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Showing posts with label world. Show all posts
Showing posts with label world. Show all posts
Tuesday 14 January 2014
Friday 7 December 2012
We have a long way to go
If you've ever felt like the whole world is out to screw you over, relax. You're not paranoid--you're probably right (depending on where you live)! And now you have proof. The following image illustrates the level of government corruption measured as perceived by citizens of each respective country as well as other measures such as the amount of transparency, etc. The darker red colours denote extremely corrupt nations. The darker blue defines less corruption. This is the 2012 version.
(Click on image to enlarge.)
It does not paint (pun intended) an encouraging picture, does it? Most of the world is steeped in corruption. No wonder so many people still suffer in poverty and otherwise.
Here's a chart using the same data:
Click here to go to most recent posts.
(Click on image to enlarge.)
It does not paint (pun intended) an encouraging picture, does it? Most of the world is steeped in corruption. No wonder so many people still suffer in poverty and otherwise.
Here's a chart using the same data:
Click here to go to most recent posts.
Tuesday 10 May 2011
Talk about a sugar high
Hundreds of people turned out today in Toronto to witness the construction of the world's largest ice cream cake.
Guinness World Records was on hand at Dundas Square as the 10,130.35-kilogram cake was created.
A forklift brought pallets of vanilla ice cream into the square as 22 workers from Dairy Queen built and iced the cake.
Full Story
Note: A kilo is 2.2 pounds, so those whose countries continue to refuse to join the modern world, double the weight above and add 10%.
Click here to go to most recent posts.
Saturday 14 August 2010
Celebrities' secret identities
Today, I was watching a WPT (World Poker Tour) event on TV and they showed a clip of one of those glamour girls they have at such events and I almost fell out of my chair. To give you a better idea of how startled I was, I wasn't even in a chair at the time! She was a dead ringer for another well-known celebrity.
I jumped to my computer (okay, I walked over really quickly--I didn't want to fall again) to find out who she was. It didn't take long, but few of the images I was looking at resembled her very much and certainly not the celeb she struck me as a perfect match to. Except for this one small image. First, let me first show you one of her more flattering poses that no doubt got her the gig with the WPT.
Here is the lovely Sabina Gadecki:
Does she remind you of anyone? Think for a few moments? Yes? No? It doesn't really matter--you'd be wrong.
Okay, I'll let you in on it. Don't you think she looks exactly like Bill Maher? No, there was no crash of my computer and all my files got mixed up. Bill Maher...couldn't she be his daughter? Yes, this Bill Maher...
Look at her. Look at him. Aren't the identical?
By now, you must be thinking I lost my mind. Let's try it this way--I'll put them side by side and then you can more easily judge if there's any resemblance at all. I'm sure you'll see it, then.
Here they are:
Just like I said--dead ringer, right? No? Are you sure? What about these photos of the same two people?
Is this Bill Maher's long, lost love child? Is it Bill Maher in drag?
To see other "celebrities' secret identities" that I've discovered, click here.
Click here to go to most recent posts.
I jumped to my computer (okay, I walked over really quickly--I didn't want to fall again) to find out who she was. It didn't take long, but few of the images I was looking at resembled her very much and certainly not the celeb she struck me as a perfect match to. Except for this one small image. First, let me first show you one of her more flattering poses that no doubt got her the gig with the WPT.
Here is the lovely Sabina Gadecki:
Does she remind you of anyone? Think for a few moments? Yes? No? It doesn't really matter--you'd be wrong.
Okay, I'll let you in on it. Don't you think she looks exactly like Bill Maher? No, there was no crash of my computer and all my files got mixed up. Bill Maher...couldn't she be his daughter? Yes, this Bill Maher...
Look at her. Look at him. Aren't the identical?
By now, you must be thinking I lost my mind. Let's try it this way--I'll put them side by side and then you can more easily judge if there's any resemblance at all. I'm sure you'll see it, then.
Here they are:
Just like I said--dead ringer, right? No? Are you sure? What about these photos of the same two people?
Is this Bill Maher's long, lost love child? Is it Bill Maher in drag?
To see other "celebrities' secret identities" that I've discovered, click here.
Click here to go to most recent posts.
Friday 11 June 2010
Tuesday 9 June 2009
Thinking of moving?
The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) announced Monday that Vancouver is the best city in the world to live, followed by Vienna, Austria and Melbourne, Australia.
The EIU -- the business arm of the U.K.-based weekly economics magazine -- ranked the living conditions of 140 cities around the world based on five broad categories; stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.
Vancouver:
Toronto:
Calgary:
The EIU -- the business arm of the U.K.-based weekly economics magazine -- ranked the living conditions of 140 cities around the world based on five broad categories; stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.
