McLaren's New 600bhp Supercar

It's called the MP4-12C and isn't scheduled to go on sale until 2011, but the teasers are out and the car is hot.



Facts:
-3.8 litre V8 twin turbo developing 600bhp
-0 to 60mph in 3.4 seconds
-lowest carbon output per hp of any car currently on the market (including hybrids)

A short vid from the BBC here shows some interesting features of this F1 inspired car.

Windmills!!

Brabe and I got entirely too excited about being near these bad boys!

Gorge!

Post-rain storm a phenomenal, intense double rainbow appeared (that this
pic does not do justice), and post-rainbow the pink sunset ruled the stage
backdrop.

Overheard In The Office #4

"I can't watch that movie."

"Why not?"

"I can't watch Tom Cruise movies because I'm distracted by his tooth. Every time I see him, all I can think is: tipped lateral incisor!"

Letter to Brabe #5 / Letter to Wookiee #9

Movits!!






Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings on Letterman last year.

Bleeding Hearts = Less Bleeding

A new Canadian study, released yesterday, reaffirms the obvious conclusion that right-wing politicos and their worshippers can't seem to grasp. Throwing youth in jail/detention centres teaches them a lesson - not to stop pursing crime, but rather to continue and/or escalate their crimes. I am once again not at all surprised to find that the approach of "bleeding heart liberals" produces less crime than the "tough on crime conservatives" - are you?

Think this will change Harper's course? Or pry open the closed minds of hardcore right-wingers even a tiny bit? Absolutely not. Don't they believe that learning and changing ones mind is a sign of weakness?

Letter to Brabe #4 / Letter to Wookiee #8

After all this time, it's still an all-time favourite! And I was wrong, it's Brabe's hat being blown off near the end that I loved, not the squirrel's head.

Sorry the quality isn't great, but it's all that TheTube had to offer!

The Things I Reference

It's no wonder nobody understands what the frak I’m telling them.

“I passed this guy on my commute and I had to laugh, I mean, what’s the point dude? He’s in a Jag XK8, but he’s driving it like it’s the Pazyryk Ice Maiden!”

Robert S. McNamara

1916 - 2009

I have much respect for the man, particularly after watching Errol Morris's documentary, "The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara." (transcript). A sad day indeed.

From the NY Times:

"In the film, Mr. McNamara described the American firebombing of Japan’s cities in World War II. He had played a supporting role in those attacks, running statistical analysis for Gen. Curtis E. LeMay of the Army’s Air Forces.

“We burned to death 100,000 Japanese civilians in Tokyo — men, women and children,” Mr. McNamara recalled; some 900,000 Japanese civilians died in all. “LeMay said, ‘If we’d lost the war, we’d all have been prosecuted as war criminals.’ And I think he’s right. He — and I’d say I — were behaving as war criminals.”

“What makes it immoral if you lose and not immoral if you win?” he asked. He found the question impossible to answer."

Wicked Stage!

Blogging By BlackBerry

Waiting for Green Day to hit the stage! Woo!

Blogging By BlackBerry

My week of lo-fi entertainment in Ottawa in three thoughts:

1. The "variety" offered on the flight's personal onboard entertainment
system under the category of Television, Drama, is limited, to say the
least. Your choices are between; six episodes of Mad Men, one CSI:NY, and
one CSI. Damn.

2. Seriously!? What is up with the hit songs? I keep seeing a Brad
Paisley ad on TV where he sings this lyric;

"I'd like to check you,
for ticks."

Are you kidding me??

3. Apollo is British?? There are these ads for Law & Order UK where Jamie
Bamber is a British cop! What the frak?!

Blogging By Blackberry

After trekking the Rideau Canal, the River Walk along the Ottawa River, and
the sheer cliff stairs back up to Parliament Hill, I am now enjoying a
pleasant lay upon grass in front of the West, Centre, and East Blocks of
The Hill. Disgustingly, right now the weather is much more enjoyable here
than at home.

Blogging By BlackBerry

Post-meeting in Ottawa, I am enjoying this glorious afternoon along the
Rideau Canal before I head up to Parliament Hill to lay on the grass...or
Majors Hill Park. Such tough decisions!

As You Wish

I love this story. A large forest fire in BC is threatening to destroy a swath of homes and an evacuation order has been given in the area. In wicked matter-of-fact Canadian fashion, those who are refusing to evacuate have been asked to provide "tombstone" data on themselves "which includes, date of birth, next of kin to be notified in case of death and the name of their dentist".

"B.C. RCMP have asked seven residents in the path of a growing central B.C. forest fire for their dental records after they refused to leave the area earlier this week.


RCMP spokesman Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said Friday the move was not a scare tactic.


"It's just the fact of the matter. We use dental records to identify charred remains," he said. "This is done all the time.""

Maybe it's wrong to laugh, but I find it hilarious! If you don't want to leave, that's fine, but you're going to die so please provide us with the information necessary to identify your body.

I know that many people have stayed through previous fire-related evacuation orders and have been safe, however I think that it is better to be safe than sorry. If people paid any attention to history, even very recent history, they might think differently. Do you recall the people of New Orleans who decided to stay in their homes in defiance of the evacuation order because they had stayed through plenty of storms before without issue? I remember lots of them dying horrible deaths when the levees broke.