Monday, August 18, 2008
And it starts...
This one's put work to a bit of a standstill, with everyone in the office at the windows chatting with a hint of excitement or fear. Which camp do you belong in?
Friday, August 1, 2008
What's next on council's agenda?
The City of Ottawa is having a bad run since the election. That the mayor couldn't keep his election promise to freeze taxes shouldn't actually surprise anyone, but there's a growing list of legal matters that the city has racked up since the election that are troubling (and potentially quite costly). It really makes you wonder what this council is trying to accomplish, if it's trying to accomplish anything at all. Here's the breakdown, in no particular order.
1. Before the election, council agreed to build LRT, complete with contract. Long story short, they voted on it again after the election. Now, it's important to note that we're talking about almost all the same council members here. So, following the election they voted on the same thing they previously approved, only this time they decided to cancel the contract. Not shockingly, the group they had the contract with wasn't impressed with this apparent flip-flop. The city is being sued for $177 million over the cancelled contract.
2. There's no point going into the sewage overflow of 2006 since I've mentioned it in previous posts. Suffice it to say that this could cost the city a bit of money. The provincial Ministry of the Environment has charged the city with two alleged offences under the Ontario Water Resource Act. The first charge is for allegedly causing or permitting the discharge of material, namely sewage, into the Ottawa River. The second is for allegedly failing to notify the ministry on Aug. 15, 2006. The fines can be anywhere from $25,000 to $6 million for each day or part of a day on which each offence occurred. That could put taxpayers on the hook for around $72 million.
3. This one isn't specific to council, but is instead related to the mayor (the supposed leader of council). Old news, but he's been charged with two criminal counts related to the bribery probe stemming from the election. Innocent until proven guilty, he hasn't relinquished his post. Only time will tell on this one.
With leadership that brings these sorts of results... well, I'll let you decide how to finish that one. November 2010 can't come soon enough.
1. Before the election, council agreed to build LRT, complete with contract. Long story short, they voted on it again after the election. Now, it's important to note that we're talking about almost all the same council members here. So, following the election they voted on the same thing they previously approved, only this time they decided to cancel the contract. Not shockingly, the group they had the contract with wasn't impressed with this apparent flip-flop. The city is being sued for $177 million over the cancelled contract.
2. There's no point going into the sewage overflow of 2006 since I've mentioned it in previous posts. Suffice it to say that this could cost the city a bit of money. The provincial Ministry of the Environment has charged the city with two alleged offences under the Ontario Water Resource Act. The first charge is for allegedly causing or permitting the discharge of material, namely sewage, into the Ottawa River. The second is for allegedly failing to notify the ministry on Aug. 15, 2006. The fines can be anywhere from $25,000 to $6 million for each day or part of a day on which each offence occurred. That could put taxpayers on the hook for around $72 million.
3. This one isn't specific to council, but is instead related to the mayor (the supposed leader of council). Old news, but he's been charged with two criminal counts related to the bribery probe stemming from the election. Innocent until proven guilty, he hasn't relinquished his post. Only time will tell on this one.
With leadership that brings these sorts of results... well, I'll let you decide how to finish that one. November 2010 can't come soon enough.
Monday, July 28, 2008
The best medicine
It's good to laugh. In fact, it's about time we laughed more often. I don't mean a chuckle or a giggle. I mean REALLY laugh. Sometimes life requires an injection of humour. In the spirit of optimism and finding the ticklish side of life, I share this press release from the Ottawa Police. It's good to see even they can have some fun with strange incidents.
Police arrest iguana for impeding traffic
The Ottawa Police Service reports the following: On 25 July, at approx. 04:15 hrs, Ottawa Police responded to a complaint about a three foot iguana on the roadway in the area of Fisher at Malibu Terrace. Four officers worked together to corral the subject, using a makeshift lasso to effect a safe capture.
The identity of the iguana is yet to be confirmed. He is a colourful mix of green, yellow and brown. The iguana has been conveyed without incident to an interim iguana-friendly location pending a hopeful reunion with its family members (owners).
Anyone who has information on the identity of this iguana, or who is the rightful guardian, is asked to contact....
CBC picked up the story. If you check the right column, you'll find video too.
Police arrest iguana for impeding traffic
The Ottawa Police Service reports the following: On 25 July, at approx. 04:15 hrs, Ottawa Police responded to a complaint about a three foot iguana on the roadway in the area of Fisher at Malibu Terrace. Four officers worked together to corral the subject, using a makeshift lasso to effect a safe capture.
The identity of the iguana is yet to be confirmed. He is a colourful mix of green, yellow and brown. The iguana has been conveyed without incident to an interim iguana-friendly location pending a hopeful reunion with its family members (owners).
Anyone who has information on the identity of this iguana, or who is the rightful guardian, is asked to contact....
CBC picked up the story. If you check the right column, you'll find video too.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Kaboom!
So the lower south stands at Frank Clair (aka Lansdowne) are gone. They imploded this morning around 8 a.m. Why this didn't wake me up is a bit of a mystery. Guess being ill and exhausted will do that, though.
You can see the video of the implosion here.
