/* This was actually an article submission I wrote but thought I'd put it on the blog anyway */

Journalism

We live in a world where information is power, the more one knows about what is going on in the world the better able we are to make informed decisions and predict the impact on others. For most people, the demands of daily life leaves little time to digest the events of the world at large let alone seek out information on current topics that may spark their own interest or affect their livelihood in some way.

It may be here, that today’s Journalists provide a vital service to the general public by collecting and formatting information that ideally is: easily understood by the public, free from personal bias, provides enough factual information for the audience to either reinforce or reconsider their own opinions.

Especially in a democratic government which operates under the assumption of an informed and engaged electorate, journalism becomes a pillar supporting the foundations of society. To quote Thomas Jefferson:

Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government;... whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights. -Thomas Jefferson to Richard Price, 1789.

People rely on the journalistic profession to provide information of what is happening in their own elected government, without journalists investigating and researching events people would be unable to make informed decisions on who has best represented their interests or if elected officials have lived up to the promises they made when voted into office.

With the weight of such a responsibility to the public journalists must also aspire to a good standard of journalism where they provide their audience with information without colouring it with personal bias, as well as recognizing as many different perspectives or ‘angles’ of a story to present the reader with as much of a complete view as possible. A good example is a recent article on the CBC website entitled “McGuinty doesn't rue secrecy on G20 law”, which explains some of the aftermath of the security surrounding the G20 world leaders summit held in Toronto.

The article balances the opinions of Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty with criticisms from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association regarding the granting of broader police powers granted during the summit as well as a lack of public information about the new regulations. The article also provides background information on the event, providing facts into the powers used and reaction of those who were affected by it.

To maintain this standard of good journalism a journalist should exhibit certain qualities and interests to excel at the profession. Primarily they should have a strong sense of curiosity to discover the truth behind what they are writing and a keen power of observation to uncover stories from the most innocuous places. When writing the ability to keep a neutral tone requires integrity and a sense of balance to present as many different sides as possible would serve a journalist well in their career serving the public interest.

Journalism plays an important role in our society, though perhaps too often it is taken for granted as people look to be entertained rather than informed about our world and the events that drive it. However, if journalists hold to their duty to their readers by keeping true to the ideals of providing accurate, balanced and relevant information to the public then perhaps when things get too far wrong, they may be relied on to set things right.

Of Disneyland for Rednecks and the protection of money

For various reasons/people/interests I've been doing a lot of writing recently, not much of it very good mind you but it's kept things interesting when I could actually get something expressed in a reasonably presentable format.

Now that its for the most part over I remembered I had a blog that no one ever visits that is a great place to write a few of the inane observations I've made in the past while. Whew, and boy were there a lot of things going on... from the colossal impact of British Petroleum to arguably the more well known impact of the latest i-gizmo and it's... performance issues.

More locally is the upcoming 'Greatest show on Earth' in my current city of residence or the Calgary Stampede (though just Stampede is fine) is just under a week away. It is a big event to be sure and it is quite something to see the entire City get into the mood by putting on their western best or perhaps just a stetson, oddly enough I've never been quite able to get into it. Perhaps it's because I've honestly never been quite a big fan of the whole 'Wild West' era, though the discovery that the event is sometimes called 'Disneyland for Rednecks' in other parts of Canada was a bit of a revelation.

In all honesty it's not that bad, I think it is the over-commercialization that makes me groan in disgust when I think of the stampede. Talking to some of the older Calgarians they mention that the Stampede was quite different and better 20 years ago... granted they probably feel the same way about everything in general.

Speaking about the number 20 (the segue is a bit of a stretch I know), Canada was also host to the wondrous G20 summit where the financial representatives of nations and banks got together to deal with the 'global economic turbulence' caused by the financial industry in the leading industrial countries... yeah. On that note a new book is coming out that should be of interest to them that looks at 800 years of economic history and how the previous leaders all thought "This time will be different".

