Kevin Morris

Has moved to wordpress

2010-04-29T20:58:00.002-04:00

For all of my avid readers out there. I have decided to move from Blogger to wordpress.

You can now find me at: kevinndmorris.wordpress.com

Speaker's Ruling on Detainee Issue - 2 weeks, or else.

2010-04-27T16:22:00.002-04:00

It appears that the Speaker of the House of Commons has told the government that it has two weeks to come to a compromise that will allow the public to see the documents and national security or he will order it to happen.

This makes me happy. Just sayin`

Harper's Conservatives say "not funding abortion"

2010-04-27T03:39:00.002-04:00

Oh dear,

I have always said that divisive issues suck, but it seems that the Conservatives want to take this wedge issue and press it down on Canadians. According to the Star, Conservative MP Jim Abbott said

"Canada's contribution to maternal and child health may include family planning. However, Canada's contribution will not include funding abortion."

This is obviously a tough issue to work with. This is not something that should be put into the political arena, but here the Conservatives have decided to take a step forward and push it in. I believe that our taxes should go towards these things. If this is going to prevent unsafe methods such as knitting needles and clothes hangers then it is definitely worth it. The state should not be pressuring women away from having this safe method of abortion

5am challenge - failing horribly.

2010-04-25T04:36:00.003-04:00

So I really wanted to do this, but as my sleeping schedule is currently going from 4-5am until 12-1pm it has been VERY hard for me. Does anyone have any good suggestions on how to get this 5am challenge started? I would love to hear it.

Cheers,

Facebook?

2010-04-24T12:56:00.002-04:00

It seems that our beloved Facebook is down for the time being. Either that or a massive virus has gone around that makes the Facebook page unavailable and makes the first Google search result of Facebook "Karibu Facebook" and sniffs out our password from that.

I'm doing a system scan of my computer to figure things out. In the mean time, is anyone else having the same problem?

This got me thinking. It seems like we have become so dependent on Facebook that it seems weird to have it not be there. Perhaps this is a good thing, not being able to access this social networking site.

I suppose we'll find out sooner or later what is up. In the mean time I'll just have to use Twitter?..

The 5am challenge

2010-04-19T21:09:00.003-04:00

Hey guys,

So I have been reading a blog by the Freestyle Mind and it is interesting what this blogger writes about.

I think I am going to try waking up at 5am for the next 30 days to see if I would like it. The person writing this blog has found that they have more time for personal projects or development.

I will be sure to tell you guys what I think of it as I am doing it.

I will keep you all updated here.

Cheers,

Home and resting

2010-04-15T03:26:00.002-04:00

Hey guys,

I know it has been a fair amount of time between posts, but that is just because I moved back home in Burlington and it took me a bit of time to get everything back up and running.

I have found my camera and I therefore think that I may start Video Blogging or as those in the biz call it "Vlogging". I think it will be a fun and interesting adventure and I welcome you all to join me.

Obviously now that I have finished University I will no longer be blogging - as much - about all the campus politics and maybe focus more on provincial and federal politics.

I am currently looking for a job, so if anyone has any ideas or is looking for someone to work for them for a decent rate please let me know ASAP so that I can start making money.

I will be sure to keep all of you updated on my exploits through this beginning step of this new stage in my life.

Windows 7 hack anyone?

2010-04-04T20:04:00.002-04:00

Hey guys,

So I am using windows 7 and I have this problem with the start bar. I have it hidden to provide myself with more room, however no matter where I put it, it seems to get in the way of things. If i have it on the left side, it gets in the way when I try to hit the back button on my google chrome, right side it gets in the way of me closing programs. Bottom it gets in the way of things that sit on the bottom of the screen and top same thing.

Ideally what I would like is for it to be locked close unless I press the windows key on my keyboard. However I cannot seem to find a hack to do this.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated - and don't say move away from windows because I love windows. =-D

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Aramark

2010-04-04T16:18:00.002-04:00

Can I just say how frustrated I am with Aramark right now?

What type of company can get off doing a minimalist job and get a prospect for an expansion? I walk down there and they're missing tomatoes, no sausage for breakfast, sometimes they don't have hashbrowns. What makes them think that they could handle the amount of people that would be coming down to eat EVERYDAY if they can't even uphold the quality of C1C.

If I was not doing my job at work, they would not turn around and give me a raise, so why is Aramark so different? I feel sorry for anyone after me who will end up having to eat at one of their places exclusively. They claim they'll have shrimp cocktails, my bet is they'll be missing the shrimp.

That is all for today. Good luck on your exams everyone!

Winters Dining Hall

2010-03-30T15:00:00.004-04:00

We can see all the different issues with the Winters Dining Hall Food Court idea here, here, and here.

There are two major issues with this. Firstly, this space is used by students on a regular basis. Whether it be in Orientation, any of the dance clubs, studying, club meetings, flee market, concerts, graduate studies, education and many other things that happen there on a regular basis.

Secondly, is the 330 meal plan. This meal plan is going to force students to use meal credits exclusively at Aramark. This means that if you want to spend your dollars on Indian Flavour, Berries and Blooms, Blueberry Hill, Falafel Hut, Sakura, The Absinthe Pub, or any other spot on campus, you won't be able too.

Anthony Barbisan from York University Food Services mentioned

"We have heard the space issue loud and clear".

Given that they have heard it loud and clear, if they decide to do it anyways it shows that they are deliberately ignoring students.

I charge York University to listen to students and not make these renovations. The students need and use this space on a regular basis, and this meal plan forces an unfair choice onto students who have so little choices as it is.

Winters Dining Hall Town Hall

2010-03-24T19:55:00.014-04:00

Hey guys,

I am going to be once again trying out the live blog process to tell you about what is happening with the Winters Dining hall. I am disappointed right off the bat because the only word I have had about this was a piece of paper in my mailbox. No e-mail has been sent out and no real effort has been made to ensure attendance at this event.

It is a space that will be taken away from commuters, but commuters have not been given a chance to speak to it.

If you have any questions you want me to pose, post them in the comments and I will ask and post the answers on here.

7:57
The dining hall is half filled with seats and half with food. A presentation screen on the stage and portraits of what they would like the dining hall to look like on the side.

8:08
So far it looks like there are about 60-80 people around here. The back of the room is filling up with people trying out the new food that I assume is being proposed for the Dining Hall. I see members of WCC, Food Services, Housing, Aramark and other places in the University.

