Fall Colors Canadian Style 2009 WBC Regionals Victoria results · Monday August 31, 2009 by colin newell
Results from Da Vinci center on Bay Street in Victoria B.C. Canada
1. Kyle Straw from Cafe Artigiano Vancouver 628 pts
2. Spencer V from JJ Bean Vancouver 624 pts
3. Derek Lucas from Buon Amicis Victoria 608.5 pts
4. Rob Kettner from Fernwood Victoria 599 pts
5. Ian from Habitat 474.5 pts
6. John Orn 465 pts
Seen in passing: Reg Barber with a mile wide smile, Logan Gray, John Riopka, Geir and Carsen Oglend, Sam Jones of 2% Jazz, Andrew Khoo of Khona Coffee, Curtis of Sounds Like Coffee, Paul Reimer of Disco, Sammy Piccolo at all times and in all places, Rob Kettner competing and kicking ass, Derek Lucas making the Victoria crew proud, Ken Gordon of Street Level looking as ultra-cool as anyone can, The ever friendly Oughtreds, inventor of the London Fog – Garreth of Canterbury Coffee, Mickey McLeod of Salt Spring Island Coffee, David Evans of The Stick looking taller still, Shane of HABIT looking slightly less tired than yesterday, Tristan Mapstone of DRUMROASTER being real, Mark Engels of Bubbyroses Bakery, Mark Prince with cameras around his neck, Ryan and Christie Taylor of Cafe Fantastico, my dear wife with a good book in her hand, Gina Lucas glowing with pride, and so on and so on…
More as I remember.
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Fall Colors Canadian Style 2009 WBC Da Vinci Hall duking kitties · Saturday August 29, 2009 by colin newell
Spent part of the day at the WBC Regional cham-peen-ships semi-finals (I guess) at the Da Vinci center over on Bay Street – all the best of the best and the big playa’s in the bidness were there; Geir Oglend, Reg Barber, Sam Jones, Dave Evans (Stickman), Ryan Taylor, Derek of Buon Amici’s coffee, some of the fine folks at Discovery, cats from Street Level Espresso, the Oughtreds, Khona Coffee people, Chris from Machines N Beans, Gareth from Canterbury, and many many more…
Barista’s came from far and wide, one gal from Whitehorse in the Yukon gave her all. Some pictures over here – Back tomorrow for more of the great caffeine powered excitement.
Driving home and coming up to our shack on Belmont avenue, noticed the two elderly street cats – their combined ages about 126 in pussy years.
One cat had the other cat pinned to the sidewalk – pinned not really being a good word… smurfed more like it… the one cat on top using gravity and a passing breeze to its full advantage. Can imagine the conversation if translated…
“Jake, I have had enough of your sassing me all the time… say Give!”
“Noooooo… Owwwwww… Meowwwwwww.. Never jimmy… nevvvvvvverrrr-eowwww…”
I think they moved a total of 1cm in the 2 minutes I was watching in rapt boredom.
Fall Colors Canadian Style 2009 Saying good-bye to the Fast Cat Ferries · Wednesday August 26, 2009 by colin newell
Two things bad happened to the province of British Columbia in the last 17 years; the NDP and the Liberal parties. Two completely polarized parties – one neo-conservative and the other… root vegetable digging, gumboot wearing social workers and elementary school teachers all rolled into one big red suit.
The PacifiCat fast ferries, the products of one of British Columbia’s most controversial NDP mega-projects, have been sold to Washngton Marine Group who plans to export them to Dubai.
The Washington Marine Group, which bought the aluminum catamaran-style ferries at auction in March 2003, said yesterday that it has sold the three vessels to a firm called Mar. Note the lower of the 2 photos.
The ships, built between 1999 and 2000, were mothballed by the provincial government in 2001 after fairly successful tests on British Columbia’s coastal waters.
Abu Dhabi MAR’s website says the company is a builder of huge yachts, based in the United Arab Emirates. Its most recent achievements appear to be the conversion of two Dutch-built warships into two of the largest super-yachts ever built, 139.5 and 133.5 metres in length. Yachts. For rich folks. That we built. Nice.
Click on the little image above and above for the big image and weep.
Link to my photo in the Times Colonist here… 3 from the left.
Fall Colors Canadian Style 2009 Surprises from the B.C. throne speech · Tuesday August 25, 2009 by colin newell
An empty-pocketed B.C. government said in its speech from the throne Tuesday that it will get its health authorities, boards of education and Crown corporations under the microscope… in an concerted effort to find cost savings.
Gotta pay for the 2010 Olympics somehow…
“Shrinking revenues will by necessitate curbing our discretionary spending,” the government said. “Our fiscal cupboard is bare and currently hangs on a wall of deficit spending.”
F*cking ha, f*cking ha, f*cking ha ha.
Let’s look at how the Liberals have tightened their belts the last few years…
- Gordon Campbell gave himself a hefty 54 percent raise in 2007, and under his watch, CEO’s of crown corporations have seen their compensation skyrocket by as much as 166 per cent. Nice. Appropriate. Responsible.
- Gordon Campbell gave his deputy ministers a hefty pay raise in 2001 and another in 2006, promising not to do it again for four more years.
- Broke his promise two years later, giving his deputy ministers another raise and opening the door for an increase of up to 43 per cent in 2008.
- In February 2008, the public winced when Campbell’s TransLink board voted themselves a 500 percent pay raise. Have to attract good people.
- A few weeks later, the premier’s BC Ferries commandants received an increase of up to 60 percent — on April 1, 2008 – the same day ferry fares were increased for British Columbia residents.
- In 2008, more than 50,000 British Columbia residents worked for minimum wage or less. We need to attract good help after all.
- Since 2001, Campbell has raised the salaries of deputy ministers three times.
Lying f*cking bastards.
Gotta pay for the 2010 Olympics somehow.
The upside was the announcement that cell phone use while driving might be banned in British Columbia. The downside: The ill conceived and poorly received harmonized sales tax concept is probably a done deal.
Lot’s of luck with the recall folks.
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