The following has been mentioned before but the knowledge of it is becoming more and more mainstream. After 911 all flights to and from the States were grounded. In the case of incoming flights, the flights already in the air were diverted. Here is the interesting thing: Dozens of rich Saudi Arabians many of them with the name of Bin Laden were allowed to fly out of the States. Nobody else was allowed. It has been well known for a long time that the Bin Ladens along with the Saudi Government have been the principle trouble makers on the international scene. The Saudi Government was giving Osama fifty million dollars a year to help finance terror. In a congressional investigation one official involved in letting the Saudi's leave was asked if the list of Saudi's that were allowed to leave was classified. The official said no, it is not. The official was then asked to start naming the names on the list. He said, well I don't have the list with me. He was then asked to bring it the next day. Well guess what. The list magically got classified that same night. The question this raises is why was it suddenly classified. Could Osama Bin Ladens name be on that list or other prominent Al Quida members.
Saudi Arabia would have been a much more logical target than Iraq except that is where the States gets it's oil from . Also gazzilions of dollars of the same money that it took to buy that oil ends up back in the States in the form of investments and bank deposits. It is in the interest of many rich people in power in the States not to cause any form of irritation to the Saudi's . George Bush is one of the rich guys. It'll sure be interesting to see how this all plays out. I hope about 100 million viewers were watching 60 Minutes on TV tonight.
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
New Car
We got the car last night. Yeah! I love it. I love everything about it. I'm so sad that I have no where to go. I think I'll go for a drive anyway...tour the neighborhood or something.
Tracie - pictures still to come
Tracie - pictures still to come
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Kilkenny's review
Gary and I went to Kilkenny's the other day for brunch with the staff from the Gauntlet. I have never been there before, or even heard of it to be honest, but I will definitely be returning sometime soon.
It is an all you can eat buffet-style brunch with everything you could possibly imagine. Eggs, sausage, ham, bacon, fruit, croissants, hashbrowns, salads, french toast....you name it. It also included omelets, which you could order the way you like them. For dessert there was cakes, cookies, and squares. Yummm.
I'm not sure how much it cost, since I didn't pay or see the bill. But whatever the cost, it was worth it. The one huge disappointment is that people were smoking in there. If there's one thing I hate, it's second hand smoke. The only thing worse is smelling it while I'm eating. Eating breakfast, no less. Who smokes while eating breakfast anyway? Or drinks beer for that matter. There sure were a lot of beer drinkers for such an early hour. That being said, however, the food was so good that I am actually willing to overlook it.
Tracie, highly recommends Kilkenny's
It is an all you can eat buffet-style brunch with everything you could possibly imagine. Eggs, sausage, ham, bacon, fruit, croissants, hashbrowns, salads, french toast....you name it. It also included omelets, which you could order the way you like them. For dessert there was cakes, cookies, and squares. Yummm.
I'm not sure how much it cost, since I didn't pay or see the bill. But whatever the cost, it was worth it. The one huge disappointment is that people were smoking in there. If there's one thing I hate, it's second hand smoke. The only thing worse is smelling it while I'm eating. Eating breakfast, no less. Who smokes while eating breakfast anyway? Or drinks beer for that matter. There sure were a lot of beer drinkers for such an early hour. That being said, however, the food was so good that I am actually willing to overlook it.
Tracie, highly recommends Kilkenny's
U.S. AND BRITAIN'S INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES
CNN's Anderson Cooper interviewed a man who professes to be an interrogation expert. This expert says he thinks that the people who carried out the interrogation atrocities in Iraq were probably suffering from "Prison Guard Syndrome". This expert sited a study that was done in the psychology department at Stanford University in 1971 . In this study a group of regular students were recruited to take part in an experiment in which half of the students were mock prison guards and the other half were prisoners. The study was to last for two weeks. However, by day six the guards were getting so sadistic towards the prisoners that those in control of the experiment halted the experiment. They called it prison guard syndrome.
I'll make you a bet that prisoners have a natural animosity toward guards as well, and resent them no matter how decent the guards are and the guards soon feel this animosity and want to retaliate. I think it's probably like the common situation in which one child hits another child and the other child feels that in order to get even he should hit the first child "harder" than the first child hit him, and the situation rapidly escalates from there.
My real opinion of the Iraq affair however, is that the guards were just plain sadistic and faggy. I hope part of their punishment involves being driven in the privates with a rifle butt. This punishment I respectfully reserve only for those who have themselves done the same thing to someone else.
I'll make you a bet that prisoners have a natural animosity toward guards as well, and resent them no matter how decent the guards are and the guards soon feel this animosity and want to retaliate. I think it's probably like the common situation in which one child hits another child and the other child feels that in order to get even he should hit the first child "harder" than the first child hit him, and the situation rapidly escalates from there.
My real opinion of the Iraq affair however, is that the guards were just plain sadistic and faggy. I hope part of their punishment involves being driven in the privates with a rifle butt. This punishment I respectfully reserve only for those who have themselves done the same thing to someone else.
Monday, May 03, 2004
Stabbing Downtown
Just after 9 PM tonight a 22 yr old male was walking downtown
after withdrawing money from a bank. He was approached by a
male and two females who begged for money. He gave them some
money and left. He walked a short distance and was attacked
by these three people, one of which stabbed the victim twice
in the back.
