discussion comment
11 years ago
@ATACdawg,
No. The 'Progressive' part of the name was dropped when Harpo became leader of the party. The formal name is now Conservative Party of Canada.
And, yes I do remember the Diefenbuck. That old bastard, Diefenbaker, was the worst Prime Minister of my working lifetime, a total incompetent manager of anything, let alone a national economy.
discussion comment
11 years ago
Republicans are death to the stock market.
Rock and roll in the stock market when Democrats are in power.
Not quite such a stark connection in Canada but the Liberals are much better managers of the economy than are the idiot Conservatives.
discussion comment
11 years ago
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Papi_ChuloMiami, FL (or the nearest big-booty club)
I wouldn't mind CAT falling another 20% or so. I would be a buyer of CAT in the 60s.
I am in a quandary about what to do with my MMM holding. The damn stock keeps going up; the company's financials are robust; the stock's trading technicals are all meaningless since the chart has gone parabolic - a gain of over 50% for me in one of the big Dow 30 stocks in just over a year? All my instincts (and the voices in my head) are saying...........sell the thing. But, I just dunno.
discussion comment
11 years ago
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rickduganVerified and Certifiable Super-Reviewer
The most common racist observations that I hear from Canadian dancers are anti-Indian, anti-Pakistani, or anti-Sikh comments.
I always caution dancers to be very careful about anti-Sikh comments. I have encountered some pretty gritty boys of that religion who take absolutely no shit whatsoever from anybody. And, not all Sikhs wear turbans for easy identification, either.
discussion comment
11 years ago
Hmmmm..........that link does not work in Canada. I have never come across such a thing while on the net. Copyright or some such......??
discussion comment
11 years ago
I can't imagine such a thing ever happening in the real Vancouver.
Did anybody read the names of the guys arrested? There is a name on the list that made me burst out into laughter.
Daniel C. Quattlebaum..........QUATTLEBAUM!! Pronounce it out loud.....without laughing. Impossible for me to do.
What a handle to carry through life.
discussion comment
11 years ago
Ballsy
discussion comment
11 years ago
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motorheadFat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life
Your ATF Lite sure has some chutzpah to ask for a washing machine as a Christmas gift.
Would you consider an ancient ripple washboard as being suitable, motorhead?
discussion comment
11 years ago
Most assuredly alcohol matters to me in a SC. I am a confirmed drinker with 50 years of experience under my belt. To me, SCs with no alcohol are cheerless, antiseptic places. I revel in the raunch of a SC. Alcohol is an integral part of that raunch.
discussion comment
11 years ago
If I am curious about anything to do with the character under discussion it is the peculiar nickname.
Is there some deep meaning to the nickname that you more erudite tusclers might explain to me?
discussion comment
11 years ago
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Papi_ChuloMiami, FL (or the nearest big-booty club)
Big boobies in my face pretty much guarantees that the girl gets a romp in the VIP from me.
discussion comment
11 years ago
This thread got me a bit interested in CPPIB investments and I did a bit of searching. Biggest position in publicly traded equities in Canada - Royal Bank Of Canada (also a farmerart holding). One of its top ten positions in publicly traded US equities is Halcon Resources. Halcon is a shale oil operator - I'm not a fan of the shale guys as a long term investment, depletion rates are much too high.
More interesting are its private equity positions (usually in partnership with a hedge fund. Two US retailers of note here - Macy's (debt financing) and Neiman-Marcus (equity position). $300mil invested in Skype turned into almost $1bil when CPPIB cashed out.
Best of all, for my money, are the investments world wide in infrastructure plays - power generation and transmission, pipelines, airports, bridges, toll roads, ports, export terminals, railroads, agricultural land, top quality commercial real estate. Investments like these are really just annuities, perfect for a long term investor like CPPIB.
And, of course, CPPIB has a huge bond portfolio.
CPPIB's investment goal is 4% real rate of return (6.3% considering Canada's inflation rate). Latest CPPIB 10 year average return - 6.2% (and that includes the 2008/2009 stock market meltdown).
I am shocked to hear that your US Social Security payroll contributions just go into the general revenue stream of the US Feds. No independent oversight of this huge pool of capital? If I were a young worker in USA today I would have very little expectation of Social Security payments in my retirement.
In the investment world, US Social Security would be called a Ponzi scheme.
discussion comment
11 years ago
You must like drama or......you have a death wish.
discussion comment
11 years ago
@Dougster,
CPPIB fund is in the neighbourhood of $200 billion. It is invested world wide - real estate in New York and London; ports in Australia, toll roads in Europe. Didn't it just buy some ultra high end US retailer?
What is the largest pension fund in USA? I would guess....probably CalPERS?
discussion comment
11 years ago
@jackslash,
OAS = Old Age Security. All Canadian citizens receive this no earlier than age 65.
