The Bill In Afghanistan And Tickets To Matt’s Show Up For Grabs!
It’s a fantastic morning here in the great city of Toronto.
Sure it’s raining, but at least the TTC isn’t on strike (that I know of).
For those of you who don’t know the TTC is the mass transit outlet here in Toronto - and like any public transit system should, they decided to celebrate earth week last weekend by going on strike on Friday night at about midnight.
I said, they went on strike during earth week last Friday night, you know, when people like to drink, right after a Raptors game, without the requisite 48 hours notice or heads up.
The TTC Union might want to consider finding a new chief, other than the current Bob Kinnear. Because to pull a stunt like that, comes across as low and makes your cause seem greedy and selfish.
It’s still a great city.
Nobody asked me, but when I paid my taxes this year, I was curious where my money was going to be spent.
I know through electronic filing and prospective funding and budgeting there is no real way of saying, “my dollar(s!) paid for this particular venture”, but wouldn’t you feel great if it was your dollar that went to the purchase of some cancer research.
Or to a fire fighter or nurse’s wage who worked overtime.
Hell, I’d be happy knowing I helped buy the new printer for one of my old units.
The figures show that for the first nine months of this recently ended fiscal year, from April 1, 2007 to Dec. 31, 2007, the incremental cost of the war was $871 million.
Another $206 million was pegged as the incremental cost for final quarter of the fiscal year that ended on March 31, bringing the year’s total to $1.007 billion.
The $1-billion-a-year price tag is expected to hold for another year. The report projects the incremental cost for 2008-09 to be $1.009 billion.
The Defence Department defines incremental cost as “the cost, which is over and above the amount that would have been spent for personnel and equipment if they had not been deployed on the task. The incremental costs include items such as the additional ammunition required, mission specific pre-deployment training, strategic transport and redeployment, and operating cost for the capability deployed in theatre.”
Egad.
I love investing. I love looking at the pie charts of my holdings, I love following the andex charts. I like seeing my retirement income grow, because I want season tickets and the ability to buy a burrito daily every year when I hit 55.
So when my money goes into something, I ask, what’s my ROI - return on investment.
When you look at the dollar value, and the value of life spent on the direction taken in Afghanistan you have to ask, what’s the ROI?
And is it time to change my holdings or the institution managing my funds?
As promised, for those that have and continue to support my fund raising for Right To Play as I run the Mississauga Marathon next week I have some good news.
I got a pair of tickets to the Matthew Good show in Hamilton in June.
For every ten bucks donated, that goes for those that already have, I’ll put your name in the hat.
I’ll draw the name in two weeks, and on the 17th, I’ll let you know who won.
So as if giving money to Right To Play, or motivating me to blast out my knees wasn’t influence enough, now you may get a chance to watch Matt live.
Maybe Matt’ll come take a picture with you too. I already owe him a couple million favours, what’s one more shrimp on the barbey?
Have a great weekend, I’m off to see the Chicago’s play the PERFECT (in the month of May) Blue Jays today.
With the SkyDOME closed.
Because of the rain.
Hopefully my ride home will not strike without telling me.
I maintain it’s still a great city.
Where ever you are, enjoy it!
Now Playing:
Book: Bruce Etherington - See The People
itunes: The Kills
Cinema: Iron Man - It’s as good as they say
PPV: Tonight Oscar De La Hoya vs Stevie Forbes (I’ll take the Golden Boy by 12 round unanimous decision)
May 3rd, 2008 at 4:10 am
Slightly off topic, but with respect to raising money, I was wondering how much the dinner with Matt Good on Ebay went for? Just curious! :)
May 3rd, 2008 at 4:35 am
Woosh!
May 3rd, 2008 at 5:30 am
I lost out on it…just. I couldn’t check eBay cos it finished at midnight my time (UK). It went for $2600 …I was gutted. I should have upped my bid, but, c’est la vie. I just hope the money does some good. I lost my sis-in-law to cancer that same week…
BUT…I am coming to see Matthew in Kingston. Fly in one day, out the next. I must be crazy.
Patrick, I think it’s brilliant of you to do this. I am going to support your fund – I will pledge some dosh later this weekend (right now I can’t be arsed to get off my butt and fetch my purse).
;0)
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:14 am
Good on you Mr. Pitt! That’s an amazing idea.
May 3rd, 2008 at 9:03 am
Rain here in Vancouver today and I’m gonna be out in it. Gonna go shoot a rally of Canucks fans. Pics later on flickr.
I can’t make it to Hamilton. Congrats on making your goal and you’re a damn fine man for doing all you do sir.
May 3rd, 2008 at 9:33 am
Dan…Canuck fans rally ?
