A few days ago, Russia announced to the world that they had a new, massive, non-nuclear bomb that puts any other bombs out there to shame.

Russia unveils the ‘father of all bombs’

Russia’s military yesterday announced that it had successfully tested a lethal new air-delivered bomb, which it described as the world’s most powerful non-nuclear weapon.

In what appears to be the Kremlin’s latest display of military might, officials said Moscow had developed a new thermobaric bomb to add to its already potent nuclear arsenal.

Russia’s state-run Channel One television said the new ordnance – dubbed the Father of all Bombs – is four times more powerful than the US’s Mother of all Bombs. [guardian]

Then when you see the following headline a few days later, I find it very intriguing.

Putin dissolves Russian government, names new PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted the resignation of the country’s prime minister and named the head of a financial market watchdog as his replacement, the Kremlin said. [...]

In his place, Putin nominated Victor Zubkov, an little-known economist who has headed the country’s financial monitoring service since 2001.

The move sets the stage for Putin to set up a favoured successor in the high-profile prime minister’s office before upcoming legislative elections in December, followed by a presidential election in March, the CBC’s Nick Spicer reported Wednesday from Moscow. [cbc]

Makes you think a little.

Living for a number of years in Iowa City[wiki], it’s news like this that I am happy to share.

Prairie Lights Books, Kurt Vonnegut and Sugar Bottom Recreation Area have long been household names for Iowa City residents.

Now, as Outside Magazine’s top town in the Midwest, Iowa City’s treasures will be known by readers from New York to Seattle. [...]

The magazine described Iowa City and the other towns as “smart, progressive burgs with gorgeous wilderness playgrounds — and, yes, realistic housing and job markets.”

Apart from mentioning James Alan McPherson and The Englert Theatre, the magazine highlights the statewide push for alternative fuels. The magazine also said unique recreational opportunities included Sugar Bottom’s bike trails, Lake Macbride and the Iowa River.

If that’s not enough of an endorsement, Outside’s editor Christopher Keyes gives his own shout-out to Iowa City in a “Between the lines” segment: “… move to Iowa City. Some of the happiest people in the world live in Iowa City.” [iowacitypresscitizen]

Out of the entire state, Iowa City is always a place that I would consider at the top of my list to go back and live. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Vancouver lifestyle. I often find myself feeling nostalgic by memories triggered by somewhere around the lower mainland. Of course, it takes a little bit more than a five to ten minute drive away from downtown to reach wide open spaces in Vancouver, but there are elements here that consistently remind me a little bit of Iowa City.

I often wonder what it will be like when I get back there next and how much it will have changed. A tornado struck the heart of downtown the summer after I left, so I expect that amount of change. The next will come with changed businesses and buildings, but the demographic seems to constantly be shifting in a very distributed way. Such is the way of a university town, and the rest of the state can be a vast departure from this.

Even that is reshaping as those who flee to the coasts are coming back home. There is something to be said about midwest hospitality. Of course, you have to be able to stand the wickedly hot summers and sometimes brutal winters, and it’s something you never get used to as much as come to expect.

I find this incredibly ironic that this story came out the other day.

If all of your friends jumped off a bridge, would you jump too? The answer to this age-old question is, YES! Just ask the millions who’ve succumbed to their peers’ collective urgings and have migrated to the ultra-popular Facebook.

Truth be told, peer pressure is the driving force behind popular social networking websites. And the Net is littered with one-time, gotta-have-a-page-there sites. Remember LiveJournal, the original social network of blogs? Then came the Friendster frenzy. MySpace showed up and stole the show with their bells and whistles. LinkedIn, a business-focused social network, brought cool to the cubicle. And now it’s Facebook, and tempting real-time status updates with Twitter. Net users are busy bopping from hot social network to hot social network, dragging their digital lives along with them.

