Air Canada Aeroplan vs United Mileage Plus

Take a look at the following bullshit. For years I have collected Aeroplan miles only on my CIBC gold VISA. (i am a United Mileage plus 1K member). So I am flying my parents down to LA and back in November and I decide to try and book with Aeroplan because the dates dont matter and they are usually incredibly hard to get flights with. Take a look at this ridiculous surcharge overview that AirCanada have presented me with...

See below for a direct comparison of the EXACT SAME routing 1st using Aeroplan, second using MileagePlus from United.

Aeroplan:
50,000 miles + USD$297!!! in taxes and fees for 2 roundtrip tickets

United Mileage Plus
50,000 miles + USD$85 in taxes and fees.


Aeroplan Options:


Review your itinerary DEPARTING


Vancouver (YVR) To Los Angeles (LAX)

Departs: 17:55

Arrives: 20:42

Stops: 0Tue Nov 9, 2010

Same day

Duration: 2h 47min Aircraft: E90

Meal: Available for purchase Flight#: AC558 Economy Total travel time: 2h 47min

RETURNING

Los Angeles (LAX) To Vancouver (YVR)

Departs: 07:00

Arrives: 09:48

Stops: 0Tue Dec 14, 2010

Same day

Duration: 2h 48min Aircraft: E90

Meal: Available for purchase Flight#: AC551 Economy Total travel time: 2h 48min .


Aeroplan Miles Required 50 000

2 Adults - ClassicFlight Reward - Economy




Total airport taxes, fees and surcharges (USD) $297.20 Airport taxes, fees, and surcharges will appear on your credit card statement as an Air Canada charge and will display your ticket number.





Adult(s)


Fuel Surcharge $51.60
Canada Goods And Service Tax $3.90
NAV Canada - Air Navigation Services $14.40
U.S Agriculture Fee $5.00
U.S Immigration User Fee $7.00
Canada Domestic/International Airport Improvement Fee $14.30
Canada Harmonized Sales Tax $1.70
U.S. International Transportation Tax $32.20
Canada Domestic/International Air Travel Security Charge $11.50
U.S. Passenger Safety Fee $2.50
U.S Passenger Facility Charge $4.50

Total airport taxes, fees and surcharges per passenger $148.60
Total passengers 2 Total airport taxes, fees and surcharges per passenger type $297.20

Grand total (USD) $297.20
 
 
 
 
Here;s the exact same routing with my United Mileage Plus Account:
 
Total fees USD$85 (for both!!!)
 
 
 
Flight info+ Flight details


Vancouver, BC (YVR) Los Angeles, CA (LAX)

Flight Depart Arrive Cabin

United 6894

Operated by: United Express/skywest Airlines YVR 01:16 PM

Tue, Nov 9, 2010 LAX 04:16 PM

Tue, Nov 9, 2010

Economy (XY)

Explus

Equipment: CR7
Duration: 3h
Non-stop
Fare code: XY

Traveled miles: 1081
No Meal Service



Flight details


1081 miles traveled

Economy

0 Award miles

Availability



Los Angeles, CA (LAX) Vancouver, BC (YVR)

Flight Depart Arrive Cabin

United 6894

Operated by: United Express/skywest Airlines LAX 09:40 AM

Tue, Dec 14, 2010 YVR 12:36 PM

Tue, Dec 14, 2010

Economy (XY)

Explus

Equipment: CR7
Duration: 2h 56m
Non-stop
Fare code: XY

Traveled miles: 1081
No Meal Service



Flight details


1081 miles traveled

Economy

Availability






Award payment information

Your current redeemable mileage balance is 122,086

How would you like to pay? (Prices include all passengers.)



50,000 miles



Pricing informationPrice breakdown

Name Fare(s) Additional

taxes and fees Fare subtotal(s)

Passenger 1 25,000 miles 42.60 USD 25,000 miles + 42.60 USD

Passenger 2 25,000 miles 42.60 USD 25,000 miles + 42.60 USD



Ticket total: 50,000 miles + 85.20 USD

Kids whose parents have Blackberrys heckled and abused by kids whose parents have iphones

In a groundbreaking study, researchers have discovered that the children of parents who own Blackberry's are suffering abuse, verbal heckling and sometimes even violence at the hands of the kids whose parents have iphones.

"I think those parents who own Blackberry devices need to take a hard look at themselves and ask themselves what kind of impact are their selfish decisions having on their children." Dianne McDaniels, Director of Child Welfare Services for British Columbia. "I think it's a combination of poor judgement and selfishness really"

She went on to describe the many benefits of the iphone over the blackberry and urged parents to act responsibly when making smart phone choices. Children of parents with blackberrys where displaying above average levels of anxiety, frustration, lower concentration levels and were displaying higher general levels of animosity towards their classmates.

Downtown Eastside costs $1 million a day

Great report from last year on the effectiveness of funding in the DTE:

http://www2.canada.com/audit+urged+host+agencies+downtown+eastside/1295988/story.html?id=1295988



Can you believe $360M goes into that neighborhood from 3 levels of government every year...and it still looks like a warzone. thats nearly $1M a day, to support 5000 junkies, homeless and mental health patients!!! Imagine what could be done if you rounded up all of these various programs, charities, shelters and consolidated that spending into 1 special organization to tackle the problems.

