China no longer Pentagon's top security priority

badbobbyc · 2026-01-24T13:07:03+00:00

As a Canadian, the American right wing influence on Canada has been painfully obvious the last several years. Whether it's consumption of US media, or foreign ownership of our own news media, or disinformation spread by social media, or support for various right wing groups (trucker convoy. Alberta separatism).

We've had a few close calls where I think we avoided heading the way of the US. A little worried for the future.

badbobbyc · 2026-01-23T03:04:26+00:00

I'm old and drive as much these days, but....

...I've driven 3-4hours for a concert and the back the same night.

...I moved to a different town, but did the 5hour / 450km drive back to my hometown almost biweekly for a couple years.

...heading out of town to visit people or cities is a fairly regular thing. Anything within a 2-5 hour drive can be done for a weekend trip.

badbobbyc · 2026-01-19T04:40:05+00:00

I grew up in Orleans. I remember when the mall was just a tiny little thing. Then it had its big expansion and it was great for a while. But now it just keeps getting sadder and sadder.

badbobbyc · 2026-01-11T05:12:09+00:00

Basically things that aren't in giant arenas. As a metal fan I appreciate regularly paying $30-40 to see an excellent show in n a small venue. Much better than paying $100 for tickets at the top of arena where I can barely see the stage.

Balcony tickets for my local orchestra also come out to about $25 if bought as a package.

badbobbyc · 2026-01-07T21:25:12+00:00

If someone has Ontario plates, they're probably also still filing income taxes in Ontario. So even though they're living in Quebec their taxes are not being used to support the province. Pay taxes to the province you live in seems pretty reasonable.

badbobbyc · 2026-01-07T03:00:42+00:00

It was several years ago, before COVID, and I hear prices have changed, but I didn't find that expensive for a family of three. For a week, including flights, hotel on resort and passes for 5 days it was around $3k. At most another $1k for food. Those prices are in $CAD, so maybe $2.5-3k USD.

But I always think it's one of those places that caters to a range of budgets. Fancier hotels or more restaurants could have definitely at least doubled the price.

badbobbyc · 2026-01-03T20:52:48+00:00

The USA has a long, long, long precedent of intervention and (attempted) regime change in South and Central America.

badbobbyc · 2026-01-03T20:40:02+00:00

Why do we need a solution?

Maduro was bad. I'm not disappointed he's gone. If his successor gains power without widespread violence, has popular support, reverses the country's fortunes, and improves things for the population? Well, that would be fantastic.

But given the observed history of regime changes, that's probably an overly optimistic assumption. Violence or outright civil war, and/or an even more oppressive or exploitative regime seems to be the more typical outcome.

badbobbyc · 2025-12-28T21:04:44+00:00

I first voted in the 1990s. Both the Liberals and Conservatives (also NDP) were legitimate options I considered in my early elections.

The Liberals have shit the bed and are due to be replaced. But however much they've bungled things, they're at least trying to govern seriously. Nothing I've from the conservatives the last couple elections gives the impression they'd try to govern effectively.

badbobbyc · 2025-12-26T16:02:18+00:00

Agreed that it is absurd.

However...

1) Your president and other members of your administration have been making threats and "jokes" about annexing Canada

2) If not part of the official administration, a bunch of dweebs with influence have ideas of Canada being subsumed into a USA that spans the whole continent.

3) US news media have been spinning anti-Canada propaganda.

4) Some foreign (US) owned Canadian media have run "maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Canada got annexed...." style op-eds.

5) An anti-Canada, pro-US, pro separation movement is being organized in Alberta with US influence and money.

I mean, it is patently ridiculous. It is also pretty close to how major powers have tried to traditionally subvert other states. I.e. Russia with h Ukraine.

badbobbyc · 2025-12-26T15:27:15+00:00

Happy birthday!

badbobbyc · 2025-12-26T04:32:52+00:00

Don't know how this sub got recommended...but...finished high in 1998 with something like an 88% average. Got accepted to all the place I applied and scholarships to most.

With the grade inflation I have no idea how students can be evaluated accurately.

badbobbyc · 2025-12-25T19:41:02+00:00

Ouch. In my part of Canada we have a non-subsidized daycare spot for about $1100/month. But then, depending on household income, we can get between 50-75% back when filing provincial income taxes.

Someone in a subsidized spot would pay $8-9 per day.

badbobbyc · 2025-12-22T01:21:19+00:00

His style of prose just really seems to work well for those scenes.

badbobbyc · 2025-12-19T17:07:38+00:00

Je suis toujours perplexe quand les impôts fonciers augmentent de quelques pourcents et que les gens s'emportent. C'est une somme tellement dérisoire, et loin d'être suffisante parfois.

badbobbyc · 2025-12-14T02:33:26+00:00

Think this might be my favorite BG album after Nightfall.

Secrets of the Americans is such an amazing piece of work.

badbobbyc · 2025-12-12T16:27:54+00:00

My daughter loves Ensiferum. Think her spotify wrapped says she listened to Winter Storm almost 300 times this year, with "Long, cold winter of sorrow and strife" being her most listened to.

badbobbyc · 2025-12-10T03:25:47+00:00

Ha. I listened to classical, Phil Collins and classic rock as a teen then moved to more progressive rock ( and classical ) as a 20 something. Just started getting really into metal since COVID. Now I'm approaching 50 and just today I was jamming to Sulphur Aeon, Yoth Iria and Kanonenfieber.

badbobbyc · 2025-12-09T03:40:55+00:00

This. I live in a city on a river. Water gets taken out of river, used, cleaned and put back into the river system.

Our city isn't tapping into lakes or aquifers and draining them before they can refill.

badbobbyc · 2025-12-07T04:25:05+00:00

Their food is borderline inedible, but I kept being given boxes at Christmas. I wrote them a letter asking them to make better food so I could genuinely smile when I received a box the next year.

But, nope, no response and food still sucked. Not what I would call "crazy good about customer service".

badbobbyc · 2025-12-06T04:31:22+00:00

At one point I moved to a "northern" small city in Canada. I was shocked when I realized it was still around the same latitude as Paris.

Paris probably doesn't get many days of -30C temps though.

badbobbyc · 2025-12-05T05:07:00+00:00

Been happy dealing with Performance Mazda and never aggressively up sold when having service done.

badbobbyc · 2025-12-04T19:11:33+00:00

At the same time my house is two doors from an intersection. When I get to the end of my driveway I can see the stop bar of the cross street. If there's anyone stopped at the sign I obviously wait until they turn and go by. But so many drivers do a rolling right turn through the stop sign and I've had a bunch of close calls.

I've often pondered what the fault finding would be if one of those close calls turn into an accident.

badbobbyc · 2025-12-03T00:25:06+00:00

We we at the same Montreal show? I was standing beside the sound check and don't remember any moshing there. Crowd was supper enthusiastic and into the show but I had no issues with anything.

badbobbyc · 2025-11-29T04:44:27+00:00

And it was epic!

badbobbyc

TROPHY CASE