The victim chased the culprits for several blocks ;until he
lost them around 12 Ave and 1 St SE.
He then returned to the scene of the assault in the 100 block
of 7 Ave SE.
A short time ;later police picked up a suspect at 12 Ave and
1 St SW and are questioning another suspect.
The victim is in serious condition in hospital. The injuries
are no considered life threatening.
That's what I call stabbing the back that feeds you. Would they have not stabbed him if he hadn't given them money? It seems backwards to me.
But the victim, now there's one tough s.o.b. Who chases a group of three people after being stabbed? I bet if they had been pit bulls, he would have pulled out his pocket knife and killed them just like Symington.
Dear robbers,
Stab and rob the guys that don't give you money. Give safe passage to the guys who do give you money. But maybe I've seen too many episodes of the Sopranos and I think that the protection racket is a good racket to be in.
-Gary Milner,
after withdrawing money from a bank. He was approached by a
male and two females who begged for money. He gave them some
money and left. He walked a short distance and was attacked
by these three people, one of which stabbed the victim twice
in the back.
The victim chased the culprits for several blocks ;until he
lost them around 12 Ave and 1 St SE.
He then returned to the scene of the assault in the 100 block
of 7 Ave SE.
A short time ;later police picked up a suspect at 12 Ave and
1 St SW and are questioning another suspect.
The victim is in serious condition in hospital. The injuries
are no considered life threatening.
That's what I call stabbing the back that feeds you. Would they have not stabbed him if he hadn't given them money? It seems backwards to me.
But the victim, now there's one tough s.o.b. Who chases a group of three people after being stabbed? I bet if they had been pit bulls, he would have pulled out his pocket knife and killed them just like Symington.
Dear robbers,
Stab and rob the guys that don't give you money. Give safe passage to the guys who do give you money. But maybe I've seen too many episodes of the Sopranos and I think that the protection racket is a good racket to be in.
-Gary Milner,
Salesmen Continued...
Lee, the Honda guy. He didn't seem to want to explain to us what makes the car good. How the things that Honda has done will benefit us. For some reason, he kept explaining how the drivers seat could be raised and lowered. I felt like telling him, "Fifteen years I drove in a car with seats that go back and forth, not up and down. I don't care about that feature. It's just stupid. I'll duck, and Tracie will sit on a phone book."
When he wasn't touting the greatness of the adjustable height seats, he was saying that it came with power windows! Like I'm going to say, "Oh it has power windows? That's that final straw we'll take it!" Lee, if you are reading this, pay attention. EVERY NEW CAR IN THE ENTIRE WORLD CAN BE FITTED WITH POWER WINDOWS! It isn't a selling feature, it is an add on. Once you have sold the Civic, you convince them to spend an extra $500 for the power windows.
Another annoying thing was when we said that we wanted a standard transmission, he said, "Most people can't tell the difference between how an automatic and a standard drive, but you really know how to drive a standard." He went on to tell us how good we were at driving a standard transmission car several times. I'm thinking to myself, "This guy met me five minutes ago. What am I stupid? Like I don't know he has no fricking clue about how I drive." Really the flattery started to get a little embarrassing.
We told Lee that we only cared about two features. Cruise control and air conditioning. He didn't seem to realise that we wanted him to find us a car with those features. Not some other random features. Did I tell you that he found us one with power windows and adjustable height seats?
The final thing that made me switch from being a lifetime Honda driver to being a Toyota driver was when we told him that we had tested a Jetta. Now, the Jetta is a whole different class of car. Really there is no comparison between the Civic and the Jetta. The Jetta is way better. It also costs $7000 more. The first thing Lee did when we told him that we tried a Jetta was to grab his lemon book. He didn't actually flip to the Jetta page, (if there even is one,) but he did say, "Ooooh, I don't know, they make Jettas in Mexico."
The Mexico comment offended me. I consider myself to be somewhat well traveled, having lived in Argentina for two years. At the time I though, "Boy if I had gone to Mexico instead of Argentina, I would have been really offended not just sort of offended." It's like the guy thinks that Mexicans are stupid or something. Like they can't weld as well as people from Detroit, Ontario, or Japan.
The bottom line is that Lee didn't explain how owning a Civic would benefit us, how we would find value for our money in the car. His sales pitch was basically was, it's a Honda, the seats and windows go up and down, and a lot of hand waving. Hand waving instead of actual thought makes me very mad.
Lee has single handedly cost Honda at least $100,000, because now instead of buying four or more new cars from Honda, I will be buying Toyota or VW.
-Gary, Owner of a Coca-Corolla
Ps. This post was getting a little long, so there will be parts 2 and 3 for the other two good salesmen and a crappy closer.
When he wasn't touting the greatness of the adjustable height seats, he was saying that it came with power windows! Like I'm going to say, "Oh it has power windows? That's that final straw we'll take it!" Lee, if you are reading this, pay attention. EVERY NEW CAR IN THE ENTIRE WORLD CAN BE FITTED WITH POWER WINDOWS! It isn't a selling feature, it is an add on. Once you have sold the Civic, you convince them to spend an extra $500 for the power windows.
