Not our common Vancouverites…promise

(Click on the title)

Apart from beavers and maple syrup, hockey constitutes a major part of Canadian culture. On Wednesday, June 15th, the Vancouver Canucks lost their chance to win the Stanley Cup-think of it as the FIFA Cup, to Boston Bruins. And it was a big deal as it is to have a Canadian team make it all the way to the finals, considering that the last time a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup was in 1993-Montreal Canadiens.Vancouver is a great city, it is where my heart wanted to settle when I first came to Canada :) I will make it there soon. Nevertheless, I do not understand the logic behind these riots. They are actually costing the government money to protect them and other individuals. How do these people rationalize breaking things that aren’t theirs?

Here are some pictures…

Vancouver riots: The chaos

Vancouver riots: The damage

Vancouver riots: The clean up

Show of Protest for Syria and Bashar Al-Assad in Damascus

BBC

AND YOU HAVE TO CHECK out this *video* (In Arabic)

This is quite the thing. This goes to show that as long as the "protests" are taking place in villages and in the borders of the country what is happening isn't a real movement yet. The upper and middle classes of society, in the main cities of Aleppo and Damascus, both Christians, Muslims and minorities don't want civil strife and would lose the most should a civil war break, thus they will continue to support the stability that is known under Bashar.

Here is a perspective and insight from Joshua Landis' blog

Another factor contributing to the loyalty of the Sunnis for the regime is the wide-spread worry about “foreign conspiracy.”...The implication is that the US and Israel are behind this plan.

The Syrian opposition itself is deeply divided over the notion of foreign intervention. The leadership at the Antalya meeting took a strong and united stand against any foreign intervention. The secular activists who live in the West are, however, trying to drum up support among Western governments for greater and more punishing economic sanctions, such as a blockade on Syrian oil and gas exports.

But this lobbying is not welcomed by all opposition elements which is rather critical of the Activists in the West who have taken money from Washington and who advocate greater involvement by Western governments in bringing down the Assad regime. Even in Turkey, there is opposition to Erdogan’s government joining the West in its efforts to undermine the Syrian government. Here is what one Turk wrote me today:

“I am a Turkish, but I really don’t understand what Prime Minister Erdoğan want to do. Turkish government is coming near US imperialist policies to the Middle East. What a pity. I think all Syrians should protect national unity and values of Syria. We both -Syrian and Turkish- reject foreign interference to Syria…”

I have asked several Turkish friends if they believe their government might allow a Syrian insurgency to organize and operate from Turkey, particularly if Western government pressure it to do so and offer to pay for it. They all said, “no” and explained that anxiety about the Kurdish situation, possible Syrian support for the PKK, and the fear of getting sucked into a Syrian civil war would preclude this.

The most obvious future for Syria is that the present situation continues for much longer than we think it can. The West, exhausted by foreign wars, economic overstretch, and the enormity of taking on Syria, will refuse to commit itself to the rebel cause militarily. All the same, it may add to the economic pressure on Syria by slowly ratcheting up sanctions. Even if the Assad regime can repress the uprising, it is hard to see how it can re-integrate Syria back into the international community and attract tourism and foreign investment again with the growing list of sanctions that have been imposed on it and its top statesmen.

Frolicking on Victoria Day…

While last Victoria Day was spent on the beach beneath the starts and the fireworks, this year’s Victoria Day was spent frolicking around midtown, but sometimes the simplest things like a bike ride to midtown and a walk through parks with hidden art can be the most fun. Not to mention hearing the skies roaring with thunder, knowing you are about to get caught in a thunderstorm yet not caring at all. And after that rain hits you back to reality, you hurdle through the puddles to make it indoors for a glass of hot chocolate. Hope you had a fun a dry weekend.

ah...the City of Toronto

Have I told you before about one of my favorite things about the City of Toronto, well just in case I didn't, it would be Toronto Public Library! In fact with its 99 branches its public library system is the biggest in North America, and you can have any item that you put on hold delivered to the branch that is closest to you. I truly came to understand the value and need of a public library through this one as I’ve never used a public library before. Two weekends ago I happened to be at one of its biggest branches, Toronto Reference Library, which is located in the heart of the city.

      

(Street view of the library- Wikipedia)

                                                            

This is the “TTC Rocket” at Rosedale station as I was heading back from Canadian Tire; one of the small things I enjoy is the view of a distant train approaching in an above ground level outdoor station :)

 

 

           

And as the city of Toronto has a lot to offer on a nice warm weekend, I enjoyed a long stroll on Yonge street, appreciating the city's multicultural environment which makes me feel good and brings a smile to my face. I topped of my evening with a grand lunch at a Korean restaurant and made it down to Yonge and Dundas Square where the running fountains indicate that the warm weather has arrived.                       

Dubai Struggles with Environmental Problems After Growth

NY-TIMES

Here is a look at the environmental costs that come with fast and big money. Also, the first person I remember when I come across U.A.E. and its natural resources, environment and waste production is Professor Knuteson whom I had taken an environmental science course with during my second semester at AUS. Her passion and motivation to educate and make constructive change was inspirational.

April Showers Bring May Flowers…

This “summer” has been busy, busy, busy. I’ve just been basically caught up between classes, work, studying and whatever free time I can squeeze in between, so I thought of taking a minute to finally upload the many pictures I have taken and had promised to show you. The saying goes that April showers bring May flowers…we definitely had lots of showers and cool weather before the flowers decided to show up. So here is me anxiously waiting on and watching the flowers blossom. However, I did miss on taking pictures of many more beautiful tulips and cherry blossom trees.

The weather did have me feeling down last month as it just wouldn’t get warmer but I made it through; when a sunny day was forecasted I made sure I was out for some sun.

These flowers are right outside my window at work, on campus.

Happy to be out watching the dogs at the dog park on a warm day.

My anticipation sometimes gets me ahead of myself. I was so keen on summer arriving that I planned a day of Ice cream and bikes on a “relatively” warm weekend in May.