8:13
It seems like this is a proposal being pushed primarily towards Residence Students. One question I will be sure to ask is what they think the effect will be on Commuter students as they are an important part of our community who already find it hard to connect.

8:17
It seems like things are about to get started. They are asking people to take their seats and people are slowly making their way over.
Anthony Barbisan is standing at the front getting ready to begin his talk.

8:23
he starts off by saying it is a proposal. Not a done deal. He wants to get some feedback and input and looking forward to questions. We have already heard a lot of feedback.

8:28
Did research with 4270 asking questions about food on campus.

72% desired an all you care to eat dining room
75% stated that sustainability issues are important
Healthy options
Social atmosphere/ambiance and comfortable
9.25 - 12 acceptable range meal.

8:31
Proposal is to transform Complex 1 and 2 dining halls into dedicated Marche-style all-you-care-to-eat dining rooms. Potential to implement this for September 2010
Only if it is something that people want.

8:32
Have heard loud and clear that space is an issue. the VP Finance and Admin is committed to ensuring that we protect student space. Is there an alternate location for this?

8:38
The seating looks as if it would fill the room. Capasity is 212.

8:41
Nutritionist monthly seminars, and possibly personalized appointments. Eco friendly dining - removing alot of garbage through food services because it is mostly take out style.

8:54
Talk of 330 meals per year that would be forced into these two places.

In my opinion the impact on the Absinthe Pub would be destructive.

So this went on for another hour and a half. There were tons of questions and as Mr Barbisan said it himself "We hear loud and clear about the space issue".

This was filmed so as soon as I find the footage I will put it online here for you!

Gone for 2-3 weeks.

2010-03-21T00:39:00.003-04:00

Hey guys,

Thanks for keeping up with my blog all this time. I just wanted to let you know that for the next 2 to 3 weeks I am going to be MIA. No Facebook, no games, no movies. One night where I will drink, but that is only because it is free and I'm doing it along with a job - and I get a free meal out of it.

When I finish these 2 to 3 weeks I will have finished school. Which means I may not blog so much about school, but more about politics, or maybe another field that I plan on working in or contributing too.

I feel that this will be a life changing moment for me. But in order for that change to happen I need to sit and focus for the next three weeks on school.

Watch out world, I am putting the last touches on my defenses, then here I come!

I have lost all faith in York...

2010-03-10T01:28:00.005-05:00

Someone really smart decided to make Krisna Saravanamuttu CRO for the Board of Governors Election.

What blogger came up with when someone tried to type "..."

Thanks Kriss Bacon for cuing me in.

You've Got a Bloody Right to Say

2010-03-08T18:10:00.002-05:00

I am concerned right now that the YFS election system has been undemocratic. There have been complaints of not getting all the ballots, ballot boxes not being properly secured and massive demerit points awarded for handing out Excalibur. All voters should be extremely concerned about this issue.

A rally was held at 10:30 today to voice these concerns. Here are some key quotes:

"[I'm] not a campaigner [and I] wasn't really involved other than voting. I am not happy with how things went down. I feel that handing out newspapers is not a reason to disqualify people. I feel this is common sense...Contaminating the voting process by putting the wrong type of tape is undemocratic. There are a lot of issues that should be addressed, and the newspapers is not one of them."

"I talked to people and tried to see what they thoguht. One of them said 'Yeah it sucks, but what do you expect from a York Election'. This is supposed to be a time where we choose who our government is. I don't know about you, but I think it is a damn shame. If you think your vote doesn't make a difference, then that is a shame"

This is the type of thing you would expect from a third world country, not a Canadian University.

We know our rights, we know what democracy is, and we will continue to fight against this undemocratic union as long as the incumbents choose the people who run the election.

I am a voter, you are a voter, but our voices were trampled upon. As voters we have to ensure that we are choosing our leadership. How can we ensure this when the very box you put your voice into is in question? Legitimate representation is a right. The only we can attain democracy - the only way we can attain this right is when the incumbents no longer choose the people who run this election.

YFS Elections Rally

2010-03-07T19:50:00.041-05:00

This seems to be the post that is easily found when you type "Kevin Morris" into google. So I wanted to mention right here that my blog has changed to http://kevinndmorris.wordpress.com/

Cheers!

I will be blogging at the rally with up to the minute feedback on what is happening. Please stay tuned!

9:45
My Netbook was giving a little bit of trouble but I'm up now.
Approximately 5 minutes ago I came and there are already 2 girls with a table sitting under the statue. Krisna came and shook their hands then proceeded up to his office with Mr Salter. Just now Krisna came down and is going to Treats I assume for his breakfast
There are now some supplies sitting on the table, looks like blue and yellow papers.

9:49
It seems what is sitting convinently under the statue is "Building Bridges to Accessible Education". Very interesting indeed. Krisna took his (I assume) coffee upstairs using the elevator.

9:51
There are now about 6 people under the statue, there is no way to tell if these people are truly wanting accessible education or if they are here for the imminent rally.

9:58
Shahbaz was seen walking down the stairs and heading out the North entrance of the student centre

10:00
York Security Services are starting to roam around the area under the statue.

10:01
There are now a good 10-15 people standing around under the statue. REMINDER rally starts at 10:30

10:02
YFS executive director and staff can be seen walking around under the statue
Head of Security along with other security services heading up the elevator.

10:03
Stacie Peart VP Campus Life can be seen going upstairs and the crowd around the statue dies down for the time being.

10:05
YFS Staff members set up a nice sign to make it a little more clear that what is sitting at the bottom of the stairs.
Reliable source says YFS execs are gathering upstairs.

10:11
Security Services are watching us from the third floor

10:14
People show up with megaphone, currently sitting on the sidelines. People show up with the YFS Resist shirt except it says "Resist YFS Tyranny"

10:20
Confirmed again that YFS executive members are still rallying upstairs.
VP Operations Steven Broadley can now be seen going into treats
Darshika went with him...

10:22
About 10-15 people are sitting at the sidelines.

10:24
More people are congregating.

10:30
People are gathering together and it seems like things are about to get started. Salter it staring down at us from the third floor.

10:34
Rally is getting started.
"Wanting to get their voice out" "Feel the process was undemocratic and therefore the election should be redone."

People can put in their opinions about the YFS Elections

There is a sign that says "CROs not CRIOUs"

Speak about Democracy and the background of the statue in the student centre.

