Recently, two American NATO officers were shot and killed by an Afghan police officer in the Ministry of the Interior, reputedly one of the safest buildings in Afghanistan.  This has been the most recent acts in a surge of violence that has occurred since a copy of the Koran was burned on a U.S. army base.

In the aftermath, NATO officials have been instructed not to go to work in their respective Afghan ministries.  This includes personnel at the Canadian embassy, such as 45 police officers who help to train the Afghan national police.

I think that for the safety of the advisers helping the Afghan people, this is probably a good safety per caution.  It is of the utmost importance to keep our men and women who leave their loved ones for months at a time and endure everyday danger in the safest conditions possible.  Therefore in my opinion this is something we need to do.

I think that it is also important that we also keep with our mission to help the Afghan people though.  Until further security measures are implemented then I think it is important to keep our people out of potentially unsafe area, but I also believe that we need to work quickly to resolve the problem so that our soldiers, police officers, and other advisers can continue to do there valuable work.

Snow Walker was a very deep and beautiful movie.  Taking place in Yellowknife during the early 1950’s, it is the story of survival and learning.  Charlie, the protagonist, is a pilot flying materials and people all over the North West Territories.  On his way back to the city, he takes a sick Inuit woman to go to the hospital, the plane crashes, and they are stuck on the Arctic Tundra with a broken radio and no one knowing where they are.  After a disastrous attempt to find a town, Charlie learns from native woman Konala and they continue to survive on the harsh terrain.  When winter comes though, they know that they must find a settlement to survive.  As they set out north, as Charlie grows stronger, Konala gets weaker, sickness taking her.  Charlie survives though thanks to her and reaches an Inuit village alive.

This movie was quite different from the story in small ways; they didn’t take out any parts which I really liked, since it is always nice when the movie follows the book.  The movie did have a lot of small parts that the story didn’t which I actually liked because since the book was a short story it didn’t have much depth to it, nothing about how people reacted to Charlie having disappeared, but in the movie, since it was longer they could put those parts into it that gave the story more context and depth.  The first difference was the fact that they showed the part in the bar before Charlie left to go drop off the gas barrels.  This didn’t happen in the book; it just started when the plane was going down.  I like this as not only it gave you a sense of what it was like in Yellowknife, but you saw how they treated the Inuit man, that gave you a sense of how Inuit people were treated.  The other part that was an important change was in my opinion the search for Charlie.  This showed how other people reacted and I thought made a nice change of perspective from just surviving on the tundra.  The last major difference between the movie and book was the fact that in the end of the movie Charles got to the Inuit village.  This gave some nice closure, in the book it ended with Konala’s death.  It left things hanging and was a little bit frustrating.  With the movie ending at a more appropriate part it left me a bit more satisfied at the end.

Everything else in the movie was similar.  This was nice, as I hate it when movies take out amazing parts sometimes make the book.  In this movie though, since it was a short story they left in all of the details, even adding in some as I detailed in the previous paragraph.  This made the movie almost an explanation of the book.

Sometimes in a movie based on a book, the movie can lose sight of the themes and meaning behind the story that it is based upon.  This can lead to a really disappointing movie with no story line or meaning.  Fortunately, this movie did represent the themes of the novel, very well.  The themes were: Survival, Adaptation, and Learning.  The movie displayed these very well.  It displayed adaptation first.  Charlie is totally out of sync on how to survive in the Tundra when his tools fail him, he matches get wet, his sleeping bag soaked and his shoes ruined. Under Kolana’s tutelage he adapts and learns to survive.  This them of adaption ties in with the theme of Survival which follows it in the story.  After that, he is hunting Caribou and building tents from the skins.  He has learned to survive and is using his knowledge.  Learning moves in through these two themes.  Charlie learns more about the beauty of the land, survival and also the natives, he learns more about how they are people too.  At the beginning he brushed them off and thought some of their ways, such as eating raw fish were disgusting.  Over the course of the movie though, he learned more about them and himself.

Snow walker was a great movie and I highly recommend it.  It was interesting and also kept with the themes and messages that were in the novel.

 I'm really excited for winter camping.  I have always loved nature and being out in the woods,

so while winter caming will explore some of my favorite things, it will also be a new experience for me.

I've never been outside in the snow overnight so I'm really excited.

