Wildlife Concerns in Canada

Canada, I would say, is a relatively safe country to travel. We do not have any disease, we don’t really have many harsh wildlife. I would say in general you don’t have to worry about crime. Our laws are even definitely on the liberal side. Recently, on the news it was shown what the land down under advises to their citizen’s in regards to the travel to Canada.

It was pretty hilarious because I expected them to write, it gets cold so bring warm clothes. However it surprised me that they warned about potential tornados, earthquakes, forest, bush fires, tsunamis, wild life, terrorism, pick pockets, snow and ice. Firstly, how can Australians, home of snakes, lizards, scary animals issues a caution for our geese, dolphins and other animals. How dumb does this sound, “Australians are advised to maintain a safe and legal distance when observing wildlife, including marine animals and birds. You should only use reputable and professional guides or tour operators and closely follow park regulations and wardens' advice.”

I’m sure crockodile dundee will be crying like a little girl when he gets shat on by one of Toronto’s pigeons.

AHHH!! Scary Pigeon....

http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Canada

Used To Love U

I recently heard this song which I loved a couple of years back. I find the lyrics so real, so pricturous, so simply amazing... So I have pasted them below. I urge you to go download (or buy) the song.

Used To Love U
John Legend

Holla Holla Holla
Holla Holla Holla

Maybe, it's me, maybe I bore you
But no no, it's my fault,'cause I can't afford you
Maybe baby, Puffy,Jay-z
would all be better for you
'Cause all I can do is love you

Baby when I used to love you
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
I went through the fire for you, anything you asked me to
But I tired of livin this lie
It's getting harder to justify
Realized that I just don't love you
Not like I used to

Holla Holla Holla
Holla Holla Holla

Maybe, I should rob somebody
So we could, live like Whitney and Bobby
It's probably my fault, my bad, my loss
But you are, above cost'
Cause all I could do was love you

Baby when I used to love you
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
I went through the fire for you, anything you asked me to
But I tired of livin this lie
It's getting harder to justify
Realized that I just don't love you
Not like I used to

Holla Holla Holla
Holla Holla Holla

Do you remember when I used to love you
Baby no not any more,
(I don't)love you
Ooohhhh, I love you
And you're gonna miss me now(Yeaaaah)

Baby when I used to love you
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
I went through the fire for you, anything you asked me to
But I tired of livin this lie
It's getting harder to justify
Realized that I just don't love you
Not like I used to

Oh I used to love you(Used to love u)
Oh but I don't love you(No not any more)
Oh I used to love you(Used to love u)
Oh but I don't love you(I bet you miss me now)
Oh I used to love you(You're gonna miss me now)
Oh but I don't love you(I bet you miss me now)

Stats 101 --sports edition

Okay, so I have this major dillemma coming up and I really don't know how to deal with it. I've spoken to most people about it and I'm sure by now they are sick of hearing about it. Most have been nice enough to suggest solutions and possible ways to get to those solutions...and here is one of them.

Help me Calculate the following probability:

Situation: There are 2 tournaments coming up and you can only try-out for 3 sports to get into the first tournament (vancity), you can only play one sport per tournament. You need to win the vancity tourny in order to move on to the kenya tourny. At the Kenya tourny there is a possibility of playing or spectating; the Vancity one the only option is which sports to play.

Try-outs: 3 sports: Basketball (B), Squash (S), Track (T)
Probability of making the tryouts per sports = 100% for B ; 95% for S; 98% for T
Enjoyment in terms of percent for sports: B = 100% ; S = 80% ; T=60%
Enjoyment of spectating = 75%

Assuming I play B, probability of wining tourny to move onto Kenya = 5%
Assuming I play S, probability of wining tourny to move onto Kenya = 35%
Assuming I play T, probability of winning tounry to move onto Kenya = 70%

Winning Kenya tourny chances:
B=95%
S=10%
T-5%

Which sports should I play in order to get the highest change to go to Kenya?
Which sport would I have the best chance to do well in Kenya?
Is that sport better than spectating?
If it isn't better than spectating then which sport should I play to get the highest overall statisfaction ?

--------------------
My solution: plz add comments for how you'd tackle this problem

Probability to go to Kenay=(tryout%)(tournament win percent)
B: (1)(.05) =0.05
S: (.95)(.35)=0.343
T: (.98)(.70)=0.686

Best Chance to do well in Kenya = probability of playing in kenya * winning in kenya
B: 0.05*0.95=0.0475
S: 0.343*0.30=0.103
T:0.686*0.05=0.0343

No sport is better than spectating: spectating > Playing

Overall Satisfaction= satisfaction*making try outs+ satisfaction*winning Vancity + satisfaction*winning Kenya

B: (1)(1) +(0.05)(1)(1) + (1)(0.95)(0.05)(1) = 1.0975
S: (.8)(.95) +(.8)(.95)(.35)(.8) +(.8)(.8)(.8)(.95)(.35)(.1)= 0.989824
T: (.6)(.98) +(.6)(.98)(.6)(.7) + (.6)(.98)(.6)(.7)(.6)(.05) = 0.84237

Motivation

“There are those who enter the world in such poverty that they are deprived of both the means and the motivation to improve their lot. Unless these unfortunates can be touched with the spark which ignites the spirit of individual enterprise and determination, they will sink back into renewed apathy, degradation, and despair. It is for us, who are more fortunate, to provide that spark.” -Mawlana Hazar Imam: Inauguration of the Aga Khan Baug - Versoya, India, January 17, 1983.