While it may not seem like the G20 is worth the cost for the host Country (at least that's what critics of Stephan Harper accuse) by far the most talked about news to come out of it was the behaviour of the much maligned protester. I'm sure they must believe that the best way to get their point across is to damage property and in general cause mischief, though it's nothing new for the G20 summits.

As I've written before, protesting for the sake of attention is shallow and probably idiotic in the grand scheme of things. For example there was a group of cyclists protesting to demand more facilities and bicycle paths in Toronto, and they protested by riding en-mass downtown causing traffic congestion and basically inconveniencing the average motorist.

While I support cycling and believe their demands have merit - is frustrating the average person going to make your point heard? It really shows a lack of common sense to the point of a total disconnect with reality to assume that by making a lot of noise you'll get your way all the time. Sure it may work for little children but surely we have grown past such behaviour... surely...

If they really wanted to change laws, they should be working to get the public on their side instead of alienating them. Write letters, encourage people to ride bikes, push for an environmental tax break for cyclists - make people want to cycle instead of drive rather than frustrate and annoy them.

Hmm, actually got a bit off topic, what I really wanted to write about (as I reminded myself from the title), was the recent ICE (immigration and customs enforcement) take-down of a multitude of online video streaming websites. Avoiding the issue of piracy, I find the whole affair a bit disturbing, not because of any idea of rights and freedoms but rather the whole thing smells of government spending resources to protect the money of private businesses - that aren't doing too badly at all if box office figures are to be believed.

The MPAA, RIAA and any other organization have the right to protect their intellectual property, and we've all seen those FBI warnings at the beginning of DVD's. It just seems that these organizations have tried the legal route to no avail and have somehow convinced the government that these streaming sites are run by 'organized crime' out to make money from the hardworking movie industry which brought us such recent gems as, The Killers and the Last Airbender.

If ICE officials were at least honest and said directly, "We are protecting the perceived financial interests of these organizations, and while the sites may be run by fans or ordinary people the creators have a right to determine how their product is distributed"

Instead they made it sound as if they arrested career criminals masterminding evil plots against the freedom loving people of the world, it becomes comically one sided.

Though for me, if there is an organization called Immigration and Customs Enforcement trying to figure out why they would be so interested in raiding the homes of "people who have no respect for creativity and innovation" instead of dealing with issues that actually cost lives such as drug and human trafficking. The only reason I can come up with is that the organization ICE is becoming more interested in protecting money than people, they are basically doing the dirty work of the studios who don't want a repeat of the bad public image they received from the random lawsuit method of deterring piracy.

Anyway I doubt that piracy will ever truly be eliminated, and while the actions and attitude of ICE doesn't quite sit well - at least they didn't come out with a rap song about it.

The Joys of Social Networking.

Recently came across this on Youtube.





Anyway the vid is pretty hilarious Hair Rock ode to the dangers of parents and facebook. So it got me thinking about how it almost seems as if the Social Networking phenom is becoming a victim of it's own success. If everyone you know has access to a page that you update with everything in your life... it can lead to a lot of complications to say the least.

The obvious solution is to have privacy settings to group people into levels of access and have most information kept to a close circle - but then doesn't it get to the point of idiodicy?
If one has to spend as much time on facebook keeping track of social niceties as in real life (with the addition of viral permanance of things posted on the net), then I would think the hassle would make a lot of people just stop using it.

Politicians and other public figures have already been burned simply by not understanding the danger in posting your unfiltered thoughts to the whole world.

If someone stood on a street corner and shouted their every thought for all passersby - one would naturally assume they are insane, yet posting the very same thing for the whole world to see in a semi-permanent medium... well, that's just social networking.

Meh, it's all in good fun though, social media is a great thing as long as people understand what they are dealing with, as the saying goes "It's all fun and games till someone loses an identity".

So you want to live in London...