I'm not really apprehensive about going on this trip.  I can understand how people would worry about

having to be out all night in the winter, but it just has not really bothered me.

As long as you are prepared everything is fine.

  I’m not really sure what I am hoping to get out of this.  I think it will be really fun and

I can keep practicing my stellar wood chopping skills, but I am also hoping for something a bit more educational.

I really hope that this whole experience gives me a better understanding of what it was like to be a gold miner or

explorer in the north.  Sleeping in a tent and having to haul supplies through the wilderness was an

everyday experience for them and I really hop that this

will capture that experience.

1)

The Year of Adele

This year Adele released the album 21.  it has destroyed all the charts, reaching 13 million albums sold so far.  The British artist released the album after the the end of an 18 month relationship, and it is basically about that.

2)

U2 Completes Their 360 Tour.

U2 recently wrapped up the 360 tour.  It took place over two years and had a year long setup time.  The tour grossed over $700,000,000 and sold over 7,000,000 tickets.  Making it the most successful tour in the history of Music.

3)

Amy Winehouse dies

The 27 year old singer died June 2011 from achohol poisoning .  Losing such a hugely talented is always a tragedy and this resounded with people the world over.  Since her death her records have sky rocketed, funds going toward foundations for achoholics.

4) Arcade Fire wins Grammy for best album

At the Grammy awards last year, the best album category was dominated by music giants Eminem and Katy Perry.  Eminem’s acclaimed album “Recovery” fully expected to win.  So it was a surprise to everyone, including the awards givers that when the envelope opened, it was for the mostly unknown Montreal indie rock band “Arcade Fire”.

5) Lady Gaga sells 1million records in a week.

Lady Gaga shattered records when her single, “Born This Way” sold over a million copies on itunes in a week.  The song was priced at 99c, which helped, but it was still an amazing first.

6) Jay-Z and Kanye West rock the rap world with Watch the Throne

Kanye West and Jay-Z recently released the collaborative album, watch the throne, basically the first album of its kind.  The albums features them slinging rhymes back and forth with amazing speed and was named 2nd best album of 2011 by rolling stone.

7) Skrillex gets a Grammy nod

The dub step group Skrillex recently got a grammy nomination. While this may not asound like a big deal.  It is one of the first nominations for a dubstep group and shows how popular the genre is becoming.

Katy Perry Gets 5 no. 1′s in a year

Katy Perry has made the hot 100.  Joining the likes of Michael Jackson.  She had 5 no. 1 singles this year including “Teenage Dream” and the one that got her there, with little time left “Last Friday Night”.

9)  Steve Jobs Dies

When Steve Jobs died it was a shock to the world.  The Tech industry in particular.  It also had an effect on the music industry as well.  Almost everyone listens to their music on an ipod and uses itunes, both brainchild’s of Jobs.  He changed the way we buy and listen to music.

10)

Reality Music Shows Come Back

This year was a year of comebacks for reality music television.  ”The Voice” and “X Factor” both proving that they are worthy of joining “American Idol” as the top music television shows.  This has opened up a whole new market and is quickly changing the music industry.

Yesterday the EU summit on the debt crisis came to an end.  Since the 2009 recession, the European Union; made up of 27 states, including France, Great Britain and Germany have been facing an ever larger deficit.  Some countries such as Greece have almost reached the failed state status.  At this summit at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, the EU members had been trying to make changes to the treaty.  The German Chancellor Angela Merkel had proposed a new amendment that would make tougher rules on spending and budgets; they would include strict penalties for breaking deficit rules.    This failed because the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron insisted that his nation be exempted from some the financial regulations stipulated in the amendment to the treaty.  Instead this treaty will include 17 members who have all joined by choice, it is out of the jurisdiction of the Union, and now is an independent treaty.

I am not quite sure what I think of this interesting new treaty in the Union.  There are definitely problems that must be addressed and this treaty does seem to be a good solution for most of Europe’s problems.  Germany; the architect of this treaty is the largest economy in Europe and seems to have done its homework, but there are some problems with the treaty.   Passing too many austerity measures can have disastrous effects to the economies as Greece showed us.  Germany and France, who are the EU’s largest and second largest economies respectively have both joined this alliance, but the third largest economy; Britain has opted out as it says that many of the measures in the new treaty are not in the best interests of the UK.  This means that Europe is divided in this effort, which could prove to be very bad for the EU.

