The
Squamidian Report – Jan. 8 / 11
Issue #450
Including:
The Ontarion
Hi All,
I’ve been waiting most of my adult life to say this, and I never really thought I would be able to, but I am now officially retired. Done! Finished! Always figured I’d have to just keep on working until I dropped and then step out in front of a bus to get it over with but I guess I was wrong. The work dried up around these parts right after the Olympics and that kind of brought the subject to the forefront. I had no problem finding some work with another company but I soon realized I no longer wanted to find work because I didn’t really want to work. Working had lost its appeal. Burned out was the best way to describe how I felt about working. So the wife and the accountant ran the numbers and low and behold, I could retire. No more wild living and spur-of-the-moment trips around the world but that’s ok because we never did those things in the first place so we won’t be missing them now.
I’ve been sort of semi-retired for several month and I’ve come to realize a couple of things. Mostly, how did I ever find time to work in the first place? The days are simply not long enough to do all the things we want to do, even if those things are nothing. I can’t seem to fit all my ‘nothing’ into a day anymore. The thing is, and I’ve mentioned it before, time flies. There isn’t time anymore to do nothing let alone anything. And, I like not having to do anything, especially the things I don’t like doing, like working.
Now I could say something silly like, “its not that I’m lazy”, but face it, I was born lazy. Heck, my motto has always been, “if you have time to kill, bore it to death”, and I’ve dedicated a good part of my life to living that motto. So there you have it, I’m starting the New Year off with nothing that needs to be done and not enough time to do it in. And it will only get worse once riding season returns. I’ll have to fit everything I’m not doing into the same day that I’m out riding, and even riding related activities will get busier. I’m a member of CMC (Canadian Motorcycle Cruisers) and for some silly reason I’m the first officer of the Vancouver Chapter. That means I’ve got chapter business to deal with as well as rides to organize and on and on. There’s just no time anymore.
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Totally different subject… Ryan bought me a tiny little Netbook computer for Christmas. It will come in very handy when travelling as most motels etc have wireless hotspots. Because of its small size it will only take up a small amount of room in my bike saddlebags. It will also carry easily onto an airplane. The little Acer Netbook came with Windows 7 pre-installed but the first thing we did was dump that O/S and all the incumbent baggage that seems to tag along with all versions of Windows, by formatting the hard drive. We simply do not need all that bloatware. Ryan then installed the latest version of Ubuntu, which is one of the more user-friendly distros of Linux. Ubuntu feels and looks very similar to the current Mac O/S but is perhaps even easier to use. As an example, I needed some software programs such as FTP, HTML and basic word processing. With Ubuntu you simply have the system look on-line for compatible open source programs, which it lists, and then tell it to install the ones you want. As for the basic word processing, Ubuntu actually bundles Open Office with its optional included software and Open Office is as capable and full featured as Microsoft Office is.
Netbooks are optimized for accessing the Internet, by both wired and wireless means so that makes them very flexible and easy to use. So now instead of having to wait in line to use a slow, outdated computer in some motel lobby, I will be able to check and send Email from my room, or check motel rates from a coffee shop along the road somewhere when on a bike trip. I’ll be able to work on the Squamidian while in an airport or on an airplane. Not that I find myself in those places all that often but its nice to have that option. It has a built in mic and camera so I can use it to ‘Skype’. And yes, the thing is quite small and I do need my reading glasses to see and use it but I need them when I use my desktop system now so no big deal there. So now we are back to 4 working computers in this house, my Mac, The Wife’s PC, our old laptop that has a screen almost as big as our main system screens, and the little Netbook. Cool.
doug
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THE ONTARI0N REPORT
Hello Everyone!
One quick observation! I’m sure you’ve all heard about the two gentlemen that were attacked on New Years Eve while walking on the Iron Horse Trail near Victoria Park in Kitchener. They were steps from their home and only minutes before celebrating the midnight hour with their families when accosted by to younger men and attacked by a knife wielding low life! The man with the knife stabbed the older (60) gentleman in the upper chest with a knife and when his son (35 years old) attempted to help his father the attacker stabbed him in the neck with the same knife. The attackers then fled on foot and disappeared into the night. The son called 911 and assistance arrived very quickly but by the time the elder gentleman was transported to hospital he was dead! The son was treated for his neck wound and released that same evening. His wound was not severe!
When I heard the account of this MURDER on the news the next day, my immediate reaction was “The attackers were probably “Young Offenders” and IF they are caught will very likely receive a minimal sentence because of their ages. I’m sick of our local judges deciding for themselves that anyone under 18 can’t be held responsible for their actions the same as adults can. Hell, even the adults that commit serious crimes here in KW seem to receive only a slap on the wrist for their wrong doings! The judges claim to be avoiding adding to the problem of overcrowding in our Ontario jails by giving “house arrest” and many other forms of light punishment instead of the jail terms these criminals deserve! Please tell me “When will the punishment fit the crime here in Canada?” I just don’t see the justification in these light sentences!
As it turns out, due to some very diligent police work by the Waterloo Regional Detectives, today they announced that they have made two arrests in this case and have laid second degree MURDER charges against the two men arrested! Wait a minute, did I say MEN? Well, as I suspected, they are both young men however one of the first things noted by the writer of the article in the RECORD newspaper was that the ages of the two arrestees in this instance are 16 and 18 years…. HOWEVER….. the 18 year old was only 17 years of age when he committed the MURDER on New Years Eve! SO, I guess my suspicions were correct when I first heard about this horrendous crime, that when arrested the perpetrators will be “Young Offenders” and will get off with barely a slap in the face by our justice system! I’d be willing to bet my last dollar that this is exactly what will happen to both of these MURDERERS, they will be tried as “Young Offenders” rather than as adults. I don’t believe for one minute that these killers weren’t intending to do harm if not commit MURDER when they approached the two victims that night! IF they are old enough to commit a crime of this magnitude with intent, they are old enough to face the consequences as “Adult Offenders”!
My heart goes out to the family of John Ferreira and his son Shawn who tried to protect his dad from these criminals. The heartache that these “Young Offenders” have caused the Ferreira family will never go away but the two MURDERERS most certainly should go away and not just for 2 years less a day but for LIFE!
In fact, I don’t think that publically HANGING these two in front of Kitchener City Hall would be too harsh! I’m sick and tired of the victims of crime being victimized a second time by the courts of Canada and it’s time for some major changes to be legislated in our legal system! I think the place to start is with the “Young Offenders Act” and damn soon!
Thanks for putting up with another rant of mine! That’s it for this week! Thanks for tuning in and I look forward to talking to you all again next week in The Ontarion Report!
Bye for now… GREG
PS: Something To Think About>
Is it time for the return of Capital Punishment?
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Have a good one..
the doug
The Fine Print!
The articles in these issues are the sole property of the persons writing them and should be respected as such.