California Teen dies after fall at Capilano Suspension Bridge

So, 7th june this year, a california teenager died after falling more than 30 metres from Capilano Suspension Bridge. The teenager, believed to be on a graduation trip with other students and teachers is said to have died after a tragic accident at the local tourist attraction. The part of the attraction the teen is said to have fallen from, however, is surrounded by a fence and signes warning of danger. This suggests that, though the fall would have been accidental, the blame is almost entirely on the teen himself. A tragic accident though it is, the teenager, having climbed a fenced off area warning of steep drops can't have been assuming that he was safe. The suspension bridge was open, and the tourist attraction fully operational once again, the day after the accident, though should more safety precations be put into place at the suspension bridge? Though the attraction itself can barely be held responsible, you would think that an attraction on as large a scale as the suspension bridge would have safety measures to prevent against this sort of incident. Whatever happens though, my fear of heights is now definitely multiplied.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/teen-dies-after-fall-at-capilano-suspension-bridge/article1594452/

South Africa Action Heating Up

So, the world cup comes to South Africa, after four long years, I finally get to enjoy watching the very best of the best once again. Of the many teams to participate in the World Cup, once again the bfavourites of the tournament stand out from the rest, though with the previous world cup holders, Italy, drawing their round game today, we can probably expect to see quite a few upsets in the coming tournament. Now year after year, we find where everyones loyalties lie, and again, I will be killing my soul in the process of routing for the UK favourites, England. The very disappointing Welsh haven't qualified for a World Cup since I can remember so I fall to the English, on my knees in the hope that maybe they can make it past the group stages. After just 4 days into the World Cup, we've seen many displays of world class football, with only 1 of the games in the group stages so far making it past a 2 goal win, when Germany obliterated the Australians 4-0. After such outstanding skills on show so far, we can only wait and see whether any other team can finally make an impact on the group standings. Brazil on day 5 gets to showcase their talent, and I think I speak for everyone when I say I'm very excited to see the best in the world play. Though for now, Go England!

Bench Assignment

1) The bench I have chosen is in a small trail just off Milton. The bench sits in a small clearing near the end of the path, partly shaded, yet still illuminated by the sun. The small bench is obviously old, the wood chipped, the paint cracked at parts. The bench, now, is a dirty green colour, covered in dust, dirt, and local graffiti, the bench almost seems forgotten. Set aside from the path, this bench seems like an offering to take a break for dog walkers and runners alike, happily accepting the chance to rest.

2) From the bench, the trees surrounding it let in little light, keeping the bench shaded and cool, yet there is enough light to feel the warmth of the sun, or as it has been lately, the rain falling on me. The tranquil beauty of nature surrounding me, with a view of the mountains at the end of the trail relaxes me, a calming deviation from normal life, where I find myself becoming lost in my writing. I almost start to think of the story, 'Imagine a day at the end of your life' where the falling leaves remind me of the beauty of life and nature, the bench almost forgotten with the dying light almost scares me, the passage of time always following, life taking a whole new direction, the end of such a huge part of my life. Thinking about this, I want the world to stop, for time to freeze and for me just to sit, not thinking.

3) If a bench were dedicated to me, I would like it somewhere that means something to me. As a child, my parents, particularly my mother liked to visit Tintern Abbey, this beautiful monument just off of the Wye river. Befitting to Wordsworth, I would like the inscription plate to read, "For I have learned to look on nature, not as in the hour of thoughtless youth; but hearing oftentimes the still, sad nature of humanity."

4) If I could dedicate a bench, I would dedicate it to my grandfather. He was a big lover of golf, and often played at Maesteg golf course. He was a very good golfer and tended to win most tournaments he entered. After he passed away, his ashes were scattered on the golf course, to be carried with the wind (as the course was conveniently placed on the side of a mountain). If I could dedicate a bench, it would be somewhere in the middle of the course, as all golfers know, there doesn't often tend to be many places to take a break where you're doing a casual 18 holes. The inscription plate would read something like, 'To my grandfather, always keep your eyes on the ball. Your loving grandson, Rhys.'

