Kelowna Opinions

All Bikes in Storage

2011-12-14T11:21:00.000-08:00

My Stuff, A Review

2011-12-14T11:20:00.000-08:00

Gixxer Hibernation

2011-10-18T19:45:00.000-07:00

Last Ride of the GSX-R for 2011

2011-10-17T19:07:00.000-07:00

Season Review October 12, 2011

2011-10-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

Why did they Destroy Highway 6

2011-08-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

Highway 3 Cawston-Osoyoos, B.C.

2011-08-09T07:47:00.001-07:00

Can Crashing Out Be Good For You?

2011-08-09T07:47:00.000-07:00

The Road from Phoenix to Greenwood, B.C.

2011-08-07T16:51:00.000-07:00

Riding Highway 5A in British Columbia

2011-08-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

Aug 5 Ride up Apex Mountain Road

2011-08-07T16:44:00.000-07:00

Hernia Report

2011-08-07T16:43:00.000-07:00

I Want a Goldwing

2011-06-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

Most Important Aspect of Your Life

2011-06-03T21:33:00.000-07:00

Old Hedley Road

2011-06-03T21:28:00.000-07:00

Big White

2011-06-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

Geocaching

2011-06-03T21:21:00.000-07:00

May 8 Lakeshore Road, Kelowna

2011-05-09T08:15:00.000-07:00

Twisties on Hwy 6 with Gareth Emery

2011-05-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

Feb 13 VLog

2011-02-15T06:34:00.000-08:00

Gas Run Re-Post

2011-02-08T06:43:00.001-08:00

The Olympus VN-8100PC

2011-02-08T06:43:00.000-08:00

Jan 30 Vlog Continued

2011-02-08T06:42:00.001-08:00

Jan 30 Vlog

2011-02-08T06:42:00.000-08:00

In Preparation for my First Vlog

2011-02-08T06:40:00.000-08:00

Jan 23 Ride to Naramata

2011-01-24T05:48:00.000-08:00

Jan 23 2

2011-01-24T05:41:00.000-08:00

Jan 16 1

2011-01-23T10:12:00.000-08:00

Jan 15 in Kelowna

2011-01-16T05:26:00.000-08:00

Oil Filter Tool Search

2011-01-16T05:25:00.000-08:00

January 9, 2011

2011-01-16T05:24:00.001-08:00

After all this I was NOT able to change my oil properly. I couldn't get the freaking filter off!

The Bikes Are Idle

2011-01-16T05:24:00.000-08:00

Gears Heated Vest and Gloves

2011-01-16T05:23:00.000-08:00

K10 V-Strom First Impressions

2011-01-16T05:22:00.000-08:00

Farewell To My FZ6R

2011-01-16T05:21:00.000-08:00

Nov 6 Naramata

2011-01-16T05:17:00.000-08:00

After a long hiatus I have come back to my Blog. I think I stopped entering posts mostly because I hate typing.
So from now on I am just going to embed videos, with maybe some follow up test such as this.

In essence, I have become a Vlogger.

My GSX R750

2010-03-14T18:38:00.000-07:00

A couple of recent vids of me on my GSR750.

So You Want Ride a Motorcycle?

2009-10-10T08:28:00.000-07:00

(This post needs editing, please forgive the grammatical errors.)

Last year at about this time (Oct 08) I decided it might be fun to own and ride my own motorcycle. I had come across a YouTube video of a test review of a Ducati Monster 696. Up until that time I knew nothing of motorcycles other than the impression that they were dangerous and pointless.

However, after seeing the video and checking the performance numbers, I thought "wow, I could never afford a car that can perform like that Ducati". The Ducati 696 is a middle weight performer, the base model of that company. And it was available for about $10,000 CAN.

From that time forward I researched and sought after everything I could find on the WWW that had to do with motorcycles. I researched sport bikes, cruisers, dual sport, tourers and even scooters.

The best site that I have found for researching bikes is MotorcycleNews It's a British site but has a short review of just about every kind of motorcycle out there. They are somewhat prejudiced in favor of sport bikes but it's a great starting point. My bike is known as the Yamaha XJ6 Diversion in places other than North America. Here, it's fully faired. This brings me to a point regarding naked bikes. Naked bikes look bad ass but they have little or no wind protection so if you want to blast down your favorite highway it might end up being a pain in the ass rather than bad assed. The wind blast will wear you down.

By late fall I had committed to owning and riding a bike by the Spring of 2009.

This post is to outline my experiences in this project, what I did right and what I did wrong and maybe to change some impressions of motorcycling that some of you might have.

I want to start off with a few suggestions:

1) When you buy your bike, also purchase a heated vest. There is nothing that kills the fun of biking like cold does. The cold is not only uncomfortable, it's unsafe. To ride properly you need to be flexible and you need to pay attention to every move you make. When you are cold, you are stiff and you end up thinking about how cold you are instead of the plan you have for your next corner.

The heated vest keeps your core organs warm and when they are warm they don't draw heat from your extremities, therefore your hands, legs and feet stay warmer. Believe me, regardless of where you live, you will sometimes be in a cold environment and you will really appreciate that vest!

2) Take a safety course OR pay someone you know that is an experienced rider a lot of money to spend at least 15 hours with you teaching all he knows about riding. I took a course that cost me $700. Basically their goal was to see that I passed my road test to get my license and that's about it. I would rather have given an experienced rider that money for 15 hours of 1 on 1 training instead of the 40 hour group course I took.

3) Plan to spend several hours a week riding your bike and not just to and from work. You only can get good (safe) by riding a LOT and in various situation, city and highway. It's a time commitment you have to make for safety sake.

4) Do not purchase an underpowered bike. Regardless of all the crap there is on the net about starting off "slow" and getting a 250 or a similar bike, just never mind that crap 'cause that's what it is. If you are committed to learning, your skills will grow exponentially. When you start, your bike will seem scary, intimidating. But you will learn and you'll learn fast. You will outgrow an underpowered bike in a matter of weeks and you'll be saying to yourself "I wish I had more power!". I guarantee it.

5) If you have a history of traffic convictions, if you commonly take part in reckless or impulsive behavior, if you are heavy drinker, if you have serious heath issues that effect your mobility or if you are submissive and like others to be in control, then motorcycling is maybe not a good idea for you. Conversely, if you are good at video games and/or are a control freak, then motorcycling might be your life passion.

After months of research I purchased a Yamaha FZ6R. It's a 600cc sports-tourer with 77 Horsepower. It's a great bike with good power but also docile in the lower rev range. YOU control how much power goes to the wheel. The bike will do only what you tell it to do. Do not be afraid of a powerful bike. Just use the power wisely.

Honestly, I would not consider a bike under 600cc unless you are a female. I say that not out of sexism but only because of the weight issue. My bike weighs in at about 470 pounds loaded with fluids. Occasionally, when starting out you will lose your balance with your bike and it will start to fall. You need a lot of strength to keep it off the ground in that case. It's happened to me three times and each time it took every ounce of strength I had to keep it from falling. And I am 6' 190 lbs.

Those are my five suggestions which I feel are critical.

Now you have to choose your bike.

In order to choose your bike you will have to really analyse why you want to ride. Is it for economy sake? Because you want to look "cool"? Because you want to learn a new skill? Because you seek danger? You want to go fast? Your friend has one and you want to join in the fun? You want to tear up the backwoods trails? All of the above?

Your reasons will dictate what kind of bike you choose. I would say 80% of all the bikes in my town are cruisers, Harley types with lots of chrome and loud pipes. The are probably the most comfortable and nicest looking bikes. If you are after looks and sounds then maybe that is the type of bike to get. The problem (for me) with a cruiser is that they are not particularly fast not do they handle or brake as well as a sport bike.

You need to decide how much you want to spend. For me I didn't want to go over $10,000. Partly because I wasn't sure if I would really like biking and partly because I wanted a brand new bike and I only had so much money to spend. Having only $10K really limits your choices on a new bike. That may be a good thing because in the 13 - 20K range there is so much choice of really good bikes that choosing one would be quite a task.

As I alluded to earlier, I wanted the kind of performance I could not get in any car I can afford. The kind of performance that one can experience in a Corvette Z06 or Porsche 911 and then some.

The "middle weight" bike I chose will go 0-60 mph in under 5 seconds and can reach a speed of 135 MPH. That's pretty fast, at least in acceleration. Super Sport bikes can get to 60 in under 3 seconds and are electronically limited to 186 MPH although they could go faster. They are the fastest production vehicles on the planet. You just have to look at the size of the disc brakes on these bikes to know that they stop very fast too. Super Sport Bikes are racing machines that are legal for the street.

There are two classes of Super Sports. the 600's (Yamaha R6, Kawasaki ZX6R, Honda CBR600) and the 1 Litre Bikes (Yamaha R1, Kawasaki ZX10R, Honda CBR1000RR, Suzuki GSX-R1000). A nice compromise between the two might be the Suzuki GSX-R750. There are some others too, like the Ducati 848 and Triumph Daytona 675.

Well I am getting ahead of myself.
I am going to say this now: DO NOT PURCHASE A SUPER-SPORT BIKE IF YOU ARE A NOVICE RIDER. My entire experience this summer on my bike was a learning experience in order to reach the next level, that of owning and riding a Super Sport bike safely. That's my goal for the future.

I rode my bike 12,000 km this season and in every one of those kilometers I tried to learn something or practise a skill I had learned.

I don't know much about cruisers or Harleys so from now on anything I write has to do with sport bikes in general from a perspective of someone interested in performance over all else.

There seems to be the misconception out there that motorcylces are not safe. I spent most of my 55 years thinking that until I actually learned to ride.

Now I consider bikes to be safer than cars in most situations for three reasons:

1) Agility. Your bike is so much more agile than a car its like comparing an elephant to a gazelle. Your ability to avoid a sudden danger is much more enhanced on a bike than in a car.

2) Room: A car has about a foot of space on either side of it's lane. A bike has about 3 feet or more. This gives you a tremendous amount of options on where you want to ride, depending on the conditions. You can ride where its safest, you can adjust your position to where the view of the road is best. It's amazing how much room you have. Space +Time = Safety.

3) Awareness. If you were about to go hiking in the woods and the park warden warned you that there was a bear around how would that effect you? You would hear every branch move in the wind, every squirrel move in the bush, every leaf that fell to the ground. You would be looking over your shoulder every few seconds.

The increased vulnerability of riding a bike makes you just as aware. When riding, your level of awareness raises to a measure not seen since your pot smoking days. You see more, you hear more and you feel more. You look for danger. It's an amazing feeling and one reason I love riding and it's the main reason you will be safe. It's your built-in survival instinct.

The hazard I have developed most fear for is a loss of traction due to debris or obstacles on the road, especially on the riding line you have picked. It could be gravel, leaves, a pot hole, or the slippy tar strips they use to plug cracks. You need to remember that you only have two small wheels keeping you upright, two small patches of rubber. You need to think about traction ALL the time.

Riding is all about the laws of physics and how your body and your bike will interact. Every move you make affects your bike. You need to learn to communicate with your bike and learn it's particular behaviour. If I do this, then this will happen. Practise, practise practise. I've always thought that learning to ride was like learning a hard video game. It's rewarding to see yourself get better each time you play. You learn a little something with every game experience that you can apply the next time you start the game.

When I got my license and started to ride I was really awkward and I felt awkward when I saw other bikers whizzing by me.

MOTORCYCLING IS NOT A CONTEST! The term "ride your own ride" is one of the most important that I know. There will always be better skilled bikers than you. Unless you are in a race on a track it doesn't matter what other bikers do. The temptation is to try and match their speed in a corner before you've developed the skills to do so. So it seems obvious but: DO NOT RIDE BEYOND YOUR SKILLS. Failure to do so will earn you a trip to the emergency ward.

Fear Is Your Friend

When you start to ride and even if you are experienced you will encounter what I call "uncomfortable moments". This happens usually in corners where your body tells you that what you are doing may endanger your life. You get a shot of adrenaline and maybe a sense of approaching doom. Your body is telling you to take some sort of action to change the situation.

Listen to your body, it is trying to keep you alive! Cornering fast and accurately is the toughest and yet most rewarding skill to learn, I am still learning. The most common mistake is entering a corner too fast for your skill level. Or taking the wrong line, usually because you haven't made a plan for that corner, or thought about it too late.

Do not take any corner for granted! Every corner needs a plan and once committed to it, you need to start thinking about the next corner, especially if you are on a lovely twisty road. In my case I usually get into trouble, not by going too fast, but by turning in too late because my attention was elsewhere.

It's much safer to enter a corner too slow and apply power in the corner, than to go too wide either because of speed or poor line decision and then try to apply brakes or induce a greater lean angle.

Sometimes I will enter a strange corner much slower than I could have. I tell myself "what a weenie you are". But the next time I take that corner I know I can go faster and best of all, I might be a weenie but I still have all my body parts intact.

In the first few weeks of my riding I approached my bike with a measure of trepidation or a healthy nervousness because I wasn't smooth and my muscle memory coordination wasn't fully developed. This is natural and a good thing. It goes away and then you will stop thinking about how to ride a bike and start to enjoy the benefits of learning advanced riding skills, like high speed cornering.

Now when I get on my bike I have three goals in mind:

1) To avoid getting a speeding ticket.
2) To avoid causing myself or my bike harm.
3) To go as fast as my skills allow without jeopardizing the first two goals.

Let's face it, if you are thinking about a Sport Bike, you are not thinking about maintaining the speed limits. My entry level sport bike is much more capable than the speed limits which seem agonizingly slow. If a corner says 70kmh its safe to assume you can take it at 100km on your bike with safety to spare. it's just the way it is.

If you are never going to break the speed limits then you are wasting your money on a Sport Bike, buy a cruiser. I'm not advocating breaking the law, I'm just telling it like it is.

My theory on speeding is this: On any given 4 hour trip if you were to speed all the time you might have a 40% chance of getting a speeding ticket. If you were to speed 50% of the time, then that gets reduced to 20%. And so on. So I speed (and by that I mean going in excess of 10km over the posted limit) about 10-20% of the time. This reduces my chances of getting a ticket down to between 4 and 8%. I can live with those odds. I budget myself for one ticket per season.

You will be ticketed, it's just a matter of how many tickets you are prepared to take.

Speeding 15-20% of the time means I can still get my adrenaline rush every now and then. The nice thing about a motorcycle is that it can slow down almost as fast as it can speed up. Unlike a car, especially an automatic, a bike doesn't have the momentum of weight or a massive flywheel to keep it going after the throttle is turned off. Combine that with much more pronounced engine braking and you might find you hardly ever needing to use your brakes on the highway. The point is that if you suspect that white sedan coming around the bend, the one that looks suspiciously like a Crown Victoria is a police cruiser, you can slow down to legal limits real fast.

If you pick your spots carefully and assume every car out there is a police cruiser until proven otherwise, you may be ticket free all year. Good luck with that.

Sharply Focused and Dialed Into The Zone

Earlier I had suggested that if you were proficient in video gaming, then you might really enjoy motorcycling. Why? Well when I am gaming, nothing else in my world matters. All my concentration is involved in the game. A bomb might go off in my neighborhood and it wouldn't matter until my game was finished.

I don't multi-task. I do one thing, I give it all my concentration. I do it well and then I move on the next task. If you are a person who is able to focus in on one task, give it all your attention and the expense of everything else in your world, then you will be a skilled biker.

Because when you are on a motorcycle, that's pretty much what you have to do. Concentrate on that one task of controlling that bike and making sure it does what you want it to do. In a car you can daydream, you can be on your phone, some people even text message, you can listen to your stereo, you can talk with your passenger, you can scratch your nether parts.

On a bike, at least on a Sport Bike all or any of those things (if they were possible on a bike) would result in grievous bodily harm.

One reason I love to motorcycle is just the fact that I can and need to block out everything else in my life and concentrate on my bike and the road in front of me. On any task, whether you are bowling or writing a blog or a goaltender on a hockey team, or whatever you are doing, when you are "dialed in" you know you will do a good job, it just goes with the territory.

When I am on my bike, on my favorite highway on a warm sunny day there is no better feeling I have ever felt than to be "sharply focused and dialed into the zone".

