I'm #5! NASPA CrossTable from the #BCScrabbleChampionship this past weekend

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NASPA Cross-Table: Vancouver, BC, CAN, August 27-28, 2011

Vancouver, BC, CAN
August 27-28, 2011
					Rating
Rank		Name	W–L	Spread	Old Perf	New +/−	Round-by-Round Results
1		James Leong	12–2	+1153	1967 2201	1991 +24		W24 490 257		W6 514 262		L10 384 390		W14 430 361		W3 409 392		W21 427 355		W22 550 280		W2 383 359		W8 412 346		W13 430 410		W18 432 410		L3 368 560		W3 532 413		W3 502 315
2		Mark Schellenberg	10–4	+1137	1763 1841	1776 +13		W28 508 305		W21 532 283		W11 571 382		W4 383 355		L22 437 444		W13 461 324		W14 416 351		L1 359 383		W7 383 364		L3 404 462		L3 336 421		W5 445 302		W6 422 357		W5 511 298
3		Chris Williams	10–4	+565	1804 1948	1822 +18		W27 373 306		W23 397 316		W12 402 395		L13 460 494		L1 392 409		W22 451 304		W16 453 376		W10 490 370		W18 462 374		W2 462 404		W2 421 336		W1 560 368		L1 413 532		L1 315 502
4		Chris Tallman	9–5	+246	1544 1650	1562 +18		W16 431 288		W26 388 353		L7 345 561		L2 355 383		W6 481 286		L8 316 454		L10 308 441		W11 445 345		W19 390 350		L15 365 436		W21 427 318		W14 424 352		W17 424 309		W7 405 382
5		Lam Tang	9–5	+153	1585 1644	1595 +10		W9 406 398		L22 346 355		W17 503 390		L20 355 382		L7 344 434		W27 405 328		W11 449 348		W12 360 277		W16 435 372		W8 485 361		W17 377 326		L2 302 445		W7 369 354		L2 298 511
6		Ted Bryde	9–5	+37	1261 1676	1342 +81		W10 532 379		L1 262 514		W24 371 316		W7 437 320		L4 286 481		L14 301 412		W12 420 338		W21 397 341		L17 382 404		W22 434 360		W13 383 365		W17 410 333		L2 357 422		W10 377 327
7		Dean Saldanha	8–6	+688	1897 1579	1854 −43		W26 427 321		L16 357 421		W4 561 345		L6 320 437		W5 434 344		W18 349 332		W21 515 318		L13 299 387		L2 364 383		W10 557 387		W15 491 374		W8 420 319		L5 354 369		L4 382 405
8		Dielle Saldanha	8–6	+444	1835 1513	1792 −43		W25 492 331		L19 337 387		L13 361 475		W23 496 277		W27 366 324		W4 454 316		W17 445 262		W14 421 330		L1 346 412		L5 361 485		W24 459 333		L7 319 420		L10 420 490		W14 368 359
9		Kim Proulx	8–6	+130		1331		L5 398 406		L17 287 428		L22 308 444		W24 396 281		L25 376 435		W23 450 345		L26 323 347		W19 384 342		W28 392 381		W18 425 339		W14 382 326		L10 350 359		W15 357 324		W15 432 373
10		Kevin Lee	8–6	+37	1582 1592	1584 +2		L6 379 532		W24 363 320		W1 390 384		L18 342 422		W21 442 364		W15 523 299		W4 441 308		L3 370 490		L14 391 420		L7 387 557		W16 413 337		W9 359 350		W8 490 420		L6 327 377
11		Dion Saldanha	8–6	−69	1303 1369	1315 +12		L21 371 390		W28 429 306		L2 382 571		W16 377 351		L17 326 386		W12 367 359		L5 348 449		L4 345 445		L15 327 356		W26 366 353		W20 391 345		W19 455 330		W13 471 415		W17 379 347
12		Reuvena Ross	7–7	+232	1304 1152	1275 −29		L23 358 370		W27 445 281		L3 395 402		W22 463 335		L15 313 358		L11 359 367		L6 338 420		L5 277 360		W25 385 356		L21 369 413		W28 423 355		W24 404 392		W26 416 344		W19 449 409
13		Murray Weber	7–7	+172	1536 1466	1525 −11		W19 437 400		W25 440 341		W8 475 361		W3 494 460		L14 409 414		L2 324 461		L18 308 458		W7 387 299		W22 376 315		L1 410 430		L6 365 383		L15 329 337		L11 415 471		W20 410 277
