The Kanj

Homeless Trends

2010-10-16T09:00:00.001-04:00

I recently had the opportunity to take part in The Big Issue Foundation's Big London Night Walk. Walking the 25k around London in the dead of a chilly night, and passing the spots where homeless frequent, really brings to life the challenges faced everyday by some of our fellow man. I found it quite inspiring to speak to some of the vendors and learn about their experiences on the street, the reasons they've ended up living rough, and how selling The Big Issue has helped to turn their lives around. These entreprenurial spirits literally start out with nothing but the shirt on their back.

Once I was back home I looked into some statistics about homelessness in England which I've summarized below. The numbers collected are official data wherein the families have to apply to the local council for help. I would imagine that many many familes and individuals inthis situation might not apply for help which could skew the 'official' numbers.

The which surprised me most was the 'homeless by family type'. "Single Mothers" tops the table with just under 20k in England! This is certainly not what is perceived by the public. Explore the data below and let me know what you think.

Notes:

In this study 'homeless' is defined as Statutory Homeless (wherein the family has applied for local council assistance). This does not include 'Rough Sleepers'.

All homeless data and definitions available here.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in $ USD from here.

- Aneez

ipadio: Aneez makes the call... - 3rd phonecast

2010-08-20T18:46:00.001-04:00

ipadio: Aneez makes the call... - 2nd phonecast

2010-08-11T16:17:00.001-04:00

ipadio: Aneez makes the call... - 1st phonecast

2010-08-10T08:18:00.001-04:00

public transport fuel | recycled chip fat, not gas | #eco wheels are greased! #haiku #twaiku #green #ttc

2010-07-29T09:36:00.000-04:00

public transport fuel | recycled chip fat, not gas | #eco wheels are greased! #haiku #twaiku #green #ttc

<<2010004a.jpg>>

realityville | fresh air, fresh smells, and much more | head outside to join #haiku #twaiku #farmville

2010-07-28T11:46:00.001-04:00

realityville | fresh air, fresh smells, and much more | head outside to join #haiku #twaiku #farmville

<<2010003.jpg>>

Politics of truth

2010-04-20T18:22:00.001-04:00

I've updated "Text Town" with a text analysis of the manifestos of the 3 major political parties in the UK. Sounds exciting doesn't it?! (well believe me it really is!)

Take a look at the link below to see the messages they are trying to get across to the voting public:
http://texttown.blogspot.com/2010/04/manifestos-vs-guardian.html

- Aneez

Baseball Improvements

2010-04-17T17:28:00.001-04:00

I was recently asked for my ideas on how to improve marketing programs for the Toronto Blue Jays baseball club. While putting my thoughts together I came across an article in the Toronto Star which mentions that baseball attendance is on the decline. The following will first outline a few of my ideas (original post) on how to improve Major League Baseball, followed by ways to improve the Toronto Blue Jays experience.

Ways to improve baseball

Drug Policy

With the recent 'outing' of top players associated with drug use in Major League Baseball and the Mitchell Report, baseball has had yet another blow to it's image. Although this report is now a couple of years old, and accusations of drug use even older, the people running MLB and the Player's Union has to step up, admit mistakes, and jointly introduce a no-tolerance policy throughout all levels of baseball. This is the only way that fans will begin to trust that the game is being played by the best athletes.

Balanced Schedule

Move one of the teams from the National League to the American League and have 15 teams in each. The three divisions of 5 teams each which then be able to play a balanced schedule, making the journey to the Divisional Title and World Series fairer.

Season Format:

a) Each team plays 3 home and 3 away series against division rivals. Each series to consist of 3 games each for a total of 72 division games. Not only will this format help build divisional rivalries it will make more games in the season be of actual importance.

b) Each team plays the other league rivals in 1 home and 1 away series. The series' to be made up one 3 game, and one 4 game series. This brings total League games to 70 games. The rarity of playing the other League teams coming to play will make them a better attraction, and a 'must see' event.

c) No interleague play

d) At least one double-header per season (home or away)

Total balanced schedule = 142 games

This leaves a gap of 20 games or 20 days without baseball. Here's how to fill the gap AND create additional interest in the season...

Jackie Robinson Memorial

An in-season tournament (similar to those held with European football/soccer) which highlights up and coming players (or less than 3 years MLB service) from baseball's top 16 contributing countries. This will also the contribution that Jackie Robinson made to the game.

Format: The first weekend (Thursday to Monday) of each month from May to August will be dedicated to the Jackie Robinson Memorial tournament.

There will be a best-of-three elimination series to be played on Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Thursday, and Monday will be days off, with Monday reserved for rainouts.

16 teams to play in May
8 teams to play in June
4 teams to play in July
2 teams to play for the championship in August. Game 2 to be preceeded by an MLB Home Run contest.

This removes the all-star game, however it creates interest in future players and out-of-market teams. It can also highlight young players within each market creating an additional bond with local fans. This will leave September for the playoff races, with fans knowing a little bit more about each team.

MLB Road Trip ticket

All teams should reserve seats for members of the MLB ROAD TRIP club. This scheme will allow fans to buy a ticket which gives them access to all MLB stadiums. Once purchased, fans must book tickets at least 7 days in advance for their desired game. Limitations can include a maximum of 2 games to any stadium within a season. This package can be sold within a division, a league or all of MLB. It should also include going to one weekend series of the Jackie Robinson Memorial.

Tom Cheek
Induct the late Tom Cheek into the Baseball Hall of Fame. His unparalleled run of announcing 4306 consecutive games created more loyal, and long-term baseball fans than any amount of on-field success has ever done.

Ways to improve Toronto Blue Jays
Aside from the obivious of building a competitive and winning team, here are some things that be done to improve the overall image of the team.

'Windows'

Transform 'Windows' into a free interactive play area which is open before and after games. This is to include:

a) Area where player and coach interviews are conducted
b) Batting cage, pitching cage - go up virtually against the Jays best hitters and arms
c) Trophy display - Currently how accessible are the 1992 and 1993 trophies to the public?
d) Memories Centre - How accessible are memories from the Jays history? Put up posters, video moments, 'make your own commentary', old newspaper headlines, previous team photos, stadium history etc. Alumni visits and signings to take place here
e) Meet the Press. An area for tv, newspaper, radio personalities to meet the fans.

Visible Charity

a) What happened to players visiting local schools/little leagues and giving out tickets all season long? The program only accounts for school visits in May, extend this to the full season, and build ties with youngsters to build lasting relationships with the team.
b) Many players contribute to their home towns. Vernon Wells is charitable, but more so in his home town and not so much in the city where he plays. Where is Toronto's "Vernon Wells Baseball Academy", "Cito Gaston Coaching School", "Tom Cheek Broadcasting Centre" Without the recognized long-term Jays giving back to the community, why should the community give to the Jays?