It Your Fault!

I don't care what the Police Report says, or who had the right of way, or what the circumstances were. If you fall off your bike, it's your own fault. 99.9% of "accidents" are preventable. As a Rider is up to you to protect yourself against mistakes by other drivers or riders, your life depends upon it. The onus is on you to foresee all the hazards that may approach you and to have a game plan for the unexpected.

Gear

Ok, lets talk helmets. I'm not going to get into the debate over whether or not helmes are mandatory. In all parts of Canada they are. In British Columbia, where I live, you can get away with the skimpiest Beanie type caps.

The helmet you wear will be decided by the type of bike you have. If you ride a cruiser, or even a tourer, you will not have a full face helmet. That's just the way it is. And if you ride a Sport Bike you WILL wear a full face helmet.

Even you wanted to wear a full face and owned a cruiser, you wouldn't, you'd be laughed off the road. It's just a funny part of motorcycling.

It just proves that Sport Bike Riders are way smarter than the Cruiser Dudes. They would love to ride with a Full Face on but know that the unwritten rule says you can't.

Most people would conclude that a rider wears a helmet so that, in the event he is in a crash, his skull will be somewhat protected against severe trauma.

While that may be true it is not the cheif reason why I wear one. I wear it for comfort.

The Full Face helmet I wear isolates my head and most of my senses from the hazards that come with hurtling through the air at high speeds. Those hazards being wind, rain, stones, and most importantly Bugs. Just think about driving your car without a windshield for a moment. Sure, most Cruisers have some form of windsheild, but who wants those, they are an incredible drag on your bikes performance. And they still do not protect you like the Full Face does.

Even in a low speed accident, if you fall on your face, there might be a lot of painful and expensive dental work that needs doing. Your face is fragile, most of us like the way it looks as it is. If you want to keep it that way, the Full Face helmet is the way to go.

If someone would absolutely guarantee by some divene intervention that I would never fall off my bike I would still wear a Full Face helmet for pure comfort of riding.

I can't tell you the amount of times a massive insect has been splatterd on my visor. If that bug had hit my bare skin or worse, my eyes, I would have been in serious pain or distracted enough to fall off my bike.

I also like the Full face cause it makes me anonymous to others on the road, it look evil and badass, and for a Sport Bike Rider, thats important.

The Icon Airframe Seventh Seal Helmet

I have one peice of advice for those purchasing a Full Face helmet. Make sure it fits very snug, almost to the point of being uncomfortable. Don't forget that helmet will need to travel through the air at high speed and the last thing you need is to have it bouncing around. I have the Icon Air Frame Seventh Seal Helmet and I'm really happy with it. But there are lots of good helmets out there, just make sure the fit is excellent.

Ear Protection

When I started riding I didn't wear any ear protection, I wanted the hear "everything". Well, unfortunately, "everything" includes a lot of buffeting wind noise which I rate right up there with a wailing baby, a whining cat and the theft alarm installed in my Mustang as one of the truly annoying sounds in my world. It can be very tiresome and pretty much eliminates what you really want to hear, which is the sound of your motor, the heart of your bike.

So get some earplugs. I've tried many and I've settled on the waxed cotton plugs as the best for me. They form nicely to your ear shape and you can drive them deep in your ear to the point where all harsh noises are silenced. The result is that you're able to hear your engine clearer as in runs up and down the rev range, and really, is there a better sound in the world than that? Because the wax attracts dirt, they can get pretty skanky after a while so you need to change them after every 5 to 10 rides.

Jackets

I made a mistake when I purchased my first jacket. A $400 mistake. Ok, well I still wear it around town but it's no good on the highway. The first jacket I purchased was the matching one for my Helmet, the mostly textile Icon Seventh Seal Arc Jacket.
There is nothing actually wrong with the jacket. It offers great protection and looks badass cool. It just is too loose and baggy for the highway. I bought about a half size too big, thinking I could wear layers of clothing underneath in cooler weather. A great idea in principal.

Remember that air is your enemy. The easier you can slide through that air, the more stable your bike will be. A loose fitting baggy jacket will act like a sail at highway speeds, making you think you are riding into a headwind or crosswind or mixture of both.

Get a tight fitting heavy leather jacket if you intend to ride on the highway! The next jacket I bought (also about $400) was the Joe Rocket Blaster 4.0 Jacket. The difference is like night and day. The JR slides though the air like a hot knife through butter. I felt like I was on a different bike, the ride was so much more stable. The tight fit and heavy leather might not be quite as comfy but you'll appreciate the benefits of a jacket like that as soon as you get up to highway speeds.

Gloves

If you've ever watched motorcycle racing at the highest level, like World Superbikes or MotoGP you will see the best riders in the world fall off their bikes. They know, during the course of their season that they all will fall once, maybe more often and mostly at high speeds. That's why I think motorcycle racers are the bravest people on earth.

The big difference between them and us is that they have learned how to fall, if they haven't they would never have made it to the level they are.

If you watch them fall, you will notice, without exception, that none of them use their hands to break their falls. Quite the contrary, they keep their hands away from contact with any hard object. They know that, without their hands and wrists being in top notch shape, they will not be successful.

On a motorcycle, your hands are used to communicate with your bike, they are your most important body part in riding your machine. They have a big job to do. They control braking, shifting, throttle and most of the steering input. Thats pretty much everything to riding a bike.

When you choose your gloves there is a compromise to be made (unless you have the major bucks to purchase the best gloves out there). You want protection, but you also want dexterity.

The first gloves I purchased were Icon Long Merc gloves. They have a ton of protection and thick leather and I think they look cool. As summer approached I began thinking of maybe a lighter glove.

To be continued....

My Daddy Is a Sniper...What Does Your Daddy Do?

2009-04-17T06:36:00.000-07:00

Recently three Navy Seal snipers took out three Somali Pirates thus freeing a kidnapped American Captain of a Merchant Ship.

All the world cheered. And I have to admit I did too. Those damn Pirates got what they deserved.

But I have to wonder, what kind of a person wants to be a Sniper? Obviously it's a position applied for and desired by a select few sharpshooters. It's a position that allows you to be a professional and legal Hitman. To hide in the shadows, the trees, an abandoned building or somewhere in the dark, aim your scope at some unsuspecting skull up to a kilometer away and blow his head off.

What kind of person wants to do this?

No one feels sorry for the the now headless Pirates, they probably got what they deserved. But I'll bet most "targets" are people with no other crime than being on the wrong side of a conflict.

I have to ask: Is there a lower form of humanity than a Sniper? Has anyone done a psychological analysis of these people? Are they actually serial killers that have found a legal outlet? Do they dream of the day when they'll be called on to shatter the brains of another human being?

Captain Richard Phillips actions were probably heroic. The actions of the Snipers served to free him.

But the Snipers themselves? Just plain creepy.

Motorcycle Update

2009-04-12T15:03:00.000-07:00

Last week I graduated from Motorcycle School and I've been riding my Yamaha FZ6R for almost two weeks now, having put almost 500 km on the odometer.

The first break in period is 1000km, during which time I should not rev the engine for "prolonged periods" over 5800 RPM. So I've been obeying that and am really impressed with the power available in the lower rev range. Makes me really want to see how it performs in the sweet spot between 9000-11000 rpm.

So I really want to get this break in period over with fast.

Trouble is, the weather is not cooperating fully, cool damp conditions this last weekend.

The thing is, I won't ride unless conditions are right to have fun riding. Being cold is not fun. The only problem I am having with cold is my hands because my Icon Merc Long gloves are not cold weather gloves, they are made for protection, and that's it.

So for instance this morning I cut my ride on Westside Road short because my hands were just too darn cold.

In the 500 km or so I've ridden I can make a few observations.

If you are a control freak (like me) riding a motorcycle is the ultimate gratification.
It's pretty much all about control, the machine wants to be controlled and you get to input your commands every millisecond of your ride. Every movement of your body results in a corresponding action of the bike. It's an incredible power rush. If you don't like being in control then buy a Ford Focus.

I feel safer on my Yamaha then I have ever been in any automobile. This is totally opposite of what I thought I would feel. The reason? Read above. You have so much more control over your bike than you ever would in any car. The bike is infinitely more agile and responsive. Not only that, you have so much more room on the road.

Where a car (cage) is limited to maybe one foot of movement on either side of the lane, the bike has about 4 feet on either side for which to choose your road position.
That's a huge advantage.

Visibility, even with a helmet, is far superior to that of a car, even a convertible.

Now let's talk curves. There are no sideways G forces on a bike that you uncomfortably get in a car. Because you are leaning, any G forces are directed downward or almost totally minimized. The curves are what it's all about, the raison d'etre of any rider. It's a magical feeling you really have to experience to appreciate.

The only issue regarding safety I have is going into a corner "too hot". Until I get more experience I'll need to slow down a bit since I haven't developed the leaning (counter-steering) skills required to really pull off a fast corner. The last thing you want is to corner too wide into oncoming traffic. That would be messy.

So far it's been a total blast being a rider and with warmer weather coming, it'll only get better.

A Good Hygienist Is Hard to Find

2009-02-23T09:23:00.000-08:00

Over the years I've been to a lot of dentists, some good some not so good. For the last few years I've been seeing Dr. Darren Berg here in Kelowna.

I like Dr. Berg for a couple of reasons. He's painless and he doesn't chit chat. When I see a professional person, be it a doctor or dentist or lawyer or even a barber all I want to talk about is the business of why I'm there and Berg is pretty much all business (at least with me). I'm truly not interested in discussing any part of my personal life with these people, who are basically strangers.

But the best thing about Dr. Berg is not Dr. Berg, it's his most excellent young hygienist, Britney.

For me the reluctance of seeing a dentist was never about the needle or the drill. It was always those Maidens of Torture, the clumsy hygienist who seemed intent on seeing how much blood could be drawn from your gums.

When I first had Britney work on my teeth I was left confused. I felt nothing uncomfortable and actually asked her if she had used an anesthetic on my gums before she started. Maybe it was new technique.

Well anyway she hadn't, she just knew what she was doing. Amazing. After all these years of torment to actually come across a hygienist who cared enough to be careful where she placed her instruments.

So if anyone out there is looking for a really, really good hygienist, go to Dr. Berg and ask for Britney.

Hey YouTube Posters: Can The Music!

2009-02-22T08:56:00.000-08:00

In my quest for the perfect motorcycle I have viewed a LOT of videos. Some from Commercial sites like Motorcycle News but most from amateurs proud of their bikes.

For some reason most of these amateur posters seem to think that the viewers would prefer to hear their usually tasteless and inappropriate music tracks over the sounds of their fantastic bikes.

They might think this is the greatest song in the world, however I bet most of us think it's crap.

If I want to hear music, I'll plug my buds in and turn on my iPod. When I want to view motorcycle videos the only sounds I want to hear are those coming from those exhaust pipes.

Below are two examples of what I'm talking about. In the first clip you can hardly hear the bikes for the crap "music" thats playing.

The second example is perfect. Incredible exhaust music from the Yamaha FJR1300. Well done!

Motorcycle Update

2009-02-21T06:31:00.000-08:00

Yamaha FZ-6R and '94 Mustang GT

Since my last post some news.

I have my learners license and I have purchased my bike. But it's not the Triumph. My new bike is a Yamaha FZ-6R, a 600cc 4 cylinder sport bike. It's a somewhat detuned version of the FZ-6. In Europe, the bike is called the XJ-6 Diversion.

More Info Here.

I didn't get the Triumph for a couple of reasons. First the price was about two thousand more than I really wanted to pay. It offers no wind protection without expensive add ons and the salesperson at the dealership wasn't very friendly.

The reviews on the Yamaha have been good, everything about it seems to suit what I was looking for. And the people at Kelowna Yamaha, including my salesman, Bob Purdy, were a nice bunch.

The extra 30 or so horsepower the Triumph has over the Yamaha is probably something I would never use. The Triumph is for sure a more capable performer but not so much so that a novice would notice. It's not about speed anyway, this is all about learning a new skill.

My new Yamaha is capable of 225 kph and 0-100km in 3.5 seconds, pretty fast enough. And even more importantly, it is comfortable. At least on the showroom floor it was.

And the black and yellow colours just happen to match those of my '94 Mustang GT almost perfectly.

I can't ride it. Not until I acquire my second level which I won't get until the end of March. That sucks but it's still February and probably too cold to enjoy it anyway.

Still the main hurdle, that of deciding on the bike and forking over the hard earned cash. is completed.

I still have to get a helmet, gloves, boots and a protective riding jacket.

I'll keep ya posted.

I've Decided On My Bike

2009-01-18T14:08:00.000-08:00

Last fall I decided I wanted to learn to ride a motorcycle and to purchase same sometime in the spring of 2009.

There are steps to such an endeavor such as :

1) Acquiring a learners license (written test).
2) Taking lessons. Cost $700 approx. with Kelowna District Safety Council classes.
3) Taking and passing the final license test.
4) Deciding which Motorcycle to buy.
5) Purchasing the motorcycle.

Well, so far I have done only step 4.

After scouring the Internet for weeks and actually visiting some dealers last fall, the bike I want is the Triumph Street Triple.

I looked at Cruisers to Scooters. My price ceiling is $10,000. I wanted as much bike for my buck as possible. I would rather grow into a bike than grow out of one.

I have no doubt that the Triumph fits that bill to a tee. Less than 400 lbs and having 106 HP (more than 6 of the cars I have owned) ensures a lofty learning curve and hopefully years of biking pleasure.

My goal: To own and ride that bike on or before May 1st. I'll let ya know.

Retire # 10?

2009-01-11T10:14:00.001-08:00

Artwork by Ken Henderson

A few weeks ago the Vancouver Canucks retired the sweater number of Trevor Linden, that being # 16.

Now I've never been as HUGE a fan of Linden as most Vancouver Canucks fans. He was a good but not great player. His real claim to fame was the attachment he fostered with the Vancouver and British Columbia community and the fact that he played a lot of games for the Canucks over the 15 1/2 years he was with the team.

I'm not here to argue whether or not Linden's sweater deserved to be retired. But the reason's should be clear. This honour was for his service to the community and not for his on ice performance.

Linden's numbers are really not that impressive. His highest goal total never exceeded 33. His highest point total was 80. Hardly Hall of Fame figures. I've always thought Linden was an underachiever.

He had size, was a very good skater and possessed a pretty good shot. He was on the number 1 line and pretty much on all the Power Plays, at least he was in his prime years throughout the early '90's.

Linden should have been a consistent 40 goal scorer, especially during the goal happy era in which he played.

Makes you wonder if he truly deserves the acclamation he has received over the years.

For my part, I don't care what the players do off the ice. I don't care if they are lying, cheating drunks. I don't care if they are the reincarnation of Mother Theresa.

For me, the only thing that matters is their performance on the ice and their contribution to their teams' success.

With that in mind I will say that Pavel Bure was without a doubt, unquestionably the greatest player ever to play for the Canucks and one of the best players ever in the history of the NHL.

His talent was phenomenal. And his numbers prove these statements. 437 Goals in only 702 NHL games! That's .62 goals per game. Compare that to Linden's paltry .27 goals per game.

And let's not forget that Pavel did not have a LaFontaine or a Brian Trottier or Adam Oates feeding him sweet passes all game long. No way. Bure had to make due with the likes of Clif Ronning, Linden and a host of substitutes, none of which deserved to be called a first line centre. That's an important point.

I've been watching hockey pretty regularly since 1969. As a kid I saw Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito, I saw Bobby Hull, Guy Lafleur, Mike Bossy, Gretzky and Lemieux.

With the possible exception of Lemieux, Bure was the most exciting, entertaining and heart stopping player I have ever seen.

He had incredible speed and was able to handle the puck at that top speed. His shot was among the best in the league.

But the one thing that set Bure apart was an insatiable desire to score goals. Something that Trevor Linden never had. Every time Bure scored, it was as if he had won the lottery. He had a need to score like no other player and played as if he felt he HAD to score on every shift.

