Yes We Can!

It will remain to be seen how much Barack Obama can do as the President of the United States of America. President-elect Obama has a rather long list of to do's for his period in office and there is of course the key question of how much power the President actually has in shaping what many people deem to be the centra country of the free world. I for one sometimes wonder how much power the President has... some of those conspiracy theories are pretty interesting... hmmm.

But one thing's for sure, there will be better speaches during the next 4 (or 8) years.

Wazzzzzzzup :: 2008 Style

2000 Style For Reference

Retirement of a Hedge Fund Manager

Quite the departure letter from Andrew Lahde of Lahde Capital Management who has decided that he a) has enough money and b) managing other people's money causes too much stress and c) America is screwed...

Today I write not to gloat. Given the pain that nearly everyone is experiencing, that would be entirely inappropriate. Nor am I writing to make further predictions, as most of my forecasts in previous letters have unfolded or are in the process of unfolding. Instead, I am writing to say goodbye.

Recently, on the front page of Section C of the Wall Street Journal, a hedge fund manager who was also closing up shop (a $300 million fund), was quoted as saying, “What I have learned about the hedge fund business is that I hate it.” I could not agree more with that statement. I was in this game for the money. The low hanging fruit, i.e. idiots whose parents paid for prep school, Yale, and then the Harvard MBA, was there for the taking. These people who were (often) truly not worthy of the education they received (or supposedly received) rose to the top of companies such as AIG, Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers and all levels of our government. All of this behavior supporting the Aristocracy only ended up making it easier for me to find people stupid enough to take the other side of my trades. God bless America.

There are far too many people for me to sincerely thank for my success. However, I do not want to sound like a Hollywood actor accepting an award. The money was reward enough. Furthermore, the endless list of those deserving thanks know who they are.

I will no longer manage money for other people or institutions. I have enough of my own wealth to manage. Some people, who think they have arrived at a reasonable estimate of my net worth, might be surprised that I would call it quits with such a small war chest. That is fine; I am content with my rewards. Moreover, I will let others try to amass nine, ten or eleven figure net worths. Meanwhile, their lives suck. Appointments back to back, booked solid for the next three months, they lookforward to their two week vacation in January during which they will likely be glued to their Blackberries or other such devices. What is the point? They will all be forgotten in fifty years anyway. Steve Balmer, Steven Cohen, and Larry Ellison will all be forgotten. I do not understand the legacy thing. Nearly everyone will be forgotten. Give up on leaving your mark. Throw the Blackberry away and enjoy life.

So this is it. With all due respect, I am dropping out. Please do not expect any type of reply to emails or voicemails within normal time frames or at all. Andy Springer and his company will be handling the dissolution of the fund. And don’t worry about my employees, they were always employed by Mr. Springer’s company and only one (who has been well-rewarded) will lose his job.

I have no interest in any deals in which anyone would like me to participate. I truly do not have a strong opinion about any market right now, other than to say that things will continue to get worse for some time, probably years. I am content sitting on the sidelines and waiting. After all, sitting and waiting is how we made money from the subprime debacle. I now have time to repair my health, which was destroyed by the stress I layered onto myself over the past two years, as well as my entire life – where I had to compete for spaces in universities and graduate schools, jobs and assets under management – with those who had all the advantages (rich parents) that I did not. May meritocracy be part of a new form of government, which needs to be established.

On the issue of the U.S. Government, I would like to make a modest proposal. First, I point out the obvious flaws, whereby legislation was repeatedly brought forth to Congress over the past eight years, which would have reigned in the predatory lending practices of now mostly defunct institutions. These institutions regularly filled the coffers of both parties in return for voting down all of this legislation designed to protect the common citizen. This is an outrage, yet no one seems to know or care about it. Since Thomas Jefferson and Adam Smith passed, I would argue that there has been a dearth of worthy philosophers in this country, at least ones focused on improving government. Capitalism worked for two hundred years, but times change, and systems become corrupt. George Soros, a man of staggering wealth, has stated that he would like to be remembered as a philosopher. My suggestion is that this great man start and sponsor a forum for great minds to come together to create a new system of government that truly represents the common man’s interest, while at the same time creating rewards great enough to attract the best and brightest minds to serve in government roles without having to rely on corruption to further their interests or lifestyles. This forum could be similar to the one used to create the operating system, Linux, which competes with Microsoft’s near monopoly. I believe there is an answer, but for now the system is clearly broken.

