What's Pretty Neat?

AllTheWitAndWisdomThatFit
EverydayVille


Well.

According to cartoonist Dan Murphy, who says goodbye to his colleagues at The Province in the video below, it's:

"Building something everyday that wasn't there the day before."

Pretty damned hard not to agree with that, I reckon.

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Two Posts That Demonstrate Why The Lotuslandian Bloggodome Matters.

WritingAboutWhatReallyMatters
MostVille


The first post is from Laila Yuile who, writing on her blog today in the wake of her Battle of the Bands column in 24 Hours yesterday, actually looks, hard, at the specifics of 'audits' of First Nations on a whole lotta levels.

Which, ultimately leads her to conclude that this is not a black-and-white issue:

"...What is pertinent in this report is that (former Auditor General Sheila) Fraser places accountability also in the hands of First Nations, while clearly spelling out a decade of failings of this government.

I suggest you read the entire report.

It is an eye-opener if you are of the camp that believes First Nations created their own problems to solve. Or that Government is blameless..."

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The second post that I highly recommend is from Norm Farrell who gets to the heart of the matter regarding the havoc that the crony capitalism of the Campbell Clark government has wrought.

Havoc like this:

"...I've heard reports from people doing business with the province who say they are required to kick-back part of what they are paid by taxpayers. I've also had reports from contractors forced into doing business with BC through indirect agencies, then asked to reduce charges so that managers of the BC Liberal friendly agencies can take a bigger piece of the action..."

****

The Bloggodome....

When it is humming like this it is all killer and no filler.

(or paywalls)



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This Day In Snookland...Are The FedCon Shipbuilding Contracts In Trouble?

What,SheWorry
AFlockOfAlfred'sOnParadeVille


An Anon-O-Mouse, in the comments, alerted us to a recent piece by the CP's Murray Brewster in which he wonders if those contracts, you know the ones that the (not) Premier is counting on for a  big 'Jobs Program' propwash in the run-up to the provincial election, might be really to be bashed like the F-35 'contract' was bashed.

Here is Mr. Brewster's lede:

OTTAWA - The navy's long-delayed, much-studied joint support ship program is expected to come under the political microscope within weeks in what is likely another defence equipment embarrassment for the Harper government.

The parliamentary budget officer has been examining the program and is poised to release his findings once MPs return from their Christmas break.

Kevin Page's incendiary analysis of the F-35 fighter jet program sparked a raging political fire which continues to burn.

Now, documents obtained by The Canadian Press under access to information laws offer a glimpse of a troubled ship program set to deliver less capable vessels than originally envisioned...

Our Anon-O-Mouse also made the interesting point that the Westcoast chunk of these contracts was also used as an excuse by the Snooklandian fluffers for going offshore to build the new SeaBuses:


"...This is also the same federal ships program that the BC Liberals are using as part of an excuse to ship (pun intended) the new SeaBus contract overseas (local shipyards are too busy building supply ships and can't build the SeaBus)..."

Imagine that!

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Was The AG Terminated With Extreme BC Liberal Party Prejudice?

LeaksLeaksEverywhere
SourcesSayVille


On Sunday, Ian Reid was the first to finger the LINO's on the 'Special Committee For Appointing An Auditor General' for voting unanimously NOT to renew John Doyle's contract:

...The committee overseeing the appointment of an Auditor General is made up of five members; three BC Liberal and two New Democrats. To reappoint the current Auditor the vote has to be unanimous.

Three Liberals voted not to reappoint Doyle, Two New Democrats voted to reappoint.

And the BC Liberals did not act on their own. I’m told that their caucus discussed the process and Doyle’s reappointment...


Now.

Ian has pointed me in the right direction on a lot of matters North False Creek over the last couple of years, and he has never let me down.

But he also flies his Dipper flag very, very high, so I didn't fuss too much about the post quoted from above because I assumed his sources were inside the NDP, and no one from the party has officially said what really happened, presumably because of the secret sauce smeared cone of silence that covers the committee's proceedings.

But now Les Leyne, in the 15 page views per month VT-C*, says his sources, whom I can only assume are different than Ian's, are telling him essentially the same thing.

Here is Mr. Leyne's lede:

"There’s no question some Liberal MLAs are at the heart of the mysterious decision not to reappoint auditor general John Doyle for another term.

But which ones? Is it the trio who sit on the actual committee that made the call? Or are they taking direction from above?

The fact that a such a small handful of backbenchers (a source said all three voted against Doyle’s second term) can bring such a big helping of suspicion down on the government is a tribute to the arcane process used to select the watchdog..."


And still the mandateless and disappeared (not)Premier who Frances Bula told us not long ago was a 'relentless war campaigner' refuses to come out of hiding tell us, straight-up, why she and hers fired the people's auditor.