Despite all the time a user spends adding friends, posting pics, and writing witty blurbs, a website’s relevance is dictated by the user’s peer group. To be popular — or even just stay in touch in today’s digital world — you have to log on to the sites your friends frequent. This requires staying on top of social networking trends. If not, you may be left out of the conversation. [globeandmail]

With that being said, I am now findable on Facebook. I already had a few people find me, and that was just after an initial sign-up. A cousin of mine that is going to grad school in Kansas has found Rebecca based on matching up last names. Now he has discovered that his family tree extends into Canada. How’s that for social networking?

I’m still getting unburied from a real backlog of projects, not to mention the ever present job hunt. (Yes, Vancouver, I’m looking at you.) So you can find me there, but my profile is really lacking. When I have time, I’ll do what I can. (yeah, right)

A recent update to my Mac came down. It was for the change to daylight savings time[wiki], being that it has changed as of 2007.

I’ve got some top secret news which won’t be revealed to the general public until March 11, 2007. Unwary people will be getting a rude awakening. On that day, in accordance with the Energy Policy Act of 2005, people in most states of the U.S. will turn their clocks forward one hour at 2:00 a.m. to take advantage of longer daylight hours and reduced energy bills.

Previously, Daylight Savings Time was implemented on the first Sunday of April and ended on the last Sunday in October for participating states (Indiana, split between two time zones, didn’t’ participate). The passage of the Energy Act of 2005 now puts the end of daylight saving time to the first Sunday in November. In total, Americans will have about a month of additional daylight to get their chores done. The change is expected to advantage children who celebrate Halloween by ‘trick or treating’, and also to cut down on traffic accidents, many of which occur in the twilight drive-time hours. [associatedcontent]

Now, you know that there are going to be a core of people who have no clue that this has changed, and it’s probably the same group of people who forget to set their clocks one hour ahead when the changes happened before. Still, this is a problem that is going to affect a lot of people. Their schedules will be messed up, and it’s a good bet that a lot of folks will miss church on Sunday.

That little update that came down is the kicker, and some people are screaming the return of Y2K[wiki]. We all know what happened then, but it was kinda hard to miss. This? I’m not so sure that throngs of people are aware that when the change happens, their computers and other electronic gadgets that normally change on their own will have missed the memo[cnet]. Will they still show up to work late on Monday? That remains to be seen.

Still, another thing to worry about with the changing of the clocks. First you lose an hour of sleep, then you have to adjust to the change. When it’s time for you to go to bed, your internal clock says you’re not ready. So with a whole month to change that, how much more can we get screwed up?

By the way, this is your warning. Just doing my part to spread the word because Canada is apart of this as much as the U.S. made the switch.

When I first heard this story about banning cellphones and iPods while crossing the street in New York, I thought that it made a little sense. It should be easy to walk and talk, and I think I hover on the intermediate level for this delicate skill. Take a stroll around downtown Vancouver and check out all the rookies tough. It’s mind boggling. Frogger anyone?

Then this happened today.

A 49-year-old Vancouver man is lucky to be alive after being struck by a bus in nearby Burnaby Monday night, while jaywalking and talking on his cellphone.

RCMP Cpl. Jane Baptista said the man was lucky to have suffered just minor injuries.

He was talking on his cellphone, and, after noticing a turning bus, decided to keep on walking, jaywalking, and putting the bus driver in an impossible situation, Baptista said.

It’s a familiar story for patrol officers, she said.

“They wear dark clothing, [they are] on their cellphones, [or have] iPods in their ears, and it’s completely dangerous for everyone involved.”

Baptista said police will be refocusing on Burnaby jaywalkers soon, and anyone caught can expect a fine. [cbc]

I know that while driving the long stretches of highway across Iowa, I can get so lost into listening to music or simply thinking that I’ll not have any recollection to the last ten miles that I just drove. When it’s two lane and the middle of the winter, you chalk it up to being in the zone, thankful that you didn’t hit any of those semis that regularly travel the same route, all of that while not talking on a cellphone. Pssh, makes these people look like amateurs.

When I’m on the phone, I can say that I take extra precautions to be aware as to what is going on around me while walking and talking. The same can be said for driving, but I go even further to avoid that situation. Does this make me better than the rest of you out there? Oh hell no. I don’t trust myself as much as I don’t trust other people out there to do what I do.