I have been wondering about this myself for a long time. where the fuck is all that money going? to support the industry of the DTE, and all the support groups that want a piece of that pie...can you imagine how much of that money gets to the people that need it!

Oxford English scholar and novelist Richard Dawkins launches bid to get arrest warrant for The Pope

This is really great stuff, and it's come from Richard Dawkins who is currently assembling a team of lawyers in England to charge the Pope with "crimes against humanity" for his role in covering up the abuse of thousands of children world wide, and providing pedophile priests with amnesty and shelter.

Read the article here...


Lets start with Dawkins. Dawkins is a professor at Oxford University, (one of the best in the world) so he's no crackpot. He's an incredibly intelligent, and is an evolutionary biologist. He authored "The God Delusion", and I can't recommend this book enough. It's a fantastic read for anyone who believes that as atheists we should remain silent and let the atrocities of religion continue around us.

Anyway his charge is that the pope has enabled systematic widespread abuse of children throughout the catholic church, by silencing victims, covering up scandals, and protecting these fucking animal priests. and by many standards, Dawkins is absolutely spot on. Look at the way war criminals are prosecuted, all the way to the top. we need to take the same stance with the church, their ongoing assault against our most vulnerable citizens (our kids) has taken place on an international scale, in just about every single jurisdictions these fuckers exist in.

what baffles me are the sheep out there, who continue to put their children in harms way, and continue to attend church, putting money in the coffers of this abuse factory. it's time to bring down these velvet draped pedophiles, and expose the church for what it is...

Canadian criminal justice system lauded by criminals worldwide

Criminals worldwide are coming together to hail the Canadian criminal justice system as the best in the world. In a worldwide poll conducted by research firm Gartner Inc, 78% percent of criminals felt the Canadian system was superior to other G20 countries.

"In respect to the focus and respect for the perpetrator, and the amount of leniency and the short sentences, there isn't a better system in the world" claimed John Lee Gyzertistan, a felon serving a 25 year sentence in Folsom Prison, CA. "I'd love to be a criminal in Canada"

Canada ranked number 1 for the past 10 years in 3 of the top categories including shortest maximum sentences for class 1 felonies, highest number of days granted in lieu of time served and highest number of suspended sentences.


"Hell even the sex predators up there have it easy, it's amazing the compassion, forgiving nature of the canadian people" continued Gyzertistan.

Trade Minister on tour to promote BC's fastest growing industry

The provincial trade minister was on the road this week to promote the provinces bustling pot industry. Speaking in the interior to a group of shabbily dressed trailer park residents the minister talked about the opportunities for young people: "This business is recession proof. It's a fast track to riches and it takes a basements and a set of lights to get started."

The minister went onto to provide the residents with guidelines and tips on everything from stealing your neighbors power to the power of hydrophonics.The minister will spend the next 4 weeks touring the interior, and other well out of the way locations. The minister also instructed attendees not to worry about law enforcement, "are you kidding, the RCMP are so stretched right now. Between their fuck ups at the airports, their DUI's and civilian beatings they couldn't find their way out of wet paper bag right now" he quipped. "plus we cut their operating budget in half. no you don't have to worry about them."

Wannabe Gangbanger angry at mom for not buying him a car

An unidentified 23 year old Surrey man has opened up about the frustration he's facing with his mother. A wannabe gangbanger, the 23yr old male is struggling to establish "street cred" driving his mothers 1997 Hyundai Accent. He has made several unsuccessful demands that she at least trade in for an Impala or a Chevy Camaro. "I tried to put some rims on it and a larger exhaust to salvage the least amount of respect" he claimed "however with 12" wheels and the off white paint, it's just impossible".

The youth who lives with his 61 year old mother, claims he's been the victim of taunting and can't gain a footing in the lucrative Surrey drug trade due to the lack of "bling" in his "ride". "Even the high school kids won't buy from me. they think with a ride like this, my shit is no good" claims the youth. "Mom just needs to give me a hand, like any mom would" The youths mother was unavailable for comment, however relatives claim "she's fed up with his shit".

Police in Vancouver appealing to the public to do their paperwork...

Police in Vancouver are appealing to the public to complete their paperwork for them. In the latest request for assistance the police are asking for the public to complete and fill out various forms including 1020-7's, 60ls and even their timesheets.

"We've got the public doing just about everything else, so why not our paperwork as well." constable James Chu, Division head of the Vancouver detachment claimed in a press conference yesterday. "Today the public are handling community watch programs, video taping alot of our confrontations, looking for criminals on the loose, capturing fugitives why not fill out a few forms before they go home"

With alot of police tied up in inquiries and scandals, taking paid time off, seeking treatment for alcohol abuse and anger management the force is around 60% capacity right now. Anyone willing to help is asked to contact the Vancouver Police on 911.

