Oh Damn, not another hobby... · Wednesday January 24, 2007 by colin newell
There aren’t too many Christmas gifts that make me light up like a…
well, you know.
My sister-in-law and brother-in-law bought me one of these for the holidays.
And I curse their names every hour of every day…
that I am playing with it.
I mean, if you know me, you know that I have one too many hobbies.
One too many.
This one actually takes the cake though. It looks simple enough but it demands 100% of your attention to keep it in the air and out of your hair.
The Micro-Mosquito coaxial helicopter is a lot of fun. There are online forums dedicated to the discussion and dissection of this toy.
Alas, I have almost moved on to this website
located in Canada no less.
I have my eye on a tricked out Nitro Raptor with a Futaba radio, tight damping and all metal swash-plate…
whatever the heck that is…
Gift givers – I curse your name!
Rankin Family live in Victoria - a short concert review · Wednesday January 17, 2007 by colin newell
Ok. I love the Rankin Family. From the moment I saw them on stage in Victoria in the mid-nineties, I knew that the Rankin Family were the real deal.
I bought all the albums. Still play them.
It was with much rejoicing that I had the chance to see them on the first leg of their reunion tour.
Apparently I was not the first in line to buy tickets. I think I waited a week.
As a result, our seats were up in the ceiling somewhere.
No problem. The Royal Theatre in Victoria is designed in such a way that there are no bad seats. It is true. There are none.
This concert was to be stop 3 for the Rankins – Nanaimo was the first. I think they had two gigs up there.
Because of the loss of a sister in Calgary, they attended the funeral and cancelled the first 2 of the concert dates.
Victoria B.C. was stop one for the Rankin’s 22-city tour.
Some details:
Tragedy struck their family a week ago when one of the Rankins died in Calgary. The Rankins are a large family – Raylene, John Morris, Jimmy, Cookie and Heather, began touring together professionally in 1989. But they are 4 of 12 kids. On September 17, 1999, the band officially broke up to pursue their separate careers and lives. One of the anchors of the band, John Morris Rankin, died in a car accident on January 16, 2000.
Anyway – back to the show.
With our luck (of 1500 seats in the Royal Theatre) we were seated directly in front of a row of young, ex-Pat Cape Breton trailer trash – they were pumped, half-drunk and ready to party.
Now, do not get me wrong. I like to party. Really. At concerts, I get crazy.
But correct me if I am wrong, but I think you have to sing and scream when the band is actually playing.
I did turn around and glare a couple of times at Trailer Park Boy behind me after he yelled: “I lav youa Jammmy!” one too many times. These are the worse kinds of concert goers.
Anyway. The Rankins kicked ass. After a slow start (they seemed road weary or grief weary and this was stop #1!) they wound the audience and themselves into a Celtic-Breton frenzy.
They played the new stuff. They played the old stuff. They trotted out some new Rankin talent; John Morris Rankins surviving teenage daughter – a crack step dance and fiddle player. She sang once. It was rough, but the Rankin magic is in her voice and blood. Ah. Just like old times.
Welcome back Rankins!
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More attacks on freedom... · Sunday January 14, 2007 by colin newell
The Conservative government has announced plans to institute a no-fly list to bolster aircraft security.
The Passenger Protect program will require all passengers to show a government-issued ID to board commercial flights by 2007.
Photo left: None other than JetSki riding Stockwell Day who is our trusted Public Safety Minister.
“Recent events such as the alleged terror plot in the United Kingdom highlight the importance of a program like Passenger Protect,” Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said Friday. “We must remember that Canada is not immune to the threat of terrorism and we must remain vigilant.”
The creation of the “specified persons list” will be made according to guidelines focused on aviation security, and include:
* Individuals who are or have been involved in a terrorist group, and who, it can reasonably be suspected, will endanger the security of any aircraft or the safety of the public, passengers or crew. * Individuals who have been convicted of one or more serious and life-threatening crimes against aviation security. * Individuals who have been convicted of one or more serious and life-threatening offences.Passengers will need one piece of government-issued photo identification that shows name, date of birth and gender — such as a driver’s licence or a passport — or two pieces of non-photo government ID, with at least one piece showing name, date of birth and gender. link
Why is this happening? Well. America (Right-wing corporate and Christian America) wants it to happen. The Canadian government moves lock-step in whatever whim the American government might be feeling at the time.
Unfortunate enough to end up on the no-fly list by mistake?
You can apply to the Canada Office of Reconsideration
Good God! Does that not sound scary?
It should. The rights and freedoms of all Canadians are under attack.
And the more people that clue into this the better!
Wake up everyone. Here. Have a coffee!
Yoga in schools - Don't give Satan a break! · Thursday January 11, 2007 by colin newell
Parents in the small rural area of Quesnel in BC’s interior are upset that their school has introduced yoga as part of physical activity classes. Parents feel that yoga is a religion and shouldn’t be taught in schools, but educators counter that it is no such thing, but rather that it is only stretching.
Local rancher Audrey Cummings doesn’t believe Christian children should be doing yoga at all. “There’s God and there’s the devil, and the devil’s not a gentleman. If you give him any kind of an opening, he will take that.”
While yoga may contain elements of eastern religions, it is not a religious practice. Yoga moves are simply exercises and stretches that include elements of philosophy that attempt to connect the individual back with their body.
A school program to fight childhood obesity that includes yoga is drawing complaints from some Christian parents in the area.
They say yoga is a religion, and shouldn’t be taught in public schools.
Chelsea Brears, who has two children in the school system, said her son was asked to do different poses and “to put his hands together.”
Brears, a Christian, said she doesn’t want her children exposed to another religion during class time.
I have been doing some basic Yoga for years. I used to suffer from Tall Skinny Man Syndrome (yes, I made that syndrome up!) and I have not suffered from one twinge of back pain since I started…
Nor have I been drawn to Satan… I mean…
anymore than usual!
Yes, I do some of the basics from the various Yoga books I have.
No, I know nothing of any of the basic Yoga teachings or Sutras
I figure – in a World dominated by junk food, television and general slothfulness, anything that gives kids a leg-up in the battle against obesity is a good thing.
