nerd is me...

ok, if knowing Mn stands for manganese (and not magnesium), call me a nerd.

here's further proof i'm a low-rank nerd:



get out and enjoy the nice weather while it lasts.

boo bye, my babies.

pretend inferiority and encourage his arrogance... sun tzu in the art of war.

To fight and conquer in all our battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting... sun tzu (above pic is summit lake, waterton national park)

i can't believe i'm quoting Sun-tzu. but, he was wise, my grasshoppers.

i have this theory.

fact: canadian troops are dropping like flies in afghanistan.

i'm not a peace-nik, in this case.

however, i think they are going about the war on terrorism in the wrong way.

first, and this is a biggie, they shouldn't have tipped off the enemy in this latest battle which saw 4 canadian troops die. don't warn the locals of the impending battle. that was suicidal. it showed a certain disrespect for the abilities of the taliban and a bit of arrogance on the part of the canadians. once you become overconfident, you're toast.

it's like going into the superbowl, giving the opposing team your playbook, shouting out each play beforehand, and still believing you're still going to win...not likely.

the overall strategy as communicated by the head honchos seemed to be to maintain the "nice guy" image of canadians. well, four of them are dead as a result.

second, the canadians are using conventional means and weapons to defeat an insurgency. well, forget the armoured vehicles traveling in convoys. forget the uniforms. even forget the base at the kandahar airport. instead, wear the local garb. buy some toyota pickup trucks. mount a machine gun in the back of each truck. live amongst the villagers. establish 1-2 man outposts surrounding the villages. get to know the people. recognise strangers in the villages. stay quiet. gather intelligence. wait.

it's called a counter-insurgency my grasshoppers. it's time to think and fight like the taliban.

at the rate the canadian army is adapting to the situation on the ground, they will never win nor put a significant dent in the aspirations of the taliban. until they do, they will be sittin' ducks.

for that reason, steve should bring 'em home.

i had a dream...an awesome dream...part IV

mystery photo #43: where in cowtown can you find this piece of artwork? hint: it's found around this area of town.

i was driving around last night desparately trying to complete an assignment for photo[artifacts], the new and exciting blog just for aspiring photographers (and hacks like me). the topic of the week was speed.

the above photo ended up on the edit room floor but i thought it was kind of interesting.

check out the blog. click here. if you want to contribute, i think we can hook you up...

breaking news...

chinese digital tv has hit a new low. yummy, yummy, i'm not kidding about the name, is a fictional show about a reality show involving teams of people who are racing around the world completing various tasks. does that concept ring a bell?

i think i've finally found a job that i can sink my teeth into. all i have to do is dust off the ol' CV and find some decent references. click here to see the posting. you needn't apply because i'm perfectly suited for the job. really.

crikey...

lake cameron, waterton national park.

notable observations...

the public servants at the south calgary passport office were unusually chipper and non-stoic.

i was out running this AM and was passed by a fast walker.

i was at the airport on saturday. i didn't see dharma. she mustn't have been working that day. there was a least a thousand people in the que.

i'm developing a phobia towards crossing pedestrian bridges...

breaking news...

ralphie admitted he didn't have a clue what he was doing for the past 3 years. ralphie...i've been clueless about life for the past 3 years as well. now get to the hell to the back of the line, eh.

ralphie has accepted, upon his retirement, a post as guest lecturer at the woodrow wilson international school of babbling ex-politicians. i plan on auditing his course and plagiarising the required thesis paper.

rob anders won the conservative nomination for the riding of calgary west after his lone challenger was disqualified for having a pulse and regular brain function.