Another annoying thing was when we said that we wanted a standard transmission, he said, "Most people can't tell the difference between how an automatic and a standard drive, but you really know how to drive a standard." He went on to tell us how good we were at driving a standard transmission car several times. I'm thinking to myself, "This guy met me five minutes ago. What am I stupid? Like I don't know he has no fricking clue about how I drive." Really the flattery started to get a little embarrassing.
We told Lee that we only cared about two features. Cruise control and air conditioning. He didn't seem to realise that we wanted him to find us a car with those features. Not some other random features. Did I tell you that he found us one with power windows and adjustable height seats?
The final thing that made me switch from being a lifetime Honda driver to being a Toyota driver was when we told him that we had tested a Jetta. Now, the Jetta is a whole different class of car. Really there is no comparison between the Civic and the Jetta. The Jetta is way better. It also costs $7000 more. The first thing Lee did when we told him that we tried a Jetta was to grab his lemon book. He didn't actually flip to the Jetta page, (if there even is one,) but he did say, "Ooooh, I don't know, they make Jettas in Mexico."
The Mexico comment offended me. I consider myself to be somewhat well traveled, having lived in Argentina for two years. At the time I though, "Boy if I had gone to Mexico instead of Argentina, I would have been really offended not just sort of offended." It's like the guy thinks that Mexicans are stupid or something. Like they can't weld as well as people from Detroit, Ontario, or Japan.
The bottom line is that Lee didn't explain how owning a Civic would benefit us, how we would find value for our money in the car. His sales pitch was basically was, it's a Honda, the seats and windows go up and down, and a lot of hand waving. Hand waving instead of actual thought makes me very mad.
Lee has single handedly cost Honda at least $100,000, because now instead of buying four or more new cars from Honda, I will be buying Toyota or VW.
-Gary, Owner of a Coca-Corolla
Ps. This post was getting a little long, so there will be parts 2 and 3 for the other two good salesmen and a crappy closer.
Sunday, May 02, 2004
Superstore....Not so super after all!
I really hate going to superstore. I hate everything about it. Unfortunately, their unbeatably low prices trump the fact that the entire rest of the experience is awful.
We ran there to get a few things, and I was reminded of some of the reasons why I hate it. Here are the top three:
#3: Their produce is always bad. Well, almost always, but definitely more often than not. The few things we wanted (green peppers, pears, tomatoes), were not looking too good.
#2: It's always crowded. Disgustingly crowded. I guess no one else can resist the low prices either. The worst thing about the one in country hills though, is that there are giant pillars down every third or fourth aisle. So giant that only one cart can get by at once. This does not make for a pleasant experience when it's so crowded to begin with.
And the number one reason I hate Superstore is.......(drum roll)......
#1: Bags. That's right, bags. No, it's not that I have to pack my own groceries, which I do. Or even that I have to pay for each bag I use, which I also have to do. What bothers me is that the stupid cashiers cannot seem to start scanning the groceries without knowing the exact number of bags that I will be needing. Let me explain.
I start unpacking my groceries on the counter. Immediately out of the cashier's mouth comes the phrase "How many bags do you want today?".
This is my pet peeve. How am I supposed to know?? Most of my groceries are still in the cart. 5, 10, 15??? Your guess is as good as mine, lady. This was not a one time occurence either. No, it has happened to me everytime I have ever shopped at Superstore. The worst of it is that they seem unable to start scanning groceries until I give them the number. They leave the groceries on the counter and stare at you until you give them the number. I feel like saying, "Why don't you just start already. I'll let you know about the bags later".
Tracie, Unable to properly convey the frustrated emotions that go along with #1.
We ran there to get a few things, and I was reminded of some of the reasons why I hate it. Here are the top three:
#3: Their produce is always bad. Well, almost always, but definitely more often than not. The few things we wanted (green peppers, pears, tomatoes), were not looking too good.
#2: It's always crowded. Disgustingly crowded. I guess no one else can resist the low prices either. The worst thing about the one in country hills though, is that there are giant pillars down every third or fourth aisle. So giant that only one cart can get by at once. This does not make for a pleasant experience when it's so crowded to begin with.
And the number one reason I hate Superstore is.......(drum roll)......
#1: Bags. That's right, bags. No, it's not that I have to pack my own groceries, which I do. Or even that I have to pay for each bag I use, which I also have to do. What bothers me is that the stupid cashiers cannot seem to start scanning the groceries without knowing the exact number of bags that I will be needing. Let me explain.
I start unpacking my groceries on the counter. Immediately out of the cashier's mouth comes the phrase "How many bags do you want today?".
This is my pet peeve. How am I supposed to know?? Most of my groceries are still in the cart. 5, 10, 15??? Your guess is as good as mine, lady. This was not a one time occurence either. No, it has happened to me everytime I have ever shopped at Superstore. The worst of it is that they seem unable to start scanning groceries until I give them the number. They leave the groceries on the counter and stare at you until you give them the number. I feel like saying, "Why don't you just start already. I'll let you know about the bags later".
Tracie, Unable to properly convey the frustrated emotions that go along with #1.