14		Gabriel Wong	7–7	+105	1516 1501	1514 −2		W15 416 386		W20 370 310		W18 400 361		L1 361 430		W13 414 409		W6 412 301		L2 351 416		L8 330 421		W10 420 391		L17 334 356		L9 326 382		L4 352 424		W21 484 269		L8 359 368
15		Jordan Campbell	7–7	−138	1179 1377	1215 +36		L14 386 416		W18 407 374		L20 297 357		L17 395 437		W12 358 313		L10 299 523		W27 444 384		W26 496 315		W11 356 327		W4 436 365		L7 374 491		W13 337 329		L9 324 357		L9 373 432
16		Stuart Craig	7–7	−152	1258 1299	1266 +8		L4 288 431		W7 421 357		W26 420 403		L11 351 377		W19 405 372		W20 436 353		L3 376 453		L17 315 322		L5 372 435		W20 348 332		L10 337 413		L23 342 353		W24 361 343		W21 349 329
17		Ryan Burgess	7–7	−258	1267 1368	1288 +21		L22 350 358		W9 428 287		L5 390 503		W15 437 395		W11 386 326		W19 387 360		L8 262 445		W16 322 315		W6 404 382		W14 356 334		L5 326 377		L6 333 410		L4 309 424		L11 347 379
18		Jesse Matthews	6–8	+552	1813 1219	1723 −90		W20 411 364		L15 374 407		L14 361 400		W10 422 342		W23 544 276		L7 332 349		W13 458 308		L22 379 384		L3 374 462		L9 339 425		L1 410 432		L27 434 447		W28 474 327		W23 520 357
19		Tony Verma	6–8	+90	1185 1144	1177 −8		L13 400 437		W8 387 337		W25 459 346		L21 312 569		L16 372 405		L17 360 387		W20 403 347		L9 342 384		L4 350 390		W27 400 268		W22 468 307		L11 330 455		W23 462 283		L12 409 449
20		Bill Kinsella	6–8	−218	964 1134	994 +30		L18 364 411		L14 310 370		W15 357 297		W5 382 355		L26 351 385		L16 353 436		L19 347 403		W28 346 328		W23 374 345		L16 332 348		L11 345 391		W25 427 315		W27 316 305		L13 277 410
21		Yukari Balabanov	6–8	−430	1103 1269	1132 +29		W11 390 371		L2 283 532		W28 425 317		W19 569 312		L10 364 442		L1 355 427		L7 318 515		L6 341 397		W26 409 338		W12 413 369		L4 318 427		W22 393 326		L14 269 484		L16 329 349
22		Mark Stedman	6–8	−586	1063 1298	1122 +59		W17 358 350		W5 355 346		W9 444 308		L12 335 463		W2 444 437		L3 304 451		L1 280 550		W18 384 379		L13 315 376		L6 360 434		L19 307 468		L21 326 393		L25 443 451		W27 411 246
23		Jennifer Nip	6–8	−833	1160 1129	1155 −5		W12 370 358		L3 316 397		L27 312 412		L8 277 496		L18 276 544		L9 345 450		W28 405 331		W24 399 367		L20 345 374		W28 398 309		W25 422 329		W16 353 342		L19 283 462		L18 357 520
24		Lilia Murnane	5–9	−372	1011 990	1008 −3		L1 257 490		L10 320 363		L6 316 371		L9 281 396		W28 388 348		W26 393 377		L25 337 396		L23 367 399		W27 351 327		W25 494 338		L8 333 459		L12 392 404		L16 343 361		W26 394 309
25		Sunshine Gudlaugson	5–9	−741	969 905	957 −12		L8 331 492		L13 341 440		L19 346 459		L26 341 359		W9 435 376		W28 350 329		W24 396 337		L27 269 399		L12 356 385		L24 338 494		L23 329 422		L20 315 427		W22 451 443		W28 351 328
26		Marilyn Batchelor	4–10	−495	985 842	960 −25		L7 321 427		L4 353 388		L16 403 420		W25 359 341		W20 385 351		L24 377 393		W9 347 323		L15 315 496		L21 338 409		L11 353 366		W27 364 331		L28 346 354		L12 344 416		L24 309 394
27		Julia Szwet	4–10	−501	903 891	901 −2		L3 306 373		L12 281 445		W23 412 312		W28 379 348		L8 324 366		L5 328 405		L15 384 444		W25 399 269		L24 327 351		L19 268 400		L26 331 364		W18 447 434		L20 305 316		L22 246 411
28		Vern Giesbrecht	1–13	−948	769 312	723 −46		L2 305 508		L11 306 429		L21 317 425		L27 348 379		L24 348 388		L25 329 350		L23 331 405		L20 328 346		L9 381 392		L23 309 398		L12 355 423		W26 354 346		L18 327 474		L25 328 351