London, probably the most cosmopolitan (English speaking) city in the world, a centre for fashion, culture, football and a variety of alcohols – however if one wants to live there it is pretty expensive by any standard. It may be difficult enough for people living elsewhere in the UK to relocate to London but for people outside the country it can be a daunting task and there are quite a few scam artists quite eager to take advantage of the naive or desperate. So with that in mind here is a helpful guide to finding a place to stay for a long stay (a year or more) and a few helpful suggestions and insights.

A word of caution – NEVER, EVER under any circumstances hand over money just to see or reserve a place, always see a property in person. Even if you know someone who can check things out for you, it is very strongly suggested that a first hand look at a place is a requirement. Using the internet to find places might be easy, but it is probably the worst way to find a decent place just on it’s own.

First and foremost that old adage location, location, location - figure out where you need/want to be and how much you will be willing to travel. Check the London tube system layout, and get familiar with the location of the stations as they are the best landmarks and orientation points. Also for school/work check the nearest station and see what line it is on, then you can look for places along that line. For example The London School of Economics is along the Picadilly line, so finding a place nearest a tube station on that line will make it an easy commute.

Another thing to keep in mind is the zones, if you want to be in zone 1... you are obviously very rich and do not need this guide. Zone 2 and 3 are still pretty pricy but with a bit of searching one can probably find something though it might stretch the budget a bit. Zone 4 and you are a bit out of London but the prices are more reasonable – you get the idea.

With that in mind first check your resources, not just how much money you can spend on rent but if you have any friends or relatives in London or the UK that could help you look for a place or might even have a spare room. It is worth putting some time into this as one could save a lot of time, effort and money with the right contact. Plus if you have someone willing to be your guarantor you can avoid a lot of hassle and upfront fees that foreign nationals have to pay in London (a bit more on that later).

If you don’t have any contacts in London, fret not, but be prepared to do some walking. Checking for places online is a good way to scout out some places but as stated before never put any money upfront without seeing the place in person.

If you are attending a school in London check out the Student housing services first they can give helpful information about where to look and have their own listings for shared accommodations. Most will also provide free telephone and internet use for registered students to help find a place.

Travelling to London:

If you don’t have a place ready for you or just confirmed via the internet plan to spend at least a couple of weeks in London itself to look for a place. You could find a place in a couple of days or within a week but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Hostels are good temporary accommodations and some have secure storage for heavy luggage (be sure to check), so plan a budget of about $50/day which is about 25 pounds just to be safe. There are Hostels that advertise at $20 per day but remember that doesn’t include food and is usually the lowest rate available during off-peak seasons. So just to look for a place have at least $700 set aside for cheap accommodation and cheap food (more on eating in London later)

Things to have ready beforehand:

So now it is the heart of the story, travelling to London to find a place. Assuming you can take care of your travel arrangements let’s look at what you should have with you to make finding a place in London a bit easier.

- A Bank account, for a lot of services, school and some landlords this is a must. You can set up an account with HSBC that would work in London before you leave but for a fee, otherwise one of the first things to do is setup an account with a bank that is close to your school or another central location. Schools also have deals with certain bank branches so check with student services.

- If you are going to school make sure to bring all enrolment and acceptance information (with copies and backups of course) as it will help to get accounts and student deals on services and housing.

- If you can arrange for someone you know in the UK to be a guarantor it will save you having to pay 6 months rent in advance for most landlords and certain fees for services.

- Comfortable shoes, you will be walking around quite a bit so dress appropriately, also an umbrella is a pretty good idea.

Once in London,

After settling in to your temporary space hit the pavement as soon as possible (not literally of course), and unless you really, really, really like walking an Oyster card is must. The cards can be obtained from virtually any tube station including the Airports. Ideally get a weekly pass for the zones you wish to travel, at the time of writing a weekly tube pass for zone 1-2 is roughly $60 which includes a deposit. Just ask the helpful staff at the nearest station and they will be able to explain the fees and system in detail. Or visit http://www.tfl.gov.uk

If you are going to school the first stop should be the student housing services as they will be able to give a lot of help and advice. Otherwise one of the first things you should consider getting is a phone, it will make life a lot easier getting in contact with landlords and services, and the payphones in London are extraordinarily ill tempered (one ate $6 worth of coins and still refused to dial out and requested more money).