Friday, April 30, 2004
ANOTHER SIGN OF THE TIMES
People are getting stupid . I was in Wall Mart today looking for an axe. They had hachets but no full size axes. I joked with the sporting goods manager by asking why a huge store like Wall Mart did't sell axes. He explained that the reason they don't sell axes is because there is a chance that a disgruntled empoyee or maybe a customer could go crazy and use one of the axes. I laughed because I thought he was joking. But he assured me he wasn't kidding. Then I said, well what about the hachets? They would do the job. He relied , well you don't have the range of motion with a hachet that you have with a bigger axe. And further he said , we don't sell matches anymore in case anyone wants to start a fire in here. Maybe It's just that I'm smarter than most people but right away I realized that you don't need Wal Mart matches to start a fire and you can bring your own axe. I don't think they're that stupid either, just crazy. If anyone reading this wants to start a fire in Wal Mart, bring your own matches but you can find all the camping gas you'll need, right there in the store.
Thursday, April 29, 2004
Car Shopping: What Tracie Didn't Tell You
All my life, my family has driven Hondas. The first car I remember was a silver Honda civic hatchback. It must have been about an '81. The Summer before I went into grade 7, we got a new dark blue civic, this one an '89. It was a really nice car. I remember how well you could see your surroundings through the windows. My cousin Matthew, probably 8 or 9 commented, "You can see the ground!" (His parents drove what can only be described as a blue star destroyer with wheels.). The new civic also had a much smoother ride, but really I'm not sure if the old civic even had shocks.
Two years later, we got a '91 Accord. That was luxury, a way smoother ride and power windows! By this time however, I was about 15, and I really had set my sights on the civic. I had realized that it would be the car that I would be driving, and drive it I did.
School mornings, I got to drive it as part of my carpool every 3 weeks for a week at a time to seminary, and then to school. I had the car all day, because by the time I could get home, I would have missed the bus. Unfortunately, the seminary year began about 2 weeks after school had started and ended 2 weeks before school ended.
Luckily for me, in my 12th grade year, I had two afternoon spares in my last semester. This, the death of my carpool, and the lack of construction work during the winter months, all added up to me driving the car to school every day. Throw in practices, and I had the car more than my Dad. It was a pretty sweet deal.
There was one sad event in my illustrious high school driving days. That was the time I go rearended by someone who can best be described as a Jackass. Cellphones were relatively new in those days, and I'm pretty sure that the guy had been distracted placing a call. My poor car was out for the count. We had a stupid green Buick rental car that you had to be 25 to drive. Didn't they know it was my car that got smashed? Why couldn't I drive the rental. To this day I hold a grudge against the Budget Rent-A-Car beside the Medicine Hat Airport.
Anyway, time passed, I made-out with Tracie in it a bunch of times. That was sure fun. Funny thing, I don't regret it at all, I guess it turns out that a lot of adults I have met are liars. Speaking of making-out, one time we were sitting in the car chatting, and I told Tracie that I didn't think that we should hang out alone in the car, so that we could avoid getting into trouble. I was actually quite serious at the time, but later, Tracie told me that it just made me that much more attractive to her. So... If you ever need a line, go ahead and use it.
When I finally got back from Argentina, the civic was given to me as a gift. It sat unused for 8 months, while I used my Grandma's Chevy Cavilier, a car with a lot more power, but also a lot worse milage. By this time, I had to share the car a lot more with my brother. Sharing a car with him was pretty annoying. I was working full time, and I would put gas in it quite often. Jeff however is quite cheap and *never* filled it. This was quite a sore spot for me.
After 8 months of being home, I got married, and finally had to get insurance and a licence plate for my civic. The car has really been great to us, but it is now on it's last legs. It has given 250,000kms and I've had it for almost 12 years myself. While I am sad to see it become the spare car, it has definitely done it's duty to God and the Queen.
Now comes the Corolla, soon to be known by two names, "The Coca-Corolla". Come to think of it, the first name is so good, I'm not even going to bother telling you my other name choices.
This post is getting pretty long so I'll write about the salesmen tomorrow.
-Gary, proud owner of the Coca-Corolla,
Two years later, we got a '91 Accord. That was luxury, a way smoother ride and power windows! By this time however, I was about 15, and I really had set my sights on the civic. I had realized that it would be the car that I would be driving, and drive it I did.
School mornings, I got to drive it as part of my carpool every 3 weeks for a week at a time to seminary, and then to school. I had the car all day, because by the time I could get home, I would have missed the bus. Unfortunately, the seminary year began about 2 weeks after school had started and ended 2 weeks before school ended.
Luckily for me, in my 12th grade year, I had two afternoon spares in my last semester. This, the death of my carpool, and the lack of construction work during the winter months, all added up to me driving the car to school every day. Throw in practices, and I had the car more than my Dad. It was a pretty sweet deal.
There was one sad event in my illustrious high school driving days. That was the time I go rearended by someone who can best be described as a Jackass. Cellphones were relatively new in those days, and I'm pretty sure that the guy had been distracted placing a call. My poor car was out for the count. We had a stupid green Buick rental car that you had to be 25 to drive. Didn't they know it was my car that got smashed? Why couldn't I drive the rental. To this day I hold a grudge against the Budget Rent-A-Car beside the Medicine Hat Airport.
