Cool beans

April 24, 2008 2:53 PM

Minister of Environment Mark Parent introduced a bill today, April 24, to formally create a stand-alone department dedicated to the environment.

The move will allow a sharper focus on one of government's five priorities, protecting the environment.

"The environment is a priority for everyone -- our citizens, business and government," said Mr. Parent. "We are very excited about the renewed focus this new stand-alone department will bring to the environment portfolio. Our renewed focus will help continue to be environmental leaders in this country and around the world."

The Department of Environment will be responsible for dealing with climate-change issues, and advancing the province's goals outlined in the Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act.

"We are committed to combating climate change, to reducing air emissions and waste, and providing increased protection of our land and water," said Mr. Parent.

The department will ensure Nova Scotia remains a leader in achieving environmentally sustainable economic prosperity.

Mr. Parent was sworn in as Minister of Environment on April 1. The previous department responsible for environmental issues, Environment and Labour, will cease to exist.

The Department of Environment's new website address is www.gov.ns.ca/nse .

In Antigonish with some environmentalists

So this random weekend in March I headed to St.FX in Anti-go-nowhere for the APICS Environmental Conference. It was a pretty cool conference, with people in undergrad and masters programs from universities all over Atlantic Canada. Dollie, Yukari, Chels and I headed out in our sweet rental car. We got to the sketchy motel on James Street to find no t.v., but wireless internet. A call to the desk confirmed that no one stole it, but we would be getting a tv the next day sometime.

During the conference there was lots of iteresting research presented and cool posters. I was a little nervous to present my thesis research. I don't usually get nervous but this was because there were lots of smart people there, my supervisor came for the day, and I wasn't completely done my research and data analysis. During the awards banquet, Dollie won best poster, congrats!

Other than just being at the conference, we got to check out the sights in antigonish. We did a little bit of 'shopping' downtown and visited a crazy busy liquor store. It was cool that I got to see Laura Gay. It was only for a bit, but we still got to catch up a little. It was aweseom to just hang out and drink with the Environmental studies people, because we really don't get to do that much outside of class. I got to know them a lot better. We showed everyone in Antigonish how to party like we do in the city, and how dollar drinks are really done. The finaly night there was a crazy rain storm, but we still made it home safe. One of the highlights of the weekend was getting to hear Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party speak, more to come on that later.

Many thanks

I just wanted to take a second and say thanks to everyone who helped out with my campaign for VP Academic, especially everyone who voted yes for me. Even though I was unopposed, it was still a stressful time. I would like to think that I worked hard during campaign regardless.

I am really excited to work with the incoming team and fulltime staff. After I found out that I won, it hit me that now I have to accomplish all these things I said I was going to do.I think I am ready for the challenge. This year, SMUSA has to overcome some major challenges like a governance restructuring, campus sustainability, and making SMUSA and its services more relevant to students. It is going to be a busy year, but I am looking forward to it.

I wonder who we'll kidnap this year??

Going to Cuba!

It is getting closer and closer until the day we leave for Varadero. I really can't believe it. It seems like I have too much to do to be going away for over a week, oh well. I procrastinate from getting work done and studying too much by looking up travel reviews and what to pack.

I think we got a really good deal on our trip. We watched all the sales on all the websites and finally picked our dream placce for really cheap. It was really hard to find a week where we were all available, between exams and summer work. We ended up flying out of Toronto, so there hopefully won't be any issues making any connecting flights (knock on wood). In the end, there's only 4 of us going, but it's still going to be an awesome trip. Too bad 10 or more of our friends couldn't go though. The reseort is awesome. It has lots of stuff to do, a big new pool, amazing views, and right on the beach. There is also 24/7 all you can drink liquor, which might make remembering the trip difficult. Hopefully we can take a road trip into Havanna to experience culture and see some sights.

We are going shopping soon to get a lot of stuff for the trip. The shopping is going to get us even more excited. Of course, there are lots of environmental issues with going on a big trip down south, and not to be a downer, but I find it hard to ignore them. There are lots of issues with the local people accessing the nicest beaches, which most of the resorts are on. Maybe I'll just have to see it for myself in order to form an opinion. Flying that far is also bad. It is kind of ironic that we fly out on Earth Day (April 22). Of course, we will try to lessen the impact while travelling, and I'll work even harder to save the world when we get back.

I would do anything thing for love

Future News: News from the Future

Check out this video we made for my VP Academic Campaign. It was a blast to make, and even though I'm running unopposed, it was still pretty effective at reaching a lot of people throughout campaign week. Thanks for all the people starring in the video, and special thanks to Andrew Seymour who filmed and edited this for me.

Happiness sucks?

