4 cents?
Well, a new federal budget was recently handed down. And Stephen Harper and his Conservatives are planning to support it. Why? Because it includes "tax breaks for Canadians".
Tax breaks that work out to 4 cents a day.
4 CENTS?
How is that "conservative"? With billions of dollars being poured into a useless Kyoto Accord, and billions more for a "national child-care registry" that is a complete and utterly useless waste of time (especially when they are ignoring a survey that shows that the majority of Canadians do NOT want this) - yeah, the Liberals really are a bunch of "old, white guys" as Rona Ambrose so eloquently put it. The problem is, the conservatives supporting them are just as bad for not demanding a larger tax break.
4 cents. What good does that do me? I drop 4 pennies on the street, and i wouldn't even bother to pick them up.
Thank you Paul Martin.
Doctor Phobia
I don't really like the doctor. I like my dentist - he's never, ever given me a piece of bad news. No cavities, etc. But the doctor always gives bad news. Or at least a form of bad news.
This next part might be a bit gross.
As many of you know, I've had a sore toe for quite a while. I finally decided to get it looked at. Well, turns out I have a bad ingrown toenail, and the doc is going to have to remove it. It'll feel alot better when it's gone, and i'm looking forward to that, but the process is "interesting".
He's going to freeze my foot, then take a pair of scissors and cut right through the middle of my toenail, under the cuticle. Then he pulls that out (about half of my toenail). Then, he cuts away all the extra tissue, packs it up, and away I go. He said that I probably won't want to watch (I assume there will be a fair amount of blood?) but I won't feel it. That said, I've already stubbed that toe several times, and it REALLY hurt, so anything to get rid of it would be nice.
I really appreciate what doctors do - I can't imagine how they do it. I'm just glad I don't have to.
Quote of the Day: "I might have made a tactical error not going to a physician for 20 years. It was one of those phobias that didn't pay off." - Warren Zevon, discussing the progression of his illness with David Letterman.
Although I didn't wait 20 years, I should have done this a while ago. Would have saved myself some unecessary pain.
From An Internet Cafe In Montreal
Well, Im typing on a French keyboard in montreal and it is really frustrating to type, so im keeping this short. the lack of punctuation is from the keyboard, not me.
The hostel is really nice, people have been very friendly here. weve been stopped about 4 times already with people asking us for directions, and of course have been quite happy to tell them that we je ne parle francais. Which is apparently bad grammar, but thats the best thats going to come from me.
We ate at a place that is co-owned by Sam Roberts younger brother. that was pretty cool - and the food was good, in large quantities, and the atmosphere was neat. reasonably priced too.
we are off to see a comedian tonight at a small comedy club. downtown montreal is really neat and crazy. lots of weird drivers. it has been very nice, however, to have people speak english - with the exception of our roomate at the hostel. hes from the usa, but speaks only french. its kinda weird. hes kinda weird too, but thats another longer story.
anyways, this keyboard is really getting to me, and i apologize again for the lack of reasonable punctuation and capitalization. too frustrating. were going to some crazy church tomorrow that titus doesnèt think ill like, but im going anyways (arent i good) and then for some jazz with some friends. always nice to see friends from far away.
monday should be more of the same. ill try to post again later this weekend, that is, if i can find a keyboard that is reasonable. the keyboard definetely fails the reasonable man test. and the messenger here at the cafe doesnèt work either. i think we need a new internet cafe.
oh yeah. and the drive was REALLY boring. so boring, in fact, that we ended up talking about how boring the drive was. titus said it was like the prairies with a couple of dead trees here and there. and that was about right. but were here now. and montreal rocks.
even if it is -22. i wouldnt mind a little bit of calgary weather - anyone who wants to dial up a chinook right about now - id appreciate it.
have fun in london without me - ill try to have the same in montreal without all of you!
Music of the Day - and Clarification
I forgot.
As weird as this sounds, I've found a country song that I really like.
"Alberta Bound" by Paul Brandt.
Pretty good. Very good. This is not a radical shift in my musical tastes, but rather just I've found a song I like. Thank you to Justin for recommending it.
And just as a point of clarification, several posts below there was an extended conversation on this blog between a certain "Trish" and myself. I can guarantee everyone out there that there is no new girl in my life. Rather, an enterprising law student who enjoys making jokes/comments on this blog. And that law student happens to be male. I'll just leave it at that.
Fridays in Tax Class
Well, yesterday was the Thursday rant - today, the Friday. A 12-3 tax class is really not my ideal way to spend a Friday afternoon, but I'm off to Montreal tomorrow morning. Should be an experience.
