20Jan 2010 by R&O 2 Comments

Olympic Piggies

Olympics, Rants
So you pitched your digital tent and waited patiently online to purchase the best Winter Olympics tickets you could find and afford. You're happy with your nosebleed seats for which you paid dearly but you must ask yourself Who got all the premium tickets?. You'll be happy to know that's it's your own government that scooped most of them and they did it with your money. Happy now? Public sectors that have purchased the very best tickets available include the federal government ($447,000), B.C. Hydro ($616,000), ICBC ($405,000), B.C. Lotteries ($396,000), The City Of Vancouver ($340,000), The City of Richmond ($200,000), and the City of Whistler ($37,000). But the big spender is our very own Campbell government which has dropped a total of $940,680 on 3,244 tickets for top-quality seats…
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19Jan 2010 by R&O No Comments

Tim Minchin

People, Silly Stuff
We stumbled across an amazing comic talent from Australia by the name of Tim Minchin. He has three concert DVDs available and corresponding audio CD's for each, all of which are brilliant, hilarious and highly entertaining. The 'beat poem' below is a good example of his wit but his skill on the piano is amazing (I'd like to hear his serious music if he ever gets around to recording something). I've also included Inflatable You for your viewing and listening pleasure which is the song he sang on the Graham Norton Show which is where we originally saw young Mr. Minchin perform. Be warned that's he's not politically correct, uses some very coarse language (yes, I'm talkin' bout the C word here folks) and doesn't believe in God. He's not…
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15Jan 2010 by R&O No Comments

Horror in Haiti

Environment, People
My brother's friend is a missionary who is helping in Haiti after the recent 7.0 magnitude earthquake, the largest in that area for over 200 years. She sent an email to friends and loved ones describing the scene as she tries to make a difference for Haitians caught in this monumental tragedy. Here is her email in its entirety: I just wanted to write more details about what is going on here. You will have been getting a lot of info from the news and internet. It is indescribable. I don’t think I will ever feel the same about earthquakes. Feeling them in Canada usually brought a feeling of excitement because we don’t get them often. After the earthquake hit, I had to fight the fear every time an aftershock…
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14Jan 2010 by R&O No Comments

The Israeli Method

Business, Observations, Of Interest, Politics
Air travel security is reaching a level of absurdity and everyone is paying the price except terrorists and upper-tier politicians. We're being subjected to probes, scans, pat-downs, interrogation and intimidation just because we have chosen to travel by air. Every new terrorist incident results in more and more ridiculous rules and procedures at our airports but the sad fact is that it's grossly inefficient and target the innocent passenger rather than the dedicated Jihadist pin-head that make air travel scary and unpredictable. Our governments hire an army of sub-literate, socially inept security personnel who root through our personal belongings, scan our bodies and send us to interrogation rooms if we act remotely suspicious or have the audacity to complain. It's time something was done but who can do it and…
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