Anyway, time passed, I made-out with Tracie in it a bunch of times. That was sure fun. Funny thing, I don't regret it at all, I guess it turns out that a lot of adults I have met are liars. Speaking of making-out, one time we were sitting in the car chatting, and I told Tracie that I didn't think that we should hang out alone in the car, so that we could avoid getting into trouble. I was actually quite serious at the time, but later, Tracie told me that it just made me that much more attractive to her. So... If you ever need a line, go ahead and use it.
When I finally got back from Argentina, the civic was given to me as a gift. It sat unused for 8 months, while I used my Grandma's Chevy Cavilier, a car with a lot more power, but also a lot worse milage. By this time, I had to share the car a lot more with my brother. Sharing a car with him was pretty annoying. I was working full time, and I would put gas in it quite often. Jeff however is quite cheap and *never* filled it. This was quite a sore spot for me.
After 8 months of being home, I got married, and finally had to get insurance and a licence plate for my civic. The car has really been great to us, but it is now on it's last legs. It has given 250,000kms and I've had it for almost 12 years myself. While I am sad to see it become the spare car, it has definitely done it's duty to God and the Queen.
Now comes the Corolla, soon to be known by two names, "The Coca-Corolla". Come to think of it, the first name is so good, I'm not even going to bother telling you my other name choices.
This post is getting pretty long so I'll write about the salesmen tomorrow.
-Gary, proud owner of the Coca-Corolla,
New Car and Stupid People
We bought a Toyota Corolla LE today. We'll get to pick it up within the next few days, so we're pretty excited.
Before deciding on the Corolla, we test drove a VW Jetta, and a Honda Civic. We loved the Jetta, and if it had only been two or three thousand less, there's no doubt we would have bought it instead. Maybe we'll buy it in a year or two when we can afford another vehicle and our old one kicks the bucket.
Looking for a car is a draining process. You've got to talk to so many people who are just dying to get your comission, and I feel like a piece of meat. We've come across many stupid people since we started looking. Here are two of them:
Stupid guy #1: Lee the Honda salesman
I don't even know where to start. He couldn't sell his way out of a paper bag. When we asked him what the selling features of the civic were, he would give us the features listed on the pamphlet. "Power windows" he told us eighteen times. Yah, so, every car has that....who cares?
We told him we had test driven a Jetta, and without hesitating, he went on and on about how crapy volkswagon is and how their cars are put together in Mexico by incompetent people. I felt like telling him I was Mexican. Umm, I came here to find out about Hondas, not VW.
Also, he complimented us a million times about how good we are at driving manuals. We told him we preferred them, and he went on and on about how "That's because you really know how to drive a standard. Not a lot of people do, but you do!" Gag.
Overall, he said nothing. There was a lot of talking with nothing of relevance said. Other salesman took us to the cars, pointed out what features were distinct to their cars, and how they improved the car. They knew what they were talking about. We tried to get away from Lee, but by some crazy coincidence, he was the first guy over to us every time we went.
Stupid guy #2: Toyota closer
We loved our Toyota salesman, Les. He was fabulous. So friendly and a no nonsense person, just like me. There was no crap. He got straight to the point, but not in an abrupt way. I highly recommend him. He is however a Detroit Redwings fan. His only fault.
When we told him we wanted to buy, he sent us to another guy who had to get our financial information. We were in his office for one hour. Fifteen minutes to go over finances, 45 minutes of painful listening to salespitches about extended warranties, added features like rust and upholstery protection, and his own personal testimony about each of these things. I wanted to lean my head on his desk and close my eyes until he was done, but I thought it would be rude.
At one point, he talked about how the car would start to rust from the inside out in only a few months without rust protection. He showed us samples of cars with and without. I said to him, "Maybe we shouldn't buy a Toyota if it's so crappy". Gary thought it was pretty funny.
Tracie, "I've said it before and I'll say it again. I hate stupid people"
Before deciding on the Corolla, we test drove a VW Jetta, and a Honda Civic. We loved the Jetta, and if it had only been two or three thousand less, there's no doubt we would have bought it instead. Maybe we'll buy it in a year or two when we can afford another vehicle and our old one kicks the bucket.
Looking for a car is a draining process. You've got to talk to so many people who are just dying to get your comission, and I feel like a piece of meat. We've come across many stupid people since we started looking. Here are two of them:
Stupid guy #1: Lee the Honda salesman
I don't even know where to start. He couldn't sell his way out of a paper bag. When we asked him what the selling features of the civic were, he would give us the features listed on the pamphlet. "Power windows" he told us eighteen times. Yah, so, every car has that....who cares?
We told him we had test driven a Jetta, and without hesitating, he went on and on about how crapy volkswagon is and how their cars are put together in Mexico by incompetent people. I felt like telling him I was Mexican. Umm, I came here to find out about Hondas, not VW.
Also, he complimented us a million times about how good we are at driving manuals. We told him we preferred them, and he went on and on about how "That's because you really know how to drive a standard. Not a lot of people do, but you do!" Gag.