Edgar (tax prof) has this really annoying habit of adding the word "right" to the end of all of his sentences. I guess it means "you agree with that" or something like that. And now he's currently writing out all kinds of unreadable stuff on the board. Oh well.
Quote of the Day: "Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and unguided men." - Martin Luther King Jr.
We've always had unguided men, so the quote doesn't make perfect sense. But it is an interesting comment on society.
Thursdays
Thursdays are an interesting day of the week. Definetely a quiet day at law school - in both of my classes, attendance is lower than it has been any other so far this week. Normally Mondays and Fridays are the dead days - if today was this bad, I can't imagine how bad it will be tomorrow. And tomorrow is tax class - which is so dreadfully boring, I don't even want to talk about it.
It's also just a weird day. Over the hump day, so on the way to the weekend (which is going to be a fun one in Montreal) - but it's a long day. And my classes have been really interesting. Which just makes this all the weirder.
I'm thinking that it's high time for another reading week. And yes, I just had one 2 weeks ago. But I still could use another one.
I've been working on creating playlists off of iTunes for my trip to Montreal. Any suggestions - post away. I've really been enjoying Jars of Clay recently - have to be one of my favourite bands all time. I don't think I know a band with better lyricists. That includes U2 - Jars is better.
Quote of the Day: "I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals." - Sir Winston Churchill
For some reason, this quote makes me think that if all humanity was made up of pigs, the world would be a much nicer place.
Taxes, Taxes, Taxes
So today is the first day that the Income Tax NETFILE service is open. I'm all getting ready to fill out the forms, and get my money back.
But I realized that I haven't recieved all my tax forms yet, and thus cannot file my tax return. ARGH. Not very thrilled about that. The government has a lot of my money, and I can't get it back yet because certain places that I need tax forms from have not gotten them to me! Not to mention the fact that we are grossly overtaxed ANYWAYS.
Not very happy this morning. Or afternoon, or whatever it is.
NHL Lockout - Final Edition
Well, it’s finally over. The NHL season is really, truly done this time. After 5 months of hearing about it, it looks like we won’t have to hear any more for a while. At least until Tuesday – when another Canadian Press journalist decides to throw together another story about how this could have been the Leafs year (wow – it has been so refreshing not to have to listen to constant stories here in Toronto-mad SW Ontario about how the Leafs are finally going to put it together this year…blah, blah, blah).
Although it seems that a significant number of Canadians don’t care at all about the lack of NHL hockey, I still do – in the extent that I like to watch high-quality hockey. The OHL is good – and I enjoy following the Knights, but they are not professionals. The European leagues? Watered down with too many “former NHLers” (like Hnat Domenicelli) or players whom were NEVER good enough for the NHL. More on these guys later.
So we essentially have a situation now in the NHL that the owners want a salary cap – a way to link player salaries to revenues; and the players refuse to play for that. There are other issues, but this is the chief one.
I don’t totally understand why the owners need a system where they can protect themselves from eachother. Basically, make it so equal that nobody can overbid eachother. No dynasties, no super teams – just everyone on the same level with the same chance of making the playoffs and winning the Stanley Cup.
But if the owners can’t pay the salaries – then DON’T. If the franchises are not profitable? Then fold the franchise. The talent pool is already stretched too thin.
But here’s where the problem is. Gary Bettman wants to see hockey loved and cherished everywhere in the USA – from Buffalo, to Phoenix. Newsflash Gary. People go to Arizona to AVOID the snow/ice, not to go watch people play on it.
And Gary really is the biggest problem here. He’s managed to:
a) Lock out the NHL players (and have the majority of the public hate the players, and think the players are holding out for more money)
b) Convince the owners that by the end of this that the fans will flock back – to see replacement players (namely, the guys who weren’t good enough for the NHL to begin with)
c) Blame the union for being unreasonable and “not negotiating”
There’s a problem. Gary’s not negotiating. He keeps presenting the exactly the same idea – even though he dresses it up as a compromise. His hardcap is not a compromise. It’s an ultimatum. The players have agreed to a luxury tax – basically a system where you can spend money if you want, but it’ll cost you and go to help the weak franchises – and a massive 24% salary cutback. That’s a compromise.
An analogy. If you were in a contract for employment that was paying you 100,000 a year, for 5 years – and your employer locked you out until you agreed to a salary cap much lower than your salary, would you take it? Would you offer 24% of your salary back? Not likely.
The other thing that really bothers me is when people start yappering about how the players are just greedy and holding out for more money. Question for you guys:
What do you think the owners motive is?