Still, I’m not for regulations being passed to prohibit me from enjoying some tunes while walking to work or something. I also cringe at the idea of runners being targeted because I have my headphones on as often as the weather permits. Just be smarter, people. Please don’t let your stupidity spoil it for the rest of us.

I actually had this idea a few months ago, and it sparked quite the debate in the apartment with Rebecca. It seemed like it was Breast Cancer Awareness Month forever, and I think it might have been during an episode of CSI that inspired the thought.

The Breast Cancer Society of Canada has rejected the offer of thousands of dollars from a fundraising group of exotic dancers in Vancouver.

Exotic Dancers for Cancer holds an annual charity event in memory of a former dancer who lost her life to the disease.

Last year, the event raised $6,000.

However, former dancer Trina Ricketts said the society sent her an e-mail declining the money this year, because its major donors did not support a connection to exotic dancers. [cbc]

There is such a slippery slope and round-and-round argument going on here, but the bottom line is that there are some people who care about something so much but isn’t welcomed for their help. I also find it fascinating that an industry that thrives on the very thing that the Breast Cancer Society is seeking to help with is sticking their noses up at this donation. Still, strippers’ money ain’t welcome here.

Perhaps a more anonymous donation would get the money where it needs to go, but that would put less of a face and name to the people who put forth the effort to raise money for a good cause. Of course, that would make exotic dancers seem like real people with actual feelings. What a pity.

Ok, I’ve come to like the new uniforms that the players will be wearing next season, as long as the designs that are applied to them are not gaudy. Trust me, I’m going to hold my breath until then. Just got a bad feeling that some teams (I’m looking at you Nashville!) will go a tad overboard.

This, however, is something I didn’t notice at the All-Star Game last night.

While most of the uniform-based attention at the NHL All-Star Game was focused on the players’ new Reebok-designed attire, another uniform story went largely unheralded and unnoticed.

Referees were wearing silver armbands, instead of their usual orange, and ESPN.com has learned that this change will be made permanent next season.

“It’s coming for next season,” NHL spokesperson Nirva Milord said in an e-mail from the All-Star Game in Dallas. “We’re just giving it a consistent look with the new NHL logo.”

That logo, introduced prior to the 2005-06 season, is black and silver, while the league’s previous emblem was black and orange, matching the refs’ current armbands. [espn]

No!!! This is a change that I do not care for, and it completely kills an idea that Rebecca and I had for Halloween costumes.

I like the orange bands, if not for look, but for function. When the ref raises his arm to call a penalty, it’s more noticeable to catch the movement. The little, orange floaties are the first thing I think of when it comes to a hockey ref. At the same time, the effects won’t be nearly as good when McGeough comes flying in to call a no-goal and appear to be ready to fly away because he’s flapping his arms like a mad man.

As a side note, check out this post to see how GZ Expat would change the NHL even further. If you saw the interview with Gary Bettman[wiki] on the CBC’s coverage of the All-Star Game last night, then, like me, you will feel like absolutely nothing is safe in the NHL anymore. He now embodies everything I can think of when it comes to slimy businessmen.

Photo credit: khockett on Flickr

I am hardly an authority on the topic of climbing, especially when it comes to doing it on ice. All I know is that you’d need metal, spiky things and some rope, not to mention a lacking fear of heights. And actually, heights and me don’t get along all too well, but I’m working on getting better at that as I get older.

When Rebecca’s cousin came back from a recent trip to Las Vegas, he brought me back a copy of the L.A. Times with an interesting article on the front of it. Turns out, some dude in Iowa has a real knack for ice climbing. Snow and ice is very common this time of year, but mountains and cliffs are not as abundant, all year round. So what does he do? Staring at an abandoned grain silo one day, he has the idea to cover it in ice and climb it.

When I read the first few lines, I knew that this had to be the idea of some college professor looking for a quick fix for a lack of good places to climb in the prairies that make up most of the state, and my hunch was spot on. Don’t ask me why, but I spent enough time around like minded folks to just make an educated guess. Combine the expertise in DIY engineering that only comes from the minds of farmers from the midwest, and this is what happens. Granted that he is a physical education instructor at UNI, but this sense of “craziness” has the ability to rub off on you.

