There is democracy in China at the municipal level. I predict
democracy will be demanded of other levels within our lifetime. The
iPhone will be a facilitator.
Envoyé depuis mon iPhone / Sent from my iPhone.
The governments of Ontario, Quebec and Canada are moving forward – albeit in slow motion – on a high-speed rail link.
If the $3 million feasibility study announced this week has a familiar ring to it, that's because Premier Dalton McGuinty keeps proclaiming it in old railway hotels: nine months ago at the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City and 13 months ago at the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, both times alongside his Quebec counterpart, Jean Charest.
Back then, McGuinty mused: "This has been talked about for quite some time, but every once in a while there's an idea whose time actually comes." Comes and goes, actually.
High-speed rail has been coming to the Windsor-Quebec corridor for the past 35 years, which is when the first report was submitted – followed by 15 more studies. The latest iteration will essentially review and update the previous ones, notably the $18 billion pricetag from a 1995 study – about $24 billion in today's dollars.
For all the stops and starts, times have truly changed: The price of oil is destined to have us over a barrel again in no time, and there is growing pressure to curb carbon emissions. About 60 per cent of the country's population resides in the Windsor-Quebec corridor, where highways are rapidly turning into parking lots and airports are plagued by delays. The idea of halving the rail travel time from Toronto to Montreal to two hours on an electrified right-of-way is improving with age.
So how does cutting travel time cut carbon emissions? Explain that to me please. And apart from a very few long weekends (when trains would be full anyway), the highway from Montreal to Toronto is clear sailing. Halving travel time is great, working five times as many hours to pay for your ticket (vs. bus or regular train), not so much.
The rise of private-public partnerships also makes the daunting pricetag easier for taxpayers to digest, especially if built in stages. High-speed rail has proven profitable in Europe, and studies have shown there is high potential demand in the Montreal-Toronto leg.
Profitable to whom? There is no rail line outside the UK that is profitable. If some lines generate a small operating profit, they are completely overshadowed by the debt required to build the line and buy the trains.
We may already be paying a heavy price for the past year of intergovernmental foot-dragging on high-speed rail. Quebec waited many months before tendering the latest feasibility study, which is only now getting underway. Were it shovel-ready by now, this infrastructure project would provide a timely economic stimulus. Regardless, high-speed rail stands on its own merits and is long overdue.
McGuinty worries that "the Prime Minister is not as much of a fan on this score," and indeed federal cabinet ministers have been unenthusiastic. After so many years and so many studies, this project needs strong leadership at all levels. If Canada continues to hesitate over high-speed rail, it risks being left in the dust.
Who drives the buses that transit on the 401? Who flies the planes? Where are the buses made and where are the planes maintained? Ditto for the current trains, which would presumably be replaced by the high speed trains.
I love high speed trains. But I also love Ferraris and Lamborghinies. If you want to take a high speed train, use the tax savings of not having Canadian high speed rail and go to Europe, Japan or Shanghai.
And remember, even if you are a student and don't pay taxes, higher rail ticket prices will mean less choice, not more.
Although Blacks are about 13% of the US population (or 36 million,
slightly more than the population of Canada), only 1 person is Black among the 100
Senators (two per state), and he was chosen by the Governor of
Illinois to replace Barack Obama until the 2010 elections.
In that context, Barack Obama is a superhero. Granted, the District of Columbia and Puerto
Rico residents elect 0 Senators. Zero, nada, niet.
However, if you need a Black hero, look no further than
Robert Smalls from South Carolina. He was elected to the South Carolina
Congress, the South Carolina Senate and to the US Congress (5 times!).
He also worked as a tax collector, a civil war civilian soldier/hero
and... a slave!
Robert Smalls. Forget Lincoln or Obama, or good grief, Trudeau, Robert
Smalls is my hero.
Envoyé depuis mon iPhone / Sent from my iPhone.
Look, you can't attract an audience without advertising. So I blew my entire advertising budget on this bus sign. Hey in Moncton, buses have wifi! Playing the loto is foolish. 1 of 14 million (1 out of 57 for the $10
prize, actually worse for the $5 prize, at 1 out of 81).
Buying more than one ticket is just that much more foolish. Do you
need more than one ticket to dream? You're not going to win at 1/14
Million and you ain't going to win at 1/7 Million.
But as a winner, and taxpayer, thanks for the money.
Envoyé depuis mon iPhone / Sent from my iPhone.
The word "so" makes no sence in the phrase "Thank you "so" much".
Granted, people in the Ottawa Valley and elsewear are exposed to more
anoying uses of the word "so", but it still doesn't belong.
Worse, "so" is a feminin word. We usually put up with it beacause it
is said by a young attractive women. Gay men even use the word to
sound gayer.
So I must conclude that Obama should stop using the word "so",
especially when outside the US, beacsuse, murcifully, outside US
borders, "thank you so much" has not cought on.
Envoyé depuis mon iPhone / Sent from my iPhone.
So I say we should ban pets. Pets, among other things, cause global
warming. They are loud, regularly hurt children and consume vast
amounts of food that could be used to feed people. There are 10 times
more people in Canada than 100 years ago. At some point we will have
to make choices, and I fear the pets will win.
Banning puppies would be a huge sacrifice for many (and logistically
difficult), but that is the whole point. Reducing global warming will
require sacrifice. And no, trees do not reduce global warming (look it
up). There is no, repeat, no way of compensating your use of fossil
fuels by planting trees.
Envoyé depuis mon iPhone / Sent from my iPhone.
This picture taken from a playing of "In Focus", on HD Net, on my 42
inch TV.
The original is blog inspiring.
By the way, when was the last time you saw a science magazine at the
checkout counter of a grocery store? Does this mean that the Simpsons
autors are so rich they never set foot in a grocery store? Yes. Yes it
does.