Vancouver Dogs traumatized, forced to watch owners fucking...

it seems that dog owners in Vancouver don't have any problem fucking in front of their animals, and as a result some of dogs are suffering. dogs traumatized often show symptoms such as nausea, asphyxiation and in severe cases paralysis. dogs exposed to excess stimulation may also be more aggressive. Vancouver Pet Refuge Director of Service, Gordon Farcus said it's baffling how people can be so insensitive. "i mean you wouldn't have sex in front of your children, why on earth would you do it in front of your dog."

Darth Vader: Empire state of Mind

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

[DARTH VADER/JAY-Z]
Yeah
No longer Anakin
Formerly a Skywalker
Son's next rebel hero
But I'll be Sith forever
I'm the newest Dark lord And since my training years
I can choke from anywhere
Yeah my force is everywhere Used to run with Obi Wan We were both best buds foreva
But after three movies Now I've got a blood vendetta Grew up on Tatooine
No vegetation Catch me rolling through the cosmos in a moon-like station to Leia's home nation Death Star wrecks it Now princess knows, Vader ain't one to mess with
Flying through the trenches
Blasting rebel noobies
What happened to the fat one
Think he died of heart disease All that's left is this guy
Chasing him in my TIE I won't deny That his force is pretty damn high
Damn i just got wiped out
Falcon shot the back of me
Spinning into outerspace
But I'll be back definitely

[PRINCESS LEIA/ALICIA KEYS]
In Star Wars Empire is out to find Leia Death star plans in R2 Shoot the exhaust port Kenobi may now be see-through But the force is within Luke
Let's hear it for new hope, new hope, new hope
[Vader: You're welcome Obi Wan... I made you a ghost!]

[DARTH VADER/JAY-Z]
Catch me rockin boots and a cape like superman
Hell, I made wearing black more famous than that Jay-Z can
You should know I'd find you, hiding out at Echo
Now I got a Blizzard Force eliminate you quick yo
Welcome to the planet Hoth AT-ATs hit the spot Walking tanks are too legit
But they fall down a lot Check the front, check the back, cant find the Falcon yet
We need them all alive, so no disintegrations Boba Fett 8 million asteroids, where'd your little ship go?
Get me to Cloud City, I got Lando on my payroll
Me I gotta double check if carbonite's ok If freezin's safe for Han
Doing Luke the same way
New deal Lando
Ain't no pardon
Kid blew up my boys
Rest in peace Moff Tarkin
Turns out we are family
Embrace your dark fate
Dad and son together, yo No way the emperor's safe, cause...

[PRINCESS LEIA/ALICIA KEYS] In Star Wars
Now Han Solo's a coffee table
There's nothing Luke can do [Vader: Should've joined me, bro!]
He's on Dagobah
With some dyslexic Jedi dude
Right hand still got sliced through Looks like they struck back, struck back, struck back

[DARTH VADER/JAY-Z]
Lightsabers grinding
Palpatine's smiling
Cause he knew it would come to this The light side is blind with casualties
Who do evil casually, then gradually become worse
Don't fight your destiny
Wasn't a great dad, true
Absent all the while
No happy times behind us, and plus, now I'm killin' you
Keep fencing mister, 'cause now I sense a sister
You don't go bad, maybe I'll enlist her
Now Emperor wants you, only wants me rubbed out You controlled your anger, stayed light side devout Watch out kid, he's got lightning bolts to immolate Uh-uh, hell no, daddy powers activate
End this prune with a badass murder suicide
Bald headed, mask off, heart melted kid you were right Burn all my gear so those Ewoks can't wear it again
Do it, I'll be watching you, a ghost, name of Anakin

[PRINCESS LEIA/ALICIA KEYS] In Star Wars
Destroy new Death Star's generator
Ewoks to the rescue
Blast through to the core
This Regime's gonna be brand new
Galactic Empire's through
The Jedi have returned, returned, returned

Hookers on Seymour?

An unidentified tourist from Portland, OR was furious and demanding answers from Tourism BC and the City of Vancouver yesterday after learning that the hookers that used to be located on the South end of Seymour were no longer there. "This is just bullshit, absolute bullshit" the 32 year old Oregon native claimed. "I was here 3 years ago and there were some amazing fucking hookers here. they wore white knee high boots and you could spot them in a second. Now there's nothing but a fucking Blends Coffee and a bus stop"

His outrage was shared by construction crews at a nearby condo development who were wondering who they were supposed to whistle and shout at now the hookers had gone. Construction foreman Andrew Whitehall was quoted as saying "...well there used to be plenty to make noise at. now maybe once or twice a day we get a girl in some yoga pants, maybe a visible thong once a week but that's rare now."

City officials have not commented.

Surrey man charged in fatal stabbing...claims "Everyone else was doing it"

Surrey man involved in stabbing....

Surrey, BC - a man has been charged with a fatal stabbing during a party last weekend at a house party in Surrey. A 32 yr old man was arrested soon after and claimed, "Well everyone else around here was stabbing people, i didn't think it was a big deal".

Car Thief Starter Kit program announced.

VANCOUVER: The city today announced a new program for up and coming car thieves. The program aims to provide entrants into this busy job market with the skills to work and a tool kit to help them get established.