In Game Promotions (along with everything else they are currently doing...)

a) All in-game promos should include something for the fans: if there is an on-screen race, or on-field mascot race, they should race for a specific winner, not just for the sake of promoting the brand

b) Invite more school choirs to sing the National Anthems: This can be conducted in junction with player's visiting that school

c) Show highlights from "This day is Blue Jay history": Builds legacy relationship
d) Show Jays highlights from the past week of games: Builds season/player knowledge

e) Encourage people to encourage local businesses to display the Jays logo on their window During each game show photos of these business and where possible send them a certificate proudly declaring that they are part of the 'Official Blue Jays Support Team"
f) BlueJays@Work day. Ask people to send in photos of their workplace decked out in Blue Jays gear for a chance to win a visit by a player of their choice, and a team outing to see a game from a private box. Between innings, the game can then show photos from various offices and fans dressed up in Jays gear.
g) Ask the Blue Jays drummer to play drums during the 7th inning stretch or as part of a National Anthem: promotes local hero
h) Show selected 'tweets' from fans: promote Rogers
i) Have on on-screen promo showing kids in the crowd and the banner "My First Game!": builds long term relationship

These are just a few of the literally hundreds of things any business can do to promote themselves. The most effective of them will not just try to win a sale, or improve an individual experience, but will attempt to build a strong bond between the fans and the brand to create a long lasting relationship.

I hope someone out there, or out there, is listening!

- Aneez

2009 MLB Batting Average in Review

2010-04-12T15:09:00.004-04:00

Hello!

In honour of the Toronto Blue Jays home-opener today, I've published some analysis on Major League Baseball's batting averages from 2009 vs salaries in 2009. You can find the interactive visuals right here on http://aneezkanji.blogspot.com/! (Note: If you get an error message below please make sure any ow.ly or bit.ly toolbars are closed.)

Enjoy!

Sources:
Batting Averages: http://www.mlb.com
Salaries: http://content.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/salaries/default.aspx

The 13 Annual Kanji Playoff Pool is ready to go!

2010-04-12T07:08:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone!

Don't forget to get your Kanji Playoff Pool picks in by Wednesday! The online entry form can be found here.

Thanks - Aneez

A Data Guru's Guide to UK Birth Rates!

2010-03-04T19:47:00.000-05:00

Hello,

I'll caveat this with the statement that I do not have strong feelings either way as to when a couple should start producing offspring - before marriage, out of marriage, within marriage etc, it really doesn't bother me.

One night while watching tv, my random thoughts drifted into the following questions:

- Do married couples plan for families more so than unmarried couples?
- Are babies from unmarried couples the result of a spring or summer romance?
- What is the effect of Christmas celebrations have on birth rates for either type of couple?
- If, at this very moment my wife notices my furrowed brow and asks, "What are you thinking about?" Do I tell her the truth or say "What IS up with Simon (Cowell's) hair?"

Anyway, I wasn't expecting to find much difference to be honest, however, since you're reading this it probably indicates I did find some interesting things. For example:

Up until the mid 70's birth rates for married and unmarried couples spiked during March, April, and May then dipped from November to January. A change occurred during the mid 70's to 2004 when in almost every year this pattern has changed. The majority of births to married couples still occcured during the spring months, however the majority of births to unmarried women occur during August to October.

Going back to my thoughts about conception. Why is it that married couples are conceiving during the summer months, while unmarried couples tend to conceive from November to January. Could their actually be an Xmas Factor at play here?

Check out the data for yourself. Clicking on any individual year will update the 2 charts at the bottom (although only alternate years show, you can click the space in between).
The pie shows the number of total births for the year, the lines show the births by month. Additional observations and 'click' suggestions below:

Please leave your comments below!

Thanks - Aneez

Flower Power!

2010-02-13T18:31:00.000-05:00

With Valentine's Day upon us, and the temporary increase in price of roses and other foilage of a giving nature, I thought I'd investigate who exactly are the givers and receivers. Check out the visual below.

It's interesting to note that guys generally buy for their better half, while women like to treat everyone they know, including 19% of women buying flowers for themselves!

How many guys out there have ever bought flowers for themselves? Anyone?

Historical Olympic Medal Count

2010-02-12T19:43:00.000-05:00

In the spirit of the Olympic Games, I've made an interactive visual for you to check out how many medals YOUR favourite country has won in the past. Check by season and medal colour, Enjoy!

- Aneez

Make your Olympicks!

2010-02-03T04:43:00.000-05:00

Here's a special Winter Games edition of the Kanji Playoff Pool...

Scroll down for entry form
OR
Cut and paste http://tinyurl.com/kppwinter2010 into your browser
OR
Clickity click

Remember to check this space for all the stats, scores and updates throughout the games!

The Kanj improves perfection.

2009-12-31T08:54:00.001-05:00

With the upcoming 2010 meetings that Bud Selig is holding to improve baseball, and suggestions by others, here are my thoughts:

Improving the on-field game:

1. Train umpires within MLB. Currently MLB rely on 'sub-contractors' to train the umps. For a game that relies on umpires in all facets (time keeping, decisions, etc) they should be 100% responsible for the quality of the officials.

2. Replays in regular season - Not required. Umpires make mistakes. Improve the quality of the umps and mistakes will be reduced.

3. Replays in post season. - I would suggest this for homeruns, and scoring plays at the plate only. Balls/strikes and other plays not subject to instant replay.

Off-field game:

1. Zero-tolerance performance enhancing drug policy. Not a 3 strike and you're out rule. No 50 game bans. It's like a first pitch weak popup to the shortstop. You're caught, you're out, and you're out.

2. Reinstate baseball's best hitter, Pete Rose.

3. Reinstate "Shoeless" Joe Jackson.

4. Regulate how often a team can change their logo/uniform/name. Sure the changes are good for merchandise revenues, however an ever-changing uniform also causes fan-frustration. Keep it consistent.

5. Institute an MLB wide “Road Trip Season Ticket” which would allow fans to entry to any regular season game at any park (This can be sold by Division, League or all of MLB) Details of consecutive visits, maximum visits to each park to be discussed, but in principle a FANtastic idea!

6. Have the ‘World Baseball Classic’ every 4 years, in March.

7. Interleague games cause schedules to be unbalanaced. Reserve this for preseason only. End Spring Training with a home/away series against closest rivals.

Regular Season Scheduling:

Two 15 team leagues each with 3 divisions of 5 teams each.

Balanced schedule to be 142 games made up of:
a) 1 home and 1 away series against each of the 10 non-division teams (1 series at 3 games, 1 series at 4 games against each team) = 70 games

b) 3 home and 3 away series against 4 division rivals (each series to be 3 games long) = 72 games

Mandatory double headers each season. 1 at home, 1 away.

Playoffs to remain as is.

All Star Game:

Scrap the All-Star Game and create an elimination tournament made up of 16 teams to be played during the regular season. Call it the "Jackie Robinson Memorial"

At the start of each season designate 16 teams made up of players by country or origin. (This should include players with less than 2 years in professional experience and players from the minors, from anywhere in the world.)

With a schedule reduced from 162 games, no MLB games should take place during the "Jackie Robinson Memorial".

Tournament Layout:

First week of April – a draw to determine the first round, and bracket, similar to how FIFA draw the World Cup teams.