10:36 -ongoing

"At this great moment what we need most is to remain calm and united for a single purpose...You are the symbol of everything on this campus...On the day when real democracy comes to York we want to ensure that it stays that way"

10:37
"Really concerned about how the elections were conducted"
"Voting is a right that we should always be proud to have, and he feels that right has been taken away from him."

10:38
Security sitting on sidelines watching
"We Believe this right (voting) should never be taken away from us"
"This is in response to two years of very undemocratic elections, in which the CRO was chosen by the incumbent party and this is really unacceptable. Here to reject the process and results of the election."

Reads off the letter that can be read on the New York website:
"Today the scrutineering team for the NEW YORK slate walked out at the beginning of ballot counting because our team refused to validate an undemocratic process. We took the decision to walk out of the counting room before the ballot boxes were opened, because regardless of the results that will emerge, the accumulated compromises to the election’s integrity makes it impossible to recognize any outcome.

The four major concerns that motivated the NEW YORK team to not validate the process are:

• The ballot boxes were not sealed properly. The ballot boxes were not sealed with a secure type of tape, as promised before the election. NEW YORK filed a formal concern about this with YFS election officials and we did not receive a response in advance of the beginning of ballot counting.
• Ballot boxes from Glendon had their integrity further compromised when YFS election officials did not make a sufficient effort to include NEW YORK scrutineers in the car bringing these boxes from Glendon to Keele.
• Dozens of discrepancies reported at polling stations to date include computer glitches, voters receiving too many ballots, voters not receiving enough ballots, and voters receiving the incorrect ballots for their faculty or college.
• The YFS elections officials are counting the councilor ballots before the appeal of disqualifications has been heard. If the election results are known before the appeal hearing, the elections committee, who were appointed by the incumbents, will be choosing the outcome of the election.

NEW YORK will not stop working to deliver to students the accountable government that they deserve.

We encourage students to take action themselves by contacting some of the people below if you are troubled by the democratic process at our school."

Chants "Democracy was stolen"

10:42
Cameras all over the place, people writing notes, but remember you can only get minute by minute feedback here!

10:43
"It is very unacceptable that people got disqualified for giving out excalibur."
The box is going to go up to the President's office

10:44
"Not a campaigner wasn't really involved other than voting. I am not happy with how things went down. I feel that handing out newspapers is not a reason to disqualify people. I feel this out of common sense. I feel that a newspaper is completely available on campus is not a reason to disqualify someone. Contaminating the voting process by putting the wrong type of tape is undemocratic. There are a lot of issues that should be addressed, and the newspapers is not one of them. This is an important issue and I'm going to write my opinion put it in that box and maybe someone will listen."

10:46
Cheers
"What do we want? A Fair Election, when do we want it? NOW!"

10:48
We are asking for the Admin's help on this issue.
"We asked for democracy and all we gets hypocracy"

10:49
"I'ma keep this short. I started in this election because a friend asked me too, and I stayed in it because I am mad. I feel like every day something went down that was not cool. I feel like noone cares. Everyone is doing all they can. I really want people to write in that box because that is the only way that people are listening."

10:50
signs up "Where is my vote"
more chants

10:51
"Give a little example of what happened. I went to vote last week and I only received 5 ballots. Students are supposed to receive 7. For a student who is unaware that they have the opportunity that they get to vote for 7 people, they lose out"

10:53
"We came here for a fair election, we came to Canada because we want to have fair elections." They proceeded singing O Canada. More chants for a fair election.

10:56
More than 26 minutes into the rally and there is no sign of any YFS people coming to respond.

10:57
"I talked to people and tried to see what they thought. One of them said Yeah it sucks but what do you expect from a York Election. This is supposed to be a time where we choose who our government is. I don't know about you, but I think it is a damn shame. If you don't think your vote doesn't make a difference then that is a shame."

11:01
Approximately 30-40 people showed up. and they are now sitting in a circle by the
statue.

11:02
"I think my vote did not count whatsoever. I feel there could have been a change. Our vote did not come out and this is a shame"

11:03
"Where's my vote" chants.

11:06
Simple question.
Were you happy with the election?
NO
Are any of you happy with the current exec?
NO

11:07
"I'm distressed. I see alot of people just do not care. Alot of people just accept what we are fighting against. The Majority of you don't think it is fair. The only way that we are going to make change is by fighting for it like this. Write down your opinions on a paper and put it into that box. If you don't care nobody else will!"
-overheard- this is something like what you would expect from a third world country, not a Canadian University

more chants "Wheres my vote!"

11:12
"Going over to the President's Office to give him the box. So if you haven't expressed your opinion I encourage you to do it. If you want your voice heard, that is a good way to do it"

11:14
"I don't know what the definition is for election. But I think it has to do with electing someone, but we didn't get a chance to do that. But disqualfying 16 out of 21 people that I voted for is wrong. A bunch of people didn't get their voices heard"

11:16
They have invited members of New York and members of Students First to speak about this issue.

11:23
Going around and asking people what they thought about how this election was conducted.

11:29
"I'm not sure you realize this. No one realizes how much power we have."

11:32
It is clear that their message is that they want a fair election.

11:34
"Canada is supposed to support democracy and I think it is wonderful. Thank you for holding that flag proudly"

Thank you everyone from coming out and/or reading. Be sure to post comments.

For more information about the Rally visit: YFS Election Rally

Students First and (un) democracy

2010-03-06T19:05:00.003-05:00

So we all know that the election process has been undemocratic. We can see that here, here, and here.

And there is a new post on the New York discussion here.

I am going to quote some famous people that I happen to know.

Yoda said: "The dark side clouds everything, impossible to see the future is."

Overheard while walking by a ballot box: "I just realized today that I didn't receive a ballot for President"

Fraser of New York said: "The system is undemocratic and the choosing of the CRO by the incumbents makes it that way"

Brittany said: "I deem this election to be illogical captain"

William Shakespeare said: "Ambition should be made of sterner stuff."

Kriss Bacon said: he "would really appreciate the text of the notice of disqualifications for New yorks candidates"

Jac G said: "Tim Burton Fail.... wonderland = dissapointment"

Closer - SPOILER ALERT

2010-02-28T00:12:00.003-05:00

So I went and enjoyed the play Closer on closing night by Patrick Marber. It was performed in the Eleanor Winters Art Gallery with Matt Marshall as Artistic Director, Colin Fallowfield as the General Manager and a cast of four Christina Manco, Alexi Aslanidis, Maya Tekavcic and Wade Noble.

