2010 Olympic Rant #45 · 3 February 2010 by colin newell
Everything from strollers to flying sports disks, umbrellas, laser pointers and flags from non-participating countries are banned from Olympic venues, Vancouver 2010 officials announced this week.
Flags from non-participating countries? Huh? Why?
Spectators should arrive two hours before city events, three hours before mountain events, and four hours before the open and closing ceremonies, Olympic officials said.
I am not arriving at all… so I am plenty good.
RCMP Sgt. Mike Cote, a spokesman for the Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit, said security measures will escalate if there are threats made against the Games
Check out my threat: Indifference.
He added peaceful and law-abiding protesters have nothing to fear from the security cameras.
VANOC and the IOC have nothing to fear but my loathing.
“Peaceful protest is not against the law,” he said. “If we do have an issue, it’s when the line is crossed, when the laws of this country … are broken. Other than that, we’re not concerned about protests if they’re kept legal.”
They actually mean… the laws of the IOC.
Other stuff banned…
• Food and drinks
of course… so you can be forced to eat McDonalds and drink Coca Cola
• Water balloon launchers
glad they have this on the list – now I can sleep at night…
• Leaflets, pamphlets, non-approved publications and promotional material
you mean, like t-shirts that say Screw the 2010 freak show already!
• Animals
assist dogs?
• Banners containing religious, political, provocative or obscene content and or visible branding and trademarks of sponsor and non-sponsor companies
So I cannot wear my Rancilio ball cap?
• Flags of non-participating countries
yea whatever.
75% of Vancouver residents agree with me.
Olympic Rant #42 Could not have said it better · 27 January 2010 by colin newell
Nailed it.
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Google Rant #1 - don't steal my books Mister Google · 24 January 2010 by colin newell
My first thought is…
If I created a series of Google rants…
Would google index them?
Well. Let’s see.
Anyway.
Imagine a World where you could lose everything at the whim of a giant corporation… in a future World where there were no borders… only corporations that took what they wanted, when they wanted.
Your money. Your ideas. Your family and friends.
Sounds crazy.
Would it make it ok is the corporation tossed you a bone for your most cherished possessions? Like 64 dollars? For your life’s work…
Oddly, this is the present World. Google appears to want to steal all the books on the Planet and pay the authors 64 bucks for their trouble.
Sound odd? Sound outrageous? Sound like a scary future World.
Sure as f*ck does.
Read more about it here
Shit like this staggers me. And we all need to be on guard.
Crisis in Haiti - More thoughts on the subject · 17 January 2010 by colin newell
Letter to the editor of the Times-Colonist…
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said this week he was launching an appeal to raise $550 million for the victims of the Haiti earthquake.
U.S. investment bank J.P. Morgan Chase paid its investment bankers $9.3 billion in 2009.
That’s our world.
Ian Laval in Brentwood Bay
That is our World in 2010.
Let’s change it.
2010 Olympic Rant #38 Culture Jam the 5-Ring Circus · 10 October 2009 by colin newell
The Olympics are not about the human spirit and have little to do with athletic excellence. They are a multi-billion dollar industry backed by real estate, construction, hotel, tourism and media corporations, and powerful elites working hand in hand with government officials and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). While public pressure is unlikely to stop the 2010 Games from occupying Vancouver, critical resistance is needed to expose deceptions about the Games’ impact and purposes, voice our dissent to the world, and strengthen social movement solidarity.
Join me in peacefully culture jamming the 2010 Olympics.
Boycott the 2010 Sponsors. Tell your friends. Discuss the 2010 boondoggle in your work place and in your neighborhood.
The Olympic movement is pure deception perpetuated upon peaceful societies of the World.
Let’s stop it now.
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Summer Food Fun and Drink - Olympic ring of protest - rant #28 · 21 July 2009 by colin newell
Brace yourself B.C.
The taxpayers of B.C. (and at some level the rest of Canada) will pay over 1 Billion dollars for 2010 Olympic security.
Ostensibly to protect British Columbia residents from.
Wait for it.
British Columbia residents. Non-residents. Tourists.
And maybe even a bad person or two… but not likely if history is any guide.
The joint security task force will be most concerned with those speaking up against the 2010 jock charade. Who may find themselves in one of hundreds of potential security zones in downtown Vancouver – where our Charter Rights (it seems) will not apply.
