Adrian Barnes' Blog

Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism

// January 26th, 2010 // No Comments » // Newfoundland, World

In April of 2003 I had an opportunity with my employer at the time to come to St. John’s, Newfoundland for a six-week project. Aside from a few vacations and business trips, I have never left. Over the years, I have bumped into acquaintances where I have noticed an amusing trend. During the process of “catching up” I mention that I now reside in Newfoundland which usually results in a curious glance as if to question my sanity. I have long since ceased being offended by this ignorance as I, knowing little about the province and having never visited previously, would have displayed the same reaction prior to travelling here. As such, I try to use it as an opportunity to educate my friends on the aspects of Newfoundland and Labrador that struck me and, ultimately, motivated me to settle down here. One of these aspects is the harmonious blend of culture, history, and architecture contrasted against the natural beauty of the landscape. To illustrate this point, please see below videos (from Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism):

Bono, Jay-Z, Rhianna: Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour)

// January 23rd, 2010 // No Comments » // Entertainment, Make a Difference, Music, World

Bono, Edge, Jay-Z and Rhianna performing Stranded (Haiti Mon Amour) live at “Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief,” hosted by George Clooney, Wyclef Jean, and Anderson Cooper to raise funds for earthquake relief. Too bad Bono’s microphone volume was too low during chorus.

Waterboarding: Torture?

// May 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // World

Waterboarding has been around since the Spanish Inquisition and has recently been all over the US/World news as Nancy Pelosi (Speaker of the US House of Representatives) fends off CIA/Republican criticism she was briefed about the “enhanced interrogation technique” in 2002 and did not, at the time, raise objections in alignment with her current position on the subject. I must admit that, based on media coverage with expert walk-throughs of waterboarding, I did not label waterboarding as “torture” and relegated it to be in the same league as excessive tickling or playing non-stop Barry Manilow. My brother (Joel) sent me a link to the video in this article where Mancow Muller of Chicago’s Big 89 gets waterboarded to see what it’s like and shares it with listeners and viewers. Mancow didn’t think there was a lot to it but he only managed to last 8 seconds (the average is 14 seconds) in a safe environment. Another video can be found here as writer Christopher Hitchens did a piece for Vanity Fair in August, 2008 called “Believe Me, It’s Torture.”

The Economist: Political Animals

// May 15th, 2009 // No Comments » // Newfoundland, World

The ignorance and absurdity of the European Union’s stance on the seal hunt is encapsulated quite nicely in this article from The Economist.

How The Presidents Stack Up

// January 20th, 2009 // No Comments » // World

Barack Obama’s inauguration today has resulted in a few interesting story lines in the mainstream media. In particular, I found?the Gallup Poll analysis conducted by the Wall Street?Journal in this??article compelling. History shows that no president, other than Bill Clinton, has ended their presidency?(whether by choice or unexpected circumstance)?with greater electoral popularity than when they started.

The Canadian Letters & Images Project

// November 11th, 2008 // No Comments » // Canada, World

On the drive home today, CBC Radio had a Remembrance Day special on The Canadian Letters & Images Project.

From Wikipedia:

The Canadian Letters and Images Project is an online archive of the collective war experience of Canada, from any war, as told through contemporary letters and images. The project was started in August 2000 by the Department of History at Vancouver Island University. In November 2003 the History Department at the University of Western Ontario joined the project.?The objective of the project is to create a permanent online archive of Canada’s wartime correspondence, photographs, and other personal materials, from the battlefront and from the home-front. The project does not edit correspondence or select portions of collections. The materials submitted are scanned and returned to the submitter.

(more…)

Randy Pausch: Last Lecture

// July 27th, 2008 // No Comments » // Make a Difference, World

Randy Pausch (Oct. 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008) was a well-known Computer Science and Human-Computer Interaction?(Alice.org) professor at Carnegie Mellon (CMU) who gave his (now famous) “Last Lecture” at CMU on September 18, 2007.?The?”Last Lecture” was an ongoing series of lectures where top academics?were asked to think deeply about what matters to them, and then give a hypothetical “final talk” (i.e. what wisdom would you try to impart to the world if you knew it was your last chance). Sadly, this was truly Pausch’s “last lecture” as as he was terminally ill with pancreatic cancer and given 3-6 months of “good health” by his doctors. In?the ?moving presentation, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals. Long video (75 minutes) but worth the time.

Nelson Mandela: Happy Birthday from Bono & The Edge

// July 10th, 2008 // No Comments » // Entertainment, Music, World

A little tardy in posting this as Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday celebrations were held at Hyde Park on June 27th. A very heartfelt and soulful rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” from Bono and The Edge (U2)….high notes and all.

Kiva: Loans That Change Lives

// May 9th, 2008 // No Comments » // Make a Difference, World

I first heard of Kiva when a Senior Leader at work mentioned it in a weekly update. Kiva is a non-profit organization founded in 2005 by two Stanford graduates with the design and purpose of allowing people like you and I to lend to specific entrepreneurs (that you select based on their profile) in the developing world. The key concept with Kiva is that your money is truly an investment which will be repaid to you, rather than a typical charitable donation. When your loan is repaid, you can choose to invest in another entrepreneur or pocket your money.

From Wikipedia; “Kiva allows microfinance institutions around the world, called “Field Partners”, to post profiles of qualified local entrepreneurs on its website. Lenders browse and choose an entrepreneur they wish to fund. Kiva aggregates loan capital from individual lenders and transfers it to the appropriate Field Partners to disburse and administer. As the entrepreneurs repay their loans, the Field Partners remit funds back to Kiva. Once a loan is fully repaid, the Kiva lenders can withdraw their principal or re-loan it to another entrepreneur…Kiva claims that its borrowers have a historical repayment rate of about 99.7%- 99.9%.”

Great way to make a significant contribution to the global community for minimal cost and effort.