5) When I saw my bench at the park trail, I was walking my dog, the bench seemed like a good resting spot. It was a hot day the summer of last year, my dog seemed tired, and reluctant to move on, so we stopped. The sun was bearing down, and due to the time of day, the trees surrounding the bench offered a patch of shade, safe from the unbearable heat. It was a quiet day at the park, but now and then, children could be seen passing through the trail. It was still so peaceful in the clearing, and as I sat, I admired the tranquility of the surroundings, and the bench itself. After a long period of time, I cannot say how long, i got back up and returned along the trail with my dog, though having left the clearing, I found myself longing for the peace I gained sitting at my bench.

6 & 7)
The Darkling Thrush
Thomas Hardy

I leant upon a coppice gate
When Frost was spectre-gray,
And Winter's dregs made desolate
The weakening eye of day.
The tangled bine-stems scored the sky
Like strings of broken lyres,
And all mankind that haunted nigh
Had sought their household fires.

The land's sharp features seemed to be
The century's corpse outleant,
His crypt the cloudy canopy,
The wind his death lament.
The ancient pulse of germ and birth
Was shrunken hard and dry,
And every spirit upon Earth
Seemed fervourless as I.

At once a voice arose among
The bleak twigs overhead
In a full-hearted evensong
Of joy ilimited;
An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small,
In blast beruffled plume,
Had chosen thus to fling his soul
Upon the glowing gloom.

So little cause for carolings
Of such ecstatic sound
Was written on terrestrial things
Afar or nigh around,
That i could think there trembled through
His happy goodnight air
Some blessed hope whereof he knew
And I was unaware.

‘The Darkling Thrush’ by Thomas Hardy suits my bench, and my personal philosophy of life in many ways. Sitting here on my bench I look at the mountains, realizing the beauty of nature and the world around me. The sky is clear, a bird sings its song in the tree sheltering me, and buttercups spring up around me, filling the empty space around the park. I think how beautiful the world is and wonder how long this can last. The sentiment of the poem echoes my thoughts of how, through everything humans have done to the world, nature is set aside, knowing of, “some blessed hope.” Nature as a whole has evaded mankind’s destruction for so long and yet still remains such a beautiful and untouched part of life. Nature remaining so untouched also reconnects people with themselves and a sense of life that has been lost to us for so long. It also gives people a sense of faith, and belonging. When we think of nature, the beauty that is, “God’s handwriting, a sense of faith and religion is restored, the sense of religion that has been lost with the coming of our generation. Hardy also sees the coming generation with such uncertainty, yet the thrush sings loudly, “some blessed hope whereof he knew.” In a time in life where everything is so uncertain, I find it easy to relate to Hardy’s ideas in the poem.

8) In my opinion parks are there, freely available so that anyone can appreciate nature. Parks are usually full of colourful flowers, open, grassy areas, a place where people can relax and enjoy the tranquility of nature. Parks can also be there for social gatherings, where people can meet somewhere calm and just enjoy eachothers company. Also, people often use parks as a chance to exercise, to be one with nature. However, parks aren't just for people to exercise, as they are commonly used as meeting places for all sorts of pets, mainly dogs hopefully. Whatever reason parks are used for, they are there for people to appreciate the beauty and peacefulness of nature.

9)
My poem:

Who are we to stop the bird in its song?
What are we to say that the flowers are wrong?
My love, we do what we must so that we may belong,
It's just us, our presence so strong.

Stranger than Fiction

So, just 5 months after the death of his wife, Simon Monjack, widower of actress Brittany Murphy, passes away due to a heart condition, which as the title of this blog suggests, is stranger than fiction. Brittany Murphy passed away on December 20 of 2009 due to a full cardiac arrest, according to paramedics who arrived at the scene of Murphy's LA home. Murphy was found unconscious in the shower in the early morning and was dead on arrival at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre. For such an important human being in so many peoples lives is hard to comprehend, and the actress received many fitting tributes, one such was from "Just Married" co-star Ashton Kutcher who commented on her death by twitter saying, "See you on the other side kid." Murphy's death was even more devastating, however, for British screenwriter and producer Simon Monjack who commented at the time of Murphy's death, calling her his, "soulmate and best friend," he was visibly emotional at the time, and the pain of his wife's death definitely showed. So just a short time after the death of her daughter, Brittany Murphy's mother found Simon Monjack, "unresponsive," in the LA home he shared with Murphy, in the early hours of the 23rd. Monjack was reported by LA coroner to have died of a heart attack, with no signs of unnatural causes. The late Brittany Murphy died at age 32, her husband at 39, it seems like so many icons have been lost in just these past years, with the deaths of many celebrities occuring in 2009, including Murphy. We can only say that we've lost two young people who made a large influence on the world through their films, they, as well as the many celebrities to fall before them will be sorely missed, it's the end of an era for many.

