Welcome to the 21st Century!

It's been a sad week here in Ottawa after a gunman shot and killed a military officer and then made his way to Parliament Hill and inside the building where he opened fire on people there. Luckily no one else was injured, largely due to the efforts of sergeant-at-arms Kevin Vickers, who shot the gunman before he could do more harm. The gunman has now been identified, whose name I will not mention.

I can't believe that after 13 years, Parliament Hill wasn't better prepared for such an incident. It doesn't say much about our elected representatives if since 9/11 no one stopped to think that maybe, just maybe, the day would come when Parliament Hill would be attacked in some way, somehow. Are we that naive to think we're so "loved" on the international stage?

We're not living in the same world we lived in 20 years ago. Things have entirely changed. The days of "it only happens over there" or "that could never happen here" are long gone. It's ridiculous to think we're just clueing into these facts.

If one good thing could come out of recent incidents in Ottawa and Quebec, it will hopefully be that these potential threats will be taken much more seriously from now on. It doesn't mean we have to give up our way of life or our rights. Certainly goodness though, we can all be a bit more vigilant, and our elected officials can take a few more steps to protect themselves, our soldiers and the general public as a whole.......

What's Wrong with Justin Bieber?

Where do we start? Here's a young man who became an overnight sensation when he was barely a teen. The things we all experienced in our teen years, he has totally missed out on. That's not to say "poor Justin". How can something like overnight stardom NOT mess you up?

Justin has now grown into a man. Growing up in his teens, his life was under a microscope by people who could care less about him, his life or his struggles. It's all about what sells, and apparently pissing Justin off and getting footage of him making an ass of himself makes for great news.

Yesterday news broke of Justin having another run in with the law after confronting paparazzi. Is this no surprise? Justin, so desperate to get away from it all, decided to take a break and return home to Stratford, Ontario with his girlfriend Selena Gomez (and I thought they were brought up, guess that shows what I know ) trying to get his life back on track and patch things up with his girlfriend (or "ex"). The paparazzi were having none of that. Knowing full well how Justin would react, yet again they pursued and antagonised him into a confrontation. Of course Justin delivered, as usual.

At this point I don't even know who to be pissed off at anymore. I'm not saying that Justin is not a dick right now, but the paparazzi need to back off. There's a very fine line between sanity and insanity, and if they keep pushing Justin the way they have been, something horrible is going to happen, mark my words. Justin needs a break, and disappear for a while until things cool down. Maybe he has anger issues as they claim, but wouldn't you if someone was always in your face pushing you to get a reaction?

News flash, Justin is human! Oh no, tell me it isn't so! This just can't be! (Yes, I'm being sarcastic) Aren't we all just sick of this? Personally I did some pretty stupid things when I was his age. Isn't he entitled to do the same? I think we're holding these young celebrities to a standard that's unattainable. Isn't part of becoming an adult, making mistakes and learning from them? I think it's time to just leave the guy alone.

Tim Horton's: Loss of a Canadian Powerhouse

I'm sure most of you have been watching the news at some point in the past 24 hours, or at least you've heard about this. If you haven't already, let me enlighten you. Burger King is in talks with Tim Horton's to buy the Canadian powerhouse. I never thought I'd see the day, but then again people say "never say never".

Burger King, in an attempt to evade high US Corporate taxes, wants to buy Tim Horton's and move it's head office to Canada. Of course US Congress is in an uproar over the deal, but apparently there are no laws against such a move. The merger would see the Burger King / Tim Horton's conglomerate become the third largest such franchise in the industry.

I guess it's my Canadian pride that makes this whole idea just not sit well with me. There are some very serious questions to be answered here. What will happen to the Tim Horton's brand? Will Burger King change it's name? What if Burger King buys up another coffee franchise and decides to close Tim Horton's?  What will happen with the Tim Horton's partnership with Wendy's? Does this mean Wendy's is being bought out as well? Who the hell actually eats at Burger King anyway? Some of you are probably laughing at this point, but is it really that far fetched. It could quite well mean the beginning of the end for Tim Horton's.

Looking on the bright side of things, US congress I'm sure will not take this sitting down. There are already rumblings of changing the laws that govern corporate activities in the US. You didn't actually think the US was going to let little ol' Canada get the upper hand did you? No way, no how! Then again, we're bigger and we're on top. :-)

Republic of Doyle - Final Season Premieres October 15.