First week of May – Round 1, a best of 3 series (all 3 games must be played). 16 teams reduce to 8

First week of June – Round 2, a best of 3 series (all 3 games must be played) 8 teams become 4

First week of July – Round 3, a best of 3 series (all 3 games must be played) 4 teams become 2

First week of August – Final Round. Both teams play best of 3 (3rd game if necessary) and a champion is crowned.

This memorial tournament is an opportunity to reflect on the history/traditions/ and future of the game. It will build interest in the developing players from various countries AND for players from different farm teams.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Impact Stat has been updated!

2009-11-20T02:56:00.001-05:00

Hello!

I've updated The Impact Stat by adding 2009 salary details. Click the link below to find out who the best value players and who underperformed in 2009!

http://theimpactstat.blogspot.com

Enjoy!
Aneez

2009 Impact Stat!

2009-10-18T20:36:00.002-04:00

Hello again!

I've updated the IMPACT stat now that the regular season of MLB 2009 has come to an end. In the even of a possible rain delay check out the Impact Stat here:

http://theimpactstat.blogspot.com

...and leave your comments too!

Thanks - Aneez

Family Fortunes!

2009-10-13T15:32:00.004-04:00

This past week was made awesome by:

a) the visit of the Toronto Kanjis to the UK!

b) hearing The Editors perform Papillon acoustically: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc1Pr3Y_QpU

c) catching just enough of the Jools Holland show on Friday to see the Spaghetti Western Orchestra: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVzjvRbv8xw

d) seeing a webicle that I didn't have to write about facebook providing email service: http://www.everyjoe.com/articles/free-facebook-email-account/

e) watching a cover version of Mumford and Sons "Little Lion Man" that I didn't would work, but it kinda does: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/livelounge/artist/091012_taiocruz.shtml

f) but mostly...hanging out with the family!!! (and more of it to come this weekend! :) )

Thanks for the visit, and talk to y'all laters!

Time for Thanks!

2009-09-07T17:37:00.002-04:00

As school gets back into full swing this week I'd like to mention the one teacher who probably had the biggest impact during my school days. Her name was Ms Pisani.

Ms Pisani was My Grade 4 teacher who encouraged me to read above my level, introduced me to The Beatles, taught us how to write caligraphy, and led me to have a fascination with Japan. (No, Ms Pisani wasn't Japanese, she led a very insightful unit on the country and culture that sticks with me to this day!)

Reading: I remember Ms Pisani suggesting some books from the Scholastic Book Club for my parents to consider ordering for me. I also remember my parents going on to order all of them! Needless to say I was kept busy reading (and out of trouble) for a long time! Since then I've read a nice variety of books ranging from classics such as Homer's The Odyssey, to a series of historical romance novels, to a book all about foam.

Beatles: Ok, I'm sure that my parents had mixed in some Beatles with their Roger Whittaker, The Carpenters, and John Michel Jarre collection, however when a teacher introduces you to some music it is always going to be way more cool than anything your parents have! An early introduction to the Fab Four along with my brother's affinity for heavy metal and a touch of the beautiful sounds of from prayer songs in Khane, have led my concert ticket stub collection to include everything from Bjork to Yusuf!

Calligraphy: Ok, so my handwriting sucks, that's not the point. Learning how to write calligraphy, taught me the importance of clear and efficient communication, along with an appreciation for the effort that goes into making something look nice and presentable. Now there will be those who contest the clarity and efficiency of my communication style, along with my sense of 'nice and presentable', again that's not the point.

Japan: I clearly remember learning about Sumo wrestling, Haikus, Mount Fuji, and a strong desire to someday visit the land of the Rising Sun. Twenty-one years later I finally got the chance to visit and had the time of my life eating fresh sushi and horse, watching a baseball game, hearing monks chant, etc. I can't wait to go back!

To this day I still read, attend more music concerts than most, have poor penmanship, and after fulfilling a 20 year desire to visit Tokyo, I look forward to exploring the next piece of culture around the corner. There are many more teachers along the way who have influenced my thoughts and outlooks on life, but Ms Pisani helped set the groundwork, and for that I am truly grateful and at some point, hope to thank her in person.

PS - For my friends going back to school this week, congratulations for being great teachers and having the opportunity to set some great young minds into forward and positive motion. You all are truly awesome!

A few photos for your enjoyment.

2009-08-04T15:26:00.002-04:00

While walking around London last week with some awesome friends and photographing the scenes of the big city for the umpteenth time, I stumbled across these gems.

I can't understand for the life of me the sign at the boules ground, or the allergy warning inside a carton of a dozen eggs. I love the Attention Dogs sign!

All photos taken with a nokia cell phone.

Enjoy the rest of your day, and all of tomorrow!

Aneez

Impact Stat Update!

2009-07-15T17:15:00.002-04:00

Hey folks!

I've updated the IMPACT stat as of the 2009 Major League Baseball All-Star Break!

Check it out here:

http://theimpactstat.blogspot.com

...and leave your comments too!

Aneez

In deep, end dance.

2009-07-02T16:02:00.003-04:00

North Americans in the North Americas celebrate all over North America and across the world their independence from the British Empire this week. Canada celebrated on July 1st, and USAicans celebrate on July 4th. I decided to compare the documents of each nation.

The visual results, colournated, can be found at text town! (take a look for the BONUS document!)

Aneez

Magna Carta

2009-06-30T14:58:00.003-04:00

Text Town has looked at the Magna Carta!

Click here to see the top 50 words used in the translation of the document. It is interesting to note that if this were written in 2009 language, many of the same words such as 'justice', 'liberties', and 'peace' would still be used today and within the same context. However I wonder if words such as 'without','debt', and 'service' would still have the same meaning.

Aga Khan on Text Town!

2009-06-29T12:54:00.000-04:00

Visit Text Town for a speech by the Aga Khan.

Here's an preview:

"In today’s community of nations, a country’s standing is no longer recognized simply by what it can achieve for itself, but just as much by what it can do for others. In this context, Canada has become a world “power” in the best sense of that word."

http://texttown.blogspot.com

More Text Town!

2009-06-28T14:10:00.000-04:00

Some more text fun for your weekend!

Click here for more info!

New on Text Town...

2009-06-27T14:08:00.000-04:00

New TEXT fun at Text Town - Who is today's featured artist?

Click here for more info!

Long Live the King!

2009-06-26T02:34:00.004-04:00

A few days ago I posted a wordle using titles of Michael Jackson songs. The more often a word is used, the bigger it appears in the image.

Take a look the top 5 words used:

Long live the King.

Welcome Text Town!

2009-06-24T13:42:00.000-04:00

Tune into Text Town
for wordy nerdy fun!

Kickin' it Old School!

2009-06-23T13:21:00.000-04:00

This past weekend the official residence was without telephone service or interweb access. A full 72 hours without communication to the real virtual world.

Here's how we passed the time...

- 3 hour hike along Basingstoke Canal
- Watched The Wrestler
- Shopping and a haircut
- BBQ
- Golf

... and that is how we, quite literally, went back The Old School!