Richards rules out Philli-stition.

So, the Stanley Cup Playoffs come up again, making an unbelievable show this season, with both eastern conference final teams entering into the playoffs as cinderella stories. Both Philadelphia (7th seed) and Montreal (8th seed) made the playoffs by one point, the Flyers winning a shootout in their final game to make it. Now here we are, conference finals, both teams coming back as complete underdogs, the Canadiens faced top seeded team Washington, and the previous Stanley cup winners Pittsburgh, coming out of two game sevens to make it here. But the excitement doesn't stop there with the Flyers being the 6th team in the history of the Stanley sup to come back from a 3-0 game deficit to win over Boston. Here we are folks, the main event, with Philadelphia coming out on top of the first two games against Montreal, with a huge 6-0 win, and a 3-0 win in the second game, they definitely keep high hopes. Though it's not just Phillies scorers making an appearance as Playoff rookie and third string netminder Michael Leighton came in to make two huge shutout games for the Flyers, his shutout streak lasting a full 172 minutes and 55 seconds. Montreal showed up to the 3rd game however, cutting the game deficit to 2-1 in favour of the Flyers, it wasn't over yet for the Canadiens with Flyers' captain Mike Richards calling the game a good, old fashioned, "ass kicking." Another factor in the game was Jacques Martin's alterations to the lineup, and according to Canadiens forward Mike Cammalleri, "For us to get where we want to go, we're going to need contribution through our lineup, not only defensively, but offensively." This strong mentality from Cammalleri certainly didn't show in games 4 and 5, however, as the Flyers came in to game 4 and 5 in Philadelphia to take the Prince of Wales trophy, before hastily retreating to the dressing room. Philadelphia's story this year is comebacks on the heels of injury, Simon Gagne showed that in the Bruins series, when with a broken toe, off of injury in the first series, the Flyers came from a 3-0 series deficit to destroy Boston in 4, Gagne contributed to the tally with goals in many of the pivotal games. Montreal most certainly must have been shaking in their boots when, once again, Ian Lapierre and Jeff Carter come off of injury in game 4 to take the Flyers to the Stanley Cup final. Leighton once again seemed unstoppable in net, taking the Flyers to a game 4 shutout, and a 5-2 series winner, surely the doubts about this young man are way past tangible. Though can we look forward to seeing Philadelphia lift Lord Stanley's Cup? We shall see, though team captain Mike Richards dispelled all fears about lifting the Prince of Wales trophy, when Monday night he skated up and snatched the cup from the deputy commissioner's hands. When asked about Richards' decision to lift the cup, he responded saying, "There was actually a little bit of a debate on the ice," Richards explained. "I thought about it a bit [Sunday] night. My first instinct was to grab it." So, will superstition get the better of the Flyers? We shall see, though let's hope that either way we get a good final show.

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/stanleycup/blog/2010/05/carter-laperriere-return-to-bury-habs.html

Fish: Food for Thought

So, fish these days, always getting smarter, biologists from Stanford university recently focussed on male African cichlid fish, claiming that there's a lot more going on than we think. Researcher Julie Desjardins and biology professor Russell Fernald arranged sparring sessions for the fish, analysing the brain after each session, hoping to find a higher level of sophistication behind these tiny beings. Julie Desjardins claims that "In normal fights, they bite at each other, one after the other, and will do all kinds of movements and posturing, but it is always slightly off or even alternating in timing," so there is some thinking behind the fighting pattern of these fish, and when fighting a mirrored opponent (itself), "your opponent is perfectly in time. So the subject fish really is not seeing any sort of reciprocal response from their opponent." Now I've always been a fan of certain sports like boxing and ultimate fighting, but doesn't fish sparring seem a little... shall we say pointless? Not according to the two researchers, who after analysing the brains of two fish, one fighting an actual opponent, the other fighting a mirror reflection both showed similar amounts of aggression, though the major difference was that in the brain of the fish fighting its reflection, a substantially higher level of fear was found than in the fish fighting an actual opponent. Now apparently, these investigations show a higher level of thinking in fish than we thought, if you think about it, however, doesn't it seem like these fish don't think as much as we believe, seriously, who gets more scared of their reflection than a real opponent? Smart fish apparently.
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/05/21/fish-fear-scared-reflection-mirro.html