Don't know about you, but...

I honestly never knew that codswallop could be both rancid and gutless at the same time.



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*I'll comment on the '15 page views to pay wall' thing, later....Suffice it to say that I do not think it is a good thing.


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This Day In Snookland...Bonus Evening Edition.

What,SheWorry?
Don'tCallHerAlfredVille


In which the vacationing/in-hiding (not) Premier leaves it to the flack-hackery to try and make the matter of the termination of Auditor General John Doyle go away.

From the CP:

VICTORIA - Premier Christy Clark is backing a government committee's decision not to renew the six-year contract of Auditor General John Doyle.

Clark's communications director Ben Chin says the premier will not reconsider the decision by the Liberal-dominated committee to start looking for a replacement for Doyle.

Opposition New Democrat Leader Adrian Dix says Clark should step in and re-examine the decision to drop Doyle, whose investigations into government financial mismanagement and payments related to the BC Rail corruption trial have routinely embarrassed the Liberal government.

Clark is currently on vacation, but Chin says she will not embroil herself in the decision-making process of an independent legislative committee...


Meanwhile, on the Twittmachine, the junior flack-hackery (scrubs division) has decided that a termination/failure to re-hire is not a firing.

Or some such thing.

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This Day In Snookland...1st, Dump AG...

...2nd...Go Into Hiding/On Holiday.

But.

Here's the thing....

Why did Mr. Schreck (not Shrek!) suggest, with the election coming, that Ms. Clark might want to get 'back' to work?

If you get my drift.

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Link to original post on the Twittmobile is here.

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Monday, Monday...

NewWeekDawning
HereWeGoAgainVille


E. climbed into the cigar tube and headed back to the East, the French, and the Snow once again on Saturday night.

But not before we first stopped off in Ladner at our niece's 25th birthday party and played her a partially (and nicely) Yankovicked version of our cover of Lisa Hannigan's 'I Don't Know'.

Which was actually a good thing, schedule-wise, because it meant that the packing and the scrambling were all done earlier rather than later.

But...

When we got to YVR I was a little worried that we might tip the 50lb/23kg scale and set off that damnable luggage alarm behind the Air Canada desks.

Why?

Well, mostly because I gave E. a massive tome of Yeats poems for Christmas.

But, luckily, unlike last January when a small banjo from our friend across the water Geo (and maybe a small amplifier?) was/were stuffed into the big bag, this time around we were actually a couple of kilos under the wire.

Anyway...

It was a red-eye with a stop-over at Pearson so she didn't get home to her flat in The Plateau until mid-morning.

But that didn't stop her from heading down to The Metro for a busking session yesterday afternoon.

And the good news is that they've turned up the heat in the Sherbrooke Station.

****

About this Lotuslandian John Doyle/Auditor General thing....

Over the weekend the proMedia played it pretty much straight-up, although Dipper Shane Simpson appeared to have been involved in sounding the original clarion call.

There are varying POV's on the thing from Ian Reid's opinion, likely based, I would imagine, on inside Dipper info, that this is purely and simply a LINO thing. On the other hand, Alex Tsakumis and Keith Baldrey appear to think a wee bit differently.

The thing is, it is impossible to really know what's going on at this point given the fact that, as Laila Yuile and Bob Mackin have made clear via the Twittmobile, the work of the 'Special Committee To Appoint An Auditor General' has all been done under a double-secret probation dunce cap-like cone-of-silence.

Which means that the public needs to make a big, stinkety, stink, stink, stink if they think that Mr. Doyle has done (and is still doing) a good job of looking out for all of our collective best interests.

Personally, I think he has and is.

In spades.

****

Really interesting piece in the Montreal Gazette by Jack Todd on the hockey thing.

Essentially, Mr. Todd is of the opinion that, with the 50/50 thing agreed to long ago, the last 4 months of acrimony and stupidity is all Gary Bettman's fault.

Why?

Because his real goal was to break the union.

And, despite his best/worst efforts Mr. Bettman failed spectacularly.

Here's an excerpt from Todd's column (but it is well worth reading in its entirety except, of course, for the 'Habs Talk' at the end):

....For a few moments very early Sunday morning, Bettman appeared almost human. The rage was gone: the bulging eyes, the hands flailing at the air, as though he wanted to karate-chop the lectern to smithereens.

Why was he suddenly trying to make nice? Because Bettman was beaten. That much was plain. He had set out to destroy the NHLPA — and instead the union today is far stronger than it has ever been. He had sought to divide and conquer — and instead, the players closed ranks behind Donald Fehr as never before...

****

Finally....