Overall, he said nothing. There was a lot of talking with nothing of relevance said. Other salesman took us to the cars, pointed out what features were distinct to their cars, and how they improved the car. They knew what they were talking about. We tried to get away from Lee, but by some crazy coincidence, he was the first guy over to us every time we went.
Stupid guy #2: Toyota closer
We loved our Toyota salesman, Les. He was fabulous. So friendly and a no nonsense person, just like me. There was no crap. He got straight to the point, but not in an abrupt way. I highly recommend him. He is however a Detroit Redwings fan. His only fault.
When we told him we wanted to buy, he sent us to another guy who had to get our financial information. We were in his office for one hour. Fifteen minutes to go over finances, 45 minutes of painful listening to salespitches about extended warranties, added features like rust and upholstery protection, and his own personal testimony about each of these things. I wanted to lean my head on his desk and close my eyes until he was done, but I thought it would be rude.
At one point, he talked about how the car would start to rust from the inside out in only a few months without rust protection. He showed us samples of cars with and without. I said to him, "Maybe we shouldn't buy a Toyota if it's so crappy". Gary thought it was pretty funny.
Tracie, "I've said it before and I'll say it again. I hate stupid people"
MORTAGE RATES LOWERED
It was announced in the past couple of weeks that the key lending rate at the bank of Canada was lowered. This means that loans at your bank were also probably lowered as well. This means that if you have an existing mortgage, the possiblility exists that you can go and switch to the new lower rate and save a bundle. More times than not, to be able to do this you may have to pay a penalty(submit to a cash grab) ;. However it is possible that in the long run you will be money ahead by remortgaging even though you have to pay a penalty. Check it out without fail.
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Bank Robbery
On Friday, April 23, 2004 at 10:50 AM, a lone male entered
the Scotiabank located at 4805 Centre St. N. He walked up
directly to a bank teller and pushed a customer out of the
way. He verbally demanded money from the teller and also
verbally demanded money from another bank teller, who was
working beside the first teller. He placed the money into a
bag and left the bank via the front doors. The offender made
his getaway in a motor vehicle that was parked on Laycock
Drive NW.
Police are looking for a white male, early 20's in age, 5'7"
-5'9", 150 lbs, slim build, brown hair, with bad complexion.
He was wearing a black ski mask with large eyeholes, black
and gray nylon jacket with red trim, and wearing light gray
coloured gloves.
My only question is this: How did they know he had a bad complexion if he was wearing a black ski mask?
I've always wanted to rob a bank, but I figure that it would be hard to get enough money to make it worth your while. Especially because banks really hate it when you steal their money, not that they have any misgivings about stealing yours.
When you do get caught, and you always do, banks have the resources to really lower the boom on you too. Banks have been controlling the people making laws for hundreds of years, and so the cards are really stacked against the robbers.
-Gary Milner,
the Scotiabank located at 4805 Centre St. N. He walked up
directly to a bank teller and pushed a customer out of the
way. He verbally demanded money from the teller and also
verbally demanded money from another bank teller, who was
working beside the first teller. He placed the money into a
bag and left the bank via the front doors. The offender made
his getaway in a motor vehicle that was parked on Laycock
Drive NW.
Police are looking for a white male, early 20's in age, 5'7"
-5'9", 150 lbs, slim build, brown hair, with bad complexion.
He was wearing a black ski mask with large eyeholes, black
and gray nylon jacket with red trim, and wearing light gray
coloured gloves.
My only question is this: How did they know he had a bad complexion if he was wearing a black ski mask?
I've always wanted to rob a bank, but I figure that it would be hard to get enough money to make it worth your while. Especially because banks really hate it when you steal their money, not that they have any misgivings about stealing yours.
When you do get caught, and you always do, banks have the resources to really lower the boom on you too. Banks have been controlling the people making laws for hundreds of years, and so the cards are really stacked against the robbers.
-Gary Milner,
Sunday, April 25, 2004
Breakin The Law, Breakin The Law
I got a $115 ticket today. But don't worry the cop was doing me a favour dropping it from $175. We'll see if Piggy Pete's Bargain Basement Fines can be beaten by the Crown Prosecuter. I get the feeling that the lowest price isn't the law.
You might be wondering what I did. I drove through the bus trap because the gate was open. I'll be going down to see the Crown Prosecuter on Wednesday. My plan is to plead poverty, $30,000 worth of student debt, and the fact that I will most likely be the nicest guy he sees all day.
-Gary Milner,
PS. No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets.
You might be wondering what I did. I drove through the bus trap because the gate was open. I'll be going down to see the Crown Prosecuter on Wednesday. My plan is to plead poverty, $30,000 worth of student debt, and the fact that I will most likely be the nicest guy he sees all day.
-Gary Milner,
PS. No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets.
Saturday, April 24, 2004
PICTURES OF AMERICAN WAR DEAD COFFINS BANNED IN THE U.S.
A picture of flag draped coffins being respectfully carried from a cargo plane for burial in the United States was published in a Seatle newspaper. The person who took the photo along with her husband were fired for taking the photo because Pres. Bush has said that such a photo disrespects the privacy of the families of the dead soldiers.
