Man, thems a lot of stars!

Hubble Deep Field Image

Ok, I’ll admit it. I’m a space nerd. There is something about the mystery of the universe that captivates me in a way that few other topics can. The beauty of studying the cosmos is that the more you learn, the less you understand. Each mystery answered, creates a thousand new questions. The quest to understand the universe is in many ways, like trying to find that illusive pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Inevitably, the questions the universe forces us to ask, even in our age of technology, are the same questions man has been asking since his arrival on this planet. Who are we? Why are here? Who, or, what is God? I think universe has a lot to teach humanity, and I think that if every person were to even have a glimpse of some of its great mysteries, the world would be a better place. The sheer size of the universe alone is probably the most humbling thing humanity could ever imagine.

Let me begin by trying to give you an idea of how big the universe actually is. As we know, the Earth orbits our local star, the Sun. Our sun is a rather ordinary star, about middle of the road as far as size and age are concerned. To give you an idea, the volume of the Sun is about 1 300 000 times greater than that of the Earth! Now, the Earth is about 8 light minutes from the Sun (a light year is the distance light can travel in one year, or 9,460,730,472,580.8 km). On a universal scale, this is extremely close proximity. Consider that the closest star system to ours, the Alpha Centauri system, is roughly 4.37 light years away, and a clearer picture of the vastness of the universe begins to appear. Our sun is one of as many as 250 billion other stars that make up the Milky Way galaxy. This number alone is enough to boggle the mind, but its barely the tip of the iceburg. Our galaxy is a member of a larger group of galaxies that make up what is known as a cluster. This in turn, is a member of what is known as a super cluster. To give you an idea of the kind of numbers we are looking at, imagine our sun times 70 000 000 000 000 000 000 000. That’s seventy sextillion stars, or 70 000 million million million! I don`t care who you are, that’s a lot of stars right there.

Probably the best illustration of this is the Hubble deep field, or “the most important picture ever taken” as it is often dubbed. In 1995, the Hubble space telescope focused on a seemingly empty region of space for 10 days. The area Hubble focused on was a section of the sky about the size of a tennis ball at about a hundred metres away. Yet, what Hubbled discovered was breathtaking. Over 2000 recognizable galaxies and probably more if Hubble had the ability to see any further. Imagine, the average size of each of these gaxaxies at even 100 billion stars, and numbers are stagaring.

The next logical thing that I consider after trying to comprehend these numbers is that it’s almost impossible for life not to exist elsewhere in the universe. Even if only one in every 100 million stars harboured a planet cable of forming life, the numbers are still overwhelmingly in favour of life. Probably intelligent life too. Consider that humans have only walked the Earth for about a million years now. A cosmological blip on the radar. The earth has existed for over 4 billion years, and humans have only been here for a fraction of that time. If the timescale of the Earth was a 24 hour clock, humans would have only appeared in the final 2 seconds. Now, compare that with at least 15 billion years of the known history of the universe, mulitply that by its unimaginable size, and the idea that life only formed on Earth starts to seem a little ridiculas.

Ok, so I could go on for ever. I realize many people have no interest in this kind of stuff, but I find it hard to belive that anyone could try and comprehend the kind of numbers that are required to understand the scale of the universe, and not a least have one moment of ‘awe’. If you didn`t your probably a robot or an alien.

A Trudeau pirouetting down St. Catherine street again (new separatist movement a laughing stock)

With all the talk surrounding separatist protest of the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade on St. Catherine street in Montreal it was the son of Canada’s premier federalist who stole the show.

It is safe to say that the new Separatist organization, the Réseau de Résistance du Québécois was a flop. The group claimed that the annual parade celebrating Irish Culture (which now claims to be the largest of its kind in North-America) was too English. They originally boasted that they would participate in the parade itself waving the Fleurs De-Lies alongside the Irish Tri-Colour while handing out Seperatist pamphlets denouncing the event. Perhaps it was not just the frigid climate that gave them cold feet as any such activity would have been met with staunch resistance once it reached the corner of Bishop’s and St. Catherine. Throughout the parade and for the rest of the evening the group became the punch line of every joke across town with most fun goers wondering where they were. Apparently a small cohort was spotted somewhere at the end of the Parade-Route on Rene Levesque, their separatist dogma drowned out by the crowd of Quebecers enjoying one of the most celebrated festivals the city has to offer.

