Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy

I was in Saltcoats today, and had planned on going to Esterhazy too, but the computer gods did not allow for that.

This evening I picked up my car after the rear fender was repaired and painted. Thanks to my handy auto-pak insurance I was only out the $200 insurance deductible, instead of $700. I had been planning on picking up my Discovery Pass for my Summer vaction, but forgot in the excitement of beating the rain [that never came from those threatening clouds] to the Glendale autobody shop in Yorkton.

I then updated my blog, using new features at ProgressiveBloggers.ca which you can see at the top of my most recent postings. Please vote for my entry anytime I write about politics and you think it’s worthy of a recommendation. The highest voted-for stories last longer on the ProgressiveBloggers news summary pages. I also added the blogroll for that site on my sidebar, and put long blogrolls into special boxes that scroll, to keep the page easier to read over there.
To continue my blog navel gazing, my Technorati rank had climbed again, all the way up to 5700th place, but has now dropped back to 6,533 (377 links from 259 sites). I’m the #1345th Marauding Marsupial in the Ecosystem, and Sitemeter says I’m averaging about 96 visits a day.

CBC News: Delay passport controls, western premiers urge Washington, Ottawa.

Bush’s Department of Homeland Insecurity’s new security ID cards are going to impede tourism at their present cost. Weeks ago the eastern premiers and border states opposed the plan, and now it’s the western provinces turn to catch up.

Lectures on Everything gives advice to old flatulent ladies: Things to Avoid, Part 446

- Everyone loves a joke about passing gas, right?

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Might I suggest to the fine people of Saskatoon, that if more of you cycled, walked, or took the bus to work, not only would you arrive in the same time, but you’d ease traffic worries for people that must drive? I know several people in Saskatoon who bike to work or school, and when I lived there, I biked from Sutherland to the north end of campus every workday without any problem. It’s a pretty nice city to bike through mostly, and the more people who do it, the more likely cars will begin to respect cyclists rights on the road.

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Does wildlife get you down? Don’t worry, your car can take care of it for you – one way or the other.

Check out Jordon Cooper’s weblog: Incredible flying

WestJet might have been spying on Air Canada, but their planes are about as much fun to fly in as that pilot in the video is having – LOTS. I didn’t realize model plane technology was as advanced as the plane in the video footage, flying around a gym with streamers and  hovering at times.

CBC News: Tiny Sask. village rejects order to chlorinate water

The villages of Keeler and Wood Mountain are still fighting the Saskatchewan Government in court over boil water advisories issued for those municipalities several years ago. Keeler’s case is set to be decided first, which might affect the outcome of the Wood Mountain case.

Wood Mountain conducts regular testing of the water to determine if there is a problem, chlorinates occasionally, and has never had someone get sick due to water bourne illness in the 20 years or so that I’ve kept track. Every rate payer has provided written testimony to the government that they do not want their water treated with chlorine. If the provincial government spends $500,000 on a treatment system, it’s likely that residents will drink bottled water instead, as there is a water bottling plant in the community, using a water source at a flowing spring outside of the village. If the government fines or forces 20 people [children included] to pay $500,000, it leaves me wondering just how they expect the village to pay? Maybe it’s because another part of the government charges the community double for policing because the last official census numbers used for per-capita billing are wrong at ~40, and don’t reflect the current headcount of ~20 people. Still, how would 40 people pay for a $500,000 treatment system they don’t want? And what would a proper system like reverse osmosis cost?

Toothpaste tube squeezing from the front or back? Back, of course.

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Canadian banks don’t make enough money? Yeah… you got that right. Tell me about it. Maybe when they start serving Canadian people, they can start serving Canadian businesses the way they want.

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Build your own foil robot that dispenses condoms.

EDIT: Register for the event and get new information now.

Stephen Glauser and I have been discussing the possibility of us Saskatchewan Bloggers getting together this summer. We’ve come up with a basic itinerary that is pretty much open to discussion:

July 22, 2006 Saturday – Regina
We would start out at about 1pm with a barbecue in Wascana Park. Kids, and Everyone of course, will be welcome. After the barbecue we could head to the Rider game (if enough people express interest, Stephen might be able to line up some discounted tickets). After that we could all head out for supper, or do another BBQ and then head out to a pub for some drinks.

The option of a Saskatoon meet has also been discussed, but we would like to have one big meet as opposed to two large ones, but we’ll see what everyone has to say. Saskatoon dates that have been discussed include June 17 and August 19.

Email me or Stephen, or REGISTER here to provide input or say you’re coming.

There’s a 10 cent listing day on ebay.ca for May 28th and Canadians only. Auction items only, and the money won’t be credited back to your account until July. This is how eBay boosts its listing numbers, while still maintaining a favourable revenue outlook for the month.