The 2010 Olympic joint task force will view potential protesters as anyone:
Who will be commiserating with friends, colleagues and loved ones over the loss of trust, the loss of choice, the loss of hope – in a Province once proud for its record on how it treats its less fortunate.
Or waving flags. Or speaking in small groups.
Bull-horns or any kind of electronic amplification or paper leafleting not previously approved by VANOC or the IOC will be prohibited within security zones.
And how are we going to pay for all this horse potty?
Currently in British Columbia, every ministry, community and municipality is having its budget cut in some fashion or another – Every organization, corporation and private-public-partnership in this Province is seeing some belt tightening.
Except for one I am guessing. Can you guess who?
Correct! The Vancouver Olympic committee… and likely the integrated security unit and joint task force in partnership with the R.C.M.P.
They will be employing upwards of 16,000 police and military – some of them American military, top-guns in American fighter jets circling over Canadian skies…
To keep you and me in line. Keep us from speaking, alone or in groups, or embarrassing the establishment or participating countries or host corporations.
One billion to be spent on keeping tabs on peaceful protest. At least in part.
And even if it was less than peaceful – you know, waving of banners, yelling, gathering outside of Free Speech Zones etc. The actual chance that a protester is going to doing anything really silly, like hurt someone other than themselves…
Is, well, next to nil.
Because through history, peaceful protesters have rarely (if ever) hurt anyone.
Peaceful protest in Canada (and the U.S.A.) annoys the crap out of…
wait for it again
The Establishment and for that reason, they have convinced the military and law enforcement complex to spend 1,000,000,000 dollars watching flag waving, peace loving, bleeding heart liberals and socialists (and some fuzzy thinking conservatives) – like you and me.
Because you and I
are scary when we pick up flags, banners and yell reasonable truths through bull-horns.
So to be safe, 1 Billion needs to come from somewhere…
Health-care, women and child’s programs, the Arts, infrastructure, and everything else.
And that is just wrong.
In 1997 APEC (I was there on unrelated University business), one student was put in jail several days before the parade and only released if he promised not to go anywhere near UBC or along the Burrard corridor leading into downtown Vancouver; A UBC law school student was jailed for carrying a cloth banner saying “Democracy” and “Free Speech”. Protesters were showered with pepper spray for having the nerve to say nasty things about heads of state participating – that the Canadian corporate and political establishment didn’t want embarrassed.
Is this going to repeat during the 2010 lock-down in Vancouver? I sure hope not!
A reminder:
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states in section two,
And neither VANOC, the IOC, the RCMP or The Man can take that from you.
Footnotes: In the name of fair and balanced dialog on the subject of Olympic Security, we do acknowledge al-Qaida as a potential threat to the 2010 Olympics. It is most certainly an issue at the London 2012 Olympic event. And one must never forget the horror of the 1972 Munich Olympics where 11 Athletes and their coaches as well as a police officer died during the raid. More reading
Yes, this is a massively weighty issue with strengths and arguments on both sides of the security and peace camps. However as the 2010 security plan unfurls, someone is going to feel like it’s not enough, it’s too much… or something in between.
Personally, I try and maintain a healthy quotient of skepticism about the whole athletic affair.
Til next time,
Peace out.
Summer Food Fun and Drink Chapter 17 Bang Zoom to the Moon · 15 July 2009 by colin newell
It is almost 40 years ago when man first walked on the Moon.
And I was there – in front of an 7 year old Canadian made Viking B&W TV set from Eatons.
I was like 9 or 10 years old.
And now – 40 years later, where has our Space program gone?
Other than militarizing space… I mean that area just above the ionosphere, not really space at all. We have done nothing really meaningful… in Space… for 40 years.
I say we for a reason and with clarification.
Yes, we have dropped probes and crawlers on Mars in the last 10 years.
But we as humankind have done very little to fix inner space or wander outside of that shell around us that is currently cluttered with detritus, Google satellites, spy satellites and weapons.
So. As much as I would like to celebrate this coming anniversary (and don’t get me wrong… I have fond memories from 1969 and all…) – but it just feels like my fellow spacemen and spacewomen (and I) have been standing in an open field this whole time.
Just looking up.
As solstice approaches - My debut on international broadcasting · 4 June 2009 by colin newell
Looking for a smile? Got a few minutes? Check out the debut of my radio broadcasting career in this podcast
The program (actually the World’s longest running radio program) Happy Station – is back on the air after a 14 year absence – and I am a guest writer and announcer on this (and a subsequent episode)
What is kind of cute is: I was a 12 year old listening to this show back in the early 1970’s on an old all-tube cathedral style radio. I would have never imagined, then, that I would ever be on the other side of the microphone.