MSN Slate
Happiness Sucks
Why joy is bad for you.
By William Saletan

A study suggests extreme happiness may be bad for you. Findings: 1) "The highest levels of income, education and political participation were reported not by the most satisfied individuals, but by moderately satisfied individuals." 2) Extremely happy people "earned significantly less money" and earned lower school grades than moderately happy people. 3) They "may not live as long," either. Theories: 1) Happiness makes you complacent and kills your drive. 2) It makes you slow to adapt. 3) It makes you too optimistic and insufficiently vigilant about your health. 4) It may overstimulate your cardiovascular system. Researchers' conclusions: 1) "Happiness may need to be moderated for success." 2) "Extremely high levels of happiness might not be a desirable goal." Human Nature's conclusions: 1) Success may need to be moderated for happiness. 2) Extremely high levels of success might not be a desirable goal.

Streets of Halifax

I was talking to Chels just the other day about how none of our close friends don't just get together to chill and hang out like we used to. Everyone lives off campus and keeps to themselves more often. Most of us are just a lot more busy than we used to be. Jenny is heading to France for 5 months to study (French maybe?) and we all went over to 5311 South last night to give her a surprise. We dressed up as people you see on the streets in Halifax. It went along with the street sign theme of their house, after they had 'borrowed' a lot of construction signs from the South end. Jenny got there and Katie met her at the door as a super-excercise freak. Jenny: "Katie, why the hell are you dressed like that?" Haha. Anyways, it was an awesome night to catch up with everyone and just chill, plus everyone was hilariously dressed up. I was the Liquor store pirate, Lisa was a pregnant hooker, Chels was the flower guy, Jenna was a walk of shame, Seymour was a squeegie kid, Kaitlyn as an American, and Cathy was a Starbucks cup. I guess all it takes to get your friends all together is to go far away. See you soon Jenny, bon soir!

The new music

Before Christmas, I bought the new Radiohead album online. The album took my favorite band about two years to finish. Wow, it is amazing. Every track pushes the boundaries of music. It takes music to more than just beats, I think it is more like an art form that you can listen to. This release is the band's first album after the end of their contract with EMI and the end of the longest gap between studio albums in their career. Because they were not under contract with any company, the record was released online in a digital format. In a completely revolutionary move, the band let fans choose the price of the album. Radiohead will not confirm how many records were bought online before the release in store, or how much they made off this online sale. Despite these advance sales, the album's release topped the charts around the world as the number one album for sales.

What a cool way to get music. Hopefully the band tours somewhere near Halifax this summer. The frontman for Radiohead, Tom Yorke, has stated many times that he is not in favour of touring simply because of the negative effects on the environment and the contribution of Carbon Dioxide to the atmosphere causing climate change. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to get tickets for a Boston or Toronto show. Shipping things around the world also gives off a lot of pollution. Although CDs are a very small thing to ship, it still helps to download the album in a digital format to save on shipping.

Drunk teenagers, let's start a fight, I'm getting hammered on a Saturday night

This past Saturday we at a big party at our house. 5215 Green street was party-proofed before everyone got there, and we took special measures to make sure the cops didn't show up this time. The window blinds were shut, the apartment downstairs wasn't going to be home, and the front window was covered with garbage bags. Everyone started arriving and we started to play catchphrase. It's a hilarious game where you have to get people to guess a word without rhyming or doing actions, etc. Once more people arrived and we all had a little more to drink, Joel Plaskett was pumped from the living room to turn the floor into a dance hall. The police never did show up and it was a great night with lots of friends from home, from SMU, and AIESEC people. Of course, we ordered 3 large poutines for a late night snack after most people left. Thanks to everyone who came and had a good time, stay tuned for the next party.

World Events of 2008 so far

While I was away in Montreal for a week, I was a little isolated from everyone in the outside world. Sometimes it's nice to be disconnected from the internet and media, but you also miss a couple big important events. At conference, we had a new updates on PowerPoint every morning. A couple of the big events so far this year were:
-Elections in Kenya and the rising violence
-Cease-fire stopping in Sri Lanka
-Oil hitting $100 a barrel
-Canada winning Gold at the World Junior's for the 4th straight year
-Obama pulling ahead in the races for the Democrats

What else will 2008 bring us?

Resolutions

Welcome to 2008. Last year flew by, it was an incredible year. One of my goals for this year is to start and continue to blog again. So hopefully that works out. It's been a long time since my last post, almost a year.