via scrabbleplayers.org

This is an overly complex diagram to show my 5th place standing in the BC Scrabble Championships this past weekend in Steveston/Richmond, BC. Thanks to James, Jesse, Kevin, Nick & probably Chris W too for everything you did to make things happen, and sorry I bailed early: was late for supper plans with my babies!

Posted via email from ThatGuyLam's posterousizing

Are we one big inside joke?

Sasha's starting to say something that sounds like "yeah!" these days so that's what we r going with. She also laughs like it's an inside joke that's lasted all her life. It probably is. I'm just not sure I fully get it yet. But I'm laughing along anyway cuz it's still pretty funny.

Posted via email from ThatGuyLam's posterousizing

"...consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together." from #JackLayton's final msg

Jack Layton's final message

Monday, August 22, 2011

By Jack Layton, edmontonjournal.com

New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jack Layton (L) holds his granddaughter Beatrice as he sits with his wife NDP candidate Olivia Chow (R) watching election results on television with family and friends in a hotel room before his election event at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Monday, May 2, 2011.

Photographed by:
(Tyler Anderson/National Post)

Dear Friends,

Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish me well. I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughtful, inspiring and often beautiful notes, cards and gifts. Your spirit and love have lit up my home, my spirit, and my determination.

Unfortunately my treatment has not worked out as I hoped. So I am giving this letter to my partner Olivia to share with you in the circumstance in which I cannot continue.

I recommend that Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel continue her work as our interim leader until a permanent successor is elected.

I recommend the party hold a leadership vote as early as possible in the New Year, on approximately the same timelines as in 2003, so that our new leader has ample time to reconsolidate our team, renew our party and our program, and move forward towards the next election.

A few additional thoughts:

To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don’t be discouraged that my own journey hasn’t gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope. Treatments and therapies have never been better in the face of this disease. You have every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future. My only other advice is to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey, as I have done this summer.

To the members of my party: we’ve done remarkable things together in the past eight years. It has been a privilege to lead the New Democratic Party and I am most grateful for your confidence, your support, and the endless hours of volunteer commitment you have devoted to our cause. There will be those who will try to persuade you to give up our cause. But that cause is much bigger than any one leader. Answer them by recommitting with energy and determination to our work. Remember our proud history of social justice, universal health care, public pensions and making sure no one is left behind. Let’s continue to move forward. Let’s demonstrate in everything we do in the four years before us that we are ready to serve our beloved Canada as its next government.

To the members of our parliamentary caucus: I have been privileged to work with each and every one of you. Our caucus meetings were always the highlight of my week. It has been my role to ask a great deal from you. And now I am going to do so again. Canadians will be closely watching you in the months to come. Colleagues, I know you will make the tens of thousands of members of our party proud of you by demonstrating the same seamless teamwork and solidarity that has earned us the confidence of millions of Canadians in the recent election.

To my fellow Quebecers: On May 2nd, you made an historic decision. You decided that the way to replace Canada’s Conservative federal government with something better was by working together in partnership with progressive-minded Canadians across the country. You made the right decision then; it is still the right decision today; and it will be the right decision right through to the next election, when we will succeed, together. You have elected a superb team of New Democrats to Parliament. They are going to be doing remarkable things in the years to come to make this country better for us all.

To young Canadians: All my life I have worked to make things better. Hope and optimism have defined my political career, and I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about Canada. Young people have been a great source of inspiration for me. I have met and talked with so many of you about your dreams, your frustrations, and your ideas for change. More and more, you are engaging in politics because you want to change things for the better. Many of you have placed your trust in our party. As my time in political life draws to a close I want to share with you my belief in your power to change this country and this world. There are great challenges before you, from the overwhelming nature of climate change to the unfairness of an economy that excludes so many from our collective wealth, and the changes necessary to build a more inclusive and generous Canada. I believe in you. Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today. You need to be at the heart of our economy, our political life, and our plans for the present and the future.

And finally, to all Canadians: Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children. We can do our part to save the world’s environment. We can restore our good name in the world. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about change. In the months and years to come, New Democrats will put a compelling new alternative to you. My colleagues in our party are an impressive, committed team. Give them a careful hearing; consider the alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done.

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.

All my very best,

Jack Layton

© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

via edmontonjournal.com

Jack Layton's final message. You are missed, Mr. Layton.

Posted via email from ThatGuyLam's posterousizing

Better World Books Takes A Page From Toms Shoes' "One For One" Playbook | Fast Company

Better World Books, a bookseller that calls itself "the online bookstore with a soul," announced an initiative this week to donate a book to the company's non-profit literacy partners--Feed the Children and Books for Africa--every time a book is purchased on their website. Books for Africa will receive used textbooks, while Feed the Children will (obviously) get children's books.

Sound familiar? That's because the "Book for Book" initiative is similar to Toms Shoes' "One for One" initiative, which gives a pair of shoes to a child in need every time a pair is purchased. The model has been so successful that Toms is now using it with its sunglasses line (but giving away glasses and eye surgery to the needy instead of sunglasses). "Who wouldn't be inspired by what Toms Shoes is doing? Anybody who hears that story, you look for ways that you too can make an impact beyond what you're already doing," says Andy Perlmutter, CEO of Better World Books.

As you may surmise from its name, this isn't Better World Books' only charitable endeavor. The bookseller's entire business model is based on helping the down-and-out: the company collects books that colleges and libraries are going to throw out, sells them, and sets aside part of each book sale to give back to its literacy partners. It's a model that offers affordable books and textbooks to customers, supports literacy, and keeps perfectly usable books out of the landfill.

