Yes, I have caved in -- I blog

Hybrid SUVs

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:24:55 -0400

Why are there Hybrid SUVs? For example, a Chevy Tahoe. Gas engine with lead battery electric secondary power.

It’s almost 6000 lbs of truck (5800 lbs). By any stretch of the imagination it is NOT a green vehicle. Lead batteries/current hybrid lifecycle environmental pros/cons aside, why a Hybrid Tahoe?!

Moving around 6000 lbs of truck takes energy. A lot more than (say) a 2600 lb vehicle or a 400 lb motorcycle.

My guess is that it helps assuage middle class guilt over having bought a monster SUV.

The way out of the energy crisis is to reduce vehicular weights in half. They’re going the other direction, increasing in mass over time. Why? More systems and add ons, more safety built in. But a Hybrid SUV just has no justification, other than guilt.

Chevy Tahoe. Hybrid. Why?!

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:18:00 -0400

Chevy Tahoe. Hybrid. Why?!

Bonus time

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:50:00 -0400

Sometimes it sucks being a boss. And sometimes it is just fine.

Handing out bonuses is a good time. I liked handing out my teams’ bonuses to them. Sure, I (and they) wish they were more substantial, but nonetheless it beats handing out pink slips or reprimands.

This week was a good week.

Exam time drama

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 01:51:55 -0400

This week, I invigilated an exam.

I looked at the faces, young and old, of the exam students. Some were confident, some were scared. I tried to pick which of 31 students would fail and which 60% would pass and go on to the next course.

I used to be in their shoes. I had the utmost sympathy for their stress.

One woman left 45 minutes into the 3 hour exam, all red faced. She clearly was not happy with that night’s events.

Interestingly I noted that 2/3 of the exam takers were women. This bore out my general observations about higher education since the 90s. Women make up the majority of the classes, why are we still having special courses and scholarships for women only?

In any event, I salute you, exam takers. You are striving for a better future for yourself. Grab that ring and hold on for dear life, because life sure as hell is not going to do any dirty work for you.

Located next to Toronto’s CN Tower, Rogers Centre,...

Sat, 30 May 2009 10:41:23 -0400

Located next to Toronto’s CN Tower, Rogers Centre, formerly known as the Skydome, is home to MLB American League’s Toronto Blue Jays and the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts. Following the purchase of the stadium by Rogers Communications in 2005, the complex was renamed the Rogers Centre. The stadium was noted for having the first fully-retractable motorized roof. The Rogers Centre was designed by Rod Robbie and Michael Allen and was completed in May 1989.

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Thu, 21 May 2009 22:38:56 -0400

Women are complicated and Arthur Erickson RIP

Thu, 21 May 2009 22:37:52 -0400

Okay. I give up. Women truly are from Venus. No mas. I jsut want to relax and chill. Is that such a big sin?

Arthur Erickson (Roy Thompson Hall’s architect, amongst many many other great buildings) died today. RIP

I was (am) just a dum, ignorant city kid. But I knew what looked right and felt good. Mr Erickson helped contribute to a part of that in Toronto and BC.

Victoria Day weekend

Mon, 18 May 2009 18:38:19 -0400

It was Eamon’s birthday yesterday. Wouldn’t you know it, Kevin and Eamon got a bit silly and some excess man-love occurred. Both of them started parading around with their shirts off. I think Vicky and Adam must have goaded Kev on and within minutes I was standing, sans shirt.

Great.

I think I will have to reciprocate somehow.

Sangria on the patio, I’m happy.

Hmm, I think I’ll try a ginger beef dish tonight. Hope I don’t screw up.

A man stands on a boat in a street flooded by the Tocantins...

Wed, 06 May 2009 23:17:26 -0400

A man stands on a boat in a street flooded by the Tocantins river in Maraba, Brazil. According to Brazilian Civil Defense, floods and mudslides from months of heavy rains in northern Brazil have driven more than 186,000 from their homes and killed at least 19 people.

Life of riley

Wed, 06 May 2009 23:16:17 -0400

Beach volleyball good, but NHL playoffs bad (Bruins and Caps lose, agh)

Sports nirvana

Sat, 02 May 2009 10:32:43 -0400

Okay, this is one of my three favourite sports times of the year. NHL playoffs, NBA playoffs, soccer and baseball on at full tilt — with Toronto having early contenders in both.

The Bostons Bruins are my favourite team, bar none. From the Bobby Orr and Cam Neely days, I suppose. They looked good, thoroughly trouncing the Hurricanes 4-1 in convincing fashion.

My kid sis roost for the Canucks, I hope the Bruins and Canucks meet up in the Finals (though I think the Wings will come out of the west).

Wow, Boston sports fans are SPOILED. The Celtics, the Bruins, the Red Sox, the Patriots. All four are top flight teams. I wish Toronto had a competitive sports market like that (2nd NHL team please!).

Ball hockey in summer in Maryhill, beach volleyball in Guelph, should be good times.

Two thumbs up. Local brewery near Orangeville. Great...

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 11:16:06 -0400

Two thumbs up. Local brewery near Orangeville. Great motorcycle road, BTW.

A stout with some roasted flavours, a hint of chocolate. NOT for those who like their beers to not have a strong taste and prefer American style pilseners.

It’s at your local LCBO in 473ml cans, buy it. It’s local and tastes good.

My geeking and my old neighbourhood bar

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:42:10 -0400

My geeking and my old neighbourhood bar:

Okay, I confess. I’ve been spending many hours lately geeking on a $10 game I picked up to waste some hoarded brain cells on — Rainbox 6 Lockdown. For a $10 game (6 CDs), it’s a steal. My cruddy video card goes 4 or even 3 fps at the high activity/AI character action spots though, ah well.