Here's a very brief summary of the things that happened to me last year:
-became SRC Science Rep for SMUSA
-received a NSERC research grant to do research on Green roofs for the summer at SMU as my co-op workterm
-got a certificate of Distinction for Charter day from SMUSA for work with AIESEC, Environmental society, and volunteering
-finished off year as Returning RA, won Best Rice RA and best Returning RA
-became a student Ambassador for SMU doing campus tours
-Dump and Run Yardsale
-went to AIESEC's National Leadership Development Conference at Ryerson in Toronto. Saw Niagara falls and partied in TO, had awesome sessions at conference related to leadership, etc.
-moved into a house in the south end of Halifax with 5 other people (after just a few renovations), living at 5215 Green street with Chels, Jordan, Robyn, Katherine, and Christian (and some awesome subletters for the summer)
-SMUSA 24 hour relay, for the NS Abilities Foundation
-spent a lot of relaxing weekends at my cottage in Brule, loving the beach and the hot summer
-finished research on green roofs in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and urban microclimates
-going to miss Jenna Delaney
-Summer: Jazzfest bartending, bbq's, Multifest, science building meetings, beach trips, Canada day camping, learning to drive a stick, Joel Plaskett concerts, Lokanda pub crawl, boat cruises on the Silva
-road trip to NYC with Lisa, Seymour, Alison, Jordan, and Sarah: saw everything in NYC in a weekend, and drove from Hali and back
-final Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows book release
-Frosh camp
-mumps shots for everyone
-Working with SMUSA, SMUES, AIESEC, etc for a busy semester
-Matt Good and Tragically Hip in concert
-SMU winning the Uteck bowl and advancing to the Vanier Cup in TO
-new job at the TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) Centre as a Cultural Assistant
-writing up my honours, presenting the data at GRHC conference in Baltimore, but writing it up over Christmas break
-going back to work at Canadian Tire for Christmas
-Skiing with friends in early December
-Chevy's reunion night
-going to Montreal for National Congress 2008, kicking off AIESEC's 50th anniversary where it all began

If you read this blog, please comment on some of the posts, let me know what you think.

AIESEC mission satement

I found this video c/o AIESEC in Calgary and Layial, but it's really interesting, even if you're not in AIESEC. The video still makes you think about society today and how we live, check it out.

See you soon

Sucks to say good bye. Richard left last week. Seems like a lot of people are leaving lately. Best of luck to you on your internship in Indonesia, Richard. It's really inspiring to see people actually achieving what everyone else talks about wanting to do. I can't wait to work abroad someday. For now, I'll have to just hear about everyone else's experience (shout out to Krista in Tanzania!). Some best memories of Rich's visit in Halifax:
-random post-arrival email from AIESEC alumni sister who loves Victoria (on the wrong coast, haha)
-making fun of April, nobody does it better
-"pink" halloween costume
-the best Asian glow I've ever seen, or the best attempt to cover it up "Richard, why are you red, and why is your hair and shirt soaked?"
-nobody is deeper in thought about relationships, people, or experiences and their meaning, or importance on learning and where you are headed in life

See you soon buddy, either in Germany, or you're welcome back in Hali anytime.

On another note, kind of makes you think on how many people leave the East coast. They need more money, or more opportunities, or a need to be closer to all the action I guess. Are there really no opportunities for young people here? Shouldn't you try to make your own opportunities? I can't wait to get out of here and travel, but I know I'll always be back. See you soon.

Everything your parents forgot to warn you about!

Woooo! Luckiest 13 catches 1st place at Battle of the Floors 2007!
Congrats to everyone on Rice 13 who helped us crush the competition. We all had a blast all day last Sat getting up way to early, showing off our awesome flag, winning some events like musical chairs, limbo, catapillar races, and so many more. I'm super pumped for the afterparty this weekend. We're going to devour our free pizza party, basket of junk food, and celebrate the big win!

Big thanks to GinaBeth and all the other RAs/Res dept who helped pull this off. You did a fantastic job, put a lot of work into the event, and it showed.

Comin' home for Christmas

Merry Belated Christmas everybody, and happy holidays to all of my friends of other denominations. What an awesome time home. For the first time in awhile, I really didn't want to go back. I guess it was because I realized third year is the hardest one so far, and I was really enjoying catching up with old friends. I didn't get to spend near enough time with everyone. We cought up, but not good enough. And, it's going to be awhile before I see most people again.

"and everybody does, it's so weird to be back here" -Ben Folds

I thought I was going to be one of the last people home. After exams were over, I pretty much did nothing but laze around, catch up on sleep, and relax. It was totally awesome to give my mind nothing to do. It was awesome to hear everyone's stories of the amazing or regular places they are this year. Like Lauren getting back from Mexico, and Dre living the dream in Ireland, too many others to name. We of course, made the trip to Chevy's, that place rocks.