Less bees = More allergies

2009-06-15T18:56:00.005-04:00

The disappearing honeybee population will cause millions of people who suffer from seasonal allergies to suffer even more.

This article has an expert saying that global warming is responsible. I beg to differ.

The decline of the honey bee will result in a reduction of natural pollenation which would have been facilitated by these creatures. In order for plants to survive they will naturally produce more pollen to be transported by other insects, birds, or the wind. Result is more pollen in the air.

AH-CHOO! (sniff) Support your local bee farmer today.

That's my theory and I'm sticking to it! Leave your comments under the empty shelf that used to hold allergy medication.

Name that singer...

2009-06-14T05:58:00.000-04:00

Lots of hits by this artist who is called...

Name that singer...

2009-06-13T05:54:00.001-04:00

Who is singing these songs?

Name that band...

2009-06-12T03:58:00.003-04:00

These are words from the titles of songs of which rock band?

Name that tune...

2009-06-11T06:59:00.002-04:00

Can you guess the band with these words in the song titles?

Kanji Playoff Pool

2009-05-31T18:30:00.002-04:00

It's the final round - See your picks and points by clicking HERE

Professional Development

2009-05-12T11:43:00.004-04:00

My career was recently "officially pimped" in the form of an all staff training session. Without getting into the details of the subject I thought I'd just share with you the 7 things we were meant to take with us:

RACI
ABC
WIIFM
80/20
95%
PERT
PrInCE

With that in mind, approach your boss with your new skills and negotiate an increase in salary. You've officially been pimped!

Mitchell Report - Take 2

2009-04-30T16:58:00.004-04:00

As most of you know I'm a huge fan of the game of baseball, and as I write this I'm also watching a battle of first place teams, the Toronto Blue Jays vs the Royals of Kansas City.

In order to prevent forgetting the past I thought it was time I took a second look at The Mitchell Report. This was Major League Baseball's investigation into the widespread use of illegal drugs amongst it's players.

Instead of re-reading my personal copy of the report I decided to look at it from a different angle...

The image below is an illustration of the words used in the report. The bigger the word appears, the more frequent it was used in the report. They say the devil is in the details and I've highlighted a few of the devilsh details which do not stand out at first glance. Here they are:

Clemens
Canseco
Bonds
McNamee

and one of the most frequent words: Radomski

Which of these 5 words have you heard of the most in relation to baseball and steroid use?

Why has Radomski, an admitted drugs dealer, had relatively little media attention when compared to the 4 other names mentioned?

Arguably, as a provider of illegal substances, he has had more impact on the game of baseball than any player in modern times.

Anyway, I'll end there before I get carried away on my soapbox, I just thought the word cloud thing was cool and wanted to share it with you.

Back to the game..

Aneez

Kanji Playoff Pool - Round 2!

2009-04-29T03:29:00.001-04:00

Hey Folks!

Round 1 of the Kanji Playoff Pool has ended - check http://kanjiplayoffpool.blogspot.com for your scores and entry into Round 2!

Good luck!

Aneez

Round 1

2009-04-23T18:02:00.001-04:00

The 12th Annual Kanji Playoff Pool is back and in full flight!
Check out your selections here:

http://kanjiplayoffpool.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Kanji Playoff Pool

2009-04-14T05:45:00.001-04:00

Here we go again... The Kanji Playoff Pool is back for a 12th straight year!

As always it is FREE to participate and this year we are including a bonus helping of delicious gravy!

Congrats to V11's winner and newest Honourary Kanji - Sabriya Karim!
Will she successfully defend her title this year? The answer lies in how well you select your 2009 Kanji Playoff Pool teams!

The rules are simple, for each round simply select:

Your winning teams
The number of games they will win in
The number of overtime games per series
The number of shutouts per series
and don't forget to answer the bonus question each round!

Results will be posted on http://kanjiplayoffpool.blogspot.com so bookmark it and stay tuned!

To get started fill out the form available here: http://tinyurl.com/kppv12r1

Round 1 deadline is April 15th 6:59pm EST

As always - enjoy!

25 random things about me and 26 to 50 random things about me:

2009-02-11T08:13:00.010-05:00

If you don't know me that well read this list as if it were titled 1-25.
Chances are if you already know me then you also already know 25 random things about me so read this list as (26) to (50) and see if there is anything new to discover!

(26) Number 1) I'll start with me. Good things happen on Tuesdays. You used to be able to go to the movies on '$2.50 Tuesdays', or a baseball game on Twoonie Tuesdays. I was born on a Tuesday. So when you see Tuesday on a calendar think of me. When you get the Monday morning blues think of tomorrow, think of Tuesday, think of me.

(27) My 2 parents are a great source of inspiration. Whenever I face any serious troubles in my life I think about when they were in their young 20's in 1972. Within this year they got married, got forced out of their home and out of Uganda, started a new life in Canada and also gave birth to my older brother. That's a whole lot to handle in a year, and probably a whole lot more than I'll ever have to face.

(28) "Call it 3") When I was playing softball as a kid I can clearly remember making an unassisted triple play. Bases were loaded, I was playing third base, the batter popped up the ball I caught it for the first out. The runners had taken off on contact so I touched third to get the lead runner out and tagged the kid running towards me from second. Three outs. It was beautiful. I was probably about 10 years old and it still stands out as one of my sporting highlights!

(29) Cat) Clarence is the name of our Norwegian Forest Cat. I think that's his breed, although I doubt he has ever been to Norwegia.

(30) 5) Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Buddists, Atheists all follow the same basic principles of how to live life. Be good to your fellow man, repsect your environment, be charitable etc etc. Assuming there is a Heaven/Hell in the afterlife, I find it hard to believe that God would be so arrogant to refuse a 'good' person into Heaven just because they didn't praise Him.

(31) 6) My favourite TV show of all time is The Wonder Years. I'll admit that I've shed a few tears over Kevin and Winnie's relationship. Sadly this classic show is relgated to reruns and bootlegs. The producers did not get the proper musical rights to be able to release the 6 seasons on DVD in it's original entirety.

(32) 7) 7) 7) The slot machine in Monaco rewarded us big time when these numbers came up!

(33) 8) As far as international travel goes, 2006 was my best year. I landed on 5 different continents, saw Beckham score a goal in a World Cup match, saw Roger Federer play tennis and sat in right field watching a baseball game in Tokyo! I also visited the Great Pyramids of Egypt with a couple of crazy Kiwis!

(34) 9) I went skydiving once. I nervous about the whole experience the operation was run out of a guys backyard and what appeared to be a rickety Cessna. It wasn't a tandem jump and the process of disembarkation was as follows: Reach out and hold on to the wing strut; let your feet dangle below you; and then let go at your leisure. Hanging on for dear life like that, letting go and trusting your parachute was going to open was a bit scary. However the experience of floating to the ground and seeing the earth from a different perspective was truly awesome.

(35) 10) Pearl Jam's TEN came out during one of my life's turning points. Also around this time OASIS, NIRVANA, techno and rave all struck a chord with me. Most of my CD/MP3 collection can pretty much be traced back to this era. The exception to this is my admiration for The Carpenters. I blame my parents for this, and for playing the famous whistler, Roger Whittaker, in the car when my precious ears were in the early stages of development.

