a testament of his integrity, I question the purpose of pointing the finger at Armstrong, a man whose struggle transcended the very sport he competed in, a sport ripe with positive drug tests and even more allegations, a sport whose profile grew exponentially in the U.S. because of his conquests and a man whose suffering motivated countless of people worldwide to fight the symptoms of cancer and overcome whatever obstacles may present themselves as a result of the illness.
I commend Hamilton for returning the Gold Medal he won at the 2004 Olympics, but the initial test was found to have traces, and were it not for the fact the second test sample was accidentally frozen, he would have lost his medals then, 7 years before tonight's admission of guilt.
Acclaimed author and Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom (Tuesdays With Morrie), echoes many of the sentiments I've expressed above with this short clip courtesy of ESPN. A man so well versed in humanizing professional sports once again conveys the importance of turning a blind eye to certain violations for the greater good.
Last week, another former teammate of Armstrong's and fellow professional American rider George Hincapie came-out and announced that he too had seen Lance inject himself with something thought to have been EPO. As in with the Hamilton case, though Hincapie's statement is not a self-serving as the brash Hamilton's, it brings to mind the same question.
Even if Lance Armstrong had taken drugs like many of the world's greatest riders, including my favourite Ivan Basso from CSC, who was suspended for his usage, does his accomplishments both on and off the roads perform a greater good than that of any other athlete of our time.
More so, the prevalence of performance enhancing drugs in cycling should come as little surprise to those that follow the sport like yours truly. A grueling and debilitating exhibition that often requires consecutive day's worth of 200km+ rides through mountainous terrain, dangerously breaching the limits of physical constraints and VO2 Max. Because of such conditions, riders and their coaches and managers are in a constant search of new means of improving their performances. Blood doping sounds like a terrible procedure, but really it's only allowing the riders blood to become more oxygenated, thus improving stamina, and as a result, performance.
It can be considered a double standard of sorts to fault one person, yet not another, but is it that wrong to turn a blind eye when the accused has been both an idol and a role model to countless people and the face of American cycling?
Perhaps so more reasoning on the parts of Mr. Hincapie and Hamilton would have been more beneficial than the lack of foresight they displayed with their admissions and allegations.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Ruminations 19.0
In lieu of the fact I can't think of anything brilliant to say, let me use my soap box once more as a means of venting a little.
Tyler, the Creator has quickly supplanted himself as a new, refreshing voice in the hip hop world, blending west coast skate culture and obscene lyrics. His Odd Future collective were the darlings of this year's SXSW music bonanza in Austin, Texas, catering perfectly to the insatiable desires of the hipster crowd.
Calgary duo Tegan and Sara recently were quoted as saying they are frustrated by his the vulgarity of his sexist and homophobic statements, calling for some ethics in the hip hop world. The two openly gay singers are only stoking the same fire that has led to Tyler's meteoric rise to fame.
Are we so ignorant that we take hip hop lyrics personally? A craft built on storytelling with a backbone of lies and deceit could not be in itself morally responsible could it? Are Tegan and Sara doing nothing more than providing fuel for his fire, helping spread his name by criticizing his message?
Take a moment and do what I've attempted to do on a few occasions here with my 'Things I've Learned From Rap Music' installments - when we focus too much on the message, are we not forgetting the entire purpose?
Marshall Mcluhan's Medium is The Message stance could not ring more true.
Tyler, the Creator has quickly supplanted himself as a new, refreshing voice in the hip hop world, blending west coast skate culture and obscene lyrics. His Odd Future collective were the darlings of this year's SXSW music bonanza in Austin, Texas, catering perfectly to the insatiable desires of the hipster crowd.
Calgary duo Tegan and Sara recently were quoted as saying they are frustrated by his the vulgarity of his sexist and homophobic statements, calling for some ethics in the hip hop world. The two openly gay singers are only stoking the same fire that has led to Tyler's meteoric rise to fame.
Are we so ignorant that we take hip hop lyrics personally? A craft built on storytelling with a backbone of lies and deceit could not be in itself morally responsible could it? Are Tegan and Sara doing nothing more than providing fuel for his fire, helping spread his name by criticizing his message?
Take a moment and do what I've attempted to do on a few occasions here with my 'Things I've Learned From Rap Music' installments - when we focus too much on the message, are we not forgetting the entire purpose?
Marshall Mcluhan's Medium is The Message stance could not ring more true.
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