Weekend America did a piece on the story, and you can check out the rest of these pictures that I found on Flickr. Not sure that I’d try to do this, but the site would be neat to see. I’d also like to be there when all the ice melted and came crashing to the ground.

This is cool and clever all at the same time. I also have a bit of fondness for MxPx.

In a recent promotion of “Bremerton Blend”, a coffee endorsed by MxPx, the band has randomly inserted “golden tickets” in 2 of the 200 bags of the product.

We will be putting in ONE ‘Golden Ticket’ naming the lucky recipient as the winner of the signed guitar! We’re also putting in a single “golden ticket” in a second 1 pound bag for a 50 dollar shopping spree at the MxPx Merch Arsenal.

To check out the coffee or the promotion,head over to this link. [punknews]

Pushing products in the name of your fans and the rock. I can dig that. Wonder if the coffee’s any good.

I’ve come to the conclusion that this is the reason why grudges about all Americans being stupid, ignorant, stuck up, and all of the above exists.

Who said David Beckham’s arrival in America would attract no attention? Not only has the erstwhile galactico and England captain made it onto the US equivalent of GMTV and elicited praise from Sly Stallone, he’s attracted the attention of Jayceon Taylor, aka gangster rapper The Game.

Showing a not entirely cohesive understanding of the game Americans call soccer, the South Central-based rapper (Beckham’s new side, LA Galaxy, is his local club!) was not entirely effusive about the arrival of the face of Gillette razors in his hood.

“I’d kick David Beckham’s ass on any given day,” the Game said when asked about Beckham. “I’d just pick the ball up and kick the shit out of the stadium, game over.”

Quite whether the Game’s expletive was referring to the ball, Beckham, or simply the action he was planning to take against LA Galaxy’s Home Depot Center remains to be seen. But The Game was on less steady ground when a follow-up question was put his way.

When asked his thoughts on Beckham’s ability as a footballer he responded simply: “Pretty good”. [guardian]

Dear rest of the world,

All Americans are not like this. Please don’t let our piece of crap version of popular culture influence you. I dislike this junk just as much as you guys do. There are some of us who look past it and enjoy other things in life that is not related to MTV, reality TV, and tabloid media.

This guy, on the other hand, is a moron. Feel free to rip on him.

Thank you.

I have to state the obvious. Today’s collapsing of the roof at BC Place[wiki] was the hot topic across so many media outlets, and everyone in the world of blogging, at least here in Vancouver, was looking to be apart of the madness. Yes, Rebecca did make a post about it. I won’t deny that, but we were about 30 minutes late to the whole event as we were driving around the mayhem of slush covered roads in the GVRD. She just amended a post that she made earlier in the day to include a photo she snapped while on our return home.

The significance is nothing to sneeze at. I get that much. This is a huge landmark for Vancouver, and the issue runs deep. The winter olympics are coming, local officials might have over thought the longevity of the dome, and so on. I get it.

The inflated roof at B.C. Place stadium in Vancouver has collapsed, but no one is reported hurt.

The office of Vancouver Fire Chief Bob Smith says there are no injuries following the collapse of the roof of BC Place Stadium.

Emergency personnel are calling this a mechanical problem that caused the stadium’s fans to cut out and bring the roof down.

The fabric dome came down into the bowl of the stadium during a storm that brought wind and heavy, wet snow to the area. [cknw]

But holy crap, was there ever a rush to publish everyone’s vantage point of it all. While in the car, CKNW was doing their damnedest to cover the story to every last end of the catastrophe. Apparently someone made some sort of statement at some point just after the collapse that led one of their on air guys to to wonder about some cover up over some one somewhere being killed during the whole thing. Their coverage was a tad on the extreme, bizarre, and near insane side, but we were able to dissect the jest of the story from the outside in.