The final 6th season of Republic of Doyle starts October 15, 2014. Personally, I can't wait for it to start. It really saddens me though to know that this will be the final season. It has been such a great ride watching these characters grow and evolve over the past 6 years.

So where do we go from here? I'm sure we haven't seen the last of Jack Doyle (Allen Hawco) and the

crew. I often wonder though what's next for the cast. Lynda Boyd (Rose Millar) is no stranger to Hollywood, appearing in such films as Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), as well as numerous TV appearances, 125 credits in total to her name to be exact. Sean McGinley (Malachy Doyle), originally from Ireland, has also appeared in numerous movies including Gangs of New York (2002) and Braveheart (1995).

It's been a great run but it still sucks that it has to end. On the brighter side of things, at least the show didn't get cancelled. It was a mutual decision made between the cast and crew.

I hope everyone enjoys the last season as much as I know I will.

The Middle East

As far back as I can remember there has been conflict in the Middle East. I'm not even sure there is a country in that area of the world that hasn't been at war. The hardest part for many of us in this country is that we just can't come to grips with why that part of the world is always at war.

Unlike for most of us, in the Middle East many people are raised with hatred, whether it is hatred toward certain religious beliefs or hatred toward a certain country. So how can we change this? To be very blunt, we can't. Short of taking all the children at birth and raising them in an open minded and tolerate society, and then letting them go back as young men and women, there's nothing we can do. Even then it's a bit of a stretch.

I've tried to understand, for years I've tried. There are many things I don't understand. That's a product of how we are raised. I can't imagine having to flee with my family in fear of a rocket attack or some kind of military invasion.

What I can understand though, is why there is so much hatred pointed towards western society. After all, every time there is a conflict, it's our interests in the Middle East that drive us to interfere. Maybe that is not the case so much with Canada, but that is definitely the case with the United States. While humanitarian aid is an absolute must, it's that appetite for oil that keeps the watchful eye of our neighbours to the south on the Middle East. I've often wondered if all the oil in the Middle East dried up, would anyone even care? Sure some would, but would there be enough interest to drive military action? I think not, but that's just my opinion.

So we'll just sit here, in our nice heated and sometimes air conditioned homes, and wave our finger of judgement at the Middle East. Most of us will never understand their conflicts. Rest assured though, as long as there is oil pumping out of the ground, western society will continue to poke it's nose where it don't belong.  I mean really, is it that big a mystery why some people in the Middle East hate us so much? I think not.

Now that was a heavy topic for a Saturday morning. I really hope that one day I'll live long enough to see true peace in the Middle East. I won't be holding my breath though, and I would recommend you do the same.

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Complete!

http://www.youtube.com/embed?listType=user_uploads&list=tcard1972

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge: The Rules

Over the past few weeks, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has went viral. So I just got challenged, but when I went online to try and find what the rules are, there's actually very little you can find. After an intense search I did manage to find the information I was looking for. Tonight I thought I would share this information with you.

Just a side note here. This is for a great cause.

"Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord".

There is no cure. This is a disease that kills every one it affects. That in itself is good enough reason to support this cause.

So, today I'm going to clear up all the confusion and outline the basic rules of how the Ice Bucket Challenge is supposed to work. Here goes (in step form):

1. You have to be challenged by someone who has done it.

2. Once "challenged", you have 24 hrs to complete the challenge.

3. You have a choice.

a. You can accept the ice bucket challenge and complete it within 24 hrs, after which you must make a donation to ALS of $10.00 (really any amount under $100, but $10.00 is generally accepted as good).

b. If you do not accept the ice bucket challenge, you must make a donation of $100.00 to ALS.

4. Here's where some people get confused, you have to challenge  3 other people (not more, not less).

5. You have to make a video of you completing the challenge that contains the following information:

a. You have to mention your name

b. You have to mention who challenged you

c. You have to say you accept the challenge with the full name (ie: "I accept the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge").

d. You have to challenge 3 people to complete the challenge and that they have 24 hrs to complete it.

e. You have to mention the ALS website address where people can make a donation.

f. You have to mention that you will be donating money as well as completing the challenge.

6. Finally, you're supposed to post the video of you completing the challenge online via social media (most people are using Facebook).

So that's basically it. Good luck!