Well, sorry, but its not all about lowering ticket prices and making a better product. And it’s not about looking out for the fans. And its not about creating winning teams (most of them, anyways). I’ve got it here.
The NHL owner’s motive: to make as much money as possible. Cheaper players mean more money, mean bigger profits – mean bigger cars for the owners.
So WHY is it that the millionaires (NHL Players) are called the greedy ones, and the billionaires (NHL Owners) are the good saviours of the NHL?
I really don’t understand that.
Not to say the players aren’t at fault at all. But they have made concessions, and the owners haven’t made anything significant.
I agree with the players. But the bottom line, I just want to see hockey back. Movie Night in Canada just isn’t doing it for me. Get the professional’s back – contract some teams if necessary – up to 10.
And hopefully someone will get hit by lightning in the next few hours – like Bettman – and he’ll realize he’s got a great offer by the NHLPA, and we should start next week with that offer.
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3 Interesting Websites on the Issue:
Article 1Article 2Article 3
Frost Week
Just wanted to post this so all you law nuts out there reading this thing will have this piece of information.
CLF is having our second party this Saturday (as in tomorrow) to kick off the new term. Should be a good time with lots of food, games, etc., etc. And a good chance to meet some new people - or see some old friends.
So if you're in law school and reading this and would like to come out, email/call me, and I'll give you the details.
One more thing...
See the new poll. I've got a couple blog ideas coming up, but they take time to write. So stay tuned - these will be decent ones with actual ideas - rather than just random ramblings about my life.
Music of the Day: Let Me Go, by 3 Doors Down
You must have known it was coming. Their new CD (out Tuesday) looks/sounds great, and the single is very good. If anyone wants to buy the CD for me, I'd appreciate it. Look up my wishlist on amazon.ca - it's there.
Term 2!
Well, the second term has begun. I've had at least 1 lecture of each class. Here's the rundown.
Income Tax:
Edgar is quite the interesting guy. Quite the VERY interesting guy. He likes to mutter into his hand while he's lecturing, which can make him more than a little difficult to understand. But that's part of it. He moves at a fairly relaxed pace, which is nice. The topic itself seems rather dry, but its mandatory, so I suppose I'll have to plug through it.
Evidence:
Other than the fact that my prof foams at the mouth (no joke), Syd is a decent prof. Seems to move at a fair pace, makes it interesting - although he can be a little bit all over the map. The topic is okay - fairly interesting, so far. And the reading seems manageable, which is always good.
Real Estate Transactions:
I really like this class. The prof is great (a practitioner, so he's more practically oriented). The material is really interesting. Most people are going to think I'm nuts, because everyone else seems to indicate its boring, but I've really, really enjoyed every minute so far. The material is all very practical so far, and it makes lots of sense - really clear and organized.
Calgary Trip Omission
Yes. I forgot to mention a chief part of my Calgary trip. On Monday, I was lucky enough to hang out with my good friend Justin, who calls Calgary home. He showed me how the homeless shelter (which looks like a hotel) was attached to a liquor store - "Beer Land". Oh, the irony.
And I was also introduced to the famous Mr. Magoo - a 185 pound Newfoundland dog. The thing is massive - I've seen smaller black bears at the zoo. Pretty neat dog - I think I'll get one someday.
ALBERTA! (Part 2)
Banff.
So here’s the continuation of yesterday – the Calgary portion of the Alberta trip.
CALGARY
Sunday, January 30, 2005
The drive from Edmonton to Calgary was cool. We stopped in Red Deer – there’s definitely really just 2 cities in Alberta – Calgary and Edmonton.
Headed out to Chinatown for supper on Sunday night – authentic Chinese – a first for me. Great food, it was pretty neat to see all the different traditions/customs they have. The meals in Calgary were definitely a high point of the trip – great food, great times.
Monday, January 31, 2005
Out in Banff for the first time in my life – spent the day walking around, getting lost, finding our way back again, etc., etc. Unfortunately, my pictures were largely washed out, but we did manage to get a few decent shots. The Banff Springs Hotel was beautiful – although any place that costs upwards of $1000 a night must be pretty darn good.
Supper was back at the Eng’s – again, great food.
Tuesday, February 1, 2005
Skiing at Canada Olympic Park. Previously, my skiing experience had been limited to Boler Mountain (or Boler Garbage Dump). This was a bit of a step up. Lots of fun – I had forgotten how tiring skiing can be.
And Alberta beef is good. Especially in large quantities. Very, very good.
Wednesday, February 2, 2005
Dim Sum for lunch, and then the flight home. The large quantities of Chinese food helped make the trip great.