And honestly, what was the guy on that they were interviewing about the noise of the roof collapsing sounding like “zoo animals running through your kitchen”? I’ve never had the opportunity to have any sort of wild animal run through any of the households that I have lived in. I experienced some parties in college that might come close, but the sounds of zebras and elephants is something I’m not all too familiar with. He was on the field at the time of initial tear. Outside, people said it sounded like thunder. Inside, this dude was tripped out by the sounds of the circus parade punching a hole in the roof.

The various blogs from the area didn’t fail to amaze me though. I figured someone would, at the very least, have pictures on Flickr or YouTube when we got home late this afternoon, but this was nuts. The Vancouverite[1, 2, 3], Darren Barefoot, Breebop, Derrek Miller, Jeremy Latham, Metroblogging Vancouver, Beyond Robson[1, 2], and my good pals Dave Olsen and Alanah even weighed in. You all lived up to your expectations, and it was a rush to have your stuff up there as soon as you could. That’s what amazes me the most.

Everyone has their view, but there has to be a point where a roof collapsing on a sports stadium can only be done to a certain extent before it’s saturated. This has happened back in my home state a few times to the UNI-Dome[wiki], but they fixed the issue by slapping on a metal roof. Not saying that this can be easily solved in a similar way for BC Place, but don’t worry folks. Life will go on.

If it only took a phone call to fly in replacement trees for Stanley Park and a few weeks to make that look normal again, then we’d totally be in business.

Let’s be honest. The “Kansas City Penguins” has no ring to it. It cannot compare to the way the words “Pittsburgh” and “Penguins” rolls off your tongue. Four syllables versus six. I don’t like the idea of Pittsburgh losing their NHL team at all[cbc].

However, I do love Kansas City.

I have a lot of family who live in and around KC. I grew up making many trips to visit my grandparents and seeing the sights where my parents first met(don’t ask me how they ended up in Iowa). The long stretches of interstate 80 and 35 were the way that I learned how to drive on four lane freeways. It’s probably the main reason that I have longed to live in a metropolitan area for most of my adult life.

The odd thing is, I have never been to a professional sporting event in KC. I have been inside Arrowhead Stadium for the city’s sesquicentennial celebration(got to see Little Richard and Kenny Rogers in the same night), but that’s about it. You cannot dispute that there are die hard Royals and Chiefs fans in the city, and the record of each respective team does little to change that. I really can’t be too sure about the Wizards of the MLS, but the following can be seen for those who love the futbol.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Pittsburgh Penguins could play rent-free and be equal managing partners in the new Sprint Center if they move to Kansas City, under an offer unveiled Thursday by the arena’s operating group.

Tim Leiweke, president of Anschutz Entertainment Group, said the Penguins would not have to buy into the management agreement. The $276 million Sprint Center is scheduled to open in October. [...]

“They have told us they will make a decision within 30 days,” Leiweke said. “We will know within 30 days whether they are going to work out their issues in Pittsburgh and get an arena built, or whether they will ask the NHL for permission to move the team to Kansas City.” [espn]

There is no doubt in my mind that KC is fully capable of handling a hockey team. The Sprint Center[wiki] has been built specifically to lure a team from the NHL, there’s no disputing that. They probably would have lived with a minor league team, but the people behind the push wanted to go pro. Are the people of KC ready for it? I can’t be too sure.

Chatting briefly with one of my cousins who lives in the area, he thought they already had a team there. And they did… up until about five years ago. Even then, the Kansas City Blades[wiki] were only an IHL team. Oddly enough, they were also an affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks until the IHL folded in 2001.

Is my fifteen year old cousin a solid source for the mindset of the entire Kansas City metropolitan area? Probably not, but it kind of shows you that this will be more like when the Nashville Predators started into the league. You’ll have to start teaching hockey to a new legion of fans if the Penguins move to KC.

The one saving grace in all of this is star power, and we all know that the Penguins have that. I can already see car dealerships in the metro area of KC with Sidney Crosby’s endorsement or the lighting of the Plaza lights being done by Evgeni Malkin at the switch. The Sprint Center being in the downtown core of the city offers numerous possibilities to market the team and city at the same time.

