As I Was Saying Earlier...

http://www.ted.com/talks/hugh_herr_the_new_bionics_that_let_us_run_climb_and_dance?utm_campaign=&utm_source=m.facebook.com&utm_medium=on.ted.com-facebook-share&awesm=on.ted.com_g08Gu&utm_content=awesm-bookmarklet

Self Defense Against Feral/Domestic Cats

The sound is bad in the first scene, but it gets better. Knowledge is protection!

Roll the Bones

While digging tunnels in London, workers came across 25 skeletons from the time of the Black Death. I wouldn't say that I'm a 'Doomsday Prepper' type by any means. I don't hoard food, I haven't turned my home into a defacto fortress. That isn't to say that I haven't educated myself for various disaster scenarios. (Bear with me, this will come full circle by the end, you know me). One nugget I found in this article was the mention of the varying conditions of bones in the different layers of burial. The earliest bones showed signs of malnutrition, attributed to the "Great Famine" that preceded the first round of the Black Death (which eventually claimed 75 million lives in Europe). Earlier today I had read an article about a massive volcanic eruption in Indonesia in the 12th Century. It's credited with being the cause of a Little Ice Age at the time, as well as being one of the precipitating factors of the dark ages, and the 'Great Famine'. Disease, climate change affecting global economic stability, all created a 'perfect storm' of cirucmstances bringing about the collapse of civillization at the time. Bones found from a later period, after the famine, when the plague had been in full swing testified to this: "The later skeletons, however, show more signs of upper-body injuries, consistent with a period of lawlessness and social breakdown." A study conducted by NASA last week addressed perfect storms such as this, stating that the utter collapse of civilization is likely in our lifetime. It said "The fall of the Roman Empire, and the equally (if not more) advanced Han, Mauryan, and Gupta Empires, as well as so many advanced Mesopotamian Empires, are all testimony to the fact that advanced, sophisticated, complex, and creative civilizations can be both fragile and impermanent." You can read the entire article here. We tend to be quite arrogant about our level of civilization, considering ourselves considerably more evolved than our ancestors 700 years ago. I realized just how untrue this was watching the news this week. One needs look no further than side by side pics of modern riot police and Roman centurions to see just how alike we are. RIOT POLICE IN KIEV 2013

A TYPICAL ROMAN CENTURION FORMATION

Now for the full circle. While some might view this article about some old skeletons uncovered in an excavation as scholarly and thought provoking, I find it to be more of a warning. The NASA article mentions nearly half a dozen advanced and sophisticated civillizations that collapsed under a perfect storm of circumstances. It points out that it is a "recurrent cycle", and just such a perfect storm is brewing now. These tunnel laborers uncovering the bones of their 13th century brethren's short brutal live, may just find themselves the next layer in the dirt.

Data Visualization

I love this concept. It reminds me of when I was cooking in hotels, and my Chef had scheduled me on a continuous string of 'clopens'. A 'clopen' is a shift where you work until the restaurant closes, then come back for an opening shift the next day. It is a destroyer of minds. I told him that I'd be happy to do all closes, no days off if he needed, but that working the clopens was turning me into a mental and physical wreck. He was a bit insensitive to my needs to say the least, so I resorted to my own data visualization. I graphed out my sleep patterns for him. The big rollercoaster spikes of sleep/work left him unmoved still, and nothing changed until I eventually quit, refusing to work for any job that intentionally scheduled that way again. The graphic really did a paint a vivid picture that I remember to this day however, and these data visualizations are even more eye opening.

Rock Me Mama Like a Euro Train.

In 1978 there was nothing I wanted more than a train set. And on Christmas I got one. It was the Durango line, a little train set with cattle cars and flatbeds etc. My dad and I had big plans for it. We spent time in hobby shops, looking at layouts, buying magazines, accessories, building models. Eventually I even got my dream train, a Via passenger train, with lights in every car! Trains were hip and cool in the 70s. They were all over the movies, and there was a romance to them that seems to be missing today. That romance was best captured in Silver Streak, a suspense comedy with Jill Clayburgh and Gene Wilder. I had an unbelievable crush on Jill Clayburgh, I watched that movie again and again. When I came across this article from Life magazine on one of my favorite sites, I had to share it! But before you click on the link, check out the trailer for Silver Streak!

Rat Bastards of the Hospitality World.

Been a long time folks, a long long time. I'm divorced now. I'm in love now. I drive a Jeep now. I'm a fitness nut again. I'm working in Northern Canada now, at the world's largest uranium mine. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the North. "Away from the things of man..." a refrain from Joe Vs. The Volcano echoes through the dirty urban alleyways of my mind everytime I board the plane for work. I'm still a chef, but I'm out of restaurants, discovering the true meaning of work life balance. I laugh to think that I thought I had it at my last job. 50 hour weeks, 2 days off if I was lucky, and levels of stress unthinkable for most. I'll spare you the bitterness and let you know that it was nothing close to work life balance. Now this gig... I work 77 hours per week. Then I have a week off. I also get 3 weeks of vacation time.   I joke that I am semi-retired, working 23 weeks of the year.   The winter months are tougher than the summer months.  In the winter I seldom leave the building.  I can spend 7 days completely indoors.  I have fully equipped athletic facilities at my disposal and I use them, which is great.  It doesn't change the fact that I have prison dreams a few times per week.
In the summer it's an entirely different story.  I trail run, canoe, paddleboard and hike. 
In my week off I don't have a care in the world other than the people I love, and I have every moment with them.
My kids are at the age now where they like to hunkermdown with their media and do their own thing.  There is a fulfillment in just being close and available, in knowing they are near and happy!

Re-inventing Democracy In a Media Driven World

It took a week for the government to realize that Bill C-30 was too big a pill for Canadians to swallow. The ridiculous notion that a rejection of uninhibited government surveillance was somehow equivalent to child porn advocacy invited a swift revolt from thousands of Canadians. The catalyst that lit a fire under the generally apathetic arses of media-sedated Canadians originated in the mind of a liberal staffer under the umbrella of "Vikileaks". While the bill isn't yet completely dead, in it's initially proposed form it thankfully will never see the light of day. The founder of this amazing and unprecedented movement amongst Canadians (who came forward of his own accord) is now to be called to the House of Commons by the ruling Conservatives to answer for his 'crimes'. Meanwhile, that same Conservative Party is neck deep in allegations of electoral fraud throughout the country and has expressed no desire to investigate any of the claims.
I'm reminded of the wikileaks scandal in the US, in which Bradley Manning leaked footage of cruel and brutal murders of civillians by the US Military. The soldiers involved in the murders have gone uncharged. Bradley Manning stands accused of treason, and could face the death penalty, while simultaneously being recognized beyond his borders as one of the nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Adam Carrol while certainly not facing the death penalty, does face persecution, and possibly prosecution for initiating one of the most effective acts of civil disobedience in the history of our nation.
In my opinion, Carrol is a hero. He has reinvented democracy for the cybermasses. No longer do we have to sit idly by while our government tightens their grip on the people. Now we can sit idly by and revolt against tyranny in 140 characters or less, to MASSIVE effect. Whitman and Thoreau would be proud. Whatever happens to Carrol after this, history will remember him as a Canadian dedicated to the principles of freedom.