I read in today’s Sun that my old neighbourhood bar (J&G’s at Danforth and Birchmount, by my old high school workplace) had some guy stab some folk and another guy shot some folk with a bored out starter’s pistol. Same old neigbourhood happenings in Scarborough!

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Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:37:32 -0400

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Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:35:15 -0400

Why do firms lobby? $1 in lobbying = $220 in tax breaks

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 11:52:21 -0400

Why do firms lobby? $1 in lobbying = $220 in tax breaks:

A numbre of large US and multinational corporations lobbyed hard for the American Jobs Creation Act. Ostensibly, this Act was to repatriate earnings from abroad to help the US economy. Whata ctually ended up happening:

Spend $1, make $220

For every $1 they spent on lobbying for the tax break, corporations reaped a $220 benefit on their US income taxes, according to three University of Kansas professors. Some 840 firms – including several of today’s bailout babies, including Citigroup, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, and Merrill Lynch – repatriated more than $312 billion at a maximum tax rate of 5.25 percent.

Companies that spent more than $1 million on tax lobbying did even better: a 24,300 percent return, the researchers found. For example: In its disclosure statements, drugmaker Eli Lilly & Co. acknowledged spending $8.52 million in 2003 and 2004 to lobby for the tax break. It reaped more than $2 billion in return.

“It’s a sign when a corporation’s most profitable enterprise is lobbying,” said Stephen Mazza, a law professor at the University of Kansas and coauthor of the study with colleagues Raquel Meyer Alexander and Susan Scholz.

AIDS: To disclose or not

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 11:36:54 -0400

I used to volunteer on CIUT FM (UoT radio, 89.5 FM) on the Board of Directors as the Treasurer. One of the (many) interesting folk I met there was Sky Gilbert, an AIDS activist.

Today I read that he thinks the Hamilton man convicted of knowingly infecting women with AIDS should have had his case dismissed.

Why? Because of the moral hazard of testing for AIDS. If one is not tested and doesn’t know that one has AIDS, one can’t be convicted of knowlingly spreading AIDS. But if one is responsible and gets tested and knows, then one can get convicted and charged.

I really disagree with his stance, I think all prties must be responsible. But he raises an interesting point. In the context of Easter weekend, it gives me some stuff to chew on (aside from working through some issues in my personal life).

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090411.wcowente11/BNStory/National/home

Okay, when PMs and Presidents start hailing New World Orders, I get creepy crawlies

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 15:16:31 -0400

Brown hails `new world order’ in crisis fight

Friday, April 03, 2009

World leaders agreed a huge raft of spending yesterday to combat the economic crisis, pledging to lay out US$5 trillion (HK$39 trillion) by the end of 2010 as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown hailed a “new world order.”

The measures, agreed at a one-day summit in London, will see tax havens named and shamed, new rules on corporate pay, major reforms to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, a new push to pass free trade rules and the sale of huge gold reserves to help poor countries. Brown said they were implementing the largest economic stimulus ever seen.

“A new world order is emerging, and with it we are entering into a new era of international cooperation,” Brown said after hosting a summit which brought together US President Barack Obama and leaders of the established and emerging powers from around the world.

Obama will be expected to make the biggest contribution to the initiative.

“The issues that people thought divided us did not divide us at all. There was substantial agreement to do whatever is necessary to return to growth,” Brown told a press conference, while warning there are “no quick fixes,” and the G20 would have to meet again this year.

European stock markets shot up in response to the accord, with London closing up 4.28 percent amid optimism following the summit and positive data from the United States.

Even French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who had threatened to walk out of the summit, said the results were “more than we

could have hoped for.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said a “historic compromise” had been made. Before the summit, the United States and Britain had pushed for bigger stimulus spending while France and Germany had called for the focus to be put on greater regulation of the financial sector. But Brown trumpeted a deal he said benefited every country.

The G20 agreed to provide an extra US$1 trillion for the IMF and other global finance bodies, new rules on corporate bonuses to discourage bankers who take short term risks, and an extra US$250 billion to revive global trade.

They also ordered the IMF to sell some of its gold reserves to help the world’s poor countries, Brown said.

Brown said the IMF would undergo major reforms to reflect changes in the power structure of the world economy.

The IMF’s resources are to be tripled to about US$750 billion to help nations through the crisis. Brown, however, struck a note of caution: “Today’s decisions, of course, will not immediately solve the crisis. But we have begun the process by which it will be solved.”

Talks on the eve of the summit were clouded by protests which turned violent.

Small pockets of demonstrators built up around the summit and London’s main financial district, the day after thousands laid siege to the Bank of England and attacked a branch of Royal Bank of Scotland. One man died after collapsing during the protests. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

OPP say motorcyclist drove at 200 km/h

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:50:49 -0400

Qpril 02, 2009 Record staff

WELLINGTON COUNTY

A Kitchener man is facing dangerous-driving charges after police said a motorcycle blew through the countryside at speeds topping 200 km/h. OPP patrolling on Wellington Road 21 near Inverhaugh on Tuesday afternoon saw the 2006 Yamaha motorcycle up ahead and witnessed the rider passing other cars on curves at high speeds. Police caught up to the driver at a stoplight. Ivan Divkovic, 26, was charged.

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Great, an acquaintance from the Ottawa St Timmie’s. He didn’t ramp, just one of the go-to-Hess crew, I think.

Anyway. 200 kmh is nothing on an R6, he must have not noticed the cop until he had his plate/till he was pulled over at the light. That or he was low on gas.

Photo

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:13:36 -0400