Mammoth cloning proves huge 'tusk' for scientists

So, the wooly mammoth, a huge figure of this world's past and a descendant of the ice age. Now if you've ever seen the kids film ice age, then you saw the mammoth as a lonely creature, wandering the world, not a friend to rely on. Very lately, the frozen remains of a mammoth was discovered in the Northern region of Russia. The bone marrow, skin and muscle specimens found in Russia's Northern Yakutsk region were sent to Western Japan in the capable hands of scientists attempting to clone this unbelievable figure in history. The remains found are believed to be around 300,000 years old, yet the scientists plan to use elephant eggs in the cloning process of the remains preserved in "perfect condition" according to a member of the Mammoth Excavation and Exhibition Organisation Committee, Takeshi Matsuda. However the single remains found in Northern Russia only allow the scientists to clone 1 example of this mammoth, which will once again be left completely alone. Now it may just be me, but does this experiment not seem like a huge waste of resources? To clone a mammoth army, now thats the dream, to resurrect a once great (yet extinct) species, yet a single mammoth? This lonely beast will end up alone again, with no chance to restart this once great species, wandering the frozen plains of Siberia, where according the the Vladivostok news is Russia, scientists believe they can resurrect extinct animals in order to create a prehistoric safari park. Cool eh? Though can this feat be achieved, we do not know, but with the cloning of many animals, including a sheep in Scotland, maybe we'll be seeing mammoths wandering the street, well maybe not but you get the idea.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3075381.stm

Full Body Scanners Show Naked Truth

So airport security has always been a problem worldwide, especially with numerous completed and attempted terrorist attacks happening over the past few years. Gordon Brown went another step with airport security, when he gave the go-ahead for full body scanners in all UK airports. Now I've always been a bit dubious about a 'strip search' here and there, but with these new scanners whoever sees these images gets a "virtual strip search" of anyone in the scanner. These new safety measures were introduced in December 2009, and as such have received various criticism for their lack of privacy to anyone inside, yet a Department of Transport spokesperson claimed that, "Existing safeguards also mean those operating scanners are separated from the device, so unable to see the person to whom the image relates, and these anonymous images are deleted immediately." These safeguards apparently aren't enough though, as some concerns were raised about the scanners breaking child porn laws, a Department of Transport spokesperson confirmed that these problems are among, "legal and operational issues" of the 80,000 pound scanners which are to be "gradually" introduced into airports across the UK, said in an announcement by Gordon Brown himself. Now whether these new full body scanners are better than previous methods of searching travelers or not I really don't know, would you rather have a 'pseudo image' of you on an airport computer, or be strip searched by some burly man in a back room? Most people would go for the picture, and with a Department of Transport spokesperson claiming that these images are deleted immediately and seen privately by single members of staff, I'm not so worried, though we can only hope that as always, this new power isn't abused by those that hold it.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/jan/03/brown-airport-security-full-body-scanners

School closures teach kids a lesson.

So after the ever diminishing education budget of the Canadian government, yet another school bites the dust. The initial assumptions for school closures in Vancouver was that 10 schools could end up closing. So far three schools are slated for closure in North Vancouver with Plymouth elementary, blueridge elementary, and now Fromme, yet according to School board chairwoman Susan Skinner, "Even if all three schools are closed, North Vancouver will still have about 1,000 empty desks." Now to me, that doesn't sound like a lot of progress is being made, which when the district is facing a $6,000,000 shortfall in 2010-11 can't exactly be claimed the way to go. Another problem for North Vancouver education is that the district of West Vancouver has managed to hold its own against private schools in the area, so obviously West Vancouver is looking like the better place to send your kids to school, and thats exactly what is happening, with North Vancouver losing around 547 students to the West according to a brief produced bt Plymouth school. Besides the problem in the West, the North Van district has trouble with losing kids to private schools, with around 20% of the districts children going private. It almost seems like no-one likes the North Van education system, yet it's not just that children in North Vancouver aren't going to school here, another problem that affects the number of empty desks in North Van schools is a fact that demographics in North Vancouver show as a huge problem here. With an average age in North Vancouver being slightly higher than it should be, and a lack of affordable housing within this wondrous North, not everyone can afford to stay, let alone send their children to a rapidly declining education system. Are school closures the way forward? Well with the board chairwoman voting against closure of fromme school, I'm probably going to go with her and say maybe not, we shall see.