Let me say before I begin that the most theatre I have ever done is the high school Sears festival. After that I have not really stepped into the realm of theatre except for watching it. I have also never seen the film version of this, but rest assured I will be going to get it soon after having seen this.

I felt Alice's (played by Manco) emotion through the play and was scared stiff when Dan was on top of her and looked ready to hit her (Koodos to Rob Renda for the fight scene). Then when Alice egged him on I found it hard to look. Dan (played by Aslanidis) was very smart and almost manipulative throughout the play. Sometimes I wasn't sure if this manipulation was malicious or whether he was just having some fun. It made for a very interesting character, a character that I feel was brought forward at the end in the scene with Larry. Larry (played by Noble) seemed to be on top of everything until he admits to Anna (played by Tekavcic) that he had an affair. All four of them were twisted together throughout bringing feelings of awkwardness, fear, some joy, but much sadness.

Both the lighting and the music played a huge part in the play, sometimes to relieve the tension in the room (sometimes so tight you could cut it with a brick), and sometimes just a nice way to move on. And great idea with the projection that really helped make the scene. The play really brought in discussions and fights that could happen in real life. It seems true that once jealousy hits a relationship that it is almost doomed to end in the same way that it does for these four.

Bravo to Matt Marshall, all the cast, the team (Alyksandra Ackerman, Sarah Beaudin, Travis Lahay, Rob Renda, Katie McCulloch, Borna Radnik) and the crew (Sarah Barton, Colin Fallowfield and Shane Fallowfield) on a great performance.

I will look forward to seeing another play done with Theatre Bassaris.

z-teca Gourmet Burritos

2010-01-23T14:55:00.002-05:00

I have decided that I want to write a review of this place.

Cleanliness - 8/10
Quality - 9/10
Customer Service - 9/10
Price - 6/10
Outlets - I have only found 1 - and I am using it! mwhahahhaha
Comments: Overall it is a good place to eat. I love that they have seating for when they are not open to increase the study areas on campus, however I am also worried that they may become vandalized pretty quickly. The food quality is very good, I love the burrito. My one worry is that it is very similar to Taco Villa, which is in the same mall.

They are open on Saturdays, which is a BIG plus for anyone who lives in residence. They will soon have catering abilities, or so I am told. Overall I would give this place an 8/10. I highly suggest it for anyone who wants something different on campus. It is more expensive than Taco Villa, but it has many more options (some of which may be cheaper). I would personally suggest more plug outlets, but at least they have the one. My battery life is pretty good anyways. In my opinion it is a little noisy for studying, but a good place to sit and eat.

What would Iggy do?

2010-01-09T12:27:00.002-05:00

I recently read an article by Tim Powers a conservative strategist titled "Answer me, Iggy, or I'll start a Facebook fight".

In this article he asked the question:

If Canadians are not happy with how the Harper government has used prorogation, shouldn't they expect to get some answers from Mr. Ignatieff on what he might do?

Well Mr. Powers, I thought it was obvious, but I am here to clear something up for you. He would not prorogue parliament when there are still very important issues to discuss.

Harper said:

The government is going to take advantage of this time. We need this time to look carefully at our agenda, to continue to deliver the economic measures that are being delivered here and elsewhere across the country as part of the economic action plan.

So you can probably be expecting more conservatives coming to your door with over-sized conservative cheques from the Canadian Tax dollars. Apparently the stimulus packages cannot be delivered without the direct supervision of our Conservative MPs. I have heard of micro-management before, but Mr Harper, you are taking this a step further.

The Conservatives need to start focusing on more pressing issues like, making a public inquiry into the Afghan Detainee issue. Apparently the Geneva convention matters not to Mr Harper and the Conservatives, but it matters greatly to Canadians.

CFS taking after the Conservatives?

2009-12-31T15:23:00.002-05:00

A little while ago I wrote an article called "This is when democracy dies". This article tells of the Canadian Federation of Students doing anything they can to avoid scrutiny (by blocking media coverage), avoid opposition, and ignore basic rules of what a majority vote is.

I see the same thing happening with the Conservative Government now. The Conservatives proroguing parliament are: avoiding scrutiny by the elected opposition members, they are straight out avoiding the opposition, and avoiding motions passed claiming "National Security".

Both of these Governments MUST become more accountable to their constituencies. If they do not they become more like a dictatorship than a democracy and this is something none of us wants. As Mr Warren Kinsella referring to the conservatives put it this is a "Denial of Democracy".

Harper - Read Your Job Description

2009-12-18T14:32:00.003-05:00

Just over a year has past since the 2008 election, and I am convinced that Mr Harper has still not read his job description. Even after the campaign he threw around ad commercials criticizing Mr. Ignatieff for having good international relations.

psst... Mr Harper, international relations is part of the job!

According to the Globe & Mail:

Mr. Harper huddled with officials for briefings away from the centre, did not speak publicly

I have been to a few leadership conferences in my time and even I know that you're supposed to meet people and speak openly at these things.

Mr. Harper, I am begging you, sometime before you leave office, READ YOUR JOB DESCRIPTION!

Conservatives offering nothing but nonsense

2009-12-18T04:01:00.001-05:00

This is in response to Tim Power's The Liberal circus

Wow, so many things to rebut in this.

Copenhagen - Canada spends less on renewable energy than the State of Alaska. That means Stephen Harper isn’t just lagging behind Barack Obama – he’s behind Sarah Palin.
You may or may not have noticed, but one of the Liberal's key campaign points was the environment.

Detainees - I agree with Andrew here. Provide Canadians with the documents and then we can discuss something more than "noise"

Economy - Well, it was Mr Harper's bright idea to lower taxes during a time that a financial crisis was happening. He is only in it for the votes. He knows lowering taxes sounds good to Canadians. What Canada needs right now are balanced books - especially at a time of such uncertainty.

I do not feel safe with Harper's Conservatives. They need to wake up and stop hiding things from Canadians. They need to stop playing political games and start facing reality. Unfortunately I do not thing this is possible for Harper which is why I vote Liberal.