Recently I went to a seminar which was based on the quotation above which I really enjoyed so I figured I should share it with you all. I think the quote is very powerful and can be related to many things not just about poverty. For me the quote really means that we all need motivation in order to better ourselves, and that there are times in life where we are so lost and if we’re lucky enough to get a hand from someone we will be in a better situation to move forward. When I think about this quote it reminds me how many of us lack motivation in life, myself included. I find that the things in life we have to do (school, work, chores..etc) keep us bogged down that we don’t actually do anything to help ourselves (or others) move forward in life.

I really think that motivation is the key to success in life and in general in everything you do. I find that so many of us aren’t really motivated towards most things in life. For example, most of us would probably leave our jobs for a similar job which pays slightly less, and most of us use our sick days even when we aren’t sick. I find that we need to see the benefit that we receive before doing anything. Once we have a steady routine down, many of us don’t really try new things, or try to make it better.

Personally, I find it hard to devote time to helping others, or thinking of solutions to problems which others face. I don’t really think of myself as being selfish, maybe that’s because in life I I have worked for the things I have and will have to work for everything I will get in the future. I’ve been burned many times from people I cared about and I’ve seen consequences of bad judgements. But I am lucky to get little sparks of motivations from friends and I really think that these sparks are what have made my life worth living. I would have never played hockey, if it wasn’t for my roomie giving me the push I needed to go after it; I would have never explore tdot if it wasn’t for someone pushing me to make the most out of everything…etc. What I’m trying to say is that we all have our routine, we all fall into a system that works for us, but every now and then someone comes and challenges us to do something which makes our lives better. I believe that for those of us who have felt that, need to take initiative to do the same for someone else. Whether its on an international level dealing with poverty, or if is to just encourage a friend to pursue something you believe they will enjoy or make their lives better.

I’m hoping in the New Year that I can really take initiative to motivate people to pursue things they love and pass on the spark to others. I feel this blog, is the start of this mission of mine for the New Year. I urge you all to reread the quote above and to analyse what it means to you.

Life on the Road

Okay, I don’t really know how it feel to live on the road, the longest road trip I’ve ever been on was all of 4 days but I do drive everyday during traffic to get to work and back. I’ve driven on some of the busiest roads in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and even BC. Below I have noted some of my frustrations and what a I think would help potentially solve the problem:

-Rubber neckers: ok there is an accident, it sucks for the people who are stuck in traffic, and there is no good reason for you to slow down, and create additional traffic. I say the fine for this should be $200 and after 3 offenses within you license renewal time (5 years usually) your license gets suspended so that you are not allowed to drive during traffic periods.

-Driving at the Speed Limit in the Fast lanes: The left lanes are used to overtake people, if your not going faster than the people on the right lanes DO NOT drive on the Fast lane. You are causing unnecessary traffic for those who want to go faster and you are potentially causing potential accidents for people who are trying to move around you. I say the solution is simple, anyone caught doing this gets an automatic $200 fine and must re-enroll in drivers school (whichever deals with highway driving) and must complete a highway test.

-Photo Radar during traffic time: Photo radar I think is all around annoying because instead of police looking to catch people who are actually driving dangerously they are just assuming people who are driving faster are dangerous. This however is not always the case (see examples above). I especially get frustrated when a POPO is sitting there with a radar when its traffic time. Firstly, it usually is a miracle that you are able to even reach the speed limit while in traffic time, it would be an even bigger shock if you can go over the limit. Now why would the cops want to create more traffic by pulling over people who might be lucky to have a stretch of road where they do not need to inhale fumes from other cars? The fine for POPO being the cause of creating traffic should be a 5% decrease in salary for every police person involved in that decision every time.

-DUI’s: I hate, that’s right HATE how DUI’s are now shown to be cool by all of Hollywood and all these famous rich people. It is crazy and annoying. I especially hate when you hear how a family gets plowed down and killed and the drunk driver in the other car is perfectly fine. If you plan to be intoxicated, then plan to have enough money to cab it home, or to call a friend, relative, random person to pick you up! If you want to mess around with your own life then that’s up to you, when you decide to endanger others, you should pay. Recommended fine, is eye for an eye. After a DUI you should never be allowed to drive or buy alcohol (or whatever intoxicated you) for life. If you kill or injure someone you should have to compensate them for the rest of your life the % of harm you have done to them should be the % of your assets now and in the future, which you owe them. If you killed someone, then all your assets should be taken and you should be sentenced to death.

Acceptance

The Kübler-Ross model (aka the 5 stages of acceptance) is a topic which I find uber interesting and which I have had the pleasure of discusing with various different people. For those who are a little less familiar here are the stages (some times the stages are futhure broken up into 7 stages):

1.Denial: Why Me ?
2. Frustration And Depression
3. Hopelessness
4. Impatience
5. Fear and Panic
6. Over or Under Reaction
7. Acceptance

I really believe that dealing with any sort of heartache whether it be death, harassment, a bad relationship, hard situation…etc we all have the following process in order to fully accept the situation. I think that the reason depression is on an increase; the reason why smokings, drugs, alcohol, are on a rise is because we are stuck on the acceptance path. Somewhere along the line we have had to resort to other methods of coping, which has either staggered us on the path or allowed us to forget or feel it isn’t there. Unfortunately, these feelings will catch up with you, if this wasn’t the case then the number of unemployed shrinks would increase.

What is it that can help us on this path? How long should we expect to suffer while trying to get that peace? What if we are grieving many different things? Is it bad to start a relationship while still grieving? These are all questions which I believe can never really be answered but which I urge you to think about before being faced with something to grieve about. Its important to understand what type of person you are, what types of things you foresee needed and potential distractions which will hurt you while in your grieving.