Overall, I think that this is a good treaty to have in place.  I would say though, that they really need to amend it the get Britain and the rest of the EU on board as well.

There are lots of busy and colorful places in Toronto, but the area around Spadina, and Dundas probably would get first prize if it was a contest.  Chinatown is thronged with buskers, stalls selling their wares, small businesses selling anything from cuttlefish and bubble tea, to watches and jewelry.  The streets bustle with shoppers, walking as if the world depended on them getting to their next stop quickly.   Inside the stores and restaurants shopkeepers and staff bustle to, and fro shouting in Chinese.  In these buys stores and restaurants it is almost impossible to get an interview.  You ask and they usually give you a quick glance then a “no time”.  In the few stores where business is slower, getting an interview is comparatively easy.  If you ask politely and tell them it is for a school project, they will usually say yes.  We got a few interview this way, but it was still difficult.  We learned a lot from these interview though.  Most people in Chinatown that we interviewed had either come from China or Vietnam, they had lived in Canada for about 10-15 years and had worked at their respective shops for about the same period.  They all seemed like they loved living in Canada and had worked hard to make it all happen.

Stepping into Kensington Market, just a street over was like stepping into a whole other world.  Its laid back atmosphere contrasted sharply with the hustle and bustle of Chinatown.  It was just as interesting though.  In the Market, there are people of many different ethnic origins, they sell clothing and other products inspired by their country of origin.  This makes for a kaleidoscope of different cultures that all somehow fit together in harmony.  The people here were generally very, very friendly and delighted in showing us their wares and answering our questions.  It was a great experience and I hope to go back there soon.

Splitting roars course through the air, like a jet plain taking off, giant metal machines claw through concrete and reach the earth bellow.  Construction is an important part of a city.  It happens everywhere and creates new things to make the city more efficient, straight and comfortable.  Travis looks at this and sees only destruction.  Travis sees how the building of new does not just rip down the shell of the old and create the new, which is automatically better.  Travis sees how we rip down, tradition, history, homes where people grew up.  He sees how important the old is, how we should consider is precious and try to protect it.

A Shagnash looks up and observes the tall, square orderly buildings.  Each window the same height and size, everything is the same.  He nods in approval everything is orderly and efficient.  A large amount of people live in a building that takes up a small amount of ground space.  Little thought is given to how the building interacts with the nature around it and how it has destroyed the nature that used to be in that spot.   The shagnash thinks more about how we can be efficient make things easier and more comfortable.  We are not taking into consideration the effect that our actions have on the land.

I see a clash in the St. Clair neighborhood that I see all over Toronto.  It is the clash of the city, with its concrete, and metal and noise, and nature, trees, dirt animals.  I find that Toronto is unlike any other city in the world in this way.  It sees nature and the urban sprawl come together; you see high rise condos right beside ravines filled with streams trees and birds.  St. Clair is a good example of this.  Right beside one of the busiest intersections in Toronto, there is a huge ravine home to many animals, and quite streets, covered in trees.

Yesterday was take your kid to work day, so my dad took me to work. Or he probably would have if he was here.  Since he was unavailable for his duties, I got myself down to my dad’s office, Commerce court west, which is the large CIBC building located at Bay and King.  My dad works in that building in the law firm Blakes Castle & Graydon.  I got up to their floors and was taken into a presentation room filled with about twenty other kids my age.  We were then given presentations from lawyers, who described their jobs and what they liked, and didn’t like about them.  Then there was a lady who coached workers a Blakes on focusing and success in school and work.  It was an amazing presentation and I picked up a lot of tips on focusing and doing work to the best of my ability.  We also had a lawyer who practiced children’s law, defending under privileged kids in court come in who talked to us about our rights as children.  After this it was off to lunch with Tim Andison, a friend of my dad. He was very interesting and we went to the nearby restaurant “Jump!” After lunch it was back to the presentation room.  We were given a presentation on standing out in a crowd.  It was particularly engaging in my opinion.  It was well presented and gave me lots of valuable information on confidence, how to get people to support you and how to get people to listen to your ideas.  We then had a tour to familiarize ourselves with the office, and the nearby, P.A.T.H.  After that most of the other kids went off with their parents and shadowed them for the rest of the day.  Since my dad wasn’t there, I will describe what he does from past experience.  My dad is a securities lawyer at Blakes.   He helps companies by other companies and other such things.  My dad has to read and edit a lot of documents, and goes to a lot of meetings, and also listens in on phone calls.