Lastly, while I still have an audience, I would like to bring attention to an alternative food and energy source. You won’t see it included in BP’s, “Feel good. We are working on sustainable solutions,” television commercials, nor is it mentioned in ADM’s similar commercials. But hemp has been used for at least 5,000 years for cloth and food, as well as just about everything that is produced from petroleum products. Hemp is not marijuana and vice versa. Hemp is the male plant and it grows like a weed, hence the slang term. The original American flag was made of hemp fiber and our Constitution was printed on paper made of hemp. It was used as recently as World War II by the U.S. Government, and then promptly made illegal after the war was won. At a time when rhetoric is flying about becoming more self-sufficient in terms of energy, why is it illegal to grow this plant in this country? Ah, the female. The evil female plant – marijuana. It gets you high, it makes you laugh, it does not produce a hangover. Unlike alcohol, it does not result in bar fights or wife beating. So, why is this innocuous plant illegal? Is it a gateway drug? No, that would be alcohol, which is so heavily advertised in this country. My only conclusion as to why it is illegal, is that Corporate America, which owns Congress, would rather sell you Paxil, Zoloft, Xanax and other addictive drugs, than allow you to grow a plant in your home without some of the profits going into their coffers. This policy is ludicrous. It has surely contributed to our dependency on foreign energy sources. Our policies have other countries literally laughing at our stupidity, most notably Canada, as well as several European nations (both Eastern and Western). You would not know this by paying attention to U.S. media sources though, as they tend not to elaborate on who is laughing at the United States this week. Please people, let’s stop the rhetoric and start thinking about how we can truly become self-sufficient.

With that I say goodbye and good luck.

All the best,

Andrew Lahde

Article from FT.com

Stephane Dion Interview

I know everyone has bad days and I understand that Stephane Dion's first language is not English, but this interview does not give me much confidence, should the Liberal government get elected to parliament.

VANOC & their trademarks

You probably remember quite clearly that VANOC had a bit of a tiff with the Greek restaurant "Olympia Pizza & Pasta" on Denman Street, an establishment that has been around for years over it's name and the 'rings' in its logo.

Well there's another potentially controversial trademark they've made having to do with their freshly unveiled Olympic motto, "With Glowing Hearts".

If the phrase seems familiar that might be because it is. You might recognize it from a little song we like to call Oh Canada.

So basically VANOC is trying to trademark a line from our national anthem. Wait, what?! Yeah, exactly. You can post your thoughts here.

Land Rover LR3 Location Scout

Great commercial from Land Rover. Best4X4byFar.

Global Apologizes to Timmies

Well, it seems that Global News was a little bit quick to judge Tim Hortons and the Conservative Party of Canada with regards to the Timmies Store in Khandahar. Read on below...

Apology canada.com
Published: Tuesday, September 23, 2008

In a story that appeared on Global and on the Internet at globalnational.com and canada.com in 2006 regarding the Tim Hortons location in Afghanistan, we reported that Tim Hortons received a subsidy from the federal government to open the outlet on the military base in Kandahar.

The circumstances were that the Canadian military approached Tim Hortons at the request of Canadian soldiers to provide a taste of home, and Tim Hortons felt it was a public service to do so. Tim Hortons did not receive any kind of subsidy from the Federal government. In fact, Tim Hortons waived all franchise fees, royalties and provided free support and training to its franchisee, the Canadian Forces Service Personnel Agency. This federal agency supports troops and their families.

All profits earned from the Tim Hortons outlet in Afghanistan are reinvested into programs to benefit soldiers and their families.

Global News would like to sincerely apologize to Tim Hortons, and we would like to recognize Tim Hortons' acts of good corporate citizenship including this contribution to the wellbeing of Canadian soldiers.

Josh Groban Rocks the Emmys

Vancouver 2010 Tickets... available soon!!!

I know there's been a lot of chatter about "Healthcare before Olympics", people thinking the Canada Line has disrupted too many businesses along Cambie Street, others thinking the upgrade of the Sea to Sky highway costs way too much money but I for one think all of these things are fantastic and long overdue. Besides... our healthcare system has fundamental flaws... money can't fix that, it would just bandaid it for a little while longer but that's another post, isn't it.