So to justify your holiday, we suggest you spend the day learning
English or French. As an added incentive, exams should be held every
Tuesday after Learn English or French day.
If you fail the test, then of course you will be deported to your home
country. The few Torontonians who were born in Canada and fail the
French test will be sent to Hérouville, Quebec. Franco-Torontonians
who fail the English test will be forced to subscribe to Rogers,
thereby losing access to the Habs games in HD that play on RDS with
Bell TV.
In addition to making my call centre job a lot easier, this
deportation policy will ensure that Toronto remain affordable for all
those Maritimers returning to Toronto after living in Alberta.
I actually told a customer last week that no, as Canada won the cold
war, my company does not offer service in Russian. On more than one
occasion I've also been asked to speak Turkish.
My company has given up on the Chineese, we now have collection agents
who speak Mandarin and Cantonese.
Don't bite the hand that feeds you, as the saying goes. But as I face
an other horrible week trying to deal with Torontonians who do not
speak basic English, this Family day, I want to scream out: RETURN TO
YOUR FAMILIES IN PORTUGAL, RUSSIA, CHINA, TURKEY, ROMANIA and
SCOTLAND. Come back when you speak English (or French).
PS. Yes, I know my spelling is bad and I'm joking about the Scotish,
they are no worse than Newfoundland and Labradorians (who are
incomprehensible but seem to understand me).
Envoyé depuis mon iPhone / Sent from my iPhone.
Now I could write a couple of ficticious paragraphs about doing things
with 17 year old girls that could land me in prison. Even translating
such stories would be illegal.
So Canada also has (justfiably?) harsh laws with regards to the writen
word.
Still, freedom of religion is a value most Canadians hold dear.
So the qustion is, what exactly are Canadians dying for in Afghanistan?
Just to hedge my bets against possible conscription if the war gets
out of hand, here is my translation of the digest version the Koran
(the following is illegal in Afghanistan, and possibly Alabama):
Mohamed was born in a town call Tikreet. When he was 15, he met a
lovely 13 year old, yada, yada, yada, she had 3 children by her 18th
birthday. Mohamed quickly learned to never openly covet his
neighboor's wife since she was a thief. When he turned 21he moved to
Mecca. Stuff happened and he and his wife lived happily ever after.
The end.
Envoyé depuis mon iPhone / Sent from my iPhone.
Who doesn't have $100 to give to assure a bright future for our
children?
Take advantage of your tax refund to give. The donation caps are quite
democratic. But like voting, if you don't use your right, you are
giving it to someone else. However, unlike riding voting, that person
could be a redneck out in Alberta!
Do you really want to give Albertan conservatives more power? I didn't
think so.
Give $1,100 this year to the progressive federal parties (NDP and the
Bloc). Your children will be gratefull (well, they probably won't, but
you will feel less guilty).
Envoyé depuis mon iPhone / Sent from my iPhone.
So here is what I _will_ answer on Thursday. ;-)
Well, I am very happy to have this money. I feel for the people
looking for work in these tough economic times, so the first thing I
am going to do is quit my job so one fewer of my colleagues will be
layed off. Although I will miss my employee discount, chuckle, chuckle
(scan room for attractive reporters laughing at my joke).
The next thing I will do is give 1 million dollars to the provincial
NDP. New Brunswick has the lowest minimum wage and the lowest welfare
benefits in the country, and I want that to change. I'm also thinking
of all those poor African children, I'd like to do so something for
them.
When it comes to splurging, I'd like to launch my own TV channel:
Lawyer, Doctor and police Free TV. A TV station that has no CSI or Law
and Order reruns. I'd call it Beach TV and, for tax reasons, will be
based at my new hotel in the Cayman islands. Interviews for news
anchors and journalists start after this press conference.
Last but not least, I'm going to buy a Mac. I can finally afford one!
LOL.
I'm thakfull this corn chip company will help me recoup some of the
money I have spent on them over the years. Now if only they could help
me regain my figure...
Even if you buy a Dynex, a 42 incher will cost you about $700. That is
a lot of overtime. Still, as long as my TV lasts a few years,
definatly worth it.
Oh, and for the love of goodness, please don't do like my friend and
buy an HD TV and then have no HD input. He has had it like that for
two years. No cable HD box, no Bluray DVD player, no computer. That
said, I don't have a Blueray DVD player, so the extra dollars on 1080p
(vs 780p or 1080i) are waisted. And nobody in Canada outside Toronto
and a few border towns has access to over the air HD, so the tuner is
a waist as well; but I don't know of any 42 inch monitors.
The first Daytona 500 live broadcast was in 1979. We had a black and
white TV back then. 30 years later, no jetpacks, but I do feel like
I'm living in the future.
Envoyé depuis mon iPhone / Sent from my iPhone.
It is a pretty accurate map too. You can see Corsica and most of the
Carabeen islands. But where did New Brunswick go?
The recent financial colapse of Iceland begs the question: is 250,000
people enough to have a country? Because, if so, I think New Brunswick
should split from Canada and then split in two.
But seriously, Iceland is considering a raprochement with Norway and/
or the European Union. I think Canada should at least try to flirt
with Iceland. We are bigger, won't steal their fish and aren't
freakishly dependant on oil prices (eh Norway).
That said, Canada is China's and India's Iceland. Is Canada big
enough? By the time Harper is voted out of office, will we still be
able to brag about being such a rich country?
Perhaps we should bulk up and, for example, re-join the United
Kingdom. The 2 million Welsh don't seem to mind being part of the UK,
and contrary to them, the vast majority of Canadians have English as a
first language.
Canuk. Get it?
Envoyé depuis mon iPhone / Sent from my iPhone.
Envoyé depuis mon iPhone / Sent from my iPhone.