(36) 11) In 1985 George Bell, of the AL East Champions Toronto Blue Jays, wore the number 11. His teammates included Ernie Whitt, Wille Upshaw, Jesse Barfeild, Damaso Garcia, Rance Mulliniks, Tony Fernandez, Lloyd Moseby, Garth Iorg, Buck Martinez, and the young Kelly Gruber. Need I say more on this topic?

(37) 12) I've been with Vanessa for the past 12 years, married for about 6 of them. I sometimes I amaze myself that I've been able to hold her attention for this long! I'd say more about her, but I'll save the compliments and give them to her in person. ox ox

(38) 13) I lived for a short time at House 13 in North Bay while at Nipissing University. I met some great people while 'studying' up North and although I don't see them as much as I'd like to, I'd like to think that they are some of the best friends I have.

(39) 14) Democracy and a Free Market are opposites. One is a method to run governments, the other is a method to run an economy. One is for the good of the masses, the other is for the good of an individual. Using the terms as if they are the same thing causes problems.

(40) 15) I love taking photos. I've had a couple published online. One was without my permission, and dated incorrectly but I still got credit for it. The other was for a World Record Attempt used with my permission.

(41) 16) Mohammed Ali has been quoted as saying something like "Someone who has the same opinions when they are 50 as when they were 20 has wasted 30 years of life." This is my 2nd favourite thing a person has ever said. The first was when Vanessa said "I do".

(42) 17) 2007/2008 was enjoyable partly because of the amount of time I was able to spend with my sister. For those of you who know her, you know what I mean. She rocks.

(43) 18) 2007/2008 was also enjoyable partly because of the amount of time I was able to spend with my brother. He is an endless stream of positivity and Kahzmir is one lucky son-of-a-gun!

(44) 19) I invented The Impact Stat, a baseball statistic which measures the full impact of a batter on the team, rather than the individual.

(45) 20) I've written a book and have a rejection letter from a publisher. It turns out that someone else wrote a book quite similar to it.

(46) 21) I rode a mountian bike from Toronto to Niagara Falls, and a foldup bike from London to Brighton.

(47) 22) In 10 years if things continue as is, the Annual Kanji Playoff Pool will have been running for 22 consecutive years!

(48) 23) I recently had a dream featuring Noel Gallagher of OASIS. We were talking about different promotional opportunities the band had rejected. We were also talking about awards and accolades the band had acheived over the years. He was holding a £2 coin and said "y'know if they really wanted to honour us they should just put us on one of these". (referring to their album titled 'Standing on the Shoulder of Giants' which comes from Newton and engraved on the side of a £2 coin). I got the feeling he wouldn't want the band on a postage stamp.

(49) 24) Although I am a fan of Post Secret and Pretty Much Amazing, the simple radio still continues to entertain me above and beyond the TV and Internet.

(50) 25) Just like Jesus Christ's date of birth, it is widely accepted that I was born on the 25th. It was a Tuesday. There are many other things about me that you may or may not want to know but if you have read this far I hope you learned something random!

Your comments as always are most welcome.

Aneez

Made In:

2009-02-10T18:43:00.003-05:00

During this most recent economic correction I've been thinking quite a bit about the movement of real money (not credit) on a global scale. Governments are advising to 'buy local' which doesn't really make much sense. Most people I know purchase over 95% of goods from stores within national boundaries.

I think the message should be targeted to retailers and amended to 'Stock Local'. I don't think governments should leave the rescue of the economy in hands of consumers. It's just human nature that people like you and me are mainly motivated by price, and not place of manufacture.

But I digress... As I was thinking about the flow of funds, I started to wonder where my personal disposable income was going. So I decided to find out.

I went about the task of emptying my closets of shirts, trousers, sweaters, socks, delicates, and anything else I wear on a regular basis, and started the tally of where each item was made.

After counting over 100 items, I created the image below. The bigger the name, the higher the frequency that country appears in my wardrobe:

Findings:
- As expected the highest frequency was CHINA
- I was surprised that CANADA appeared tied for third!
- I learned about the country of LESOTHO
- Someone in HONDURAS has made 90% of my tshirts!

- Many 'store brand' clothes do not have a 'Made In' label
- I am assuming most of the clothing I wear is made by very cheap labour
- I have travelled to about 15 countries, and of the 21 countries listed, I have only been to CANADA

I've come to the conclusion that my wealth has been spread to over 20 countries already, therefore the global economic correction has very little to do with me, however I must make more use of my passport and visit some of the sights my salary has seen!

I also did spare a thought about the economies of the 21 countries but that's another blost for another day.

Your comments, from any part of the world, are welcome!

Aneez

The Kitchen pySink

2009-01-23T04:03:00.004-05:00

Many moons ago as I trod through the experiences of a kid trying to make it through the adolescent jungle called high school, I called up a local talk radio station during one of their weekly psychic Friday shows.

Being the tender age of just 14, I thought her prediction of "You will be secure in your future finances, and you will marry someone who will also be your best friend" was pretty inspiring. In the 19 years since then, I figure that most people are pretty secure in their financial position and as far as marriage goes, I would also think that a husband/wife, by default, becomes a best friend at some point in a relationship of matrimony.

Ever since I realized the 'truth' behind that psychic reading I've been wary about people predicting the future from reputed reputable psychic reps to daily horoscopes to tea leaves to apple peelings.

Now the photo below is the link,
as a few days ago I couldn't help but think
that something about the kitchen sink
was trying to tell me something not available in ink.

Your thoughts?

Impact Stat and CH5

2009-01-13T17:23:00.000-05:00

Hello,

Seeing as there is a flurry of baseball news (Rickey Henderson, Cito Gaston, Roger Clemons) I thought I'd finally update the 2008 Impact Stat for all you baseball fans! I've also included the Net Impact (Impact - BA) which people have also called the "Clubhouse High 5", so I've also dubbed in the CH5.

The Impact Stat and CH5 in all it's glory can be found here:

http://theimpactstat.blogspot.com/

Enjoy - Aneez

ice ice baby.

2009-01-12T19:18:00.006-05:00

The South of the UK has been experiencing temperatures lower than normal in this era of Global Warming and economic correction. Mother Nature as always brings excellent opportunity for some unique photographs.

Here's one example:

PS - If you live in a big city, help the homeless at this time of year.

Welcome to 2009!

2009-01-03T11:39:00.003-05:00

After hesitating for a second, the flip of a page starts a new year, resolutions are made and an outlook of optimism takes the air. Radical change in 2009 is indeed underway on a global scale as a new era of economic and political dogma is ~~welcomed~~ ushered in.

On that note, while you're working away becoming a leader of your community, or striving to be the best you can be, please ensure you do the little things well.

What do I mean by this? Well take a look at the photo below. It is a sign placed on the door of a popular chain of fast food restaurants.