There are quite a few options for phones T-Mobil, Virgin, the list goes on. Just stop by the first store and get a cheap phone and a pay as you go plan, you’ll also be introduced to the payment system which is used by the other utilities so a good learning opportunity there as well.

Letting agents.

Probably the fastest and safest way to find a place by yourself, letting agents are locally oriented offices that find renters for landlords. Each office focuses on a small radius around them so even if they belong to the same company if it’s in a different area they usually don’t have information on what’s available. So the best way to find places is to just get off at the tube stop you want to live near and look for the nearest letting agent walk down the main streets and there will be quite a few. The key is to check as many as possible to find a place that is convenient, safe, clean, and within your budget.

Speaking of budget be prepared to spend more than you expect, it is possible to find a place a bachelor apartment for $300 a week (yes PER week) in zone 2 but for $30 more you could find a more ideal location. Since most landlords expect at least a 6 month commitment make sure you want to live there for a while.

This ends the first part, if this is interesting I’ll post more sections that will cover:

-Getting internet,

-Utilities

-Bargaining with landlords

-Things to consider when looking at a place

-Food and grocery shopping

-General advice.

This is the biggest news story around right now and it isn't surprising to see why, the spin on the story is also fairly interesting. Surprisingly (for the most part) the news agencies have been fairly balanced in reporting though the spin is well under way. Whether the left-wing liberal media or the right-wing ... conservative media? each portion out information to skew opinions in favour of their own viewpoints.

[Though first off it has to be said that this is a tragedy and one cannot help but feel for the grieving relatives of those killed, this truly was a senseless, incredibly stupid and tragic loss of life.]

Now while I do find Bill O'Rielly a few cards short of a full deck he had a (as in only one) valid argument during his talking point regarding the news spin on events. Of course there are other opinions as well, regardless the facts are such:

- Thursday November 5th Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan opened fire and killed 13 people, injuring 30 at Fort Hood, Texas

Regardless of how it is reported any other information is a blind attempt to seek meaning into this act be trying to get a sense of how this could happen. Surprisingly the 'Muslim terrorist' angle has been downplayed from the beginning, the military even flat out stating that they do not believe this was an act of terrorism - not that I'm complaining but it does raise more questions in the back of my head that settle any misplaced sense of relief.

What really bothers me is that Maj. Hasan was a trained psychiatrist - who helped fellow soldiers deal with problems such as stress related to combat! This is an educated man who according to reports is a devout Muslim... how does a person such as this end up going on a shooting spree?

This of course is were the wonderful world of speculation comes in, there are reports about him being unhappy with the military, against his future deployment in Afghanistan, shouting religious 'slogans' during the shooting, being a loner, upset at the war in general as well as treatment of Muslims, even attending morning prayer at Mosque just before the incident.

If I had to guess I'd say he was pressured by the conflict he felt between his faith and his occupation while listening to who knows how many horror stories from fellow soldiers returning from deployment. If indeed he was an introverted loner then he was basically akin to a pressure cooker about to explode at some point. He must have lost sight of his sense of self, being unable to reconcile his conflicting loyalties and feelings.

In any event I'm sure the news agencies will deliver the 'pertinent' facts as they come and since he survived we may be treated to interviews and the like... bah.

Sigh, well the real fun is the blame game that will start now, everyone one and their dog pointing fingers or shifting blame from the obvious to the obscure ($10 says there is at least one government conspiracy theory out there already... who am I kidding there are already about 15 or so).