So with that being said I thought I'd put out a little reminder to my multitudes of blog readers that the tickets for Vancouver 2010 are going on sale in 20 days. Or at least that's when the process is starting. Check here for more info.

PreFab Continues its Growth

One of my most frequented posts of all time on this blog was the Prefab Revolution entry from November 2007. I am reminded of it now because the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York is putting on a show dedicated to PreFab Housing.

The MOMA Exhibit is unique though in that the organizer has made the wise conclusion that it is not practicle, nor possible, for everyone in the world to have their own, single-family, detached residence, prefab or otherwise. As such the exhibit showcases five, full-size, inhabitable homes on the vacant lot behind the museum.


The first home is the Cellophane House which can be arranged in a wide variety of fashions depending on the site requirements. It is built on the MOMA site as a 4-storey, single family dwelling.

The second dwelling, BURST*08, is a fully customizable home that can be customized in seconds to specific needs and or site requirements.

Architects Oskar Leo Kaufmann and Albert Rüf’s SYSTEM3 is also shown. At the exhibit it is presented in it's smallest fashion, though the architects have a maximum system of more than 30 units stacked to create a 10 storey, 11,000 square foot office building.

Digitally produced housing out of MIT is also represented. The first of the laser cut dwellings which use notches instead of screws and nails was put together by a few students using only rubber mallets in only two days. This housing option is intended as a possible emergency shelter solution.

As a small space dweller my favourite homes at the exhibit is the Micro Compact Home. My space at 609 square feet is considered small, but the M-CH comes it at an awesome 76 square feet. But the fact is the M-CH has everything you need and can either be used as a stand alone home or as part of a greater "village".


The exhibit has a unique website to accompany the physical homes that are viewable at MOMAHomeDelivery.org. The show runs through October 20, 2008.

Smart Car too Small?!

Some people say they don't want to drive a Smart Car because it's too small. I call that as b.s.

Comedian : Demitri Martin

Thanks to Steph for showing me one of the funniest comedians I've seen in a long time. And here he is for you... note his 'findings' over the last year...

Tell Rogers What you Really Think...

At the time of this blog entry over 41,000 people have signed a petition at RuinediPhone.com that will be delivered to Rogers corporate offices on July 11th, the official launch day of the iPhone in Canada.

Matt Dances Again!!!!

You may remember me showing you a website some time ago called Where the Hell is Matt?

Matt used to be an up and coming video games dude but one day decided that there was more to life and up and quit his job and travelling South East Asia until the money ran out.

In 2005 he made his first video of his famous 'dancing' and the rest is pretty much history.

In 2006 he garnered a key sponsor, Stride Gum, that helped him continue the dancing and the world was treated to his second video.


Now in 2008, the most recent video has just come out and has some of the most awesome footage yet. Check it out... guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

Stuff White People Like

By now you've probably heard about this blog, but if you haven't... you need to.

It's funny.

So, what do white people like you ask. Well, they like quite a few things. Some highlights include downloading illegal music, living in 'gentrified' areas, recycling, and of course sweaters.

Not too long ago it was announced that SWPL was getting a book deal, well, it's coming out soon, July 1st to be exact. This Random House book is available for pre-order at Amazon.com and I suspect it will be well worth it.

The Stuff White People Like Blog.

HNIC Themesong Gone from CBC?!

In probably the strangest piece of Candian news for 2008 the CBC was unable to secure the ongoing rights to the Hockey Night in CAnada theme song. WHAT?!

Yeah, Canada's 2nd National Anthem will no longer be forever entwined with families gathered in front of the television on Saturday night cheering on their favourite teams, watching Ron MacLean and Don Cherry bicker, and singing along to the theme song because somehow CBC was not able to retain the rights.

Crazier yet, once it appeared that the CBC was not going to find a resolution CTV scooped in and not only bought the rights to the song but purchased the entire tune for a reported $2.5M! It's a bit shocking, but... this means that we'll now be able to hear the anthem on TSN, RDS, and even CTV. The song will probably be played whenever Canadian teams are playing hockey on television including the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and beyond.

