I want my birthday here

I just came across from photos from a bar in Switzerland which is made to look like it was made from skeletons. It was designed by H.R. Giger, the brilliant Swiss designer who created the creatures from the “Alien” movie franchises.

Pretty neat I must say, I’m expected the metal kids in Europe to flock here and go through with a few sacrifices.

Clicky here.

2010: An Opport(unity)

From the June edition of Mayday

2010: An Opport(unity)

By: Daniel Clark

With the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games just around the corner, the country will be gearing up in anticipation for one of the most prestigious and popular events in today’s society. Over the years, the Olympic games and other international sporting events have not only served us several weeks of relentless entertainment, but also a chance for Canadians to (if only for a short time) put aside their opinions and grievances, and focus their thoughts toward a collective goal: the support of Canadian athletes and Canadian success.

Let us think back to the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games; the women’s ice hockey team had just captured gold by defeating the United States 3-2, and now the men’s ice hockey team was next in line to capture a gold medal of their own in a final showdown with (you guessed it) the men’s US hockey team. Watching the game at home in my living room, I noticed the CBC was broadcasting images from the main streets in cities across the nation, and the most memorable thing to come from those images was the fact that the streets were completely deserted. Literally, the normally bustling Young Street in Toronto was empty as if everyone in town had disappeared. Across the map, the streets from Victoria to Halifax were empty. All Canadians, from the Tim Horton’s employee to the Prime Minister, were glued to their televisions as we watched Canada defeat the Americans 5-2, winning their first gold medal in roughly 50 years.

When the final buzzer sounded, people came flowing out from the bars and onto the streets in celebration. It was a beautiful sight, people on top of cars, waving their flags and cheering, it was the first time I had seen anything remotely close to this. Many journalists, sports analysts and broadcasters said it was like a replay of the notorious 1972 Summit Series. Not even on Canada Day have I seen such a strong display of nationalism. The political fine line which divides Canadians on a nearly 365 day basis was washed away. It didn’t matter whether you would be supporting the Liberals, Conservatives or NDP in the next election, a collective Canadian conscience had been tapped. It was nice to get a break from the talking heads in Parliament and focus on something that everyone agreed on, because in all honestly, it’s not often that happens. But that’s one of the great things about sport, it’s border less. It doesn’t know creed, religion or sex and the 2010 Games will present Canada another golden opportunity to truly become a collective country…even for just a short while.

The Biggest Loser

From the May edition of Mayday Magazine.

The Biggest Loser

By: Daniel Clark

This November, the entire world will be getting a face lift. The upcoming United States election will ultimately end the era of the Bush years and usher in a whole new period in international politics. Now, whether it will be Obama or Clinton for the Democrats running against John McCain and the Republicans for the presidency, the winner will no doubt be the one who deserved it most. But the losing side won’t necessarily be the opposite candidate, their staff or their party. It will be something that all we need in our lives and encounter on almost a daily basis: comedy.

The comedy world has been blessed over the last eight to 12 years with some of the most memorable administrations. Of course there was the Clinton years; his cool sax playing, and of course the infamous sex scandal, that has given comedians an almost endless cache of jokes that are still being cracked today. But all through his tenure as President the majority of the jokes were based off of serious issues. The jokes that are still being made are 90 per cent directed to the sex scandal, and it’s gotten to be pretty old.

The outgoing administration on the other hand has been a gift wrapped in a bow for comedians. Despite the fact that several decisions made by the administration were no laughing matter (War on Terror), there has been enough hilarious events that have unfolded during the Bush administration’s period to make some of us look back and want to say: “I’m going to miss that man.” Granted, his domestic and foreign policies are something most of us want to forget about as soon as humanly possible, but his personality, facial expressions and the ever so famous “Bushisms” will be missed. Comedians are going to have their work cut out for them whoever takes office in November, because the jokes simply won’t be as good. Most jokes about the three candidates can be classified: McCain’s age, Clinton being a Clinton, and Obama being too young. Bush has supplied comedians with eight years of material at an almost nonstop pace. Take a look at some of the funny moments that Mr. Bush and his staff have left us: his door incident in China, wiping his glasses on the blouse of an assistant during a late night talk show, dropping Barney, and Cheney’s hunting incident. I mean you have to laugh at some of those, or at least shake your head in disbelief that what has happened during Bush’s presidency was actually done by supposed “smart and professional people”.

I think the comedy world should have a moment of silence on November 4th in order to see off the man that has supplied the world with so much entertainment. The Colberts and Stewarts of the world owe much to Bush, because if it was not for him, political satire would be no where as powerful as it is today. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to miss turning on my television to catch Bush speak and counting how many times he fumbles, and to me that is no laughing matter.

Our power to destroy scares me

Just a video I decided to post of the first test of a hydrogen bomb in 1952. It’s good to know that the billions of dollars invested in weaponry is well spent…scary stuff.