It's a big day for righteous Lotuslandian blogger Laila Yuile.

Because her inaugural regular Monday column in 24 Hours is out.

Go have a look.

And go wish her luck at her blog, which she plans to keep on going on with as well.

Both of which are a good thing.

OK?


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Saturday Night's Alright For Uke (Cover) Fighting!

There'sNoUke

LikeCoverUkeVille


First, the Original, by Lisa Hannigan and friends....

Now, the Cover, by Bigger E and me at our recent UkeFolkFunkFusionFest...

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Our first ever UkeFFFFest was held last Thurs Jan 3rd at the fabulous Prophouse on Venables just off Commercial...More to come from that, including the 'Originals' (including a collaboration with Mr. Beer 'N Hockey!)....Promise (and the second Fest O' Uke is already in the works)...

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BC Place: The 'Selling' Of The Magic Carpet Ride...

AllTheCodswallopThatFit
HundredsAndHundredsOfMillionsAgoVille


Way back in 2009, in the days when the docile Lotuslandian proMedia could be spun every which way but loose by the weakest of weasel-worded watercarrying,  Mess'rs David Pratt and Tom Mayenknect, then both of 'TEAM1040 Radio', suddenly started babbling and scare-mongering about how, if they were elected that May, the NDP would kill the BC Place Roof Renovations. 

Well.

At the time I was incensed by the already unbelievably ridiculous price-tag for that bloody roof.

And, worse, I smelled an 'oh woe is us, how else can we pay for it without a condo-land jack' snow-job coming.

Little did I know that what was really just over the horizon was much, much worse...

Which was an insider-brokered 'deal-breaker' of a Casino-Industrial-Complex that would have turned the Northside of False Creek into a PavCo-promoted, Smilin' Sammy Sullivan-assisted, Vegas money-driven,  'Pottersville-On-Speedballs' if it hadn't later been killed by a citizen's revolt that Vision Vancouver actually paid attention to later on down the road.

But...

Back to that price-tag that was being wurlitzered by the watercarriers in the pre-provincial election daze of 2009...

At that time we were being told it was a cool three hundred and sixty-five million dollars.

Of course, since then it has turned into something between five and six hundred million, give or take the cost of that super-secret deal/not deal debacle with Telus for the naming rights.

Or some such thing.

****

Anyway.

At the time I couldn't believe that we had been sold a bill of goods for a bit of carpet and cable that would cost more than a third of a billion dollars when we were constantly being told, post-2008 economic meltdown/pre-2009 election/pre HST-swindle, that we didn't have any money to pay for real programs that actually matter.

And I was even more furious when I learned that Toronto had just built an ENTIRE soccer stadium for $72 million.

And I said as much to my 30 or 40 readers at the time.

But here's the real thing....

It turns out, as Ian Reid recently learned by FOI, and Bob Mackin noted yesterday in 'Business In Vancouver' that the original 2008 roof/refurbishing pitch from PavCo's David Podmore to the then City of Vancouver manager (and 'Man of Many Hats and Turnstiles' protege) Judy Rogers was for a measly hundred million.

Which means that the thing went from an expensive, but maybe not completely unreasonable 100 mill in 2008 to an unbelievable, and completely unsustainable 365 mill in just one year.

Which can wonder which was conceived of first....

The Roof or The Casino?

More on that later.



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If you want to check out a sampling from our litany of posts over the years on this subject, hit....This.
What has changed between 2009 and now for the watercarriers and those who wurtlitzer their worthless codswallop in the proMedia without fear of consequence?....Well, as Norm Farrell made abundantly clear the other day, there is now the possibility of real bloggodomic pushback against those who wurlitzer without fact-checking that is backed by an ever growing Lotuslandian readership...And yes, the folks who cross between the two realms, folks like Bob Mackin and, now, Laila Yuile (yay!),  really are able to hold the feet of the insulated and Guccied to the fire...
And what is the good Ms. Rogers up to these days?....Well, it would appear that the former City Manager, who worked very closely with one of our province's finest of the fine former public servants, Mr. Kenneth Dobell in her former capacity, is now part of the great 'legacy' of the mountains of public largesse that continue to flow down the Condo-King Highway....For the turnstiles, indeed...


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Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

WaitOnlyForMyBootheels
ToBeWanderin'Ville


What diasporas are made of...

Just Saying from Dave on Vimeo.

Thing is...

You always can go home again.

So.

Remember that young whippersnappers who might be feelin' the pull as you leave on your jet planes today.

OK?



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Short above written and directed by Dublin's Dave Tynan....
Hey...If you woke up this morning and learned that you missed the latest Earthquake/Tsunami story, you can see it all unfold by reading the last 12 hr of Johanna Wagstaffe's Twittmobile...
And if you want to read a great New Year's 'Resolution Road Post'...Head on over to our good friend Karen's place....Here.