Here's Stephen Colbert's take on the situation:


DARN... Viacom took down the Cobert beauty... maybe if you search long and hard you can find it.

The All-New Apple i

HBC Unveils [ UGLY ] Beijing 2008 Clothing

Wow... some of it's okay, but some of it is awful! There's been many comments that the gear or at least the signature sport-camo pieces literally look like pajamas!

Thankfully we haven't yet seen what the Canadian Athletes will be wearing for the ceremonies in Beijing. Fingers crossed that they won't be wearing those pants. Yikes!

Anyways, check more out here.

Earth Day :: Green Fuel, Vehicles, etc.

So since it's Earth Day I should probably write something insightful about being green. I don't have anything earth shattering but I'll try to touch on a couple things and pound home a few points I've addressed before.

First... ethanol is not the answer! E-15, E-85, E-100... they're all bunk. The basic problem is that according to some studies ethanol actually requires the use of more fossil fuels throughout the production of it than is derived from the end product. Thereby having a net negative production value. In addition to this startling fact is that since most ethanol is made from typical food sources the elimination of this food for the purpose of fuel can and is driving up the cost and availability of said food. As I type this a world food shortage is burgeoning as the prices of grains skyrocket, largely due to the production of ethanol.

Second... mild-hybrids (i.e. Toyota Prius) are not the answer! Maybe people have forgotten that these things use batteries or something. You mean to tell me that Hybrid Synergy Drive has something to do with massive batteries?! Crazy! Well, it's true and the environmental impact from producing the nickel needed for those batteries is quite astounding. In addition to that those batteries, given current technologies, will one-day fail to work as well as they do on day 1 and eventually need to be completely replace, and, GASP, disposed of by means of recycling or other.

Third... plug-in hybrids may not be the answer! So you're telling me I just put this here plug into the wall and then my car will run?! Awesome! Oh, but wait, where's the power from the wall come from? For places like British Columbia that relies primarily on Hydro Electricity taking the energy for your car from "the wall" isn't so bad a transfer, but consider areas like Texas which rely largely on Coal Powered Electrical generation transferring the burden from one fossil fuel to another, that doesn't necessarily burn any cleaner isn't exactly a great solution. Not to mention the rise in your monthly energy bill which hasn't really been a point mentioned much by the auto industry. Hmmmm. And of course with this 'solution' much like that of plug-in hybrids there's still the issues of creating and eventually recycling the batteries.

So what is the answer?! Great question... wish I knew the answer. One thing that is showing some promise though is that of the creation of diesel from nature. And in this case when I speak of creation I'm not simply referring to drilling for fuel from the ground. Two possible options (at least in the mean time) are diesel from trees and diesel from algae.

The diesel tree is something quite awesome. Much like maple syrup farmers in Quebec tap the Maple trees farmers in some of the more tropical regions of the world are tapping the Copaifera langsdorfi tree, a native of Brazil. An acre of these wonder trees can yield approx. 1250 gallons of fuel per year with virtually no further refinement needed to fuel a vehicle. The bad news is that the trees take a good 15 years to mature and they won't exactly thrive in Canada.

A more recent alternative that's still in its early stages has to do with ethanol created from a algae. The result could be more than 100,000 gallons of fuel per acre! There are still kinks to be worked out, but this certainly could be a great answer, at least to the creation of fuels. Work still needs to be done though to extend the range of vehicles.

The fuel efficiency of vehicles measured in miles per gallon has changed very little over the last 100 years. There is some explanation for this in terms of increases in safety equipment and requirements and the resulting increase in vehicle weight but the fact remains that we can do better.

James Blunt has a New Hit Single

Zimbabwe May Have Hope

victoria_fall
Originally uploaded by Zest-pk

What was once a leading Southern African nation known as Rhodesia has been driven into the ground for nearly thirty years by Robert Mugabe.

Zimbabwe, as it is now known, has suffered immensely under this man's iron grip. Currently the country has annual inflation rates of approximately 100,000%!!! Want to buy a newspaper? That'll cost a few MILLION!

This once beautiful nation used to be a tourist mecca of Southern Africa with many people visiting Victoria Falls and various game reserves every year. But years of internal strife have not been favourable to the country in general.