The other public pension scheme in Canada is called CPP, Canada Pension Plan. There is no taxpayer support for this plan. It is funded by check-offs from employee pay cheques and matching contributions from the employer. Payments can start at age 60 but with a penalty hit from what could be the maximum amount. Currently maximum amount payable at age 65 (if a person has the maximum career earnings) is about $1150/month. Payments can be deferred to as late as age 71, I think. Deferred payments will be higher than the figure I quoted.
The pool of money from employee and employer contributions is managed conservatively by an independent investment board. This pension scheme is completely independent of the federal government. The CPP is deemed sound by actuaries out to something like 2060.
The CPP investment fund is one of the largest pools of investable capital in the entire world.
discussion comment
11 years ago
I sure don't miss those old rags that used to circulate in Canada but I don't think much of the loonie, either.
I like the toonie much, much better. Can't wait for the finnie; I have already chosen the nickname for the future $5 coin in Canada.
However, I just received my first plastic $5 in change; perhaps we will never have a finnie. We now have all-plastic currency in Canada. Some paper is still circulating but it will quickly disappear. You never see a paper $50 or $100 now and barely a third of the $20s that go through my hands now is paper.
discussion comment
11 years ago
@SlickSpic,
J'ai lu le roman, L'Etranger, ecrit par Albert Camus. Camus etait pied noir de l'Algerie; ville d'Oran, je crois.
C'etait le seul etranger qui j'ai rencontre pendant mon sejour en Algerie.
(Comme je deteste mon ordinnateur, pas d'accents pour les voyelles!)
discussion comment
11 years ago
@georgmicrodong,
I do 'think' in the language whenever I speak French.
I also have to admit that I have a very curious accent in French. I learned French when I was in Algeria (not back home in Canada). In addition, three of my employees were Germans who spoke no English but were fluent in French. My French accent is a combination of Algerian and German. You should see the quizzical looks I receive whenever I open my mouth in France.
discussion comment
11 years ago
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rickduganVerified and Certifiable Super-Reviewer
A couple of times I have tried to use the size of my bankroll to overcome a dancer's reluctance to do OTC with me. Both times I failed. Once I was really beefed with $22K in my pocket. That particular time I was drunk enough and horny enough to flash the wad to the chosen dancer - a truly epic fail on my part. I keep telling you that I am a hillbilly, rick.
Now, as to the merits of high-priced P4P as opposed to the merits of moderate or low-priced P4P. The most expensive sex that I have purchased in my lifetime was a weekend with a top notch 10+ from a Milan escort agency during one of my winter vacations in southern France. Beautiful girl; dreary, boring sex. I actually dismissed her a day early. As I remember, the cost of the weekend was 5000 euros ($8,000 then).
The absolute best sex of my life was my first encounter with the tight pussy moronic squirter that I met in Million Dollar in Mississauga. Slack jawed with awe after she had fucked me so wonderfully I gave her $500. Second best sex of my life was my first encounter ITC with my current Toronto sweetie - $300.
All that I conclude from my experience is that the P4P game is a pure crap shoot when it comes to quality of performance by the girl.
discussion comment
11 years ago
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Papi_ChuloMiami, FL (or the nearest big-booty club)
I have similar criteria for reviewing clubs that rickdugan has. I have visited probably 30 clubs in Europe and rural western Canada that I did not review because I did not stay in the club long enough to gather enough info to do a decent review. There are a couple of clubs on my review list that I review regularly simply because I like the club or because I usually have a funky experience in the club.
I travel tens of thousands of kilometres every month. Thing is.....there are no clubs in places like Yellowknife, Fort Simpson, Empress, Fort St. John, Estevan, Weyburn, Lloydminster, High Level, Oyen, Tumbler Ridge .......I could go on and on.
There are many clubs in the Toronto area that I have yet to review but I am in such a lush comfort zone with Toronto sweetie that I have no interest in visiting a new club when I am in Toronto on business. I have ceased all business travel to USA because border control officers are intimidating, oppressive, intrusive, and just plain rude to me. All my USA business is now conducted by phone or computer.
discussion comment
11 years ago
Yes, this is an important day for me. My father was one of the Canadian Army's most decorated combat soldiers of WW II. I make every effort to honour his service and memory every November 11 by laying a wreath at a cenotaph somewhere.
I will do this tomorrow in Yellowknife at 11:00AM.
In Canada November 11 is called Remembrance Day.
discussion comment
11 years ago
I just read more about this story on a news website. Apparently Charlie Trotter had an inoperable brain aneurysm. Diagnosed a few years ago, that appears to be the reason that the successful restaurant (and all the other parts of his business empire) was closed. It seems that eliminating the stress of the business operations was not enough of a life style change for the poor man. Charlie Trotter was just 54.
My dinner in his restaurant was the multi-course chef's menu - a truly excellent dining experience. I will now be seeking out Charlie Trotter's cookbooks for purchase.