The truth of the matter is that Bush is more concerned over his own privacy. He dosen't want people to see the horrors of war and maybe start blaming him, thus not voting for him the next time. People need to see the effects of war to know that it's different than watching movies or playing video games. There's nothing wrong or disrespectful with seeing a flag draped coffin.. On the contrary it lets us show some respect.
The truth of the matter is that Bush is more concerned over his own privacy. He dosen't want people to see the horrors of war and maybe start blaming him, thus not voting for him the next time. People need to see the effects of war to know that it's different than watching movies or playing video games. There's nothing wrong or disrespectful with seeing a flag draped coffin.. On the contrary it lets us show some respect.
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
OUT AT LAST AFTER 18 YEARS IN THE SLAMMER
Mordecai Vanunu is out. Mordecai is the Israeli guy who spent 18 years in prison (12 years in solitary) for telling the world about Israel's nuclear arsenal. He would have gotten out sooner if he had agreed to never speak about his kidnapping, his prison ordeal, or anything about nuclear weapons. That being said, what do you think he's going to do the first chance he gets now? Here's his story.
After he did his required stint in the military he landed a job in the top secret nuclear works. He was let go after a spell of time because he was fraternizing with the Palestinians which was considered a security risk considering his sensitive job. This must have cheesed him off royally because he left the country and became an Anglican after having been an orthodox Jew. Later when he realized that this did not sufficiently teach the bastards a lesson he decided to spill his guts about the Nuclear arsenal.
He first approached the Sunday Times in London, England . They were delaying the printing of the story presumably because it was sensitive and they must have felt they needed time to check it out . Mordecai got frustrated and went to another newspaper, the Daily Mirror. The editor of the Mirror happened to be Jewish and had close ties with Israel, so he immediately sounds the alarm.
Within hours, Mordecai miraculously meets the most beautiful creature he has seen in his life and even more miraculously she wants him to vacation in Rome with her. Her story was that she was an American and her name was Cindy. What luck eh! They no more that enter Cindy's apartment in Rome when they are joined by burley Mossad Agents with abduction on their mind. And it wasn't Cindy two they were interested in.
The reason Israel didn't want anybody to know about their Nuclear arsenal is because they knew that this would immediately make the Arabs want some too. And even though now everybody knows they have them it's still better not to admit that they have them because this means they're not rubbing the Arabs noses in it. And that's worth it's weight in Gold so to speak.
Oh, and Mordecai , if your reading this, you idiot, that girl Cindy---she set you up.
After he did his required stint in the military he landed a job in the top secret nuclear works. He was let go after a spell of time because he was fraternizing with the Palestinians which was considered a security risk considering his sensitive job. This must have cheesed him off royally because he left the country and became an Anglican after having been an orthodox Jew. Later when he realized that this did not sufficiently teach the bastards a lesson he decided to spill his guts about the Nuclear arsenal.
He first approached the Sunday Times in London, England . They were delaying the printing of the story presumably because it was sensitive and they must have felt they needed time to check it out . Mordecai got frustrated and went to another newspaper, the Daily Mirror. The editor of the Mirror happened to be Jewish and had close ties with Israel, so he immediately sounds the alarm.
Within hours, Mordecai miraculously meets the most beautiful creature he has seen in his life and even more miraculously she wants him to vacation in Rome with her. Her story was that she was an American and her name was Cindy. What luck eh! They no more that enter Cindy's apartment in Rome when they are joined by burley Mossad Agents with abduction on their mind. And it wasn't Cindy two they were interested in.
The reason Israel didn't want anybody to know about their Nuclear arsenal is because they knew that this would immediately make the Arabs want some too. And even though now everybody knows they have them it's still better not to admit that they have them because this means they're not rubbing the Arabs noses in it. And that's worth it's weight in Gold so to speak.
Oh, and Mordecai , if your reading this, you idiot, that girl Cindy---she set you up.
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
Stay Humble... Always Answer Your Phone No Matter Who Else Is In The Car
I was on phones for a large part of the day. It wasn't as bad as the first day. Having someone show me how to work the phone was a big help. The calls were few and far between today, only about one a minute or so. Answering the phones is now a task on par with a death, not actually a fate worse than death.
While I am able to deal with being on the phone for hours at a time, I am starting a group called Citizens Raging Against Phones. It will be dedicated to helping the world stop using phones.
There are several bad parts about the phones are the people who ask for the "Electronics Dept". Now it seems to me that all the Future Shop sells is *Electronics*. Tonight I had a guy yell at me after the store had closed because his computer has been in for repairs for 3 days (There are signs all over the store that say there is a minimum 12 day wait) and that he had been trying for over three hours too get in touch with a tech and now at 9:00pm they all went home? I told him, "Well, yeah, the store's closed." I just wanted to tell him, there is a 12 day wait before we can even diagnose your computer because stupid people like you phone the tech (notice the singular form of the word techs) every 2 minutes. If someone didn't call you as soon as your computer was fixed, the entire store would be full of computers waiting to be picked up.
While I am able to deal with being on the phone for hours at a time, I am starting a group called Citizens Raging Against Phones. It will be dedicated to helping the world stop using phones.
