weapons grade stupid on a monday morning:

from the letters section of our National Post, a slightly schizophrenic paper in which some days it veers hard right, then other days hard left.

the writer states that the US should absolutely NOT tax oil and gas to get out of the red, because they have plenty of oil in their natural reserves that the meanie peanie eco terrorists won't let anyone drill for, and that subsidies for alternative energy should be stopped because alternative energy never did nuthin for national security and defense.

1. has she heard of the massive BP spill slopping up on all the delicate ecosystems currently?
2. National security of a country like going to war to in essence, protect resource assets in oil rich countries instead of people? pshaw, that couldn't happen.

The brain, she is not ready for this level of "OMFG you fucknut" on a monday morn.

**

Yesterday went to the small, but brightly orange "go green, go dutch, go bike" and found the bike of my dreams. Alas had to leave it there. decent turnout for what was a very underpromoted event.

A small child was wandering at one of the entrances to Nathan Phillips Square, crying her heart out. couldn't have been more than 3, and we kinda laughed and said "oh, you don't need to recycle children!" as she was near a green bin. Then when no parent was seen rushing forth, we stopped and looked around. As did others. What to do? She's lost, she likely can't speak much of english or anything else, and she's upset.

So more and more of us are stopping to look around for mom and dad, or mom or parental figure and kid bolts towards treacherously busy Queen St. There were no police around, oddly, there's always one hanging about it seems.

And kiddo doesn't get to run into traffic but is apparently picked up and assisted. I don't have reason to believe it was an abductor, but a samaritan or her parents but she sure had attention. People stopped to look out and though we didn't react instantly, sometimes it happens pretty fast and you're trying to suss out the situation.

Anyone who says a city's no place to raise a child and far suburbia's all you should even think of,well, i see it differently. No one was going to harm the child or let her come to harm.

We checked out the "Doors Open Toronto" where normally off limits to the public spaces are opened up. Its something I've noticed here, a sense of city, not as a sense of people who live in kits don't talk to those in shaugnessy, who don't associate with those in West Van, and so on. There's more of a cohesive city-feel to this place and throwing open the doors was awesome.

Never mind that between Nathan Phillips Square and Yonge-Dundas Square, it's a city that encourages people to get out and DO things, where Vancouver really only ever had the steps and back lawn of the Art Gallery and maybe Robson square, which wasn't really utilized all that much in the time i was there, aside from protesters and the occasional event.

The heat got to me, and I sent R off to the Elgin Theatre while I browsed at the bookstore, however we totally mis-connected after and phones dead, I was there almost a full hour past when he'd swung by. Grah~!

***
for the 3m trip, i think i'll aim for every other weekend on the trips to London, Prague, and such, and alternate that with weekends in the country. Easyjet will get me around nicely.

I may buy the bike of my dreams there, ( cheaper there by around 300 bucks than buying here) use it for part of my transport needs, then haul it back here. Still cheaper, and offsets some travel cost and one hell of a souvenir, no?

in a few weeks I'll buy a cheapy and start riding in the city.

weapons grade stupid on a monday morning:

from the letters section of our National Post, a slightly schizophrenic paper in which some days it veers hard right, then other days hard left.

the writer states that the US should absolutely NOT tax oil and gas to get out of the red, because they have plenty of oil in their natural reserves that the meanie peanie eco terrorists won't let anyone drill for, and that subsidies for alternative energy should be stopped because alternative energy never did nuthin for national security and defense.

1. has she heard of the massive BP spill slopping up on all the delicate ecosystems currently?
2. National security of a country like going to war to in essence, protect resource assets in oil rich countries instead of people? pshaw, that couldn't happen.

The brain, she is not ready for this level of "OMFG you fucknut" on a monday morn.

**

Yesterday went to the small, but brightly orange "go green, go dutch, go bike" and found the bike of my dreams. Alas had to leave it there. decent turnout for what was a very underpromoted event.

A small child was wandering at one of the entrances to Nathan Phillips Square, crying her heart out. couldn't have been more than 3, and we kinda laughed and said "oh, you don't need to recycle children!" as she was near a green bin. Then when no parent was seen rushing forth, we stopped and looked around. As did others. What to do? She's lost, she likely can't speak much of english or anything else, and she's upset.

So more and more of us are stopping to look around for mom and dad, or mom or parental figure and kid bolts towards treacherously busy Queen St. There were no police around, oddly, there's always one hanging about it seems.

And kiddo doesn't get to run into traffic but is apparently picked up and assisted. I don't have reason to believe it was an abductor, but a samaritan or her parents but she sure had attention. People stopped to look out and though we didn't react instantly, sometimes it happens pretty fast and you're trying to suss out the situation.

Anyone who says a city's no place to raise a child and far suburbia's all you should even think of,well, i see it differently. No one was going to harm the child or let her come to harm.

We checked out the "Doors Open Toronto" where normally off limits to the public spaces are opened up. Its something I've noticed here, a sense of city, not as a sense of people who live in kits don't talk to those in shaugnessy, who don't associate with those in West Van, and so on. There's more of a cohesive city-feel to this place and throwing open the doors was awesome.

Never mind that between Nathan Phillips Square and Yonge-Dundas Square, it's a city that encourages people to get out and DO things, where Vancouver really only ever had the steps and back lawn of the Art Gallery and maybe Robson square, which wasn't really utilized all that much in the time i was there, aside from protesters and the occasional event.

The heat got to me, and I sent R off to the Elgin Theatre while I browsed at the bookstore, however we totally mis-connected after and phones dead, I was there almost a full hour past when he'd swung by. Grah~!

***
for the 3m trip, i think i'll aim for every other weekend on the trips to London, Prague, and such, and alternate that with weekends in the country. Easyjet will get me around nicely.

I may buy the bike of my dreams there, ( cheaper there by around 300 bucks than buying here) use it for part of my transport needs, then haul it back here. Still cheaper, and offsets some travel cost and one hell of a souvenir, no?

in a few weeks I'll buy a cheapy and start riding in the city.