The stream of thought that arose in my mind went something like this:

Aside from the obvious 'Pull' text, to whom is the intended audience for the other signage? Will people with assistance dogs be able to read the sign? Why are all three words capitalised? Is the image of a person with an assistance dog along with the text really required? Why is the sign, which says large print menus are available, written in the smallest sized font of all the signs? Who is in charge of punctuation of these signs? Are these signs put up because of a government health and safety requirement or because the restaurant is trying to welcome all peoples?

On that note, all the best to you and yours, may 2009 and 2010 bring you all the happiness you look for.

X to the Zee

2008-11-07T05:19:00.003-05:00

America finally voted for change this week. Woohoo!

Here is a closer look at the numbers.

According to the Associated Press and along with most other news sources, the popular vote was split as follows: Obama 52%, McCain 46%.

According to CNN (and I hate to accord things to them) the percentage of registered voters who actually voted was just over 60%.

Let's break this down to a population of 100.

40 people didn't vote
31 voted for Obama
28 voted for McCain
1 voted for someone else

In other words, 69 out of 100 registered voters did NOT vote for Obama!

Minority Report

2008-10-15T10:30:00.001-04:00

Canada has had another federal election with the result of another minority government.

Many Canadians wonder why our elections don't have the same 'feel' or 'hype' as the US elections.

They ask - "Where is our Obama?"

Canada doesn't need an Obama right now.

We don't need the same political or social changes that are overdue in the USA.

If ever the the time came when Canada did need someone like Obama it would mean that we would have to go through decades of economic and social turmoil that has been brewing in the USA since their constitution was signed.

You can avoid reaching for the light at the end of the tunnel, by not getting into a tunnel in the first place.

Canadians may look up towards leaders like Obama as an ideal for our country.

I think that leaders like Obama look towards the Citizens of Canada as the ideal for their country.

Road to Riches

2008-10-02T14:41:00.003-04:00

A few years ago while working in one my many roles within banking institutions I had a customer share with me a technique she learned about how to allocate a monthly salary. I'll share it here with you...

1) Education 10% - Save up for any type of course/program which you are interested in
2) Daily Spending 55% - includes daily cost of living such as housing, food, clothes, entertainment etc
3) Financial Freedom 10% - money to be spent during retirement
4) Long Term Spending 5% - use this to put a deposit on a car/house or pay for a friend to visit you
5) Contingency 5% - Just in case your car needs major repair, or you need major sugery.
6) Play Fund 10% - this can be used for any guilty pleasure which MUST be spent every 3 months.
7) Charity 5% - self explanitory.

Enjoy your journey along the road to riches!

A few observations

2008-09-29T12:09:00.005-04:00

Clearly a cyclist has broken the rules.
Extras looking up, Nicolas Cage will soon be reviewed!
Four thumbs from new boys in blue.
and a guy on the phone among rock and roll tunes.

Creative Writing Conversation

2008-09-25T13:48:00.001-04:00

At 8:45am a few weekday mornings ago...

Buskers on Bathurst babbled about being bored
brought up baking, books, but bypassed bio
Being none of my business
I let me ears bare witness to their uninteresting convo

"Canceled courses in creative composition"

The open window provided distraction.

The pale pastel plate had previously been placed at this place
Proper people praised the pickle
"Pass the Peas"
"Peppers Please"
"Anyone for Parmesean Cheese?"

A white cup with saucer
Waits a while for a warm offer
While Willow (the daughter)
Watches her waist with a waffle.

I should drop out too.

- Aneez

Mound or Ground

2008-09-23T11:17:00.004-04:00

This is a game my sister learned at Yankee Stadium from some friendly North Carolinians called 'MOUND or GROUND'.

At the start of each half inning everyone who is playing puts a dollar into the pot.

The pot get passed to a new player each half inning.

At the end of each half inning the umpire (sometimes the catcher) throws a fresh ball towards the mound. The ball will roll and come to a stop on the mound or on the ground. (Hence the name Mound or Ground).

If the ball settles to a stop on the GROUND the pot moves to the next person, everyone puts in another dollar, and the pot grows.

If the ball settles to a stop on the MOUND the person with the pot wins and keeps all the money in the pot. The pot then starts fresh with the next person.

The first person at the game gets first dibs at the pot.
The person with the pot at the end of the game keeps whatever is inside.

Notes:
- Playing with dollars or loonies (the currency) would cost you $18 for a 9 inning game.
- If you play with quarters it keeps the cost to $4.50 (plus extra innings).
- Assign a 'banker' to bring extra change in case any of the other fans in the area want to play.
- Maximum players should be 8 people. If there are more, simply start a 2nd pot.
- (Where possible it is good etiquette to plan for the pot to end on a person playing Mound or Ground for the first time)

Tree Planting

2008-09-11T21:53:00.004-04:00

On Wednesday morning I had the opportunity to take a few hours away from my desk to partake in some tree planting. Trees Ontario in partnership with the Rouge Valley and Sun Media planted 100 trees of mixed varieties. Everyone had a treemendous time, it was fun to branch out and do something different that morning which also helps a little bit towards maintaining a healthy environment for everyone. You may not beleaf it but we planted 100 trees in under 30 mins!

If you breathed today, thank a tree.

When in Rome.

2008-09-11T21:27:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I attended Virgin Festival in Toronto. On Sunday morning it was raining and there were a few entrepreneurs hanging around the entrance selling rain ponchos for $5 (Normally available at better dollar stores for...well $1 plus local taxes). Nice profit margin.

I wasn't in need of a rain poncho but I did notice that one of the rain poncho hawkers was not even wearing a rain poncho and was keeping himself dry with an umbrella!

He came up to us and asked "Are you guys ok for a rain poncho?" we nodded "yes" to his disbelief, I also said out loud "The rain ponchos can't be that good if you're keeping yourself dry with an umbrella".

Catchy Play on Words

2008-09-05T10:34:00.005-04:00

Background of Topic
Opinion on Topic
Link to web page supporting opinion
More opinion on Topic
Link to web page supporting more opinion
Statement of Paradox or Oxymoronical Conclusion
Rhetorical Question on Topic

(image of topic by artist)

The Virgin has arrived!

2008-08-25T16:12:00.002-04:00

Here's what happened at 4pm on Mix 99.9

Last song on MIX 99.9 ... Good Riddance - Green Day

First sounds on Virgin Radio ... Big Time Sensuality - Bjork (remixed with a voiceover as part of virgin teaser) followed by more introductions about virgin radio.... followed by celebs saying 'you're listening to virgin'...followed by more introductions about virgin radio...followed by more celebs saying 'you're listening to virgin'...followed by a segment on radio history in toronto (kinda cool, using other station's tags, vocal clips etc)..."now it's time for a new radio"...short spots on the new shows (same djs)...Z103 dissed...CHUM dissed...and finally a preview of the better tunes on 999...oh dear, it's the same MIX crap!

welcome Toronto to the virgin family...live introduction of all the DJs...giving away $10 000 madonna tix...madonna promo... and the first full song is LIKE A VIRGIN (remixed) by Madonna!

1st contest winner - Julie Scott (madonna tix)

2nd song - Lady GaGa, Just Dance (and they dissed Z103?)