Federal Torys Fail - Provincial Grits Step Up

2009-12-16T14:25:00.002-05:00

It seems that while Mr. Harper is finding better places to go than Copenhagen, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty has stepped up according to the Globe & Mail:

One half of Ontario's vast boreal forest will be permanently protected from mining and other resource development projects as part of a sweeping plan unveiled by Premier Dalton McGuinty to combat climate change.
The government will protect at least 225,000 square kilometres from development, representing one half of the boreal region in the far north and an area 1.5 times greater in size than all the Maritime provinces combined

It is good to see that the matter of climate change matters to the Liberals.

Selling Toronto Hydro? -flashback to 407-

2009-12-16T02:50:00.003-05:00

You will see in a previous post that I favour Mr Rossi in the running for Toronto Mayor. However I do not agree with the selling of Toronto Hydro - or at least I would like to see what is sitting in said contract.

I feel that the selling of Toronto Hydro will be a temporary solution for the City of Toronto. According to the National Post, Rossi said:

“We’re going to sell assets, and we’re going to start with Toronto Hydro...I’ve looked in every book of Jane Jacobs. I can’t find a page, a paragraph, a sentence that says in order to build a great city, the city needs to own the utility.”

Now you will have to excuse me, because my grasp of economics can probably be compared to a game of monopoly, but if we sell something like Toronto Hydro does that not mean that in the long run we will lose money? And I'll be damned if it turns into another HWY 407 incident.

It is not that we need a utility, it is that we need a constant stream of revenue. To me this seems like a band-aid solution. This will serve us well for the next 4-5 years, but in the long term it is one less thing that Toronto has.

Just my thoughts,

Executive Director of Liberals running for Mayor!

2009-12-13T14:47:00.002-05:00

It seems that we have a few interesting candidates running for Mayor of Toronto. I found out recently that Mr. Rocco Rossi is running. Mr Rossi said

"I love the city, and I think I bring a unique set of strengths and weaknesses to the job and want to spend a year laying those out to Torontonians."

George Smitherman, who won 47% of the vote in the 2007 Ontario General Election. Mr Smitherman said

"I want to say this on this very auspicious occasion, it's not every day that those that live in the city of Toronto wake up to the morning news to see that the city of Toronto has balanced its books," said Smitherman. "Next is a Stanley Cup for the Toronto Maple Leafs."

Really?.. Are you really going to make the Leafs win?

Current TTC chair Adam Giambrone, who recently made many York residence and commuters happy by allowing them to get the student rate on TTC buses, however in the same boat raise the fares again which may have angered some of the public and put him in a bad place as far as finances go. Mr. Giambrone claimed recently

"I have been openly exploring the possibility and encouraged by early discussions, but I am NOT making any announcements here today."

Finally, in my opinion the last big candidate is John Tory, a Red PC, although he has not entered the race yet he is expected too some time in the new year. He does have the help of the Liberal's Chief War Room expert Warren Kinsella, however as stated by the Star "[Kinsella] will have a hard time attacking his old boss for mayor's job". He also recently posted a blog where he said "Don't abandon me" probably saddened by the fact that he has to go up against Mr Rossi.

Right now we need someone who is business minded. After reviewing the candidates resumes (without having heard too much on the issues) I am personally very excited for Rocco Rossi, previous CEO of the Heart and Stroke Foundation who has done an awesome job as Executive Director of the Liberal Party. Plus, look at his smile, who can say no to that?According to The Globe and Mail, Rossi confirmed in an interview on Friday night he will formally announce his intentions Monday at Toronto City Hall.

CFS AGM information!

2009-12-04T02:57:00.001-05:00

Finally someone came out with some accurate information. Take a look at RobynOnCampus' post on youtube!

Cheers,

Ryerson Students Union - Deficit... What does this mean for York?

2009-12-03T02:26:00.002-05:00

I recently made a post titled Out of Touch. (read that article before moving forward)

As mentioned in that article the YFS President Krisna stated that if one of their sister organizations such as Ryerson Students Union [RSU] ask for a loan that we should give it to them.

Interesting that this is mentioned and soon after it is found that

this year, the RSU is running an $84,000 deficit.

Does this mean that $84,000 of our tuition dollars are going to pay for RSU's inability to manage their own funds?

I hope not, but if so, it was predicted here first!

Happy Holidays Pub Night @ the Ab

2009-12-02T15:41:00.003-05:00

I wrote an article earlier this year (around Canadian Thanksgiving time) in the Winters Free Press about the use of Happy Holidays vs more specific holiday greetings. I recently was also talking to one of my friends about this as well. As an atheist, I feel left out as I don't really have a thing to say, however I tend to go with Merry Christmas as that is what my family celebrates at home. I could go with the Merry Festivus, but I choose not too.

This time of year gives me a warm feeling inside. Not because of any religious belief or because of gifts I may receive or give. This has been the time of year where my whole family (over 60 people) gets together. This has always been my favorite holiday for that reason. Although recently this has not been happening as much, it is still nice to think to the days that it did.

That said, I look forward to getting together with all of you at Happy Holidays Pub Night, sharing a drink, perhaps some darts and holiday cheer as our exams come to an end.

From my family and I to yours, Cheers, and Merry Christmas.

This is when democracy dies...

2009-12-01T22:10:00.006-05:00

I just finished reading an article titled A week in hell and I felt very bad for the students who went through what they went through.

What perks my attention - nay angers me is the motion that had been passed and how it was passed.

Motion 6

It proposed that the minimum percentage of student signatures required to initiate a referendum to leave the CFS be raised from 10 per cent to 20 per cent. Referendums would also be limited to once every five years and only four referendums in total could take place per year.

Here is a little bit of background. This is all from my own meandering experience. Last year when the YFS elections came around we had people here from all different universities in Ontario campaigning for the slate that was CFS friendly. We had people at our school, with no affiliation to York trying to get votes for a government's election that they had no stake in.

So there was a referendum put out that would make it so that this wouldn't happen, we would have many schools have a vote on whether to keep the CFS as their student government at the same time. This allows students at our school to make an informed choice with people on either side of the issue being from York.

So they counter this by enforcing a new policy that only four referendums could take place per year.

This is where democracy ends.

Referendums would also be limited to once every five years

This means that if we had a referendum this year, that someone coming into school next year would NEVER have a chance to say NO!

This is where democracy ends.

Despite receiving only 44 votes—two per cent shy of the 66 per cent required for approval—the motion passed. The chair ruled that the six abstentions did not count as voting members, despite a voting member being defined by the CFS' own bylaws as a delegation present in the room.