Mayor Gregor Robertson was quoted as saying "it's a tough market. these kids have got to worry about the police, bait car programs and on top of that vehicle that are increasingly difficult to steal with complicated alarms and engine immobilizers."

The city says this will help some of the nearly 1500 kids a year who try to get their foot in the door, and that it would help get kids off the street, pay for their drug habits and provide a nice boost to the provincial  insurance coffers. "It's a win win" Mayor Gregor continued, "this is something we have a reputation for being the best in North America at, and I don't want to see that change."

The Capilano Suspension Bridge Scam

scam is not a word i use lightly. but this is pure scam. the current price for an adult to visit this "attraction" is $26.95. Now lets put this in perspective, this is in essence a fucking bridge. Yes it goes over a river in a canyon. but bear in mind there isn't a whole lot more. There are some trails on the other side, and some paths that go into the trees - but $26.95??? WTF! In california you can get a discounted ticket to universal or disneyland for a little more than that. on hasting street you can get a blow job with change for that...probably.

most of us locals know that for free you can take visitors to lyn valley park and cross a bridge, and be in the middle of real forest, vs the capilano experience which is pretty much a canyon surrounded by suburbs.

Which way, one way...

The one way street designations in downtown vancouver can be complex to navigate. whats more difficult is the fact that they seem to change all the time. It would seem that the people in the city planning/engineering department either have no idea what they are doing, and are simply redirecting traffic every year to 18 months in some kind of mass frogger type experiment or they have a plan, but it's just a really fucked up one. Vancouver traffic management is shitty at best.

Map of all the Public Toilets in Vancouver...

This is the full list people of pub toilets available in vancouver. 1 in the city, 1 in PoCo and one at the Aldergrove exit in Surrey. Of course i exaggerate, but seriously, it's not too far from reality. They complain about the lack of bridges here, but i think we have a crisis of another sort brewing. notice alot of the restaurants have signs up saying no public washrooms, in many cases restaurants dont even have them.

The truth behind CFL bulbs...

like many of the hippies that make up this town i have been replacing my bulbs with CFL. compact fluorescent lights, or energy saver bulbs have been making waves as the easiest way to reduce or lessen your impact on the environment. the bulbs use anywhere from 4 to 6 times less energy than conventional bulbs. it seems to be a no brainer and the government, environmental groups and crusaders are all pushing these bulbs. these things aren't cheap either, despite that they have been flying off the shelves, giving the companies that make them a certified license to print money.

if it all seems to good to be true, then it could well be. This article on Green Muze outlines the many hazards, chemicals and processes which go into this product - and it isn't pretty. Much like the Toyota Prius, which when you add the environmental cost of the battery and the production process actually is worse for the environment than 4 conventional small vehicles, the CFL could be a bigger threat than the 100 yr old incandescent technology it's replacing. The British government has even issued health warnings about their use: "British governmental health organization, the Health Protection Agency (HPA), that  some CFLs emit ultraviolet radiation at levels that, under certain conditions of use, can result in exposures higher than guideline levels."

Come 2012 the canadian government is banning the sale of incandescent bulbs and the manufacturers of CFL bulbs will have a monopoly on the market. With chemicals like mercury a primary ingredient, it's hard to believe this is a good thing.

safer to smoke crack than have a wine on the beach...

what kind of city do we live in where junkies and crackheads deal and use openly on the street without being hassled by the cops, and if you or I, sat on the beach with our family and had a glass of wine or a beer we'd be in trouble? seriously - doesn't this piss anyone off? the police have basically stopped hassling the real criminals and only hassle the people they can get money from. fucking pathetic.

Canucks vs Ducks fan fight more entertaining than game...

i guess it goes hand in hand with the hockey culture, but this fight captured at a hockey game this week between a canucks fan and a ducks fan was entirely more entertaining than the hockey game itself. it's always good fun to put 2 idiots together, add alcohol and ensure they support different teams or ideologies. many wars have no doubt started the same way. this clash however ended a little more amicably with event security intervening. for those of you who care, the canucks fan beat the shit out of the ducks fan.

the worlds biggest pedophile ring - the roman catholic church

today canada's highest ranking roman catholic priest, Quebec City Archbishop Marc Ouellet weighed in on the catholic churches latest woes. claiming that the pope was completely innocent and has always taken a zero tolerance stance on child abuse - BULLSHIT.

Read the story here on CBC. The kicker is, and this is gold....Archbishop Marc Ouellet's own brother is currently serving time in a quebec prison for 2 counts of sexual assault against a minor.

Seriously, why do people continue to support the catholic church which for years has continued to harbor and protect societies worst criminals. people that prey upon children. the abuse has been widespread and rapant in every country the catholic church operates in. the church has a policy of simply moving these animals from one area to another where they continue to destroy lives.

and it's clear the lies and coverup go all the way to the vatican. believe it or not, many of the accused actually take sanctuary in the vatican which is effectively it's own country, of which the pope is the law. to get some idea of just how bad the problem is in the US ALONE, checkout this site http://www.bishop-accountability.org/

Junkies - licence to steal?

how is it, that if you or I walked into a supermarket and walked out with $300 worth of goods without paying we'd be arrested and prosecuted, however every single junkie in town is permitted to steal shopping trolleys at will and walk around with them without any fear of prosecution?

