BradCumiskey.com

If you haven't voted yet. Check this site out:

2008-10-14T16:59:00.001-07:00

http://www.voteforenvironment.ca/

Cna yuo raed tihs?

2007-10-31T19:38:00.000-07:00

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too!
Cna yuo raed tihs? Anppanltay olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.
i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt.

You're a Vancouverite when

2007-10-22T14:00:00.001-07:00

You're a Vancouverite when:

1. You know the mountains are located north. In fact, you use them to get your bearing when lost.

2. Checking the weather means looking out the window.

3. Your car’s A/C is left on all the time, even in winter.

4. A nice day means its not raining no matter how cold or cloudy it is. A beautiful day means you can see the mountains.

5. The sound of the 9 o’clock gun doesn’t startle you.

6. You know that West Vancouver, the West End, and the West Side are different places.

7. You know more people who have cabins in Whistler than cabins anywhere else.

8. You hate the Calgary Flames, but not as much as the Toronto Leafs.

9. You pay more for a litre of bottled water than a litre of gas.

10. You know what the acronyms NDP, GVRD, CFL, NHL, VPL, BC, UBC, SFU, VSB, BCAA, ICBC. PNE, CBC and CTV mean.

11. You consider anything below 5 degrees to be freezing.

12. However, you consider 20 degrees and above ‘roasting’.

13. You now hestitate to accept American money now that our dollar has reached parity.

14. A full day is going to Ikea.

15. You think it’s weird not to have a cell phone, but even stranger, one with out a camera.

16. You know five good and cheap places to eat with in walking distance right off the top of your head.

17. Deciding where to eat is a matter of deciding what type of food you’re in the mood for: Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, Italian, etc.

18. You know where both of the two Starbucks corners are in downtown.

19. The thought of a Starbucks in the washroom of a Starbucks makes you laugh.

20. You still consider Tim Horton’s an interior and east coast concept.

21. You know more people who smoke marijuana than have their class 5 drivers’ license.

22. You know what 4/20 means and the Art Gallery in relation.

23. You can name all the universities in Vancouver but not all the colleges.

24. It snows your trash isn’t picked up and your garbage trucks turn into salt trucks.

25. You know all the T.V. shows and movies filmed in Vancouver.

26. You know that Vancouver is sometimes called Hollywood North.

27. The whole city shuts down over less than a foot of snow.

28. You know many jokes about Slurry… Surrey.

29. You’ll always refer to ‘The Telus World of Science’ as ‘Science World’.

30. You consider the 778 area code to be lesser than the 604.

31. The concept of skiing, golfing, and sailing in the same day does not seem impossible to you.

32. You feel guilty about throwing aluminum cans in the garbage.

33. The Canada Line on Cambie makes no sense to you.

34. You can pronounce Tsawwassen, Squamish, Osoyoos, Ucluelet, Esquimalt, Sooke, and Nanaimo.

35. You know a California Roll is a type of sushi.

36. You despise the B.C. Ferries and Translink.

37. You chuckle when you say the word ‘fast ferries’, and roll your eyes at the new plans for the 2010 Ferries.

38. Not being able to drink the tap water is a major hassle.

39. You know the Vancouver Canucks started the ‘white towel’ trend in hockey.

40. You assume you’ll pay more than $25 for a cab ride no matter where you’re going.

41. Rent and housing prices make you cringe.

42. Tourism, the Port of Vancouver, fishing, and forestry related businesses are Vancouver’s four main industries -- next to grow ops.

43. You know people who are legally adults but can only drive with one passenger in the car and a 0.0 blood alcohol level.

44. You know there’s a town called Dawson Creek.

45. You know the name of one homeless or crazy person on a first name basis.

46. You know the Canucks have never won the Stanley Cup. (If you argue this one you're cut from the team).

47. Your only memory of AOL is playing Frisbee with a garbage can.

48. You’ve been lost in Richmond because you thought making two right turns would get you back on to the main road.

49. You know that Vancouver Island is not in Vancouver.

50. You plan to go skiing or snowboarding after work / school.

51. You never go camping with out waterproof matches and waterproof clothing.

52. Any Canadian that doesn’t talk like you is just considered ‘East Coast’.

53. You know which mountains are involved in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

54. You have an unbendable faith that cars will always stop when you cross the street.

55. You did not know Vancouver is also the name of a city in Clark County, Washington State.

56. Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod had more influence on your daily life than Vladimir Putin.