For those 6 delegates and the universities they represent, this is called being silenced. Your representatives who you (I assume) democratically voted in are being told that they do not count.

This is where democracy ends.

This is not just a story, this is a call to action. If you are as angered by this as I am, then show it.

E-mail the President of the YFS and tell him how you feel: Krisna Saravanamuttu - president@yfs.ca
E-mail the Vice-President Students of York and tell him you are tired of the lack of democracy shown in the CFS: Rob Tiffin - vpstdnts@yorku.ca

Vari Hall - The Way Must Be Tried.

2009-11-29T02:44:00.008-05:00

Recently there have been three photos tossed around as to what Vari Hall might look like in the future. From what I gather some people like different things about the three photos and you guessed it some people want to keep it the way it is.

Here is the first one. And firstly you must remember that these are simply ideas, not what it would actually look like. I love the green wall firstly. I think this would help to make and keep our campus green. I also like the pushed out space on the second and third floor offering more room for studying.

Here we have the second one. I love the potential for advertising on the top, which is currently in my opinion wasted space. This will be great space for clubs and others to put events and try to gain membership. Also the lounge chairs to the left and the right look great, except I would try to have them throughout the center of Vari Hall as well.

Finally, we have the third one. Nothing too special about this one in my opinion. I dislike the center rise as there may be accessibility issues.

Overall, I think this project will make student space more useful. I think this will bring a few things forward. Firstly, it will stop the protests that happen in Vari Hall. The average student at York hates the protests and it makes York look bad. These protests are not demonstrations, they are not being done towards people who can change the world. After the big protest that happened last year in Vari Hall the war didn't stop going because our VP Equity (HA!) took a side.

I agree, students should have the right to protest, but not when it disturbs academic life on campus. And honestly, if you're going to protest, go to parliament to people - who care or not care - but CAN do something. The most you will do here is annoy a bunch of students and get fined.

Let student space be student space. A safe space, a space to study and network with fellow students. A place for commuters to sit and relax rather then become slapped down by the commuter dilemma. We have problems at this school and the protests that happen here just adds to them.

Social Media and Networking

2009-11-27T17:16:00.002-05:00

I have recently been diving into different types of social media technology including twitter, google reader, facebook, and most recently google wave. It is a weird feeling to be up to date to the second with, well at least the rest of Canada. I'm connected with RSS feeds and getting articles in the Toronto Star before they even come out onto the paper the next day.

Most recent out of all of these has been Google wave, which I admit I haven't had the full chance to use, but from what I've seen, it looks very promising. Alot of people at York have been asking "how do we advertise to people" because posters really don't work anymore. People just ignore them, no matter how many posters you put up! I think what you have to do now is get one good message and feed it everywhere. Blog about it, then shoot your blog onto facebook, twitter, eventually embed it with Google wave and perhaps even make a video and snap it up onto youtube and have people connected.

Staying up to date with the social media can be hard at times, but it is indeed rewarding as well.

Are there any other social media tools that people use? What are your thoughts on this?

Out of Touch

2009-11-23T22:04:00.003-05:00

I attended the York Federation of Students meeting today. A number of interesting things happened in the meeting.

Firstly, the YFS passed a policy called "Contingency Reserve Accounts". The policy is made to outline how contingency reserve funds will be managed. The idea behind this fund is simple,

these accounts would be created and maintain balances equivalent to a minimum of six months of operation. The principal of these accounts was to provide a financial fall back for the organization that may be accessed during times of unforeseen circumstances -- YFS Operations Policy 18 - Contingency Reserve Account

I found two points under "Access" to be of interest.

One, "Capital Acquisition"

The reserve accounts may be accessed as part of a detailed plan for long term financial planning for large capital acquisitions. Capital acquisitions may include the purchase of a new building -- YFS Operations Policy 18 - Contingency Reserve Account

I guess this would be one of the unforseen circumstances that they were talking about. He couldn't possibly be talking about buying out the Student Center could he?! Nooooooooo the Student Center board would NEVER allow that would they?

Two, "Unforeseen Circumstances"
In this it states that these shall include but not be limited too

loan requests from other student organizations

When a member of the board tried to amend the policy to say "York student organizations" the YFS President replied that should our sister organizations such as Ryerson Students Union ask for a loan that we should give it to them.

Is he representing you when he says this? Do you want your tuition dollars going to other student unions to bail them out of debt? I certainly don't. I want to see that money go where it belongs. I mean, did you know that they have spent $9179.00 on CFS General Meetings? What could possibly cost that much? What kind of accommodations do they get on my dime?!

That aside, there were three board appointments. All there which I believe were pre-planned with a person for each spot.

I tried for the Winters Councillor position when Krisna Saravanamuttu ask me a question.

Being a Winters affiliate for the past x amount of years I have noticed that Winters College Council is out of touch with Winters students...

Did you hear that Winters? Apparently WCC is out of touch with you. OH WAIT A MINUTE. Krisna, I think you confused things for yourself. You see it is the York Federation of Students that is out of touch with it's students. Perhaps you didn't notice the petition with what I'm told over 4000 signatures trying to impeach you last year. I've heard about your time at Winters Krisna, and all that I keep hearing is how annoying you were to live beside.

When asked a few simple questions like "Who is the Master of Winters, What is the Winters Hockey Team name, What colour are the frosh boss t-shirts, What GLORIOUS establishment does Winters own," the person who ran against me said:

"No, no, no, no and let me think.... No."

Okay, I could understand not knowing who the Master is. I get that. I even understand not knowing the name of the hockey team sure. I could MAYBE even understand not knowing the colour of the frosh boss t-shirts... BUT NOT KNOWING THE NAME OF THE ABSINTHE PUB AND COFFEE SHOP!?!?!??!

..and WCC is out of touch with Winters Students?!

Mr Saravanamuttu, if you were going to plant someone to be nominated for the position, at least have it be someone who knows even the slightest about the Winters Community. You cannot make the claim that WCC is out of touch with Winters Students, when you do not know what matters to them. Krisna, you are out of touch.

Happily using netbook again

2009-11-21T12:44:00.002-05:00

So I have set everything up through my net book again. I think that I may be sending my desktop home and keeping my monitor, because I really don't see a reason to keep it here having this net book. I know the net book is supposed to be a companion to a larger system, but I think that it is working just fine on it's own.