Meanwhile the largest cheers of the day went not to an Irishman but Justin Trudeau, the overly charismatic son of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. A large contingent of both Quebec and Canadian politicians, including the likes of top-hat waving Jack Layton, Jean Charest and Gilles Duceppe marched in the parade and Trudeau was among them. When the contingent reached the prominent corner of Bishop’s and St. Catherine Trudeau lagged behind, shaking hands with cheering parade-goers and posing for pictures left and right. As he ran to catch his entourage the raucous crowd erupted in cheers that are usually reserved for the likes of successful professional athletes. Trudeau met the applause with his father’s trademark pirouette and wave brandishing a picturesque smile from ear to ear. Whether a supporter of the man or not it was safe to say that no one could doubt his charisma on the emerald holiday. Not since his father has any Canadian Politician, a group largely reserved for robotic like former business executives, captivated a crowd with such a simple gesture. Whisper’s could be heard in all directions, “that’s Justine Trudeau” and those whispers were far louder then any of the efforts made by the already forgotten group of Separatist activists to undermind an event that was enjoyed by all.

Captain Clutch comes through again...

Well, the NHL trade deadline has come and passed, and number thirteen for the blue and white is still taking the first face-off each game. Yes, by now we are all aware that Mats Sundin decided not to waive his no-trade clause, opting to remain a Leaf for the rest of the season. Personally, I was torn on the issue up until the captain’s decision. On the one hand, Leaf’s GM Cliff Fletcher could have likely wielded a valuable return for the big Swede, a good start to the rebuilding of a bottom feeding hockey club. On the other, Mats has been the face of this franchise since the departure of the beloved Doug Gilmour and Wendel Clark. Mats has stuck it out through thick and thin, the good years and the bad, and certainly has not always been credited by Leafs Nation as the great captain that he is today. Leafs fans have been hard on ol’ Mats. He has been criticized for not having the feistiness of Dougie or Wendel, because he doesn’t like to drop the gloves, and unfortunatly, for his lack of being Canadian. Captain Mats, however, has been able to over come all of that, and win over the hearts of Leafs Nation. What Sundin brings to the table is confidence, patience and as his nickname “Captain Clutch” would suggest, an unrivaled ability to score when it’s needed the most. Mats has done this consistently for the past thirteen seasons with the Leafs, scoring an average of a point per game. So last season, when the Leaf’s management signed Sundin with a no-trade clause, they did so because they knew what they were getting, and because he had earned that right. Sundin has carried this team on his back for too long to be thrown out the door as a rental player for picks and prospects that might not turn out. His loyalty to the team, a team that hasn’t always treated him they way ought to have, is admirable. I guess, when your talking dollars and statistics, Mats’ choice was not the right one for the Leafs. But add in the value of a leader that has such loyalty to his teammates, fans, and the organization as a whole, that he would rather sink with the ship than take a run at the cup, and you end up with somthing that can`t be measured in a tangible way. You end up with a captain the epitomizes the meaning of sportsmanship. You end up with a captain you can be proud of. In what could be his last season, Mats was faced with difficult choice, a choice that was going to anger people, whatever his decision. In the end I think he made the right choice. Glad you stayed Mats, you’re the man.

Definitely Digging the Tones

Every once in a while you are exposed to new music that totally blows you away. Sometimes you check out a new band because of a friend, sometimes you just hear a single on the radio, but inevitably, we are always being exposed to new music, and some of it is bound to tickle our fancy. Over the past month I’ve only had one band playing on my stereo: The Deftones. Now I know what your thinking, the Deftones are nothing new. Its true that I have known of them for over a decade now, and I was even quite familiar with some of their singles (I’m thinking Change in the House of Flys). However, while I appreciated those songs, nothing ever clicked in me that said “wow, these guys fucking rock”. Well recently that all changed. For whatever reason, I decided to check out White Pony. It was love at first listen. Anyone who knows me will testify that I’m a sucker for melodic harmonies contrasted with metal. Well, as it turns out, no one does that better than the band’s front man Chino Moreno. This guy can srcream with the best of them, but also possesses one of the most melodic voices I’ve ever heard. I was so impressed by White Pony that I had all of their albums within the week. I think what impressess me most is that each of their albums is their best. From the raunchyness of Adrenilene to the sophisticated sounds of Saturday Night Wrist, the Deftones are one of the most solid bands that has ever graced my stereo. Each album is unique, talented, but most importantly, extremely easy to listen to over and over. Each time, there is something new to be discovered, something that makes me go “now that is the shit”. I think I have about 15 different favorite songs now.