With a rating of 98 out of 100, with one being "intolerable" and 100 being "ideal", Vancouver topped the charts, "benefiting from strong Canadian infrastructure," according to the study's authors.
Two other Canadian cities, Toronto and Calgary, ranked in the top 10. Toronto ranked fourth, followed by Perth, Calgary, Helsinki, and Geneva. Zurich and Sydney tied for ninth.
Story.Vancouver:
Toronto:
Calgary:
Monday 5 January 2009
A sparkling performance
Canada proved to be too much even for a motivated Swedish squad who fell short in the fight for Gold for the second year in a row to the same adversary. For Canada, it was its fifth consecutive Gold Medal, a feat they accomplished twice now, having also won Gold in years 1993-1997.
Canada wasted no time opening the scoring with a goal just 38 seconds into the game. The game remained close until the lead widened to two in the second period. Despite having six or seven opportunities with a man advantage, including two short stints with a two-man advantage, the Swedes could not capitalize.
Finally, an even-strength Swedish goal midway through the third period made it Canada 3 Sweden 1. When Sweden pulled out all the stops, vacating the net in favour of an extra forward with more than two minutes left in the game, Canada scored two empty-net goals, clinching the Gold Medal.
Canada wasted no time opening the scoring with a goal just 38 seconds into the game. The game remained close until the lead widened to two in the second period. Despite having six or seven opportunities with a man advantage, including two short stints with a two-man advantage, the Swedes could not capitalize.
Finally, an even-strength Swedish goal midway through the third period made it Canada 3 Sweden 1. When Sweden pulled out all the stops, vacating the net in favour of an extra forward with more than two minutes left in the game, Canada scored two empty-net goals, clinching the Gold Medal.
What's just below Gold?
National disgrace. This is the reality that every Canadian national hockey team (not to be confused with Canadian NHL team, who have been a national disgrace for longer than I care to remember) must contend with every time they step on the ice. Despite the tremendous pressure, team after team--junior, Olympic, World and women's teams keep coming through with the goods. The current World Junior Hockey tourney is no exception.
The Canadian machine has sputtered on the way here--they allowed the Americans to build a 3-goal lead on New Year's Eve, but fought back to win 7-4 and then in an even more remarkable match this past Saturday night, the boys scored on Russia with five second left in regulation to send it into overtime, where the Canadians won in a shoot-out.
So, tonight they go for Gold for the fifth time in as many tournaments. They face a very talented and determined Swedish team and it should prove to be a highly exciting and entertaining game. And once again, nothing less than Gold is acceptable.
The Canadian machine has sputtered on the way here--they allowed the Americans to build a 3-goal lead on New Year's Eve, but fought back to win 7-4 and then in an even more remarkable match this past Saturday night, the boys scored on Russia with five second left in regulation to send it into overtime, where the Canadians won in a shoot-out.
So, tonight they go for Gold for the fifth time in as many tournaments. They face a very talented and determined Swedish team and it should prove to be a highly exciting and entertaining game. And once again, nothing less than Gold is acceptable.
Wednesday 17 December 2008
Money!
I've been putting off writing about the stock market, but I can't ignore it any longer. The economic news keeps getting worse and worse and the indexes keep going higher and higher. Something's got to give. I've been out of the market for several months, having exited before the major carnage started, but I've been reluctant to get back in the water, fearing there's sharks just below the surface.
It's possible that the market dropped too low and has corrected itself, but being a pessimist by nature, I am more prone to believe that the recent recovery is a "dead cat bounce". As far as I'm concerned, we have not yet seen the devastating effect all the layoffs are to have on the economy. Everyone is cutting spending. And that includes those lucky enough to have a job right now. They're scared #$!2^@# that they're next on the chopping block...and they probably are.
This sort of situation tends to be a catch-22. The more layoffs there are, the less spending there is. The less spending there is, the worse the economy gets. The worse the economy gets, the more layoffs there are.
I am going out on a not-so-long limb and declare that this thing will get much worse before it gets better. I know I'm not the only one predicting doom and gloom, but I have been posting, chatting, e-mailing and conversing about the emergence of third world countries and the possible economic collapse of the United States for almost 20 years now.
Having said that, I pray it doesn't turn out as bad as I have imagined it, for that would not bode well for the whole world and especially Canada, America's largest trading partner. One bright note is that the emergence of third world nations has provided a much needed diversification of trading partners. If an economic collapse of the U.S. had happened ten years ago, the entire planet might have become "the third world". Today, there's a few others to do business with.
One last thought, and remember, you heard it here first (at least if I am right), I see the American indexes dropping below their previous lows in the coming months. I'll join the market at that point because I expect slow and steady gains going forward for the foreseeable future. However, I'm not giving refunds if I'm wrong.