I guess I should keep the desktop here for a bit just in case something screws up on the net book again, but I'm kinda keeping my hopes up.

I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Cheers,

Laundry Day!

2009-11-20T18:04:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting in the laundry room on my net book that I finally got back from HP -bastards-. Really kind of bored right now watching my clothes turn round and round. Also kind of annoyed because the person who is using the laundry machine beside me has not come to put his laundry in the dryer, and it has been finished for over 20 min. I will probably end up pointing mine into my own before he gets back then I'll have to wait doubly as long. -grrr-

What is with the whole laundry day clothes thing anyways. I remember just the other day a buddy of mine came into the office with a tattered pair of jeans and a regular shirt and I looked at him and said "I think you need new jeans" and of course he said "No, these are my laundry day jeans." Why can't people just have a clean pair of jeans for the day they do their laundry. I suppose it is the life of the student.

Getting tired already and I got to go to watch a dodgeball game at 12am. -gaaaaaaaah- It will probably end up killing me, but that is okay, as long as I'm around tomorrow.

Going to see my brothe rtomorrowat around 2. It is always nice when family comes up to see me. I am kind of excited to head back down to Burlington come mid December. See all my good buddies again.

I recently started to tune into 99.1 fm CBC radio or whatever. I think they are running out of things to talk about. They were mentioning stuff like creating music with random things. Which is pretty cool I admit, but I think that is something they held for a rainy day.

Well the guy finally came and took his laundry... 24 min late... so I'ma go put my laundry in.

Cheers,

Debating Persuasion

2009-11-20T00:18:00.000-05:00

It is daring, some might say suicidal, to write an article that considers the subject of debating. However, I consider myself a daring person and although many people consider dare devils suicidal I think that if they are well trained enough, that they are in fact just thrill enthusiasts. So here I go.

I have no doubt that practiced debaters will rip this article to shreds. They will have many reasons to disagree and disregard this article. But, given the nature of this article and given that this article is looking at a single subjective good a debater in doing so will have proved my article to be in fact true.

I truly believe that there is no evil, only differing and sometimes contradicting subjective goods. The problem that I have found is that it is up to debaters to persuade – not inform – the population as to which of these goods are higher and better.Most of the time our sets of subjective truths are based on how convincing the arguments are and not the factual merits of one side or the other. Among many fallacies in reasoning a prime example of this is in politics (ie. Conservative buzz saws attacking liberal party members based on nothing that has to do with the ability to run a Country – or in the case of international experience could actually help them run the Country).

In my opinion the public should be given fact based opinions by a neutral third party, then decide for themselves who to vote for. Logistically however this may be impossible. So my question to you is how do we make decisions and remove the politics and debating?

The bottom line – assuming that we cannot overcome this logistical nightmare – is that if you are going to debate something, you better be damn sure that your subjective good is better than the subjective good of your opponent.

This can also be found on the Winters Free Press website

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

2009-11-18T23:54:00.003-05:00

The legend tells that years ago every casino in Las Vegas had a three-piece chicken dinner with a potato and a veggie for $1.79. A standard bet back then was $2, hence when you won a bet you had enough for a chicken dinner. !”
So, the call of glorious victory rang out “Winner Winner Chicken Dinner" --Urban Dictionary

So I just sat and watched 21 at the suggestion of a friend of mine who also happens to live in residence. I am the first to admit that I like gambling. There is something about the statistics and the psychology that appeals to me.

What I don't like is to see a repeat. I don't like to see a Canadian (2004) film being repeated by the USA with a bit of Kevin Spacey. If you do not know what I'm referring too by now I shall tell you. If you have time, go watch the movie "The Last Casino" yourself and you will see what I am talking about.

I decided to look this up to see if others agree. Turns out Darren Barefoot agrees.

Acoustic Night & New Leafs Fan -or- Leafs fan in hiding!

2009-11-18T01:05:00.003-05:00

So I just want to start off by saying that we definitely have some talent in Winters College. This is not particularly surprising as this is the Fine Arts College, but either way this acoustic night was awesome. Big ups to everyone who played and everyone who came out.

In other news. I have found a big secret of one of my friends. Her name is Becky. And she -despite the facade she puts on about being an oilers fan (pfft, who is an oilers fan anyways)- IS A LEAFS FAN!!! And here is the proof ^

The Canadian Conference on Student Leadership turned out to be pretty good. I did not attend to much of it due to prior commitments, however the session I attended and the one I presented gave great discussions and gives me hope for the future of our great Country. Big ups to the steering committee and everyone who came from across Canada to be apart of this great conference.

So apparently students successfully campaigned to make it so that University/College students can now be apart of the Student Rate for the TTC passes come next Fall.

"Today, students, from across the GTA, successfully convinced members of the Toronto Transit Commission to extend the high school Metropass to public college and university students. This decision will save students who purchase Metropasses hundreds of thousands of dollars!" Hadia Akhtar, VP External, University of Toronto Students' Union

I haven't heard anything from TTC on this yet, but I'm sure something will come up pretty soon. If it was done, the congrats to those of you who did it. I'm not getting my hopes up though.

Cheers,

The 2009 Leonid Meteor Shower

2009-11-17T02:21:00.004-05:00

So, I went up to Hunter's Point about 10km from York. I managed to see about 10 of the meteors fly through the sky. Some shorter than others. But it was a pretty amazing site.

Was anyone else able to see these meteors?

Had a great time, thanks Connie and Becky!

HP support - or lack there of?

2009-11-15T10:44:00.002-05:00

I just want to take a moment to say that I will never -ever- buy an HP product again.

Their customer support is ridiculously bad. I sent in my net book to be fixed on Oct 3rd, 2009 and it has had three or four extensions tossed onto it. The expected delivery date is now Nov 20th, 2009.

If you care about customer service, DO NOT BUY AN HP. EVER.

One Week

2009-11-13T19:47:00.003-05:00

What would you do, if you had one day, one week, or one month to live?

This was the question asked by Director Michael McGowan through the movie One Week. Although this movie did not seem to get many popular reviews, I found this to be yet another fascinating movie on a number of levels.

Firstly, it was nice to see a Canadian movie, based around Canada. Being able to see the different landmarks and -gasp- the Stanley Cup, the beautiful landscapes and the flourishing wilderness. This alone was enough to sell me on the film.