What the fuck is that smell...oh, it's Abbotsford & Chilliwack

As the weather gets warmer, so to does the stink and funk of our eastern cities of Abbotsford and Chilliwack. Was driving east towards Hope on highway 1 and had to stop for some gas and McD's. Pulled up at McDonalds in Chilliwack, stepped out of the car and BANG. The smell hit me like a fucking dead horse carcass in a shitstorm. how on earth do you people do it? live out there I mean. With the smell of manure trailing through the entire town day in and night? i guess you get used to it....

there's an open facebook discussion on the question "Do people think it smells in chilliwack?" and see also this hilarious entry in the uncyclopedia, http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Chilliwack,_British_Columbia. To quote:

"One cannot discuss Chilliwack without mentioning its stench. Chilliwack is considered to be the worst-smelling city in Canada and possibly the world. Nothing can compare. As soon as you step inside the town, the scent of dung overpowers you. It smells like shit. Everywhere. All the time. Prolonged exposure to this stench will drive you insane. It boggles the mind as to how the citizen's of Chilliwack do not notice this stench. It is the most putrid thing ever. People have visited and then killed themselves, rather that face the smell of manure for any extended amount of time. George W. Bush wants to contain this stench and use it as the ultimate weapon. But not even Dick Cheney will go near this town. If this stench spreads, god help us all. In short, Chilliwack smells really, really bad, something to note if you are ever insane enough to want to go there.
One precaution against the smell of Chilliwack is to cut off your nose, or even better have no sense of smell to begin with"

The only thing to fear....is the police themselves.

Canadian police, in particular BC police have come under fire recently for everything from killing immigrants at the airport, driving DUI and killing other motorists, beating up newspaper delivery men while drunk, and recently beating up kids on the street in plain view of everyone. they have a reputation for corruption, protecting themselves, covering their own asses and a complete lack of respect for the law. it's little wonder none of us feel safe whether it's the RCMP or the municipal officers, you really want to hope that someone has a camera handy when ever you come into contact with one of these animals.

obviously the recruiting is the major problem. if you are attracting morons, who are nothing but power monkeys who get off on authority and carrying a gun, then this is exactly what you are going to see. it's only now with the advent of cell phone cameras, youtube and the web that these idiots are being held accountable. i blogged about corporal monty benjamin, perhaps the RCMP's leading agent of death, but it seems the problem is rampant and systematic.

here's the latest:

Degenerate Gamblers celebrate!

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/03/26/bc-vancouver-casino-bc-place.html

Degenerate gamblers and addicts in vancouver now have cause for even more celebration. The government has just announced it has approved a $450M casino development at the site of the Edgewater Casino. Most of you would be familiar with the edgewater, that fucking monstrosity on our water front which is surrounded by parking lots, filled with the dull glare of BC's inner city gambling drones, drawn to the lure of poker machines and endless ways to piss away your hard earned welfare check.

it stands to reason that if we are going to give people welfare, we should establish a business which caters to their particular needs and habits. what will we do with the millions of dollars we suck from the community? funnel it back into the disaffected children whose parents left them locked in the carpark while sitting for hours at a blackjack table? maybe we'll use it to provide free crack to those children who will almost certainly have chemical dependencies by time they are in highschool. perhaps we'll use it to help vancouver's fastest growing demographic, our much prized homeless population. who have yet another place to piss away money they don't have (no problem of course because the judiciary have given them permission to steal our cars, ipods and bikes for drugs - why not poker machines?).

ahhhh good news day.

Canadians getting BURNED on 3D technology

Best Buy USA Price:

Samsung 55" 3d TV: $2969.99
Samsung 3d blu-ray : $399.00
Samsung pair of 3d glasses: $349.00


Best Buy Canada Price:


Samsung 55" 3d TV: $3699.99
Samsung 3d blu-ray : $399.99
Samsung pair of 3d glasses: $449.99

Todays $USD vs $CAD : 0.98c

Bottom line, if you are looking to spend, drive to Bellingham and save yourself close to $1000.

Olympics are over morons...

We have to listen to the CTV announcers go on and on week after week now about how "their lives changed" and magical the torch relay, and the first gold medal, and the opening ceremonies. blah blah blah. seriously, we get it, it was good, it was fun but now its fucking over! move on already. we get it, you were there...you provided crappy small time commentary, and now you are going to remind us about it for the next year.

Olympic flame behind chicken wire...

If you didn't get a chance to see the olympic cauldron up close during the games - dont worry. it's one of those experiences that's better on tv.

i know the games have finished, but i finally had a chance to get down there and check out the cauldron, albeit extinguished.

disgusted, sums up the experience.

the cauldron, which is visually impressive, a magnificent sculpture. it's flanked by a apocalyptic, soviet era fence. (see pictured). it's not even a nice fence. it's the type of fence you might hastily erect around a nuclear spill. it's base is made up of large concrete pads, (capable no doubt of stopping an attack by tank). then the fence is about 12 ft high. it means any photo or view of the cauldron is obscured and marred by this shocking eyesore. apparently during the games, there was complaint, and a 3-4 ft section above the concrete was replaced with plexi glass. this is good if you are around 5.5ft or shorter, but otherwise it's horrendous. when we have to go to these lengths to protect things - we have lost the battle. this looks like a fortified warzone, and probably isn't too different from a fence you might find in the greenzone in baghdad.