So in the end will anything change, does this sensational news event have any larger significance than allowing news agencies to increase ratings, pundits to weigh, politicians to spin things in their favour, or an excuse to drive another wedge into the rift between the average Muslim and John Q Public. Who knows?

To be honest it will be talked about a lot... a whole lot, by almost everyone trying to make some sort of point (myself included I suppose) but after a while some celebrity will do something stupid and life will go on without much noticeable change... though some people should be prepared for some 'extra security screening' in the near future.

I guess if there is anything to be learnt it is that anyone can break from pressure or stress or just being isolated, the solution is quite simple but much easier said than done - talk to people, share oneself with others on a daily basis and keep firm what ideals one holds as a part of ones self (I think I used 'one' a tad too much but heck, that's just the way I roll).

Take care everyone.

Politics? or mindless entertainment...

Well, in an effort to return to a bit more of an intelligent slant to this blog I thought I'd discuss the recent speech Obama made to congress regarding is health care reform plans.
Oddly enough the first thing I thought while watching this speech is - why on earth is Obama actually talking about this... it reminded me of a parent sitting a child down and trying to explain them why it is not a good idea to put forks in electrical sockets.
I've been vaguely aware of the ongoing 'debate' regarding health... well not the real debate more the funny people yelling about 'death panels' and protesting the destruction of American Freedom (Made in China).

The fact that Obama actually had to make a speech to congress regarding ridiculous claims is what I find the most incredulous... though watching the live feed of the speech changed my opinion.

I think I understand why Bush was able to get re-elected (aside from uncharismatic opponents) he had a real ability to connect to the LCD's or Lowest Common Denominators, as was once pointed out by Mr. Stewart of the Daily Show - Bush doesn't speak like an idiot, he talks as if he is speaking to an idiot.

In Obama's speech he took a similar approach though instead of talking to an idiot he was talking to an out of control child, trying to explain decisions while warning what will and will not be tolerated.

Of course the most interesting parts of the speech were the timely cutaways showing crowd reactions from republicans and democrats... a fun drinking game is to try and guess by facial expression which represtative belongs to which party.

It seemed that the gathering of leaders of the United States of America had been reduced the same level of politics as a Schoolyard during recess, with Obama being the supervising teacher trying to maintain order. It would be hilarious if it wasn't a sad summation of the absurd divisivness and ingorance that plague modern politics, and the only people to blame are the voters who rely on mass media and irrelevant speculation to 'guess' who to vote for. The idea of an intelligent and informed electorate is probably the biggest weakness of democracy since niether ever seem to hold true, I'm not saying a dictatorship is any better but one has to wonder if the democracy of ours really represents the will of the people and if so... is the will of a majority that has no interest in keeping track of events in the Country or spending time learning how to make effective decsions worth listening to?

Meh, it's all a moot point anyway everyone knows that corporations and personal interest are the real deciders of policy in government, or maybe I'm just being too cynical.

The Smell of Jasmine and Shit...



In retrospect deciding to try the above title for this post was a little... idiotic, but nevertheless I had decided to make that the title and I'll have to work with it.
Unfortunately between the time I wrote the last post and my attempt to start blogging again a lot has happened. I am no longer in sunny and (overly) warm Sri Lanka, and now am residing in the overcast and almost frigid regions of Canada - though to be fair we did have a few days of warm weather a week ago...
In regards to the title of this post, I believe originally it had to do with an experience I had walking home from work one day in Sri Lanka... and those literally were the smells I encountered, which at the time I felt was a fitting metaphor to the ugliness and beauty that existed in an almost paradoxical balance there.
I think I was also going to point out the differences between Canada and Sri Lanka by pointing out that while Canada may be more stable and 'safe' it is rather boring, dull, sanitized... characterized by rather bland smells or of limited variation.

Well, in any event as I stated at the beginning the title was a little idiotic... so that about sums up what the original purpose of the title was. As for a better topic, meh, a bit too lazy to find an appropriate segue so the post will end here.