The other day I was watching a bit of tv, and I saw a new Virgin Mobile commercial about 60 times in 10 minutes. Check it out:
I was kinda surprised to hear the song they used. It’s a remix of Simian’s song “Never Be Alone”, done by a super cool French duo named Justice. They remixed the song in 2003, as part of a college radio remix contest, and they’ve been making incredible music ever since.
I’ve heard a few of their other remixes in the past (like their remix of Death From Above 1979’s ‘Blood On Our Hands’), but I only started listening to Justice’s own songs earlier this year, and they are amazing. Their first full-length album just came out in June of this year, and it’s the coolest electronic/dance sounding stuff I’ve heard in a while. Justice is on the Ed Banger Records label, which is home to a whole bunch of amazing French electronic artists. You should check them out.
Shortly after getting my bike in April, I got a nice little wireless speedometer/odometer for it so I could keep track of my riding. I’ve kept track of pretty much every ride I’ve been on, and today on my way home, I hit the 1,000km mark.
Over half of those kilometers came from riding to work, which I’ve done 45 times now. I did some quick calculations, and I figure I’ve saved about $150 in parking and probably another $100 in gas by commuting via bicycle.
I may be bragging a little, but I’m pretty proud of this feat. I bet if I added up all the time I spent riding a bike since I was a kid, it wouldn’t amount to how much I’ve ridden in the past four months. My goal for the year is to accumulate 1,500km, so I still have another 500km to go. But there’s still another two months or so of biking weather available, so I’m sure I’ll reach my goal before the year is up.
Back in April, I read a story in the Toronto Star about gastric bypass procedures (aka ’stomach stapling’) in Ontario. Many people are currently waiting for OHIP to cover their gastric bypass surgeries in order to help them lose weight. The problem is that there’s a waiting list and the procedure is expensive - close to $20,000. To make matters worse, in 2006, OHIP covered costs for 394 people to travel to the U.S. to have their surgeries done, at a cost of about $40,000 per person.
I understand some people have weight problems and may have trouble losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight. However, I find it hard to justify spending millions of dollars in taxpayer money on surgeries for people who are morbidly obese. I know these people must lose weight in order to improve their health or even to survive in some cases, but I don’t think surgery is necessarily the solution.
The way I see it, fat people are fat for a reason or combination of reasons. But, they have at least some control over this. Sure, some people are genetically predisposed to gaining weight, but I highly doubt somebody weighing in at 350lbs got that way by eating a healthy, balanced diet and exercising regularly.
I think what really gets to me is the fact that I have a ‘real disease‘ that cannot be cured, and can only be controlled through the use of medication. Without daily insulin injections, I would die. OHIP doesn’t cover the cost of my insulin or my testing supplies. A morbidly obese person could probably lose weight the old-fashioned way, through diet and lifestyle changes, yet they are able to get their weight-loss surgeries paid for. Food for thought…
I came across this article the other day, and all I can say is ‘wow’. There are some really fucking dumb people in this world. Champion New Zealand parents Pat and Sheena Wheaton wanted to call their newborn son “4Real”. For real. Not only is this the most horrible name ever invented, the parents decided to give him the name “after seeing the baby for the first time in an ultrasound scan and realizing their baby was ‘for real’.”
Unfortunately for these ‘parents of the year’, their choice of name was rejected by the New Zealand Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Not to worry, though - the Wheatons are planning to get around the rules by officially naming their kid “Superman” and just calling him “4Real” anyway.
I can just imagine Superman “4Real” Wheaton disowning his parents nine years from now…
On Sunday night, my friend Christien and I went to Mississauga to see Daft Punk play live. It was completely off the hook, and one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. Their stage setup was amazing, with the best light show I’ve ever seen. It was loud, robotic, and really entertaining. The crowd was so hyped up, and everybody seemed to be having a great time dancing and jumping around.
Opening for Daft Punk was a cool band from New York called The Rapture. They played a great set, getting the audience in a dancey mood with their funky, electronic rock music. Between bands, SebastiAn and Kavinsky were DJing, playing some sick tracks that really got the crowd in a frenzy. Busy P also made an appearance, playing a few songs.
Overall, it was an amazing show and I’m pretty sure everybody there had the prime time of their lives.