Anyway. Have a listen. Smiles across the miles guaranteed!
As solstice approaches - We remember Tiananmen Square · 4 June 2009 by colin newell
Read about it here
We remember…
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As solstice approaches - passports please · 3 June 2009 by colin newell
Ask the average American which two countries border on the U.S.A.
And they will either give you a blank stare…
or they will say (after a suitable hesitation…)
“Alaska and Hawaii?”
or they will say…
“Countries?”
They don’t know.
And for Americans, a passport does not make sense…
because the U.S.A. is the World.
What do they need a passport for when the World is…
well… the U.S.A.
Yes. This is a gross exaggeration
And this exaggeration is like painting a snake and adding legs.
But it illustrates a subtle point. It may be difficult to convince a population of prospective travelers, of skittish explorers… that they need anything beyond their drivers license or an oral declaration – to allow them to enter, well… anywhere.
I am not a betting man – but I think it is safe to assume that American visits to Canada are about to take a major down-tick.
Meantime, my passport is up to date. I love America and I plan on visiting it often in the next while.
Spring into a better Planet - on Earth Day 2009 · 22 April 2009 by colin newell
Originally conceived in the Fall of 1969 at an event in Seattle, Washington – it was declared that the first Earth Day would be in April of 1970 and every year after that.
Personally, I do not think I was aware of Earth Day til the eighties – Here are some random thoughts from yours truly from Earth day’s past… of how I would have thought about those days if I was actually paying attention to anything…
- April 1970 Are the Beatles really breaking up? How will this effect the Planet?
- April 1971 TV show Dark Shadows goes off the air – the Planet has been saved from Barnabas Collins. You really need to be older than 35 to get this.
- April 1972 Rolling Stones release Exile on Main Street – dang these Stones are old and they look old doing what they are doing. They should have retired when the Beatles retired.
- April 1973 Skylab is launched releasing tons of shit into the atmosphere… not so good.
- April 1974 148 tornadoes affecting 13 states and 1 Canadian province in 18 hours, the biggest tornado outbreak in recorded history – The death toll is 315, with nearly 5,500 injured. Earth angry
- April 1976 Apple Computer Company is formed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Earth is soon to be turned to plastic and silicon.
- April 1981 Space Shuttle Columbia passes flight tests dumping millions of pounds of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
There are an estimated 6.7 billion humans on the Planet. That is 4 times the number a mere 100 years ago. This is serious. For this reason (and other reasons) I will not be having children – and I encourage as many people as possible to, at least, limit their number of offspring to 1… if that. Better yet: Get a dog or a cat. They are less messy.
Happy Earth Day!
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Give ticketmaster a break already · 8 March 2009 by colin newell
A Winnipeg woman has launched a class action lawsuit against concert ticket giant Ticketmaster for overcharging.
According to the woman’s lawyer, her daughter bought tickets through a Ticketmaster subsidiary for around $200 each when the original ticket price was just $57.
Oh boo-hoo.
I went on line over a year ago to get some Police tickets for the Vancouver show – and much to my surprise, I was redirected to an “associate” auction site to pay exorbitant prices to see the Stingster and his aged colleagues.
Did I buy a ticket? No. I am not paying $500 to see 3 old farts trot out hits from my heyday – music that was much better then thank you very much.
Oddly, I did get a call from the London Times rock editor to talk about it. The rock editor no less.
And I told this wanker the same thing. It is business. It is commerce. If there are some sweet smelling rich people out there that are willing to pay top dollar to ticketmaster for some has been band from the 70’s or 80’s… Well so what!? It is business after all.
London times editor thought, even then, that there outta be a law!
Right.
Here’s the deal.
Ticketmaster is a business, yea?
And they are in the business to make money, yea?
Well let them do it.
If there is some sour grape sap out there that is crying into their happy meal because they cannot afford a ticket to some washed up celebrity show – well, suck it up soldier. This is a free market after all.
On behalf of big corporate media, I say…
Sock it to me.
Hawaii vacation blogging - memories are made of this · 19 January 2009 by colin newell
My sister, Toni, just asked me…
“What were some of the best memories of your Hawaii vacation?”
Good question.