Granted Pavel's career with the Canucks was short. He played only 427 games for the Canucks, scoring 254 times while collecting 478 points. I was lucky enough to see him in his prime and those back to back 60 goal seasons from 1992 to 1994 will probably never again be duplicated anytime soon by anyone. And surely never again by a Canuck.

Sadly, as did happen with Bobby Orr, injuries forced him to prematurely end his career at the end of the 2003 season at the age of 32. The guy is still in his 30's! It's quite possible a healthy Bure could have scored close to 1000 goals in an injury free career.

No, he did not ingratiate himself into the local community. But remember that Pavel was born and raised in Communist Russia. The cultural differences must have been immense. There is a big difference in a kid coming to the Canucks from Moscow and another from Medicine Hat.

Yes Bure left on not so good terms. He asked to be traded, which was his right. Why he felt he needed to be traded is between himself and the team. It doesn't take away from what he did on the ice.

He's been accused of being selfish. Well maybe he was, depends on how you define that term. Bure knew what his role was, that of scoring goals. Perhaps if Trevor Linden would have been a bit more selfish his stats would have been that much more impressive.

One thing is for sure. Neither the sweaters of Stan Smyl nor Trevor Linden will ever see the inside of the Hockey Hall of Fame while Pavel Bure's is sure to.

Pavel Bure was the greatest Canuck ever. There is no question about it. He was our first Superstar.

As long as I live I will remember the excitement and the hope he gave to every Canuck fan after years of misery.

I don't expect to see his sweater retired but I make the case that it should be.

Keith Endorses Obama!!!

2008-10-25T15:49:00.000-07:00

Well, duh...

In theory this should be the most one sided presidential election in recent history.

But then again never underestimate the stupidity of the American Voting Public. After all, they did return George W. for a second term, well they did, sorta.

Obama is brilliant and articulate, someone the world can look up to, instead of laugh at.

I honestly can't see anyone voting against him except the Reactionary Rich, the Trailer Park (white) Trash, the Die Hard Racists and the Die Hard Republicans (is there a difference?) that absolutely refuse to vote for a Democrat even knowing he is the better man.

If McCain hadn't booked into the Hanoi Hilton, he'd be as lost in obscurity as I am. He's a doddering old man posing as a "rebel", it's the only gimmick he has.

The other gimmick hasn't really worked out so well. The novelty of Sarah Palin has worn very thin very fast and her 15 minutes are almost up.

She is a fool and McCain is a fool for choosing her. What the hell was he thinking?

I can't help thinking that McCain is the sacrificial lamb the Republicans are offering up, knowing they were going to get soundly thrashed regardless of who ran.

Surely to God they have better people available than McCain?

If not, God (they love God) help them.

2008-08-31T17:57:00.000-07:00

Lyrics to Hand Of The Almighty! (God Will Fuck You Up) by John R. Butler:

VERSE 1
Oh, sinner, do not stray
From the straight and narrow way
For the Lord is surely watching what you do
If you approach the Devil's den
Turn 'round don't enter in
Lest the hand of the almighty fall on you.

CHORUS:
He'll fuck you up (he'll fuck you up)
Yes, God will fuck you up
If you dare to disobey his stern command.
He'll fuck you up (he'll fuck you up)
Don't you know he'll fuck you up
So you better do some prayin' while you can.

VERSE 2
Long ago a man named Lot
Had a wife he thought was hot
But she could not stop her black and sinful ways.
You know it was her own damn fault
When God turned that bitch to salt.
That's the way he used to work back in those days:

CHORUS:
He fucked 'em up (he fucked 'em up)
He really fucked 'em up
When the people went and turned their backs on him
He can fuck you up (he'll fuck you up)
No shit he'll fuck you up
Just like he fucked the people up back then.

VERSE 3
I used to have a friend named Ray
Who walked that evil way
He cursed and drank and broke his neighbor's fence
You know Ray was full aware
That some sheep were over there
And he knew them in the Biblical sense.

CHORUS:
God fucked him up (he fucked him up)
He went and fucked Ray up
Went and paid him back for all his wicked sins.
He fucked him up (he fucked him up)
Fucked that boy completely up
Now he's married to a Presbyterian.

Ramblings

2008-06-18T17:49:00.000-07:00

I've been way too lazy to post anything lately but a few things have come up which I have to speak out on.

It's been recently revealed that the latest "foot" to have been found is a hoax. So now we just have the very normal situation of 5 random REAL feet having been found.

A sixth severed foot was found along the British Columbia coast this week, the sixth within the last year. Very strange. Even stranger was the police position that "It is a little mysterious, but we don't know if it is linked to others."

Don't know if its linked to the others???? Huh? In a television interview one cop suggested it still might be a coincidence.

Are you kidding me? I know the police have to keep an open mind but a trillion to one coincidence, I don't think so. Give me a freakin' break.

The U.S. Justice system never ceases to boggle my mind.

The dog fighting "referee" in the Michael Vick case was sentenced to a total of 14 years in prison. Six and half years for orchestrating the dog fight and seven years for trafficking in marijuana.

Six years?? In Spain Bull Fighting is the national sport, in Canada we allow thousands of seal pups to be bashed over the head till they die. We kill millions of cattle and chickens each year.

In Canada, trafficking in Pot won't even get you ANY jail time.

Yes the dog fighting is distasteful and should be illegal and punished. But six years? We have violent thugs and chronic thieves who barely get a few months in prison yet this moron gets 6 years? They are freaking crazy down there.

Lastly. There are a group of people I call the Wii people and no, they aren't those hooked on that Nintendo game.

It stands for Well Intentioned Idiots. Last Sunday in Vancouver a protest against the automobile was held where a portion of Commercial Drive was closed to motorized traffic. A Wii representative was on camera imploring us all to forsake our cars and stop building more roads, and he was really sincere about it all, really well intentioned. Too bad he is an Idiot.

The public will NEVER, NEVER give up their vehicles.

On that same day in Kelowna, where I live, I attended the Annual Boyd Automotive Fathers Day Show 'N Shine. That event featured the downtown streets filled with hundreds of automobiles and the thousands of us who were there to admire them. It was an Auto Love-In.

People love cars and they always will. For most of us being in our vehicles is where we can experience our music the way we like it and enjoy the most comfortable seat we own. It's a place where we are in total control, where we can say what we want (often to ourselves) or even yell and scream if we want to. Its the last domain of the independent individual.

Regardless of what the traffic is like or what the price of gas, our vehicles represent and place that we can call our own.

The Wii gang would be better off protesting against what goes in to the fuel tank and what comes out the exhaust pipe, not with the Automobile itself. There will always be cars, they may be electric cars or hydrogen fuel cell or solar or whatever, but there will always be cars.

And so I say: Build MORE ROADS.

There Are Benefits To High Gas Prices

2008-06-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, during a one week Mid May vacation my wife and I took a trip via my Mustang GT Convertible to one of our favorite destinations, Nelson, B.C.

She likes Nelson for the shopping and the lovely ambiance this town has. I like going simply because I love the beautiful drive there. It's about a 200 mile one way trip through some of the most beautiful and serene selection of mountain highways, probably in the world.

Planning a topless trip at that time of year can be dicey, weather wise. And this spring has been and continues to be unseasonably cool and wet.

But we got lucky. We left on a beautiful sunny Sunday Morning and returned on an equally nice Tuesday afternoon. Monday was rainy and cool in Nelson.

It was a perfect drive. And what really enhanced the perfection was the fact that there was no traffic whatsoever. For pretty much the whole trip we had the highway to ourselves. Minutes would go by, sometimes up to 10 minutes without seeing another car or truck in either direction.

Has the price of gasoline scared travellers off the road or was it just an oddity that we had no company on these roads?

If it was the price of gas I say, keep it high. My Mustang, though not what you would say is a gas guzzler is not a thrifty car. In the old scale of measure I get about 25 miles per Imperial Gallon. Not great but there are vehicles that get a lot worse that aren't near as much fun.

A trip like we had was priceless and well worth whatever the price of gasoline might be.

I guess the main reason that I don't care about gas prices is the fact that I drive pretty much for pleasure only. My drive to work is short and uses maybe 2 or 3 liters a day, if that.

I can choose how much I pay for gas in a given week or month. It all depends on how much pleasure I want. And what is the price for pleasure?

Some people think nothing of dropping $50-$100 for a dinner at a nice restaurant (the thought of which abhors me as a colossal waste of money). Others might spend up to $100 of more for a day of skiing. A case of beer costs how much...I don't really know.

But I liken these expenses to what I pay for a tank of gas. A four hour road trip that cost me $35 last year now costs me $50. So what? I'm not going to gripe over $15 when I consider the fun I got out of driving my 'Stang with the top down and the smells and sounds of the forests in my senses.

I don't care how expensive gasoline gets. The more expensive, the more road that belongs to me. I say bring it on. Raise the price.

I had to smile in bemusement at the story on TV last night. This fellow was trying to sell his Jeep CJ because it just drank too much gas (of course it did, its a piece of crap ancient technology relic that should have been retired years ago, but whatever, he loved it anyway).

He was selling it because he recently bought a new fuel efficient vehicle that will save him lots of money on fuel.

The brand of his new vehicle wasn't mentioned but lets say its a Honda Civic which gets 40 miles per gallon. Lets also say that it costs him $20,000. Let's say he gets $10,000 for his Jeep (if he's lucky).

You can buy an awful lot of gas for $10,000.

I think I'll keep my Mustang for a good long while. It's all paid for and there aren't many fuel efficient cars that can come close to its Fun Factor.

Nonis Dismissal Is Well Deserved

2008-04-15T06:59:00.000-07:00

Dave Nonis

Last night the news came down that the Canucks' General Manager, Dave Nonis had been fired. I have always liked Nonis, he seems like a straight up guy trying to do the best he could.

I think the job was too much for him. Late in the season when it was obvious the Canucks needed an infusion of talent before the trading deadline, he chocked.

The only trade made was the mean nothing trade of Matt Cooke for Matt Pettinger.

Just before the trade deadline, Nonis was interviewed on the CBC's After Hours Show. He was asked about the possibility of trades and the same old story was retold:

We will not give up our good young talent for a short term fix. We will not sacrifice our future.

Unfortunately Canucks fans have been hearing this for the last 38 years. I wonder what future these GMs are referring to?

If your always living for the future then you aren't living for the NOW. And the future never seems to come.

Its a lame excuse GMs' make when they haven't got the guts to pull off a big trade. In the end thats what Nonis lacked, GUTS.

If he had a pair he would have given up Bourdon, Edler, Bieska or Raymond or whoever else it took to grab a Brad Richards or a Peter Forsberg or whoever and make a serious run at the Stanley Cup. But he chickened out and it cost him his job.

In this day and age of free agency a GM can rebuild his team in a year or two from scratch. Hanging on to young players is not as critical as it used to be. You have to give something up to get something back.

Canuck fans are fed up with hearing about the future. Lets get a GM that can live in the NOW and get us a cup contender. I'm not interested in potential or how great the team will be in a few years. We've all heard that song and dance for too long.

Nonis, I hope you've learned your lesson. You'll be back in action somewhere soon. Get that "F" word out of your mind and live in the present.

Elliot Spitzer, Women and Cars

2008-03-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

Porsche 911

Ashley Alexandra Dupre

Elliot Spitzer

As usual, when it comes to sex, Americans go off the deep end.

As we all know, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer felt he had to resign as a result of the fallout resulting from his dealing with a "call girl".

I'm really at a loss to figure out what all the fuss is about.

It seems to me that there are a few things about this that the public is upset about.

1) A married man obtaining sex outside his marriage. Well that's not unusual. Most of the Politicians in both the U.S. and Canada would have to resign if that was the problem.

2) A married (or any man) seeking his pleasure from a Prostitute. Most women can't understand this. Even though it's been going on for thousands of years. Mr. Spitzer is a relatively good looking, relatively wealthy and relatively powerful man. He doesn't need a Prostitute, he could no doubt have any young (or old) intern or secretary or pretty much any number of women he wanted at no charge.

He didn't need a Prostitute, he wanted one. He wanted one because of the "no strings attached", no "Fatal Attraction", no "you said you were going to call" whining, no "when are you going to leave your wife" baggage that having a real affair entails.

Why he wanted sex outside his marriage is his business, it's between him and his wife and no one else.

3) The fact that Spitzer engaged in an illegal act, that is soliciting the services of a Prostitute is probably the crux of the issue. The majority of the public in North America, from any polls I have seen, think that Prostitution should be legalised and licensed. Still he is the Governor and should uphold the laws. I won't even get into the hypocrisy and irony of this same Governor that initiated a crackdown (no pun intended) on the very practise he was caught engaging in.

4) $5000/hour! Wow, that's the aspect of this case that really intrigues me. And I think that's what has stirred the public so much.

There is a genuine hierarchy when it comes to Prostitutes. "Call Girls" rank at the top of the heap, generally recognised as being very professional, very good looking, very discreet and with a wide knowledge of most or all of men's "needs". They make the big bucks and I've wondered sometimes how much the top whore makes. Like in sports they always claim this or that player is now the top ranking money maker.

I wonder if there are some of these girls that make in excess of 10,000 per hour. Genuine Superstar Hookers.

My question is, what exactly do you get for $5000? I mean that you can't get for $500?

I think it's like cars. Both a Honda Civic and a Porsche 911 will get you from point "A" to Point "B". One cost $20,000, the other costs $120,000. I've never had a $5000 Call Girl and I've never driven a Porsche Carrera. One I'm not allowed to do one and the other I can't afford to do. But how much would I pay for a one hour ride in a Porsche?

Elliot Spitzer has a lot more money that I do. $5000 for him would likely translate into $500 for me.

Would I pay $500 for an hour in a Porsche? Yes I would. Why? Because I want to find out what all the fuss is about. I want to know why a great many people shell out over $100,000 to purchase this automobile. When they can get to Point "B" just as easily and as quickly (obeying the laws) in a Honda Civic.

And maybe if I had a ride in a 911 I would come back a month later and hand over another $500 for another hour ride. Maybe it's just that good.

Maybe Ashley Alexandra Dupre was worth $5000/hour. Who can say? It's up to an individuals taste. Maybe a non-car guy would get in the Porsche and say "what's the big deal"? Obviously Ashley had or did something that was right up Spitzers sweet zone.

There is a woman and a car for everyone. Some are fast and furious, some are reliable and dull, some are hard to maintain but the rewards are worth it. Some are old but loved. Some are young and driven hard. Some are abused, some are babied. Different colours from different areas of the world. Some with pedigrees, others commonplace.

Some will break you, or kill you.

Men fall in love with them or grow to hate them. They'll all do one thing. Get you from Point "A" to Point "B". But often it's not getting there that matters, it's the trip itself.

As far as I am concerned when it comes to Elliot Spitzer: It's his money, it's his dick and it's his marriage. Let the guy resign but don't condemn him for doing what thousands of men, some very powerful men, have done for centuries.

Can I Have My Rash Back?

2008-01-21T14:56:00.000-08:00

About 6 years ago, for no apparent reason that I can think of, I developed a rash on my lower right leg. Just above the ankle and extending along the side and front shin area for about 6 inches upward toward the knee.

It developed overnight and was with me for about 18 months, off and on. It went as quickly as it came and has never returned.

I miss it. This rash had one overwhelming quality, it was itchy as hell. It was never sore, just unsightly and itchy.

And scratching it was the absolute best feeling on earth. I'm not sure what kind of hormones or dopamine or seratonins or other feel good agents were released into my bloodstream when this rash was scratched but it must have bin akin to a junkie filling his veins with heroin. It felt that good.

The only reason I would ever stop scratching was because blood was starting to surface, then I knew I had to stop until the area healed and I could scratch some more. I had to develop new ways of scratching to prevent the blood, like scratching backwards so the dull end of my nails pestered the surface of my skin.

I would let the urge to scratch build up as long as possible. Then I knew that when I finally did scratch, it would be like a trip to heaven. God did it feel good!

I think of that rash now and then and feel blessed that it visited me for that short time. That kind of euphoria is rare these days. I wish it would return but I have no idea how to acquire it again.

Whatever it is that provides that intensely enjoyable feeling needs to be manufactured and marketed. It's in the body anyway, it must be natural, it must be good.

And Your Time Of Death Is...

