Tuesday, March 30, 2010

miscellaneous

I bought some razor blades over the weekend. I wanted to upgrade from the low end blue ones I've been using for a couple of years that are 10 pack for $2 on special at Sobeys.

I looked at sensor Excel, a favorite from like 1996, at price club. But at $1.70 each it was just too expensive. I went to wal mart and trac II at $1.40 each, ouch. I ended up getting good news disposable. It should be an upgrade and at around $0.50 each I've allowed the cost to double but it is an upgrade. I can't believe there are at least two models more expensive than sensor excel. Who buys these? wow. Maybe in the future I'll indulge to the superior sensor excel but it will have to be a more gradual path from here to there.


I went back to inkjet exchange for some more ink for my printer on Saturday. On the way on the radio I heard a bunch of portland street honda ads. Under new management after Gil and Maureen retired, they seem to be repositioning themselves as credit rebuilders, that's icky. With Gil it was classy and they wouldn't touch that segment. Which made it a better, cleaner shopping experience there. I wonder if Honda is pleased to see their brand now associated with credit rebuilders at a flagship dealer, somehow I doubt it.


Big score apparently for the Mossad in Dubai. I've always been something of an admirer and I'm somehow pleased to see they are still an international force. Years ago I read By Way of Deception and it was a good book.


Finally a bit scary but entertaining YouTube clip. I can only admire this guy.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

so glad I'm not in Ottawa any more

I wasn't real surprised to hear about the Ann Coulter fiasco at the university of Ottawa. Why would they even invite or allow her to speak there in the first place if they were just going to act like that. What a bunch of idiots.

I'm embarrassed by it and I hope most people in Canada are embarrassed by it. But I doubt if Ottawa gets it. They are instead basking in their big win over the American infidel. UOttawa is an Ottawa kind of university in an Ottawa kind of town. Jean Chretien got an honorary PhD there and Alan Rock is the president.

It's not like we have freedom of thought in Canada, as UOttawa none too subtly reminds everyone. Code words like "diversity" and "tolerance" are reserved for those who toe the popular, official, Ottawa approved, politically correct line. If you have the wrong view your kids can be taken away; or Francois Houle will threaten you with being arrested and jailed. I guess it's easier and less risky to just threaten, intimidate, and silence your opponents than to engage in a civilized, honourable debate.

Good career move by the most visible and prominent organizers who silenced Ann and ran her out of town. They are now on the inside track for jobs at the Ottawa Citizen, human rights commission, department of justice, UOttawa itself, parliamentary staff, and hundreds of taxpayer funded Ottawa institutes that are a comfortable haven for their ideological fellow travelers.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

US health care bill unconstitutional?

Is the recently passed US health care reform bill unconstitutional? Some states think so and are suing.

I don't know, possibly. It wouldn't surprise me at all. But then again by that standard these US federal government schemes are also unconstitutional

  • social security
  • medicare
  • fannie mae
  • freddie mac
  • FHA
  • HAMP
  • help for homeowners
  • cash for clunkers
  • medicaid
  • food stamps
  • HUD
  • federal department of education
  • bailout/nationalization of GM, Chrysler, AIG, Bear Stearns
Why would the states wait until now to say something? It's about 80 years too late for the states to say something about the federal government encroachment on their turf. Maybe it's been too late since 1865.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Like a Road - Colin Fullerton

I read another book recently. It was Like a Road by Colin Fullerton.

As it happens Colin is a technical writer at the office where we work. He mentioned he had published a book and I was interested to read it so I bought a copy off him. He even signed it.

It was a good book. It's the story of a young man named Jerry Carson. Jerry leaves his trailer park home at age 16. Jerry's mother had died and his relationship with his mean, hard drinking father was strained.

The book tells the story of Jerry's travels. Along the way Jerry goes to the typical American places that the free spirits go, including New York and Alaska among others. Jerry meets some pretty interesting people along the way. From the poor, tough trailer park initially Jerry is able to interact with some of the folks out on the fringes of society.

This is Colin's first published book. It's a very good effort for a first novel. It's an easy and enjoyable read, a page turner. Colin is a good storyteller. Even to write a book and get it published at all is a major life accomplishment, so congratulations to the author for that. I hope he will follow up with another book. I can say that I would buy it after reading Like a Road.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Haiti

I made a donation to the red cross this week for Haiti. I meant to get around to it before now. I was offline for a couple of weeks there waiting for my new PC to arrive, etc. Anyway I now did it.

It was super fast and easy with the red cross site. Just a couple of clicks through secure web sites and that was that. They take paypal so it was easy and secure. The tax receipt is instant and delivered to my inbox as a pdf for printing.

Haiti has always been messed up and now its even worse than ever. And they are our neighbours to the south. There's a few Haitians in Canada. Haiti is a largely catholic country so we should help our Christian brothers. There's the voodoo too there in Haiti but that's neither here nor there to me.

I hope that Haiti can be on the road to recovery from this terrible earthquake.

Sunday, March 07, 2010

miscellaneous

It was a fine day yesterday and nice again today. Maybe an early spring? We'll see, March can be pretty variable. I was in a good mood yesterday.

Yesterday I got some new yellow ink for my printer. I went to inkjet exchange but the West End mall location was closed. Luckily they still have a Burnside location and so I made a trip to Dartmouth. While at west end I was in The Bay and picked up some Stanfield's underwear. It was 30% off, and made in Nova Scotia I always get that.


In the early evening I was in the south end. I never get tired of the south end. I sometimes wish I'd lived there back in the past when I had the chance to. Went up Kent St. of course and stopped in at Queen St. Sobeys for something. Also picked up a little treat at the Needs. Apropos of nothing one of my favorite songs is little red corvette.

I just discovered a great contemporary commentator. It's Mark Steyn. He has a way of saying what I think in a way that is reasoned and to the point. Here's an example. I'm glad to see the Review is still around. It's a great magazine from the Bill Buckley days. I used to read it all the time at SMU. For balance I used to also read Canadian Dimension and the Nation. The Review still gets it right. I've added the Steyn RSS feed to my Yahoo home page.

Monday, March 01, 2010

our game

Exciting hockey game yesterday! A classic. Great to be on the winning side.

Crosby scored a historic generational goal. Right up with Paul Henderson's goal in 1972, and the Mario Lemieux goal in 1987.

Congratulations team Canada - hockey and all of the Olympic competitors.