Dear Quebec, please leave canada...

this was a comment from one reader of the CBC report:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2010/03/04/mtl-quebec-english-private-school-conseil.html

you have to wonder why the quebec govt have their head so far up their own asses. this whole bilingualism issue in canada has really gotten to the point of crazy. bilingualism doesn't unite us - it fragments us. it costs us billions every year in service and administrative costs. and more to the point it has become nothing more than a tool, that the political entities in quebec use to firewall funding, claim minority status, reap the benefits of cultural and arts spending projects, legislate mandatory government bureaucracy and at the same time suck billions of dollars in welfare, through the provincial transfer payments scheme.

today, they are claiming they want to further limit the ability of quebec residents to choose to have their children schooled in english. does that sound like the policy of a free and liberal western country? they essentially want to force french education on every resident. why is it so many Quebecois want to be schooled in english? is it because they live in the middle of fucking NORTH AMERICA!! where french is about as useful outside quebec as michael j fox fumbling with change at a parking meter....

and bilingualism has become nothing more than an industry now for quebec. because many of the best government jobs require fluent french (for no real reason) guess who they are mainly open to....the CRTC's policys that demand local content be produced in english and french, - where do you think all the federal $$$ that subsidize those arts programs go?? into factories in quebec that churn out crap that most of canada doesn't even watch.

even worse, we all have to pay for quebec the welfare state which consistently keeps the highest unemployment numbers through the wacky federal transfer payment scheme, $16billion, of our money was poured into this province, so it could be wasted forcing their residents to use a language that is quickly becoming irrelevant on a worldwide scale, let alone in north america.


imagine yourself a parent in quebec. you want the best for your children, and you want them to have opportunities - so you want them to speak fluent english, so they can work and function in the rest of the country, and (most of the western world). but here your government not only creates a tyrannical petty campaign to block english from every street sign, restaurant menu radio station and billboard, but wont allow you to attend an english speaking school in a BILLINGUAL country!

it is with that sentiment that i echo the comments of the readers on CBC, "Dear Quebec, please leave canada" and rid us of the expense incurred in supporting your uni-lingual industrial complex...

Tim Hortons Ad sinks to new lows in emotional, sentimental crap peddling...

Talk about cheap, dramatic brain dead advertising, this commercial from Tim Hortons started playing shortly after the Haiti Quake crisis, and while it's about an African family being reunited, it seeks to exploit the emotions of reuniting family members from 3rd world countries, a topical issue during the recent disaster.

what more can you say about a fast food company that simply draws on the plight of 3rd world countries to advertise and shamelessly associate it's product? does anyone really want to get emotionally involved with the company that makes some of the most mediocre coffee in the world? no. do we take offense to the hijacking of international disasters in order to promote brand? yes.

the standard of advertising in this country is pathetic. when it comes to major corporations and the drivel their canadian ad agencies spit out it's appauling. Maybe it's because i'm used to much more sophisticated advertising in europe and australia, but the stuff they make here is a joke. it either involves animals (see telus, bell, fido) or involves some overlly dramatic effort to combine a completely unrelated event with a relatively mundane product.

by the way tim hortons, your donuts are the worst. period. please, go to a krispy creme store try a donut and do something about the quality of yours.

CTV Olympic Coverage is Pathetic...fucking pathetic

Man am i pissed. I just tried for 30mins to watch the Sven Kramer disqualification video on CTV without luck. Like many others, this video is incorrectly linked on the website. the NBC site is 1000% more professional, but of course i can't see the video there, because you cant view it out of the US.


CTV's coverage in general has been nothing short of pathetic. first of all, the people covering the events, the commentators and personalities are nothing short of a joke. tamara taggart who i have talked about before has the personality of a bitchy highschool preppy, putting on a fake smile and pretending to be friends with everyone - plus she's butt ugly. then theres that corpse Robertson, who should have retired years ago. his face basically hangs off the bone, and he reads like a computer generated robot voice. his live conversations with other reporters are a joke, as he reads from prompts - this is the best we have????? seriously?


then there's the replays....you can tell a network has no idea what it's doing when it fails to clearly distinguish between live events and replays. Ever watch a professional network, and see LIVE written on the screen, those four words tell us EVERYTHING. Fucking CTV low budget, small town morons.

Big surprise - frogophones kick up a stink over the lack of french at games

Do these quebec politicians really have such miserable lives that they have to sit around looking for things to complain about, measuring the frequency and concentration of english to french at every single public event.