The for-profit model is clearly working. Better World Books has raised nearly $10 million for its nonprofits and reused or recycled over 57 million books since its inception in 2003--all while making money for the company, which has ballooned to having nearly 400 employees (it started out with just two Notre Dame graduates). "Now that we're approaching the milestone of having donated $10 million back to our nonprofit and literacy partners, we thought it was about time that we made that long-term commitment [with Book for Book]," says Perlmutter.

With Better World Books and Toms now using the buy-one-give-one model, we have to wonder: who's next?

[Image: Better World Books]

Reach Ariel Schwartz via Twitter or email.

via fastcompany.com

What a neat idea. Alpha folk who might be following, this could be a source for your course's Bibles...

Posted via email from ThatGuyLam's posterousizing

DeLootLondon.co.uk

Rebuilding our communities with every trip to the shops.

Rioters may have looted our local shops. But now it’s our turn to de-loot them – by spending our money there and helping our neighbourhood businesses get back on their feet.

-->

Follow us on twitter...@delootlondon

#delootlondon

WoodbineAvenue RT @londonriot: #delootlondon RT @realkellydavis: Help make sure no local shop affected by the riots is forced to close http://t.co/g4WGccs 55 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

cooperantics RT @JonAkwue: #DeLootLondon: a shopper's guide to looted shops of London. Simple. Brilliant. Beautiful. http://t.co/Zy3YIQy via @Snoxishere 51 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

StoryingShef #delootlondon great idea RT @londonriot: Help make sure no local shop affected by the riots is forced to close http://t.co/RJn3vGm 30 minutes ago · reply · retweet · favorite

Join the conversation

via delootlondon.co.uk

Great idea RT@danmillest on what I'd like to call the #LondonAntiRiot... Wonder if people delooted (or are delooting) Vancouver. Might have, I just didn't track it.

Posted via email from ThatGuyLam's posterousizing

Social Network Wars: How The Five Major Platforms Stack Up [INFOGRAPHIC]

Most people don’t have the social steam to power a presence on Google , Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Tumblr. Sure, there are handy apps like Twitterfeed and Hootsuite that can help spread one post to all of your networks, but that ignores the individual strengths and weaknesses of each platform.

When it comes time to pick and choose where you post, this chart can help you decide what’s appropriate for you.

Infographic design by Emily Caufield.

via mashable.com

Handy chart... it's kind of my job, and I still get all these doodads mixed up.

Posted via email from ThatGuyLam's posterousizing

35% of Web Downloads r porn, acc. to @EdStetzer - Pornification: Just the Facts

via edstetzer.com

http://www.edstetzer.com/2011/08/pornification-just-the-facts.html
...was a hugely enlightening post connected to an even more informative post I'm about to read. Shown here is the infographic.

Posted via email from ThatGuyLam's posterousizing

Religious tolerance in retreat globally: study | Holy Post | National Post

via life.nationalpost.com

I'm thankful to be in this country; thoughts & prayers go out to those in other countries who aren't as free.

Posted via email from ThatGuyLam's posterousizing

"Snail Mail My Email" Marries the Romance of Analog with the Convenience of Digital - Media - GOOD

"Snail Mail My Email" Marries the Romance of Analog with the Convenience of Digital - Media - GOOD

http://www.good.is/post/snail-mail-my-em...>

Too lazy to write a letter by hand? This public art project will do it for you.

Posted via email from ThatGuyLam's posterousizing

International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran – Unprecedented Death Sentence for Christian Pastor on Charge of Apostasy

Appeals Court’s Ruling

“Apostasy” Not Even a Crime Defined in Iranian Laws

(7 December 2010) The Supreme Court of Iran should immediately reverse the apostasy conviction and death sentence of Christian pastor Youcef Nadarkhani and release him from prison, the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran said today. The judiciary should also release another pastor, Behrouz Sadegh-Khanjani, who faces a similar prosecution.

Nadarkhani, 33-year-old who became a Christian at age 19, is a member of the Church of Iran ministry and the pastor of an approximately 400-person congregation in the northern city of Rasht. Despite being sentenced to death for apostasy, no articles in the Iranian legal code refer to such a crime.

“It is the low point of any judicial system to sentence a person to death outside of its own legal framework,” said Aaron Rhodes, a spokesperson for the Campaign.

“To execute someone based on the religion they choose to practice or not practice is the ultimate form of religious discrimination and disregard for the freedom of conscience and belief,” Rhodes added.

On 22 September 2010, the 11th Circuit Criminal Court of Appeals for the Gilan Province upheld the death sentence and conviction of Youcef Nadarkhani for apostasy.

Apostasy, the act of renouncing one’s religion, is not a crime under Iran’s Islamic Penal Code. Instead, the presiding judge in Nadarkhani’s case rested his opinion on texts by Iranian religious scholars.

According to the judgment, Nadarkhani was born to Muslim parents but converted to Christianity at 19. The judgment stated that during interrogations Nadarkhani made a written confession admitting he left Islam for Christianity. But at his trial, Nadarkhani said his interrogators pressured him into making the statement.