57. You consider all B.C. beer to be local.

58. You know three or more people involved in some sort car accident that was their fault.

59. You’re surprised to see only one car turn left on a yellow light.

60. Cars that don’t turn right on red lights make you upset.

61. You say you’ll only be 5 minutes but really mean 15.

62. Your idea of a hic is someone from Vancouver Island.

63. Going through a car wash is the most magical part of your day.

64. You have several public transit stories involving: drunks, crazy people, and teenagers.

65. A yellow light means keep going and a red light means three more cars.

66. Finding parking takes longer than it did to drive there.

67. You know what ‘The Big One’ means.

68. If you hear someone is doing the Grind, you know they’re not hitting the books.

69. You know all the words to Bryan Adam The Summer of '69.

70. You also know that in 1969 Bryan Adams was 9, and that the Summer of '69 isn't about 1969.

71. You boycott at least one store or brand name.

72. The gym is always packed at 3:00pm on a working day.

73. You consider that if it has no snow, it’s not a ‘real’ mountain.

74. In winter, you go to work in the dark and come home in the dark

75. You have no concept of humidity without precipitation.

76. You have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain.

77. The cars in the student parking lot are way nicer than the cars in the staff parking lot.

78. Lululemon is not just a clothing brand but a way of life. (for girls and, probably should be less, guys)

79. A one hour parking spot equals minimum wage.

80. You know a grande is a medium.

81. You can read a decent size novel before being admitted into the hospital.

82. You know that the beach increases in size by nearly a kilometer at low tide.

83. Yes, you know there is an accident on the: Port Mann Bridge, Mary Hill Bypass, East-West Connector, Oak and Knight Street Bridge.

84. Someone mentions 'Swedish Twins' you don't think about pornography.

85. You basically hate every myTelus, BC Ferry, Yellow Cab, and Translink automated voice.

86. It snows, schools close, International airport has hour long delays, nobody makes it to work, but the slopes are packed.

87. You become greatly offended when someone mistakes you as American. However, you take even more time to argue that you're from the west coast and not the east.

Today is blog action day.

2007-10-15T15:25:00.000-07:00

Today is blog action day. Link

And apartently we are not listening to David Suzuki... link.

Quote of the Day

2007-09-24T15:57:00.000-07:00

"I don't want to end up like Katie Couric. I want people to take me seriously." - Miss U.S.A. aka Rachel Smith, on her journalistic ambitions.

iPhone, Charmr and Andrew Crow

2007-09-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

Last night I attended my first VanUE event at the VFS Digital Design Centre off Homer & Pender. Andrew Crow from Adaptive Path did a presentation on 'Awesomeness'.

He spent a good chunk of time on the iPhone, I suspect that he was not aware that his entire audience of Canadians do not currently (or anytime in the future - thanks Rogers!!!) have access to iPhones. Having had he privilege of playing around with an iPhone (thanks Eugene) I can certainly confirm Andrew's hypothesis that Mr. Jobb's iPhone is certainly the current pinnacle of awesomeness in design (both UI and industrial/product design).

The most interesting part of his presentation was the noteworthy efforts of his group at Adaptive Path to bring an improved level of design (a la iPod) to medical devices. Specifically the devices required of those with diabetes. Check out the presentation that debuted last month:

The Wedding Season Is Nearing

2007-03-09T09:51:00.000-08:00

So, we will be attending 5 weddings over the next year. Since I work for an auctioneer, and most people attending these things are really only looking forward to the reception, I thought this following ad appropriate:

More Hot Air: Creating Doubt and Distraction.

2007-02-27T08:41:00.000-08:00

Right Wing Smear Campaign. It is the republican machine trying to create doubt and distraction. The Tennessee Center for Policy Research is the Tennessee equivalent to the local Fraser Institute. First of all, they are a republican think tank, just like the Fraser Institute is a Conservative think tank. They both make hollow claims of bi-partisanship, and continually trumpet a few objections that really only reinforces their true ring-wing identity. Just follow the donor money.

Think about it, why would a "bi-partisan think tank" possibly care about what Al Gore spends on gas? And how did they get his utility bills? Why did they time it to be released as a press release the day after the film won two oscars. Not to mention, they also didn't have the courtesy to ask the vice president Gore for a comment.

His estate is 20x bigger than the average citizen, and Al Gore turns his lights on like the rest of us. Unlike the rest of us, over the last 20 years, he's done more in bringing the environmental cause to the forefront of public conciousness (especially in America) than any other other figure.

What's mostly interesting is the information that is left out of this 'press release', namely that if you have read his book, watched the film or have spent more than 5 minutes researching Al Gore on his web site, you would be aware that Al Gore and his family have consistently been proponents of purchasing carbon offsets, and they can boast a environemental footprint of zero.