Super Bowl Pick
Well, I've been doing well so far, so we'll put it on the line again.
Straight Up - Patriots. Against the Spread - Patriots.
Final Score: Patriots 27, Eagles 17.
Super Bowl MVP: Tom Brady.
ALBERTA! (Part 1)
CLF Law Student Conference Attendees
Well, I’m back from Alberta – which I have affectionately dubbed the “redneck” province in previous posts. In no way was this derogatory – I loved the province – but it was kinda funny to see stores such as “Beer Land” and the “OK Liquor Store”. Yay for privatization of liquor, I suppose.
Here’s the synopsis.
EDMONTON
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Flew out of London at 7:50 am, arrived in Edmonton at 12:30 pm Mountain Time, after a 1.5 hour layover in Calgary. Met up with a friend (Andrew) I had met at the last CLF conference (from U of T) and myself, Melodie (from Western) and Andrew went off for a walk down Whyte Ave (or 82nd Street. The street names out west are all numbered and organized – in other words, 1 block north of 82nd Street is 83rd Street. It’s a good system). Whyte is more or less equivalent to Richmond Row in London, at least the parts we were on.
During the evening we went to a “Defend Marriage” convention, where we heard various politicians, lawyers, etc. speak in support of the traditional definition of marriage, and heard about the upcoming Parliamentary vote. It was the first of many free meals over the weekend, which are always nice.
Friday, January 28, 2005
Registered for the conference at around 10am, with the first event a pizza lunch (free again) with Father Raymond D’Souza – who writes routinely for the National Post, and is also the chaplain of Queen’s University. Incredibly articulate, and extensively educated, it was great to hear him talk for an hour about the Charter, and how that related to the ongoing same-sex debate.
In the afternoon, we had a Q&A with Father D’Souza, followed by a session about balancing family life and the legal profession.
Supper was at Earl’s – a popular restaurant out west (an Ontarian equivalent would be a Kelsey’s or an East Side Mario’s) – and a restaurant I would like to frequent more often. The food was great, even if the service was a bit slow. This was the first meal I actually had to pay for.
In the evening, we had a praise and worship/prayer time with the PAOC chaplain at the U of A, which was phenomenal. The worship time was great, the prayer was encouraging and it was one of the highlights of the weekend.
Saturday, January 29, 2005
The morning began with another panel of various lawyers, including David Brown and Barry Bussey – who both spoke in the SCC on the Marriage Reference, and a prosecutor with the DOJ in Edmonton. This was pretty much par for the course for the whole weekend, most of the sessions were various panels with various lawyers and it was fairly loose and free.
We headed off to the West Edmonton Mall for the afternoon – which started with lunch at Tony Roma’s. Another surprise – David Brown, who had come out with us for lunch, surprisingly picked up the tab, walked out, and none of us knew he had done it. I was fortunate enough to sit beside him at lunch and conversation continued about the integration of morality and law, and “should the church butt out” – a recent National Post headline. Great time.
We then ventured into “GalaxyLand” – the amusement park at West Edmonton Mall. It was great – they have a fantastic roller coaster there – one of the better ones I’ve ever been on – inside a mall. Pretty neat. And yes, there will be lots of pictures in the coming days from the trip.
The evening concluded with a banquet at the Telus Centre at the U of A, where I was again fortunate enough to sit at the “All-Star table” with the keynote speaker – MP David Kilgour, and Judge Riemer from the Superior Court of Alberta, and Barry Bussey (see above). The food was good – Kilgour’s talk left a little to be desired, but wasn’t bad, and it was encouraging to hear some of his story through a rough career.
We then returned to the law school where we chatted for the next 2 hours or so, just hanging out – talking about future conferences, etc. Next year’s CLF Law Student Conference will be hosted by Western, and so planning for that will be beginning soon.
Around 1130, a bunch of us headed back to Whyte Ave, where we found a Second Cup and hung out there for a couple hours. I was lucky enough to chat with a Western alumnus who is now a tax litigator for the DOJ in Edmonton. She managed to make tax sound interesting, but somehow I can’t see myself ending up there.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Got to hear Philip Yancey in the morning – first time I have heard him before – he’s quite the funny guy. Headed out to Denny’s for breakfast after that – again, none in London. Great food – and lots of it – especially for breakfast. And again, I was lucky enough to sit with Judge Riemer, and he picked up the tab. It was really great to sit with Judge Riemer and chat about his experiences - anyone with 20 years experience on the bench has lots of advice, and lots of good advice.
We then headed to Calgary, which I’ll blog about tomorrow.