For starters…
-eating a simple birthday dinner on the lanai watching the
Sun go down… Hale Kona Kai condo – Kona, Hawaii
-making breakfast every morning; granola, fresh papaya, and an omelette
-snorkeling with brilliant tropical fish
-sitting on a patio surrounded by coffee plants… while drinking the
coffee from the plants – Blue Horse Kona Farm near Captain Cook, Hawaii
-drinking beer at the Kona Brewing Company and eating pizza while
a mongoose mooches the table
-self guided tour at Greenwell Farms, surrounded by Avocado, Grapefruit, lemon
and breadfruit trees…
-drinking coffee at Island Lava Java on Alii Drive, Kona
-Eating shave ice at the North Shore of Oahu
-Eating at a Shrimp cart in Oahu
-Enjoying a plate lunch at a dodgy Honolulu bar and grill
-Eating a plate of nachos at Charters Marina pub next to the Illikai Marina, Waikiki
-Standing in line waiting to get into the Wailana Coffee House – a “Denny’s” on steroids,
4 times the size of our Denny’s talking to Canadian snow birds from Swift Current, Saskatchewan
-Watching a tropical thunderstorm
-Flashing the shaka hand gesture at a complete stranger
-Waikiki trolley tour… pretty much any part of it.
-Walking Bishop’s museum, Honolulu
and my favorite…
-Finding Andrea 13 minutes after getting lost in downtown Waikiki…
Moderately terrifying, but a satisfying reunion.
Fall Colors Canadian Style - 2010 Olympic rant #21 etc · 28 October 2008 by colin newell
Was sipping an amazing cup of Level Ground Trading coffee today with my boys… my boys being retired Math profs, engineers, gardeners and fellow techies.
The mug of choice today was Tanzanian Mbeya – it is a dark roast that resonates with dark chocolate notes, vanilla and mystery. For the last week or so I have been sampling coffee from a little known upstart roaster by the same of Peter Cross – and his stuff is amazing too.
Yea. I am heading into a new marathon of coffee tasting – broadening my horizons as fast as possible… because I was in a bit of a rut coffee wise. Anyway. Onwards.
So. It was between sips of delicious brew that one of my table mates uttered the unthinkable: “Colin… did you know that VANOC just raised RAISED no less the number of tickets available to the general public to 30% of tickets!?”
He continued, “I would have thought that all of the tickets would have been available to the general public…”
His comments were unexpected… and like that feeling you get when you wake up from a really restful dream… only to realize that you are still living in a flawed World… it hits you.
And that is when I offered… “The Olympics were never intended for you and me. The Olympics were originally created to entertain royalty and the elite – and on some level they still are. I mean, look at the IOC in general. It is populated with Princes and big-wig international players, industrialists and the like. The IOC does not have average people working for it.” Not for average people. Never was. Never will be. And since it has become entirely about making money for VISA and McDonalds and lining the pockets of those lucky enough to get a piece of the action, it is about us even less.
I reminded my coffee mate that VANOC, save for one member, consists entirely of developers and industrialists who gain to really profit from all the construction and land grabs. Do more people need a wake-up call about the great big Olympic lie?
Obviously yes.
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Summer food fun and drink - black hole swallow internet · 9 September 2008 by colin newell
Scientists at the European Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) plan to smash particle beams together at close to the speed of light to create mini-versions of the explosion believed to have triggered the birth of the cosmos.
Not quite like cloning Dolly the sheep… but curious none the less.
So. Tomorrow. The World might end with a giant Moob
Moob. That is the opposite of… well, you know.
A black hole, in theory, has such intense gravity that matter can move into it approaching the speed of light.
Such things actually exist in the Universe. At a great distance from us, thank heavens.
Mini-Moobs, like White Dwarves exist within 10 light years. 8.6 Light years actually.
While not as crazy as Black Holes, the White Dwarf is pretty intense from a physics point of view – a couple of square inches of material from a W.D. weighs in at over a ton. A couple of square inches of a black hole weighs in at… well, actually… pretty close to infinite weight. Help me Jenny Craig, help me!
So. Cosmologists think an explosion of an object the size of a Canadian nickel occurred about 13.7 billion years ago and led to the formation of all matter. Stockwell Day would argue 3000 years ago – but that is another matter. Get it? Matter?
Never mind.
Some critics say the experiment will create “black holes” of intense gravity that could implode the Earth, or that it will open the way for beings from another universe to invade through a “worm hole” in space-time. Cool. When they come through the gate, I will be waiting with my phaser…
And that bad boy won’t be set to stun I promise you.
Anyway. Have a nice day.
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