Christmas with the family was the same as every year, which was great. Normal Christmas eve stuff, and turkey and all that. Break got cut short, in a good way, because I was off to Edmonton for AIESEC's National Congress. Flying across the country is awesome, even if you have to stop in every major city on the way. I got to see TO, and the priaries and the rockies. Edmonton rocks my socks, the conference was insane in a good way. Crazy leadership and training sessions all day, and legendary parties all night. Best things about NC:
-going early to see the West Ed mall, and road trip to the rockies (Lake Louise, Banff and Calgary)
-connecting hotel rooms for twice the parties
-JK being elected pres for AIESEC in Canada
-winning second place in the simulation, and bringing home some other shiny awards
-reconnecting with great friends from across the country
-New Years Eve 3 time zones away, ringing it in for every zone across Canada, and being the first to ring it in at 9pm, woo Hali AST!

What's everybody doing for spring break??

Where you're from

I recently had to fill out a short questionnaire. It asked where I was from and some details about this place. Ok, so Truro/Bible Hill isn't the most exciting place, but if you're from there, I know you love it. The first question asked whether this place was a City or a Village. Ok, in relation to some of the world's cities, we are definitely a village. The next question: 'Were your family neighborhood, schools ethnically or racially mixed?', ok, I would say no. It also wanted to know what religious or cultural institutions affected you growing up. The last question, 'How do you see yourself in relation to these now?', was what hit me. Does where you're from affect who you are now? Although I grew up in a 'typical' traditional family setting, within a mostly white, conservative, Christian, small town, doesn't mean that's who I am now. I also don't discredit or blame my parents/family on my sheltered upbringing. I actually consider myself quite fortunate. Going to Saint Mary's, in a relatively diverse global community in Halifax, I am thirsty to learn about the world and other cultures, issues and people. Where you're from may define who you are or atleast be a big part of who you are. But it shouldn't define or change how you see yourself in relation to the world, in a bigger picture, or limit where you'll go in life.

Funniest thing on SNL in a long time: Junk in a box

Everyone needs to see this clip from Saturday night live a couple weeks ago.
1. So people know what I'm talking about, and
2. To spread the general hilarity of the whole thing

I missed the initial episode because Justin Timberlake was the host, and I generally try to avoid him. But a friend sent me this link, and now I hear it everyone. At a recent conference I went to last week in Edmonton, one of the incoming presidents was actually crossdressing with her junk in a box. Awesome

Set 1, cut a hole in a box. Step 2, put your junk in the box. Step 3, make her open the box! haha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-5grqhj1b8

Best of first semester

So first semester of third year is over. I have been really busy, focusing on lots of other things other than blogging...This semester flew by faster than I thought it would. I had a great time getting to know my floor and the new RAs, partying with off-campus friends, and all the AIESECers. I even got to see some friends from home more often than I thought, but still not enough. Some highlights from first semester:

-parties at the Grotto
-Keith's brewery tour and all you can drink beer at the Beer Institute, and making to the CEO's and office hoe's party
-rained out at the Rolling Stones concert in Hali, with Kanye, Sloan, and the best: Alice Cooper!
-RA soccer intramurals, and ultimate frisbee team
-Anything but clothes party
-All male team in Run for the Cure
-free Joel Plaskett concert for Keith's birthday
-Justin Trudeau lecture about youth involvement and the environment
-Grotto 4 and all you can drink beer at Garrison, and Jager night at the G'brook
-JK's visit from TO and the World Cafe
-Drunkin Pumpkin and the Ninja Turtles
-RA night out at Oasis and Rice does Dooley's
-applying for LCP, the whole process, finding out about myself, but still not winning, looking ahead at other opportunities
-home for Remembrance day weekend
-MicroCredit Summit in Halifax, meeting Mohammed Yunis, Queen of Spain, Pres of Pakistan, and Peter McKay, learning a lot about microcredit
-Corporate Breakfast, Moosehead's Game
-Best of Open Mic, twice!

Bullshit Bingo!

How to Stay Awake in Boring Classes

Do you keep falling asleep in class? What about those long and boring seminars and labs?

1. Before (or during) the next class prepare yourself by drawing a square. 5" x 5" is a good size. Divide the card into columns-five across and five down. That will give you 25 one-inch blocks.
2. Write one of the following words/phrases in each block: Synergy, environment, strategic fit, core competencies, best practice, bottom line, I won't go into detail, the truth is, 24/7, alternatively, benchmark, climate-change, maximize, value-added, proactive, win-win, think outside the box, fast track, result-driven, based on the data, at the end of the day, touch base, in fact, client focus, paradigm, game plan, leverage.
3. Now check off the appropriate block when you hear one of those words/phrases.
4. When you get five blocks horizontally, vertically, or diagonally stand up and shout "BULLSHIT!"

Real Testimonials from satisfied players:
"I had been in the class for only five minutes when I won."
"My attention span at meetings has improved dramatically."
"Class will never be the same for me after my first win."
"The atmosphere was tense in the last process meeting as 14 of us waited for the fifth box."
"The professor was stunned as eight of us screamed 'BULLSHIT!' for the third time in an hour. The Bullshit Bingo Championship will be played at the next class."