At last it seems that the tides maybe shifting and Mugabe's iron grip on the nation might be waning. Over 72 hours have passed since elections have taken place and results are still very slow to be declared. Opposition parties are warning Mugabe and his ZANU-PF party not to rig the results. From their own polls "the Movement of Democratic Change faction of Morgan Tsvangirai said he had won 50.3% of the presidential vote and Mr. Mugabe 43.8% according to its own tallies of results posted outside polling stations." (Quote from National Post Article)

Here's to hoping Mugabe will go quietly and allow this desperate nation another chance.

You Tube DOT Com Theme Song

92 year-old Irving Fields has been writing hit songs since the 1920's. He recorded over 90 albums, including his biggest LP hit, Bagels and Bongos. He was inspired to write a song about Youtube... here it is.

Jack Hanna on David Letterman

These two videos are some of the funniest David Letterman clips I've seen in some time. Jack brings a bunch of African animals. The end of the 2nd one is the best!!!

David Letterman with Jack Hanna - Part 1


David Letterman with Jack Hanna - Part 2

Super Tuesday

Well, for some this last Presidential term has lasted an absolute eternity, but today, Super Tuesday, we come that much closer to finding out who the next President of the United States of America will be. Although a smattering of states have already had their Presidential Primaries today's the big day with 24 states all holding their votes to determine the respective incumbents.

At this point there are two Republican front-runners. John McCain and Mitt Romney. McCain's campaign has been gaining momentum and most recently he has gained the enorsements of both the Governator and Rudy Giuliani. McCain plans to win the war on terrorism, reform healthcare for all Americans, and reform government.

Romney, who courts the Religious Right, seems to want to address every issue in America ("Good Luck") including keeping Americans safe at home, combating nuclear terrorism, fighting radical Jihad, ending the dependance on foreign oil, ending the tide of illegal immigrants, reducing healthcare costs, raising the education bar and more. Sounds like a good plan... just fix it all.

And if you want to stay with the right but don't like either of those candidates you can vote for the only true fiscal conservative who "fights for freedom", Ron Paul. Who?! Yeah... that's what I said.

Now for the other side of the aisle, the Democrats. This is where the real fun begins. A major departure from history, the two front runners are a female and an African-American, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Senator Barack Hussein Obama. Good thinking for both of them to drop their middle names for the campaign. Heck, Mrs. Clinton has dropped it all... just "Vote for Hillary!" Again it appears that these two candidates are trying to be everything to everyone. Hillary touts her experience, while Obama champions his fresh thinking.

As for who will win big today? I certainly don't know for sure and haven't done any personal exit polls but I suspect that McCain and Obama will have strong showings this Super Tuesday.

Who do you think will win big today?!

SuperBowl XLII Commercial Highlights

I've narrowed my list down to my top 5 Superbowl XLII commercials...

LifeWater - Thriller Remake


Audi R8 - Godfather


Garmin - Napoleon


Victoria's Secret - Almost Over


Coke - Stewie vs. Charlie Brown

House Proud

So our little space may not be large, but we're quite content with it. We've grown more accustomed to our space over the last little while as we've completed some little projects that have made it more livable and conducive to our lifestyle.

Recently we were asked if we'd allow Steven & Chris to have a short segment on our place for their House Proud section and we obliged. Please excuse the robot.

A couple questions that have come up elsewhere include where to get the wallpaper and the brand of washer/dryer.

Nacho Video Diary :: Friday

A new NVD has emerged this time showcasing Nacho and his new best friend, Spencer.

Nacho Video Diary :: Sunday

Thankfully the WGA and Nacho Video Diaries were indeed able to come to an agreement and production of the video diaries have resumed.

What isn't clear is the details of the agreement. Neither party is talking so we can't be sure what the new production schedule will look like. We're hoping for 5 diaries per week, but the writing side of things may slow the schedule down somewhat.

Fingers crossed...

STI + Snowboarding = Madness

I love snowboarding. I respect the Subaru STI (the pre-2008 version that is). Put together in what can only be described as awesome madness here in Subaru DC Mountain Lab v. 1.5. Enjoy...



If you want to try this yourself... well, without the STI... go to Whistler and have fun.