2008-01-14T10:18:00.000-08:00

Every hockey player knows that, sooner or later, he will suffer a very painful and possibly bloody injury.

Last night Taylor Pyatt of the Canucks took one (a puck) in the mouth. He had several stitches and according to reports his teeth were scattered about his oral cavity. A very painful and possibly disfiguring occurrence.

Every player knows that the chances of this or another kind of painful injury happening to them sometime in their careers is very very good. If Pyatt knew that, at some point in last night game, he was going to suffer this injury how would it have affected his game?

The chances of something really bad happening to each of us in our lives is really good. But since we don't know what those things are or when they might happen, most of us don't fret about it.

There is one certain thing that we all have to deal with. Our own death. We wonder how and when we will die. And more importantly, how we will react when the Grim Reaper comes for us. Will we even be aware of his presence?

At age 53 I am now approaching the autumn of my life. I know my days are numbered. I could have 20 to 40 years left.

The last 30 years have gone by so fast, it's amazing how really short a lifetime is.

If you knew when you were going to die would it make any difference? Most of us live our lives as if we were immortal. There is a small percentage of high achievers that seem to know that they have so little time as a human being that they make every moment count. They live life as if it were their last day on earth.

I envy them.

I thought it would be an interesting thing to predict my own time of death. I'm very healthy. I don't drink or smoke. Other than an occasional "enthusiastic" drive in My Mustang GT I don't partake in risky behaviour.

Counterbalancing that is the fact that both my parents died of disease very young, so the Genes are against me.

With that in mind I predict that I will die on: September 17, 2037. At that time I will be 83 years old. I have no particular reason for that date, it just came to mind.

Anything past that, well I will consider it Bonus.

So I have only 29 years to live. Yikes!

Movies, Movies, Movies

2008-01-07T05:32:00.000-08:00

Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Ok, finally another post. What have I been doing?

The Christmas Season sucks, I hate the period between December 10 and January 1. I can't stand Christmas and I wish the general media would stop referring to it as the "most wonderful time of the year".

For me the most "wonderful time of the year" over a short period anyway are the first few warm days of Spring, which around here arrives in mid or early March. After which I consider the period between Sept 15 and October 15 as the "most wonderful time of the year". The Christmas Season is the WORST. Especially for those of us that work in the retail industry.

Anyway I have been spending some considerable hours with my new Hi Def TV and watching Movies in Hi Def from the pay stations Movie Central 1 and 2.

I hate going to movie theaters but I really like a good movie. In the past I've been renting the DVDs from the local Video store who have the nerve to charge over$5.00 for a year old movie.

Movie Central provides 2 year old ad free movies presented in Hi Definition for $17/month. And I can save them to my PVR, watch them when I want, and then I can transfer them to my other PVR where I can burn them to a disc and further enhance my movie collection which now stands at 693 movies. You gotta love technology!

So here is a list of the movies watched lately and a brief one line critique:

Final Destination 3:
Mary Elizabeth Winstead: 10. Rest of Movie: 7. This one was filmed in Vancouver and basically a carbon copy of the previous 2. Winstead is freaking gorgeous!

Fun With Dick and Jane:
Better than the critics say. I love Jim Carrey, not his best but I give it a 7/10.

The New World:
The critics loved this one. I thought it was tedious, very boring. Stay away. 3/10

Hannibal Rising:
I think everyone can relate to the Joys of Revenge. Nicely done movie. 7/10.

You Me and Dupree:
Like the Carrey move, better than advertised. I like Matt Dillon and any movie with Michael Douglas can't be bad. 6/10.

Broken Flowers:
Bill Murray and his morose best! Very good unpredictable movie.
Why can't they make more of these? 9/10.

The Notorious Bettie Page:
This is one of those movies you hope gets better as it progresses but alas it never did. It has some merits and might be worth seeing. 5/10.

Saw II:
Good creepiness value to it, nice tension level. But not as graphically violent as one would hope. 7/10.

Open Water:
How to stretch a 15 minute "movie" into 80 minutes. They could have done a way better job with this one. Good premise but not enough substance. Supposedly based on a true incident. 6/10

Lord of War:
I don't like Nick Cage but I did like this movie. Like 8MM, he does this stuff well. There are a lot of slimy people controlling the world. Kinda makes you think. 8/10.

Brokeback Mountain:
If you can get past the creepy gay "love" scenes you can see why this movie was awarded. Very well done with good scenary shots. 8/10.

RV:
Good unconventional comedy. Better than I thought it might be. 6/10.

Cache:
Warning: Subtitles. This French movie keeps you guessing at: What's going on? You got to pay attention and for that I give it a 7/10.

Click:
Sandler's best movie and might be the best comedy I've seen in years. Funny and poignant. Great premise. 8/10

The Queen:
Maybe not quite as good as the critics suggest. I'm sure Tony Blair loved it. Interesting insight into the Royals. I wonder what the Queen thought? 7/10

Capote:
I used to see the real Capote on Johnny Carson a long time ago and Hoffman nailed him to a "T". The movie itself was tedious at times. 5/10

Munich:
I would have expected better from Spielberg considering the heavy subject and his own background. I thought it was a bit frivolous and pretty boy Eric Bana as the lead was a joke, bad casting. 6/10

A History Of Violence:
Best movie I've seen in a while. This is what movie making is all about. Absolutely fantastic! 10/10.

A Good Woman:
Everyone likes looking at Scarlett Johansson but casting her among some really great actors exposes her weaknesses. This movie has great dialogue and wonderful scenary, costumes and set. Very watchable, witty. 8/10

Into The Blue:
Jessica Alba in a bikini, hmmmm. Do you need to know anything more? So-so movie, pretty in Hi Def but you won't miss anything if you don't see it. 5/10

Good Night and Good Luck:
This is more of a documentary than a movie and I hate the Black and White, we know it was the '50s. Nice history lesson but that's about it. 5/10

The Constant Gardener: Melodramatic movie trying to make an important statement. It doesn't succeed. Borderline boring. 5/10

The Dark Hours:
Low budget done well. I still haven't figured it out and need to see it again. Keeps you guessing.
8/10

The Devil's Rejects:
Not for the squeemish, hehe. Deliciously horrific display of low life violence and utter human disrespect. I loved it! 9/10

Wedding Crashers:
Owen Wilson couldn't save this mess. Utter trash. Vince Vaughn is terrible, who told this guy he was funny? 2/10

Pride and Prejudice (2005): I totally love period pieces, especially those made by Britons about Britons. This movie is exquisite! Beautifully filmed and wonderfully acted. Keira Knightley might be a scrawny anorexic but the girl can act and she has a face you can look at forever.
9/10

Role Models

2007-12-10T08:49:00.000-08:00

Michael Vick was sentenced today to a 23 month term in Federal Prison for his role in the Dogfighting Fiasco he unwisely took part in.

The judge, Henry E. Hudson, told Vick: "You need to apologize to the millions of young people who looked up to you".

And why, may I ask, did they look up to him?

Athletes are mistake prone people just like you and me and should never be viewed as Roll Models.

Where did that even come from? Who started that? Probably the same people who started tipping in restaurants and giving seniors a discount for their purchases.

Let's end all that once and for all.

Professional athletes are people with a specific set of skills that they have worked on very hard to reach the point of excellence. Just like welders or bus drivers or retail merchandisers.

The difference is that many people are willing to pay a lot of money to watch these individuals exercise their skills. That's it.

Athletes have no legal or moral or ethical obligation to live up to anyones expectations. Their only obligation is to perform their skills at a consistently high level.

Trevor Linden of the Canucks has extended his career by a few years, cleverly exploiting his well groomed "nice guy" image to cover up his long past athletic abilities.

I honestly don't care if Linden is the second coming of Mother Theresa. If he can't play I don't have any use for him, "Role Model" or not.

I honestly don't care if the Canucks dressed a line of Hitler, Stalin and George W. Bush. If they could help the team win, I'm gonna cheer for them.

It's not my role in the world to judge or condemn someone else's personal morality. Nor should it be yours.

The only Role Model a child should ever have is their Parents and perhaps a sibling.
Parents are the only ones responsible for developing their child, no one else, good or bad.

Vick is getting shafted. Yes he used poor judgement, yes he must suffer consequences.

But 23 months in prison as well as a ruined multi million dollar profession? Give me a break. He's getting shafted.

Once again the animal hierarchy comes into play. If it was cockfighting, it would be a minor story. Colonel Sanders is allowed to kill millions of chickens a day, but to kill a few dogs (that they eat in Asia) brings the wrath and indignation and hatred of our hypocritical society.

In Vick's case, his fame and extreme skill at his chosen profession became a huge liability.

If Vick was still a nobody living in the rural Virginia countryside I doubt he would even be charged with a crime let alone be given a prison sentence.

Hi Definition Television

2007-11-29T05:34:00.000-08:00

My New Sharp 52" Hi Def Flatscreen with Motorola PVR (top right).

I hear a lot of people saying, they don't really think Hi Definition TV is a big deal. They think it's not worth it or that it's over hyped and that their current TV and current signal is good enough.

I was one of those.

My iMac changed my mind. Through QuickTime, an iMac user (at least one with a recent iMac) can download 1 - 3 minute Hi Definition clips of Movie Trailers and other films. You can go here if you want to try it.

The crystal clarity of the clips on my 20" iMac was amazing. I couldn't help but stare and replay the scenes.

I thought it was worth the investment. Two weeks ago we purchased a Sharp LC52D64U 52" 1080p Widescreen LCD Television (pictured above).

It's a beautiful machine even when it's turned off. We still had standard analogue cable and the picture was good but not great. Not a whole lot better than my 61" 1998 Proscan Rear Projector television it was replacing. In fact my wife complained that it was too small.

Last Monday, the Shaw Cable Guy came over and hooked us up to Hi Definition. He installed the Motorola DCT-6416 III, a 160GB PVR with Dual Hi Def Tuners.

Some people have compared Hi Definition Television to Standard Television as being like DVD's to the old VHS videotape, as far as quality improvement.

No way. A better analogy would be from going to Black and White to Colour Television. Or from going from an antenna reception to cable.

I'll go one step further and say that Hi Definition Television is the most dramatic improvement EVER in the history of Television Technology.

The viewing experience is amazing, it's like rediscovering what it's like to watch Television.

The first night we had the HI Def we watched Memoirs of a Geisha. I think my mouth was open in wonder at the beauty of the images we were watching.

Last night we watched "House" and then an episode of the fantastic series on the early life of Henry VIII called The Tudors.

You have to see for yourself. So much detail is exposed that you find yourself looking at the background scenery, the props, the beard growth on House's face, the jewelry garnishing Henry's royal robes. It's so freaky because you almost feel like you are with the actors in the scene.

And to watch the Canucks humiliate the Anaheim Ducks in Hi Definition, well who would pay $100 for a seat at GM Place when they can watch it just as clearly if not more so in the comfort of their home.

Expensive? Yes it is. The Sharp TV cost me around $3000, the PVR with the dual Tuners, close to $800 with taxes and a modest increase in my cable fees.

I think it's the best $4000 I ever spent. Will the novelty wear off? Maybe. Technological Standards rise with every passing year. I'm still able to access all my previous Standard Definition cable channels. What I thought was pretty good reception now looks unacceptable.

If you have the money, go for it. If you never liked watching televising before or thought it was a waste of time, this new technology will rekindle your fascination with what is available for you to view.

Tasers = Lazy Police

2007-11-22T15:49:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the Internet and the fact that video cameras are everywhere, pretty much the whole world viewed Robert Dziekanski being killed at the hands of four RCMP officers at the Vancouver International Airport.

I carry my tiny Canon SD600 camera everywhere on the off chance that something monumental might occur that I can record. So far, nothing has, which might be good or bad.

But anyway, back to the lazy cops. Yep that's just what they were, lazy. Rather than risking messing up their uniforms or getting a bruise on their precious skin they chose instead to inflict, at the very minimum, intense pain and shock, at the worst, death on this unfortunate man. Of course, the worst happened.

There is no way anyone can tell me that their health and welfare were threatened in any way, shape or form. There were four of them, four against one panic stricken weaponless man.

So they took the easy way out and tasered him. And now all the world can see what a pack of lazy power crazed thugs those policemen really were.

At the very least their employment as RCMP officers should be terminated. They should be charged with manslaughter.

I've often wondered why, when a bear makes a nuisance of himself in an urban neighbourhood, he is peacefully tranquilized via a dart and carried off safely for all involved. Yet us miserable humans are zapped with a potentially lethal force. Can they not use the same tranquilizing method with people?

The Internet has been used for a lot of murky practices for sure. But the fact that injustice can be recorded and publicized makes up for all that evil and then some. Whether it be tyranny in Burma or thuggery in Vancouver, these acts of evil can now be exposed.

The video is clear, people can judge for themselves. People the world over.

Most police officers I think are admirable beings. They have what must be the hardest job in the world. They see the worst of people and the most horrific circumstances. They see the mayhem of automotive carnage, the broken bodies and lives. They have to tell mothers and fathers that their children have been killed. They have to prevent enraged husbands from beating their wives or children.

Still, there is no excuse for what happened at YVR. A gross injustice committed by the people we rely on to protect us.

I've said it many times:

The only thing worse than the criminals running wild is the police running wild.

Trying To Re Invent The Wheel

2007-11-13T14:52:00.000-08:00

Mavis Johnson, so called "Traffic Safety Expert":

At the conference I'm attending there has been a lot of discussion about shared space. It's a European Concept. You remove the signals, lane designations and many of the signs that confuse people, sometimes even the sidewalks, and force everyone to negotiate rather than relying on traffic lights or stop signs."

Huh? What's confusing about traffic signals and stop signs. Seems to me its pretty clear. Red means stop, green means go. A stop sign means you have to stop.

What's confusing about that? This is a case of a so called "expert" dreaming up an idea, or at least considering one that is not needed and has no merit.

It never ceases to amaze me how few traffic accidents there are when you consider the amount of traffic there is on any given day.

I can't speak for elsewhere but I think the drivers in Kelowna are excellent.

Sure there are always a few Yahoos, either testosterone induced or senility impaired individuals who will cause mayhem.

That's always been the case and always will be. Most drivers, I find, are respectful. Almost to a fault. My pet peeve with drivers is the ones that give up their right of way to you, thinking they are being "nice". The result being that no one knows who is going where, when.

Stick to the rules of the road and everyone will be fine. And Mavis, that means don't fix it if it ain't broken.

To Upgrade or Buy?

2007-11-04T10:35:00.000-08:00

NVidea 7800GS Superclocked

This week my Ati Radeon 9800 Pro All-In-Wonder Graphics Card died. I'd had the card for about two years enabling me to play my favorite PC Games.

I only play four games and four games only:

1) EA Sports NHL2007 (might get the new 2008, not sure yet).
2) G*T*R (FIA GT Racing Game)
3) GT Legends
4) Colin McRae Rally 2005

In order to play any of the above you NEED a quality graphics card.

I wonder how many people have purchased a computer in the $500 to $1200 price range, took it home only to find out it can't play games.

Computer manufacturers do not put quality graphics card in machines of that price range.

Sure computers are good for other things. But I have my Core 2 Duo iMac for that. Macs are great but they don't do games.

I have a PS2 and about a half dozen games with that. But a SD television screen cannot come close to the realism and resolution you can achieve with a computer screen. Not even in the same ball park.

So I prefer the computer games. And I need a Windows-based computer for that.

My current computer is about three years old. It an HP a620N with 160 GB HD and 1 Gb of RAM. It has the AMD Athlon 3200+ CPU.

It's old and outdated but it's fast enough for the games I like, especially with a good graphics card. It has the old AGP Bus so it limits the cards I can still acquire.

Anyway I got my new card yesterday. It's an Nvidea 7800GS (Superclocked), about 2 to 4 times faster than my ATI AIW 9800. The stats show this is one smokin fast card, not the fastest but near the top of the heap. Sweet!

The Future Shop site indicated it needed just a 300W power supply, which I thought was standard in most machines.

However when I purchased it I read it needed a minimum of 350W and even further to my surprise I found my a620n only had a 250W supply. Yikes.