May 3rd, 2008 at 10:04 am
Sunny and 10C on the back porch in Whitehorse today. The snow is almost gone in the yard but you can still see lots up in the mountains. Arctic grayling are running in the Yukon river - guy in the office next to me caught 3 on his lunch hour yesterday while i was, ironically, doing some work for transit negotiations here. Glad I’m not dealing with Kinnear - what a wanker.
I just gasp at those economic numbers. You did not invest your money, you just bought a car that will do nothing but get older and depreciate over time and you will have to have it in the garage and fill it up with gas all the time ($1.35 in Whitehorse yesterday - I switched cars and left my wife with the van and took the little Mazda - mooo hooo ha ha ha). If you are looking for ROI go buy a GIC or a case of beer - at least you’ll get money back on the emplties.
Ya - we’ll see what happens in Leafland between now and 6/15. I will check with my CFO to see if she will release some funds for a bid on the tickets - might be in Ontario with the curtain climbers in June and July to visit G-parents and cottages - going to the Peterborough show might be an option!
May 3rd, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Rain? In Vancouver? Curious….
May 3rd, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Sweet!! : ) Have a good time Pitt! oh and Happy Birthday AGAIN!!!! : P
May 4th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Hey, Patrick, we’re both athletes–I ran 5k for CHEO this morning–I could have EASILY done another 40.
Hamilton in June? Lovely idea, good on both of you.
2600?????? Wow-wee, how much for a second date?
I hate investing, my investments are like black holes, I will be working till I’m 90 … I’m jealous of you, sir. A burrito daily after 55 might not be a great idea, though.
As for Afghanistan, well, we know who gets the ROI there, and it ain’t us nor the Afghans.
May 5th, 2008 at 7:44 am
It’s a beautiful day here in the great city of Moncton… well, at least all our buses are running. The surprise TTC strike was really a dick move. And, you’re right, it did nothing but turn people against their cause. What were they thinking?
Nobody asked me either, but $1 billion?! Holy. I think it’s safe to say the ROI is about as positive as that of my current RRSP portfolio. Time to change the fund manager, damn right.
(I’m going to get in trouble for misappropriating your catchphrases, aren’t I?)
May 5th, 2008 at 10:29 am
[quote comment="51695"]Sunny and 10C on the back porch in Whitehorse today. The snow is almost gone in the yard but you can still see lots up in the mountains. Arctic grayling are running in the Yukon river - guy in the office next to me caught 3 on his lunch hour yesterday while i was, ironically, doing some work for transit negotiations here. Glad I’m not dealing with Kinnear - what a wanker.
I just gasp at those economic numbers. You did not invest your money, you just bought a car that will do nothing but get older and depreciate over time and you will have to have it in the garage and fill it up with gas all the time ($1.35 in Whitehorse yesterday - I switched cars and left my wife with the van and took the little Mazda - mooo hooo ha ha ha). If you are looking for ROI go buy a GIC or a case of beer - at least you’ll get money back on the emplties.
Ya - we’ll see what happens in Leafland between now and 6/15. I will check with my CFO to see if she will release some funds for a bid on the tickets - might be in Ontario with the curtain climbers in June and July to visit G-parents and cottages - going to the Peterborough show might be an option![/quote]
$1.35!!! You are SO lucky. Here in the UK we pay $2.40 a litre…. boy, I can’t wait to come back to Canada…
May 5th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Yah but if you drive 6 hours in any direction in the UK you hit the ocean. 6 hours in the Yukon is a trip to buy a newspaper and a litre of milk.
May 6th, 2008 at 4:21 am
[quote comment="51871"]Yah but if you drive 6 hours in any direction in the UK you hit the ocean. 6 hours in the Yukon is a trip to buy a newspaper and a litre of milk.[/quote]
Fair point Brian, but overall, it means that living costs are through the roof here. Six hours to buy a newspaper?? It’s out of date before you get home, surely. ;0)
May 6th, 2008 at 8:45 am
I was slightly exagerating the 6-hour thing to make a point, but in general I find Yukoners drive farther distances than anywhere else I’ve ever lived. When I first moved here - just my son and I to begin with, it was nothing to put 100km on the car every day. On a positive note, I found out that we are more “hooked up” to the internet per capita than anywhere else in Canada, probably, as you suggest, since the news is not news by the time you get it. No complaints though - we just have to adjust. We’re starting with a non-powered lawnmower as soon as the snow leaves the yard. Fewer trips and smaller car if we can manage it - but 5 of us plus a 100lb dog, camping gear and 2 canoes in a little Mazda might be pushing it!
Cheers.
May 6th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Sounds idyllic!! Mind you, I’d get a trailer and put the dog in that I think!! Between us, we travel 80 miles a day, round trip, just to get to work, so it’s liberating not to use the car at weekends.