Now the question of what to do with Lansdowne still seems up in the air a bit. The potential problem is that there's been way to much emphasis on bringing a CFL team back. Teams didn't make a go of it in the past, what makes everyone certain they'll be able to make a go of it now? (Rough Riders folded in 1996 and the Renegades were suspended in 2006 - will three times really be a charm?) Focusing on the return of a team is dicey, given what's happened in the past. Heck, even the Sens have had a rough go of it, financially. If the CFL team folds again, what do we do with the infrastructure left over? Lansdowne is a great piece of land that could probably use a whole different development scheme. Of course, that would likely require a city council that is less fractured and actually has a strong leader who's capable of building consensus. Given that requirement, there's probably not much hope for doing something fun at Lansdowne.
As an aside, is the Ex ever going to move to its Albion location?
You can see the video of the implosion here.
Now the question of what to do with Lansdowne still seems up in the air a bit. The potential problem is that there's been way to much emphasis on bringing a CFL team back. Teams didn't make a go of it in the past, what makes everyone certain they'll be able to make a go of it now? (Rough Riders folded in 1996 and the Renegades were suspended in 2006 - will three times really be a charm?) Focusing on the return of a team is dicey, given what's happened in the past. Heck, even the Sens have had a rough go of it, financially. If the CFL team folds again, what do we do with the infrastructure left over? Lansdowne is a great piece of land that could probably use a whole different development scheme. Of course, that would likely require a city council that is less fractured and actually has a strong leader who's capable of building consensus. Given that requirement, there's probably not much hope for doing something fun at Lansdowne.
As an aside, is the Ex ever going to move to its Albion location?
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Speaking of firemen
The Cumberland Heritage Village Museum held a Firefighters and Protective Services Day over the weekend. Emergency crews took apart a car, ran some obstacles, and taught kids how to use a fire extinguisher. Despite being a relatively cool day, some decided to hose each other down.
Friday, July 11, 2008
The fireman spin
Here's a quick pole dancing update, since peeps are curious and I had my first class last night.
The sum it up, from a fitness perspective: there are muscles I forgot I had that are aching this morning. It totally worked the thighs, abs, arms and back. Most especially the thighs, arms and back. The instructor said it really works the abs too, but I didn't notice it as much. One thing that should be noted is the potential for bruising. It's probably just a practice thing and over time it won't be much of an issue.
Now the non-fitness perspective: despite the name of the move we did near the end, I doubt any fireman (I know, "firefighter" is PC, but I believe there's nothing PC about pole dancing, so screw it) has ever done that with a pole, or at least done that and survived the inevitable harassment that would soon follow. The class also included some hair whipping and butt slapping. No joke! We actually had a short routine nailed by the end of the first session. The class, which only has six students, included lots of laughing and clapping. Perhaps that makes it good for body and soul.
As for the colour of the poles... they're silver.
The sum it up, from a fitness perspective: there are muscles I forgot I had that are aching this morning. It totally worked the thighs, abs, arms and back. Most especially the thighs, arms and back. The instructor said it really works the abs too, but I didn't notice it as much. One thing that should be noted is the potential for bruising. It's probably just a practice thing and over time it won't be much of an issue.
Now the non-fitness perspective: despite the name of the move we did near the end, I doubt any fireman (I know, "firefighter" is PC, but I believe there's nothing PC about pole dancing, so screw it) has ever done that with a pole, or at least done that and survived the inevitable harassment that would soon follow. The class also included some hair whipping and butt slapping. No joke! We actually had a short routine nailed by the end of the first session. The class, which only has six students, included lots of laughing and clapping. Perhaps that makes it good for body and soul.
As for the colour of the poles... they're silver.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Move over Monet
Happy Birthday Canada!
For once I skipped the downtown crowd and instead played with my camera along the Rideau River. Got to watch the black swans, lots of ducks, a number of red winged blackbirds and, of course, gulls and pigeons. Probably should've taken some feed. It might've made getting pics of the swans easier. I also grabbed a shot of the water lilies because I thought the flower was pretty. For fun, I might run it through some photoshop filters and make it look like the work of a French impressionist.
The day didn't provide just art, it also offered some unusual music. Sitting on some rocks playing with settings and lenses, I heard some tinkling above me. Looked up to see a bird perched on a branch. The delicate chime was coming from a fishing lure dangling from the branch, presumably lost after someone cast overhead instead of sidearm. Each time the bird moved, the branch bobbed and the sunbleached lure sang out a sweet tune.
For once I skipped the downtown crowd and instead played with my camera along the Rideau River. Got to watch the black swans, lots of ducks, a number of red winged blackbirds and, of course, gulls and pigeons. Probably should've taken some feed. It might've made getting pics of the swans easier. I also grabbed a shot of the water lilies because I thought the flower was pretty. For fun, I might run it through some photoshop filters and make it look like the work of a French impressionist.
The day didn't provide just art, it also offered some unusual music. Sitting on some rocks playing with settings and lenses, I heard some tinkling above me. Looked up to see a bird perched on a branch. The delicate chime was coming from a fishing lure dangling from the branch, presumably lost after someone cast overhead instead of sidearm. Each time the bird moved, the branch bobbed and the sunbleached lure sang out a sweet tune.
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