… what will Rick do without internet?
Rick McCharles will be mostly offline enjoying the Dolomites.
shout out for Halifax
I’ve always liked this city.
It’s a University hangout with Dalhousie right downtown. A party place. Great restaurants and bars.
I had a terrific $5 steak special at one busy restaurant as part of my Tattoo ticket package.
The impressive Citadel Hill cannot be missed.
But really it’s the harbour I like most.
My best photo, former prison camp, Georges Island.
Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo – a review
Excellent.
I was very happy I finally got the chance to see it. The original meaning of military tattoo is a military drum performance, but nowadays it sometimes means army displays more generally.
The themes: the military, police, fire, patriotism, Scottish heritage, international cooperation, tradition. Military music: drums and pipes.
Tattoo
It’s so unhip. So retro. So old fashioned … I found it very charming. It’s the anti-Cirque.
Happily the old men in charge laughed off any suggestion to pander with a reference to Michael Jackson. In fact, they don’t know who he was. … But they do know Abba.
Though I was born to parents both in the military, my upbringing was just the opposite. The formative book of my teen years was anti-war: Catch-22.
The first adult movie I saw was anti-war: Kelly’s Heros.
As a young adult I told Rich that I would rather be Red than Dead. (As a gymnastics coach, I might just have been better off under the Commies than under Trudeau.)
But I’ve always respected the military. They are clear on purpose. Announced loudly and clearly during the Tattoo:
There are no good wars. And there is nothing good about war.
(Nod to Benjamin Franklin.)
A strong military is all about preventing war. And minimizing the risk of war.
Our greatest danger in 2009 is the hazard that the wrong people in Pakistan might get their hands on nuclear weapons. (Not climate change. Please.) We need a strong military to do what we can to minimize the risk of nuclear war.
At MEC I happened to see a young female soldier shopping for a personal backpack for her upcoming deployment to Afghanistan. Very young. I could only think of how much braver she was than me. I’d hate to be going over there right now.
Kudos to everyone in police, fire prevention and the military. I salute you.
official website – Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo
Here is the 2009 promo video on YouTube. (The footage is from previous years. But you’ll get the idea.)
The Tattoo is too long and slow for kids. At least 3 were asleep near where I was sitting by half way through the performance. But I recommend you attend if ever you get the chance.
Leave a comment if you’ve seen a Tattoo.
In Search of the Perfect Burger
In your face Paul McCartney.
From Rockin’ Ronnie
This article appears in the latest edition of Calgary’s City Palate, and I’m pleased to share it here.
North American society has nearly killed its beloved hamburger.
The anti-fat movement, which shamed us into using extra lean ground beef, robbed the meat of most of its flavour. And worries about E coli contamination led to stringent regulation that pretty much requires today’s restaurants to cook the life out of their burgers. …
read the rest of this article – In Search of the Perfect Burger
will Google crush Microsoft?
Did you hear that Google is launching an operating system: Google Chrome OS?
It’s an open source, lightweight OS designed for inexpensive netbooks, not available until late this year.
Still, this is a new potential challenge to the near monopoly of Microsoft in non-Apple computers.
Will Google crush Microsoft? … Eventually, I think so.
But for now, Microsoft is still winning the Battle.
UPDATE: John sent this link to me: Why we need to chill about ChromeOS. No need for Microsoft to fret any time soon.
love / hate rent-a-car
Part of the rationale of me not owning a vehicle is:
I can always rent-a-car.
Recently I’ve started relying on the insurance provided by my credit card. Risky, I think.
I got the TD Gold Select Visa Card mainly for this feature:
Use your eligible TD Visa Card to charge the full cost of a car rental and the Auto Rental Collision/Loss Damage Insurance program will cover you at no additional cost. This insurance coverage means you do not need to purchase the collision/loss damage insurance coverage offered by the car rental company. You’ll be protected against loss arising from damage to the rental car on most rentals in North America and many foreign countries. Some restrictions apply.
One problem is that I must pay any costs up front, then make a claim to VISA for reimbursement.
Risky. So far I’ve never had to do it.
Recently I woke up to find my rent-a-car looking like this:
I changed the tire myself, putting on the skinny temporary. Maximum 80km/hr, it says.
When I got back to Avis I learned that there will be no cost to me if the tire is patched. But that I am responsible to buy a new tire if it cannot be patched.
I’ll learn that decision by watching my credit card statement.
hmm
dreaming of Iceland …
I posted this on my hiking blog yesterday. One of the most charming music videos I’ve ever seen.
I tried and failed to find a very inexpensive flight from Eastern Canada to Iceland. Unfortunately it’s very high season there.
This evocative music video inspired me.
The music reminds many of Arcade Fire from Canada.
But this is sigur rós, a rock band from Iceland.
… glósóli, shot in iceland in august 2005. the video is directed by icelanders arni & kinski and features a cast of icelandic children. …
read an interview with the video’s cinematographer Chris Soos – takk… glósóli video
I hate dressing up for weddings
Like this bad boy …
Sheena and Jeremy made him do it.
Dad wins fishing trip to the Charlottes
Hoo hoo.
My father, Eric, recently bought a fancy GPS for his boat. At the same time he entered a contest.
Yesterday they phoned to say he won an all expenses paid 5 day trip for 2 in August to Haida Gwaii (the Queen Charlotte Islands). He’s taking my brother Rob.
Fishing is great in the Port Alberni inlet this season, where my Dad has his boat, by the way. The best in years.