Eventually, the excitement of discovering a new band will wear off and I won’t be listening to the tones 24/7. Unlike other bands however, Moreno and his boys have definitly carved a niche for themselves in my musical library that will undoubtedly be around for years to come. The Deftones are simply too talented, too raw, to fucking amazing, for me to stop listening any time soon. So whether you’ve never heard the tones before, or you’re an old fan, put on one of their records and go for ride. You won’t be dissapointed.

Lerch's New Albums

Chevelle- Vena Sera

This is the best new album I’ve heard in a while. Vena Sera is the bands fourth release, and picks up right where This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) left off. Loeffler’s vocals are amazing as usual, and there is no shortage of the bands well known full bodied sound in this album. It beautifully combines soft harmonies with heavy riffs, creating that classic Chevelle sound. Although the songs on Vena Sera do resemble much of their older work, the songs are still fresh. Far from sounding like a repeat of their earlier albums, Chevelle has created an album that stays true to their classic sound, but also doesn’t sound regurgitated. This is a must have for any Chevelle fan.

8.5/ 10 ~ FREAKIN SWEET

Linkin Park – Minutes to Midnight

I’ve always been entertained by Linkin Park. I like their heavy, yet catchy sound, and I appreciate that they have, in many respects, brought a fresh style to an already tired genre of music. Unfortunately, I found Minutes to Midnight to be mildly disappointing. Although the album does have several classic Linkin Park sounding tunes, the band has branched into new areas that don’t sound nearly as impressive. Several songs on Midnight, such as Leave Out All the Rest, and Shadow of the Day are a new sound for the band. They are much softer and less intricate compared to many of the classic Linkin Park songs. Now I’m not one to suggest that harder sounding bands shouldn’t write quite songs, but this album is riddled with them. Consequently, I only like about 2/3 of this album, Midnight just has too much quite and not enough classic Linkin Park.

6.5/ 10 ~ MEAH

Shane Doan or Don't?

Firstly, I just want to say how disappointed I am about how big of a political controversy this Shane Doan incident has become. This is a pathetic squabble, which really has no place in politics. Surely there are more important things for our noble politicians to be discussing? Regardless, it should not be a controversy at any level, let alone wasting tax dollars on a hearing. First of all, no one even knows exactly what Doan said, so that alone should discredit this whole debate. Secondly, I highly doubt any Canadian is guilt free on the issue themselves, can anyone honestly say they have never said anything derogatory toward French Canadians or vice versa? I doubt it. Its part of what makes us Canadian. We can deny it all we want, but French vs. English is part of who we are and its part of our identity. That’s not to say it’s appropriate, but I think there is a lot of hypocracy going on here. Its not like Doan publicly attacked French Canada, and really it all comes down to who to believe. In my opinion it doesn’t matter. So what if he said anything? So has everyone else.

Gone Camp'n with Jesus

"Let me say something about Harry Potter. Warlocks are enemies of God… Had it been in the Old Testament, Harry Potter would have been put to death! You don't make heroes out of warlocks!" -Pastor Becky Fischer, Camp Director

Last night I watched the documentary Jesus Camp. Intrigued by nothing more than the title, I thought it would be appropriate for the Easter holiday. The film examines the evangelical culture of the mid-west United States by following several children during their stay at the “Kids on Fire School of Ministry”, located at Devil’s Lake, North Dakota. While I believe the film presents the subjects with a negative bias, it is still quite an eye opener. To be honest, it scared the hell out of me. Forsure, I don`t see eye to eye with the political and social views of much of the religious right, but the thing that bothered me in this film was the manipulation of children. It seems to me that these children never get a chance to develop their own ideas, opinions, or beliefs. While I understand that children will naturally develop similar views and values as their parents, there is something very different taking place here. The children in this film are not being influenced by their parents, they are being brainwashed. They simply don’t have a chance. From an early age these children are manipulated to believe certain ideas and reject all others, creating a culture of no tolerance or acceptance. Believe and act as your parents, or go to hell. Quite literally, this is what is being taught to these children and the consequences are huge. I won’t go into details, but this film is definitely worth the watch. I would love to hear what others think.