Well I played NHL 2007 and it ran sweet and smooth as silk. But that game probably doesn't demand too much power-wise.

Colin McRae 2005 is the absolute best simulation of any kind that I've seen. The graphics are dazzling, its pretty darn close to virtual reality. I've played this "game" for probably thousands of hours.

It played well but I could see some areas where it should have performed better.

So now I am convinced I need to upgrade my Power. For 69.99 I can get a 400W unit.
That's on top of the $179.99 + tax I paid for the new card.

Yikes.

So I'm off to Future Shop now to get one of those bad boys, hoping it will fit my machine. Later..

Ok I have my new Dynex 400Watt power source installed, very easy installation. I'm set to go.

When my Radeon Card died I was very tempted to buy a brand new computer. The thing is I already have 5 (five) computers up and running and online in my home. Collecting computers and watching them become outdated is getting to be an issue.

But are they really outdated? The computer I was looking at was from Future Shop, an HP M9080N sold for as low as $1799 (reg $1999).

Yes, expensive but we are talking about an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz CPU, 3 GB of RAM, 1 Terrabyte of hard drive storage, and the deal maker, an NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTS.

That's impressive credentials. But the more I thought about it the more I realized those specs were an exercise in overkill.

The HP I have now runs at 2.2 GHz, yes it is a "single core" but I don't multitask on it, when I play a game that's all I do I play 1 game. Its fast as I need it to be. I have a Core 2 Duo iMac and honestly its not that much faster than the single core CPU on the old a620n.

3GB of RAM. So what, who needs it? It most cases I don't come near even using the 1 GByte I already have, I doubt anyone does.

A Terrabyte (1000 GB) of storage. That's just nuts. Yes the dream machine is PVR capable for recording television but I already have two of those. Additional storage is cheap. And what happens when your hard drive crashes and everything you have is on it? It's wiser to forget about the huge hard drive on your machine and just get an external hard drive for back ups and something you can grab easily in case of a house fire.

The NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTS is near the top of the food chain as far as graphics cards go. But the Nvidea 7800GS card I just bought is not far behind.

So I'm happy I saved my money. My games run great on the equipment I have. The fancy dual and quad core processors are probably overkill, most people will never use their capability unless you are doing a lot of video editing and other tasks at the same time.

I think it's going to be difficult selling desktops in the future. People who have computers are satisfied with their speed. Most computers sold in the last 4 years have plenty of storage and, as I mentioned, additional storage is cheap.

Wires

2007-10-29T17:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't been writing much lately. Just don't feel like it. Sue me.

So I'm going to leave you with this tribute to my wires. A truly amazing sight.

Enjoy!

Raikkonen Finishes Fantastic F1 Season!

2007-10-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest sports stories of the year is one most North Americans won't hear of.

That's the result of this years' Formula 1 Racing Season.

Against all odds, my man, Kimi Raikkonen, feasting on the bad luck of Lewis Hamilton, won the fiercely contested World Championship with his win in Brazil today.

While most North Americans seem to like watching cheap low tech cars driving around in circles, real racing observers know that Formula One racing is the absolute pinnacle of the motor racing world.

The skill required to operate these amazing multi million dollar machines is beyond the imagination, perhaps only the skill of a jet fighter pilot could come close.

I've been following Formula One now for a few years and was becoming very bored watching Ferrari's Michael Schumacher win almost every race.

This year was different, it was amazing. Full of intrigue, bitter rivalry, dirty handed tactics, a Cinderella story (gone terribly wrong) and ruthless competitiveness.

In Formula One, hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake. Twenty or so of the world's greatest drivers from all over the world competing for total supremacy.

In the end the sensational Rookie, Lewis Hamilton, ran out of answers and his inexperience cost him dearly, especially two weeks ago in China.

The Iceman, Kimi Raikkonnen prevailed. From being almost out of contention early in this year to World Champion, well for me that was the Cinderella Story.

The big question when this season started was: Could Raikkonen hope to fill the shoes of the greatest driver ever, the Wayne Gretzky of auto racing, Michael Schumacher.

The answer: Michael Who?

Congratulation Kimi!!

Let's Get Back to Nuclear Power

2007-10-01T08:42:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of people violently opposed to Nuclear Power Production. They feel that the dangers of this power source far exceed the benefits.

Much of those fears are based on two incidents from the past: Three Mile Island (1979) and Chernobyl (1986).

The truth is that technology has come a long way since those incidents decades ago. It would be next to impossible for those series of circumstances to re occur with the knowledge and computer power of today.

So that type of "accident" should not even enter into the equation when debating the Nuclear Option.

Currently our power is mostly derived from two sources: Burning Fossil Fuels and Hydro Electric Power.

Both these methods cause havoc and irreparable damage to the environment and wildlife habitat.

Yet those that oppose Nuclear Power, the cleanest, most cost efficient and most environmentally friendly method of producing electricity, would prefer our world to be soiled by the current methods.

Alternative methods of power production such as Solar, Wind, Tide are so far off into the future that they cannot be considered serious sources for the next 50 years.

Hundreds of nuclear power plants have been in operation for decades throughout the world with no significant environmental impact other than the use of large amounts of fresh water for cooling.

Nuclear waste can easily be disposed of safely and for long term.

It's time to re-evaluate and put our biases and prejudices behind us.

Let's reconsider the Nuclear Option. It's not about bombs or radioactivity. It's about saving our Planet as we know it.

Dec 10

Since writing this post I found some support here.

The Americans Just Don't Get It

2007-09-19T15:43:00.000-07:00

Newt Gingrich

I just listened to a speech by Newt Gingrich where he expressed his deep concerns and fears about the Terrorist threat and how thousands of Muslims are waking each day with the express desire and hope of destroying the United States of America.

He talked about the recruitment of children and women for suicide attacks. He talked about the threat of a nuclear attack on an American city and he talked about the inside threat of American Citizens whose loyalty resides with Islamic Extremists rather than the United States Constitution.

I believe all these concerns are valid.

But do the Americans ever ask themselves why? Why there is so much hatred directed toward them from these so called Terrorists and their sympathizers?

Hello! You are occupying their countries and their areas of influence.

I wonder how the Americans would react if a foreign power occupied Florida or Alaska.

Exactly.

Don't get me wrong, my loyalties are with the West. I love my hedonistic and superficial lifestyle and I want it intact for the future.

But do the Americans ever try to see both sides of the story? Do they ever look at themselves and questions their tactics regarding their relations with the rest of the world?

Do they ever wonder why they are regarded with contempt by a large portion of the world?

The stock answer is : Because you (other nations) are jealous.

Jealous of what? Many nations are richer than the US. Many nations are "freer". Many nations are healthier. And an awful lot of nations are just plain happier.

Jealous of exactly what? Military strength? Honestly I have no idea.

The kind of rhetoric Mr. Gingrich expresses will only spread fear not only among his fellow Americans but especially among the Islamic community.

A scared person is a dangerous person.

It seems to me the US is doing everything it can to increase tension and confrontation in the Middle East.

Maybe they should try a little cooperation and understanding instead.

Great Drives In British Columbia

2007-09-19T05:40:00.000-07:00

Autumn View From Highway 6

Highway Route 6: Vernon to Needles

There is nothing in this world that gives me greater pleasure than an aggressive drive with my Mustang on a twisty, open highway on a beautiful sunny day.

I can imagine few other places in the world where the combination of curves, elevation changes and scenery combined with occasions where the highway is yours alone can be realised by a driver other than one living in the Southern Interior of B.C.

This is a first in a series of planned posts exalting the euphoria I sometimes acquire when driving these amazing roads.

The Vernon to Needles/Fauquier highway has it all and it has one major feature which makes it so endearing which I will explain later.

The trip from Vernon to the small town of Lumby is nice enough with lots of pastoral farm scenes and small hills, very green and lush and some nice curves to it. The sometimes heavy traffic can be frustrating so you just have to sit back and relax and take the sights and smells (if you have a convertible) all in, knowing that the fun has just begun.

When you get to Lumby there is a nice detour you can take, time allowing. That being the 40ish km trip north to Mable Lake. I can tell you that is a nice sweet road with awesome twisties and not well travelled. Beautiful to drive aggressively or passively.

Make sure you have adequate fuel to get to Needles and back, its about a 160 km (est) or so round trip. There are a couple of independent gas stations along the way but their reliability is questionable.

This road has it ALL. The highlight being a 15 km stretch (about 30km west of Needles) of the twistiest highway road I have ever experienced. This is a stretch of road that begs you to drive your vehicle at the edge of what you think are its boundaries. Its downhill going east for those that love hard braking and easy power-on, the optimum direction.

Just past that, still going downhill are about a half dozen 1 km+ straights in which you can easily test the top speed of your car.

Most of the rest of the highway is a collection of curves and elevation changes that you can play with as you like, a continuous toy to delight in.

Of course the bane of all highway driving is traffic. Sadly this road is frequented by a lot of logging trucks and other slower vehicles.

As with any twisty road, passing opportunities are few and far between. It's very frustrating, knowing you are wasting these precious curves crawling behind some old man in his Buick or a heavily laden truck.

But here's the thing: This road "ends" at Lower Arrow Lake where there is a ferry terminal that delivers you to the other side at Fauquier. See what I'm getting at?

Westbound traffic travels is clumps and there is about a 20 minute gap between clumps.

If your timing is lucky you can make your turn around just as the ferry is crossing towards you. This pretty much ensures you of at least 30 km of traffic free road ahead of you, the highway is YOURS!

If you arrive at Needles and traffic has just embarked and on its way toward vernon, well there is a nice rest stop there, take 10 or 20, have a coffee and enjoy viewing the Lake and the quiet (there is no town, Needles is just a ferry terminal).

Wait for the ferry to come towards you and then take off. Just knowing that the road is yours alone will put a wide grin on your mug with anticipation of a fantastic driving experience ahead.

There are hazards.

Wildlife. In my most recent trip last week I came across three occasions of deer on the road. They will come out of the woods with no warning and they are stupid.

It's unwise to be speed crazy with this in mind. No matter how good a driver you are, no matter how awesome your vehicle is, there is little defense against a deer running across the road with no warning.

At the very least your car will be destroyed at worst, you'll die.

Weather. This is a high elevation road and a nice day in Vernon or Lumby can be cold and miserable at the higher elevations, snow is possible anytime between Sept and April.

If you are driving a convertible, bring heavy clothing and gloves.

If I somehow or other acquired a Ferrari or Porsche or 'Vette, this is the first road I would travel.

It's amazing.

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The Lake at Needles

Dennis Miller: The Ugliest American

2007-09-06T04:41:00.000-07:00

Dennis Miller became a famous comedian back in the 70's as the wise cracking sarcastic "News Anchor" for Saturday Night Live.

He was a funny man then, wow have times changed.

Mr. Miller was once again on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Why Leno continues to invite this person on his show remains a mystery to me. I guess for equal time purposes, to counter all the bright, happy and funny people he usually has on.

Dennis Miller is a very sad man. This ultra conservative, far right wing neo-Nazi is a hateful, bigoted, racist, war mongering Fear Farmer who takes pleasure in spewing all sorts of spiteful vomit from the hairy blow hole that occupies the space between his closed ears.

The kind of vomit with enough acid content to burn through 3 inches of diamond coated stainless steel.

Still not only defending President Bush but actually still praising him and his stupid illegal war.

If Mr. Miller directed his kind of hate towards the African American as much as he does against the entire Arab and Islamic Community he would have been run out of his own country long ago.

He is a bigot and a racist.

Mr. Miller is a very scared man, it's so sad.

All Americans have felt and still feel the pain of 9/11.

Most have gotten over it and gone on with their lives. Most have come to realize that that Iraq had nothing to do with that event, that Iraq never had "weapons of mass destruction", that the American invasion of Iraq was an unlawful and despicable act against a sovereign nation.

Most have come to realize that the War in Iraq is President Bush's own personal war bent on revenge for daddy.

For Mr. Miller, it comes down to the "Terrorists", it's all about the Terrorists.

News flash for you Dennis, the "Terrorists" won long ago and you are the living proof. If this was 1950 your hero would have been Joe McCarthy and instead of looking under your bed every night for them Arabs, you would have been checking for Communists, "the Goddamn Reds".

Some things never change.

Most pathetically is the fact that you display your fear and hate for the whole world to see. And like me, most are thinking "this is a very sad man" and shake their heads in that realization.

Mr. Miller now makes his money feeding the fear frenzy of the trailer park crowd with his radio spot. God knows what kind of garbage he is producing for those eager yet ignorant minds.

Happily, like most conservatives, his fear overcomes any hint of intellect and its all too apparent to those that watch that show unfold.

I used to get angry at Miller's rantings, now I just get sad.

Canadian Idol, Photo Finish

2007-09-04T05:23:00.000-07:00

Carly Rae Jepsen

I honestly don't know who's gonna win this thing now. Last week it looked like Brian Melo had it wrapped up. I said it was his to lose.

And he very well might have. Whiter Shade of Pale was a dumb choice of song, Jake's choice I think. No one sings that song, its a plodder. And the 15 second instrumental part in the middle of the song was very awkward. Brian had a problem hitting that loud high note too.

He redeemed himself in the second song somewhat, but I dunno, I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't good enough.

I think Carly had her best night ever. Her Janis Ian song, "Seventeen" had everyone on the verge of tears.

I would have preferred her sing "Society's Child", one My Top 30 All Time Songs. But anyway she did the song justice. Her second song "White Flag" was a better version than the original, which I've never liked much.

A perfect song choice for Carly: How about the Joni Mitchell tune, "Chelsea Morning"?

Anyway, Carly was awesome, it would be a shame if, as Zake said, the public didn't get it. But I think she should lay off the Doritos.

What can you say about Jaydee? He's definitely improved over the weeks and now I don't have a problem with him. Still a bit too much twang for my tastes but it wouldn't be a total disaster if he won.

It'll be sad to see any of these three go tonight.

Three Noises That Should Be Outlawed

2007-09-03T12:57:00.001-07:00

I've written a lot of stuff that I know a lot of people have disagreed with and maybe even some people have become upset over.

Good! Very satisfying!

Now I'm going to express an opinion that I KNOW will be agreed upon by 99.9% of the population.

We all know Noise Pollution is a problem. Much of it just comes with our Society and there isn't a lot that can be done with it.

But there are three noises that are created that should be outlawed, preferable with the threat of a jail term.

1). Boom Boxes. I'm talking about those Bass fixtures that young males install somewhere in their cars.

There is absolutely no point to these other than for these man-boys to proclaim :

"I am here, and I am young and immature, and I am an asshole!"

There really isn't any other reason. Enhance the music? Give me a break. Most of these Bass explosions are so distorted they are more likely to resemble a train wreck than any type of music.

Who do these young idiotic punks think they are that they can invade the psyche of every living being within a 500 meter range with their obnoxiousness?

Outlaw them and throw offenders in jail.

2). Motorcycle After-Market Exhaust Pipes

You know the one's I'm talking about. No manufacturer ships bikes with noise polluting mufflers. They all conform to noise limits set by the Government.

Once again, young Males (for the most part) feel the need to proclaim their presence by annoying the rest of us. So they buy and install what are really straight pipes with no muffling capability.

For no good reason.

I'm all for exhaust sounds. My 5 Liter Mustang GT makes some really sweet sounds. But that sound is withing reasonable volume limits.

But the Jackhammer sounds of a large (Harley) unmuffled motorcycle engine are anything but pleasant.

They are for one purpose, to announce the fact that: "The rider of this bike is an obnoxious fucking asshole!"

That's about all it does.

3). Propane Canons

Yes rare indeed. But if you've ever lived near an orchard or a crop field that is threatened by birds, you might know of what I write.

Who do these "farmers" think they are, that they feel they can freak the rest of us out by exploding these rude machines?

I say if you can't grow your crop without using them, get another occupation. I can't believe communities allow these things to operate.

Further, I would encourage anyone that has been victimised by these things to sneak up to them in the middle of the night and sabotage them. I would.

Senator Craig is Getting the Shaft

2007-09-03T06:15:00.000-07:00

I'm no friend of Larry Craig and I'm especially no friend of his Politics. I'm not a fan of Conservative "Family Values" Politicians that want our Society rewound about 50 years.

