Shades of Grey: The Beach in Late September 2008
Originally uploaded by Binky's Photos
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Shades of Grey: The Beach in Late Sept. 2008
Shades of Grey: The Beach in Late Sepetmber 2008
Originally uploaded by Binky's Photos
I usually don't think about grey being a beautiful colour until you see
a scene like this. Its hard to count how many different greys there are
in this picture.
B.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Why Obama (Almost) Can't Lose...
What I have retained from my undergrad and graduate stats courses is this: if you take a big enough look at the numbers, they very seldom lie.
Opinion polls are at best abstratct exercises in answering only the question of what people will answer when a pollster asks them a question. BUT- if you look at an aggrearate of results, time over time greater truth can be apparent.
The presidential polls in the U.S. show that Barack Obama has a near lock on the race. You can't possibly lose if poll, after poll says you have a lead and you are going to win. Barring the greatest of scandals and falls from grace he has this race locked. Look for yourself:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_2008_United_States_presidential_election#Two-way_contest:_Barack_Obama_vs_John_McCain
Opinion polls are at best abstratct exercises in answering only the question of what people will answer when a pollster asks them a question. BUT- if you look at an aggrearate of results, time over time greater truth can be apparent.
The presidential polls in the U.S. show that Barack Obama has a near lock on the race. You can't possibly lose if poll, after poll says you have a lead and you are going to win. Barring the greatest of scandals and falls from grace he has this race locked. Look for yourself:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_2008_United_States_presidential_election#Two-way_contest:_Barack_Obama_vs_John_McCain
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Federal Election Results Ruminations
Federal Election Returns
VOTER TURN OUT:
Canada (2008) - 58%
Afghanistan - 83.7%
We're ranked 88th among voter participation. Yay us...
Sunday, October 12, 2008
So... Another Minority Means What?
Here's a very neat article from the Globe and Mail. I don't think I agree with Jefferey Simpson about Quebec, but its good to see someone realizing that we're never going back to the way things were.
The rise of the Greens and the apparent permanence of the Bloc Québécois reflect the splintering of politics on linguistic or single-issue lines, something dreaded by those who saw national parties as indispensable links in a pluralistic, geographically huge, linguistically split country...
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Interesting Article about Sarah Palin
This article on Salon.com provides an interesting perspective on Sarah Palin's Alaska-ness or her role as an an Alaskan-American.
Personally, I think two things:
Personally, I think two things:
- Its obvious that this information brings into question her qualification to run as a VP or at least would be damaging if it was better known, but
- On the other hand, maybe someone who may not see herself as an American first running on the presidential ticket for one of the main two parties is a sign of progress for the U.S. In a country so committed to seeing itself in such monolithic terms. diversity of opinion, background, and identity couldn't hurt.
I shudder at any prospect of a McCain/Palin victory, but maybe there's a positive side to her candidacy other than just gender.
B.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
The Federal Election Sumarized
Okay- I think I have the federal election figured out. Here goes:
The Liberals may want my rifle,
The Tories may want my part of the social safety net,
The NDP may want me to pay more taxes,
The Greens may want my smog, and
The Bloc may not want anything from me.
B.
The Liberals may want my rifle,
The Tories may want my part of the social safety net,
The NDP may want me to pay more taxes,
The Greens may want my smog, and
The Bloc may not want anything from me.
B.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Super Girl's Terry Fox Run 2008
Thanks you all very much for your support of Super Girl. She was able to raise $184.33 for her kindergarten's "Little Fox" run.
Thanks!!
Bruce
Thanks!!
Bruce
Hurricane Kyle - Part 3
Happily, things didn't amount to much.
Super Girl's (age 4.5) sleep over Friday night was more eventful than Kyle. It went very well, though. I don't say this frequently enough but- they are so cute at that age.
B.
Super Girl's (age 4.5) sleep over Friday night was more eventful than Kyle. It went very well, though. I don't say this frequently enough but- they are so cute at that age.