Then, what I consider to be secondary is the question which Ben Tyler - played by Joshua Jackson - is forced to ask himself. The question like many questions, brings about more questions such as "Am I content?" or "Is there anything else I need to do?".

Since Ben Tyler was keen about giving everything a rating out of 10, I suppose I shall do the same. This movie gets a 8/10 for me. I was going to say 7, but the whole Canadian thing just brings it up a notch.

Where the Wild Things Are

2009-10-28T01:32:00.002-04:00

So I went down to Yorkdale last night to see this movie. Let me just say that I found it to be an amazing movie. Granted I have not read the book, but I was in awe.

I felt that this truly brought me down to my childhood and made something simple seem scary, something small seem amazing and showed that nothing is impossible in your imagination. Throughout the entire story I felt like I was in a dream, where you are happy with things or afraid of things and sometimes you don't understand why. I loved the confusion and the feeling of being so small.

I don't want to write too much on this as I'm sure some of you are going to want to see it. Plus I should get back to study or slash... it is 1:40... I should go to bed.

I'll talk to you all soon!

Lucky Number 13?

2009-10-21T22:35:00.002-04:00

It seems the Canadian Federation of Students [CFS] has been gambling with students for too long. Thirteen Student Unions across Canada have petitioned to have themselves removed from the CFS. While these students are working like busy bees towards the New Student Movement it seems the CFS has lost the documents.

When will this Student Union start to be more accountable to students? I am asking this question because I care about the students, and what is done with the funding that we seemingly give a blank cheque for. The CFS does not care what you think; they want to push their ideas.

I don’t even consider them students. In fact, it is mandated in the YFS by-laws that you can only take 3 credits per semester or 6 per year. That is 2 half credit courses! How could they be in touch with the student voice?

The CFS is either lying or incompetent. How could they claim to not have documents that when a sworn affidavit from a bailiff states these petitions were delivered.

They have failed time and time again with the Drop Fees campaign. I mean, have you seen a drop in fees? My fees have been going up.

I wish these lucky thirteen good luck on their campaign.

Cheers,

Really good day

2009-10-19T23:22:00.003-04:00

So my day was slightly thrown off in the morning when Mr. "I forget my alarm is on" forgot his alarm was on and left without turning it off.

However because of this I got up and had Atkinson Breakfast - which I am sad to say has changed their potatoes which I used to love - but still holds the best breakfast on campus. (Ab gets a close second - if they only started earlier).

After breakfast I worked for 2-3 hours on leadership stuff and planning a SWOT analysis for the volunteers for the Student Leadership Development Program. A great experience to work with like minded student leaders and to help them build while building on the program.

Then as I was coming back I was invited to see Peter Silverman give a small lecture/seminar on media in the war. It gave me a lot to sit back and think about especially considering the emergency management course that I am in right now. I also met up with Ian who came in from Ottawa, which was awesome!!

After this I went to the Absinthe and ate lunch/dinner and met with a friend and discussed our friends back at home (I miss you guys!!).

I then had a brief meeting with FCSU informing them about SLDP and the Canadian Conference on Student Leadership.

I THEN had a meeting with FREESay which we discussed whether God was obsolete considering modern technologies/truths.

Stopped at the Ab for a bit then came back in to watch a bit of Star Wars.

A very busy day in the life of a University student. I personally think it has been one of the best days while I was here at York, just experiencing so many different things. You will notice one thing though. Not once did I mention that I went to class. I had no classes today and I consider this to be one of my best days here.

I think this goes to show how if you get involved at York that you can truly get such a different experience from University than just going to class. By being so diverse in my studies it allows me to think outside of the "box" and introduce new concepts to people who may not have even thought of things in that way.

My point is, seek it out! Don't just stand idly by while your University years go by. Take advantage of what York or your school has to offer.

Cheers,

Alarm Clocks

2009-10-19T09:55:00.003-04:00

So I woke up at 9:30 today, instead of 10:30. Not because of strength of character, or super amazing-ness or...It was because of my next door neighbours alarm clock! That said, please be courteous to your next door neighbours and turn off your alarm clock if you're not there.

Aside from that I shall be working today at 11:30 then I have a super awesome WCC meeting where new comers get to see how the meeting goes for the first time. I hope they end up enjoying it as much as I do.

The leafs have a week to shake off their bad games. I hope they can use this week to recover and get back on the ice and actually start winning. Perhaps I am too hopeful. I keep watching these games and I keep becoming disappointed. Only time shall tell.

I'm off to eat breakfast at Blueberry Hill. Until next time,

Please God Not the Lime Juice!

2009-10-17T14:36:00.005-04:00

Last night I got to see Woody Harrellson (in real life!) and watch the pre-screening of his movie Defendor. It was a very interesting movie and I found it to be great on a psychological level. There were obviously some funny points that made people laugh, however there were also points that I felt were a little awkward that people laughed due to that awkwardness. Overall a great movie, and I would probably watch it again given the chance.

On another note, how about that cheque scam with the Conservatives?
I am really tired of seeing petty partisanship get in the way of our elected officials running the country. Whose idea was it to put the Conservative's logo on the cheques? Ironically just about a week before this I sent in an article to be published in the Winters Free Press regarding politics and debating, however I shall wait until that is out to go deeper into this (probably beginning of November). Just another reason for me to vote liberal again.

That is all for now,

Kevin's Perspective

2009-10-16T02:23:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone.

Welcome to Kevin's Perspective. I was told by some co-workers and my boss that I should consider starting a blog. So here I am, starting a blog. I honestly do not have much to type about however things will come up and I will be sure to give you my perspective on things. It should be an interesting to blog as I find a lot of things that come my way come with a preface saying "this is completely confidential" or "don't tell anyone about this". And these ironically are the only things that I could think to even start to talk about that might interest people.

So without breaching that trust that I have with those certain peoples, I shall continue. I honestly do not have too much to write about right now, but I am hoping that as things happen I will have a perspective on said things that shall be different from most. One of my underlying beliefs is that there is no evil, only differing and sometimes contradicting subjective goods. That said, I'm a fan of the Liberal Party. I love the Leafs (blue bleeding)- though right now I am kind of annoyed with them.

Anyways, these are two of many things that I'm sure will cloud my judgement. I hope that you all enjoy reading my blogs as things happen. I hope that you also have your own opinions on these blogs so that some conversation can be made.

Until next time,