But I know when someone is getting screwed over and I believe this is one of those times.

Craig was arrested for "lewd conduct". Huh? What lewd conduct? His shoe touched that of another man while in the bathroom stall. Whether intentionally (by either party) or by accident how is that possibly considered lewd?

In the heterosexual world, that's called "flirting".

I agree with Craig that he was entrapped by an overzealous police officer (possibly a gay one?) that wanted to make a name for himself.

I realise Americans see the world a bit differently than us Canadians. I can't imagine any member of any Canadian Police Force wasting his time arresting people for this so-called "lewd behaviour".

They have more important things to do, like handing out speeding tickets.

Craig was railroaded and is now being screwed over.

Sad.

The Most Compelling Reason Against The Death Penalty

2007-08-29T06:12:00.000-07:00

How many innocent people have been put to death in the United States via their obsolete Justice System?

Read this story of how Steven Truscott has finally been acquitted 48 years later for the rape and murder of a 12 year old girl.

Mr. Truscott was initially sentenced to Hang and spent 4 months on Death Row (this when Canada still had the Barbaric Penalty of Death).

Thankfully sanity prevailed and his death sentence was commuted.

New evidence, based on the latest science, established that a miscarriage of justice had occurred based on lazy and sloppy Police work.

In the US this young man would probably have been killed, like many other innocents have been.

To those that still, against the flow of all advanced nations, still believe there is Justice in legalised killing I say to you: Get a brain and think with it for a change instead of letting your animal reactions control you.

More thoughts on the Death Penalty.

Better to have 100 guilty men set free than to imprison 1 innocent man.

Dwight d'Eon Shows His True Colours

2007-08-28T05:36:00.000-07:00

Dwight can't sing, and now everyone knows what most of have known all along.

Last night's performance was embarrassing for Dwight, especially when compared to the three others'. I almost felt bad for him.

Almost. His fans brought him much farther then he should have come. Up to the point where he embarrassed himself.

Personally, I don't think he ever should have been in the top 10 let alone the final four.

Tonight's elimination should be a no-brainer, but strange things can happen.

I actually liked Jaydee Bixby's performance last night. He's got some interesting stage moves and you have to love his confidence. For the first time, when he sang "Smiling", I didn't get the impression he was trying to be Elvis.

Carly Rae Jepsen was very good again. I knew Jake would slobber over her second song, he is so predictable. Is she putting on weight?

It's up to Brian Melo to lose this thing. This guy just keeps getting better and better. The confidence is oozing and flowing all over the stage when he's on it.

When the top ten started I thought "there is no one here that deserves it". But now I think Brian is a deserving choice for Canadian Idol.

Three Valley Chateau

2007-08-23T06:19:00.000-07:00

On the evening of August 21st my wife and I stayed at the Three Valley Chateau near Revelstoke, B.C. It's situated on the Trans Canada Highway, we've driven past it many times.

We stayed because I'm a big fan of old relics and Ghost Towns and this is one of the attractions of Three Valley.

You can pretty much sum up Three Valley into two parts, the Hotel itself and the attractions which are: the location, the Ghost Town, the auto museum, the Railway Interests, with Roundhouse.

Gordon Bell and his family have established this property over the years. Mr. Bell is living his dream of playing with his toys. He obviously loves relics of the past, Canadian history and the Railway.

It's also obvious that he is not a hotelier. This is one strange Hotel. The layout is weird, the rooms are spartan and the food is not good.

The first thing one notices is a plethora of signs indicating that Pets are NOT welcome. Your eye can not avoid the signage which seems to be everywhere to the point of obsession.

The very old fellow that signed us in said "And you have pets?", in an obvious trick to expose those trying to sneak in pets undercover. Pretty cheesy.

We paid $125 CA for a very basic generic small room with no features other than a small fridge. Then we found out we had to pay the $10 entrance fee (each) for the guided tour of the Ghost Town and Museum.

One would think that paying guests of the Hotel would get a free pass into the attractions, or at least a discount.

I tell you I was ready to rip this place apart. I said to my wife "I'm going to crucify this place when I post my review".

After we checked in we briefly walked the grounds and on the surface of things it looked nice. Closer examination revealed a lot of projects started and not finished, some major repairs to a section of rood/siding taking place and covered in tarp.

Some buildings were missing sections of siding, landscaping in some areas needed a major overhaul. The interior of the Hotel is very boring and not helped by one of the the cheesiest and cheapest looking tourist trinket/souvenir shops I've seen.

It just looked like a hotel which needed professional help.

We ate at the "family restaurant". It looked like we should be apprehensive about the quality so we ordered cheeseburgers, pretty simple. Well I can confidently say they were the worst cheeseburgers I've had in a long while. And we payed $7.50! McDonald's puts them to shame. Just awful, no effort, no caring.

(In the morning we went for breakfast there, by the till was a sign "Due to staff shortages service may be slow". Yikes! That's not the way to do business!)

While in our rooms we heard the constant pounding of children's' feet as they ran up and down the halls. Thankfully this stopped after 10.

The beds were good, the room fairly quiet but we could do without the religious message from Jesus hanging on our wall. There is no place for that in a Hotel.

Well by the end of the day I was ready to write this place off as a disaster.

The next day was bright and sunny and I finally got a good night's sleep after three days of not. We had decided to take in the Ghost Town and other attractions that morning. So after reluctantly forking over the $20 we commenced our tour.

It was really interesting and well worth it. Our tour guide, Dianne, was very good and even though there was only one other couple with us, she gave us a good effort.

We spent about 90 minutes on the attraction grounds but you could almost spend all day there. If you are into history and the recent past and how people lived a hundred years ago, this place is for you.

Unfortunately the Railroad Roundhouse is still under construction, but what we saw of it was really amazing, its going to be awesome, if it's ever completed.

It's pretty obvious where Mr. Bell's interests are. He doesn't give a hoot about the Hotel business. All his efforts seem to be geared towards his Ghost Town and Railway Collections.

My advice: Hand over the Hotel to a real Hotel Management company and stop trying to do what you are not good at.

I can't understand why, with thousands and thousands of interesting relics in the Ghost Town and Museums, that your Hotel is so freaking Boring!

How about taking a small fraction of the neat stuff you have over there and actually trying to decorate your Hotel?

It looks like Mr. Bell is trying to finance his "dream" with overpriced $125/night hotel room rates. The place did not look very full. Put some effort into the Hotel and more people will stay and you'll have more money to finish the many unfinished projects you have going there. And more people shelling out $10 to see your dreams.

My recommendation: By all means check out the Ghost Town and Railway/Relic exhibits, well worth the $10.

But find somewhere else to sleep and eat.

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The Hume Hotel, Nelson, B.C.

2007-08-22T14:16:00.001-07:00

My wife and I just got back from a two day road trip, one of which we stayed in the beautiful city of Nelson.

Earlier this summer I posted a Blog expounding some of the virtues of this really cool town. We had planned to revisit Nelson and stay in the Hume Hotel in July, but the day we had booked had a forecasted temperature of 35 C.

Warning: The Hume does NOT have air conditioning so if you ever plan to stay there be aware of the weather forecast, Nelson can be very hot during the summer months. Rooms would be unbearable during a heat wave.

The Hume Hotel is a lovely and charming Heritage Hotel with all the fixings of yesteryear. Lot's of old (antique) furniture and wood fixtures. Very fitting for a town like Nelson which prides itself for its Heritage architecture.

We found the staff very friendly and courteous. We had booked the Rapunzel Suite, very large with two queen beds, and a sitting room overlooking the main street corners of Nelson from the fourth floor.

A pair of French Door open on the west and north corners of the building providing a nice view of downtown Nelson with Kooteney Lake in the background.

Because this room overlooks a busy corner and a bar, noise might be an issue. We stayed on a Monday evening and did not find noise a problem.

We kept a loud but constant fan going (provided) to drown out any incidental noise.

Thankfully the weather was cool and our room was a nice ambient temperature.

We had dinner at the General Store Restaurant. The food was very nice, I had the Baby Back Ribs, mmmm, yummy!

Prices: Our room was $149 CA plus taxes and the meals for 4 of us came to about $85 (no drinks, appies or deserts).

One other concern of note is the lack of Parking for guests. There are only about 12 stalls available. WE rolled in early enough so we got one. I'm not sure what they do when the parking is full.

Overall a really nice and unique Hotel, recommended!

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I Rate The Idol Judges

2007-08-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

Zack Werner

Canadian and American

1. Zack Werner (Canada)

Zack is never afraid to say what's on his mind even if he may say it in a convoluted manner. Much like Cowell on the American side, I think the contestants respect his opinion above all other.

Zack knows what can sell, and really, that's what it's all about.

2. Simon Cowell (U.S.)

You gotta love Simon, without him, the show may not have survived it's first season and developed into the phenomena it is. Let's face, the judges are as much of the show as the contestants.

3. Farley Flex (Canada)

Without a doubt the most professional of the Judges. Very likable. Farley's only downside is that he's too nice a guy. Rarely gives severe criticism (and that's what we like to see).

4. Sass Jordan (Canada)

Like Farley, Sass is really a "soft" judge that praises when praise is not deserved.
But she can give useful advice and I love her harsh treatment of Dwight this year. Very unusual for her to have so much of a hate on for one competitor.

5. Randy Jackson (U.S.)

"What's Up Dawg", " Now Check It Out". Yikes. Very rarely does this goof say anything of value. Know what I'm sayin'?

6. Jake Gold (Canada)

I really don't like this guy, I don't care who he's managed. He's gotta feel it! Yea, right I wonder if this dude is as big a jerk as he seems to be on Idol. I hope not. As insecure as a new born puppy.

7. Paula Abdul (U.S.)

In a word: Useless. Meaning of no value to anyone. Get rid of this doped up dummy!

Why Did You Buy That Ragtop Anyway?

2007-08-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

My 1994 Mustang GT

Human behaviour is a strange thing. Most of us find it amusing to analyse the motives behind human actions, or inactions.

People have a right to do whatever they want with their own property in most cases, so long as the general public is not adversely affected.

Ok, to the point.

I have a convertible which I enjoy driving March through October. If it is not raining and if the temperature range is anywhere between 10 and 30 C I will drive this vehicle and the top will be down.

I would not consider keeping the top up if the above conditions were met. You could say I drive my car topless about 95% of the time.

Having a convertible I tend to notice other convertibles on the road.

It is absolutely astounding to me that most people who own convertibles seem to drive them with the top up.

My guess is that 75% of convertibles on the road, even with ideal weather conditions, have their tops up.

Even on the most beautiful, pristine days with optimum temperatures between 18 and 25, the vast majority of convertible cars out their have the tops up.

I can't for the life of me understand why.

I can understand people not owning convertibles.

They cost 10 to 25% more than a fixed roof.
They are noisier (even with the top up).
The styling is usually not as attractive with the top up.
Maintenance and weatherproofing issues (rare).

But for those who have made the decision to purchase a convertible, why not use it?

For me, topless driving is the most true and pleasurable driving. The sounds, smells and temperature changes in the air as one passes through it make you really feel alive.

I wish I could stop a driver in his tracks and ask him why, for God's sake why, he doesn't take advantage of his vehicle's most prominent feature, all the time.

Greg Neufeld Eliminated From Idol

2007-08-08T06:31:00.000-07:00

Yeah and your problem is?

I can't understand why the judges and Mulroney were so surprised and disappointed that this rather tediously boring fellow was nuked.

A pretty face can only get you so far. Greg's problem is that he didn't stand for anything, he had no "style" of his own. He is the type of person who gets lost in a crowd. No "Presence" and precious little charisma.

Greg's the type of guy that you want your daughter to bring home to meet you, but as a pop star, no way.

Mulroney's reaction was embarrassing. If he is going to make the statement that "Canada Got It Wrong" then he should have the Kahunas to state who he thought should be eliminated.

More surprising to me than Neufeld's elimination was that Carly and Brian Melo were also in the bottom three.

Brian's problem is a simple one to identify: He sings songs no one has heard. Dumb move. If this guy with the good pipes would sing something familiar to us all we'd like him a lot more.

Carly is my favorite and I'm constantly worried the Canadian Public can't see the talent in this girl.

She has what Greg doesn't, Style and Charisma.

I think she need to cut her bangs, I think that's the problem there.

For the life of me I can't understand why Dwight d'Eon is still around, not even in the bottom three this week. Hmmm..maybe Canada did get it wrong?

Our Thriving Hypocrisy

2007-08-06T08:27:00.000-07:00

Once again the annual (which they seem to have 4 times a year) Gay Pride Parade was a happnin' thing in Vancouver and all the Politicians and anyone who is anyone was there.

The Politician pretend to want to be there and the news media slant is that everyone loves it and has a good time.

It's just bad Karma and political incorrectness to say how distasteful it all is.

For my part, I don't give a hoot where people put their dicks or fingers or tongues, whether that be people or objects, dead or alive.

But I'll pass on the parade. Young men in loin clothes with enhanced bulges thrusted forward in "pride" is something I don't really need to see. Nor do I want to see men dressed as women or women in their Butch Pride.

But that's me, if others want to see that, no problem.

Meanwhile, on the same day in Penticton we had the Annual Mr. Muscle Miss Bikini Contest .

The same news outlet, B.C. Global News, covered that one too, but with a whole different slant.

They interviewed Elsie Wiebe of the Penticton and Area Women’’s Centre who seems to have a huge problem with Heterosexual people dressing up and strutting their stuff.

You know, the women as sex objects argument (like men are supposed to find other creatures to lust after).

Ms. Wiebe unfortunately did an on-camera interview. Well that explained everything.

Why is it that no attractive women complain about being sex objects?

But back to the news media. Homosexual flaunting: Good. Heterosexual flaunting: Let's take issue with that.

Yikes.

DVD Review: "300"

2007-08-05T09:56:00.001-07:00

I didn't realise that they had Steroids back in Ancient Greece. Amazing. And they must have eaten a lot better too. Everyman a buffed athlete.

This is one of these movies where you are constantly thinking "It's gotta get better soon". You know it has to, it must.

But, alas, it never does.

In short this movie is tediously boring. Hope of a real storyline or twist or some kind of plot gradually fades as one comes to the realization that this movie is just an exercise is Computer Generated Graphics.

Unless you get off on 6 Packs and overwhelming testosterone and mucus-throated shouting this movie is best avoided.

The novelty of the brown and white high contrast photography lasts only so long.

If your going to have graphic violence which justifies an R rating why not go out and show us some REAL graphic violence instead of black splotches of goo flying hither and thither. Ok, so there were a couple of beheadings and leg removals.

We want our blood RED not black!

Waste of time, don't bother.

The Kissel Car

2007-08-05T08:31:00.000-07:00

We've been going to a lot of Show 'n Shine Auto Shows the last few years.

It's a nice way to enjoy a summer day but, to be honest, we see a lot of the same cars in every show.

The muscle cars of the '60's are without a doubt the most BORING of the bunch. These low tech poorly built vehicles really don't deserve the attention they get.

But I suppose they are cheap and easy to work on and they seem to have some sort of cult following.

I like to find something, anything, unique at these shows. This 1913 Kissel Car was seen at the Penticton Rotary Auto Show on August 4, 2007.

The detail in a lot of these old vehicles is really interesting and you have to wonder what it would be like to drive one.

Mike McCardell Blasts The Panhandlers

2007-08-03T05:43:00.000-07:00

I don't normally watch Mike McCardell's fluff pieces which end the 6:00 PM Global News Hour. They are usually so lame and boring that I wonder why he gets paid for them.

Stories about people and their pets, or kids and their bikes or some old folks celebrating anniversaries. Stuff that's supposed to make you "feel good" after the sad news of the day.

I find it tedious.

But last night old Mikey was MAD! He was mad at the panhandlers which are spoiling his enjoyment of his adopted city, Vancouver.

He was MAD that visitors were seeing this blight and MAD that citizens were regularly bothered and pestered by these lazy bums.

In his day no one would even remotely consider a career of panhandling. In his day people had pride and self worth and would never lower themselves to "ask" for money.