“I am not an apostate … prior to 19 years old I did not accept any religion,” Nadarkhani said at trial.  After repeated questioning, “my interrogator coaxed me [into thinking] that a person who is born to Muslim parents, and does not accept a religion other than Islam before reaching the religious maturity age [15 for males], is automatically a Muslim.”

On Sunday, 5 December 2010, Nadarkhani’s lawyer filed an objection to his client’s sentence with Iran’s Supreme Court.

Articles 13 and 26 of the Islamic Republic’s constitution recognize Christianity, granting Christians the right to freely worship and form religious societies. Article 14 obligates the Iranian government to uphold the equality and human rights of Christians.

The judge in Nadarkhani’s criminal cases grounded his decision on provisions in the Constitution and the Revolutionary Court’s civil procedures that instruct judges to consult sources when there is no codified-law that addresses a matter. The judge also cited a provision in the penal code that allows judges to draw upon their personal knowledge when adjudicating cases.

“More and more, the Iranian judiciary is departing from any recognized form of due process, issuing arbitrary judgments based on vague, open-ended laws,” said Rhodes. “Laws and evidence are increasingly irrelevant and unrelated to judicial outcomes in Iran.”

Another Christian pastor, 33-year-old Behrouz Sadegh-Khanjani, is facing a possible indictment for apostasy in the southern city of Shiraz.

Referring to Nadarkhani and Sadegh-Khanjani’s cases, Firouz Sadegh-Khanjani, brother of Behrouz and member of the Church of Iran’s Executive Council, told the Campaign, “This is part of a greater trend of persecution against Christians.”

“My brother was arrested in June 2010. Eight members of his congregation including his wife were arrested two days later but were eventually released,” Firouz Khanjani told the Campaign. “For several months he was in solitary confinement; we had no word from him and he had no contact with his lawyer. He has been moved to [prison] but we worry about the type of pressure he was under while in solitary confinement.”

After his release from solitary confinement, Behrouz Sadegh-Khanjani and his lawyer, Mahmoud Taravatrooy, attended one pretrial investigatory hearing [dadsara] where prosecutors sought to indict him for apostasy along with the crimes of acting against national security, propaganda against the regime, and insulting sanctities.

“We are most concerned with the apostasy charge,” said Taravatrooy. “In preparing [my client’s] defense, that’s where most of my energy has gone, to save him from death.”

According to his brother, Sadegh-Khanjani was born to Christian parents and was never a Muslim. Behrouz Sadegh-Khanjani’s mother is a Christian immigrant from the Congo and his father converted before he was born.

“Technically speaking, the court should dismiss this charge,” said Taravatrooy, “but the judge has to review the accusations first.”

“We asked some top clerics to issue opinions on [apostasy under Islam],” Taravatrooy told the Campaign. “Four Ayatollah’s [including the late Grand Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri], said that changing one’s religion from Islam to one of the Abrahamic religions [including Christianity], is not construed as apostasy and [the convert] should be treated the same way as people of other religions would be.”

Authorities placed Behrouz Sadegh-Khanjani under temporary detention on 6 June 2010 after he reported on a summons to the revolutionary court in Shiraz. At the time he was free on bail stemming from a December 2009 arrest. Taravatrooy told the Campaign that Sadegh-Khanjani’s temporary detention order expired on 18 October 2010. “Technically he is being held illegally.”

The Campaign called for the immediate release of Nadarkhani and Sadegh-Khanjani and for an end to prosecutions on the charge of apostasy, which does not appear in any Iranian laws and violates Iran’s human rights obligations.

*Correction on 13 December 2010: the ages of Youcef Nadarkhani and Behrouz Sadegh-Khanjani were incorrectly stated as 32 and 35, respectively. Both men are 33 years of age.

———————————————————————————————————

via iranhumanrights.org

Brutal truth in Iran.
A few articles of this nature on the site but this one sums it up decently.
As much as we are not unopposed, we are fortunate to live in a place free from a government this outrageous.

Posted via email from ThatGuyLam's posterousizing

A Summer Theater Made of old Fridges in East London

via good.is

Wait, do we spell it Theater or Theatre in Canada?
Regardless, what a neat idea. I'd pay to see a movie on a bunch of old fridges.

Posted via email from ThatGuyLam's posterousizing

welcome back prank

First day back from vacay.
Came back to a newly cleaned desk, pictured here.
Anyone who's ever seen how I keep my desk will know how dramatic a change it is when you can see the surface of it.
As you can well imagine too, this has yielded a pile of papers to sort through. A nice neat pile, tho.

Thanks, workmates!

Posted via email from ThatGuyLam's posterousizing

The Tragically Hip's stars line up on the Friday commute

via en.wikipedia.org

At 542pm local time today, The Tragically Hip were on three local radio stations at the same time (from L to R on the fm dial...):
1. Rob Baker (the long-haired guy, on the right in this pic) was being interviewed on 99.3 The Fox (cfox.com)
2. 100.5 The Peak had Cold Calculation on.
3. 50 Mission Cap was on Classic Rock 101, sponsors of tonight's concert. (interesting full-circle thing too: the song mentions a goal that won the Leafs the Cup, and Rob mentions how long it's been in his interview)
Probably weighted in their favour as they play at Deer LK Pk tonight. Still, this was a little neat. A whole lot less neat if you're not Canadian. Weird, eh?...