Final Slideslow project

After trial and tribulations here it is.

This is our slideshow project for Adv. Soc Journalism. The popsicle stick bridge competition was held at the Mohawk gym. Students from the engineering and structures courses took part in hopes of landing a scholarship.

Edited in iMovie.

From: Daniel Clark, Shane D’Antimo and Megan Hall

Changes

“It’s not time to make a change,
Just sit down, take it slowly.
You’re still young, that’s your fault,
There’s so much you have to go through.”

-Cat Stevens

Mr. Stevens (Islam) never ceases to amaze me. His songs are timeless, his lyrics incredibly thoughtful, but more importantly: honest. His song “Father and Son” is speaking volumes to me right now. It’s always been one of my favourite Cat tunes, but it has hit me on a whole new level over the last few months. Let’s flashback to Easter dinner. I was sitting at the table with family and friends; making conversation with the guests that sort of thing. One of them turned to me and asked:

“What are you going to do after college, Dan?”

“I’m going to McMaster for history,” I replied.

“Oh. What are you going to do after that?”

ERRR HOLD UP! Maybe it was a fair question, but I must admit, it sent a shiver up my spine. It just got me thinking about the whole issue of “growing up” and “joining the human population”, and after hearing that it got me worried. Here I am, a few months shy of my 22nd birthday just putting the finishing touches on my college chapter and in all honestly, not even sure what the future holds. Yes, I will staying in the city and working over the summer, then off for more education, but I don’t even feel remotely ready for the real world. So when the person asked me what I was doing after university I felt like saying “Why? What’s the rush?” But in case you’re wondering, when I say that I’m not ready for the world, that doesn’t mean all I want to do is go to bars and get tipsy. I’m talking about the innocence and opportunities that are available for young people today; the chances to question, learn, grow, and establish their own identity.

Since I can remember, it’s always been the same old story: Go to school, get a degree, and get a job. Society has put alot of pressure on young people today because of the holes that will be left after the baby-boomers, and I must say that there is no way I’m interested in that lifestyle (at the moment) Yes I will eventually settle down and whatever, but there is still so much I want to do. Some people have found that getting to work is what suits them best, and I cannot argue that. But I’m going to take my time and take each day as a fresh start.

The Rise and Fall of the Mainstream

My sequel video blog. I decided to talk about how I feel the mainstream popular music scene has declined over the years. I think about a time when artists such as The Beatles, Dylan, Pink Floyd and Janis Joplin dominated the music scene with their groundbreaking and original work. But now, I feel the popular music scene has become nothing more than a mass produced and bland industry where the artists all seem to sound the same.

You can agree, or disagree, but I hope you enjoy regardless.

In living colour…

My first official video blog posting for Adv. Social Journalism. I decided to briefly talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Mats Sundin no trade clause. Normally, I don’t do anything sports related for school work, but I am a Leafs fan (sorry…) and this will have a major impact on the future of the team. Plus as the trade deadline approaches, it’s becoming a much more heated issue, so I thought it would be fun to put in my two cents.

2.0: A Web Odyssey

Although I’ve always considered myself to be fairly Internet and computer savvy, this Advanced Social Journalism class has started a whole new chapter for me in Internet consumption…a terrifying and confusing chapter to say the least.

With the introduction of these new Web 2.0 applications which are supposed to help sort through the quagmire that is the “Inter-verse”, I find all they really create is another password and user name that you have to remember, or another website you have to keep up with for it to be any use to you. Now, I understand fully that these 2.0 networks are all the rage, and a lot of people find them helpful and fun, but as I sit writing this on the eighth day of the second month in the 2008th year, the Web 2.0 world might as well be on the Moon.

There are far too many applications out there with the intent of helping you sort through the Web, such as Digg and RSS feeds, but I don’t feel neither of them do any better of a job than simply clicking the “Bookmark” button in your browser to save a website or article. No passwords, no usernames, no sign up sheets; easy. Del.ici.ous on the other hand, is probably the most practical that 2.0 has to offer. I like the idea of being able to share websites with people online regardless of where you are but even still, I find it easier to just tell someone about a website and write down the URL instead.

But one final question remains: What does the future hold for Web 2.0? My answer is it’ll probably be around for a long time…that is until something better comes along. Although I must have missed the 2.0 bus when it was building speed and will probably never wait for another one, a lot of people find it helpful and enjoyable. I don’t feel it’s just a passing trend like what Yo-Yos, Pokemon cards and Tamagotchis were a few years ago, I feel it’s more like the television, personal computer or even public transportation; it’s gonna be around in one form or another for a few years to come.

But to quote the great Dennis Miller: “That’s only my opinion, I could be wrong.”

Here is another blog concerning 2.0:

A professional blog