Check out this story on CBC:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/02/14/olympics-french-charest-moore.html

Rather than sitting back and enjoying the opening ceremonies these morons were busy making a fuss over the fact that there wasn't enough french used in the openning ceremonies. BOO HOO....hey quebec here's a lesson in history and geography, this is BRITISH columbia, and the British did win the war no? When you host the games you can speak all the french in the world you like...meanwhile we hosted it in a language that the world speaks - english.

opening ceremony - moments of spectacular with alot of yawn...

ok, first the good. the whales, swimming through the stadium - holy shit that was amazing....BUT what the fuck was that tap dancing moron doing? as ever, it's annoying being forced to listen to everything in french, and seriously, who are we kidding, the people in quebec can get by with english.the olympic IOC president, jacques rogges - complete asshole, and what a stiff, the guy has no personality. what else??

then there was the epic failure of the hydrolic lift on the cauldron, what a spectacular fuck up of canadian engineering. jesus, i hope the moron who designed that thing lost their job.and the awkward look on everyones face as they waited for this thing to come, that never would. ouch.

oh yeah all the first nation stuff, ok that was necessary but a little obligatory and then the performances...well they were just ok. brian adams and nelly furtado looked about as comfortable together as a match and a box of TNT, and KD Langs hallelujah was not uplifting or appropriate at all, it was somber and sad.

when all was said and done at the end i was "is that it?" like having sex with a girl you've wanted to fuck for a long time, and realizing that it wasn't everything you thought it would be so too are the olympic opening ceremonies. and like the long time to find your pants, and get dressed, look for your keys and then the awkward goodbye after the lay...so too was the idiotic ending which saw wayne gretzky walk out of the stadium and then drive through the streets of vancouver on the back of a truck, in the pouring rain and light another cauldron - this time a functioning one.

olympics make their contribution to global warming...

As we speak, trucks are bringing snow from Manning Park, (more than 200KM east of Vancouver), to deposit on Cypress Mountain for the 2010 olympic games. Once the trucks dump the snow, helicopters will place it on location on the mountain, thats right, helicopters...furthermore pipes have been laid throughout the olympic course and dry ice will be pumped through those pipes in an effort to keep the mountain cold enough for the snow to remain...can you imagine how much fuel, electricity and energy all this effort involves?

all of this will make for at best poor to average conditions on the mountain, but at what cost will it come to to the environment, and ironically, further contribute to the very reason the weather is warmer in the first place!

The real stink of it...2 hours to the north lies Whistler Blackcomb, with some of the best skiing conditions in North America, and plenty of alpine snow.

Two Small Dicks with big Bills...

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/02/02/bc-twosmallmen.html

Well one read of this article by CBC on Vancouver moving company, Two Small Men with Big Hearts and it should be obvious who NOT to use when moving. I haven't had experience with these monkeys. when it comes to moving I don't scrimp, and I would encourage anyone with valuable possessions to find a reputable vendor, but also the important lesson is to do your homework.

One quick google search on this company and the first 10 links are complaints. That's a red flag, in addition, just hit the BBB site and do a search, and that should be the end of the story. These distributed franchises are disasters in general when it comes to quality of service, because the parent has very little control over quality assurance. I avoid them like the plaugue except when i want a burger or a sub :)

michael bubble boy rant

i am going to make this quick, but i hate the guy. first of all they compare him to frank sinatra - NO FUCKING WAY! he doesn't have half the charisma, class or personality of frank, and lets not even joke about his voice. he's a native of vancouver, and I;ve heard from people that know him, that he's arrogant and egotistical. i just love the name, "boob ley" - its fucking BUBBLE!!!

The Pivot Legal Society

this is a very active organization that takes on cases that involving vancouvers homeless. what they have become however is an overzealous, attention seeking group of grandstanding lawyers who are interested only in creating melodrama to benefit their own attention seeking agenda.

their primary platform has been housing for low income earners, namely crackheads and junkies. and they have a very strong position on keeping affordable housing in the DTE for the crackheads. Here's my problem, why is there such a strong insistence from groups like these, and other radical left wing advocates of the junkies to keep them in the DTE?

Vancouver downtown areas are some of the most expensive real estate markets in Canada. The DTE is currently dotted with many low income properties. you can spot them a mile away. they are decaying, dirty filthy and attract drug dealers and all manner of bad seeds. now the radical left wing loonies, like to complain hi and dry about the condition the owners keep these buildings in...but let me ask you something. if you owned real estate in the DTE, and you were forced to rent it to crackheads at discount rates, crackheads who defecate, use drugs and destroy your apartment, would you spend money on remodelling it?

the other issue is money, why on earth would you spend money housing crackheads in expensive inner city real estate, when you could house 4 times as many in lower cost areas? why put these people on the doorstep of their vices and addictions? why put so many disaffected and challenged people together in one place? none of it makes any sense, but if you raise one question about any of this, you will be met with instant and swift barrage of abuse from a legion of social welfare advocates.

I agree people have a right to housing, but not housing wherever they want it....otherwise all of us would like to trade up to newer neighborhoods. if people are going to accept help and housing, they should do so on the terms and in the location that makes sense, and the DTE makes NO sense.