Posted via email from ThatGuyLam's posterousizing

20odd Off Days: Day 3 - Unbreaking A Mirror

One of the (several) mistakes in our early married life in an East Van rental was picking up a full length mirror, then putting a huge crack in it ON THE WAY TO THE CAR. Today we had a chance to redeem ourselves by picking up a full-length that stands on the floor, so it's not tied down to any one room. Smart thinking by design. Provided for a nice photo opp for the attached photo, and Dana tells me she FINALLY knows what her whole outfit looks like.

We have more news about redemption and smart design thinking but I'd rather save it for when the deal is done...

Posted via email from ThatGuyLam's posterousizing

20odd Off Days: Day 1

I'm on baby-cation.
I have the good fortune of taking a bunch of days off to get some things together as a Dad. It's a special time. I hope and pray that I can be rested, and also be inspired & encouraged. Being a Dad has been surreal, I can't believe I am one. This past week I've felt like an older sibling stumbling around figuring out how to calm a baby down...

Pictured here: Sasha before we left the house today. She'll flash us a smile like this while she's playing on the floor, then go right back to doing some crazy baby thing, like taking that floor apart.

NOT pictured here: Sasha crying all the way thru our Toyota test drive today. Our saleswoman was really patient.

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At #TheMeetingHouse Oakville for my first Father's Day as a Dad

Watching Bruxy Cavey interview Brethren In Christ Exec Dir Darrell Winger as part of their One Church teaching series. Great idea: getting different denom leaders to present on diff Sundays. Unity is a strong theme thru Conf Week in London and now.

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Carboloading from the crypt

I'm far from a fan of the "here's what I had for lunch" post. However, I'm being a tourist so I might be forgiven. This is the custard & apple crumble in The Cafe in The Crypt at St Martin-in-the-Fields. It's a nice little oasis of real food in the heart of touristy London. We are going to do a brass rubbing after this.

I only wonder if they could call this something less creepy than a Crypt. While I'm at it, where are these Fields that St Martin is in?

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Conf Week at HTB London: lots to celebrate, lots to process... This baby's pooped!

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#PoachedEgg at trad'l eng breakfast foreshadowed #RamezSousou: #CSLewis #MereChristianity part of his story at #AIW2011

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Ken Costa, #GodAtWork author, at HTB (Alpha Church) on the church & healing world ruptures

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Downtown Vancouver game 1 of #StanleyCupFinal

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A few shots from tonight's game. Man, this year's Canucks know how to leave it till the last minute!... which is totally what I do too. Go Canucks!

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(Ipsos says) #Canadians Look to #Vancouver #Canucks to Bring Home the #StanleyCup

Here's Ipsos answering the Ipsos-induced question I posed yesterday about whom Canada's cheering for...

"Vancouver, BC, June 1, 2011 – The puck is about to drop for the first game of the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals and it appears that most Canadians are cheering for the Vancouver Canucks. In fact, close to two thirds of Canadians (62%) are hoping that the Vancouver Canucks will be the first Canadian team since 1993 to bring the Stanley Cup home. Comparatively, only one in ten (11%) are cheering for a Boston Bruins victory. Just over a quarter of Canadians (27%) have no opinion. These are the key findings of an exclusive poll conducted by Ipsos Reid for Rogers Sportsnet.

Access the entire press release at:
http://www.ipsos-na.com/news-polls/pressrelease.aspx?id=5254&wt.mc_id=1110239   "

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Ipsos: Cup Fever grips BC | what about everyone else?...

via ipsos-na.com

Ipsos Reid says BC is really into the Canucks.
In other news, the sky is blue and the world is round.
I'm curious, though: how are my non-BC friends feeling about the Cup?
Are you watching? (CBC / Nielson seem to indicate Yes but hey, you mighta just left the game on & done other chores...)
And if you are, who're you cheering for?
Chime in, friends!
...really, I just want to know, I won't Flame or Un-Friend you if you do not see the truth that is the 2010-11 Canucks...

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Watching #2012movie tonight to learn how to get thru #EndOfTheWorld tomorrow.

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Hey, my name's on the boards at tonite's hockey game. Yeah Lam Research. That's me, sure.

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Metro - Shark Club re-brands for playoffs #NoWayJose #GoCanucks

via metronews.ca

Slightly old news. Shark Club is now Vancouver Club during this playoff series. So till Sunday?...

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ICON on Vimeo by Dan Millest #GuiltyPleasure

via vimeo.com

Dan Millest does some neat stuff. This cracked me up.