Can the right-wing doubt and distraction machine make such a claim?

It's a Start - ExxonMobil cuts ties with CEI

2007-01-12T08:42:00.000-08:00

ExxonMobil cuts funding to the idiots at the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI).

Here is an article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16593606/

I wouldn't give too much credit to Exxon right off the bat. It shouldn't take much for an organization such as Exxon to cut ties with an organization like CEI, which continually embarrasses itself with ridiculous advertisements. Talk about giving Libertarians a bad name, sheesh.

Mr. Myron Ebell revolutionizes the standard -of how to act as a spokesperson for a "think tank"

Jib Jab Year in Review: 2006

2007-01-11T09:38:00.000-08:00

Climate Change is Caused by Humans, Period.

2007-01-10T09:17:00.000-08:00

Not the natural ebb and flow of weather throughout the millenniumums, not cosmic rays, and certainly not cow farts. The consensus is clear, it's us.

There is a war of disinformation be waged on the general public over the consensus cause of climate change.

Let’s hope that John Baird will not become our countries Philip Cooney. Ex-Petroleum Institute lobbyist, who was appointed as head of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. He spent his tenure propagating the myth that the cause of climate change is unknown, waving the oil and gas flag in White House, even editing out damaging scientific publishings of government scientists and upon leaving his appointment, the very next day he was hired by ExxonMobil. Nice.

His legacy remains to this day, recent Bush government statements on the climate change have included half hearted acknowledgements such as “the increase in greenhouse gases have been due to certain extent to human activity”, only to be followed up by contradicting statements such as "we need to set aside whether or not greenhouse gases have been caused by mankind or because of natural effects.”

The data is clear; the public’s understanding is not. It a direct result of the oil and gas lobby’s efforts to misinform, with a little help from the US executive branch.

“It is hard to get somebody to understand something when their paycheck depends on their not understanding it.” M. Twain

From Al Gore’s ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, I was taken aback by these startling facts from an independent study:
Of the 928 peer-reviewed scientific articles on global climate change published between 1993 and 2003, articles geered towards the academic scientific community, the number of articles that state that climate change is caused by anything but humans was 0%. During that same period, of the over 500 articles dealing with the same subject yet published in national and local newspapers, including the New York Times, LA Times, Washington Post, and non-peer reviewed magazines, the percentage of those articles to cast doubt as to the actual cause of climate change (cosmic rays anyone?), was over 50%.

And newly appointed Federal Environment Minister John Baird has done nothing to prove that he may improve things for us north of the border. On his trip out west to survey the Stanley Park wind storm damage he made his 1st public statements as Environment Minister, he used the media event to make two pathetic points, One – he stated that the 1st thing on his agenda would be to push through the Tories laughable (we’ll get to it in 50 years), Clean Air Act. And secondly, to accuse Stephane Dion of doing nothing during his time as Environment Minister. Dion, is widely accepted as being the best Environment Minister in the countries history, just ask Green Party Leader Elizabeth May.

It is shameful. The oil and gas lobby, simply do not want us to know the truth.

I’ll finish this post, with a statement from the scientific community, on the prevailing consensus regarding the cause of climate change.

“Consensus as strong as the one that has developed around this topic is rare in science,” - Science Magazine Editor-in-Chief Donald Kennedy

January: Bye Bye Ambrose, Fall: Bye Bye Conservatives

2007-01-04T08:28:00.000-08:00

See ya Rona.

Right now, with daily stories of Artic, Antarctic and Greenland ice shelfs falling into the oceans, and Gore's Inconvenient Truth reaching even more on DVD, there is no doubt that Green Politics, is Good Politics.

So the Clean Air 'We'll get to it in 50 years' Act didn't quite get the job done. In steps Mr. John Baird to symbolically hold the green paddle, too little, too late, as the boat rushes down the river of melting ice and over the cliff into a fall election.

Cumiskey makes NHL Debut

2007-01-02T11:01:00.000-08:00

Kyle Cumiskey, Dad's cousin's son, made his NHL debut last night.

Still not a valid fantasy option just yet, however he did already see some Power Play time.

Check him out.

Kyle Cumiskey was called up by the Colorado Avalanche on Monday and made his NHL debut.
The 20-year-old was solid defensively for the Avs as he was plus one in 11:13 minutes of ice time. He even got 2:09 on the power play as he replaced the injured Patrice Brisebois on the blue line. The seventh round pick of the Avalanche in the 2005 Entry Draft really needs more time in the minors to develop so you should take a pass on him at this stage of his career. Jan. 2 - 8:38 am et
Source: Denver Post

Happy Holidays

2006-12-24T17:49:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and All That Jazz.