I get mad too.

I get mad when you can't enjoy a July 1st walk in your own park without being "asked" to donate to some cause of dubious need. These are officially sanctioned beggars.

I get mad when public events are held on taxpayer ground and asked for a "donation".

I get mad when telemarketers phone me at my dinner break and ask for my money for some useless service or product.

I get mad when I want to drive along my taxpayer paid scenic highway and am met by a disgusting display of Billboards begging for my money.

I get mad when my television viewing is interrupted by intelligence insulting advertisements asking me for my cash.

Mike, the truth is that almost everyone is begging for our money. The only difference is who is doing it and how they do it.

Your little tirade against the poor, the mentally disturbed and the plain lazy was hilarious considering how you make your money.

To call you a journalist is to call me a writer. I don't pretend to be and neither should you pretend to be a journalist. I can't believe they pay you for the fluff you usually vomit.

And when you finally get serious you blast the poorest and least represented of us all. You're a fine fellow aren't you?

These people who panhandle are, for the most part, unemployable. No one would want them because of their lack of skills (technical and social), their emotional baggage, or their physical appearance.

No one wants them.

Until panhandling is illegal they have a right to do what they do, disturbing as it may seem to us all.

Just like telemarketers have a right to bother us in our own homes, for now at least.

Mike, go back to your fluff that no one watches. You're harmless that way.

And Mike, ever thought about a diet?

Why Are You Paying For Music Downloads?

2007-08-02T07:02:00.001-07:00

If you pay iTunes or other MP3 "Legal" downloading services for your music, you are an idiot. Plain and simple.

Downloading music for your own personal use via clients such as Limewire is PERFECTLY LEGAL in Canada!!

Not only that, but YOU ARE ALREADY PAYING A DOWNLOADING TAX via the levy that is placed on black cd's. And the government is talking about future substantial taxes on MP3 players, up to $75.00 per player depending on storage size!

So, what is the purpose of paying for something that you don't have to? Or that you are paying for already?

It's unbelievable to me that someone would.

It Looks Like Money Can Buy "Happiness"

2007-07-25T05:21:00.000-07:00

L.A. Priest Abuse Cases Settled

This story is an example of what I find really hard to understand. And that is how large monetary settlements can somehow reverse the effects of various forms of systematic abuse.

I have all kinds of sympathy for victims of abuse, whether that be sexual, physical, verbal abuse or the worst of all, Neglect.

But I don't see how suddenly becoming a millionaire solves that problem. But apparantly it must because there are examples of payouts by governments and instituitions to these victims on a regular basis.

And in the case cited, these victims agree to shut up and not press charges if they see the money.

"The archdiocese and its insurers will pay between $600 million and $650 million to about 500 plaintiffs - an average of $1.2 million to $1.3 million per person"

I'm all for punishing the purveyors of abuse and in the Case of the Catholic Church, that means hitting them where it hurts the most, in their Wallets.

But I don't understand people profiting from this abuse. If someone can prove to me that money reverses the emotional effects of abuse them I'm all for it. I have yet to see proof that it does.

It leaves the abuse card open for abuse, that is people claiming abuse where it did not exist for the sole purpose of gaining a monetary windfall.

The same principal applies to the families of the victims of the World Trade Centre Attack. These people reaped rewards in the tens of millions. Like somehow that money was going to bring their loved ones back from the dead.

How does a parent feel when their child dies of cancer and they get nothing? Other than the cause of death, the outcome is the same. What difference does it make how they died?

My idea is to take those huge punishing judgements and lawyer's brewed settlements and put that money where it will do the most good, like education for potential abusers and ongoing treatments for those abused.

Not in a personal bank account. Satisfying someone's need for greed is not going to cure anyone.

Matt Rapley Rocks Canadian Idol

2007-07-24T05:53:00.000-07:00

I never liked Matt much, thought he was a bore. But last night Mr. Rapley showed me a side of him I hadn't seen before!

His bluesy/rock rendition of Whipping Post was the best of last night's group. He really sounded like the real deal. Now if only he can get someone to take on his hideous wardrobe.

Other performances:

Jaydee: awful, as usual. Your not suppose to smile through that song dummy.
Dwight: I'd rather listen to nails on a blackboard.
Khalila: Can't remember what she sang, 'nuff said.
Carly: I'm worried about you girl, very worried.
Martha: Really shaky, hope you're still around next week.
Brian: Really good, as usual.
Greg: Pretty boy is nearing the end of his run.
Tara: Nice effort, but it's still country.

Bye Bye Dwight.

Animals are....Animals

2007-07-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

Here is the story of a young disturbed man who was arrested for "torturing" a Tortoise. He alledgedly stabbed this poor creature and threw it against a wall. This after he "stole" the critter and thus was also charged with Grand Theft.

I like animals as much as the next person and I too am disturbed by instances of animal abuse.

But let's keep things in perspective.

I wonder how a Lobster feels about a story like the one above. "Wait a second here, we are tossed healthy and alive into a vat of boiling water where we die a miserable death on a regular basis in thousands of restaurants and homes around the world, why is no one being arrested?".

Or how about all the fish being caught on barbed hooks and then whacked over the head by enthusiastic fishermen, then to be held up, often still squirming, displaying the fishermen's pride and their humiliation?

Or how does a heard of cattle feel, when they look in the adjacent pasture and see Flicka enjoying the good life, being groomed and pampered and being ridden on by nubile young human females. While he is enjoying his stud life they are getting a slug in their brains.

They must think: "Where did we go wrong"?

Last night I watched an episode of Planet Earth, you know that nature series hosted by that David Attenborough. The episode was of The Great Plains and toward the end of the show there was a scene of a pride of lions stalking and attacking a young elephant. The elephant was brought down and, while still alive, was ripped asunder.

I wonder if those that whine about cruelty to animals really know what goes on in the real world? I doubt that many animals die a peaceful death, in their sleep, of old age.

Most either starve to death or are eaten by predators. That's the way it is and that's the way it was meant to be.

So when I see people who have set up establishments to care for birds with broken wings or small orphaned creatures or disabled animals of any kind I just shake my head with wonder. Just what are they trying to accomplish? If a bird breaks its wing it is resigned to its fate. Saving it is not going to advance Nature or the Human Race one iota.

I think people who expend this energy defying the natural process need a psychiatrist as much as that goof who "tortured" the Tortoise.

Bump the Bumpkins Off Canadian Idol!

2007-07-18T07:42:00.000-07:00

You either like country music or you don't. It's a simple as that. 10% of the public listen to country music and little else. 90% of the public hate country music and won't listen to it.

Jaydee Bixby and Tara Oram are the over representers of torch and twang on this year's 2007 Canadian Idol. I say they should have their own Canadian Country Idol and leave the real Idol to the real music.

Last night Jaydee sang some Conway Twitty relic of the past and honestly I thought it was horrendous. I felt sure the judges this time, especially Zack, would finally tear this clown to shreds.

You can imagine my jaw dropping horror when they actually not only praised his performance but proclaimed him the second coming of James Dean bound to save Canadian Music and become an international Superstar.

Are they absolutely crazy? My only hope is knowing that these are the same judges who orgasmed over Montana and Tyler and Liam and we know what happened to them.

Canadian Idol voters: Please send this goofus back to the barn.

Canada's Own Little Vietnam

2007-07-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

As usual, the media is making a big production out of any Canadian Death in Afghanistan. Like a soldier's death was any more noteworthy than that of an anonymous cancer victim. You can read about what I think about that subject in my Post on Soldiers, Cops, Firemen and Loggers

They often have an interview with some family member who usually states "At least his/her death was not in vain, he was fighting for freedom and his country".

And I always think to myself "No, he died in vain, for a fruitless purpose with little or no meaning to most Canadians. A waste of a young person's life".

The generals and politicians tell us we are in Afghanistan for two reasons:

1) To prevent the Taliban from reasserting themselves as rulers of this Backward Nation.

2) To prevent Afghanistan becoming a breeding ground for "Terrorists".

What a lot of CRAP.

First of all we have no business interfering in the affairs of another nation, especially when that nation poses no threat to Canada whatsoever.

The Afghan people do not have, never had have and never will have a "free" democratic government. It's just not their style.
The arrogant Western Attitude that what is right for us is right for the rest of the world is what is causing Islamic extremism in the first place.

If the Taliban once again take over as rulers of this pathetic Nation it is only because the Afghan People do not have the will to resist them. And if that's the case then they deserve the Government they get, as we all do.

It should not be up to Canadian Soldiers to determine the Government of Afghanistan, it's up to the Afghan People themselves.

As for "the Terrorists", I think we all know that there are plenty of breeding grounds for these extremists. Whether Afghanistan is one of them or not makes little difference. The "Terrorist" Card is always played when attention is needed. And of course the argument remains that wherever western forces are occupying Islamic Lands, "terrorists" will breed.

Ok now the Real Reasons we are in Afghanistan.

1) Canada wants to be part of the Old Boys Network. Our right wing Prime Minister, Stephen Harper wants to be seen as contributing to The George Bush anti-terrorist/get Bin-Ladin/revenge on the Muslims movement. The only reason we are in Afghanistan or that anyone cares about Afghanistan is because that is the country that housed Bin Laden and that is the place that gave him sanctuary. It's all about revenge for 9/11. At least that's how it started.

2) Stephen Harper wants to appease and please Canada's Military. Canada's armed forces have been neglected and even laughed at for many years now. They were the joke of the western world, relegated to "Peace Keeping", a role for a Soldier that must be excruciatingly humiliating. Now our Military is getting a lot of attention, now they are getting funding, now they are getting sympathy from the media influenced public.

The generals haven't had this much fun since the Korean War, they never want it to end.

And that's the crux of the problem and that is why I am calling this thing in Afghanistan or Own Little Vietnam. No foreign power has ever succeeded in occupying and establishing the government they want in Afghanistan. That won't change just because Canadians are "nice guys".

Our mission in this godforsaken place is useless. And I have to say that your son's and daughters have perished and will continue to perish for artificial causes.

Don't get mad at me, get mad at the Canadian Government. Demand that they withdraw from this stupid, ridiculous and fruitless conflict.

Canadian Idol Fiasco!

2007-07-12T05:14:00.000-07:00

My theory on last night's eliminations is that this years crop of "Idols" are so boring that the vote count was way down, therefore allowing a flawed result.

I wasn't terribly shocked that Montana Martin Isles was booted because her vocal performance was very poor this week. But she was a breath of fresh air and she was unpredictable. Too radical for the Canadian Public I can only suppose.

Then one of my picks for the final two, Tyler Mullendore was also booted. Yikes! Ok, this week's performance was not great and that hair flinging was getting to be a bit too much. He was a love him or hate him kind of guy and in this years crop of Mainstream Boredom, Tyler was too much for too many. Sorry to see ya go Bud.

The real shocker, the most unbelievable elimination since this show started was the elimination of Liam Styles Chang. without any doubt the Best Male Singer of this year's crop. Is this an anti-Lucas Rosssi Look backlash? Are the people nuts? Are they going by looks alone? Did they have the sound on their TV's muted?

So what are we left with:

Jaydee Bixby This guy is a walking, talking cartoon character who is only entertaining because of so. Take your lasso and your country hick vibe and go shovel some shit somewhere pal.

Dwight D'Eon A Rocker Wannabe who's crutch guitar couldn't save him from being totally uninspiring. This guy just looks creepy to me, a nice boy trying to be bad.

Khalila Glanville Um, well...sorry I can't remember anything about this person so No Comment.

Mila Miller See above (yawn).

Matt Rapley One word describes Matt: Boring. Matt, go back to your Gospel Choir and quit wasting my time.

Tara Oram Tara's only Saving Grace is that she is a fan of the great Canadian Band Rush. That's hard to believe because she is so totally un-Rush. Another country twanger who has zero stage presence, zero sex appeal and zero talent. 0+0+0=0

Greg Neufeld Ok, I admit there is some talent here but guess what, he bores me to death. This kid needs a makeover to get rid of his goody goody nice boy next door looks. There is nothing unique about this person so why vote for him?

Martha Joy I like Martha Joy. I wish she'd take a few more risks and get out of the mainstream music. Nice voice, good stage presence. She's no Eva Avila but close.

Brian Melo Easily the Best of the Boys left, now that the two better ones are gone. Brian has to crank up the wow/excitement factor and let the people know he really wants this gig.

Carly Rae Jepsen The absolutely only legitimate contender to the throne. Carly has the whole package and if she doesn't win this thing then this whole idea of Canadian Idol needs to be abolished.

Thankfully Annika Odegard was kicked off. My jaw dropped when the judges praised that mess of a performance she had sitting in front of her piano. I don't think she hit one note properly. It was one of the most amateurish performances in the history of Idol.

The Scam of The Insurance Business

2007-07-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong, I think ICBC (the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia) is a Godsend and I'll forever be grateful to Dave Barrett who's Government established it in 1973.

Since then, while other parts of the nation were/are getting robbed by private auto insurance conglomerates, we in British Columbia have enjoyed fair rates.

I just got back from re-insuring my 2006 Saturn Vue. We changed our policy slightly and removed the Replacement option which was costing us $180 extra. We kept our deductable at $2500.

Our nice insurance lady told us we could have a $1000 deductable for only $60 more. I said "No Thanks" I'll continue with the $2500.

She couldn't believe my decision. She said "Your not willing to spend $60 to save $1500?"

For a moment I thought about explaining myself but then said "Leave it at $2500". She wasn't finished. She explained that I could have an at fault accident and still have no increase in my insurance premium. I said "No thanks, let's keep it at $2500".

In her mind I was nuts. In my mind I saved $60 but more importantly I prevented ICBC from acquiring $60 for giving me nothing.

Both my wife and I have not had an accident in over 25 years. Luck, fate, or chance has nothing to do with that. It's because we are good drivers, plain and simple.

This particular vehicle gets driven less than 10000km per year. The chances of either of us having an accident in the next year are probably 1 in 100 or less.

Yet the nice insurance lady was talking as if we were definitely going to have an accident. This is where our thinking differed.

Insurance people want to take your money and give you nothing in return. Sure once in a while someone makes a claim and they have to give some of it up. But mostly they get money for nothing.

I don't have any fire and theft insurance on my belongings in my Condo. Why? Because the chance of a fire is so slim that it doesn't merit the $400 the insurance company wants (for giving me nothing).

Think about it. What are the chances of your house burning down? In Kelowna maybe there are 50,000 residences. In a given year how many burn down? One hundred maybe at most? Probably a lot less than that. And half of those burn because of poor maintenance.

So you are giving insurance companies hundreds if not thousands of dollars for the 1 in 500 chance that your house will burn down.

Yeah I know, "peace of mind". I don't advocate an uninsured house. But I am stating that is a scam that preys on our most basic fears. Insurance Companies know that and feed on it. Feed like Pigs at a Trough.

But back to auto insurance. I have no collision insurance on my Beloved Mustang Convertible. So when I get maybe a bit enthusistic in my driving I think a bit. If I crash this car I can't replace it. And you know what? I drive more carefully then.

If everyone's deductable was $2500 or more do you think people would drive more carefully?

My Canadian Idol Predictions

2007-07-09T06:52:00.000-07:00

This one's easy. The final two contestants will be Carly Rae Jepsen and Tyler Mullendore.

Both of these two have charisma oozing out of their every orifice. Both can entertain and they are the only two I actually look forward to seeing on stage.

Carly is beyond cute, is an entertaining singer and is not afraid to display a little sex appeal. I'm not sure if Tyler is genuine or if he is putting on a big act. But so far he is playing the role of the arrogant Pop/Rock star brilliantly. And he knows how to sing.

The winner: Carly by a hair.

Blogging Is A Streaky Thing

2007-07-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

Nope, not many posts recently. No Time, no inclination. Maybe next week.

My wife and I went to the Canada Day Celebrations here in Kelowna and as expected were met by all kinds of vendors and charities with their hands out wanting money.

Can we not just celebrate or even go for a walk in our parks (which all taxpayers own) without it turning into a money grabbing affair?

The worst of them is "Would you Like To Make a Donation?" No I fucking would not, piss off!