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on feeling like a fraud... "You Mean There’s A Name For It? | Joan McArthur"

via joanmcarthurtraining.com

My old writing teacher (old as in previous. Joan's not old... pshaw...) posted this on her Consultancy's blog. Click thru the link above to see the name of the Syndrome where really bright and/or creative folks feel like Impostors. And the simple remedy. Thanks, Joan!

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What a gas, nyuk nyuk...

via thestar.com

Ran across this cartoon from the Toronto Star.

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Does anyone still do #FF or #FollowFriday anymore? Pls chime in, Twitter über-geeks! (eom)

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Why Greentech Needs Strong Brands To Survive | Marc Stoiber

This article is an adaptation of a Canadian Cleantech Summit webinar.

I’m a creative director with a passion for building strong Greentech brands.

Greentech companies are an interesting study.  They’re dominated by logical, linear thinkers who enable great innovation,  but often fall short when it comes to building great brands.

I personally believe the world needs Greentech to succeed. By sharing my brand learning, I hope to enable a better win record in this vital sector.

Great Brands Are Intuitive

So what goes into a good brand?

Let’s step outside the tech paradigm for a moment. Way outside.

The crusaders, in my opinion, had one of the most successful brands in history.

Why?

Most would say it was the great logo. Big red cross, bright white background.  But that’s confusing logo with brand.

The real brand wasn’t painted or stitched. It existed in people’s minds.

First, the mind of the knight wearing the cross.  When you donned that red logo, it gave you a sense of purpose and inner strength.

And just as important, the mind of the hapless peasant who encountered that knight. The red cross inspired instant respect, or abject terror – depending on which side of the religious fence you found yourself on.

What’s important was the logo inspired these feelings intuitively.
The audience simply had a space in their head filled with perceptions of what that logo meant.  And that perception was strong enough to move them to action.

Great Brands Create Movement

Ad giant David Ogilvy had a wonderful quote – “When Aeschines spoke, they said, “How well he speaks.”  But when Demosthenes spoke, they said, “Let us march against Philip.”  I’m for Demosthenes.”

This is what powerful brands do. They incite action.

Simon Sinek talks about why some brands continue to create action, innovation, and loyalty – while others don’t.

He believes most companies know exactly What they do.  They know How they do it. But they haven’t a clue Why.

Let’s take computer companies, for example.  Their standard pitch goes something like:

“We make computers (What). They’re shiny and fast (How). Buy one.” Hardly inspiring.

Contrast that with Apple.  A company with the same access to innovation, but a highly developed brand.  They start their pitch with the Why.

“We exist to challenge the status quo in everything we do (Why). We do it by rethinking tech to surprise and amaze (How).  You’ll find this in every computer we make.  And phone.  And music player.  And TV tuner (What).”

Powerful stuff.  And if you share Apple’s Why, you’d probably be happy to buy an Apple car or frying pan if they made one.

That’s the way beliefs work. Starting with Why liberates your thinking and allows you to transcend categories.

Compare this with Microsoft – the ultimate  ‘What’ and ‘How’ company. They tried, and failed, to launch a competitive music player.  People simply couldn’t see where they were going with it.  Who would buy a music player from a computer software company?

Truth is, you’re doing it every day, with Apple.

Great Brands Start With Empathy

How do you create power like this?

Well,  Steve Jobs intuitively knew what consumers were looking for.  It was what inspired him.

For the rest of us,  though, we need to consciously develop our empathy skills.

Empathy is the ability to see the world through someone else’s eyes.
After all, if we we don’t see eye to eye with them, how can we create something that inspires them?

Clare Graves can help us get there.

Graves was a psychologist who helped us understand how people understand the world. This knowledge enables us to form empathetic bonds with them.

He defined four worldviews – absolutistic, opportunistic, humanistic, and systemic – that are particularly instructive.

Absolutistic people seek order. They have strong faith in a greater power.  They believe in sacrifice today, for a reward in heaven.

It’s the predominant worldview of the politically conservative, and religiously devout.

The Opportunistic thinker, on the other hand,  sees the world as a game they’re smart enough to win at.  They believe they’re justified in taking advantage of those who don’t grasp the same opportunities. If things get ethically uncomfortable, they talk about ends justifying means.

Opportunistic thinkers enabled the great wealth of the 20th Century. And they’re alive and well today, personified by entrepreneurs like Donald Trump.

As a reaction to the inequities created by the Opportunist, we saw the rise of the Humanist. Humanists believe there is more to life than money. They recognize the karmic importance of treating others well.  You’ll find humanists among the ranks of hippies,  liberals,  and ‘new agers’.

From the Humanists and Opportunists evolved the final worldview we want to discuss -  Systemic thinkers. Systemics believe everything in the world is interconnected. Like Opportunists, they see through the veil of money. Like Humanists, they understand that there is a connection between the happiness of others and their own happiness.  They also see sustainability of the planet as key to their own self-preservation.  Think Richard Branson or Barack Obama.

When Worldviews Collide, Brands Fail

So now you understand the concept of worldviews.

But it’s key to understand the importance of aligning your brand with the  worldview of your audience.