There are a few vital skills a lawyer must have.  A lawyer must keep a steady head and be able to make decisions under pressure.  A lot of the time lawyers work on a tight schedule and must be able to tell a client what to do with only a small amount of time to figure out what to do.  A lawyer must be patient.  They must answer many questions, some of which they might think are silly, they also have to be able to read long documents.  A lawyer must like to read.  If you don’t, then you will inevitably hate your job because of the fact that a huge part of the job is reading documents and editing them.  The biggest skill you need to be a lawyer is that you must be a good listener in all situations.  Lawyers must listen to their clients, they must listen to the law, and they must listen to their client’s opponents.  Lawyers have to listen to what people want and try to make it happen.

Toronto Island was a great experience.   Just a 5 minute ferry trip from down town Toronto it transports you to a totally different world.  You escape the sounds of the city and are transported to what could be Algonquin park up north.    We explored the island with bikes, or in my case a longboard.  It was a really new and cool experience.  The island is really fun to get around on, there is hardly any traffic and the roads are really smooth.  The road speeded along below you, and you almost felt that it was moving, and you were standing still.  On either side, there was green grass, and huge trees, giving way to channels, small communities, and sometimes a breathtaking view of the Toronto skyline, or south and the seemingly never ending waters of Lake Ontario.  The weather was beautiful for October, you could roll up your sleeves and feel the suns rays coming down on you.  The water was really smooth and there were hardly any waves.  In most places you could see the bottom.  As you went east along Ward’s Island, you started to come upon houses.  These are also located on Algonquin island.  The houses are small and quaint many of them look like cottages, or the houses that you would see in a small town.  You had heard that some people lived out on the island, but you are surprised at how vibrant the community is, serviced by a single cafe and grocery store, it still feels like these people have everything that they need, and shouldn’t need to go into Toronto for anything.  I personally wondered why anyone would want to live away from the city, I assumed that you would feel secluded, and a bit like a hermit, but now I understand.  It is really cool to wake up to the sound of the water, and to walk down the street and not smell the gasoline of cars.  It is a more peaceful way to live, and I think that it is something that would be good for many people.   Overall I loved Toronto island and learned a lot about the history of Toronto and some of the interesting things about the islands’ history.

Today we looked at the student vote website.  It is a site that is dedicated to teaching young people about their right to vote, and about their responsibility to vote.  The section that we looked at had kids and teens from across Ontario asking the party leaders about issues that they think are important.

The question that I looked at was how Ontario planned to modernize its electrical grid.  The party whose plan I disagreed with the most was the Provincial Conservative party.  I didn’t think that any of the platforms were really bad, but I found that of all the ones I looked at the Conservatives was probably the worst.

The Conservatives was all about making energy cheaper, taking off the tax.  I found that Tim Hudak didn’t really answer the question of how to keep our power grid up to date, just how to take off taxes and make it cheaper.  Mr. Hudak did say that he wanted to make sure that power was reliable, but didn’t say how, he just moved on again to how Ontario was losing jobs, and paying taxes for energy.

I disagree with Mr. Hudak for several reasons.  The first being that I didn’t think that he wanted to modernize and advance our energy at all, he didn’t talk about how to make it more efficient and greener.  I think that not doing something about our power could be potentially disastrous in the future.  If we don’t make sure that we are ready for the future, then when it comes, Ontario will not be ready to switch its main energy source from fossil fuels and coal to solar and wind.  It could mean that at some point we don’t have enough energy to power our homes and businesses and I am of the opinion that that would be far, far worse than paying some extra taxes now.  The other reason that I disagree with Tim Hudak, is that he wants to take away some of the taxes on energy.  I think that we have found that while in theory, taking away taxes sounds great.  But as soon as it actually happens, people don’t like the ramifications.  For example take the Ford administration.     Mr. Ford told people he would take away taxes and stop extravagant spending at city hall, and most people though that would be great.  As soon as he started to actually cut things though people realized they enjoyed having libraries around.  If you just focus on taking away taxes, then the government cant spend on other things that the public values, so you end up losing.