It's possible that the market dropped too low and has corrected itself, but being a pessimist by nature, I am more prone to believe that the recent recovery is a "dead cat bounce". As far as I'm concerned, we have not yet seen the devastating effect all the layoffs are to have on the economy. Everyone is cutting spending. And that includes those lucky enough to have a job right now. They're scared #$!2^@# that they're next on the chopping block...and they probably are.
This sort of situation tends to be a catch-22. The more layoffs there are, the less spending there is. The less spending there is, the worse the economy gets. The worse the economy gets, the more layoffs there are.
I am going out on a not-so-long limb and declare that this thing will get much worse before it gets better. I know I'm not the only one predicting doom and gloom, but I have been posting, chatting, e-mailing and conversing about the emergence of third world countries and the possible economic collapse of the United States for almost 20 years now.
Having said that, I pray it doesn't turn out as bad as I have imagined it, for that would not bode well for the whole world and especially Canada, America's largest trading partner. One bright note is that the emergence of third world nations has provided a much needed diversification of trading partners. If an economic collapse of the U.S. had happened ten years ago, the entire planet might have become "the third world". Today, there's a few others to do business with.
One last thought, and remember, you heard it here first (at least if I am right), I see the American indexes dropping below their previous lows in the coming months. I'll join the market at that point because I expect slow and steady gains going forward for the foreseeable future. However, I'm not giving refunds if I'm wrong.
Saturday 23 August 2008
New World Edition Monopoly game
Does anyone else find the new World Edition Monopoly game board conspicuous? First of all, I had to look up "Gdynia". Sure, it's the cheapest property on the board, but why is it on there at all when cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and Rio de Janeiro are absent? Riga is the second-most expensive property, the best-kept secret among jet-setters...I guess. I might understand if China had two cities on the board, but three??? I've saved the most bizarre aspect for last.
Canada, a country so small in population that it barely surpasses the city of Tokyo, is the only country represented on the board besides China with more than one city--and it has not two cities, but three! Lastly, the coveted "Boardwalk" location is now occupied by Montreal, one of the least important cities in Canada. I'm not sure if it's still shrinking in size, but people are running away from Montreal faster than the residents around the recent huge propane facility explosion in Toronto were.
Here's a look at the properties on the new board in descending order of value:
Canada, a country so small in population that it barely surpasses the city of Tokyo, is the only country represented on the board besides China with more than one city--and it has not two cities, but three! Lastly, the coveted "Boardwalk" location is now occupied by Montreal, one of the least important cities in Canada. I'm not sure if it's still shrinking in size, but people are running away from Montreal faster than the residents around the recent huge propane facility explosion in Toronto were.
Here's a look at the properties on the new board in descending order of value:
Monday 18 August 2008
Canada set to win the World Cup of Soccer 2010
Well, you'd think so if you listened to some of the current crop of players. Let's have some perspective, guys. Canada has only once even qualified for World Cup play. Ever. So, where's all the optimism coming from?
In preliminary qualifying, the "Super Canucks" positively destroyed their opponent, outscoring them 7-1 in two games. Who was this formidable opponent that succumbed to the mighty Canadians? St. Vincent. Yes, you read correctly. But let's not forgot that St. Vincent also includes The Sardines--I mean The Grenadines. For those unfamiliar with the soccer powerhouse, St. Vincent and the Grenadines is an island nation of 118,000 inhabitants situated in the Caribbean.
With high unemployment and people emigrating away, it's impressive that they can even put eleven players together. At last count, there were about 22,000 telephone lines. Dollars to doughnuts says the coach couldn't get in touch with some of the players to inform them of the upcoming games. The second largest country in the world has good reason to strut like the cock of the walk.
Go Canada!
Note: Canada's next game is in two days time against an equally considerable opponent--Jamaica. Team Canada should have an easy go of it as long as the Jamaicans have a good, healthy dose of the local herbal elixir before the game.
In preliminary qualifying, the "Super Canucks" positively destroyed their opponent, outscoring them 7-1 in two games. Who was this formidable opponent that succumbed to the mighty Canadians? St. Vincent. Yes, you read correctly. But let's not forgot that St. Vincent also includes The Sardines--I mean The Grenadines. For those unfamiliar with the soccer powerhouse, St. Vincent and the Grenadines is an island nation of 118,000 inhabitants situated in the Caribbean.
With high unemployment and people emigrating away, it's impressive that they can even put eleven players together. At last count, there were about 22,000 telephone lines. Dollars to doughnuts says the coach couldn't get in touch with some of the players to inform them of the upcoming games. The second largest country in the world has good reason to strut like the cock of the walk.
Go Canada!
Note: Canada's next game is in two days time against an equally considerable opponent--Jamaica. Team Canada should have an easy go of it as long as the Jamaicans have a good, healthy dose of the local herbal elixir before the game.
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