If the DTE is ever to change, and cast aside it's drug addicted alley ways and war zone image, we have to change the makeup of the residents. we have to remove the crackdens and so called "low cost housing" and replace it with families, young professionals, businesses and entertainment. (not methodone clinics and pharmacies and pawn shops).

Fugly News Readers?

Man does Canada have some fugly news/weather personalities. This is something that I have been griping about since I got here, but all you have to do is tune into the local news casts across the border and notice that there is a huge disparity in talent between here and there...and it's not only their looks, but also their wardrobe and basic presentation skills.

Gripe number 1 for me is Tamara Taggart. She takes the cake...i mean she isn't particularly ugly but she definitely isn't hot either, but what is repulsive is she acts like she is hot. her wardrobe is atrocious, i dont know who dresses her but she always looks like a grandma with some high waisted skirt and printed loose fitting top hugging her neckline.and her makeup  i have some friends who have had contact with her and apparently she's quite conceded as well, which makes her even more fugly.

take a look at fox seattles weather girl. (left) talk about hottie...talk about well put together. now i see girls around vancouver who look like this all the time, why dont we give them the weather role, after all it isn't rocket science.

Has anyone watched Loyd Robertson on CTV's newscasts?? Seriously the guy is a national news caster, and he sounds like a machine reading the cue cards infront of him. especially awkward are the forfced conversations he sometimes has with newscasters that are on location - surely someone else has noticed how fake his tone is when he asks questions. it's like he's dead, and someone installed robotic equipment which continues to animate certain parts of him along with a computer generated voice...i mean for fucks sake why not let a younger person have a turn and let this personality free geriatric retire or die....

Air Canada Aeroplan - the worst reward program in the business

That's right you heard me. Aeroplan is the WORST. And I know what you are thinking, especially you canadians who are fiercely proud of anything canadian, who the hell is he to make this claim? Well having lived on 4 continents and travelled monthly for the past 9 years internationally, I am more than qualified.

I have been a member of Qantas rewards programs, Singapore Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways - and the best United's Mileage Plus.

I should start by clarifying that I also passionately hate Air Canada. Everything from their service, planes and prices and I almost never fly them except when I am flying domestically in Canada, which is rarely. I fly United mostly in North America, for 2 reasons - 1. Economy Plus. 2. Mileage Plus. Having star alliance gold, and being Premier Executive with United has perks - many. They really know how to take care of their most regular customers. For one the extra leg room in economy plus is amazing...it makes all the difference. Secondly the tier bonus miles I collect mean I double all my miles, but the MOST IMPORTANT THING - is what happens when you actually want to use those miles. And this is where Aeroplan fuck you royally in the ass.

Just try and redeem a flight with these guys. I regulary redeem north american flights for my wife when she comes for a trip with me. With United it's almost never a problem and I never use more than 25000. I just attempted to redeem a flight with Aeroplan 3 months ahead of travel and i can't find a flight to LA for less than 55,000 miles!!!!

I am forced to maintain an Aeroplan account because no Canadian Credit card gives you Mileage Plus points, and I can't get a US Mileage Plus account (not being a resident and not having a US SIN number). So I get mileage plus miles purely from my CIBC Visa card (incidentally this is the best credit card in Canada bar none). So every year I get around 60000 miles on that card.

Last time I redeemed them it was for a family trip to Hawaii - I cannot tell you how much of a nightmare it was. First of all, because of my infant daughter we had to have paper tickets issued...what a fuckup that ended up being. When I rescheduled, we had to actually travel to the airport and have Air Canada reissue the tickets - can you believe the bitch at the airport complained to me because it took her 30mins to do the paperwork, and told me it was Aeroplans fault and how bad they were - and she was an Air Canada employee...

by the way, Air Canada have nothing to do with Aeroplan, they are completely independant entities, most of the time, Aeroplan will book you on United flights if you are redeeming miles into US flights, (this from the Air Canada employee, because their flights are cheaper!)

when I redeem flights with united, not only are they more likely to be available, but they are ALWAYS cheaper...ALWAYS.

So what else do i get from United's program? I get red carpet club membership, free drinks food and upgrades...in addition, i get access to a special phone number which gets answered quickly no matter when i call. now dont get me wrong, United's planes aren't any better and their people are ok...but the mileage program the  extra legroom and the perks mean I will avoid Air Canada at all cost.

And as a bonus i dont have to listen to those annoying announcements we are forced to suffer in french, that bugs the shit out of me....

Mitsubishi Delicas - What the fuck?

Do you notice these fugly cars around Vancouver more and more frequently? They are imported Mitsubishi Delicas and for some unfathonable reason there seem to be a rash - and by rash i mean an annoying irritation, of people out there who want them or believe that they are somehow cool.

My biggest problem with these cars is they are right hand drive, and therefore incredibly dangerous. i don't believe it should be legal to drive right hand drive vehicles here, given the insane regulations I had to go through to import a brand new left hand drive infiniti, bumper standards, daytime lights,

also, you can tell by looking at these things that the center of gravity is way too high. this effects it's roll rating and most definitely makes the vehicle more dangerous. What is the appeal with these things? It's not a minivan, it's not an SUV, most SUV's have more room and have the 4x4 capability.