dryfly.ca started as a website for sharing one of my DIY projects, a stitch and glue kayak. Since then I've added several more projects including a skin-on-frame kayak, cedar strip canoe, kayak paddles, canoe paddles, building a spey rod, and an antenna for receiving OTA HDTV. I also occasionally ramble on about politics, technology, bike racing, product reviews and last but not least, our kids.
Click on the Photo Gallery to lots of my pictures in their full glory, including family, friends, boat building, travels, etc.
Tight Lines!
February 5, 2010 at 1:30 pm · Filed under Politics
The biggest single issue that got the Conservatives elected back in 2006 was the Sponsorship Scandal. Riding the wave of accountability and promises of a Federal Accountability Act, Stephen Harper became the first non-Liberal Prime Minister of Canada in the 21st Century.
While the Conservatives managed to enact most of its accountability act, there has been one glaring omission. They have failed to institute a Public Appointments Commission. The purpose of such a commission was to provide a screening mechanism whereby unsuitable candidates would not be able to be appointed to various public positions. This would include appointments such as judges, parole boards, and law enforcement positions. 1500 appointments have made since Harper was elected in 2006. These were all appointments made “the old way.”
The importance of this is that minority governments, such as the current federal government in Canada, can’t pass all of their legislation. How can they get around this? By appointing people into positions according to their ideology. A prime example of this is how the refugee board has to deal with discrimination. By appointing the “right” ideological people to the refugee board, the Conservatives are able to further their own agenda without passing any specific legislation. This is where things get interesting in Vancouver. I’ve recently been made aware of a suspicious appointment of a tribunal judge to the refugee board. I can’t name any names, but I can tell you that it’s Barry Dhillon. Sources close to me have revealed their doubts about Barry being chosen. As one person said, “he takes too many coffee breaks.” Another insider told me that, “Barry listens to CBC radio all day, and you’d think that would be an indication of a more centralist/left leaning political view. In fact, what Barry has been doing is winning shwag from various talk shows as a covert and insidious way of trying to bankrupt the CBC.”
While no one is saying that Stephen Harper or Barry Dhillon have done anything illegal (yet), there is little doubt that these two are in cahoots. Next week I plan to interview Mr. Dhillon at his parents’ home (he still lives with his parents) to get his supposed “side” of the story.
All joking aside, congrats to B-dawg for his promotion (I assume it’s a promotion)!
January 12, 2010 at 9:38 pm · Filed under Just Stuff
Ever since I was a kid I’ve kept my books. From Lord of the Rings to James Bond, to Chomsky, Rushdie and Kundera I still have them all. Actually, my James Bond books were lost but that wasn’t on purpose. Even as recently as this winter, when I find a book that I think I will be interested in reading I will buy it instead of taking it out from the library. I guess I have some kind of romantic idea about books which goes back to seeing foreign flicks like Blue, where some dude would have a small apartment packed with books from floor to ceiling. I thought it was the coolest thing to have that many books. However, the reality of it is that I almost have never read the same book twice. I still like looking through my shelves and seeing what I have. Sometimes I get to lend a good book out to a friend. Lately I’ve been wondering if it’s all worth the effort. Books take up a lot of space in the house, and there’s no purpose in storing them in boxes somewhere. Box storage is the kiss of death. Moving forward, I’m resistant to purchasing new books because of the cost involved. As well, there is the whole notion of eBooks which are a lot less expensive and really don’t take up any space at all.
For the time being I plan on keeping my books. I think there is some intrinsic value in owning them, and maybe one day my kids will want to read them. Whether or not I continue to purchase books (instead of using the library) or purchase ebooks, remains to be seen.
January 8, 2010 at 7:46 pm · Filed under Just Stuff
Awesome! UPS is laying off 1800 but they have increased profits. That’s fantastic, I think everyone in North America, if not the world, was concerned about UPS’s profits. I mean, who needs jobs as long as the big companies are making bigger profits?
January 5, 2010 at 10:00 pm · Filed under Sports
Everyone that last September thought Henrik Sedin would be leading the NHL in points 43 games into the season, raise your hand. Yeah, I thought so.
I’ve liked the Sedin sisters every since they joined the NHL. First, it’s always been a pleasure to refer to them as the sisters. Secondly, they’ve made steady progress every year since they started. Thirdly, they are two of the toughest players in the game. By this I mean that I appreciate that they never back away from a play to avoid a hit, they never embellish a hit, and they take a lot of hits without missing a shift. If Henrik keeps this up, he’ll be in contention for not only the scoring lead but also the Hart Trophy.
Next entries »
Loading ...