Let’s bring this close to home by talking about you – the greentech innovator – and your potential buyer.

You’re a creative thinker.  Your buyer is probably an order driven thinker.

You’re doing this to make money, but also to make the world a better place. Your buyer is trying to keep his family, and his company safe.

You believe in unleashing a new reality.  Your buyer, not so much.

In short, you’re probably a Systemic thinker. He’s probably an Absolutistic thinker.

So what does this buyer think of you?

Well, first off, he probably doesn’t trust you, because you’re not like him.
He might think you’re a bit dangerous, or unreliable.  He might see your product as innovative, but risky.

Now you understand why innovators have a hard time selling product.
And why you have to build a brand for your buyer that will create an empathetic bond.

What would the hallmarks of that brand be?

Let me take a slice from one of the tech companies I’ve worked with. Their brand attributes, interestingly, have little to do with their technology. They are: customer service, the passion of real people, shared team vision, commitment, integrity and loyalty. Precisely the values of their best buyers. Coincidence?

Get Started

We’ve spoken about building powerful brands, and tapping empathy to inspire your buyers to action.

So how do you get started? By getting an outside perspective of your brand.

Write down the following questions.

1. What’s the first thing that pops into your mind when you think of my company?
2. Does my company share your beliefs?
3. Do we live those beliefs every day?

I want you to ask prospective clients these questions. I’ll guarantee the answers will surprise you.

If you’d like to know what to do with the information, drop me a line. I’d be happy to provide you with thoughtstarters.

After all, we all need you to succeed.

via marcstoiber.com

This post about greentech has great principles for any brand with a world-improving mission.

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RT @mpommella "FRAMED* — A Platform for New Art Forms" would look great in our condo...

via frm.fm

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5 Ways Pregnancy Can Improve Your Personal Brand (Even if You’re a Man)

via sallyhogshead.com

The link here is a fun way to look at personal branding (& corporate too imho).
Although with a 3.5-month-old of our own in tow, "fun" isn't totally the word quite yet...

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Happy Mother's Day! TED talk by two mothers who forgived & healed post-911

This story's been making the rounds. I was touched.
http://www.ted.com/talks/9_11_healing_the_mothers_who_found_forgiveness_frien...

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Happy Free Comic Book Day!

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our Squamish family "watching" oldest son Josh's baseball game

Dana & I are long overdue for posting more cute pics of our daughter.

There are just way too many to choose from.

Here is our cute mixed kiddy hanging out with her two cute mixed kiddy cousins from Squamish.

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Yay May! Nice to see Green get a seat.

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The "Duceppe" cheer sounds like "you suck"

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To win a US or Cda national election I think u just have 2 b blue.

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Spoiler alert! Canucks win, 1-0 in game and series! (eom)

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Superman Defies (a) God, USA in Action Comics’ Landmark 900th Issue | Underwire

via wired.com

The fact that there's this much written about a comic book might be newsworthy enough. That says, I might grab this on Free Comic Day (yes, geeky ones, I know this one won't be free...).

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TwitFace

Somebody's probably posted about this already but I was just curious... and curious why I didn't get curious about this any sooner...

Facebook on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/facebook

Twitter on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Twitter/20865246992

...actually, punching Twitter in right after FaceBook gets you something different and ultimately more useful.

Not sure if this proves anything. Feel free to comment, if you have even more time to kill!

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Note to friends: our firstborn's name is now Alex Burrows (eom)

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A Hard Name - TVO Documentary on 7 reforming and transformed habitual criminals

via tvo.org

David Atkins, an Alpha for Prisons Coach, thought you might be interested in viewing this excellent Genie award winning documentary. For those who want to see it on good ol' fashioned TV in Ontario, it's on TVO Wednesday April 27th at 9:00 p.m.

To (further) quote Dave:
Some of you have already seen this raw and powerful video about the root cause of approximately 70 to 80% of habitual criminal behaviour, but many more need to see it. After watching it viewers will agree that simply continually locking up many of these people on a revolving door basis doesn't serve them or society well. What is needed is appropriate counselling and healing instead of more incarceration and trails of victims in their wake. In the past ten years of volunteer prison ministry (and thousands of inmates) we have witnessed the stark reality of this truth as revealed in this documentary. We hope that this documentary will encourage those in authority/responsibility in our justice system to address this heretofore hidden matter.

In no way does this documentary excuse the habitual criminal behaviour however it does shed much needed light on the reasons/background for it. As one of the very colourful ex-offenders from the Maritimes said on the documentary: "Why doesn't society know that this is the reason for all of us jail guys!!"

I am also sending this message to others who are in the prison ministry and ex-offender aftercare and justice/corrections business in the hopes of increased awareness and action.

As the producer/director of this film said recently "I was a middle class fellow and unaccustomed to what I was learning from the seven people (reforming and transformed habitual criminals) in my film. It (this revelation of truth) was so explosive that I thought I had a piece of dynamite in each hand and didn't know what to do with it."

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