Nacho Video Diary :: Wednesday

Due to the ongoing Writer's Guild of America (WGA) strike the Nacho Video Diaries will unfortunately be on hiatus. Fortunately either the WGA can reach a deal with the studios or the Nacho Video Diaries can reach a special deal with the WGA, much like Leno or Letterman, bringing us back to air.



We appreciate your support in this matter.

Can Analysts Be Trusted?!

Much like the very first analyst / therapist, aka analrapist, Dr. Tobias Funke cannot be trusted maybe financial analysts should be treated with a similar skepticism.

Today Moody's put out a press release on SIVs and failed to remove some of the draft editorial bits. Of course this isn't new, companies often mistakenly put out unfinished press releases in error. What is interesting in this case is that the report's unredacted version is much more to the point. The version that was supposed to go out seems more sugarcoated and potentially a little misleading.

Indeed, all (The entire SIV business model is) SIVs are affected by the recent price decline of fixed income assets and all SIV managers have been actively adapting the structure of their vehicles to this stressed environment, (now widely acknowledged to be unsustainable without restructuring)” says Paul Mazataud, Group Managing Director of Moody’s International Derivatives team and co-author of these reports.

-- Bolded text in parentheses shows what was supposed to be deleted before the final draft was disseminated.

Maybe that glass wall is a little too transparent?! Bricks and mortar anyone?!

More from the Financial Times blog.

Nacho Video Diary :: Tuesday

Nacho can play "recycle" with the best of 'em!



Featuring special guest stars: Heather's hand, Scott, & Janet.

Nacho Video Diary :: Monday

Office shenanigans...



Nacho Video Diaries Day 1 & 2

Nacho Video Diaries :: Saturday & Sunday

I had no idea he was a cross-dressing fashionista.

Best part of my maui vacation is receiving the daily Nacho Diary courtesy of Heather.

Saturday's Nacho Video Diary

Bill's Last Day

Sharades Anyone?

I do not entirely condone this, but who hasn't wanted to test drive a car or two that may be slightly out of their financial league?!

You’re a special snowflake. Your parents always told you so, and you believed them, and it turned out to be true. You’re such a special snowflake that you deserve to drive cars for free, to enjoy them at no cost and without any interference. But how can this be accomplished? Read on to find out, as I share my car sales and joyriding experience with you. Since the fateful day when the State of Ohio made the mistake of handing me a drivers’ license, nearly twenty years ago, I’ve driven everything from Sentras to Spykers, often without having a dollar in my pocket. You can do it too; follow along as I show you how.

Test Drive Anything Guide

Great Canadians

Canada.com is the easy online source I use for most of my daily Canada-related news. They had a little more credibility a few years ago but lately have been a little more tabloidy, but every once in a while they redeem themselves.

Right now they have a special feature section on Great Canadians. The great thing about this article is that it's not just highlighting the John A. MacDonald's and Terry Fox's of the world, although they were great. The feature highlights all sorts of great Canadians including some regular people who are doing great things.

Some highlights include the Asian business tycoon, Allan Zeman, affectionately known as the Mouse Killer, Alan Bean, a pastor working in Jena, LA., and Laura Louie who refuses to stand by and instead rolls up her sleeves in Mae On, Thailand where she started a clinic that is now self-sustaining.

Do it Yourself?

New Year's is often a time to figure out what you did right last year and what didn't go so well. What you want to change and what you want to keep up... Maybe you're looking to find a little more time in your life... is the answer DIY or DIFM?!

DIY is pretty popular these days... I haven't seen figures but I'm willing to claim that TLC and HGTV viewership have probably nearly tripled over the last 5 years thanks mostly to DIY-type programs like Trading Places, Flip This House, and The Block.

In the last couple of years, however, a new trend is emerging deemed DIFM or Do It For Me. The principal being that in today's world with overworked urbanites trying to get everything done that their busy lives demand time isn't available to do those chores that need doing. Thus the emergence of concierge services for the common person beyond house cleaning and yard work. Today one can get a part-time assistant to do pretty much anything from buying that perfect gift for your child's teacher, booking that appointment with your dentist, having your cars oil changed, to purchasing your weekly groceries.

There's plenty of services out there in your neighbourhood just throw what your looking for into Google and you'll probably be surprised how many results are returned.

For more reading on the subject click here.