I'm back to work now...

Virgin Radio coming to Toronto!

2008-08-25T12:40:00.005-04:00

BREAKING NEWS: News so breaking that even Google News doesn't have anything listed at the time this was published!

Today at 4pm EST Virgin Radio will take over Mix 999

Clicking on http://www.999mixfm.com will take you to http://www.virginradio999.com/

According to Registered Lookup it seems that Virgin Radio registered THREE domain names (virginradio999, virginradio953 and virginradiocanada, on June 3, 2008. It's surprising that this has been kept under wraps for the past 12 weeks!

This is all very exciting for a city whose FM radio stations has become stagnant with so-called alternative radio stations playing 70% of the same tunes as the Top 40 stations. Even the commercials (which are world-class) are the same on pretty much every station you tune into.

So far, the teasers for Virgin Radio (coming today at four pm) have the same sound and feel to Virgin Radio in London.

What are Virgin Radio's plans for Toronto and for Canada? In teaming up with ASTRAL MEDIA, (the current owner of Mix 99.9) Virgin align themselves with one of Canada's biggest TV, Radio broadcasters and outdoor advertisers. Astral align themselves with the internationally respected Virgin brand and time will tell how deep cross promotions run with Virgin Fest and Virgin Mobile.

Buckle up Uncle Ted, Sir Richard is here to stay!

Stay tuned Toronto!

Aneez

FORD AEDV 372

2008-08-19T15:54:00.007-04:00

This message is for the owner/driver of a grey Ford station wagon.

You made a quick indicatorless right hand turn on the morning of Tuesday Aug 19, approx 8:45am from Bloor onto Sherbourne heading north.

Do you remember the cyclist you thought you passed? You didn't pass him, and while making that turn without using your signals, you actually hit him and knocked him to the ground.

I was the guy who chased you all the way to Mount Pleasant as you drove along. You didn't signal while turning left towards Mt Pleasant, or while turning right onto Mt Pleasant.

Usually the customary response to "STOP THE CAR, YOU HIT SOMEONE!" is to stop the car. Imagine my surprise when you decided to continue driving and sped away.

Anyway, I wanted you to know that your grey Ford station wagon with the plate AEDV 372 has been reported to 51 Division of the Toronto Police. You can contact yourself them at 416 808 5100.

(the image is for illustrative purposes only, as previously mentioned, signals were not used in the actual event)

Meerkats and Raccons.

2008-08-14T07:48:00.000-04:00

It was a rainy day in Toronto when I realized that the pitter patter of raindrops on rooftops were even making 3 out of 4 meerkats want to go pee.

Are you a raccoon who is losing sleep because the stress of daily life is sometimes too much handle? If so, get your grubby little paws out of the garbage, head down the alley to the nearest phone and call:

Things are looking up!

2008-08-13T07:33:00.000-04:00

Excuse my while I kiss the sky. The sky looked a lot more menacing during some of the thunder storms this summer in Toronto. I enjoyed watching this cloud formation formate. It looked like the beginnings of a funnel cloud.

Many of the new condos being built in Toronto are without balconies. This person gets in some fresh air in their own special way.

I saw this sign, looked overhead, just saw the sky and thought to myself "Hey God, what kind of trouble are you cooking up there?"

Parking In Fractions

2008-08-12T10:10:00.000-04:00

Ever wonder what happens if you park your British Racing Green Minivan at a construction site? Yikes! British Racing Cement doused all over the front of your vehicle is not the way I thought one would want to pimp their ride!

While the Parking Enforcement Officer was dishing out the dreaded yellow tags, his vehicle was CLEARLY parked in a NO PARKING zone, where tickets have been given out to uniformed civilians!

In other news, I went for a bike ride down Memory Lane.

Miked Up!

2008-08-11T15:05:00.000-04:00

I attended the Jays game on Saturday where the Doc should have won his 14th game of season against the lowly Cleveland Indians, however the Jays bats were quite quiet and once again and the blue birds dropped one and lost 5-2. The Jays record while I'm in attendance is now 8 wins, 2 losses this year.

Bright side #1: Before the game I enjoyed breakfast at the legendary Yonge Street location of Over Easy with my number 1 fan. This is quickly becoming a tasty game day tradition!

Bright Side #2: Before the game I met Superblogger Mike Wilner, who is also part of the Jays' broadcast team. (You may know him from on-air features such as the 'Home Hardware Out of Town Scoreboard' or 'The Blue Jays This Week'.)

Mike seemed genuinely surprised when I asked to take a photo with him, and upon checking out my jersey from 1993 he asked 'How come you don't have a player on the back?'. My reply to that was that I'm a fan of the team, but not particularly of any player specifically. If I was to get a player on the back it would be a retired Blue Jay such as George Bell or David Stieb. Out of the current lineup I'd most likely get AJ Burnett however he probably won't be a Jay for much longer, and has recently shunned the fans.

Anyway, here is my photo with the Mike, and his mike (hopefully he'll check out my Impact Stat and give me some feedback!)

Thanks Mike!

Aneez

All Star Impact Stat!

2008-07-16T17:06:00.000-04:00

Hello,

The Impact Stat has been updated to reflect all MLB teams up to the All Star Break. Read all about it here.

Enjoy - Aneez

Safe Crossing Hero!

2008-07-14T22:14:00.000-04:00

While on my irregular lunch-time walk around a block in the East End of Downtown Toronto, I witnessed a guy performing the simple act of crossing the road.

The simple act of left-foot, right-foot repeat, almost got him killed because he had loud music playing in left-ear, right-ear which prevented him from hearing the sirens of THREE police cars trying to cross through the intersection to tend to an emergency. (I knew it was an emergency because there were also 2 cops not far behind on bicycle!).

It was his good fortune that said pedestrian was not maimed, however I'm positive that he will a) turn down his music, and b) look both ways before crossing the road for the next few days.

That said, I'd like to take this time to remind you of the dude that spent the majority of his life ensuring that safe passage across busy city streets was to be the right of every man, woman, child, and international visitors. He sacrificed his free time in the evenings to ensure cross-walks also had yellow flashing lights; his work with stop signs on school buses and streetcar doors is legendary; finally the advent of painting 'Look Right' on the streets of London earned him accolades from the highest powers.

His brother Malcolm is a better known historical figure, but as you look both ways BEFORE crossing the road, or press that button to activate the crosswalk lights please spare a thought for Pedestrian X...

This morning...

2008-07-03T09:55:00.000-04:00

This morning while riding my bike to work, avoiding drivers who fail to check for cyclists before making right-hand turns, and hopping over poorly repaired pot holes, I thought of changing the spelling of my name to Anyyz.

Busy Weekend!

2008-05-26T15:36:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was bought to you by the number 147, and the phrase "Let's get into the news everyday this weekend!"

Here are the details...

Friday:

Dinner and a movie plans were canceled for baseball and a BBQ. The Blue Jays were hosting the first of the weekend's "All You Can Eat" events where the price of admission included all the hot-dogs, peanuts, nachos, popcorn, and non-alcoholic drinks you could stuff your face with.