The Dumb Car

2007-06-25T08:50:00.000-07:00

Yes the Smart Car is cute and different and its a cool novelty. I've never driven one, it very well may be a hoot to drive.

But for the life of me I can't understand why anyone would buy one.

It only can transport two people and has very little luggage space, is underpowered and expensive.

If they offered this car for $10,000 or less I could understand someone buying one for a third vehicle, something to zip around a high density traffic town or city to run an errand. Or Pizza Restaurants using it as a delivery vehicle.

But the absolute lowest price for a Fortwo, as they call it is $16,700! And I hardly think anyone buys the base model.

What else can you get for that money? Lots!

How about the Toyota Yaris, a real car with back seats and 46 more horsepower. And it costs $3000 less than the Smart Car. You can buy a lot of gas for $3000. In fact the fuel economy of the Fortwo is not a lot better than the Yaris. City 4.6 l/100km for the Fortwo vs. 6.9 l/100km for the Yaris.

Even a better alternative is the Honda Fit. Not only do you get over twice the Horsepower (40 vs. 109) you also get 603 litres of cargo space vs. the Dumb Car's 260. Oh and you can transport 4 people instead of 2. Oh, and you pay $2000 LESS for that privilege.

There are lots of competitive products out there by Hyundai, Nissan, Kia, Suzuki, but you get the point.

So lets sum up.

When you buy the Dumb Car you get:

1. An anemic engine with less than half the power of the alternatives.
2. The ability to transport two people vs. four or more.
3. Two to three times LESS the Cargo carrying capability.
4. Costing thousand of dollars MORE for the above.
5. All of the above for a meagre fuel saving as the only advantage.

You bought a Smart Car and are now regretting it?

Yep, you sure are DUMB!

Thanks Darryl!

2007-06-15T07:26:00.000-07:00

For being such an idiot. Only an idiot would hire the mentally unstable Mike Keenan

It's really unbelievable that, with all the good young coaches out there with fresh new ideas, the Flames hire someone who is a proven loser like Mike Keenan.

Eight consecutive losing years as coach. Now that's performance!

When the Canucks hired Keenan in the late '90's there were even groans back then and that was not long after Keenan was lucky enough to win the Stanley Cup with the Rangers.

He proved himself to be the loser he is with the Canucks and went on in subsequent years to reinforce that reputation.

The players will HATE him and they will not perform for him, not in the long term anyway.

Regardless, the Flames pain is the Canucks gain.

Thanks Darryl

Visit Nelson, British Columbia!

2007-06-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

If you want a really, really cool place to visit I urge you to spend at least a day in Nelson!

My wife and I just got back from an overnight trip there. I've passed through many times before but this time we stayed and did some exploring.

What a fantastic little town! Amazing architecture and some of the nicest heritage homes I've ever seen.

Big leafy trees on all the streets and a peaceful quiet community.

And the best thing about Nelson is this: It's probably the largest "hippy" community in Canada.

I swear when you walk around the area just up the hill from downtown, you'd think you were back in the '60's.

And many of the shops Downtown reflect the "hippy" culture of the granola eating, tree hugging, and peace loving flower children of the past. You can often smell incense in the air or maybe see and hear a young troubador strumming an acoustic guitar on a back yard porch.

It's just great to be able to escape our right-wing conservative world even for just a couple days.

Map

Only In America

2007-06-11T11:47:00.000-07:00

My job dropped when I read this almost unbelievable story about a Georgia (US) 17 yr old teenager convicted and sentenced to 10 YEARS IN PRISON for engaging consensual oral sex with a 15 year old girl.

Hello?! Isn't that called normal teenage behaviour up here, or anywhere else?

As the story states, he has been finally released after spending two freaking years in prison for what probably 50% of the high school kids are doing every Saturday night.

Where is the Sanity?

Would this happen in Canada? No way. So for those morons out there who look up to the American Justice System with envy and honour, well how would you like your young son to be treated in this way?
And these people are the Leaders of the Free World?

God help us all.

Linux Anyone?

2007-06-10T08:16:00.000-07:00

A while ago I posted Mac vs. PC where I wrote of, like so many others have, the Mac OS being so superior to Windows.

But what if you don't have a Mac Machine but still hate Bill Gates' crummy software?

How bout Ubuntu?

When you download this software, you get the Linux platform, an open source OS geared for usability rather than profit taking.

To be honest I haven't explored much of it yet, just did some web browsing, but apparently its got all the software a normal household would need for everyday tasks.

And it's FREE!

Note: That downloaded file worked on one of my machines but not the other, not sure why.
If it doesn't boot up properly on you maching try this download:

http://www.cutlersoftware.com/ubuntusetup/minefield.html

Surrey Protestors As Creepy As Paul Callow

2007-06-09T17:08:00.000-07:00

In a classic case of NIMBYism, Surrey BC residents are trying to harass convicted Rapist Paul Callow into leaving town.

I don't know about you but this kind of semi Vigilantism that is going on in front of Callows' sister's house is giving me the creeps.

Callow is a Creep that served 20 years in prison for knife point rapes of women in the Toronto area.

However he did the crime and did the time and now has and should have the same rights as everyone else. Whether you agree with that or not, the law says that's the way it is.

So these protesters or harassers or whatever you want to call them are barking up the wrong tree. They should bring their protests to the Legislative Buildings where laws can be changed to either put this man back in prison or at least restrict his access to the public.

I don't have a lot of sympathy for Paul Callow but I do feel much for his sister. She is doing her family duty by taking care of her brother. It's something you know she would rather not be doing.

I wouldn't want Paul Callow living next to me either, but you have to respect his right to do so.

Callow might as well stay where he is since this kind of protest is likely to occur wherever he goes. At least he has his sister there to lend some kind of support/restraint.

The authorities say Callow is very likely to re-offend, I have little doubt that he will.

I'm all for public protests against laws, traditions, policies or economic situations that need to be changed. People have a right and an obligation to do that.

I'm also all for the personal civil rights of an individual, especially in his own home.

Whether you like it or not, Callow has paid for his crimes and now has the same rights as everyone else.

The police don't allow Protesters to demonstrate in front of Gordon Campbell's house, and they shouldn't allow these people to demonstrate in front of Paul Callows either.

It's a mob mentality and it's just plain Creepy.

The Conservative Cancer

2007-06-09T09:23:00.000-07:00

There is a Cancer in our Society but, thankfully, it's a mild form and can be treated if not entirely cured. It comes and goes in waves of about 10 year cycles.

We in North America are currently in the middle of a pretty intensive outbreak.

But treatments, in the form of logical and sane reason, are beginning to have their affect.

Of course the Cancer I am talking about is "conservatism", a nice euphemism for narrow minded backward thinking based on anger and fear.

Is it just me or does it seem that the wealthier a Society becomes the more conservative they become?

Greed takes over and fear that the wealth accumulated will be taken from them by simple minded "liberals" who have the audacity to want to spread this wealth around a bit.

So they close ranks, draw inward and try their best to preserve the Status Quo at least and at best, to turn back the hands of time to the 50's, the Glorious Decade of rampant conservatism.

Their money and influence are substantial enough to control news agencies, politicians and world events. They are trying their best to control the World Wide Web.

Do I hate or fear these People? Not at all. Because there is one quality that all conservatives have: The unique ability to self-destruct.

As I have stated in a previous Post, I believe the world, by default, is always improving.

We take two steps forward when the liberals have the influence and one step backward when the conservative outbreaks occur.

But overall, we are always moving ahead.

Our Society will never be cured of this disease and some outbreaks will be worse than others. Fear and Hate, the two leading symptoms of this Plague have to be tolerated for these short periods until we, the public, grow weary of them.

I'm pretty confident that the liberal symptoms of Love and Hope will soon predominate once again.

Best Place on Earth?

2007-06-09T06:03:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been noticing these license plates around town. it depicts British Columbia's latest slogan that's been around for a few years, "The Best Place On Earth".

This replaces the old slogan, "Supernatural British Columbia".

Cynics will say it's just government propaganda to brainwash the voting public into accepting BC as a wonderful place (where the Government should be retained), and it may very well be.

But I really believe it's true. I am not an extensive traveller, I've been to Europe and throughout many States, and the normal Tourist Hot Spots of the Caribbean, Mexico and Hawaii (which is the Best Place on Earth for three weeks or less).

But I've never seen anywhere I would rather live than here. Australia and New Zealand I think are really nice and places I would love to visit. But they are so freaking far away and off the beaten path.

Occasionally I like to take the Mustang out for a run down Highway 33 to Rock creek, or Highway 6 from Lumby to Needles, or a trip up the twisty road to Mable Lake.

And sometimes when I do that, when the weather is fine and the traffic light and I'm cruising topless through the hill and mountain forests I wonder: "Where else on this Earth can you do this?

I'm sure there are other places such as in areas of the western US, Scandinavia, other places. But to be able to drive for hours on what seems to be your own personal highway through such beautiful scenery is a pleasure not to be taken for granted.

And it's then that I really believe this IS the best place on earth.

I think that's one reason why the Whiners and Complainers and Blamers really bother me.

There will always be those that really enjoy blaming and whining about the Justice System, the Education System, the Welfare System, the Health Care System, the Government in general, the Police, the liberals, the conservatives, Industry, the NDP, the Bloc Quebecoise, the Feminists, and anyone else they can think of to justify their unhappiness.

This unfortunate Group of Whiners seem unable to see much beyond their own neighborhoods and circle of acquaintances.

They have no idea how fortunate they are to be privileged enough to live in this land, The Best Place On Earth.

Ok So Tell Me What Really Happened

2007-06-09T05:07:00.001-07:00

There seems to be a bone of contention about the events that led to Grant De Patie's death.

The media presented the story as a Gas and Dash incident. In my mind that means a driver commences to leave the gas station, putting his car in motion, without paying.

This CBC website states

Last year, a gas station attendant in Maple Ridge was dragged to his death after trying to stop a car that took off without paying.

What is meant by "trying to stop"? To me it means running after the car in motion either trying to get a plate number or trying to physically intercept the vehicle.

Some people say he was backed over deliberately.

Yet in this report "Bernard said the youth veered out of the gas station to get away and hit De Patie". Implying he was moving in a forward direction and the hit on de Patie was not intentional.

So what is it? What really happened? A couple of readers crudely took me to task for writing that De Patie chased after Pratt trying to intercept him after he realised the Gas and Dash incident.

This is an assumption that one would take if one listens to the way it was presented in the media.

This is only important because it leads to my point that employees (unless they are trained security officers) have no business in intercepting or interfering with an illegal activity taking place in their workplace other than to inform those that are trained.

Now, as far as the comments I have received regarding my post Leave Justice To Professionals

It's disappointing to know that people of such low levels of ability are reading it.

When someone stoops to name calling and verbal abuse and veiled threats, all under the safe umbrella of anonymity, it really takes all validity and credibility out of their argument.

If you want to disagree with me, I have no problem with that. But if you are going to present an alternate view please express it like an adult and not a 10 year old.

Thanks For The Comments!

2007-06-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

Reena Virk

A couple (so far) of nice people have taken issue with my post: Leave Justice To The Professionals.

So Nice, So Lovely and So Classy!
Thanks for that.

The simple fact is that bad things happen to every family and if they haven't happened yet they are bound to sometime in the future.

Everyone is a "victim" of some kind of perceived injustice at one time or another. I honestly can't see how giving Pratt a 10, 15 or 20 year sentence is going to help the de Patie family, other than to satisfy a need for revenge, which as I have stated before, we can all understand.

So let's take another recent case. Let's examine the case of Reena Virk. The details of which can be found here.

This case dragged on for quite a while, seven years! The Virk Family endured two mistrials until Kelly Ellard was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.

In this case Reena was murdered in cold blood by individuals who had the sole purpose of causing her grievous bodily harm.

But for me the most outstanding aspect of this case was the reaction of Reena's parents, who frequently were approached by the news media.

If any parents had a right to be bitter and hateful towards the Justice System it was these people. Having to endure the two mistrials and knowing that there young daughter was brutalized and bludgeoned to death by people who actually realised what they were doing to her. People who were tying every legal loophole to be exonerated.

As I recall throughout the trials, the Virks refused to blast our Justice System. They refused to demonstrate hatred towards Kelly Ellard and in fact, forgave her.

I have the utmost admiration for them. They will survive the death of their daughter because of one reason. They learned how to forgive.

I have no pretensions of knowing what the De Patie Family are going through. I hope they can find a way to get past this, I really do.

Leave Justice to the Professionals

2007-06-06T05:31:00.000-07:00

Grant De Patie

Based on some feedback (no matter how rudely delivered) I am still editing this post in an effort to find out exactly what motivated Pratt to run over de Patie.

The De Patie family were once again on the Global news earlier this week berating the Canadian Justice System.

On March 8, 2005 their son, Grant, was dragged to death under the stolen car driven by then 16 yr old Darnell K. Pratt.

Details can be found here, and here.

Of course there is the obligatory knee jerk reactionary lynch mob mentality here.

I really feel bad for the family of this young man but bad decisions lead to bad consequences.

It was a very bad decision that led a very drunk Mr. Pratt to steal $12 worth of gas
from the station that Grant worked.

It may have been a bad decision on Grant's part to try and stop him.

Here is an another version of the events, obtained from a web site:

The youth and his friend stole a car, punched a screw driver into the ignition and started it. The 17-year-old estimates he had consumed about 20 beers by the time he got behind the wheel of the stolen car and entered the gas station where de Patie was working.

Court was told that de Patie saw the screw driver in the ignition. Apparently the killer suspected de Patie was going to call the police.
Bernard said the youth veered out of the gas station to get away and hit de Patie, trapping him under the carriage of the vehicle.

I find this scenario highly unlikely. The media made a big deal about the theft of $12 worth of gas. If you go along with this scenario, the theft of the gas had not even occurred. It also refutes the assumption that Pratt put his car in reverse and backed over Pratt.

However I have edited out events that turned out not to be proven facts. That being that Pratt in some way chased after and tried to intercept Pratt.

Pratt was initially sentenced to 9 years in prison and later reduced to 7. The De Patie Family was disappointed in what they considered to be too short a sentence and became bitter with the further reduction.

It's really all about revenge isn't it? Read my post on The R Word.

I'm really getting fed up with people whining about the justice system. It's like when your team loses and you do nothing but complain about the officiating.

We have the finest justice system in the world, if you don't believe that take a look around and see whats going on in other countries. Our judges have seen and heard it all before. Their goal is not to satisfy the immediate family but to satisfy society in general, now and in the long term.

It seems to me that 9 years in jail is a long time, 7 years in jail is a long time.

Pratt was a screwed up kid when this awful tragedy occurred and you can bet your life he will come out of jail 10 times worse.

As far as knowing what actually occurred during the events that led to De Paite's death, well who knows for sure.

Regardless of whatever really happened my thoughts on this subject remain unchanged.

I work in a retail environment and theft occurs there. And I won't lift one finger to stop it. Because:

1. It's not my job to apprehend would be criminals.
2. Theft is a cost of doing business and that cost is applied to the mark up of every item and service.
3. Protecting someone else's money is not worth so much as a scratch on my skin.

This is the message the news media should be presenting to the public, not cries of injustice from a bitter family denied revenge.

Young men between the ages of 16 and 25 have a hard time getting their brains to catch up with their testosterone.

That's why the military drafts/recruits them to be soldiers, because they are too stupid to know better.

Think back to the time when you were in that age range and all the stupid things you did. I cringe at some of my past actions from that time period, I was just lucky nothing bad happened.

Only trained security people should be chasing after thieves and every employer should be required to tell their staff in writing that they are NOT to pursue shoplifters or anyone else engaged in illegal activity.

It's just not worth it.

I now have three comments to this post.

It's disappointing to know that people of such low levels of ability are reading it.

When someone stoops to name calling and verbal abuse and veiled threats, all under the safe umbrella of anonymity, it really takes all validity and credibility out of their argument.

If you want to disagree with me, I have no problem with that. But if you are going to present an alternate view please express it like an adult and not a 10 year old.

Due to the low maturity level of the comments I have, for the time being anyway, comment availability is restricted.