26 Today

June 7, 2006 - And so another year has gone by - today, I'm turning 26 years old.

The number still doesn't resonate with me - 26? wow. I'm officially in my late twenties. In four years, I'll be 30. Scary. Very scary.

Maybe a part of me isn't ready to turn another year older. With old age comes great responsibilities (a knock off of the Spiderman quote - hehe - lamo). But thinking back though, the past year has definitely been a year of "firsts" for me: first job, first apartment, first owned condo - it has been a fun (yet scary) journey and I have learned a lot. It has also been a year of adjustments: somehow I have to get into my head that I'm no longer a kid anymore.

I have noticed how my goals, dreams, and even ideas have slowly changed though. I've started noticing a lot more as to who my real friends are and who aren't (i.e. I've realized that a lot of people I know are somewhat superficial..but that's another blog); what are the things I want in life; and where I want to be in my career in two, five, and even ten years.

Having said all that, I still have a long way to go (well to be comparable to the average 26 year old that is). It's a long journey, but I'm getting there - slowly.

So here's to my big 2-6!

An Inconvenient Truth

June 6, 2006 - Tonight Jason and I went to see "An Inconvenient Truth", a new documentary on global warming featuring former US Vice President Al Gore. I have heard lots of good things about the documentary and after seeing a trailer for it, I knew it was something that I just have to see. I was definitely not disappointed.

While poverty, war, and diseases are topics that are often discussed when we talk about "what's wrong with our world", not too many people mention global warming and climate change. But yet, it is global warming that will affect all life form on the planet, regardless of geography, race and culture. An Inconvenient Truth is the story of how Gore became interested in the issue while in college over 30 years ago and how he now devotes his life in getting the message out and educating the public on the effects of global warming. Travelling all over the world, he has this amazing powerpoint presentation, full of multimedia graphics and animation, designed to challenge anyone who doubts that global warming is a non-issue. Gore shows facts, figures, scientific records that indisputably correlates CO2 emissions with rising temperatures, melting ice caps, drought and rising sea levels. In between it all, the movie also tells how Gore struggled to define his purpose after the 2000 elections.

Two things that anyone reading this blog should remember:

Global warming is real.

It is caused by human activity.

There shouldn't be any controversial about this. As Gore mentioned, out of 925 recent articles in peer-review scientific journals about global warming, ALL agreed that global warming is real and is caused by human activity. So why is there still a debate?

According to Gore, a database search of newspaper and magazine articles shows that 57 percent question the fact of global warming, while 43 percent support it. These figures, he says, are the result of a disinformation campaign started in the 1990s by energy industries to "reposition global warming as a debate", just like what the tobacco industry did for smoking years ago.

But global warming is not a debate. Each year, our summers get hotter and hotter. A look at the ten hottest summers on record would find that almost all of them occurred in the last 10 years.

Why isn't our government doing anything about it? Look where the US president is from (Texas) and look where our own prime minister is from (Alberta) - they are from large oil producing states that rely heavily on public consumption of oil. Their economy (and the politicians' success) depends on it. So why worry about an issue that could come back and bite you on your ass?

If we do nothing though, Gore says, in about 10 years, our planet may reach a tipping point and begin a slide toward ecological destruction. By then it may be too late to do anything.

The movie is not boring - it uses fascinating images, humour, and intelligence to how just why global warming is well, an inconvenient truth. I am advocating on Gore's behalf for everyone to see it and then do something about it (Note: Jason bought energy efficient lightbulbs 2 days after watching the movie). I'm not saying we should all abandon the car and live in trees - but simple things like turning off the lights at home, taking public transit, use energy efficient appliances - these are all things that all of us can do.

After all, my future also depends on what you do today. Go see the movie.

Terrorists in Toronto

June 5, 2006 - Canadians woke up to the reality of our new world this weekend as Toronto Police and the arrested 17 men and teenagers on terrorism charges and accused them of attempting to plot terrorist attacks on Canadian soil. Three tonnes of ammonium nitrate were recovered in a undercover raid. Ammonium nitrate is a fertilizer highly effective in making bombs. The same material was used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, where 168 people, including many children, were killed. A cell phone detonator was also recovered in the raid.

Right now there are no confirmed reports of the targets, though the Police did say the TTC is not one of them (despite reports in local media). Some media outlets have reported the intended target were the CSIS building on Front Street, the CN tower, and quite possibly the Peace Tower in Ottawa.

It's important to remember that terrorism does not discriminate and that terrorists come in all different shapes and sizes (including race and religion) - so it would be entirely unfair to attach stereotypes and prejudice against certain groups in our community. It is also important to remember that while we should be vigilant, we should also continue to go on with our everyday lives. Terrorism seeks to destroy normalcy and by living in fear, we are just letting the terrorists win their battle.

Toronto's New Waterfront

June 2, 2006 - The Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation (TWRC) announced today the winner of its Central Waterfront Innovative Design Competition. The West 8 Urban Design and Landscape Architecture team beat out four other internationally renowned architecture and urban planning firms to win the competition. The competition had asked for designs to "provide the public with a continuous access across Toronto's central waterfront."

TWRC had gone all out in advertising this competition and in getting the public involved. In addition to a massive kick-off event at BCE place, TWRC also had the designs of the five finalists on display in shopping centres and public centres across the city. The Toronto Star went as far as having its own poll for readers to vote for their favourite design. The West 8 design had been the most popular.

The West 8 design calls for a continuous water-edge waterfront promenade and the transformation of Queens Quay into a pedestrian and transit friendly boulevard where the city and the lake will finally be joint together. Traffic on Queens Quay will be cut down from four lanes to two to allow for wider sidewalks and bike lanes. Streetcars would run along Queens Quay to join the different "villages" that would be developed throughout the waters edge. Along the water, a wooden boardwalk would stretch the length of the waterfront, along with rows of trees, floating piers, new islands, and parks. The project also suggests the Gardiner Expressway be dismantled. The West 8 design will create a new waterfront that's accessible, sustainable, and attractive.

I personally like the West 8 Design as well - I think it's a well thought out concept that incorporates transit, pedestrians, environmental sustainability, and visual impact. The project proposes what critics have argued for years: link the city to the lake. I especially like the slips - they would be covered by wooden bridges to create additional public spaces. The floating islands, in the shape of maple leaves, are spectacular as well. As for burying the Gardiner Expressway - as much as I would like to see that, I doubt it would ever happen in Toronto, not with our current politicians, who lack the political will to do anything controversial, and especially not with the high costs associated with the project (the Big Dug in Boston cost billions of dollars and had the support of the federal government). Perhaps an easier political move would be to shut down the Island Airport, but with Ottawa not really taking interest in Toronto issues, it would be a long time coming (if ever) for that to happen.

Construction for the new waterfront is to start this fall and the plan will take about 10 years (yes, 10 years!) to complete. Click here to check out the winning design.