4 hotdogs, 2 drinks, and a tub of nachos later... read what the The Toronto Star had to say about it.

Here's a photo of the sign which they mention.

Jays won 7-1 as 'Doc' Halladay threw a complete game!

Saturday:

Green Toronto Festival

We took part in the Guinness World Record for the Largest Bicycle Bell Ensemble!

Here's a video,

more press coverage,

and a little more! (the photo is my hand! yahoo!)

The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying the sights, eating ice cream at Kensington Market, followed up by a tasty and spicy meal at Salad King!

Sunday:

Speaking of ice cream, here's the scoop on the the third event of the weekend which made the local press:

The Jays won 3-1, and along with the Lyle Overbay record, Shannon Stewart threw out a runner trying to get to third, Alex Rios threw out a runner at home, and Dustin McGowan threw 7 strikeouts which means on Monday everyone who went to the game gets a FREE SLICE of Pizza Pizza pizza! Excellent D-FENCE by your Toronto Blue Jays!

Monday: The Kanji Playoff Pool page has been updated!

Vanessa went to see Sheryl Crow!

They're asking for a refresher!

2008-05-14T11:30:00.000-04:00

Hello!

I am not claiming to be an authority on language, however one of the things that drives me up the wall is when a blogthor uses the wrong "they're/there/their" on their posts. I was going to write up a 'how-to' however it has been done many times so click here to go there.

Aneez

Visual Pollution gets a 'Brazilian'!

2008-04-25T15:34:00.000-04:00

Would London be the same without TDK & SANYO in big bright lights?

Would NYNY be less attractive without a giant stock ticker in the middle of the city?

How would Toronto look without the enormous flashing records outside Sam the Record Man?

Sao Paulo is probably not the first city that comes to mind when you think of places where advertising dominates the city centre. New York has it's famous Times Square, London's Piccadilly Circus is a haven for tourists armed with cameras, and even the thriving metropolis of Toronto is developing it's own public space dominated by high gloss advertising at Yonge/Dundas Square.

Last year, 2007, was a landmark year for the Brazil's largest city. In true form to their city's motto (I am not led, I lead), local politicians voted to essentially ban all outdoor advertising! You read it correctly - they put a ban on all outdoor advertising!

Because of an estimated 8000+ illegal billboards, there are now no more billboards anywhere, legal or illegal. No more billboards on the sides of buildings, no more billboards on the highways, no ads on taxis, buses, public shelters. No outdoor ads at all, anywhere!

There of course has been mixed reaction. Some say that there is a beauty rediscovering the architecture of the city, and uncovering some social problems that billboards hid. Others say that this is an infringement on freedom of speech, or that the city lacks it's culture without any ads.

Politics, and big business aside, what would your city look like without outdoor advertising? Would it change the landscape? Would you miss it?

What does it say about a culture when they are defined by the ads they expose themselves to?

Leave your comments here.

Aneez

Flaw of Averages

2008-04-25T14:15:00.000-04:00

The following is based from a sporting fan's point of view, but in some ways you can apply the theory to situations in real life.

It doesn't matter what the probability of an event may be, or how past performance may predict a certain outcome, overall the chances that something will happen is 50/50. It will either happen, or it won't happen.

A baseball player's batting average shows how he has performed over all his at bats during a period of time. Using this number to predict a current at bat is flawed. If a batter is hitting .300 (or 30%) you cannot say that he will hit .300 in the current at bat. He will either get a hit, or he won't get a hit. It's 50/50.

From a hockey perspective if you look at shots on goal and say that a team scores once every 20 shots, you cannot say that any particular shot will result in a score of 5%. No, it will either be a goal, or it won't be a goal.

Certainly in the above 2 circumstances the actual probability of a base hit or scoring is quite low. Like in life, many dreams and goals have a tiny chance of occurring, but if you have the opportunity to step up to the plate, you might as well swing for the fences. At that point things look pretty good and suddenly the odds are 50/50!

Aneez

GMC - Green Message Confusion?

2008-04-23T15:25:00.000-04:00

What do you guys think of this?

(Take a look at the links if you're interested)

GM, along with all the other major automobile makers, have taken a clue from falling demand of SUV vehicles coupled with a 'green' consumer mentality here in North America and after years of initiatives and development, GM offer consumers the fuel efficient Malibu Hybrid car. It has won them a Car of the Year award and many accolades within the automobile industry.

With Beijing having to put in place temporary measures to improve air quality for the Olympics, why would GM be using the Cadillac Escalade SUV gas-guzzler to highlight their fleet of vehicles in China?

Click here to share your thoughts.

Aneez

"5 Percent Down, 7 Percent Up, Hike Hike!"

2008-04-20T21:07:00.000-04:00

Hello friends!

With the endless stream of information that subtly invades our lives whether through BOLD NEWSPAPER headlines, consolidated news websites (or commuter papers like the Metro), a facebook or twitter status, or even through one-liners on tv tickers, it is quite normal to assume the content of a story by the headline.

Media outlets normally have a political agenda when it comes to reporting. We all know that certain outlets are more conservative or socialist than others, and the headlines and the reporting of stories normally reflect their views.

This past weekend there were 3 headlines that caught my eye:

1) Bystanders watch as man killed
2) Good Samaritan stabbed at Yorkdale mall

These first 2 are from the Toronto Star. The essence of the two stories are encapsulated in the headlines. I found it puzzling that the two headlines were allowed to co-exist in the same publication, given political agendas. Is The Star trying to encourage or discourage active citizenship here, or are they just reporting events without a biased agenda?

3) Venture capitalists invest less in first quarter

This third headline caught my eye as it was featured near the top of news.google.com. Venture Capitalists (VCs) are no longer investing in new business. Along with headlines of a the Mortgage Crisis, Pending Recession, oil war, oil prices, etc etc, the initial impression this headline perpetuates the global feeling of doom and gloom.

One might think that young companies with new and bright ideas would be struggling to find investors to help elevate their company to new heights. Upon further reading, the article confirms that the amount invested has gone down a drastic 5 percent when compared to the same period a year ago. It also states that the actual number of deals made were 922, compared to 861 from last quarter. They have actually increased a whopping 7 percent! I thought that this should be good news! More companies are being invested in!

Isn't this economic progress? Who wouldn't be pleased to get more for their money? Wouldn't you as an individual be happy to spend 5 percent less at your local mega-grocery store and get 7 percent more items?

What would the impact have been if the headline had read "Venture Capitalists Invest In More New Ideas"?

Click here to share your thoughts.

Aneez

I Hit the Post.

2008-04-18T10:49:00.000-04:00

I hit the post.
I post the hit.
The hit I post.
The post I hit.
Hit post.
Post hit.
I the,
the Eye.

You'll find a listing of my blogs at the top of this webpage, oops I mean blog.

They have nothing to do with horse-racing, just a little bit to do with hockey for now. There's some baseball thrown in, my random cellphone pics and to round things off, I'll add my thoughts on life right here!

Enjoy, and stay tuned here for randomblings, blogservations and wwwhatever.else.com/es/to_mind!

Aneez