A couple of useless observations I've made over the last few days:

1 - Cranberries in the stuffing - mmm, mmm, mmmh!
2 - The arrival of the Boxing Day Flyers are now a bit of a (sad) mini event. 2GB Memory Cards for $35 - oh my!
3 - There is an incredible range in the quality of mandarin oranges available at your local grocer. Don't necessarily get the most expensive!

And just in case you need a little political fix over the holidays, (which, of course, means your sick like myself.) Then chew on this little tid bit from our PM, Steven 'The Grinch' Harper:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper slipped through a rash of Conservative patronage appointments after the pre-Christmas exodus from Parliament Hill.

Dion names Ignatieff Deputy

2006-12-19T08:01:00.000-08:00

Dion is assembling his dream team. And the Bloc may make it a sooner than expected Spring election.

Ignatieff - now officially the right hand.
Kennedy - to prepare the party for the election.
Rae - to come in to work on the Red Book.
Hall Findlay - to the grassroots, for the policy.

"Federal Liberal party leader Stéphane Dion appointed former leadership candidate rival Michael Ignatieff as his deputy leader in the first of a number of a pre-election moves that will also include important roles for other former leadership candidates."

Article

SNL Last Night: Lou Dobbs & D**k in a Box

2006-12-18T08:29:00.000-08:00

SNL had a great show last night. Too few. But they got it right last night. Incredibly, the ex-frontman of a manufacturered boy band was a big reason for it.

Hammond is the man, Dobbs is a jobber.

Lou Dobbs, just the facts man. Thinks a second 700-mile wall along the Mexican border with a sign that says this is on 2 of 50 will stop all those illegals! Outsourcing is the enemy! Globalization Bad! Nationalism Good!

SNL Digital Short: Dick in a Box

Love him, or hate him. JT has chops.

Jonny goes off on Rummy

2006-12-13T11:49:00.000-08:00

Personally, I would lean towards the 'Catastrafuck' over 'Golly - G - Willikers'.

Verizon's Worry Free Guarantee - with a Canada Connection

2006-12-13T11:39:00.000-08:00

Maybe I should start a series on the American Educational System. Maybe I should do a comparison on the quality of Bell's, Rogers', Telus' and Fido's customer service. Not much better in my opinion. Instead I'll just link to this incredible audio recording.

Incredible that the guy (George) remains calm. This is some kind of customer service: 27 minute clip.

Follow up on the progress with his blog here:

http://verizonmath.com/

and here:

http://verizonmath.blogspot.com/

Macleans Observations

2006-12-11T08:20:00.000-08:00

What does Macleans have against Dion? Other than Wells, I don't think Maclean's likes Dion very much. It took Dion winning the race before he made the cover...

The current front page story for the mag:

The cover sites betrayal, squablings and shady late-night backroom dealings as the reason for Dion's wild and startling win.

The current front page story on Macleans.ca:

The Race to Replace Dion. The search for the next Liberal leader.

The summation of the article on Canadian Polls:

35% of Quebecers say they will support the Liberals now that Stéphane Dion is in charge.

-Ok that's good. Probablly the most impressive statistics post convention. However, they following it up with the following two points:

28% of Canadians feel holiday shopping is bad for their mental health.

15% of Canadians would rather receive a root canal or be punched in the face than go shopping this holiday season.

Is it just me. Or does Macleans' seem to have a bug in their ass over Dion? If so, this would be in contrast to prevailing sentiment of the Canadian electorate.

Dion's My Guy

2006-12-07T08:14:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the best man for our party right now. He's already been kicking ass as the leader, handling the win remarkably, and more importantly -bringing the party together for the upcoming election. (Sweet move during question period -handing the second question to Michael.)

Dion, the undisputed 'nice guy' of the group, admittedly, will have a much easier task bringing this party together, more than any of the other candidates. That is something I will certainly admit now, Ignatieff would have had a firestorm on his hands had he won. For myself, Dion was a fine second choice, and I happy to have him as my leader.

Blogging will become easier now: One, Highlighting the inconsistencies and massive gaffes of the Conservatives. Two, Gentle persuasion of the soft NDP vote over to the party of government, with a new vigor for the environment.

