Greetings and salutations!

It's on the verge of being a while since my last entry. It's both relatively easy and surprisingly tempting to simply quit writing and, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure why I don't. There is some compulsion, whether it's to share a window into my life with the world or even just to write (something I really don't do recreationally anymore), that keeps me coming back. Maybe I just like the "sound" of my own "voice." Anyway, seeing as we're all here, let's get to it shall we?

I've been back in Calgary for a month now and as much as I am immersed in (and very much enjoying) my new job and happy to catch up with friends and family, I can't help but notice the return of familiar pressures, the draw of typical western distractions - there's no escaping the double-edged sword I suppose. But I don't mean to complain; I believe now is the right time to be here and I am excited about what lies ahead.

Aside from work, I've been keeping busy in other ways. I was able to go out and support my friend's band at Vibe 98.5's contest; I have moved into my "summer home" (I'm house sitting for my uncle for the next couple months) and, on the heels of my compact digital camera's slow death, I took advantage of an incredible deal on a Sony a200 DSLR camera and am taking it through the paces. Finally, I had the opportunity to attend a speaking event featuring Bill Clinton at the TELUS Convention Center last week.

Of course it hasn't all been good news. The explosives incident (as small as it was)  on the LRT is certainly somewhat disturbing, as is the ongoing economic chaos we find ourselves in. Never mind that gas is at more than $1.30 a liter, now we hear that insurance premiums in this province could rise as much as 40%! I thought Alberta was this incredible, prosperous place - I guess they just don't want anybody on the roads. That wouldn't be so bad if we actually had decent public transit systems, when in reality we're somewhere closer to the dark ages. 

Speaking of the dark ages, it seems Canada is finally brining its copyright legislation into the modern age; about time too as the world knows Canada is a global hotbed of piracy. This may sound somewhat hypocritical, as I generally have nothing against pirates. I just think that what was on the books needed an update and I do believe its much more reasonable than that our neighbors to the south. Finally, remember that laws and enforcement are two very different things, especially on the digital frontier.

I had a bunch of other stuff I was going to write about global political and economic affairs but, for now, I just don't have the energy. I will comment on the recent, Egyptian brokered truce between Hamas (Gaza) and Israel. While it is always encouraging to see a halt to the violence and any prospect of ongoing peace,  the long history of this conflict (and actions by both sides) doesn't lend itself to optimism. The best possible thing that could come out of this in the immediate future, would be the release of those soldiers long held prisoner by Hamas and Hizbullah.

One other thing does bother me though; following a recent state visit, President Sarkozy of France, a country maintaining close ties with the Arab world, reconfirmed his nation's commitment to the ongoing security of Israel. In typical fashion many Jews, particularly those in America, condemned him for not knowing the realities of the situation. Why is that, so frequently, those that berate anyone attempting to take a balanced, rational approach to the Mid-East conflict, are the ones safe in the comfort of their US homes and not actually living in Israel? I leave that question to the reading public, whoever that might be.

With Hope,
Joseph