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Holy Doodles!....Molly Lewis Fronts Sound Opinions This Week.

AllTheDIYThatFits
TapestryOfJusticeVille


With one of the greatest bits of crazy-fingered Uke Cover playing of all time.

The Jim & Gregian 'Sound Opinions' preview details are here.

Here's ol' crazy fingers (and wooer of Stephen Fry) herself from days of yore...

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This Day In Snookland...The Sacrifices We Make For 'Millar Time'!

A few weeks ago, we established, based on an Email sent to staff by Ministry of Child and Family Development officials, that Christy Clark's government does NOT allow front-line social workers to spend an extra $50 to buy additional Christmas presents for non-foster kids.

To be very clear about this, those kids, who need our help most, are entitled to expenditures that 'recognize', in the words of Clark government officials:

"....milestones and other important events for a child or youth where the purchases of small gifts are allowed up to a maximum yearly amount of $100 per child..."

So.

How many of those struggling kids could have received an extra $50 present, given to them by those in the system who know them best, if Ms. Clark was not shovelling 'consultant' money out the door to her former campaign advisor and friend Mr. Don Millar who was the recipient of an additional $59,253 of our money in the first 10 months of 2012 as noted by The Province's Cassidy Olivier above?

Well, using that new fangled math (i.e. long division) that they, apparently, don't teach to the academic tourists that hang around the Sorbonne, I reckon the answer is....

One Thousand One Hundred and Eighty-Five.

Which is a whole lot of struggling kids that we could have given an extra boost to at Christmastime but did not because it appear to be a higher priority to give the money to Mr. Millar instead, to the tune of $10,000 per month.

But, then again, when you've got smear sites to build....

Well?


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And, just in case you missed the pre-holiday MCFD flap,  you can read all about it, for the (responsibly irresponsible blogger) record, ....Here.
Meanwhile, Ms. Clark's vaunted 'jobs plan' that is spending tens of millions on stupid useless advertising, much of it disguised as 'fake' news has us at....Number 8!....Gosh, I thought Ms. Clark herself and many of the stenographers in the Lotuslandian proMedia were telling us we were #1 just a few weeks ago...What's that you say?....Not everyone in British Columbia swallowed that codswallop whole?...Well, there were the usual suspects (i.e. irresponsible bloggers) who made a bit of a fuss, but nobody paid any attention until Mr. Akin put fingertip to keyboard as noted....here and here.



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Thanks To Everyone Times A Billion!

AllTheJoyThatFits

InMyHeartVille

Thanks to everyone who came to watch (and clap and cheer) and help us celebrate our first ever 'UkeFolkFunkFusionFest' last night.

It was so great to have our friends Donna and Dennis play with us and have all kinds of fun with folks from all of our worlds (and yes, that included friends from this crazy, mixed-up thing called Blogworld).

I can't tell you how proud I was watching my oldest kid's talent bloom and fill the entire room.

Not to mention the joy of having my youngest kid and my wife help with all the setting up and the executing of the thing (especially the merch-making!).

And best of all, we raised $150 for the kids who live at 'Angelitos Felices', an orphanage in Honduras that Jody Paterson and Paul Willcocks are helping to make a place that they can have a real life at.

You can read more about all that, and maybe even donate a little yourself by checking out their 'Go Fund Me' website, here.

Thanks again to everyone who came in person and to all the fantastic well wishes we got from those of you out there who were there in spirit, not to mention pixels.


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We played at Ross' place (his real name) on Venables just off Commercial in Vancouver...It's called 'The Prophouse'...We recommend it most highly for coffee, treats, real food, and an ambience/decor that can't be beat....And we can't thank Ross enough either...After all,  he let us come in and take over the place for an entire evening for absolute free (he even let us use his great sound system that you just plug into and go)...I'm telling you, if you have any interest in putting on any kind of show, just stop by and ask....Ross won't say no (heckfire, he said yes to me so you know he's willing to try just about anything)...
Sound and pictures from the show coming,  promise....Just have to wade through all the footage over the next couple of days...
And yes, there was a live rendition of 'Song For Beer!'...

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UkeFolkFunkFusionFest....Tonight!

And, Yes, There will be Merch.

Courtesy our Merch-Manager, littler e.

Film and sound at 11.

(but probably not tonight)



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This Day In Snookland....It's Millar Time...

...Again.

And, for the record, if you go anywhere near the Twittmobile and you are not hooked-up to Cassidy Olivier's feed, you are really missing out.



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And I expect our good friend NVG will be all over this really soon...

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