Thursday, April 19, 2007

Google History

Today I tried to test the history of Google search which is recorded using the Google tool bar. I was amazed to see that Google has saved everything for me since Oct. 8th, 2006. On the other computer the history should be much longer because I have Firefox there since 2004 with this Google tool bar.

As for me, I do not mind because most of my search are business-academic related. However, this feature is a dead lock for abusers and teenagers because it is easy to intimidate them now on the net by getting their Google account and then retrieve their history and use it illegally.

Cho Seung-Hui, "Ismail Ax", and James Fennimore Cooper (The Prairie)


The news emerging from V-tech two days ago was a real chock. Nobody even thought that something similar would ever happen in a prestigious academic institution where people intake the light of education and culture and come to learn how to cooperate to build a better world.

Similar to the isolated case in University de Montreal (UdM) several years ago, now the devil jumped into Virginia Tech and caused a huge loss of 33 souls. Most of them came to learn, take, and then go help advance their societies. They did not have to chance and that was their time to leave this world.

I felt terribly frustrated and could not absorb the news first. I thought that I got the wrong news because I was rushing to prepare myself to head to school and I mixed with all the sorrow news coming from Iraq every day. However, the photos did not give me more time to doubt. It was in US and this is another university being attacked by one of its students. Virginia Tech is far from Baghdad but it is facing now what G.W.Bush has created in Iraq.

However, this sadness is not the concern of most medias now. The main concern is to find a link between this guy and something Islamic. It might be especially with the "Ismail AX" written on his hand. However, there is nothing in the Islamic heritage to refer to Ismail AX.

Yes there is a story about Ibrahim AX or Abraham AX. However, nowhere in the Islamic literature an AX for Ismail is mentioned. What is the root behind this media phobia then?

GSA Elections gone

It is over now and waiting for results.
Meanwhile, I have to finish my final due today

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Another day passed

Long hours and long days but finally the joy comes from the fact that people appreciate the good actions and judge correctly the bad ones.

The elections is going and three teams are doing their best to gather the maximum support. One team, however, is not accepting the fact that we are in Canada now. There is a huge cultural gap between what things should be and how things are done.

Some of the best examples on this, are the comments I am getting on this blog from one of the candidates and an ex-executive. Another executive was reported to the police also for his misbehavior and the violation of human rights and the distribution of hate speech.

After all, this is an election and will go like other elections. I have been through several ones and I still have positive feelings for our campaign. We are running by the rules and trying to win the trust of people before their votes. We could play a dirty game also and still win votes. However, this defeat the purpose the students activities are there for.

Tomorrow is the last day and counting would start after 8:00 pm. Let us see where the people trust is. Basically, if we win we will continue our life as regular. Otherwise, we would congratulate the winner and go back to our struggle for a better political environment in Concordia.

Another disaster might happen :) and the council might be filled with empty chairs that is used from time to time by some people getting cheques and accusing others of selfishness and cheap objectives.

Winning for us is a mandate that we are liable and accountable for. Winning was a game for others and sometimes an opportunity to insult the ones who supported them and basically showed them the way.

However, people are of two metallic bases. While fire create value out of noble metals, the value of low metals got deteriorated with the first test.


Let us wait till tomorrow and Good luck for United

Monday, April 16, 2007

Critical review of selected papers in Corporate Finance

I wrote those critiques few years ago. I am sharing them for informational purposes so someone can benefit of them for a revision. The literature on those topics is advancing quickly though.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/18qqi4gBsEsqYjz6dWDjI-4nC0Fz4yl9aoIeG0SWlEac

First day of GSA Elections

It starts finally :)

Though we are trying our best to keep a fair game, one of the competing team is about to explode to win right away.

The problem is not related to the project or the ideology of each team, on the other hand, the problem is rooted in the racial mentality of some people who are distributing hate emails around Concordia to ask people to vote for them and not for others.

It seems that they lost the campaign effect and the project synergy and now trying their last resource to raise hate speech and play on the racial profiling line. This was reported to all authorities hoping for a logical intervention. I do not think the dean of students would like to intervene because his best wish is to see a (Yes Sirrr) team there.

As for United team, we are enjoying our campaign and having a lot of fun meeting new people we would not meet them otherwise.

Some of the observations that strike the voters:
* Violation of several by-laws
* Creation of a hate environment instead of making the elections a democratic exercise
* Closing gaps between some respectful parties and widening the trouble hole with other hard minded teenagers.

All in all, I feel that all these games reflect a sign of chock and loss with one of the team and I am sure this uncontrollable reaction is due to their lost nerves.

GOOD LUCK for United

Thursday, April 12, 2007

More on GSA elections

Going on the public stage requires a lot of patience and openness because people would be bombarding their points of view and their hopes. The problem in Concordia is that several small teams are running for something they think they can realize and others are running to fix something they think could be fixed.

So far, a lot of teams are competing on the votes of a small community that has a lot of more important tissues on their minds.

We are trying as United to improve, contribute and Innovate. Others would do also and everyone has the right to run for whatever position they like. However, they are not respecting the minds of the people they addressing and they are running with no declared plan. Proven experience with several teams prove that the worse is to be expected.

A funny issue happened lately. One candidate joined one team as a director. Suddenly it turned out that he is willing to be a president and was, maybe, having a look on others agenda to prepare his own. It seems people can not put some time to organize their ideas these days.

Another funnier issue happened also. A friend of mine was looking for an executive position and chasing for several groups. At the end, he decided to launch his own group because others did not accept his requests ? ?? ?

Now it is the season of presidents and you win if you could vote for one of them :)

Vote United then. They either deliver or demission. A deal right?