There are several bad parts about the phones are the people who ask for the "Electronics Dept". Now it seems to me that all the Future Shop sells is *Electronics*. Tonight I had a guy yell at me after the store had closed because his computer has been in for repairs for 3 days (There are signs all over the store that say there is a minimum 12 day wait) and that he had been trying for over three hours too get in touch with a tech and now at 9:00pm they all went home? I told him, "Well, yeah, the store's closed." I just wanted to tell him, there is a 12 day wait before we can even diagnose your computer because stupid people like you phone the tech (notice the singular form of the word techs) every 2 minutes. If someone didn't call you as soon as your computer was fixed, the entire store would be full of computers waiting to be picked up.
Monday, April 19, 2004
My object all sublime I shall achieve in time—To let the punishment fit the crime.
Calgary's city beat, it's a police blotter for my new hometown. A very interesting read if you're into finding out about consensual fights or how you can trade in your old toilet for $50 if you purchase a new low flow model that uses less than six liters/flush.
I have decided to follow James' lead and start a mostly weekly column. Mine will be a discussion of one event from the blotter every Monday. Starting on April 26th.
-Gary
ps. A mostly weekly column is a column you write almost every week.
I have decided to follow James' lead and start a mostly weekly column. Mine will be a discussion of one event from the blotter every Monday. Starting on April 26th.
-Gary
ps. A mostly weekly column is a column you write almost every week.
Sunday, April 18, 2004
I Hate Phones
The part about not answering the phones in my last post was 90% kidding.
However, I have always disliked the phone. I hate calling people I don't know, I hate calling stores, I hate calling just to chat. When I use the phone, it is because I have some sort of 'business' or purpose to my call that cannot be easily accomplished without calling.
When Tracie and I were dating, she had to write down a list of things to talk about so that the conversation wouldn't die out.
At the home we get one call a day. 80% of the time it's a telemarketer and the other 20% it is Tracie. At the electronics store, there is 1 call every 20 seconds, they play the stereo full blast, and salesmen come up to you and want you to check their customer's receipts and the phone is really quiet. It virtually doesn't stop ringing the entire day. It slows down to a call a minute about an hour before closing, and then one every five minutes after the store is shut down for the night.
While I wasn't completely serious when contemplating a full phone stoppage, I was pretty shaken by my 15 minutes watching the phones. For the rest of the day, I flinched every time I heard it ring.
Unfortunately, it's just something I have to deal with.
-Gary, Hates cellphones and regular phones
However, I have always disliked the phone. I hate calling people I don't know, I hate calling stores, I hate calling just to chat. When I use the phone, it is because I have some sort of 'business' or purpose to my call that cannot be easily accomplished without calling.
When Tracie and I were dating, she had to write down a list of things to talk about so that the conversation wouldn't die out.
At the home we get one call a day. 80% of the time it's a telemarketer and the other 20% it is Tracie. At the electronics store, there is 1 call every 20 seconds, they play the stereo full blast, and salesmen come up to you and want you to check their customer's receipts and the phone is really quiet. It virtually doesn't stop ringing the entire day. It slows down to a call a minute about an hour before closing, and then one every five minutes after the store is shut down for the night.
While I wasn't completely serious when contemplating a full phone stoppage, I was pretty shaken by my 15 minutes watching the phones. For the rest of the day, I flinched every time I heard it ring.
Unfortunately, it's just something I have to deal with.
-Gary, Hates cellphones and regular phones
Car and Job
We went to test a standard transmission Civic the other day. It was really nice, one of the nicest things being the fact that it is so quiet. You can hardly hear the engine and none of the parts rattled at all. The biggest problem with buying it would have been the fact that Honda also makes an ugly vehicle called the Element. I'm almost ashamed to buy another Honda because of it.
The second biggest problem is the general distrust of salesmen that we have. We don't know how we can trust the salesman. Obviously we would rather pay $17,000 than $18,000, but for all we know $18,000 is an honest price. Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing what the honest price is.
The other day at work, they wanted to put me on phones for eight hours. Let me tell you that it was the worst 15 minutes of my entire life. Seriously. I would have rather gone through any other bad event in my life than work the phones for more than 20 minutes. Including all the dental work I have ever had combined. I told them if they were going to make me answer the phones for 8 hours straight, I would quit on the spot, and I was dead serious.
I have also decided that I will not be taking any phone calls at home. You may now all contact me via textual formats only.
-Gary Milner,
The second biggest problem is the general distrust of salesmen that we have. We don't know how we can trust the salesman. Obviously we would rather pay $17,000 than $18,000, but for all we know $18,000 is an honest price. Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing what the honest price is.
The other day at work, they wanted to put me on phones for eight hours. Let me tell you that it was the worst 15 minutes of my entire life. Seriously. I would have rather gone through any other bad event in my life than work the phones for more than 20 minutes. Including all the dental work I have ever had combined. I told them if they were going to make me answer the phones for 8 hours straight, I would quit on the spot, and I was dead serious.
I have also decided that I will not be taking any phone calls at home. You may now all contact me via textual formats only.
-Gary Milner,
QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION WITH GEORGE BUSH
At the end of public address by George Bush, a reporter asked Bush why there wasn't going to be a "Q and A" session at the end of the address. Without even blinking Bush replied, "cause I don't like the "Qs" and I think you guys are a bunch of "A's".
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