The huge turbine that couldn't.

So Grouse mountain's new attraction, a thing of beauty you could say, and i would not disagree more. This honking piece of metal atop of one of the most beautiful sceneries I have yet to witness doesn't just ruin the Grouse skyline, it also doesn't work. This 65-metre turbine could just as well be another tourist attraction, being the only turbine in the world with a viewing platform. The 'Eye of the Wind', (clever name don't you think?) can be seen right at the top of Grouse, and to be honest isn't exactly pretty, snowboarders and skiers all around North Vancouver are probably very upset about it ruining one of the top 10 vancouver attractions, and is barely moving as it is. Having been up to the peak of Grouse myself and never actually seeing it move, i start to wonder whether it was a good idea in the first place. Aside from the fact that it barely moves, however, is the fact that even when it does miraculously move, it produces absolutely no electricity. The cost of this beast is also undisclosed, as Grouse mountain spokesman William Mbaho states that, "The cost should be irrelevant," claiming that he won't be, "disclosing any dollar figures." Now something that costed how much, we may never know, in my mind does not help the beautiful landscape of North Vancouver there's not much else that could go wrong, right? You could not be more wrong. Grouse's 'Eye of the Wind' is not actually connected to the provincial power supply. The original figures for the turbine was that it was supposed to provide up to 25 percent of Grouse mountain's power, not bad if you ask me, yet BC Hydro spokesman claims that the turbine does not yet meet safety requirements "The system that they are proposing is not the same that is required by all customers who have generators of that size on our system, and it's required for safety reasons and reliability reasons," he said. And these few itty bitty details aren't the only problems with Grouse's newest attraction. Apparently, the turbine is also a risk to birds and bats, two of which species are in danger, yet all Grouse mountain's spokesman Mbaho had to say was that, "It is a fact that birds and bats can be harmed if they fly too close to the turbine." After such negative evidence against the turbine, it's hard to say that it will have any positive effects on Vancouver's initiative against global warming, we shall see however, I'm just waiting for it to actually work to hedge my bets.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/04/14/bc-grouse-mountain-wind-turbine-stalled.html#ixzz0mSg11f5Q

Sharks lose their bite...yet again.

So, the excitement starts again with the beginning of the Nhl 2009-10 playoff series. The start of the playoffs kicked of with 2 games from the Western conference, and 2 from the Eastern. To say that these games didn't go to plan for the higher seeded teams would be an understatement. In the first 4 games of the series, only 1 higher seeded team came out on top with a 3-2 victory over Detroit, who, being a lower seeded team was still predicted to come out on top of this series. Perhaps the most disappointing, yet most expected letdown so far has to come from the Sharks. San Jose came out of the regular season with 113 points, just 8 behind the top team in the entire league, and a record of 8-1-1 coming up to the postseason, they had the one thing they failed to gain in the playoff chase lat hear, momentum. Now im not one to comment, with the Sharks' not making it past the second round in the last 4 seasons, coming out of the regular season with momentous accomplishments in the regular season, i wouldn't blame them for being a bit shaky. After last season however, the Sharks came in with plenty of words of encouragement with Manny Malholtra, the Sharks centre, commenting "We are what we are to this point, and the future is what we make it." And boy did they make it, San Jose came out of the game with a 2-1 loss to the Avalanche who failed to make the playoffs last season. Joe Sacco had high expectations for his teams chances against the Sharks, however, commenting that, "[He] thinks [San Jose] had higher expectations than what they've achieved. And it's going to be our job this year to make sure that happens again." The Avalanche showed that they could do just that with a shootout victory againts the Sharks in their last meeting before the postseason. San Jose have had many changes to their team though, with the addition of Dany Heatly, and Rob Blake overtaking Marleau's responsibility as captain of the new and improved Sharks franchise. A good addition you might think, however, Blake's presence did little for the Sharks, netting the game winner for the Avs, in his new San Jose Jersey. From the Sharks last few entrances into the postseason, we can't think to expect much from them, though as my playoff pool victory depends on them winning, I'll definitely be routing for San Jose, though in very low expectations.\

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/36527368/ns/sports-nhl/