B.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Hurricane Kyle Watch - Part 1
Its 10:12 PM and the heavy rain has just started. To my reckoning, there's nothing else in the yard that will hurt if it blows around.
Here are the things I've done:
1) Bath tub full of water,
2) Candles, oil lamps, flashlight at the ready,
3) work done on down spout drains (involved gratuitous trips to Home Depot),
4) BBQ bungeed to the deck,
5) garbage cans bungeed to the side of the deck, and
6) cat inside.
So far so good.
B.
PS- I fully expect water in the basement, but I'm a little bit of a pessimist on the subject.
Here are the things I've done:
1) Bath tub full of water,
2) Candles, oil lamps, flashlight at the ready,
3) work done on down spout drains (involved gratuitous trips to Home Depot),
4) BBQ bungeed to the deck,
5) garbage cans bungeed to the side of the deck, and
6) cat inside.
So far so good.
B.
PS- I fully expect water in the basement, but I'm a little bit of a pessimist on the subject.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Coolest plane ever...
One of my few life long interests has been aviation (albeit most often as a casual observer). I would like to through off about thirty years of (relatively) refined composure and say simply that I WANT ONE OF THESE NOW! RIGHT NOW. I AM THIS COOL AND I DESERVE ONE. THIS IS THE AWSEOMEST PLANE IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD. I WANT ONE.
If you think I'm making this up, read the story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7634927.stm
Its are and I want one.
Christmas and my birthday are coming,
B.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
First Pre-K Homework for Super Girl
This is what your homework is like when you're four. She has it for a week and we try to read it a couple of times an evening.
September Falling
This has already been a great month. Action Girl (now 7 3/4) is off to Grade Two and says she loves it. Super Girl (age 4 3/4) is in Pre-Kindergarten and is very much a member of the Kindergarten Class at her daycare.
Skating is three days a week for Action Girl and will start in October for Super Girl (when it also goes down to two days a week for her big sister). Our new addition, Peggy, is a gentle but energetic cat. We're enjoying her a lot.
My work has been especially challenging and frustrating but things are okay. Super Mom is off to a running start with her work and says she has a great class again this year.
The remnants of Hurricane Hannah soaked a little bit of our basement but we are not yet ready to give up on the house yet. (I'm kidding- we still owe on the mortgage....). With two national elections underway, I am concerned I may just just explode.... But I'll do my best to manage. Its my SuperBowl...
The Canadian election should be interesting. Its had to imagine that the Liberals can close the gap with the Tories, but stranger things have have happened. The issue around the Green Party and the leader's debate has been interesting- the pressure is certainly on for Elizabeth May to wow people with her performance in the debate.
I may write more about this later, but I guess I feel like a little bit of a political orphan. No party membership yet and my process seems to be about deciding with whom I agree with the most and disagree with the least, or least seriously.
Hmmmm,
B.
Skating is three days a week for Action Girl and will start in October for Super Girl (when it also goes down to two days a week for her big sister). Our new addition, Peggy, is a gentle but energetic cat. We're enjoying her a lot.
My work has been especially challenging and frustrating but things are okay. Super Mom is off to a running start with her work and says she has a great class again this year.
The remnants of Hurricane Hannah soaked a little bit of our basement but we are not yet ready to give up on the house yet. (I'm kidding- we still owe on the mortgage....). With two national elections underway, I am concerned I may just just explode.... But I'll do my best to manage. Its my SuperBowl...
The Canadian election should be interesting. Its had to imagine that the Liberals can close the gap with the Tories, but stranger things have have happened. The issue around the Green Party and the leader's debate has been interesting- the pressure is certainly on for Elizabeth May to wow people with her performance in the debate.
I may write more about this later, but I guess I feel like a little bit of a political orphan. No party membership yet and my process seems to be about deciding with whom I agree with the most and disagree with the least, or least seriously.
Hmmmm,
B.
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