IggyTube and Internetology: The 'e' prefix to be supplanted by the 'Tube' suffix

2006-11-09T08:55:00.000-08:00

Couple of notes:

IggyTube launches with 'Michael on the Environment'.
Still love the campaign art for Michael. Too cool for politics.
Off to go register commerceTube and mailTube, not to mention BusinessTube

US Election Exit Poll Defies Conventional Wisdom

2006-11-08T07:41:00.000-08:00

There is a dim light, beginning to shine through the clouds down there to our south.

Apart from voting down the majority of the progressive social ballot issues, the US voters got it right yesterday, handing the house, and likely the Senate to the dems.

I was particularly drawn to a stat that CNN brought up in its coverage:

"Defying the traditional political maxim that "all politics is local," 62 percent of voters said in exit polls that national [and foreign policy] issues mattered more than local issues."

I've always been disheartened by the reality that the majority of voters think local first and foremost. The reasons unfortunate, once again, not since Vietnam, a brutally mishandled war and the loss of thousands of American lives, appears to have shifted the voting psyche outward. Taxes and jobs, for once, were not front burner issues.

I was born in 1979, let’s say I live to be a one hundred year old man in this game of life, and I die in 2079. Likely, my lifetime will experience the ebb and flow of 30+ bear and 30+ bull economies, the rise and fall of the national jobless rate, and the continuous adjustments to tax policy (Income Trusts anyone?).

I say; when it’s all over –in the grand scheme, issues as such, like the value of my poorly diversified RRSP, won’t hold relevance.

Statistics such as the percentage of the worldwide population that live on less than a dollar a day, the change in the quality of life for people living (especially women) in places such as the Middle East, rural China and Africa, the availability of medical care for children, not to mention the level of nuclear arms proliferation. Upon these issues our lifetime’s legend will be judged, unfortunately we’ve had a really rough first quarter.

Polls? I thought dogs were suppose to p#*% on polls?

2006-11-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

Funnily enough though, the dog camps are spinning the poll numbers in favour of their own camps. Shocking.

RECAP (to be submitted to the Associated Press Immediately):
Dion, in 4th going into the convention is a certain lock to win, as he, being in 4th -has the most room for growth. Kennedy on the other hand is guaranteed to win as only 2% of those polled say they definitely would not vote for him, you can't argue against that logic. This is especially true, i.e. truer than 100%, seeing as the majority of those polled were from Ontario and Quebec - not Kennedy strongholds. Therefore, Kennedy has a 110% chance to win. Finally, and this just in, Rae has already been declared winner, yep that's right, save your plane fare!, save your delegate fees!, Rae has officially been declared winner because as we all know A + B = C, and Rae has 3 letters in his last name, on to mention his first, as such, C = B + A, and therefore Rae has already won. Oh yeah, and Ignatieff doesn't have a chance, because he is going into the convention with the most declared 1st ballot votes, the most ex-officio votes and requires the least amount bleeding in order to win. Not a chance in hell. The guy is dreaming. Anyone who thinks he can win is a total Cuckoo-head.
END OF RECAP

Dogs are the ones suppose to piss on polls, instead, they are humping up alongside of it. It really is something to see.

I'll finish this post with an update on the current pinaclesports.com lines,

These lines actually hold water, as they are putting their money where their mouth is.

Michael Ignatieff -169 (an slight drop from the previous -185, yet still the only non-pooch - crazy cause he doesn't have a chance)
Bob Rae +228 (the biggest improvement from the +344 in Oct, this makes sense seeing as how he has already won)
Stephane Dion +1042 (big drop from the earlier +785, time to make some money on this ticket, as he is a certain lock to win)
Gerard Kennedy +1213 (another drop from +900, it doesn't make sense - He's guaranteed!)
Ken Dryden +20000
Scott Brison +40000
Joe Volpe +30000
Martha Hall Findlay +50000

Gary wins Fridays Halloween Costume Prize, with 3 different costumes

2006-10-29T09:47:00.000-08:00

He had us all in hysterics. He started out as Bruno, with the dyed hair and the all the details down to the belt. Then half way through the night he made a return as everybody’s favourite, Borat –black gloves and all. Finally, he took the cake as Ali G, even having shaved the goatee in between costume changes. Unbelievable. Well done son, well done.

Bruno:

Borat:

Ali G:

One more for good measure,
Ali G and Dog:

Republican Attack Ad takes shot at Canada

2006-10-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

So you thought the petty attacks during the Liberal Leadership race were bad, leave it to those good old Republicans down south to take the cake. Harper may be Bush's man, however, word hasn't made it to Tennessee. RNC takes a shot at Canada, not too mention Playboy and Porn (I seperate the two). In all seriousness, the shot, really is at the families of the 43 Canadians who have died since 2002 in Afghanistan.

Here's the article.