This is what Renee watches at 7:30 AM and wakes me up to…
Thanks.

Last night I watched Children of Men. I loved and hated it.

I will focus more on the Love. The story line was awesome; very interesting.

Essentially the story is set in the near future and for some reason women have stopped being able to give birth. So the world is essentially spiraling out of control. A lot of emphases are placed on the thinking that God is upset with how we have turned out and has stopped allowing us to procreate.

I thought it was an awesome movie because it puts the focus on just how important and precious children are and why we should be spending our time investing in them.

The movie was very graphic and I think it portrayed well what might actually happen if such a tragic thing came to be.

My favorite part of the movie was after one of the characters gives birth (which is amazing because no one has conceived in over 18 years). There is a rebellion taking place and a war breaks out while the child and mother are trying to escape the city. They get cornered into a building where hundreds of people are being shot at by the enforcing army outside.

The baby begins crying and people come out of hiding even with bullets flying everywhere to witness the baby. In a matter of seconds the two opposing sides stop fighting and the mother and daughter are escorted out of the building while everyone watches in amazement. People get on their knees and start praying and giving thanks.

In other news, I was at a meeting today at Suncor and I heard the best quote.

We have not inherited this land from our ancestors and elders but we are merely borrowing it from our children.

Who of you have watched Home Improvement?
I admit; I had a cultish obsession with it growing up.

I found myself relating more and more to Tim as the years rolled on.
I am not a car guy at all but I do have a tendency to muck around with electronics and I am never satisfied with them until they are broke.

The thing I loved the most about the show was when Tim screwed up (and he usually didn’t know why) he would go to his neighbor, Wilson, and ask for advice.

Wilson, who was surprisingly single, always had wise words for Tim. I don’t think Tim would have made it without those helpful talks.

Do you have someone in your life that is like that?
I have one (and many other coaches) and I am sure glad I do.

22 held many good times and sad ones. The following is in no particular of what occurred while I occupied 22.

Moved out and got my own place and then promptly moved 6 months later
My best friend got engaged!
Went to Europe with my Granddad for 3 weeks
My sister Debbie was diagnosed with breast cancer
Fell in Love – Broke up with that person twice
Enjoyed a full year employment at Suncor
My sister started her final year of school
My brother became a truck driver
I started a company with Nathan Colquhoun called Storyboard Solutions
I lost a friend to drinking and driving. RIP Sarah
I developed new friendships – Thanks Ken and Mark
TheStory was born
I went out West to Calgary, Banff and Fort McMurray
I went skiing on 3 mountains
I fell down 3 mountains
I started to play a musical instrument. For the ladies – it’s a violin, for the fellas – it’s a fiddle.
I watched my friend Jordan Parker excel and I am very proud of him.
I bought that coat I always wanted. Ha.

My good friend Reg Manno emailed me this morning and it said

“23 years ago…God sent us the pimpest pimp…according to scripture, he’s gonna take the world by storm!! Reg 3:16”

I am excited to see what 23 holds in store for me.

I am sure everyone has experienced their funny church moments.. Here are a view caught on tape.

Funny Church Moments – Click Here for more great videos and pictures!

Violin is coming along quite well for me. I have dropped lots of cash on lessons and upgrading the violin. Many nights I play and I have conquered some pretty captivating melodys. Classics like “Mary had a little lamb,” “Hot Cross Buns” and the main theme intro to Forest Gump.

Someday, I hope to aspire to where this guy is.
Enjoy!

These two pictures were named as some of the best pictures taken in 2006. I cant say I disagree with them.

In the time it takes you to get to the end of this sentence, seven people have been added to the population of the world (I don’t know if that’s true but it sure does make for a kick ass header to a blog). At this growing birth rate, the United Nations estimates the number of people on the planet will nearly double by the middle of this century. Even with significant reductions in birth rates, the population is expected to increase from 6.7 billion now to 9.2 billion by 2050.

These figures are staggering!!! Yet this news doesn’t make the head lines. Instead, global warming is getting attention and seems to be what every political party is discussing. They talk about how they will tackle what is commonly agreed to be the biggest threat facing the planet.

Even with these debates (and well needed discussions) everybody is still only talking only about one half of the equation: the emissions we generate, not how we generate them. (That will make for an entirely different blog in the near future).

All the standby buttons, gas reductions, recycling, fuel efficient cars and low-energy light bulbs are small potatoes in comparison to a global population raising the equivalent of Britain every year (that’s about 65 million extra consuming faces yearly.)

But even if reducing the world’s population is not popular or distasteful, it is incredible that there is not even a debate about limiting and maybe one day reversing growth. Any conversation that begins with “population control” is going to get a lot of slack I am sure.

Lets say a discussion on birth control begin, how would you start it? Ideas as crazy as ignoring disease & plaques or limiting life-saving medical treatment can be ruled out as unacceptable (for obvious reasons). Birth control, according to many is a huge moral and religious issue. It is not surprising that politicians or any activist would shy away from the topic.

There are many understandable reasons for not bringing the debate up either. In countries like Canada, United States and Britain, we are experiencing the opposite, a population decrease. We are filling our dwindling countries with immigrants. But my question for today has to be “is having a lower population a bad thing?” Don’t we have enough people?

Our solution it seems is more efficient technology, renewable energy and lifestyle changes (which will help a lot) but growing prosperity and consumption in developing countries will also make it harder. More and more countries are seemingly looking more and more like North America in regards to consumption and even as shitty the emissions North Americans has; other places are WORSE!

It is understandable then that people are worried about discussing population capping. Fears of misrepresentation, offense or failure are not good enough reasons to ignore such an obvious and out of control situation. Some population activists argue the world can only support a population of two to three billion, even as few as 500 million in the future.

In closing, maybe global warming isn’t such a bad thing, (please note my sarcasm here) with an increase in shore lines and so many people living on the shore….. Well you get the picture.

It turns out yesterday was Happy Pie Day. Get it, Pie = 3.14 (yesterdays date).
Can you believe it, my old math tutor (Michelle Fleming) was interviewed!!!!!

Side Note: If it wasnt for Michelle I would have never passed grade 10 math!!!!! (or English for that matter)

$10 to the first person who can successfully explain to me what this Church ministry is talking about because I have no friggin clue.

Established in December 2003, the vision for the Prayer Shield is to link established prayer ministry leaders and key intercessory leaders at a city, regional and national level to create a wall of fire in the spirit around our nation.

Right…………………………….