It’ll be a daunting move if Lemieux takes the team to the midwest, and I’ve been itching to see that happen. The bitter rivalry of having the St. Louis Blues come into town will already brew an attraction for fans to come out and support the local team for a long time. I do wonder if they’ll retain the name if they move, but “KC Pens” does pop up in my head. You can already hear sports reporters saying it.

Also, don’t think for a minute that Missouri having two NHL teams is an overkill. That’s like telling someone from Alberta that they should only have one team in that province. It actually takes less time to drive between Calgary and Edmonton than it does for St. Louis and Kansas City.

When it comes down to it, I would really like to see the Penguins stay in Pittsburgh. If they have to move, then make it KC. The midwest needs more hockey.

The one thing to bring you down on Christmas Day, isn’t it? The godfather of soul passing away was enough to make me gasp and let out an, “Oh no!”

NEW YORK (AP) — James Brown’s music career will come full circle when his body is brought to rest on the stage of the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem, where he made his explosive debut, and the world changed to his beat.

The public will be permitted on Thursday to visit the Apollo to have one more look at a man who helped steer modern musical tastes toward rhythm-and-blues, funk, hip-hop, disco and rap, the Rev. Al Sharpton said Tuesday. The reverend has been a close friend of Brown for decades. [...]

Brown, known as the Godfather of Soul, died of congestive heart failure on Christmas morning in Atlanta at age 73. He had been scheduled to perform on New Year’s Eve in Manhattan at B.B. King’s blues club. [cnn]

Doing the live, morning shows at The Java House in downtown Iowa City, my favorite CD to throw in as a preshow warm-up was none other than James Brown[wiki] himself. It wouldn’t make the annoyed crowd sing along over their lattes as much as The Beatles would, but I know we, the setup crew, loved it. Makes me sad, but I bet those guys are still using his tunes for pregame.

You have to admire the man. Not only did he make some great music, but he was simply crazy.

Seriously, you stand no chance of avoiding it.

VANCOUVER/CKNW(AM980) – Back by popular demand…

Shaw’s holiday fire log is celebrating its 20th anniversary and will be rolled out again this holiday season.

No need to chop or haul wood or stoke the fire.

For those who don’t experience the crackling of a warm fireside hearth over the holidays, Shaw Communications is once again comforting TV viewers with its yuletide fire log.

Beginning December 23rd and continuing through to December 27th, fire log fans can cozy up in front of their television sets for what’s become a holiday tradition for many viewers. [cknw]

Ah geez. Alright, I can’t quite say why I’m waging my own personal war against this. Maybe it’s because I would love more than anything to have our own fireplace. I don’t know. All I know is that this bugs me to no end.

Seriously…

I have an extremely soft spot in my heart for the film version of High Fidelity[imdb]. Yes, it would be in my top five, all-time favorite flicks. It’s clever, has a great soundtrack, and has John Cusack. Don’t know why, but that third ingredient always brings me to check out any project that he is involved in. I tried to read the book it was based on, but it was one of those many things that I picked up and simply failed to get past the first fifty pages. It’s not that it wasn’t any good. I just didn’t have the attention span.

But did you know that it was being made into a Broadway musical? I certainly didn’t, and it looks like not very many people will get a chance to see it.

It might not rank on the list of the Top 5 Broadway Flops, but it comes close.

Last Thursday the stage adaptation of Nick Hornby’s novel High Fidelity opened at one of the biggest theatres on Broadway. The story of a nerdishly dysfunctional record shop assistant, the hit novel had translated into a hit film. The hit stage musical, it seemed, was assured.

But on Tuesday, after just 14 performances, the show’s producers announced that it was closing. [guardian]

Ouch. I can’t say that I’m too surprised though. For the life of me, the character of Rob singing on stage, prancing around, and singing off his top-fives just doesn’t play out well in my head. In fact, I call the images of thinking about such things to be down right scary. There are certain things that work well for musicals, but I’m not sure why someone thought this would be one of them.